Large pockets & tags card + bookmark – “Mediterranean”

Ah, those beautiful last days of summer… In the Netherlands summer has been short but sweet, with the early September sun trying its best to still give us a little warmth. So before we have to say goodbye to summer definitively, we can take one more look at it and celebrate its vibrant colours with this cheery birthday card!

It’s turned out rather large (A5), has a strong blue (think Mediterranean Sea) for its base and sports several tags and pockets. And, as a special bonus feature, there’s a bookmark too! An actual one, not a digital one – just adding that for the young people reading this and wondering what a paper bookmark might be… 😉

Here’s a little photo shoot I did. The design paper I used is by some nameless Dutch brand, it has no title of its own but I’m calling it Mediterranean. Because it looks……. Mediterranean – but then again, you’d already figured that one out yourself, had you not? 🙂

Front – setting the Mediterranean tone with a sunny flip pocket:

Inside the flip pocket is – of course – a tag. I will personalize it by printing some birthday wishes onto it and who knows, I may even do some stamping!

Inside – Summer landscape on the left, sea-themed pocket on the right, with a dolphin tag hanging from a gold-colored brad and a blue ribbon along the border of the pocket. The pocket holds a bookmark, with a quote from a well-known Dutch literary writer. The quote reads something like: “Good literature has the ability to make us see through another person’s eyes.”

Back – Two matching side-loading pockets with identical dolphin tags/photo mats. On the other side of the tags is room for journaling, or for writing some personal messages to the recipient.

What colors do you associate with summer? And with what craft project are you saying goodbye to this year’s summer season? 

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Cinch mini album in a box + some of my favorite tools

My first ring-bound mini album, using my brand new Cinch binding tool! I designed a custom-made box around it too, which makes it very nice, tidy and compact, and easy to keep in your bookcase.

The paper is gorgeous by the way (what else is new 🙂 ) – it’s Prima’s Madeline design paper, and I used both the A4 stach and the 6×6 inch pad.

I’m very pleased with the result, but of course I learned a lot too while creating this ringed album: what to do and more importantly, what NOT to do… Just check out the video and see what I mean 😉

In the video I’m also showing you some of the tools I use by the way.

For this album I was partly inspired by Kathy Orta’s build-a-page design,
and also by Ginger from My Sisters Scrapper for the page insert at the back of the mini album.

What are your favorite tools for paper crafting? Let me know in the comments section below! 🙂

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Pocket Page mini album + Mini booklet – Bohemian Bazaar

Bohemian Bazaar is one of Graphic 45’s new collections of this summer. The colours are bright and primary, the atmosphere of the collection is… well, I guess you could say Bohemian. Although I was immediately drawn to it and didn’t hesitate to buy it, I suddenly had some doubts once I held it in my hands: was this really as beautiful as I had imagined it?

A love-hate affair was brewing and during the worst of it I had even offered it up for sale on some online marketplace. Lucky for me, there weren’t any interested buyers at the time; lucky, for a couple of weeks later I suddenly liked it again (did I mention it was love-hate?). So, I decided to immediately make good of this positive moment in my hesitant relationship with this paper, and whipped-up another pocket page mini album. Its construction is basically the same as my Little Miss mini.
I keep being amazed at how much a simple change in design paper matters, for this one looks completely different from the Little Miss mini album!

And the great thing is: I absolutely love how this little mini has turned out! Who’da thunk…
In fact, I find it so gorgeous that I can’t even imagine not having liked the paper for even one day. 🙂
Oh, and I threw in a little mini booklet as well, to go along with it as a companion piece, like say, for a birthday card or something. I mean, I couldn’t just throw away all those scraps could I? – Ah, those gorgeous little pieces of paper…. Did I tell you how much I love this paper?

Anyway, click here if you can’t see the video below.

 

How about you? With which project, material or tool do you have a love-hate affair?

Summer tag card “Mediterranean”

One of my very first scrapping projects was actually a tag card for my friend. I had found its design on the internet, created by a lady called Elsa, with Justafew Designs (you can check out her Youtube channel here). The tag card is quite easy to make and you can personalize it with photos or beautiful pictures.

My first tag card

I don’t know about you all, but here in the Netherlands we’ve had an unexpectedly hot summer the last couple of weeks. So to inspire your summer craft projects, here’s an alternative version of that first little tag card of mine – mediterranean style!

Click here if you can’t see the video below.

 

Klik hier als je het filmpje hieronder niet kunt zien.

Are you working on any summer-themed craft projects? By all means, let me know and share your thoughts/ideas! 🙂

Until next time, stay creative!

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How to create a coin envelope (to match your tag booklet)

In one of my previous posts I showed you a cute tag booklet that I designed. In the end I decided I needed an envelope to match, so I created one – and figured I might as well show you how!

There’s no measurements because I eyeballed the whole thing, which sometimes is simply the easiest and quickest way to go 😉

Anyway, let me know what you think or if you have any questions. Enjoy the video! (as always available in both English and Dutch)

Click here if you can’t see the video.

 

Klik hier als je het filmpje niet kunt zien.

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Altered wine box

There’s more than one way to present someone with a bottle of wine. There’s gift bags and gift boxes, and then there’s the altered wine box!

Like this one below, one of my very first napkin technique projects – when I was still taking my first steps in this undiscovered decoupage country. Meanwhile, I’ve learned a lot more about the possibilities of designing with this technique, but I’ve yet to alter my second wine box. So, just to give you an idea of the sheer endless possibilities, here are some pictures of my first.

In addition to the napkin technique I painted this particular wine box with a color I mixed myself. Again, this opens even more possibilities. To think at the time I didn’t even know the half of designing your own decorations – and I’m learning still more with every project!

For this box I chose a theme with boats and water since I had a man in mind as the recipient. This colleague was pleasantly surprised by the original gift by the way! (I also put a bottle of wine in there of course) 😉

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