Papercraft Inspirations Decoupage Free Gift

In this months Papercraft Inspirations the free gift is a decoupage booklet by Crafters Companion and a pair of decoupage scissors.

Papercraft Inspirations is the only magazine I subscribe to and did so after only one issue. I love how they give you a booklet and free gift each month so you can discover new crafting techniques.

I've done decoupage before but my cutting out is awful, this was before I tried using the decoupage scissors! My normal scissors are small fiskars ones and just thought it was my fault I couldn't cut thing neatly. I'd never heard of decoupage scissors but they have really think sharp tips to cut really finely and thin blades to glide smoothly round shapes. The kit has three A5 designs, seaside, playroom and outside a house with cobbled streets. All bits were easy to cut, although due to the small scissors it was uncomfortable by the third set I cut out (I'm guessing usually most people could only cut one design at a time).

I've not made the cards yet, just cut the bits out due to lack of foam pads but have purchased a silicone glue syringe which should be here soon as I find it better than the fiddly squares (and cheaper).

Once the cards are made I'll try and upload photos. (update, photos of these cards can be seen on the blog post entitled 'Busy Busy Busy', unfortunately I was in a rush getting them ready for my friends charity tea party so forgot, while making them at midnight, to take individual photos)

*this blog was written while drying my hair (I'm very good at multitasking).

Had a lovely surprise this morning

My husband came back from the sorting office with a few parcels for me, one of them I though was maybe some things to test from BuzzAgent but it was full of craft goodies! I'd won a competition from Cardmaking & Papercrafting Magazine!

I received a load of The London Line goodies:

• 8 x 8 Designer Paper pack (half glittered) - full of flowers, cakes, union jacks, umbrella and butterflies
• 8 x 8 glittered pyramid decoupage full of animals doing sports, with presents or with a beefeater
• 2 packs of glitter stickers
• 2 clear stamps
• 3 lots of craft twine

So much stuff... What to make first!

The packaging is lovely, especially the paper packs and decoupage pack as it shows exactly what you get including the glitter! These a lovely girly pictures and they have a few hedgehogs in hehe!

Better order more silicone glue and bigger acrylic blocks!

Tea Bag Folding

Quick post to show you my first attempt at tea bag folding (folding circles of paper)

Snow White Card

Here's a card I made today using my Tilda stamp, mirror card and backing papers from Kate Knight's Handmade Cards magazine.

My Snow White Stamp Arrived!

While looking in the In2Crafting blog I saw a few years ago someone made a snow white card with a really cute stamp and I went on the hunt to find one myself!

This morning a parcel from Norway arrived and I've been stamping and colouring ever since!

How cool is this stamp!

A quick trip to my local craft store turned into two visits!

I went to visit my local craft store yesterday, In2Crafting in Wickford, Essex, for a few bits for my Christmas cards. I'm not making my Christmas cards just yet but wanted to get the design finalised so I know what I'm doing (and don't end up buying more and more Christmas dies when I won't be using them). 

I went with my sister and brought some textured brown card for my reindeer's body (the rough design was just white card coloured with promarkers), sequin dots for his nose, card blanks, Marianne Designs dies (Merry Christmas and Seasons Greetings), and some other little bits. We came back home then remembered we wanted some card toppers and also remembered seeing some Christmas toppers which I was wishing I'd brought.....so we went back!

I love In2Crafting as their items are really well priced, it's not too big there and the staff are always on hand to help if you need assistance. I'd had my eye on the Marianne Designs Merry Christmas set but was looking at paying nearly £8 for them, but in the store they were just under £7!

Must now use what I've brought and not go on a spending spree again! (even though my second visit cost me only £4). 

I do still need some other Christmas dies for my parents Christmas cards and for my sisters cards but I'm waiting until we find something we really like rather than just buy things for the sake of it.

Having just searched for In2Crafting online, I've just found they have a blog! Why not head over and pay them a visit http://in2crafting.blogspot.co.uk/

Testing out my deer die

I brought the sizzix deer die for my Christmas cards this year (brought it early while cheap) and have only just tried it out after having it for over a week!

I don't have any brown card or paper so used white and coloured it in myself.

Forget Rudolph, this is Diva the diamonte nosed reindeer! Lol

It was just a rough first try to see how. I can decorate it etc.