Customisation, customisation, customisation!

Today I got up to a bit of impromptu crafting of the customisation kind!  Whilst in the new Abakhan store in Bolton last night (it is amazing!) I picked up some 3D textile paint.  I have had a blank canvas bag for ages, which I picked up for 99p in Hobbycraft, and just haven't gotten round to doing anything with it.  So, this morning I customised my bag all ready for taking my things to my textiles night class which starts on Monday.

I got bitten by the customising bug and also jazzed up the cover of my sketch book to! 

If you fancy customising something you have lying around, then read on !

You will need:
An item to customise
Some 3 textile paints (Available from the Range or any other art and craft shop)
A felt tip pen or fabric pen/pencil

How to:
1.  First, make sure the item you wish to customise is clean and dry.

2.  If you want to, use the felt tip pen or fabric pen/pencil to sketch out your design.  I started doing this and then got fed up and just went for it ~ this acheived a more random, doodley effect.

3.  Carefully, go over your sketch and apply the paint.  Be careful not to smudge it as you do (I had an accident and smudged some of mine and had to reinvent some of my design!)

4.  Leave it to dry for 12 hours!

When complete you will have a gorgeous customised item unlike anyone elses!

Just checking in!

Hello lovely followers of my blog!  I hope you are all well and have been getting up to lots of craftiness.  I have to say, I haven't been since going back to school after the summer holidays.  Mainly I have been working on 3 projects, a knitted ribbed scarf for my Grandad for Christmas (yes, this is the one I began back in July!) and 2 crocheted shawls as well as making for a craft fair.

The scarf is getting there and, to be honest, there isn't far to go.  It is currently my driving to dancing, waiting for the dance lesson and lunch time knitting project.  Little and often seems to be working for me as it is a bit repepitive and, with my inability to concentrate on one thing for long, a great way to actually get it done.  It may be finished for Christmas yet.

The 2 shawls are slow, slow progress.  Both are crocheted, 1 being the lovely frill shawl I posted about recently and the other a gorgeous zig zag pointy shaped shawl.  I have decided to concentrate my efforts on the frill shawl, as I am nearer to completion with it, and I am pleased to say that the main body is pretty much done and I will soon be ready to start the frilly edge.  Yay!  The zig zag pointy shawl I am crocheting in King Cole Riot, which is a gorgeous variagated yarn, is very slow progress as it is worked in double crochet and in DK weight yarn.  I am determined to get it finished as it is just so beautiful and will look great in winter (this one, not next)!

Last weekend a lot of my crafting was devoted to making for a craft fair which the PTA are holding at the school I work in in October.  I have been busy crocheting mug hugs and have even designed some fingerless mitts to sell as well.  They now need buttons adding to fasten but are looking great.  Once complete I will post some photos.

You will be pleased to know that there is much more craftiness to come; I start my textiles course at night school next Monday and have a trip to the new Abakhan in Bolton planned for after school on Friday as well as getting more done on my shawl and finishing those mug hugs for the fair.  If only there where more hours in the day!!

Seven things about me!

If you read my last rather self indulgent post, Me Me Me, I mentioned that I was the very lucky receiver of the Irresistibly Sweet Blog Award from the gorgeous Ali of the Random Wooliness blog (I love that name!) 

Ali has informed me that I now need to tell you seven things about me (which you might or might not already know) and then I am to nominate seven blogs to pass the award onto! 

Seven Things about Me

1.  I used to be an Air Cadet and learnt how to fly a plane amongst other exciting things. 

2.  When I am not crafting I am a tribal bellydancer.

3.  I love to read children's books because they are so well written.  Harry Potter, The Spooks books and the Alan Garner boxset all feature on my bookshelf.

4.  I am a primary school teacher and currently teach Year 6 (that is top juniors to any one over 25!)

5.  I once stood next to Victoria Beckham in Mango in the Trafford Centre.  I was so shocked that I just walked out of the shop quickly and stared through the door at her.

6.  As a teenager I attended a science day at Edge Hill university where I discussed forces with Johnny Ball (Famous TV kids scientist and father of Zoe Ball!)  I also met my now best friend there to!

7.  I was once a regional finalist in Junior Master Chef (and I have the certificate to prove it!)

So, there you have it, seven things you may or may not know about me!

Passing the award on!

As per the instructions, I am now to pass the award onto seven deserving blogs.  Now then, if I pass it on to you there is no pressure to do anything - you may just bask in the glory of your award!  The following blogs are ones that I love and which I really think are worth you taking a look at!

1.  Shinybees 
Shinybees, who is now living in deepest darkest South Africa, writes a really fab blog all about her crafting.  Her posts often make me laugh out loud and are always informative!

2.  Random Wooliness
I am going to pass the award right back to you.  Not only do I love the name but I love the blog.  Ali writes about felting, a craft I'd love to try, and her blog is well worth a look!

3.  Expressive Souls
The lady who introduced me to Art Journaling.  Indigo (AKA Tracy) writes very openly and beautifully about her art journaling journey.

4.  iMake
Not only does iMake have a fabulous blog about all manner of crafty things, but she also podcasts!

5.  Julia Crossland
A gorgeous arty blog with amazing posts that really get you thinking and remind you that you aren't the only one who struggles with your creativity at times.  Julia also began and runs the fabulous Being Creative project.

6.  Dyan Reaveley
Dyan is the owner of the beautiful Art from the Heart in Harrogate, is a designer of beautiful stamps and journaling goodies and has even been on QVC!  Her blog is full of inspiration.

7.  Tribal Pilgrims
In a way it is kind of giving myself an award as this is the blog of my tribe, Sakura.  However, i don't actually write the posts (in fact I haven't written any), they are written by my tribal partner in crime, my Mum.  If you want to know more about tribal bellydance then hop on over!

So hopefully, you have now discovered at least 1 new blog to follow!

Me, me, me!

Hello to you all whether you are an existing follower of my blog or a new one (becuase I think I have acquired some new followers this past week!)

What a week I have had - and for great reasons!  So I have to warn you that, in the words of Louise from The Caithness Craft Collective podcast, this post is a bit ME ME ME!!!

Last weekend I was involved in the Art from the Heart bloghop to celebrate their 10th birthday (which is this weekend - Happy Birthday!)  Art from the Heart is my favourite art shop ever.  It is a good hour and a halfs drive from where I live, located in Harrogate in Yorkshire.  They sell the most amazing art and craft supplies and host fabulous workshops in art journaling amongst other things.  I am off there tomorrow morning, very early, for a gorgeous taster workshop with Dyan and maybe to spend some pennies!  So anyway, back to the bloghop, I signed up for it thinking it would be fun.  I was allocated to the 7 Gypsies team and so had to make anything using 7 Gypsies products, photograph it and then share my project in my blog hop post.  What fun!!! So, I made my journal page, filled in the template and set my post up to publish at 10am on Saturday morning.  Good, mission accomplished! 

Now, if you comment on my blog it has to be moderated before it goes live.  I check my iPhone and I have 6 comments to be moderated.  Ooooh, thinks me, how lovely!  However, it didn't stop there and I soon realised that this blog hop thing was going to be much bigger than I ever imagined.  To cut a long story short, I currently have something like 80, yes 80, comments on my bloghop post and, last Saturday, my blog was viewed 695 times!  I still cannot believe it - how amazing!!

So, after that most exciting event last weekend, my Craftseller magazine arrived.  This is a new magazine that is all about selling your crafts.  It is really good, has some great advice in it and projects that you can make and sell.  I got issue one back in May and made some little babushka dolls (you can find them in one of my past blog posts).  I joined the Facebook group and posted a link to my blog post about them (I like to share!) and that was it.  Until I received an email from a lovely lady at the magazine asking me if I wouldn't mind them featuring my dolls on their letters page.  So Issue 2 arrived on Thursday and I am in it, it is small but it counts.  I will also let you into a little secret, but I may be featured again in a future issue.  Squeal!




Me in print

 Now, you may think that that is enough excitment for 1 week, but no.  This morning I woke up rather early and was checking up on all the blogs I like to follow.  I was reading the lovely Random Wooliness blog by the gorgeous Ali, and her latest post, Seven things about me! is all about The Irresistbly Sweet Award she has received from another blog.  How gorgeous it was to read the post and then find that, as part of the award, she has to pass it onto 7 others and I am one of them!  Overwhelmed!  Thank you Ali x

Also this week, yes there is more, I have been asked to teach some workshops and to guest blog on another blog. (Slowly but surely I am taking over the World!)

I have to say that when I started to blog I never imagined that any of these things would happen, but it sure feels great that it has!  Blogging is a fabulous way of meeting like minded people and I have met so many.  So, whether you are an exsisting follower or a new one, thank you for stopping by and making my blog so special! 

Art from the Heart 10th Birthday Blog Hop!!

Welcome to a very exciting blog hop in Celebration of 10 years of Art from the Heart!

Lots of exciting things are happening at Art from the Heart next weekend where the big birthday bash is taking place. Want to know more? Then do click here!

 

So, in celebration we are having 5 birthday blog hops.

You should have reached my blog from here, Dyan's blog, and are on the 7 Gypsies hop.

Here is my project!

It is a page from my Art Journal.  I used:

• A 7 Gypsies sticker from the 'Gypsy' sheet
• The gorgeous Sabadell paper (it is brown spotty on one side and blue and white stripey on the other) from the Barcelona papers range
• My fabulous 7 Gypsies stamper which has 12 word choices in fancy fonts
• The base is a 7 Gypsies card from the Vintage journal pages set
• A range of acrylic paints applied with cards and baby wipes, black stamping ink and round bottle tops to create the circles.

 Before you move on, you will need to collect a letter from me which is

N

This is part of an anagram of a 7 Gypsies product.

Once you get back to Dys blog please email your answer to Ben.

So, after leaving me a comment, you need to move on to

Cath's Blog!

Have fun hopping!

Being Creative ~ Travel!

It is that time of the month, time to share my project for this months Being Creative theme of travel.  Now I am going to be honest, I have literally made this in the last 3 hours since I got home from my first day back at work.  Ooops!

Now I love to travel.  I adore long car journeys and train journeys and coach journeys and, well, just about any journey really.  Only this week, me and Mr Bunny went on a very long car adventure which took us over the Humber Bridge (we do these adventures quite often, the most famous being a trip to Ikea in Warrington which turned into an adventure to Oxford when we decided not to get off the motorway!)

So, here it is, my journal page all about travel.