Wednesday 28 May 2014

Crafty Card Making

I'm sorry it has been a little while since I have blogged - I have been so busy finishing University and settling into full time working life (I'm a grown up!!). I feel as though I have lost myself recently & have had no "me" time, but this will change as I love crafty projects & I love blogging! To ease me back into it I thought I would show you my most recent card making creations...

You may remember a while back I wrote a review about the Sizzix Texture Boutique Beginner Die-Cutting Kit, which I absolutely loved. Ever since then I have been making cards at every opportunity. What do you think of these two I made recently?


I love the heart & star wooden buttons I purchased recently from Amazon - I haven't come across anything similar to these before so they definitely help to create something a little more unique. Have you done any card making? I would love to see your creations - perhaps you could tweet me a photo. Or if you have any tips please let me know in the comments box below.

 
ZoFlo

Monday 5 May 2014

Crafty Haul #1

As I am still revising for my final exam, I thought I would do a short post this week about some recent little crafty purchases I have made. 

After browsing my local Buying & Selling page on Facebook, I came across two bedside cabinets. Those Facebook pages are perfect for finding little household gems if you're prepared to do a little work to improve them. These two were just £20 for the pair, which I plan to upcycle - a project I will definitely be blogging about so sit tight crafters! I already have a plan in mind but if you have any ideas with what I could do with them please let me know :)

Next up is a colourful little addition to my Sewing Box. I have absolutely no reason as to why I purchased these wooden buttons, other than the fact that they were super cute. I also ordered them in a heart shape but they are yet to arrive. I have some kind of addiction to beautiful buttons! These were just £1.40 for 25 buttons on Amazon. Some people wouldn't think to go there but definitely check out Amazon for some crafty bargains!


Another Amazon treasure I ordered recently were these wooden Scrabble letters. I keep seeing so much Scrabble Art - on Pinterest, of course - and it has inspired me to give it a go for myself. I think it will be a great way to personalise your home or it will make a lovely gift for someone else. I wanted to be sure that they were good quality before ordering, which the reviews confirmed they were so at £12.49 for 100 tiles I think these will be perfect. Have you ever done any Scrabble Art?


Finally, I found this lovely Christmas Ribbon at my local Garden Centre. I know what you are all thinking - Christmas Ribbon in May?!! But I can definitely justify this purchase...as well as being cute, it was only 50p for 3 meters and I promise you the price of Christmas Ribbon (and other Christmassy themed items) will rocket come November / December time. I like to think I am just being well prepared for when the Festive Season sneaks up on us all.


Bit of a mixture of items for my first crafty haul, what do you all think? Let me know if you have picked up any little gems recently :)

 
ZoFlo

Thursday 1 May 2014

Sizzix Texture Boutique Beginners Kit // Die-Cutting // Product Review*

Hello my fellow Crafters! If you haven't noticed, I have been Tweeting alot this week about my first ever product review. I have been really excited to share it with you all, so here it is...
 After seeing a tweet asking where all us craft bloggers were hiding (are we that rare?) my friend Hannah replied suggesting me - what a good pal! This then led to me being asked if I wanted to try out a die-cutting machine. Now I'll be completely honest, I had to Google this as I was totally clueless, but once I had figured it out I was really keen to give it a go for myself. I was sent the Sizzix Texture Boutique Beginners Kit which retails at £30 in HobbyCraft. I wasn't sure what to expect but if, like me, you are a complete beginner I would highly recommend this kit. It's really simple to use and comes with everything you need to get started - or in my case, everything you need to get completely addicted!

 

This particular kit includes 1 card making machine, 2 embossing pads, 1 shim, 3 texture impressions embossing folders, 20 cards & envelopes, 40 sheets of cardstock in 10 different colours, 2 rub on sheets, 1 sandpaper sample and 1 project booklet. You're probably thinking the same as me...that's quite alot of stuff for £30! As well as getting the 91 piece kit for such a pleasing price, it is so great being able to create your own unique designs, making cards to give to people that aren't available in any stores. I personally think handmade cards are much more special and personal too. I have posted some photos below so you can see what designs I came up with - let me know what you think in the comments box below.

I got a little carried away!




If, like me, you enjoy trying out new things then this is definitely a fun crafty project to try out. And if you get really into it - again, like me - then Hobbycraft have such a wide range of other items you can purchase to expand your kit. Click here to see more. I already have my eye on some more texture impression embossing folders!

Have you ever done die-cutting before? What products would you recommend and do you have any handy tips? Let me know in the comments box below :)

 
ZoFlo