I dont know who has stolen Loops.......but bring me back please!!

Whoops.....glossy accents isnt completely dry on the sentiment but Im impatient and took the photos anywhoodles.

What in the name of bejeezes is goin' on here??  There appears to be a card on this post and Im not sure......but I'd nearly swear that I made it!!  Can someone take me to the doctor please because Ive obviously hit my head because I dont do cards last time I checked.  In fact I nearly had a hissy fit when one of my cousins suggested I should start up my own card business after she saw my wedding invites, thank you cards and a few other wee bits and pieces, lol.  Now having my own business.....yeah who wouldnt want to do something they love, day in day out and get paid for it.  But a card business!!!!????  My idea of a complete nightmare.

Dont get me wrong, Im not in any way dissing what you lovely girlies do.  In fact, its the complete opposite.  I admire every single one of you for all the beautiful cards you create.  But when I sit down to make a card.....once in a blue moon, the very thought of it breaks me out in panic sweats and I go into a trance staring at a white card blank!!  I subsequently drift off into a daydream where Tim Holtz and I are in my craft room making the most incredible cards together and having great ole craic having a wee laugh and giggle over my daftness.  Then.........CRASH!!!!!  The scissors fall off my desk, I awaken abruptly after an hour having fallen asleep in my craft chair and wiping drool off me soggy face.  And there it is.......that damned white card blank......still sitting staring up at me from my messy desk and not one word of Tim Holtz about the place.  I even check under my desk.....you know, just to make sure he isnt hiding under there!

I just dont get it....cardmaking that is.  I envy you lot. How you design them, colour them, put them together.  Nope, give me a book to make, a box to alter or a flower to create and Im as happy as a pig in you know what.  But ask me to make a card and I think there would be very little difference between me and a 4 year old who just dropped their icecream on the floor, in the screaming and crying department!

Anyway, now that Ive made it abundantly clear that I DO NOT MAKE CARDS....... heres my card!!

Its for one of my brothers (I have 3....all younger than me the buggers!), Jamie or as I like to call him....MiWadi.  Yes, I do realise Im calling my almost 23 year old brother after the name of a diluting juice drink.....But he's My MiWadi, heehee.  God only knows how many copyright laws Ive just broken there!!

Isnt he a handsome Devil?  I love this stamp and its was my first time inking him up....he looks like my Daddy.....is that weird?!  This is a stamp I got last week from the incredible Crafty Individuals and his reference number is CI-072.  I have become obsessed with their stuff, its incredible.  I used a scalloped Rectangle in light blue cardstock I got in a swap, gold mirri card and then more of the papermania Kraft cardstock.  Stamped the Crafty Individuals CI-072 stamp onto cream linen paper in tuxedo black and thats it really!

I really should have waited for the glossy accents to dry before taking photos....ack well.  I used a Tim Holtz Bookplace but cut off the wee exra panels off the top and bottom sections.  Vintage Photo distressed it and just stamped "Best wishes" using tuxedo black momento ink onto cream linen paper.  2 gold brads placed onto the bookplate and glued to the card using hot glue.  Go!...hot glue!  Yeah!

Used 1mm foam pads to lift each of the layers to give it some dimension

Of course had I any patience to let the flippin' glossy accents time to dry this would have looked better but Im pretty pleased with this little creation.  Its nothing terrible difficult or even wonderful but its pretty good for me!

So thats it for my wee bro's birthday card.  Its his 23rd on Friday.  Awwwww my wee baby MiWadi is all growed up.  I could really embarrass him and tell you all that he used to call a "Radiator" an "EddieWheel" and to this day we still call radiators "EddieWheels" or how he used to never pass an opened gate.....he was only 3 years old but couldnt go passed anyones house if the gate was open....he pottered off and closed it and then carried on his little toodler way with his hands behind his back "like Daddy".  Heehee, Im sooooo dead if he reads this!  Awww but he was so cute......still is of course just 6ft2" of cuteness now!

Right, thats it from me for today.  Believe me............the next post will NOT be a card.  Im leaving cards to you lot where they are nice and safe in the hands of the professionals.  Its way too clean for me....cardmaking I mean!  Im off to paint my hands just to make me feel better!

Toodles Noodles, Loops xx

Ps.......

HAPPY 23rd BIRTHDAY TO MY MIWADI

(For Friday, lol)

YOUR DAFT BIG SISTER LOVES YOU XX

CHALLENGES I WOULD LIKE TO ENTER

Celebrate The Occasion - Masculine Birthday (closes 29th Jan)
The Crafty Pad - Lets see something for the boys (closes 29th)

Calling All Bloggers................I NEED your Help!!

EDIT.....Just letting you know.....I found it (Jan 2014!). Yes its taken me 2 whole years to find, almost to the day in fact.  But I finally found this die on Ebay.  I did have to pay considerably more than what my American Kin would have....but it was worth it to me and that is all that matters.  And it will hold its value, no doubt as its a rare die.  I can't wait to start making flowers now.  Thank you to everyone who initially left comments and tried to help me out on this one.

Hi Folks.  Ok its not as dramatic as the title sounds but I do need your help.  I am trying to find a die that is no longer in production but I REALLY want it.  I have written to Sizzix and asked them do they happen to have one lying about somewhere just sitting on a shelf or in a bottom drawer somewhere and sadly.............they do not.  And yes, I actually did ask them did they have one lying about on a shelf or in the bottom of a drawer somewhere......I have no shame, lol.  And So I am asking all of you if you know of a shop that has one or someone you know who has one and doesnt want it who would kindly sell it to me?

The die is a bigz die and it has 3 flowers on it with 8 petals on each flower.  Its called Hello kitty Daisies and its Sizzix product number is 655796.

Can you help me?  Anyone?  Im really wanting to get my hands on this die.  So if anyone is able to help me I would greatly appreciate it.

Bye for now folks and thank you in advance......just in case someone can help!

Toodles Noodles, Loops xx


Edit.......PeeJay found the photo on sissix outlet store but sadly its outta stock.........heres what it looks like

Hello Kitty Daisies

ANOTHER EDIT...........Thanks Kati but its in Australia and for $37!  Way out of my price range Im afraid. If I could get it from the UK that would be great or even USA providing it doesnt cost an arm and a leg!

Blog Candy Redraw .....One New Winner

5 out of the 6 candy winners have sent me their details for me to send them their blog candy.  Thank you ladies....you were all super quick in replying.  Sadly Larisa from 21Stitches didn't get in touch with me to claim her Blog Candy within the 48 hour time period.  And I very clearly stated in the rules that if I didnt hear from the winners within 48 hours that I would be redrawing names.  So, sadly it looks like one of my candies will not be making its way to Moscow, Russia.

So, here we go,

...............REDRAW DRUM ROLL............

..........And the redraw winner is............

Tilly from Tillys Crafty Corner

Tilly, you have 24 hours in which to email me your details.  Please understand that I cannot keep this open for ages for winners to email me their details.  I only want to have to go to the post office once and its not very fair to keeps the other winners waiting for their goodies.  So if I do not receive the details within 24 hours, Im afraid I will again have to redraw a name but Im hoping for the sake of the other winners.......I wont have to.

So....quickie, quickie Tilly!  Email my your Name and Address, lol.

Thanks everyone and have a smashing Monday.

Toodles Noodles, Loops xx

Drum Roll Please ..........And the Winners are..........!

Afternoon folks.  Im gonna be quick and not keep you all in suspenders....Opps!  Thats not the right word......Or is it, you kinky minx's??!

Anyway, I wanted to take photos of Scrubby pulling out each name but he has a tummy bug and wasnt feeling terribly photogenic, so Im afraid you will not be seeing the photos of the names being drawn.

Anyway..............the winners are.....................in no particular order.............

Karen from Karen's Sparkle and Glitter

Donna Mosley from My Happy Place

Jayne from A Space to Create

Christine L from Handmade by Christine

Kim from Me, Myself and the World

Larrik (Larisa) from 21Stitch (21Kpectnk)

Congratulations ladies.  If you would send me your addresses and details to me please.  My email is at the top of my blog.  You have 48 hours in which to do so, after which time I will have to redraw a name.

I just want to say thank you to everyone who has very kindly followed my blog.  I realise Im a bit of a waffler and a tad daft....."A tad, she says!!".  I will have more Candy coming very soon which will be open to new and old followers.

Heres a sneak peek of what the lucky winners will be receiving in the post....  Everyone is receiving the same goodies except the stickpins will vary but are all similar.

Yummy Fabric Flowers

Paper and Card stock Flowers

Stickpins ....each persons pack will vary in stickpins

Fancy a go at making your own stickpins?  Here are the headpins, beadcaps, spacer beads, beads galore

Buttons, bows, metal embellies etc

Yummy laces - 3 laces approx 1 yard each

Loads of die cuts, Tattered Florals, Bird cage, Large Tags, Sewing Room etc

Thats it from me for today folks.  Have a great weekend.

Toodles Noodles,  Loops.

Life in an Altered Tray - my first one so be gentle with me!

Altered Tray

Good morning my little Loopy Loo's.  And how are we this fine Tuesday morning?  Ive been up to me old altering tricks again.  My poor long suffering Scrubby cant bring anything into the house now without me trying to knick it and claim it as something I can alter, heehee.  Apparently "Not everything needs altered or distressed"....according to Scrubby!  "Such blasphemy"....I protest!

And Im not one bit ashamed to say that my cat was put out last night covered in sparkly glitter.  Yep, thats what happens when you rudely interrupt me mid flower glittering! And she......Nimbus our cat that is, was very impatient and was doing the cat equivalent to a funny little gig you do when youre bursting for the loo, that she didnt give me the time to wash the glitter off my hands.....face, arms, hair.....and all over my clothes.  So, she was scooped up into my glittery arms, given a big glittery kiss and chucked out.  I half expect her to come home with a wedgy!  Oh aye......a cat could get the total Mick taken out of her and given a wedgy by the other cats for wearing glitter you know....its a known fact.  And for those of you who arent clued up on daft Irish slang terms, "Taking the Mick" out of someone is pretty much the more polite term for "taking the piss" out of someone or an even more polite term....poking a bit of fun at someone.

Anywhooooo, I just wanted to show you this wee tray I altered.  Its my first time doing one but Im rather chuffed with it.  Its sort of a tester for a bigger project that I'll be taking on.  I got myself a printer tray....you know, the big ass drawers that the old printing firms used to keep their metal letters in?  Oh yes my friends.....Im taking on a mammoth project.  I only got one of the trays though.....Im not taking on a whole printing cabinet.....yet!  So I thought I would do a tester on this wee 6x6 tray first!  Just to make sure I was up to the task in hand.  Im so not ever finishing the printer tray, am I??!!  Anyway, here it is.  I kind of made it to be a bit of a life box. "Eh"? I hear you say.  Well, each little box represents something in life, be it a wish, dream or just something we all experience in life.  I hope it doesnt appear too deep or anything.......cause Im really not that deep.....Im more of a puddle really, lol.  What do you think?

It started off as an innocent 6x6 wooden tray and then........

.......It landed in my possession.....Mwhaaahaaaa!  I painted the whole thing pink.  Let it dry, added on a crackle medium and let it go tacky.  Painted over it then in white....

.....And voila.....crackled distress effect.  "Awesome" (imagine that said in an exaggerated singy voice....thats the mood Im in today!!)

I got all my wee bits and bobs together and turned the box over.  I placed everything out where I would like it to go in the box.

I then added my papers.  The papers and images are from Crafty Individuals People and Places pad and their Backgrounds Paper Pad 5....I think its 5!

Then I added my little bits and bobs into their designated boxes.

I love all the charms and the Crafty Individual images and papers are just perfect with them.

The first box represents - Life is a Journey.  I just used a Penny Farthing charm.  I love this charm.  In the photo, the gent is actually on a penny farthing as well......a coincidence....me thinks not! lol

Next box I wanted it to have the look of a girls dresser or room to represent our Vanity.  But not represent vanity in a negative way, just in a pretty every day life kind of way. I suppose it represents our routine in a day, with getting ready for the day ahead.  I added a wee mirror and I just love that blingy bling that I used to look like a diamond necklace.

This is the relationship box.  I added some distress reinker to the wee bottle and filled the rest with water. My lovely Youtube friend Tricia sent me the wee bottles. I wrote a wee "Dear John" letter and tore it and used distress ink on the paper.  I used Old Paper distress ink and then Vintage Photo around the edges.  I bought the pen nib from The Fruit Pixie.  I got a mixed bag of 5 nibs for £1!  Bargain!

This is a travel related box.  Just wee charms related to travelling.  Either to represent places we've been or places we want to go.

This is the Social Box.  Anyone for Tea?  I love these wee teapots.

This is my Mending Box.  It can be interpreted as a mending room for maybe relationships or friendships or something as simple as fixing up your garden or altering a pair of trousers.  Just your every day fixing of things in the daily humdrum of life.  I bought the sewing tape from The Fruit Pixie's site.  Its a brilliant site, check out there £1 Bargains.  The little spool was from a Youtube friend...thanks Trish and the sewing machine and scissors charm I think came from Maddy - thanks Maddy

And here we move on to the Food Box.  Food for the body, soul and mind.  We all need it.  Interpret it as you like.  When I think of food I think of family gatherings, us all sitting around the table having good aul craic over a lovely big meal.  A little corrugated plant pot actually made a lovely vintage looking farmhouse bowl and I used a little mini spoon, whisk and rolling pin.  Everything in this Box was purchased from Mad about Cards.

This wee box I thought was pretty cool.  All the other wee boxes are about the going's on in life, vanity, relationships, travel, food, music etc., but ultimately......the key to life is time.  So this is what this wee box represents.

This wee box is the music box.  I love music.  I come from a very talented singing family and have always had music in my life.  So Im always singing or have music about me, should it be my husband playing his guitar and singing to me or me having music on my laptop or even singing in the shower!  I took a piece of the Crafty Individual Background paper that had music written on it.  I made it into a wee scroll and positioned it as if it was unravelling and the notes were literally flying off the page.

And this is my interpretation of some of lifes up and downs, experiences, wishes and dreams.

I hope you've liked this Life in an Altered Tray project.  I really enjoyed making it.  I cant wait to have a go at the bigger one now.  Its going to have things from our honeymoon and maybe some other wee bits and pieces from places we've been to since being married.....I tend to pick up stones and keep tickets and booklets of places Ive been too.....I have so many sticks, stones and shells stuck in a box just begging to be put in an altered tray!

Anyway, have a wonderful Tuesday.  Thanks for dropping by.

Toodles Noodles,

Loops xx

Challenges I would like to Enter

Anything Goes @ Anything Goes - 23rd Jan
Must Use Paint - Frosted Designs - 29th Jan
Anything Goes - Unstampabelles - 3rd Feb
Anything Goes - Truly, Madly, Crafty - 4th Feb
Pink, Pink and more Pink - Art Impressions
DYSU Challenge - Pink

Flower Tutorial using Spellbinders Rose Creations Die - The Peace Rose

Hi folks. This is gonna be short and sweet "Aye right" I hear you snort!!  No honest.....it really is a short post.  I just wanna see if this works for a start as I may start to do video tutorials for those who like to see things being done in real time and not in a million photos!  So, this is a quick wee video just of the last flower I did, the Peace Rose.

Let me know what you think.  Would you like to see video tutorials?  Maybe add them on to the end of my normal photo tutorials?  I know Im the type of person who likes to see it done in front of me so I thought it might be handy for others too.  Now Im not talking in this one.....I have put some lovely Taylor Swift music on instead.  I didnt want to scare the bejeezes out of you with my Northern Irish accent just yet, lol.  It so happens that I wanna keep all my lubbly jubbly followers and my accent may scare you off!!  But you might hear me in the future....it all depends on if you want video tutorials or not.....I leave it in your capable hands!

Let me know what you think...........honest opinions....good, bad and the ugly.

Ps.....yes I realise I called the bud a "bed" a few times but I was editing this at 4am for crying out loud!!

Toodles Noodles....Lee aka Loops xx

If you want, you can buy me a coffee which helps me maintain this blog so I can make bigger and better content, simply click on the image or copy the link below.  No pressure at all, its just if you want to.  Cheers big ears!

https://ko-fi.com/craftyloops

Another Altered Chocolate Box!! Im not a gorb...honest!!

Pretty Shabby Chic Vintage style Box  Pictures are rubbish ..... the lighting was awful!  Bloody winter!  Baaaa!

Yes I realise it may seem like its been FOREVER since youve had me nattering in your ear .... but do not despair ....... for I have returned!  Heehee.  Ive been so busy since Christmas my head feels like its doing a bit of an Exorcist move and me old noggin keeps spinning around!!  Anywho....onwards and upwards as they say....

I know, I know.....you are all gonna be thinking "Another bloody altered box?  How much chocolate do you eat woman??!!"  Well, to answer that question......I love chocolate and could eat it until it came out of me ears.  But to be completely honest, as much as I would love to be able to eat chocolate until it came out of me ears......I cant, unless I dont care about fitting through my doors!!  But, I have been collecting boxes for a long time.  And even when family member get choccies or things with nice boxes......I tend to nab those too!  My room looks a bit like a box recycling plant at the minute, so I thought I better get my arse in gear and start altering some boxes, before Im overrun with nothing but boxes!! And there is no way Im storing boxes that could be housing lovely crafty stash in its place instead!  So, you may be seeing quite a few altered chocolate boxes over the next wee while BUT dont go thinking Im a big gorb and scoffing down tonnes of choccies so I can alter the boxes into pretty little creations.  Im not ..... honest ...... well not all in one go anyway!!  I obviously ate them at some stage to have all the empty boxes!  Oh behave you lot ..... stop raising your eyebrows in disbelief ....... Ive had the boxes ages....honest!

Anyway.......heres another little box I have altered.  Here is how it went......Photo heavy but I want to show the progression of what I did.  For my own records cause Ive got a noggin like a sieve and also in case anyone else wants to have a go and doesnt know where to start.

This box started out life as Tesco Belgian chocolate seashells (yummy!).  I painted the box roughly with white acrylic paint but paid a bit more attention to the edges.  I did this to get rid of the majority of the box's original colour.  Its not essential as it will be covered with paper but I like to have my paper slighter smaller than the actual box so there will be a small edge where the box is exposed.

I went around all the box edges with Vintage Photo Distress Ink and added this gorgeous paper from Melissa Frances.  Painting the box white first means the distress ink colours perfectly. I also used Vintage Photo Distress Ink around the paper edges.

I think this paper from Melissa Frances is just perfect for the shabby chic look I am going for on this box.  Its a beautiful mix of pinks, blues and greens.  Its stunning.

I used a different paper from Melissa Frances on the inside of the lid.  The colours are perfect and coordinate perfectly with the outside papers.  Gorgeous pinks and tealy colours. Im sorry the photos arent showing the colours very well.  The inside base is the same as the sides of the box on the outside.

A wee close up of the paper.  I am going for a magnetic closure this time with this box.  I put the opposite magnets onto the box first and then covered them with paper so they wouldnt be seen.  These magnets shown here will have paper over them too, to disguise them.

I added this beautiful blingy trim around the outside of the box.  I just stuck it on with hot glue....my favourite adhesive of choice even though I get the odd blister or 100!!  I bought the bling from Fiona Jennings.  Her Zibbet Store and Youtube name is Jennings644.  Fiona is out of stock of this particular trim at the moment but she has similar and other gorgeous trims, please take a look here

Close up of the gorgeous trim

Around the outside, I glued some gorgeous cream crocheted lace that I got from Fiona and decided it needed a bit of bling to correspond with the bling on the lid.  So again, using bling mesh that I bought from Fiona, I cut one strip from the mesh and used hot glue to adhere it to the centre of the lace.  If you dont know what bling mesh is, have a wee look here on my previous post.  I wouldnt be without this stuff now.  Its so versatile.  You can even use your bigz dies and die cut it.  This mesh looks amazing die cut using the dress form from the Tim Holtz sewing room die.  Ohhh I also crackle painted the wee feet and glued them on too.

Believe it or not, this little closure charm started out life as a Primark pearl earring.  I cut off the back and glued it to a circle of card.  I then used a wee strip of the bling mesh again and glued it around the pearl.  This is also how I make my blingy flower centres.  I added the paper to the closure too but used my scissors to distress the paper edges.

On the inside of the lid I used wide cream lace and glued it along the back.  Putting the lace along the back of the lid makes a great wee storage pocket for stickpins , photos, love letters etc,.

I added a pretty little blue and white lace trim as a border along the inside.

Here is how it turned out.  I think it looks pretty Vintage Shabby Chic, dont you think?  I dont have the Tim Holtz Flourishes Die but my wonderful friend Maddy (Izzwizz) very kindly cut me some.  I used 4 flourishes.    

Now it would be a bit weird if I made something that didnt have some of my handmade flowers on it, wouldnt it? So I added 2 of the Peace Roses on either side along with one of my large Floating Meringues from my Fluffy Goodness Collection (Ohhh listen to me....I have flower collections, heehee).  I dyed the material using my own homemade glimmer mist also.  I also made the wee pearly centre for the flower.

I put down some gorgeous skeleton leaves that were sent to me from Oh La La Vintage Treasures link no longer available (Thank you!).  The little frame was a gift and I used an image from Graphics Fairy inside it.  At either side of the frame I placed 2 of my own handmade stickpins and some little beaded sprays that I bought from ebay.

The inside has some of my handmade stickpins placed on the lace and some wee vintage photos and postcards, again downloaded from the Graphics Fairy.  I love the idea of being able to store things on the inside of the lid.

This is the finished inside.  Sorry about the picture quality...it really looks awful.  But the box is very pretty in real life...honest!

Just a little view of the side and another image of really appalling lighting!  Grrrrrr!

Opps sorry for my shadow at the bottom left of the photo.  Sadly I could get great photos, the lighting is terrible at the minute.  Roll on the Spring!!

And that is it from me my little Loopy Loo's.  I feel like I havent stopped these last 2 weeks.  So hopefully things will start to calm down a bit and I can pay a bit more attention to my blog.  Again Im so sorry for the quality of the photos, they really do not do this gorgeous box justice.  Hopefully the next box I do the light will be a bit better!

Thanks for dropping by everyone, any questions please do ask.  Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Toodles Noodles,

Loops xx

Challenges I would like to enter my Altered box into

Dream Valley Challenges - Anything goes.......Yeah for me!!

The Ribbon Girl Blog - Blue and Pink