Time for a hedgie

I haven't used a Penny Black hedgie stamp for a while and decided to try colouring him with Copics on kraft for a change. I used a MFT wonky stitch rectangle, Memory Box stitched holly and Sue Wilson cut and lift poinsettia dies. The ribbon is from Crafty Ribbons and the papers are First Edition perfect Christmas.  The sentiment is LOTV.

Looking forward to my monthly facial and back massage today then line dancing tomorrow.  We learnt another new dance last week which was more complicated so have been practicing at home. 

Perfecting my design

I adapted this design from a magazine chart which was for a banner so it has taken some playing around to get it how I want it in a hoop. You may have seen the first one I did, and the cat one. On both of those I had to play around with the space for the bunting. However by starting at the end and working backwards and then redesigning the bunting I am now happier with the design. 

I have noticed cross stitch seems to be more popular again and I saw an advert for Cuddly Buddly with some cross stitch cards. MFT also do a cross stitch tag die.  I have several designs I want to try out having got some cross stitch magazines which were being given away and I have also found some lovely designs from a couple of small companies so watch this space.

Rudolph

The Christmas show on Thursday night was brilliant and we enjoyed an overnight stay at the nearby Premier Inn. Nice cooked breakfast yesterday morning and then food shopping before coming home, unpacking and getting stock ready for today's craft fair.

I made another gift bag, this one is ready for my class on Wednesday evening. They will be making bags and tags this time. It's my last class before Christmas and I must say I am really enjoying doing them and everyone who comes enjoys them too.

I used one of the old LOTV art sheet images but Rudolph is available as a digi stamp. I used various old papers and my Sue Wilson cut and lift poinsettia dies. I made a matching tag using my Hobbycraft tag punch.

I am hoping it stays dry today and we get lots of lovely customers.

Snowy is back again

I am so pleased I managed to buy this stamp as it is one I wanted for ages. It is of course Snowy from penny Black and I have used him a few times this year already. I coloured him with Copics and added fun flock to his hat. I used some papers I bought at the Peterborough show First Edition perfect Christmas. I love the snowman paper and gave it a vintage feel by using vintage photo distress ink and a distressing tool. I added a Sizzix diecut snowflake and an enamel dot, string and a charm and made some photo corners to finish it off. 

Looking forward to a Christmas show of That'll be the day tonight at the theatre. It feels a bit early for a Christmas show but I guess hat was the only date they could get and they started their Christmas tour this week.

An old favourite die

Another gift bag today using some old Papermania paper and a lovely die and matching embossing folder I haven't used for ages. It is from Tim Holtz and I bought it at a show many years ago. It really looks effective against the burlap and lace. I added some wide snowflake ribbon and made a matching tag.

Off to see my Mum today and exchange jigsaws. We both buy them and swap once we have done them. We keep a few but sell the majority of them, mainly on Facebook where I belong to a jigsaw puzzle selling group. We will also be going out for lunch.

The snowman needs a hat

I hope everyone is steering clear of cold and viruses. Some friends have had a really nasty sinus virus so we haven't seen them whilst they have been ill. I haven't had anything to show you for a few days as I have been busy making more tags and sewing. On Saturday I did my first craft fair of five this month. I did ok but not great and everyone said the same. There was a good footfall but not many buyers. Hoping for better this Saturday at the local high school, It is the first time I have done it but others do it every year and have told me it is very good so we shall see. 

On Sunday we went out for breakfast and then went to see some jigsaws a lady was selling. She was having a clearout and had 115 for sale originally, 49 when we got there. We bought 8 and started one when we got home. We love putting on some music and puzzling together and it is very good for the brain. I read a recent article backing this up by some research. With puzzling, crafting reading and line dancing I should be helping to stop dementia. There aren't enough hours in the day for all our hobbies!

So onto my card. I recently bought this new digi from Lili of the Valley as I love the Jack, Patch and Puss images. It was nice to get out my Copics and make a card having not made one for over a week. The papers are Your Next Stamp and trees were cut with Doohickey slender fir dies. I added some fun flock to the hat and used a Viva pearl pen on the snow and a white sparkle pen on the trees.  The sentiment is also LOTV.

I will be back tomorrow with another new make.

Yes, more tags

I am really pleased with the way these ones turn out. I decided to make some coloured tags for a change. The stamps and dies are Lawn Fawn coloured with Nuvo glitter pens. I used an old Little Claire sentiment stamp and doodled around the edges for a bit of added interest.

A day in the city today, dentist and haircut for hubby, Christmas shopping for me, meeting up for lunch.

The turn of the cat

Some of you may have seen the dog version of this which I posted last month. I made a cat one too and after being in Prima Rosa, the place where I sell some of my cards and gifts, for a couple of weeks the cat one sold so I have made another. These are a lovely gift in a 4" hoop.

I haven't made a card for a few days as I have been busy making tags and sewing. My head is so full of ideas of things to make that it is difficult to find the time to make them all. Thanks for your continued visits and apologies if I haven't been around to comment much.

More tags

Another set of tags today this time using a Lawn Fawn forest border die and Mama Elephant stamps. I fussy cut the snowmen and penguins and coloured with with a mix of Copics and Nuvo sparkle pens.  I am so pleased with my large tag punch from Hobbycraft as it is so much quicker than diecutting tags. 

Card-io tags

My first craft fair for November is next Saturday so I thought I should make some packs of tags. Today's tags were made using Card-io stamps.  The possibilities with these stamps are endless.

Another night out last night, this time for an Italian meal and a trip to the theatre to see a comedian, Josh Widdicombe. I have some ironing to start off with today then more crafting. How are your Christmas cards coming along? I make them all year but still have more to make. Enjoy your Sunday.

Christmas shopping

I have an order for a Christmas card for a 20 year old and immediately knew which image to use. Jasmine is perfect for that age group and is of course a LOTV stamp. I coloured her with Copics and used Bo Bunny Altitude papers. The sentiment is from LOTV and I diecut a snowflake from aqua glitter card. I also added fun flock to her boots.

Christmas Trees

My latest sewing design. I diecut the trees using a banner die from The Works. I really like finding new decorations to sew and hope people will like them. Very busy with orders and making stock for November's 5 craft fairs as well as making more Christmas cards to send.

Card-io heart

Another card based on some I saw at the Peterborough show. I normally use a circle template but I liked the idea of using a heart instead. I used a Spellbinder die for my heart shape and simply stamped various foliage and poinsettias using small stamp pads. The sentiment is a mag freebie.

Last night we went to a 60's show with friends at the theatre in Norwich, having a nice meal first. Tonight we going to see Talon, the Eagles tribute band in Cromer. We are going with different friends to this one and if the weather is good we shall be going there this afternoon for a coastal walk before a meal and the show.

Vintage style bag

I have another gift bag to show you today. I found a burlap paper pad the other day and it was perfect for the style f bag I wanted to make. I added some lace and a Kaisercraft sentiment. I coloured the holly with sparkle pens and added some Marianne diecut and embossed poinsettias which I cut from some Hobbycraft paper. The leaves were cut with foliage from the Sue Wilson cut and lift poinsettia set. I made a matching tag using my new Hobbycraft punch.

New Card-io stamps

I do love using Card-io stamps and I was longing to try out some of the new ones I bought. I am really pleased with how this one came out. I saw some cards on the Card-io stand where they had used brown ink and I decided to try it for a change. I added a little colour with small ink pads before stamping the trees and used some silver paint for a snowy effect. The sentiment is Inkylicious.

It's a snowman bag

Another thing I have made is a few gift bags with matching tags. The kraft bag is from Hobbycraft and is a really nice quality. The papers are First Edition Holy Jolly Christmas and the image is a coloured one from Sassy Cheryl. I added some ribbon and twine and used a Sue Wilson cut and lift poinsettia die with white glitter card. The light some days is awful for taking photos which is annoying when things look so much better in real life.

If the weather forecast is right and it is fine then we are planning to tidy the front garden before I get into the craftroom.

Christmas is coming

I have been experimenting making a few different things for my November craft fairs. This looks even better in real life. I used an embroidery hoop and some lovely Christmas fabric. I added red flowers and gold poinsettias from Hobbycraft along with some leaves and berries.

I haven't made a card for a few days as I have been out and about and cutting out and sewing decorations. Today we are out but I hope to make some cards tomorrow afternoon.

Paper piecing at cardmaking class

This is the second card that my class made last night. I wanted to show them how to paper piece and this Woodware stamp is perfect for that. For this one I added a white glitter backing and for the one below an embossed card. I knew it would take them a while to paper piece the image so kept the design simple. I used a Woodware holly punch and card candi.

Sparkly Snowman

I have my next cardmaking class tonight and this is one of two cards they will be making. The snowman is Woodware and I used Nuvo glitter pens to colour him which is what the class will be doing. I added some doodling using a Nuvo fineliner script pen. The papers are some old Wild Rose ones and I used Martha Stewart snowflake punches.   I have to keep the cards simple enough for the non cardmakers amongst them to make in an hour. Tomorrow I will be sharing the second card they are making.

Make and Take

I did enjoy the make and take at he craft show. There were lots of them going on but I only did this one. When I got home I added the fun flock and Stickles. It is the first time I have ever water coloured using ink pads and of course time in a make and take is limited so I couldn't spend much time colouring but I did manage to achieve some shading. I think I will stick to my Copics in future. However I did like the inky effect around the edges and I love the stamp. It is part of a set by Rare Earth but it wasn't available on the stand which I thought a bit peculiar. Mind you at £22.99 I am not sure I would have bought it but it is a A4 sheet with several other cuties so I may have given in.

Peterborough Craft Show

So I went to the Crafting Live show at Peterborough on Friday, my first craft show this year. This is what I bought and whilst I am pleased with the purchases I came home with Birthday money as there wasn't anything else I wanted. I picked up some essentials like coloured card and tape. The scissors are for my cardmaking class as some people bring a huge pair of scissors, not at all suitable for papercrafting and at £1 each I thought I might as well buy them. 

I was disappointed that here were fewer stands than last time and there was very little new stuff. The two stands I liked best were Card-io where I bought a couple of new stamp sets, yes one is snowmen. They had some lovely samples and I came away with lots of ideas. The other stand was a really pretty one, Time for tea. I had a long chat with the young couple who own it and it was refreshing to see a young couple coming into the craft business designing their own stamps. 

The mushroom die was the only one I bought apart from the matching stamp and die set from Time for tea. I couldn't resist the gorgeous vintage lace paper pad and a lovely Christmas one too. 

Gorjuss Bee

I had a good time at Peterborough craft show though there were not as many stands as the last time I went. This seems to be a growing trend sadly. I even came home with some money! I did get some essentials and some nice papers and stamps and a few other goodies. I made this card for a crafting friend's Birthday using another of the lovely new Gorjuss Girl papers which I cut with a MFT wonky stitched oval die. The main papers are Anna Marie Blissful Pink and I used some scraps of various papers with various punches. One good thing to come out of my cardmaking classes is that I am using my old punches more. The borders were cut using a MFT stitched die.  The sentiment is LOTV. 

Watch the birdie

Did you buy any of the new vintage boy digis from Lili of the Valley? this one is my favourite which I coloured with Copics apart from his trousers and cap which I paper pieced. The papers are Liliybee Autumn Spice. I used an old Tim Holtz film strip die and added some acetate. Finding my acetate was the biggest challenge as I rarely use it. I cut a photo corner from kraft card and added some wooden chevrons. I used lots of vintage photo distress ink to everything. 

I am trying to fit in crafting amongst everything else this week, having been away last weekend (see Sunday's post) and am going to Crafting Live in Peterborough on Friday. At least I am getting on well with sewing whilst watching TV in the evenings. Planning a crafting afternoon today.

Snowflake hearts

I had the idea of insetting some cross stitch fabric into felt hearts and I am pleased with how they turned out. I like coming up with different ideas for Christmas decorations and I really enjoy making them. It was a bit of an experiment and I decided to add running stitch to ensure the cross stitch fabric was fully secured. My old Spellbinder dies came in very handy.

Just Chilling and a Birthday weekend away

Well it certainly isn't warm enough for this any more. This is another of the new boys launching tomorrow at LOTV. I coloured him with Copics. Papers are MME Lime Twist. I used a corner rounder punch, MFT stitched rounded corner square die along with an old Memory Box tree and Doohickey fence dies.

As this posts I shall be enjoying my first cup of tea of the day at Potters Resort. We have been here since Friday and came with a couple of friends to celebrate my Birthday. There are so many activities here, great food and theatre shows and no chores to do. Just a weekend of relaxing and having fun. We have been doing quizzes, table tennis, line dancing, laser shot and many other things all included in the price. The evening are great with a 3 course dinner, music, dancing and a show.  Breakfast and a 3 course lunch are also included if you want them. They have a nice salad bar with jacket potatoes as one of the choices so I will probably have gone for that. Sunday lunch is included so a small breakfast, some activities, farewell fun and a nice lunch before heading home this afternoon. 

Paper pieced robin

I love paper piecing and this Woodware stamp is perfect for it. I kept the colours very muted using some LOTV papers from last year for the backing and Paper Addicts for the paper piecing. The sentiment is LOTV and I added some card candi for the berries.

I have my next cardmaking class on 23rd October and will be teaching them to paper piece. Well that's another card for the Christmas box, still plenty more to be made and cards and gifts to make for my craft fairs next month.  It is good to be busy making things I love making.

Cosy penguin

I thought I wold make a few gift bags to sell and Lili of the Valley coloured simply prints are great to use. The papers are LOTV from last year. I used an old Martha Stewart snowflake border punch. I haven't used this for a few years I should think and had forgotten how effective it is.  I also used a MFT wonky stitched oval on the image and a snowflake die. 

Hobbycraft kindly send a £5 gift voucher on your Birthday if you have a loyalty card and after seeing someone on Facebook buy a tag punch I decided to buy one. I have tag dies but the punch is so quick to use and I thought it would be ideal for my cardmaking classes too. It cuts 3 different sizes, very ingenious I thought. Yes I know I could cut the shape and punch a hole in it but I want to make some packs of dies and the punch will make it much quicker giving me more time to spend doing the fun part of decorating them.

Santa's on the cover

Crafts Beautiful asked me to make a jolly Santa card for their Xmas Special and this is what I came up with. They like bright colours and not too many embellishments. I even made the front cover.

The image is from Lili of the Valley coloured with Copics, papers from The Works, sentiment from LOTV and tree die from Crafts Emotions.

Swedish House Crafts DT card

Today is my turn to post on the Swedish House Crafts blog and I decided to make a card using the gorgeous papers Laserowe Love Navy Romance and a Laserow Love oval ornamented frame which I coloured with Victorian velvet distress ink. I fussy cut the flowers and added them to the frame. I also attached some lace from Crafty Ribbons.  The leaves were cut using Woodware punches and I diecut some flowers from Maja Designs Denim and Girsl papers using Lady E tiny flower dies.

Happy Birthday to me and a look in my craftroom

Happy Birthday to me today.   I chose my presents from Graham, a pair of burgundy ankle boots, a Gorjuss Girl calendar and diary and the new hardback Elly Griffiths' novel.  We started the celebrations on Sunday when as you may have seen we went out for a meal and to the theatre. Today we will be going to line dancing class at lunchtime as usual as I don't want to miss it and tonight we will be enjoying a M&S meal at home with a bottle of wine. We have something planned for later in the week which I will tell you about on Sunday.

So I thought I would share one of my noticeboards in my craft room with you today just for a change. The fabric heart was given to me by a friend to remember her Mum who was one of our best friends. She died a few years ago from cancer and the heart is made from one of her favourite dresses. The butterfly brooch I added because we shared a love of butterflies and I bought it from a cancer charity. 

I have a lot of my favourite things on this board, photo of hubby in Florida, Pooh bear, Gorjuss Girls, used book tokens including a special edition Harry Potter one, tags friends have made, two cards from Faye which inspire me to improve my colouring and a butterfly tag I made at a workshop at a craft show. I don't know if you can read the kraft tag but it was attached to weekly organiser from a friend and it reads "For the most organised person I have ever known."