Park Your Yarn–Wolverhampton

My daughter Lucy came home the other day with a carrier bag containing some wool, a pair of size 4mm knitting needles, a crochet hook and a leaflet containing  knitting instructions and details about the “Park Your Yarn” events organised Wolverhampton Art Gallery in  March and April.

In April St. Peter’s Gardens, which is in the centre Wolverhampton, is going to be turned into a “Woolly Wonderland”, with knitting and crochet created by lots of  local people.

Well it would be rude of me not to take part wouldn’t it?  So I am planning on going to one of the free knitting/crochet events on 24th March at the Art Gallery and St. Peter’s Gardens. 

I am not going to do anything fancy, I’m just following their bench pattern which involves casting on 25 stitches and knitting until it measures 30cm, which, when joined up with lots of others will be used to cover one of fifteen park benches ……. how exciting!!   I plan to take lots of photos of my afternoon plus more when the whole project is completed if you’re in the area why not join me knitting needles akimbo!

http://stitchesandhos.wordpress.com/

http://parkyouryarn.tumblr.com/
http://www.wolverhamptonart.org.uk/wolves/whats_on/004851.html

My Mums Mother’s Day Card

It’s become something of a tradition now that on “Special Days” I show you the card that my profoundly handicapped brother Stephen has “made” at his unit …..

This year he has gone for “the more the better, if it’s on the table, then use it” style of card making, with an extra large dollop of glitter for good measure!

When Stephen comes home on his bus and the coach guide hands my mum a large lumpy envelope it is always an exciting and slightly emotional occasion. We are under no illusions that Stephen has contributed much towards the card, but we know that he has sat beside his member of staff at the table and watched them putting it together for him. They have probably put a flower in his hand, guided it to where it should go and then helped him press it down, talking to him all the time, the thought of which brings a tear to your eye. His staff are so wonderful, their patience and caring holds no bounds ……. and we cannot thank them enough and I just don’t think they will ever know how much these cards mean to us. 

A Box Of Birthday Chocolate Miniatures

I’ve made a matchbox using my Stampin’Up/Sizzix Die I got from the US a couple of years ago.

And then filled it with six Cadbury Chocolate Miniatures re-covered with birthday papers from docrafts Papermania range.

A Newspaper Bag For Grandma Winnie

I made this bag for one of “Mums Monkeys” favourite followers, Grandma Winnie, who is officially Monkey, Darrell and Nigel’s adopted Grandma!!  She remarked that she liked the original newspaper style bag I did featuring the rascals and as I love her so much I made an extra special one for her, featuring her and her adopted monkey Hamish.

In cahoots with Winnie’s daughter Linda, who sent me some information and the pictures   I put this A4 sized newspaper design together, using Windows Publisher, which I then printed onto transfer paper and ironed onto a cotton bag from HobbyCraft.

It was such a pleasure to do and am keeping my fingers tightly crossed that it got to Winnie in time for Mother’s Day.

Good Luck Card

This card measures 12.5cm x 12.5cm and is made using white linen effect card.

Sometimes it’s hard to know what to do with very small wooden embellishments … often they are too small to use on their own, but when put in a group they can look cluttered and messy.

However I think I have struck a happy medium on this card …. I was thinking that when you wish someone Good Luck it’s usually when they are going (flying) off to do something new and on their own …. like a new job, a driving test or an exam ….. and my little bird is striking off on his own too.

The tartan robin is from Handy Hippo £1.99 for a pack of 12

http://www.handyhippo.co.uk/p8018-tartan-robins-pack-of-12.html

Chanel Newspaper Card

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

Another of my newspaper cards, the brief was pink, girlie and Chanel and I think I nailed it!  It’s hard to see from the picture, but after I was given the photo, I superimposed  lots of Chanel bags to it to give the illusion of a mega shopping spree.  The Chanel bags at the front  are made using a simple decoupage layer and then are covered with Ranger Glossy Accents.

Gardening Card

This card measures 4.5ins x 4.5ins and is made using ribbed Kraft card.

I have a huge box of buttons left over from the days of Alan and Barry on Create and Craft and I am slowly working my way the themed ones, hence this gardening card.  Nothing fancy just a Stampin’Up paper where the text actually is about plants, which I never realised until I looked more closely and is a nice unexpected touch. The sentiment on the front  is  handwritten by me and stuck down with foam backed pads for more definition.

Decopatch - Papier Mache Suitcase

I’ll be honest …. in a way,  I prefer these suitcases naked and unadorned!

For this first case I’ve used Decopatch Paper No. 497 with the larger of the papier mache suitcases (measurements 4.5 x 11 x 7.5cm & 5 x 14 x 10cm) which cost between £3.00 - £4.00 depending where you buy them.  The straps were a bit of a fiddle fart … as I didn’t want to cover them only to find they would no longer fit in the fastenings!

If I can find some nice gold corners, I might experiment with them, I know it’s got a few gems but I think it could do with something else.

I’m going to put this away and use it when I need a small gift box.

This is more my style, (Plain Jane) I’ve just gone over it a couple of times with a brown Promarker.

This one is staying on my desk!

Small Easter Bunny Wreath

This little wreath has been made using up lots of bits I have had for ages, like the Paper Bliss Bunny embellishments, paper flowers from Lakeland (when they had a craft section), a bracelet that I bought in a pack of six for 50p goodness knows when, and a few flat backed pearls.

I’ve also added a bits of punched foliage and flower centres.  It was a little fiddly to get them to balance on the bracelet at first but I got there in the end.

Chocolate Birthday Card

This card is A5 in size, using a blank of white linen effect card.

I made this card for my sister in law, to give to her best friend.  The brief was “chocolate, personalised, with a bit of glitz and glamour” and as I have made several cards for this person before, I knew it had to be something really different.

I have covered the card blank with some gift wrap I got from Cadbury World some years ago, matching it up with purple felt ric rac braid from a Papermania pack, embellished with clear flat backed gems, plus some purple and gold papers for the mat and layering.

It will come as no surprise to you that I have a few boxes of Cadbury miniatures amongst my stash, which were perfect to add to the card, topped off with candle stickers.  The font I have used is called LD Franks Child in size 28. It looks good enough to eat!

Pussycat Card

This card measures 5ins x 5ins, but if I made it again I think I would change it to 4in square instead.

I’ve used puffy pussycat head stickers from Accessorize (£1.75 per pack) and mounted them on small plastic, pastel coloured mosaic squares that I was given a while ago, which were just the  purrfect size for what I wanted!

Dragonfly Tags

These tags were made using children’s covered wooden dominoes and measure 7.5cm x 3.5cm

I was waiting in the queue in Hobbycraft when I spied these wooden dragonfly embellishments sitting amongst the Maltesers …. someone must have left them there after  changing their minds about buying them  just before they got to the checkout … well at 49p for the four I bagged them instead to make these Spring/Easter tags.

A Blast From The Past

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

This is a blast from the past …. the original Sizzix Doll Body was one of the first dies I ever bought when you couldn’t move for cards with these characters on!  I made this card for a friends Wedding Anniversary, she has asked me to make her a card every year, always including a bald gentleman in dungarees (her husband!).  I feel I have gone back in time with this card but my lady was thrilled!

FiddleFarting For Two Special Ladies … On A Very Special Day!

Today my mum and sister are in London for the Order of British Empire Service of Dedication at St Paul’s Cathedral for people who have been awarded the MBE. My mum was awarded hers for her work in helping to found and establish Wolverhampton MultiCare

http://www.wolverhampton-multicare.org.uk/

My sister and I were with her when she received it from The Queen and it was a day none of us will EVER forget …….. it was just sooooo magical!

The service is only held once every four years and it has been one of my mums greatest wishes to attend, so my sister Janet has been checking the internet religiously waiting for the Service to be announced so that she could apply on my mothers behalf. Within minutes of this happening forms were filled in and fingers firmly crossed until a letter from Buckingham Palace arrived! Then trains and hotels were booked, and my mum bought a new hat and shoes…… and me? ……I did a bit of crafting!

I made them each a tag and my mum this card (using my Papermania Portobello Road paper pad) and then added a couple of my “royal” teabags for good measure  …..  these have all been secreted away in my sisters suitcase for when they get to their hotel and start to unpack ….

Xx How Kind xX

People are sooooooo kind, sometimes I come home and there is an parcel waiting for me …completely out of the blue, from one of my followers …. I am always totally overwhelmed that I have spookily popped up in someone’s mind and they have taken the time to send me something VERY special and funny,  as has happened this week ……

…… Like Sam who sent me this WONDERFUL pile of little trays, I am so thrilled …. and I know she really had to go ferreting to find them… I haven’t been able to part with the original shelves of curiosities I have  made, but now I can make a few more to give as presents …… and another one for myself to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. Thank you Sam soooo much, they will all be treasured, I promise you.

…. And this letter and present made me howl …. it’s from Louise ….

….. it arrived yesterday ….. and made my heart sing …..

How special is this?  I wondered why Louise had asked about the font in the Chat Box!!! I love it.  Most of the Maltesers disappeared during two episodes of Coronation Street last night  (I think it was Michelle who did Frank in!!) A letter will be put in my Smashbook and the poster will be put next to my desk.  THANK YOU so much, I love them all dearly.

Cards Made Using Fizzy Moon Celebrations – 8ins x 8ins Pyramage Pad

I have a confession …….

I never ever thought I would have any pyramage on my blog, it’s just not my thing BUT …. I was browsing the reduced craft items at my local garden centre and picked up a Fizzy Moon Celebrations decoupage pad which had been reduced I ummmed and ahhhhed and then put it back.

Then as I wandered round I thought that for the price of the pad I’d get 24 toppers from it (for 24 cards) which worked out at 25p each …. and the designs would probably go down well in my box at work.

So the pad went into my basket …..

….. It was only when I got home and looked at the pad again that I realised I had picked the wrong one up, they looked so similar, but  had in fact bought the pyramage one!  Aggghhhh

So I shoved it in the back of my cupboard, very cross with myself …. for not having paid enough attention to what I was doing.

Then the pad started niggling at me because I knew if I left it there it would stay there forever and I would have wasted my money ……. so I took a deep breath and made them all up, and now time will tell if they go!

I’ve used Creative Paper Strips in Gingham and Dots from Handy Hippo for the backgrounds.

http://www.handyhippo.co.uk/s253-1-paper-pads-and-packs.html

Fishing Card For A 21st Birthday

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

A newspaper card today, nothing too fancy.  Sometimes, if I need to put quite a lot of text into the “headline” I mix and match the size of the font slightly to get it all to fit in and to add a bit of extra interest.

The fisherman came off a bought card, it was too good to waste and I knew one day it would come in useful, and for this card it was perfect. I love the clipart worms …. it’s amazing how just a pair of wibbly wobbly eyes can create such a cute little character!

Diamond Jubilee Crafts - Tags

These tags measure 2.75ins x 3.5ins

I did a batch of blank Union Flag tags using Emma Bridgewater gift wrap paper, because I knew as time went on I would have a few more ideas for different tags to go along with the Diamond Jubilee theme. 

For these I’ve used my old fashioned Dymo label maker for the wording and then added small silver star charms for extra bling.  So cute!

Ruby Wedding Anniversary Card

This card is A5 in size and is made using ivory linen effect card and I can’t believe how hard it was to get a decent photo of.

This is another version of a  card I have done several times before, this time to celebrate a Ruby Wedding Anniversary.  The font I have used is Papyrus, font size 16.

Although it doesn’t show in the pictures the matting and the main part of the punched flowers are made using a lovely shimmery, almost iridescent  wine coloured card. A few yellow and clear flat backed gems of various sizes finish off the design.