...and even more goodies have arrived!

Just a little teaser .....

New Memory Box dies

Look what just arrived! Lots of lovely new dies from Memory Box and Poppy stamps ...even a couple of stencils. If you hurry in this afternoon I may not even have time to hang them up ...lol!

CAS challenge

My friend Pat challenged me to try this week's CAS-ology challenge which is "contrast" so I thought I'd give it a go. I love black and gold and I also love simple elegance for a sympathy card so I combined the the two and created this card using a border stamp from"Deep Red", gold embossing and a dove from an EK success border punch. The sentiment is from an older SU set, not sure of the name. Thanks for the challenge Pat ...I got lots of inspiration from the Cas-ology site. Now I just have to figure out how to link up my card. Wish me luck!

Hearts a-plenty

We'll be using some different materials for this week's class. The top card features die cut wood veneer.  

The middle card may look familiar as we have made it before, but I've had lots of requests for a repeat, so I decided to go with the same design but use Japanese Chiyogami papers this time. The heart on the last card was die cut from a piece of burlap type material given to me by a friend. I adhered the fabric to cardstock before die cutting it to give it a bit more stability. I love the simplicity of this card, which was inspired by another card I saw in an on-line challenge. I've been busy cleaning and doing laundry all day and I have a pot of home made chicken soup bubbling on the stove, so I think I'll treat myself to a little creative playtime before dinner. Hope you are staying warm this chilly weekend!

Pergamano

On Saturday February 22nd, Tina Cerqua will be here to teach the art of Pergamano or parchment craft. Tina's work is absolutely stunning and these pictures do not show the amazing detail in each project. She was kind enough to leave a sampling of her work with me, so I invite you to stop in soon and take a look. The cost for the class is $25 which will be paid directly to Tina and she will provide everything needed to make one card and a bookmark, similar to the photos above. There are only 4 spaces left for the Saturday, but if there is enough interest, Tina is willing to teach a second class on a Monday afternoon. Please pre register ASAP if you are interested.

It may never be this tidy again ...

So I thought I'd share a photo of the new class room while it was looking unusually neat and tidy. It doesn't happen very often so it's worth remembering. I love the new space ...it's cosy without being crowded. I still haven't got everything exactly where I want it, but I'm getting there. I've returned to the old square table ...much sturdier and it worked better in this space. I think I may paint it though. Plenty of room to play, so if you're at a loose end one afternoon and want to work on something, give me a call and come on over.

 It's cold outside but it's warm and cosy down here and coffee is on the house! Hope to see you soon.

First class of 2014

It always seems so much worse when we lose people around the holidays and there seemed to more sadness than usual around just before Christmas. I found myself without cards to send as I was still scrambling to get my Christmas cards in the mail, so perhaps that's why my focus went to simple but elegant sympathy cards for our first class of the new year, although I sincerely hope I don't have to send any out any time soon! The first two cards look deceptively simple, but they are a bit more work to put together than you might think. I must apologize for the terrible photos (note to self: take pics in daylight!)
The image is die cut in two contrasting colours and then inlaid into the negative space of the opposite colour. Now that I've confused you (lol!) let me tell you that it's a bit like doing a puzzle only more fiddly! You will need a glue pen, tweezers and perhaps a piercing tool for this class, plus maybe a bit of patience. I am really looking forward to getting back to doing classes now that I have the room set up at last. The best thing is being able to wander in and make something whenever I feel like it, however, I still have LOTS of sorting and organization to do, so I have to resist the temptation to play  much until my house is a lot tidier than it is currently!!!

My new happy place!

Well I'm a day late and the "scrap room" is still off limits as it resembles a "scrap yard" at the moment, but my new happy place is ready for a visit from anyone brave enough to leave their house! I'm officially open as of noon on Tuesday January 7th (till 6 pm) Classes will begin NEXT WEEK and I can't wait to see everyone again. There are still lots of jobs to be done but I am very happy (and tired!) I was so excited to be at the point where I could take photographs that I forgot to move that big cardboard box...lol! Next on the list is tackling the disaster in the scrap room, but I think I'll put my feet up and have a glass of wine and an early night first. Tomorrow is a brand new day:)

Sorry for the delay ...

After a frantic few days, I’ve had to break down and face facts … there’s no way I can be ready to open the store by tomorrow. My year- end inventory has taken much longer than I anticipated, and I still have lots of cleaning, and organizing left to do. I’m so sorry for the delay, but I’m guessing with the crazy weather we’ve been having, I wouldn’t have had people lining up tomorrow anyway …! I will send out another quick e-mail to let you know when I’m ready (hopefully Tuesday!) but I’m also going to postpone starting card classes until next Wednesday and Thursday. I have to call Bell tomorrow as my store phone line isn’t working well either, so I’m off to a great start:( Wish me luck getting everything done … it’s going to be great but I never want to move again …LOL!