Decorative Hot Air Balloon Project.

You know how it is when you see something & think, oooo I must try that? Well this was exactly what happened when I saw this hot air balloon idea in a magazine recently. (Please forgive me I cannot remember which.)

I can honestly say it has been a long time since I made something just for the sake of having fun. This project was 'just for fun' & I enjoyed it as did my kids when they got chance to get stuck in & help.

So if you would like to make your own decorative hot air balloon you will need the following items:

A balloon, a newspaper, PVA glue, patterned paper, paint, string or cord & any other additions of your choice. I added beads & a chipboard button. For the basket you can use either a premade one or a container. I used a yoghurt pot.

STEP 1: Mix your PVA glue with water & cut your newspaper into pieces. You will need to cover your balloon in 4-6 layers depending on the thickness of the paper. Make sure you overlap each piece slightly.

STEP 2: I chose to cover the top half of my balloon with brown paper bag, I used 2 layers this time. You could also use mulberry paper or just paint it in a co-ordinating colour to the bottom half.

STEP 3: Next I cut the opening to my balloon to match the size of my yoghurt pot. I also painted the bottom half of my balloon using Ranger acrylic paint. (Colour: Pool)

STEP 4: Time to get your strings in place. I lay my strings over the balloon then added some PVA glue to the top to hold them in place. I cut 1 string a lot longer than the others & tied a knot in it. This is the string used for hanging. You can also secure them in place using tape. I also covered this top area with a circle of patterned paper when finished.

STEP 5: Time to decorate. Take your patterned paper & cut 2 strips approximately an inch wide. The size of your balloon will decide how much paper strip you will need. I used 2 12in strips & a small 4in strip to get right round my balloon.

STEP 6: Time to add your 'basket' & any other

decorative bits & bobs. You will need 4 strings for this step they are best attched before the patterned paper strip. You can fasten your strings to your basket in many ways. I made a small loop at each end them threaded another string through these & fastened them into place around the pot securing with a tight knot.

And here is my finished balloon. I love how cute it looks!

Thanks for stopping by, if you have any questions just ask & I will get back to you ASAP.

Ali x

Dr Who Carnival Adventures.

Every year there is a small community carnival in our area & now being involved with our local scout troop we had the pleasure of being involved. This years theme was space & time so the kids put their heads together & came up with our Dr Who theme.

We all worked hard making costumes & it all came together perfectly when a friend offered some Dr Who props to adorn our float. So not only did we have lots of characters spanning the decades of this awesome TV show we also had a very authentic Tardis, Dalek & K-9!

Well I am pleased to say our group took first place in the awards for the 2nd year running & a lovely day was had by all. My 9yr old didn't want to get dressed up so he was officially left in charge of photo taking & I wanted to share with you some of his pictures. He does quite well & looks for pictures to take that are a little different too. I think it is time we invested in a

camera of his own.

Stuck Sketches June 15th

Two posts in one week, my word I must have some free time at last. It's a good job you can't see me doing my happy dance because that would be a sight for sore eyes.

This is the first layout I have done since the beginning of May & to be honest I have had a bit of a drought where time & motivation are concerned lately. I used this fortnights sketch over at, Stuck?! for inspiration.

This sketch is nice, clean & simple. Just how I like it. I have had this large picture of my 6yr old fur baby Chester laying in the to do pile on my desk for ages. So when I saw this sketch I knew instantly it was perfect. I tried to keep it as minimal & masculine as possible.

I also got to use some of my monthly kit leftovers. My latest scraproom crusade now I have banished the majority of small scraps. Stay tuned for more leftover projects, I am planning a card making session tonight so will have something new to post here very soon.

And here he is my silly fur baby, he loves to sleep on his back & looks hilarious. I swear he thinks he is a child. He was born the day before my youngest son. I delivered him myself, needless to say that makes me a proud mommy.

Thanks as always for stopping by!

Ali x

Supplies:

Cardstock ~ Robin's Egg 12x12 American Crafts

Patterned Paper ~ Prima Blooming Retro ~ Cocoa & Pumkin PIe

Alphas ~ Thickers

Ink & Pen ~ American Crafts

Card Candi ~ Craftworks

Let's Get Arty!

Just a quick post to get back in the scrappy saddle. It's been awhile since I scrapped or did anything creative but that is all I think about lately.

So I wanted to share with you a little something that I made this week. Taking inspiration from Louise over at the new look Sarah's Cards blog. I really wanted to get stuck in & get arty & here are the results.

I just love the new look at Sarah's, it is now more jam packed than ever with great tips & techniques to try & great easy to follow instructions too. Pop on over & see for yourself & while your there stop by the store & check out the awesome ranges they stock & fab special offers section.

Although my art canvas probably doesn't have as much detail as Louise's projects I am pleased with how it turned out especially as it was my first attempt.

I started with a blank 8x8 art canvas, to which I added left over patterned paper from one of my Sarah's Cards monthly kits. I then used a piece of paper to create my heart mask. I followed Louise's instructions & used a thinned down white acrylic paint for my first layer. Then I added a drop or red ink to the white to create a pink layer around the heart mask. Next out came the ink & paint sprays. I used Maya Rd Pink Lemonade ink, followed by Purple, Lilac & Green Mica mists that I snapped up last 'thrifty' Thursday saving 50% on RRP, again over at the Sarah's Cards store. (I told you they had some great special offers).

So six layer of paint & ink later. I got out my stamps & found the cute flower image. I stamped some of these onto a scrap of pale aqua paper to cut out & add later. To finish off I added a row of pearl drops & some self adhesive pearls & a daisy that has been lying around my desk for sometime. I then with the critical eye of a good friend, decided the patterned paper didn't quite look right so I sponged a little white paint into the heart shape to try & rectify this. Added a little Turquoise stickles to the aqua flowers & ta~da was all done.

Now the big question is what to do with it. It doesn't match any of my decor & I don't have little girls with pretty pink bedroom walls to adorn. My friend did however hint that it would look nice in her daughters newly decorated bedroom. No doubt it will go to a good home but for now it is sitting on my desk looking pretty.

*** Check out this sneak peek of my current project ***

coming soon my experimenting with paper mache!

Thanks for stopping by

Ali x