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Tuesday 4 July 2017

200 Blog Posts and Still Going Strong!

Hello crafty peeps and welcome to my crafty nook! I hope you've all had a brilliant weekend and a good week so far. I'm sorry this blog post is up a few days later than planned, I've been frantically searching for my electric pay as you go meter key, without which I can't top up my electricity. The only good thing that's come out of it being lost is my lounge now looks a heck of a lot tidier than it did before I started searching. You've probably gathered that housework isn't my forte, that isn't to say I'm not capable of cleaning, I just find it really really boring and frustrating because unless I constantly re-do what I've just done, it never stays that way for very long (approximately 30 minutes though once it stayed clean for nearly 10 hours but that was only because my beloved hubby and cat were asleep and/or shut out of the lounge)  so I have a tendency to just have a blitz when visitors are due to arrive (it also explains why I hate unexpected visitors! lol)  I've filled in an online form so hopefully my supplier will get back to me sometime today and I can get it sorted (and stop worrying!)

As you may have noticed from the title, this is my 200th blog post! I started this blog in 2014, I did have one before but lost access to it when my laptop died and I realised I couldn't remember my blogger password. I'm hoping that my skill level has improved over the years, I've been making cards for nearly 16 years or so and there's been a lot of changes in that time. I think the main one is that the price and availability of craft supplies has improved - at one point it was very difficult to make handcrafted cards in the place I lived because not many shops sold craft supplies and though I'd heard of the internet, I'd never used it and certainly wouldn't have considered buying stuff over it. How things have changed! I'd like to thank everyone who takes the time to read my blog and who follow me either directly or via email, thank you for all the lovely comments I've had, it's a huge thing to know people read my posts and like my cards and reading the comments gives me a huge boost when I'm doubting my own ability or just not feeling that crafty mojo. I hope I've helped inspire at least a few of you on your crafty journey and even if you aren't particularly crafty, I hope my posts have made you smile on occasion and that you've enjoyed them.  I'd also like to publicly thank my husband who indulges me shamelessly in my hobby and who always says he loves my cards even when he can't really see them (him holding them the wrong way is usually a bit of a give away!) I think I'm in danger of turning this blog post into a Oscar acceptance speech lol so let's get back to the other important stuff - the cards!

A couple of weeks ago I shared a challenge that my lovely crafty friend Michele and I were doing and invited my readers to join in. Nobody left a comment asking to join in but maybe you're shy so I shall just be sharing Michele's and I's cards this time.






Hasn't Michele done an amazing job? I love all the brightly coloured dolls that spring out of the pop up box card and the surprise hidden baby element is so sweet!!! Michele used the free downloadable Russian Dolls that she fussy cut out by the look of it. She also used some gems and a brad (for the opening doll) out of her stash. I really like the way she diecut plain dolls to put the sentiments in.






As you can see I've made a very different card. I started off by making my own background paper - I die cut the flower that was included in the kit out of funky foam stuck it to an acrylic block. I inked some chalk ink onto a piece of plain white card using a sponge then stamped the foam flower all over using the same ink. I added dots of purple shimmer ink using the end of an embossing tool and left it to dry. I stamped the Russian Dolls and coloured them in then fussy cut them out (it took an hour and ten minutes to colour the dolls and cut them out) then I arranged them on the card as shown, I stamped a sentiment from the kit, added my own bit to it and die cut it out using a stitched rectangle die from my stash. I think if I were to make this card again I'd just stamp the cats on the background card piece instead of fussy cutting them out and colour around them.

Both Michele and I thoroughly enjoyed this challenge, the stamps and dies are brilliant and there are endless possibilities for using them. We've also decided on our next challenge - it's another magazine freebie, this time the Sunflowers themed stamps, embossing folder and papers that came free with this month's issue of  Papercraft Essentials magazine issue 149. It's a lovely free gift but I'm not sure what I'm going to make with it. The challenge will finish on the 15th July when we will have a brand new challenge.

I hope you've enjoyed the 200th post and that you'll join us in the latest challenge - there's no prizes I'm afraid it's just for fun and to help you use some of the freebies that come with magazine because if you are anything like me, they often lie forgotten unused in my stash for months, sometimes even years!

As always if you have any questions or comments then please leave them in the usual places and until next time - keep crafting!

Love and crafty hugs,

Sarah xxx

1 comment:

  1. Congrats on your 200th blog post Sarah.

    I love your card, I think this is one free gift that I will keep using-it's brilliant. I had great fun making my card & hopefully my friend will like her birthday card.

    Looking forward to the next challenge although I don't think I'll find this one quite so easy somehow!

    Michele

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Sarah xxx