My "Groovi"...

...little Gingerbread house.

I have had the Groovi Gingerbread house border plate since it was launched but had only ever used the little Gingerbread men (when decorating my "Twas the Night before Christmas" book).

I decided it was about time it was put to some use so grabbed some parchment and here was the result...

 ...the tiles on the roof seemed to take for ever...

 ...but the colouring of the candy-canes was pretty quick & easy...

...nothing too fancy...

...but plenty of glitter on the roof to give a frosty effect.

The house is only tiny but will be perfect sitting on the mantelpiece at Christmas with a battery tealight inside.

You would not believe how long it has taken to complete this post - two weeks ago the pictures wouldn't load and I gave up in frustration. Broadband speeds in this area have been awful and today it has taken 3 attempts to actually get into Blogger. Let's hope things improve......................................

My first...

...completed parchment project.

If you promise not to look too closely (and spot the wonky snipping around the edges and the odd pierced hole that shouldn't be there) I'll show you my finished Christmas gift box.

I did all the outside panels using the Scalloped squares Groovi plate rather than create different shaped panels for each side.

The Groovi plates are a great starting point...

 ...which can be decorated in any way you like. This means even traditional 'parchers' can make use of them (much easier than measuring and trying to draw straight lines with perfect corners LOL).

The "S" on the front of the box was my first attempt at grid-work...

 ...and despite a couple of 'oops' moments I was very pleased with the finished result.

The inside of the box was decorated with some small (less detailed) panels...

 ...with a touch of glitter and 'spray & sparkle'.

The background for the "N" was from a small grid...

 ...which meant that the pattern had to be 'matched' to fill the space - I think this is my favourite panel.

On the sample that Joanne made, her "O" panel was round (using the scalloped circles Groovi plate)...

 ...so I had to adapt the design slightly to fit a square.

The "W" was stippled (only the second time I have done this) and it seemed to take for ever...

...but once done, the background was created with the random use of the micro sun tool.

This Friday I have a couple of parchment classes so will be continuing with my "Twas the Night before Christmas" book - just 3 pages left to do.

At this rate I should have at least two completed projects by this Christmas.....................................

"Little boxes...

...made of..."

The box that we made as the base for the parchment project was such a nice idea that I thought I would have another go at making one.

The box is constructed from 300gsm smooth white card and covered with PP from a paper stack that I bought in Poundland (the stack was one of several A5 sized pads that they had and the paper is actually very good quality).

Here is the resulting 'make'...

 ...I didn't have any very fine magnets that could be used as a closure and Velcro was also too thick so I raided my ribbon stash.

The inside of the box was covered in the same PP...

...although I did consider using a contrast.

A lovely sturdy little box - perfect to pop a gift or some fancy chocolates in and still have a cute storage box afterwards................................................................

Time just ran out...

...in the run up to Christmas.

I had seen some pretty knitted tissue box covers on a few blogs and wanted to have a go. There had been ones made to look like traditional post boxes and others that looked like Santa's jacket but I couldn't make up my mind what I wanted.

I still had some balls of the glittery red yarn (although the sparkle doesn't show up in this photo) and set about making the basic box cover...

...and as you can see, that part did get done. The problem was that I couldn't make up my mind how I wanted to decorate it so with all the 'umming' & 'ar-ring' I ran out of time.

Still - with eleven months to think about it, I should come up with something by next Christmas LOL............................................................

K2, P2...

...and I've made a start.

I don't normally knit adult garments as I get bored but when I saw this huge box in the craft section at the Range containing everything needed to knit an "Olaf" jumper for just £4.99 - well it would have been rude not to take advantage.

So the box sat there for a couple of days.

When I finally opened it, there was all the wool needed, the pattern & instructions and needles...I say needles but they were more like bean poles - sooooooooooooooooooo long - they were discarded and I dug out my own needles which are a far more controllable length (I really can't work with needles that you have to tuck under your arms LOL).

So here is what I am knitting...

...and I have to say the instructions and pattern chart are very clear and easy to follow.

I have made a start...

...and at the moment I'm doing the 'boring' bit - I'm knitting the back of the jumper. This doesn't contain any patterning at all so should be fairly quick. I say fairly quick **rollseyes** as I'm at row 50 of 106 and am already bored so will have to do it in bite-size chunks otherwise this will end up in the UFO box. Thinking about it, the most sensible thing will be to take this to my "Knit & Natter" group each week as it is more likely to spur me on.

So folks, that is one project that I made a start on over the holidays.

My intention is to get it finished for Christmas 2017 and give it as a gift. Watch this space..................................................................

The trouble with mirri & gloss card...

...is trying to get a photo without glare.

The last card from Saturday's workshop was a very shiny affaire and as you can see...

 ...I either had problems with lighting or the skylights...

...but I think you get the idea. The card was concentrating on the straight lines & angles that are also a sign of Deco style.

One thing that we didn't get around to was a box that Andy had on display with the other samples...

 ...making good use of the fact that the Hunkydory "Little book of..." products have six of each image - five are used on the box and you would still have one image left to make a matching card...

...the box also makes good use of the WRMK Envelope punch board. The punch part of the board makes the notches that create the "neck" of the box.

A very enjoyable day covering colours & style items that not everyone would associate with the Deco period. Thank you Andy for a fabulous workshop.

Next weekend I have a workshop with Joanne (Andy's sister) and we will be playing with the "Twas the Night before Christmas" Groovi boards. I wonder if I have bitten off more than I can chew LOL.................................................................................

Friday was...

...my Sister's birthday.

As she is a lover of candles & wax melts, I bought her an electric wax warmer.

This is the warmer that I bought and it looks very pretty...

...surrounded by her crystal collection. The light from the warmer catches all the crystals and makes them sparkle.

We have had a running joke about this gift.

I bought it a month ago (it was the last one that Naked Flame had in this colourway) and as I wasn't going to see my Sister on her actual birthday, I gave her the sealed box.

Our telephone conversations since have all included references to "The Box" and even on the morning of her birthday when I phoned to wish her a lovely day she said 'thank you' for her lovely box LOL

I took her to Naked Flame yesterday so that she could spend some of her birthday money on candles - just a few candles (**rollseyes**) - and when I took her home I was able to get the photo above.

I think it will always be referred to as "The Box" but at least we will both know what we are talking about..............................................................

Steampunk...

...from a different perspective.

(Photo heavy so settle down with a cuppa)

Saturday 6 February was the first Andy Pearson workshop of 2016 and with all the madness that has been going on at work and with Mum, this was a break that I NEEDED - 5.5hours of not having to think or worry about anything other than cutting a piece of paper straight or getting the 'sandwich' right for some die-cutting & embossing.

Now most folk will think of Steampunk as being Industrial & Grungy but our first make of the day threw that notion to the wind.

For speed, Andy had cut a tub full of cogs from pretty pale aqua card. Our first job was to make two borders from these cogs that would be used as a raised embellishment on the finished card...

 ...Having marked the required length on a piece of paper, I put together my borders using Cosmic Shimmer PVA glue (Creative Expressions) and put them to one side to dry.
The main panel for the front of the card was embossed with an 8x8 embossing folder...

 ...covered in clocks & pocket watches. This was matted onto silver miri and then onto a larger square of the aqua card.
After a session of die-cutting clock faces, hands and a few leaves...

 ...the card was constructed with the help of some PinFlair Gel and some bronze coloured metal gems.

The second make of the day was a bit of more traditional Steampunk.

Three panels of black CS were embossed with more clocks (I also used brickwork on one of my panels) and then gilding wax was applied - Decadent Teal was the shade I used on my panels...

 ...the loose cogs were waxed with Mink to give a contrast and the embossed panels were then matted onto some silver miri.
This was the finished result...

...and will offered to a friend who asked me to make a card for her husband (great timing).

The last project of the day was a giftbox/cracker box made to look like metal.

Starting with plain black CS, the various pieces were die-cut...

 ...waxed and assembled. The cracker box is a Tonic die and the cogs panel was a strip die (I think it was from Cheery Lyn) that we cut to size. I used Pumpkin and Mink gilding waxes to colour my piece so that it had an 'aged' and 'rusty' look to it.
The box was finished off with some wooden leaves, jute string and burlap butterflies...

...some of the cogs also got a few silver pearls added to make it look like bolts.

 So the three projects were...

 ...quite different. A quite straight forward bit of...

 ...embossing & waxing using darkish colours. A very clean (but not simple) effect...

 ...using pale colours and not a bit of wax or ink in sight. Then the last piece...

...lots of texture and shading making CS look like something else.

A fabulous day.

Pinnacle Crafts have weekday lessons every week and weekend workshops on a regular basis so if you live within access, check out what is available.

Thank you Andy for a wonderful 'playday'.......................................................................

We've all done it...

...miscalculated how long it would take to make our Christmas cards.

We either have good intentions to make a few each month through the year so that they are all done & dusted before the last posting date. Or, we start making them in the run up to Christmas and start to panic because we actually need more than we originally thought.

I used to have about 150 cards to make for my own use - family & friends but now I can manage with about 50. Even so...I still end up in a panic as I realise that some cards need to be ready by certain dates.

Imagine having to make several hundred cards for all your loyalty club card holders if you are a retailer.

At Pinnacle Crafts the family take it in turns to be responsible for creating the cards that need to be made and given out at the last Members Weekend - this year was Andy's turn and instead of cards he made hundreds of these...

...there were crates of these lovely crackers by the tills in the shop.

The Christmas cards from the shop always contain the details of the opening times of the store and the dates they will be closed over the holiday period - this is usually part of the card insert that also contains the greeting from the family. For the crackers, these were printed inserts rolled and contained inside the crackers along with a chocolate treat.

Each of the crackers consists of the base die-cut box, 6 matt layers and two die-cut poinsettia embellishments. An insert, a treat and two ribbon ties. Even working on a production-line basis, this was one heck of a lot of cutting, sticking and constructing. A lovely thought - thank you Andy.

So perhaps that pile of still to be finished cards sitting on the stool by the sofa are not so daunting after all LOL.............................................................

Countdown to Christmas...

...can take various forms.

Who doesn't love the surprise of an Advent calendar that either reveals an image - or better yet...a treat of some kind.

The lovely Kerryanne English has provided a free e-pattern over at her blog for a lovely Victorian style Advent box - do hop over and take a look.

Over the years I have had a variety of Advents and have made a few too.

Matchbox Advents are still one of my favourites...

...despite the fact that I then end up with tons of matches that I need to dispose of LOL

My very first advent was a card with doors that opened to reveal Christmas images. It was sent as a birthday card by my cousins in Sweden as my birthday falls towards the end of November. I have had an advent pretty much every year since.

Do you have an Advent calendar and if so, do you prefer chocolates, little gifts or something else - do tell....................................................................

It seems such a long time ago...

...that Andy announced the Gilded Lily workshops.

Saturday was the first one - the construction of this lovely box...

...complete with decoration (this is Andy's one as I still cannot upload any photos).

It turned out that this had been a very popular class when Andy advertised it earlier in the year so there were quite a few more folk than normal - all eager and ready to get making.

As usual, Hilary & I met in the café for breakfast and a natter before heading round to Pinnacles.

The morning was the construction of the box - lots of gluing, covering & assembling going on but everyone had their boxes ready by the time we broke for lunch.

For Hilary & I this was back round to the café for jacket potatoes and a further natter.

The afternoon was full of matting & layering the decoration for the box - the printed top panel and sides all come from one sheet of 12x12 G45 paper.

Although we all used the same materials all the boxes looked slightly different as everyone decorated their tops slightly differently - they all looked fabulous.

Hilary & I ended our day with a bit of retail therapy (a couple more Groovi plates jumped into my basket) and then back to the café to have a coffee before heading home.

The box measures 8.25ins sq. across the base & lid but the dimension of the container itself is slightly smaller to allow for a lip all around.

Materials used: -
A4 sheets of greyboard  (the thickness that you would find on the back of a notebook).
Gilded Lily sheet - 12x12 by Graphic 45
Cream stripe paper - 12x12 sheets by Craft Creations Ltd
Cream pearl paper - A4 sheets
Cream pearl CS - A4 sheets
Gold miri card - A4 sheets
Adhesive pearls - 2 yards (2 packs) from Creative Expressions
Flowers

Next week we make the album that will match and fit inside.

Unfortunately, Hilary can't make it next week but Andy is considering another class to make a larger album using the same techniques.

Roll on next Saturday...................................................................

Done and...

...decorated.

Here is the completed box...

 ...I decided not to use the roses I had made but to go with Sue Wilson's Finishing Touches dies "Delicate daisies". I used some solid and some cut-out...

 ...with Creative Expressions Blue Dazzlers as centres. The scattering of tiny flowers were cut from the PP waste after die-cutting the daisies. I used a tiny Woodware punch and then used a WACO Pearl Maker in cream to make the centres. Talking of pearls...

 ...the box lid was edged with loads of the things. Creative Expressions do the pearls on a yard-long adhesive strip and I thought this would help to strengthen the corners.

The roses didn't make it onto the album either...

...although I'm not a great fan of Tattered Lace dies this one was perfect...

 ...a few dazzlers to bling it up and a scattering of the tiny flowers again...

 ...some matching Card Candi from Craftwork Cards to hide the album rivets...

...and few tiny flowers trailing round to the back and it is all done.

The inside of the album will be a mix of decorated grey-board pages and some 6x6 page protectors - once I sort out my photos.

These Craftwork Cards PPs are fabulous. I love the colours and the quality of the paper is super - almost like a thin card (perfect for punching & die cutting).

This was not a cheap project as I went overboard with the pearls and the dies were new (the daisies were planned but the mask wasn't LOL). However, it is Pinnacle Crafts members weekend this weekend so everything was 30% off - a great saving.

I surprised even myself at how quickly I can get something done if I really want to..........................

Okay; so I couldn't wait...

...to break into my Craftwork Cards paper stack.

You knew I wouldn't - didn't you.

Having it sat on the "stroking" corner of the desk was a BIG mistake as it was crying out to be used.

So one constructed box and a covered Bo-Bunny Bare Album later...

This is what I have...

 ...the box base has been lined and the lid covered but no decoration yet. The album has been covered and this photo shows some idea of decoration...

...but nothing is glued down yet and I'm still trying to decide on flowers or perhaps cutting out one of the masks to place across the corner - decisions, decisions.

A work in progress to be sure because once the box & album cover are finished there are all the grey-board pages to cover & decorate. Just a 'little' task to add to the list LOL.........................................

Do you get the most...

...out of your craft equipment?

I'm probably as guilty as the next person - I buy something and only ever use it the way it says on the box/tin/pack.

If you are busy (and who isn't these days) the time you have available for crafting is limited and you don't always have the luxury of playing around with pieces of equipment to see if they can do more...this is a shame because craft equipment can be expensive and in this current financial climate, who can afford to buy things that will only be used occasionally when there is the possibility that they could be in use on a regular basis.

Take the We R Memory Keepers Envelope Punch board...

Would you have thought that you could make this cute gift box...

...isn't it great and you can even add apertures if you want the contents to be seen.
Andy Pearson (Pinnacle Crafts) held a demo day above the shop yesterday...

 ...and he shared a lot of his ideas and those that he had found on places like YouTube. These boxes were one of the favourites of the day...

 ...and the samples got a lot of handling. Andy said these boxes were not his idea but he had found some videos by a lady called Deb Valder. I only look at YouTube occasionally so I probably would not have found these - thank you Andy for bringing this idea to my attention and thank you for another great demo day.

So of course, when I got home I had to have a go...

 ...out came my Envelope Punch board...

 ...a paper cutter and a scoreboard...

 ...some pretty CS, ribbon & DST.
In next to no time I had this...

...my own little gift box (I didn't put a window in mine)...

...as I was in a hurry to get it done...

...these boxes are adorable and even have a lid to help keep the contents secure.

With Easter coming up, I thought this CS would be perfect because of the Spring-time colours - just imagine one of these full of tiny chocolate eggs.

Change the colour scheme and you have favour boxes for the wedding table or gift boxes for the bridesmaids.

You can get 3 of these out of 2 sheets of 12x12 or one out of a sheet of A4. This is an ideal way to make a dent in that mountain of PP & CS.

So an envelope maker can do so much more - I made cutlery holders at Christmas. I've made bon-bons (crackers) and a wrap over box that will hold two crème eggs. Now I know I can make these cuties as well..........................................................................