Tuesday 13 October 2015

Paper Dolls: Accessories

I hope you had a chance to read my two part article on how to turn your Cricut explore into a paper doll cutter. If not your can read Cricut and Prima Dolls #1 and Part #2. But my friends, what is a paper girl without all her accessories. I dusted off some of my old cricut cartridges and found a ton of cut items that are perfect for my Prima Dolls Stamps.

My best finds were in:

Paperdolls (Everyday Dressup)
Kate's ABCs
October 31st
Country Life
Rock Princess









It's very easy to resize the accessories to work with the dolls. Some required a tiny bit of clipping to be a perfect fit but turned out to be very cute.



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Friday 9 October 2015

Club Layout For October 8: Kaisercraft Magnolia Grove Collection

Last night we worked with the beautiful Kaisercraft Collection Magnolia Grove. The muted blues and pinks were a joy to create with. This collection lends itself to my style of vintage crafting. I have included a list of most of the supplies that we used. It was one of those grab what inspires you from my stash kind of nights.

This layout consisted of a lot of paper distressing. We used the Close To My Heart Paper distressing Tool, Close To My Heart Sanding Tool, a wire brush that looks like a toothbrush that I found at Canadian Tire one day when my hubbs dragged me there. (Insider's Tip: Canadian Tire has allot of tools that we use and they are a fraction of the cost.) We also used Tattered Rose and Walnut distress inks. We finished of with a sprinkle of Tattered Angels mist in Old Lace.

This is the beautiful paper line.










I have finally decided to put that print then cut feature of the Cricut Explore to work for me. I downloaded some vintage public domain images to add to our design. It is the area that I put a big red X over in the paper doll tutorial. Go check it out Turn your Cricut Explore into a Paper Doll Cutter.







A little bit of shaping with my Susan's Garden Tools from Sizzix and the blooms just seemed to jump off the page.


 







 I loved this collection so much I am going to order it again and play some more.

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Thursday 8 October 2015

My Grandma's Teacups: Turn your Cricut Explore into a Paper Doll Cutter Part 2

Well, did you get your Prima Paper Doll Stamp all set up in your Cricut Explore? Of course you did! I knew you could do it. If you need to go over what we did this is the link.  Now comes the really fun part. I hope you remembered not to drink your coffee near your precious paper.....oh the horror....but that's another post.

Making Your Prima Paper Doll


You know that plastic 12x12 box that you use to collect all those teeny time pieces of paper that are just too good to throw out. Yah, the one on the shelf collecting dust. Go grab that. This is a great opportunity to put those itty bitty scraps to work. (and your husband said you would never need them......be sure he sees you using them, as though you had this planned from the start....seven years ago when you began saving scraps of paper.) 

For the small layers like the dress, shoes and stockings I try to find scraps that coordinate in the approximate sizes I want.


 You will need to use large pieces for the doll base and backer.

 Small confession. I made a horrible paper choice for this project as I chose a slightly shiny surface that does not hold the ink well. A flat finish would have worked much better.


 Remember to think about where the shadows on the dress would fall. The area that flares gets the most light and the creases are darker.



I used a wet glue. I just find it easier than messing with popdots or foam squares. You can choose your favourite adhesive and I won't judge you harshly.

 As our friend Rosiland Burch taught us earlier this week. A girl's accessories are very important. So go ahead and bling her up. Then we are done. Yay, see how much fun they are!
Be sure to follow my Prima Doll Pinterest board for plenty of inspiration on ways to use these adorable creations.

Follow My Grandma's Teacups's board Prima mixed media dolls on Pinterest.

Wednesday 7 October 2015

My Grandma's Teacups: Focus On You Series: Confidence under stress



You  may be wondering why I am writing this series of posts on focusing on ourselves. Well I think it falls under the old adage of:


And it's true right? If we don't feel well, or are having a rough day it sets the tone for the entire house.

My husband tends to be the stern one in our household but if I get grumpy the kids know it's a big deal. It means they crossed some magical invisible line and they are quick to reassemble on the other side.

The purpose of these posts are in fact just to help us focus on little things that we can do to make sure our cup is just that much more full? fuller??

Transitioning from summer activities to the business of fall can be very stressful and added to that the beginning of shorter days and dreary skies it important to be extra kind to yourself (and everyone else if at all possible.) My plan is to share small things that we can do to boost our self esteem and overall demeanor.

It would be wonderful if we could all just go check ourselves in for a day of pampering at St. Anne's Spa. Realistically I doubt many of us have the time or the funds for such royal treatment.

So here is my quick tip for the day: Find a really great deodorant.

Seriously. You would not believe the difference you will have in your day if you find the right deodorant. There is nothing as distracting as wondering if you smell sweaty. These days it politically incorrect to douse ourselves in perfume so our deodorants need to be that much more dependable. I have tried the rollie type that go on wet and smell nice but make you feel like you need  to flap like a bird for the first half hour its on. I have tried the spray ons that I find don't last. I have used the clear gels that feel like I have jello under my arms and I have tried the white bars that I like but find that I am using them a few times during the day. Which I may add is strange because I don't usually work very hard and don't sweat much :)


My latest Buzzkit was from Secret.


 I use secret anyway so this was a good gig for me. It was for their new clinical strength deodorant. I don't get paid for sharing my opinion...which is just wrong....but that is for another day....I received a trial size sample. Guess what. The stuff really works. I used it this weekend. As you know I have been ill for the past few weeks and this weekend I knew I was staying home in y comfy clothes. I put it on after my shower Saturday and it was still working when I decided to get dressed Sunday afternoon. (Don't judge me...lol). Usually I would have reapplied my deodorant several times in that much time. I have a phobia of smelling sweaty. So if you are looking for a quick boost to your overall feeling of well being, I would suggest trying Secret Clinical Strength...I used the solid so I don't know about the gel one.



Find the little things that will help you feel your best....and be a good friend and share them with us.