Community crafting and planning

Morning,
Apologies for the lateness of catching up with a post, it's been a whirlwind of a few weeks...
In brief I've been planning and booking new workshops and classes and preparing for my next session of demo's, I have also just had a weekend away in Daventry with AFCI UK.
The association for Creative Industries, a Trade association for the creative, craft and hobby industry.
They hold an annual event called the One Big Show which allows the members to socialise and most importantly network, learn and discover through a whole host of seminars and activities laid on throughout the weekend.
It was held at the Mecure Daventry, funnily enough I stayed there 3 years ago when I was invited to hold a workshop there, another great weekend.
I've been very conscious of keeping my planning up to date as so much has been happening and planned that I worry I'll loose track!
It's actually helped a lot and sounds obvious but we don't always plan efficiently, well I have been guilty of this but it's had to change as things have progressed and developed.
My basic planning consists of having a list on my phone that I update and work through daily then each evening I update it with what I've done and what needs doing next and prioritising what's most important.
I can then have more detailed planning for specifics.
My "To Do" list is never ending but it is in an order of priority now and that's helped enormously with an increasingly busy schedule.
I then go to bed with a clear head and not stress about everything I have to do.
It works for me! Sounds simply but it's take me time to get this working right for me.
I wanted to just share a bit about community crafting and crafting for therapy which is something I'm absolutely passionate about. While I was away in Daventry I had a conversation with Dan Bancroft from Create and Craft about this which was really interesting and I'm so glad I could share how I feel about craft with the their team.
I'll finish this post with a bit of an insight into a new venture for me which happened quite by chance!
We very recently had a new micro pub open locally, it's an amazing space and all about community so very much on point with my focus on craft. Think local village pub but micro style!
I've started holding craft sessions there which in itself is a challenge for obvious reasons, like most of us I'm not the tidiest of crafters, so scaling things back to delivery craft micro style was a challenge but it absolutely works!
I'll leave you with the evidence.
There's also a picture of an altered paint brush I decorated for the guys at The Cotton Mill.
Back soon, crafty hugs...K x

Bye Bye Christmas, Hello Summer!

 Hello there! Before I start my weekly waffling about all things crafty, let me first apologise for not stopping by to post last week. My head has been in an absolute spin lately and by the time I remembered I was due to do my Tuesday post, it was actually Thursday. Doh! 

So, what have I been up to? Well, I have been frantically working on my Christmas samples for upcoming shows for both Luv Crafts and Polly Allsorts on Hochanda. I still can't get my head around the concept of Christmas in June/July time but I guess when you are a retailer that's what it's all about from now until December. Fortunately I love to break out glitter at any time of year so while it threw me a little, I soon found my festive groove.

A sample for Luv Crafts

Yesterday I packed up the bulk of the samples ready for collection today, and my thought's turned more to Summer. It seems to be here in full force this week, and what better way to enjoy it than sat outside while hubby cooked a bbq tea with some stunning flowers, a glass of prossecco and my watercolour pens. I had a blast- well, until I started getting hounded by a wasp or three and we realised the pesky little blighters have set up home in the strut of my pergola. How rude of them!  Fortunately we found a repellent powder in the cupboard and I am hoping that was enough to evict them. Time will tell.

With my flowers coloured I dusted off my art journal and made a start on a summery page.  I'm not sure if it's finished yet. I'll review it another day. 

I also managed to make a couple of cards yesterday so thought I'd share them too. 

While I was busy at the craft table my daughter decided she fancied doing some creating of her own- in the kitchen this time. She's started doing food tech at school and is turning into a pretty darned good chef I can tell you. This rainbow cake was so epic that I felt it definitely deserves a mention here on the blog. I hope you agree. Not too shabby at all for a 12yr old. My diet was definitely abandoned but it was worth it. 

Well, that's all from me for now. I will have to set myself a reminder for next weeks post to be sure I catch up with you all again. I am planning a very crafty week, keeping myself cool in the shade of my work area so hopefully I'll have lots to share.

Have a lovely week.

Lynda

xx

Making Time for Magic

Thanks to the lovely Karen for stepping into my spot last week. Life is incredibly busy right now and I didn't even have time to post let alone craft. What a sad state of affairs! 

Life is still crazy but I wanted to be sure to share a little magical project I have made with you all recently. This free standing unicorn is by Samantha K and is just stunning. I literally squealed with delight when I opened the box and first glanced it.  I have a real passion for all things mythical so it is right up my street. 

I wanted to make it colourful, and once I had put the pieces together and sprayed with a primer and them white acrylic paint, I set to work on painting the mane with glittery paints. I won't lie, it was a bit fiddly, but so worth persisting with don't you think? It's hard to tell from the photo but I also sprayed pink glitter spray all over it for some extra magical sparkle. It has yet to be named thougj- any suggestions?

Talking of magical sparkle, take a look at this wonderful pink horse that one of my 3yr old charges made. Luckily for her I had a spare piece of the unicorn, minus it's horn,  so let her loose on it and she created a magical beauty all of her own. I love to see kids being so creative. It took ages to dry as there was so much glitter glue on it! 

Before I go I'll just share another little project I managed to make at craft club last week. Finally I got to unwrap my new Lavinia stamps and have a play. The beauty of craft club is that it allows me to actually make the time to focus on inky play at least once a fortnight- a blissful 3 hours tranquility among like minded folk in hectic times. Perfect!

I've also been getting busy working on some , dare I say it... Christmas projects. Yes I know it's only June , and I am usually the last person to be breaking out the glitter and end us rushing my cards in December, but when you do design team work it seems Christmas definitely comes early.  I'll share some sneak peeks of what I have been making soon!

Have a great week

Lynda

x

A whimsical house tutorial

The Craft Show

This Is my first blog post for the craft show 'Crafty bloggers'. Last year I designed some whimsical houses. I have been a guest appearance on Hochanda, and have recently been on with a new collection. The house I have decorated Is especially for 'Crafty bloggers'. This tutorial Is for the ‘Twila house’. You can dress them up however you like with any kind of mixed media. Lose yourself In the world of mindful creativity. I hope you like it.

Miss Polly x

Step 1
I have covered the house and box with gesso using an aerosol spray from 'Novasol' Pinty Plus. It gives a good coverage, and dries pretty quickly. It Is my product of the year.



Step 2
I painted the house using ‘Art Alchemy’ by ‘Prima marketing’ In Opal magic blue gold It gives a lovely opaque finish In different lights.


Step 3
I painted the roof and the dots In 'Kaiser colour' metallic silver. This is where it comes In handy…... when you buy something at a craft show because you will use It one day, and today Is the day! I then used a rubber stamp from the ‘Polly Allsorts’ texture stamp to stamp onto the house In 'Pebeo' white acrylic paint using a brayer to apply the colour. And filled In the circles with 'Pebeo' paint In Blue noir acrylic paint. I also painted the windows In this colour.


Step 4
I had some little pearls on a string from the florists and cut and attached them half way down the roof with glue and created a droplet effect. I painted some mdf flowers from our story book embellishment pack with 'Pebeo' paint In White and Blue Noir and added some white fluffy paint for the middle of the flowers, and used pink in the middle of the daisies.


Step 5
I used a small heart for the door handle out of the embellishment pack from our new collection and painted It white. I added a little street sign 'Enchanted dreams'  from Polly Allsorts 'Whimsical street signs'

You can purchase 'The Twila house' and other whimsical houses, stamps and stencils from Polly Allsorts Etsy shop

Craft Time...

Morning,
I'm stepping in to Lynda's spot today as she is out and about today and has been a very busy lady of late.
I thought I'd talk a bit more about my craft journey.
As a child I loved nothing more than to make keepsake cards and gifts for family and friends.
Interestingly we have recently been clearing out at my late mum and dad's property and I have come across many of the cards I made for them which they kept.
I'll have to upload some pictures in my next post.
I still do make special gifts and cards for family and friends, like many of us crafters do.
About 6 years ago I was lucky enough to be given the opportunity to work on various design teams.
I couldn't believe that I'd progressed from a casual crafter to one who had the privilege of being on craft companies DT;s!
I was an awesome experience and still is!
Seeing my work on TV gave me a huge buzz and still does with the teams I'm currently on.
It's interesting to see how our work develops over the years as we learn different techniques and are inspired by changing trends and styles.
About 6 years ago I started decorating CD's and turning them into clocks, I rapidly got know as "The Clock Lady" and wherever I went people would say "Oh I know you, you're the Clock Lady."
They didn't know me by name just "The Clock Lady" Lol!
Hence the name of my original blog which I called Craft Time.
The CD clocks are something I know many, many followers have enjoyed doing too and I do still make these clocks from time to time.
In fact I made one recently for my daughter's birthday which I will have to share, I haven't had chance to photograph it yet.
I have made so many different clocks for all sorts of occasions using varying themes for craft projects, DT and personal as well as for gifts.
Today I thought I'd share a very few going back to 2012 where it all started, hope you enjoy...
Have a great day...Karen x

Creativity is a Journey

Good morning! It's just a quick post from me today as I have a busy busy day ahead. It's half term here and while I am fortunate enough to have the week off, so no childminded children to entertain, my daughter has a friend coming to stay and we are off out later to go swimming, then have to get a yummy picnic prepped for a day at the zoo tomorrow. Should be fun!

This week I have been pondering my crafting journey a lot. I remember vividly around ten years ago, deciding that I wanted to try my hand at making a card for a little boy I looked after. I went to Hobbycraft, excited to be purchasing my very first card making supplies. I came out feeling totally overwhelmed by all the different products on display and pretty clueless as to what to do with them all. I didn't want to ask the assistant and appear stupid so browsed while attempting to look like I knew what I was doing, for ages.  I did manage to find a basic kit pack, so bought that in the end and took it home, praying it had everything in it that I needed. Fortunately it did, and a simple card with a little sparkly fish on it was made. Amazingly I have managed to find a picture of it lurking on my computer so here goes....

As traumatic as I found the whole craft shopping experience then, I am not a woman to be deterred and I decided I needed to learn more. Something about that little fishy card had really sparked my interest in paper craft. I started buying card making magazines, which were great for not only giving me tips and techniques, but also starting to build my stash as they came with free stamps and dies. I very quickly realised I needed a die cutter to use with these wondrous little pieces of metal, and dropped enough hints that my husband offered to buy me a Cuttlebug. Once that arrived I was well and truly hooked!

My first card using die cuts

Over time, and as part of my learning to master this new craft, I began to use social media as a research tool, joining card making groups on Facebook, and following crafters on Pinterest.  Like many crafters I was ( and still am)  my own worst critic, and would post my work on groups to ask for tips to improve etc. I was blown away by the support, and gradually started to believe in my abilities thanks to them. I also made some incredibly good friends along the way. 

I developed an interest in colouring and digital stamps, and through sharing my work online, I ended up being invited to apply for design teams. Well that just blew my mind! Little Miss Overwhelmed By A Craft Store was now considered good enough to apply for a DT!! Nervously I applied, and was staggered when I started getting accepted onto teams. It was so much fun. It also gave me confidence to keep pushing myself and learning more. So I started to attend some mixed media workshops and really never looked back. 

An early card with a digital stamp

So, skip forward to today, and now as you know if you have been following the blog, I am currently serving on Samantha K and Polly Allsorts , and Creative Artiste Mixed Media Challenge Blog design teams,  and this week I have joined another and can announce I am very excited to be working with Luv Crafts and their fabulous products too. I can't quite  believe that these amazing organisations want l'il old me to produce art for them. What a total honour it is. 

Stalking the postman who was carrying my new DT pack

I guess what I am trying to say with this post is that wherever you are in your own creative journey, and whatever your ability now, never give up on it of it's something you enjoy. It can be overwhelming at times, especially when you see so much amazing art on social media, and vast products ranges in stores, but just have fun with what you do in your own way and who knows where it could lead you. I'm still pinching myself as to where it's taken me that's for sure. 

Now I must dash as my quick post became rather long after all!

Have a great week.

Lynda

x

Catching up after Create It Kent

Catch up time again,

As Lynda updated in her last post it was the Create It show last weekend and so lovely to catch up with everyone exhibiting and visiting over the weekend.
Friday was set up day so I was there to help Angela, Polly Allsorts.
What gorgeous weather we had for the weekend too and a Royal Wedding thrown in for good measure!
It was very busy with the Make and Takes on Saturday and again Sunday and so many lovely crafter's stopped by to join in and also pop along to say "Hi."
I know there was no real time to chat as it was so busy but lovely to see you all and thank you so much for visiting.
On Sunday Angela's Son and his friend arrived to help so I had a bit of a chance to look around the show.
It was great to see Lynda and meet Erika and catch up with Sam and Denyse over on Samantha K.

I thought I'd share what we did for the M&T's and some gorgeous Story Books created in the workshop.
We made tags on Saturday and decorated the wooden doors on Sunday and everyone was very happy with the results, we thought they were all stunning!
Angela is away having a well earned break at the moment but I'm sure she will be sharing lots of photo's when she returns.
Before we knew it the show was over and it was time to pack up.

Here's some of the samples created for the day...

Have a lovely Bank Holiday weekend whatever you are doing...x

Some gorgeous Story Books created in the workshop