Happy Easter... My new machine and a few quick makes...

Happy Easter everyone! I hope you are all having a chocolate filled day!

I thought I would share with you all my brand new sewing machine! Even the lady that delivered my machine said she was jealous as she has wanted one since Christmas!

I have already started sewing on it and I am surprised how much I can actually remember! I started with a few quick and easy makes. A pin cushion (every sewer needs one!) and a little gift set for my niece for Easter! She loves floral things like any little girl! And hair clips. So i decided to make her a little drawstring bag, flower hair clip and a little stuffed heart with the scrap material. I think she will love them!

Heart key Ring made with CCBox 9...

This isn't great but I gave it a go! I'm waiting for my new sewing machine to arrive so I hand stitched all of this! It's not perfect, but I still love it.

I started by cutting two hearts from the beautiful sparkly fabric in box 9. Then two more hearts from the brown leather. I turned the bigger heart over so the back of the leather was facing up, just for another texture. I then used fabric tac (from box 1, floral) to glue the two leather hearts together and onto one piece of the fabric. Once this was dry I placed the two large hearts back to back and pinned them in place.

Next you need to make the key ring part. I used the leather cord from box 9 to attach the heart and key ring together. Remember to place the key ring part inside your pinned heart so when you turn it the right way the key ring is on the right side.

Then I stitched it all together leaving a small gap to turn it out the right way, stuffed with wadding and sewed up the hole and voila! Done!

These would make great gifts and I have already had a few people ask me to make them one!

CC BOX 9... STEAMPUNK

Firstly I'd just like to say sorry for the delay in posting this (and any other post for that matter!) I have been in the middle of switching jobs and as you can imagine with two small children this was a bit hectic to say the least!

Now to this months Crafty Creatives box!

This months box was a Steampunk box! Instantly I loved this box! There is just something about clockwork and crafting that fits so well together.

Inside the box...

• Art Card by Britta Van Den Boom from Germany. http://indirie.deviantart.com

• CC KIT - decoupage your own trinket box, can't wait to try this!

• 3 metres of leather brown cord. Maybe a bracelet???

• Pipe spacer beads - hmm... Bit stuck with these???

• Bottle of crackle glaze - this stuff is amazing!

• metallic transfer foils - haven't used these before but def be going on a card.

• Bundle of leather scraps - I have lots of ideas for these.

• Reel of wire - mine is copper which I love, thinking of making some bubble wands with this!

• Bulb and clock charms - how cute are these! Maybe with the cord and leather to make a necklace.

• Lock clasps - will possibly end up on a card.

• Watch parts - no idea what to do as they are so tiny but I love them!

• Brown tweed fabric with metallic copper twist - there is so much here which is fantastic! Might have a go at making a Steampunk collar.

This box is so very different to all the others, it's really taken a step back in time! The Crafty Creatives team never fail to surprise me! If your not signed up... Why not! Visit www.craftycreatives.com and join in the creativity!

Custom made...

I get asked to make lots of cards but this one was quite special! A very dear friend of mine asked me to make her husband a valentines card from the invitation of their wedding! I love a challenge! It turned out so nice and I reduced her to tears when I gave it to her! It's an amazing feeling knowing your card can make someone express such emotion. That is why I love making cards!

Rekindling my love of sewing...

As some of you may know I studied fashion at college (BTEC National Diploma in Fashion and Design) and I loved it! It's actually how I got into crafting. Part of the course was putting together a portfolio. This involved a lot of layering and having a good eye for how to place items on a page, so a lot like card making. This is where my love of card making and paper crafting began. But I also loved sewing! I made skirts, men's jackets, corsets, trousers, t-shirts and a lot of other items too. A lot of these had embellishments on them which where made by me also.

I have recently discovered a new shop in my town called Button Up and Stitch. It's a beautiful fabric and haberdashery shop full of amazing fabrics and run by some really lovely ladies! They also run all sorts of sewing classes, which I hope to take part in in the future!

I brought some fantastically priced fabrics and felt and a few hair pins. I found a great video on you tube on how to make a fabric flower by www.allfreesewing.com and these are my first results! I added a hair clip to the back with some felt and they look amazing and it was so easy! Now I find myself scanning the Internet for more sewing projects! So watch this space!

Introducing Woolly Mammouth!

Woolly Mammoth is a subscription craft pack designed for grown-ups and children to do TOGETHER. It arrives in the post and off you go!

•No forward planning
•No need to think up ideas
•Takes about 20 minutes
•Ages 3-7 years

How Does it work?

The woolly mammoth pack arrives through your letterbox twice a month containing an imaginative make-and-do craft kit, photo suggestions, and either a story, song, quiz or game linked to that week's theme.

Why Woolly Mammoth?

Two years ago, I sat down with my three year old son and spent some time creating a masterpiece, no doubt from an old cereal box. At the end he held her face in his hands ad said "Mummy, thank you for spending time with me!" This made me think about my priorities and the seed for Woolly Mammoth was sewn!

In our busy lives, we never seem to stop. Work, school, activities and chores take over our weeks. Woolly Mammoth has been designed to make it easy for grown ups and children to have fun together.

-Words by Fiona, founder of Woolly Mammoth.

Woolly Mammoth is run by Fiona and her business partner Charlotte. They also have four adorable product testers Jules, Lucas, Toby and Billy and without the children's approval the kits don't make it to your letterbox!

I, like many of you, have to balance work with my family life and sometimes there just aren't enough hours in the day! Woolly Mammoth takes all the planning (which is the bit i don't have tine for!) out of doing something quick and most of all FUN with my little boy.

I love that the kit fits through the letterbox so I don't have to worry about missing it , resulting in a post office trip!

All you need to make the kits are a few craft essentials for example scissors, glue and tape! On the back of each craft you receive a list of things you will need for your next kit so that you can be prepared. To be honest I already have all these things in my sons arts and craft box anyway!

Now for a look at what you get!

The first kit you receive is the Woolly Mammoth Club Badge Kit! EVERYONE'S first kit is the same and I love this idea! Now every time he gets his kit he can put his members badge on! What child doesn't love to wear a badge!

The instructions are super easy to follow and include pictures. The kit is jam packed full of craft items and there is even enough to make TWO badges! (With more left over too!) And this is only the first of two kits which I think is amazing value for money at £9.90 a month!

Me and Joshua had so much fun making our first kit together! We waited for his little sister Summer to go to bed and then sat down together to create a masterpiece of our own! It was lovely spending some quality creative time with him and watching him follow the steps and create his badge. He gave me a huge cuddle and kiss when we were finished and said that he can't wait for the next kit to come!

I hope you enjoy our pictures! For more information on Woolly Mammoth and to sign up visit www.MakeAndDoTogether.co.uk or their Facebook page www.facebook.com/makeanddotogether
Or give them a tweet @woollymammoth4

Washi tape and paper straws...

After my CCBox 8 arrived today I was itching to get my hands on the contents! Once the kids were safely snug in bed I was straight at my desk with a coffee and an open box! This is the result of my first sitting, a small collection of cards using the washi tape (I got spots) and paper straws. I love them so much I don't know how I am ever going to give them away! What did you make with your paper straws???