DivineChoice Creations

Waiting Room or Craft Room

2012-01-25T23:20:00.000Z

I know the picture quality is not great. I was just too impatient to show off my latest charm. Do you detect a hint of Valentines? Thought it was about time I try to be a little attentive to the coming event.

It’s three months since my voice became so hoarse I am only able to speak very softly. It can be very frustrating in circumstances which until now I took for granted like asking for something in the shop or answering your phone on a busy street. It also means I had to go to hospital two days in a row to visit two different departments. The bus journey and the usually packed waiting room are good places for crafting but most people prefer to chat if they have a companion, watch the TV or read.

Hospital waiting rooms are exactly that. You rarely enter a waiting room to be leave within thirty minutes of arrival, unless it is to be taken to another waiting area. If there is a television it is rarely on something I want to watch and even if it is, you can barely hear it. Suppose it’s because we have to listen out for our names being called. You don’t want to miss your name... that would mean more waiting!

This is why I’ve developed a habit of bringing a knitting kit with me:

-needles
-yarn
-scissors
-stitch holder (I forgot that yesterday and had to improvise with my key ring)

Time passes and I use it to my advantage on the long bus journey and then in the waiting room, soothing any temptation to clock watch, pace back and forth impatiently or keep asking the nurse where I am in the queue. It was only when I’d completed the majority of the third little charm since leaving the house, that I noticed that I’d been waiting a long time. Over an hour! My arms ached so I put away the knitting. Then my name was called. Perfect timing.

Knitting certainly saved me from getting anxious and restless. Doesn’t have to be knitting. I’ve been known to do some cross stitch too. Seeing as the hospital is continues to be a regular fixture in my schedule, you know I’ll be using the time it takes up to keep on crafting.

Maybe one day I will meet another knitter or stitcher in a waiting room. I'd love that.

Lovin' Craft Bloggers #cbuk

2012-01-23T22:16:00.000Z

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Last night I took part in a tweetchat hosted by Hilary of Craft Blog UK who called craft bloggers to join in a discussion about blogging platforms. To follow the discussion and take part we used the hashtag #cbuk. It was brilliant. For an hour from 9pm (UK time) craft bloggers joined online and discussed their preffered blogging platforms. We all learned of platforms we’d never heard of before and discussed the pros and cons of our current platforms and how easy or not it is to change from one to the other.

We also talked about Bloglovin’ and on the strength of what other craft bloggers said I decided to explore it. Now as you can see on the right I have a Bloglovin' button. Always welcome a little more blog lovin'.

I am considering whether to move my blog to another platform, something I’ve been scared of doing having seen other bloggers move from one to another only to move back. There was more than one person yesterday who said moving to Wordpress was easy. @NoisetteAcademy’s Isa Maria said she did it in 5 mins!

So you see the tweetchat really got me thinking.

As well as that I found lots of lovely people and blogs to follow and lots of lovely new followers both on my blog and on Twitter.

Plus it was fun!

If you missed it yesterday you can look over the discussion by doing a search for #cbuk or better still, click the link.

There will be another tweetchat next Sunday at 9pm (UK) - the topic is to be announced soon. Follow @CraftBlogUK to keep in touch and join in.

See you there :)

Crafting On - Embroidery on Knitting

2012-01-22T18:35:00.001Z

Anyone who knows bereavement will relate to the challenges faced during the past couple of months but through it all designing and creating these little knitted bags keeps me motivated and focused. Apologies to card lovers for the lack of new cards but I just love making these charms. In this current episode of my craft adventure, I’ve created a variety of designs experimenting with colour combinations and styles.

The inspiration I spoke about in Handmade Inspirations and hinted at in Crafting through Loss continues this week when considering options to decorate some of the little knitted charms. I’ve used felt on some which worked well I thought. Wanting confirmation as well as advice I sought the opinion of Julie C of Julies Knit and Sew Corner. If you don’t know her work I would advise you to pay her blog a visit as soon as you’ve finished reading this post.

We became friends when I first started out on this crafting journey and her knitted pincushions was my first ever purchase of handmade items from a crafter met through blogging.

Her feedback was positive with a few pointers to improve on my design idea. She kindly checked over a draft of the pattern I’ve written for the Satchel Bag charm. I will be applying her advice as I plan to offer this and other patterns in the future, so if you're interested, let me know. Julie came up with lots of points I might have missed, very important ones too so it will be a while before they're ready.

Although the felt decorated bags are quite attractive I began to think about other ways to decorate them using the same yarn. Of course that means embroidery. I’ve only ever done cross stitch and blanket stitch so it was to the search engine I went.

Using the keywords 'embroidery on knitting' I found this great website which explained everything I needed to know on all the basic stitches... Knit Simple - Embroidery

and here are a couple more sites I found useful:

The Making Spot

Feather Stitch

You can see the result of what I learned from the Feather Stitch site above.

Of course I didn't just start on my completed charms. I still have some early, less successful charms which were great for practice. The lazy daisy stitch and chain stitches were the easiest to begin with and in no time at all I was ready to try it for real.

My first attempt is the one where you can see the before and after. The result encouraged me to go on and soon I'd embroidered about ten of my charms sometimes including seed beads for extra effect.

I won't embroider them all though...

Now I'm thinking about how to use my new skills to make more unique cards...

I hope you like my work so far. I'll be at Hackney City Farm Art & Crafts Market on Sunday 5th February, launching my new range but I'll tell you more about that soon.

Have a lovely week :)

Handmade Inspiration

2012-01-17T22:57:00.000Z

Photo from MariaPalito Cute Felt Toys

Inspiration can come at any time, usually when you least expect it. We sometimes go looking for inspiration doing a favourite activity which we use to generate that which we seek. Maybe you like to go for a walk or cycle. Perhaps you get your best ideas when you’re working in the garden or busy yourself with some other work around the house.

Some of us get our best ideas first thing in the morning. You wake up and there it is, an idea that demands immediate attention. You don't even bother to get out of your jim jams until you're done. Or maybe you are an evening crafter focusing on your new idea in the peace and tranquility of a sleeping house. All creative people will understand the powerful need to work on a new design idea as soon as it comes to mind.

When it was suggested to me late last summer that I broaden the products on my bi-monthly craft stall, I was at first struggling for inspiration. Putting my mind to the task was done at every spare moment and discussed with anyone who was interested. The question was what else could I make besides greetings cards?

Well there is that Sonic the hedgehog knitted blanket I’m still working on. Of course there's no intention of making those to sell. Knitting a few squares is a good for times when I need to ponder on ideas.

Whatever I came up with had to be something small, light, quick to make and desirable. It shouldn’t be expensive to make and could even be bought with pocket money. I learned all this by observing some of the best selling items at the previous market. I knew the criteria. Coming up with the idea came at a very unexpected moment.

I was busy doing my day job and noticed that bag charms adorned quite a few of the students backpacks. This thought brought me to key rings which are even more universal. OK I got an idea I can work with.

It was just a starting point. It fitted the criteria I had for my new product. Now I needed to determine what kind of key ring/bag charms I would make.

Inspiration is not always a smooth and simple affair is what I’m trying to say. It’s great to have a flash of inspiration and come up with a brilliant product with a period of focused application. Some of my best cards are created this way. So far I had a viable product but no details. It took a lot of thinking, talking, browsing and just being still, before the details became clear.

In the meantime I did image searches for handmade key rings and tried out possible techniques like making paper beads and even knitted beads in between checking out my favourite sites, browsing new ones, tweeting, clicking ‘Like’ and making comments.

Looking to see what kind of handmade products are already available helps one develop your own unique idea. Image searches allow you to see at a glance the wide variety and techniques used to create the selected item. Many key ring/bag charms were in the category of jewellery as they were made from pretty beads and chains. I guess that’s where I started thinking about the beads. I did not want to start buying beads though..

From Instructables - How to make paper beads

First I tried out making paper beads. I made a few using sites like Instructables for tips. Easy enough to make but oh so time consuming. Besides that I didn’t really enjoy making them so I abandoned that idea.

I do enjoy knitting so I thought I know I’ll try and knit some beads.

I found an instruction sheet on the web and got myself a set of double-pointed needles (DPNs) and set to work.

This was even worse than making the paper beads. Working with four DPNs was a skill step too far for me. Just because you got what seems to be a good idea don’t mean you got the skills to make it work. I didn’t have time to be struggling up any steep curves so I abandoned that idea.

buttercup boutique

I loved the felt key rings most of all. So pretty. Don’t you think?
Indigo Blue Designs
I loved them but did not have any idea where to go from there. So guess what I did then...

I returned to knitting blanket squares and just thinking.

Tiny Owl Knits

Have you heard of the Beekeepers Quilt? It is widely admired among the handmade community and was featured in the autumn edition of the UK Handmade magazine. I decided I’d like to try making one myself so I bought the pattern ready for a future project. It required DPNs so I was already equipped to get practising. It meant learning a few new techniques. So I forgot about thinking about key rings and bag charms and discovered abbreviations and instructions which meant I had to visit YouTube to find out how to do Kfb. In case you don’t know it means knit front and back of stitch. If that means as much to you as it did to me the first time I read that, this visual representation will surely make all become clear.

I’d made about four ‘hexipuffs’ using the yarn in my stash, stuffing them with the insides of an old pillow. I gave the grey one to the cat for a toy and the others were sent to UK Handmade for their summer competition.

Then I was in hospital with some cross stitch and my knitting project occupying my hands in between blood pressure checks, meals and visitors when I had another flash of inspiration. Of all the places to be when you get a great design idea, this is one of the most frustrating. I needed my DPN’s but I’d left them at home. So while knitting blanket squares I rolled the idea around in my mind. Thankfully I was discharged the next day and when I got home I put the blanket project to one side. The sofa in front of the TV became my craft area as I recuperated and switched between knitting and cross stitching developing the new product for my next stall.

Crafting is a great aid to recovery.

It was the techniques I learned through making hexipuffs which inspired my key ring/bag charms which are themselves little knitted bags. I kept my first attempts for my own use. I use one to store my USBs and another holds a few packets of seed beads. Once I perfected one design I’ve created lots of different designs also adding felt. I’ve even sold a few already. One of my favourites is this satchel bag.

The clue came from their purpose and they are just what I needed: simple and quick to make, cute and satisfying. I wanted them to be useful too, more than just decoration so I made sure they could be fastened. Some use buttons but most use snap fasteners. I experimented with using Velcro which worked out OK but not as well as I would like.

You can use them to hold a small note or to give with a cash gift. I use one to keep a pound coin in... it comes in very handy for the shopping trolley. Another knitter I met at the last craft market was using DPNs to make little jumpers. I showed her my then, tiny collection of knitted bag charms and she suggested I designed some especially for Valentines Day. Maybe someone would be inspired to use it to enclose a ring... that would be original!

This experience illustrates that if we keep our minds open and focused on purpose and intention, doing the things that make us happy, inspiration has a way of finding us.

Be inspired!

Thanks for reading! Have a great week :)

Crafting through Loss

2011-12-11T16:13:00.000Z

Since my last post a man who I was very close to, lost his fight with cancer. Ras Lilee was a complex man who was caring and attentive to the needs of others, a man who loved God more than anything, who lived life the way he wanted and was an irrepressible personality who people either loved or not. He could make you laugh, feel cherished but never held back from expressing when he felt hurt or anger. I loved him, seeing past his faults and I miss him more than I can say.

I am telling you all this because I need to be honest with the feelings I am working through. These are uncomfortable waters in which I travel and who knows long it will be before they become calm and less unpredictable. I know he would not want me to be always sad but I also know I must allow grief to take its course, recognise that I am on this difficult journey of adjusting to life without my supportive and loving bredren. No doubt some of you can fully relate and I hope forgive my need to share.

He was there when I began making cards and encouraged my creativity. The birthday card shown is the first I ever made for him and one of my earliest creations. He often ordered bespoke cards to give to others and was proud of me when I took the step of having a craft stall at my local Arts & Craft Market. Unfortunately he never saw my latest creation which I am developing for my future craft endeavours. No doubt he would be full of admiration and encouragement, coming up with suggestions of his own.

When I was trying to think of a logo to put on the back of my cards he came up with with the idea that all I create comes from me and so should reflect this. This is why my logo is a representation of me. He made feel it was okay and the positive response of others confirmed he was right.

I take comort in the fact that he is no longer suffering pain. He is loved and missed by all his family and friends. I can talk to him wherever I am and I can cry if I want to and smile when remembering the good things we shared. Some days I am happy and some days I am terribly sad. Through it all I have faith and prayer and my creativity.

Last weekend the third Arts & Craft Market day took place. You can see my collection of photos from the day by clicking here. Because I am dealing with health issues I'd already decided not to have a stall this time. I did take the time to visit and the warm welcome I received made me glad I did. Naturally this was a Christmas market and it was bigger than ever taking up three rooms. I visited every stall meeting old friends and new crafters alike. I took along some of my new knitted keyring/bag charms that I am working on to show Ms Cat, the market organiser. She was so pleased with them she was prepared to offer me a stall there and then, free of charge! I was touched by that but was in no way able to take up her kind offer but I really appreciated the thought.

I've made fewer cards than usual at this time as I had my part to play in preparation of laying my bredren to rest but I did manage to create an advent card from a design in Crafts Beautiful magazine. I've already given that one to a memmber of my family and I have other cards ready to send with love to other family members. I've also sent a few of my knitted keyring/bag charms to my Mum who immediately fell in love with them and ordered a few including one for herself.

I continue to work on creating different designs and this helps me to work through this new chapter of my life. I am thankful to my family and friends for all their love and support through this difficult time. Most of all I am thankful to God for the life of one who left the mark of his love forever in my heart.

Thrifty Christmas Card Making

2011-11-24T19:01:00.000Z

Still being in recovery mode means I'm crafting quite slowly so apologies for not posting sooner or more often. The best thing about these past weeks is that there is plenty of time to work leisurely through ideas for Christmas cards.

The Xmas bells card idea was sketched out about a couple of weeks ago in between cross stitching. Creating templates for my bells was completed over the weekend and then today I completed making the first example. This design makes use of some old Christmas gift wrap paper and silver card and some ribbon from my stash. I call it the first example because I want to make another one and make it even better. I also think it would make a great project for thrifty crafters so I will be writing a tutorial as soon as I can.

One technique I've long admired is quilling. So when I saw the 'Have a go' kit with the latest Crafts Beautiful magazine, I had to have it. It includes everything you need with a mini tutorial book of great ideas and projects to work on.

If you've ever been curious about paper quilling and admired the technique, this is a good value kit. Look at this beautiful card I made. The only thing required for this kit that I do not own is a circle punch. It was good old compass, pencil and craft knife strategy for me but if I had any criticism then it would be this. I dislike projects that say you need a particular expensive tool or some papers that you have to purchase while telling you to 'Have a go'. I know the aim of these tutorials is to boost sales but not all of us have the funds to buy all the stuff we need to complete it exactly as described in the magazines. Which is why I try and come up with ideas that use what I have already and ways to work round the use of fancy tools.

Another option is making use of free downloads which is the plan for my next Christmas card project. I'll tell you more about that in a future post.

Please note that I do not make Christmas cards for sale but to give to my family and friends. This allows me to use and experiement with other peoples designs as well as my own and to use resources intended for non commercial use.

I'm also busy knitting the picture blanket.... there are roughly 500 squares still to go before the next stage. Makes for interesting conversations while sitting in hospital waiting rooms, something I've been doing a lot recently. One woman who saw me busy with my needles remarked, 'I haven't seen anyone knitting for years!' Imagine that :)

Happy week everyone!

Christmas Cross Stitching

2011-11-04T19:18:00.002Z

It's been a while... hope you are all doing okay. This is the first time since my op that my brain feels good enough to blog so here is a quick post to show you what I've been doing in recent weeks besides lying around under medication.

I don't know what it is about cross stitch but I find it the best craft to do when waiting, both before and after medical intervention. This little Christmas bear was one of two projects I worked on while waiting for most of the day to be called to prepare for my operation. (I knitted a few blanket squares too).

The picture above was taken before I was called but a few days later I completed all the backstitch while on the ward. I forgot to take a photo though. Sorry. I'll post a photo of the finished card once that stage is done.

Since returning home I've done a little knitting and started working on a cross stitch gift pack project that came with "Enjoy cross stitch at Christmas" magazine. It's supposed to take about four hours...

Each day I've taken a picture recording my progress to post online so if you follow me on Twitter or check into my Facebook page you will have seen these pics throughout the past week.

I love doing these little Christmas designs. The pack includes all the thread you need and an large sheet of Aida to cut into 9cm x 9cm (3 1/2 inch x 3 1/2 inch) sections. They appeal to cross stitchers of all levels and are perfect therapy. The magazine provides over 100 projects to keep your fingers stitching happily.

I prefer to work in daylight which also affects the amount of time I can spend stitching. Once I've completed a few I will make them into cards for friends and family.

It took about a week to complete this one but I am already looking forward to doing my next cross stitch design as I continue on that road to recovery. Think I'll do that cross stitch card kit my mum gave me. I wonder how long this one will take.

Card Stall Craft and other News

2011-10-10T00:02:00.000+01:00

Well it's been quite a week. Feels much longer though, more like a whole season. There is a dramatic change in temperature as I write this. Today it is more than chilly and my knitted blanket is keeping my legs warm. Last weekend I worked sleeveless, with open windows, preparing for and working at my craft stall for the second Arts & Crafts Market at Hackney City Farm. The glorious weather also contrasted the sun and rain during the previous market. This time there were even some stalls outdoors though I and most of the other stalls were indoors.

One element of my preparation involved the creation of some projects to occupy my hands during inevitable quiet periods. I printed a sheet of my potted plant drawing to cut out. It needs very careful cutting so doing this while sitting watching early visitors pass through was very soothing.

I also brought some other projects...

On my stall I created a small work area with my craft mat, scissors, sticky pads, double sided tape, regular tape and a small bottle of wet glue. Beside these I placed a small pile of unfinished cards each in their own cellophane envelope with all the elements needed to complete them. I call them 'kits'.

Other stall holders were creating new jewellery, red and white silk roses and painting little ornaments while greeting visitors and responding to questions and admiration of their work from fellow crafters as well as visitors.

Facebook fans will have already seen my status about my 'kits' as I was so pleased with the way it worked out. I'll definitely do it again.

I was also inspired to try to think of something else I could create by Ms Cat who organises the craft fair. She likes us to make good sales and keeps a check on how we are doing through the day. Sales were quite slow for me but my neighboour had a really good day. Not surprising as his stall had a wide variety of items and attracted a lot of attention from all visitors. It was very quirky and much were made from recycled materials.

As the market drew to a close Ms Cat asked me if I made any other things to sell besides cards but at first I could not think of anything I could do. My cross stitch cards and knitting projects are not really for sale as they take so much time to create and I generally give them away to family and friends. She did get me thinking though...

The next Arts & Crafts Market will be on the first Sunday in December which as the one before Christmas, it's easy to see why many stall holders booked their stalls before leaving. I was not one of them as for the next month or so I must focus on my health as I face a period of medical attention.

I've got my knitting project to work on and I am also doing a little cross stitch work for Christmas cards. However after much thought on what I could make to sell on any future craft stalls I have an idea of a product that will make use of my paper scrap stash and even pages from old magazines. You can see I was inspired to recycle by my stall neighbour. I'll tell you more about that in a future blog post. At the moment I am practising the skills needed for my idea, which is not as easy as it first appeared.

There will be a short break in blog posts, even shorter on my Facebook page and Twitter for a while but you can be sure I'll be crafting when I can.

Before I finish this post though, just in case you didn't see my posts on Twitter, Facebook and so on, the winner of the My Memories Digital Scrapbooking Software is Julie C who said...

"I just watched the video I know its not my usual craft but this looks quite fun to try. I like the idea of a calendar since just seeing yours which looks really good. I have just checked out the packs at the mymemories.com and I like the All Summer long pack."

A very deserving winner as Julie regularly comments on my blog posts and bigs me up on her own blog including writing about the My Memories giveaway. She's already enjoying her prize and is very pleased to try something very different from her 'usual craft'. She makes beautiful knitted pincushions among other things and also loves to sew. In fact it is Julie's work that inspired me to get my knitting needles out after not doing so for many years. Check out her blog Julie's Knit and Sew Corner to follow her craft.

Speaking of knitting, the deadline for the Big Knit 2011 is this Friday the 14th so I'd better get my mini hats in the post...

To keep in touch with what I'm doing during the time before the next blog post you can follow me on Twitter and my Facebook page, send me a message, make a comment, show me what your making or any tips you have for managing your craft stall...

Thanks for reading and keep in touch :)

Enter the Giveaway!

2011-09-19T22:34:00.000+01:00

This past weekend I promised myself some time to focus on card making including colouring some of my digital stamps. I'm experimenting with using colouring pencils and Sharpies together.

I also expected to be selecting a winner for the giveway I launched in a previous blog post. The number of entries are lower than I'd expected. Not really happy about that as it's not much of a draw or a competition if there isn't at least four or five people entered and I didn't even have that!

I've tweeted, and posted on my various walls on various sites and there have been plenty of visitors. Maybe I just need to give it a little more time to attract the minimum number of potential winners. I want to focus on preparing for another important day for my craft enterprise so I made a decision...

There is now more time for you to enter the My Memories Suite Software Giveaway... the new deadline is now Sunday 2nd October 6pm London time. All you have to do is visit MyMemories.com and browse their digital paper packs. Choose your favourite, come back to my blog and comment, telling me the name of your favourite pack and you're in! Just like that.

When you're done, I'd appreciate it if you would tell your friends and share it in your networks. I hope some more you will take a little time to enter.

The winner of this software giveaway will receive a code which will allow them to get a free copy of the digital scrapbooking package My Memories Suite v2, billed as "#1 rated", directly from the online store.

I've been using my copy recently to try different projects... creating unique background papers for card making, using my photos to make printable cards... haven't printed anything so no photos yet... sorry. I'm resisting the urge to print until I make something I'm really happy with in an effort to save ink and card which I like to use as I get a better quality result.

Visit the previous post and watch the video to see the range of items you can create and it's not just for card makers or scrapbookers.

The new deadline for the giveaway falls on the evening of the 2nd of October after the 2nd Arts & Crafts Market at Hackney City Farm when I will have another craft stall.

Although I have quite a bit of stock I'm still telling myself I need to make more cards for the next Arts & Crafts Market early next month. Trouble is I'm going through a period of lacking inspiration.

Determined to get on with making some cards I decided I was not leaving the craft space until I'd made at least four cards. Because I feel that people will want them I am attempting to make Christmas cards but not sure this is working for me. Nevertheless I achieved my goal... four cards I wanted to make and that's what I did.

There are times when I immediately like what I've just made. I can't wait to share it, posting photos on my Facebook page or Twitter.

I am not having one of those times.

These cards are alright but very uninspiring. I know I can do much better.

I tried to use papers and embellishments I've collected over the years. In an attempt to make do with what I have, I hope to create some nice cards.

I'm still hoping...

...and I'll continue to craft through the block. Wish me inspiration...

Thanks for reading :)

While I Was Browsing Folksy...

2011-09-17T01:17:00.000+01:00

...I found these.

Thought it would be nice to share with you some of the handmade products that caught my eye...

Goldfinch, felt bird ornament by Lupin Handmade

Making Hay Linoprint ref 055 by Zebedee

Leaf Brooch Harris Tweed and Felt by Aileen Clarke Crafts

popup house with congratulations banner by Paper Fiction

ACEO original watercolour of Fuschia flowers by Brushes and Bodkins

seal by Jeff Soan :: wooden creatures

Large Vintage Tawny Owl Linocut in black by PRINT for LOVE of WOOD

I started this post with one bird and I'm ending it on another. For some reason every time I see an owl I want to call it Hedwig....

Thanks for visiting. Drop me a line and let me know you was here :)

Til next time...

My Memories Suite! It's A Giveaway!

2011-09-05T22:55:00.000+01:00

Yes that's what I said... It's A Giveaway! MyMemories.com offered me a free copy of their latest digital crapbooking software package and another copy for one of my wonderful readers, giving you the chance to get a copy of the My Memories Suite v2. FREE!

That's not all... Use the following code to get a 10% discount on purchase of the My Memories Suite Digital Scrapbooking Software : STMMMS67763.

At first I thought the My Memories Suite was just for scrapbookers. I mean, it is called a digital scrapbooking software package but that is not the limit of what you will be able to create. You can create photobooks, cards and calendars. It was a different way of making cards than I'm used to so it took a little time to get my creativity flowing. Once I'd browsed all the choices available and how to change the order of elements on the page I was quite pleased with the autumn theme card I created. Actually I am going to give this card away too. Once the winner of the scrapbooking software is selected, I will select another from all other entries to get this fun card complete with envelope.

The My Memories Suite also enables you to present your creations in digital format adding videos, music and narration and embed on your website or copy to a DVD.

I'm looking forward to getting into that part of the package.

Visiting the My Memories Suite website you will discover there are more creative elements you can add to the suite including some which are free of charge... simply download. There are background papers, shapes, embellishments, even Word Art... the list goes on. Be sure to note what kind of element you are downloading so you know which folder to locate it. Don't make my mistake... I downloaded some calendar resources and did not note whether they were embellishments or background papers or one of the other choices in the software... and there are many. Took me a little longer than I like to find my downloads. Still I managed to create a decent looking calendar on my first attempt.

Just imagine what you could do with your own photos!

My Memories Suite channel on YouTube presents to you the full range of creative possiblities of using your photos and sharing your memories with family and friends. Watch this to see what you could win in this great digital scrapbooking giveaway:

So how can you get this digital scrapbooking software package for no money I hear you ask. I'm about to tell you...

To enter the giveaway you need to:

* Visit MyMemories.com and browse through their digital paper packs. Choose your favourite and then come back here to the blog and let us know which one you chose in the comments. That will get you one entry to win the My Memories Digital Scrapbooking Software package.

You can get more entries by doing one or more of the following:

* follow the My Memories Suite blog

* visit and like the My Memories Facebook page

* follow My Memories Suite on Twitter

These last three opportunities to enter the giveaway are optional, so it's up to you but please come back and let me know you've entered. You can comment on this post on Blogger or my Facebook Page.

That's a maximum of four entries for each of you, your friends and your families.

Each entry will be assigned a number and the winner will be chosen using Random.org on Sunday 18th September.

So spread the word and have a go. Mmm... now what should I make the subject of my first video.....?

Rainbows, Handmade Cards & The Big Knit 2011

2011-08-29T19:03:00.000+01:00

Sunshine and rain seem to be alternating as if to remind us that it's still summer but warning us that autumn is nearly here. The good thing about the weather is I don't have to water the veg beds and it's brought one of my favourite natural phenomenon - a rainbow.

Made a wish - do you make a wish when you see a rainbow?

Weather like this gives me a good excuse to stay indoors when I should be going out. Last week I had to go out to book my stall for the second Arts & Crafts Market which is on October 2nd. Due to a huge rise in interest from crafters I had to book way earlier than expected. Ms Cat told me that the next market will also be much bigger, expanding from one room to two! All good news but on the day I was going to Hackney City Farm, the morning began with grey clouds and lots and lots of rain. I planned to get my bike out of the shed but riding in the rain... no thanks.

Luckily for me the rain stopped and the sun came out.

I didn't ride the whole way as I am so unfit that I had to walk for some of the way, especially anywhere near busy traffic. I am a very nervous cyclist. Even cycling through the park is nerve wracking because of all the speedy young fit ones whizzing by with barely a ding of their bell... that makes me wobble. But I made it there and back in a couple of hours. Just as soon as I got in the rain fell again.

Despite the rain it's been a good end of my summer break. I made my first wedding card for a friend. You can't see all the clear embossed flowers decorating the card in the photograph along with the border print and gold strips. Took more than one photo but I could not get them to show up. Going to have to work on those photography skills. Anyway as this card was not for sale it is just as well it looks better in person.

I also created a new step-by-step project on my VideoJug page using a digital stamp I found a few years ago. It shows you how to create a decoupage poinsetta for Christmas cards. I'm going to use this for some personal cards myself but I am hoping some of you will give it a go and show me photos of your completed cards.

Christmas cards will form the focus of any cards I make in the next few weeks hoping that there will a demand for some at the Arts & Crafts Market in October. I don't usually make Christmas cards to sell so this is a new venture brought about because of the craft stall.

By far the main crafting done these past couple of weeks involves knitting but not just for my own project but for a fundraising campaign for Age UK. I'd never heard of The Big Knit but apparently it's been going on annually for quite a few years, some of that time under a different name - Supergran would you believe. All you have to do is make mini hats which will be used to put on Innocent drinks. For every one sold Innocent will donate 25p to Age UK which will be used to support elderly people and ensure they are kept warm over the winter. So if you're into knitting or even new to knitting this is a great way to use your skills for a worthy cause. There is loads of time to get involved - deadline for sending in your hats is October 14th. Visit the site to get knitting patterns for each skill level, videos showing you the basics of knitting and a great gallery of hats to inspire you more, if not already inspired by the photos of those I've made so far myself, some finished and some still in progress.

Finally I am currently working with a digital scrapbooking software package that can be used to create more than scrapbooking pages. I will be reviewing it in my next blog post and telling you how you could get it for yourself... in other words it's will be a giveaway! Yay!

Look out for that soon :)

Sonic Handmade - My BIG Knitting Project

2011-08-14T01:22:00.001+01:00

At the beginning of my summer break I hinted at a project I'm working on outside of card making. It is, as the title describes, a BIG project. I'm making it as a gift for my beloved grandson who loves Sonic (among other games). But you guessed what it is already didn't you, from the title and the picture at the top of this post? I am knitting blanket squares. I say squares but what I'm attempting to knit are actually pixels. The pixellated picture of Sonic the hedgehog was kindly given to me by my brother when I told him about an idea I wanted to start working on... that was last year.

Sorry to say we're dealing with some daunting family issues which means I am further away from completing this project than I would like but this summer my enthusiasm is reignited and work is continuing whenever I get the chance.

The great thing about knitting is you can do it anywhere... in the garden, at the bus stop, on the bus, in hospital waiting rooms and of course in front of the TV. I've been visiting hospitals regularly (a bit too regularly for my liking) this past year as I am living with a condition that the doctors have decided requires surgery. They said it would be done this summer but NHS waiting lists are living up to their name. But I'm not tapping my feet impatiently. I'm working on my cards and I'm planning to occupy myself with working on this project as often as I can before, during and after my recovery. Yes I am bringing it to the hospital. As soon as the haze of anaesthetics drifts away and I can sit up, I'm getting the knitting out.

Looking through my posts tagged 'knitting blanket squares' or 'knitting project' you can find reference to this current project and the inspiration for it in a post called 'Knitting Blanket and More Craftivity'. There you will see when I started planning and working out what I would need to get started.

The hardest thing about this project aside from the amount of time it will take to complete, was working out a guide to work from. It was not easy to match the colours in the spreadsheet program I used to create my pattern from the original pixel pic. On screen the colours look one way, the hard copy looks another. Printers eh! Therefore I am not even certain I've done this as well as I'd like.

When working on the pattern I decided to give the picture a different background as white is not really practical (I'm still having second thoughts on this).

Then trying to match the colours to available yarn in my nearest arts and craft store is another challenge. One rule I have is to buy all the balls of yarn I need for one colour at a time. This is one reason why I used a spreadsheet program to create the pattern. It was easy to work out how many squares for each colour, totals for the whole blanket and will help when I come to the sewing bit. One ball of yarn can make almost 80 'pixels'. The various shades of blue is the biggest colour challenge and I've yet to find the pale, pale grey/blue that fits. Still let's hope I manage to make it at least look like Sonic when I am done.

Each square is ten stitches wide so in a good hour I can make about five or six. Last week I had a long wait in the local hospital outpatients and made about seven during the time I sat waiting for my name to be called.

Well I've just worked out I've completed 290 squares out of a total of 1345. Doubt I'll finish it by Christmas as I'd like and I'm not even sure if I can complete it by my grandson's eighth birthday in February. So now I've got another challenge. Do you think he'll still like Sonic by the time I'm finished? At this rate he'll be about ten!

My First Craft Stall

2011-08-09T01:17:00.000+01:00

Today my local area is in the news for reasons that sadden me. When the riots in London started on Saturday night I was blissfully unaware of the drama unfolding as I finished preparing my cards, creating a price list and checking details of what I needed for the coming day, including food and drink. I heard the news but I could not take it in. I needed to focus on trying to get a good night's sleep.

In the end it was a disturbed night. I woke too early and did not immediately go back to sleep. Not surprising considering...

Sunday 7th August marked the day when I would manage my first craft stall and present my work to visitors to the launch of the Arts and Crafts Market in the Hackney City Farm as featured in my previous blog post.

As the day began with bright sunshine and lots of butterflies of the tummy kind, hopes were high for a good day. The room being used for the Arts & Craft Market was busy with crafters setting up their stalls. I was greeted warmly by Ms Cat, the organiser who directed me to the table which was my stall. Everyone looked like they had done this before.

I took out my pretty cloth which I'd ironed that morning. It fitted perfectly. Then I took out the card display units handmade at home from cardboard boxes and the printed signs made to make my stall attractive to potential customers. With almost an hour to opening, there was plenty of time to select which cards to set out first. Ms Cat advised me that the cloth I'd chosen was going to detract attention from my cards but fortunately I could use blank areas to lay out my cards using the coloured areas to frame them. I also had a couple of shelf areas on which to arrange my cards behind the table. It all looked as good as I could make it.

A moment or two outside in the breezy morning sunshine allowed time to relax and take a breath to prepare for the next five hours which I expected I would spend smiling and greeting. There were already lots of familes and couples visiting the farm and the cafe was buzzing. I saw a chicken walking around over the farm gate, pecking at the ground and people were arriving with arms full of flowers and plants, purchased from the nearby Columbia Road Flower Market. The promised rain appeared to be staying away and so it looked like it was going to be a good launch day.

During the first hour of the market we had a few visitors but most were either on their way to or from the cafe. Much the same during the second hour. The smells from the room next door were making me hungry but it was too early to start eating so I concentrated on greeting anyone looking at my cards with a smile and sometimes even a few words, watching them as they checked out what was on offer. The ten stalls offering all kinds of wonderful handmade craft were politely admired by those passing through. Then there was a sale. Not on my stall but I felt happy knowing one of us sold something.... at last.

As the afternoon rolled on we each took time to stretch our legs in the quiet moments and visited each others stalls to admire their work. There was time to talk and discover where we set up shop online, other craft markets they'd worked in such as Of Cabbages and Kings, which took place the previous Saturday in Stoke Newington and our use of Twitter and Facebook. There was an interesting discussion on the merits of Etsy v Folksy. I was encouraged to set up shop on Etsy when I revealed I did not have a sellers account on that site, saying that I would find it great to use as there are many UK based crafters to be found there.

By mid afternoon it was so quiet that each of us found time to have a snack, browse or tweet on our phones. Ms Cat made a new sign to direct more traffic to our market placing it outside the door. I was optimistic that there would be a rush in the last couple of hours probably from people who having filled their bellies in the cafe would be ready to spend some money on something handmade. Then the rain came down.

It poured down actually.

The market started to get busy. Maybe because of the rain the number of visitors rose quite dramatically and they finally started shopping. I sold one card and then another. By three o'clock I'd made back my fee. I thanked God.

That target was very important to me.

One of the cards I sold was bought by a woman who wanted a birthday card that would cheer up a friend of hers who was going through a difficult time. I directed her to the cards on my handmade display unit by the window and she selected one of the cards I created most recently, pictured below. I was particualrly pleased with that sale and I really hope it lifts the intended lady's spirits.

The rain stopped and then started again drawing more people, including children inside. There were still moments when it was quiet enough for stall holders to chat and talk about their creativity or welcome friends who passed through in support. One of my work colleagues suprised me by stopping by with her partner who bought one of my cards and another item from another stall. It was really good to see a familiar face. The sale was a bonus and I am very grateful.

As the final hour ticked by, the rain stopped, the sun came out and there were a few more sales. I even sold the set of African notecards which I hadn't even priced. I brought them simply to decorate the stall! Not that I minded saying goodbye to them for a couple of pounds. It was my final sale and made the seal of a good day.

Even before we packed up we were all agreeing that it was a good launch but were sure that the next one in October would be even better. I'm planning on being there myself. I'm going to make sure I bring a plain coloured cloth though so I can display more cards.

I thanked Ms Cat for all her support as I said goodbye, assuring her I'd enjoyed my first day as a craft stall holder and I plan to be back.

Think I'll make some Christmas cards for that one.

Arts & Craft Market - Local Handmade

2011-08-02T19:27:00.000+01:00

My latest craft adventure started when I saw this poster via a tweet. A new Arts & Craft Market being launched featuring local handmade. Right up my street and just a short bus ride away. I wasted no time getting in contact with the organiser to apply for a table and in no time I was corresponding to arrange payment of fees and so on. The lovely lady, who also runs classes in mosaic expressed that one of her aims in organisng this event was to attract people who have never had a stall before. So I'm well in.

Hackney City Farm is very local and a familiar landmark on Hackney Road for at least two decades. It's a popular location for school visits and is visited by families on weekends.

The best thing about this market is that is small and is a real community market - just right for my first craft stall. I am looking forward to meeting other crafters and presenting my work to potential customers live. I do have some butterflies which is natural. It is a first step which is vital to progression. Plus I've had lots of encouragement from family and friends and on my Facebook page and Twitter stream.

For the past couple of weeks and for the rest of this, I am busy preparing for the big day this coming Sunday, making more cards to boost my stock and taking advice from articles such as this one Preparing your first craft fair on UK Handmade. Lots of great tips to guide my preparation.

There's no time to create a large fabric banner and no money to buy card display items like card spinners but as it is a small community market I think I'll be able to do without these things for this occasion. I am hoping to come up with a good handmade display idea but I won't stress myself. I'm sure I will get lots of ideas and tips for future occasions as there will be more - it's scheduled to take place every other month. I will take lots of pics and blog about the experience. It will be very special.

Lazy Days of Summer?

2011-07-18T23:47:00.000+01:00

Summer break from the day job started last week after much anticipation, with plans of being able to focus on card making and managing my Folksy shop and catching up with friends and family in between.

The relief of being free to do what ever I want with my days paired with a need to do nothing too active. The rainfall was welcomed as it saved me having to water my vegetables or even cut the grass.

I spent the first week waking up late, lounging around the house and enjoying the morning TV programmes on the BBC. However even when being lazy I found lots of things to do. There are some tasks that allowed me to relax with a purpose.

My Folksy Shop

All photos for my shop have to be edited to fit into the parameters of Folksy's display system i.e. square. I use this post on the Folksy blog to help me to remember how to do this and to check I am doing it right.

I organise my Folksy shop photos into a folder so I can easily find the specially edited photos easily when I am listing. That job done then I have to work on the next essential task.

If you're like me writing descriptions is a task you do not find easy. Or am I alone in this? Whenever I am faced with writing a shop description for items I want to list I get a bit anxious about what to say. To get started I recall a piece of advice I read somewhere and visit some of my favourite shops and browse the featured shops on the Folksy home page. Their descriptions are very helpful in giving you a starting point.

Visit my Folksy shop to see new items listed... so far! Let me know what you think of my descriptions. Do they achieve their purpose or am I falling short?

Sketching and Drawing

One of the things I want to work on this summer is drawing and creating images I can use for card making. So my sketchbooks accompany me on the soafa with my pencils and drawing pens. Despite attempts to use computer software for the task, hand drawn is still my favourite method of creating images. This summer I am practising and sketching different ideas - sometimes repeatedly. You can see a photo of one of the ideas I'm working on.

My inspiration for these sketches come from a book called 'Traditional African Designs'

Making cards

I find I am more creatively inspired when I am working to a brief. It's one of the reasons I relish the challenge and enjoy making bespoke cards. Look at the cardbook as an example. I was asked to make card that had something to do with music and libraries (my day job is in a library by the way).

Just before the end of term the bespoke card was presented in its custom made box along with other gifts to a colleague who was leaving to pursue music studies. The fittingly decorated little cardbook was filled with messages from the team wishing her well. She loved it and I got a nice warm feeling enjoyed all the more as I do not often see the immediate response in opening one of my bespoke cards.

Working with no brief except to make an attractive card is not so easy. When I sit at my craft table and start leafing through my background papers, I am not always quickly inspired. But I did create a few cards this week. One (which you can see above) was a very quick and simple make. The pink flower was so lovely I could not think of anything to do except make a sentiment panel to match. It is very attractive and I hope someone will like it as I plan to list it in my shop... as soon as I write the description.

I am still learning to make cards and add to my 'volume of work' and not worry so much if I don't think they are as good as I want them to be. I've got a bunch of cards that I would not list in my shop or even offer in a giveaway as I don't really like them. This video which I discovered last week on Craft Blog UK gives a great message to any creative person... press play and see what I mean.

Ira Glass on Storytelling from David Shiyang Liu on Vimeo.

Now isn't that really empowering?

Creating...

There is something else I can do while sitting in front of the TV which has nothing to do with card making or managing online tasks. With that in mind I got out another dormant project last week... but I'll write about that another time. I think I've rambled on enough for one post....

I hope you enjoyed it and thanks for taking the time to read and (in anticipation) for taking the time to comment ;)

Handmade Cardbook Keepsake

2011-07-03T17:57:00.000+01:00

I came up with an idea this week that really got my creative juices flowing - the result I call a cardbook. Not claiming to be the first to come up with this idea as there are other mini book cards out there but not quite like this I'd bet. The idea came out of a request for a handmade card with something to do with libraries. This post will focus on the creative process of the idea when it first occured to me. Since then I've made two, one I've given and the other... well I haven't decided yet whether to give it away or list it on Folksy.

The idea

I came up with a good idea this week - the cardbook is what I call it. It came out of a request for a handmade card featuring something to do with libraries.

After a full day on the day job I mulled over the request. I don't often work on cards after work as I'm often too tired to do more than a couple of tweets and relax with a game or two. However I needed to get this task done sooner than the weekend. So I lay down on my bed thinking of how to make a lovely card that had something to do with libraries. I did doze a little. Perhaps that helped because when I woke a few minutes later I remembered the Itsy Bitsy Book I made for my grandson a while back and thought, 'Why not make a card that is also a book?'

It could be filled with messages from colleagues and make a nice little keepsake. That was the spark I needed. I got up and got a few sheets of A4 paper to work out how to make the pages. I'd have to adapt the project as I needed it to be bigger than the Itsy Bitsy Book.

How big?

I decided to use a small square card blank as the cover and worked on creating the pages to fit. I reviewed the original tutorial from which I made my grandson's mini book and the folding principle. In that one the book is created by folding, cutting and refolding A4 sheets into a tiny book of 16 pages. I changed the method which would allow me to choose the number of pages and would require more glue.

Creating the pages

The pages were cut from a folded A4 sheet. First of all I folded the sheet in half lengthways and then into three using the original card blank as a guide. When folding the pages I made them slightly smaller than the height and width of the card.

The pages were then cut with a craft knife and metal ruler.

Using a gluestick I stuck these folded pieces to each other so each inner page is made up of two and all the folded edges are lined up, making the inner pages of the cardbook.

The next step is to trim the unfolded edges of the pages just to get a nice even edge.

A small piece of scrap was used to bind the folded edges together. Then I put it under some magazines to help it make it flat, while I got on to the next stage of creation.

The card covers

I decided to cover both front and back of the card that would cover the pages with the patterned paper selected. It's not essential but I think it looks better. When I created the second cardbook I also rounded the outside corners of both the covers and the pages.

The card cover is then stuck to the single outside pages of the book. A small piece of contrasting paper is cut and put aside to make the bound edge of the cardbook.

The Binding

To stiffen part of the binding a slim piece of card is cut and stuck to the centre of the binding paper which is then folded on either side. I used wet glue to fix the binding paper to finish off the book.

Completing the Cardbook

The front cover of the cardbook is then decorated using whatever fits the design. Then I made a little box in which to present the cardbook, which can also be decorated with some more of the paper and suitable embellishments.

The immediate response I got for the first cardbook I made was, "It's gorgeous". I hope you like the second one which features in the photos, as much.

Let me know what you think...

Thanks for reading :)

I, Creativity - It's My Story...

2011-06-26T15:26:00.000+01:00

So are you sitting comfortably? Then I'll begin...

I could just say that I've always been creative and making cards is just an expression of that. This is my story of my creativity and how I come to be making cards today.

The best thing about school was that it had big sheets of paper and lots of pencils and crayons and paint with pots of white glue for those fun times when you could paint and create. One day our teacher, who seemed like an old lady but she probably wasn't, introduced us to the squares of brightly coloured cloth with little holes (aida). We each chose a coloured thread to start with and discovered we were going to learn how to cross stitch. Brilliant day that was... seriously. I knew about cross stitch. It was a skill my mother excelled in.

I loved the scarecrow and farmyard design embroidered on the large tablecloth in wonderfully detailed cross stitch. I admired it every year when the embroidered red cloth adorned our Christmas dinner table. I must remember to ask her if I can take some pics of it when I next visit. My mum made it as a young girl in St. Lucia where she grew up and won a prize when it was shown as part of an exhibition. I never saw her actually doing any cross stitch though. When I was growing up she was more likely to be doing another form of sewing.

At home, mum was a machinist and I was accustomed to seeing her hunched over the industrial sewing machine as we watched TV or played with the drone of her work in the background. Material would arrive in great piles already cut into pieces, ready to sew and be taken away as completed dresses, or skirts or whatever she was making that week. She also made some of our clothes from patterns she created herself adapting styles she made for adults into something suitable for her young girls. Like the pink hotpants and skirt set she made after we asked if we could have a pair of the hot fashion item at the time. Brilliant for going to the park or the seaside. We could wear the skirt and then when we felt like running around we could whip it off and run about in our hot pants. No one else but me and my sister had a set like that and we loved them, especially because our mum made them.

If she wasn't sewing my mum was knitting, usually in preparation for an expected birth. I was fascinated with the speed in which she could create a full set of booties, hat and matinee jacket. My mum taught me how to knit when I was about seven during the summer holidays in response to my complaining of boredom. It wasn't a long process as mum was, as you can see, a very busy working mum so it was a case of, 'I'm showing you this once and then you'll have to practice'. It wasn't actually like that as every now and again she would lift her eyes from her own work to admire my effort even when it was full of holes from dropped stitches. But I'm a quick learner and I spent the rest of the summer practising knitting. I soon stopped dropping stitches and even learnt to speed up.

School was also the place where I learned I could draw a bit and I love to draw.

These memories mark the start of recognising my joy in being creative. Thinking about my story and how I got to where I am now raises so much that I could do no better than to start at those earliest experiences. Clearly my mother is the person that gave me a start along with school arts and crafts.

I won't pretend that my childhood was all happy and golden or my teenage years were not difficult. Throughout my life the one thing that continues to bring me happiness and ensure I stay on a positive path, or get back on it when I slip in negativity, is creativity...

I used to knit clothes for my sisters Sindy doll.

I used to knit hats or tams as we called them.

I once learned to crochet (taught by Mum) but I lost patience with it and went back to knitting. (I rediscovered crochet again via a Twitter follower - yay!)

I loved Art most of all at secondary school and college. I especially loved doing new things so pottery and working with clay was a special pleasure, for example. I struggled to work in paint though, favouring pencil, charcoal and pastels more.

A couple of the drawings I did as a teenager are still hanging up in my house and my mum has the first head I sculpted in clay and I have the second.

I did machine sewing at school but I was rubbish and still am. I couldn't stand having to thread the machine. I prefer to thread a simple needle.

I knitted some of my childrens baby clothes. Working with patterns was something I started doing only once I started having children. I taught myself how to read them by getting books from the library. I guess I like to give myself challenges.

I used to make little dolls out of yellow felt with wool dreadlocks, and their clothes some of which I knitted or made out of old clothes. Hand sewn of course... gave some as gifts to friends children. Kept a few for ourselves too :)

I used to buy A1 sheets of paper from the stationers and three tins of powder paint in red, yellow and blue so my son and daughter could have painting fun at home. I mixed the colours in plastic plates making six colours out of the original three. We used pieces of an old sponge as brushes and on at least one occasion I cut some potatoes so they could do potato printing.

I took about three days to make an alphabet banner for my children's bedroom wall by drawing each letter with a relevant picture on an A4 sheet with colouring pencils and felt tips. It was 26 sheets long and held together with sellotape, and I was quite pleased with myself when it was up. Saved me a bundle that did ;)

Me and my then husband used to create and sell poster calendars with holidays according to the Rastafarian Holy Days based on the Ethiopian Calendar. Well I created them, he got them printed and sold them. It filled a gap that I picked upon when visitors admired my very first calendar made for myself. So the following year we had some printed and they were quite popular. I even saw some of my posters on the walls of scenes on that old TV programme 'No Problem!'

I had a collection of poems published in the 80s by Centerprise, a local publisher and once appeared performing my poems on the same bill as Benjamin Zephaniah who also attended my book launch.

I used to be a youth worker in a music workshop, teaching and playing bass guitar. My children and I performed singing one of the first songs I wrote putting music to one of my poems.

I spent many years being unemployed during which I took courses and studied and messed about on computers in community centres and when I got my own at home, enjoyed creating holiday projects with my children, attempting to write a novel, writing many poems and songs, some on my own and others with my musical partner at the time.

My earliest handmade cards were created on the PC and printed on paper which would be folded in four, using photos, clipart and so on.

I get really cross when pencils drop and hit the floor. I hate pencils that are impossible to sharpen because the lead keeps breaking and falling out.

For a while I entertained dreams of going to art college but my self esteem didn't allow me to keep those dreams for long. I was convinced by my careers interview that I wouldn't be good enough and it was too hard to get into. Besides the pressure to study for a realistic job was impressed on me being the oldest child.

Me and self-esteem still have battles but age makes me bolder and braver, age that has seen me go through some adversity such as seeing my oldest child become mentally ill and repeatedly subject to sectioning and treatment that is difficult to witness or understand. That was a big dent in our family...

Sorry I just had to blurt that out...

It is one of the hardest things to come to terms with for me and my family. You may hear me mention my son when I share the cards I make for his birthday. He was the first family member to get a handmade birhday card from me followed by his nephew.

I hope I've made a good decision but I just feel that this is something I didn't want to hide any more. It is a matter of more sadness than is healthy to dwell on. At the moment he is doing well... please excuse me if I say no more on this matter for now.

As I said I am of an age that covers more than a few decades. Once I was part of a married couple then I was a single parent. One day I had a good full-time job then I was redundant, then I was sick.

It was during that prolonged hospital stay that I rediscovered cross stitch. I wrote about how I got started on this phase of my creative life in an early blog post which you can read here.

After experiencing redundancy and serious illness, making cards became something I enjoyed doing while I was recovering. Card making became a form of therapy. I started making cards for family and friends just to thank them for seeing me through the tough times and of course for birthdays and so on. By the time I found another job I was already blogging and recording what felt like a significant point in my life. I started off copying designs from magazines but soon began to experiment with my own ideas. From the beginning it was important for me to record this even when no-one knew I was there. Little by little I began to find out that there were lots and lots of people making stuff, all kinds of stuff all over the world.

I began watching the Create and Craft channel - how could I not have known that was there? Time recovering allowed me to discover via the internet, that there was a world of handmade and I was a part of it, in my small way. I started to work at being more involved and developed the idea of DivineChoice Creations focussing on card making with the possiblities for doing other stuff like creating my own stamps. I didn't even know about digital stamps then.

There is a lot to learn as I develop my own ideas. My problem is I have so many different ideas that use different styles and I am always experimenting.

Sometimes ideas work and sometimes they don't.

The idea of selling my cards came from what I saw other crafters doing on Etsy and Folksy, Art Fire.

And my mum, my daughter, my sisters, brother and friends encourage me - they would be very disappointed if I did not give them one of my handmade cards for those annual and special occasions.

I love making cards and other things. I've got a knitting project that's due to come out of dormancy.

I love blogging and tweeting, although I have to have at least one day a week when I don't tweet at all.

Sometimes life gets hard and making a card is a way of forcing myself to face the light and do something positive. Sometimes it is being made for someone special in mind and other times it is just for the fun of making something I like and I think aomeone else would like. They might even be willing to buy it.

I work with any materials I find as well as buy. Birthday cake ribbons are always coming my way as are slightly crumpled sheets of wrapping paper or bouquet cellophane, anything that remotely looks like it could be used to make cards. There's a reason why I rarely make exact replicas. I make cards according to what's available.

I am not getting any younger and sometimes I wish I'd started doing this years and years ago as the reality of my health and circumstances means I've got more ideas than I have energy. I struggle to keep up with the social networking and all the things I need to learn and do just running an online store, blogging, taking photos and so on. Card making and all the activity it demands means something else... I do not worry about what I'm going to do to occupy myself if I ever get made redundant again ;)

The inspiration and motivation for this post comes from the stories so far written in the campaign by The Academy called, "What's My Story?"

7 Resources for Hobby to Enterprise

2011-06-12T21:23:00.000+01:00

Hello Reader,

Since embarking on what at the time appeared to be a simple ambition, I am immersed in learning all I can for my card making craft and my fledging home business. Setting up a craft blog and an online store is essential but only the beginning of discovering you need to learn topics and skills you never imagined ever having to learn. All because you want to have a home business for your handmade products. Very soon I discovered that in order to attract potential customers I must learn about and apply lessons in photography, SEO, social media dos and donts, making comments, marketing and the more I learn, the more there is to diacover and put into practise. In this post I am sharing a personal list of some of the resources I've found useful as a craft blogger and managing an online store. It's by no means exhaustive. Are there any resources you would like to add? Let us know your recommendations in the comments section below.

1. HOW TO: Build a Community on Twitter

Here is a post I found very useful when I first joined Twitter, found on Mashable, a site where I began my education in social media.

Twitter is great for sharing blog posts, your own and others and having conversations on anything you like. The key is to follow people who share your interests or interest you. I've met and made friends with many talented people who inspire me in my work through theirs. You can search and discover people involved in your own particular area of craft and find handmade products that amaze. Twitter is where I discover great tutorials and blogposts as soon as they are posted, receive up-to-date news and more from people I follow. However I do have craft friends who are not on Twitter so it is clearly not for everyone. You may feel that you do not have time for all that tweeting and being a beginner on Twitter can be very overwhelming. Mashable is a good place to start learning about the etiquette of social media but there are other resources aimed at helping you make the most of your blog and/or online store.

2. The Etsy Seller Handbook

When I joined Etsy I was in awe of the variety of the handmade products being offered in the shops. At the time I was only thinking about opening an online store for my handmade cards and as part my research I took part in a few live sessions in the Virtual Labs. Etsy can now also be seen on their Livestream Channel. You can learn about presenting your products, join in Q and A sessions on pricing, SEO, choosing your shop name and more. Time zone differences affected the number of times I could take part. Easier to access anytime is are great written resources for new sellers. The most extensive source of written information, advice and tips for beginners and all the stages you will go through in developing your online store can be found in the above link to the Etsy Sellers Handbook.

3. The Secret to Success is Support - the SITS Girls

I've known of SITS from my early days of blogging however as they are also based on the other side of the Atlantic I didn't get involved in any of the educational events they deliver until recently. They are currently on day 7 of 31DBBB - 31 Days to Build A Better Blog which I reluctantly decided I couldn't realistically take part this time although I do read the posts. I did sign up and joined a recent SITS Class called Think Like A Marketer which ran for two weeks. I met new interesting people and got a chance to do a critical examination of my blog through as we traded comments with our fellow bloggers in the SITS community. We chatted on Twitter or in the SITS forum, sharing our thoughts on each others blogs, our goals and suggestions for possible improvements. Still working on and applying those lessons to improve my blog.

4. YouTube Craft

At the centre of your home business is the craft. Click on the link above for the crafts results of a YouTube search. Whatever you create, design and make YouTube is great for finding videos that educate and inspire. You may also be thinking about making videos in support of your own business. Watching how other craft businesses present themselves in video can encourage you to create your own visual presentation. Below are some of the crafty people I follow. You can also find my channel here and see my first attempt at a video on how to make one of my card designs.

artistnetwork

lawnfawn

MakeItCrafty

5. Folksy Shop Front

The Folksy Blog is, naturally my main resource for seller tips as this is the site on which I opened my online store. Here you will find great posts on various skills and knowledge required to make the best of your Folksy shop. There are photography tips including how to take and edit your photos to the correct proportions for the Folksy site, Google Analytic tips, SEO, writing product descriptions, using social media and more. A valuable resource and very well presented. Here are a few examples to enjoy:

SEO tips - How to grow your network

Shop Front :: Listing and Time Management

Photography tips for selling online

6. Craft Blog UK

If you've got a craft blog and you're based in the UK this is where you will be inspired, discover other great bloggers, learn some great blogging tips, discover and develop the skills and knowledge you need for starting and managing your craft business and meet some highly talented people. You can also submit your blog to the directory of UK craft blogs. I found the Craft Blog UK when I was invited to join the UK Handmade ning community. They also produce a wonderful online magazine which I spoke about in a previous post Read All About Handmade.

This week I've been learning about making use of some features in Google Friend Connect to connect better with followers of my blog. You will see a new reviews panel in my sidebar, which was added as a result of reading this post. I'm looking forward to seeing who will be the first person to use it. I've also begun creating a few questions about interests which you will be able to share with each other not just me.

7. The Academy

The Academy is an exciting education and support service for people managing a craft business. It is run by a team of talented people providing great information that will help you get to grips with marketing your business, something which I personally find very daunting. It's not just about selling and advertising though. We are learning that connecting is the most important aspect of presenting yourself and your products. Check out this post on telling your story, something I've already started working on.

I met the principal of the Academy, Isa Maria @Isa_Noisette of Noisette Marketing on Twitter. She is also the designer of my Folsky shop banner. She runs a couple of her own handmade businesses and is the mother of two small children. What motivates her is a deep love of quality handmade, the people that make them and is intent on sharing the benefits of her background in marketing. If you're struggling with marketing, pr and branding, Isa is definitely someone worth getting to know.

So what do you think of my suggestions? What resources would you recommend for guidance, inspiration and instruction for craft blogging and managing a craft business?

Thanks for reading :)

Making A Bookmark - Handmade of course.

2011-06-01T23:33:00.000+01:00

Hello Reader,

Do you still read books or are you one of the Kindle readers like those I see on my travels? I don't have a Kindle and don't have any plans to get one right now. I already spend enough time in front of one type of screen or another so I hang on to what some regard as old fashioned.

I have so many books waiting for my attention and I often have more than one book on the go. I like books I can dip and out of like books about gardening and, of course crafting and I like good stories whether based on fact or fiction. I admire the presentation on the book covers and I love pictures when illustrated. Can't enjoy the pleasure of seeing books in a row on a shelf, on a table or in a fellow bus passengers hand when its a Kindle can you?

There are always people reading on the bus as I travel around London, most with books, not Kindles. I'm always curious to see what others are reading and so it was I saw the metal bookmark used by one passenger seated in front of me. It was small and folded over and she slipped it over a few of the pages, marking her place as she prepared to get off the next stop. Neat! For a second I wondered where she got it from and then... well you can guess. I began thinking about how I could make one out of card.

My card making is currently focused on making Fathers Day cards. It is the first time I've been so focused and so busy. I am planning on listing these new items in my shop very soon. In between card making, the day job and gardening I mulled over the idea of making a folded bookmark. I also started reading 'Kitchen Table Entrepreneurs How Eleven Women Escaped Poverty and Became Their Own Bosses'. This is a truly inspirational book whether you identify with the circumstances these women find themselves in or not. This is a book I would recommend to anyone trying to use their skills and learn new ones in order to supplement their income. I definitely relate to these women and find it very encouraging and uplifting to read. The stories told are fascinating, educational and got me hooked and in need of a new bookmark. I folded a piece of paper and used it as a trial bookmark for a week.

Making a bookmark of any type can make great use of scraps of materials. I got all the materials from my scrap stash. I decided to avoid using beads or sequins or anything else that could damage the page. No need for sticky pads in this exercise. It reminded me of making ATCs as you're working in a very small area. As I said everything used to make this bookmark came from my scraps. Even the hearts were left over from a previous project.

I was so excited after making my folded bookmarks that I posted a picture on my Facebook page and on my Twitter feed. I asked if anyone could guess what it was. Looking at the photo now it was a bit tough. How could anyone work out what it was looking at it from that angle?

Sorry everyone who looked at that photo and said 'Huh! How am I supposed to know?'

I am currently using my bookmark in place of the old folded paper. It's working out great. Think I'll make some more :)

After I've read another chapter...

Let us know if you're a real book lover too!

Folksy Fathers Day Treasury

2011-05-21T20:35:00.000+01:00

Hello Reader,

Fathers Day is coming so here are some of the handmade goodies you can find on Folksy. Enjoy!

Long Weekends and Friendship Cards

2011-05-01T23:32:00.000+01:00

Hello Reader,

If you're living or staying in the UK you will, I hope be enjoying the second long weekend in as many weeks. For me that means I get more opportunities to make cards. That was my attitude on Friday. Facebook page fans and anyone following me on Twitter will know that while the guests were arriving at Westminster Abbey on Friday I was making a card because I was tweeting about it with pics.

It was made and decorated with just one sheet of background paper and completed just in time for me to see Prince William and Catherine Middleton take their vows. I watched the crowds as they waved their flags and listened to their screams during both the processions. As soon as people started camping out, the media were introducing people who I personally found mind boggling in their passion the royal event. Yes I am being diplomatic. I can't think of anything that would make me want to camp on the pavement just to be there.

Whatever we may think of the people who had to be there, they were sharing a memorable day and their desire to be there so much they traveled from near and far bringing whatever they could carry for an adventure and 'something to tell the grandchildren'. Can't tell you how many times I heard that line. One thing I have no doubt about and that is that there were some new friendships created that day.

It was a passing thought reinforced by some of the reporting from among the crowds of individuals and families including a couple who were camping out with their children. They met each other first at Charles and Diana's wedding. Well what can I say? The past week has been full of stories like this.

This morning as I began going through my background papers in preparation for another card making session, I found a sheet of a digital stamp background paper called Words from squigglefly.com printed on white. All the words are about friendship. That sheet has been in my stash for at least a year but for some reason today I decided I was going to use some of it to make a set of cards. I already had a folded A4 sheet of white card waiting to be divided. The Words paper naturally led me to choose the theme of my cards. I chose three different contrast background papers all flowery to go with it. I don't know why but I prefer to work in threes when making a set. Must be something to do with the time it takes to design and create them.

The other details came as I went along. The craft wire with beads was a late detail. The use of ribbon changed through the session. I started off planning to use ribbon and selected three diffrent ones. Halfway through I decided that my selections would not work so I put that idea aside with the ribbons. However once I added the beads I still wanted one final detail. Ribbon was back but the ones used were totally differnet from the original selections. Sometimes when I think of my creative process I am amazed I manage to make anything presentable.

It is a good long weekend when I can have two productive sessions of straight creation from head to reality.

I hope you are all enjoying your weekend as much as you want.

Thanks :)

A Beautiful Handmade Card Production

2011-04-24T11:24:00.000+01:00

Yesterday I did something new. I worked my software skills and taught myself to make a movie with the Windows Live Movie Maker. The application can use still images as well as video clips so I decided to make use of the photos I took in February when I was creating a How to page.

I am too well aware that there is room for improvement but please have a look. Your opinions and advice can only help me to develop, so don't be shy...

The video shows you how to make a kite birthday card like the one I made in February for my grandson. The Beautiful Handmade Card Production is now included in the VideoJug Handmade Cards Ideas & Tips page , my area on the site written for people new to card making and probably not yet owners of any more than basic tools or materials.

Maybe next time I'll attempt moving images ;)

Happy Easter Everyone x

Folksy Friday - Flowers Mini Treasury!

2011-04-21T16:02:00.000+01:00

I'm a bit mad about flowers these days. Hence the theme of this Folksy Friday.

To create it I used the coding from Blog Mini Treasury Tutoria l by @Haptree. Enjoy!

Flowers

Handmade Cards and Spring Cleaning Can Mix!

2011-04-18T01:32:00.000+01:00

Spring is a time of change and this has rubbed off on me. Yes there's the spring cleaning to do and it must be done. However as much as I like a clean house I can't clean all the time as I find myself bursting with a range of creative tasks I want to do. I make time to clean not the other way around. During the past few weeks I've occupied my mind with learning some new things about my craft, developed some new skills with a graphic manipulation application and gained a couple of new ideas for designing handmade cards.

Today I made a card that is a bespoke card order. I sent the customer a photo of the card using MMS and she expressed satisfaction with the design. In fact they described it as a "work of art". The heart warming reponse to my cards is what motivates and inspires me and this one was extra special. I can't show you the whole card just yet. Not really sure I should be showing you this now but I can't resist revealing just one small detail. A paper rose. I got the materials and instructions from a card making magazine called 'Making Cards'.

Take a look at the tabs at the top and you'll notice there are a couple of changes to the pages of the blog. Go to Order a Bespoke Cards and you will find a new interactive form. It is an easy way to make an order for a card to your specifications. The online form asks you a few questions just to get an idea of what you want. Clicking on the submit button sends your completed form to me via email. Once I receive your order I will repond via the contact method you've already indicated to discuss and hopefully confirm your order.

As well as making handmade cards to order I sell a few ready made ones in my Folksy shop. There is a new page on this blog with easy access. Payments are made via Paypal. I've also got listing new items on the To Do... list.

My Twitter background was showing it's age as the cards featured were made more than a year ago. Plus the old background was made for old Twitter. Time for an update. I use GIMP 2 and the more I use it, the more I learn. Manipulating layers of the picture was key in getting the pictures to show properly in my screen. Can't guarantee it'll look good on everyone else's screen, sorry to say. Take a peek and let me know what you think. Click the blue bird in the right hand side bar. Tweet me your thoughts ;)

Spring cleaning and gardening took up the rest of the time. My lawn is in a real state but I hope to tackle that before Easter. I'm enjoying the flowers taking lots of pictures and trying to keep up my Folia gardening journal.

Talking about that I have something else to introduce... you can now find me and all the links to my online activites in one place. Click this link to my personal online portal. You can also find a QR code in the right hand sidebar which you can scan with your smartphones.

As for new ideas for my handmade cards, I'm not going to reveal those thoughts today. That's a matter for the drawing board so to speak. I'm just glad to have another project to work on that could add a new dimension to my cards. I've also got another bespoke card order working on once I get the recent order in the post. With that thought I'll just say thank you everyone who has recently followed my blog, shown me love through their comments, joined me in conversation on Twitter and liked my Facebook fan page.

Thank you for reading. Have a lovely week and Easter holiday :)

March for Handmade Cards

2011-04-02T22:49:00.000+01:00

It's April and tomorrow is Mothers Day in the UK. Last month was a whirlwind of family birthdays which along with the approaching event and the arrival of a new baby, meant I was very busy. There was even some evening weekday card making for almost every week to keep up with demand.

Here are a few of my latest makes which may make you smile as much as the people who received them.

A pink birthday card - I'd just got a new border punch and this was the first time I used it to create a card.

I was asked to make a card for a colleague's mother who loves flowers. This was one of my midweek makes. Trying to be arty after a hard day's work was not always easy but well worth it when it resulted in a card that is well received.

This was made for someone who has a weekly radio show on Break London. In fact I made this while listening to The Funky Vault, which is the title of her show on every Sunday from 4 - 6pm UK time. I experimented with some newly purchased clear embossing powder to create the glossy look for the microphone and musical notes. She loved this card!

This was another mid week make for a colleague who recently became a grandmother. I got most of the team to sign it. When I gave it to her she asked it if was for her or for her daughter but she was left in no doubt about who it was made for by the messages inside. It's good to congratulate grandparents and not just the new parents.

Now I'm taking a short break from cards and working on my garden. If you scroll down to the bottom of the page you can find a slideshow of my garden. I'm practising to take better pictures of my flowers as well as trying to be a better gardener. Have a look, see what you think and let me know in the comments.

Have a wonderful weekend and in the UK, a lovely Mothers Day.

Why Giveaway Anything?

2011-03-20T22:59:00.000Z

If you read last weeks post, follow me on Twitter or like my Facebook page you will be aware that there was a reason to celebrate last week. You will also know about the special giveaway announced on this very blog. Well the clue was in the title - Bespoke Handmade Card - Free! These two events, my birthday and my giveaway occupied my mind so much that I missed reflecting on another anniversary but more about that later.

Let's get to the point of the title of this post. It's about my giveaway, naturally, where I offered to make a bespoke card for one person. To have a chance of winning this opportunity I asked for comments on my Facebook page. As soon as I finish writing any blog post it is immediately published on my Facebook page via the Networked Blogs app. I looked forward to reading and responding to comments as the purpose may be about raising the level of feedback but it was the interaction I looked forward to most.

About two days into the week long competition there were no comments but I still posted about my offer to giveaway a bespoke greeting card lovingly handmade by yours truly on Facebook and on Twitter. I then hit on the idea of making the announcment of the winner an online event. I even set up a chat room on my Facebook page using the Clobby app with the idea that people could ask questions and we could, well chat! Wouldn't it be great! At some moment I could do the draw and announce the winner to everyone in the chat room. I created an event and invited everyone on my Facebook page.

Now don't think I just blabbed on and on about the giveaway or my birthday... well I hope I didn't. I tried really hard to have some variety on my wall and included stuff from a few of my favourite pages. But as the week wore on I began to lose heart.

No comments... not one!

Last night I sadly cancelled the Bespoke Handmade Card Giveaway event via a comment at the end of last weeks post, and to my social media channels including of course, my Facebook page.

I guess no one wanted one of my handmade cards made especially for them. For nothing. For any occasion. Made to their approval. Oh well... it could have been good but maybe I am just rubbish at marketing myself. Please don't offer me your marketing services as I am in no position, much less mood to get involved in all that. Despite feeling a bit down, on reflection this week has been a very good experience.

Which leads me to the other reason to celebrate. It was also my blogoversary this week. Three years of learning how to blog, following bloggers, commenting, sharing, blog candy and giveaways. I've worked to come to grips with all this while trying to build on my ambitions with my handmade cards. Well three years on and after an eventful week I've decided to relax and do things in my own way. No more chasing followers and no more worrying about so many impressions and 0% feedback. I think I've earned the right to even say no more giveaways. Yeah that's what I said! Why giveaway anything?

Just because its free you can't assume someone will take it. Big lesson.

Still as I said it's been a great week. I am now the proud owner of my first orchid thanks to my brother. It's quite a challenge especially for a very average gardener like myself so I hope I can keep it alive. I've been in my garden doing some early work preparing for spring and also working on my photography skills. You can see more photos in the slideshow at the bottom of this blog page. I also made a card during the week for Mothers Day... described as quite 'abstract' by my daughter. I guess that's a polite way of describing it. You can buy it in my Folksy shop where you can find ready made handmade cards available for sale. Or you can always contact me to ask for a bespoke handmade card...

Thanks for reading. Have a lovely week :)

Bespoke Handmade Card - Free!

2011-03-13T19:57:00.000Z

It's my birthday this Tuesday and to celebrate I am offering one lucky person a free bespoke handmade card. Yes that right, I said Free!

Starting today (Sunday 13th March) to next Sunday I will be collecting the names of everyone who comments on my Facebook Page daily posts. So if you would like to be in the running for a bespoke handmade card for a special celebration please visit my Facebook Page and make a comment. Note I said 'comment' - liking is lovely but comments are even better!

Feel free to say what you think of my daily natterings and you could be chosen to order a free bespoke handmade card. I'm not even going to charge for postage or packing. Now isn't that something worth commenting on?

The winner will be chosen on Sunday 20th March and announced on my Facebook page. Then we can start the process to create a bespoke handmade card on your approval. There could even be just enough time to order a special Mothers Day card. Check out this card I made today. So visit my Facebook page, make a comment and put your name in the hat. You can comment as many times as you like. Multiple comments will count as multiple entries and don't forget the Birthday Love ;)

Have a wonderful week xx

Reasons to be Cheerful!

2011-02-24T22:11:00.000Z

First reason to be cheerful is the making of this kite card for my beloved grandson. I chose a kite as flying our handmade kite on the local green is one our favourite pastimes. The idea of the cutaway was one of the first design ideas I decided to use along with the kite motif. The ribbons are knotted loosely to mimic bows on a string.

Another reason to be cheerful is that I have created a page sharing this simple to follow design. If you would like to know how to make this card please visit my VideoJug Page How to Make a Kite Card where you will find step-by-step instructions with lots of photos to help you along. Please visit and if you do make a kite card or are inspired to develop the original idea, please come and tell ua about your experience and share your creations. Or if you found my instructions unclear, get in touch and tell me where you got stuck.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Thanks for reading :)

Handmade Card Toppers

2011-02-08T22:26:00.000Z

The winds have caught my sails of creativity pushing me gently forward to a new craft adventure. The evenings of late are occupied with colouring experiments using my set of pencils using the knowledge so long until recently, unused. There may be an element of recapturing the past but I regard it more as recapturing old skills to try a new method.

Using colouring pencils to colour a digital stamp is not as fashionable as using Copic Markers but for anyone on a budget the former is more accessible. So while I dream of using other mediums I am enjoying developing ideas and colouring techniques with my colouring pencils. I am now creating a small collection of original card toppers. Being able to create them in the evening is a relaxing way to maintain production ready for card making at the weekend.

You might remember these Ethiopian cross drawings from a previous post Drawing for Handmade Cards. You can also find them in their plain state on the renamed page Hand drawn Digital Stamps. If you visited the blog page under its former title Original Art, visit again. You will find out more about my thoughts and experience of using my hand drawn images to embellish my card designs. I am particularly pleased with the colouring of these crosses more than the ones in those posts. I was aiming to make the brown cross look like a carved wooden cross. Think it looks alright eh!

I don't what it is but I prefer to make cards during the day and so during the winter months I rarely go into my craft space after dark. Makes a wonderful and much needed change to find something other than knitting and cross stitching to do in a comfy sofa. Glad to say though the mornings are lighter earlier and the evenings later and once again I'll be choosing between card making and gardening. Oh I'm not complaining... I am thankful for the options. Lots to learn and do either way.

Thank you all for following my craft adventures. Have a lovely week. I've some special news to tell you but some of know already... ;)

Drawn to Digital Stamps

2011-01-30T20:42:00.000Z

Thank you everyone who commented on my previous post 'Drawing for Handmade Cards' whether on the blog directly or on my Facebook Page. Your words so encouraged me and confirmed the direction I've decided to take in my card making that I've focused on more drawings. Not all of them have been successful but that is all part of the fun as I draw more and more. Therefore this post follows a similar theme as I continue to get into my drawing and creating new digital stamps to use for my greeting cards.

This is actually a return to an activity I used to practise more in the past before computers, mobile phones and satellite TV. I even have a couple of framed drawings that I did back in the days when I was just out of college. During the years in between I've been through many of the milestones that are expected and many that were not to a point where my art has once again forced it's way to the top of the varied list of my interests and hobbies.

So have a look at a couple of the drawings I did last weekend and converted into digital stamps. This weekend I got out my colouring pencils and got colouring. The images are printed on regular copy paper but I plan to print them on card so I can use watercolour pencils in the future.

Look out for new cards soon...

Thanks for reading. Have a lovely week :)

Drawing for Handmade Cards

2011-01-16T22:32:00.000Z

Hope you are all having a good start to the new year. Many of us are focusing on goals we're aiming to reach over the coming year. You could call them resolutions but aren't they soon broken? I've decided to draw more and develop my own images for my handmade cards. This will lead to the fulfillment of short and long term goals.

The first is to create images that are difficult if not impossible to find in card making supplies. In the short term I can create digital images that I can resize and print. The card featured in this post is one of the cards I've created so far. As well as my drawing I've papers and motifs from a cardmaking magazine and some plain coloured paper from my stash.

The drawing is of an Ethiopian cross traditional in the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. It is a simple line drawing from photos of metal crosses of which there are many different designs. The drawings were scanned from my sketchbook and then resized in Word, filling the page before printing. You can see from the picture of the set of three crosses that I cut the page up into individual pieces. There are a number of options to colour the images and in this instance I used colouring pencils. Once coloured I stuck it to a piece of card using a glue stick, cut it out carefully and there I had a lovely motif to add to my card design.

This is a mere glimpse of the work I've done over the first few weeks of the new year and I haven't told you all about my long and short term goals.... I'll just say one word... stamps.

If you like this latest creation and the drawings shown please comment below or send me a message via one of the other social media avenues. Check out my Contact Me page for more info. I look forward to responding to your thoughts.

Speak with you soon. Have a good week :)

A Family of Xmas Cards.

2010-12-18T17:52:00.000Z

Nothing like a lot of snow to make crafting a cosy way to spend an afternoon. The handmade cards featured here weren't all made today. Over the past few weekends I've been making Christmas cards especially for me and my family to give. Using diecuts, ribbon, and some stamps including a free set which came with a recent copy of Crafts Beautiful magazine, I had lots of fun just being creative trying out different ideas.Let us know what you think. Which design works best in your opinion? Tell us in the comments.

Thanks.

Read All About Handmade!

2010-12-12T15:18:00.000Z

The #handmade Daily

Twitter is a popular micro-blogging where you can easily feel a little overwhelmed once you're following more than a few hundred followers. With the whole world talking at once, within a 140 character limit, one of the best ways to follow a topic or event on Twitter is via the hashtag. Follow a conversation between a like-minded group of people and therefore find people who share your interests and join in. A hashtag can be saved as a search term so you can just click on it to see what's currently being tweeted. The hashtag #handmade is used to create the live Twitter stream blue panel that can be found in the sidebar of this blog. You have to scroll down a bit to find it.

Another way to read the tweets using a hashtag is to read an online newspaper created using a website called paper.li. The #handmade Daily is a clickable image of a folded newspaper in my sidebar which will take you to the current newspaper.

paper.li

Its updates are promoted via my Twitter stream and feature a few authors by their Twitter name. e.g. The #handmade Daily is out! http://bit.ly/fnPNhq ▸ Top stories today by @BoutiqueKarma @PVSpacePrincess @ArtMatters2me @wirewrapping

Articles generally feature handmade products just listed in online shops, websites of interest with videos and photos all tweeted using the #handmade hashtag. Paper.li has a Twitter stream under the name of @SmallRivers and a blog.

Click on the image in the blog sidebar or the shortened link on Twitter and you will be taken to the Headlines page of the newspaper. This is a mere selection of articles available. You can view all articles or choose from subsections which include:

Stories
Art & Entertainment
Health
Technology
#Etsy
#Jewelry

Categories and which tweets are featured where, are in control of paper.li. It is not a perfect system but so far it is well received if the number of regular retweets are a sign of a positive reaction. If more artisans use #handmade along with #Folksy and so on it would make it an even better publication. If you wish to receive alerts on updates you can also subscribe.

Each article title is a link which takes you to the original page being tweeted. In the bottom left of each article is the Twitter name of the author which will lead to a pop up of the original tweet if you place your cursor here. If you are signed into Twitter you can interact with the pop up by replying, retweeting, following, or unfollowing or mark the tweet as a favourite.

Past issues

On the front page of each paper is a section called Archives which displays a calendar of the current month with arrows to explore previous months. Check out The #handmade Daily featured in the sidebar to see tweets about handmade products, activities and people who love handmade.

UK Handmade magazine

Autumn 2010

One of my favourite discoveries of 2010 is UK Handmade. Well I didn't actually discover it. I was invited to join the community on Ning, an event I wrote about in a previous post titled Handmade in the UK.

One of the best features of UK Handmade is not just that you meet and discover many talented creative people through the community website but through an online magazine which is a great resource. It is published at the beginning of each season, filled with great articles and photos with links which take you to the source both of the author and the subject of the content. Regular subsections include:

Summer 2010

MEET: where an individual is interviewed about their craft, their products and their experiences.
DIARY: reflections on a selected artists experience and thoughts and inspirations of the current season.
MAKE: this covers step-by-step instructions of a craft project.
BUSINESS: provides some tips or advice for crafts people running or setting up a business.
LIFESTYLE: tasty recipes to make a seasonal treat for people who love cooking

Spring 2010

The common factors shared by all the articles is the links that glow momentarily on the page as you turn them. Those at the start of an article feature the author and links at the end feature the subject. Click on them to discover more about the individuals and their handmade products. The quality of work featured is very high so you know you are reading about highly talented people with a wealth of experience when reading the UK Handmade magazine.

With over a hundred pages of inspiring content there is more than enough to keep you content over each season. If you want to know about the very best of crafting and artistry in the world of UK handmade, the UK Handmade magazine is highly recommended.

Past issues

Winter 2009

UK Handmade magazine was first published in 2008. You can see past issues of the magazine via this page.

Happy reading :)

Happy Handmade Festive Gifts

2010-12-05T01:30:00.000Z

Hello dear Reader,

Been busy shopping for the season of giving gifts? There are a few days left to complete your festive shopping, just enough time to browse a few online stores. Lovers of handmade goods can find all kinds of great gifts on a variety of sites that specialise and feature handmade stores. Check out the wonderful products, featured below, made by just a few of the talented artisans on my Twitter list 'handmade' which has over 250 members.

@beadsmorebylois
Based in Essex, UK Beads and More by Lois makes beautiful jewellery. Here are some pretty pink daisy earrings. Very pretty.

Custom jewellery is just one of the services offered as well as beads and other supplies for jewellery making. Just announced a New Year Sale so a prompt visit is recommended.

@SheDraws
Laura Figel is a graphic designer with a very distinctive style working in Kingston, UK. This silver Tea Set pendant is one of her best sellers. You can see why.

Check out the She Draws store to find other great products including t-shirts, notebooks and more.

@deshawnmarie
The handmade soaps created by this artisan are made from organic ingredients and are vegan friendly. Working in Boston, MA you may just have enough time to buy some wonderfully unique soaps before Christmas. Have a look at this beautiful Lilac Rose Vegan soap with a coconut milk base.

You can almost smell it! Visit the DeShawn Marie Handmade Soap store for more wonderful varieties offered.

@gingerlyspice
Ruth Nash is a recent addition to my Twitter list. Her Etsy store Whimsical Winston is full of beautiful Christmas gifts and ornaments. Featured below is one of many pretty items that caught my eye.

Free gift wrapping is being offered too! That's what I call a Christmas bonus.

@amyorangejuice
Amy McCarthy is an artist in glass. You will find many beautiful stained glass decorations including mosaics and bunting. The photo below shows one of my favourites.

Visit AmyOrangeJuice on Folksy to find something wonderful. If you want something special for an event other than this Christmas, custom orders are especially welcome.

@mammiamaofori
Mammi-Ama Ofori is the Purple Vintage Space Princess offering a variety of services including a shop of handmade goodies, this pretty 'super cute' crocheted handbag being one of many.

Check out the store on Sense of Fashion to see more lovely handmade gifts.

@minifelts
Eve Barnes is another artisan working in the UK creating fun covers for ipods, mobile phones and more. The photo features one of her most recent creations - a polar bear ipod/phone cover. It is also available as a brown bear.

Check out the Minifelts store on Folksy to see what other cute gifts are available.

Happy handmade shopping!

A Few of My Favourite Artisans.

2010-10-31T12:42:00.000Z

Hello reader, how have you been?

Hope you've managed to escape the flu. It's been going around especially at work but here's hoping it's run its course. Me? Oh I had some illness but I'm much better now. Still got stuff to deal with on the health front but nothing too serious. For the past month or so I've been working on my Folksy shop but if you're following my Facebook page you would already know that. On that note I would like to thank everyone who took part in my first giveaway. The number of people who 'like' my page or follow my blog went up quite dramatically and so I've had a second giveaway just for blog followers and Facebook page 'likers' just to show my appreciation. You didn't have to do anything. I simply put all your names in a list so each of you were assigned a number then used a random number generator to choose the winner. There will be other giveaways in the future so keep liking my page, following me on Twitter and following this blog to keep in touch.

I am currently working on listing items (such as the one pictured above), writing descriptions and so on. Considering SEO and other tips found on Folksy Shop Front it will take a little time to perfect everything. This is the reason the shop is not officially launched but you are all welcome to visit and check out the work in progress. Remember if you don't see something you like you can always ask for a custom made card. Please don't hesitate to contact me to express any thoughts, questions or comments. Any encouragement is also greatly appreciated.

I am also on another quest to buy more handmade and custom made goods. I've been browsing shops on Folksy and Etsy and looking at artisans in the UK Handmade community. I enjoy reading Folksy Friday treasury posts and even thought of joining the weekly activity and creating my own Folksy Friday post. The only reason why I have not done so yet is because I am not certain I could actually complete this task every Friday. I am very busy both in my day job and in setting up my online store so maybe it would not be wise to start something I am unlikely to be in a position to maintain. However I thought it would be a good idea to share with you, from time to time, some of the artisans and their shops I've found and favourited.

Created and Felted

The first time I saw these bags I loved them. I've seen the coin purse pictured up close and it's even better than it looks in the photo. I bought it for my sister who loved it. Check out Created and Felted store to see what's on offer including some really cool bags. I definitely intend to buy more as gifts including one for myself. You can also check out Claire's blog. Send her some good wishes as she has been dealing with health issues of late. Get well soon Claire.

Jessica Doyle

I first saw Jessica's work on Google Buzz. I love and admire her art a lot. I didn't discover she had an online store or sold handmade goods until I got to know more about her through Buzz, her blog and then her Facebook page. You can also visit her art shop Handmade Cloud as well as her Etsy store. I have favourited the calendar as I intend to purchase this myself as soon as possible (if it's not sold out first) but she doesn't just create paper goods. You can also find handpainted boxes and objects as well as original prints.

Paper Daisy Card Design

I love these cards. The technique used to create the beautiful designs is one I've yet to try. Jill Chapman is clearly a master of quilling. I find her work is quite inspiring. Don't know about you but I would love to receive one of these cards. (Hint, hint to any family members reading out there).
Paper Daisy Card Design has been on Folksy for only a few months and could always welcome some visitors. Check it out and browse. There are some beautiful Christmas cards available.

Lots of crafters are already selling Christmas goodies including handmade decorations as well as cards and gift tags. Browse the online stores and buy handmade for Christmas. Don't look at me! I haven't even started making Christmas cards. There's more than enough high quality handmade Christmas goods available so I'm sure you can find something to make your Christmas really special.

Happy handmade shopping.

Sketching Handmade Card Designs

2010-09-12T23:10:00.000+01:00

I've been wasting time! Sometimes when I go to make a card I've got no idea what papers I'm going to use, which motifs or colours. Time ticks on as I leaf through my stash of papers, stamps, embellishments and so on. I might go through pages of craft magazines looking for inspiration. All that can take half an hour or more before I actually start making a card. Then the resulting creation can be great or it can be less than great. When it's the latter I leave my craft space feeling a little deflated. Not very good at all. Today I decided on a different strategy.

Taking a leaf out of bloggers like Tiffany Bauer author of My Crafty World, Teresa of Scrappy Art Crafters and the sketch challenges on Papercraft Planet I decided to get out my sketchbook and work on some design ideas before sitting down to create a card. Don't know why I never thought of doing this before. I've taken part in a couple of sketch challenges and had fun doing so. But I must admit there are are occasions when I do not find them inspiring at all. This happens most often when the challenge includes the use of a range of stamps or other crafty product being promoted as part of the challenge (usually from Stampin Up) or uses tools I do not have. Now I do not have a great range of craft papers, stamps and so on. Knowing what I have to work with means I can create my own sketch accordingly. This is what I came up with...

Choosing first of all to use dry embossing I decided to use the bees and flowers stencil from Papermania on a white card blank. You can see the flowers and bees roughly sketched in the picture. I also have some paper flowers so I sketched them in too. This time as I sat down to create a card the only thing left to decide was which papers and which colours would be used. The birthday card I made today took no more than an hour and I felt reasonably pleased with the result. What do you think? I think it is a strategy I will use again.

Today was also the day when I would choose a winner of my very first giveaway using random.org. Thank you to everyone who commented and liked my card creation and so entered my giveaway. If you missed it then you missed out! The winner has been chosen and contacted. Julie Roo Marlow will be receiving the handmade birthday card featured last week before this week is over!

Thank you everyone who took part and made my first giveaway such a success. So much so I've decided to do another but you don't have to do anything for this one! This is just for current blog followers and 'likers' of my Facebook Page to say thank you. I've noted everyones name and you each have a number so I will be using random.org to choose a lucky person to receive another of my card creations. So if you are not one of my Facebook 'fans' or already following my blog you will not be in this draw I'm afraid but no doubt I'll do it again so please do 'like' my page or follow this blog to be involved in future.

Hope you all have had a great weekend. It's been a lovely sunny day here in London so I've been busy in the garden, mowing the lawn, deadheading the rose bush and planning to be a better gardener next season. I've had a small success with my sweetcorn... very small they are but at least I have sweetcorn unlike last year when all I had was leaves. It was tiny but tasty.

Thanks for reading and please say hello! I'll certainly respond to you as soon as I can.

Have a wonderful week!

A Very Modest Giveaway - Who Wants It?

2010-09-05T23:27:00.000+01:00

This is a significant moment for me as I take the plunge into giving away one of my card creations and it is one of the cards I made today. Yes one handmade card makes for a very modest giveaway. It is a very simple design using dry embossed text, flower sequins and seed beads which I hope you will like.

I recently started practising dry embossing and this is one of the best results of the cards I've made using this technique. I think I am beginning to get the hang of it don't you?

One lucky follower has already won a handmade card just by being the 500th to follow me on Twitter but they don't know which card they will be getting. Luckily for me they are quite happy for me to choose a card for them. Now the card you see above could be yours if your entry gets the luck of the draw.

It is as you can see a birthday card. The inside is left blank for your own message and will include an envelope. If you would like to receive this card to send to a loved one please comment, either on this blog post, my Facebook page or on Twitter. New followers are welcome to enter as long as you follow me on Twitter, like my Facebook page or follow my blog. The winner will be chosen from comments, likes and retweets of this post or a status update featuring this card on my Facebook page.

Next Sunday 12th September I will choose a winner via random.org.

So who wants it?

Handmade Cards - The Business End of a Hobby

2010-08-18T00:57:00.000+01:00

The summer break is well past the half way point so I thought I'd update you on my progress through my To Do List shared in my previous post Setting Up A Home Business. The lightbox is made and ready for use. I've measured and begun writing descriptions for cards that will be listed such as the ones featured in this post.

The theme of these cards was the colour purple on the day I made them. I have a pack of coordinating papers, peel-offs and other embellishments in a variety of colours. Although I was excited when the pack arrived, when it came to making something I got stuck on one colour. Still I am quite pleased with the way they turned out. Planning to make another one or two cards to form a set of purple cards.

If you read my previous post you will already know that I am planning to use Folksy to set up my online shop. A useful series of posts can be found on the Folksy blog called Shop Front. The post last week was on writing descriptions. It is informative on essentials such as knowing about Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) and writing the "power paragraph". There is a another post that goes into explaining SEO and choosing titles for items and this week it is about listing and time management. I am referring to the Shop Front series quite often as I work through my tasks.

One of the most daunting tasks I'm working through is pricing handmade cards. The most common word I've seen used to describe pricing is 'tricky'. Crunching numbers was never my favourite activity but I am focused enough to know it'll get easier. To work out the basics there are plenty of resources to help. This includes stuff recommended and referred to in Setting Up A Home Business and a book I bought earlier this year.

The little book fits in the average handbag so it is easy to carry everywhere. Crafty Superstar, written by Grace Dobush for crafters who want to sell their products. The beautifully illustrated chapters feature comments and guidance from a variety of handmade craft superstars.It is focused on the US but there is useful information for crafters regardless of location. My copy is well thumbed with underlining, especially in the chapter on pricing.

On that I am making good progress. Using all the information found in the little book and online, from blogs, forums and craft buddies, I've learnt how to cost my materials, labour etc for my handmade cards. I have to work at numbers as my brain has a tendency to try and shut down when faced with a lot of division and multiplication even with a calculator in hand. It took some effort which makes the creation of costing spreadsheets and another for my accounts a very satisfying achievement.

Experiencing difficulties certainly forces anyone to consider their purpose in pursuing any ambition. After all I could just continue to make cards for friends and family and take life easy. Why bother with accounts, spreadsheets, listing fees and so on? First of all I believe I can offer something different in my art and design. Plus I want to see if I can sell my cards as friends and family have encouraged. Times though are hard for everyone and besides the hope of selling my crafts I believe that this activity helps me in more ways less obvious than a possible income.

I am learning and developing new skills working on a project that I can continue as long as I wish whether I keep my day job or not. With all the cuts going on there are very few people who can feel secure in employment. Setting up and developing DivineChoice Creations into a home business gives me a purpose that is dependent on my decisions and control. If the worse comes to worst and redundancy becomes a reality, I have something to keep me happy, creative and is challenging enough to keep my brain ticking with a purpose. Plus I'd have more time to work on it. Every cloud... silver lining and all that.

Thanks for reading. Have a Great Week!

Summertime Craft and Other Adventures

2010-08-09T18:02:00.000+01:00

Hello readers,
How are you all enjoying the summer so far? I hope you're all having the season you wanted for yourselves. With a little luck you've been too busy to notice it's been a while since my last post. The following will explain a little of what I've been up to since the end of July. But first I must welcome all new readers and followers of my blog, on Twitter and my Facebook Page. Thanks for allowing me to share my tweets and craft adventures with you.

First thing you'll notice is that my blog design has changed from the all black Minima. The Blogger design tools make it easy to preview a new look and with this and the multitude of possibilities I had some fun playing around. Since it's introduction I've played with my blog design more than twice but I always resisted the final click. I suppose I was a little attached to my old look as it was achieved with not just a little work especially making it three columns. That was particularly tough. None the less I knew that it was time to change so one day I completed the tweaking and made the decision to click on the orange button. I haven't regretted it. Thanks to everyone who has commented on the new design with much encouragement.

Schools out so I've been spending more time with my grandson. One of the most enjoyable days we spent was at a community party on a local estate organised by a friend of mine. He got a tattoo of his favourite football team. We also decorated terracotta pots on a great table full of paints, glitter, glue and other stuff. The estate is in the process of being demolished and rebuilt but the residents have decorated it beautifully. There is a real community spirit alive on this estate which will hopefully continue when they move into their new homes. The music, the food the company was great. We especially enjoyed going on a canal boat ride. The estate sits right next to the Regents Canal and the little man got to have a go at and thoroughly enjoyed steering.

Before the end of July I was asked for a set of Thank You cards. I'd sold my last set but there was enough time (about a week) to make a new set from scratch. It took quite a while to come up with the first card. No specific colours or motifs were chosen by the client so I decided to design one card around one of my favourite colours. The one agreement we made was for note cards instead of A6. I sent the picture you see at the the top to the client for their approval.

Seeing as colour was a free option I elected to make a multi-colour set with similar layouts. This vibrant set met with positive approval. That was a good craft day.

It is much easier to find inspiration when the cards are ordered and the next card I made was a challenge. Having no specific goal than just wanting to make a card made for a trying afternoon at the craft table. Subsequently the design may appear a little plain. But I think someone may like that. It is, I think, very easy to over embellish although I did have one suggestion to add another butterfly. What do you think?

Don't think I have forgotten my To Do List in my previous post Handmade Cards - Setting Up a Home Business. I am working hard through it and struggling with developing skills which are very necessary. I'll write more about those struggles in a future post which will be sooner rather than later.

Thanks for reading and I wish you all a productive week :)

Knitted Blanket and More Craftivity!

2010-07-24T12:12:00.000+01:00

Yes it is finished! The longest, largest knitting project I've ever undertaken is complete and ready for darker, colder evenings in front of the TV. It is almost a year since I started it, using a few balls of wool laying dormant in my craft collection. You can read about the progress of the knitted blanket if you click on the label knitting project in the label cloud in the sidebar.

This post was meant to go out last week but I was preoccupied with family responsibilities, namely 'grandma' duties. It's been hectic with school runs and more unfamiliar routines but I did find time to work on another idea and you'll have noticed some other changes. After playing with the new Blogger design tools for some weeks without actually applying any changes, I finally clicked that little orange button. I hope you like the new look. Let me know what you think.

Unless you've already visited the Craft Adventures page of the blog you may be surprised to learn that an idea for a second knitted blanket began some months ago. This was inspired by this article from Craftster. Yes it's a rug, not a blanket and it is crochet rather than knitting. Brilliant though isn't it?

My second knitting project will be another blanket of knitted squares. The difference is that it will not be at all random but will follow a specific pattern. I've chosen another game character as you can see. Unlike the previous project this knitted blanket requires working out how much of each colour is needed before stepping anywhere near the wool shop. I used Excel, the spreadsheet application, to both create the pattern and calculate the number of squares of each colour the project will require. It's going to be a mammoth exercise but it will be a project of love as it's for my grandson. Mum's the word though as it's a surprise. What I don't know yet is for which Christmas or birthday it will be ready for...

I will be recording the time it takes to make and the costs etc. as part of the exercise and recording my progress. This is something I will also be doing for my card making projects in future for reasons to be examined soon.

I'll keep you all posted ;)

Thanks for reading - Have a lovely weekend x

Knitted Blanket - Sew Time

2010-07-12T00:26:00.000+01:00

When the weather is hot I want to sit in the garden. What with the odd breeze, welcome though it is, the garden is not really the place for making cards. Well not without a summerhouse anyway but that's another dream.

This past sizzling weekend marks the beginning of my summer of crafting. I decided to get started on sewing the knitted squares for my personal project started almost a year ago. During those months of knitting I was motivated by the thought of snuggling under my blanket in front of the TV or when I'm not feeling so well.

Once the knitting was over it was time to work out how I was going to arrange my 'squares'. Yes I know they are actually rectangles. That is why I have a different number of rows to columns.

The random colours were dictated by what was available both in my stash and in the shop. That and the uneven number of rows to columns meant it was not possible to create a symmetrical pattern. My random design was worked out using Microsoft Word. I made a table of 8x9 and coloured shapes to represent each square. It was almost like playing a game as I dragged the shapes around until I was happy enough with the final arrangement. This is what I am using as a guide.

The weather forecast is rain so I expect I'll do something else tomorrow.

Happy crafting :)

Good Luck Card

2010-07-10T21:57:00.000+01:00

It's fun to make cards and exciting to make a sale but the seed of taking up card making as a hobby began in something more meaningful than making money. It began with making a card for someone who touched your life. Making a card for family, a friend or colleague really is making something to show the other person how much you care.
The card I made last weekend was to mark a sad occasion for me and my colleagues. A few days previously after much uncertainty we received the news that our manager has decided to leave his job.
I won't go into details but let me just say that we were all shocked and saddened. With a week to go before the end of term there was not much time to get used to the idea and all term time staff were about to leave for the summer break. We moved quickly to mark the occasion starting a collection for a gift. Naturally I offered to make the card.
The sketch for the card attempts to reflect the love for the outdoors. Walking is one of our colleagues favourite activities so I imagined that freed from the daily grind he would be able to indulge in that activity as much as he liked. I considered doing a hand drawn motif coloured with watercolours. Then my daughter saw my sketch and suggested using materials such as felt and different shades of paper for the hills. So I must give some credit to her for the final design.
The sun in the sky was made using some gold wrapping paper. I'm known for requesting the wrappings of gifts including ribbon before they are thrown in the bin. This gold paper with the textured glitter pattern made a lovely sun and continued the textured feel of the whole motif. In hindsight it would be better to use some felt to create the birds instead of black card. I can see me making different versions of this sketch already.
Everyone signed the card till it was full with fond words and good wishes for the future, poignant with not a little sadness. After being presented with his gift and card, my soon to be leaving manager sought me out to thank me for making the card. Knowing that it was made by someone he worked with made it extra special.
I'm really going to miss him.

Handmade Cards - Setting Up a Home Business

2010-06-19T21:55:00.000+01:00

I made my first card and gift tag set last weekend using more of my Fathers Day papers and embellishments. I am happy to report it was promptly sold to a colleague at work. I've also received some interest in one of the sets of cards created in the past few months. If a sale goes through this will be one item less to list in my future online store.

My day job ends in a few weeks for another academic year and there will be more time to devote to card making and turning this hobby into a home business.

To Do List (in no particular order):

make a lightbox for photography
re-take photos of items for sale
calculate prices remembering site fees etc.
write descriptions for items
policies, terms & conditions (look at other handmade card shops to get an idea)
create shop banner
add items to shop and announce store is open
create shop badge for blog (can I do this on Facebook Page too?)
create a special offer for Facebook Page current likes (mmm... a coupon, a giveaway or what? Have to think!)

There are other tasks which are more about administration such as having a PayPal account (done), setting up a spreadsheet for accounts, creating invoices and other stationery and so on but in this post the focus is on the steps required to simply set up shop and marketing. The following links are sites I've found useful:

How to Sell Handmade Cards - Useful Tips I'd never heard of an Angel Policy before reading this article which is aimed at rubberstampers but is relevant to handmade cards in general. An Angel Policy is a limited licence that some rubberstamp makers may have on how a stamp may be used for cards that will be offered for sale. The article also includes a list of companies with Angel Policies but on further investigation it is nothing to be alarmed about but good to be aware.

How to Price Handmade Cards This is the most difficult area (for me) so it will be the area where I will need to be most attentive. I could use a maths buddy here.

How to Create an Inexpensive Photography Lightbox (with pictures)
How to Make a Photography Light Box
Two articles using slightly different techniques. I prefer the one with pictures which uses a cardboard box but the second article will show you how to make a lightbox that is more durable. Making a lightbox is actually one of the easiest to tackle and therefore will be the first task to be completed.

Folky Blog - Making a shop badge
Making a simple online shop advert or badge
A couple of useful articles from the Folksy blog.

Make a Web Banner using GIMP This is one of a large number of videos available on creating a web banner but one of the few that were not too fast or with muffled soundtrack or worse no audio track at all! GIMP is free, open source and there are lots of tutorial videos available online.

I've yet to do or even participate in a giveaway. Are they as daunting as they seem? What should be offered in a giveaway? What are the no no's? I would like to do something for the people who 'like' my Facebook Page and follow my blog. I'm guessing I can't give something to everyone but can give a few good things to one or two or three people. It would be a good reward to celebrate the launch of my online store when it happens. I'll check out some forums and discussion boards to help with this one. Your advice and tips are welcome.

You can see there is a lot to pack in before I am required to return to the day job at the end of summer.

All this and making cards too. Don't forget the garden where me and my grandson recently picked our first ever strawberries. Out of three plants planted last year only one survived. After eating a freshly picked strawberry I am thinking of planting more.

Enjoy the rest of the weekend everyone :)

Join the Campaign for Mastercrafts!

2010-06-10T16:31:00.000+01:00

Mastercrafts was one of the best series on TV this year in my opinion. For once a programme focused on learning about different craft disciplines including weaving, stone carving, thatching and green woodwork was a refreshing change. Each week I and many others were fascinated as we watched people change their work goals and gained a new perspectiveon life. It is something to which we crafters can relate. It also was in tune with the growing numbers who enjoy creating and making things as a daily part of our lives. When it ended I looked forward to the next series. But the BBC says they have no plans to commision another series. What!!!

Join UK Handmade and more Mastercrafts fans in telling the BBC how we feel. I've signed the petition and you can too by clicking on the badge at the top right of this blog.

If you're on Facebook join the Facebook group Why cant we have a second series of Mastercrafts on the BBC? Let's make it massive so it can't be ignored.

If you're on Twitter spread the word - tweet and retweet.

Join the campaign and let's get a second series of Mastercrafts on the BBC. You can even make a complaint to the BBC directly.

Sign the petition

Monty Don on Mastercrafts

Mastercrafts on Facebook

Handmade for Men.

2010-06-06T20:28:00.000+01:00

Anyone that knows me knows that I like to buy card making magazines which come with wonderful and useful craft goodies. Not every month but once in a while as a source of inspiration as well as adding to my stash, card making magazines are what added this activity to my list of hobbies more than two years ago. In those days I followed the photos and instructions for every card I made, as closely as possible, picking up different techniques and design ideas from great articles. Nowadays I might follow the designs illustrated but mostly I create my own. One thing I never do is throw the magazines away.

The issue of Let's make... Cards used to make the cards featured in this blog post was purchased a year ago. In fact I blogged about one of the cards I made then in Sunday Football for Fathers Day.

When Fathers Day approaches out come an abundance of men friendly motifs and card design ideas in the craft magazines. No need to spend money I haven't got this year. Why when I could use the stash of materials that were lying dormant in my craft storage? In a few hours I made a good variety for Fathers Day, birthday and some which could be used for any occasion. I'm thinking of making it into a Mens Card pack.

It's great to create your own designs but lets be honest, sometimes the creative juices do not flow well. Over the past couple of days I've enjoyed just following the instructions in the magazine. It was very relaxing and very productive. I think I'll do that more often.

My Twitter buddy @essdeecee and fellow blogger and member of UK Handmade recently blogged about making cards from kits she bought on QVC. It is very interesting and quite amazing to read how much Shirley gets out of using these kits. You can read about it here. You can also find her blog SDCrafts in my blog list in the left sidebar. As Shirley says, using a craft kit is a good way of building up stock and providing variety for her customers.

Thank you for reading. If you comment, I will comment back :)

Have a good week!

UK Handmade Magazine - It's Summer!

2010-06-05T16:14:00.000+01:00

This week I received an email from UK Handmade announcing the publication of the summer issue of their online magazine. If you want an inspiring read with wonderful pictures, I recommend you click over to the website and click to read.

The photos are stunning as are the creations by the featured artists and designers. I like to flick through the pages just admiring the work before settling on a good read. Learn more about the people behind the creations and be inspired. All articles, ads and so on provide links making it easy to visit the various sites where you can see more creations.

It doesn't only feature crafters but resources including Scrap Stores, something I'd never heard of before where you can find stuff to make whatever you like. It covers all manner of topics within 126 pages of creativity including summer picnicking, great projects and so much more. To find out more visit the UK Handmade website and enjoy!

I'll be dipping in and out of this magazine throughout the summer. How about you?

More Handmade Card Sets

2010-06-01T00:01:00.000+01:00

Hello dear Reader, I hope you've had a good weekend. I managed to squeeze in some card making in between the spring cleaning, gardening and the usual household chores. There are some new pics in my slideshow including one of the best flower photos I've ever taken. Can you spot the greenfly? Ladybirds love my roses which is just as well or I'd have to do a lot of spraying. The rose bush has more flowers than ever. All down to the deadheading last season and the beautiful ladybirds.

It's half term week which potentially means I've got more crafting time - at least that is the optimistic hope at the start of the week. We shall see.

The first set of cards uses the tulips I featured in a previous post. I decided to keep it simple mounting the hand drawn motifs on plain black card using sticky pads. Plain inserts allow the card giver to write their own message and the cards can be used for any occasion. Note that these are original drawings. They are not scanned or digitised in any way. Outlined with a fine line pen and coloured with my favourite watercolour pencils I decided these motifs did not need any embellisment. I quite like them.

The second set of cards share a colour theme using the same background paper in each design. One card is for a birthday, another for a 'Mum' and the final card for any occasion. Once again all have plain inserts. The flowers on two of the cards were made using a flower template which came as part of a goody bag of craft stuff. I used a pair of scissors to curl the petals of the flowers and experimented with swapping the papers round for each flower.

Well that's all for now. Hope you all have a good week.

Thanks for reading :)

Art For Cards's Sake.

2010-05-16T22:31:00.000+01:00

Hello readers,

Just a quick post this week to show you some of the drawings I did this weekend. I'd intended to make some cards but I got so into drawing. For some reason I just keep drawing flowers. I tried a few different ones, roses for example but I found myself focusing on one kind that is appropiate for the time of year. I started drawing tulips and didn't stop. I drew one then another. I tried one style then another. I used an HB pencil to sketch them before using fine line pens and an eraser to remove the pencil marks.

Yesterday I just bought a set of fine line pens as I wasn't happy with an earlier attempt of drawing flowers with a black felt tip pen. The fine line pens are waterproof so they work very well with my current favourite colouring tool - watercolour pencils.

I am quite pleased with the results. I hope you like them.

Have a good week! Thanks for reading :)

Word Mosaic - Art for Handmade

2010-05-08T16:55:00.000+01:00

If you're like me you'll have a list of bookmarks or favourites in your browser, some of which you'll use everyday or at least regularly, say once a month minimum. Then there are links stored for future exploration but it may be days, weeks or months before you decide to check them out.

Not everyone will have an ever growing list of bookmarks so if I appear disorganised to you I apologise. However I am glad to say in my list of bookmarks I found a site which led me to something I would like to share with you because it just might be something you'd like to use.

The bookmarked site is Go Make Something "an archive of projects and printables by Lisa Vollrath". You can see why I would bookmark this site. Can't remember how I found out about it, not that it matters. Just know that Lisa provides a great resource for artists, crafters and so on. There are tips, tools and tutorials for all kinds of creative projects. Lisa is an artist, writer, designer and more and has a website where you can see more of her work and also find links for her online presence. I recommend a visit. You can also find her on Twitter as @lisavollrath.

The project I found on Go Make Something and the one I want to share with you is a great fun toy called Word Mosaic found on a site called Image Chef.

Although described as a toy I think it is a great tool which allows you to create a picture of words (of your choice) in a shape or symbol (also of your choice) and text and background colours (yes, you choose) to create something like the images in this post. There is a preview option which is really useful to perfect your mosaic. My first use of Word Mosaic was to create a profile pic for my Facebook group Love Handmade Cards. That tells you it is possible to save your creation to your computer. You are also given links to embed the picture or share it via website or email as an ecard. I think it will be great to print and use as card decorations, for ATCs and scrapbooking.

When you visit Image Chef you will find even more resources you can use for a variety of projects both online and off.

Now don't you think that's cool?

Please share your thoughts on using Word Mosaic if you do have a go and let's see what you've done with it.

Thanks for reading and have a good weekend :)

Flowers and Handmade Cards

2010-05-02T18:07:00.000+01:00

As I sit patiently cuttting out flowers for my handmade card designs I think about the labour saving tools available for tasks such as this. Then I think again - it takes some time but each flower that decorates each card will be a unique creation by my own hands.

Instead of making just enough flowers for one project I've been making a batch of flowers in a variety of colours. Stamping the images is the easiest part of the process. I am using colours to compliment the colour of the flower so pink for pink flowers and so on.

Instead of watercolour paper, which is recommended, I am using handmade paper which was a gift from my brother. Handmade paper makes really good embellishments and it copes well with watercolour pencils as it does not become distorted after painting.

Watercolour pencils are really great and easy to use. You do not need to be able to draw or anything like that so don't be daunted. Simply colouring in partially, using hard or soft pressure will affect the result when you come to add the water with a wet brush and you need use very little water. Once the flowers are dried they are carefully cut out using a small pair of scissors. The final decoration is a seed bead which works beautifully.

If you've never used watercolour pencils with stamps before have a look at this video below. It has lots of tips and advice to help you get started.

As well as custom orders I am also making cards in order to build up stock so I can set up shop online. I've been looking at other shops and reading anything related to selling your craft including a little book called Crafty Superstar. Although it is primarily aimed at makers in the US it does give some directions that is good for anyone, anywhere who wants to sell their craft whether online or at craft fairs. One of the things I learned was that for online sales it is a good idea for financial reasons, to sell handmade cards in sets rather than individually. To this end I made a set of Thank You notecards using the flowers I described creating earlier.

For someone who usually makes one-off cards this was quite a unfamiliar exercise but, once created, very satisfying. Each card is still slightly different from the others in the set. Now I got to work on a description and price. The cards are self made from white card so they need custom envelopes to complete the set. Lots to do!

Anyway I've still got lots of flowers to cut out so I'll just wish you all a great week and a good Bank Holiday for UK readers.

Thanks for reading :)

Handmade in the UK

2010-04-14T02:03:00.000+01:00

School holidays allow me to make more visits to my craft space than I usually would in a normal working week. Making the most of this I've been working on a couple of orders for custom cards as well as create cards that are intended for sale or for my own family and friends. It is a goal to make enough cards in order to stock a table in a craft fair. I also want to set up online stores but the more I research I find there are more and more options to choose from. In the past month I've learned of Folksy, coriandr and Zibbet, all places where you can buy and sell handmade products. I've been a signed up member of Etsy for more than a year but my use of this site has so far been limited to live webinars in the Virtual Labs. Very good they are especially the ones for newbies. Lots of tips on presenting your items in your online store including photos, pricing and more.
It is very easy to lose a lot of time browsing the computer checking in on various accounts on the web. There's the email, social networks, blogs and that's just the start. Although I can feel a little guilty that I am not making cards during the hours I am glued to the laptop, the internet is helping me to discover the world of craft right here in the UK.

Scroll down the page a little you will see I have a new badge. I recently became a member of the UK Handmade network on Ning via an email invitation. Ning is a place where social networks are created on specific interests. I've been a member for less than a week and I've made some new friends, discovered some of the great work that is going on in the UK and even gained a couple of fans on my Facebook page. I've become a fan of a few myself. The best thing about making these contacts is discovering some great blogs and websites with wonderful crafts, craft events and excellent experienced crafters.

Have a look at some of the blogs I've discovered so far. The list is not limited to card making. My personal favourite is podbags. They are great aren't they?

Passion for Crafts

Sketchstitch Design Blog

UK Handmade blog

made in the uk

Surf Jewels

Created and Felted (Pod Bags)

Another great resource is the UK Handmade magazine. This is an online publication with interesting articles, interviews and tutorials. There are links to featured websites and blogs throughout the magazine and this is a great way to see what very experienced crafters are doing. There is some useful advice that will help any new crafter who is starting a craft business and using directories of which I was previously unaware. UK Handmade magazine is sure to be something I will be reading regularly in the future.

The women I've met through my blog and UK Handmade network are my role models when it comes to being excellent at what they do. I aspire to being a featured blogger one day. In the mean time I am working on card designs ideas.

This idea came to me while making the train birthday card for my grandson (The Card That's A Train). A flower garland may not be an original idea but it is the first one I've made. The flower garland is made using a self made template using red and yellow card. You could also choose to have more colours or less. I might use more layers in my flowers in future and different decorations but for a first make I was quite pleased with it. There is a small square of paper on the underside of each flower for the message and a loop on the end to hang it up.
A little box decorated with more flowers completes the presentation.

Hope you all have a good week. Thanks for reading :)

Handmade Cards for Comfort and Joy!

2010-04-06T20:42:00.000+01:00

March is always a busy month with birthdays left, right and centre. The weather was back and forth from rain to sun and back again. Then there was Mother's Day and a close family member had a planned spell in hospital for an operation. Blogging became a low priority activity.

Been doing a lot of different crafts recently from cross stitch to knitting as well as designing and making greeting cards.

Must be the spring air but I just cant stop using what you will notice is a common feature with many of my latest card designs. They all have flowers in some description. Punched flowers are the easiest to create. To make larger flowers I've used paper folding and cutting or templates.
In two years making cards it's clear that each card design is one of a kind. Although I could repeat a design idea it is very unlikely to come out exactly the same. Each card I make is unique.

I am looking forward to opening an online shop on one of the favourite handmade sites for buyers and sellers but there is a lot of work to do which will not be as much fun as what I've been up to recently.

Work continues on my comfort blanket. In fact the end is almost in sight as I've completed two thirds of the squares needed to make my blanket. I've even learnt to crochet using a netcast by my blog sista @knitpurlgurl on her Stitch and Dish web show. Quite an achievement for me as until now I made many unsuccessful attempts to learn to crochet. Thanks to Melissa's careful and clear instructions and demonstrations this skill is in my grasp. This will help me to edge my comfort blanket once all the squares are sewn together.

Just before I finish let me send out more get well wishes to my sister for whom I made the above card. She even posted it on her Facebook profile with all her cards. Wishing her a continued smooth recovery.

Hope you enjoy all the cards featured and thanks for reading.
Have a great week!

Mothers Day - The Real Day of Love

2010-03-14T13:45:00.000Z

It is Mothers Day in UK and Ireland, a day for treating and pampering your mum to thank her for all she does and to show appreciation. Of course we love our mums all the time and not just on one day of the year but today is special.
But it can be a hard day for some too. Remember to show some love to friends and family whose mothers have passed on or have difficult issues for whatever reason. Not trying to put a downers on a happy day but it is so easy to forget that not everyone can have a lovely day on this loveliest of days.

My mum is someone I admire more and more the older I become. She has been an example of strength, courage, wisdom and most of all patience. Sometimes I doubt my ability to make her proud but I know that she loves me with honesty and will always tell me when I doing a good thing and tip me in the right direction when I am heading the wrong way. Sometimes I think she is a bit old fashioned but as I get older I am becoming more old fashioned myself. No doubt my daughter may express such opinions about me.

My daughter is also someone I respect in her struggles as a mother on her own. She does not make excuses for herself and strives to be a strong example to her son. In a short space of time she has achieved the right to be highly respected and recognised in her field.

I am very lucky to have both their love and to have them both to love and hug and kiss. That is what I think we celebrate on Mothers Day - unconditional love. The real day of love.

Love Swapping ATCs

2010-03-07T19:28:00.000Z

The deadline for the Four Seasons: Winter Artist Trading Card [ATC] Swap was last weekend and all ATCs were received safely during the week. As the host of this swap it is my happy task to sort out the ATCs so everyone gets one each from each crafter. Then I mail them out and we all end up with a set of ATCs on a theme from everyone involved in the swap including themselves.
The Love Handmade Cards ATC swap group now numbers four so each of us made four ATCs. But this is not the end...

I said it was a Four Seasons swap so now begins the making of ATCs on the theme of Spring. I know one of us has begun making some even before the winter swap deadline. I'd better get cracking on mine but first I got some parcels to put in the mail...

We welcome new ATC swappers as long as you are a member of the Love Handmade Cards group on Facebook. You can still join in the Four Seasons swap but please do before the deadline for joining the Spring Swap at the end of this month.

Thanks for reading and have a good week.

The Card That's A Train

2010-02-20T19:41:00.000Z

This handmade card design was created in response to my grandson's request for a train on his birthday card. I decided to take the idea one step further and make a birthday card that is a train. What little boy would not like this birthday card? If they like trains they would like this.

When I first thought of this design I did a search on the internet to see if anyone had any tips and techniques. I could not find anything like what I was imagining, a train made up of little cards attached by string or ribbon. As there was nothing but my own imagination to go on, this card design took some thinking and some work. I even made a prototype to test if this was a design idea that would work. This is the first time I took this design strategy but it may be something I do more often with future ideas for designing handmade cards. It is a strategy I would recommend. You can use scraps and it helps to work out a number of issues.

The wheels on the train I quickly worked out were better done as a one piece object rather a bunch of little circles. The attachment between the carriages were better as one ribbon rather than pieces of ribbons. The doors and windows were the most tricky elements. In the prototype I cut out windows in the door which looked okay but was a bit labour intensive. It is better to cut slits in the door and feed the window through the slits to achieve the same effect.

The birthday card was presented folded up in it's own little handmade box. The card can be hung up on the wall as a garland or placed on a shelf.

The excited and happy reaction of one little man as the train was unfolded from it's box means it was a great success. That gives me another idea for handmade card designs.

Thanks for reading. Have a good week.

Happy Handmade Valentine's Day Card

2010-02-14T13:38:00.000Z

Yesterday I asked everyone in my social media worlds (Twitter, Facebook Fan Page) the question 'Does anyone actually like handmade Valentine's cards?' The answer I got (there was only one - thanks Julie, appreciate you being there) was yes and giving one depended on knowing it will be appreciated. A simple bunch of flowers alone is good for Valentines as any other day to show your love.

I suspect many Valentine's cards are bought last minute. Who buys a handmade card last minute? Not very likely eh? That narrows down any future commercial prospects but I make cards because I love making them. Yes it is a goal to turn it into a commercial venture but for now I am focusing on learning and developing by making cards for family, friends and my future goal of taking part in a craft fair.

I began making cards shortly before Valentine's Day two years ago but it is not an occasion I've actually enjoyed making cards for before this year. What I mean is that I struggle with designing cards for this event. When I used to go to the card shop to buy my cards I used to struggle with choosing a card because they were all just too gushy. I like the new anti-Valentine's cards that are appearing now but I don't feel that strongly to join that crew although I did think of making a Bloody Valentine's card.

It crossed my mind that I don't need to make cards for Valentine's but then in the process of working on my card making skills I found a reason to try designing a better Valentine's Day card than I did last year. The reason is the inspiration of learning a new skill which I spoke of in a previous post. Told you there would be more pop-ups.

It took a couple of attempts before I got this one right... well rightish. When closed the card the top of the heart stuck out so the red card cover is a recovery tactic but it looks good don't it?

There is a large selection of Valentine's paper in my book of background papers, all hearts and red and pink so it was easy to find something suitable for the front of the card including die-cuts and ribbon.

I am not a big fan of the Valentine's cards I've made in the previous two years but I do like this one and I hope you do too. Check out previous posts tagged Valentine's Day to compare.

I wish you a wonderful Valentine's Day and thank you for reading.

Pop-Up Cards - Crafting in Another Dimension

2010-01-30T20:39:00.000Z

Today I made a few cards but not for birthdays or anything like that. These cards were made as practicals for lessons I am taking in making pop-up cards. My teacher is a man called Paul Jackson and his teaching method is his book called, 'The Pop-Up Book'.

I spotted this book on the library shelves and as I am always looking for more resources to discover and learn as many papercrafting techniques as I can, it wasn't on the shelf long after I saw the front cover.

One of the first pieces of advice I received on beginning to read was that it was very important to practice all the pop-up techniques clearly demonstrated with text, diagrams and photos. These are very easy to follow for someone like me who likes lots of images when learning from a book. Some white card that was a bit rumpled, was deemed suitable practice material and pulled from my stash. So I got started.

The card with the red background seen above was the most complicated of the initial examples I followed. On the next page I found myself looking at the photo of the card featured on the front cover of the book.

Of course you know I had to have a go at making this card.

There are no step-by-step instructions for making the dove card but with the examples created with the first few lessons I was able to follow the photo and created the dove card as follows.

I drew the outline of the dove on a piece of folded card using a pencil, following the profile in the photo. The fold is on the left of the card in this picture. I left a gap between the tail and the bottom of the wing to show that this was a fold. The line forming the body of the dove is along another fold. This fold though has a small cut on the folded edge of the card. You may be able to see that I marked this area a little darker with my pencil as a reminder for the next step.

Making sure which was to be cut and which was to folded I cut the dove and the cloud out very carefully using my usual craft knife. This was the most difficult part of the whole procedure and took the most time. The picture shows the card once all cutting was completed. Now to the folding step of the procedure.

Two folds are required to make the body and the tail stand out. Folding must be done in both directions, that is, one way and then the other. The fold shown in the photo is the point where the bird and the cloud meet.

An eraser was used to remove the pencil marks left on the wings and the tail. Then it was opened and refolded as in the photo. Paul Jackson describes these folds as mountains and valleys. Very easy to remember and follow. And in no time at all...

A dove flying above the clouds. As it is my practice model I think I'll keep this one but the next one will be made out of better card and for the purpose of bringing pleasure to someone special.

There is a lot more to learn as this is just a few pages into 'The Pop-Up Book' so you maybe seeing more pop-up cards from me in the future.

Thanks for reading. Have a good week!

My Son, the Football Fan.

2010-01-26T19:13:00.000Z

It's my son's birthday soon. He is my first born child. He's the first person in our family to receive one of my handmade birthday cards when I first started out on my craft adventures.

Football is something that always comes up in the conversations between us. When he was a teenager, who barely did more than grunt in response to anyone, football was something we could enjoy together. Live matches were usually watched or listened to together on TV and radio. I've a fond memory of us running around the living room celebrating goals.The first time I ever went to a football match it was his first time too. Pity it was a goal less match.

You're getting it now eh? We support the same team and so we share the joys and the pain of seasons good and bad. This season we dare not get too excited about our good position in the table. I'd like him to be a little excited by his birthday card though.

Hope he likes it.

Have a good week everyone.

Four Seasons Winter ATC - a tutorial

2010-01-18T22:57:00.000Z

Some of us in the Love Handmade Cards group are having so much fun making and swapping Artist Trading Cards (ATCs) we are now taking part in a project that will take us through 2010, literally. As mentioned in a previous post the Four Season ATC Swap begins with the theme of Winter.

Making an ATC for the first time is quite a challenge. If you make greetings cards, the small space of an ATC can be very daunting. The design area can appear to shrink as you try to design for a card which must be 3.5 x 2.5 inches (89 x 64mm). I speak from experience.

ATC making is good for anyone new to creating handmade cards and develop craft skills and design ideas. There are some people who once they discover the joy of making ATCs, make nothing else!

One of my fellow swappers, Heather pointed out that the group members may be encouraged to take part in our ATC swaps if we posted a tutorial or two. The purpose of this post is to share a simple design idea that I hope will just the encouragement you need.

So here it is...

Artist Trading Card - theme: Winter

ATC card blanks can be cut from plain card. I tend to use plain white card but you can choose your preference. It should be at least medium quality, that is reasonably sturdy and what you would use for a handmade card.

ATCs must be 3.5 x 2.5 inches (89 x 64mm).

If you prefer you can find ready made ATC blanks in craft stores.

Use background papers to create a backdrop for your motif(s).

For this design I used a plain light blue paper, lightly stained with a blue ink pad. It is cut to fit over the white ATC blank.

The snowflake design paper is cut a little smaller, roughly 3 x 2 inches to place over that.

Time to start building the design. Using a glue stick or your preferred adhesive, stick the background papers to the ATC blank.

Give it some glitter with a glitter glue pen. Allow it to dry.

The motif is the next item to work on. In this design a snowflake is cut from the background paper using a craft knife.

Once the glitter glue is dry on the ATC place the snowflake in position on the ATC as the next step will fix it in place.

Using the glitter pen again add some sparkle to the snowflake.

A suitable die cut is added using sticky foam pads to lift it a little. This completes the design and all you need is a little time for the glitter glue to dry and another ATC is ready to swap. Or you can keep it as part of your collection.

Your design will depend on your resources but I hope this tutorial illustrates a simple design idea that will get you to try making an ATC.

Love Handmade Cards group members, you are invited to send a message to the group creator (that's me) or any group admins and express your wish to join in our Four Seasons ATC Swap.

After the 1st of February the Four Seasons Winter ATC Swap will be closed. You can then put yourself up for the next season. Look out for more info in the next month or so.

Thanks for reading... Have a Great Week!

Love Handmade Cards, Love ATCs

2009-12-19T19:22:00.000Z

The Xmas ATC Swap with members of the Facebook group Love Handmade Cards is completed as far as the final mail journey is being completed. Yesterday and today, the ATCs landed on my doormat. It was quite exciting as always. More exciting than receiving cards it was. Probably that is due to the exchange factor.

There are three members including myself involved in all our group ATC swaps past and potentially future. I'd barely put the return envelopes of ATCs in the mail before we were already discussing and planning our next ATC swap.

Louise suggested we do ATC swaps according to the seasons. This will have us making ATCs throughout the coming year. The first ATC Swap for 2010 will be on the theme of Winter. Heather then told us about a Flowersoft product that would make great snow. In truth the design process of our ATCs won't begin until the new year.

Until then.... got to get ready for the holidays.... I'm nowhere near ready! One thing I do hope there is that there is no more snow until Christmas Eve night.

Enjoy the Xmas ATCs and thanks for reading.

Wishing you all a wonderful holiday...

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Cross Stitch Cards for Christmas.

2009-12-06T17:06:00.000Z

Just wanted to share some of the work I've been doing making cards for the season. I decided to make cross stitch cards, returning to the technique used at the start of my card making hobby two years ago.

It is a hobby I quickly tried to make into a business. In hindsight, I think too quickly. Although I have sold some specially commissioned cards I am now concentrating on developing my skills. The online shop will be suspended and I will focus on developing my skills.

This Christmas the focus is on making cards for my family and a few close friends. I appreciate the support they give me and their encouragement. Hopefully these cards reflect my appreciation.

I have made a couple of Christmas cards using papercraft but I found myself struggling with card design block. Turning to cross stitch has helped me deal with this and is, I've found a good tactic to refresh my joy in card making.

Cross stitch also helps to relax me and forget about the stress of dealing with finances, the daily grind and family matters. These patterns are part of a package that came with a cross stitch magazine and really are a joy to make. I like particularly the addition of seed beads which give the designs a sparkle just right for the season.

Thanks to everyone who has commented on my blog. Thank you for reading. Until next time...

Cross Stitch Xmas ATCs

2009-11-29T19:20:00.000Z

For the past couple of weeks or so after work and on the weekends, I've been busy cross stitching. The purchase of a magazine including a kit with everything I needed motivated a return to the hobby which started me making cards just over two years ago.

These motifs featured here were meant for card designs. I've made quite a few which just need to be completed with card and paper but that's for another post. The holly and poinsettia are simple patterns and so were very easy and quick to make and being small, I thought they would be perfect for Xmas ATCs.

These ATCs are for the ATC swap we are having in my Facebook group Love Handmade Cards. This is the first time I have included a little cross stitch in an ATC so I hope you are at least a little impressed with my efforts.

The cross stitch patterns come from issue 17 of Let's Get Crafting - Cross Stitch Christmas Cards. Great patterns for novices and experienced alike. The kit includes card blanks and all the thread required. As well as the ATCs I am making some of these especially for my family and a couple of others who I know will appreciate them. More of that in a future post.

Thanks for reading and thanks to you who have commented. It's always good to hear from you.

Have a good week!

Xmas ATC Swap

2009-11-15T19:35:00.000Z

First of all let me say a Big Thank You to Heather and Louise. The three of us in our Facebook group 'I Love Handmade Cards' (formerly known as 'I Love Hand Crafted Cards') are taking part in a third group ATC swap. It was suggested by Louise and agreed by Heather after taking part in our summer swap which was successfully concluded in September despite the postal strikes.

This is my first Xmas ATC Swap. The photo on the right is the first of three ATCs I'm making for the Xmas swap. Invitations to take part have been sent to all group members so if more choose to take part the number of ATCs each of us must make will be affected. Therefore the deadline for accepting the invitation must be set for next Sunday November 23rd. Any group members reading this who want to get involved in our latest ATC swap, you haven't got much time! Express your interest!

Both Heather and Louise have taken part in every ATC swap held by our group so where I might be a little discouraged that more members do not accept invitations to get involved, I am encouraged by these ladies enthusiasm.

Have a look at the photo of our summer ATCs on the theme Celebrate Life! You will observe our different craft styles. That is the great thing about ATCs - they are little artworks which express each person's distinctive style. I'm looking forward to receiving the Xmas ATCs in the first week of December. Just enough time to do the swap before last Christmas post.

ATCs are great to make and better to swap!

Thank you for reading.

Card for my Rastafari Bredren

2009-11-08T14:01:00.000Z

Here's a card I made for my long time bredren's birthday. It uses my artwork and some decoration with my latest new favourite thing, glitter glue pens. There are so many things to use for creating effects in card making and these are particularly good for my current Xmas card making. More about that in the near future.

Rastafarians will recognise the significance of red. This is the colour for November. Each month has their own. You might recognise the image of the rastaman holding and open bible from a previous post. It's a drawing I made using coloured pencils which I scanned into the computer. This enables me to resize and use repeatedly so if you don't think much of this design, stick with me to watch me learn from more experienced crafters and develop my ideas.

The drum motif (yes it's a drum - another of my experiments) represents the importance of drums in Rastafarian events and in celebration.

Thanks for reading.

Card Toppers - Making My Own

2009-11-01T00:01:00.000Z

Featured in this post are some toppers I've created from digital stamps. You might recall I wrote about some of the stamps I created in a previous post. Making toppers is the next step for some of these digital stamps and here are my earliest attempts.

After printing on to card, each is coloured in using colouring pencils. A little highlighting using glitter glue pens finishes the topper with a bit of sparkle. Now I just have to create some cards for them.

I also made a topper from a drawing I did sometime ago featuring a dreadlocks man holding an open bible. This is not strictly a digital stamp but an experiment with my own artwork. I think I will use this one for a man's birthday card, for a friend I know who would like this image.

OK I've got a card to design...

Thanks for reading. Stay Blessed.

Digital Stamp - Handmade Card for a Friend

2009-09-27T19:55:00.000+01:00

A couple of weeks ago I drew some images for the purpose of creating digital stamps for my handmade cards. The one featured in this post is not a self-portrait but you could say it is made in my own image.

I am creating my own digital stamps to fulfill a need for images that reflect some of the things I want to see on my handmade cards. As previously noted in this blog, creating my own digital stamps enables me to use my own drawings that are easily scanned in to the computer before inserting them into a word processor document. Here I can resize quite easily. This is the versatility of digital stamps. I chose a small size on this occasion. I pasted a number of images on to one page so I have a number ready to use once I've printed them on to card.

I used colouring pencils to colour the digital stamp. I could use watercolour pencils but I have yet to experiment with watercolour paper in the printer!

The small card featured here is decorated with plain and patterned paper from my stash. The ribbon came as part of a free gift with one of my card making magazines and the little embellishments were purchased in a local pound shop.

I used this site to get a suitable verse for the insert and printed it in violet with the sentiment to reflect the main colour. My friend is recovering from a recent illness - this card was made to simply wish her well!

Thanks for taking the time to read. Wish you all a good week.

Knitting Project - Blanket Squares.

2009-09-19T21:39:00.000+01:00

For a change I've decided to take up another craft so this post is not about handmade cards - it's about knitting!

My mum taught me how to knit when I was seven years old. I learnt how to cast on, knit and purl and to cast off. I got to thinking about how today's new knitters have access to online video for demonstrations of knitting basics on demand. Far removed from the way I learned in those pre-technology days.

As well as demos from my mum I got a lot of my early lessons out of books borrowed from the local library. I was never bored during school holidays as I experimented with the scraps of wool my mother always had to spare, usually making dolls clothes for my little sister's Sindy doll. Sometimes the wool in my mum's knitting bag got tangled up. We discovered I had a talent for turning these mixed tangles into neat little balls of wool. Reward was my own set of needles and a couple of the little balls. My mum is a speedy knitter and she's made many things with and without patterns. I used to love watching her knit. It always fascinated me how a long string could be deftly woven into hats,scarves, jumpers, matinee jackets, mittens and bootees.

My mum still knits. I discovered recently that she has joined a group of women who are knitting squares to make into blankets for orphans in Zimbabwe.

The first thing any wannabe knitter has to learn is how to cast on. I know only one method - the one I learnt at my mother's knee. On YouTube however I discovered a method that I have only ever seen in books.

The method that uses only one needle looks like a popular method judging by the number of videos I found to demonstrate it. Here's one of them...

The second method of casting on stitches uses two needles...

This is the one I was shown by my mother's hands. She taught me to hold the wool that way too.

Once you have your stitches on the needle the next lesson is a stitch - the knit stitch also called the garter stitch. The following video from ThreadBanger demonstrates the single needle method of casting on and knitting the knit/garter stitch. It gives you the basics to make a scarf and also demonstrates how to cast off.

These skills are all you need to make blanket squares. There are knitting groups making them as we speak and is a great way to start knitting. I would recommend it. Anytime you're waiting for something whip out your knitting and complete a row or two. You can even knit while you're on the bus, assuming you have a seat that is. It is a relaxing activity at any time.

Julie of Julie's Knitting Corner creates wonderful knitted pincushions, one of which I bought and gave to my mother. I knew that she could appreciate as much as I do the work that has gone into each creation. I would say admiration of Julie's work is also an important influence on me. I never imagined what wonderful small things can be made using knitting needles.

It's been quite a few years since I picked up a pair of knitting needles - not since I made a pair of baby booties for my grandson so that's at least five years ago. Seeing the work my mum and the other women were doing reignited my interest in knitting. I started with the idea that I would make some squares to add to their wonderful efforts. But I was also intrigued by the idea of knitting squares to make blankets.

I have never made anything bigger than a jumper for a little child. I used to make myself hats when I was a teenager when some of us were making rasta hats for ourselves and each other. Other than that it's been baby clothes. Even then I am better at making bootees as they are quick and easy to complete. I always lacked the patience to make a jumper or cardigan except on the rare occasion when I manage to follow a pattern without making a mistake. I am prone to making mistakes on large projects and get easily demotivated. So the idea of making small squares to make into one big square is definitely something I can work with. Why had I never heard of this before?

So far I have made 12 squares for my new project. And yes, I am working to a pattern and a goal. Progress reports with more details later.

Stay Blessed.

My First Digital Stamp and it's a Freebie!

2009-09-05T20:12:00.000+01:00

Digital stamps were unknown to me a few months ago. A sketch challenge where one was used on PaperCraft Planet was my introduction to this stampless form of stamping. I say stampless because there is no need for an actual stamp. No rubber, silicone or wood is involved in the creation of this type of stamp. As the name suggests it is a stamp in a digital form and therefore can be emailed, downloaded and shared digitally.

Researching this topic opened a new aspect of card making to me. When I began making greetings cards one of the things to which I aspired was making my own rubber stamps. However for a beginner and someone on a tight budget, creating rubber stamps for my own use proved to be an expensive project and creating stamps for sharing or sale was even more so. I more or less gave up the idea of making my own rubber stamps until I found another method. Digital stamps are just what I've been looking for.

Digital stamp blogs and websites are not difficult to find. Dare U 2 Digi Stamp is one blog I particularly like which presents digital stamp challenges and a gallery of beautiful cards made using digital stamps. Browsing quite a few sites I discovered that some offer a selection of free digital stamps that you can download, print and use for your own card making and scrapbooking. Be careful to read any conditions that may be attached to free digital stamps e.g. not for cards etc. that you are planning to sell.

One site I used offers free digital stamps and others to buy. I used one of the freebies to create the background paper for the card featured. Squiggleyfly.com has some beautiful stamps available. The one you can see illustrated is called Words paper - for the card I printed it on to yellow paper.

That is the great thing about digital stamps. You can store them on your hard drive or a flash drive and they wont clutter up your craft space. You can resize them and use them in a variety of ways that is so different from rubber stamping. It is an additional way of creating design elements for cards and scrapbooks and it awoke my desire to create my own stamps.

I created my first digital stamp from one of the drawings I made when I was designing rubber stamps. Once scanned I pasted the image in a word processed document and printed it on white card. I have uploaded the file to my new account on 4shared.com. I found this site via another free digital stamp site. Its purpose is to share my humble attempts at creating digital stamps.You may download this first creation for your card making or scrapbooking. It's my first freebie! It's called
Thinking Head

Once printed and trimmed I coloured the image using colouring pencils and then made the card 'Thinking of You'. Of course you could use this stamp to say 'Dreaming of You' and colour it any way you wish. If you do download it and make something, please send me a picture as I would love to see what you have created.

ATCs - Trading Card Artworks

2009-08-28T13:30:00.000+01:00

Anyone who read my previous post will know that I am in the middle of an ATC Swap with my Facebook group. I think everyone has been very busy over the summer so I am extending the deadline. More about that later.

Making Artist Trading Cards is more fun than you could imagine. For anyone new to the concept they can be quite a challenge. It was member of my then newly created Facebook group 'I Love Hand Crafted Cards' who suggested holding an ATC Swap as a group activity. That was the first time I'd heard the term so Louise had to explain it to me. Then I went online to find out more.

Artist Trading Cards are commonly known as ATCs. They are little artworks sometimes made according to a theme or title. The size of an ATC must be 2.5 x 3.5 inches. You can make your own ATC blanks but take a look on your favourite craft shopping site and see if they sell ATC card blanks. I've found some on the Create and Craft TV online store - they are often available in a variety of colours and would definately suit a person who makes large numbers of ATCs for Craft Fairs etc. However if you are like me you will make your own from your existing cardstock.

So we've established that ATCs must be a certain size and can be made according to a theme or title. They are made for exchange and NOT for sale. Trading means you trade one for another. This is a way of collecting examples of your fellow crafters artwork so is well suited for a group activity. The current theme for the 'I Love Hand Crafted Cards' ATC Swap is 'Celebrate Life'. The number of cards an individual needs to make on a theme for the exchange depends on the number of people taking part. If six people including myself are invloved, for example, then each of us need to make six ATCs. On the back of each ATC, all or some of the following information should be included:

- your name
- contact information
- title of the ATC (or theme)
- number (1/6, 2/6...) if it is part of a set.

It is not difficult to find websites with examples and more information on the history and the making of ATCs. Some crafters love making them so much that they make little else! One site I will recommend you visit for more information and a good variety of ATC images is Art in your Pocket:ATCs

What is the challenge? It's the size! It can take some adjustment if you're used to working on larger items but I think it is well worth doing. As an example of your artwork you can use any of your favourite methods and use up scraps in your crafting stash. Once you've made the first, it gets easier to make more. If you are new to crafting I would recommend you make some ATCs. Use any technique you like; drawing, stamping, collage, stenciling, paper, card, paper, fabric, embellishments including ribbons, buttons, seed beads and so on. You don't have to stick to a theme. Just let your imagination rule.

Working to a theme or title is good for group swaps as it helps to focus ideas and it is fun to see the differing interpretations of a theme. The current theme for the 'I Love Hand Crafted Cards' ATC swap is 'Celebrate Life' which I wrote about in a previous post. Click here to read.

The summer is almost over and it has been a busy summer what with children being home and travelling for trips so I am extending the deadline for our ATC Swap. The new deadline is September 30th. If you are a Facebook user and would like to take part in our ATC Swap, come and join us. Get creative. The exchange works through me so your contact details will not be shared with any other group member. I distribute the ATCs once they are all received by me.

Thanks for reading and have a great weekend. If you're reading this in the UK, have a brilliant Bank Holiday weekend. Carnival revellers - stay safe!

An Exploding Card and Gift Box!

2009-08-23T22:43:00.000+01:00

This is my first attempt at making one of these unusual cards. I've seen it done on craft demonstrations on Create and Craft TV and you can find a video on YouTube. I used the one embedded in this post. It is made by 'Let's Make Cards' so you have to sit through a bit of promotional stuff before the demonstration of the exploding card but it is well worth it as an introduction to these cards and very easy to follow.

An exploding card has the added advantage of doubling up as a gift box although this is optional of course.

I decided to make one of these cards for my sister who has reached the wonderful age of forty. This challenge began over a month ago and it took some thinking to complete all the panels. First I looked for some quotes about sisters using the internet of course. Other panels were decorated with flowers and some images of some celeb men who are especially liked by my sister. That really tickled her - the laughter and joy rippled over us all when she discovered them in her card. We all smiled and I was especially pleased.

I said the card could double as a gift box. I added a handmade necklace which I bought from a fellow crafter who had a stall set up in my workplace last term. My sister wore it for the rest of the day as you can see from the photos.

She called it 'the best card Ever' - I'm so chuffed!

I Love Craft Goodie Bags

2009-08-07T21:28:00.000+01:00

Since the disappearance of my favourite card making magazine, 'You Can Craft!', selecting a magazine is not simply done by the title but by the contents of the cover. Not just the featured articles and the enticing cover photos but by the promised content of the goodie bag that is invariably included in the price of these publications. It is not always possible to afford more than one especially in these recession times. These magazines cannot normally be leafed through as they are generally sealed in a polythene bag or the more eco-friendly cardboard envelope so all you have to go on is the cover. But I must admit something. Yes the titles of the featured articles might be of interest especially if focusing on something I want to learn more about such as quilling but let's be honest, it is the goodie bag that I want.

From the beginning, my craft stash was created and replenished by the goodies from the craft magazines. The card featured in this post was created using one of the wonderful die-cuts that come with the September issue of 'Crafts Beautiful'. The magazine, as suggested by the title covers all kinds of crafts with tips and advice, projects to try including a knitting pattern and a cross stitch template. Great for reading while having a cup of tea but let's talk about the card.

When I tipped out the bag of embellishments I was amazed at the variety it contained. As well as stuff for birthdays, there are card decorations for new babies, anniversaries, cards for children, men, gardeners, graduates and of course Christmas. Can't deny I got so excited I didn't know where to start. There's even a couple of small pieces of vellum which I've never used before.

In the end I selected one motif and decided to work from there. The vase of pink roses is so delicately coloured don't you think? The background papers came from other past freebies except the white card with silver roses. I stamped and heat embossed those. I used the edge of an ice lolly stick to create the embossed lines on the sentiment but it was the sentiment itself that gave me the most trouble. I found it very difficult to get a clear impression as for some reason the embossing powder wanted to stick to areas I wanted clear. I lost count of how many times I created the sentiment panel before being satisfied. No doubt practice makes perfect.

Raining cats and dogs!

2009-08-02T19:29:00.000+01:00

Not a BBQ summer, no but that is not really a surprise. In the UK BBQ summers usually mean hosepipe bans and bone dry water butts. This summer however is great for gardens and gardeners. Rain and more rain! Not a good time for outdoor work so this week I spent some time reorganising my craft space. After moving furniture and tidying up boxes I decided to create a little wall decoration using my Moo minicards which are pictures of cards I've made. It's a nice display idea I got from the Moo.com blog. I used my crop-a-dile to make the holes and some red ribbon from my ribbon stash, a little blu-tac and voila!

Once a craft space has been tidied up and reorganised the only thing to do then is to mess it up and make something. Well actually I was leafing through my collection of magazines for inspiration and with all the rain of late what else would catch my eye but cats? The stamp used came as part of a set of animal stamps with said magazine. Once done it was only right to make one with dogs as a central motif.

The paws background paper and others are all in my stash of papers from all my old magazines. I copied the motif idea but used three dogs instead of four. I also tried out stamping the sentiments straight on the card.

You may notice I have added a widget for my Facebook Fan Page. This makes it easy for you to see what is happening on my fan page and also become a fan.

Let's hope for a least a little BBQ weather before the season is over. Thank you for reading.

ATC - Celebrate Life!

2009-07-16T11:33:00.000+01:00

My summer break from the day job has begun! For the next month or so I will have more time to spend in both my craft space and my garden. The latter is quite happy with all the recent rain and I am happy because rainy days make great crafting days.

Some time ago I was asked about repeating a group activity on Facebook. With all this extra time I decided to have another ATC Exchange with the members of my Facebook group 'I Love Hand Crafted Cards'.

The theme of the ATCs is 'Celebrate Life!'

Why have I chosen this theme? I think it was chosen for me by the mood of recent weeks. There has been so much sadness recently with grim stories surrounding the deaths of young people, some of them very local. Celebrity deaths which have rocked the world and the continuing loss of young men in Afghanistan, funerals usually bring one phrase from family and friends. They mourn but above all they wish to celebrate the lives of those they have lost.

Let's celebrate the lives we have as well as the ones we had. It is a celebration and expression of the wonders we share be they simple or complex.

Celebrate Life!

Let's us celebrate our lives and the lives of those whose memories we cherish. 'We have a lot to be thankful for,' says one of the ILHCC group members. Indeed we do! Therefore it is not a theme focusing on loss but on the blessings we have; family, friendship, birth, nature and really anything that expresses celebration of life.

I started with the image of the rainbow. I love rainbows for their beauty and it was the first idea that came to me in my thinking of ATC designs. It is one of my favourite sights and of course is linked with the story of Noah. It marked the beginning of a new life. This ATC is not quite finished and I also have another idea - to repeat the image on another ATC using a different technique...

So it with thanks and remembrance as well as expressing the joy of life that I sat down to begin creating some ATCs the short name for Artist Trading Cards. The Ethiopian Cross was created using watercolour pencils and adorned with gold and white ribbons. This was inspired by the ceremony of Genna (Christmas) when the Ethiopian Orthodox priests carry large crosses among the people draped with sashes celebrating the birth of Christ. The only one made using papercraft so far, is the one with those bright orange flowers and it is one that I think works really well. See Art in Your Pocket for more information on required size and format and more about Artist Trading Cards.

ATCs are 2.5 x 3.5 inches. If you are not used to working on such a small scale it can be quite a challenge. I found it very difficult to create ATCs in last years swap. However this year experience has afforded me more confidence Employing my drawing skills using watercolour pencils as well as papercraft has opened more means of expression. Don't know why I never considered it before. It helps where there is no stamp or ready made embellishment or paper to fit my need so I am using it advance my creation of ATCs.

While making them I thought about doing this not just for the group but for anyone who would like to exchange an ATC with me. I am thinking of how to present this on my website but in the meantime... It would be a good idea to make them not just for this swap but just for the fun of it. Then some will be available for future swaps. If make ATCs and want to swap just leave a message in the comments and I'll be in touch.

Thanks for reading. Wishing you sunshine wherever you are.