Make A Photo Cube With Rinea Foiled Papers & Floracraft

This month, the Rinea DT have been combining Rinea Foiled Papers with some Floracraft Cubes. (Now, honestly, the Rinea DT have excellent themselves, so head on over to check out their makes!) I knew, almost immediately, that I wanted to use mine to make a 'Photo Cube' but needed to choose a suitable occasion to show off.

Looking through some of my photographs the other weekend, I came across some from the bead retreat I took a while back - where my friend, Sarah, and I had an amazing time (and there's evidence in the form of some really daft photographs!) 

To make the cube, I first needed to choose a colour for my base - and I eventually chose to use the Sapphire/Gold Glossy Foiled Paper, because it matched the colour of the dress I'm wearing in my photographs.

Covering the base was really, really easy - I wrapped it, as though it was a gift, knowing that any folds would be covered by my photographs. It all looks nice and neat. 

The Floracraft Cubes are sized at 3in x 3in, so I cut all of my photographs down to 2.5in x 2.5 in - which means that there's still a little bit of that lovely Rinea shine on show!

To finish off the cube, I added a few small (and flat) embellishments - to add a little bit of interest. (You can add more dimensional embellishments if you want, but remember that if these are on the bottom of the cube at any time, that the cube won't sit without wobbling!)

I'm thrilled with how this super simple cube turned out - and I'm sure I'll make some more to send to friends, or display on my desk at work! Let's face it, we all need a little bit of cheering up in the office! Ugh!

Home Sweet Home

It's been a little bit quieter than usual over the last week or so but I think that, once I explain, I'll be allowed the time I've needed to work on another, much more time consuming project! Four months after making an offer, we're finally in the new home. And, by in, I mean we have the keys! 

The next few weeks are likely to be busy with movers and builders, as we move two homes into one and make sure that this new one is watertight and warm. I'm obviously dreaming on ahead to the moment that I can start work on the craft room! It'll help to keep me sane while I deal with all of the dust!

A Little Afternoon Nap

Over the last couple of days, I've been kept busy by this beautiful, little house guest. While my sister is away on holiday I get to look after her Jack Russell, Star. She's an absolutely pleasure to look after - with a personality as big as the dogs she tries to take on during our walks in the park. Well, dogs, squirrels, birds! 

We've went on a mini-adventure this morning. Along the promenade - where we made lots of new (elderly) acquaintances; down to the beach where we paddled along the shore; then up to the park where we stopped for a little drink and a rest; before heading home for a spot of lunch.

I'm not used to all the walking - especially in the sunshine - so, I'm half tempted to join the little one for an afternoon nap. That's what warm, summer afternoons are for, right?

My (Very Own) Creative Space

It's been a little while since I've been able to blog about My Creative Space. We've been busily re-arranging and re-decorating our little home and all surfaces have been covered with books. (I knew we had a lot of books. I just didn't realise we had a LOT of books, if you know what I mean?) There was just no room for creativity.

Until now, the majority of my crafting materials have lived in our dining room and no matter how tidy they were (and, let's face it, they generally weren't tidy) the dining room just didn't look finished. Our study had long since been lost under all of the things we threw in there when people came to visit (don't pretend that you don't do that) and we needed a change.

I've spent a couple of weeks shifting things; cleaning things; painting things and shifting things again - and the final result of all this upheaval? A home which is starting to look smarter, cleaner and more finished. Oh, and did I mention, my very own creative space?

I'm delighted to be able to give you a tour -

The room is light, bright and airy. Everything that you could want in your own creative space. I was totally surprised when I managed to fit everything in (though I have been making a concerted effort to use my stash before buying any more.) There's even room for larger bookshelves if I need them eventually.

On my desk are the tools that I use most often and all of the little lovelies that I've collected to use in my crafts. (The jars are all old Nutella jars. We eat a LOT of Nutella!)

On the bookshelf, which is actually an Ikea shoerack, I've got my craft books, scrapbook albums, mini-albums and, on the lower shelf (not shown) are my scrapbook alphas and some works in progress.

On the top photograph, you can see that I also keep my sewing machine and my photo frames in this corner - out of the way.

And lastly, in the corner, is a beautiful bureau that I've inherited from my late aunt. (It's so nice to have something that belonged to her and is both beautiful and functional!) Inside, I've hidden away my office equipment, fabric, photographs and scrapbook papers. On top, the two boxes hold my sewing notions and bead stash, nestled into the wool I scored on Freecycle.

I can't wait to get started on some new creative projects, so please come back and visit - I'll be sharing - starting tomorrow with a little mini-book tutorial :)