Hello campers :)

Hello campers I'm here again trying my best to blog, still not as straight forward  as I would like it to be,but because I have written a list of what to do nextI am getting better, apart from when I can't read my own writing. Leanne sat next to me again tutting now and then as if to say have you not remembered that bit. Anyway this is another of the Christmas samples belonging to the Christmas class of  19th Nov, repeated 26th Nov, using some of the Molly Bloom stamps, of which this is one of them. I've used traditional colours red and green in both the samples shown (with spotted as the theme), but I'm also using black spotted paper and a penguin stamp.

If anyone is interested I have a class on Sat. Dec. 3rd where I have made a Christmas wallhanging and a Christmas cracker using a diecut cracker. There is plenty of stamping cutting and glueing.

I have always loved making Christmas decorations and try to make something every year that is different for my sisters.As you know my sister Susan is a crafter too and comes along to the classes, so it is sometimes hard to make something for her, using papers etc.that she hasn't seen before.(We are often out and about on our travels, via the craft shops looking for new crafting goodies.) Susan always has an advantage, as at this time of year she goes off to America to see her son and his family, so gets to look at the craft shops over there. My other sister Joanne although not a crafter is an excellent baker.(Some of you will have tasted her cakes when we had the open evenings at the shop).

 So here's hoping that Susan doesn't see the blog and I can make her a wallhanging similar, perhaps using different colours and that Joanne doesn't go on the blog and I can give her the cracker. Hope you like them, let me know via an email if you want to come along and make. craftyhearts@hotmail.co.uk

Better close now as Stephens in charge of dinner,not may I add something he does often, and at the moment he has hurt his foot, which seem to stop his hands working, but who am I to complain, he is making an effort. Hope the chicken tastes as good as it smells....

To be continued......

Happy crafting all.
Jennifer x

Mint chocolate class and an elegant class

Just a quick post to show piccies of the 17th June Elegance Cards class with Kath, and an addition to the June/July class schedule: the Mint Chocolate Cards class, which is on Friday 25th June, 1o.30am - 3pm. If you'd like to join either of these classes, just email or ring us at the shop, using the details on the right hand side.
Here are snippets of the elegance cards class with Kath...

These are the Mint Chocolate cards...turquoise and dark brown papers, card candy, ink and parenthesis rectangles (bracket shaped rectangles). This Mint Chocolate range of products are Craftwork Cards goodies.

Some close-ups/sneak peeks........

Coincidentally, I am about to go finish off some Thornton's Dark Chocolate with Mint. I HIGHLY recommend it. I once read that if you have dark chocolate, just a piece, and put it on your tongue and let it melt, there are enough endorphins in it to make you feel good and not feel the need to eat any more for that day. Well, I keep trying, but I end up eating it instead, and having to go back for another piece :)

Late May recipes and pop-up book class

The following photo is a sneak peek of one of the recipes on our late May newsletter, the most recent of our recipe newsletters. This is the vintagey recipe, there's a bright, rainbow-like recipe to contrast it.

The next photos are of the pop-up minibook class, on Saturday 19th June. Email or ring the shop if you'd like to join this class. It's 11.30am - 2pm, £20 inc materials and tea/coffee/biscuits.

What a May it's been, hope June is better! I have been quite ill througohut, just waiting now to find out what's making me ill. Had to leave my mum to teach Saturday afternoon on her own - she did it brilliantly, but felt really bad that I was not there to be her assistant! It makes it much easier, having an assistant, to help people, cut things out if anyone's not a fan of cutting out, or help solve any happy accidents (accidental slips of cutting through the wrong paper or image ;)).

So looking forward to feeling well, I miss that feeling :). It makes you appreciate things though, and realise there are lots of people out there who have lots of things wrong, who suffer from illnesses that make you think, 'wow, how do they cope with that?'.

On to lighter notes...next gatherings are friday 11th june and saturday 26th june.

Each are 11am - 3pm, £3 and inc tea/coffee/biscuits and you can use the tools in the classroom. Bring a project, whether you are a scrapbooker, cardmaker, knitter, altered artist...whatever craft. Sit and make and chat and relax.


The C classes are going on at the moment - that is, C is for Colour. They're all booked up, but the next class in our alphabet series is D is for Diecuts. That is on Friday 2nd July 10.30am - 3pm (£20 everything inc except lunch and yourself). There's a repeat of this class on Saturday 10th July,same time and price. We haven't made any samples for this class yet, as we are looking at potential new papers for it, but when we've done the samples, they'll be posted on here :)

Hope everybody's had a good Bank Holiday, what have you all been up to? I could say we've done all sorts, but that would be telling fibs ;) A walk to the shops is as exotic as I got! And lots of chilling out.
Must dash, need to check up on my mum, see if she's having any luck finding a copy of 'Eclipse' (from the Twilight saga). She kindly offered to look for it on her trip out. Well, if it's going to be a while before I get better, might as well read through the mountain of books on my 'to read' list. Anybody got any good recommendations, of must-read books?

Take care x

Saturday Gathering, Craft Stamper & Apples

Now, first things first (and second things second): tomorrow we have a crafty gathering, so if you want to carry on with a craft project, have tea and biscuits, and chat, come and gather with us :) Cardmaking, scrapbooking, knitting, crocheting, stamping, altered art...whatever you like.

We now finally stock Craft Stamper, in addition to the usual Creative Cardmaking and Creativity!Life we normally stock. There's some really creativ projects in the current Craft Stamper issue - as ever, I flick through it and think 'ooh, I want to have a go making that! ooh and that!'...you know what I mean?! The same goes with scrapbooking and sewing mags, so many post-it notes get placed throughout the mag to indicate things you want to try. One day I actually want to do allthe things I put post-it notes on, in a mag!

We just made samples with the papers for issue 15 of Creative Cardmaking, and then the next issue (16) arrived today. But anyway, here are the samples we made withissue 15 free papers:

Jennifer's card

My (Leanne) samples:






















The papers are vintage-y, like they've been sanded. I sanded them even more around the edges. I like the vintage postage stamps and postcards, and the quirky newspaper-esque letters. Totally different to what we normally make.

















We've also begun making samples this week for Father's Day and teacher/graduation cards. Working ahead of yourself all the time, always one festival ahead, means we kinda forget what month we're in, what day it is, etc!
Here are two cards I made for 'thank you teacher' theme. The stamps and papers we have in-store - it is a Stampendous! stamp set, with pencil, pen, ruler, and book as well as the stamped image used. The paper is from My Mind's Eye's Quite Contrary collection, it's nice and bright, and weather-orientated (raindrops, umbrellas, flowers, butterflies, gingham).



















As ever, I tend to do quite simplistic designs, I just can't seem to get myself to mat and layer in excess or embellish like crazy. Although, don't get me wrong, the list of embellishments in the shop that I really want is not short...Papermania diamantes, i could stretch to a few o them, K &Co Handmade embellies, ribbons...I just like to use them carefully, not all at once. Save them and admire them!
Have a good weekend everybody, back soon x