Christmas buzz is back

Hey bloggers,
So I feel as though I have abandoned the blog for quite sometime now while my university studies dragged me away from the crafting world. But as I get nearer to the end of term, the Christmas buzz is beginning to emerge again and I feel the need to blog. I also feel that I have an obligation to fill you on the past few weeks with all the different things we have been getting up to. First on the agenda is the conclusion from the Christmas craft day we hosted back in November, what a fabulous day!

Above is my completed christmas configuration box with a mixture of vintage trinkets including old cake decorations and vintage baubles, bits of tinsel and the main feature the fibre optic light up tree. Once again everyone's box turned out fabulous and so different from each other, here are a few examples from the day.........

Alongside the configuration box we also taught everyone how to make two christmas decorations. The first of which was a mini shaker box which we found was quite fiddly amongst some individuals due to a fault with some brass tape. However the results were still fabulous and would make a perfect adornment to any christmas tree. Take a look for yourself.......

Finally, we made a shadow box decoration which made good use of the empty boxes that we had taken out of the configuration boxes. Once again these decorations can be placed on any christmas tree, especially near one of the lights to light up the inside of the box. Left over bits of tinsel and decorations can be used to fill it up to provide a quaint little christmas scene.

If you've fallen in love with this decoration, then I have good news for you. We will be teaching a christmas workshop on December 10th (this Saturday) at Revive charity shop between 10am and 12pm where you can make one of these decorations. All materials will be supplied and you can even bring any little christmas decorations you want to make use of to fill the box. The workshop will cost £8 per person and includes a drink and some cake. Bring on the festive cheer! To book a space just pop into Revive to sign up or give them a call, details can be found on their website and on their Facebook page.

All in all the christmas craft day was a really fun festive day, thank you ladies for attending and making it worthwhile.

Since this christmas craft day we have had several craft fairs which haven't been amazing if I'm honest but we have had some lovely comments about the products that we make and we hope you enjoy reading our blog (when I've updated it) and continue to support us. We are thinking about taking a little break in the New Year to get a few jobs done and prioritise essential university work. However we may do a few craft days at Revive so keep an eye out.

For now, I just want to encourage you to attend the christmas workshop on Saturday and I will do my best to keep the blog updated over christmas. If you need an extra bit of christmas cheer, follow Tim Holtz's blog for his 12 tags of Christmas, great stuff!











'Its beginning to look a lot like Christmas....'

Hey bloggers, preparations are in full swing at home for the Lingfield Christmas Fair this Thursday evening and also our christmas craft day on Saturday. So the house is brimming with christmas goodies all throughout the living room and the hallway with Micheal Buble's new christmas album blaring through the house. Absolutely love it! It certainly gets you in the festive spirit. So if you have a free evening this Thursday and live in the Surrey/ Sussex area then pop down to the Lingfield Primary School Christmas Fair between 7pm and 10pm to grab some unique festive pressies and treats. Here are a few more pics of what  to expect from our stall..........

Christmas Hanging bird £2.50

Christmas Angel £10



Christmas Wreaths from £8.50 - £15.00





Besides the preparations for the Christmas fair, our christmas workshop is also this week and the goodie bags are being filled as I type to bring surprises and festive cheer to everyone who is attending. Hopefully I will put some pictures up after the day to show the results of their christmas configuration boxes. We will also be making some at the weekend as well to sell at our last christmas fair at Lingfield Notre Dame. So if you do like what you see then you might want to get yourself to the fair to pick one up to decorate your house at christmas.

Goodie bags for Saturday

Well with a lot more work to do I better get going............

Country Living Christmas Fair

Hey bloggers, today we visited the festive world of the Country Living fair which is held at the Business Design Centre in Islington. It was the first day of the event and I have to say everyone's stand looked amazing. I think I can speak for both of us when I say that we are very happy with our christmas purchases. There were many stands offering beautiful decorations, clothing, jewellery, gifts galore for the whole family. There were also a few treasured stands that were selling some vintage items such as baubles and I also managed to buy a jar full of little vintage decorations including old cake decorations and holly boughs, so quaint! I also found a woolly stocking that I was on the hunt for all day and for £6 I can't complain. All in all it was a fantastic day and if you're free over the next 4 days I would recommend you attend. Little tip - book your tickets online to save a few pounds for your purchases. Have fun!

Making something new from old

Hot off the press! I have only just designed this poster for the Revive charity shop in Crawley to advertise our jewellery workshop coming up at the end of November.

This workshop is perfect for those of you who like to take old things apart to recreate something new and in such economic climates it can not always be feasible to spend out on a new piece of fashion jewellery. Therefore this is the perfect solution! For a bargain price of £5 you can get 2 hours of inspiration from both of us in how to create a stunning piece of jewellery. We will be supplying everyone with a basic chain to get you started, whether that be a necklace or bracelet chain is up to you. All you need to bring is everything you want to recycle, from old bits of jewellery to odd trinkets and charms, bits of ribbon and lace, even old vintage brooches.
Feeling excited! All you need to do to book yourself a place is pop into Revive in Crawley to enquire about the workshop and pop your name on the list. There will only be approx 10 places available so make sure you book in advance.

Hope to see you there!

Preparation is key

So our first craft fair of the season is upon us this Saturday and we are getting are preparations into gear. We find it really useful to do a mock up at home of how we want the stall to look on the day so we don't waste time fussing about where to put everything. We also have to make tough decisions on what things we will display and others we will keep at the back as different colour options. Vintage is our theme and I think that comes across clearly when you first look at our stall, from cushions to bunting to gift bags.

This craft fair will be at the Charis Centre, West Green, Crawley. So if you are in the area be sure to check it out and give them some support as this is their first ever craft fair so lets hope all goes well. Not only will there be an abundance of craft stalls but there will also be demos on different crafting hobbies. We have been asked to do a demo so I have taken full control and will be giving a demo on how to make a vintage scrapbook using Tim Holtz products. If you have seen any of our posts about the vintage scrapbook we did a few months ago and would love to see how its done then pop along, I would love to see you there!

Making a few changes

Hey bloggers, good news is that my new laptop has arrived and I am now inspired to making this blog better. You may have noticed that I have added a few pictures down the right side, this will hopefully expand to lots of pictures of all the different items that we make and sell. I have also included a list of some of our upcoming events, from craft fairs to craft days so make sure you pencil them in your diary. I hope to make even more improvements to the title bar and keep adding more info about us and our craft projects so watch this space.......

'Oh what a night'

So last Saturday it was my 23rd birthday and I decided to see a show I had been meaning to see for a couple of years, Jersey Boys. I have to say this is probably the best show on the West End and for any fans of the Four Seasons I would definitely recommend you treat yourself to a front row ticket. That isn't to say we were right at the front, more like the front row of the Grand Circle, but still some of the best seats in the house. You will have to resist the urge to dance all night unless you are in one of the back rows or lucky enought to afford a box so you can boogie on down!
Anyway the point of this post is that looking back over the past year of my life I have seen lots of accomplishments, from seeing shows that I have wanted to see to setting up our blog and starting a series of workshops which have now become a huge success and hopefully next year will be bigger and better. My past year at university has been so illuminating and has highlighted skills in me that I wasn't sure I had.
So for the next year I've given myself 23 wishes to make come true, but heck I'm going to take my time, for I want this year to be just as good as the last.

Super Duper Day

So today was our September Spectacular and I have to say it went tremendously well. Everyone had so much fun making three different projects and I think it all ran quite smoothly and the gorgeous weather was a bonus. Project number 1 was a Shaker box which is a mini little trinket box made from memory glass with foam tape sandwiched in the middle. Everyone had to start by making a collage to create the background for the shaker box and then with layers of foam tape and the glass laid on top then wholah. All they needed to do then was add some copper tape round the edge and distress with a little black alcohol ink.

Project number 2 was to create a hanging decoration, that could be used to decorate a door handle or hang up on a notice board, just something pretty to look at and appreciate. A range of techniques were used in this project, including how to make a paper flower and a crepe paper rosette which were used to embellish the decoration. This particular project produced some stunning results and as teachers of the workshop, we are so proud. Here are a few examples.....

The third and final project was Jewellery Junkie which gave everyone complete freedom to create whatever their creative instinct was telling them to do. We asked everyone to bring bits of unwanted or broken jewellery to break apart and put back together in a totally new design. I think it took a while for some to get going and be inspired but by the end of the workshop everyone went home with a piece to be proud of. Below is an example of Lynne's bracelet where she had used charms from different necklaces to recreate a bracelet.

All in all today has been super duper and there is so much to look forward to this winter. With a Christmas craft day on the agenda for November and two project classes booked in at our local charity shop Revive, things are definitely on the up! More details to follow......

Sometimes you just need a moment

So, I made a few promises last time that September was the beginning of a change and that I would make more regular posts and especially last week I was going to keep you up to date with some techniques. Well all was hunky dory until one of my trusty laptops got infected with a nasty virus which was easy to use when uploading photos to the blog. So having to deal with those problems I have been some what distracted for the past few weeks and I would like to say today is the beginning of change again but I'm not sure I want to commit to that. What I will say is that me and mum are excited to be attending a craft fair at Onslow in Guildford which will be commencing from 9.30am til 1.30pm so if you're in the area then pop on down to buy yourself something unique. It is also getting closer to our September Spectacular Saturday workshops so fingers crossed all will go well. With lots to do I better scarper!

Oh how you make me cry with laughter

So I don't think we have ever made a post about something non craft or vintage related, but since we are not creative all the time I thought we could make more posts about some of our other interests.
So on Saturday night we found ourselves heading to Brighton Centre accompanied by my sister and her boyfriend to see the comedy genius that is Lee Evans and each time we see him we have to say that it was the best £30 we have ever spent. Suffering from belly aches and jaw aches at the end of the show, you know you've seen something legendary! For anyone who is still waiting to see him on tour (and I must say there are many dates! Approx 66!) you are in for a real treat. And for any reason you think you might need a warm up then definitely make sure you get there at least 30 mins before the show starts to view the Lee Evans compilation, that will get you going good. Roll on November 21st so I can get my hands on the DVD!

September Spectacular

Hey bloggers, so its the beginning of September, start of a new month and new projects! First of all I just want to start by saying sorry for not posting for the past few weeks. I have been very busy outside my crafting life and the blog was kind of pushed to the back seat. But I am back in business and it feels good. So above is the flyer for our next craft workshops and there are quite a few this time. We will be hosting 2 technique classes on several Thursday evenings and then on Saturday 24th September we will be hosting 3 workshops throughout the day which are all jewellery related.
Since the Technique classes will be up first and the first of them will be next week, me and mum have been busy preparing example tag booklets with all the techniques in over the past few days and I have to say the table is a bit of a mess, but thats how I roll. My best craft work is usually a result from a messy table. I would have put a few pictures to give you a sneak peek but due to a few technical difficulties that will have to wait until next time.

I will be posting again soon and keep an eye out next week for a few technique tricks!

Until next time

Sue and Sarah

It's all in the wrapping

Happy Monday bloggers! Recently I had been asked by my best friend to make her some evening invitations for her wedding, which I designed as a simple postcard design with the details on the back. I always love doing these type of favours for people because it gets my work out there and could create future orders. Anyway instead of just giving her the invitations when I was finished I decided to wrap them up in a paper bag with a design on the front, addressed to her and her fiance. When I gave it to her, her face lit up and she found such delight in the way I had wrapped the invitations that she initially didn't want to open them. However since the wrapping was so beautiful she knew that what would be inside would be just as good, so she couldn't resist any longer and had to open them. I suppose I am a bit of a perfectionist and when you have those creative juices flowing through you, you can't simply give a present in a plastic bag. So go and makes someone's day by wrapping up that present in a more unique way.

Until next time...................

Sue & Sarah

Crafty Saturday

Hey bloggers, so sorry we haven't been posting much throughout the past week but we have been extremely busy outside of our crafting lives but today we got back to it and had a Saturday dedicated to some crafting and also a little bit of shopping.
We are starting to get inspired for our September Spectacular which will see a whole range of crafting techniques and mini workshops for everyone to get involved in. At the moment we don't want to give too much away but it will involve a bit of jewellery making and an array of crafting techniques, so excited! Today was the first step in deciding what techniques we wanted to focus on and we will be teaching a few inking and stamping techniques and also making flower embellishments and charms. Mainly using Tim Holtz products because they are just so great!!!
When lunchtime ticked around we decided we needed a bit of retail therapy and took a drive over to Burgess Hill to check out The Glitter Pot which has relocated to Sheddingdean Business Park. And I have to say what a transformation. They had relocated a while ago but me and mum hadn't been around there since our last visit a couple of years ago because it didn't stock all the things we were into. But now they have a whole floor full of everything you may desire. They have a huge selection of Tim Holtz stamps and products, though they could expand on their ideology lines. They have mountains of scrapbooking papers and accessories and there is just something about the place that seems so laid back and relaxed. So this will definitely be on our favourite craft store list for sure.
With another busy week ahead I will try and keep posting with new ideas and inspiration whenever I can, but for now keep crafting and be happy!

Until next time.................

Sue & Sarah

Flower Power

Hey bloggers, I hope everyone is enjoying the lovely weather that summer's should be made of, not sure how long its going to last though. Anyway, today's post is about how to make a grungepaper flower which are a perfect embellishment for any project and saves the cost of buying flowers from craft stores. However you would need to have the required equipment first, so if you don't have the following items, maybe buying flowers is still your best option.
You will need, (1) a Tim Holtz Vagabond Machine or equivalent Sizzix machine, needs to be able to take the Bigz Dies (2) Tattered Florals die cut (3) Grungepaper Sheets

Step 1:
Firstly you will need to stick your preferred decorative paper onto 6" x 12" grungepaper. Make sure you glue the entire sheet, not just the edges, because when you cut the flowers out they may be in the middle so if you don't glue the middle the paper will start to come off once the flowers have been cut.
Leave to dry for about 30 mins

Step 2:
Next get your tattered florals die cut and cut out the flowers on your Vagabond Machine or equivalent Sizzix machine.

Step 3:
Once the flowers are cut out, you will notice that you get 4 flowers. In this example I am using the two biggest flowers. Working on the biggest of the two, you will want to turn it over so that the patterned side is facing downwards. You will then take each petal in turn and start by pinching the edge inwards and then rolling it until you get to the centre of the flower. Repeat with each petal.

 

Step 4:

Once you have rolled all of the petals turn the flower over and put your finger in the centre to press it down, this will flatten out the petals.

 

Step 5:
Next, take the smaller flower and this time, pattern side up, pinch the edge of the petal and begin to roll into the centre of the flower. Repeat with each petal.

 

Step 6:
Once you have rolled each petal, take this flower and place it on top of the larger one. Before adhering them together you could add some distress ink to give the flowers some colour and on the largest flower you could add a bit of black to the edges to define them.

 

Step 7:
Once you have achieved your desired look, layer the flowers on top of each other and add either a button or a brad to the centre and stick them altogether. Then adhere to your project. The more ornate the button is, the more effective it will look.

Using the two smaller flowers that are also cut out using the die cut you can apply the same techniques and also layer them on top of the larger flower, this adds more dimension to your flower.

 

There are so many possibilities with these grungepaper flowers and they only take a few minutes to put together, so have some fun!

 

Until next time..................

Sue & Sarah

It's not all about the vintage

When it comes to scrapbooking I think that creating a theme for your book or page is crucial to elaborating on the story that the photo is already telling. Sometimes the photo may be telling an old story that lends itself to a vintage shabby background with old bits of lace and buttons decorating its edge. However some photos can be young and full of life and that should be illustrated with the background colours and embellishments. Recently a friend came to me in a dilemma. After having completed two sessions with us on how to make a vintage scrapbook she couldn't then think of any other ideas for creating a scrapbook album that was more modern with a fresh twist. As a present for her daughter's birthday it needed to be a little bit more upbeat and funky. So over the past day I have been hunting through magazines and books to gain inspiration for her dilemma and also rekindle my love for scrapbooking and have realised it is something that I definitely want to do more of.

I have managed to find quite a few examples of different things about scrapbooking that I love and what can make your page more modern. I have even thrown in a few examples of my own!
What I found through most of the examples was a great deal of layering and I think this is very crucial for a younger appeal to your page or book. With a vintage theme you could get away with leaving the background very plain and simply placing a photo on top with a bit of lace or buttons. However to create a more youthful appearance a lot of designers layer several backgrounds and then use mountains of embellishments, layering each piece to create something soooo yummy to look at.

'Summer of 68' by Sheena Rowlands featured in Scrapbook Inspirations Issue 46

'1962' by Sandie Vincent featured in Scrapbook Inspirations Issue 46

'Easter Fun' by Cindy Russell featured in Rusty Pickle Idea Book Vol. 3

'About Me' by Anne Parry featured in Scrapbook Inspirations Issue 46

 However achieving the layered look can take a lot of time and practice and also a lot of patience to get each piece the way you want it. So if you're not feeling that creative a good way to achive similar results is to choose a very busy background so that you only need a few layers on top to make it look fabulous. A lot of papers these days have more elaborate designs and therefore make it easier for you to place a photo on a page and add embellishments. This is a quick and easy way to scrapbook, here are a few of my own examples.

This paper background by K and Company was perfect for framing my picture and all I had to do was add to the background using some buttons and flowers.

Once again the background paper framed my panoramic picture perfectly and let me add letters and embellishments very easily.

 

This background paper was soo busy that I just extended the patterns and swirls with a few embellishments and some foam letters. Obviously adding the birthday badge as well which was the centre of the theme of my scrapbook. The colours and embellishments also illustrate how I was feeling that day which was a lot of excitement!

If bright colours and a modern twist are still not your cup of tea when it comes to scrapbooking and you still don't want to settle for the same vintage look then you could mix and match the two. I found examples of using bits of lace and material as a background which combines elements of both old and shabby with a layered modern twist.

'Grandmother' by Robyn Lantz featured in Rusty Pickle Idea Book Vol. 3

'Audrey' by Tasha Anderson featured in Rusty Pickle Idea Book Vol. 3

'HKS' by Lisa Sanders featured in Rusty Pickle Idea Book Vol. 3

Another way to add plenty of interest to a page is by using letters and numbers. You could do this by adding a title to your page, elaborating on significant numbers or by journalling around the page. After all, scrapbooking is all about journalling and telling a story. This can help fill the background of the page and add lots of interest for people to read as they look through the book.

'Live life with abandon' by Chris Baker featured in Rusty Pickle Idea Book Vol. 3

'Just Me' by Diane Lyn McGraw featured in Rusty Pickle Idea Book Vol. 3

'Pure Joy' by Annette Waisner featured in Rusty Pickle Idea Book Vol. 3

'Peace' by Courtney DeLaura featured in Rusty Pickle Idea Book Vol. 3

If you're making a fairly small book and find that there isn't much room to embellish or layer then you could come up with a colour theme and also use similar embellisments on most of the pages. This makes the story consistent throughout the book with a photo on each page with a simple accoutrement to finish it off.

Created by Pete Hughes featured in Scrapbook Inspirations Issue 46

This book uses the same letters and flowers on each page which keeps it modern and fresh without the hardship of layering and over embellishing.

There are so many ideas and inspiration for anyone who wants to scrapbook these days. Just remember that each photo is unique and tells a different story so don't be afraid to let yourself run away with ideas and creative flair.

Until next time...........

Sue & Sarah