“New Scrap Space”

Hi Friends,

We are slowly getting back to “normal” here, whatever that is at the moment 😉  We moved on the 3/8 to our new home, just as Stage 3 Covid-19 Restrictions hit us in Regional Victoria, in Australia. I haven’t seen my oldest son for about 5 weeks and I do miss him…… We are nearly all unpacked and able to see the floors!!! Life is really busy with work etc, and its nice to be finally getting settled!

I have had this weekend off so I thought I would share with you what has been keeping me so busy!

I thought you might like a little peek of my new scrap space which is wonderful. We have a living area that is not being used, as I have a dining area in the kitchen 🙂 So, it is all mine!!! I was going to use the third bedroom, but not big enough lol!!! 😉 Noooo…. I don’t have too much stuff 😉  This is looking from the kitchen door into the living area then down to the lounge room.  Yes, I had some helpers!! Trishka on the left and Nitro on the right…………….. There are lots of windows and natural light. I am just waiting on my new blinds to be made which will be awesome!!!

To give you and idea, this door is the entrance from the front door/hallway.

LOUNGEROOM SIDE BEFORE…..

AFTER………

I tried to do one area at a time. This is my desk where I will mainly create. I wanted to use as much wall space as I could do get the maximum storage. I sorted and did a bit more de stashing as I went and it did take a bit more time, but well worth it.  I have my shelf storage and my Raskog Cart well used.

I have two of these shelf units. They are smaller and the best size for storing my ink pads, punches, stamps, tapes and extra supplies I have used Velcro to attach the ink blend foams near the inks, so they are there to use and I don’t have to search for them.

Here I store on my desk my most used supplies. I have my larger tools, watercolour pencils and hand sewing items on the top. There is mainly stamps and cardstock on the second shelf and on the shelves below is paper, adhesives, embellishments and all easy to access. I have a large non stick mat and a small cutting mat to the side.

Right behind me I have my sewing machine set up on my white desk, with my Photo Printer on there as well, ready to go.

KITCHEN SIDE BEFORE…….

AFTER…….

The kitchen side wall is made up of built in shelving and my book cases. I have used all the same furniture that I had. I like using see through storage for as much as I can, plus baskets. The large case I have had for at least 15 years, the light coloured one probably about 10 years and Jj bought me the tall slim one last year. It fits 12×12 storage perfectly.

My large bookcase on the right holds albums on the bottom then smaller albums and Junk Journal books I use. The ring binders house quite a lot of my red rubber and cling stamps. There is also my Stampin’ Up! Paper and cardstock plus other A4 size supplies.

The middle book case shows some of my Journals down the bottom with my spray inks on the left. In the baskets, I have stamps, stickers, ephemera etc.

My tall think bookcase holds 12×12 storage that has paper and junk journal supplies. It also homes my larger cardstock and pattern papers. The light coloured book case holds my smaller 6×6 and 6×8 paper and pad on the top. JJ supplies, paint, my cardmaking supplies also.

I have this area across the room near the window with my Die Cutting Machine set up. The cube shelving house my dies, emboss folders, washi tapes, ribbons and flowers, plus other tools and things. The lovely big window looks out onto the side lawn area. We have a gas heater in this room and the lounge has a split system.

My Ikea Raskog cart which I think I have had about 5 years is the handiest storage. At the moment it has my mixed media supplies (brushes, stencils, paints etc) on it and the magnetic tins are great for holding anything you need.

I may change a couple of things as I go along, so it works for me, but as a whole I am really happy with my set up. It hasn’t happened overnight and I was thinking I was never going to get it sorted again. I plodded along a bit each day in between work and life and finally got it done!!!

I hope you have enjoyed my first post back, even though it was a bit long! Stay tuned as I have a couple of storage solutions to show you next…………..

Happy Crafting

Hugz Kerri x

 

 

 

 

“Scrapbook Challenge”

Hi Friends,

I hope you are all well and enjoying your #stayathome time. I am doing a bit of creating and I had a go at a Scrapbook challenge today in a new Aussiex FB group I am in.

The challenge was to find certain things from your stash and use them to create a layout. Just what I needed a bit of inspiration!!  I found some grungy papers, chipboard embellies, die cuts, title and stamp.

I grunged everything up with some ink. I stamped the background with the clock and then the title. I used some pattern paper and roughed the edges up with my scissors and tore it a little. I used a chippy piece, a couple of die cuts and word stickers. I added some twine, plus staples to adhere to things down. A couple of items I had chosen didn’t suit this layout so I changed it up a bit.

This was fun and I am looking forward to getting some more scrapping done tomorrow on my day off!

Have a great nite!

Kerri x

 

“Easy No-Sew Journal”

Hi Friends,

I hope you are having a lovely weekend. In between being an Essential worker here in Aus, I am staying at home. #stayathome

I was watching Johana Clough  “HERE”  on her YouTube channel and she made a fun Journal. I thought that would be perfect for a Cookbook for myself to use in the kitchen. It’s not too big and I can have separate recipe categories.

I had eight spare notebooks that I didn’t use awhile ago for a project so I got them out and adhered them all together, one on top of the other. I glued two at a time, then all together with white PVA glue. I then did, as Johanna had and used some fabric to bind them together. I just made sure I had plenty of glue on the spine and under the fabric when I attached it.

I put a couple of heavy books on to of my journal so it would stay together while the glue dried. You can see the covers of the exercise books buckled a bit but that doesn’t worry me as they will be covered up. I also added washi tape to each side of the books to give the spine a bit more strength.

Today I have made some sections using pattern papers from the collections, to divide them up in my journal. I covered each of the joining covers with some pattern paper and that made dividers. This is the first pages inside. I made a pocket on the left with some spare journaling cards and a bit of embellishment, with the first Catagory for Notes.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

As you can see above in the slide show I have made the other dividers the same but with a different mix of the two collections. I used stickers and die cuts to embellish them.

On the backs of a few of the dividers, I adhered a clear 6×8 page protector. These are to hold recipes that I cut from magazines until I get a min to put them in their section. I also have some of mums handwritten ones I want to include.

Above, you can see what you can create from something that looked pretty ordinary into your own personal Journal. You could do this project for anything you want to record. This probably cost me about $10 to make with what I already used from my stash and the few papers etc I used from the kit I bought.  It is made to have our family favourite recipes and to the way, I wanted to keep them together for my boys 🙂

This is a look at the tabs I made for it.

I hope you like this project and you hop on over to Johanna’s Channel and have a go at making something for your self.

My next project is a fun journal for me to play and create in with a lovely group on FB called “Isolation Days Journal” Just some fun ladies getting together and creating while they #stayathome  I am also playing along with a new Scrapbooking group created by the lovely Fiona Kenward to get some scrapping done!!

Stay Tuned and thanks for stopping by x

Kerri x

“Finished 6×8 Album”

Hello there,

I just wanted to show you the album I have completed for my mum’s Best Friend Helen. I am going to visit her on Friday for a few days as I have not seen her since before mum and dad passed away in 2017. I am really looking forward to seeing her.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Above is a slide show with all the album pages for you……………….

This album took me a week to create in between my shift work and other commitments. It was a labour of love to create it for her. Aunty Helen and her kids, Rod and Wendy have been a big part of our lives growing up. Lots of great memories!!

I created a few single pages layouts and then some pocket pages as I didn’t think I would have time to do all singles. I just added some words and embellishments on the pockets. The covers are a cereal box cut down and embellished. I decided not to use binder rings, instead the seam binding to keep it all together.

The page on the left I created of my mum and stepdad (Les) who were married 9/6/72 in Warrnambool Mum and dad were married 44 years and we lived in Colac. Dad was a hard-working, loving, family man and he was 102 when he passed away.

On the last page, I put a photo of My biological dad (Arnold) and my gorgeous mum (Val) when they were first married in 1960. This has been good for me to scrap some old and new memories for her.

I miss mum and dad every day……..  I am very grateful for the precious time we had with them and for the great life and memories that we all had together………

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you are able to be creative today……………. I am sure I will have some new memories to share with you when I come home !!!

Have a great week!

Kerri x

“How Do You Print Photos?”

Hello, my lovely friends and followers,

I have had the day off and only a settle shift tonite. I am printing out photos for the album that I have created for my mums’ bestie and I thought you might like to see what I use……

I am not getting paid or any other benefit from this post. It is just the best printer I have ever used!!!!!!

I used to print from places like Big W and K Mart but as our closest one is Geelong it was a pain.  My boys bought me my first Canon Selphy Printer in 2002. It was a new 900 model then and I printed it to death!!!

For Xmas 2018 my awesome boys bought me the new 1200 model and it is still my favourite way of printing photos. For this printer, your ink and paper come together. I always buy the bulk 100 pack from INK DEPOT here in Australia. It is very user-friendly and easy to navigate.  The printer prints once for each colour (pink, yellow and blue) then the fourth time it puts a protective coating over your pic. They are 100 years archival safe. I have never had any pics go yellow or discolour.

As you can see above there are a few different printing options to get the most out of your paper and ink.

Top left – 2- 4x 6″ bordered prints, 2 -3×4 bordered prints, Borderless 4×6 which I cropped.

Bottom Left – 4×6 bordered print and a mixed 4×6 print which is an awesome option to have particularly for me when I scrap in my journal and smaller 6×8 layout size pages. you can also trim them to size for use on your projects.

Above are a few 8.5 x 11 layouts that I have made using the different size photos. This gives you an idea of how versatile the Selphy is. I hope this may have helped you if anyone is looking for a printing alternative and I highly recommend this wonderful printer!!!

Thanks for stopping by and have a great night!!

Happy Printing!!

Kerri xx

” Stampin’ Up! Ring-Bound Album”

Hello there friends and followers,

I hope your start to March and autumn here in Australia has been nice. I had a team get together at a clients house on Sat which was lovely, then a catch up with a friend which is always great. Work today was busy, I went for a walk and now I am getting a chance, to post about a couple of Ring-bound Albums I am making.

First up I wanted to show you that you can use Stampin’ Up! products not just for cards. I am an avid memory keeper and I have created one of my Memory albums using all SU products.  Our biggest Sale-A-Bration of the year is happening now and this gorgeous brand new Peaceful Poppy Dsp (Item # 151324) is available to purchase.

To make my albums, I used cardboard from the backs of some of my old paper pads and cut them 20x23cm. I then covered them with the lovely new designer series paper and inked around all the edges with Soft Suede Classic Ink. (Item # 119982)  I then stamped the Large Crackle Paint Background stamp (Item 3 148752), with the same ink. I layered some Dsp on the top, then I tied around it with some of the Linen Thread (Item #104199). I stamped the flowers from the Floral essence stamp set (Item # 149450) and punched them out using the Perennial Flower Punch (Item # 49522)   I stamped the sentiment from the Crafting Forever stamp set (Item # 15231) I used our retired Crop-O-dile to punch the holes and set the Jumbo eyelets to finish it off. this has really come up lovely and I hope it has given a bit of a peek into this wonderful company I am a part of 🙂

This shabby/vintage style album above I created using my stash. It is for a very special lady who was my mums best friend for 66 years.  Aunty Helen has always been a big part of our lives and we grew up with her son and daughter. She is a beautiful sewer, so I added the tape measure and stitching embellishments to the cover.  I will be putting some up to date photos of us all in it for her.

I am hoping now to start some much-needed scrap layout therapy and catch up on some family events etc. I will post them later in the week as I get some done.

Thanks for popping by, have a great week!

Kerri x

“A New Project”

Hi Friends, I hope your week is great so far………….Busy here as usual!

I don’t know if any of you are like me, but I like working on a few different projects at the same time. I feel more productive and it gives me variety in my craft. At the moment I am working on my prompt journal which I am really enjoying and trying out a bit of Art Journaling. Just a bit of messy fun!!!

I have decided…….. I want to make a few 6×8 page size scrapbook journals, but using the page protectors.  As much as I like using my journals for scrapping, I am very particular about how my work is stored.  I want it to be archival and safe to pass down to my children, grandchildren one day.  I am not using any more large albums and I want to stick to my journal type size.

  So with that in mind, I am using some pocket pages that I already have and I am going to make my own covers from chipboard and use binder rings to keep them together.  I have different sized protectors also, that I can add extra photos if needed.  I am also cutting down my 12×12 paper and cardstock to sort through what I will actually use and I will donate the rest to my nieces after school care program. I am only using my stash for this project apart from a few extra page protectors I have purchased.

I have gone through my cardstock and pattern paper and I have cut them down to 6×8 ready to use. I have sorted them into my categories of Floral, Journal, Grunge, Patterns, Vintage, and Speciality.

I decided to use the top tier of my Raskog cart to store my cardstock and pattern paper as it easy to get to and holds everything neatly. I added a box of the middle tier to keep my scrap paper in view so I would use it.

  As you can see it all sits organised and easy to access. Better than on a shelf where it would most likely fall off. To make the dividers I just recycled some backs off old 6×6 paper pads. I made the tabs using my trusty retired SU Tab Punch.  I will have an album for Our Family Year, Sisters, About me, Our pets and probably one each for my two boys.

I have been using my OLW “Inspiration” as I have been creating. This is another way for me to find inspiration and create more this year!! I hope I may have inspired you to try scrapbooking a different size layout or even to try making a journal to use.  Pop in later in the week as I hope to start some pages over my weekend off!!

I hope the rest of the week is great for you and thanks for stopping by!

Happy Crafting

Kerri xx

 

 

 

“Altered Composition Notebook Junk Journal.”

Hi, there my lovely friends,

I hope you are having a nice start to Feb. I am busy as usual but finding time to walk and do a bit of Craft. I was looking for a bit of “INSPIRATION” for my next JJ project and I came across a lovely channel by Linda Israel who is a wonderful mixed/multi-media artist. I have watched a few of her videos and I found a JJ series she started Jan 2020 called “Altered Composition Notebook Junk Journal” and I had a peek!!! I was hooked straight away to create a JJ and follow her daily prompts.  I have also joined her Friendly Junk Journal People group over on FB.

This is Linda’s first video to create the cover “HERE” Linda used, what we call in Aus a students exercise book, but I decided to make mine using a biscuit box 🙂  I cut it open and used the spine as is and then collaged some music and book pages over the front and back. When dry I sprayed some mist over it and then let that layer dry.

I decided to paint the spine black and I added some washi tape to both sides of the spine and also at the top for a bit added strength.  The front cover I sprayed a watercolour tag with mist, then collaged the Eiffel Tower image I found in a magazine. I used some die cuts as well.

To finish the cover I added a scrap of lace to the tag at the top.

For the inside pages, I made two signatures. I collated some sheet music, book pages, magazine pages, scrapbook papers, and a few botanical pages. These will be the pages I work on each day I do one of the prompts. I used the same cream lace, to bind the two lots of pages in.

If you are looking for a challenge, hop on over and have a look at the FB group, or Linda’s YouTube channel for lots of inspiration…………………..

Have fun playing

Stay Tuned for the 1st Prompt – Using fibres and creating a Book Mark…………………

Kerri x

“2020 Memory Journal”

Hi, my lovely followers…….

I apologise for my absence, but I have been very busy work-wise and I have started walking/running most mornings now, to help my fitness and also hoping to drop a few kgs…… I either go with a friend, on my own or with my “personal trainer” (my son :). I am now on leave, which is wonderful not getting up at 6.30 every morning. Hoping to get a few things done around the house and garden this week 🙂  Plus the Australian Open is on, so a planned weekend with my sister 🙂

Anyway…………………..in between everything else I have been making my 2020 Family Memory Journal to use this year.

I decided on a larger journal and it roughly measures, 8×11″. I have not bound the pages in it as yet to make it easier to work in. The pages will lay flat for me with no binding.  I made the covers from an old garden book and I made a new spine. so it was wider.

I received a lovely thank you gift from Alicia in a FB group I am in, for Hosting a Junk Journal tutorial. It was the Mintay Old Manor papers that I used on the cover, and some in the journal as well. They are just gorgeous and I knew I wanted to include them.

As this journal is bigger, I have more space on the pages to play with, I decided to not just have 15cm (6″) wide pages. I cut two papers @ 27 cm then I scored each one at 18.5cm. I then stuck them together to make the large pages you see above. I can use the folded piece as a page extension or use as pockets for extra photos or journaling. I used other papers from my stash as well.

I then went through them to see what pages I wanted showing to use then I stuck them back to back to make a sort of book.

You can see them here, they are glued on top of one another and they will sit nicely open over the spine of the journal to use. I will use a piece of seam binding through the middle of them, tied to the spine keep them secure when it sits on my shelf.

You can see how they are sitting in my journal with no binding. Mostly I use the “Easy Twine Binding Method, which is “HERE” on youTube.

 

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Above in the slide show is a few different bindings I have used. I am not a patient person, so I don’t sew my signatures (groups of pages)  in and also not everyone can sew. I have used twine, ribbon, lace, elastic, fabric, ribbon, sari silk and seam binding to put my journals together.  They hold securely and they enough give for the pages to turn nicely.

I would love to hear how you are scrapping this year. This is starting my Year of Inspiration.

I hope you have a great week and you can manage some craft. Stay tuned as I hope to start creating in this Journal while I am on leave 🙂

Hugz K x

 

“Thankyou”

Hi, my lovely friends,

I just wanted to thank all of you who have taken the time to hop on over and left me lovely comments and started to follow me here. Your love and encouragement has been wonderful.

There will be lots of new Posts and Tutorials for you in 2020 and I hope you might stick around 🙂 I have really enjoyed my creating this year and sharing my love of papercraft with you all. I am excited and looking forward to seeing what I get up to next year 🙂

I am also enjoying my time as a Stampin” Up! Demonstrator again too and getting back to some serious stamping projects in 2020 also 🙂

Wishing you an awesome New Year, good health and happiness throughout 2020 x

Love and Hugz

Kerri xx