Must do Better (at blogging)

Life is really manic around here at the moment.  The electrician has been here most of the week opening a can of worms.  Wires not doing what they are supposed to, my dishwash is live which is why I was getting an electric shock from it. On top of that the decorator has been ridding us of ugly wallpaper and builders and kitchen designers have been trapsing around so we can get some quotes.  Who wanted to move house?  Oh yes, that was me!

Anyway. My evenings haven't been entirely wasted but I have been working on things that will need to wait for blogging.  So I'll share a couple of  layouts I did for Fiskars a few months back.

I had packed up much of my stash when I was a GDT so I relied on my lovely Fiskars border punches and used them in different ways.

Of course, the fab Pink Paislee stamps are just gorgeous on top of a little border.

I spritzed the border here so I could scrunch it for a bit of texture.

This was a real fun layout to do.  I used the Fiskars Shape Cutter to cut out the tree, squirrel and acorns. They seemed a perfect addition for those naughty chipmonks Chip and Dale!

For the border, I pnched a scallop border which was then snipped at small intervals to go around the outside of the circle.  Patience and tape is key here, but works very well.  I found lighter cardstock weight the best for this.

Anyway, I appreciate you sticking with me.  I'll be back tomorrow with my layout for Pencil Lines.  Hope to see you then!

TGIF

We're into our 2nd week of the summer holidays.  The weather has been great so we've been hanging out at home and the kids have been down the water slide.  Best £30 I ever spent!

Thought I'd share a layout that I did last week for Fiskarettes blog celebrating DD first dance show back in June. 

I used the Fiskars scallop punch to create a border which I then snipped before adhering it to the back of the circle.  This works best with light-weight cardstock, but I have done it successfully with Bazzil also.

The dress form is Tim Holtz of course.  I stamped various butterflies (Fiskars) before inking with Distress Inks.  I normally use a darker colour around the edges to add depth.

That drop-dead gorgeous flower is Prima and the cute little flags are Pebbles Inc. 

All the papers are from a Studio Calico kit.

Just before I go, I thought I'd show you a sneaky peek of my class for our Charity crop.  Oohh, the kit is gorgeous! There are still a couple of places left if you fancy coming or want the kit.  Check out the What Housework Blog for more info.

I'm also playing along with this week's sketch at Pencil Lines. 

The reveal is at 8pm GMT on Sunday.  Hope to see you then!

Enjoy the  glorious weather all.   Thanks for popping in.

Fiskars GDT - Natural Smile

If you have followed my blog at all, you will know that most of my layouts feature my DD.  It's just that she is more willing to get in front of the camera normally.  This was one of those rare occasions, where my DS didn't mind.

I used my favourite Fiskars border punches  on this one - Bracket and Stamp.  They are jus so darn versatile!

I kept the embellishments quite simple for a change.  Love this stamp below from Studio Calico.  Most of the papers are from my Studio Calico kit.

Well thanks for popping in.  I played with a Pencil Lines sketch this week.  Here is a sneaky peek (yes, it does appear that I am having a little grunge moment).  Check back on Sunday for the full details.

Fiskarettes

I'm having a blast as a guest designer over on the Fiskerettes web site.  I thought I'd share a sneak of this week's entry which features the Shape Template.

It's a simple device to use.  A blade sits in the shape cutter gadget.  You then move the gadget around the template and voila!  Out pops a tree or a squirrel or lots of different shapes. Hop on over to Fiskarettes to see the whole thing.

This is the layout from last week's post.  I think the papers are a mixture of Crate Paper and MME.  I just love this structure at the mo - it's so easy to hang pretty little things from that border.

As you can also see from this one - I have a thing about mini-envelopes too at the moment.

Hope you can pop back soon.  I have a ton of layouts to catch up on which I will post over the next few days.

Fiskarettes

Well my exciting news is that I am a guest designer at Fiskarettes this month - Fiskars' inspiration blog  for the UK.  I love Fiskas products and didn't realise just how many Fiskars tools I already own.  I received a fabulous parcel this week including some Fiskars Shape Templates.  I look foward to playing with those as I've never tried them out before - so watch this space!

So here is a sneaky peak of my first project. 

Be sure to head on over to the blog to see the rest of the layout and enjoy all the lovely inspiration over there.