Well, I did it..

I started making Christmas cards in September! I'm that crafter that usually started a batch of Christmas cards on Christmas eve. But I just couldn't resist the adorable reindeer die which came with Simply Cards & Papercraft 141! All the elements of the die are in one handy plate and you get a stash of gemstones to complete Rudolph! The card practically made itself...

The papers are scraps from my stash, I went bold for a contemporary look and the fab Christmas sentiment is from the Creative Stamping 27 FREE stamp set! The card didn't take longer that 10 mins.. perfect for batch making! I might try a different style to mix it up a bit!

You can grab this issue of Simply Cards & Papercraft 141 from here!

Bye for now! N x

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Happy Monday!

I'm so excited to say that some of my new Christmas creations feature in Die-Cutting Essentials issue 5! Christmas crafting isn't something that comes naturally to me, especially if its traditional but I couldn't help but be inspired by the brand-new Apple Blossom die ranges. Here's a sneak peek of the contemporary Christmas cards I made exclusively for Die-Cutting Essentials!

Both cards are a blend of Fancy Pants paper collections [I know i'm obsessed], must-have American Crafts Washi tape, Apple Blossom dies, Clearly Besotted/Sam Poole stamp sentiments and a sprinkling of silver sequins. I'm always very lucky to work with inspiring colour schemes and the latest crafty products.

I made the cover too! Woo!

If you haven't got your copy yet which comes with an epic FREE Merry Christmas die, you can always pick up a copy from here

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Good evening all!

It's safe to say we are well into Autumn, which i think is my favourite month! So far we've had many days of early morning sunshine and a touch of frost in the air which is a winning combination when walking to work!

A lovely colleague gave me a ball of Mondial Express wool in a stunning mustard blend, the concept being that you knit the snood or scarf with your arms!

As always, I broke the rules and decided to knit the yarn with my biggest needles for a closer knit. I like the 'baggy' snood look but really wanted something closer to the neck. I took a gamble and knit the full ball on size 20 needles starting with 7 stitches wide... then soon realised that it would end up looking more like a pillow front!

*Unravel*... Restarting with only 5 stitches gave me the extra length I needed to complete the snood! I decided to finish the snood by darning the opposite ends together to give a natural fold in finished piece. I do love a project that comes together in an evening.

Ta Da! I hope you like :)

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Hello all!

It's been too long. I'd like to think that I've neglected my blog of late due the glorious summer sun! Unlikely... but I have been up many a 'do' and making plans for my Wedding next April!

Speaking of Weddings... I was lucky enough to attend my close friend Sarah's wedding two weeks ago the The Midland in Manchester. It was a beautiful day, the bride and groom both looked stunning as they celebrated with us all!

The theme of the Wedding was bee's and bee hives, so I thought I'd whip this little card up! I love going over the top with dimension [when i know I'm not posting the card!] I made this stunning flower with the free die from Simply Cards & Papercraft 140 and Fancy Pants Office Suite designer papers. The sentiment is a Hero Arts stamp, I love the fonts used! I don't think you can go wrong with yellow and black, especially with a contemporary collection of supplies. I hope you like it!

Sarah and her now husband Jod are jetting off to South Korea for their Honeymoon! They love the culture and regularly eat the cuisine, so i thought why not purchase his & hers Sushi Bento boxes! It's safe to say that they went down a treat!

Me, David & the blushing bride! [A little bit worse for wear at this point...]

N x

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 Hello craft world!

I'm delighted to say i have a feature in the current issue of Creative Stamping!
I was completely in my element for this one, using a mix of stamping techniques and watercolour markers!
I will admit that I don't usually do masculine makes [the men in my life don't appreciate the effort as much!] and that blue isn't a colour i use frequently, but I thoroughly enjoyed myself with this one - AND I got to keep the fantastic Feathered Friends stamp set!

Both of these cards feature watercolour backgrounds, with a mix of heat embossing, watercolouring vellum and fussy cutting - [a labour of love]

I embellished the cards in this feature with Washi tape and with a line of stitching using my sewing machine out for a bit of extra detail...

I hope you like! And don't forget this issue is on sale NOW!
N x

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Happy Sunday!

A few weeks back i had the pleasure of going on my very first hen do! The beautiful bride to be Sarah is due to get married in two weeks time followed by a fabulous honeymoon in South Korea! 

I thought what better gift for the honeymoon that a hand-made eye mask for the long flight and some little travel cosmetics from Soap and Glory!

This project was so easy, even though I had to hand-sew it as my machine is on the fritz! The tutorial can be found on The Red Kitchen website here!

We had a lovely evening of wine tasting, teppanyaki followed by cocktails and dancing! Maybe too many cocktails judging by this pic!

Me and Betty <3

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TFI Friday!!

I feel that this weekend couldn't come quick enough, especially as i have a lovely day perusing my wedding venue to look forward to... which i'm sure will be swiftly followed by a wedding planning panic!

I did manage to take some time out after work this to play with a fab new die i got my sticky mitts on. The FREE Balloon & Flower die set which came with Simply Cards & Papercraft issue 139 features two awesome stitched dies - perfect for summer crafting! This set has everything i love about dies... it's versatile, contemporary, fun and easy-to-use!

 I made a happy smiley floral card using flower die, with kraft and white cardstock. The flowers are die-cut from a mixture of Summer Vibes papers [Fancy Pants Designs] and Forever Young papers [BoBunny] - I love pinks and corals! The smiley stamp is from Kaisercraft, and i've got more than my moneys worth for this set!

This second card features a background i created by blending Shaded Lilac Distress ink over ripped paper masks. The beautiful sentiment is part of the same Kaisercraft range. As much as i love the bright colours I used in the first card, i also really love a subtle monochromatic look. I think the balloon looks really sweet in this setting.

And this final card was made for a purpose! My lovable chum Aimes has taken the big ol' step of moving into a new home! This 'Up' inspired card features the Welcome Home stamp set from Hot Off the Press, the same fun designer papers from the first card and a Co'ordination vellum sentiment! I know Amy will love this card because it's her magazine's FREE die!

I hope you like my efforts! Tune in for some super sewing next time! <3

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