Hazelnut Font

Hi there Bloglanders

Never too old to learn something new!!  You know how I always complain that I have a horrible handwriting???? So, a few years ago I decided to have my handwriting converted to a font.  Just makes it easier and it looks much neater as all the letters look exactly the same when you type.

This morning I searched for fonts to use on my Silhouette and I came upon this:

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It DID look familiar so I typed the same:

It appears that IMPERFECT ME is not THAT imperfect after all. I must say, I'm totally chuffed with myself and vow never to complain about my handwriting again!!

I'm off to the mid day movies - it IS Friday after all.

Have a great weekend and please come back to play as I have lots more to share right here.

Hazel

Solar Jars for Christmas

Hallo Bloglanders

It is REALLY busy down under and I can't seem to get the time to get started on my Christmas prep. Normally I put everything up on December first but I'm not sure that I'll get there in  time. Lucky me got a Silhouette during the year so maybe we can speed things up.

This is what I did yesterday:

Jip, I'm still in Solar Jar mode.  I don't want to etch my jars as I would like to change them according to my decor. Remember my fall version??? Just click here for my most popular post.

This time round I used the "cut and lift" option to get a nativity scene cut onto vellum with my Silhouette.  Just insert it in the jar and ta-da ............................ done!! I also tried it on black cardstock ...........................

What I love about my project is that after Christmas I can take it out of the jar and use it in a layout or on cards. I kept all the die cut shapes and it will be used in my December Daily 2013.  Problems?  The only one I encountered was that the paper tends to curl back where you have big cut-outs.  Solution?  I did little cuts to my artwork to keep the shapes intact.

See the red polka dot arrow? That's where a small cut in my shape keeps the negative shape that I've used in place.

And these are the shapes that's left for my December Daily:

I just love, love, love the little shapes! Sorry about the quality of my pic but I took it on my Silhouette cutting mat before I peeled them off.

That's it - if it doesn't work, alter your shape! In Silhouette Studio it's easy and FUN.

Have a great day and thanks for looking at my blog today. Have a great Thursday and please check back as I have lots more to share right here.

Hazel

Craft Fair 2013 - Use your scraps

Hi there Bloglanders

Yes, I know that I have not been up to my blogging self. With the craft fair, lots of work in the office and both the boys all over the place, I'm just very, very busy.  I promised to show a collage of the craft fair and here it is:

Once again, I've recycled what I had on hand to pack my home made goodies.  Lots of recycled book pages, white office paper, gift wrap, scraps and even tins from the pantry. I simply packed everything in cellophane bags, folded the edges over and finished it off with die cut scraps.  They look adorable and are selling super fast.  You will see that I have my famous Hertzoggies, my Cappuccino 4 one, Hot chocolate 4 one and cookies in a tin on sale.

The fair will be going until Saturday which means some more baking and packing for me. Also, I'm picking up apricots fresh from the farm tomorrow and will start on my yearly jam cooking on Friday. Of course, I'll add a crafty twist ...................and of course I'll share with you!! (the pics, not the jam - IMPERFECT ME!)

There you have it - use what you've got even if you sell it - home made is the flavour of the month on Sunny SA craft fairs. Thanks for looking at my blog today and please come back to play as I have lots more to share right here.

Have a wonderful crafty day!
Hazel

Craft Storage Ideas Crafter's Caddie

Good morning Bloglanders

Once again, I'm over at Craft Storage Ideas. This time round I'm telling you all about my new caddie and how I use it.  Here is an action picture:

Hop over to Craft Storage Ideas to see the rest. Just click here. While you are there, please say hi and leave a comment. I love to hear what you think and do.

Have a Marvellous Monday!!

Hazel

Pressie for a cat

Hi there Bloglanders

In Sunny SA we have a project where you can give pressies to less privileged children. This year we can give to dogs and cats in a project called "Santa's Dog Box" and I decided to join in the fun. Of course I did a cat version - for my "once in a lifetime cat, Tossel" and my current "half-of-a-cat", PJ (AK Gabsie - don't ask!!! IMPERFECT ME). You still remember that I share a cat with my neighbor??

Well, I covered my box in white, added a red ribbon and then the cat die cuts. Silhouette - of course!!! This is it:

I downloaded a free font called "cat silhouettes", typed it out in Silhouette Studio, resized here and there and cut it out of black cardstock. It will work even better if you do it in Vinyl but I hate to waste and that's where most gift wrap ends up so I used my black scraps and some good old glue.

For my fellow South Africans - here is the details if you want to join in the fun:

Inside my box is tinned cat food, cat nibbles, a few toys and some cash in an envelope. (suppose that will go towards veterinary costs). I'll show the envelope in another post. Once again, I recycled, reused and re purposed.

Thanks for visiting my blog today. Finally it's Friday. Kick up a notch and have a great weekend. See you soon.

Hazel

PS. I haven't forgotten about the craft fair pics that I promised.I'm working on a collage and will add that over the weekend. Please check back.

Over at Craft Storage Idea with "just 1 tip"

Hallo Bloglanders

I hope you are well. I'm still working on the craft fair but over at Craft Storage Ideas we have a series where we supply the readers with just 1 great tip. Funny that my tip is actually for storing your memories but it doesn't need any storage space. That's a bargain.

My tip is "Oh Life". Know what it is???

I didn't at the beginning of the year but subscribed after I stumbled upon it in a blog post somewhere in Blogland.  And I must admit ............. I went through a rather bad patch during the year where I really needed proof of what was done when. So easy ............... just page back in Oh Life and all your records and journaling pops up.

I don't want to spoil your fun. Hop over and read for yourself.  Just click here. While there, remember to leave a comment - I would love to hear what you think.

Thanks for visiting my blog. Please check back as I have lots more to share right here. I think we can peek into my craft fair goodies tomorrow. Lots and lots and lots of scraps and recycling.  Have a Wacky Wednesday!

Hazel

Around Blogland

Good morning Bloglanders

This week is our local craft fair so, if you don't see me around Blogland, I'll be there. Last month I told you that I had a Bumper Blog month and this one is once again going to exceed my wildest dreams and expectations.  What really makes me happy that some of my stuff gets mentioned on other blogs. Here are a few that I picked up over the last few weeks:

The Twinery with my fall inspiration:

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Crafts with Jars with Mason Jar Halloween Favors:

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And for Thanksgiving:

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From Tanya Batrak my homemade embellishments:

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This post is to you for reading my blog, leaving comments and linking up my projects.  I blog because I love to share what I do and it makes it worth my while if I know that that you like what I do.  A HUGE "thank you" to all of youl!!

Back to the craft fair for me!! Have a great day and please come back to play.

Hazel

Merry Christmas for Girls and Boys

Hi there Bloglanders

Just a quick post before you and I head off to a Wonderful Weekend.  Yes!!! I've started on my Christmas pressies and these are what's going to the little nephews and nieces: Cappuccino 4 one:

What makes this idea wonderful is that you can use the same idea for girls AND boys. I just tone down the decorations a bit for the boys.  I've used this idea before as gifts with cappuccino cups or coffee mugs.Check it out here and here. This time round I went with the current flavor of the month - JARS.  In Sunny SA - EVERYTHING gets packed in jars from fresh summer salads to puddings and stationary.  My jar is from Weck - what makes it wonderful is that it has a rubber seal on the lid and clips to hold everything in place. Also, no screw-on neck which means that you can drink / eat directly from the jar!  Did you know that there is a whole blog full of crafts with jars??? Well, there is and you won't be disappointed if you hop over and see for yourself. Just click here.

Wanna know what's inside my jar?

A single serving Cappuccino, marshmallows, an Oreo cookie and a teaspoon. I've done this with Hot Chocolate and even with instant soup and croutons.  Can't decide which one was more popular!

For embellishments I used a free cutting file from the Silhouette blog and as I said ........................ I did boy AND girl versions.  

I actually did a whole stack - this will be great to add to any Christmas pressies or even to envelopes, mini books, layouts and Christmas crackers.  I did use the offset function for my cutting line as I love having white around my titles - just makes it pop. Better even, I got all these holes in the die cut - no punching, just tread your twine or ribbon through.

OK, my quick post did turn into a rather long one - you never know with IMPERFECT ME.  Have a GREAT weekend and please come back to play as I have lots and lots and lots more to share right here.

Hazel

PS.  Did you spot my spelling mistake?? Well .............................. IMPERFECT ME!!

Project Life mini Books

Hi there Bloglanders,

I've been doing mini books / mini albums that can be included in my Project Life album. In this post I will try to show them all so that you have all the links and pictures at hand. Hope it helps!

3 X 4 Mini Album with one A4 sheet:

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And added to my album:

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4 X 6 Stitched Mini Album:

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4 X 6 Mini Book done with Silhouette:

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4 X 6 Mini Book done from Scraps, die cuts, etc.:

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6 X 4 Mini Album:

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6 X 12 Journal in Project Life Envelope:

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4 X 6 Mini  Gratitude Journal with office binder:

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6 X 4 Daybook to record weekend road trip.

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And added to my PL album:

Mini tag book for my Project Life album:

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And on my PL page:

3x4 Project Life Travel Mini Book with Secret Sewing

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Watch out!! I'll be adding some more.

Thanks for watching.

Hazel

Gratitude mini book for Project Life

Hi there Bloglanders

And I'm back with another Project Life mini book!! I went through a bad patch a while ago and everywhere I looked, inspirational messages popped up. You know the feeling ............................. as if it's meant for me. So I decided to make a mini book out of them and include it in my Project Life album. Here it is:

I just printed everything and added it to pieces of paper and cardstock. (bottom left pic gives a peek) The only one showing is the one with the word "breathe" on and I liked having the word as part of my cover. I stacked everything together, punched holes in and added a word, embellishments, tabs and an office file binder. As I didn't have any MME embellishments on hand (you know how I struggle to get them down under), u used my Silhouette to cut my own out of MME papers.  Looks great doesn't it?

Normally I do a gratitude project during November and this will be the one for 2013. I'm thankful for being a believer, for friends out there trying to cheer me up and for life. My focus for 2014 will be "if you have life, you have purpose" and this book will be there to remind me of that. The picture on the right shows how it fits into a 4x6 slot of a PL page protector. I've still got to print my pictures but you get the idea, don't you?

That's it!  Another (not so good) episode recorded as part of PL.  If you want to see what the rest of Blogland did to record their gratitude, hop over to the MME blog. Just click here to be redirected. Thanks for looking at my blog and have a Terrific Tuesday.

Hazel

PS. On Thursday I'll add a list of all my PL mini books / albums thus far. If you want to look, please check back or use the search button top right of my blog. And here is the link to all my PL Mini's.

Personalized album / book covers

Hello Bloglanders

I hope you had a fabulous weekend.  I'm working on goodies for a craft fair and therefore missed Friday's post. Sorry about that but time flies if you're having fun. Today I brought an old project to share with you. It is covers that I made for my son's toddler album.  It was done in 1991 - 22 years ago!

I'm sure it's not the greatest piece of art that you've seen BUT what I do know is how much pleasure I get from looking at it. Never, ever will Pieter be 3 years old, have 4" hands, 6" feet or sit down with me doing fabric paint.  But I'll have the memory forever and every time I look at "our" piece of art, I'll remember and it will make me smile.

Why did I bring this old project to show?  Because we all have holidays coming up and a lot of you are fortunate enough to have extra time to spend with your children or grandchildren. Why not do an activity which can make you smile for years to come??

Remember to date your project like I did. In the picture on the right you can even see Pieter's first attempt at his own signature. I love love love it!

That's it from me. I'm off to the craft fair goodies.  Have a Marvellous Monday and thanks for looking at my blog.

Hazel

Recycle your gift wrap

Good morning Bloglanders

I hope you are having a Terrific Thursday!! I'm still in recycle mode and today I brought another of my ideas - gift wrap.  With all the holidays and festivities coming up you are sure to receive some well deserved pressies.  I always feel so bad if I look at the beautifully wrapped presents eagerly awaiting Santa's collection and then the pile of paper to be recycled afterwards. So I came up with a plastic tub to keep all my useable pieces together and this is what I did:

1. Use your Silhouette to cut a pillow box out of recycled packaging (the thickness of cardstock).
2. Glue a piece of gift wrap to the die cut.
3. Use scissors to cut around. Tip: Use your circle punch for the half circles - much neater.
4. Fold.
5. Glue
6. Decorate.

I have tried this the manual way as well -  glue the gift wrap to the cardstock and cut. However, the Silhouette way works better for me as all the folding lines are cut as dotted lines and therefore makes folding much easier.  I have not attempted cutting the gift wrap with my Silhouette as it's very thin and flimsy.  Once glued, I didn't want to go that route as I don't want my cutting blade clogged up with glue. My opinion!!

The pillow box on the right  is going to son #2 for his birthday next week.  Red is his favorite color and I liked the idea of adding just that little bit for a pop. Once again I added one of my mini, mini tags and his name. Easy as that! The one on the left is for my emergency stash. Nothing like packing when you have pre made goodies.

For those of you wondering ........................ I'm giving money. His girlfriend is flying out tomorrow to join him for the week and I thought the best idea would be to give something for them to have a special treat.

Big boys are rather easy to shop for!!. That's it from me. I hope you enjoyed my take on "recycle your gift wrap" and that you would keep it in mind when the festivities are over and you are stuck with the recycling.

Have a wonderful day and thanks for looking at my blog today.

Hazel

My Day Layout

Good morning Bloglanders

Halfway to the weekend already!! And I still have so much to do. Today I brought a layout to share. You know me - I love to be inspired and then use it as part of my Project Life album. First up - my layout:

The inspiration came from Big Picture Classes - use symbols.  I'm not the sort of person who record what I do on a hourly basis (not even a daily) and I'm much too IMPERFECT to commit to a whole week / month but decided to give it a go for a day.  What did I learn? Most of the time I sleep and eat!!

I used a free dingbat font with clocks as the basis of my layout.  My "hourly" pictures were inserted into a digital filmstrip in Photoshop and then printed.  A few bits and bobs and everything was done.  The heart is the negative of a fabric die cut used to make my Christmas 2012 wreath and the paint samples were recycled from the Princess (interior designer daughter-in-law) and Wernich (my architect son). Just some more ways to recycle your scraps / use what you've got.

That's it: "A Day in My IMPERFECT Life".  If it hadn't been for this challenge, I would not have recorded it. Thanks for looking at my blog today.  I just love it when you come to visit.  Have a Wacky Wednesday and please check back as I have lots more to share with you.

Hazel

Over at Craft Storage Ideas with a craft room

Hallo Bloglanders

Today I'm over at Craft Storage Ideas with a craft room from The Fancy Farmgirl.  Want a peek?

Please hop over there to see the rest. It's to die for! Just click here to be redirected.

But I did bring something to share as well.  My mini tags used on envelopes:


I do have an awful handwriting so I'll normally type a letter / thank you note / notice on ordinary office copy paper. At the bottom I'll add a die cut and write my name, fold the note and it goes into a homemade envelope.

I told you before that I keep all my scraps / purge papers in a tub. When I have time, I cut it into 3x4, 4x6, 6x6 or 6x12 depending on their size and significance for me. Most of the 6x12 pieces gets converted into envelopes.  For the ones in the picture, I used an old sheet of Creative Memories paper and as I don't have a high success rate of cutting it with my Silhouette, I used a die from QuicKutz and my bug.

To pretty up my envelopes, I used the mini, mini tags that I've made here, added a name and it was ready for delivery. OK, for men I'll use craft paper for the envelopes, graph paper for the name and a bicycle or motorcycle as embellishments.

That's it - another way to recycle those scraps!! Remember to hop over to Craft Storage Ideas and then on to The Fancy Farmgirl to see her craft room.  While there, please remember to leave a comment to tell that I sent you that way.

Have a great day.
Hazel

Mini Tags

Hallo Bloglanders

Hope you had a BOOtiful Halloween!!  Now on to the next holiday.  Today I'm starting a new blog series - USE YOUR SCRAPS.  In future it will be on the right of my blog below HOME and THE CRAFT CLOSET.  The best part is that I will link all related posts and you can hop from one to the other.  And this is what I made out of my scraps:

They are mini mini tags.  I showed you here how I sort my scraps and die cut shapes when I've got time. With all the holidays coming up, I use tags all the time.  I add it to presents, use it in layouts and even make packs to give away. Making these provide the perfect opportunity to mess around a bit with stamps, pens, paint and dies. Even though they are small, you can add a bigger tag with your message or write / stamp a sentiment on the front and add a little message / your name to the back.  The possibilities are endless and it is super convenient to have them on hand.

Even if I die cut with my Silhouette, I always add some of my fave shapes to the design and cut them simultaneously. Recycling at its best.

If you have more bright ideas with scraps, please let me know as I would love to try it!! Just leave a comment and / link.

That's it. Next occasion - Thanksgiving. Normally I do a journal once a year to reflect on the good things that happened during the year.  Last year's looked like this:

And the link if you want to visit the original post.

Once again, thanks for visiting my blog. You are awesome and I love having Blogland friends.  Please come back to play as I have lots and lots more to share right here.

Have a great Friday and a Wacky Weekend.

Hazel