Rare treats

A rare treat, i've been let loose into a craftshop! I had been given a gift voucher for Christmas from CCrafts and today i was allowed to have a chance to look around. For a change i had a list of what i was looking for, gems, stamps and monochrome. £14.44 later i have gained more to my stash, all of which i already have uses/plans for. The two clear stamps are both similar to more expensive ones i have seen and at £3.99 each i'm happy with them. One is musical notes and the other handwritten script. Both will make some amazing backing to a main design. Two packets of gems, of varying sizes and some black doilies! I've seen white, pastels but never black until today so i just had to get, considering i have this whole monochrome thing going on. The paper flowers i was thrilled with too, sometimes a girl just wants some flowers that aren't all pink and pastel.

I hope to use the stamps tonight, or tomorrow, depending on my son and the fact i'm fighting an ear infection still. Ever been sea sick on dry land ,anyone?

The next picture is the card i posted off today, black and purple being a friends favourite colours and i bet you can't guess her favourite animal? The backing paper is white lace printed on a black background  and some small flowers all tie this design together. Of course there are gems in the flowers. Who doesn't love a little bit of sparkle? Hopefully my friend will be delighted with it.

Anyway i'm itching to craft, i feel ink pads and my new stamps will be experimented with. Happy Crafting!

http://www.ccrafts.co.uk/

Limited

I find myself competing, something i can't ever beat. Every crafter has a limit, a limit of space, or a limit of funds or a limit of sources for their craft materials.
Right now i'm fighting both space and funds. But i'm also fighting something inside. The thoughts of my cards not being good enough. Good enough for who though? I've had good feedback from people who have received my cards but at the same time, seeing designs online, i'm seriously lacking in the creativeness department but also in the equipment area too.


My embossing is done with a Fiskars Shape Boss Mini (video below in links, found, not made by me. ) and my die cuts are bought off Ebay. Someone else has cut them out. Take the design above, a lovely lady has punched out each single flower, and then die cut each of the layers and the vase shape. I just used what sticky fixers and gems i have that i think will fit the style i'm trying to create. Each flower is put together with tweezers and the odd moment of a naughty word and retrying to get them centred correctly. then they trying to put the gem on, in the hope it won't ping across the kitchen ,where i using do my cardmaking.

Now this card is for a family member, using her favourite colours and hopefully she will be very happy, but i'm wondering am i good enough at this. No i don't have the latest gadgets and gizmos and i don't shop at the top of the list craftshops, buying the latest trending must haves, but i am using my imagination to use what i have, not what some craft mag says i must have. Don't get me wrong, i love 60% of the craft magazines out there, and papercraft and cross stitch mags fill my shelves, but i can't afford to copy or try the latest techniques. I can't just grab someone and go to the large craft store and buy every embossing powder, washi tape and die cut. At the end of the day i am a single mum with illness/disability and living of a limited income. I use what i can afford.

Of course like any crafter I have books on most craft subjects, to look for ideas, or new ways to make something from that coloured bit of card at the back of the craft shelf. But the only time i copy is when i cross stitch a chart, something i'm still trying to do with the hedgehog i started. It's been sidelined at the mo, due to issues with which is light grey and which is the off white thread? But i guess, what i am trying to say, is that you don't need the latest must haves, what you create is inside you and even with minimal bits, you can create something of beauty. Happy crafting!

Links :- Fiskars Shape Boss Mini ~ Tutorial
             Ebay ~ Punched out flowers

Monochrome

Taking a break from stitching. Only briefly, but i have been trying something new. I've noticed the price of ink for printers has gotten to silly amounts of £'s so i'm thinking black/white designs. I have found some lovely black and white backgrounds on CraftsUPrint.com and at 20p per design it's a little cheaper. I've printed them using the 4 on a page option, and so far two of the designs have worked well.
 
The first design is black 6'x6' black card with some silver mirror card under the black and white retro flower print. On the white circles i have placed a Glue Dots Magic Motifs and covered with Flock from Craft Creations. They are then placed on black circles before using sticky fixers to make them stand out from the design. Clear gems and flowers are then placed to brighten certain areas. Voila! One card.


Second card, again using a black 6'x6' card and a print off from CraftsUPrint. It reminded me of a vortex, and the lights as they rush past when at speed. A found a silver die cut motorbike, i just happened to have and coloured the front tyre with a Sharpie before adding black card in the gaps where the helmet and light was. Adding a Candi for the light finished it. The motorbike was then placed on to the vortex effect paper and placed on top of more silver mirror card. All placed on to the black card and the final finish of silver Candis.


Quite pleased how both worked out really. Have a go, sometimes the simplest ideas, really work. Happy Crafting!


Glue Dots Magic Motifs from http://www.siestaframes.com/acatalog/Magic_Motifs.html
Card and flock from http://www.craftcreations.com/
Printed backgrounds from http://www.craftsuprint.com/
Candi and Die-cuts shapes from various sellers on  http://www.ebay.co.uk/

Progress, Dilemma and Depression.

Finished...?

 Progress has been made and i'm left with a dilemma. The teddies are finished, almost. I quite like them like this, but below is what they should look like... Yes, dots are missing, or rather French Knots. Lots of them.

Now anyone who sews knows French knots, you can either do them, or you can't. I'm in the latter half, french knots are an almost mastered task, but i still mess 90% of them up, so do i do the knots, or not and just leave it as it is? Be a shame to ruin it with mistakes and messy knots, and let's face it when you mess up a french knot, you can't really unpick it!

So a dilemma stays , until i decide.

French knots...to do or not to do?

And another day is facing me, and outside it's dark and wet, and inside it's kinda swaying. My health has taken a nosedive, a long with my mood. I doubt very much i will get anything done. Standing is like being on a boat at sea, as too is sitting, and nausea is certainly no fun. And having a fall earlier has decided today for me.  Rest and nothing else.

The beginning of cuteness.

This is the start of a new project that came free with this months issue of World of Cross-Stitching. A delightfully cute hedgehog, by Margaret Sherry, holding a large bouquet of daffodils. Certainly cheerful enough when the weather is so bad. And a reminder that spring isn't so far. Most of this i did last night whilst my son has his buddy over. Half stitches, quarter stitches and backstitch, along with the normal cross stitches. It will certainly be a challenge, but worth it.

Happy Crafting!

Crafting through the pain

Last night and today has been painful. Fibro and backpain joined by earache all down the right side of my face. At points i have been close to tears, and with a dark and very wet day outside it's not been much fun. Picked up a couple of crafting mags when we went out briefly and i've also done some more stitching on my bears. As you can see they are really starting to look cute and i'm certainly enjoying seeing the changes each day. Done a little more back stitch as well, to draw out the details. Really pleased so far.

Talking cross stitching, i picked up the latest World of Cross Stitching, and the designs, well i don't know which i'd like to do first, The retro glow-in-dark space landscape is just amazing, but the Forever Friends Bears are adorable too, and the Art Deco lady, is a challenge that maybe i might just have a go at.I could go on, i really could, but i won't.


Crafting post arrived today too, in the form of the Christmas Wrinkles DVD by La Pashe. I had ordered it from Printable Heaven and wow, what a bargain, was £14-99, down to £5 and it has so many backgrounds and toppers and general fun stuff, well Christmas cards this year may well be a lot of fun to do. I'm totally thrilled and some of the pictures certainly raised a smile. My other crafty post was some charms i had ordered from TheCraftyCave. Christmas charms are on sale, and with 40% off, it was too good a bargain to miss, and now i'm pretty much sorted for Christmas crafting 2015 when it arrives, unless of course i find some other bits here and there.

As you can tell i'm into more than one craft thing, from cross stitching, to jewellery making, to papercraft/cardmaking and the odd brief attempted at knitting (garter stitch mostly) and sometimes using my sewing machine. All of them help me when my pain is bad, or when my mental health takes a turn for the worse. Even if i can't do craft, i can read about it, and some days that is pretty much it. Hope you find a craft that makes you relax, or get through tough times. I'm off stitching again. Happy Crafting!

Links :- http://www.cross-stitching.com/
         
             http://www.printableheaven.com/

             http://www.thecraftycave.co.uk/

Stitches in time

Sleeping Beauty

The 2nd of January, a day that's been busy, and painful. I did my back in moving the shopping that was delivered today. It was a big shop due to getting in the food for my son for his packed lunches. He goes back to school on Monday and i will certainly miss him but will eagerly await to hear how his day has gone. He will have much to tell his friends and teachers i'm sure. I also needed to get in the food for the fussy one, AKA the cat. He's been going through different brands lately and seeing as today was the last day on antibiotics for his tail abscess , i figure his appetite will improve now. Well i hope! As i type the sleeping beauty is snoring away and dreaming of mice and fish, judging by the whiskas twitches and padding paws. And my son is playing with lego whilst Pokemon plays on the tv.






As for crafting, i've done some more on the bears, a break from housework throughout the day, and a chance to catch up with friends online as well as look for new ideas on CraftsUPrint.com.
I admit to this site becoming one of my favourites lately and there are so many very talented and creative people, both in the designers and the crafters. It really is a lovely site.

And talking of card making, i must sort out both my aunt's and mum's cards. It's going to be difficult for them both this year, due to last year my dad, my aunt's brother was very ill, and we found out it was cancer on my mum's birthday. Valentine's Day we lost him.

Yesterday i had wanted to ring my dad, my son was reading a Thomas the Tank Engine book and i had wanted to ask my dad a question. It still feels so odd he's not here anymore, i would love to hear his voice again, even hear his trains he had in his office at home. We all miss him so much and not a day goes past when he isn't thought of.

I'm going to now do some more stitching, whilst i have the chance tonight. Happy Crafting!

Links : http://www.craftsuprint.com/

The first post of 2015!

 

 And it's a day of pj's and tv, with some brief moments of crafting. My son and I decided 2015 would be a pj day. We weren't going anywhere, and it seemed like the best idea really. Both of us were tired yesterday from look around a couple of charity shops, and then having to get some meds from Boots, then get the bread rolls and milk to last a couple of days. The shops were busy, and a lot of Christmas & New Years wishes were being heard all around town. Honestly, both of us were glad to get home, but certainly did well on the book front.

My son bought 8 books in total, using his Christmas money to get books on science, space, dinosaurs and Thomas the Tank Engine. And myself, i found a book i have been hunting for since 1998, Treasures in Cross Stitch By Jane Greenoff  (Link below article) I first saw this book, when i was just starting out on the cross stitching , it was certainly a popular book from the library, and then it was gone. Now i finally have my own copy, and the Mind charity shop gains £2 in their coffers. The other one was 2 Hour Country Cross Stitch By Susie Steadman (Link below article) Another £2 and i'm thrilled. There are so gorgeous little gems in both and they will certainly be done as soon as i can. Right now i'm still busy on the bears. As you can see both heads are now complete, and some yellow has appeared. I admit i had to unpick most of the yellow after counting 1 square wrong! I really need to concentrate on this design, those holes are so small, it needs careful counting.

Anyway, time for me to start the dinner and let my son look up some pokemon tips for his game.

We hope your 2015 is full of happiness, love and crafting

Link  (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Treasures-Cross-stitch-Jane-Greenoff/dp/0563369078)
         (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Hour-Country-Cross-stitch-Susie-Steadman/dp/0806961244)