Category Archives: Craft

Oops, I did it again!

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Well, so much for no spend! I’ve gone and done it again. Another Facebook Marketplace haul of crafting goodies that I just couldn’t resist. It’s like a massive crafting lucky dip. This one was a bit further away from my house, so I roped hubby into driving me there as we could call at B&Q on the way home!

There were three huge boxes in this haul which I have managed to condense into two with a few larger items on the side! So first up is this large box of papers, card stock and card blanks with envelopes. There is so much in here, lots from Create and Craft but also some from Lidl, a set of mixed inserts from Hunkydory and a 12×12 paper pad possibly from the Range. It’s hard to work out where to start with it all. There is a set of diecut sentiments from Craftwork cards and two storage boxes full of stickers and peel-offs.

This box took a long time to go through. And it did involve a little bit of rubbish, but I put together a lovely collection of stickers and papers that I wouldn’t ever use, to give to the local primary school – I thought they would be ideal for the last week of term fun making.

So after the joy of papers, I was stunned to find this Paper cutter. It’s from Lidl and hasn’t even been opened! I’m intrigued as to what I can do with this and if anyone has one already, do let me know how you find it.

There was also this little manual die-cutting machine. This is from Aldi and has been well used. It included all the plates too. I have been wanting to get myself a smaller machine to keep on my desk for cutting out sentiments instead of having to get out my Big Shot. So this is perfect. It seems to cut really well to, and I expect this will get a lot of use.

The smaller of the two boxes is packed with smaller bits and pieces. There are fancy scissors, washi tape, toppers, dies, a few stamps, ink pads, glitters, ribbon and adhesives.

I spent hours going through all of the loose toppers and a lot have gone to the primary school, but I’ve kept loads for using in my pop-up boxes as I have a few to make in the coming weeks. Don’t you just love the box though? It’s such a pretty box with handles and a lid too, so I’m definitely going to find a use for this once I’ve used up everything inside it (will that ever happen?)

The floral tin contains lots of little dies. I don’t know which companies have made them, or even what they all are yet, but there is a really good collection here. There seems to be quite a few floral ones and there is an alphabet set from The Works which I already have, but I can’t believe how many there are and that set is my only duplicate!

Finally there are six Hunkydory Little Books and I’ve never seen any of these before. Some are in well used condition with lots of loose pages, but I’ve managed to get them together and can’t wait to make up some of my £1 cards with these, particularly the Christmas ones.

So what do you think to this haul? I’m pretty impressed with the amount and variety of items. I certainly have a lot to get stuck into as well as another pile of boxes with nowhere to store them! So I really had better get a move on with using things up.

No more spending for a while I think. Have a great week.

Happy crafting

K x

(No Parkrun still too sneezy)

Christmas in June – not for me just yet.

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Christmas has come to all the crafting companies! Yes, I know it’s only June and we haven’t even had anything like the start of Summer yet (in North West England). But that’s the way it is in the crafting world. In order to get ready for the biggest time of the year, we have to start early. Having said that, I’m not quite in the mood for Christmas yet, so whilst I’m keeping an eye on what’s new and going to be ‘on trend’ this year, I’m still working on florals and birthdays.

I’ve committed myself to a few things in the next couple of weeks. First up there is the local Primary school Summer Fair. This is going to be on Friday (June 21st), so not much notice this year. So I am trying to get together a stock of low cost items to take. I’ve had a first go at making bookmarks and I’ve put together a large collection of £1 cards. I’m also trying to do a bit of crochet to take too. I think it’s going to be a busy couple of days/evenings!

I’m also aiming to take part in several of the craft categories at Bury Show. I haven’t taken part for several years as it’s usually the same weekend as my Dad’s birthday. But this year I’m going to be able to have a go. I’ve highlighted about ten of the handicraft classes, so wish me luck on being able to make something for them all.

Finally the week after the show, Crafty-teen is helping out at the local Guide unit fundraising craft sale. They’re raising money for Bury Hospice and Bleakholt Animal Sanctuary. So I’ve been roped in the bring some makes along for them to sell. I think I’m going to see how the bookmarks do at school as I can make those relatively quickly and with a box of letter stickers, they can be personalised too.

So I have a lot going on, making wise (and that doesn’t include the orders I have for some pop-up boxes, my Dad’s birthday and my brother’s 50th coming up too).

Better get back to the crochet!

Happy crafting

x

(I didn’t Parkrun last weekend, too sneezy)

What have I done now!

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I told myself I wasn’t going to spend anything on craft supplies this month as I have several regular payments due (website hosting and Hunkydory club membership) and I have made a few purchases recently. But that seems to have lasted all of about 5 minutes!

I spotted a local lady selling a stash of craft items on Facebook Marketplace and it was too good an opportunity to pass up. (Plus, whilst the others are away I must play) So I walked over to her house this morning and collected a box full of crafty goodies.

There are loads of stamps, embossing folders, die sets and masks as well as few other bits and pieces (papers, toppers, stickers, punches, glitter, magazines and ribbons). I think crafty-teen might be steeling the colour pencils! Certainly a bargain for £30. This was me trying to cram everything onto the desk.

There is plenty for me to have a go at and lots of things I wouldn’t necessarily have bought, so a chance to try out some new products and techniques too.

It turns out that the lady I bought them from is on several craft design teams and has her own YouTube channels, so check out

CarolAnn Crafting and Imala

There’s lots of arts and crafts inspiration on these and her tutorials are really easy to follow. I shall definitely be having a go at some of them in the future.

Time to try to find somewhere to put all this lot now!

Happy crafting

x

Home Alone

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Where has this week gone? It’s half term and I’m at home on my own as the others have gone camping in Scotland – I hope the weather hasn’t been quite as wet as it has been here! Camping isn’t for me. With major hayfever reactions, sleeping on the ground is not ideal, along with the fact I can’t stand the thought of being in a tent ( I feel like I’m going to be buried alive in one). So I’m looking after the cats and pottering about the house (as well as doing a favour for a friend looking in on her house whilst she’s away).

I had every intention to get through my order book and start work on the kit picked out for me by Crafty-Teen, but the week has simply flown by. I must make up for that this afternoon and tomorrow before they get back home again and the washing mountain re-appears. What I have managed to do is catch up on Lauren’s craft hauls and her finished challenge as well as all the Hunkydory shows. I’m expecting a delivery today from them as they were celebrating the 11th birthday of their craft club last week, so with double discounts and points available, it was a no-brainer to pick up some things I’ve been wanting for a while. But you’ll have to wait and see what they are. This week they are doing a Craft festival with extra shows in the afternoon, so I’m all crafted up with lots of inspiration. I could do with setting up a computer in the office though so I can watch and craft at the same time.

So as I’ve nothing new to show what I’ve been working on, I thought I’d show you what I got when I got hold of a couple of the goody boxes from Hunkydory a few weeks ago.

I was a little disappointed when they arrived as they weren’t in the best of condition from the courier. But they have made a change to their deliveries since this, so I shall see how things come in future. The goody boxes are done a couple of times a year one for everyday and the other for Christmas and I love that they include recent things and craft tools, not just old stock they are trying to get rid of. These were £30 each and they guarantee that each one will contain at least £80 worth of goodies. Just look what I got this time….

It’s a great way to try out something a bit different and I’ve put off trying the craft markers as they are a quite expensive for a whole set. I was thrilled to get a pack of the markers in one of the boxes as well as a lovely set of into the wild decoupage. There were lots of topper sets with cardstock as well as some dies, stamps, glue and gems, plus the whole set of moonlight fairies! Anyone for a Fairy card this year?!

So I have lot here to have a go at. If there’s anything you’d like to see me work on, just let me know. But I’m off now for a spot of lunch watching some more HD TV!

Happy crafting

x

(ParkRun was Oldham, time 46:13)

Hunkydory Crafts Surprise

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Today I received a fantastic delivery. It’s a huge parcel from Hunkydory Crafts in Preston.

I’ve been watching Hunkydory TV on Facebook Live on a Friday morning after doing the household weekly shop – it’s an interesting companion to having breakfast.

Anyhow, this week’s broadcast was all about their new Diamond Club and special deals for members. I joined the club a few weeks ago when it was launched. It’s a good deal as you get a craft kit with membership and 10% off all future orders. They also do a monthly set of special offers just for the members and this show was demonstrating with some of the products in this offer. It’s great to watch someone using different products and being able to get some hints and tips on how to use them.

In addition to the light-hearted presentation, there are always a few giveaways on a Friday, and this week was no exception. Last Friday was National ‘Give something away’ Day apparently, so for their main giveaway the question was ‘What’s the best present you’ve ever received?’ The presenter then spins a wheel to see what the prize will be. I was thinking what a great prize ‘win the show’ would be, when it landed on just that! They only give a few minutes to get your answers in, so I had to be quick to think of something. All I could think of was the 9th birthday card I still have from my Grandad – he died when I was 12 – but I loved the card so much I’ve kept it with my most precious possessions, along with my Grandma’s wedding ring which is now my wedding ring. Whilst these are incredibly precious to me, I didn’t think they could compete with others citing their children / grandchildren even cars and holidays.

I was wrong! I was chosen as the winner of everything they showed in that hour! Over £300 worth of products I’ve never used before!!

There’s card, papercraft kits, glimmer mist sprays, loads of envelopes and card bags, even a scoreboard and A3 size mirri card. AWESOME!

Great timing for the Summer holidays, crafty-teen can’t wait to have a go with the glimmer mists.

Happy Summer crafting

K x

Lockdown arts and crafts

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I have been thrilled to see a shift in the content of TV over the last few weeks.  I love TV at the best of times, but to see so much art, crafts and hobbies shown in the schedules has been a real tonic for me.  There has never been a better time to get into a creative hobby of some kind (in my opinion).  So I thought I’d share some of my thoughts on the programmes I’ve been watching / taking part in.

I was absolutley thrilled to see that BBC4 started re-showing some old ‘Joy of Painting‘ with Bob Ross.  I used to love this programme when I was younger and remember it being on around lunchtime I think.  It is such a soothing half hour and what’s amazing is that he paints an entire picture in that time too.  So, having introduced my husband and daughter to the joy of Bob Ross, I decided we should have a go at producing an artwork alongside the programme.  I have now done a few, of varying success and with different media, as yet I haven’t ventured into oil paints, as I don’t have all the necessary equipment and materials available.

Anyway, here are some of my attempts so far.

First we have some oil pastel –  a mountain scene with water foreground.  It looks a bit prehistoric to me!

Next I tried water-colour pencils for a beach scene.  I like the sky although it is more like a pink tornado approaching than some wispy pink tinged clouds.

I thought I’d give my drawings pens a try next and I think the sky turned out quite well here.  It is supposed to be waves crashing onto the beach, but I’m not too sure the wave quite worked out.

I used to love drawing with a 2B pencil, so I returned to my A-level 2B pencil for this mountain and hillside with stream.  This looks much more realistic when loked at from a distance (or a small copy).

And another go with the B set of pencils which I liked until I got the perspective on the hut completely wrong!  Ah well, more practice needed.

I haven’t really drawn anything since leaving Uni back in 1994, so I was quite pleased with how some of these have turned out.  And I did only use the thirty minutes of each programme to do them.  It’s amazing how relaxing it is to do and I aim to do some more maybe of things in my own garden over the rest of this year.

A few weeks ago now, there was a daily episode of Kirstie Allsopp doing crafts at home using items she has in the house (Keep crafting and carry on).  I loved this hour long craft session and spent a lot of it catching up with some of my own works in progress.  It was a real shame it only lasted for a couple of weeks as I would love to have a go at several of the projects she showed us.  I was particularly impressed with the tin can animals and the letters for her son’s bedroom.  But so far, the time has run out on me and I haven’t got around to anything from it yet.  I did make some little birds though to put on some gift cards for us to use.

Also adding to my crafty/arty weekday TV is Grayson Perry’s Art Club.  Another Channel 4 production and a very different type of crafting.  It started with a real feel of everyone taking part being a professional artist, but seems to have begun to include more amateurs in the mix.  I am loving the stories about Alan Measles, Grayson’s teddy and how he is being used as a saviour for humanity amidst the pandemic.  It’s also interesting to see the processes used in producing a piece of artwork.  I was particularly intrigued with the sketching of his wife for her eventual portrait on a plate.   This, then followed by his ‘animals’ theme and I am inspired to try to sketch one of the cats – if they ever stay still long enough for me to try or at least take a photo!

Now we have Sewing Bee and Gardener’s World on TV as well, I am well covered in the TV schedules, I just wish I had more time to be able to do all of the things I would like to.

I’d love to know of any other programmes I could tune in to, so if you know of any more do let me know.

In the meantime

Stay safe and happy crafting

x

 

Brownies

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My daughter moved up to Brownies last year and with that move has come the need to cajole her into doing some badges.  Left to her own devices she’ll happily breeze through the three years running about and nothing else!  This year she has seen quite a few of her older Brownie chums move up to Guides, so she has had to take on some of the responsibility herself in showing the newer recruits what to do.  So we have started to make some efforts on a few of the simpler badges, to get her going!

First up we’ve done some wildlife watching and which has involved some birdwatching for the RSPB Garden Birdwatch, some bug hunting in the garden and keeping a diary of what she spotted.  To finish I found her a set of instructions on how to build her own bird feeder.  This one uses lolly sticks and string, all essential components in a kids craft stash!

She didn’t do too badly with it, although I think the birds were quite rough with it (either that or the wind was particularly strong) as it only lasted a few weeks.

Having successfully completed one badge, she moved quite swiftly on to a number of sporty and artistic ones and has had her swimming, agility, sports, artist and craft badges signed off too. She was also rewarded with being made a sixer!

The school council ran a talent show just before the Easter break and completely out of the blue, Alice wanted to enter, singing with her friend.  She asked if I would help her make some props and costumes.  Of course, they chose to sing something very simple and child-friendly – “The Yellow Submarine”.  Unfortunately we didn’t have time to get everything ready for the school show, but they decided to do it for their Entertainer badge at Brownies instead.

So for what seems like forever, I’ve been adding finishing touches to this huge monstrosity!  Hubby cut out the main submarine while the girls did the main painting and drew the faces for the portholes.  It’s massive and almost fills one wall of our little house.  It looks quite good though, if I do say so myself, although I don’t think I want to take up a career in prop-design, just yet.

Now it’s fingers crossed that they get the rest of their show planned and rehearsed in time before the end of the term.  I can’t wait to get rid of this out of  my living room!

Happy crafting
x

2017 is flying!

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I can’t believe where this year has gone and it’s almost July already!  It’s been a rather odd year for me and I’ve been busy with all sorts of things that I haven’t had time to sit down and write anything.  So I’ve grabbed a few minutes and thought I’d have a catch up and see what’s been going on.

I had a rather rotten end to 2016 and start to 2017 as my back went and I was unable to stay in any position for long, so I was a bit grumpy (to say the least), well lack of sleep will do that to you!    So I’ve been trying to do some back strengthening exercises every day to help, but it still twinges every so often.  I also spent several weeks on physio and hospital check-ups following my broken foot last July.

Anyway, I seem to be hospital free for the time being (fingers crossed) and I’m back to my weekly tap class which is great fun.  I’m also back crafting again and have spent the last few weeks and months busy making all sorts of items for orders and for our own use at home.

I ended last year making loads of legwarmers for the girls at dancing, and this year has continued the trend.  Since Easter I’ve been knitting frantically, furry wrist cuffs and legwarmers for some the girls taking part in a ‘Cats’ number both for the annual dance show and for competitions.

These feel lovely when knitted up, but depending on the yarn used I found them quite difficult to make.  The white ones were made with Eskimo yarn and that knitted up quite nicely, but I used some eyelash yarn that was really difficult to keep count of my stitches.  They did all look lovely on the girls though and made the outfits.  Alice has also asked for some now as she’s obsessed with white!

So I’ve beenknitting quite a lot over the months, and managed to get in a bit for my family.  I always make the children something to play with at the end of the egg hunt we do at Easter, and this year was no exception.

This year the three children found a knitted egg cosy character with a chocolate egg inside.  These are made from a free pattern of Jean Greenhowe that I’ve ad for ages and never got round to making up before.  They are easy to do and they were very popular, so I introduce you to Holly, Eggy and Steven!  They certainly has plenty of adventures on Easter Sunday, poor Steven was lost several times, but he was eventually found and went home with his new best friend!!

Easter also involved quite a bit of baking which was shared with family, friends and neighbours.

Mother’s and Father’s Day meant a lot of card crafting and my large owl cards were very popular.

I made these in a variety of papers and love the different effects they create.  I also enjoyed making the triangular backgrounds and took this further making some cards for men.

I love the monochrome set of card and toppers and when matched with the Hunkydory rainbow mirri card they really shine.

For Father’s Day I made a collection of cards for Hearts for Homes in Ramsbottom.

I fancied doing some more origami and made these using an old Papermania set of men’s papers, but I had to do some owls too and loved using these old maps.

Well it’s time to head off to work now, but I’ll be back soon with some more ramblings of a middle-aged crafter!  Have a great day.

Happy crafting

x

New Christmas Traditions – Satsuma Thrifty Christmas Campaign

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Last year I decided to start a new tradition for Christmas. I was fed up of buying the same cheap little chocolate advent calendars year on year, and while my daughter liked them, I could never find anywhere to put them and they just didn’t seem to be very Christmassy. So I started to crochet some little stockings and made them into a perpeptual advent calendar.

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It looked lovely up in the hall last year as a Christmas garland as well as being my daughter’s favourite part of the run up to Christmas. I filled it with individual wrapped chocolates, so it didn’t cost a fortune to fill either.

This year I’m looking round for inexpensive little gifts to fill it with again. At seven (almost eight), my daughter is becoming a little more difficult to please with sweets and chocolates. I’ve bought a couple of selection boxes and will add those to the stockings. I think it’s always nice to see something peeking out of the top of the stocking. But I also want to add something other than sugar loaded treats. The stockings aren’t very big so I can’t go mad with gifts, but I think a couple of packs of her favourite (My Little Pony) Stickers and perhaps one of the mystery bags as a treat for Christmas Eve. She also loves to draw, so I’m going to get a pack of pens and split them up putting a different one in each stocking.

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It’s great to think that this will be a tradition that we can carry on and hopefully she will enjoy the individuality of her calendar. I know I certainly enjoyed making it and have great fun thinking of things to fill it with. And it doesn’t have to cost a lot either. I’m going to stick to a budget of £10 maximum to fill it. Who knows I might even find some of the stocking fillers I put away last year and forgot about!

Now I just need to hang it up high enough that the meddlesome cats don’t attack it!

Not long to go.
x

See mine and other ideas for a savvy Christmas here

Unexpected crafting!

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I know I’m a crafter, so this title in itself is rather unexpected.  However, our Alice has been unwell really for a few weeks now, but she’s finally given in to being fully blown ill and is currently enjoying / enduring  some restful time off school.

This has meant I am now totally behind with my preparations for Halloween and Christmas, but that’s the life of a crafting Mum!  So today I decided to find something for both of us to do that would help lift Alice’s spirits and maybe go some way to starting my stash of Christmas decorations.

I’ve been thinking about making some simple, no knit hat decorations for a while and this seemed the ideal opportunity with a willing helper too!  What I wasn’t counting on was how much she loved making them.

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We had such a great crafty afternoon watching ‘Equestria Girls’ on dvd and making these hats, that she decided she wanted to make them and sell them too.  So it rather turned into me being her assistant and she’s planning on taking her little stash to her dance class at weekend and maybe even to the school Christmas Fair! I’m hoping that she will make her own gifts for her teachers this year too.

I think she may have caught the crafting bug – much better than the virus she is recovering from.

Happy crafting
x