Friday 31 May 2013

Typewriter card tutorial

I made a test run Typewriter card the other day and it got "snapped" in the middle of my desk when I did my What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday photo and there was a fair amount of interest in it so I thought I would do a quick tutorial on how I made it.

Take a 6" square sheet of card stock. (I cut a 12" sheet into 4)  You can use any colour, I just happened to have a spare pink piece on my desk for the test run and used that, then I quite liked the result, so have done this one in it too!  I think it is quite retro and funky!

Fold it in half and place it on the Typewriter die with the fold just below the top of the typewriter so it falls just inside the blades which are hidden in the foam.

Run this through your machine and pop all the loose bits out.  They mostly fall out and does not require much fiddle.

BECAUSE they all fell out, I designed an "inner" for the card and here it is as a JPG you can save to your PC by right clicking on it and selecting "save image as".  I get 4 out of a 12" sheet.  I chose Chocolate brown as I liked the contrast in colour.

Then I needed some "paper" in the typewriter to add my sentiment onto and here it is as a JPG...   I get 16 out of a 12" sheet.  For this I chose boring white...and  inked the edges with walnut stain Distress ink.

I then stuck it all together.  It really does not take long.


Hope this tut was helpful.

Thanks for the visit

Bella

Wednesday 29 May 2013

What's on My Workdesk Wednesday 208? Typewriter card & WOYWW4

Hello there fellow desk hopper

Welcome to my desk in Cape Town, South Africa
Today is our WOYWW 4th anniversary.  Some of us are participating in an ATC swap that has been organised as a pass it forward thing.  I have been looking forward to this for WEEKS.  My envelope is ready and waiting for the address of the person after me on the Mr Linky List which is...Lunch Lady Jan!

Moving on to my desk...I got the Typewriter die yesterday with the idea of making cards.  I fold the cardstock before I put it in the die and make sure it is just below the blade at the top of the typewriter and send it through my Vagabond.  That way I get a join at the top and it is a card.  The issue is that the keys all fall out, front and back so I have designed an inner sheet to cover it and then a piece of paper to put the sentiment on which will look like the Typewriter has done it.  I just downloaded a free typewriter font from 1001 free fonts which I think will work rather well.

Other than that you can see a pile of paper and cardstock which I purchased yesterday for upcoming classes and some new Inkadinkado stamps that are yet to see ink as they are still in their packaging.  In the bottom left you see the beach hut stamps and here is the layout I used them for.
Now I am off to see your desk and wish you a happy WOYWW4!

Bella

Wednesday 22 May 2013

What's On My Workdesk Wednesday 207? Page Layout



Hello there fellow Wednesday desk hopper!

Welcome to my desk in Cape Town, South Africa.

Today I have the finished page from a workshop I attended by one of my shop suppliers.  The page was designed by Liane van Harn for RS&E in JHB and was taught by Debbie Greef on her behalf down here.  Due to my photos I have changed the layout and base page colour as usual, but most of the main elements have remained.

This is the original!

Other than the in your face pink page, there are the two rainbow stacks of Distress ink pads at the back of my desk which I did on Saturday.  I created an Excel document, printed it, stuck it on my huge double sided tape and cut it into the strips and coloured them accordingly, now I have a clear idea of the colours in my pad towers from any angle!  If you would like a copy, just send me your email and I will pass it on.  It is not perfect, but it does the job.  I can't seem to add it as a link here...will work on that.

Thats me for today, now I am off to see your desk when I get a gap as I am off to work now!

Bella

Wednesday 15 May 2013

What's On My Workdesk Wednesday 206? Class Layout.

Hello fellow Wednesday Desk hopper from Julia's place over at Stamping Ground.  Thanks for visiting me in Cape Town, South Africa.

I am in the middle of deciding what to use for a class layout.  I have found all this airmail, travel type stash and want to put it together to make a double spread.  I have pulled my appropriate dies, stamps, bakers twine, card stock and anything else that takes my fancy from my stash...Don't you just love that alphabet die?  It is brilliant for titles...Now to settle down and play!

Then there is the Gorjuss stamp in the bottom left hand corner of my desk, with which I am busy making a card sample for the shop. Oh and a random cup cake die which is on my desk for no reason other than I just got it and I have tested it, but not put it away yet...go figure!  I have a penchant for cup cakes, be they edible or paper!  Just can't resist them!

And due to the great interest shown in the roller pricker sewing thingy, (Sew Easy by We R Memory Keepers) here is a close up of the tool and the finished product to show you what it does.  You put your paper on a foam pad, roll the pricker along the paper to make holes and then you sew it using a needle and thread!

That's me for today, short and sweet for a change as I know we all like to speed desk...I am off to find yours!
Thanks for the visit.
Bella

Sunday 12 May 2013

Double page

Well, I went away for the week-end with some fab friends and I scrapped for the whole of Saturday...the morning was spent helping my preggy friend to do a front page for her album and the afternoon was spent making this double spread of my son and his cousins while she slept.  We pretty much took over the kitchen table for the entire day!

The  decorative dies are all Tim Holtz except for the large bird cage which is X-craft by Do Crafts.  The Scrabble words are printed on ribbon which is locally manufactured and the heart circle is a MS punch.  The title is a Sizzix alphabet die by Brenda Walton called Antiqua...My Vagabond worked overtime for this page!

Before you ask...YES the boot was 3/4 full of scrapping stuff and the rest was food and clothes!  I have my priorities right!

Thanks for the visit

Bella

Wednesday 8 May 2013

What's on My Workdesk Wednesday 205? Dies and Test Runs.

Hello fellow Wednesday desk hopper from Julia's place over at Stamping Ground.  Welcome to my desk in Cape Town, South Africa.

I finally sorted out the Comment issue I was having with G+ and Blogger last week, thanks for making the effort to comment and help.  See this post if you too are having issues.

I should have headed this post TESTING, TESTING, 1,2,3!

On my desk are the new dies I got as well as the Sew Easy pricker roller thingy from We R Memory Keepers.  I was tempted to get this little simple but effective tool as I am not a sewer but like what I have been seeing on peeps layouts and cards.  I have done the boarder of the card so far...

I have tested the silver dies and they are fabulous.  Tonic really do make good quality tools, no wonder Mr Holtz is prepared to put his name on them!

The tall white roll is double sided tape 14" wide and I use it to adhere the pictures that come with the Sizzix dies to the die so my students can easily see what they are cutting.  You can see my latest purchase of the Chandelier just in front of it and my 3D version out of chipboard drying in my empty coffee cup!  Who knows where or how I am going to use that, but I had to make one as that is the first thing that popped into my head when I bought it!

Also on my desk is the flip it die with the newly purchased mover and shaper inside and the test run is at the back of the desk in pink together with the 7 Gypsies little hooks which I need for another 3D project I have in mind for storage.

That's me for today

Now I am off to see what I can see on your desk if you have linked up with Julia!
Bella

Sunday 5 May 2013

Tonic Studios punch and die sample card

Here is the card I made on Friday night as a sample for my store, Craft and Scrapbook Centre using 3 dies and one punch set from Tonic Studios.

I wanted to make one sample using as many products as possible because space on our little desk is a premium!



I forgot to take a pic of the card closed with the tag pushed in and the trellis flat...but here are various views of the card to show the dimension.  The happy Birthday is only visible once the tag is pulled out and the trellis is raised as with the Just for You.

I used the Window Basket, Trellis Wall and Anemone Dies.  Then for the Pansies I used the Pick of the bunch punch and stamp set which makes Pansies, Roses, Camelias and Gardenias!

That's me for today, hope you have a fabulous week ahead!

Thanks for the visit

Bella

Thursday 2 May 2013

Google+ Comments problem SOLVED!

OH MY WORD!  It has taken me the best part of 3 days to undo one little thing.

I ticked the box:  Use Google+ Comments on this blog:  BAD MOVE

In the photo below it is now unticked!  Amazing how one little tick can cause such stress!
After discovering that non Google+ members could not comment without joining G+ I left G+ and thought that I would reinstate Blogger as plain old Blogger and that would be that...but the comments thing was stuck on G+  and even after following all the help prompts, I could not change it back from my Blogger dashboard as you can see from my previous post...COMMENTS had vanished as an option to click on!

So after some time, I have now rejoined G+ and found the place to untick the comment thing!  PHEW! Hopefully things will go back to normal around here.  I don't mind the G+ but I do mind the comment thing and Google forcing peeps to become G+ members to be able to comment...Why have a blog if half your friends cant comment?

I found that with the G+ comment system it was a bit like Face Book as friends of peeps who had commented on my post would comment to their friend and I would have their irrelevant and personal comments coming up on my blog.  I am not going there again I can tell you!

Thanks to Peggy Apl who pointed me to  a help page that got me on the right track.

Hope this helps anyone else who wants to back track.

Wednesday 1 May 2013

Comment Test run again

Ok, so It would seem that peeps with G+ can comment and only when I have the pop up window under settings instead of Embedded as that takes you nowhere.
Click on the image for a larger view.

Here is my Dashboard...This is what get even though I have deleted my G+ profile and have gone back to Blogger.  There is no edit button, just a read more button and between PAGES and STATS I have Google+ instead of the word COMMENTS...that is why I can't fix anything!

Looks like I am going to have to start a new blog.  How frustrating.  What's the point of having a blog if no one can comment?

Bella


Whats on My Workdesk Wednesday 204? NOTHING!

Well fellow Wednesday desk hopper welcome to my desk in Cape Town, South Africa, there is not much to look at this week, but a clear desk and work room!  I show you this now as I know from years of experience that this too will not last! (No Julia I am not trying to show you up, I promise!)

I have been very frustrated of late by what I term DESK SHRINKAGE...If I lived in Harry Potters world, I would have assumed that someone had cast a spell to make my desk shrink every time I worked at it, together with the "Bermuda Triangle spell" where I loose just about any tool (usually my scissors) while sitting still!
I have been on the look out for an "Ikea" type of "hairdressers" trolley like a few of you have and due to the fact that we do not have Ikea here in SA they are not generally available.  However I came across this folding stand in our local store called "Biggie Best" while not looking for anything particular at all, I nearly did a happy dance on the spot.  It ticked all the right boxes (except for the wheels which my DH will pop on for me some time soon so I don't scratch the floor) including being pretty.  AND it folds like a step ladder...I told the shop assistant that once this one was full, it would never fold again, though it is a nice feature...

I have moved all my "rats nests" as my Mom calls them onto my soon to be trolley and Walla,  I have a clear desk!
On my desk today you see my recent purchase of two refill cases of Theresa Collins stamp pouches so I can make more of my own stamps!  Then there are the the two boxes I made, one for finished cards and the other for card making stash filed in themes, together with a tin of more card making stash filed in colour (still waiting for foam core to be back in stock at my local store to make the 3rd one and replace the tin) and in front of these on the mini easel is the envelope with my ATC for WOYWW 208 ready to post!
To the left of me

To the right of me

I have been a member of Google Plus for a while now and while fiddling around with the options available the other day I tried switching to Google Plus Comments...BAD move!  It would seem that as I have been a G+ member for more than a month, it has deleted my Blogger comment section now that I have gone back to plain old Blogger and there is no UNDO button to get rid of the Google Plus Commenting thing, and believe me I have tried a ton of ways to fix it, but seeing as COMMENTS is not on my dashboard to click on, I cannot fix it.  So my dear WOYWW friend, please do not feel you have to become a G+ member if you are not already to be able to comment on my desk today...rather just move on to the next person.  I am trying to make a plan and if I have to create a new blog to be able to join in WOYWW, then so be it.  Google will not win!  First they tried forcing me to pay for my photo storage, now this!  If you have any help or suggestions and can't comment please email me.  belinda@acorncrafts.co.za  I would really appreciate it.

In the mean time, I am off to our hostesses desk over at Stamping Ground to see if you have joined in so I can comment on your workspace.

Bella