Category: scrapbooking

Turtle Crafts UK | What Do You Do With Your Scraps?

Posted on by Natalie

Hello, Scrappers! Welcome to another Turtle Crafts UK blog post from me. This month, I’ve got a question for you, and it is: what do you do with the scraps of patterned paper left over from your kits?

I confess I’m a bit of a paper hoarder – no surprise there – so I keep every scrap or paper until I can think of no more uses for them. I even keep tiny bits because if I can punch a shape out of them, I will. Very often, I use my tab punch to punch out tabs, which I then keep in my Tab Tub, and then, every once in a while, I’ll grab a load of tabs and create a layout with them. This month, though, I fancied a bit of a change, so I pulled out my three star punches and lots of scraps of paper and made a whole heap of stars. I then used these on two layouts.

To create a rainbow of different sized stars, I used scraps from the Heidi Swapp themed July kit as well as scraps from the Amy Tangerine themed August kit. A few scraps from my stash might have snuck in too. I love how the papers from the different kits work so well together. Plus they also look great with the stickers from the Paige Evens themed September kit!

So, how about you? Do you think you might pull out your punches and get some of those scraps on your layouts? Let me know in the comments.

Thanks for stopping by! Until next time … happy scrapping! xxx

Scraptember 2019 | And We’re Off!

Posted on by Natalie

Hello, lovely friends! I can’t believe a whole year has passed since the first Scraptember, but it has, so Laura, Miranda and I are again attempting to each publish a video a day for the whole of September. Not only that, but we have a guest designer or two joining us every day, so that’s up to five inspirational scrappy videos a day for the whole month! Below is a link to my playlist. Every day, it will automatically update with the next video, so check back for those. The Scraptember Facebook group and Instagram account are up and running again too, so do check them out as well. Hope you enjoy all the inspiration! xxx

Turtle Crafts UK | Holiday Essentials

Posted on by Natalie

Hello, Scrappers! Welcome to my Turtle Crafts UK blog post for August. At the time of writing this post, it is only one week until my family and I go on our annual holiday. This year, we’re off to Cornwall for a week, and, as usual, I plan on taking some scrapbooking supplies with me. Of an evening, after a hard day’s sightseeing, I like to unwind by documenting the day’s events. Last year, I turned my bullet journal into a holiday journal for the week, but this year, I’m taking a travelers notebook with me, so I’ve spent the last hour getting it prepped and ready to go.

The August kit couldn’t have arrived at a better time, or contain a more perfect collection. It’s bursting with summer-themed Amy Tangerine goodies. I’ve already had fun creating three layouts for my design team videos this month, and I thought what better way to use the rest of the kit than take it on holiday with me. We only have a small car, so although I’d like to take my entire scrap room with me, that’s just not possible, so instead, I’ve chopped and sliced and punched everything in advance.

I’ve trimmed lots of the papers from the 48-page paper pad to a size that will fit in the page protectors in my travelers notebook, and I’ve sliced each page of the sticker book in half so it fits in one of the front pockets. The stamp set that came in the kit, fits perfectly into one of the front pockets too, as did the branding strips from the paper pad. I cut those in half and will use them like washi tape.

In the back pocket, I’ve put the remaining enamel hearts and some tabs that I punched out of the papers. I’ll also slip in some of the elements from the three different cut-apart sheets in the pad.

I’ve also selected a few (Who am I kidding?!) pieces from the die-cut pack. These should fit in the back pocket too. Lastly, I’ve also fussy cut some phrases, sunglasses and cameras from the paper pad. I might fussy cut out some pizza slices and pineapples as well if I have time. All I need to do now is pack a pen, some glue, an acrylic block, a mini ink pad, and a pair of scissors, and I’ll be good to go … Well, I might see if I can squeeze in a few more things. You never know what you’re going to need when you’re scrapping on the go!

So, what about you? Will you be taking your supplies away with you this year? What are your absolute essentials? Let me know in the comments.

Thanks for stopping by! Until next time … happy scrapping! xxx

Turtle Crafts UK | Four Fancy Frames

Posted on by Natalie

Hello, Scrappers! In my Turtle Crafts UK blog post this month, I’m going to show you how I decorated the cardboard frames that came in the July Kit. Speaking of which: I can’t believe how many goodies are in this kit! It’s fit to bursting with beautiful papers and embellishments from Heidi Swapp. It’s definitely going to keep me going for quite some time! Anyway, on with the post …

The cardboard frames came in the Heidi Swapp ‘Insta Kit’ pack along with some rub-ons, but, me being me, I couldn’t just decorate them with said rub-ons (I’ve got other plans for those!) so I decided to decorate the frames in other ways.

For my first frame, I went with some simple ink blending. The frames have a glossy finish, so they took Distress Oxides perfectly. I used Picked Raspberry and Squeezed Lemonade and just blended them together along the diagonal. After that, I spattered on some water, which I soaked up with a paper towel. I love the distressed look on the frame.

For my second frame, I simply added some patterned paper.

I used a glue stick to cover the front of the frame and then stuck it, face down onto the back of the patterned paper. Using scissors, I cut around the outside of the frame, and then, using a craft knife, I cut around the inside of the frame. This was very easy to do. To give the frame more impact, I edged the inside and outside edges of the frame with a thick black permanent marker. That’s all there was to it, but it looks great!

For my third frame, I used the ‘smooshing’ technique.

Because the frame has a glossy finish, I brushed on one coat of white gesso and let that dry. I them smooshed Cracked Pistashio Distress Oxide onto my media mat and added a drop of water before smooshing the frame, face down, in the ink a few times. Once the first layer of ink was dry, I repeated the smooshing process with Peacock Feather Distress Oxide. I LOVE how this frame turned out. Don’t tell the other frames, but I think this one’s my favourite!

For my last frame, I added stamping.

The stamp set I used actually came from the June Kit, but was perfect for this little project as it included a camera stamp. I used Stazon black ink because I knew it would ‘stay on’ the glossy surface of the frame. As well as the camera stamp, I also used a star stamp, and for a finishing touch, I spattered on some Picked Raspberry and Spiced Marmelade Distress Oxides. I think this frame is very striking!

Which one of these frames is your favourite? Do you have any other ideas for decorating these frames? Let me know in the comments.

Thanks for stopping by! Until next time … happy scrapping! xxx