tutorial

Spending wallet

Spending wallet

Craftie Jellie

In my quest to live more simply I want to focus on cutting down my spending. I find it really difficult to keep a spending diary so I thought that if I made myself a beautiful way of tracking spending I might keep to it!!
This is the way I came up with! The papers I used for the project are First Edition- Hideaway.
I took two double sided 8×8 papers. I joined them by cutting a small piece of 8×8 paper, scoring it in the middle and taping it to the papers.

I then scored half way across each page and about 1/3 from the bottom. I folded the bottom section up to make a pocket and cut a slanted edge to each section.

The outside was made from an 8×8 card scored in half and then a small section of card taped to the end and also scored.

I sponged pearlescent green ink around  the inside of the card. I taped the paged inside.

I made tags using scrap paper. I will use scrap paper to do this every month. I am going to record spending on these tags. I’ll keep a record of no spend days, essentials,
luxuries and money spent on hobbies. I use the no spend days challenge on Money Saving Expert as an incentive not to go near the shops unless I really need to!! I thought by recording essentials versus luxuries it will help me to think about what spending is related to wants and what is related to needs. Ideally I want to minimise wants and put that money towards the mortgage.

When closed I will secure the wallet with a ribbon. I used Soft Green Promarker to colour the ribbon so it would match.

At the end of each week I’ll record the spends in a spreadsheet and at the end of the month I will put the tags together with a ribbon. I’ve made a folder to keep the tags in and will also keep receipts in there.
I took a piece of green card and scored every cm and folded it like an accorian. I then put tape all along it and taped 12 envelopes in to it. (I always have tons of envelopes as I bought lots of card blanks with envelopes and then I make the cards too big to fit the envelopes!!) I alternated yellow and green envelopes.

This is the finished accordian of envelopes.

I scored a piece of green card for the cover and cut papers to stick on to the outside

and to the inside

I then used tape and book binding glue to attach the accordian envelopes to the cover.

I used magnetic tape to hold the cover closed and added a flower embellishment. I wanted to keep it simple as the papers are quite glitzy!

I used spray varnish on both projects to give tham lovely shine and a little added protection.
Hopefully with the lovely wallet and folder I will keep better track of my spending so I can analyse it and see where I can cut costs. It should also help me to think carefully about the things I want versus the things I need when I shop.

Mosaic- tutorial

Mosaic- tutorial

Craftie Jellie

I had a decent amount of crafting time for the first time in ages today. I wanted to make a thank you card for a friend.Time to try a new technique to use up scraps! I’m really pleased how this worked out as it is perfect for using small scraps.
I started by deciding I’d use pink and brown and sorted out some scraps in those colours and some cardboard packaging.

I took a piece of cereal packet. I tore up pieces of brown scrap papers and stuck them down with Mod Podge I used similar colours in a circular pattern. I then coloured the torn edges with brown distress ink.

I then used various scraps with two pink patterns on them to make my union jack patterned mosaic.  I coloured the torn edges with pink distress ink.

I covered the mosaic patterned paper with two layers of Mod Podge.

I used a die cut from Lili of the Valley. I cut it out and highlighted the flower, mirror and pearls using glossy accents. I added some pearl embellies to the bag. I mounted them using foam pads to get some lift.

I would like to enter the following challenges
kaboodle doodles- thank you
papertake weekly- happy highlights
card makin mamas- something old
crafts 4 eternity- clean and simple
crafters cafe blog challenge- CAS

My storecupboard January- tutorial 2!

My storecupboard January- tutorial 2!

Craftie Jellie

When doing the last tutorial it struck me that another way to use up thin scraps of paper would be paper weaving.
My first tutorial explains how these scraps were left over from my Christmas card makes and why this meant they were similar sizes and colours.

1. Run a line of double sided tape along one edge of some scrap card (you can also spray card with repositionable spray). Stick ends of scrap onto the tape (Leave space at either end wide enough to put more double sided tape down). I alternated red and green patterns and worked out how I wanted to arrange them before sticking them.

2. Sort out scraps with different pattern(s) to weave through.  Run double sided tape alone each end of the card and weaving your paper through, move it along and stick to the tape at either end. In my case my holls paper always runs under the green scraps and over the red scraps.

3. Take your next piece of paper, weave it through alternate strands (in my case the start paper always runs under the red paper and over the green paper). Move it into position and stick down.

4. Continue until you have used up all the scraps/ covered the card.

5. Use a sponge to apply a thin layer of Mod Podge over the top.

6. Allow to dry for 20 minutes and then add another layer of Mod Podge.

7. When it dries your paper weaving will be fully stuck together and there will be a lovely gloss to it.

I wanted to make all my card from scraps so I punched two circles from a cereal packet. Stuck them together and then painted the edges and front with greem Brilliance pigment ink.

I added my LOTV die cut (where I had accidentally cut it too small but by mounting it on the green card she looks kinda cute!!). I mounted this on the card using foam pads.

I added some of my spare paper and a scrap of card to the inside and job done!!

I would like to enter the following challenges
Top Tip Tuesday- anything goes…..sorry another very long tip 😉
The Karft Journal- using Kraft card and anything goes
Paper sundaes- out with the old (using old scraps) in with the new (created a new backing paper!)
Gingerloft challenge- Winter and Christmas
Dream Valley Challenges- Christmas
Cupcake inspirations- this picture inspierd my colour scheme for many of my Christmas cards

My storecupboard January- tutorial 1!

Craftie Jellie

My personal challenge for January is to have a stash ban and survive by crafting from my storecupboard. Several of us on the Money Saving Expert forum are having a stash ban. I thought I’d have a go at writing some tutorials as there are a couple of newbies who might find them useful. Hopefully the Top Tip Tuesday team will be ok with the tip being a bit long 😉

Today I’m using a technique that I think I saw on Split Coast Stampers with a couple of adaptations. I deliberately made a lot of my Christmas cards with matching papers so that I could utilise the scraps.
This is a post with lots of my bulk Christmas makes!

1. Get your scraps together! Take a big sticker (I get A4 sticker sheets from Poundland) or some scrap paper and cover it with spray adhesive.

2. Sort out the scraps into matching patters. Since I used the same size cards and papers when making my Christmas cards I had lots of scraps of the same size. I wanted to use the pieces cut from my background mats which were all about 1cm wide.

3. Choose 3 patterns that contrasetd well to use. Lined them up on your sticker. In my case green, red, holly…ad nauseum or until I ran out of paper or sticker!!

4. Place on paper trimmer so that the parallel papers are running at ninety degrees to the blade.

5. Cut equal size strips. Since my strips of paper were 1cm wide I cut 1cm strips!

6. Have a play and decide on a repeated pattern to use.Here are a couple of the ones I tried.

 7. Take another piece of sticker and put the strips onto it in your chosen pattern.

8.  Trim the ends. Keep for another project (keep an eye out for them on my blog this month as I try and use up my scraps!)

9. You should now have a backgound paper which is useable instead of lots of scraps in the bin!! In fact these are large enough for me to cut in half and use on my cards.

So here are a couple of the cards I made using this technique. The die cuts are from Lili of the valley and I highlighted them with stickles.

 Thanks for reading!
I would like to enter the cards for the following challenges
Top tip Tuesday- anything goes
Phindys place challenge- scraps
If the shoe fits scrap it- use your stash
52 Christmas card throwdown- anything goes
Delicious Doodles challenge- anything goes
Card crafters circle- anything goes
The secret crafter saturday challenge- anything goes
One stop craft challenge-Winter wishes