Some Serif to share

Hi all

Just thought I would pop in and share a little Serif with you from the shows I did on Create and Craft TV last weekend. It was so good to be back after an absence and I had so much fun! It really is a great TV family and we do laugh!

I was showing The Good life double CD collection of Digi kits and stamps over the Create and Craft birthday weekend, at the moment the kits are only available through Create and Craft and you need Serif Craft Artist 2 Professional to power them .... so here we are some of the samples as seen on TV all created from the 6 The Good life kits...

Chocolate Heaven - Food and Drink kit

 I have used the torn edges in the graphic style section on the material for the background (style tab on left side > edges > paper > torn and increase line as you wish) I have also cut up some of the embellishments so the garden of cakes can be split up and images used individually to fill in gaps (select embellie > pick up scissor tool > cut a little way into the lank area of selection > click select > click on then off embellie and when you go back onto it you'll find the elements have been separated NB this doesn't work on all embellishments)

 

Clock - Words of Wisdom kit (mainly)

 



This is an image that I printed onto printable canvas and then stuck to the front of a bought canvas that held a clock mechanism (the canvas came from B&M) I've used the shape tool to create the circles (hold the shift key down as you draw the circle out to create a perfect circle) I then re coloured from within the digi kit colour palette. I applied one of the Digi brushes from the kit around the circle (select the circle > go to brushes tab on left > drop down and select digi kit > click butterfly brush > go to line tab top left > increase line as desired)

 

Daisies plaque - words of wisdom kit

 

 

This is a 12 x 9 wall plaque - a bit of home décor which these kits really lend themselves to.

 

 

 

Baby - Happy Families kit

 

This shaped layout is created by punching out some material from the kit (Punch tab top left > shapes from drop down > select shield and drag onto material > resize as required and punch) I then created the matt in the sae way but punching from a square created with the shape tool and re coloured from the digi kit palette. I added line round both to add definition (select shape > bring frame image top of colour box to front and select colour > line tab next to colour box and increase line) I used an intelligent photo frame and added he photo I then dropped this behind the light blue matt (with photo selected go to arrange bottom left > send back one) while it was still selected I then picked up the eraser tool on the top tool bar and erased away any photo and frame showing (it will only ease the item selected) Once happy I bought it back to the front. I then added the 'hill with flowers' embellie and repeated the eraser process so it sits within the shape. I added the tree from the kit and flowers from a search in the digi browser. (I separated the 3 daisy type flowers as I separated the embellies in chocolate heaven above and then erased he stalks with the eraser tool to add to the bottom of the plant pot. I also selected the photo at the end and went to the [photo lab to add an effect to it (photo lab > effects > style > comic book)

 

 

I see no ships - By the Sea kit

 

 

The photo on this A4 layout was put through the cut out studio and then a scene built around it from the kit.

 

Lilly on the Farm - Friends forever

 

 

Another photo put through the cut out studio and placed in a scene created from the kit.

 

 

 

T-Shirt - Words of wisdom (mainly)

 

 

I created a t-shirt from this image by printing onto t-shirt transfer material and ironing in place (top tip when cutting an image from t -shirt transfer material cut as close to the image as you can to keep the image tidy)

 

 

 

Front and Back of a bag - words of wisdom kit

 

 

I printed these two images onto printable canvas and used pinflair glue to attach them to the front and back of a hessian shopping bag. The background is created from the shape tool and coloured from the digi kit palette. The front image is and embellishment and the two pigs backs are as well but minus the bird so I copy and pasted the front image so it was the right size and then used the eraser tool to erase the pigs just leaving the bird shape. I then used the shape tool and drew an oval to fill in the front of the bird (the circle tool without holding the shift key so you can create an oval) and then coloured it from the colour palette so it exactly matched the colour of the bird, I then grouped it and the bird embellie and put it between the backward pigs sending it back one on the arrange tab so the edges are hidden by the pigs. The heart was also created with the shape tool and the faux stitching is from the digi brushes (draw a square with shape tool > take away any colour fill or line > brushes on the left > global > embroidery > select running stitch with eyelets > Line tab top left > increase line as you wish)

 

 

 

Dirty faces - Friends forever kit

 

 

The one not seen on TV as Dill brain forgot to print it!! Pretty straight forward using an intelligent frame and the quote has been put through a sticker style to make it pop off the page. (select text > styles left side > sticker from drop down > select the effect that suits)

 

 

 

Dreaming - Words of wisdom

 

 

I love all the dreamy imagery in this kit with flying sheep etc. Quite straight forward 12 x 12 with the photo held in an intelligent digi frame.

 

 

I've added explanations where I can as a lot of you have been asking questions about some of my projects .... I hope they make sense :) Thanks for stopping by and letting me share some of my samples. I hope you're well and happy and as ever .... until soon ....

 

 

Happy Crafting

Love

MJM x









 



 



 

 



Scrap 365 .... the cat's out of the bag at last!

Hi all

Welcome to my little slice of the Scrap 365 blog hop, I hope you're having fun :) If you are here under your own steam why not start at the beginning on the Scrap 365 blog? I don't want you to miss out on any of it!

So finally the cat is out of the bag and we can shout about Scrap 365, the brand new UK scrap magazine coming very soon. I have been lucky enough to have worked with Katy Fox (the editor of Craft Stamper and this new title) as a freelance consultant on Scrap 365 and all I can say is this is going to be a great magazine with a super talented design team bringing articles covering all aspects of scrapping today.

For those that don't know me let me introduce myself. My name is Michelle Jackson-Mogford aka MJM. I’m a onetime theatre designer/stage manager who decided to give it all up to get back to my arty roots and I’m loving it! I’m married to a comedian (that’s a whole other story!) and I live in the beautiful British country side with him and our 2 little dogs Stanley Dervish and Oliver Pickles

I discovered scrapbooking at the beginning of 2007, I love creating art with meaning as well as being really into collage so scrapping is perfect for me. I also enjoy using my model making skills to create 3D scrap art and interactive pages.

I was proud to be a Best of British Scrapbooking winner 2008. I am a regular contributor to the Craft Stamper magazine and have been featured in other craft magazines in the UK. I design for Banana Frog stamps here in the UK as well as Purple Cows Inc and Glitz Designs in the States. I also work with Serif (Digital Craft Artist) and I have been demo-ing their product on Create and Craft/ Ideal world TV as well as Purple Cows tools for the last year and a half and love being part of an amazing TV family!

The rest of 2011 going into 2012 is shaping up to be very exciting with many big crafty projects on the go and a 6 week Amazon cruise on which I will be teaching craft classes ... lucky, lucky me :)

As part of the hop we've been asked to share one of our favourite projects of 2011 with you and I think mine has to be a class I designed for the Scrap-A-Mia retreat back in the Spring ...


A scrapped birdcage....


...A unique piece of home decor...


...That looks good all ways round...


...Containing pictures of our Granddaughter...


...and our Grandson (I know what you're all saying, I don't look old enough LOL, it's my step son's children ;))


I also converted it to a double layout



For anyone a little nervous to tackle the construction



and I have to say I like the layout just as much :)

I best stop waffling now and let you carry on with the hop. Before you go don't forget to leave a comment. REMEMBER! leave a comment on EVERY DT blog and on the Scrap 365 blog for a chance to win a years subscription to Craft Stamper (our big sister magazine) PLUS over £20 worth of stamps .... now that's worth leaving a few words for isn't it :) Oh and if you're lucky enough to be at Ally Pally for the Big Stamp and Scrapbooking show this weekend don't forget to pop along to the Traplet stand for a sneak peek of the new mag and a fabulous subscription offer! (Can't make Ally Pally but still want the fab subs deal? If you live in the UK you can still get it by calling 01684 588599that'll get you the first 3 issues for just £1 whoop whoop! And click the button on the post earlier today on the Scrap 365 blog to be entered into the prize draw so you don't miss out on a thing!)

So you're next stop is with the oh so talented Wendy McKee Enjoy!!

Thanks for stopping by. I am absolutely thrilled to be part of the Scrap365 Design team..... It’s going to be a grand adventure!

*see you* soon, until then HAPPY CRAFTING!
Love
M x

Putting on the Glitz

Hi all, today I’d like to share with you some ‘Glitz and glamour’ I have been lucky enough to be on the fabulous Glitz Design team for over a year now and every time I get my Glitz box out to play I find myself in the happiest of moods, not only is the product so edible to look at but the quality is second to none. Looking back over the last year of my time with Glitz I came across this project which was one of the first things I made with my first official Glitz DT box of goodies and as this time of year is all about looking back and being thankful I thought it would be fun to share it with you today.


Putting on the Glitz
It is a super simple handbag mini book that looks glamorous on my shelf as a piece of home decor and contains special memories of a birthday cruise I went on with my husband, the photos I will share in this post will explain the story as we go! Before we start, here is my shopping list;

Glitz Designs Plum Crazy papers; floral, stripe, polka, circles, chair and diamonds
Glitz Designs Plum Crazy cardstock stickers; titles and journaling
Glitz Designs Plum Crazy alpha cardstock stickers
Glitz Designs Olivia Glitzers
Glitz Designs flourish rub ons
Glitz Designs distressing round clear stamp


The front and back of the mini book are cut into a simple handbag shape and the 2 sides are linked with a concertina of paper with mounted photos stuck into each crease so when the bag is opened all the photos kind of fan out, it’s quite impressive in its simplicity!


I kept each page a 6’’x4’’ photo mounted onto some of the fabulous double sided paper. I cut it with a thin decorative edge showing behind the photo to add interest, and was able to journal on the reverse.


As I wanted the photo to be the main focus of each page I added some simple embellishments of lace and ribbon and a small piece of flourish rub on as well as a cream flower that I sprayed with an intense, very sparkly cosmic shimmer mist to each photo.


I kept the same simple embellishment of each photo throughout the book to create continuity


I used the fabulous round distress stamp on the reverse of each photo page to create a background pattern.


I then added cardstock stickers and hand cut and distressed journaling strips throughout to tell my story.


Although the end of the story may not be quite as glamorous as it set out LOL I love my little bag of Glitz and glamour as it reminds me of such a happy time and as it says in the sticker it makes me stop and remember sometimes how really Happy I am to be me!

I hope you feel inspired to create your own little piece of Glitzy glamour, a simple idea like this would make a great Christmas gift wouldn’t it! Thanks for stopping by and sharing a little reminisce with me. I’ll see you soon, until then Happy Crafting
Love
M x

Spooky goings on over at the ranch!

Hi all

Just a quickie to say go on over to the Purple Cows ranch for some spooky inspiration for Halloween, there are loads of projects (and not just for halloween) all with absolutely FREE PDF downloads with full instructions for your inspiration!! Bargain :)

Yours truly has had some spooky projects published recently


The haunted castle


Halloween lanterns


A Bat Mobile (not of the car variety :))


and a real leaf wreath!

So why not visit the Ranch, do some downloading and be inspired all for FREE courtesy of Purple Cows!

I hope you're all well, I'm back tomorrow with some Xmas creativity so until then Happy Crafting

Love
M x

PS new class/workshop dates added to my sidebar .... fancy a retreat? Sparkle retreats has just been announced and I'll have another announcement soon :)

Scrapping outside the album with Glitz Designs

Hi all

Today I’d like to share a piece of home decor with you using the yummy Distressed Couture collection from Glitz Designs. There are so many gorgeous Glitz papers and products I feel it is a shame to hide them away in albums. I love the new trend to display scrappy creations around the home and with the trend to upcycle things combined this is an ideal project.


The ingredients I have used; Glitz Designs Distressed Couture paper collection, Distressed Couture dress form stamp, Glitz Designs paper layers, Glitz designs Whatnot, Glitz Designs frame rub ons and Glitz Designs clear frosting

I quite simply used strips and rectangles of papers from the Distressed Couture collection, distressed the edges liberally, (this works brilliantly with the double sided paper so you get to see both sides) added aged mahogany distress ink and got out the sewing machine to stitch my layers together while adding some texture detail.


The layers of paper were then adhered to the base of the piece which is a stripped piece of corrugated cardboard box (this is where the upcycling comes in! I love stripping cardboard boxes and using them for my crafting)


The focal piece of my scrappy creation is a double Distressed Couture paper heart, distressed of course! Matted on to a stripped corrugated cardboard heart, which is layered onto a Glitz frame rub on (Glitz rub ons are second to no other rub on out there in my opinion!) and all this rests on a slightly distressed Glitz paper layer.


The addition of some lace and velvet ribbon stapled on adds to the shabby chic feel and the Glitz Dream Whatnot lends that oh so trendy Alice in Wonderland look to the piece. The finishing touches come from some Glitz frosting twisted to a flourish, the distressed couture dress form stamp embossed in black, a bit of bling and a kilt pin with charms from my craft box.

A super simple but stylish project that looks great on a small artists easel displayed for all to see. I recently taught this class at a retreat using the Glitz Plum Crazy range and that looked great too so why not have a play with your Glitz supplies and see what home decor you can create with all the yummy products, talking of which there is a whole host of new Glitz goodies about to hit the shops and they really are to die for delicious, so keep your eyes peeled, even here in the UK as I happen to know of certain places that have their orders placed and I will let you know as soon as it arrives on these shores!

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you’re all well and happy and until soon Happy Crafting!
Love
M x

Lilypad lesson

Hi all

Today I have a rather festive, edible, stamping treat posted on the Banana Frog blog for my Lilypad lesson ... want to see? ... ok here it is...


A quite spectacular Christmas cake fit to grace any festive table!

I know it's only September but Christmas has a way of sneaking up doesn't it? so I feel it's never to early to start those seasonal plans and with the new Christmas Banana Frog stamp releases I couldn't resist getting into the festive spirit! In fact it's been somewhat a festive month for my posts at the Lilypad and I have another to share on the 25th to complete it!


I have used one of my favourite stamping techniques for the decorations ... triple embossing


and if you'd like to see the full step by step project hop on over to the lilypad and check out my post :)

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you're all well and happy andI'll be back soon, until then Happy Crafting

Love
M x

A colour focus

Hi all

The first part of this months colour focus over at Banana Frog has gone live today and my offering is included so I thought I would share a quick step by step and some more photos with you, but be sure to check out how all the oter froglets interpreted the colours this month .. I know you'll be inspired!!

So here is my offering



No not the fizz but the glasses LOL remember my boring garden table transformation for the blog hop on the 30th June? Well these are the accessories I spoke of!



I have just used some cheap wine glasses, the totally tropical stamp set and the ever so cute tadpole set tropical taste along with the summery coloured stayz on that match the poster we were given as the inspiration.



Hold the stapm in your hand for this project, as they are acrylic you can mould them around most shapes. Again I have mixed ink colours on my stamps.



I found it easier to have the glass upside down to work on and started with the tadpole flower flourish around the base.





I then built up the design the same way I did on my table using the larger flower in the tadpole set



then the smaller flower



and then as a finishing touch I used the largest single flower from the full size stamp set to add a detail to the base of the glass.

And that's it super simple and super quick but I think they look quite 'chic' especially as the glasses only cost 79p for all 4 LOL. What can you jazz up with your Banana Frog stamps?

I hope you're all well and happy, thanks for stopping by and until soon
Happy Crafting :)

Love
M x