Monday 29 July 2013

VIDEO Elizabeth's Craft Room Video Tour

Hello Everyone

Well I am celebrating just over 6 months of weekly videos here at Elizabeth's Craft Room! I hope you have been enjoying them every Tuesday.



Today I am sharing something different - a video tour of my craft room. This is split into two videos, but I won't keep you waiting. I am posting both today.  

Here we go with part 1...

And here is part 2...

Now don't run away with the idea that my craft room is ALWAYS this tidy...as I start to create it gets more and more messy....but I do try to put everything away at least once a day. :)

I hope you have enjoyed today's video - back on Friday with more inspiration and fun.


Love Elizabeth X

Saturday 27 July 2013

Wonderful Washi Tape Weekend Part 2

Hello Everyone

Part 2 of my Wonderful Washi Tape Weekend today! I am starting with a little Washi-Tape card gift that I created. I used a Large Cello bag from the Stampin' Up! catalogue, some of the beautiful Quatrefancy DSP, and some ribbon in Daffodil Delight to create a bag to hold my 3 1/2" square cards.

To create the cards, I ran Whisper White cardstock through the Big Shot using the Moder
n Mosaic Embossing Folder to apply some texture.

I took 2" X 3" pieces of Whisper White card and taped Washi tape across them and around the back to give a neat edge. SO easy as you can pull it off and go again if you don't get it straight the first time.

I topped them with a Mosaic Madness image punched with the matching Mosaic Punch.




My final excursion into the wonders of Washi is this cute little night light project.  IMPORTANT  - use a battery tea light to avoid a disaster! LOL

I put Washi tape around the base and lid of an empty Stampin' Up embellishments pot. I used the printed Window Sheet from the Quatrefancy DSP to create the sides and just slotted them in with the help of a little sticky strip. I left the top loose so I can switch the candle on and off.

I wound Washi Tape around the candle too.

It looks really pretty flickering away. The top circle is done with Gingham Garden DSP, punched with a 2" circle punch.

Well I hope you have enjoyed my weekend of Washi tape projects - why not go and play with yours now? :)

Love Elizabeth X

Thursday 25 July 2013

Wonderful Washi Tape Weekend Part 1


Hello Everyone

It was only a couple of months ago I discovered the wonders of Washi tape. So if you know what it is - scroll down now - but if not, stay with me and I will explain...

Washi tape, (Japanese word - translation Washi - thank you online translator!)

It is a re-positionable tape made of paper - so that it can be easily torn and moved over and over again. Use it to hold small pieces of card in your embossing folders, use it to decorate, use it to hold notes on the refrigerator, use if for journalling on in your scrap book, stick it on to cardstock and punch out shapes with it - the list goes on. I have bought my weight in Washi tape! LOL

I did a little display at my recent launch party and we also did a Washi tape make and take. Here are two Washi tape projects for you...



An old favourite made even easier. Here I used Washi tape to cover clothes pegs and then embellished them with punches. Great for holding notes and paperwork together - or making your washing line the envy of the street! LOL


Next we have a simple make and take card we did at my event. Naturals White cardstock, Washi Tape, Butterflies punched from Quadrefancy DSP, antennae from Papillion Potpourri stamp set, and finished with a Simply Pressed rose. (Check my videos to see these made). 


I will be continuing my Wonderful Washi Tape Weekend on Sunday - so come back and see some more!

 Love Elizabeth X

Monday 22 July 2013

VIDEO - Tag a Bag Boxes in Gingham Garden DSP

Hello Everyone

I demonstrated this project at my recent launch party events and filled the box with home made shortbread biscuits. Yummy! One lovely lady got to take it home at each party. Here is how to assemble and decorate the boxes.




I hope you enjoyed today's video - call back soon to see some alternative ways with this box.

Love Elizabeth X

Saturday 20 July 2013

Joy in July - Inspired by Nina


Hello Everyone

Today I am continuing my series on shoebox swap projects that inspired me to create. (Scroll down a few posts to see some more).

Today's inspiration was from my lovely friend and downline Nina C. She came up with a beautiful way to use the Mosaic punch to create a Christmas Ornament. I loved it and decided to 'hang' it on a card using a Vintage Faceted button and Large Pearl. I also loved Nina's colour theme of Strawberry Slush - I adore non-traditional Christmas colours.



So that was it - Nina sent me off in a frenzy of festive creation!

I started with using that same Mosaic punch to made pop out baubles. I have taught this techinque using the now-retired Ornament punch - but wanted to see if it would work with the Mosaic - and it did!


I used the fir tree from Lovely as a Tree to create the branch. I hand drew the strings and bows and hung my mini Mosaic ornaments from them.

I did them in the same DSP as Nina used, (Quatrefancy), as well as some Champagne glimmer paper. You just punch three shapes, fold them in half and glue them back to back to create the shape. Finally glue them on to the card front.

The 'merry' greeting comes from Petite Pennants and I layered up a stamped layer from Label Love and another Mosaic shape to build the greeting up.

But I didn't stop there - I was on a roll. What more fabulous festivity can I bring to your July?







This card once again featured that Quadrefancy DSP. This time I did flat Mosaic shapes as baubles and then punched little baubles with the Merry Mini's punch pack.

The NOEL greeting was stamped using the new Sketch Alphabet & Numbers stamp set.

I hand drew a twisted wire to hang them on and attached them with Dimensionals to make them pop.

So thank you Nina for your inspiration and for this little Festive interlude in July!

Love Elizabeth X

Thursday 18 July 2013

Simply Sketched, water-coloured

Hello Everyone

I promised more sample cards featuring the Simply Sketched stamp set. It makes even the worst colourists, (is that a word?), like me feel like an artist.

All I did here was to stamp the bird-on-reeds image in Stazon ink. I used our lovely watercolour paper so I could use plenty of water in on my Aqua Painter brush. I picked up ink from my ink pads by squeezing them and creating a pool of ink in the lid. Because our inks are water based, it means you can create this watercolour effect.


The key is to let the colours dry before applying the next one - although where I didn't do this on the reeds in the water, it actually gives a very soft effect that I like. The ink colours I used were Soft Sky, Pool Party and Coastal Cabana for the water and sky, Old Olive for the reeds and Crumb Cake and Baked Brown Sugar for the bird.

The card base is Baked Brown Sugar and the mat is Early Espresso.

To make the topper for the Naturals Ribbon, I cut down the Mosaic Punch and added a brad from the Vintage Trinkets collection.


Hope you like today's project. Back on Sunday with something completely different...although I will be returning to Simply Sketched again soon... :)

Love Elizabeth X

Monday 15 July 2013

VIDEO Simply Sketched with Gingham

Hello Everyone




I love the start of the Stampin' Up! year....it means lots of new goodies arrive in Elizabeth's Craft Room and I can spend lots of weekends and evenings creating new class projects and workshop demonstrations for my lovely ladies. But even more exciting is when it is time to share those projects....and that time is now. So if you want to see more, contact me or your own demonstrator and get along to an event to see the stamping magic happen!



Today's video is a card created using a stunning hostess set called Simply Sketched. The ONLY way to get your hands on it is to book a workshop, or to hold a virtual workshop. (Contact me and I will explain all!). 

So on with the video.





I hope you liked today's project...back soon with more to inspire you.

Love Elizabeth X

Saturday 13 July 2013

Smoky Slate - Inspired by Carolyn

Hello Everyone

Today I am continuing my cards inspired by my lovely team members at our recent shoebox swap. (Scroll back to my last post to read all about it).


Today's card to inspire was designed by my friend and team member Carolyn.

She couldn't attend on the night, but left us instructions, all the materials to create the card, and a funny note criticising all she thought was wrong with it! She makes us laugh, because as you can see her design is just perfect!






She used the beautiful Simply Sketched hostess set, (more of that coming soon - I LOVE that set!). She also left us embossing folders (Adorning Accents and Designer Frames) and a reel of Washi tape. We coloured the flower with Smoky Slate ink and a Blender Pen.








Well I loved her design - but the thing that made it pop for me was the colour combination. I took the new Smoky Slate ink and cardstock, (love it), a couple of layers of Basic Grey and some Whisper White layers and got to work.

I used the new stamp set called Happy Day which features a pretty flourish, and the sweet little doily type image you see here.

It is so delicate and it made a lovely background.

The greeting I chose is from Sassy Salutations and I stamped in Basic Grey.





I finished the card with a Large Rhinestone.

Hope you like it - and thank you Carolyn for the inspiration.

Back on Tuesday with my weekly video tutorial. Hope you can pop by then.


Love Elizabeth X

Thursday 11 July 2013

Inspired at the Shoebox Swap!

Hello Everyone

Before my launch party, some of my lovely team got together and did a shoebox swap. This is a fun evening where we each design a card and them we make everyone else's design. It means you get lots of fabulous cards and a whole lot of inspiration. I will be sharing lots of those cards and also some of the projects they inspired. (And if you fancy being at the next one - why not join my team?)



I am starting with a design by my lovely demo friend Helen. I loved her colour combination of Pistachio Pudding, Crisp Cantaloupe and Strawberry Slush. We stamped with the flower from Creative Elements, and used the Mosaic Madness stamp set and matching Mosaic Punch to create leaves.

I loved this idea and decided to play with it....

Helen had us stamp the greeting straight on to the card - but my greeting was SO not straight - so I used the Artisan Label Punch and Labels Love stamp set to cover up my 'embellishment opportunity!'






So inspired by Helen, here is my card. I used the Mosaic Madness stamps and matching punch to create both the flower and the leaves. I curled the leaves and petals and popped them up on dimensionals to create some depth.

I used a marder to put the veins on the leaves and daubed the edges too.

I followed Helen's colour scheme and added a layer of DSP from the Gingham Garden pack.












I hope you like today's project. Why not look at someone else's work today and see how it inspires you to create something.

Thank you Helen for the inspiration!




Back on Sunday with another inspired-by project.


Love Elizabeth X

Monday 8 July 2013

2 VIDEOS! Clay Flowers

Hello Everyone

Today's video continues my tutorial on using the new Simply Pressed Clay from Stampin' Up!


Here is my second clay flowers video - showing how to make this cute box...




I hope you enjoyed today's video. Do you have your own copy of the new UK Stampin' Up! Catalogue? If not, contact me to see one. I will be back on Friday with another cute project.

Love Elizabeth X

Saturday 6 July 2013

Gingham Tag A Bag Gift Box

Hello Everyone 

Of all the things that arrived in my Stampin' Up! preorder delivery, the thing that delighted me most was the pack of 8 tag a bag gift boxes.

These boxes arrive flat packed and are quick to assemble. The outer clear sleeve is super strong and pre-scored.

There are LOTS of ways to decorate these boxes, (a video is coming soon), but this one turned out to be my favourite.

To create this project I needed a few ingredients, which which you can see below. I used both the Cotton Ribbon and and the Natural Trim. 

All the stamping on the box and the ribbon was done with Baked Brown Sugar ink. I demounted the fabulous Ginham Wheel and stamped the box before assembling. 



The gift tag is made with the Artisan Label punch and Love Labels stamp set. (These are available as a discounted  bundle, just ask me if you would like one).


It is easy to make the bow. I stamped the cotton ribbon with the Gingham stamp and then used the Natural Trim ribbon, a couple of glue dots and a pin from Vintage Trinkets to create the bow.



Hope you like today's project. Back on Tuesday with another of my weekly video tutorials.

Love Elizabeth X

Thursday 4 July 2013

Wildflower Meadow - Two Ways

Hello Everyone

Have you been looking at the new Stampin' Up! catalogue? I just LOVE this year's offerings. There were are many lovely things to choose.

Today I am going to share two completely different looks created with the Wildflower Meadow Embossing Folder. It is available with a matching large background stamp and there are lots different looks you can create.

For this first one I inked the stamp up with the beautiful Pistachio Pudding pale green ink. Then I inked again at the top with Baked Brown Sugar.

Next I took a cotton bud (Q-tip) and removed the ink from the flowers then re-inked using markers. I huffed on the stamp and stamped on to Whisper White. I then ran the cardstock through the Big Shot to make the flowers and leaves pop up, (not sure how well you can see this on the photograph). I layered onto Baked Brown Sugar and Crisp Cantaloupe cardstock.



The second one shows the embossing more clearly. Here I just used the brayer and brayered Costal Cabana ink directly on to the embossing folder. I placed a sheet of Whisper White cardstock on the embossing folder and ran it through the Big Shot on tab 1.


When it comes out you get this amazing WOW effect! Don't you love it? I finished it by adding centres to the flowers with Itty Bitty Punches and Basic Pearls.



The border is from Mosaic Madness and is edged by layering over Baked Brown Sugar cardstock using the Dotted Scallop border punch.

The greeting is from Label Love which co-ordinates with the Artisan Label Punch - also new from Stampin' Up!

If you see anything you like and are in Europe, contact me, I would be delighted to help you. :)

Love Elizabeth X

Monday 1 July 2013

VIDEO It's HERE! The new Stampin' Up! catalogue

Hello Everyone

Woo hoo! It's here - the new Stampin' Up! catalogue. You can click HERE to see it or if you would like your own copy, please contact me.

SO MUCH to share today including a video for you.

Over the last couple of days I have held two launch events and lots of lovely ladies came along to ooh and ahh and make and eat cake and have fun! Want to see a few photos?


 I set up the party in my home, in the dining room, (which is the room I teach in), I set up a small display, my demo table, which later became one of the two make and take tables. The living room held the main display and another make and take.




Of course we HAVE to have cake! I baked Stampin' Up! stamped shortbread biscuits, tea loaf and my famous Key Lime Cheesecake. Yummy!







The smaller display in my teaching room was a selection of goodies made with the stunning Mosaic Madness Designer Series Paper.

Below the Mosaic Madness goodies is my new colours display.






And here is my main display. I have had so much fun creating everything. You will see lots of upcoming close up pictures and videos coming up on my blog.




It was so hard to decide what to show you first...but here is a video featuring our lovely new In Colors.





Love Elizabeth