DANGER ahead...

Yes, this "Stay at Home" routine is getting dangerously expensive. So far, I've bought about a dozen dies and stamps, the Tim Holtz craft mat, and the Tim Holtz stamp platform. Of course I had to have the protective sleeve for the stamp platform, too!

I wasn't too sure about this media mat. I'd seen him demo it but didn't know if I'd really like it. However, I've fallen in love with it now. It's so easy for blending and for watercolour, and easy to clean.

This was just delivered yesterday. I had another one but I stupidly did some heat embossing on the card while it was still on the platform and the rubber mat is now all wavy and I can't get a good stamp image. I "researched" several other brands for replacing it, then settled on this one. I haven't used it yet but will within the next few days, I'm sure. Of course there have been a few other things too. Amazon and a few other delivery services have now become frequent visitors! After all, we have to do our bit to support the economy, don't we? 

But seriously, I am using these things. I've made more cards in the last few weeks than in the last few years, I think. I've also been experimenting with a few new techniques. I've discovered a couple of favourite YouTube video demonstrators, like Jennifer McGuire and GinaK. They both do amazing things. I'm learning (not quite there yet) to do blending with Distress inks and Distress Oxide inks. Also to do the watercolour techniques (a Jennifer McGuire revelation). It's fun and a good way to pass the time since we're supposed to be in isolation.

This one (above) was pretty bog-standard but I did have fun making the butterflies. The patterned paper matched the blue in the stamped image, but it doesn't show up well in the photo. The recipient said she loved it, so that was good! I used my stamping platform to get the two colours on the flowers. I don't know why these stamping platforms weren't invented long ago.....they're a godsend for stampers.

This one (above) was just a play-around with blending colours. I'd seen some similar cards on Pinterest and was trying to do the same. The main stamp was a bit crooked and I wasn't satisfied with the blended background so it's gone into my "just a prototype" file for now!

This one I loved. Simple but pretty. I coloured the flowers using Cosmic Shimmers paints. If you're not familiar with them, they come in little round tubs and you just wet your brush, then dip into the tub to get the paint. The colours have a sort of shimmer or metallic quality that's really lovely. I sent this one to a friend who lives alone in an assisted living accommodation and she called to say she loved it. I think sometimes just sending a card for no reason is really uplifting. People usually love to get cards because it lets them know that someone is thinking of them.

So, that's one of the things I've been doing to keep sane in this crazy time. Plus a few books, lots of time spent looking at Pinterest, and watching mindless television. How about you?

Every Cloud.....

Yes, this COVID-19/Corona virus is a very dark and dense cloud, but even it has a slight silver lining for some of us. Crafters and writers are finding a little extra time to ply their craft. Here in England, the government has asked that anyone with a sniffle, or anyone over 70, or anyone with underlying health issues, does "self-isolation" for up to 12 weeks! Yikes! I doubt that many of us can last that long without going bonkers, but a few weeks will give us a little time to play. Our churches are closed, along with cinemas, pubs, some restaurants, sports clubs, and more.

As for me, I plan to rediscover some of my supplies and put them to use making cards, perhaps a scrapbook page or two, and also just getting some reading done. I've finally got my craft room sorted enough to do a little work:

Obviously I still have a long way to go, but considering I went from a large cabin to a smallish bedroom, I feel pretty satisfied.

Unfortunately, I had to give up my work table as there is no possible way to squeeze it in. However, I found a sort-of-solution: a folding table:

It's not as large as my work table was, but it's really big enough. When it's not in use, it folds flat and stacks against the wall. It's very sturdy and just the right height. I'll just use it in the middle of the room, which will give me enough room (barely) to get around it to get my supplies out. Hey ho...we make do with what we've got, don't we? I got this from Amazon...as we do!

Now, to get to work!

 

New Craft Digs!

I really must  change that photo in the header...we've just moved and (sob!) I don't have my lovely craft cabin anymore. I've squeezed everything into a bedroom in our new house. It's not all bad, however. I found with the cabin (and British weather) I just went into the cabin less and less. Now that I'm in the house and my computer is here in the craftroom also, I'm spending more time in here. It's been a couple of weeks getting organized (that's "organised" with an "s" for my UK readers) but I'm nearly there. I'll take some photos soon but it's still a work-in-progress at the moment!

One of the benefits of the move is that in packing and unpacking, I've discovered supplies I'd forgot I had, and some that I still have to scratch my head and wonder what it is and what I have to do with it! Of course, this is about 16-17 years of collecting, so it's no small matter. When I started in card-making, all my supplies fit into a large shoe box. Then I met some wonderful crafting friends (we still meet up monthly after more than 12 years) and we started attending craft shows, sharing tips, feeding each other's craft envy, trying new techniques... and craft supplies just seemed to multiply exponentially. If you're a crafter, you know how that happens.

So here's a taste of what I've been doing for the move:

I'm getting there, slowly but surely. It won't be as neat as my old craft cabin but maybe it's as good or better as far as getting me to actually work in it! Please watch this space if you're interested.

Create It! Show

Today I went to the Create It! show at Detling. Wow! It was every bit as good as the annual trek to Ally Pally but better parking, less manic crowds, and more reasonable food prices. The prices on the craft supplies were reasonable, too.... no inflation as there is in the other shows. There was nothing missing, either. At Ally Pally, which of course is larger, there are more stands but it's just repetition. I went with two crafting friends and they agreed.

I got some new dies and stamps (Honey Doo, Hobby Art, Picture This, JJD Cards, Lavinia Stamps, Pink Ink Designs, and a few others), new papers (Anna Marie Designs and others), and bagged some bargains!

They're still on tomorrow so if you should read this in time, I highly recommend going. I hope to be posting some images of things I'll make very soon. I took some photos (with permission) of several of the cards on display but don't feel I can post them here as they're not mine and I certainly don't have permission to put them on the Internet. Sorry about that, because they really are beautiful!

Now a little moan. Several months ago I "invested in" (£££) a whole lot of Tim Holtz's Distress Oxide stamps. They're already dried up! I could buy some reinkers, I suppose, but after using them when they were fresh, I'm not inclined to replace them. Honestly, I have a lot (I was a demo) of Stampin' Up pads and they're still nice and juicy, same with a few others (Versafine, Memento, and others). I wonder if anyone else has had the same experience?

Full circle again!

Last time I posted I used the title "What's a Year?" -- well now it's nearly TWO years ago! How the time flies ... blah, blah, blah! In the last few years I went from cardmaking to scrapbooking to art journaling to sewing and now I'm back again in cardmaking. A full circle, but I really still dabble in all of them. I'm quite  tempted to delete the whole blog and start over but I think I'll give it a little while 'til my chaotic brain settles down.

Meanwhile, I've made some cards that I'll be posting in a day or two.

Well, what's a year?

A year since I posted last???? What is going on? Well, frankly, not much. Certainly not much to write about!

This year I've concentrated on sewing, mostly small projects. I've made doll clothes for a granddaughter:

I've made a few things to wear:

And lots of odds and ends, but the most recent is a bible cover:

I could not find a good pattern for this, so I made my own. I needed the pocket on the front to hold my markers (yes, I do often mark in my bible) and some bookmarks. Then I attempted a bread basket, but I'm not at all satisfied with this. It's too shallow and floppy. I'm planning to re-do the corners to make them deeper.

And the handiest things are my pattern weights. I love them and had fun doing them. They're filled with rice to give them the proper weight.

So I'm not going to make any grand predictions about posting more often. I thought about quitting altogether because I'm not sure anyone ever reads this blog, but I'll carry on for myself as a record if nothing else. 

Crop Day to Craft Day: an evolution

Back when I was doing papercrafts, my friends and I got together once per month to do scrapbooks, cards, art journals, etc. The group started a year or two before I joined, which was in 2007. So I've been with this wonderful group of women for NINE years now! We lost one member who moved away and another member moved but not so far, so still joins us very occasionally. We're down now to six, which is really a manageable number since we meet in each others' homes.

The change however is that we no longer do papercrafts. We're all into sewing now: bags, placemats, fabric boxes, mug rugs, wall hangings, or other sewing projects. A couple of us are eager to start sewing clothes, but for now are content to just do our "projects". We're no longer meeting for "crops" (a papercraft term) but now meet for "Craft Day"!

Someone asked what we take for our Craft Day. I can show you what I take:

First, of course, is my sewing machine. Currently, it's a Brother Innovis 600, which they don't even make anymore. As far as I can tell, it's almost identical to the Brother Innovis 350SE. I have no plans to upgrade at the moment as I really love my 600.

The husband of one of my crafter buddies said we look like the sewing room in the show "Mr. Selfridge" when we all start sewing on our machines! That or some kind of backstreet sweatshop, I suppose.  And we all use different machines!

Then of course, we all bring our various "tools of the trade". Some of us use an assortment of bags, but I have a plastic storage caddy. I leave my supplies in it all the time, even when working at home. That way I know where everything is and don't have to go rifling through drawers and boxes to find something.... just pick it up and go.  The photos are in reverse order: bottom layer to top layer.

The contents of the bottom tray change, depending on the project at hand. For example, for the last craft day I made something out of Debbie Shore's "Sew Inspired" magazine. I cut the fabric out before I went, so that saved time and space.

The second (middle) tray always holds my scissors, rotary cutters, bobbin case,

fabric clips, and various other odds and ends. These are too large or too odd-shaped to go into the top tray. It may look a little chaotic, but I know exactly what I have.

The top tray has movable compartments. I keep small items in here, sorted by the type of item. For example, all machine needles are together, tape measures, etc.
It really is a very workable system.

The only problem with the plastic caddy is that the little snaps break very easily. Mine have broken in a couple of places, so I have to be very careful when all three trays are snapped together and I need to carry it. I can replace or add to the trays, although they aren't particularly cheap!

It looks like this when it's all ready to transport:

I usually have to also carry a tote bag for large items, such as a very long ruler, a bag of poly stuffing, magazines/books, and my lunch. I think everyone ought to have some friends to craft with. We learn so much from each other and get so much help from each other, too. To see what kinds of projects we do, you can scroll back through this blog. I haven't put everything here but a good sample.

I would love to hear how you craft: where, when, with whom, and with what kinds of tools. Please leave some comments if you want to share. Thanks.