Thrifty Thursday

Ok so not everyone has got a scrapbooking budget – I know I don’t. Since I downsized my stash and moved from a dedicated room to a box of bits on my dining room table I only buy something if it is a necessary addition. My biggest expenditures at the moment are glue dot rolls, plain white smooth card for my printer and printer cartridges.

There are so many free printables out there at the moment that you don’t really need to buy stash as long as you have a supply of white card and a printer. I realise that its not everyones cup of tea but it certainly has benefits. You can be really selective about what you print, no need to buy a pack of product because you like 4 out of the 8 cards. plus there is a certain amount of flexibility, if the downloadable is in JPEG format when you insert it into a word or pages document you can re size the image so it fits your needs.

The other benefit to thrifty scrapping is that a lot of “chain” stores are offering great products at reasonable prices that can be used on scrap projects. My favourites at the moment are Paperchase for their stickers and their small D ring albums, also The Range, they have some great embellishments, loving their shaped paperclips by Craft Shop, just bought arrows and planes each pack was a £1 and contains 10 pieces.

Ok enough harping on about being thrifty . . .

Here is a Freebie to keep you coming back

another chalkboard themed card – write on them with white gel pens or wet chalk pens. I kept them 4×3 inches in size so that they can be use for Project Life too.

please comment and let me know if what I am sharing is useful to you.

A Freebie for you

I was sat here this morning after the dust had settled from the usual Monday morning mayhem, listening, all I could hear was the slight humming of my computer and the dogs gentle breathing, sigh . . .

So I whipped up these 6×4 cards for you all to use either in your PL albums or on your scrap book layouts – ENJOY

If you are interested in having them in a different orientation (3×4) let me know, leave a comment

as always – if you use them link back to here

you can download the PDF HERE

and its done . .

PL week three, pretty simple – the key word for this years album. I used one design A protector and one design J protector this week. Predictably lots of snow photos included in this spread, I supplemented it with my usual weekly recap (my own card design) The week number card (my own background design with September Blues week number circle) and a couple of filler cards of my own.

Its that Friday Feeling

PHEW – first full working week completed – well almost !

Spending time this weekend putting together my PL for the last two weeks, as usual I have been procrastinating.

You know how this goes , right. Buy a kit or use your stash, to corner round or not, make your own date cards or use someone else’s freebies, all of them creatively debilitating.

Anyhoo – I have stopped thing, or over thinking.

I have my divided page protectors – I am using a mix of AC project life ones and my WRMK ones left over from last year

I don’t have albums, unfortunately the WRMK linen D ring albums I used last year and re ordered, in a different colour for this year have been discontinued – Major spanner in the works, Not made a decision what to do about that yet !

I’m not big on sticking to particular colours, the same range of papers, a format or even a formula for my albums. I like everyone else on the scrapping planet seem to like the design and colours of the Seafoam kit from Elise Blaha, but I am too tight to pay the international shipping, although I have considered using the AC digital version and printing them out myself.
But I also like aspects of some of the other kits too.

What I have decided is that I am going to run up some freebies of my own, which I will share, I am going to download September Blues Week circles (no point in reinventing the wheel) as they are in my favourite typeface, BEBAS, and in the Seafoam kit colours, which are a set of core colours that I already liked.

I am probably going to stick with my week in review cards, cos that worked for me and I will be using a typewriter font to do most if not all of my journalling.

So I guess in a nutshell that’s my approach and I hope to start sharing my pages on Sunday

Here is my first freebie, just some 3×4 filler cards in some of my fav colours.Feel free to download the PDF in the usual place

Please let me know via comments if there are any issues with this freebie – thanks

Christmas Journal Dates

Ok for those of you participating in some kind of christmas journal project this December, I have started designing some freebies, as always I made the designs to suit myself, but I like to share so if you can use them great. I understand that my colour scheme may not suit everyone.

So here is the day/date designs for this year. I made it really simple and have only done from 1-25 because I like to have Christmas day as my last page. Feel Free to contact me if you would like 26-31 in this colour scheme or if you are interested in having this in just black and white.

I cut out the dates, the design has a very pale grey outline as a cutting guide, then I used my crop-a-dile to punch a half hole centrally in each end so that they look like old fashioned bus tickets.

Actual cut size each ticket is 3x4cm

You can find the printable under the freebies section in December Daily

Hope you like these, please feel free to comment.

HIP HIP HOORAY !

Its the Great British GIVEAWAY

As part of the virtual Jubilee street party being hosted over on the making spot I have designed some printables.

A few red, white and blue freebies to get the 2012 party started. Whether you are celebrating the Jubilee, the Olympics or both these printables will be a welcome addition to your party decorations.

Use the subway art poster to decorate your home or print it double sided onto an “A frame folded piece of card” and use it as a table marker at your street party.

Get those invitations printed out and sent to all your friends, invite them round for a Great British Jubilee Tea Party or use them for an Olympic BBQ.

The tags are very versatile, use them to decorate your place settings or add them to party bags or hostess gifts for the parties, teas or BBQ’s you are attending.

You can download them all HERE

If you want to be entered into the draw for the giveaways, please leave me a comment on this post before 23.59 on Sunday 27th of May 2012 stating PAPERCRAFT or SEWING so I know which freebie gift to send to you.

The Papercraft giveaway contains, one A5 journal, an iconic London Bus card, some London Bus fold over tab stickers and some scrapbook printables border strips.

The Sewing Freebie is a a few fat quarters of fabric and one piece of London Map fabric.

Great British sneak peek

Here is a sneak peek of some of the freebies in my GB give away

Stay tuned

Great British countdown . . .

Only a few days to go until the virtual Jubilee Street Party hosted by The Making Spot
Its going to be a great crafty opportunity to get a few bits an pieces ready to celebrate all things British, whether you are attending or even hosting a Jubilee Street Party or an Olympic BBQ.

My celebrations here will be very low key probably just me and the boys having a traditional Jubilee cream tea, but I am going to go all out with bunting, cup cakes, personal invitations for the boys, balloons and a plethora of red white and blue.

Along with a special just for the making spot craft, I am also going to do a couple of give aways here on my blog. One paper crafting related one sewing related, so if you want to win come on over on the 26th and 27th of may.

Only people who comment on the Jubilee post between 12.01 on the 26th through to 23.59 on the 27th will be entered into the draw for the prizes.

There’s more . . .

OK so I know I primarily design these journaling cards for my own benefit but there’s no harm in sharing is there ?

I designed this card to reflect the fact that some of my days nothing really happens, those days that we spend at home chilling, doing nothing significant.

Enjoy, these are intended to be printed as 6×4, if your printer allows it you could reduce the scale to 70% or 75% and they would print out at approx 4×3 too.

Download them in the usual place – HERE

Don’t forget – let me know your thoughts.

Winding down week . . .

Well not really but it is the last week at school before the Easter hols, so it feels that way and as my jobs are school related, I do look forward to the school holidays.

I am still ticking along with Project life and designing cards for Papercraft Inspirations too.

I think I mentioned I have been working on some border strip designs, well I have completed them – YAY !

They are shown here printed off onto plain smooth white card stock and I cut them out with a scalloped edge, I have also shown them with a “torn from a note book” edge too which I rather like, I am working on some more of these with a type design

I am going to offer some of these designs (glasses, bikes, people icons) as a freebie, If you want the bus and or camera designs I will be charging a small fee for those as they are my personal design, the bus and camera I put together from scratch, these aren’t clip art or dings.
If you want any of the designs with either a scalloped or note book edge again I can offer these at a small charge.

All the border strips measure approx 10.5 inches x 3/4 (27 cm x 2 cm )

If you want to purchase, leave me a comment with your email addy and I will mail you with the prices.