Do you really want to know seven interesting facts about me?

Before I answer that, the most recent interesting place I've visited has been the Alexandra Palace in London, for the Bi-Annual Big Stamp & Scrapbook show. Some lovely stalls there and boy was it packed to the gills with people laden down with shopping bags. Heartening to see, as it keeps all these lovely retail stores in business. However, I wasn't tempted. I looked around and hardly anything screamed out at me to buy it. In the end I bought one small stamp set of chandeliers and 3 clasps which I can use on boxes or mini books. Personally, I preferred to be out and about in London especially as the sky was blue, the sun was out and the temperature warm. I bathed in the sun in V&As garden admiring the stacks of chairs sculpture and in Regents Park whilst catching up with my lovely friend, Jason. And I even found time to shop at Ladurees in Harrods, for Macaroons. Little patisseries of mouth watering heaven. I opted for Rose, Bergamot, Orange Blossom and Pistachio.

So, onto the cards. I made these on my return from the show with my meagre purchases. I thought I'd use a blue background card as the base. To this I dug out darker and lighter blues, grey as a neutral and red for an accent. All from scraps. Can't recall the last time I cut into a sheet of 12x12. Finally I used one of the chandelier stamps as the focal image on one of them. For the other one, I die cut a label plate out and stamped the sentiment. By making it a light blue and accenting with eyelets (of which you don't see nearly enough projects incorporating them these days - let's make these on-trend again :D ), it creates the focal point.

With the restraint I showed in London, I have some spare pennies for another craft show this coming weekend, in Leigh and one stall in particular I'm hoping will have some tempting sets of clear stamps. i will, of course, keep you informed.

Okay, onto the seven things about me. I have been awarded a "Kreativ Blogger" by the talented Neet on her small share of the web. So thanks Neet :) And the rules state that I have to divulge a set number of facts about myself.

1. I won a competition to have an expensive meal out, all paid for and drank a £100 bottle of champers whilst looking at the menu just to start the ball rolling. Not only that, I tripped over a multi millionairre as I staggered drunkenly to the loo. Not only that, I won by cheating. 

2. I had my first intimate encounter in a flat in Moss Side, the dodgiest area in the North west and afterwards poured whisky on the floor before lighting it with a match. Like watching a Christmas pudding except in was on concrete.

3. I have been thrown out of three branches of MacDonalds.

4. I changed my name to Christian Curtis when I began college (but not by deed poll). 

5. I wore mascara, lightly, in my teens, at school and as far as I'm aware no one ever knew.

6. I nearly drowned when I was five and became terrified of deep water. I finally received my first swimming certificate aged 27 when I attended a week long holiday course for scaredy cats. After that, I became a water baby, never out of it.

7. I have danced on a podium in THE trendiest mancunian club of its day, The Factory. One of the guys I shared a house with was in a band with a top twenty pop hit in the charts. My name was on the list, the one and only time in my life. Only the truly select got to dance on the podiums and I took a professional dancer with me as my guest. By default rather than talent, I managed to blag my way onto one of them with my friend.

So there you go. Nothing too illegal, immoral or fattening. I have to say it took some thinking about. I have plenty of fun tales in my memory banks and I've recorded a lot of them into my personal scrapbook pages but choosing ones I wished to share publicly is a different matter. In fact I changed my original number one - let's say it was too much information:D. Don't get me wrong, I don't believe my life has been any more exciting than most or more interesting. However, we have all got our indiscretions haha.

Right, time to clear my craft room up ready for the next time I sit down to make something. Happy crafting everyone :)

Does this make me a Super Achiever?

I'm following Cathy Zielske's "Me The Abridged Version" class, which is why I haven't posted any crafts recently. I've been beavering away on my lovely Macbook, collecting photographs, creating templates and typing up 52 different interesting aspects all about little old me. It's a four week course, we're on week three and unless Cathy springs a surprise on us, I think I can say I'm finished. I know! A week before class ends. Now doesn't that just make you want to poke your fingers in eyes of the class swot? haha.

To be fair, I have cut down on some of the work or I'd still be at it. I didn't print out all the text and photos and titles separately and then stick them onto different card stock. I designed it all on Adobe software and printed it just as it looked on screen, onto 27 sheets of A4 card stock. No cutting, no assembling, no pasting. I just have to slide each page into a clear protector and pop into an A4 folder. It's been a fantastic class so far & well worth the time that's been required to put into it. Now I've got to think about whether to repeat Cathy's Design class in the New Year. I'm very tempted.

Neverending? I thought it never would.

A wonderful friend of mine from Vicky Stampers, Jayne, made me a stunning card for my birthday which I had never seen before. I was informed that it's called a never ending card. You flip it four times and see four different pages. It looks mind bogglingly difficult so it was a surprise that when I typed "Never Ending Card" into google and saw the YouTube video, at how simple and easy it is to make.

However, easy does not mean quick! The supporting structure took under ten minutes to cut out and piece together, honestly you could make it in your sleep. It was the decoration which took all day. I'm sure it can be done quicker but what with all the shapes that needed cutting out, stamping onto or adhering, it certainly felt never ending. Oh and if you are going to attempt this, a word of warning. Try and choose stamps which can be viewed from different angles as some of the images turn up upside down etc as you flip it.

On the plus side, its another great way to use up scraps. I made the foundation out of plain dark green card - 2 pieces at 8" x 8". I then decided it would be easier to stay with a monochrome scheme and went to my Green scraps folder and pulled out lighter and darker shades to contrast with each other. I cut these into the smaller pieces which decorated the card. I encourage everyone to try this one but do put aside at least half a day to make it!

Pinking Stitches

Creating Keepsakes magazine inspired this card. The recent copy which was delivered to my door had an article about adding stitching to your papercrafts. I knew about most of the techniques they showed but as always, there's a lone gem of an idea that you've not heard of before. And so was the case with using pinking scissors to create a stitch effect. Just trim your paper and then place each piece down just a fraction apart. Simple & clever and I had to try it out. Love it :) What more can I say. Okay it doesn't look like stitching here but I liked the thicker line better. Look out for this effect in future projects, I can see my coming back to it again.

Books into boxes part two

With all the trouble of converting a small book into a box, I decided I needed to try again and see if I could make it easier. I took a large book of drivel (some romantic fiction which a child had scribbled all over) and this time removed the pages from the cover in two quick cuts of the knife. With just the covers intact, I then proceeded to cut four thin strips of mountboard to make the box edges. I decorated both book covers and box separately before adhering them together. A much better result and much easier. For starters, less cutting required.

When I next find the time to overhaul my art room and store my stuff away, I'm going to have a bounty of beautiful boxes just sitting there waiting to help me out.

When I alter a book, I think inside the box

The first attempt I made at altering a book into a box turned out to be more complicated than I'd initially thought. Thank goodness for K&Cos Que Sera Sera papers. I've said it before and I'll say it again, they cover a multitude of mistakes, or in this case, joins. I took a small chunky book and cut a niche out of the pages. I then covered it all in patterned paper but ran into so many problems with the hinge inside. Rips, smudges, creases, tears and tears with tantrums thrown in for good measure. Finally worked out but I figured there must be an easier way. And there was....more tomorrow.

Around and around we go

Ahh a brilliant song by Robbie Neville. Remember him? Anyhow, moving on...I've been seeing some really cool cards which use a monochrome die effect and I thought I'd give it a go. There are so many ways to apply this style and I went with my circular nesties to make a geometric card. Blue always goes well with brown so it was easy to match the two up together. The corner was chomped off just to add a little visual extra.

I'm such a fan

Yup, I'm such a fan of Anna Griffin who inspired the paper fan embellishments in this card. She was recently on QVC showing examples of cards and scrapbook pages which she had decorated with fans. Having already made flowers using a similar technique, I thought I'd give it a go and see how I fared. It's a bit tricksy but I got it all to stick down in the right places. Plus I managed to use red and green without it looking like a Christmas card.

As Cath said to me..."Very Dramatic, Very You"

On Saturday I had a fantastic time courtesy of the Victoria Stampers club and my friend, Alison who joined me there for the first time. We both had a brilliant day and her finished project was superb.

The exceptionally talented and crafty Neet took us through the steps to making a Palooza. What's a Palooza you ask? No idea. It's a class that the Ranger meister himself, Tim Holtz, taught and Neet was lucky enough to attend. The IKEA store had been raided for mirrors and sold on the day and we all decorated over the top in our own fashionable ways. I had a red frame and started out making a monochrome design. Then I started playing around with adding black to make it more visually interesting and once I'd gone down that route, I added gold as an accent. Yes, I know, very oriental but that wasn't my intention.

When my lovely friend Cath walked by and saw it, she looked at me and laughed, "Very dramatic. Very you". I didn't stick everything down on the day because the glue I intended using would take several hours to dry properly and so on Sunday, I sat in my art room and finished it off. Cath's words came back to me as I was trying to think of something I could place in the centre to cover the mirror (hateful things). So I knocked up the type on Indesign, played around until I was happy and printed it out. Moments later my reflection was removed from the Palooza. It can now hang in my art room to inspire me.