I Just Couldn't Help Myself!

Today I shopped - I just couldn't help myself honest! I haven't really shopped for any craft stuff in ages, at least not real craft shopping - you know the kind where you don't think too much about the money side until you get to the till. I have far too much stash to simply keep buying it because I THINK I need it. These days I am far more selective and try to buy what I know I will use (even if it takes me a while to get around to it).

Well I stopped in at one craft store on my way home from work and made a reasonably small purchase and then went on to the other craft store where I made an even bigger purchase. While I was drooling over new Martha Stewart punches Amanda had managed to get in and trying to decide which ONE I might have to settle for she reminded me I was doing the Thetford show this weekend which meant I was makin some money.

That did it - that tipped me over the edge (that and a discount) - I caved. BUT look what I got in the end!

I just love this paper from K & Co. I bought extra sheets that I used on a page of my mum recently and then since it was 10 sheets for £4 or £5 (havin a bad memory day today) I decided to have 10 and bought 3 sheets of this fabulous floral - love the colours, love the design.

I settled for 3 MS border punches because now that Amanda stocks them I can use them in my demos and I am luvin these punches. I just can't seem to put them down for 5 minutes right now. Can you believe I loaned 3 to a friend but then had to ask for them right back I was missin em so much!

I picked up more tape - I swear you'd think I eat the darn stuff! Finally I picked up a new floral nestability set which was actually the set I wanted when I purchased a different floral set a while back.

I can't help feelin' spoilt right now since I now have a whole bunch of MS punches - so many they can fill a basket all on their own - and I might just store them seperate from my regular punches but on top of that I got mom's e-mail this morning saying she had just popped another one in the post to me. WAIT till you see the one that's coming, it's the best one yet! I owe mom BIG TIME.

As if that wasn't enough craft overload Amanda gave me some fab new peel offs to play with for the show. I had soooo much fun with this earlier in the year and I'm thrilled they've come out with new designs finally.

It might be a bit hard to pick out the paisley design from this shot but not the circles and dots. While purple and lilac ranks up there with my least favourite colours I don't actually mind when teamed with black and white. I picked out a few pieces of cardstock to co-ordinate and tonight I managed to create one simple card.

I used a nestability square template to draw a square in black pen making sure I left enough space for a black peel off text from my stash. Next I added the main circles to look like flowers and penned the stems. I added the leaves by using peel offs from the paisley set. I added a bit of fun with some peel off dots in different sizes along with pen dots, cut and embossed the square with the next size up die and then matted and layered my block.

I left one side wider and used a MS punch. I thought the simple scallop with graduated dots reinforced the 'dotty' theme and then cos it's me I added stapled ribbons to finish. This might be a very basic card but it's fun, funky and DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY YOU'D GET FROM JUST ONE SHEET? TONS! That's how many.

Anyhow it's my creative starting point and I don't think it's too bad a start. I guess if I'm honest I often put in a lot of hours for the money I make at my crafting so I shouldn't feel bad if some of it gets spent on me once in a while huh?

Oh and Amanda gave me a couple of pink paper bags so I might sneak a HK gift bag in somewhere before the weekend.

String of Buttons

I have had to put HK aside for a few days (shame) as I am due to demonstrate at the show in Thetford this coming weekend so I stopped in at YTOC to see Amanda this afternoon. We have several things to demonstrate so we picked out a bunch of previous samples but I also need to make a few new ones too.

I wanted to make a string of HK and buttons for Maddy's b'day party but didn't have floss or thinner string so when Amanda and I decided to feature these flower stamps again I knew they would also look cute on a string with buttons.

While I was at the store I fished through Amanda's button jars and got a nice selection of buttons in several sizes. I made this first string in pink, yellow and orange colours. I also plan to do one in blues and lilacs while I'm at the show so everyone can see how easy it is.

I would've loved to show this stretched out but there was just no way to photograph it! This simple strung decoration would look sweet actually hung in swags around a b'day table. You could swap the flowers for holly & berries or snowflakes for Christmas or use eggs and bunnies for Easter - and of course 'Hello Kitty' circles.

I'm hoping Amanda can get these HK cuties in the shop so if you're interested watch this space. Of course you might always get lucky and win the HK freebie that I'm running until mid-September (see previous post).

Hello Kitty Madness!

OMG! I have been sooooooo bitten by the HK bug! I am in heaven - all this cuteness, pretty pinks and blues, girly, girly, lace, ribbon, bows, sewing........ I could go on and on. Even I may get a bit tired of HK by the time I'm done - Nah! I JUST CAN'T HELP MYSELF!

It was the card last night that got me started again this morning. I looked up HK online and found a UK online distributor. Then when I went to the party stuff I got to thinking - I wonder if we could do the ENTIRE party ourselves, you know decorations, invites, party bags, etc. I have set myself a CHALLENGE!

I found some free colouring pages which are always a big hit with 4 - 6 year olds as an activity so I plan to decorate pots for holding crayons plus make cute decorated chipboard frames to put them in. Can you imagine how neat that's gonna be for guests to take home and hang up?

Next I created a basic box, 4 scores and a couple of cuts and voila! A simple open ended box that becomes a basket with the addition of a handle.

Here's the finished basket. Just in front you can see the cupcake 'pokes' I made. I had seen a neat idea for a cupcake party where different flavoured cakes were set out plus individual mini pots of frosting, toppings and cake pokes. How cute will it be to let guests decorate their own cake to take home in this cute little (re-usable) HK basket! It's not the first time Vicky has let guests decorate a cake but this is a little different.

Next I made a flag (pennant) simply because I had sticks and couldn't help myself! Don't get me excited I tell ya!

This was actually the first time I've used my one and only HK Sizzix die that I bought while in America for Christmas and New Year. I think I just might have to get me another one now.

While I was sourcing paper I ran across a roll of gorgeous paper I had purchased in a pretty little shop in Lavenham last year. It has pink flowers on one side and blue and whilte polka dots on the other so it's reversable - perfect for some quick bunting. This gives us a very Cath Kidston look we can incorporate too. This kind of paper is often a bit pricey but it is so worth buying for projects.

I still have a smaller bunting in mind when I can get my hands on some floss. Other ideas in my head were to ask each guest to bring a new white t-shirt so we can make our own designer 'Hello Kitty' shirts. I also plan to scan and reduce some of my images, cut into circles, laminate and add ribbon and beads or buttons for cute handmade necklaces.

Throw in a pin the bow on HK - can't wait to make that one - some yummy party food, pretty little cups and saucers and dainty plates and doilies, a whole bunch of excited little 4 and 5 year olds and that's Maddy's b'day party sorted. I even have an idea for the thank you cards already.

Shame I'm back at work tomorrow, I'm just getting started - Uurrrggghhhh!