Busy as usual

Time just flies by, we always seem to be so busy and with Christmas here soon there are just not enough hours in the day.

I enclose a photo of more eggs just to keep the eggers going, the are goose eggs and cut with an electric drill.

I have also been looking for images taken with my camera and here are two of Tynemouth were I live, although it always seems to be cold and windy we do have fabulous veiws around.

 This is Tynemouth Priory which looks so dramatic. 

This is called Lloyds Hailing Station.

 

This was used many years ago and it is where the ships were asked upon arrival thier name and where they were from, then when they left there were asked what they were carrying and were there bound.

I have used this image for some of my Christmas cards.

 

I have also been making rocker cards.

 

Well I must get back to finishing my Christmas cards and maybe a little bit of housework.

 

Where has the time gone to, it seems only like yesterday since I did my last post.

Since then we have been so busy with teaching and having fun at the

 Monday card group and Tuesday Egg classes,

We have been entered into the Evening Chronicle (local paper)  WISH programe, which means we have to collect as many WISH tokens as we can from the paper, 4 are published every night until January, they are then sent to the paper and our group will be awarded some part of a £35.000 grant on offer, so the more tokens the more we will be awarded. So if you get the paper please save the tokens for us, email me for details of where to send them, joanccutts@aol.com

Mary, Jackie and I have just spent the last weekend at the big 3 day craft show at the Newcastle Racecourse, where we were demonstrating Egg decoration, then we went to Glasgow for the SECC ICHF Craft show over 4 days, these shows tend to be very very busy and a great excuse to buy yet more crafting materials.

So don't forget to save all those tokens.

Will report back soon.

Hi everyone
I have been so busy of late, Michael and do try to get up to our little bungalow in Ovingham as much as we can before it gets too cold.
So once we get there Michael gets the coal cooker on with lots of logs and coal and if it is very coal we also put the lounge coal fire on, so when we are ready to sit down and relax we are also nice and warm.
I did a lovely workshop in Hexham at a new craft shop called Jester crafts (at the back of Beales, which was Robbs) it was showing how to use the new pastels, what a lovely time I had very relaxing, I came away with 4 lovely ideas on card, so will be using them alot more, I will also try them on my eggs.
We attended The Egg Crafters Guild of Great Britain convention in York, of which I am Founder and Life Member, we had a great day with many members chatting about eggs and old times, as I was judging the competition eggs with two other Judges we got a very close look at all the beautiful eggs both on the members table and the competition.
There were some very interesting exhibits and many ideas never seen before, when I get the photos back I will post some on my blog.
We do enjoy visiting York for our conventions as there is so much to see in the area.

I have also been busy making more Christmas cards, on was made using some pop up type of dies which I bought but found I could not use them as they we stuck onto a large sheet of plastic, I do not know which die cutting machine they are for, anyway, I managed to peal the die off the plastic, with great care.  I can now use them in my cuttle bug and Ebosser.

I will take some photos and post them for all to see.
Until then happy crafting to every one.

Here are just a few more eggs for you to see, the little bell in the front is made with a duck egg and all the rest are goose eggs, the one on the left handside has a metal ring with a hinge attacted and when open shows a lovely soft material lining.
The raised one at the back has a fancy cut design all around the opening, cold porcelain flowers and a bride and groom inside.
The egg on the right had decoupage flowers around the opening and cold porcelain flowers inside.
We are looking forward to our Convention in York at the Priory Street Centre  01904 621133 on Sept 7th where we hope lots of eggs will be on show in the competition and on the members table.
Traders will also be there to sell all the materials needed to make these wonderful items, so if you are in York then do pop in to see us.
or contact me for more details,  joanccutts@aol.com
See you there.
I am hoping to play with some new dies and will show you the results later.

Christmas is coming!

It is a lovely sunny day and we are up at the Bungalow, me making cards and Michael doing some painting outside

I thought I would make a start on some Christmas cards, I have been thinking about it for a while.

I often do several designs and make about 25 of each, making about 150, so the sooner I get going the better.

I have been fiddling with some die cuts I did on my fabulous Ebosser, from Crafters Companion.

These cards are all A5 tent style, I like to use a good card such as Centura Pearl again from Crafters Companion, it is so nice and firm, and it comes in some lovely colours although I do like the white pearl the best.

No 1 Card with Illusion plastic and lamp post.

After folding an A4 sheet in half to produce an A5 shape I scored nine lines down the left hand side and 4 up from the bottom, I then added a die cut frame in pale green on top of a cutout piece of illusion plastic, and added a die cut of trees and house just under the frame.

The sentiment was made with a Stamping Up set of stamps and added to pale green card, the corners were cut using a corner punch.

To finish off I slightly colored the lamp post  from a die set from Crafters Companion, then I added the insert.

No 2 Card with Poisetta

After folding in half to produce an A5 shape, I added a embossed pattern made with a folder from Crafters Companion, The flower was cut using a die,  using a glitter red, plain red and gold glitter card, the leaves were a flower cut from green card and 3 leaves cut out.

The sentiment was made by a friend.

No 3 Card with silver mirror card.

After folding in half to produce an A5 shape, I added an embossed pattern made with folder from Crafters Companion, and underneath this I added the silver card.

The house and trees are a die cut as is the snowflake; the sentiment is from Stamping up. I added a silver border strip to the edge of the embossed card, bought from the £1 shop.

Well has taken me all day to fiddle with lots of cups of coffee but I am quite pleased with my efforts, so at least I am on the right tract.

I will show these three cards at the Monday craft group so everyone can now get going for Christmas.

A Royal Occasion

Well we have a new royal baby at last, and our Balkwell Crafters have been very busy making cards for it, which have been sent down to St. James’ Palace for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

Just a few of our crafty ladies

 My Royal Baby Card

I just love all this lovely sunshine, In the summer we try to get to our little holiday home, where I craft and Michael potters in the garden.

I have been making quite a fancy fold card which I saw in a magazine some time ago, but there  was  no instructions, so from many sheets of waste paper I finally made something which resembles the original.

View from my workroom window

Click on image to enlarge

A lovely little hideaway

Today I am sitting in my workroom at our tiny holiday bungalow in Ovingham  in Northumberland very close to Corbridge..

The horses and rabbits are very active and the bird house has been having a constant visit from several blue tits.

I have just made a lovely card using a stamp from a Joanna Sheen stamp set,and have coloured it in using my Spectrum Noir pens from Crafters Companion,  I do love these pens because they are sold in matching blend sets are so lovely to use.

I buy a lot of supplies from Crafters Companion and have been a Platinum Member for about 3 years.

I enjoyed visiting the Craft show in Doncaster Racecourse, I went with two friends, Hilda and Sheila, of course I bought things  I just cannot live without.

How to make the Plantpot.

Cut 2 flowerpot shapes, 2 tags, and the top of the plantpot,  use a good card such as Crafters Companion centura pearl. glue the 2 plantpots together but leave the top plain as you need to be able to pull the tag in and out.  The tag pieces are glued together, but first fix a small piece of ribbon to the inside of the 2 pieces to act as a pull tab. fix the top of the plant pot on and cover all with coloured paper.

Then go wild with punched flowers.

Have Fun

Click on image to enlarge

I enjoy making cards and love experimenting with new techniques, such as distress inks, using my brayer, and I just love stamping infact I will try anything.
Love using my ebosser, no more sore arms. There are so many lovely dies out there, and it is amazing how inventive you can be when using them.

.

Click on image to enlarge

My love of cards.

 

I teach one card craft group and attend another, I enjoy making all sorts of cards and various objects, such as models and things  like little drawers for presents and lots of different kinds of boxes.
Our Monday afternoon card group now have a lovely new Cuttlebug so everyone is looking forward to producing some fantastic creations.
I have been quite busy making this lovely handbag card.
  

Welcome to my blog.
I live in North Shields, Tyne Wear and after working as a Nurse then a Nursery Nurse for 36 yrs I retired to  "play" with my crafts.
I used to make all kinds of articles with sea shells and had a stand at Whitley Bay Flower Show for many years before it closed. 
I have decorated eggs for 45yrs and founded the the Egg Crafters Guild in 1979, we have members world wide.
I teach 2 eggcraft classes in North Shields and run a card group on Monday afternoons at The Hut, Heaton Terrace Comunity Centre, North Shields, Everyone is welcome.
I am married to Michael who is my right and left hand man, he is very suportive of everything I do.
I lead a very busy life and enjoy doing all sorts of crafts.
The photo above is of Michael and me on one of our cruises, which we enjoy very much.