Winter Skating Angel...

...by Kerryanne English.

 

 

Kerryanne loves all things 'Tilda' and this is her recent creation - isn't it sweet.

 

Each year Kerryanne holds a cyber event over on her Shabby Art Boutique blog called "Simply Christmas" and she shares lots of tips and ideas for putting the heart, home & family back into Christmas. She generously provides lots of free downloads to help you with your festive organisation and décor.

 



If you haven't paid her a visit before, please do - I'm sure you will find some lovely ideas to use this festive season................................................................

When did 'creme' eggs...

...get so small?

I wanted something quick & easy that the "Knit & Natter" folk could make as fun items ready for Easter and this is what I came up with...

 ...a little knitted egg-cosy made into a character by adding some big eyes. Inside the cosy & eggcup would be an Easter treat...

...but it came as quite a shock when I popped the chocolate egg into the eggcup - it disappeared right down inside **frowny-face**. Gosh they really have shrunk over recent years (but the price hasn't).

Still, the general idea was sound.

The folk at "Knit & Natter" loved the idea and have been merrily making little hats to decorate so they can hide them around for the kids/grandkids to have an Easter hunt over the coming holiday.

I found packs of assorted coloured plastic eggcups at my local bargain store - a pack of 4 was just £1 and there were blue/pink/green/purple. Their suppliers sometimes pack them as 4 colours to a pack or 2 colours to a pack so it depends on what they have as to what I can get.

The cosy uses very little yarn so is a great way of using up any scraps that you have.

You need DK (double knit) yarn and 4mm knitting needles.

Cast on 30 stitches.
Knit 4 rows in garter stitch (each row is knit/plain stitch).
Then starting with a knit/plain row...
Knit 10 rows stocking stitch (alternating - one row knit/plain, one row pearl).
Next row, knit 2 stitches together right across the row - this leaves you with 15 stitches.
Next row pearl.
Next row, knit 2 stiches together until the last odd stitch which just gets knitted - you now have 8 stitches.
Next row, pearl.
Leaving a long tail (enough to stitch up your cosy) cut your yarn from the ball and using this 'tail' threaded into a tapestry needle, thread the yarn through the remaining stitches and remove from the needles.
Pull gently to gather the top and with the wrong side facing out, stitch up your seam to create the little "hat".
You can add a little loop or a pom-pom to the top if you wish.

To create the 'face' I just drew some large eyes onto thin card, cut them out and applied using 3D foam pads.

There you have it - a quick little idea for Easter.

Although, I intended mine to contain 'creme' eggs you could put any type of treat in these as a surprise......................................................

In between the...

...knitting and the crochet - a couple more cards were made.

"Fabulous Fashionista" is a super paper pad from Craftwork cards.

The only additions to this card...

 ...was gold mirri to matt the image and some gold coloured gems.
The flowers were all punched from the same background paper...

 ...and the gems added as centers to the blooms.
There is gold foiling on the papers which the mirri helps to pick out...

 ...and the image was actually cut from one of the PPs in the pack.
This card used a couple of the images from the same sheet as the previous card (there are 4 characters on the sheet - I haven't used the remaining one yet)...

...again the gold mirri to pick up on the foiling and some gold gems.

I was very pleased with how these two cards turned out and will be playing with some more of the papers from this pad..........................................................

Twinkle, twinkle...

...little light.

The other week my Sister gave me this crystal candle lantern as she was worried that it wasn't very stable to have around an inquisitive cat. It has sat on my desk since as I wasn't sure where to site it. I was also reluctant to put real candles in it as I didn't want it to get waxy or sooty.

I then had a lightbulb moment (no pun intended) and pulled out a pack of battery Christmas fairy lights and this was the result...

...it looks lovely and there is no limit as to where I can stand it as there are no flames to worry about.

I love candles but am very safety aware when it comes to placing them so this was a perfect solution.

I noticed that Poundland have a good selection of battery light sets at the moment. One design is intended for clipping under a parasol in the garden but the lights are just plain white lights in a choice or 'warm' or 'cool' so I grabbed some so that I can place them around the house in some other containers and add a bit more of a twinkle to the place............................................

I thought I'd have...

...a bit of a play.

Before Christmas I bought a set of Card-io stamps from Pinnacle Crafts and did a bit of "batch" making on the Christmas card front. I've since managed to get some more sets but haven't had the time to sit down and have a 'play'.

As our "Knit & Natter" is also a "Craft & Chatter" group, I took along some of my stamps...

...some card blanks and an ink pad.
I started off by drawing a light pencil circle on the card blank...

 ...this is to act as a guide for placement of the design.
This is the selection of stamps that I used for my Christmas card scene...

 ...and as you can see, there is nothing really that 'screams' Christmas. I continued to add the circular frame using the Tapestry leaf stamps...

 ...and that is where I left it. I didn't have any colouring mediums with me but I think I will try this as a non-snowy scene which will mean that it can be used for other occasions.
I had a bit of a play with some of my new stamps...

...including a set of Majestic mini festive leaves. This will probably be a Christmas card but I will have a play around with some gems and liquid pearls in the 'wreath' surround to give the effect of berries.

When I've decided how to finish these off, I'll show you the result. I just need to find a bit more 'playtime'...........................................................

Coming along...

...nicely; Thank you.

With the help of a banana skin, brown paper and a box the tomatoes are finally turning red.

Here they are on Friday...

 ...still a couple of stubborn ones but by Monday...

...a rosy hue can be seen on them all.

Thank you to everyone who provided suggestions as to how I could get these toms to change colour - it worked..............................................................

More Deco style...

...for Christmas.

A recent issue of "Simply Cards and Papercrafting" had this wonderful embossing folder as part of its freebie...

...and with a bit of cutting out it was very easy to make it dimensional. Another pass through, embossing this time onto black mirri created the front door...

 ...and the Christmas tree die-cut is one of the dies from a recent Spellbinders set of two Deco style trees. The wreath was created using silver mirri and the pearl CS that was used for the main part of the card. It was die-cut using the Sue Wilson "Cape Daisy" from Creative Expressions...

 ...and the background was embossed using one of the Texture embossing folders from Crafter's Companion - I think it is call Dry stone wall or something similar.
A bit of matting & layering and a torn piece of card to create the effect of snow...

...and  there we have it - the finished card. It doesn't have a sentiment on it at the moment as I will decide upon the one to use once I've decided who will get the card.

There are still a couple of Deco items to show you from the workshop so do stop by again to see what else Andy (Pinnacle Crafts) had lined up for us.......................................................

It seems like ages...

...since I last made a mini album.

So it was lovely to attend a workshop over at Pinnacle Crafts where Irene was showing how to make lovely little books that can help with your 'stash busting'.

I haven't finished decorating mine yet but here is the basic book...

...just 4.5x7 inches - so a lovely size for making a 'brag book' for grandma or a mini planner for an up & coming event. The pages are all attached using 'hidden' hinges...

 ...and there are plenty of pockets & panels for photos, journaling, general notes and keepsake storage...

...and you can add as much or as little as you like.

This book was made using: -
1 x A4 Greyboard
6 x 12x12 PPs
1 x A4 CS

So you can see, it doesn't require loads of materials and I'm sure you could make something similar and use up some of that stash mountain - you know, the one that we crafters all have tucked (???) away filling every nook & cranny.

If you have friends or family that have a special event coming up, you could make one as a gift so that they can fill it with photos/keepsakes after the event. I know that I'd like to get a few of these made if I can stretch a few more hours in my days.

Thank you Irene for a lovely day......................................................

The lovely Denise...

...who owns Craft Arena at Barleylands, gave me a book for my fund-raising.

Denise's shop & gallery are well worth a visit if you happen to be at Barleylands - her units are on the upper corridor.

Denise & I have known each other for many years - we were both Tupperware ladies/managers in a past life (and unfortunately she has the photos to prove it LOL). Denise is a recognised retailer of Brother sewing machines and she is a mixed media artist - you really do need to visit and see some of her fabulous work.

Anyhoo...

Denise very kindly gave me a copy of the "Taster Projects" book to help with my fund-raising...

...this is a super little book that contains the instructions for making 20 different items. This is part of a collection of books from "Search Press" with fabulous ideas for lots of different crafts and at £4.99 a book they are no dearer than most magazines.

I decided that rather than just put the book out for sale, I would add some crafting bits...

 ...so that someone could make a start on some of the projects straight away.
Here are the goodies all packaged...

 ...with the lovely little book showing what can be made...

...a little crafters starter pack suitable for anyone who wants to give things a try or perhaps for a child who wants to make 'stuff' just like Mum or Grandma does.

The things I included in the pack: -

1 x 4mm crochet hook
1 x pair of 4mm knitting needles (childsize - perfect for those smaller projects)
1 x pom pom maker
1 x 25g Navy Double Knit
1 x 25g White Double Knit
1 x 50g Random shaded Double Knit
1 x Project book

This will go on the table with all the crafty bits & pieces next week - thank you Denise for your generosity................................................................

We have a...

..."totaliser".

A colleague suggested that we should have something visual to show how we were doing towards our £150 target for the R.N.L.I. fund-raising. So using what was available at work and some PPs, this is what we came up with...

...it didn't photograph very well because of the lighting and it isn't anything amazing (best we could put together using flipchart paper, permanent pens and some lettering - sorry; no sticky backed plastic available LOL). As you can see, we are almost at the £50 mark after just a week.
My friend Simon has an allotment and he donated two trays of tomato plants...

 ...and since tacking this photo we have now sold about half of them...

...so a big thank you to Simon (and his Dad who helped deliver them to the office).

The craft bits & pieces are growing and I think we will soon be able to hold our craft sale - I've been packaging the stuff so that it is easier to deal with and I'll show you what we have later in the week.

Let's hope the tomato plants survived the weekend...................................................

I'm not very organised...

...this week - not at all.

I have a few things that I need to photograph but I seem to be all behind at the moment. I think a lot of this has to do with the latest fiasco at work but I'm not even going there...

I realised that I hadn't shared the photos of one of Andy Pearson's "Demo" days (Pinnacle Crafts) as it was during the time I was struggling to sort out Windows 10.

So without further ado, here are some pictures of the Christmas goodies that Andy shared with us...

 ...lots of card ideas - some quick & easy and others involving a bit more technique...

...there was a fabulous selection of finished samples - mainly cards but a few 3D pieces as well.

This was one of the pieces that Andy had submitted for his DT project to Creative Expressions shortly before the demo day...

 ...lots of stamping, mica powder and die-cut construction to create this beautiful card.

An Andy demo day would not be complete without some messy play with inks...

 ...Andy was showing the lovely effects created by inks on acetate...

 ...the perfect background for this die of the Three Wise Men. The die-cut had been embossed and then highlighted with gilding wax to really show off the texture.

For those of you who may have tons of peel-offs tucked away in their stash, he showed that they can be used very effectively...

...as is shown here. Some borders & corners were the finishing touch to this card. I know folk either love or hate peel-offs but there are times when they can actually work very well.

That was Andy's last demo for 2015 and he has also finished his year on the Creative Expressions DT - so no more "Boys Wednesday" over at the CE blog as John Lockwood is off presenting on Hochanda and Andy is busy getting the shop Christmas cards sorted before he take a well deserved holiday.

All being well, I'll manage to get those photos taken & posted....................................................

Treat or...

...loads of treats.

I promised I would show you some photos of the Halloween table at work once I was able to load photos to my PC again - here they are...

...having mini black Christmas trees is very handy as they double up nicely for Halloween...

 ...the glittery wirework witches hat is adorned with skull shaped lollies and there are lots of spooky sweets & treats all over the table...

...Anne (Redanne) mentioned that she nearly bought a life-size skeleton the other day. Mine is much smaller and hangs from the ceiling above the treat table. One of my staff thought "Boney" looked a bit lonely so bought him a chocolate bat and some spiders to keep him company LOL.

This year has been difficult for my folk due to the redundancies back in May so I thought it was time for a bit of fun.

Visitors to the building have loved it and it seems to have lifted everyone's mood.

I need to get my thinking cap on to see if there is something we can replace it with after the 31st as the Christmas decs don't go up until the 1st December.............................................................

If you love Christmas...

...you will love Summerhill Garden Centre.

Every year, the staff create a magical wonderland with all the Christmas decorations. The part of the building usually used to house garden furniture is totally 'blacked-out' and everything is grouped by colour/style and mainly lit with 1000's of fairy lights - it is wonderful.

As an adult I can wander around in awe for hours so you can imagine the excitement on children's faces as their parents take them around this magical world.

This display is predominantly reds & cream...

 ...the decorated trees sit in the centre of huge round tables and are surrounded by baskets of all the 'makings' of the display so that you can purchase items to make your own version at home.

The entrance to this fairyland has a huge display featuring mainly white/cream & crystal with splashes of pink...

...this metal gazebo was a work in progress and looked beautiful and as you can see...

 ...there were trees decorated, ready to finish off the scene.
One of the main features of this area was a fabulous chandelier Christmas tree...

 ...basically an upside down tree hanging from the ceiling - it looks amazing...

...but would cost a fortune to actually re-create.

The garden centre are very good at providing labels detailing which trees have been used and how many lights are involved on each display item. They will also give you an idea of price to create what you see - they also offer a decorating service to produce these for your very own home...oh to have the spare cash to have someone in to create a wonderland like this in your very own home.

Not surprisingly, the week after Christmas when they start their sales and all the Christmas goodies are reduced to half-price, you will see folk with trolley-loads of stuff so that they can 'give it a go' the following year. The queues can be pretty horrendous and you will see families taking it in turns whilst some pop off to the café for a sit down and a cuppa LOL

Perhaps when I win the lottery (rollseyes) I'll be able to get someone in to decorate the house from top to bottom - umm, wonder what colour would look good in the bathroom........................................

Do you have a lot...

...of Christmas cards to make?

I do.

Every year I promise that I will be more organised and get a few done every month - every year December arrives and I realise I have loads that I still need to make.

Hunkydory have brought out a lovely stack of Christmas images called "The Little Book of Christmas". There are 144 pages , 48 designs which can be used as toppers or you can cut them up and use them as decoupage. The great thing is, you can use these images and make your cards as simple or as fussy as you like - perfect for making some quick last minute cards.

Here are a couple that I made...

 ...both use a 6x6 card blank and a deckle-edged black CS matt...

...and some red gingham ribbon.

These have been kept fairly simple so they will be ideal for posting - not too bulky so should keep the postage costs down.

The stack has a good variety of images so you will be able to cover all eventualities - cute, traditional, religious, contemporary. There is also a good mix of colours so you can go with your traditional Red/Green combo or try out blues, pinks and beiges.

The size is great for a variety of card sizes. I trimmed these down a little to fit on the matt on a 6x6 card but you could easily matt & layer the images for use on larger card blanks.

I will continue to colour a selection of images to make up into cards but it is nice to know that I have these to add into the equation.........................................................................

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.........................................

It was Farmer's Market Day this Saturday...

...but I was heading somewhere else.

Andy Pearson (Pinnacle Crafts) was holding a demo day to give folk some ideas about making cards for those awkward folk.

You know the ones...the Fellas!

Andy had the usual selection of samples dotted about but one of the main aspects of the day was sharing techniques that can easily be used for those more masculine creations.

 

Trying to catch a good photo of Andy is not the easiest of things to do...

 ...he has a habit of moving just as you click your camera (another shot of the back of a project LOL).
One of the samples on the table was this candy box...

 ...although the panels look like they are embossed, they are actually die-cuts that have been coloured with gilding wax after having been stuck to some same coloured CS using spray adhesive. The Candy box was made using the WeRMemory Keepers Punch board.
Now there is one thing that Andy loves to do and that is get messy. So it wasn't long before the alcohol inks put in an appearance...

 ...a few squirts of different inks...

 ...some blending solution and some sheets of acetate 'squidged' down over the top...

 ...an additional colour added...

 ...and this is what you end up with when held against white CS...

 ...quite abstract but perfect to add to your stash for use as backgrounds at a later date.
If you are wondering what this is...

 ...it is the scrap that Andy had been using to take off the excess ink before applying to the embossed piece of card that you can see underneath. The reason for the petal/leaf shapes is because Andy was using a Creative Expressions Smoothie (egg-shaped latex sponge) to apply the ink. The audience were obviously impressed with these sponges because a considerable stock on the wall down in the shop was completely gone before the day was out.
There are always sweets on Andy's demo desk. At the other end of the table were imperial mints...

 ...but right in front of me was a bowl of wine gums - I did try to be good.
Considering how hot it was on Saturday, the classroom area was pleasantly cool for most of the time...

...although I'm sure Andy was pretty warm with the sun right on his back all day.

It was a super day. Lots of ideas and reminders of techniques not used for a while. A bit of retail therapy and lunch and a catch-up chat with my friend Hilary.

Thanks Andy for all your hard work....................................................................