Busy, busy, busy!!

While things may have been a bit quiet here on the blog they've been absolutely the opposite in my life, it's been crazier and busier than ever!! We are very close to completing on the sale of our house which means boxes everywhere and nothing where you're used to it being which is maddening and time consuming to say the least. We had a trip to the hospital for surgery closely followed by a rapid return when infection was suspected. I don't know if I'm coming or going to be honest!
In the middle of all of this domestic madness we have had two new clubs start up. The first is in Sawbridgeworth and is being run by Tracey Camburn. Tracey invited me along to teach the very first club night and it was an absolute pleasure to meet this fab group of ladies. We had such a laugh I found it difficult to believe that it was the first time that they had met one another! The club will meet on the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of each month - if you're interested then get in touch with me and I'll put you in touch with Tracey!
Our second club kicks off this coming Wednesday 3rd April in Southend-on-Sea. The club is run by Jackie Da Silva who is very well known locally as a papercraft teacher and designer. She has hired a hall and has plenty of capacity for anyone who'd like to join the fun! Jackie will also be previewing the two kits for next month and taking orders, it's great to actually see the papers, colours and themes of kits ahead of time so you know what sort of photos to search for. If you'd like to join in with the Southend-on-Sea club then let me know and I'll connect you with Jackie.
In the meantime I hope everyone is having a lovely Easter break and that you find some time to get creative!

Total Papercrafts March kit 1

Here we go with the double page kit for March using the Prima Engraver line!  We fell in love with these papers at the trade show a few weeks ago and were practically jumping up and down at just how gorgeous it all was.  If I could have I would have ordered everything so it was really difficult to choose!!  The kit has a 'memories' theme so its very adaptable for any kind of photo.  I used a single 6" x 4" landscape photo because I sometimes want to make a statement in my album based on just one moment - in this case it was this amazing snapshot of my sister and I on holiday together in Las Vegas.  I added a shot of teal to the black, tan and white colour scheme to lift it, its very simple to do something like this with just cardstock and it makes such a difference.  I also added a cool wood mounted Prima stamp to the kit and created fun pieces of 'tape' to embellish the design, its a super easy technique that you can use over again with different colours!

The kit contains; cardstock, 4 sheets of double sided patterned paper, wood stamp, tissue paper

You will also need; double sided adhesive tape, flower centres (crystals/pearls/buttons etc.), black inkpad, water spray

Keep an eye out for our second Prima kit for March coming very soon!!

Total Papercrafts February kit 1

Our double page kit for February is chock full of goodies, lots of bits and bobs for you to play with and a new tool for your stash!  We have combined 7Gypsies papers with a fabulous key template/stencil which also includes three key embellishments to alter and include on your layout - loads of fun to be had with this I can assure you!!

This is another kit that will work with all sorts of different types of photos, the maps papers cry out for travel or holiday snaps or you could play with the key idea and include photos of your home or a holiday cottage (or your dream home!!).  There's lots of scope here and you aren't restricted to just these ideas.  I loved the idea of creating a 'washing line' of memories, its an idea from a Masterclass I taught last year and I thought that it had so much scope scope as a double page.  You can include loads of smaller photos - I think that the largest one in the sample is 3" x 3" but you could go larger and include fewer embellishments if you prefer.  Its such an adaptable idea!

The kit includes; cardstock, 4 double sided patterned papers, a key template, string, pegs, envelopes, tickets, tags, paperclips, a Tim Holtz flash card and a Tim Holtz game piece.

To create the sample design you will need brown and black inkpads, a border punch, white acrylic paint or gesso, assorted stamps, alcohol inks or permanent inkpads such as Stazon or Archival.

For those of you who are attending the clubs, I will have the stamps, gesso and alcohol inks available for you to use.

Take care, TP :o)

Total Papercrafts kit 2 for January

Our kit deliveries have been plagued by the recent snowy weather and so this design came together at the very last minute!  We are using the Miss Match range from Kaisercraft this time, four fabulous double sided patterned papers, a Tsukineko ink pad and pearls for a really versatile page for the every day occasions in our lives.

We were talking at the Essex club last week about how we all have loads of snaps of nothing really special but of the every day.  They aren't the studio shots that are beautifully lit, not special birthdays or weddings but just pics of family together.  These photos don't need or even work well on themed papers and so I thought that this kit would be ideal.  The main colours are green, beige and peach (for anyone who hates peach, the reverse of that main sheet has a fab cream pattern).  The pops of black keep it looking modern and fresh.  There are title cards to cut out from the papers which include sayings about 'smile'. 'enjoy' and 'friends', just your normal every day titles that you can over and over again.

The kit includes; cardstock, 4 double sided patterned papers, Tsukineko ink pad in Willow, pack of pearl beads, white paper roses, a swirl template

The sample design uses a 6" x 4" portrait photo and a smaller snap trimmed to fit inside a Polaroid-style frame.  To complete the sample you will need a border punch, a text or other background stamp, needle and thread.  I also used a few scraps of ribbon for the tags.

I hope that you like the kit, dig out the 'ordinary' photos that you have and make them something special with this gorgeous kit!!

Total Papercrafts kit 1 for January

Being away for a long break over Christmas and New Year really put things behind and having limited craft materials and no internet made life very tricky.  We are back now and have hit the ground running!!  Our first kit for this month and for 2013 is a double page that is one for the boys.  We all have men in our lives whether its sons, brothers, fathers, husbands or boyfriends and if they are honest they would probably admit that they never really grow out of the 'boy' phase!  We have a joke in our house that most guys never really mature beyond the age of 7 - not sure how true that is but its certainly funny!!

The kit uses the 'Attitude' line from Kaisercraft which is grungy and masculine - perfect for the guys.  We chose four of the double sided papers together with a 12 x 12 printed transparency and a pack of rub-ons.  We also have a fabulous technique to create riveted metal stars as embellishments, after all not all guys are comfortable with flowers on their scrapbook layouts!

The sample design uses three 6" x 4" and two 4" x 4" photos (cut down from 6" x 4" prints).  You could easily adjust the number and orientation of the photos on this design to incorporate what you have.  Don't have lots of photos from the same event?  Don't worry, you could opt to make this as a single page or you could replace one or more photos for journaling blocks - there is a white grid paper in the kit that would work beautifully.

The kit contains; cardstock, 4 sheets of double sided patterned paper, 12x12 printed transparency, pack of rub-ons, adhesive metal tape, 2013 calendar, star template and full step-by-step instructions.

To complete this sample design you will also need; a black inkpad, assorted stamps (splats/text/swirls etc), blending tool, 3d foam, a length of black ribbon or string, assorted border punches (postage stamp/notebook, bracket).

New Masterclass for Kent groups

Things are getting busy on the Masterclass front once again, the Tunbridge Wells group are starting up once again with the first class in their new series starting tonight. They will be doing the same kit we have scheduled for the North Kent group for next week, a masculine layout using Prima Craftsman.
The kit includes; cardstock, 8 sheets of patterned paper, a set of stamps, Prima crystal swirls, calico fabric, adhesive canvas and full step by step instructions.
The sample design uses two 6" x 4" portrait photos in sepia but you could also use two landscape or a single large 6" x 8" landscape. It's not essential that your photo is sepia, the colours in the kit are blue, burgundy, rust and cream so you may have a colour photo that would work.
You will also need; a scallop border punch, a notebook edge punch and a brown inkpad (the sample used Distress Ink in Vintage Photo).
I'm really looking forward to seeing everyone again tonight, it's been too long!!