Christmas Craft Fayre

Hi fellow Crafters

Like all crafters there is the matter of what to do with all your makes and I have been doing the odd craft fayre (once or twice a year) to sell some items as well as selling on ebay and etsy.

Last weekend I did a Christmas Fayre at Burnham. It was lovely to see other crafters, hear what is going on and see what is selling.

On the whole the cards I sell all go to the WI trading stall and this works well. For Christmas I made some lovely big cards 8" square with :
"To My Wonderful Wife"
"To my Perfect Husband"
and "To The One I Love"
Also Anna Griffin Pop Out Cards were a good seller

So here are some pictures of the stall set up before the event opened

Scrapbooks

Mini Handbags and decorated paperclips

 

 

Decorated Gift boxes

Mini Brag books/scrapbooks gift cards

 

 

Hand crafted leather brooches

 

If you have any questions or would like to ask me about any of the items on the stall please email me or leave a comment

Dee

 

Pretty Files for your crafting

Hi Again

I wanted to share with you a great folder idea and a store for your die cuts
I saw it on 'you tube' and it is was so pretty I had to give it a go

The folder was made by covering a plastic wallet but I used a large envelope as I have many.left after using the A4 cards for other projects.

Before covering the sections you add a piece of ribbon to the back near the bottom with hot-glue and when covering the top flap add some hot-glue around the fastening to make it more secure. Use the flap of the folder/envelope as a template.

I used Tilda papers and embellishments from a Christmas pad.
Place the lace before adding the papers.

Christmas Fayre Time

Hello to all you crafters

Sorry I have not been on for a while, work was busy it was carnival and fireworks season and then a bit under the weather, but time available has not been wasted and I have been busy getting ready for a craft day or two and a Christmas Fayre.
I try to do a couple of sales a year to keep my hand in and this Christmas I hope to do one at Burnham in the Princess Theatre.

So far I have made cards
Gift Boxes
Decorated paperclips
A few special tag sets
Christmas Santa cards

But I am very pleased to have ventured out and have made some lovely brooches
It started with an idea I had for button brooches and work friend liked the idea and my first attempts so much she let me select any from a huge button box she had.


I then started to make leather flower brooches with button centres
and have added a selection to my Etsy shop as they make great Secret Santa presents or presents for Teachers or friends

I also hope to sell them next year at Vintage fayres

Back soon with more info on Craft Days and other makes

Dee

WALLET STYLE MINI ALBUM

Hi Again
Still on leave and still trying to clear the desk, but I get side tracked so easily.
Yesterday I was thinking about mini-albums and looked at wallet style on you-tube , and before I knew it I was adapting and designing my own version. I decided to make it up with Christmas papers as I may make one each for the women in the family, as we traditionally give one another little stocking gifts.

Here is the result, really quick to make (1-2hrs) and will hold minimum of 16 standard photographs, so ideal for a single event.

The band in the centre allows storage of photographs

The finished wallet is 14cm x 11cm x 2cm

 

Pop up Gift Card Holder

Hi crafters
I have been away for a while had a lovely break and have a couple of days before I have to go back work, so loving some time to play.

Cleared the desk a little, bought some card and made a couple of card holders.
The simple card style can be made soon quickly I thought I would make this style to give my business cards out.

The other style is a lovely pop out card holder that sets off a gift card beautifully, when the wallet is opened the gift card pops up and presents itself to the recipient.

First CHristmas Cards Made

Hi Crafters
Wow it looks like summer is over.
Next on the big calendar is Christmas and the big stores are getting ready to attract shoppers as soon as the children go back to school, whilst crafting channels have already made a huge start on selling Christmas crafting items.
My Anna Griffin box arrived this week as well as my DieSire dies. I have made a start with the Anna Griffin cards and put a lot together already. Watching Anna Griffin on the Crafting Channel meant I tried the sideways pop-out card instead of all upright, and these look lovely. There really are a lovely lot of embellishments to add to these cards and if you have a lot to make for family and friends or make for charity these are a great starting place. The end product is very professional, and the ideas sheet help enormously as the one problem I have with Anna Griffin is the amount of lovely embellishments can be overwhelming at first. Follow the sheets and you can make beautiful cards quickly, leaving more time for your own designs, and experiments.

CRAFTING ON TV

Hi Crafters

Its another Bank Holiday, so for us working crafters an opportunity to grab some hours in the craft room. As the weather was no good on Saturday I actually tuned in to crafting on TV. Hochanda had a birthday special and I was drawn to the new Die Sire dies for Christmas. I taped another programme and bought a couple of dies earning a lovely £5 discount.
What I liked about seeing the promotion programme was a whole set of ideas on using the dies.
A couple of weeks ago I bought 2 dies from Create & Craft in their sale and I have still to find more than one idea on, You Tube, Pinterest or blogs to use the dies.
I know I am a crafty crafter and have over the last ten years spent a lot of money on my craft items but I am still amazed at the programmes on Create and Craft that seem top heavy with large package sales from £50 - £130 a time. I know they often sell the items individually and do good demonstrations but I miss the early days when a package included the papers to work with as well as embellishments. That is probably why I purchased the Anna Griffin box of goodies at half price, from the Craft Channel, I was delighted to see Anna Griffin on the TV and purchased her pop-up Christmas kit it really was a fabulous buy. If you make a lot of cards for family and friends these worked out at 56p a card including  postage and for her designs and quality embellishments I was one happy bunny.

When the DieSire dies come I will try out the designs to see how well they cut as they are very intricate, the demo looked good with the Gemini machine, while  I have the Big shot and Big shot plus. In the meantime I am making an album as my stock seems to have diminished, and I am down to 3.  Here is one I had finished but had not decorated the front and I used Anna Griffin papers and flower with a simple ribbon bow.

C & G Range Cards & Gifts

Hi Crafters

Do you get those times when you have lots of ideas going round in your head and no time to get them onto paper or card.
Well here is an idea I followed through and am happy to say have got off the ground.
I have always loved jewellery and have now combined my love of card making for a new range called C & G (see my post on marketing)
Here are some of the finished items now available for sell on ebay.
A pretty easel card with drawer and then purchase the gift of your choice all priced individually.
I am selling them too cheaply for the amount of work but I am trying the market and hopefully will get known  a little before Christmas

 

As always would love to hear your comments or ideas

Dee

Quick and simple card

Hi Everyone

It has been a few days since posting but I have been crafting in between.
Last weekend (the main time for me to craft) I had some time to play with Shimmer mists and chalks.
Some time ago I did an afternoon course with Kay from IndigoBlu who demonstrated at Taunton with Craftasmic craft shop. The course showed us how to use the pan pastels and gold leaf that IndigoBlu use, it is worth checking out their website.

Here is a very simple idea using the Panpastels to colour the background of your card. Then  I have stamped the centre with a couple of flourish stamps, and simply added 3 black butterflies cut from my Sizzix dies that came with the Big Shot Plus, when I purchased it.

 

 

 

This was then mounted on black card and onto an A5 card

MARKETING YOUR PAPER CRAFTS

Hi Everyone

Here is the follow up to the 'Selling your Crafts' blog.

So you have some interest from your chosen choice of outlets. How can you build on that interest.

Getting Known

If you already do facebook , make sure you add pictures of your latest makes for family and friends to see, and add friends that are crafty or that you meet at craft fayres and shows.

Pinterest: If you don't already, consider starting a Pinterest account. Not only can you build boards of ideas for items to make,  you can add your makes to your boards and then other people see them. You can post to Pinterest from Etsy stores look out for the logo in your listing account.
 
Have you thought about doing demonstrations, a lot of local groups have speaker time and if you have friends who are in the WI, U3A or any other group that has speakers, offer to demonstrate your techniques. This can be quite frightening the first time so if you have a good confident friend, take them along for the first couple of demo's. Write out headlines/bullet points to assist with your talking and have all the demo set out in sections. If there are some parts that are long-winded like cutting out, have one you have done earlier in the true Blue Peter fashion. If it goes well and you enjoy it think about widening your area of clubs you visit and if they pay for the demo's you either have another income stream or you can do the demonstrations for a charity of your choice.

Check out the local school and community centre for summer and Christmas sales sometimes they allow outside people to book a table. You may have to put your name down as there are plenty of people interested in taking a table at sales . But stress the various items you make if you do more than cards. So if you take a table at a school have items that would be ideal for a teacher present etc.

If you have a number of sales you are attending during the year. Do your own mini flyer, it can be as simple as the list of dates venues and times with a pretty border and again what you make. Give them out at any opportunity  so people know where to find you

Point of Sale items

So you have successfully sold some items what can you do to keep those customers coming back and recommending you.
 
Have a compliment slip or business card that you put into the parcel, telling your customer what you do and where they can find you.
 
If the customer has purchased a couple of items from you, consider adding a free gift, I sometimes add a mini photo wallet as a free gift, it has cost me pennies while the recipient gets the feel good factor of having something for nothing.

 
Always make sure you wrap the item or box it prettily, imagine how you feel when you get a parcel and then add to that opening it up and seeing it beautifully presented in tissue paper and a ribbon or a complementary box (be aware of postage costs when boxing items). 

Put your card or compliment slip into a little display pocket. This not only shows your skills it adds a professional finish.  The one shown below can be made from an 8 x 8 piece of paper or a 6 x 6 if you have a small business card.
1. Simply fold 2 sides into the middle of the papers
2. open up again and fold all four corners to the first line and then fold back in again
3. Turn and fold the right end into the sleeve made at the other end, curve the paper to slide it in as far as possible and to the fold edge.
4. Run your bone folder along all the edges.

 

 

 If you are building up customers and feel it will help get repeat business consider offering a discount voucher. You can add them to the parcel or at the point of sale at a fayre.  Always make sure you have a business card or compliment slip to give out as well so they know how to purchase from you again.
If you design a new item or expand your makes, i.e picture frame, covered notebooks etc , display and sell them under a collective name. I have a  range called C & G at Happy Hippo, this range is a Card and Gift in one. This incorporates jewellery sold in a box card and tea lights in another card that has a box that take 4 tea-lights, and occasionally I make little concertina boxes that take speciality tea-bags or hot chocolate.

I hope these help you to increase your sales overall and adds to your joy of crafting. Please let me know if you have tried any of these ideas and if you have any selling techniques that work for you. I would love you to leave comments.
Dee 





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MINI ALBUM - TO BE MADE IN AN HOUR

Hi Everyone

Well its Saturday, I have done the shopping and am in the craft room. Again trying to clear the desk.
So I have just packed up several mini albums ready to sell on ebay.
These mini albums are the first size I made and I now tend to produce albums with many more pages, but these are great for the one off event.
A Birthday Party to capture the celebrations
Anniversary  to get a few pictures of family and friends
Hen Party
Summer Holiday etc

They are made with 3 pieces of 12 x12, and I have finished the fronts in various ways. At this point I should point out this idea came from Loretta H on You Tube and is called Cardstock Mini Album for anyone that wants the instructions to make one. Do check out her video as it is very easy to follow.

Romantic papers

Here is one I used to pop in the photographs of a friends daughter's wedding.

Cut different shapes for interest 

I have decorated with some hearts and flowers, this album went together very quickly

The whole album can be made in an hour depending on any additions or embellishments you make to go with the album.
TIP: It is always a good idea to make some embellishments and tags at the time you make an album so you always have them in the coordinating card, any additional needs can then be in a plain card.

This size also makes a lovely little gift for friends or family if you are a crafter or have crafty friends.
I just need to decide now whether to make half a dozen for Christmas.

SELLING YOUR CRAFTS

Hi everyone

I have been crafting all my life and papercrafting for at least 14 years now. I work full-time do not make a huge amount at the moment. Until three years ago I did monthly workshops, but only do 2 or 3 a year now as work has taken over.

Doing workshops meant the majority of my crafting time was spent arranging and preparing the item to demonstrate and very few things were finished to a high enough level to sell as helping the crafters in the class took priority. Nowadays the items I make are the project and I get to finish them properly.

Selling the finished product becomes the next job for the avid crafter. It is not necessarily about the money, more about the storage area needed if you do not sell your crafts. The added bonus of selling being more money in the pot to buy new products.

Selling can be the hardest thing for a crafter. Here are 8 ideas to get you started.

1. Family and Friends: These are the most obvious as you know them and their likes and dislikes and also the style of cards and crafts they may be interested in. Never take them for granted as they can be a great outlet for your cards. They can also give you feedback on what people are looking for in the bigger market, so ask questions and for feedback from them.

2. Work colleagues:   Even the smallest office can be good for the crafter. Everyone has family, children, grandchildren and friends to buy cards for as well as gift bags, boxes and mini books etc. SHow them your latest makes at lunch-time and ask for feedback. Is this something you think you would buy, what price would you be willing to pay etc

3. Have a Craft Party: Make it fun, invite some friends around. Make proper invites and tell them what the party will have to offer. Offer drink and nibbles, this could be anything from tea and buiscuits to  wine and canapes depending on your friends and choice of style. Talk a bit about your craft, do a quick demonstration, or let your guests make something if you have room. Finish the evening with the selling.

4. Ebay or other selling sites:   I sell on ebay and this is a great outlet. However cards are difficult to sell as the cost plus postage makes it an expensive item when sold individually. If you want to sell cards consider specializing in one style or one theme. Do your homework on the site to see what else is selling, the price charged and the quality of the product. Some cards are personalized and if you can offer this service say so in the title. Be aware though if you have a design that is yours and popular, putting it on ebay opens it up to every other crafter.

5. Craft Fayres: Check out the craft fayres in your area, some organisers require you to attend regularly and this may be too much for you. Some are regular summer fayres as a fundraiser and these can be good, but see if you can find our the number of people that usually attend the fayre to see if you craft items will get good exposure. I find people are very friendly ,traders and buyers will strike up conversation easily. Talk to people even if it does not result in a sale as they can give you valuable feedback, but do not give them your trade secrets as there are a lot of crafters who attend to see what is currently being sold and whether they can use that idea. There is nothing wrong with this it is how most of us started, and shows an interest in the craft, but you do not want them to have all your ideas for no return.

6 Etsy: Etsy is a selling site specifically for vintage and hand crafted items. It is more popular in America, but worth trying if you have a talent for your craft. I sell on Etsy as well,  generally my items sell quicker on ebay , but you have 3 months to sell for the listing cost of 20cents. Please look at the information on setting up a shop on Etsy. It is easier on Etsy and Ebay if you have a Paypal account so this is something else to take into account when considering them as outlets.

7 WI and Country Markets: If you are a member of the WI some branches have a trade stall. They take a percentage for their funds and this works out well for all. Consider regularly providing items for the stall as then members get to know they can buy cards or gift bags from the stall each month.
The WI also run a their own markets and you can become a member of the market. Check out where your local markets are what they sell and whether it is worth becoming a market member.
 
8 Selling Through a retail outlet: If you are really good at selling you may be able to get your items into a retail store. There are a number of ways to do this
Talk to the owner of a small independant store where your craft items would compliment their stock, but be prepared to share profits with them. Your individually crafted card may seem unique and worth £4 in your mind, but what price are other cards fetching in the shops and nearby outlets. If the shops shelves are stocked with £1 cards are you going to sell your item at £4 and if you do and the retailer takes £2 for selling it how much will you get after costs. Know your figures before approaching the retailer.
Some shops are willing to rent a shelf and again this is worth considering if you believe there is a good market for your items. If you are not sure of the selling potential try selling to friends and family and at least one craft fayre first to test the market, and negotiate a short term let for the shelf space say 8 weeks with an option to go longer. Make sure you have a  written agreement to refer to so each side knows their responsibilities and expectations of the other party.
Being the main supplier to a retailer in a specialist area. I have seen florists with beautiful hand crafted cards such as the cradle or bootie card for new babies or cards for other occasions when flowers are traditional. For this you need to be able to offer quality assurances and probably sale or return options as well as deciding cost to charge the retailer. Think about setting a minimum and maximum price range for items sold by the retailer so you are not surprised by their pricing structure.

I think that is enough to start with, but do contact me if this has been helpful in any way and if you have more ideas to add.  I would love to hear some of your success stories.

If there is any interest I will follow this article with Selling and Branding techniques.

Enjoy your crafting
Denise

CHRISTMAS CRAFTING

Hi Everyone

After posting the current blog and pictures of the Christmas Album I had made, my process took me to Christmas Cards. I am always reluctant to start Christmas in August but realise that for me work can be hectic in October & November as it is budget setting time. My Christmas cards all need to be made by the beginning of November in case there is a Christmas Craft Fayre. I like to do one or two fayres a year and Christmas is good although very competitive.

I bought a lovely Christmas die from the Sara  Davies range, as it is a great size and pretty enough to stand on its own.
I also had some lovely lazer cards and hey presto this is the quick card I made combining the two.

 

 

FIRST CHRISTMAS SCRAPBOOK

Clearing out the drawers regularly helps to prevent purchases you do not need or that double up on what you have already. This time of year the craft programmes look towards Christmas and I did a check of the craft drawers to see what I had left. I sold some Christmas papers and have some currently for sale on Ebay as up until this year I have been organising craft days so needed  a lot of  basic stock to demonstrate and give to my crafters to use.
However in amongst sorting some pads for ebay I thought why not make a  quick scrapbook and make use of some of the papers myself.
Here is the result. I am about to put it on Etsy and Ebay.

This is a simple folded end and build up structure
It has black card base and then the left side is left as a single page with the right side having an expanded page that folds out allowing many more pages and storage areas for photographs
The pages have been left with no embellishments so the buyer can have fun decorating the pictures with tags and memorabilia that mean something to them .

ANNA GRIFFIN WEDDING CARD

While making the commissioned wedding card I was routing through the drawers and came across some Anna Griffin papers and 3d flowers by her so I made a quick alternative choice of Wedding Card
This is such a quick way of producing a professional looking card
Simply make up the flower. Cut 3 layers of card and papers to line front of the card each layer should be half to one cm smaller than the last
Then play with the  layer and the flowers until you get the position and look you want.

COMMISSIONED WEDDING CARD

This seems to be the season for weddings and nowadays young people seem to have most household items when they get married. So I was asked to make a card that had a pocket to take an envelope for a cheque
The outside of the card was simple
I embossed a white scalloped edge card and added 2 lazer cut hearts

Inside the card I made a pocket as I would for a scrapbook page and embossed the front with a sizzix embossing folder that has "Always and Forever" on it
Then I made a mini envelope to sit inside, lined the envelope and edged the outside flap with tiny gems. Alas I forgot to take a photograph before delivering it, but you get the idea.

BACK FROM HOLIDAYS

Back home from holidays and busy week at work.
I am also trying to increase my daily exercise at I sit at a desk all day with little movement
So for the last week I have been doing a walk around the local park before work. It's  a thirty minute walk around the parks pond which has ducks Canadian Geese, Swans and fish. It has been a revelation, as everyone seems in a good mood at that time of the morning, you get greetings from most people and a wag of the tail from the dogs, and even in the first week you start to recognise the regulars.
Lets hope I can keep it up.

Here is another style of gift box. I made one recently and added some fudge purchased for the ladies in office when I was on holiday, they seem to appreciate the effort.

It is quite quick to make and is perfect for cookies as well as sweets and fudge, or even some pretty soaps or candles.

HIDDEN TREASURE 3

Another find in the tidy up.
This is a lovely little A6 mini album. Made for a little boy with envelope system for the base papers. Its a lovely little book that will take about a dozen pictures altogether so perfect for the little ones first  birthday or holiday
Simply fold the end of 5 envelopes over and glue each flap to the next envelope (I used DL for this one) cover with papers. Make the outside cover from cardboard and cover with matching papers and then glue the two outer envelopes to the cover before finishing off
I have covered each centre page on one side with a longer piece of paper so it has a journalling flap.

 

 Finished with dragons and 'once upon a time' stickers

HIDDEN FIND No2

This card was another one stamped out and coloured by hand using watercolour pencils
I made a bunch of them about 18 months ago and thought they were great for men, (probably because my man likes all things maritime).

I have a little set of stamps that include this little Art stamp used inthe corner , and on the back, each of the hand painted cards that I make is numbered and stamped with hand made by.....
The finished card was then mounted onto a blue background card and then onto the main card.

UNCOVERED TREASURES 1

When tidying the craft desk several things needed rehousing in the boxes, and as I pulled them out to make room for new items and to get items sold on ebay I came across some lovely bits and pieces made over the last year but which because they are small or or low cost have not been put on ebay.

Some lovely makes, so I thought I would share them with you over the next couple of weeks.

First one up is a great little card. I purchased a few stamps from this range with the theme of girlfriends
This one in particular caught my eye as we have a slimming club that uses the premises where I work and some of the ladies also come to my craft days. I made several for Birthdays and put a tag on

"Friends that weigh together Stay together"

 

 

This was stamped onto white card and then watercoloured using watercolour pencils

I then mounted it onto silver mirra card and ontothe scalloped main card with the faceted gems to finish it.

 

I

RE-SET FOR MORE CRAFTING

Sunday lunch out with family, it was lovely to catch up and then a short walk before getting home for 4pm

Lots to do on ebay and also the dreaded craft desk. But it was no good putting it off as no new work could be considered before the desk found some space.

You feel so much better when you have it all done. Its not perfect but I have some more items to put on ebay and a reminder of new dies purchased and not yet opened.

A quick note - "Everycraft a pound" had some border and ordinary punches at silly prices

ONE WEEK OF NO CRAFTING II

A week of adding to the desk and not actually having the energy to do anything with my purchases etc has left the desk in a big mess
Today is Sunday and I might not get much crafting done today as the first job is sorting out the mess

Happily we are out to lunch with family today but on my return I will be straight onto this 

 

Hopefully some of you willhave seen my previous post showing the craft room tidy with allthe cupboards and boxes stacked beautifully. . The boxes still in good order but not sure what happened to the desk.

 

ONE WEEK OF NO CRAFTING 1

Well here we are another week gone by and I have not managed to post anything
I have been a bit under the weather and apart from work not much else has been done
The craft desk looks like a bomb has hit it but on a good note I have sold some of my craft goodies on ebay and hopefully some other crafters have had a bargain and I have a pot for future buying.

I did get out yesterday and visited a lovely independent stationers that is unfortunately closing down. It was tale end of their sale but I did pick up a fiskars hole punch and some petal stamp pads.

CRAFTY SAVER No 4

What a miserable weekend weather wise. Still it does allow time to craft.
I set about making a mini album from a new pad of paper, Tonic Studio Folksy Florals .

I used envelopes for the base and have completed a 6 x 6 album ( Now selling on EBay)
As the pad is an 8 x 8 pad I had a lot of strips left over.
I hate to throw anything away, but also am desperately trying to keep the desk clean.

I used some to mount a stamped tag in a patchwork style to decorate the album as the papers all matched the inside. Look closely at the centre embellishment and you will see the patchwork mounting.

 

I then realised the longer strips were perfect to make the bases of little flap top boxes and set about scoring and storing 6 kits to make the boxes

 

The box is approx 5cm square perfect for pretty gift giving, and no waste.

 

 

CRAFT SAVER No3

Hi Everyone
I am excitedly awaiting the postman at the moment having ordered some great new dies by Xcut from www.everycraftsapound.co.uk

If you do not already know this on-line company then check it out. They also show at all the big shows around the country.
They do sell many items at a pound but also a lot of clearance items such as paper pads and dies at knock down prices. I like to check in once a week to make sure I do not miss anything and that is probably why I have many many paper pads and crafty items in larges boxes in my craft room (see earlier post re Tidy Craft room).
So this time my great bargains include a Santa in the Sky Shadow Box die, Woodland Trees, and Folk alphabet set with 80% discount, I also picked up a Santoro Willow set of dies, just in time as like a couple of other sets they had sold out by the end of the afternoon.
The one thing I should mention is the p&p is £4.95, not surprising as the average purchase is heavy and bulky,also a minimum spend of £20 is required. Not great for the single purchase, but if you are not into buying in bulk like me, why not get together with friends or your craft group.

I sometimes buy doubles of what I think will be popular and sell the extras on ebay to pay for my postage, but that is more because I like dabbling than I have any business ideas. It feels great though when your craft item is free because of the sells you have made.

The service from the company is also very good.

CRAFT SAVER No2

As well as the A4 cards I bought in a clearance I bought a set of cards that were from Create and Craft. There were 32 of the original cards and envelopes but only 9 sets of decoupage made up and included in the pack. I knew that when purchasing, and originally thought I would use the cards to make pages in a scrapbook but then decided the nine cards with decoupage should be made up to sell, Done and sold. The remaining cards were pretty enough without the decoupage, so I decided to make them into sets of notelets all I needed to do to finish them off was to make the boxes to put the notelets in and I would have two sets of 8 notelets and envelopes to sell.

And here are the decorated boxes, which will go to my next craft sale.

TO ALL THE CRAFTY CRAFTERS OUT THERE

If you are like me an like a bargain every now and then get out to the high street and in to your local Poundland.
There where you normally go to look at the crafty bitz you will find they are selling A5 Paper pads for,( yes you have guessed it) a pound.
These may not be a recognised name but quite pretty papers and useful for backgrounds or die cutting.
They did have some Trimcraft pads in the store with matching embellishments but as the 6 x 6 pads had 24 pieces I did not think them such a good buy.
I could not wait to try these papers out

Not finished by a long shot but here is the first scrapbook from one of the books
this measures 6" wide and 7" long and will eventually have pull out pages from the envelope storage as well as the main pages

The whole scrapbook will be made from one pad 4 envelopes and one landscape A4 card. It should have approximately 18 sides for photographs plus a couple of storage areas for tags tickets etc

I bought several A4 cards in a clearance on ebay as I had a eureka moment and realised they made great boxes and anything else you would usually make from A4 card, although I struggle to know what greeting cards to make from them.  They also make great outside covers for these  mini albums 

The envelopes then make gift bags. 

Any other money saving tips for crafting please leave me message as I would love to hear them.

CARD & GIFT COMBINATIONS

I sometimes make cards that also have a gift attached and thee are particularly good for craft sales
My last make were for jewellery and ended up being white on white card to set off the jewellery
This is a 6" square white card with an onyx  and silver pendant.

The card can then be boxed and voila gift and card all sorted

RECYCLING ENVELOPES

Looking for inspiration on You Tube I came across some lovely gift bags made using recycled envelopes
I remember making them before and had another go in a lunch break one day
These really are quick and easy to make and useful if you make items to sell and want some individual and original gift bags for your items.

A great way of recycling  envelopes that come through the door every day.

For a more bohemian look use magazine pages to cover the envelopes
For a shabby chic look - old wallpaper or craft papers
for a modern smart look - wrapping paper

Simply cover both sides of the envelope
cut across the top to make the smart edge
you can use craft sissors for a fluted edge
score 2cm down both sides and the bottom edge fold both ways
push flat the bottom of the envelope - you will get a pointy triangle each end, squeeze these flat fold in and glue to the base
fold the sides to finish the box shape, punch holes in the top for the ribbon/string/hessian handles
add a piece of tissue to finish

This one is finished off from pages of an old WI magazine the angle of the tram on the picture makes it difficult to see the shape of the bag but its such a bright lively picture making the gift bag unique, with the added bonus of being recycled materials.

ZIG ZAG Card for something different

I was looking at different shaped cards and remembered the Zigzag card so thought I would have a go. They have come on so much nowadays and with punched edges or borders look even better

I like the result but the double zigzag looks even more interesting so perhaps I will try that next.
The flowers are made using some blossoms from the Santoro Mirabelle range, I have the papers blossoms, charms and pearls in the range.

The wording on the front is from a Die sire word die: Wishing You Everything Wonderful

CATCH UP SUNDAY

Hi
I have not posted all week, back to work and times runs away. But I have been crafting in between tidying my desk (at home that is).
I also had some lovely deliveries from the postman this week.
When you are a crafter and ebayer the postman is a bit like Santa
I had a great selection of Tonic dies bought in the sale from Crafty Devils Papercraft, www.craftydevilspapercraft.co.uk
Some super dies and stamp sets available
Then came beautiful gems purchased on ebay and some metallic card stock from another ebay seller

Here is a card using one of the dies and the metallic card stock on the outside of this gatefold card

 
And another showing the lovely gems

Like most crafters sometimes you must have the latest items but often I am happy to add to my stash in sale time.

I have also nearly completed a couple of mini albums
One is a 6 x 6 with storage sleeves and pocket on the inside flaps with 9 pages for photographs
This I have made with Christmas papers and it is going to called "First Christmas" It could be babies first Christmas or a couples first Christmas and just needs the front decorations

The other is another mini but the larger version with bound pages. This I have been decorating the pages ready to sell.

I will post pictures when completed.