Way way too long since I have written on here!

It's been way too long...

Well, where do you start, so much has gone on, but not a lot of crafting I'm afraid and disappointed to say.

The last year 2019 I did make a huge amount of ATCs but come the summer my pain in my back and legs had just beat me.

All those months on courses, run by the NHS and very well worth going to and my pain still beat me down.
which meant nothing was getting done at all.

My beautiful Daughter gave me after a lot to scary moments ( April covoid19 everywhere)
and she had sepsis, the baby was 4 weeks premature but as my Daughter, the baby was a BIG baby, my Daughter, on the other hand, is not that big at all....... all very scary at the time, but now we have another beautiful Granddaughter, that's our third.

Welcome to our crazy world Morgana Phoenix xxx

My wonderful Husband Terry has built me a huge purpose-built studio with huge windows and good strong tables, Pictures to follow.
I feel very spoilt. 

So I'm now at the point where I'm waiting for a back procedure and some other therapies including acupuncture. I can manage about 15 mins sitting in my craftro0m before I'm in pain and have to come back in as my legs are swollen. That part I'm very used to though by now.

Still, I have been online during the lockdown, like many of us I'm sure. So I've made a few purchases again pictures and outcome pictures to follow. 
So this was a quick round-up so from now on any makes will be on here and I will try very hard to add to this blog several times a week.

Happy crafting is back soon.

My year to recycle

This is also going to be my year to turn up the heat on my purchases, as in cut my spending by 2/3 on crafting equipment and products , but also most of all try and use some of my recycling.
Unfourtinately,  the local council has changed how we get our recycling bags. No longer go to the local shop or library,  and ask for any.
Now we have to contact via the council web site and they send out 20 at a time.
Something I must do today.

But I've started making small packaging to send my crafty goodies going out on swaps and such like.
See picture below..
Two boxes from the packaging from one book.
Quite pleased with these  🍃🍂🌼 As they say every little helps 🕊

My Craftroom is drowning in craft supplies.

Due to my mental health over the last , well over 5 years. I've been crafting from a small trug by my chair. Not ideal as I'm not making use of all my bits and bobs. Plus I love my room.
So after filming and shocking myself, with the total mess it's got into.
I've decided it's time to clear it. It may take a while but i will do it. I have started.
Will also add photos as i go along.
I cant wait to get back in there, going to be so good for me mentally and physically.

Off to do a bit now x

Monday 24th August 2015

I can not believe how long its been since I last wrote on my blog. Its been a particularly long and hard past year, I will be so pleased when I am able to sit and craft in my room with no worries or distraction going on in my head. 

Ive looked after my Father both in Hospital and at home and watched him gently pass in to spirit amongst all his children, the way he wished to, at home. Very hard to do mentally but so worth it for my  dad as that's all he asked of us.

But now I'm left unable to sleep more than a couple of hours a night if that, so I'm feeling worn out. But things are improving, I'm happy with where my dear old Daddy is as I believe he is Walking in Spirit with my Mum, his one and only love.

I have started to tidy up my craft room, and we all know that's a long and hard to do process but a very very much needed one.

I have too many types of crafting going on in one small room. So I need to see what I really do want to do and just move the rest on. Its been a long job so far but I know Ill get there soon.

My Mother in Law has said she will help me with my sewing machine, I can sticth on it and have made curtains pillowcases and even a quilt cover along with little dresses and bits and bobs for my children but I need to start using patterns and this is where Margaret comes into play, as shes been an amazing seamstress most of her adult life, right now I need to hurry with that room so i can get some lessons going , bless her shes a lovely lady to do this for me.

Still I have done a few swaps and made a few cards, which I've usually left until the last minute. But still that's keeping my hand in, mind you I don't think as a crafter we ever really stop, we are usually doing some form of craft along the way.

I will pop through and see if I have any makes I can add, as I really like using this blog as a sort of diary of my crafting....

Back soon, have a wonderful Love filled day xxx

 

 

 

From January to December in a whirlwind.................

1st December 2013

Oh my its all gone so fast, yet again I haven't blogged in ages. I have been crafting but not as much as last year, as so many other personal matters have been raising there heads - or biting my bum in other words.

Still life goes on and we have to look for some sunshine in something. Mine as always lays firmly with my family and my crafting.

I have made a few things this year which I have been really proud of, I will add the below.
I hope you like them as much as I loved making them :O) Juli X

                       My stamp that cost my very little from eBay..............I think its beautiful.

January 2013    A Wonderful Prise I received from Judy owner of Crafty Emblies  ( No longer exists)

  

January 27th 2013   A Prise I received for Making A Christmas Advent Calender

                                  From Debbie in the UK-Irelandcraftswaps Group, beautiful
                                  It made my day .

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBfvxW6Luzc

                              

Making Flowers with my Kitty

 This is a lovely Video of my Kitty helping me out making flowers.

August 2013

Tags in a Tin Swap

as part of the Facebook Group UK-Irelandcraftswaps

 Using Graphic45 of course

 The Curiosity Shoppe

I have a Youtube video of this project showing all its Tags too:

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pU-Q3McLHYY

My Swap Partners Altered Tin 

So Beautiful :O) X

Much much more on my you tube, I really must remember to pop a photo on here as well ...lol
Catch you son......X

OH dear its been such a long time....................

Its been ages but at least I can add the link to my new video and I have a few pictures too..

This is one of two Christmas Past Smash Books  I have made, they were for my Sisters as Christmas gifts. I wanted them to be books to remember all the wonderful things Christmas has been and will be for them. I know I have many many happy memories of Christmas's with the whole of my family and I do mean many memories. Full of laughter excitement, companionship and just plane old fashioned fun and laughter. I hoped they would like them, and I am so pleased to say that the one Sister that has received hers has been so excited and pleased with it. She has shown it to many friends and colleagues who also a amazed by it. I am so pleased as they were really made with love..........

Youtube: http://youtu.be/WNbRPRqL8tg

I made the boxes for each book to go into,
this is something I haven't done before I have made bog standard shaped boxes but never a
made to measure box, I have to admit to being quite chuffed with myself.

The beautiful star shaped cloth and diamante
tags were such a lucky find, they have quite some weight to them. I thought they were beautiful.

These beautiful flowers were gifted to me in an order with Fiona Jennings, a  very talented lady in the craft world.Look her up on YouTube    Jennings644
 I have glittered them slightly using the glittered modge podge.




The wooden embellishments and the smash book itself came  from Crafty-Emblies.org, ( so many lovely MDF and Wooden bits to be found here )  these two were slightly glittered using the Modge podge. There are three pieces here layered up. A large dress form with wings and  a Victoria lady, where I removed the dress sleeves and then added the heart with wings to the top this was then Glossy Accented.

This show the wooden pieces used
 and there build up.

    A very well earned cup of coffee amongst
    the paper and glue. Such a lot of glue, but so well worth it !

Building up and making the Angel  appear.

I have made the pages inside using old Victorian images and took them into my Craft Artist programme where I made my pages.

Only the MDF pages were covered in the papers I had designed and then modge podged all the other papers were  printed sheets for journalling onto.

The ribbons were Tartan, Christmas Berrys and Vintage Victorian Lace, also a gold Star thread was added to the loops at the side.


I so enjoyed making these and definitely need one for me now ............... 

My Advent Calender Entry for the UK-Irelandcraftswaps on Facebook. 

This was something different for me, I don't like measuring in any way shape or form, I just cant stand fiddling about and  being just so. My crafting is what it is.........but saying that I totally enjoyed making this and I know I will be doing things along the same lines very soon. !
There are some other very clever and beautiful Advent Calenders being entered and I truly wish them all the best of luck too, fingers crossed for all of the beautiful things enterd. X

 I made a template, which my lovely Hubby had measured out for me. This was because this whole Advent Calender was being built up around the chocolates I had already bought to pop into it.. I know that's the wrong way around but they are just so pretty I had to have them for my Granddaughter X

 I made up the boxes, 25 in total, it took quite a few hours but was well worth it in the end and became quite a challenge at times.

The box pile grew and grew !

Then I added the side strips of my chosen Holly with Berry paper.

 Then I made the base and 3 other covered mounting board squares, big enough for my boxes to be layed in a 4 pattern.  I chose to have mine 1 side to the front + 1 front opening,  box on each side of my square.

But you can do it in any order that works for you.

 

 My papers are from Crafters Companion CD, quite an old one I believe. It has some lovely papers on it, sometimes its well worth looking through our old CD Rom's I think...........

 

  

Its started to make sense and I liked it x

So I added quite a few bells in Red, Blue, Gold and Green and 2 purple velour ribbons.

 The bells make the most fantastic Sleigh bell sound, so Christmassy .


The top box is to have something special popped in on Christmas eve, by Santa X

 All finished and I am so pleased with it. This truly was a challenge, Dyslexics and rulers are not two things that go together often, but this shows what can be achieved if you really want to do it. ( with a little help from my Hubby on the ruler front )

 These are the chocolates that the whole Advent calender was built around  ............................

I have a video of this on Youtube..

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwcNOV9zf6I

So many things to do so little time to do them in ......

I have had such a hectic time lately, well that's my excuse for adding to my blog :O)   ...........

I have been in several swaps and started, but not finished changing my Crafttroom around and having a major clear out.
All was going so well, except for my legs not letting me do it for more than an hour at a time, but still Hey Ho.....onwards and upwards and even beyond...
Some pictures of my craftroom during and a couple of how it is mid way to finished........... 

   My faithful friend helping in the background !

My spare room is pretty unusable !

                         

Loved this picture, Ginga jumped down just  as I took it .

 *      *     *     *     *     *    *     *     *     *     *      *

 Starting to see a shape appearing now!

Its 5th Ocober, I've been so busy !

Well, what a month I've had through out September. All sorts of things happening.

I have made a Mini Christmas Album, for a lovely Lady on the UK & Ireland Craft Swaps page, on Facebook. I have also made another set of ATC and that brings my total to 3 sets. They are quite a challenge, especially when you have 17 to make lol.
I am just finishing the Halloween Mini I have been making for another craft swap, and this is after finishing a 6x6 Christmas Card swap on the same group..... all such lovely and talented crafters. If you haven't seen the group, please go along check them out and join in the fun. :O)

All the pictures of my handy work will follow. I have naturally added any videos on my youtube too. I have a parcel next to me as I am writing this and to be honest I am bursting to open it........... but I have said I will video it so must be controlled. !!!!

So here are some pictures of crafts through out September......

 More to come on this Christmas Mini......................


My Christmas Card 6x6 Swap.

Made using Craft Artist program and Autumn Fairy Digi kit.....

ATCs to follow............................................
Please check out my youtube.... http://www.youtube.com/user/TheBlackbutterfly62