NEC – Hobbycrafts Show – Get Me Out Of Here!!!!!

Oh my life …… my head….. it's BANGING!  Every year I say "NEVER again", but in the six months between the two shows each year I seem to develop Crafters Amnesia!  It was very busy and bustling, but, and perhaps some people may argue, there seemed to be fewer stalls and big name products, that said some of the stalls were so cramped and hard to get to look at that I just didn't try to get near. I didn’t get anything on my list …. and though I told Lisa (CraftFairy)  that she wasn’t to allow me to buy any stamps …. I did!  DOH! (and so did she, and she doesn’t even stamp!).

I was delighted to find some more purple houndstooth paper that I got several years ago, used up and have looked for ever since, it made the most wonderful favour bags for a wedding a while back (see above)

But I didn’t find any random red and white spotty card for this years Monkey Christmas Cards, so that was disappointing,  but was made up by these Stella and Rose pads from My Minds Eye, spotted by Lisa. What I like about them is that the patterns are small (almost tiny), delicate but with a shabby edge and in proportion to the size of the pads, which make them excellent for card making.

These are the stamps I bought from Crafty Individuals, I hope/pray that they are easy to use …. I adore the tree stamp ….. so quirky…. with so many elements that will hopefully appeal and be suitable for so many different people.  As Lisa said, they are a card in themselves, so I am planning on just printing them onto card/paper and perhaps layering the butterflies.

 

Pure indulgence above, just for me to look at …. Tim Holtz vials ….

And some wooden flower embellishments, which I’ll probably use as they are …. with no colouring etc.

And finally this house from Decopatch has to be the bargain of the day …… £6!  I’ll probably sit on it for a while, before finally deciding how to “embellish” it.

I bought a few other bits and pieces, but they can wait until I have done something with them, so I’m in for a busy week then …. I am determined that I will not let this little lot languish in my craft room …. you WILL be seeing what I make with them in the coming week or so …..

HobbyCrafts Birmingham NEC

Guess where I am today?  I didn’t intend to go as I am having a real cull on my crafty spending, but when I was given two free tickets, what could I say?  But, I am going to be very thoughtful about what I buy, as I have stuff I oooohhed and aaaaahhed over on past visits that still remain unused, which is silly!

So I will be looking for E6000 and Crafter’s Pick glues, Kath Kidston type papers, some jump rings for my Creative Expressions memory frames, small flower and leaf punches, finely corrugated card for boxes etc. and then perhaps I will have a look at the knitting stuff, as I have a passion at the moment to knit a bag …. something like this perhaps?

Two Cards Using Tiny Weenie Fimo Gingerbread Men.

Do you remember the tiny gingerbread men moulds I got from Etsy?   Well I have finally used them.  The more expensive mould with several sizes of gingerbread men proved quite hard to use, as it wasn’t flexible when trying to remove the fimo, But the smaller single mould was much easier. But it was a labour of love making all these tiny little men, especially with my pudgy fingers,

Both cards measure 9cms x 9cms and are made using white linen effect card.

I’ve had a go at a bit of drawing on both cards, but the gingerbread house is made using a punch.  I’ve added a bit of clear micro glitter on the clouds for a bit of sparkle.

The tree and balloons on the second card are tiny Accessorize stickers.

Card for A Theatre Lover

I was asked to make a card for a Theatre Lover and this is what I came up with.

The masks are made using a digital design download from Quickutz Silhouette.  I have cut the design out three times, cutting off the ribbon parts and then layering two masks together with sticky pads, the third mask I cut in two, using the comedy side to add more dimension.

I put small gold brads through the mask holes and then trimmed the ribbons I had cut off earlier and added them just behind the masks.

As a special touch I used a sheet of the gold paper for the card inset.

New Arrival Card

I don’t seem to have made a baby card in ages.  I was a bit stuck for ideas at first, as all the baby embellishments I had were pink.  In the end I plumped to use my newspaper template.

 

The baby was a free clipart image, that I have made several simple decoupage layers with, adding a pair of googly eyes and Anita’s 3D clear gloss finish on his vest for extra dimension.

Little Gingham Cat Photo Frame

 I’ve had this blank photo frame for ages, it was part of one of mine and Lisa’s (CraftFairy) swops, I think it originally came from Baker Ross.

 

I’ve covered the shape with a gingham paper, which was a bit fiddly and then painted over it with a couple of coats of Modge Podge.

Positioning the face was a bit of a faff too, but I think it looks OK now. The final touches have been made using wobbly eyes, a ready made bow, a small jingle bell and a few clear flat backed gems. Done!

Easter Badges/Brooches

I thought these brooches/badges would be a cute thing to pop on peoples desks before we break up for Easter.  They make a change from a cream egg and contain far fewer calories!

I’ve used wooden embellishments from Hobbycraft, by Craft For Occasions, there are 10 in a pack for £1.49, which is pretty good value.

I’ve glued a small brooch pin to the back and then added a googly eye and a few tiny clear flat back gems on the front.  Wouldn’t one look so cute pinned on a little girls cardigan on Eater Sunday?

My Easter Baskets and Flower Pot Conundrum

I bought these baskets for 10p each from a car boot sale last summer.  As soon as I saw them I thought Easter!

 

But after adding flowers round the top, it soon became clear that to fill them with good quality chocolates etc. would cost me a fortune, so I thought I would put them in the staffroom at work as they are for people to fill themselves, for Mothers Day, Easter, Birthdays etc.

I’ve also had these miniature flower pots and baskets in my craft room for years and years but this year I am determined to use them ……

But you can see that they are such awkward sizes, a cream egg is a bit swamped in the larger pot, although I know I could use a bit of tissue paper to pad it out and the small pots are too big for wrapped mini eggs.  I guess that’s why I haven’t used them after all this time. So I will be carrying one of each around with me to see what I can find to fit them! Unless someone has any other  suggestions……….

18th Birthday Card

This card is A5 in size and is made using white linen effect card.

I’ve made several very similar cards to this before, but this time I thought I would try to put a ribbon in each corner.  I love ribbons, and love what other people do with them, but mine always seem to look a bit pants when I use them.

The large numbers 1 and 8 were cut on my Quickutz Silhouette and the flowers were made using various sizes of daisy punches and flat backed gems.

Wolves 18th Birthday Card

Another one of my newspaper cards ……

I’ve made simple decoupage layers of Mick McCarthy and the Wolves Logo. I’ve used Anita’s 3D clear gloss finish on the logo and in the background of Mick’s picture, which you will notice is still a bit wet, due to my impatience to get a picture taken!!! Sorry.

Life’s To Short For Housework!

I got a pack of DoCrafts Born to Shop glitter rub on transfer stickers a while back, usually they are not my sort of thing  but I thought they were a bit different and would be good for making a quick card.  I've used the sticker of a lady and her laundry basket and although the packet also contained the same phrase and a washing line, I remembered another embroidered washing line patch  I've had for ages and this was a chance to finally use it.

I always write on a card with trepidation, especially in this case when I had already applied the rub on, but it's turned out OK and I have managed to position my writing just right.

It’s a pity that the rub-on wasn’t repeated in the packet as I have another washing line and would have liked to have made another card the same, oh well.

Sorry about the pictures, they are a bit dark.

Little Button Bird Card

This card measures 10cm x 10cm and is made using white linen effect card.

How simple is this little bird? It’s not my own idea, I stumbled upon it while looking on Google, but I just love it.

It’s made using a button, a googly eye and a bit of doodling. The yellow would be OK to go with an Easter theme, but now I’ve made this first card I have a few other ideas I’d like to try.  I’ve left the card blank, but it would be easy to write something like “ A little bird told me….. ” across the top.

Docrafts Multiscoreboard Xtra – Xcut by Coppernob.

My friend Josie from Coppernob  has sent me one of her new scoreboards that have been added to docrafts’ Xcut range of products:-

http://www.coppernobcardcraft.co.uk/productDetail.php?product_id=181 

I have been using her original scoreboard almost every day for years and just couldn’t craft without it, so I was interested to see what her new board has to offer, especially as my old faithful is looking a bit crook! I wonder if I could put it in the dishwasher?

Where the original is very basic, Josie’s new board (which also comes with a scoring tool), will help you fold, score, measure, make boxes  and emboss. The integral rulers are a very welcome addition.

 

I’ve only ever used the original board  to score cards, I’ve never used it to make boxes.. I have to be honest,  the docraft instructions on the back of the packaging  are not brilliant, however after a bit of playing I have made a pretty passable wedge shaped box as well as a pillow box. 

These are very plain as they are my first efforts, but it wouldn’t take five minutes to add a few final touches to them to make them look more professional.

For more detailed instructions, Josie’s hints and tips page on her website is absolutely brilliant:-

http://www.coppernobcardcraft.co.uk/hintsandtips.php

Why not have a look and find out more?

My Home Bargains £1.99 Watch

This was an impulse buy on Sunday from Home Bargains for £1.99.  I picked it up and wondered what would happen if I covered the rectangular panels that made up the bracelet with Decopatch.  I risked not taking it to pieces as I thought the chances of my being able to put it back together again were slim!

My idea came together much easier than I thought it would. After sticking on  the Decoupatch I applied several coats of clean satin varnish.  I’m not sure how durable the new finish will be,  I suppose the proof is in the wearing, I’ll let you know ……

Taking these pictures was a nightmare with the glare on the varnish  and getting the light just right, but I hope you can get a gist of what the finished item looks like.

As a first experiment I am pretty pleased, but I could improve on the overall finish  …. and at £1.99 each  I am going to invest in a couple more, especially as they also had a black version on which I would like to try something a bit Art Nouveau/Art Deco …….