ATC Storage Box

Well, Jim (the gentleman crafter) has enabled me again! Yes, that's right - to make another box LOL.

I don't know what it is about box making but it's an addiction that's taken hold. I try to make the boxes to actually use for some sort of storage in my craft room, and this one is no exception. Although the reason behind this one was to participate in Tim Holtz's Tattered Florals challenge - why did I not use the die? Because my dear daughter, Mandy had it!!!

I don't have many ATC's because I haven't been in many swaps, so the size of this ATC storage box is ideal for my ATC collection :P

I've uploaded 4 parts to YouTube on making the box and the tab dividers to separate each ATC swap I've been in.

• ATC Box - Part 1
• ATC Box - Part 2
• ATC Box - Part 3
• ATC Box - Part 4 (final)

Here are a few pics of the completed ATC Storage Box:

Card Series - Birthday Card #2

I recently watched Jann Gray's YouTube video on the White-On-White technique and wanted to have a go at it myself and this is what I came up with.

card front

I used a 5 1/2 x 4 1/4" white card base, cut a piece of white cardstock to 4 1/8" x 5 3/8", ran it through the Flourished Frame Cuttlebug embossing folder.

I then stamped a newsprint on white cardstock, coloured the entire area with some distress stains and die cut the leaves & branches using Tim Holtz's Autumn Gatherings Alterations die.

The sentiment on the front was stamped with Versafine Onyx Black ink and die cut with a Spellbinders Labels Eight die.

The leaves and branches were adhered with Scotch Quick Dry Adhesive, the sentiment piece was adhered using pop dots.

The butterflies were punched from a piece of white cardstock which I ran through the Swiss Dots Cuttlebug embossing folder using the Martha Stewart butterfly punch & adhered using Scotch Quick Dry Adhesive.

The inside of the card was stamped with Versafine Onyx Black ink, then I adhered two leaves between the sentiments.

The envelope was made from an 81/2" x 8 1/2" piece of white paper, stamped & sprayed in shades of green & yellow.

envelope

Supply List

• White Cardstock
• Hero Arts Wish Big clear stamp set (front sentiment)
• Amy R Birthday Sentiments rubber cling mount (inside sentiments)
• Stampers Anonymous newsprint wood-mounted stamp (Item # U2-943)
• Tim Holtz Autumn Gatherings Alterations die
• Spellbinders Labels Eight die
• Cuttlebug embossing folder Flourished Frame
• Cuttlebug embossing folder Swiss Dots
• Martha Stewart scoreboard & envelope maker
• Martha Stewart butterfly punch
• Tim Holtz Falling Leaves stamp set
• Tim Holtz Distress Inks in forest moss, bundled sage, scattered straw & antiqued bronze
•  Versafine Onyx Black ink
• Ranger Archival Jet Black ink
• Home made glimmer mist (green), scor-tape & ATG tape, Scotch Quick Dry adhesive

Mini Album Binding-Pros & Cons

I recently watched Laura Denison's "Perfect Hinge Binding" stream over on Ustream (click here for link to Laura's stream of new binding" and at first I thought it sounded like a great binding system but when I went to try it I knew right away that it wasn't for me.

I made the Perfect Hinge Binding but was unsure of the strength of the "flaps/pages". I was also terrible at trying to line up each section on the spine straight - all over the place LOL.

The Perfect Hinge Binding was Laura's way of creating a binding system which would allow for either an odd or an even amount of pages in your mini albums. Also, Laura created the hinges as part of her pages. The way this binding system was created, allowed you to have more styles of pages in your album, as opposed to pocket/envelope style throughout. Great thought process, Laura!

Anyway, you know me and my fight with binding systems and the need for perfection all the time. I just had to play around with this Perfect Hinge Binding system a bit to see if it could work for me. I'm still playing around with it (in my head at the moment) but I did come up with a couple of variations on the Stack The Deck to allow for both an odd amount of pages as well as an even amount.

I have uploaded two variations onto my YouTube channel and you can click the links from here:

Stack the Deck + One
Perfect Hinge Binding - Doubled

I have also written a couple of tutorials on how I created the above two adaptations and you can get them here:

Stack the Deck + One
Perfect Hinge Binding - Doubled

Now Kathy Orta on the other hand adapted the "Hidden Hinge" binding system for her mini albums and I also had problems with this binding system (shock, horror!). Kathy listened and devised a way around the problems I was having by making a cut-off cover where you could attach a front & back cover thereby hiding the ridges that appeared in all my Hidden Hinge bindings. This adaptation of Kathy's Hidden Hinge is shown in Kathy's "Sophistication" mini album tutorial and is available on Kathy's web site here.

This Sophistication style mini album is OK for some albums, but I don't want them ALL that way so I'll alternate between my adapted version of Kathy's Hidden Hinge (the Stacked Hinge) and the Sophistication style Hidden Hinge.

Well, I'm guessing you're still as confused as me when it comes to the "Perfect" binding system and I'm sure we'll continue to strive for the "Perfect" binding system for our mini albums. Or are you happy with the binding system you currently use?

Sophistication Baby Mini Album Using G45 Little Darlings

Has it really been a month since my last post? That's almost as long as I've been sick :(

I made this mini album while being sick as it was for my niece's baby shower gift and needed to be started and finished!

I'm not that happy with it - only because it's so "clean" looking. I had one 12x12 and one 8x8 pad of the Graphic 45's "Little Diary" paper line. Also because the baby is supposed to be a boy, I could only use the "boy" papers in each. There are not a lot of pages in these pads so I was very restricted, and I had no other paper line that would have matched the "Little Diary" either. So, had to beg, scrape and do what I could to fill it.

I am currently making a slideshow of this album and posting it on my YouTube channel soon.

I used Kathy Orta's (PaperPhenomenon) "Sophistication" album instructions for this album - I do not think it should be called a mini album it's so big. Anyway, here it is:

Front of album with closure

Front cover of album

Used flat backed beads & lace on album cover

Perfect sentiment for this album

Some charms I had in my stash added to silver chain

Lace, TH ideology clock, velum tag & baby tag from paper line

Spine is wrapped with white ribbon between each page section

Ribbons attached by tying

Simple tag inserts

Plenty of space for photos

Only addition to cream page is strip of paper on left

Pocket page on left & plain page on right, then tag pockets

Used some journal tags from stash

Journal Page Swap - Hosted by Mandy

Happy New Year to everyone!

I've just had a quick look at all my posts throughout 2012, and I must say, I was a busy little crafter! Very industrious I think LOL.

One thing I didn't do much of, was journal pages. So when Mandy announced she was thinking of hosting a Journal Page Swap I thought - OK, this should get me back to journalling - so I joined!

There are 20 of us in the swap and we have 20 weeks to have them all finished & posted off to each individual participant. You would think one a week should be achievable - not if you procrastinate! LOL

I think this swap is a great idea - there's a huge risk involved with sending a journal book around the world, not to mention the time it would take to fill AND the postage cost - and to rely on the postal systems - scarey thought! So this way - each sends a 5x8" page and we get to create the album for the pieces of artwork to be added! Awesome! I can't think of a better way to have a piece of our online friends' artwork.

OK, procrastinating? Best get to journalling!

New Years Eve International Streamathon

UPDATED 30 DECEMBER 2012

For all information about the Worldwide New Years Eve Streamathon - click here!

Little Miss Closet - So Far

The Little Miss Closet is a closet created by Kathy Orta (PaperPhenomenon) and I was challenged to make the closet by Eileen (BocaBabeArt). Thanks Eileen!

It was a struggle in the beginning as I wasn't quite sure how I would go with it, the tutorial was a bit of a struggle to follow sometimes but I got there in the end with the help of the video tutorials.

I was very lucky to have a couple of great online friends who gifted me the Ladies Diary packs (thanks Susan & Annette), along with the stamp set and die cuts (thanks Annette). This project screamed Ladies Diary so I couldn't wait to build the closet to get to covering it and embellishing. This paper line was made for a project like this!

I also loved the privacy screen, which sits inside one of the doors of the closet. Instead of wrapping it in black cardstock I used black chipboard so as to have less bulk - love love loved how this turned out!

So I'm not finished yet as I'm waiting on some strong magnets so the doors can stay closed against the mini album and the privacy screen. I cannot cover the album until I get the magnets, so this project will have to go on the backburner for a bit. Can't wait to finish it though. This one's going to my grand daughter, Amelia - but not for a few years as she's only 2 and too young to appreciate it yet!

So here is the link to the YouTube video showing a slideshow of the closet and mini album and privacy screen so far.