Week 290/291 - Last Minute Gifts

Good Morning Everyone,

Well only 5 sleeps to go! and hopefully you are all just about there with all of your Christmas plans.  We had 2 fabulous get-togethers this week at the shop with a traditional quiz and card game, a lovely spread (as my Nan would have called it!) and fabulous company from our lovely crafty customers and friends.

This weeks Challenge at Allsorts will carry on for 2 weeks as it will carry over Christmas. 

As you know a few weeks ago the lovely Kathryn Sturrock came over to the shop and we had a workshop with her.  We all made some amazing flowers but we also made a very cute Gingerbread man and I have made mine into a little gift.

He is made out of Fimo and then sat on the top of a jar with the lid covered in Martha Stewart paper clay.  The buttons have been made using a Katy Sue Mould and paper clay and then painted with acrylic paint.  I have filled the the jar with chocolate money.

This is a little closer shot ........................

Isn't he cute! 

I had an absolute ball at the workshop and have asked Kathryn to come back next year to so we can have another go.

I thought being as though the Challenge goes for 2 weeks I would show you another gift and this is a plaque that I made and sent to our family in Bermuda.

We have a superb sponsor this week - Marianne Designs and so it is definately worth having a go at the Challenge. Pop over to the Challenge Blog and have a look at the other lovely designs from the Design Team.

This won't be my last post before Christmas I will pop in again to post before the big man in red comes to visit so keep an eye out.

Until then, enjoy the last few days leading up to Christmas and don't get too stressed out and tired - it is only for one day! we all need to enjoy it.

Thankyou for popping in and please leave a comment for me - you know how I love to read them.

Bye for now,

Jo xx

Week 287 - Milestone Birthdays

Good Morning Everyone,

How are you all? I hope that the answer is very well and happy - this is the answer I am looking for from you all!

Well this is the last post before the mad December month begins can you really believe it. I suppose you are all ready for the Christmas festivities which are speedily approaching.  I must say (and as I openly admitted on live t.v this week!! ) I havent made my Christmas cards yet - I have made hundreds since Christmas began in the Crafting world (May for me!) but none of them are for me to send.  So, I must try to get myself sorted and get on with it! 

Well this week at Allsorts we have been asked by our lovely Team member Sarah to make a card with the idea based around Milestone Birthdays.

I made this card some time ago for a Friend for a big birthday and I thought it would raise a smile on your faces as well as hers when she received it. 

I hope that you can see the main event on Ethel's gorgeous leg!! the stamps are from the Ethel and Murray range from Creative Expressions and they really are a giggle.

Although there isnt a specific age on the card I think you can gather from the image that she was in later years! 

Today we have a very special guest coming to Let's Create and I have been looking forward to her return for several weeks. The lovely Kathryn Sturrock is coming to teach a workshop on flower making with clay.  I am a student! I hope she is ready for it!! lol I hope to make some fabulous flowers and show you what I have made. I will take some pictures of everyone's work and I am sure we are all going to have a great time.

Whatever you have planned for the weekend enjoy it.

Thankyou, as always, for all of your lovely comments that you leave.  I do feel that it is worth blogging when you lovely people let me know what you think to my creations.

Don't forget to pop over to the Allsorts Challenge Blog and have a peep at the lovely creations from the Design Team.  There are some fab prizes up for grabs as usual to have a go at entering the Challenge.

Must dash and get my seat in the classroom! what a novelty!

Bye for now,

Jo xx

Week 286 - No Design papers allowed!

Good Morning everyone,

Thankyou for popping in this morning - I hope that you are all well and have had a great week.

Last week was busy as ever with our fabulous Let's Create Dabble Day.  It was a fantastic day with lots of fun with wall to wall crafting and cake and tea - what more can we wish for!!

This week at Allsorts we have been asked by our Chief Team Member aka Brenda to show you a project that we have made without using design papers.  

I couldn't decide which one to show you so I have two!

A really quick an easy little number using Tattered Lace embossing folders and Tim Holz Poinsettia die and tag.  The card size is a 7" x 5" and I have embossed the corner of the Holly folder and then coloured it over with distress ink and Treasure Gold wax.  I have used the Holly border folder across the tag too.  The poinsettias were die cut and stamped onto with a music stamp from Sheena and then inked and spritzed.  Candy and vintage ribbon finish off the design.

The second design that I have decided to show you is using an embossing folder from Crafters Companion Vintage range.  I embossed it and then sanded the embossed areas down with a sanding block so that the ink soaked into the paper more and this has highlighted the baubles.  The sentiment is from Stampendous and I have used a little Frantage to embellish the corners. A bit of glossy accents, ribbon and bakers twine bow finish off the project.

I hope that this has inspired you to have a go at the Challenge this week.  Please pop over to the Allsorts Challenge Blog to have a look at the other Team members ideas and all the information about our lovely sponsors this week.

I have a couple of Create and Craft shows next week - Monday at 4pm and 2 shows on Thursday 12oclock and 3pm and this show is free p and p! Both shows will be using Tattered Lace dies. 

Thankyou for popping in and please find a few minutes to leave a comment if you can - I really appreciate hearing what you think to the projects today.

Enjoy a lovely weekend whatever you are doing,

Bye for now

Jo xx

Week 285 - Anything but a card

Good Morning Everyone,

I hope that you are all well and that your week has been busy and happy.

I apologise for not doing a post last week, I was at the NEC and the hotel internet was a little testing!!

I gave up in the end! sorry!

Anyway - onwards to today's post and a fabulous challenge from the Allsorts crew.
Our lovely team member Tracey Mouse has asked us all to make ...........

Anything but a Card.
This is a great theme and as it is so close to the Festive season I hope that we see lots of lovely ideas on the Challenge for ideas for Christmas presents perhaps.
I have decided to show you a plaque that I made for Joanna for the NEC and plaques always make a lovely crafty present and you know that I love making them too.

 This is using one of the oval plaques from Joanna Sheen and we are so pleased to have them in the shop now so that we can do all of our lovely projects. Firstly, I covered the plaque with some Kaiser background 12" x 12". I have used lots of dies on the project. The flowers are the quilled roses from Spellbinders cut out of patterned paper.  The butterfly is the middle of the lattice aperture die from Joanna Sheen which has also been used on the background of the plaque.  The ivy flourish is a mdf shape that is a replica of Joanna's ivy flourish die.  These are such fun and lovely to use. 
I hope that you like my idea and that it  has inspired you to have a go at the Challenge this week.  The team have made some gorgeous projects so please pop over and have a look at these on the Allsorts blog. Thankyou to our generous sponsors for this week. 
I would love it if you left a comment for me and let me know what you think of my project.
Also, enjoy a fabulous weekend.  As always we have a busy one with a workshop day near Lincoln today with a fabulous group of lovely ladies and Sunday is Let's Create Dabble Day in Tattershall and we have 52 lovely crafters having fun all day with our lovely guest Mel Heaton.  Really looking forward to seeing everyone over the weekend.
Next week I am busy on Create and Craft covering the Pick of the Week hours for Tattered Lace. These are all new dies with the Pick of the Week being an amazing Panorama set with fantastic results when they are put together. My first show is Monday at 6pm. I hope that you can join me then.
Must dash now its a bit foggy this morning so need to hit the road.
  Hope to see you again next week,
enjoy a lovely weekend whatever you are doing,
Bye for now,
Jo x 

Week 283 - Allsorts Challenge

Good Morning Everyone!

................................and November already!

Oh my goodness! Time is flying!

Well I have a lot to show you today so keep with me!

Firstly it is Saturday so it is the Allsorts Challenge and today the Team have been asked to make a card using .................

Masculine ideas

 and this is my take on the title ~

  I have used a Pinflair scene as the background and coloured with Gentle Blends. The main focal point is the owl which is one of Joanna Sheen's mdf shapes, I have inked it and then embossed it with bronze embossing powder.  These shapes are stunning and you can find them on Joanna's website.  they are so unusal and can be used for so many different projects but still light enough to put onto a card.  The leaves are from Tim Holtz Tattered Leaves die and I have inked and stained them to give a real Autumn feel.  The branch is also a Tim Holtz die.  Matting and layering the design finished off the card.  I hope that you like it.  The real leaves on our window sill in the shop seem to have joined in with the picture but hope that you can see the card!

We have had a busy week starting with a trip to the Tower of London to see the spectacular Poppy display.  Thousands of people had the same idea - it was so busy but well worth the trip. Here are a few pictures so that you can see the amazing project ~

 

When the display is finished there will be 888,264 poppies representing the lives that were lost in the First World War.  If you have the time before they are taken away after Remembrance Sunday I would highly recommend a visit.  It is truly breathtaking.

Also this week we have had the Children's Halloween craft class which has become a regular activity at Let's Create and these are a few of the pictures we took and also the window at the shop which looks fabulous!

The children choosing their leaf before painting them and making them into ghosts!

Great fun!

Please pop over to the Allsorts Challenge blog to have a look at the other Design Team members projects.

Thankyou very much for popping by and hope that you can leave a comment.

Let me know if you have been to the Tower of London.

Enjoy a lovely weekend and if you are going to the NEC next week pop by Joanna Sheens stand to say hello we will be there!

Bye for now

Jo xx