My Memories Software Review.

I got a email last week asking if I would like to host a my memories digital scrapbooking software giveaway, yes please, I don't know how many giveaways for my memories software I haven't won... I got a copy to review and one to give away, fabby!


Come back on Wednesday for the giveaway (updated - giveaway on how till 11th May!) but for now, this is what I have done with my memories so far...

 

A monthly log of the garden in the new house as I have tamed it! I will be the first to say this looks basic, it is, I am not one for fussy layouts so this is just a mere hint of what can be done, there are hundreds of embellishments and backgrounds to choose from!


I also couldn't resist using one of the designer templates to make up a wee wedding album for my sister. She got married almost 2.5 years ago and still does not have the wedding album, too many photos to decide from apparently!

This is what I came up with using some of my snaps from the day (the last two shots are professional but my sisters brother in law owns the copyright so I can use them).

It doesn't have to be albums you make either, there is a custom size option so you could design blog buttons, business cards, blog / website headers etc.  Once I have a wee bit more time on my hands I will be taking advantage and designing myself a fab blog button! The software is really easy to use and has so much potential, I can't wait to use it some more!

Remember come back on Wednesday if you want a chance to win my memories software!

Read More

Skirt from scraps!

Does anyone else have a mother in law who seems to shorten every skirt she ever buys?? I do, and I got a load of off cuts from her in February. Luckily my mother in law goes for quite full skirts so the off cuts from the bottom were long and thin, perfect for making a tiered girls skirt!

This is how I did it, photos are not great, sorry:

Take 2 offcuts, either from the bottom of a (fairly full) skirt or 2 long strips. I had one lining strip and one patterned.

Cut the patterned strip in half to make the two tiers then cut the lining one the same length (the fullness of your original skirt will determined the fullness of the final skirt..)

Sew the short ends together to make 3 tubes of fabric.

My plan was to use the lining as the waistband and to attach the patterned fabric to.

With the lining the right way out I attached the first tier, right sides together but with the patterned tier upside down so, once sewn to lining it would be folded down to disguise the seam.
 
I then used the same method to sew the second tier on. The spacing of your tiers and placement on your lining fabric will depend on how long you want the skirt. My first tier was about 2 inches from the bottom and the second was right at the bottom. 

For the waistband I finished the raw edge ( I serged/overlocked it but you could fold then fold again) then folded over about 1inch as my elastic was just less than 1 inch wide. I inserted it in the usual way and sewed up the gap.

Then press the tiers down and attempt to get someone to model it for you...

I made another one in the same way, little e did not like it as much...

Whether she will actually wear either of them is another question, she really does not like leggings or tights which is not ideal since we don't live in the warmest place in the world....!

Linking to these fab linky parties!

Have you entered my mymemories digital scrapbooking software giveaway?

Read More

DIY Swarovski Earrings

Have you ever visited Rebecca at My Girlish Whims? If not you should, it is a fab blog with a brilliant linky every Wednesday. Rebecca is doing a series of jewellery lessons at the moment and I decided to have a go!

Using her latest tutorial I made these!

I reused the Swarovski crystals from some very simple earrings I made to wear as a bridesmaid for my sister,

You can kind of see them, not going to make the pic too big though or all you see is my double chin :)

so all I had to buy was the chain and some more headpins, bargain for some gorgeous new earrings!

Linking up to these fab linky parties!

Read More

Hippy/Retro/70's Summer Trousers

 With great anticipation of a wonderfully summery summer heading our way (fingers crossed although we are still getting some snow..) I decided to tackle one of many gaps in my wardrobe, trousers in a material other than denim!

I got this

fab fabric from my mother in law (she thinks it is Liberty from the 70's) a while ago and bought this

pattern (dated 1969) on ebay last month.

Put them together and you get these

some super hippy looking light weight summer trousers.

Wool jumper shows what the weather is like, birkinstocks were only for the photo:)

The are extremely high waisted, almost hitting my ribs high, so I didn't bother with the waistband and used it as a facing for the new waist of the trousers. They were a tad snug, I have no waist definition, so I had to remove two darts for the waist and take in the hips for the perfect fit! Hopefully the 14lbs that are going to magically disappear before a wedding on the 30th June will mean I can reinstate the darts in the waist :-)

Linking up the these fab linky parties.

Read More

Pintrest Inspired Foot Art

Another product of last weeks ill children was some foot art!

I had seen a canvas on pintrest of butterflies painted with footprints and decided to do something similar, before long Big E will have size 11 feet and tower over me so I need to preserve the memories of him as a small person!

 

I put some kids paints into takeaway containers and got the kids to stand in them then sit down as I pressed their feet against the canvas, no photos as it was far too messy! I did it in the bathroom and plonked them straight in the bath after and hosed off their feet.


Little e did the foot prints willingly but Big E was a little reluctant! He has a very sensitive gag reflex and paint is enough to trigger it (as is soap, blowing his nose, custard, poo smells....don't get me started ...it is surely not normal to be sick in the sink because of the smell of your own poo...too much info I know!)! After he saw his wee sis doing it though, he decided to go for it, so with a lot of deep breathing, and gagging, it was done!

I added the felt flowers and the butterfly bodies and that was it.

A new piece of art for the wall!

Linking up to these fab linky parties.

Read More

A Spring Wreath

There are some benefits of having two ill children for the first week of the Easter holidays, lots of crafting! We have spent a good few hours quielty camped out in the craft room making things.

I bought some felt on ebay ages ago with great intentions to make some fab felt brooches and jewellery, but the quality was pretty poor so they didn't happen.

It turns out it does make super felt flowers though! I sat and snipped and sewed while the kids cut up paper to make models, it was great fun and now I have a fab new spring wreath (and lots of new art work that was taped to the walls before I could object...)!

Not sure about the position with the silly lion in the middle (the door is massive, about 1ft taller than a normal front door) but above it is too high and below is too low!!

Hopefully the sniffles and barks will be away by next week and we can actually leave the house for more than an hour...

LInking up to these fab linky parties.

Read More

All Change!

Do you every feel like life is happening just a wee bit faster than you can keep up with??

That is exactly what the last few months have been like here and it is still a little (lot) crazy!

I quit my very part time job a couple of weeks ago in less than ideal circumstances (lets just say someone obviously had it in for me and moaned so much I could not put up with it any more even though I had the full support of my boss). So, I have decided to throw myself into Heavenly Handmades , my card making business, to see if I can actually make a go of it, here are some of my new designs using my gorgeous new Wild Rose Studio stamps (bit fuzzy, sorry)

I always feel such a fraud when I say I am going to try and sell my cards because they are so simple compared to some you see but I figure some people must have the same taste as me in simple rather than 'busy' cards...


The website has also had a bit of a face lift, I am getting there slowly but I would love to be able to afford to get someone who actually knows what they are doing to do it for me! I have an advert going in the local community magazine in a week so I need it looking good by then!

Now to be a true Scottish person, a moan about the weather. There were record temperatures here last week, 22degC at one point, proper shorts and t-shirt weather

I raked around the loft (attic) to get the summer clothes down, had them out for a day then the weather got cooler and tomorrow the forecast is snow with a low of -9degC overnight, brrr! Global warming don't you just love it...!

Off to find my thermals for tonight:)

Linking to some of these fab linky parties!

Read More