Creative Crafting Magazine October 2011

interviews

Projects

Your items

CREATIVE 1

features

OCT OB

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ns o i t c e n n o c e v i t Crea

HOSTS OF

Crafter’s network Become a part of a WONDERFUL COMMUNITY Join in on the FUN IN THE FORUM

Look out for our new ‘CHALLENGES’ and featured ‘BLOGS’ COMING SOON!

UPLOAD PHOTOS AND VIDEOS to promote your creations Customise your OWN PROFILE PAGE Spend time in our CHAT ROOM and host your own CHAT EVENTS Take part in ONLINE CRAFT FAIRS Promote your business and NETWORK

www.creative-connections.ning.com

Professional Crafter’s Guild

PCG

Creative Connections is sponsored by

CRAFT fest

The Professional Crafter’s Guild has been established to elevate the status of crafting to a profession, not just a hobby.

A Virtual Craft Extravaganza Browse through our selection of

The Guild offers membership to all areas of crafting. To join the Guild please complete our online application form. Once you have been accepted you will receive an email with your registration details, badges to add to your websites and a digital certificate of membership.

Your details and web links will then be added to our online members list.

virtual stores

from the comfort of your own home.

Handmade crafts at their best!

Where http://creative-connections.ning.com When 26th & 27th November 2011 Time LIVE, all day!

The fair is open to the general public, although free membership is required for sellers.

www.procraftersguild.com

ctions Creative Conne Crafter’s Network

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Sponsored by

CREATIVE Craf�ing www.creative-crafting.com

THE TEAM Editor and Ad Sales - Anna (The Crystal Lady) thecrystallady@creative-crafting.com

CREATIVE

Technical Editor - Avril (Sprinkles Sparkles) sprinks@creative-crafting.com FEATURE WRITERS Diana - Peggy’s Collection Tina - In the Garden Tracey - Wowthankyou Claire - Elderberry Arts Jim- James Kath Guitars Betty - Betty Bee Vintage Martina - Sparrow Primitives Dianne - Heartmade Gifts Kerry - Scrapbookery Jan - Cajame Creations Heidi - Little Nore Mel - Beads by Lili Cassie - Cassie Fairy Donna Kelly Amy Sherred

Where has the time gone? It is proving a very quick year but a productive one. We have seen the start of many new things, not least being the first ever CRAFTfest hosted on our network Creative Connections. Although the September fair was only a trial run, the Christmas CRAFTfest on 26/27th November looks set to be even more fun! So why not join us at our Virtual Craft Fair, make new friends and soak up the whole Experience!

This issue is packed full of fascinating features for you to read.

We aim to fill the market left by other Craft Magazines for things to actually sit down and read! We all love projects but we want more don’t we! We’ve scoured both sides of the Atlantic and have brought you some fascinating features.

Join Jim and Maritza in their ‘A Year in Provence’ style regular feature about their move to Sante Fe to pursue their crafting dreams. We also introduce Mr X Stitch who many of you already know. Jamie will be joining us in every issue from now on so we have kicked it all off with an interview with him. We also have some wonderful ideas on promoting your craft business with Cassie Fairy and of course who could forget our regular visit with Betty Bee! Get crafting with our projects, we introduce a special section called ‘Coffee Break Crafts’.

All this and lots more!! So grab a hot drink and put your feet up for the crafting experience that is …Creative Crafting!

This issue is also available to purchase as a hard copy again from the HP Magcloud site so look out for links on our website. It is paid for by the page but well worth it to have your very own bound copy to keep.

Anna

www.creative-crafting.com www.creative-connections.ning.com

~ Raising the profile of the crafting community ~ Your Creative Team

AvAnna

Get in touch!

Anna - Editor

Publications

Avril - Technical Editor 3

We always love to hear of your crafting experiences and read your feedback for Creative Crafting.

Email us at: articles@creative-crafting.com

CREATIVE In this Issue ......

6. Spooktacular by Sparrow Primitives 8. Halloween Heaven by Betty Bee 27

10. Halloween Pumpkin Decoration by Stitched with Love 14. A Year in Sante Fe. Part 1 by James Kath 14

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17. Coffee Break Crafts!

What is Tatting by Donna Kelly

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A Beaded Bracelet by Elderberry Arts Funky Cuff Wrist Warmers by Heartmade Gifts 22. Once Upon an Embroidery by Cajame Creations 25. rystal Magic by The Crystal Lady (Mystic Earth) 26. Tina in the Garden by Tina 27. Little Nore by Heidi M 31. Dia de los Muertos Earring Project by Beads By Lili 32

32. Online Promotion by Cassie Fairy 35. Is it ever to early to think about Christmas? By Tracey Kifford

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40. An Interview with Mr X Stitch 42. Scrapbooking on both sides of the Atlantic by Kerry (Scrapbookery) and Amy Sherred 44. Uncle Johns Cider Mill by Amy Sherred 25

45. An Interview with Just K Jewellery 47. Halloween Window Shopping by Sprinkles Sparkles 48. An Interview with Tilly Rose 49. Birdfood Hearts by Heartmade Gifts 51. Setting up your Craft Fair by Peggy’s Collection

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52. Crafters Directory

Would you like to write for Creative Crafting?

No technical computer skills are needed, just your crafting thoughts and ideas.

If you would like to be included in the next issue of Creative Crafting Magazine please email us at articles@creative-crafting.com 17

We are looking forward to meeting you.

WWW.CREATIVE-CRAFTING.COM

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Written By Sparrow Primitives

Spooktacular Vampires, ghosts, bats, witches, creepy bugs...children relish them all! Halloween is the perfect holiday celebration to let children indulge their inner ghoul. Even the fussiest eater can be tempted by such delights as Witch Fingers ( cheese straw with an almond flake fingernail, painted with food colouring – ketchup gore optional!), Eyeball Jelly (grapes in jelly), Worms with Blood Sauce (Spaghetti Bolognaise) and so on. Part of the fun is coming up with the most revolting description they can think of.

Tombstone Sandwiches From a very young age, mine really enjoyed creating and eating Tombstone Sandwiches. Simply make their usual favourite sandwich.

Older children can then cut the sandwich into a tombstone shape.

Then allow them to get creative with the icing! Over the years we have added “lichen, moss and cracked marble”. The graveyard theme can be extended to include grass (chopped lettuce) and a mound (a brown bread sandwich) complete with a hand pushing through the dirt!

Marshmallow Skulls Marshmallow Skulls are great fun for little ones to make and can be used to decorate cakes, cupcakes, float in hot chocolate or simply eat.

You will need a tube of writing icing as before. Simply draw in the eyes and nose, then draw a mouth with hatch marks to give the skull-like effect. My children always thought they ended up looking like Lego skulls (or ghosts) because of the shape of the marshmallows. It is so simple to do but children have great fun making them!

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Halloween Crackers Children also love making simple decorations and Halloween Crackers are great even if you are not having a party. They are a fun way to get them creative and introduce the element of surprise at Halloween itself. Your little Halloween witches, ghosts and fiends will be only too delighted to rip these apart on the day!

You will need: Cardboard Rolls Orange and Black Crepe Paper Halloween Stickers (optional) Sweets or Chocs Toy Creepy Crawlies/ Creepy novelties Cut enough crepe paper to cover your cardboard roll – leaving enough to make a fringed edge. Fill the cardboard roll with sweets and novelties and roll the crepe paper around the tube. Use a Halloween sticker to fasten together. Tie the ends and watch how the children try to remember which one had the best sweets or novelties!

Crepe Paper Pumpkins filled with sweets!

Another Halloween favourite is to make Crepe Paper Pumpkins, filled with sweets and yucky bugs, of course!

You will need: Orange Crepe Paper Green Florist Tape Assorted Sweets Small toy bugs (optional) For each pumpkin, cut a 10” diameter circle from a double layer of crepe paper. Pile the sweets and toys in the middle and gather the paper around the goodies.

Twist a little above the treats and secure with florist’s tape, creating a stem effect. The children really enjoy making these and little Trick or Treaters love them too!

Have fun and Happy Halloween.

Sparrow Primitives - Handmade Designer Gifts & Home Accessories http://www.sparrowprimitives.co.uk https://twitter.com/sparrowprimitiv http://www.facebook.com/sparrowprimitives 7

HALLOWEEN HEAVEN

normal household, my little girl probably watches far too much TV and still has an uneasy relationship with any vegetables outside the potato family but since creating things to adorn the house start weeks before the 31st and I she could toddle we have been and garden the winter months are have many happy memories of doing craft projects together and decorating the living room with heaven. Plenty of long nights to the times we spend sticking glitter fake cobwebs and plastic bat’s. work on new ideas and so many on cards, making butterfly mobiles I’m a great believer in the excuses to raid the craft drawer or creating crochet chicks for a therapeutic properties of crafts mean that while many dread the and since becoming a parent I’ve nature table are always great fun. end of summer I always feel Undertaking crafts with your child been amazed at how centering creatively rejuvenated.

Halloween is big in our house. I’ve crafts are for children. Now let me forces you both to be fully present in each other’s company. The TV always loved it and my own mum state for the record ours is a

T

is legendary for throwing amazing here is no denying that for a Halloween parties, which have crafter like me who focuses became more elaborate with every passing year. Preparations most of her efforts on

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our carved squashes and then turn the lights off for a big reveal. It always marks the beginning of Halloween and has become something of a tradition.

Other regular crafts I’ve enjoyed with the family include making pompom spiders to dangle from doorways, cutting out paper chain skeletons and making witches brooms out of twigs and the inside of a roll of Clingfilm.

We always send a family Halloween card and coming up with ideas for our costumes tends to dominate conversation is off, the twitter feed ignored and for a blissful hour or so you just sit mindlessly chit chatting about the world your five year old inhabits.

Halloween is the perfect time to start crafting with your little ones.

All children love the spookiness of dressing up as ghosts and witches, trick or treating and the inevitable dancing to the Monster Mash so their imaginations are already on high alert.

With a little planning you can keep them entertained all week in the lead up to hallows eve. Carving pumpkins and turnips is brilliantly messy (pulling out the slimy innards is a task my little girl and her friends particularly relish) and with some adult supervision they can carve amazing scary faces.

You can buy carving kits really inexpensively (I got mine from the pound shop last year) or simply draw on your own designs and cut out.

We always carve quite a few pumpkins at the same time and I then send my little girl off to get into her witch/pumpkin/devil costume, light the candles inside

around the dinner table for weeks on end.

Halloween is also a great excuse to do some baking with your kids.

A batch of fairy cakes takes minutes to chuck together and you can spends ages decorating them in blood red, goblin green and witch black icing and if you are throwing a party cutting out sandwiches into spooky shapes with themed cookie cutters is one way to guarantee they eat something other than eyeball shaped sweeties.

See more of Betty’s craft projects at www.talesfrombettybeetowers.blogspot.com

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Written By Stitched with Love UK

halloween Pumpkin Decoration

1 x needle 2 x coloured felt (I used a pale orange and deep green) 1 x thread (I used DMC 720) Use a slightly darker colour than your chosen felt 1 x scissors 1 x pen & paper 1 x ribbon (of choice) I used a silky deep green Stuffing to fill the pumpkin (I used recycled polyester toy filling) 1.

1. Start off with your pen and paper, draw your desired shape for your pumpkin. It can be as large or as small as you like! Then separately draw the shape of your stem – make this slightly longer than you want it to be as this will be hidden when fastening.

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3.

2. Cut out your shapes.

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3. Draw around your shapes on to pumpkin as shown. To finish I the felt. always thread through the previous stitch instead of knotting 4. Cut them out. but it’s up to you how you feel most comfortable.

5. On one side of each pumpkin cut out, draw a few curved lines.

7. Place your pumpkin front and 6. Then get your thread ready to back together(stitched side with stitch. I used 6 skein DMC thread pen lines touching). so split it into 3 skein as this was 8. You can stitch them together a good thickness for this purpose. how you choose but I am a big Thread your needle and knot the lover of the blanket stitch. end. Then, using the lines as a template follow the line with your 9. Once you are about ¾ of the stitching. Make sure the knot at way around fill your pumpkin with the end of your thread is on the the stuffing, you can have as drawn side (as this will be hidden much or as little as you like. The when you fasten the pieces more you use the more plump together). Repeat on the other your pumpkin will be.

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6.

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10. Place both the ribbon and the stem in place (you can use a pin for securing if you wish) and stitch them to the front and back of the pumpkin. I use a normal stitch for this as it’s stronger than the blanket stitch. Give the ribbon a little tug to check it is secure.

11. To finish the piece thread the final stitch through the first 7. blanket stitch and fasten either through a previous stitch or add a little knot (and tuck it inside with your needle so it’s hidden).

There you have it. You now have yourself a lovely little pumpkin.

Who said Halloween had to be scary?

If you would like to have a Halloween cut out face like my bright orange pumpkin after step 6 cut out your desired facial expression (preferably with black felt) and stitch it onto your front panel. Then continue from Step 7.

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Part 1

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y wife, Maritza, and I have had for the past thirteen years the goal of moving to Santa Fe, New Mexico.

For those unfamiliar with this strange and quirky place, go hit Google and check it out. It’s a place like no other location in the United States and runs the gamut from filthy rich to dirt poor, from English as the primary language to Spanish as the primary language, from highly scientific (Los Alamos Nuclear Labs is close by) to being the biggest artist community in the country; a place where an artist who makes clay pots for a living is sitting in a swanky restaurant next to a nuclear physicist, both eating the same wonderful, Native American dish. Not to mention, since this is really their home, not ours, the multitude of Indian Nations found in the region.

^ Literally across the street from our house!

A Year in Sante Fe

of that theft, we came here from Denmark in 1901 and Maritza’s family came here from Colombia in 1956). The part that didn’t belong to Mexico belonged to the Native American Indians, but we took that too. We really, really, wanted it. And like many other places in this country, we put the word “New” in front of Mexico letting the world know that we’ve improved it and everyone should now know it is ours (New York,

New Jersey, New Orleans, New Hampshire, New Providence… you get the idea).

We’re located in the middle of the desert. It’s not the thousand miles of sand kind of desert, but the kind you see in all the old westerns: tumble weed, coyotes, rattle snakes, big spiders, Jerusalem Crickets and people in cowboy boots, only now they ride in large SUVs instead of on horses. But there are plenty of horses too. All of the houses are adobe style, which we absolutely adore, and our lawns are not grass, but rocks, which thankfully don’t need to be trimmed once a week. The moths here are the size of airplanes. We have a five-pound Yorkshire terrier named Sable and we must constantly stand guard as many locals have lost dogs and cats to the coyotes, owls and other large predators.

So, the reason for this article is to chronicle our first year in this foreign land (yes, I stole the idea Front of our house

Most of New Mexico, long ago, used to belong to Mexico. But like most great places in this country we took it for ourselves (actually, my family wasn’t a part 14

from Peter Mayle’s “A Year In Province”, but we Americans are good at taking other peoples’ stuff and making it our own, ). It so many times happens that what we experience is vastly different from what we expected. We’ve only been here a month and already it has started. I won’t go into all of the history of Santa Fe as there are literally hundreds of books on the subject and I don’t have enough space here to do it, so I’ll stick to our experiences

This year I’m turning fifty and Maritza is… (I’m not allowed to divulge this closely held secret).

I thought it was time in my life to give up the corporate world for the art world. But as the wingwalkers used to say “Never let go of what you have until you’ve got hold of something else”. So, I’m continuing to work in the computer world except that I’m telecommuting from my house. I still work all day at my computer job, but at least I don’t waste time bathing and driving to work

another thousand dollars. Oh well, bad planning.

Our house was waiting for us when we got here and I was anxious to setup my shop in the two-car garage, which I did, until I started getting nasty looks from the neighbor across the street, so I closed the door to setup in private. Glitch number two: the realtor forgot to mention that it is forbidden to do anything in the garage except park the car. No pastimes, hobbies, businesses or

Maritza at a show in Taos, NM, checking out the competition

The RailYard

Maritza, just outside Santa Fe

(sometimes I still bathe though, when Maritza complains). and hopefully you can fill in what’s missing with outside material.

Our goal was to begin living the work lives we have always wanted; making and selling our artist works. Maritza is a jeweler specializing in southwest jewelry and I’m a guitar-maker specialized in covering the house with dust and wood chips.

Because everyone reading this has this same dream (to live off of their art), I thought it would be interesting to chronicle just what it takes to make it happen (if it in fact ends up happening).

So, to start at the beginning of our trip, we packed up our rental house in Denver, Colorado.

Unfortunately the truck I rented did not accommodate all of our personal belongings plus all the woodworking tools from my shop. We had to rent a second truck that Maritza would drive and I would tow one of our cars behind my truck for the 7-hour trip. Our other car we left with a previous neighbor then paid someone to drive here for us.

So, with the extra truck, extra gas and paying the guy to drive my other car, that cost us easily 15

Jim's table at the RailYard

Jim at a show (we shared a tent. that didn't work out so well :-) )

Maritza setting up at the RailYard

which is more like a swamp and less like a cooler. A very noisy swamp at that. It’s basically a huge unit that dribbles water onto a filter and then has a fan behind it. It doesn’t work. It sounds like a tractor idling in the living-room. But I digress.

monkey-business of any kind.

Hmmmm, that was NOT what I wanted. So, I’m continuing to work in the garage clandestine style. I sound-proofed it as best I could and figured I’d just do my thing until somebody complained. So far, so good.

Making stuff is what we’re all good at. Selling stuff is a completely different matter though. Publish or perish. We searched for a good place to sell our work on the weekends. First we paid to be in a place that’s called “The Artist Tent” that operates on the weekends at a horse race track nearby. We paid the three hundred dollars for the month. Then we learned that everybody’s stuff keeps getting broken from the wind as well as being constantly covered in dust. When it rains, the Artist Tent (imagine a big circus tent) becomes a raging river. Worse than all of that, nobody was selling anything. It seemed the tourists didn’t want to go out to the racetrack even though there was a free shuttle service. We decided to write off the money we’d spent and find another place.

We found a location called the RailYard because it’s, well, a rail yard. On Saturdays it’s a huge farmer’s market and on Sundays

Maritza at the Railyard with a customer

Jim with his assistant in the new guitar shop

First guitar being built in the new shop

it’s an artists’ market. We got a table for each of us and it was only $35, much better than the Artist Tent/River/Dustbowl/Wind tunnel and it’s indoors!!! Yeah.

With air conditioning and heating and a bathroom. Yeah. Oh, speaking of air conditioning, the house we rented proudly boasted that it was equipped with air conditioning. It’s not. And we arrived in August, the hottest month of the year in New Mexico. It has a swamp cooler 16

Our first week of selling, Maritza did really well, like about seven hundred dollars. The second and third weeks, not so much and the fourth week was about two hundred dollars. But, little did we know, September starts the big tourist season for the year, so we’re optimistic things will improve. Since my guitars sell for around five to six thousand dollars, I’m not expecting a lot of sales at the RailYard; for me it’s mostly exposure (the legal kind) and to let the local musicians know that I’m in town and what I do. I’ve already gotten a couple hundred dollars worth of repair jobs. There are a LOT of guitar players in Santa Fe. So… fingers are crossed.

In addition to the RailYard, Maritza has also had several galleries express interest in her work. That’s the best of all scenarios because then her work will sell and she doesn’t have to be there. Of course the galleries take a giant commission, so we’re debating that approach at the moment.

So, that’s it for our first month.

A lot of activity and a little bit of sales; all in all not a bad start.

Jim www.kathguitars.com

Coffee Break Crafts

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Coffee Break Craf�s Coffee Break Crafts Coffee Break Crafts

What is Tat�ing?

Coffee Break Beaded Bracelet Funky Cuff Wrist War�ers

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What is Tatting?

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atting is lace making with your hands and the shuttle holds the thread. A shuttle is oval and can be made of wood, metal, ivory or bone. With the left hand, you wind the thread around and pinch between the left pointer and left thumb. The shuttle full of thread, weaves under, over, backward, and in between the tow threads. A tension change must be made, producing a slip or sliding stitch.

The shuttle weaves under, backward, down in the loop and you make a slip stitch. The two motions result in a double stitch in tatting. Little loops can be made, called picots, to make the ring look lacey.

Written By Donna Kelly

and on white satin French Provincial furniture to protect the white satin.

I learned as a young girl teaching first grade in Gillespie, Illinois.

When my husband and I moved to Springfield, Illinois, there were men and women demonstrating old crafts at New Salem State Park. I sold and demonstrated in my 1900’s costume tatted handkerchiefs, ear rings, necklaces, on note cards, on tea towels, on napkin rings, in frames, and baby booties.

but harder to learn. Needle tatting is easier, but you have to own many different size needles to match the width of the thread, is looser, and you add thread more often because you can needle tat with two yards. The shuttle will hold four or more yards of thread.

You need a tatting teacher to learn. The books are confusing.

Tatting is a three dimensional needlecraft.

Tatting patterns were found in magazines such as Butterick, Workbasket, newspapers, and tatting and crochet books. Now I make tatted ear rings with beads, snowflakes, and bracelets.

I live in Winter Garden, Florida and sell, demonstrate, and teach tatting. There are two methods of tatting. Shuttle and Needle.

Shuttle tatting is the best way,

Tatting was first made in England, France, Ireland, Rumania and other European countries. It was learned from fishermen and sailors, using a smaller shuttle and finer thread.

Tatted lace was worn on royal clothing of velvet and satin as collars, cuffs, on handkerchiefs, girls under skirts, baby clothing, Coffee Break Crafts

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33 approx 6mm jumprings (7.5 inches bracelet length) Glass seed beads - 3 per jump ring Lobster clasp and tag Super glue Flat nosed pliers

1. Open your first jump ring and thread two beads on to it. Add a third bead and close the ring.

3. Open a second jump ring and add two beads. Thread the second jump ring through the first, add a third bead and close 2. Put a tiny drop of superglue on the ring. Glue one bead over the the join in the jump ring and jump rings joint as it step 2. move one bead over it. Hold for a few seconds while the glue dries. 4. Continue the above steps until the chain measures approximately 6.5 inches (or 1

inch shorter than your required length) 5. Open a jump ring and add two beads as in step 1. Add the clasp to the ring and then the third bead.

6. Repeat step 5, and add the clasp tag.

Coffee Break

Beaded Bracelet Written By Elderberry Arts

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Coffee Break Craf�s Coffee Break Crafts Coffee Break Crafts Written By Heartmade Gifts

3. Fold over, with your decoration inside, so that cast off/cast on edges are together and whip stitch along the seam.

Use up your wool scraps and odd buttons, charms or recycled beads to make a funky cuff. Or double up and make a pair of cosy wrist warmers. Based on a beautifully simple knitted cuff, designed and made by my daughter, this is a perfect project to curl up with as the days get cooler and the evenings chilly.

1. Using 3 1/2 mm needles, cast on 25 stitches and knit until it will comfortably wrap around your wrist (approximately 16 cm and 72 rows of knitting, depending on your wool and tension.) Cast off.

Coffee Break Crafts

4. Turn right side out and it's ready to wear.

2. Sew some buttons along the centre line, or a fabric patch, or embellish with stitching. Tip: If you are an experienced knitter, you could add motifs, ribs or cables into your cuff as you knit.

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1. Using 3 1/2 mm needles, cast on 25 stitches and knit until it will comfortably wrap around your wrist (approximately 16 cm and 72 rows of knitting, depending on your wool and tension.) Cast off.

Coffee Break Craf�s Coffee Break Crafts Coffee Break Crafts

This basic cuff uses less than a quarter of a ball of wool, but you could use up scraps of wool for a stripy effect.

If you want the stripes to go around the cuff, cast on approximately 35 stitches (use a piece of the wool as a guide by

2. Sew some buttons along the centre line, or a fabric patch, or embellish with stitching. Tip: If you are an experienced knitter, you could add motifs, ribs or cables into your cuff as you knit.

3. Fold over, with your decoration inside, so that cast off/cast on edges are together and whip stitch along the seam.

wrapping around your wrist and measuring your cast on row against it.)

4. Turn right side out and it's ready to wear.

top and bot�om are st�etchy.

Make two the same, or contrasting and wear them to keep your wrists warm. Just the job as Summer turns to Autumn and it gets cooler, but isn't cold enough for gloves yet.

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Written By Cajame Creations

Once Upon An Embroidery‌

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his story takes place many years ago. Imagine we are at a time in the gentle years before the Great War. In a time where the motor car was a recent invention and a plaything for the very rich, seldom to be seen on a public road. This was an era when people worked hard and expected little. An era when life was lived at an altogether slower pace.

Let me introduce you to Alice.

Alice is a gentle soul. She has never strayed far from the village where she was born. She has spent her adult life living in the same little cottage she moved into with her husband as a newlywed when she was 19. At one time she was surrounded by family, but over the years they have all passed on or drifted away. Her husband died shortly after his retirement three years previously, and her only remaining sister lives half the country away. They correspond regularly by weekly letters, but haven't seen each other in years. It would be possible to travel by train, but it's altogether too expensive for Alice.

She scrapes by on her widow's pension.

Now is not the time to feel sorry for Alice, I don't mean to imply pity for her at all. Alice is quite happy with her life. Her cottage may be a little damp and rundown on the inside, but from the outside it looks glorious. In later years it will be featured on a tourist 22

postcard, as an idyllic chocolate box, picture-perfect home... if only Alice knew - it would so make her chuckle to herself. Today the mellow honey stone walls are aglow in the late afternoon sun, and she is confident the thatched roof will last her out without need for replacing. Her only bugbear is traipsing down the garden to the glory hole, as on cold and damp days it makes her rheumatism play up. Alice doesn't grumble, she is altogether quite content with her lot.

For decades, her purpose in life has been the garden. It is her pride and joy, and she has spent countless hours weeding, planning, pruning, planting, and tending the beds. In many ways the garden has been a surrogate child. Years ago Alice and Luke went through a few bad years, when it was realised they were never going to have children. Alice took solace in her garden. Luke took solace in the village pub, where he sat in the corner puffing

on his pipe and a pint of stout. He was proud of his girl mind, and never mistreated her. They simply bumbled through life as most couples do.

shawl around her shoulders. It's a lovely evening, and the sun is slanting across the lawn, bathing her in dappled light. With her teapot and second-best cup and saucer on the little ironwork table beside her, she is in her element.

It seems that half the village have passed by this evening, and they've all stopped and had a few words with her. Alice has been up and down the beds pointing out this years favourite blooms, giving growing advice and snipping off a few cuttings for her neighbours.

Nowadays, with Luke gone and her rheumatism getting worse with each passing year, Alice knows that the days of her garden being the show piece of the village are numbered. She will be able to potter about for several years to come, but the days of hard gardening labour are definitely drawing to a close. Alice just doesn't have the energy. Though wistful, Alice is now savouring every balmy evening this summer brings. She knows this is her garden's swan song, and wants to remember it this way.

Tonight Alice is sitting out on her ancient wooden chair, wearing a straw bonnet, with a crocheted

startled rabbit - it often makes her chuckle.

Suddenly an idea forms in Alice's mind. She learnt how to sew as a girl, and it has always come in handy. She can turn a nifty needle and she knows her work is neat.

The repairs to Luke's shirts always turned out a treat..... hmm, she wonders‌

Now looking around her beautiful garden, she wishes she had a picture to remember it by. Sadly she doesn't know anyone who paints. This is the days before photography became a keeper of memories for the masses. Alice possesses two treasured photos, one of her and Luke a short while after their wedding day.......made them giggle dressing up into their finery again and traipsing into the next town to the photography studio. Cost them a small fortune, and Luke never ceased grumbling about it... but they both knew it was worth every penny. Her other photo is of her sister Gertrude, one in which she is staring directly at the camera looking like a 23

What if she can capture her garden in threads? There's enough summertime left to provide the light, and her eye-sight is still pretty sharp. The blooms will be looking good for a few weeks yet.

Alice picks up her tea-things and hurries inside with a quiet smile to herself. She washes the dishes, placing the cups on the wooden rack to dry. Hurriedly drying her hands on her apron, she scurries upstairs to root out her workbasket‌

I'd so love that little story to be true. I'd like to think the truth was something along these lines.

Whoever the Alice was that created these glorious embroideries, I congratulate her for such marvellous work and attention to detail. From the delicately coloured fine-weave linen on which it is embroidered, to the lovely array of threads and the way in which they have been worked.

Alice - when and wherever you existed, it is abundantly clear you loved your garden. I love it too, and would love to have shared an afternoon cuppa with you.

However long ago you worked on these pictures, their beauty remains. Over the years the frames have become a bit shaky, but please don't worry about that. I'm going to get them replaced, and return your beautiful work to it's former glory. I'm thinking of white shaker-style frames to set the pictures off to full advantage, so that I can look at them above my sewing desk and dream fondly of a yesteryear I never knew.

Once upon an Embroidery - by Jan May. Inspired after purchasing two glorious almost Christmas! Where's the embroidery pictures from a Fleayear gone? See you soon - Jan x Market today. Sentimental mush I know...... but I hope you enjoyed Join Jan on her colourful Blog it.

Cajame Creations In the next issue I'll be taking you on a tour of a gorgeous quilting Sewing my way through life one workshop in Cornwall. I look stitch at a time! forward to you joining me, I've so much to show you! Even if quilting is not your craft you will delight in the country style of the log cabin, and be charmed by the lovely creations. Enjoy your autumn....

Gosh - by the next issue it will be 24

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A gorgeous piece of Malachite swinging happily on an oxidised swing....well that's what it reminds me of anyway. This pendant is very striking and the green mixes so well with the dark oxidised copper. It hangs on a chain which is 27cm long and has a lovely and unusual hand made clasp. www.misi.co.uk/handmade/gingerjewellery.html

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thecrystallady@mysticearth.co.uk or visit http://www.mysticearth.co.uk 25

Hi I’m Tina, It is so good to have you all here again in The Garden. Let’s just get our nice cup of tea and spend a few moments before we look at how The Garden has been faring since your last visit.

I was so pleased to hear that you are enjoying my article and pictures, it is a real garden and I do take all the pictures myself.

But I do have to come clean on one point, I do not look like the picture of Tina, well you would be a little worried if I did and so would my better half.

Glad you liked the pond, we did also make a feature of the old toilet and wash basin, but they are not ready for publication yet as the plants have not matured enough but watch this space.

Tina in the Garden

The Garden is still Blooming

Blue Hydrangeas

Pink Hydrangeas

Apples

26

Well, I think that I have been talking quite enough, so what has been happening in The Garden?

The hydrangeas which I mentioned last issue as being a little small, I am pleased to say have proved me wrong, just look at them they are just gorgeous!

I have been told that differences in the soil produce the different colours.

The roses are still flowering, they have been since May, I cannot remember a better year.

The fruit, apples, pears and crab apples, are producing well, do you remember the beautiful blossom in the spring? As you can see they are all happy in with the flowers.

The montbretia is beautiful now it does give such a golden glow to the Garden at this time of year.

Pears

But this week I think that Autumn is really with us. The leaves are coming down fast as we have had some wind and rain ( I did not need the dance this month). So I will start to prepare for Spring. It is such fun choosing the bulbs, and before the next issue I will be taking out the bedding plants and planting the bulbs and other spring plants, wallflowers, winter pansies and primroses.

The main jobs at the moment are just tidying the plants and

Crab Apples

borders, and taking out any weeds. The buttercups are really hard to get out but my arms get a better workout pulling them up than going to the gym. As you tidy the paths just keep an eye out for the small seedlings which have self set.

Take them out gently and replant elsewhere, more free plants.

The hawthorn berries are already bright red, the rose hips rich yellow and orange and with the The Enchanted Bog

Montbretia

luscious black elderberries the birds are already having a feast.

The blackbirds are just stuffed they are in the mulberry tree just all the time eating the rich fruits.

I could not finish today without a photo of the bog in its late summer glory.

Well time is up again the teapot is empty, and you have to leave, I must not take up too much of your time as there are so many good things to read in the magazine.

See you all again in the next issue.

Your green fingered friend,

Tina 27

Last of Summer

Summer Haven

A little project In my conservatory I have a collection of succulents and cacti. They are just great and take very little maintenance, however they do not like wet feet so do not over water. This time of year they produce new plants so being me I take them off and make more. It is so easy.

Original plant given to me do not know the name of it.

Snip off by roots.

Cut off small plants,this plant also was a gift.

Plant up in mix of compost and grit.

Snip off baby plants.

Some baby plants,these are Sempervivum (house leeks).

All done, now just give them a little water.

Pot up in mix of compost and grit. Finish off with grit.

28

Written By Heidi from Little Nore

H

eidi M. Where ever i go so too goes my sketch book and pen, obsessively compulsively drawing, telling stories through pictures, trying to spread a piece of sunshine through illustration.

I have been drawing since always, from when i was young i would scribble away and never really convinced i could draw, even when i packed my bags and headed off to Art school i was never quiet sure i could draw and would scowl my way through life drawing telling myself i was rubbish, I did Textiles at University and did quite well, upon leaving i set up a small greeting card company based around a range of characters which was quite successful but i became unwell and for quite some years i could not apply my passion to drawing on my new business, last year my pencil pen and sketch book found me and i have not stopped since. I drew and drew making up for all those lost years. My confidence growing the harder i worked and the more i sought to expand creatively.

At the start of this year i set creative goals which involved sharing my passion for drawing, i decided i had hid in my sketch book for too long. My goals including networking with other creative' s, which has proved a wonderful experiences where i learn so much from the talent and creative spirit of others. My other goal was to not let the inner critic tell me i was rubbish, just to keep on drawing...which i 29

do.. and the 3 goal was to start selling, I recently set up my Etsy Shop http://www.etsy.com/people/Littl eNore a place filled with my illustrations that i have applied to Greeting cards, brooches, boxes, plush characters, prints, My focus was on cute, whimsical illustrations to make people smile.

My first experiences of Etsy was like landing in a foreign country and not speaking the language, it is taking time to work out selling, marketing and how to price your work and promote in a positive way, but worth all the hard work.

With all this drawing going on i held tight to a dream of illustrating childrens books, a dream i will hope to realise soon as i currently being signed to a US agent, i can't even put into words how excited i am by this.

My plans now are just to keep going on and not to look back, i am so passionate about what i do, being creative is just the best gift and i hope i will be blessed to keep sharing what i do and growing and reach the wider with the illustrations of Heidi M. http://heidimmcdonald.blogspot. com http://www.etsy.com/people/Littl eNore http://www.facebook.com/pages/ ScissorsGlue

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Written By Mel Brooke/ Beads By Lili

1.

2.

3.

4.

2 x Earring Findings 2 x lengths of chain (10 links per piece) 4 x 2” Eye Pins 2 x 2” Head Pins 2 x 1” Eye Pins 9 x 5mm Jump Rings 2 x Chunky Acrylic Flowers 2 x Pink Acrylic Skulls 2 x Mini Ceramic Skull Beads 2 x Mini Ceramic Skeleton Beads 6 x Antique Silver colour acrylic cross charms

1. Use chain nose pliers to open the loop on an eye pin and attach one of the lengths of chain. Close the loop then slide a chunky acrylic flower onto the eye pin.

2. Bend the top of the wire over at 90 degrees, trim to 1 cm then turn a simple loop. Before you close the loop fully, slide on an earring finding.

3. Next, use a jump ring to attach a cross charm to the bottom of an eye pin. Slide a pink skull bead onto the pin then bend, trim and make another simple loop on the 31

top. Before closing the loop fully, slide on the bottom link of the chain.

4. Slide one of the mini skull beads onto a 1” eye pin and use round nose pliers to coil the tip of the wire all the way down to the top of the skull. Then slip the skeleton bead onto a head pin, trim the end and make a simple loop. Use jump rings to attach the wired beads plus 5 x cross charms to the chain at staggered intervals (use 2 x jump rings for the wired mini skull bead). Repeat all steps for second earring.

T

he average person experiences up to 3,000 advertising messages per day, so the biggest risk for a business is to be lost within this barrage of marketing. But businesses too need to be certain that they are not adding to the problem of junk marketing themselves. How many emails have you received this week from businesses promoting their product? I even get junk text messages on my phone. It appears that the brands who have been so careful not to become part of the ‘wallpaper’ of excessive advertising have now become e-spammers and are just as undesirable for customers to engage with.

Online Promotion Written By Cassie Fairy

with Cassie Fair�

product placement and review sites.

In 2008 Reuters reported that social media overtook porn as the number one online activity and the Interactive Advertising Bureau agrees; “if you’re not on a social networking site, you’re not on the Internet” which is equally true for companies. According to Pricewaterhousecoopers confirm Mike Murphy, Vice President of that traditional TV advertising is Global Sales at Facebook, 83 of now a follow-on strategy for the top 100 ad spenders in the retailers, behind the Internet, US have a Facebook strategy, mobile telephone SMS and with the aim of developing promotional events. So even friendly relationships with small businesses can now be customers to ensure that when using the same techniques to the time comes to make a promote their products as the big purchase they will turn to their brands. Viral marketing and brand first. Social media gives word-of-mouth campaigns are the customer the information that much more attractive for both they want in a familiar format promoters and customers alike, and they are more likely to trust as the cost of marketing in this the opinion of a Facebook or way can cost considerably less Twitter friend than an advert than TV & glossy magazine created by the brand. Using advertising, and customers are social networking and blogs is much more receptive to friendlier empowering shoppers as they communication techniques; can comment on products and blogs, Twitter, Facebook pages, services and transmit their Youtube videos, podcasts,

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opinions to a worldwide audience. Plus, recommendations of brands or products from friends and family remains a key motivator for making a purchase.

This is why it is important for businesses to be present on websites where this conversation is occurring, to encourage positive word-of-mouth.

Yet companies cannot focus solely on promoting their product through social networks as users are becoming savvy to corporate messages ‘hidden’ in Twitter posts and Facebook page updates and will resist, seeing it as an invasion into a space they use solely for personal interactions. Social networks should not be seen as a place for businesses to advertise their products for free - it should a refuge from the barrage of advertising messages and simply used as a communication tool.

Promotional marketing should focus on making the customer feel good, and in an era when recession hit this is an attractive offer for the consumer.

Businesses that use social networking can provide an almost personalised service to the customer – giving information directly to the customer as soon as they want it. And on the other

hand, customers sharing their shopping experiences on social media can also give businesses an insight into what the customer wants and how to give it to them; resulting in a satisfied customer and a profitable company.

Don’t send unsolicited messages: Customers will grow angry and emails will be deleted or marked as ‘junk. Only communicate with customers who have requested to receive your newsletter – you can add a newletter sign-up button to your website/shop/blog. Use a mailing programme online such as Mailchimp, who will keep track of customers signing-up & unsubscribing for you.

Don’t be offensive: Even though social media is informal, always remember you are using it to show off your business in a positive light. Your customers certainly don’t want to see swearing, rude-tube videos or slagging off the competition.

Here’s my top 5 dos and don’ts for using social media to improve your business: Don’t directly Tweet your products: Its boring seeing update after update of new products on the business’ website – at best followers will ignore your tweets or at worst will unfollow you = no more communication.

33

Don’t ignore your customers: Check your Twitter, Facebook or email messages daily to ensure timely replies to questions &

comments, giving your customers provides a newsletter design a friendly personalised service. options to send to your subscribers.

Don’t forget to tell customers what you do: Make sure that Do make professional your followers can easily see contacts: Use the informal what you do, your website nature of social media to start up address and how to get in touch working relationships with similar with you. There’s no point being organisations as you never know friendly and entertaining if no when you’ll need a helping hand, one knows what you do or how plus you can get in touch with to buy from you! relevant bloggers and journalists to share interesting information Do ‘Like’ and ‘Follow’ others: about your business which might Especially similar users to your end up becoming an article, business, and try to get them to blogpost or Retweet. follow you back – eg. If I was promoting a range for children, I Do sign-up for industry would follow parenting networks: You’re not limited to magazines, kids events and other the most popular social media child-related brands. Other social sites – there are hundreds of media users often look at who networks out there for different their favourite Tweeters follow to professions and interests, such as find like-minded Tweeps and your Creative Connections for crafters. follower list will grow.

You can get both support & friendship from like-minded Do share interesting content: people and an additional News, photos, stories and videos promotional space for your will keep your customers business. entertained through Twitter, Facebook or even a blog.

Do you have any questions for Cassiefairy? Please contact her Do create professionalon Twitter @CassiefairyTutu looking newsletters: Include or check our her blog at your interesting content http://www.cassiefairy.wordpress alongside your products or .com special offers – Mailchimp

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Card created by Princess Kitten

M

y goodness where has the year gone? Where has the summer gone! I asked myself the question this chilly afternoon and I am ashamed to say I began to think about Christmas. As a designermaker I imagine Christmas could be a bit of a nightmare unless you plan ahead. There are Christmas products to design and make, best selling stock to produce, plans to be made for shows, on-line products to be listed and extra help to be drafted in to help with deliveries and trips to the Post Office. How do you cope with all the extra stress at this time of the year?

Do you plan ahead in minute detail or do you trust to luck, make a huge quantity of stock items and sell, sell, sell? For most crafters Christmas is their best time of the year; accepting of course there is Halloween, Firework night and even for our American cousins Thanksgiving in the intervening period, so what do you do to make the best of it?

WowThankyou asked some of its sellers what their Christmas routine is like. How do they prepare and are there any little tips to make Christmas go with a pop (Champagne cork) and the stock room to be empty on Christmas Eve.

Christmas period. Obviously extra stock needs to be produced depending upon the previous years experience but Amy’s major worry is deliveries and international posting (needs to be as early as possible). Last year Amy almost had a ‘lost in the post’: “

totally out of our control and the post is certainly a good example, the only thing to do is post early and use some sort of tracked or recorded method with compensation offered for loss.

Pandy Grenville-Evans of Princess Kitten freely admits to being a Christmas ignorer and makes little preparation for the festive period. ” Sometimes these things are Her opinion is that “ Playsuit by Amy’s Baby Boutique

Amy Richardson-Rowe of Amy's Baby Boutique has a very pragmatic approach to the 35

Crochet Neckwarmer

by Eccentric Ella

”“

” So what about this year for Claire? “ ” Claire Witz of Painted with Love is coming up to her third Christmas since she started the business. She shared with us her experiences of every Christmas since she started. “ ” Eccentric Ella’s Rene Trewern makes a load of stock for Christmas and then just waits for the customers to come ... she does her research prior to the season starting and produces her stock accordingly. Again with Rene delivery was an issue last year but for a different reason, she told us “

Made and sold by Painted with Love

” Nadia Stopnicer of Pretty Tasty makes cakes and biscuits for all occasions and so Christmas is one of her busiest periods. Her 36

Made and sold by Pretty Tasty

stock that will keep for the whole period, making the packaging simpler and easier and try and get a corporate customer to buy the remains of your stock before Christmas!

For her third Christmas Nadia ‘boxed even cleverer’ than before. She explained, “

first Christmas was a bit of a baptism of fire: “

” Now Pretty Tasty is a more recognised brand and orders are already being made for Christmas. Nadia expects this Christmas to be very busy but with the experience of three Xmas’s under her belt she feels a bit better prepared. “

” After this first experience her business began to take off and she managed to handle the second Christmas a little better. “

” The lessons to be learned here are that you can’t always second guess what will sell well, making 37

” Lorna Wright of {Dab and a dash.} makes high quality journals and found Christmas to be a particularly busy time of the year with its own delights and disasters. Last year was her first Christmas and she got through it quite well. “

Cute Deer Journal by {Dab and a Dash}

they are great to post and I need to send some presents abroad.”

” This year Lorna intends to make some changes to make her life a little easier “

” Fiona Simpson of Just Pottering has decided to be very organised this year and has made plans for every stage of the Christmas period. She has already taken her first orders (in August) and is making her first batch of Santa cookie plates. “

Ceramic Creation

by Just Pottering

” Fiona says that her busiest periods are the months leading up to Christmas, “

38

” Overall Christmas is quite a positive experience for Fiona and she seems to thrive on it. “

” What is clear is that we all (mostly) love Christmas. It is undoubtedly the Shopping Frenzy of the year, and from hearing how sellers have hit problems during the festive season and overcome them, there are some clear messages to take away ... · Be organised - get your stock in order before Christmas · Organise deliveries as much as possible (no one can predict the weather) · Be prepared for last minute orders and have an absolute cut off date advertised on your website or marketplace listings · Try to get people to shop early by using some small incentives (a discount, free giftwrap etc).

But overall it’s important to try and enjoy what you do; take satisfaction in selling out before Christmas and give yourself a well deserved rest over the festive period (have a sit down and get someone else to cook perhaps?)

May I be the first to wish you all a Very Merry Christmas! x Written by Tracey Kifford from Wow Thank You 39

Tell us about Mr X Stitch As Mr X Stitch I mostly live on the Creative Crafting talks to the Cross Stitching sensation that is ‘Mr X Stitch’! internet, where our blog publishes two posts a day every day about all kinds of stitchy goodness. Aided by the mighty Beefranck, my editor in chief, we feature everything from cross stitch to quilts, from plush toys to free machine embroidery. If it’s cool, contemporary and has been made with a needle and thread, we’ll write about it!

When I’m not living on the internet, I can be found in Milton Keynes, England, where I juggle the Mr X Stitch Empire as well as a full-time job working for a national children’s charity, being involved in a roller derby league and living a fruitful life with my wife and three chickens.

When did first begin creating your craft, and why?

My first stitchery was an Alphonse Mucha art nouveau head, which I bought to take on a holiday to Canada. I liked the content matter, but I liked the juxtaposition of a big bloke like me doing something refined like cross stitch. It took me a year to complete the piece, but in that time I realised how much I enjoyed stitching, and so once I had finished it (framed it and given it to my Mum) I sought out another pattern. This one was Klimt’s the Kiss, and to this day it is my number one WIP, soon to be celebrating its seventh birthday!

My desire to stitch subjects a little closer to my heart led me to purchase some pattern making software, and I created Panika, my first graffiti cross stitch pattern. And it went from there!

What is it that you enjoy about your work?

Cross stitching has the magic formula for happiness: the repetitive process of stitching encourages a meditative state and when you combine that with the act of creation, it’s a great place to be. Then there’s the added bonus that you end up with a handmade piece of art that you can give to a friend or loved one. It’s a win, win, win situation. :) http://www.mrxstitch.com 40

If you had to choose your favourite from your creations which one would it be?

I think that the first graffiti cross stitch piece I created, called Panika, is one of my favourites as it was the first design that I created and it encapsulated the style of cross stitch I was trying to achieve. It’s also been exhibited in the UK, Europe and the US, so it’s quite well travelled!

Where does your inspiration come from?

I’m fortunate to see a lot of cool embroidery and needlecraft, so I’m never short of new ideas and inspiration. Of course this is a double-edged sword as it makes it a lot harder to come up with ideas that are truly original. I find that as I finish one piece, an idea for the next one usually comes along, so I just have to trust that

I’ll feel inspired when the time comes. That said I’ve got lots of Works In Progress to tide me over while I wait for inspiration to strike!

Do you have a favourite website?

Other than my own? :) It’s a tough call, but I would like to mention Craftster as a terrific resource for the emerging stitcher. With message boards on all manner of crafts, and a wealth of new ideas being posted on the Spam Stitches at MK Gallery site every day, it’s a really good What is your biggest crafting place to seek inspiration and Other than your crafting, achievement, and why? – do make new friends.

I also spend an unhealthy amount what else do you like to do? you have a picture? of time on Facebook, but that’s The most significant other I’ve recently had work exhibited more of an addiction than pastime in my life is roller derby. as part of a group exhibition at My wife started playing it in May my local gallery in Milton Keynes. anything else… :) 2010 and I got involved shortly This was quite an achievement thereafter. I took the opportunity as it involved creating twelve If you could do a different to learn to skate and am pieces (based on spam emails I’d craft, what would it be? currently training to be a roller received) within a relatively short I did a basic carpentry course a derby referee. I’m also the Chair time period, but also that the few years ago and really enjoyed of the League and we are pieces were included in a group it, so I’d be inclined to try out developing really well. Roller show among more traditional art cabinet making and similar skills. derby is a great sport and I’ve forms like painting and However I still have a great deal had some terrific experiences and photography. It was really nice to to learn about needlecraft, and made some good friends because see embroidered works in a I’m quite keen to learn the highly of it. If you’ve never heard of it, contemporary art setting and I disciplined Japanese embroidery, I’d recommend you look it up received a lot of positive so I think I can live in the world online – it’s very cool. feedback from visitors to the of stitch for quite some time! exhibition.

It’s fortunate that I am also Tell us a random fact about interested in computers, social Has any person helped or media and internet matters, as supported you more than any yourself!

I’ve been a Reiki master for over the Mr X Stitch website and other? associated outposts on Facebook, Without a doubt, the person who a decade.

Twitter etc., take up a great deal has helped me on the path to Mr of my spare time as well. But X Stitch more than any other is when your days are filled with Bridget Franckowiak, aka things you love, it isn’t so bad…

Beefranck, aka my sister from an :) American mister. She started helping me with the website in February 2009 and has been instrumental in its success. She and I both share a love of stitch and a sense of humour (I use the term loosely) and she really has been the binding polymer for so much of what we’ve achieved.

She is a terrific person, a magnificent stitcher and is destined to be an embroidery star www.etsy.com/shop/MrXStitch in her own right.

Stitching at the roller derby 41

SCRAPBOOKING ON BOTH SIDES OF THE ATLANTIC OCEAN! Kerry from Scrapbookerry is our English Scrapbooker, here is a sample of her work.

I wanted the words love in the page, but wanted it to remain a masculine page, so I stamped the word ‘Love’ into each corner of the cream page, and then stuck the curved paper in a position so that you can see snippets of the word around the page.

The prominent photo was of my little boy with his Daddy and that is why this photograph has a border, and is placed slightly on top of the other picture. This is the focus of the page. However, I didn’t want to take away any of the other picture, so this is the reason for the border only being on the top and the bottom of the page, enabling the other picture to be seen as full a picture as possible.

T

his page has been in my head for a long time.

Ever since having my little boy I have wanted a page that expresses the love his daddy has for him, and how his birth has made his daddy grow.

him full on and you can see his whole face, which is really important for this page. You see what his daddy saw that day!

This page was a simple page for me to design. I knew that I wanted a pale blue in the background, as it picks out my little boy in both the pictures, because of what he is wearing.

The wording in this page was very important, and this is the reason the journaling has its own box, that I have cut out of the same paper as the photo border.

I wanted the title of the page to be at the bottom of the page, making sure all the pictures were together on the top of the page.

The title was in another shade of blue, so that it stands out against I knew that I wanted the picture the other colours on the page. I of his dad holding him in the finished the whole page of with a page, but I also wanted another few embellishments that picture. This picture of my little complimented the colours already boy straight after his first bottle is When I found this curved paper the blue was just the right colour. on the page. the perfect addition, as it shows 42

SCRAPBOOKING ON BOTH SIDES OF THE ATLANTIC OCEAN! Amy is our American Scrapbooker, here is a sample of her work.

The Royal Guard W

hen I am gathering ideas for scrapping page my favorite place to go is fashion web sites and fashion magazines. There are so many prints and ideas to transport into a page, and you can always play

with the colors to make it match you color scheme. So when I was scrounging for ideas for the Royal Guard I wanted to stay with Britain’s flag colors and a classic feel to fit with royal tradition.

This pages inspiration actually 43

came from a Burberry add. I thought the plaid background would look great, and then tweaked the colors in the photos to make the red really pop. To incorporate the plaid look I used a textured background, plain red paper and silver paint. Part of my story with the Royal Guard is my friends and I couldn’t find him! It actually took 40 minutes of walking around to locate them! So to capture that part of the story I made the title “Lost & Found” in red glitter to make it stand out and to tie in with the red in the guard’s coat. I added pink touches to keep the page fun like the photos on the page. For the finishing touch I added a black ribbon around the photos and placed a gold bow on top to look like it had been tied there. To add some glam to the black ribbon I used glitter glue to make the red and pink poka dots.

Voila!

Uncle John’s Cider Mill

L

ast year my boyfriend and I went to a pumpkin patch and picked some pumpkins to carve. It’s a fall tradition for Halloween and we were making sure it wasn’t forgotten about, even though we were in college we still considered ourselves big kids! For the layout I wanted to make sure it had a Halloween feel so I stuck with a color scheme of black, orange and purple. I came up with the checkered background from a dress in a magazine, and recreated it by hand. I made the checkered board look uneven to give it a little bit of the classic Halloween spooky feel. Then I created a pumpkin out of paper and color pastels to journal what we were doing that day and dated the day the photos were taken. After that I came up with an idea to add a splash of color by painting the corners with glitter glue and making a purple collage out of rocks that were meant for beading,

and a few types of purple sticker dots I found. To make the photos stand out against the busy background I outlined them in glitter glue, and for a final finishing touch I put a orange leaf sticker I had on the purple rock by the photo of us to make sure 44

that’s where the eye’s main focus would be. On this page and many of my other pages I like to use multiple types of supplies, I never limit myself to only using what is supplied in the scrapbook aisles!

You never know what you can create!

When did you first begin creating your designs, and why?

I started making beaded jewellery about 6 years ago. My mum was very ill and I’d just finished a temping office job so I didn’t take another assignment as I needed to help look after her. I’d always wanted to make jewellery so while I had time on my hands I bought a “make jewellery” book, found some supplies and started to teach myself. I was hooked immediately. Mum recovered but I never went back to work.

Working with resin came a little while later when I wanted to learn new skills and techniques.

What is it that you enjoy about your work?

Everything. I love experimenting with resin to see what I can embed as well as playing with paints, dyes and pigments to see what will happen if I add them to the resin.

Find out more about the lady behind Just K Jewellery I’m Karen Rickard and I live with Nick in Basingstoke. I’ll be 55 later this month and I have a 32 year old son who’s married but no grandchildren. I’m very embarrassed about the photo of my messy workroom – I should have tidied it before taking the photo – but if I’m going to be honest this is how I generally work and Anna was chasing me for the answers to this interview.

What is your biggest crafting If you had to choose your achievement, and why? favourite from the items you are selling, which one would Creating a dichroic glass effect it be? with resin. It’s taken me a few It’s usually the last thing I’ve years to perfect the technique made or something that has and I love the fact that photographed well. I’m really I can’t control what pleased with the way this will happen. I add pendant turned out as I wasn’t the ingredients to sure if the two-tone effect would the resin and then work. just watch it – fabulous! http://www.groovycart.co.uk/cart. php?c=108&p=54072&buy=Blue +%26+Green+Wiggle+Pendant

Other than your crafting, what else do you like to do?

I’m very much a home bird. I enjoy my garden and I spend hours reading – just as well I belong to my local library. http://www.groovycart.co.uk/cart. php?c=108&p=57175&buy=White +Rabbit+Pendant

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Where does your inspiration come from?

I don’t think I’m conscious of where the inspiration comes from but I know that seeing what jewellery women presenters on TV are wearing gets me thinking and trying to work out in my head how I can put my own spin on it.

Sometimes I just wander around craft and DIY shops looking for something unusual that >

might be fun to embed in resin.

My dad also inspires me. He was a woodwork & crafts teacher with very high standards of craftsmanship. He worked with resin and fibreglass back in the 1960’s and 1970’s and was bombarded with questions when I started working with resin. These cufflinks in my WOW Thank You shop were made with sawdust from his workshop

http://www.wowthankyou.co.uk/ just-k-jewellery/products/sawdustcufflinks

Creating designs using resin looks very effective. Is it a difficult process?

It’s not difficult but it is a lengthy process as you build up the design in layers, letting the resin cure or partly cure between each layer. Air bubbles are the bane of a resin jeweller’s life. You can spend days creating and then when you de-mould the piece there’s a really noticeable air bubble – however much you’ve checked by holding the mould up high and looking from underneath.

was before Folksy, Misi, WOW etc and the owner of that site was GroovyCart: incredibly helpful and supportive. http://www.groovycart.co.uk/cart.ph p?c=108 Also my family - especially Nick WOW Thank You: (OH), my son & daughter in law, Do you have a favourite Mum & Dad – Mum always wears http://www.wowthankyou.co.uk/justk-jewellery website? my jewellery and tells everyone Folksy: It’s not a craft related site. It’s the who comments that I made it http://www.folksy.com/shops/jkj Blue Cross website – we got our (she has a stash of business cards MISI: little rescue cat from them last too). http://www.misi.co.uk/shop_info.php year. She doesn’t like it when I’m ?domain=jkj working and “ignoring” her Tell us a random fact about http://www.bluecross.org.uk yourself!

I’ve got a silver Blue Peter badge Has any person helped or – no idea where it is now but supported you more than any here’s the proof... other?

When I started selling online I found a website called Craftmarkets where you could have your own online craft stall (sadly no longer around). This 46

Handmade Full Moon & Raven Halloween Shelf Blocks The tall, narrow picture

Halloween

block has been decorated with a silhouette of a witch's cat sitting surveying a bright yellow harvest moon. A star shines to the side of the moon and a rather creepy looking spider dangles from a strand of cobweb. The block has been painted orange with blackened edging.

window shopping

For more info visit Spar�ow Primitives Silver spider/web necklace with red and black beads.

The centrepiece is an amazing silver-tone/crystal brooch which is almost 6cm in diameter. I have removed the pin from the brooch and filed it smooth so it is very comfortable to wear.

For more info visit Becky Leigh Bunting Hallowe'en

Tarant�la spider cushion

There are 5 pumpkins and 4 skulls and they are hanging on a crocheted chain cord that has been made with three yarns, black, green and orange.

The entire length of bunting measures 173"/4.4m.

Snuggly fleece Tarantula spider cushion.

Removable polar fleece cover with fleece spider applique, includes (an approx) 18 x 18 inch cushion pad. Cover itself measures 16.5 x 16.5 inches

For more info visit MinXt�res

For more info visit Loves a good yar�

Box & Gif� Tag & Witches Broom A 'trick or treat' mini keepsake box, 2 Halloween gift tags and a cute witches broom completes this fabulous set.

A small wooden box has been distressed and painted in a deep orange and handstamped with a number of halloween related images & words including 'Trick or Treat', Happy Halloween', spiders and witches

For more info visit Miss Bohemia 47

Meet the lady behind Tilly Rose.

I’ve been crafting since I was a teenager. I taught myself to crochet by using my pocket money to buy Stitch By Stitch ..a weekly magazine

by Marshall Cavendish. I learnt so much from them and that’s really when a real passion for sewing, crafting and designing started.

I really wanted to be a costume designer in a theatre when I left sixth form. Unfortunately the year I took my A level Needlework, the syllabus changed and all three of us who had studied that year failed and gained another ‘O’ level as it was then called.

My career ventured into a different route into education after that teaching children with severe disabilities, but over the years I never lost my passion for handmade crafts especially sewing. I continued to make items for the home and design some clothes as well as make gifts for family and friends for Christmas and birthdays. I’ve also been able to use my love of all things vintage in my designs which has been lovely. I can’t bear people throwing things away just because they are not ‘in season’.

Every day I go to work in my barn and do a little twirl like Meg Ryan in You’ve Got Mail and feel

When did you first begin creating your designs, and why?

I set up Tilly Rose in 2006 selling my designs at craft fairs.

Originally I started to make small items for the home or special gifts including many personalised.

What is it that you enjoy about your work?

Over the past two years since concentrating on doing more Vintage fairs I have changed my way of designing to include more vintage fabrics, linens and lace.

I have a real passion for saving the beautiful embroidered pieces often found in grubby baskets in charity shops.

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It is such a shame people don’t value the beauty of these hand sewn delights.

I love watching a design develop using vintage linens right in front of my eyes!

If you could change one thing about what you do, what would it be?

I am slow when designing and making things. I would love to sew faster so I could make bigger items quicker!

Do you have a favourite website?

No...I have too many to choose! I just love any that are girlie and pretty and full of vintage gorgeousness.

What is your biggest crafting achievement, and why?

Since making the decision to leave my job in July to concentrate on Tilly Rose fully, so many opportunities have arisen.

I have been asked to design and make a range of tactile resources for the special school that I have been teaching in for the past two years for all their 150 pupils. The school want me to teach a team of staff to help make the resources and then show their colleagues to continue with the project. It is a wonderful opportunity for me to combine my passion for crafting with my expertise of working with children with disabilities.

My other main achievement to date is to be asked to design some accessories using vintage linens and lace for a friend’s Romantic Collection to be sold in Paris and USA. It will be ready in the New Year for launching. I am sooo excited that some of Tilly Rose’s designs will be sold worldwide!

Other than your crafting, what else do you like to do?

My other passions in life are varied… too many to mention! I love gardening especially with herbs, cooking, researching my family history, reading anything around the history of costume and fashion, and I am also currently writing a novel.

If you had to choose your favourite from your creations which one would it be?

Oooh that’s such a hard decision!

I love making so many things!

Has any person helped or supported you more than any other?

Several of my friends have been a great support but my biggest support has been from my lovely hubby. He always stands by my decisions how ever wacky they maybe...

Tell us a random fact about yourself!

I love watching children splashing in puddles with their wellies on followed by oodles of squeals of delight It always lifts my spirits and makes me smile. www.tilly-rose.co.uk My blog is www.tillyroseblog.blogspot.com My facebook pages are www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Til lys-Vintage-Workshop-CraftStudio/216476658376432

Where does your inspiration come from?

My inspiration comes from www.facebook.com/pages/Tillyeverywhere!...textures, colours, Rose/107991552556158 sounds, everyday sights, people, and memories. I keep a little book with me all the time and write everything down and I love collecting images from photos, magazines, Google, and books. I often write about things that inspire my work on my blog to share with others.

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Suet Hearts

1. Use a wooden spoon or a fork to soften half a block of lard and three tablespoons of suet. Mix in three handfuls of oats, three of mixed birdseed and one

5. Gently push a needle or skewer through the centre of your shape. If it crumbles slightly, repair by pressing the mixture firmly back into place.

Remove the skewer or needle and chill in the fridge for half an hour.

2. Press the mixture firmly into a small cookie cutter.

6. When firm to handle, add some twine to hang.

7. Secure with a knot at the bottom and a loop at the top.

3. Press both sides into a pile of the bird seed.

4. Gently press the shape out of the cookie cutter, using your thumbs.

Wrap in clear film and a pretty ribbon. Add a handmade label and it makes a lovely gift for a bird lover.

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Keep reading for how to make a raisin heart feeder

Raisin Hearts

1. Cut a 25 cm length of wire and fold in half. Push raisins, sultanas or dried cranberries (or any dried fruit) onto one side and then the other. The wire gets sticky so it's best not to push the fruit any further than you need to.

2. Gently bend the ends of the wires over towards the centre, forming a heart shape.

3. Secure by using pliers to twist the ends around each

4. Add some twine or raffia to hang.

Peanut Hearts

You could also thread unshelled peanuts onto a wire, shape into a heart and add twine of raffia to hang.

Written by Dianne Murphy-Rogers from Heartmade Gifts 51

Written By Peggy’s Collection

Setting up your Craft Fair Craft fairs are a great way to showcase your handmade items that you sell and to meet lots of people that can see your passion for your craft. It sometimes makes a difference to some people if they can actually see your product up close and touch it rather than on the Internet and as a picture.

The main things I have learned after attending a few crafts fairs are: - To have plenty of change to hand so you can change notes with no trouble.

- Have some bags to give out with the person’s purchase, the last craft fair I attended I used paper bags which you can decorate with your logo etc if you wish to personalise them.

- Use the craft fair to your advantage and give out your business cards or leaflets advertising yourself.

- Have a receipt book and or a note pad and pen and if you receive any orders while there you will look a lot more organised and have a record of what they wish to buy.

- Use props for your stall, including baskets or suitcase, mannequin etc depending on what you are selling.

- Raise up some of your stall and have things at eye level so people don’t have to come and stand over the top of the table to see what you are selling.

- Use all the space on your table wisely don’t have too many items on the table in one go, keep some of the stock under the table so people can see what you are - Also have cards promoting your selling without it being cluttered items on the table to show so they can’t make sense of it all. people prices so they don’t have to pick everything up.

I hope these tips can help some of you when you attend craft fairs.

- Choose a neutral table cloth so Lastly enjoy your day and smile! your items are not lost in a pattern on it.

- Price up everything, put labels on everything because a lot of people will not ask the price.

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Beautiful Jewellery to help you through life!

MYSTIC EARTH Have you ever thought of having a piece of Gemstone and Crystal Healing Jewellery Created ‘just for you’ Each stone matched to your needs!

The Crystal Lady at Mystic Earth can offer you this service.

These pieces of unique jewellery make the perfect gift for a loved one or a much needed treat for yourself.

www.mysticearth.co.uk

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Creative crafting Directory of Crafters

Jewellery

www.folksy.com/shops/PoppyfieldsDesign

www.folksy.com/shops/Kokokelli

www.thevintagejewellerybox.com

www.folksy.com/shops/MadamCC

Elderberry Arts www.folksy.com/shops/damselflygemma

www.elderberryarts.co.uk

MYSTIC EARTH Beautiful Jewellery to help you through life! www.mysticearth.co.uk

www.sprinklessparkles.co.uk

www.littlecraftybeaders.co.uk

www.shimmyliciousjewellery.co.uk

www.folksy.com/shops/BodkinandBead

For The Home

www.folksy.com/shops/vivdall www.folksy.com/shops/Cajame

ADVERTISE YOUR STORE HERE

www.folksy.com/shops/DiomoGlass

www.creative-crafting.com/advertise.html www.floralgifts4u.com

Cards

www.misi.co.uk/handmade/paulinespassions.html

Art

www.neatecrafts.co.uk

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Creative crafting Directory of Crafters

Gifts

www.folksy.com/shops/pipdesigns

www.zibbet.com/allaboutthebuttons

www.folksy.com/shops/TopSockDrawer www.wowthankyou.co.uk/jeeberellas-craft-castle

www.etsy.com/shop/stitchedwithloveuk www.sparrowprimitives.co.uk/

www.etsy.com/shop/LittleNore?ref=pr_shop

www.vintagepamperbox.com www.etsy.com/shop/RockyMountainSounds

Fashion www.scrapbookerry.co.uk

Baby and Child www.folksy.com/shops/annchandleroriginals

www.colourmefun.co.uk

www.paintedghost.co.uk

www.cassiefairy.co.uk

Supplies

Knitting and Crocheted Items

www.japancrafts.co.uk www.abstractcat.co.uk

www.beadsbylili.com/

Designer Knitwear & Vintage Inspired Clothing From Peggy’s Collection www.peggyscollection.webs.com

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Don’t miss our Christmas Issue.

Out on 1st December 2011

More projects, more interviews, more crafting possibilities.

Don’t forget that you can embed our magazine reader into your blogs and websites.

www.creative-crafting.com

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