Xmas Tags - Month 3

Hi there Bloglanders

I've been so busy with last week's Blog Hop that I totally neglected you.  Actually, I loved the idea of people hopping over to my blog and be at the right post immediately so I used my time wisely ........ working on some more crafting projects.

Remember my Christmas tag project using digi stamps??  It's from Digistamps4joy and you can visit them here. Here is my March effort:

And this is the image that I received:

I reduced the size to a bit smaller than 3x4, printed it X4 on vellum and then added red cardstock, twine and a dimensional sticker that I made with my Silhouette. As easy as that. And a close-up:

While everything was out, I did some more dimensional stickers to pretty up my Christmas presents and cards. I have added the picture on top of my post because it was so pretty and Christmassy even if it is only March (OK, nearly April!!)

The plan is to make 6 of each tag and dimensional sticker and then give 5 sets to family and friends to ease their Christmas rush.Of course, charity begins at home - I will keep set #6.

That's it. Another project done and dusted.  Thanks for looking at my blog today and please come back to play.

Hazel

Winner of the Craft Storage 2014 Spring Bloghop

Hi there Bloglanders

Thanks for hopping through Blogland with me and my fellow storage enthusiasts.  I enjoyed it SO much to get all those comments.

AND the winner of the wonderful goodie bag by Evalicious is (DRUMROLL): "Pokey Puppy" who said:
"Love how you personalized this. So cute! My favorite storage is my metal carousel with 4 tiers. Wow, does it hold a ton of stuff! I went to the hardware store with my hubby and when he saw me drooling over this, he just made me buy it!"

Also, I'll be shipping off a special mini bag to my fellow South African, CraftCrazyGran who loves Craft Storage Ideas.

Girls, please inbox me so that I can forward your prizes.

That's it from me. I'll be back next week with some more crafting fun. 

Have a lovely weekend!!
Hazel

Spring 2014 Bloghop

Welcome to the first ever CSI Blog Hop!

We're showcasing our favorite craft storage or organization. The hop starts at Craft Storage Ideas so if you would like to start from the beginning head on over to CSI. There's lots of great giveaways all week long and several of the blogs are offering blog candy.

Here is my storage idea that I wanted to share with you:

I like my desktop to be clean and uncluttered and this carousel has been with me forever. On the left is what it originally looked like and on the right IMPERFECT ME's version.

And because this is our very first Blog Hop, I took pictures of every side and what's inside. That's a LOT of stuff!!

25 March. Someone sent me an email to ask what's in the middle part of my carousel. So, here it is: More "stuff":

Another email question:  Yes, I did remove some of my bottom drawers.  I stacked them on top of the open cubbies - now I have 3 spaces - the open shelf where the drawer used to be, a loose shelf on top where I  keep things I want to move around (my double sided tape is in one of these) and #3: a "secret" cubby underneath where I keep blades, staples - things that are not used frequently.

My carousel is from Making Memories but I can't find them anywhere in Blogland but here is something similar. Want to try your hand at making your own?  I featured this one over at Craft Storage Ideas - it's well worth a visit and a try.

Wanna win something?? Just leave me a comment on this post and all this "Evaliciousness" could be yours. You have to tell me which storage item you use most and a random winner will be announced here on my blog on Saturday. Brand new, unopened and shipped directly from the shop to you!

Hop on over to Laura - Laura's Crafty Life to check out more storage ideas. And be sure and check in with Craft Storage Ideas all week long for some amazing giveaways!

Here's the complete lineup

Craft Storage Ideas

Rebecca - Scrapista

Lisa - My Paper Tales

Hazel - Play As You Go (you are here now!!)

Laura - Laura's Crafty Life

Noelle - Paper & Ice

Cicily - Pink Dalmatian Scrapper

Thank you so much for visiting my blog today.  Have a great day and remember to keep calm and organize your stash!

Hazel

PS. If you want to know something, ask in the comments or send me an email and I'll add it to my post. Seems that a lot of you have carousels like these but underutilize it.  I would love to explain if you can't figure it out from my pictures.

Princess Pressie

Hello Bloglanders

We are having a long weekend down under in Sunny SA and both my boys are home for a few days. Therefore, I'll only be back in Blogland on Sunday and next week ............................ we are having a Bloghop for Craft Storage Ideas. Make sure you check back and not to miss the fun and freebies.

BUT, before I sign off - here is my pressie for the princess:

I can't believe it was a year ago that she got engaged to my son!! By this time next year she will be Mrs Hamman #2 or maybe she will be #1 and I'll downgrade / upgrade to 2.  We both love cats so I bought cat gift wrap for her present.  Too ordinary for IMPERFECT me ................................ I named the cats and printed their names and little hearts in speech bubbles with my Silhouette. I also cut the word "princess" to add extra glamour to my tag.

She loved it so much that it will become the background paper for her birthday layout in her PL album!!

And here is a pic I snatched off her FB page:

I love personalized gift wrap!!  

That's it. I'm off to my LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG weekend with the family. Have a great day and please come back to see what's next on my craft table.  Remember the CSi Bloghop - you don't want to miss out!

Bye

Hazel

Pressie time

Hello Bloglanders

I hope you are well.  My metric farewell dress is done (I'll show pics once I have some of my friend's DD wearing it) and boy #2 is flying home from university for the long weekend. I just LOVE to have all my children within shouting distance!

Do you struggle like me with presents for men?? I really do and I think it's because I hate giving unwanted stuff. So I came up with an idea .............................. find out what they like to eat and give a home baked treat.  This one is for a friend's birthday and I made it extra special by adding a voucher for a refill to the packaging.

My husband likes his rusks extra crispy so my friends started calling it Squirrel rusks.  Why not use it?  I cut my friend Andre's name with my Silhouette and added a "print and cut" squirrel to the voucher. Here is a close-up:

For my non South African Bloglanders - it says "valid for 1 refill of Hazel's Squirrel Rusks". To: Andre, Expiry date: 6/2014 and my number to re order. I blocked that out with some digital Washi as I don't want anyone to order my speciality Squirrel rusks - that privilege is reserved for friends with vouchers. 

Here you can see the whole thing:

That's it - my not-so-manly manly gift!! Also, while most of my Bloglanders are eagerly awaiting spring, it's fall down under in Sunny SA - I like that my present reflects the season.

I'm off to do some shopping before boy #2 has to be picked up at the airport.  Can't wait to have him home.

Thanks for looking at my blog today and please come back to play.

Hazel

Secret mini for Project Life

Hi there Bloglanders

Finally ...........................it's Friday!! Time to kick up your heels and spend some quality time with the people you love and doing what you never get to. I've got my list made, my stash is out and I'm going to enjoy every minute of it.

First up. My secret mini book:

Earlier this year the princess and I went "wedding-dress-hunting". As I do a lot of sewing we decided that I'll make her wedding dress until she tried this one on ............................................ we both were sold.  It's by a well known South African designer and it's PERFECT for our Princess. So, we are ordering custom made this time round.

I took some pics on my iPhone but I didn't want to put it in my album where everyone can see it. Also, I didn't want to skip the story as we plan on making a BIG wedding book with all the inside info afterwards and by then, I'll be able to gather everything ex my PL album. I decided to hide my pictures in a mini book. Here you can see the PL layout:

Did you spot the hidden pocket? Here is a close-up:

I've added a glassine bag between the front and back photos and that's where my secret mini is going.  I've done the "No Entry" tag and arrow with the "print and cut" function of my Silhouette.  I love that feature.  I've imported the "No Entry" sign directly from Google into Silhouette Studio and the tag is from the Silhouette store. I just shortened it with my knife tool. The title of my mini book is "GEHEIM" = secret in English.

You can fit quite a lot of these mini, mini tags onto one 4x6 sheet. I made about 12 and also did some extra "No Entry" signs - I'm going to layer them to make dimensional embellishments.

My give-away stash is growing every month! 

Thanks for looking at my blog today.  Have a great weekend and please come back to play.

Hazel

Over at Craft Storage Ideas conquering the Fabric pile

Hello Bloglanders

Today I'm over at the Craft Storage Ideas blog to show how Katie Brown from “Smile like You Mean it” used part of a shelving unit, added handles and wheels and now stores all her fabric as part of her craft closet. I love her organized fabric stash so much that I just had to show it to the rest of Blogland. Let me show how her stash looked before she waved her magic wand:

For the "after" Pic you have to hop over to Craft Storage Ideas to see for yourself. Just click here. While there, remember to leave some comments. My fellow contributors and I love to hear what you think.

Thanks for visiting my blog today.  I'll be back tomorrow to show some more crafting fun. Have a great day!

Hazel

Thank you with Easter Decor

Hallo Bloglanders

I hope you are having a happy Wednesday.  I have a few projects on my craft desk but had to do two gifts - one to thank someone and the other to welcome my new neighbours to our street. As I normally try to finish a project before I take on another (and clean up in between), I had a look at what was already out ...................... my WIP Easter décor!!

I've cut bunny shapes with my Silhouette to use for a banner, mobile, place cards and to decorate Easter egg baskets. They are in 4 "pastelly" colours and after rotating my bunny shapes in Silhouette Studio, I could fit 12 onto a single A4 sheet of cardstock. So, I just used some Bunnies to spruce up 2 potted herb plants:

Don't they look happy between all that basil, mint and parsley?  All my bunny shapes came from different sets so I opened them up in Silhouette Studio, deleted the unwanted items and resized all the bunnies. I actually moved one shape over the other and then resized until the heads were roughly the same. Just a tip:  add eyes to the original artwork - you save a lot of hassle.  I printed one set without eyes and it took me half an hour to mark the eyes and punch them with my Crop-o-Dail (IMPERFECT ME likes perfect eyes). Next batch, Silhouette cut the eyes for me. This time round they were perfect - right size, right place, no time wasted marking and punching!

I've used kebab sticks to hold the bunnies. Just split the flat end, insert and you even have a sharp side to "plant" your bunny in the pot. Easy Peasy!

That's it. I'm off to finish some more projects.  Thanks for visiting my blog. Please come back to play as I have lots more to share right here.

Hazel

Make your own "washi" with MME

Hi there Bloglanders

I hope you had a wonderful weekend. I did a lot of crafting. Still working on the farewell dress but I also managed to sneak in some Project Life layouts.  I know you don't like to look at layouts but I'll be showing as I'm rather impressed with my efforts. Seems that Project Life is growing on you and the more you do it, the nicer pages you turn out.

As part of one of my spreads I did this 6x6 mini layout. It will probably become a title page but I'm still thinking about it.

Once again I made my own washi tape.  Remember, I explained here how to do it.  At first we couldn't get washi down under in Sunny SA so I made my own but now it's readily available and we can buy it in any shape and size UNTIL ...................................... this month's MME challenge: use 3 different tapes!!!  I've been everywhere and can't find any MME tape.  Normally, we struggle to get nice goodies but never before have I come up empty handed and if I order online from the USA, it will take at least 6 weeks shipping time. Well, I'm not discouraged that easily so I decided to try my hand at making my own "MME tape".  This is how it works:

1. Get hold of some tissue paper. I recycled some from packaging material and used a powdery blue and white. Stick some double sided tape to the tissue paper.

2. Now get hold of all your MME stamps that are just screaming to be used.

3. Stamp on the tissue paper where the double sided tape is at the back.

4. Cut "tape" to the size of the double sided tape with your trimmer. Actually, scissors works much better!

5. Now you have a whole stash of different tapes to use on any project. Peel away the other side of the double sided tape and stick. No extra glue / effort needed.

As  easy as that!! I did some extra strips that will go onto my PL layout and as I said - this one will probably become a title page for one of my March weeks.  We are nearing the end of summer and shortly it will be fall - think my colour scheme will fit perfectly.

That's it. If you can't get something, don't despair, just page through your stash and think out of the box. If you want to see what the rest of Blogland did in the MME challenge, just click here to be redirected.

Have a Marvellous Monday and please come back to play.

Bye
Hazel

Save the Date

Good Friday Bloglanders

I hope you are well. I'm off to a lunch date with friends visiting from France but first, my project of the day:

Both the bride- and groom-to-be are technologically advanced. Her being a interior designer and him being a software developer. BUT .................. my dear 75+ -year-old parents!!!! No ways. So I decided to do a few "save the date" magnets to send to them and hand out to my friends who would love the smiling couple on their fridges.

Yes, they are magnetic. I've bought a pack of Silhouette printable magnet paper some time ago and couldn't wait for a project worthy of trying it out. This is it.  You can see the quality of the bigger pictures are not that good - it was printed on our normal office printer but for the smaller ones, I cut the A4 sheets to 6x4 and printed it on my photo printer.  Much better.

I used my Silhouette software to fit the pictures into the frames (Intersect function) - first time I've tried this and it works very well.

Another project done. I think I'll do some sort of a folder to fit my magnets. Don't want it to bend or fold in the mail.  Of course, I'll share, just keep checking back and all will be revealed.

Have a wonderful weekend and thanks for visiting my blog.

Hazel

Use your Silhouette to create Custom apparel

Hello Bloglanders

Today we are crafting again .................................. enough sharing of what's happening @ Hamman HQ. I hope you are having a wonderful day - it's still really hot in sunny SA but in the evenings it gets a bit cooler. I plan to get up 2 hours earlier each day to work on the farewell dress - too warm later in the day to be covered by metres and metres of  fabric. More about the dress in another post.

Today I'm sharing a project I did for a Wynand's client who just had a baby.  Meaning that he will be 1 year old just after Christmas.  I decided to customize some shop bought T-shirts with Silhouette heat transfer:

For my non South African Bloglanders: My 1ste Kersfees = My first Christmas. It just makes a pressie extra special if you put your own twist to it. Pre Silhouette, I really didn't have the means to do this but with heat transfer, vinyl and the new stencilling options - ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE. Variety is the spice of life!

Now I have to get wrapping - any ideas?? Let me know. A gift bag is SO yesterday. Maybe I can do a canvas bag to match??????????

That's it.  I'm off to my Crafting Desk.  Thanks for looking at my blog and please check back as I have lots more to share right here. Have a Thunderous Thursday!

Hazel

Engagement photo shoot

Hi there Bloglanders

By now you all know that my children are getting married THIS year so I decided to take the day off from blogging and share a link to SA Weddings who featured their engagement shoot.  Even if I say so myself, they are beautiful and I love them SO much!  Just click here to see the whole article.

The photographer is Moira West who will also be taking the wedding pics. And these are my fave's:

Thanks for sharing in my joy! Have a wonderful day and I'll be back with some more crafting fun tomorrow.

Hazel

Over at Craft Storage Ideas with a Sewing Studio Tour

Hi Bloglanders

Just a note to let you know that I'm over at Craft Storage Ideas with a studio tour of the West Seattle Fabric Company. I've always dreamed of having a sewing studio where I can teach children to sew and when (NOTE: not if) my dream comes true, it would look exactly like this one:

And between lessons, you can store your project in these:

I'm not showing ANYTHING more - please hop over to Craft Storage Ideas to see for yourself.  This room even have a space where you can have a party, sit down, relax and do some hand sewing!  Just click here to be redirected to the Craft Storage Ideas post.

Have fun and please remember to leave some comments.  I love to hear and see what you think and do! Thanks for visiting my blog today. Have a great day and please come back to play as IMPERFECT ME have lots more to share right here on Play as U Go.

Bye

Hazel

Project Life Layout Wedded Bliss

Hello Bloglanders

I hope you had a wonderful weekend. I'm working on a high school farewell dress and loving every minute of it. The only downside it that it's a mess - thread, pattern and fabric pieces everywhere, I even rolled up my sitting room carpet as it's a sisal type of thing and the thread just sticks and sticks and sticks in the grain.

Over the weekend I finished a PL layout and here it is:

It's all about my children and their friends getting married this year. The left pocket is the backside of my art journal page (see below):

If you missed out, just click here to be redirected. I used the backside with the bottom stitching to frame my pictures, stitched a few more frames on my layout, added a hidden pocket for my journaling and a title ex my Silhouette. Here is a close-up of the text and the journaling pocket:

And another project done and dusted.  Thanks for looking at my blog today and please come back to play.
Have a great week. I'm off to work on the farewell dress.

Bye
Hazel