I have been after this Quickutz sheep die for ages. It’s retired & everytime it comes up on ebay it goes like hot cakes. It’s a bit fiddly attaching the legs but the result is worth it. Also great for using up wee scraps of card.

I have just finished a brilliant course on ‘Jewllery from Found Materials’. I’ll never look at a plastic bottle the same way again. From now on I’ll choose my toiletries by the colour of plastic bottle they come in. In fact, most ‘junk’ has jewellery potential. I made a necklace & bracelet out of plastic from shampoo bottles, & a lovely bangle from metal pallet strapping which is joined with a hand-made copper rivet – fiddly but worth it.

Shampoo bottle necklace

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Bracelet made from plastic shampoo bottles & film canisters

Bangle made from metal pallet strapping, with hand-made copper rivet

This is the first card I’ve made with the Sizzix Tim Holtz Vintage Typewriter die. I was asked to make a joint birthday card for a couple who share a birthday, which can be tricky making it not too masculine or feminine, but this die was perfect. I love the way you could add any message on the ‘typed sheet’, making it suitable for a wide variety of occasions.

Funky Bones is my own design, & came about in response to all the super-cute characters flooding the crafting market, such as Tatty Teddy, Forever Friends, & now Boofle the dog, to name but a few. The Funky Bones skull can be made to look masculine or feminine, & the expression can be changed simply by varying the button eyes or even the colour used. A selection of Funky Bones cards are now available at the Cat’s Miaou gift shop in Elm Row, Edinburgh.

This is such an inspirational quote. Another brilliant stamp from Tim Holtz.

This birdcage die is too beautiful just to use on cards. It is a work of art in itself. I cut the cage from black glitter card & the bird from a scrap of black leather. The frame is painted first in turquoise acrylic then black crackle paint. Because I wanted a grungy, aged look on the frame I didn’t have to be too exact.

I used to make origami shirts ages ago but forgot how to do it. I have now found a new set of instructions which makes a bigger, but in my opinion, better shirt.

At last a practical use for all those unwanted & unloved floppy disks we all have lying about at the back of a drawer. They are just the perfect size to make a useful & unique little notebook. An ideal gift for a computer geek, or a nostalgic one for those of us of a certain age who remember using floppy disks.

Floppy Disk Notebooks

Floppy disk notebook front

Although this is called ‘Dare to be Different 2’ this was my original, & I still think the best version.

For all you folks out there who just don’t want to conform – this is for you:

Funky Bones has had a makeover. He has slimmed down from his original version (ie I have found a better template). Visit the Funky Bones page & view the gallery to see his new design.