Another Year!

It's birthday time again for Evan - two on 5 April. Disney Pixar Cars is his theme of the moment, so our card to him is a large 8x8" card decoupage (Craftsuprint cup457045_416) surrounded by a border of his favourite vehicles. The decoupage (papertole) is built up with silicone on the background, then matted and layered onto holographic card with the corners punched. A banner and a 2 placed on top finishes it all off.

Happy 2nd Birthday Evan

I printed an insert with still more images, from Mater's Tall Tales: a spin-off from the movies, which Evan loves, as the stories are much shorter. Mater and Lightning McQueen with (U.F.M.) Unidentified Flying Mater is so cute!

Card seen from above

Cars even made it onto the cake

Other themes running through the birthday are Fireman Sam, Lego Duplo, Brio and diggers. You can see the evidence around the room.

Studying the card intently

Virtual Gardening

There were just three of us at the craft group but we had fun making up a Sandie Burchell craft kit from CraftsUprint (see right hand side panel on blog for link). Three pages were printed out on 160gsm white card, cut and assembled to give a decoupaged-style triangle 3D card to send to anyone who loves flowers. The personalisation is on the back and could have text boxes added via the computer before your sheets are printed out. All three of us were successful as we kept pace with each other.

Gardening x3

I have tried these kits before, making a crafting one (can't find my own photo of it made up!) and a handbag one - and they are great fun to do.

In the Garden

Handbags and Shoes

Crafting

Hope you're enjoying your crafting. It really is summer here in Scotland, we have had the most amazingly warm and sunny weather. So no complaints about not having a summer this year.

To Shop or not to Shop

Blog prompt #24

Are you more of a fan of craft shopping online or do you believe in supporting your bricks and mortar shop.

Well, as I blogged yesterday, I like to support my real shop, Craft World, because there is so much more effort required to keep a retail shop open.  Online shops can often be more competitively-priced but then we could lose our convenience of just having a browse and a good sit-down with a cuppa.


Talking about online crafts shops, I use craftsUprint a lot because of the card-making variation from easy to difficult! Also CuddlyBuddly, the Glitterpot, Crafters Companion and Joanna Sheen for supplies. In fact it is far too easy to buy online! Docrafts, of course, has loads of products on display, and as you know, I particularly like their John Byars rubber stamps.


Of course, I love the twice-yearly ICHF Hobbycrafts Fair at the SECC in Glasgow, and it is so local for us.  The only thing is it is so tiring, it has to be done in short bursts with lots of sitting down, since Ruth and I both have mobility issues. Last time I spotted someone with something which I thought would make my craft shopping easier, and also transport stash to craft group, (that's my excuse anyway). As it was out of stock, I purchased this wheeled trolley on eBay.  It is a Crafter's Companion purple laptop-type suitcase, which can take my crafting bag (with all basic tools) linked on the handle.  In it there is loads of room for my cutting mat, scoreboard, A4 card, alcohol pens and all the project extras needed for the evening.  The only thing better than it would be one of those trolleys with a seat on it!

My Favourite Craft Shop

Blog prompt #23

Write about your favourite craft shop.

Craft World, formerly Craftology, in Hillington, Glasgow is my favourite real-world craft shop, where you can actually see and touch the products before you buy. There's lots to see.

It's about half an hour from my house but much nearer if we go together from craftywhippet's abode! It's pretty large with a wide selection of products.  Owned by Donald, there are frequent demos and classes on offer, with a sofa and free coffee area for the long-suffering waiting husbands and tired-out crafters.

I'm pleased to say HP has arranged to replace my printer. Today I was able to get my cards printed at Ruth's and tonight I finished the one for the upcoming birthday - I will show you after the recipient sees it, shhh, cos it's Ann from the Craft Group... Terribly annoying but after cutting it out,  I lost one of the little pieces of the decoupage. Where it went I do not know, I even emptied the bin.

Finally, for you, Rita, I photographed Ruth's Tatty Teddy in his fur coat, as promised in our chocolate video, where we saw a different side of craftywhippet!

Inspired By Colour

Blog prompt #21

Todays blog prompt is... Inspired By Colour. Keep this craft related please :-) 

Ah, colour.  Back to choices again.  I cannot see past blues, particularly in the turquoise range.  Perhaps you've noticed the teal theme going on in the Blog and YouTube etc? Then you'll have spotted that if it's to do with craftywhippet it's pink!


But when it comes to card making then I have to think of what the recipient's colours are, along with what appeals to them. I've got some cards to make and I chose some nice ones from craftsUprint. What happens? My HP printer, which is only six months old, decides to act up, won't take the card and informs me that all 4 (fairly new) cartridges are faulty. I've contacted Amazon because I'm less than happy about this.


However, after that digression, back to colour - excellent information can be found at the Art Factory about drawing and colour - most useful for a crafter. Then there's the prism, which I'm sure you all love to see happening in crystal (remember the film Pollyanna with Hayley Mills?). And what about rainbows? They definitely come into the crafting arena as they can be photographed!









I needed to make a couple of cards for baptisms and thought I'd do something a bit different. I've bought the Tim Holtz Bigz Sizzix die of a Vintage Globe with the intention of using it for Christmas cards. I cut it out on really holographic card, which then reflects light like a prism and gives the most interesting effects.  The person's name, date and suitable text were added to textured blue-ocean card and this is the result.

Craft Fair Spring 2012

It's that time of twice-a-year again when we visit the SECC in Glasgow for the ICHF Hobbycraft fair - oh fun!


The highlight has surely got to be visiting CraftyBob at the CraftsUprint (see link on right-hand side of Blog) stall! 

We both got the brand new golden bag, as well as the purple craft bag, when we bought the lovely paper for printing on the cUp designs.

 We were rubber-stamped as crafters who had found CraftyBob!

We had great fun poring over everything.  I ordered Stampin' Up scallop and smooth oval greeting punches, as I am always borrowing Ruth's! 

The rest of my loot included self-assemble shelves for five A4 boxes, now placed near my printer, and pearlised red card for Christmas. Then there was baby decoupage and rubber stamps (guess who's going to be Grannies!!), tree metal stencil and nestability-type die-cut frames, cuttlebug borders, stickles, foam tape, silicone, desktop mini-tote (turquoise for me, pink for Ruth).

Ruth added Rock-a-blocks (rubber stamping) and more card to her purchases.

We were fascinated by the Inkylicious brushes which achieved the distressing/brayering effects. Memento ink pads (Tim Holtz distress inks, Adirondack and Versafine pads) are used.  Afterwards we had the cheek to buy more rubber stamps from the website! Well, it does produce results like these ones demonstrated on their stand: 

So a good time was had by all.  Hope you've enjoyed sharing it with us.

CraftyBag

After posting my crafty-bags-to-go, I've bought a new one, which takes my trimmer lengthwise, from craftsUprint for 1p! - well, £2.00 really with postage. If you'd like one, click the sponsor picture of Bob below, and from the site use the Search box, putting in Crafty Bob's Purple Craft Bag 

CraftyBob was giving them away free at NEC, Birmingham craft fair. We want you to visit Glasgow, Bob! You can also link to craftsUprint from my sponsor link on right hand side of blog. The idea is you buy sheets to download and print as often as you want.

Bute Craftathon: Day 2

Well, our late night caught up with us on Monday morning. I was sharing a twin room with Alice. The very first thing she said was "well that's the nearest thing to a motorbike I have ever heard!! How can someone so small snore and make so much noise?" Only friends can get away with comments like that so I said I hoped it had at least had a volvo engine. "Nasal strips for me tonight and hopefully that will give my friend a peaceful night." I didn't hear a thing!!

Calm Monday

Morning

We went downstairs having finally wakened (Ann and Jeanette had gone for a brisk walk round the bay and came back full of the joys of spring) ready to tackle our next project. Jean's project was a Christmas gatefold card very cleverly designed. It was an A6 gatefold with a design on either side of the front and on the inside. The centre was a nativity scene matted and layered but...it lifted up to reveal a little pocket and tag - ideal if you wanted to send some money. Away in a Manger was meant to be on the inside of the card but I put mine on the outside by mistake. Now there are no mistakes in crafting and I explained that it was much more sensible to have it where you could see it looking in on the manger on the inside but I don't think they believed me. More photos!

We had lunch from the boxes made up on Sunday night.

Afternoon

When we went through for our afternoon session there at my place was a pink glittered cowgirl hat. It looked wonderful and when turned upside down was very useful as our  rocking bin, lined with a plastic bag, from CraftWorld in Glasgow, of course. 

We moved to Ann's project, feeling we were doing really well. We were given a beautiful design/stencil folder which had been put through the cuttlebug machine for us to pick out the design, and a piece of card to distress. This colours it to give the background to the pattern on the design. Well, Jeanette was ecstatic about distressing inks and wanted to distress everything in sight. "I am really into this she said." It the became the joke for the rest of the time:  "oh, Jeanette you could distress that!" The little girl was stamped and coloured in using Pro Markers and new pens called Spectrum Noir. This completed Ann's project and....photographed yet again.

Next was Morag's project. A new way to fold a DL card with a classy lady on the front. We decided that we would add to the sides when we got home. We enjoyed adding some bling to make her sparkle. I could have taken some sequins off my hat but didn't.

Dinner time, clear up, and back down to the craft tables. One had been brought over in Ann's car and one in mine.

craftywhippet and craftyalice

Evening

You  will be getting tired now reading about all this crafting, but onwards and upwards we went with Alice's first project which took a while to assemble. Where did the quick and easy projects go? The little crosses were all cut out and ribbon placed in the centre so that they would hang nicely. By this time I would have like to hang Alice nicely for giving us such a long project. We debated the finishing of this card as it is bow fronted and difficult to finalise. We then made the matching envelope which was very effective.  Maybe the designer at CraftsUprint could answer that question. 

By ten o clock we were crafted out. Upstairs again, Jean's back, Alice's knees, and my back, what a sight we were going back upstairs. Doing well though, working through the projects. Tomorrow is another day. Before going to bed I had a job to do. Find these snoring strips to let Alice have a peaceful night...but did she? 

to be continued.......