Tuesday 26 November 2013

Close To My Heart - Christmas Cards

This last month has been busy with a number of card making workshops.  I am loving being part of the Close To My Heart company so much.  I feel like I could never call this work, it is too much fun!
 
This month the focus has been on Christmas Cards.  I will share a few of the cards we have worked on with you.


This Noel card was made using the Sparkle & Shine Paper Pack and the Remarkable Wreath stamp set.  The stamps in this set are great - you start with stamping a twig wreath and build up your layers however you want them.  Mine just has Christmas berries, but other ladies added leaves and even flowers to theirs.  They all looked different and so amazing!


This Nativity card is made using the Glory To God stamp set.  The stamped image has been highlighted with Liquid Glass and this gives it a raised, glossy finish.  Difficult to see in the photo, but so, so nice!


This Christmas Card was done using the Holiday Cheer stamps and once again the Christmas Ornaments have been coated with Liquid Glass to give a raised, glossy finish. 


The last one I am going to share with you is one of my favourites - it is a Christmas version of a tri-fold card.  Very effective! 
 
I think by general consensus at our last workshop, all the ladies agreed that Card Making was not only fun it also felt quite therapeutic to spend some time away from the stress of our busy lives and just enjoy being creative for a few hours.
 
If you liked any of the stamps we have used, they are all available for purchase online, just click on the links I have provided.

Until next time,


Monday 11 November 2013

Handmade Craft Market

My first time running a stall at our local Handmade Craft Market has come and gone and was quite a fun, successful day!  The markets were the weekend following my daughter's birthday, so after all the party preparations, I was only left with a week to get things ready for the markets, but thankfully it all came together well.  I shared the stall with a friend, which helped to give us both the confidence to give this a try.
 
The markets are specifically called a Handmade Market, stocking products that are all handmade.  Some crafty things, some edible.  The lady who manages the markets also asked me if I would set up a demonstration of some type, so I had a free stamping make & take table which was very popular with the customers.


I managed to get a photo of the stall only part way through set-up.  After that things got too busy and I never had a chance to get one of the completed set-up.  Next time!


These were some gift bags filled with candy which I made using some of my Close To My Heart Stamps,  My new wreath stamps were so much fun to experiment with and create so many different looks. 


These are some giant clip magnets - perfect to clip up and hold paperwork you need to keep handy.


These are cute little notebooks with post-it notes inside.  All have been made using my stamps.  I love how they turned out!  I plan to make more of these.  They would make perfect little Christmas gifts.


These were some of my handmade magnets - before I had them all nicely packaged up.  Even though I do enjoy a wide variety of crafts - I kept my focus on paper crafts for the markets.


This was just a small selection of the cards I had for sale.  I enjoy making them, I find it so relaxing - but the quantity of cards can add up quite quickly, so much more than I could possible use myself, so it was a great opportunity to sell some.  They were quite popular.

The market is only new to our area in the last few months.  It runs every month.  I loved it so much that I do plan to do it again next month - so that means some more busy days ahead for me, creating more to sell!