Finished Crochet Blanket

I have not posted for a while on this blog.  This doesn't mean I haven't been crafting, I've just been trying to finish my crochet blanket.  I told the story about the start of my blanket early on, but if you haven't read that blog I shall tell the story again.

I have been crafting since I was young.  My Mum has always sewed, knit and crocheted, so too did my Nan.  When I was younger I was taught to sew, to knit and I taught myself how to cross stitch, card making and scrap booking.  My Mum and my Nan tried to teach my to crochet and I just couldn't get it.  It never made any sense to me.  It didn't matter how much I tried I couldn't pick up crochet.  Well at Easter I decided I would learn how to crochet.  My Mum showed me how to make a granny square.  I managed to make a square.  The next day with much help from YouTube I managed to learn the skill of how to make a granny square. 

I decided to make a crochet blanket.  My sister bought me some wool that went with the colour scheme in the lounge and I started to crochet.  I mastered how to make a square in one colour and used YouTube to learn how to make a granny square with different colours in it.  I then found my tension changed every time I sat down to crochet.  I did eventually manage to master how to get my tension more even.  

So after 5 months, 12 balls of wool, 96 squares and a border of 4 rows of colours, I have finished my crochet blanket.  And here it is.

All of the squares are stitched using 4 different shades of wool, red, taupe, cream and a dark red multi-coloured wool.  One I mastered the art of changing colours I stitched squares where the colour changes varied to bring in some variety of pattern.  I wanted the blanket to have a look of patchwork to it.  I didn't plan on what squares went together, it was all very random which is why in places there are clumps of colour (for example the red section to the right of this picture). 

 All in all I am quite pleased with how my blanket has come out, considering 5 months ago I couldn't crochet. I now have a blanket for this winter to wrap around me to warm me up when I get cold. I'd like to know what you think of my first crochet attempt.  Leave a comment below.

Have a good week everyone.  This week I will be thinking of a new craft project to start now I've finished the blanket.

So excited!!!!!

Just a quick post.  I was going to download some images off the Polkadoodles website on Saturday as I was going to make a card for the Polkadoodles blog challenge which closed on Sunday.  Sadly I had issues with downloads which meant I missed the deadline.  I emailed Polkadoodles about the problem I have.  They have responded nice and early this morning and have sent me my downloads I have ordered.  I may have missed the deadline but I am really excited about making some cards with the downloads.

I haven't made any cards in ages as I lost my crafting mojo about 18 months ago.  After spending hours and hours of my life making things and crafting, I just couldn't face it.  I kept buying people cards even though I have tons of card making stuff and lots of cards in boxes in the spare room. 

I first started this blog at about the time my crafting mojo left me.  Which is why I didn't really do anything to my blog for a very long time.  My aim is to post to the blog about three times a week, some will be about previous craft projects (I have lots of them) and some will be about new stuff I make and others will be about my thoughts about the crafting world.

So keep your eyes peeled for cards made from my new Polkadoodle downloads.  They may not be entered into a blog challenge but I will master the art of making cards for challenges.

Have a good crafty day everyone.  It would be great to hear about what people make.  Have you lost your crafting mojo?  Did you get it back?  

Sarah

Magazine Freebies

One of the things which makes me choose a magazine are the free craft items they give away.  At times I have had some lovely stamps, including Somebunny to Love stamps, sometimes it has been toppers, other times it been CD-Roms and plenty of other freebies including bow makers and all sorts.  I am going to attach images of a number of cards made using freebies from off different card making magazines.

 Everything on this card is a magazine freebie (apart from the glue used sticking it all together)  I can't remember what magazine they have come from.  It is a plain yellow card blank and I have put on top of it two scrap pieces of backing papers plus a small piece of yellow corrugated card.  The flower embellishments have been added to the corrugated card and a peel off saying birthday added to the side.  All of this came from one freebie kit which is why it all co-ordinates.

This is another card made completely from freebies.  It is from the same magazine as above.  I haven't photographed it very well but will talk about how I made it.  It is a pink base card which co-ordinates with the backing paper and the embellishment.  I have torn the backing paper give it  rough edge.  I have stuck on a cardboard embellishment and a sentiment at the bottom.  All items came from the same kit and so all colour co-ordinate.

Only the topper image in the middle of this card were a freebie.  I really liked the colours in the toppers and decided that as they were all quite bright colours I would use plain card to complement the colours in the image.  I have used mats and layers of yellow, red and lime green card (all of which came from The Paper Mill Store) to pick out the colours in the topper.  I have then placed a simple peel off as a sentiment.  The peel off is from the Dawn Bibby range.  It is from looking at this card that you can see I have a natural wonk.  I try really hard to get everything on the card all level, but this just doesn't work and things usually end up crooked.  I think this is why I like to place things quite haphazardly on the card (to hide my natural wonk).  To be honest I try to blame my astigmatism but my family don't believe me.

Another card made completely from freebies.  They all came in a set and so all co-ordinate and match.  I have used a small square of backing paper in the centre of the card to which I have added flower shaped sequins.  To this I have added butterfly and flower embellishment plus a sentiment.  This card was made in the first year I started to make cards as when I look at it there isn't much skill in technique or design.  But at the time I made the card I felt so chuffed with it and thought it was really good.  The cards I have made in more recent years have far more skill to them and make these cards all look amateurish.

You can always make cards with freebies from magazines and using scraps of materials lying around your craft area.  I think the above go to show that you don't have to be amazingly arty or creative to be able to make something out what you get with the different craft magazines available.

Crafting beginings

I can't really remember a time when I didn't craft.  I've always crafted for as long as I remember.  My Mum has always knitted and sewed and I learnt to knit and sew at a young age.  I use to like knitting toys out of a craft book my sister had.  My Mum bought me a sewing machine when I was 10.  I really liked my sewing machine, its a really old fashion Singer sewing machine.  Its one that should be on a table with a treadle pedal.  Instead it has a handmade case (very 1950's) and is a hand sewing machine.  No pedal in site.  I still have this sewing machine and I still use it.  It does a very nice stitch and is easy to control being a hand machine.

I was 12 when I first tried cross stitch.  No one else in my family cross stitched and it was something I wanted to try and I really enjoyed it.  I stitched many a picture.  I have had lots of work's in progress but I've finished lots of different projects and most members of my family are all sporting cross stitch designs which I have made them.

This is a cushion I made for my friend (if any of you read my Sarahdipity Life blog I talked about meeting her yesterday).  Anyhow when I think of her she's usually having fun and smiling and when I saw this "Somebunny to love" design it made me think of her.  I am sure if there was a space hopper lying around she would be the first to jump on it and start to bounce around.  Stitching this cushion has fond memories for me.
In 2009 I went to New Zealand and visited my sister who lives there.  I took this with me stitch on my 4 week holiday.  I had researched about what I could and couldn't take on the plane and had found that I could take my embroidery scissors as they had blades of less than 3 inches.  When I went through security I was stopped because of my embroidery scissors in my hand luggage (luckily I had packed a spare pair in my main luggage if they were confiscated).  After speaking to the security man and his manager and explaining the guidelines and after they had demonstrated how my scissors could be used to kill someone (this I was very shocked at as I have never thought of stabbing anyone with my scissors) the decided I could keep them.  So I stitched on my very long flight and all around New Zealand. On my return I made it into a cushion for my friend.

That's the thing about crafting.  There is always a story attached to every project and thing that you make.  Whilst its good having the final product I do so love the making part.  I love getting so involved in what I am making that I forget about the world, what time it is and what issues and problems I maybe having.  What do you love most about crafting?

Jolly Nation Decoupage

I started making cards about 10 years ago.  I got started through watching Dawn Bibby on QVC.  After watching a number of craft shows on the channel I took the plunge and bought a card making kit.  Since then I have spent a small fortune of craft things, made many cards, set up a website to sell my cards and attended a number of craft fairs.

When they first launched I was big fan of Jolly Nation decoupage kits.  I bought lots and lots of them.  I have made a large number of cards using the Jolly Nation designs.  I've even sold a number of cards with those designs on too.  I still have lots of sheets of Jolly Nation decoupage left.  I really like the designs on them.  I will one day use all of the sheets of decoupage.  I though today I would show you pictures of some of the cards I have made using these kits.

I made this 6x6 card for a friend of mine who is mad about Firemen.  I used red card from Bazzil Basics card stock, used gold mirri card and a with love peel off which is one from the Dawn Bibby range.  My friend really liked this card.

I made this card for my Dad.  He is a keen fisherman and I think I've given him a couple of cards with the Jolly Nation fisherman on.  I used Bazzil Basics card to make a 6x6 card (I really like making square cards).  The paper I printed off a Funky Hand and I thought the mottled green and blue paper looked like water.  I used my Slice die cutting machine to cut out the shapes and the letters.  My Dad really liked this card.

I have many more Jolly Nation cards I could show you, but I think these two will do for now.

Happy crafting

Sarah

Busy redesigning blog

Hi Everyone,

I started this blog over 12 months ago.  I only posted one blog and stopped as I wasn't happy with the design.  I have been busy today rejigging the design on the blog to something I am more happy with.  Hopefully I shall start posting some more.

I suppose the main reason I haven't posted is that for a long time I lost my mojo.  I have though been crafting as I have been busy learning to crochet.  I have never managed to master the art of crochet.  I can knit, sew, make cards, scrapbook, quilt and many other crafts but just couldn't master the art of crochet.  Anyhow I learnt how to make a granny square over the Easter Weekend (just before starting my new job).  Since then I have been making crochet squares for a blanket.  So far I have stitched about half of the squares needed.

This is the start of the blanket.  I haven't taken any photos for ages.  I have stitched together 48 squares and I have another 36 squares to add.  I want to crochet another 10 squares and I will then start adding these squares to the ones I have already stitched together.  I have to admit that I am rather chuffed about my crochet blanket.  I just haven't mastered crochet for soooo long and now I am in the middle of making a decent sized afghan.

I hope to finish the blanket before the winter sets in and I will then have a blanket to snuggle into when it is cold.