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. 

Forever Rose - Hannah Lynn

I’m not sure what has happened but I’ve stumbled into a whole new world of colouring. I’ve discovered adult colouring books and I am OBSESSED!

Even stranger is that I have dusted off my Prismacolour pencils in place of my copics. I’m loving the new interest I now have. I have been looking at loads of videos on YouTube at the different colouring books and I have ordered so many.. I am waiting for lots to still arrive but this fab book called Enchanted Faces by Hannah Lynn has arrived and I LOVE it so much. It is full of gorgeous whimsical ladies, very similar to lots of my favourite stamps from yesteryear. 

The first page I have coloured is this gorgeous image called Forever Rose. I wanted her hair to be really vibrant and purple is my favourite colour so that’s what I went for. I didn’t want too many colours to overtake the picture so I used a similar palette for the whole picture. I love the aqua/yellow combo for the eye, sky and rose so much and this is not anything I would normally use.  

I think I will probably add a couple of highlights with a white pens but overall I think I’ve finished it .... unless the sticklers make it out haha. 

Anyway, that’s it for today .... I’m going to see if I can enter this in any challenges .... if you know of any please let me know 💜 

I hope you are all staying safe. Take care, it’s great to be posting again xxx

PRETTY POSY - New release from LOTV

Hi everyone. Today I thought I would share one of the new digis from the latest release from Lili of the Valley. This is from the Mothers' Day and Spring release - there are some really gorgeous images and sentiments so do pop over and have a look.

This cutie is called Pretty Posy and I have coloured her with my copic markers. I have merged the sentiment (a new skill for me) and I am really pleased with the result. It's great being able to resize images and I cannot wait to experiment more with my new skill.

Everything is from my stash so I am not sure if it is still available or not but the papers are My Minds Eye/Miss Caroline - Howdy Doody 6x6 pad. I edged my white card stock with stickles because I need sparkle on all my cards lol. 

Challenges

Arty Divas - Anything goes

Have a great day everyone xx 

Scrapbooking - where do I even start?

I have just sat down to make a card but then I realised that I really want to scrapbook. This is something I have never done before so I am completely lost. Where do I even begin? Is it journalling, traveller's notebooks or a traditional scrapbook? I literally have no idea. All I know is that I want to start something that will give me a way to cherish my memories in a visual form. 

I really would welcome any advice or tips - I feel so overwhelmed and really do not have a clue where to begin. I think I am going to sign up to one of the free apps where you can print so many photos a month. At least that will be a starting point. 

I think becoming a grandparent has made me want to cherish as much as I can. I want to not only scrapbook my family as it is but I want to go back and use old photos so that I have them to look back on when I am old and grey. 

Thanks for letting me ramble xxx

BUNNIES DAISY CHAIN - LILI OF THE VALLEY DT

Happy Friday everyone. Not long until Valentine's Day and so I thought I would make my darling hubby a card. 

I really love this cute image from Lili of the Valley. The digi stamp is called 'Bunnies Daisy Chain' although I have coloured my flowers in red.

I really need to become familiar again with my stash, I have no idea where anything is but I found this cute heart doily which fits perfectly with the theme.

My punches all seem to be struggling to punch - has anyone else experienced this after having a break from crafting. I wonder if I need to sharpen them. I am so worried that they will break as I am having to press so hard for the punch to cut. 

I finished my card off with stickles (always have loved a bit of sparkle) and some liquid pearls. My liquid pearls almost destroyed my card ... I had a bit of a 'splodge' moment but ended up colouring it over with my copics to try and disguise the near disaster - so annoying when it is at the end of your finishing touches.

Anyway enough waffle from me. I hope you have enjoyed my card. Here are my craft supplies ....

• Image - LOTV Bunnies Daisy Chain
• Colouring medium - Copics
• Designer papers - BoBunny 'Crazy Love' 6x6 pad
• Flowers - Wild Orchids Crafts
• Bling - Stickles 'Diamond', Dovecraft 3D Pearl Effects 'Pastel - Cream', Papermania Mosaics 
• Punch - Martha Stewart 'Lace Hearts'

Challenges...

• C.R.A.F.T - Love/Valentines
• Cute Card Thursday - Anything Goes
• Paper Shelter - For the One You Love
• Simon Says Stamp - With Love
• TTCRD - Anything Goes

HUNKYDORY HAUL PLUS 10% OFF CODE

Hi everyone, how are you all doing? Hunkdory has contacted me again and allowed me to choose some products to review here on my blog and also on my Youtube channel. I feel so fortunate. They have also provided me with a code to share with you all which will allow you 10% off any purchase made on their website during the next 14 days.

The code you need to enter is MARCEA10

Please follow this link to get to their website. I do not receive any commission if you use this code so please make full use of it.

So onto the products I chose .... I am so happy I could do a little dance. I thought I would try a few different things. 

*Foxy and friends ultimate bundle (FOXYBUND2)

*Precision craft knife + 2 blades (PCT17)

*Craft tidy (PCT32)

*Glitter gemstone bundle (GEMBUND003)

*****

Here is my video if you would like to watch my first impressions of the products plus a full look at all elements that are included in the kits and paper packs etc. 

*****

*Craft Tidy

I absolutely love storage solutions of all types so when I saw this craft tidy I knew it would be perfect for my desk.

It's the perfect size and the compartments are really useful for storing your different supplies. The handle is really comfortable to hold making your stash easy to transport between rooms etc.

It can be used for pens, tools, embellishments or whatever you wish. It is really sturdy and I love the purple shade - it's my favourite colour.

*****

*Precision craft knife + 2 blades

I have been needing a new craft knife for the longest time so I knew that this would be an item I would be choosing straight away.

This knife comes with two spare blades and it is so comfortable to hold. I have been able to cut really precisely using this and I am very impressed. The handle is really comfortable and the blades are easy to change.

The pointed blade makes it easy for intricate cuts plus, of course, its purple!!! Winner!!

*****

*Glitter gemstone bundle

Oh yes!!! All I ever need in my life and on my creations is a little bit of sparkle. I love picking up adhesive gems and this multi pack is perfect in my opinion for all crafters - new and established.

There are 576 glitter gemstones in 3mm and 5mm with so many gorgeous colours. This is such a useful add on to my already full gem collection - you can never have enough though can you lol. 

*****

*Foxy and friends ultimate bundle

Oh my goodness - this is an amazing bundle of cuteness. I cannot actually believe how huge it is - it just goes on and on and on. I show every single item on my video so please do check it out if you want to see everything that is included.

I honestly cannot even explain how lovely this is. There are so many possibilities and I really do want to create lots of things to show you. This is a very different style to cardmaking to what I would normally do but I am excited to get stuck in.

Here's a list of what is included ...

1 x Foxy & Friends Luxury Topper Collection

1 x Foxy & Friends Concept Cards Collection - Pop-up Cards & Aperture Cards

1 x Foxy & Friends Luxury Inserts (48 x sheets, 16 designs 3 of each)

1 x Foxy & Friends 8" x 8" Paper Pad (48 sheets, 16 designs, 3 of each)

1 x Little Book of Foxy & Friends

Blimey - that's a lot!!

*****

So that's it - how lucky am I!! Thankyou so much to Hunkdory for gifting this to me, I am so very grateful. Don't forget the 10% discount code if you fancy picking up some new supplies.

Have a wonderful week everyone.

See you all soon xxx

Happy New Year

I just wanted to wish you all a happy new year. I hope 2020 is a wonderful year for you all, the start of a brand new decade. 

I am hoping to be posting at least once a week .... that’s the plan, so I look forward to sharing lots of creations with you all. 

I am heading off for a cuppa ..... see you all soon 

xxx