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

Blog Challenge Cards and a new challenge!

Hello crafty peeps and welcome to my crafty nook! I hope you are all well and looking forward to the weekend. I was planning on adding this blog post on the 14th but after the tragic events in London, it didn't seem appropriate so I decided to leave it for a few days out of respect for those affected by the fire. (The victims and their families are in my thoughts and prayers.)

A few weeks ago I announced a challenge that my lovely crafty friend Michele and I were going to take on and I invited my readers to join in if they wanted. Sadly nobody expressed an interest but perhaps you are all shy and just followed along in your own crafty nooks *winks*. The challenge was to use the free gift with Quick Cards Made Easy magazine which consisted of nautical themed papers, cards and embellishments, we could add a few extra items and use basics from our craft stash but the kit itself needed to remain the main focus of the card. Here is the gorgeous card that Michele made.

Best Fishes Side panel stepper card by Michele Coffey

Isn't it fantastic? I love the way she combined all the different elements together and the addition of the Card Candi makes it pop - she's certainly inspired me to make some more cards with the kit.

Here's my card.

My card for the blog challenge

I kept my design fairly simple and used only three items from the kit. The first thing I used was one of the A6 sized card blanks which I turned into a patterned card piece by cutting off the blank card back. I knew I wanted to wrap stiff baker's twine around the front of the card but I didn't want it to show inside the card. Before I wrapped the twine, I distressed the edges of the card using a pair of scissors so it looks weathered and adds some texture, the card did rip a little but that just added to the worn look. I wrapped the twine around the card and tied a knot near the top, I threaded one of the embellishments (an anchor) onto the twine and finished it in a bow. I added the 'You are my anchor' sentiment to the panel using double sided foam tape and then added the whole panel to a card blank using more double sided foam tape. I've made this card for my lovely husband Chris just to let him know how much I appreciate him.

A close up of the tied anchor embellishment

I love the way we've come up with two very different cards using the same supplies.

Michele and I are planning on challenging each other twice a month, on or around the 1st and 15th of each month. One of challenges will be to use a freebie from one of the magazines we both get and after this month the second challenge will be a mystery challenge (but not a magazine freebie challenge) - this could be a stash raider challenge, a sketch challenge (maybe one from a magazine as I'm not really very good at coming up with designs myself because I don't really have the tech know how at present), a take one stamp set and make 3/5 cards challenge or a mystery package challenge where we send each other bits and bobs and challenge the other person to make something AMAZING out of it. I'm even considering a sort of crafty bush tucker challenge where we each have to make a card using a technique we usually avoid - for me that would be card kits (ironic considering that's what this challenge was lol) CD crafting (not much fun with my printer!) or Decoupage (hate trying to line everything up!) I know Michele doesn't like to stamp so that may end up being her first crafty bush tucker challenge 😁 We would be delighted if you joined in, some challenges will be easier to join in than others but you are welcome to get stuck in to any of them. If it's the mystery package challenge then obviously I'll need contact details and I'd have to keep the numbers down to a reasonable level just because of postage costs (I don't have a lot of  money left once I've fed the craft monkey that 'forces' me to spend any spare cash on craft supplies - bad monkey!) or I'll assign swap partners so everyone has a different mystery package.

I've talked a lot about future challenges so I think it's time to announce this month's second challenge - as you may have guessed unlike future months we are having two magazine freebie challenges this month and the second one features the lovely Family Ties dies and stamps free with issue 164 of Simply Cards & Papercrafts which consists of a set of four dies (3 nesting Russian dolls dies and a tiny flower die) and a whole family of Russian Doll stamps which even includes a baby and a cat (no dog though) there are also two sheets of downloadable images for those of you who hate colouring *shock face*. There are some beautiful examples in the magazine and online if you are stuck for inspiration. This has got to be one of my favourite free gifts of the year because the dies and images are a really good size - not huge - but they certainly won't get lost on an A6 card or even a bit bigger. The challenge is to use the free gift, basic craft supplies and up to three additional items to make a card any size, shape and design as long as the Family Ties set is the main focus of the card - colouring mediums count as basic supplies as does a printer to print out the downloadable sheets but if you use another die set that counts as an additional item (out of three) as would a paperstack but you can use as many elements out of that paperstack/die set and it'll only count as one item. However if you then use another die set or paper pack that counts as another item (so you'll have used two out of your three extra items). We're not going to be super strict as this is just for fun (no prizes apart from the satisfaction of creating something you might not have) so if you use four we won't mind - however more than five additional items isn't really playing fair unless you really really needed to use them of course. 😏

I hope you'll all rise to the challenge and take part - we'd really love it if you do. Please leave a comment in the usual places if you have any questions or comments and of course if you're planning to join in. I don't know how to add a link gadget so if you want your cards to be featured in the Blog Challenge Card post (should be up on the 1st of July) then please email me a couple of photos with your details and a few brief details on your make so I can add them to the blog post - please email them to me by the 30th June, my email is craftynook@outlook.com.

I hope you've enjoyed this blog challenge, I'll have some new cards to share either over the weekend or on Monday - I've still got my Father's Day card to make - gulp! Until next time - keep crafting!

Crafty love and hugs,

Sarah xxxx