Day 31 - Horsing Around!!

Evening!! Well, I almost forgot to blog today!! It's only because I'm watching Fiona on Create and Craft that I remembered!!

This is one of the Shadow Boxes from the "A Country Life" CD, printed onto Watercolour Card. I decorated it with my Kimono Blossom Branch and Die'sire Flowers for All Occasions 3 with lots of pearls. The sentiment is also from the CD. I mounted it onto more watercolour card printed with matching papers from the CD.

Cxx

Day 30 - Pretty Flowers

Evening! Were you lucky enough to catch the extra Spectrum Aqua show this afternoon? I was out - so missed it - but looks like the Aquas are going well!!

I have another make from the Morgan Fitzsimons CD which is also on the show - this one used one of the Shaped Cards printed onto Sheena Stamping Card.

I made the base card from 2 sheets of Matt Black card. The papers are printed on Satin Finish Paper - and I used more Matt Black with my Die'sire Floral Dance Edge'ables to create the fancy sides. Using the papers printed on Printable Light Card, I cut flowers with Die'sire Essentials Flowers for All Occasions 4. The flourishes are Fancy Flourishes from Sara Davies' Butterfly Lullaby collection.

I used one of notelets and the verse writer to create a matching insert.

Back tomorrow,

Cxxx

Day 29 - A Country Life Pop Up Box.

Afternoon!! An earlier post today. I only worked this morning, and am struggling to motivate myself to do anything this afternoon. So, I'm sitting with my laptop on my lap - watching Fiona on Create & Craft - and doing things like clearing out my emails, sorting Pinterest and now blogging.

Today, I have another offering from the Morgan Fitzsimons "A Country Life" CD. I chose this one today, as Fiona shared it yesterday as part of her FB post. It is one of the Pop Up Boxes from the CD - all the pieces you need are provided. I added an extra sentiment from the Sentiments section, and the 3D Bows from the Embellishment section.

One I had printed the Pop Up Box out onto Centura Pearl, I popped it back into the printer and printed the back with the co-ordinating papers - just so there was no white showing. I also inked the edges with Dusty Concord Distress Ink. And that lovely lacy border was just asking to be decorated with flat backed pearls.

Back tomorrow,

Cxxx

Day 28 - A Sneak Peek!!

Evening!! An easy choice to share today, as tomorrow sees the launch of a fab new CD alongside the Spectrum Aqua Pick of the Week. It's another stunner from Morgan Ftizsimons, and is called A Country Life. 

Today's sneak peek is one of the gorgeous Heart Easel cards that comes on the CD. I printed it onto Sheena White Stamping card and it's teamed up with co-ordinating papers which I printed onto the back - I do hate white showing! Along with decoupaging up the rose image that comes with it,  I also used Die'sire Large Rose Quilling die and the matching Design Set paper, to create extra flowers, along with Stamen and Leaf 1. 

The leaves were cut from Core'dinations card, and embossed with Embossalicious Everyday Rose Garden folder. I edged most elements with either Bundled Sage or Spun Sugar Distress Ink, and sprayed the flowers and leaves with Pearl Diamond Spray & Sparkle. It's finished off with a few flat backed pearl embellishments.

Keep an eye out for more sneak peeks from me - and the rest of the team - and be sure to tune in for the shows:

Back tomorrow!! 

Cxxx

Day 27 - Letters for a lady

Evening all!! The day job has finally quietened down, so, for the first time in 3 weeks, I had the whole day to myself!! And I have tomorrow too!! Took the opportunity to go for a run this morning - 7.5K of mud and puddles - brilliant fun!! Was hoping it might kill off the yukky tummy feeling I've had for the past few days - but it doesn't appear to have!! 

Spent a fair bit of the rest of the day doing crafty stuff. But what I am realising doing this image a day thing, is that a lot of what I am working on cannot be shared yet as it's either DT stuff or for someone's birthday etc. 

So today, I am digging into a small collection of photos of projects from last year that, for one reason or another, I didn't get round to sharing. This one was made for a special lady who, amongst other things, looks after us on the Crafter's Companion Design Teams. If you've got your copy of Crafter's Inspiration 9, then you will have seen the fab article about her in there. 

I started with the letters, cut using my Crafter's Companion 3" Letter dies - but I can't remember which CD the papers came from (it was a while ago - and for some reason I didn't write it all down)! I do love alphabet dies (something that Emma knows!!) The white squares are cut with the insert dies from the Die'sire Create a Card Square Accordion, using Fresh White double sided Centura Pearl.  The fancy edge is cut with the free Edge'able die that came with a previous Crafter's Inpsiration magazine.

Back tomorrow,

Cxxx

Day 26 - Colour matching!!

Hello!! Am really tired tonight - so just a quick post! 

Been doing a bit of colouring with my lovely Spectrum Noirs - and then needed to find card for matting and layering. Can alway rely on a bit of Bazzill - with some Bazzill Bling in there too!! And I do not know how I managed before I had my daylight floor lamp for Christmas - it's absolutely brilliant for helping to get really good colour matches!! 

Can't share the coloured image as it's for a birthday card - so that will appear later on in the year!! 

Cxxx

Day 25 - A UFO no more!!

Good evening!! Well, you may be pleased to know that I have finally finished my Christmas bunting. I am very pleased as I know that if I left it much longer, it would have been December before I thought about it again.

So, on the right is the main bunting that will be strung across my lounge come December, and the smaller bunting to the left will be gracing the tree - hopefully instead of tinsel or beads! 

You may notice that I like to top-stitch the binding on bunting - these are two of the fabulous decorative stitches on my lovely Janome machine!!
Cxxx

Day 24 - Creations for Crafter's Inspiration 9

Evening - thought I would share a compilation photo tonight with the other four of my creations for Crafter's Inspiration 9. They are all created with the Elongated Hearts dies that come free with the magazine.

I loved combining them with the Destinations papers - the colours are just beautiful to work with. Check out the magazine for full details of how to make them! Click on the picture below to take you to the website.

Cxxx

Day 23 - A bit of cross-stitch

Evening!! I have had a fairly interesting day, starting off with the strangest parkrun I've ever done. It was with a small group of other ladies (and one lad) and we conga'd our way around the course. One of the lovely ladies will be 40 soon - and last year she set 40 challenges to do before her 40th birthday - this was one of them!!

After that, I did a little card making before crashing out on the bed watching Create and Craft. The Crewel show was on, and it reminded me that I had bought a VERY basic cross-stitch last September to take with me on our camping holiday. I did make a start on it - but didn't get very far at all!! 

The kit is made by Dimension - and is one of those very simple "Learn a Craft" type things. I picked it up in Hobbycraft. I haven't cross-stitched in years, and only then on the Binca type material. So this was totally new to me. I love the design, and I will persevere and get it finished. 

Cxxx

Day 22 - A little Bebunni!!

Evening!! Almost forgot to do this tonight!! Never mind. Not the clearest of photos, but will hopefully pass muster. I have used a Topper Companion from the gorgeous Crafter's Companion Bebunni Birthday CD.

The fancy mount is cut from Papermill Teal card, using Die'sire Elegance Stamping Frame. The letters and numbers are Die'sire 1" Contemporary Alphabet. 

Back tomorrow.

Cxxxx

Day 21 - Crafter's Inspiration 9

Hello!! Three weeks in and I'm still going with the Crafty Image a Day!! And what better photo to share today than one of me!!! How is that crafty? Well, it's my mug shot in the latest Crafter's Inspiration, along with a full page layout introducing my 5 makes with the fabulous free Elongated Hearts dies that come with the magazine.

Below is a closer picture of the card shown here - I'll share the others over the coming days. Aside from my stuff, there is loads more inspiration from the team - along with great features from Sara, Leann, Fiona and Sheena! And as well as the free dies, there is a free embossing folder and stamp set too!! Great value!!

Back tomorrow

Cxxx

Day 20 - Getting on with a UFO.

Evening!! This afternoon I had some time to myself, so thought I'd get going on my Christmas Bunting - otherwise it will be Christmas again, and it won't be finished.

So after a mammoth session of pinning and clipping - with fab new hot pink quilt clips, I managed to sew the first side of the bunting on - both the large and smaller tree bunting. Next step - fold the binding over and topstitch - a job for tomorrow I think!!

Cxxx

Day 19 - A Challenge For The Future

Evening!! Today I am sharing a photo of a "challenge" that I know I want to have a go at - but right now, am not sure when and how I will do it. I am really enjoying getting to grips with Patchwork and Quilting at the moment, and a while back I heard about a book called Dear Jane.

It's written by a lady called Brenda Manges Papadakis and is based around an 1863 Quilt by Jane A. Stickle. In it, she shows the geometric patterns of all 225 patterns from the original quilt. Alongside this, she has a website that contains hints and tips for creating each block and pattern. 

My hope is to start to work through the blocks - eventually creating my own quilt (which they call a Baby Jane). Now this is a mammoth undertaking, and I know that it will be a long term thing - but I have made a start by investing in the book and the quilting templates that have been designed to help create the blocks and patterns.

I need to make a decision as to whether this is going to just be an "as and when" project - or something I set out on with a more definite (if very long term) plan. As yet, I am not sure. So, watch this space.

Back tomorrow,

Cxxxx

Day 18 - The Ultimate Experience!!

Evening!! A less busy week started today, with just an afternoon. That leaves two more afternoons, one morning, and one full day - which does leave me a little time to play. So, despite feeling a little ropey and bunged up this morning, I dug out my Crafter's Companion Intructional DVD's - which I have to admit to only very briefly looking at before - and put the original Ulitmate Pro DVD in my computer! When I started crafting, one of the my first purchases was an Ultimate. It was in The Range, and I looked at it thinking "I have no idea what to do with it - but I think I'm going to need one!" And I most certainly did.

I still have that Ultimate, and have to admit to not upgrading to the Ultimate Pro until I became part of the Crafter's Companion Design Team. I learnt how to use it a little by trial and error - and also by watching Create and Craft. The Ultimate and then the Pro became my mainstay for creating boxes and scoring card blanks - and I don't think I will ever stop using it for the latter. 

Having watched (and taken notes on) the projects, I shall have to make some of them as there are some fab card and box shapes that I haven't worked on for an age!!

Back tomorrow,

Cxxx

Day 17 - Football Fan!!

Evening!! Today is apparently the day when people usually give up on their New Year's Resolution. And my OH who encouraged me (and others) to do this image a day thing has chosen it as his day to give up. To be fair, he already completed a year of images in 2014 - and feels that this what he has been doing is all very samey!! But I am going to keep plugging onwards!!

Earlier this month it was my brother-in-law's birthday!! So I made him this easel card with a Kanban image and sentiment called Football Fan!! The papers came free with a Bow Maker magazine, and I used Papermill card for the base.  The little metal studs are cut from a large sheet that I got in The Range. I bought them because they looked different - but it's the first time I've really found anything to use them on. The letters are Die'sire 1" Contemporary Alphabet!!

Back tomorrow!!
Cxxx

Day 16 - Distressing Organisation!!!

Evening all!! So, after feeling rough last night, I woke up with a full blown cold. So I didn't head out to parkrun this morning - which in a way was good because my OH came back just after 9 saying it had been cancelled!! Too much ice on the course!! It made me feel less guilty about still being tucked up in bed. 

I didn't spend all day in bed. I decided to sort out my Distress Inks. I do love organisation - - so this has been a totally planned operation!! I haven't decorated the Stamps Away MDF Ink holders as I'm not sure what look I want yet, but I did finish labelling all the ink pads - both with the colour and the name. And now the collection is complete (except for the new Picket Fence that is finally coming out this year!!) I have treated myself to new cut and dry foam.

Each colour has always had its own piece of cut and dry foam, but some of them were a little worse for wear, so I invested in 2 new sheets. Each little container is numbered and holds six pieces of foam - and on each ink pad, I have put the number of the container - and on each piece of foam I have put the initials of the colour.

And of course, I have completed my Distress Ink colour sheet so I can colour match when working on my projects. As well as this, I have been working on a card today - but as it's for someone, I cannot share it yet!!

Back tomorrow!!
Cxxx

Day 15 - Fence Rail Quilted Cushion

Evening all!! Feeling a tad sorry for myself tonight. Full of cold and feeling generally ugh!! Am hoping an early night will sort it all out, as I have need to run tomorrow, and am hopefully paddleboarding on Sunday morning!! And in between I would like to get some crafting done!

Anyway, onto today's crafty image. Just as I made one niece a pink cushion for Christmas, I also made her older sister a purple one! This block is called Fence Rail, and the patterned material is another Hobbycraft fat quarter pack.

I used some more of the lovely stitches on my Janome sewing machine - and quilted with polyester wadding and plain white cotton, before attaching to the plain purple backing.

Back tomorrow.

Cxxx

 

Day 14 - No Crafting = Tidy Craft Desk!!

Evening. During this past week and a half, I haven't been able to get any crafting done due to other commitments - and I'm beginning to get withdrawal symptoms. The only bonus is that my desk is sooooo tidy!!

Here's hoping I get some time at the weekend to make it a little messier. At some point I'll have to post a picture of what it looks like when I'm in full flow with making something!!
Back tomorrow.

Cxxx

Day 13 - That Kimono Bird Cage Again!!

Evening all - thought I'd get in earlier tonight - before I get lost in a pile of planning and marking!! Back on day 7, I shared a box card made using the gorgeous birdcage image from Crafter's Companion Kimono CD. At the time, I said that it is one of my favourite images. And to prove it, here is another recent birthday card I used it on!

I also used Die'sire Essentials Flowers for All Occasions 3 and 4, along with an X Cut Birdcage die, and Die'sire 1" Contemporary Alphabet. The papers are also from the CD - and the plain card is a mixture of Papermill and Bazzil.

Back tomorrow,

Cxxxx

Day 12 - A Touch of Style!!

A very good evening to you!! Have had a bit of a stressful day - and am feeling really tired!! But can't forget to do my image of the day!!

This is an A5 birthday card, made using a topper and card from Hunkydory's A Touch of Style. The grey patterned paper is from a pad I bought in Lidl!  I cut the butterfly with Die'sire Essentials Butterflies, and the letters are Die'sire 1" Decorative Alphabet!!

Back tomorrow,

Cxxx

Day 11 - Time for a Beer!!

Evening all! Another quick post tonight, to share my image of the day. This one is using Crafter's Companion Camden Town Male CD for both the images and papers.    

The base is an A4 piece of card scored in half, then the front piece is scored in half again. The image was placed on another piece of card that was attached to the front. A little bit of matting and layering, wooden buttons with Jute string, along with letters cut using Die'sire 1" Alphabet dies finished the card off - with a Die'sire Essentials Only Words die creating the inside sentiment.

Back tomorrow.

Cxxx

Day 10 - A little Angelica

Evening!! A bit later with my post tonight due to deciding to shampoo the "office" carpet with our new shampoo thingy!! So, it'll be a quick one.

This one is using the gorgeous Crafter's Companion Angelica and Adam CD for both the image and the papers. The die cut in the background is Die'sire A6 Daisy Dreams Create a Card, and the letters and number are cut with Die'sire 1" Contemporary Alphabet!

Back tomorrow!
Cxxxx

Day 9 - A Bit of Bunting!

So today, is Day 9 of my crafty image a day. On Day 3, I shared a picture of a quilted cushion cover I made for one of my nieces. Well, today my image is of the matching bunting.

The pink and grey material is from a pack of fat quarters from Hobbycraft. I used my Crafter's Companion 3" Alphabet dies as stencils for the lettering, and my EZ 45 degree triangle template for the bunting itself. The plain pink cotton fabric and binding came from my local Fabric Land!! 

Back tomorrow

Cxxxx

Day 8 - A little twitching!!

Evening!! So, after 3 straight days of work, I find that I shall be working 5 days next week. It's great because of the money - but how when do I craft? When do I run? Aaagh!! Am having to plan my every move for the next week on my new WeekCal app - hopefully then I won't forget anything I have to do!!

I made this anniversary card for my husband back in October - and never got round to sharing it! So, thought I would use it for today's image!! The image and patterned card is from a Kanban kit called British Birds - and as my OH loves wildlife - and is a bit of a twitcher - this seemed perfect! And I love the colours of this particular one. The sentiment is a combination of Die'sire Essentials Only Words sentiments dies. 

Back tomorrow! 

Cxxx

Day 7 - Kimono Box Card

Evening!! Another busy day of teaching! I have one more day with this class tomorrow - and I have rather enjoyed working with them. But hopefully their teacher will be feeling better by Monday - as I do find that work does get in the way of all those other things I want to do!! Seriously though, the bills need paying so needs must!!  

Today's image is a box card, made from A4 white card. The papers and image are from Crafter's Companion Kimono CD - and this one is rather a favourite of mine. 

Back tomorrow - and it''ll nearly be the weekend!!
Cxxx 

Day 6 - A Busy Day!!

Evening! I've had quite a busy day. Ended up with a full day's supply work - along with the next 2 days as well!! So had to get my run in when I came back - in the dark - not my favourite time of day to run - but needs must!!

Onto today's Crafy Image! This one is a 6x6 easel card. The image and papers are from Crafter's Companion Camden Town Female CD. The lacy border on the base is cut using Downton Abbey's Elegant Border die, while the name is Die'sire 1" Decorative Alphabet.

I finished off with some Hobby House flowers, and a few pearls.

Back tomorrow!
Cxxx

Day 5 - A Pile of Ironing!!

Evening!! Doesn't sound very crafty, does it? And to be honest, I hate ironing!! But, this is definitely of the crafting variety - and with my Clover Mini Iron, it was pretty easy too! Particularly the mini bunting!

I managed to finish sewing all the bits and pieces for my (still) unfinished Christmas bunting! Now, you may look at it and think this is not very Christmassy - but I had been aiming for a cream and beige colour theme with wooden ornaments etc! The mini bunting was to go on the tree instead of tinsel etc. I did somewhat achieve it - even without the bunting! Anyway, this fabulous Makower Scandi II taupe collection fit the bill perfectly!!

So, sitting at my craft desk, I managed to get it all ironed ready for attaching to the binding!! Who knows when I'll get round to that!!

Back tomorrow!!

Cxxx

Day 4 - My New Peg Bag!!

Day 4 - and while pretty much everyone else has been back to work or school, I am still at home. As I do supply work, I have to wait for the phone calls to come in - and over the course of the day I've had a few bookings for later this week and into next week. Meanwhile, I have started back into my running training, with 4 miles done today. Was not the best - but I did it!! Afterwards, I treated myself to a visit to Fabricland to pick up some fabric for a few projects I have lined up for later on. 

But onto today's crafy picture(s). Ages ago I bought some cheap polyester fabric for £2 from The Works with the intention of making a new peg bag. The one I had was my Nan's - and she's been gone a few years now - so it's very old. So, using the instructions in lovely Debbie Shore's Half Yard Heaven, I have spent my afternoon making a new Peg Bag.

I have to admit to altering mine a bit - and if I was to do it again, would make it a little longer and use a thicker fabric, but overall it's turned out OK and will last for the time being.

I also have to admit to top stitching the binding as I'm not the greatest fan of hand sewing - but I think it can add to the effect! Particularly on bunting when I always use a decorative stitch. 

I think while I've got the machine out, I will try to finish off the Christmas bunting I never finished last year - at least then it will be ready for this year!!

Back tomorrow!
Cxxx

Day 3 - My new sewing machine!!

This year I really want to get more into my sewing. At the end of last year, my very basic machine decided to break down, and it gave me the impetus to finally invest in a much better machine. So, I am now the proud owner of a Janome. It has plenty of decorative stitches - but what clinched it for me was that it came with an extension table, and a package of quilting presser feet - including a walking foot, free motion embroidery foot, 1/4" foot, and a ditch foot! Plenty enough to keep me going. 

Today's image is one of the first things I have made with my new machine. The cushion was for my youngest niece for Christmas. She loves pink, so this will go well in her bedroom.

The block pattern is called Card Trick - and I used the instructions from McCall's Quilting. The finished block size was a little too small to make the size cushion cover I wanted, so I used an app called QuiltSandwich which has a little function on it whereby you can put in the finished sized squares, and it tells you the size of the half and quarter triangles to cut! Very useful! The fabric is from a fat quarter pack from Hobbycraft - with plain pink cotton used for the envelope style back. I used some of my new fancy stitches to quilt the cushion front onto thin 2oz polyester wadding - with a plain white cotton backing. 

I have made very simple square patchwork cushions before - so this was a step up for me. But what I am most happy about is the corners. I didn't like the way I ended up with very pointy corners before, so I found information on Craftsy (How to Sew Perfectly Plump Throw Pillow Covers) on how to avoid this. And I think it was fairly successful.

Back tomorrow!!
Cxxx  

Day 2 of the Crafty Image a Day!!

Well, I've made it to day 2. As I mentioned yesterday, in order to be able to keep this up for a year, I am going to need to use photos which will include things other than just competed projects - hence the "Crafty Images" title! 

On their FB page today, Crafter's Companion is looking for you to share images of craft related presents you had for Christmas, so I thought this would be ideal for my 2nd image. 

This is the gorgeous vintage-style, cantilever sewing box my stepdaughter gave me for Christmas. I really want to do more sewing this year, and being organised always helps me to achieve more! So this is a great start!! All the little things in the top sections were already there - making it look really pretty!!

I've already started adding some of my haberdashery items and notions - and the little lids open too for more space! It looks right at home with all my other crafting stash!!

In taking these photos, I realised that I don't have a sheet of white card large enough for taking pictures of bigger items. Will have to try to sort that out!! But, I did use another of my crafty presents when taking these photos - a fab daylight floor lamp that I can move and angle over my workspace!! Brilliant for front lighting the sewing box today!!

Well, will be back tomorrow for Day 3.  Thanks for popping in to have a look!! If you are not already a follower of my blog, then please feel free to do so. You can follow by email, bloglovin or google - all three can be accessed by the icons on the right hand side of the blog. Alternately, you can follow me on Facebook where I will also be showing my daily images - my page is called Papercraft By Carole. I will also be setting up a Pinterest board on my existing page (Papercraft By Carole) called 2016 A Crafty Image A Day, and tweeting each image on @pcbcarole.

Cxxxxx

The start of another year!!

I have just about managed to get my first blog of the year done and posted on the first day of the month. Better than last year!! Looking back at last year's first blog, I find that once again I have run Bournemouth parkrun on New Year's day - and once again found it a struggle having partaken of lots of good food and alcohol over the festive period!! It was, however a PB for that particular course by over a 1 minute - but still nearly 2 minutes slower than my PB set towards the end of last year.

I mentioned in that blog that I knew the year was going to be difficult - and it was!! Dad passed away at the beginning of February after losing his battle with cancer. And I the happiness jar that I was so determined I would fill has stood empty all year. 

As for the targets I set - well I managed those!! I ran my first ever 10K after 10 months of training, raising money for Macmillan Cancer Support. And I had a fabulous paddleboarding season - despite some dodgy weather - with a wonderful bunch of people!! 

Crafting wise, I was determined not to get stressed over it - and to do what I wanted more. Well, at the beginning of the year, what with everything going on with Dad, all my commitments just seemed to much - I became very stressed - and I came close to giving it all up!! But things calmed down, and I reassessed. I decided to step down from the Challenge based teams I was on, but kept my commitment to Crafter's Companion - a decision I have not regretted. 

So - onto this year!! What do I want to achieve this year? Well, there are several things!! I want to run my first trail 10K, I want to be able to run 10 miles, and I want to run 5K in under 33 minutes!! 

Craftwise, I hope to continue my Design Team work for Crafter's Companion, make cards for my friends and family, do more sewing, and just enjoy creating stuff!!

My OH is considering blogging an image a day for the year - he did it a couple of years ago and is going to have another go this year. I would like to think I could blog a craft photo (not necessarily of a completed project) every day - but I'm not sure I will so that's one we'll just have to wait until next year to see if I manage!! 

Anyway - just in case - here's my first one!! This was made for my Mum's birthday using Crafter's Companion Vintage Floral CD.

I used the image and papers from the CD, along with dark green card to create this one!! The letters are cut with Die'sire 1" Decorative alphabet dies.

I look forward to spending the next year with you - and thank you for all your support in reading and commenting on my blog last year. 

Cxxx