Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Craft Show Galore…

It’s finally here, the first craft show for the year in Brisbane. It was on from Monday to today, but I could only make it today which was a good thing as I would have spent too much money if I had gone all the other days. I sure can’t help myself when I see all these wonderful paper and embellishments calling to me buy me buy me. 

Anyway that’s enough about me, let’s talk about the show. As I walked into the door I got this feeling of n=being somewhere I was meant to be. As this was a show showcasing paper crafts and sewing I had to go through the whole floor to find the items of interests. There was a floor plan in the Visitor’s Guide, but I though it would be more interesting to just walk around and discover things as I go along, and what a discovery it was.

First stall I visited was Scrapapple, they all sorts of embellishment at very discounted price.

20120325_155328 This is what I got at Scrapapple and all under $30…

20120327_191917 Walking around I came across the CraftSpot booth were everything was under $2, what a find. I stocked up on some basic goodies, paper flowers, ribbons, rub-ons, and borders. Check stash pic at the end.

Then I came across the CardMaking.net stall. Oh what a delight, they the European style cards. There was so many to look at and they were all just gorgeous. Have a look for yourself.

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Here are some close-up shots:

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 But that was not the best yet to come. I then found this ScrapMats..

20120325_152041 They had this whole stall filled with laser-cut chipboard and what a variety it was. They also had sample to show you how they can be used. After about two hours of walking around I was about ready to go home (feet was hurting by then) I saw the following stall….

enough said…It was like walking in a princess’s room or fairy tale land everything was dainty and ladylike and just Wow…this may not be my personal style but I must say that was the best stall I have seen at any craft shows that I have been to.

They are called Miss Rose Sister Violet, and apparently they will open their online store soon. Well I will be one of their first customer alright. Unfortunately I could only buy these dainty cream roses because by then I was almost at my limit of expenditure. 

So to end it all I thought I'd show you my stash of goodies…

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Well that was a very fruitful Sunday afternoon, can't wait for the next one in June....That's all from me for now...

Happy crafting

Francesca

Monday, March 19, 2012

Project: .....Cards A to Z

I recently received an email that was titled "A to Z of Fashion" and for each letter they had a picture. So I thought what if I could do the same for greeting cards. 

So this would be my task for the next 26 weeks, to create a card showcasing the letter of the week, but to make it more interesting I will not create the cards in alphabetical order but pick the letter from a box each Monday. Also all the cards would have to have the same color scheme and same style.

Also at the beginning of each new month I will post a calendar showing all the cards from the previous month with the pics, also posts of the steps in the days between.

Before I can start I have to create the alphabets and the cards to add to the box....
...this is how it looks now...so much more work to do, will keep you posted as I go during the week. The actual project will begin at the beginning of April so I still have about two weeks to prepare.

For all my readers I will like to get some feedback as I go through the process.

So here goes wish me good luck....

Francesca

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Crafty Weekends

With the rain pouring down this weekend it was the perfect excuse to craft all day. I though I might change the kind of item I made this weekend.

I had a template for a purse/ bags.


However I felt that it was using too much paper so I change it into a new template that uses less paper. Therefore now a 12x12 in scrapbook paper can create two bags or you can use one piece of paper if you want create the top tab.
First cut out the pattern on a thick cardstock in a colour that matches your scrapbook paper. Then cut out the same pattern on the decorative paper, giving you two parts like below. Then fold on the dotted line as shown in template.

Once the paper is cut out and folded then glue the decorative paper to the thick cardstock. Fold the edges, then glue the two long flap first then the short flap on top et voila done...
Then attach a handle to the top using two small brads (fasterners), to create a handbag look....
And there we have it..these can be used to give as gift for easter filled with some scrumptious easter egg chocolate, or even filled with jelly beans.

That is all for now...happy crafting...
Francesca

Thursday, March 8, 2012

Magazine Love....

The new issue of Adore Magazine is out here.

I have put together a couple of pages that I am simply loving....

Those purple chairs are to die for....


Again the same chair but this time its abit more pink, but still loving it. I also would love to have my desk looking this tidy at all times.

Those chairs are so gorgeous, I wonder where can i get one....
Would look great in a nook corner of even in a very elegant looking library.


This picture evoked a sense of peace and tranquilty in me when I saw it. It shows such class and pretiness its like you do not want to dirty anything in there.
Great photo....

Green is not my fave colour but I do love this arrangment.

There was a couple more pages and article of great interest and lots of beautiful pics to adore...I think the title suits...Thank s again for giving something to go home to and enjoy.....

The magazine can be found here.

That's all..have a great read

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Crafty Weekends

Hello all...the weekend is here again so let's get crafty.

Anybody who reads my blog would know that I started this post last week and I am now going to be making it into a weekly post every Sunday or Monday. It's going to be a coverage of the projects I have been doing in the weekend. It could be about anything from card making to items for home decor.

So this weekend it was card making again, and now that I am getting into the hang of this I feel that my own design and inspiration is starting to flow more freely. 
 
So I started with these items - paper lace trim, purple wavy trim, ornate decorative scrapbook paper, cream metallic card stock, and rub-on stamp.


















Then from there I decided on showcasing the beautiful ornate paper I had used. I decided to add the lace paper on the edge then placing the purple trim on top to create a popping colour combination.

Eh voila beautiful, elegant, ornate and simple.

The card is now featured in my shop.

Here are some pics of the other stuff I created which can also be found in the shop.

 

That's all for now.......

Success on Etsy

As many of you know I started an Etsy shop but was totally unaware of all the details and hard work that goes with having a shop be it an online shop or a brick and mortar one.

After reading like a zillion articles, eBook, and blog post about selling techniques and ways to improve your shop I decided to put up a list of some of the one's I have been reading lately.

Today I am showcasing Handmadeology which I think is one of the best repository of articles and help tips for any body wishing to sell on Etsy. If you are in the handmade circle and you are not aware of Handmadeology then you need to start now....by reading these articles:
  1. It's a long way to the top if you want a successful Etsy shop
  2. Not Seeing The Etsy Success You Hoped For? Here's a 10 Step Checklist to Better Etsy Results
  3. Etsy Shop Stats | Analyzing Your Statistics
  4. Tips for Getting Your Etsy Treasury on the Front Page
  5. Crafting A True Marketing Plan For Your Etsy Business
Handmadeology also have a pro version which you have to pay to get access to, but it is worth the $10 bucks.

That is all for now...