3D Paper Ball Ornaments

Just in time for Christmas here is a fantastic project to make 3D paper ball ornaments. They are made from 12 slotted flower shapes that fit together to form a sphere. Apparently no sticking needed just paper in colours of your choice, personally I love the white, it's nice, simple, and festive. If you have a silhouette machine you can make a template in illustrator and cut the shapes using the machine but you could also print out the shapes onto pages and cut out by hand, it's up to you.

The full instructions come courtesy of Jessica at How about Orange. Here are the links for the templates in large, medium and small. Happy Making!

Send in any pics of your attempts and i'll add them to this post.

DIY Citrus Stripe Boxes

Kristen Magee at Paper Crave have posted about these very cute DIY Citrus Stripes Boxes. The cut out citrus fruit pieces were created using  a die-cutting machine such as a Silhouette machine or just a pair of scissors if you've got a steady pair of hands. Download the card box and citrus fruit templates here. Happy Crafting!

Images from Kristen Magee Paper Crave

DIY Bunting from 'How about Orange'

My favourite paper craft resource Jessica Jones at 'How about Orange' has been using her Silhouette machine to great effect again on this tutorial for DIY Bunting. This super cute bunting could be used at parties or even just to cheer up a friend, everyone needs a little pep talk now and again and the sweet messages on this decoration should do the job. There is a downloadable pdf which you can either print and cut out by hand, or open in Adobe Illustrator and use the plug-in for your silhouette machine.

(Images from How about Orange)

It's on it's way

If you are a follower of this blog you will have probably realised I get very excited about anything to do with paper craft. Well I am even more excited today as I have just ordered a Silhouette SD machine from CraftsuLove. Jessica Jones who writes one of the blogs i regularly follow HowaboutOrange uses it on a regular basis for really cute projects, so I thought it was about time I got one myself. It will hopefully arrive tomorrow and then I can get started.

The Big 30!

Well it's official as of yesterday I am now officially thirty years or age. I don't feel particularly different but I am going to miss the fact that I am not a girl in my twenties but a woman in my thirties, that sounds far too grown up for me!

I had an absolutely wonderful birthday. Mum and I went to a local spa (Clarice House) for the day where we had a facial, manicure and full body massage each, it was seriously relaxing. The food was fantastic, we both had the venison. I'm hoping my manicure lasts until my party on Saturday but knowing my luck it'll chip before then.

From all the generous cheques my friends and family have sent I will now be able to order the Silhouette machine so I can get crafting A.S.A.P, which I am very excited about. I must not forget to mention my Husband's fabulous gift of a Coral party frock from French Connection, I'll add some photos soon.

But the best news is yet to come..... If you are a regular reader of this blog you have probably realised that I have a slight obsession with Ercol furniture, in particular a certain Love seat. Well to my surprise mum had managed to find one on Ebay at a very decent price and bought it as a 30th present. It was delivered by my brother yesterday and looks sooooooo beautiful, I've spent pretty much most of the time just staring at it. So a big thank you goes out to my wonderful mum for her very generous gift.

My husband has always wanted a bench as part of the seating at for the dining table so I always said it would have to be a love seat, it looks so good with the Ercol table and chairs, and the Eames DSR chair. So now I have just one space to fill, more about that next week.......

Fabric Valentine Hearts Garland

One of my favourite bloggers is Jessica Jones of How About Orange. Her craft projects are always so simple but seriously effective. This Fabric Valentine Hearts Garland really caught my eye and would make a great decoration for Valentine's Day or even just to brighten up a little girls bedroom (see the link above for full instructions).

(Images from How About Orange)

This and other projects by Jessica have been produced using a Silhouette SD cutting machine including butterfly invitiations, heart garlands, heat transfers and vinyl decals. I'd never heard of this machine until I started following her blog but I am now contemplating getting one, it would be a seriously useful piece of crafting kit. It can cut even the most intricate of shapes from paper, card stock, vinyl and fabric transfers. They are available in the UK from Crafts U Love.

(Image from How about Orange)