I'm back!

Hi Bloggerland! I'm so sorry I've been away for so long. I had back surgery on my prolapsed disc at the end of May and have been recovering ever since. I am much better now, although some sciatica and numbness remains in my foot , but I've been told it could take six months to a year to heal completely, since my sciatic nerve was compressed for nearly a year! So I have been crafting only a little. Here are a few cards I have demonstrated at parties along with the gifts for the hostesses.....

My May hostess, Evi loves bags; so I just had to make her one using Stampin' Up Flirtatious fabric. I lined it with some contrasting fabric. which made it reversible. I have used Pretty- in- Pink 1 1/4" Striped Grosgrain Ribbon for the strap. I decorated the front with the big Stampin' Up Beautiful Butterflies Bigz Die which I backed with the Stampin' Up Big Shot Fabric Adhesive which I ironed on then peeled off the backing and ironed staright onto the bag. Some of the flowers are diecut in the same fashion but I didn't iron them to the bag but the backing gave them stiffness. The others I just diecut straight from the fabric, which made them floppier. I then layered these up, covering buttons in material to finish off. I used Stampin' Up Fun Flowers Bigz L Die and Blossom Party Bigz Die for the flowers. I used the Pedal Presents hostess gift from the Summer Mini as a simple make & take.

 My June host was Stevie and he loves the vintage and steam-punk look! So I used Stampin' Up Attic Boutique DSP and matching stamp set to create a simple but effective Thank You card. I also bought the matchbox die which I thought would be very useful in making gifts. I made this little dressing table in Crumb Cake and Soft Suede.

My July hostesses were Sue and Angela, who are fairly new to our little group of crafters. Angela is deaf and recently retired and is now hooked on stamping! I made them botha box in a different fashion,  flat with drawers at each of the four corners, containing those essential bits and pieces. The make & take continued the Everyday Enchantment theme.

 August saw the turn of Carol who is only one of several members of her family who are avid crafters and stampers! And I am privileged to be friends with all of them! Another Matchbox set of drawers. this time with an opening lid, revealing matching notelets!

And this is the card I demonstrated. I teased them a little and asked if they recognised it from anywhere. None of them could - I retorted "well you don't take much notice of the front of your Stampin' Up catalogue then" which brought much laughter as I showed them. It's funny we're so keen to look at the products we forget to look at the crafts made with them!









Thanx for looking :)

Most of my cards are for sale on eBay.

All stamps, cardstock, Designer papers and ink medium are by Stampin' Up unless otherwise stated. Most embellishments and tools used are by Stampin'Up. Glitter Glue is by Stickles and 3D flowers are by Wild Orchid Crafts.