Bakers Twine & Staples, Butterflies & Cogs

Oh dear! Oh dear! Oh dear!
Yet again my mojo has left the building and I haven't crafted for ages now - luckily I have managed to get all my cards done for this year and now really do need to just get to it, play around and see what happens. Got ideas in my head and so much I WANT to get done but all my oomph seems to have fizzled at the moment.

So not much to post here but at least I have popped along to my dear little blog and updates on the latest cards to come off the craft mat.

Got a bit of a thing for baker's twine at the moment so have used it on pretty much all my cards for this year ... and I seem to fall back on butterflies whenever I am stuck for an idea or a theme.  Good job most people like butterflies then!

Was hoping the staples took the tweeness away from the pink and girly cards ... which are not normally my cup of tea ... but not sure it has worked!  
Next two pics are just close ups but you get the idea.

Then for the men ... well, my fall back for them is cogs and gears so these are the male versions of the pink and girly butterflies.

Hopefully flat enough to post without incurring the horrendous large stamp charges which is a pity because I'd have preferred to make them more 3D than they are.

I try to send cards in remembrance of someone's loss so stuck with the butterflies as they really do seem appropriate for such cards and went back to my preferred tag style but have found not everyone "gets" that it is not intended to be just a tag but their card.

It did seem a little cruel stapling through the butterflies but was kinda, sorta, maybe pleased with how they turned out.

So just need to get my mojo activated again and get back to getting some cards in stock to use for all those unexpected occasions that crop up ... and to play around with the few ideas I do have rattling around in my head ... maybe I will aim for Monday ... maybe.

OOOPS!!!!!

Okay ... no, of course I am not really in a mad panic making hubby's card the day before his birthday.

Of course I've had it in hand for weeks and weeks and am merely making last minute tweaks to it right now.

Yeah, right!  

Thank goodness he is upstairs decorating as I just had one of those "oh my goodness!!!" moments when I realised his is the one very few cards I have left to make for this year.

Better get on with it then!!!!!

He is getting some *S*N*O*W* chains for the Land Rover for his birthday and they haven't arrived yet so am just making a quick silly tag to represent them ... absolutely nothing like the real thing but I've a rotten cold and couldn't come up with a better idea!

Shall stick some *S*N*O*W*flakes on it and a little tag that says "present following".

No time to even get out my large craft mat and just grabbed the little one when he went upstairs and am making do in the smallest workspace possible but needs must and he WILL get his card in the morning.

Back again already

Thought I'd get some other stuff on here ... this is primarily my crafting blog (not that I have any other blog I hasten to add) but it's a great place to record other stuff too.

I have taken to going out.  Had a pretty rotten time since losing my precious mommy seven years ago but the absolutely overwhelming grief began to lift last July and that, coupled with my discovery of a silly little blue pair of lace-up canvas shoes has really seen things turn around for me.  

From going out of the house once every 6 or 7 weeks or so and walking no further than from the door to the car and back again I am now walking several times a week around my beloved Earlswood Lakes and today even ventured into the wood there for the first time!

The absolute hight spot of all this has been .... THIS :

And this is our little feathered friend feeding from hubby's hand (I take a slightly better photo' than he does!!!!)

I have come to love these lakes and woods and didn't think for one moment I would ever get to the stage where I say to my husband "will you take me to the lake please?" ... it has been a long time coming and nothing is stopping me now!

Walking here is restoring my soul and I really do feel the dark days of the last seven years are now behind me.

The guilt of  "moving on" has been enormous and equally hard to deal with but I feel I can now grieve and live at the same time and I shall end this non-crafting post with a quote that really helped turn things around for me.

“It has been said, 'time heals all wounds.' I do not agree. The wounds remain. In time, the mind, protecting its sanity, covers them with scar tissue and the pain lessens. But it is never gone.” 

 (Rose Kennedy)

Time slips by

So just where does it all go then?  A newly retired hubby seems to have both slowed time and also speeded up its passing in equal measure and it is a huge adjustment period for us but I wouldn't have it any other way and love having him home.  Well, most of the time ... his constant humming is driving me potty but guess I'm not going to stop that now!

Have been busy crafting away but forgetting to take many photos as usual ... simply hopeless!  

I was asked by a friend to make a "special" Valentine card so decided to adapt the Christmas hearts I made and the large - VERY large - Tim Holtz Tattered Floral die replaced the poinsettas very well and I used his choice of colours. He liked the result and now I just hope the recipient does too when it is opened tomorrow.

Then whilst I had very red inky fingers I figured I'd better make hubby one too ... not quite as "Moulin Rouge" as this one though and more to my own style.

One of my favourite things to do is emboss acetate and I kinda liked how this turned out.

Oh I really don't like how all my photo's just appear in a long line like this!  Must get it sorted out but it will mean bothering someone to help me and I do so hate being a bother.

I finally have most of my cards for this year made ... hundreds of them! Which is great news in a way as Crafter's Block came a-calling and I was struggling for weeks and weeks.   I now have loads of ideas for my Christmas cards and tags for next year though so just hope I don't forget them and end up stuck again!

Just got a few special ones to make ... not that they are not all special, of course, but you know how there are always one or two that are for a Big O birthday or an anniversary or wedding or something.

Then when they are all done and safely stashed away I can PLAY and ExPeRiMeNt and just mess about really.

Oh yes, remember I just said how I love embossing acetate? Well, I have been searching and searching for over a year now for a large dove die I saw but which has been "out of stock" at my favourite on-line shop for over a year now and extensive searching for it was so frustrating as nowhere seemed to have it anymore.  Quite by accident whilst browsing for something else on ebay there it was!  I nearly fell off my chair and had to blink twice and pinch myself to be sure I wasn't imagining it ...needless to say I ordered it straightaway and just had to use the packaging the moment it came to see the result.  Can't wait to get time to play around with this further.

So, yet again I leave my dear little blog with the promise to return more often, take more (and better!) photo's of my messing around and keep a better record of what I spend much of my time doing.

Really I will.

Honest!

Yeah, right.

xXx

WOYWW 241

Well here it is again ... another wonderful WOYWW !!!!  For anyone wondering that stands for WHAT'S ON YOUR WORKDESK WEDNESDAY ... a chance to pop along and visit fellow crafters in blogland via the inspired Julia's Stamping Ground which you can find HERE

My workdesk at the  moment is still the dining room table as it is waaaayyyyyyy to cold to work out in the conservatory (which we always call The Hut by the way!) and as I haven't yet got going with my crafting today everything is still piled up from last night.

But, hey-ho, a workdesk is a workdesk so am prepared to share.

The picture above shows the anniversary cards for this year that I just need to assemble ... only 20 this year so will have them done by tonight (she said hopefully!!!)  Needed to keep them quick and simple and these are about as quick and simple as you can get.  You can also see my card list for this year ... and the sheet has lots of lovely green highlights on it showing that ll the ladies cards for this year are now done!!!!  

The other sheet of paper is what stopped me crafting last night when I had a message from my newly qualified Podiatrist nephew who needed a form "tweaking" ... needless to say said form got completely redesigned in true auntie style and now it sits awaiting his approval this morning.  He did approve the design via FB last night but has yet to see a paper copy ... fingers crossed it needs no further tweaking!

The stuff on the tray in this other picture is what I was working on before I remembered I have an anniversary in January!  Was stuck for an idea for the cards for all the men this year but then came across Tim Holtz's first tag of 2014 and knew my problems were solved.  Sent for the dies and all the other bits 'n' bobs required but did not like the first two I made so have had to tweak ... I do a lot of tweaking!

I did not like the foil he used so have settled for a simple black outline of the pocket-watches.  Still have yet to quite get them together but they will be back in action tomorrow once the anniversary cards are completed.

I will post photo's of both once I am happy with them.

So there you go ... enjoy your crafting and Happy WOYWW'ing!!!!!

End of Christmas

Well this post will see me finally put the Christmas crafting behind me ... just a few photo's to add and then that will be it!

Firstly the little stockings with their ribbon loops and the labels sewn on the back.

Then I make lots of these little puffy pillows each year but only ever three of one design ... I give one to my sister, keep one for my tree and hang the third in our garden in a special place in memory of our mommy.  I used to take them to the cemetery each Christmas Day and hang them in the bushes near to where her ashes were scattered but, of course, they eventually get removed and thrown away. 

And finally I make something each year for close family and in memory of my nephew ... I like to think of him now flying free and always make something with a dove ... there were 11 of these given this Christmas.

I didn't photograph all the cross-stitch pictures I did as gifts ... had them wrapped before remembering and wasn't about to unwrap them just to get a photo!  I did manage to get a photo of this one though ... stitched for a friend I had not yet met in memory of the little angel-baby she lost.  On special dates she lets go heart shaped helium balloons and whilst searching for something else I came across this design and just knew I had to stitch it for her.

I got to meet her for the first time on Christmas Eve when I popped it to her door.

So my Christmas crafting is over for another year and I must remind myself to either start MUCH earlier this year or not aim to make quite so much.  Might have said already that I made around 72 presents this year and wore myself to a frazzle ... sore and bleeding fingers, aching neck muscles and backache and headaches and the stresses of fearing you won't get it all done in time.

Will I do it all again this year?  Most probably!   

Belated Happy New Year to everyone in blogland.  xXx

Done & dusted Part 3

Now this is where it all falls apart as I didn't take photo's of all the cross-stitching!  Am kicking myself now but hey-ho ... no point in stressing about it!

Made 27 little stockings - just from the Mill Hill kits.  Make something similar each year and always put a woven label on the back with the year ... I love getting them out each year and reminding myself just how long I have been doing these little tree decorations now.

They hang from a ribbon.  Going to have to get back to this post tomorrow with better photo's!

Done & dusted ... Part 2

Following on from the cards I made for this Christmas I also made 21 wooden hearts ... each one different but all using the same range of papers from Kaisercraft.

Hubby cut them all from a sheet of plywood for me (would have preferred MDF but couldn't get any!!!) - plywood not ideal due to the way it splinters but the end result was just fine and everyone who got one seemed to like them.

For the third year running I made just 7 keepsake tags ... the idea stemmed from memories from being a little girl when each year out came some cardboard Father Christmas designs that my mommy had had since she was a child.  Each year they became a little more damaged until eventually they fell apart.  I love the idea of getting stuff out each Christmas and then carefully packing it away again just to get it out again the following year and I hope the keepsake tags will prove to be equally sentimental to the people who receive them.
This year's tag had to be totally different to the previous two years so, yet again, the poinsetta die came into use.

And then there was all the cross-stitched gifts ... appearing in Done & Dusted Part 3!

Done and dusted

Oh golly gee all that effort! All that panic!  The stiff neck and sore fingers and aching back and STRESS trying to get all the crafting done in time for Christmas and now, here we are, with Christmas three days behind us and I have to ask myself if it was all worth it?  

Have already had The Conversation with myself not to get into the same position next year when you try to do so much you end up almost hating what you are doing and it becomes a chore ... but then you hear back from people who got a little pressie and they are so kind and appreciated what you did and, well, let's just say I probably will do it all over again for next Christmas ... just need to remind myself to start in June!

So, in all I made around 72 Christmas presents but forgot to take pictures of some of them ... duh!  I fully planned on laying everything out on my dining room table and getting a general overview shot of it all but had to get parcels wrapped to send abroad long before I had finished stuff needed for closer to home so that plan went by the wayside.

Do have a few photo's to put here to record the marathon crafting session so here goes.

The card blanks did EVENTUALLY arrive but just caused more stress as all the toppers I had ready to attach were too big!  Quickly decided to make them my preferred "postcard" style of card and just matted them all onto white card which I printed a little festive verse and they were then ticked off the To Do list.  I did two colourways ... red & black & a navy blue / pale blue combination.

I did get a little carried away with the Tim Holtz Tattered Poinsetta die this year and did various colour combinations on various cards for special friends and family.

Then I made a few cards on a *S*N*O*W*F*L*A*K*K*E* theme :

Then the final few cards saw a return to a design I did a couple of years ago but just loved :

That sees the cards covered here in blogland.  Going to put rest of the Christmas stuff in a separate post or this will just be way too long!

The panic continues

Really really REALLY starting to get stressed now ... crafting around 16 hours each day and still the To Do list refuses to meet me halfway and start to diminish.  No idea what I am going to do.

STILL waiting for the card blanks to arrive but the fronts for them are all made ... well, minus the little gems to stick on as I figured it would be easier to attach them to the cards without the gems in place ... thinking ahead, see!

It has occurred to me that even if I get everything made and bought I will have no time left to wrap it all so am getting in a tizz about that.  There is no way the parcel to Australia is going to arrive in time for them to open on Christmas Day now ... it will still be mid-flight at this rate.

Ho Hum!  The jolly festive season has a lot to answer for.

WOYWW 235

How can it be a week already!  Don't blog for months and then suddenly here I am again having even managed to blog in between all this WOYWW'ing.  

For anyone new to my blog then WOYWW stands for What's on your workdesk Wednesday and is the brainchild of the wonderful Julia Dunnit who, each week, gives us the chance to pop over to peek at the workdesks of fellow crafters.  Want to join in?  All those other workdesks can be found here at Julia's STAMPING GROUND

Mr Postman from my previous post let me down BIG TIME (guess it's not really his fault!) and I am STILL waiting for the card blanks to arrive for our Christmas cards BUT the fab - u - lous IndigoBlu stamp did arrive yesterday so I was able to crack open the pots of embossing powder and make a start on the cards ... never, ever, EVER been as late as this but won't repeat myself as to why because last week's WOYWW covered all that sorry tale!

So was up at stupid o'clock in order to Carry On Crafting (hey, that should be a film!!!) and then remembered it is Wednesday so here is my workspace to share ... just the dining room table today as I was SOooooo cold recently and need to be by the radiator.

OK ... first two are a sort of left side / right side of table kinda shot ... I can craft but am a dreadful photographer so bear with me please.

After much experimenting I decided to go with silver for the message ... half the cards will be a dark navy blue with pale blue ribbon and gems and the other half will be black with red ribbon and gems ... will try and add a photo' later today if I ever get as far as the black ones!

And finally a close up shot of the shine on the embossing ... a technique I continue to love to do even though it is time-consuming.  Was going to leave the stamping un-embossed but ... well, did one as a "let's see what it looks like embossed" ... and that was it really ... no contest!

Right, now I have to go and do that linky thing again and then back to the coal face or these cards simply won't ever get made.

Happy Crafting ... Happy WOYWW'ing 

xXx