Paper Trey Ink Paper

Since we had an open session the other week at Crafty Women, I took along some of my Paper Trey stamps to play around with. I used the 'Spiral Bouquet' set and some really pretty colours and ended up with tis lovely design.

I also created the pretty stripe paper using Paper Trey's 'Faux Ribbon' set in just one single colour of ink. This is how much I have left after creating just 2 cards so a little can go a VERY long way.

This tall card is the first one I created. I complimented the pink with buttons and ribbon to match and then added blue brads to pick out the pretty blue. I really like this card and it repeats several of my favourite elements.

This mini card was made using the 'scraps' left over from the first card but it's kinda cute too. The verse of scripture says 'blessed are the pure in heart for they will see God' and comes from Matthew 5:8.

Since I only stamped up an A4 sheet it would be interesting to see just how many cards I could make using this pretty paper to see how far 1 sheet will go - hmmmm?

Helen decided to make a sheet up as well so I am curious to see what she comes up with.

I just LOVE Paper Trey stamps!!!!

Marie Curie Cancer Care

I recently posted the cards that our Crafty Women's group made for the Marie Curie Cancer Care fund-raising this year.

I'm not sure how long this activity has ben going on but basically you pick up a bag, create a handmade card to fill it and send it off. The cards are then distributed to Marie Curie Charity shops to be sold. ALL proceeds go to the cause. For anyone who doesn't know - Marie Curie help provide hospice care to the terminally ill as well as many other good works in the fight against cancer.

One of the aims of our group is to 'give something back' and this seemed like a really enjoyable first project - not to mention it involved crafting - how cool is that?

We managed to make 55 cards in total which is 5 more than I had anticipated so I'm really pleased with our efforts. It also gives us a target to beat next year.

These are just a few of the cards.

I made the birthday blessings one (bottom left).

My friend Jilly actually painted the snowdrops picture (bottom right) during painting classes and then copied it to create her own 'artwork' cards - how clever of her!

These cards were made by Cheryl and feature the special Marie Curie rubber stamps.

A big THANK YOU goes out to all the girls for their hard work in making this a successful first 'give back' project. Now on to the next one.

Shop Move!!!

Your Touch of Craft has now moved. This is the 'new look' shop!

It's bigger, brighter, better than ever and better still there is soooooooo much space. There is space for a big comfy couch for hubby's while wives shop, a coffee machine, toys to keep the kids amused while mum shops, a table and chairs to work at downstairs as well as a toilet, and as if that wasn't enough there is even a whole classroom upstairs plus another toilet and even space to hang coats.

I just can't wait to teach my first class in this lovely classroom!

I spent most of today helping Amanda (with a few other girlies) move into her new shop in Risbygate Street. It took the better part of the day for us but it has taken Amanda much longer since all we did was unpack and put things in place - she had to pack it all up as well.

This was the shop shortly after we had started to get stuck in.

At least everyone was in a good mood - including Amanda - just as well with all the work we had to get done in a day.

This was how it looked when we were about half way through (above and below).

This was what the inside of the shop looked like when we had finished.

He's A Good Lad

My hubby is a good lad. He's been working really hard on our little vegetable plot this year.

We decided to completely strip away everything we had last year and begin again - MAJOR JOB!

It all began earlier this year when he decided to put up his new shed. At last twice the space of the old one, plenty of room to store everything we need and even a place to step in if caught in a sudden shower.

We were given a greenhouse last year so now we have a shed and a green house. Dave plans to use the shower door (leaning up, front of photo) to make a salad box with a hinged glass (door) lid - cool! Underneath the door are the paving slabs that will eventually become a small patio area for our chairs and the BBQ. That way we can work until late in the summer months.

We pruned back the elderberry bush last year and so far it's coming back nicely. We chopped down the old apple tree and 'chipped' some of the wood to place around the bush. It just seems to collect stinging nettles so hopefully the bark will keep them away this year. We plan to add a low fenced border around it to finish it off.

We were given a compost bin by good friends at church and plan to use it for kitchen (veggie) scraps so Dave built a rough one from pallets for the garden waste. This is a long shot down the other half of the plot. We have plans for the red fencing and the wood which came from taking the old shed down. This portion is the remaining land that has to be dug, divided and made ready for planting.

When it's finished it'll look like this half. Hasn't he work hard!

Here he is working on getting a metal fence up to support the green beans this year - yum!

Since my neck & back won't allow me to do much digging or hard labour anymore I have been busy planting all the veggie seeds. Truth be told I don't think Dave likes the time it takes to do this job anyway. We are recycling by using 'used' cups from the coffee machine at work.

I just love when I start to see little green sprouts - all my little babies growing big and strong. In another week or so we can begin planting and then I'll cover them with our home-made closhes. I made them last year by sewing channels into plastic sheeting to take lengths of curved wire that stake into the ground. It's surprising what you can make if you need to.

In another month the whole garden will be flourishing - I can't wait!

Madyson's In School

Well so much has been happening this month that I hardly know where to begin.


Dave has been looking for a new job (and found one hopefully) and I have been trying to get my neck injury to a good place and keep it there as well as work and all the other stuff in-between. I knew I hadn't posted much this month but when Dave spoke to his mom on the phone the other day and she said "when is Suezie going to post something new, I've been looking but there's nothing new on her blog!" I knew I had been away too long. Mom this one's for you since it features your pretty great grand-daughter ok.

Actually it doesn't help that our computer seems to be on a go slow right now (must move more photos to disk and delete some old stuff) and our internet seems to be a bit hit and miss as well.


Well I'm back and I wanted to share a picture of our cutie pie grand-daughter Madyson.



Earlier this week I met up with her and her mummy and we had a picnic lunch in the Abbey Gardens so I could take a few photos before she went to school. She turned 3 this January and is now in school 4 afternoons a week - yeah!
This was the shot I got when I asked her to smile - that kinda cheesey grin!


This is a more natural smile. She seems to have grown up suddenly in the last couple of months and she even wears her hair in a pony tail most days now too.


Finally I wanted to share this page I did of Maddy last month. I created it for a display at the craft fair in Bury and then to hang in Amanda's shop but I hadn't had a chance to photograph it until today. I would've cropped it in close but my computer won't play ball on my photo editing software - really do need to find out what the heck it's playing at!

It uses the same templates by Craftworks to make the flowers as the 3D ones (to right of photo) that Amanda made only I have mounted them flat and doodled on them. Amanda can cut out these kinda giant 'clip board' tags at her shop and asked me to create something with one. I can't remember what the quote on the page was and I'm sorry I can't read it any better than you can but it was something about girls.

I need to recreate this page so I have one in my album at home.

Class Projects

I am due to teach April's class for Amanda in a few days and I wanted to share the designs we'll be working on.


I had created several designs using Craftwork products and my own supplies so when it came to choosing the materials for class from the shop, it mean't I had to do different colour schemes to make them work.

I had originally done this one in pretty pinks and might not otherwise have thought to do it in blue. I love the blue - green colour combination. I used a pre-embossed frame, the smaller flower template and one of the text ovals. These products are reasonably priced so they're great value for money.

I wanted to show that you can create simple, quick mini cards too so this one shouldn't take but a few minutes to make. It uses the small flower template and a text oval.

I love the flower on this one but I'm not too sure about the bow. I think I might've put the flower in the centre if I was creating it for myself. This one uses an embossed frame, the small flower template and a round text piece. I actually made this flower seperately and then added it to the card.



I know this photo is a bit blurry but I was trying to get a close-up of the layering. This is the first time I have used silica gel rather than foam pads. I tried foam pads but I couldn't get the same depth without squishing each layer as I worked. I have become a real fan of the gel method. I was able to move things around to get them just right. Once they dry there is a certain amount of 'spring' if the card suddenly got squashed so it stays the way you arranged it.

The idea is to demonstrate several techniques throughout the class so everyone has a few ideas how they can use these Craftwork products. They're proving popular already so I don't need to plug them but I've had great fun and I love using patterned papers to create the flowers for a different look.

I have some of the freebie text samples left over so I might be tempted to make myself several flower 'embellishments' while I watch telly this evening I think.

Today's Post

What is my absolute favourite thing? Getting packages in the mail!


Today I got one that I wasn't even expecting so how cool was that? Look what I got!

We are having a StampinUp! demonstrator called Michelle come to our Crafty Women's group later this month. I don't yet know which one of these great samples will be our make 'n' take project but I love all of them. Clever, clever Michelle - I can't wait!

I thought I'd feature a couple of cards so Michelle I hope you don't mind. I loved the green on green of this design.

This micro mini card is just too simple to be true and it uses a stamp set I very nearly bought last year - soooo sorry I didn't now.

Michelle is such a sweetie, she even included a bit of chocolate for me to eat while I looked at the catalogue. Only trouble is it's too cute to dismantle just yet. I hope I can wait a while as i love chocolate. If I get desperate this will definately get eaten.

This is the view from the side. I think it's an Elizabeth Shaw chocolate crisp and is just sandwiched between two scallop circles. The top circle is then decorated. Isn't it always the simplest of ideas that are the best.

Best of all I DID get this set of mini circle greetings stamps so I could do these!

Thanks Michelle for the inspiration and that I can keep these samples. Of course I can't possibly part with them - I seldom do with my own cards.

Mini Board

I decided I was having soooo much fun with these mini stamp sets that I'd create a board for Amanda to display in her shop 'Your Touch of Craft' in St John's Street.



I think maybe she is convinced to stock a few more designs and if there's enough interest I might've talked her into letting me teach a class using these. I think they're gonna knock socks off! They're super simple, super easy and such fun to create with.

I apologise if they're hard to see from this photograph but I did it in a hurry today before I rushed off to give her the board.

The fish was the last design I had to work with and I knew I wanted kind of 'orange and aqua' colours. This one was a bit of a 'throw together' card but it's still cute. It just goes to show you can hardly go wrong with the little stamp sets. If I did this one again I'd probably change or add a couple of things.

I created another tortoise card but using brown tones this time. I was supposed to be doing a card for a man but this little guy is just too darn cute so I ended up with scallops, flowers and sheer ribbon. Mmmm maybe I need to have another go at this one?

Yet more designing

I sooooo wish I had come to the end of my designing phase for upcoming demo's and classes but sadly I haven't yet. I'm not too sure I feel like doing much crafting at the moment but I would love to have the option to do 'what I want to craft' right now instead of what needs doing - uggghhh!!



Still it has to be done so I am sharing a final few designs.

This is one of the 'blue' boards that will be going to the craft event at the Bury Sports & Leisure Centre this coming weekend. I hope to replicate at least one design from each board.

This is the 'purple' board but I found this colour combination VERY UNINSPIRING!!!! I guess purples and lilacs are just not in my preferred colour schemes. Most of these scream BUSY, BUSY, BUSY at me as well which I think is very off-putting but hey they may be someone elses taste - who knows?

I loved the 'green and blue' combinations and much of the detail in the 8 x 8 scrapbook page doesn't show up in this photo but I stamped on the khaki green background with almost the same colour ink. The detailing is very subtle and just lovely up close and for real.

This little card has to be one of my favourites (with exception to the pink board which I haven't photographed yet). I am debating adding a tag on the side that says 'friend' or 'thanks' but it was soooo simple to do and looks so lovely. I will definately be demo-ing this one on the day.

Well I still have a couple more boards to finish and a couple more posts to do as well not to mention a fully booked class in a couple of weeks still to design for. Most of the time I love playing with all the supplies and stuff but just sometimes it can be a bit of a DRAG!

Anyhow I hope something here inspires you to create your own designs.

Blessings