Blog Candy to Celebrate World Cardmaking Day '09

This blog candy is now closed. The winner is Linby!

Congratulations Linby, I hope you enjoy it!

Happy World Cardmaking Day 2009!

I thought it only right to celebrate World Cardmaking Day, and also the return to blogging (aren't I doing well, I think I've done four posts this week!) by offering BLOG CANDY!! Yippee!!

This blog candy will be on offer for one week only, ending Saturday 10th October 2009. To be in with a chance of winning it, this is what you need to do.

1. Follow this blog. If you already do, thank you - you will still be eligible to enter.

2. Leave a comment here to let me know you have followed and would like to enter the draw, this applies to all entrants, previous followers included, I will randomly choose a winner through the comments.

3. Pass on the 'blog candy' message on your blog, leaving a link to my blog.

And it's as simple as that! I'm afraid that this blog candy is only open to residents of the UK and Ireland, I truly hope you understand. Last time I offered blog candy I posted to the Phillipines and it cost me a fortune. I'm not sure whether the poor winner received it either!

Don't forget to check out the world cardmaking site, and also Docrafts.co.uk for lots of inspiration on this exciting day.

Happy crafting and lots of love,

Clare x

Wow!

I've just been looking through the products section of the Docrafts website to get some item codes for the cards I've been making today, and I just spotted such a bargain which I thought was amazing! They have the 'Let it Snow' set of Christmas Clear Stamps from Papermania (TM) for just 99p reduced from £7.99!
Here's a project I made some time ago with the stamp set, you can get the instructions for this card here. The beauty of this stamp set is that the designs are timeless and will be 'en vogue' forever!

There are also loads of other bargains here, so why don't you go and see if there's anything you *need*!

Love, Clare x

What an Experience!

Good Morning all!

I'm just finishing up everything for the QVC Crafting Customer experience next week in London. It's alot of hard work getting everything ready for the two days, and once we're there it's so busy and there's much to do, but it's so wonderful seeing all the QVC customers, having a chat and sharing our love for craft.

As last year, I'll be there with my Docrafts hat on, doing Make and Takes, and we also have demos of some of our newest products to appear on QVC too - you could be the first to see these goodies! I want to keep the make and take card a secret until the Event, but I've taken a sneeky peek for you...

I'll also be taking along with me the cards and other items made with the Forever Friends (TM)Birthday and Christmas TSV's, so if you would like to come over, have a look and take some photos for inspiration, you'd be more than welcome.

So, if you've been invited to the QVC Customer Experience this year, it would be lovely if you could come over and say hello! Hope to see you there.

Please note: The QVC Customer experience is open to invited QVC customers only, I wouldn't want anyone to travel from afar and not have an invitation. Thanks!

Love, Clare x

A lot of Little Occasions...

Good Morning!

I never seem to get any time to make cards for myself these days (all together now...awwww), and when I say 'for myself' I mean cards that I can freely send to people whenever I need to. I usually save all my cards just in case they are needed for another reason - a video, a kit on QVC or whatever. Usually, the time frame to make these cards is very small, and so 'back ups' are a lifesaver! I then keep them 'till I think I will no longer need to call on them, and recently I've begun selling them to raise much needed funds for a local Children's Hospice. It feels good to be able to give something back by doing something you love.

Anyhoo I'm waffling as usual, so let me get on. These cards came together very quickly, over half a day or so. Even though they are all different, the layout stayed the same, saving time on what can be the most time consuming part of the process. It was also a great way of using up my scraps of card. I just love that feeling!

I used a number of elements and greetings to make up my cards - specific greetings such as Happy Birthday or Thank you, to more generic ones such as wishing you joy or I hope you know how much I care. I kept the main card base colour and embossed panel (various Doodlebug inpressions cardstock designs) white, taking my colour scheme from the Anita's Sticky ribbon which I applied to the top and bottom of the embossed panel. Then all I had left to do was choose an embellishment which would fit with the occasion and colour scheme of the card. To keep the process enjoyable I used a number of mediums - stamped images, buttons, fabric flowers, and die cut embellishments. You should have seen my desk by the time I'd finished!

So now I have about 18 cards to keep me going for a while. Well, that's all for now!

Thanks for coming on over!

Love, Clare x

What Do You Think?

To celebrate my return to blog land, I have given my little home here a refurb, courtesy of the Cutest Blog on the Block. That site is just great - they have backgrounds and matching headers, perfect for the girl on the go. I could spend hours redesigning my own, and believe me it would take hours - I'm no photoshop expert, but you can't be a master at everything :)

Back later with something I was working on over the weekend.

Love, Clare x

Happy Birthday From All of Us!

Well, haven't I been a naughty blogger? What with one thing and another I've not been posting as often as I should. As usual, life has just got in the way! I'm going to make a concerted effort to be a good blogger from now on, so please forgive me.

I thought I would start my return to blogging with a little explanation of how I made this card which features in Clare's Corner of the September issue of Docrafts Creativity! Magazine. As you can see I took pictures at the time of making this to show you how I created it, so I suppose the thought was there!

First of all, I created the main centre panel of the card using my fantastic Quickutz (TM) Silhouette SD Machine. I used a number of images, available through the Quickutz Silhouette Website. I just LOVE my Silhouette machine, there are loads of new die cut images available every week on every conceivable subject, and I just love looking through them all as they are so inspiring!

Now for the purple panel on the left hand side of the card. As you can see it's a negative of the pink patterned part of the card. Firstly, I created an extra row of the pattern on the silhouette SD and placed it onto a panel of purple core'dinations (TM) cardstock that I previously distressed using a sanding block. Then I used the waste portions from the pattern and stuck them down using repositional adhesive and moved the row of pattern down until the whole panel was filled with the waste 'diamonds'

I then applied clear pigment ink using a Clearsnap (TM) Watermark ink pad, and then clear embossing powder.

It was then time to remove the waste 'diamonds'. You can remove the diamonds before you apply the powder, but sometimes there is a little residue adhesive left, and the powder can easily stick to it. I find that once the powder is heat set, the adhesive is easily removed. Whatever works for you! (the brown sheet is just a Teflon baking sheet which I use to protect my cutting mat from the heat from my Heat Tool.)



The powder was then heated until the powder melted. I make sure that as soon as the powder starts to melt, I move to the next area to avoid burning the powder.

This final picture is just to show you the finished look that is achieved. I love the way that even though the card has been sanded, a glossy, and almost darker look is achieved where the embossing powder is applied.

And there you have it....that wasn't as painful as I thought - my return to blogging that is. I hope you found that helpful and check in again soon to see what I've been up to. I'm going to try for at least every day from now on!

Thanks for coming by!

Love, Clare x

Clare's Craft Club Postponed

Hi there everyone,

This is just a quick message to let you know that the craft club information/enrolment night being held on the 9th September that I had spoken in person to some of you about has had to be postponed indefinitely. I will be away with work, and this couldn't be changed. I am very disappointed about this as I was so looking forward to it, but this is a postponement and I will be arranging a date in the near furure.

I'm sorry I couldn't contact each of you personally, but I have lost the book that all your details were written in and despite my best efforts I cannot locate it anywhere. I truly do hope you get this message saving a wasted journey.

Love, Clare x

Q...V...C!

Just a quick note to let you know that I'll be on QVC tomorrow, on Craft Day! I'll be showing the Forever Friends Christmas Wishes Kit. I'll be on strutting my stuff somewhere between 1 and 2pm and 6 and 7pm. So, if you missed out last time when the kit was part of the TSV, of you fancy treating yourself, take a look!

Love, Clare x

Oh, What a Night!

Well, I got back from Dorset in the nick of time. I had set off at 1.30, needing to be home for 7.30pm, thinking I would arrive with time to spare. However, not taking Friday rush hour traffic around the M25 and the Nottingham roadworks (when will that ever be finished?), how wrong could I be. And there's nothing more infuriating than sitting in a traffic jam knowing you need to be somewhere. As it was I didn't do too badly - as I pulled in the drive at 7.40pm (the car still looks as though it was joy riden into it's parking space!) and ran in the house.

The reason for this urgency - We were having an all extravaganza 'Michael Jackson Live in Bucharest' Party! My friend Michelle and her two daughters were coming round and we were going to strut our stuff (and probably sob a few tears) to the King of Pop! David and Joseph had vacated the building (Joseph would have loved it, but David has no taste, and the MJ thing is not him. Oh well, I suppose people have to have some faults!)

So they arrived and the fun started. It was wonderful to see the two young girls absolutely mezmerized by Michael and his moves, and the sheer spectacle of him in concert. Charlotte - the youngest (at 7 years old) kept saying "I wish I could have really seen him live". What's happened is so sad for me - I just can't tell you. even now after 7 weeks I still cry every day. I know you think I'm probably mad for admitting this, but he WAS my life when I was in my teenage years, and I can't help how I feel.

Anyhoo, as you can see from the photos we bopped till we dropped! Then through "Heal the World" we got out the candles and did out thang.

Thanks for a wonderful night Girls, and Michael of course!

Love, Clare x

New Poll on the Side Bar!

This post has been fixed to the top 'till the 7th August. Please scroll down for most recent blog posts.

I have put a poll onto my blog concerning those dreaded mens cards! I would be really grateful if you would let me know your opinion. all it takes is a little click, and every vote counts!

Thanks for your help!

Love, Clare x