MY FIRST CARD IN A WHILE

Hello ..... why am I so nervous? I used to share so many cards but that was such a long time ago. I do feel a little bit proud though that I have created a card and shared it on my blog. My card is definitely old school card making style though lol. I think I have a lot to change to bring me up to date but for now I will stick with what I know and what makes me feel at home.

My stash has stood the test of time so well. I do have a couple of splodgy copics though - I suspect I need to buy a  few new nibs after them being left on the shelf. We would all be a bit temperamental if we had been forgotten about for the best part of a decade.

I am thinking about getting some distress inks though to colour with .... help!! What would be a nice mix of colours to start with? I have been looking at the mini sets and currently have 16 sets in my basket! I clearly need to reduce this down and try them first before investing in so many .... I am all or nothing though lol.

So I should  probably tell you a bit about my card shouldn't I haha. I have forgotten so much but I am fairly sure this cutie is from The Greeting Farm .... isn't it?

I thought I would start with a fairly simple image to colour - my colouring skills are so rusty but I loved colouring her so much. I have added Stardust Stickles (one of my faves) to her wings and created a sparkly floor to ground her. I added some more sparkle with a Sakura Gelly Roll pen to the halo and bow in her hair .... I do love sparkle and bling!

The papers are from an old Bo Bunny 6x6 pad (Crazy Love). I love pink and brown together so much. Flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts and the sentiment is from Craftwork Cards (I think). I struggled with my glue ... I think it has split so I will need to pick some more up. I used Glossy Accents to stick the flowers in place. The gems are from Art Studio (is this maybe The Range or Hobbycraft??). 

I think that is pretty much it. It's great to be back. Please be kind ... it's been a while. Thanks if you have kept me on your follow list even though I haven't been posting. See you all again really soon.

Now for some challenges ...

• We Love Stamping - Anything Stamped with Option of Wings
• A Gem of a Challenge - Anything Goes
• Crafty Calendar Challenge - Anything Goes
• 
  

Have a great week

Love Marcea xxx

happy new year– finally all set up to craft again!!

 Happy New Year to you all. How are you all doing?

I am delighted to say that I am returning to my blog and to crafting! My life has finally settled to a point where I can dedicate one day a week to myself and my crafting. I am really ready to be back after a few false starts in the last couple of years. I have moved my craft room downstairs into what was the dining room and whilst it is not completely organised I am in a good position to start creating again.

I have missed making cards so much but it just has never been the right time to come back to my blog…. until now.

I am not sure how much of my stash is still ok after all these years but I suppose the only way I will find out is to start using it. I started to colour an image last night with my copics but then a huge drop of ink blobbed from the tip so I don’t know if a lot of the tips will need replacing or if it was just in shock after being dormant for pretty much 10 years!

Anyway, I have no clue what is current in card making, what styles are popular or even what stamps are available. I think I am pretty well set up with paper pads and embellishments to last another 50 years but I would like to treat myself to a few new stamps.

I would love to hear what your favourite place to shop is and what stamps you are enjoying right now. There should be a card from me next week so watch this space.

If any of my old blogging buddies are still around I would love you to say hi and let me know that you are still crafting. Blogger seems to have changed a bit so any hints and tips would be fab. I am going to tidy up my blog a bit I think and get rid of a few random posts that I have posted in the last few years that aren’t really reflective of my blog etc. Plus I need to start visiting you all again.

If you are on facebook or instagram please do let me know. I am on there under ‘Made by Mawa’ but I think I may come back to my old name of Marcea’s Crafting Corner.

Anyway, I just wanted to say I am back and I can’t wait to be uploading on a regular basis.

Take care and see you soon,

Marcea xx

It's here - Cricut Maker Bundle - Black Friday deal

Hooray, my beautiful new Cricut Maker has arrived. I can't even describe how happy I am. I am feeling so motivated to start creating - it's brilliant!! I have missed paper and glue so much and I am raring to get back. 

Rather than rushing straight in I have spent today sorting my room out a bit - there is so much I have forgotten about. I have placed an order at Ikea for a few more shelves so hubby is collecting those tomorrow. I have also ordered a sit/stand chair which will be really useful I think - so much of my crafting was always done standing but my poor old back isn't as young as it once was.

I just don't know where to start with my cricut but I think I will be making lots of cards plus other crafty things too. My son is getting married next year so lots of invites to make too. He was only a teenager the last time I crafted regularly - where does the time go?

With Christmas just around the corner I am sure I will be making a few handmade gifts too.

Ah, it's great to feel like this again about crafting.

Here's me with a very cheesy grin after I unboxed all my goodies, lol. I got a great bundle from Hobbycraft saving over £120 which is just amazing.

And here is my test piece from setup .... I just had to choose this image lol. How gorgeous is the paper - it is from an old Kaisercraft pad from the Shaken not Stirred Collection. 

That's enough waffle from me.

I'll be posting a few videos also on my Youtube channel if you want to have a look. This one is a rather embarrassing unboxing of me being too excited hahaha.

Take care everyone, stay safe. See you in a couple of days

xxx

Exciting Purchase - Cricut Maker

The journey back to crafting after a long break can be a long process. I’ve had a few false starts over the past couple of years. I’m in a position now where I have more time to be creative combined with the strong urge to get back. 

Yesterday I had a bit of a splurge and bought the cricut maker - I got a nice bundle thrown in too as part of a Black Friday deal from Hobbycraft. 

This cost me £380 which is a big spend but it is worth it to grab my interest and imagination  it is due to arrive on Tuesday and I can’t wait  I’ve lots to learn but I can’t wait  I guess my old, battered cuttlebug will be feeling even more abandoned lol  

Advice, tips and recommended groups to join are very much appreciated  

See you all soon with my first creation in a long while

Xxx

WATCH THE BIRDIE - Fathers Day Card

Today’s card is the one I made for my dad for Father’s Day today. I coloured this image from LOTV a while ago but was saving it especially for him.

I have so many beautiful paper pads to use and I think the papers from this old pad by Basic Grey is perfect.

The sentiment diecut and little gems are from Hunkdory - there is a whole book of sentiments which are so handy for cards of all occasions.

Challenges

• Digi Choosday - #24 Anything Goes
• Tuesday Throwdown - Special Guy
• Gem of a Challenge - Anything Goes

I hope you have all had a lovely weekend. I had a family bbq in my garden, social distancing of course, but what a wonderful thing to be able to spend time with family.

I cannot wait until I can cuddle little Michael again.

Take care my lovelies, stay safe and stay strong.

xxx

Lockdown Priorities

Hi everyone, how are you holding up. What a tough few months it has been for us all. Lockdown has been so challenging on so many levels. I guess I am lucky to be able to go to work and have some routine in my day to day life but it has been so different to how it was before Covid19.

It has really made me appreciate the little things in life, simple pleasures that I once took for granted. I have to say it seems a long time ago that I could pop round to my parents house for a cup of tea and a natter, cuddle my little grandson or hug my son on his birthday. But through all these challenges there is also happiness and so much kindness to cherish. I think it is safe to say I have been really looking at how I want my life to be - this sounds so deep. I am making time for myself, making sure I have some happy times, distraction from the news - just a bit of me time. Making the most of not having to be anywhere, there is always a positive to every negative.

I am really getting back into my crafting and I am loving it so much. I had forgotten the simple pleasure of making something from scratch. The happiness of creation. 

I guess this means I am kind of back in the land of crafting. I am terrible at updating my blog but I am still here. There are so many other platforms from the old days when I started my blog. Instagram, Youtube, Facebook etc - so many places to share wonderful creations. So if I am not here pop over and see if I am somewhere else - chances are I am.

I better share my card - this is not how I planned my intro but sometimes it's just good to share your thoughts. I coloured this stamped image from The Greeting Farm a few weeks ago but I have only just made it into a card. I always had a soft spot for Anya. I am afraid I cannot remember the name if this stamp so if you know please feel free to comment and put me out my misery. 

I have coloured her with Copics and added lots of Stickles. I had to add some to her hair grip. The papers are from an old KaiserCrafts pad called Gypsy Sisters Collection - I adore this colour combination so much. It is so different from my usual colours. I thought I would add a bit of inking to the edges but it all went a bit wrong. One of my pads had dried out and then the other was still pretty juicy and went a long way lol. Oh well, I still like it. That's why I needed to add the stickles around the edge of the circle - just to try and lift it a little. 

As usual, I had to add a few pearls and bling - I am not sure if I can make a card without one. Ooh, I have just remembered, I added glossy accents to her eyes - I am so pleased with this effect.

Ok, thats it - I am going to see what challenges I can enter ..... I am loving this so much.

• Crafty Creations - Anything Goes

Take care everyone and please stay safe.

xxx

LOTV - new launch tomorrow

There is a brand new release from Lili of the Valley tomorrow ... Wednesday 29th April and I have just filmed a video showing you every single image and sentiment. 

As usual it is a wonderful collection of cute, usable images for all ages. The digits are especially for all the boys in your life .... young and old plus some really versatile sentiments. 

You can purchase these from LOTV’s Etsy shop plus there are details and card samples on their website. 

Press play to watch ...

Don’t forget there is also a really wonderful Facebook group full of inspiration plus sneak peeks from the design team. 

I hope you enjoy my video. I plan to be more active online .... I’m getting there slowly. You can click these links to my Instagram, Facebook and YouTube channel .... hope to see you there.