creative escape - back and looking a little like a boiled lobster........

well, i'm back from creative escape and a fabulous time was had. not all the projects were to my taste, but then i guess that is to be expected.

a little too much time by the pool on sunday means i am a little sunburned and sore, but nothing that won't pass in a day or two!!

on the first day, i took a tour of the bazzill warehouse. all i can say is oh my gosh!! take a look at these:-

the outside of cardstock paradise!

mr bazzill himself, a truly lovely man.

this is the packing area, where all the orders are picked, packed and shipped. i have never seen so much cardstock! 

piles and piles of fabulous bazzill goodness!

after our visit to the bazzill warehouse, we made our way to scrapbooks etc, their flagship store, 9000 square feet of stash to stroke!!

back tomorrow to post some of the projects we made!

leavin' on a jet plane

i am leaving for creative escape first thing in the morning, so i won't be around for the next week or so. i have left my lovely husband at home with plenty of food and drink to keep him going whilst i'm away!!

i'll post plenty of pictures when i get back.

elephant parade

during may and june, the elephant parade came to london. richard and i spent our day off each week combing the streets of london searching for elephants. there were 261 altogether and these were staged all over the city. the first time we went, we didn't have much of a plan, but we managed to see over 100, and as the weeks went on, we were much more organised. apart from glastonelly, which was only displayed at the glastonbury festival, we managed to see every single one.

at the end of june, all the elephants (except glastonelly) were brought together at the royal chelsea hospital to be displayed in one huge parage.

the weather was beautiful and the elephants looked lovely, each one unique in its own way.

the next challenge is how to scrap 261 pictures!! this is the title page. i used my trusty quickutz london cookie cutter set to cut the shapes, the font is merry and i had to sneak a little elephant in there too!

i am off to creative escape in 2 days - yikes, better get packing!!

new baby girl mini book

this is a very simple baby girl mini album i made for my cousin's daughter to give her friend. i used my little yellow bicycle papers and plain bazzill for the edges. i jazzed it up with some ribbons and brads throughout. i hope leah likes it.

just got back from spending a lovely evening with my friend penny. we don't see enough of each other, we had a lovely catch up and decided to take turns and meet once a month for a crafty evening. the first project we are going to start with is our december daily album. ok, it seems a little early to be starting this, but last year (and probably the year before) we had good intentions, and it never happened - well mine made it to the front cover and maybe one or two pages inside, but that was it. pen, we have no excuse now, it's in writing!!!

completed doily project

so, you've probably noticed that i have skipped a few doilies, silly old me forgot to take pictures of them. anyway, here is a picture of the finished article. overall i am very pleased with it, sure, there are elements that i feel i could have done better and i might make one or two adjustments before i have it framed, i am still not happy with the birdcage for example.

a few notes about the doily project if you fancy having a go:-

i distress everything - and i mean everything!! every tine piece of paper or cardstock, every trim, every sticker - tim holtz distress inks are my favourites and the one i have used throughout this project is one of the originals, vintage photo, this is my go-to ink at the moment. i have been known to use stampin up too, but they are much harder to distress with and i don't get such a nice finish

it's ok to substitute. i didn't want mine to look too much like christines, i wanted to put my own take on some of the doilies, but when it came down to it, i loved some of them so much, i just scrap lifted, so thanks christine, love your work

layering is the key. each doily has at least 4 layers, just play around with scraps of paper until you have a look you are happy with

invest in some foam squares - i think this is the most i have ever used these!!

each square is 3x3 inches square, i guess you could make them larger if you wanted, but this seemed to fit the size of the doilies perfectly

i intend to frame this in a dark wood box frame, i bought a white one from ikea, but it just makes the collage look washed out

go with the flow and use your old supplies, don't spend a fortune on this project, you will be amazed what you can create with what you have!!

doily no 13

this doily was pretty simple, i didn't get the birdcage quite right as i had to improvise and drew this freehand, but i think it's ok.

only 17 days to go until creative escape. the 'to take' list is ever growing and the supply list is mammoth!! i've joined the yahoo group and have 'met' a lady called sue who is also on her own, so i'm planning to meet up with her hopefully on tuesday evening after i arrive, and we are on the same bus tour and in the same group for the classes, so at least i won't be lonely.

i am also hoping that i might be able to see everton and gail whilst i'm out there, it would be such a shame to go all that way and not be able to catch up.

doily no 12

this one is so cute!! i love the little braddie bird, i know i keep saying it, but i think this is my favourite so far!! 

doily no 11

so, here is doily number 11. i am not happy with this one, it look too dark i think, although it may be ok when it is with the others.

doily no 10

sorry for the delay in posting, for some reason, i have had an issue uploading pictures to blogger for a few days! anyway, here is doily no 10, i love it!!

creative escape is only 20 days away, time sure is going fast!

doily no 9

i think this is my favourite so far!! 

i am getting excited about creative escape now, only 23 days to go!! there are 8 classes altogether - 4 on day one and 4 on day two. it sounds like it's going to be pretty full on, with the classes and cropping time afterwards. i also have a tour of the bazzill warehouse on wednesday, together with a visit to scrapbooks etc, their flagship store, can't wait!!

doily no 8

so, i am halfway through this project and it is shaping up nicely, i am really liking each doily for their individuality, i can't wait to see how they all fit together in the end!

doily no 7

we are coming along nicely with this project now, nearly half way there, wow!

i had a lovely day out with my friend jen on friday, and i was out again last night, hence no doilies posted. i also decided against the cocoa daisy retreat and instead decided to go to creative escape instead, it was a real spur of the moment decision and it's in 3 weeks - yikes!!