Completed Paper Cut Illustration

The finished illustration.

Close up of the dog

Who you lookin' at?

Handmade Book

A lot of hand made went into this book; from the waxed covers and hand stitching....

 ..... to the tea dyed, baked and torn pages.

It's my first book so I experimented with just a few pages (I need to tea dye more!) and the book folds flat.  I would really like it to be jam packed with pages - a bumper volume!

I love the look and the feel of the pages.

Here's a close up of the front cover.  It has a slight smell of beeswax.  I am happy with the outcome but it took a lot of trial and error to get thus far!

Waxed Papers

Got some amazing effects waxing hand made paper today.  The papers have taken on a leathery texture and feel so expensive!  I have got a fun project in store for these.

Organising Paper Craft Scraps

Although I made a start on organising my craft supplies earlier in the year, I came to a standstill and never finished the job.  The task was so daunting that I put it to the back of my mind.  In the bedroom there is a huge laundry bag full of over spill from the craft room blocking one of the fitted wardrobes.  Today I decided to sort out that bag once and for all!

I used Ziploc bags to categorise my card and paper scraps into colour families.

This will make it so much easier to see what I have before buying any more paper stock.

I have grouped them as blue, purple, pink, red, green, yellow, orange, brown, neutral, black and metallic.  Later on I can sub divide them further but feel that is a good start.

Thank you for the messages and suggestions yesterday.  In the evening I watched Last Night at the Proms on the t.v rather than the usual X-factor or Strictly Come Dancing.  I found the music moving and rousing and it lifted my low mood.  I slept well ( no nightmares for once) and woke up feeling in a good frame of mind.  Also, I have found a project that I can't wait to start but will leave that to talk about another time.  Sorting and having a tidy up really does bring me clarity of thought.

Sorry the photos are unclear today.  Probably forgot to use macro on the camera!

The Owl and the Pussy Cat

Owls and pussy cats make the sweetest tags!  Do you prefer the owl or the pussy cat?

Thank you to everyone who left a comment on my 1000th post!  It was lovely to know that some of my 'old' readers are still reading!  I allocated each name on the comments list a number from 1 to 12 (not including those who are already receiving a little paper crafted 'something' and used a random number generator.  The lucky number was seven which was Lisa's number!  Congratulations Lisa.  I will email you.  Rosie, Judy and Julia I will put something in the post to you next week.

Wishing you all a lovely week ahead.

The Finished Cards and Tags

This is my penultimate post before the BIG ONE!!!

Tags or Card Toppers

My intention was to make these into tags but now I am thinking that they could be used as card toppers?  I am not sure yet.  May have to let this one sit a while.

 

These were time consuming to make as I had to stick sheet music onto card stock, die cut and then look through my crafty stash to see what embellishments I could use.  I fussy cut some bird papers and mounted onto card, picked out individual paper flowers and stickers and then enhanced a few areas with glitter.

I am pretty pleased how they turned out.

Masculine Card

I don't often make 'manly' cards but made this one with some down loadable images from a CD-ROM and some die cuts that I already had.  I added some dimension with layers and used glossy accents to make the hat and watch face shiny.

It was therapeutic to make the card as I have had a four day migraine which is now receding.  Immersing oneself in a project is a good way to forget other problems.

Simple Birthday Cards

I have accumulated quite a few scrapbooking supplies over the years even though I don't scrapbook!

I thought I would put them to good use by making some cards.

 I made sure the inside was pretty too!

Two simple summery looking cards!

More Crafty Makes

I am dreaming craft at the moment.  I am suddenly panicking that I won't have enough stock or enough variety.  I know what I want to make but in the process there is much trial and error!  I have time to make simple gift tags and lace trimmed note books but other things need much more planning such as the caged baked marble pendants that I want to try out!

If I only knew ahead what sort of things people wanted to buy I could concentrate on doing those.  I have been told that there will be other jewellery makers and card makers at the fair.  I am quickly looking for a USP* and I think it is going to be quality goods with a few quirky makes thrown in for good measure! So quality/quirky!

When (or if) you go to craft fairs, what things catch your eye?  Are you looking to buy for others or to buy for yourself?  Is there anything you want to buy but can't find?  I would love to know what you think.

*unique selling point

Note Card Folio Set

YouTube has been a wonderful source of inspiration and information for me recently.  I really wanted to have a go at making a note card set but wasn't really sure where to start.  I found many tutorials on YouTube and set about simplifying a note card set where I didn't have to factor in different measurements.  I am happy how my first attempt turned out, especially with the chip board motif on the cover and can now imagine making all types of sets using pretty floral paper and images.

The designs inside the set are simple, making use of ready made embellishments and pre-printed cards.   I could of course spend a lot of time making beautiful and intricate cards but time is money when creating for the craft fair.

 

 I had such fun creating this set although it took me best part of a day!

I think I will make another Christmas set using purples and blues as a theme and then I will start on something vintage inspired!

I hope your week is going well!