I wrote a book !

 Keeping blogs updated really aren’t my thing, I want to and I really intend to every time I post but then life happens, and facebook and now tik tok !

Anyway I have been writing a book for the last two years and actually got around to publishing it !

Phew !

Who knew writing a book could be so time consuming after you submit it ?
I didn’t use a proofreader as I wanted the book to be raw and from the heart, then I started to see the flaws and have changed and resubmitted it so many times.
Yesterday I went through it with a fine tooth comb and resubmitted it, hopefully this time is the last . With hindsight I should have done that in the first place, the quick skim obviously wasn’t enough
Well I know now !

Anyway check it out, it is available in ebook, paperback and even large print hard cover 

FACT OR FICTION

No pattern skater skirt

Today I thought I would share a simple sewing design instead of card making. 

This can be made up in less than an hour !

The skirt needs no special equipment or pattern just a simple tape measure, a pen and a regular sewing machine ( or overlocker if you prefer)

Measure your waist and the length you want the skirt to be.

For the Skirt you can use Either stretch or woven fabric but the waistband will need to be a stretch fabric or ribbing.

First of all take your fabric and fold it into four, the shortest side will need to be just a little shorter than your desired length, The bigger the square the longer you can make the skirt ( although it can be shorter )

Measure your waist and divide that by 4, add 1" to allow ease of getting on and off ( more if you have larger hips.)

For this skirt I needed a waist of 28 - 30" so needed a measurement of 7 1/2" plus a little ease to get through.  Take your tape measure and lay it across the corner that has the fold and place a mark where the tape is approx. the measurement you want it to be.

Take your tape measure and measure down to the mark you just made, for me this was 5"

Using this measurement hold your tape into the corner and make marks at regular intervals while turning the tape like the hands of a clock, be sure to have the end lined up with the corner each time 

Take these marks and join them in an even curve as I have done here at the 5" mark

Measure your fabric to find the shortest side

Mine was 19 1/2" at the short side so I knew that I could not make the skirt longer than 14 1/2" ( the 19 1/2" less the 5" I had already marked off)

Take your tape measure to the top as before and mark from the corner at regular intervals at your desired length . As I said mine was at the 19" mark as I could not make it any longer but you may have a bigger piece of fabric.

Join the marks together as before to make a neat curve

double check you are at the corner with all the folds and no raw edge and then cut along the two curves

you should now have a large circle with a hole cut out of the middle, the hole should be your desired waist size plus however much you need to step in and out of it.

Mark the inner circle into quarters with pins.

The easiest way to do this is put one pin in and fold it in half, place another pin opposite the first pin

Fold in half the opposite way so the pins are 'kissing' and place another pin at each of the sides

Cut a rectangle of ribbing or stretch fabric twice the width you want the waistband to be and the length of your waist size less 20%. As I said before I wanted a waist of 28 - 30" so my rectangle was 24"  I just estimated the width as it didn't need to be exact. I didn't add a seam allowance as I did mine on the overlocker but you may need to add a seam allowance on each edge

This is my rectangle laid out

With right sides together stitch along the short side using a stretch or zig zag stitch or overlocker

Fold the waistband in half lengthways , as you can see it is half the width when added to the skirt. 

Mark the waistband into four and match up with the top of the skirt

Add more pins in between stretching the waistband to fit the skirt as you go. I add lots of pins inbetween as they do tend to drop out as you stretch it.

I find it easier to work from the inside when stitching around

Using a stretch stitch/zigzag or overlocker stitch the waistband to the skirt taking care to catch all three layers . Genty stretch the waistband as you go and line the edges up together ( beware of the skirt rolling underneath the needle as there is a lot of skirt so you will need to ease it away from the needle as you go)

Flip the waistband up and it is almost finished

If using a woven  fabric it may be best to zig zag or over lock the raw edge at the bottom

fold the hem under by about 1/2 cm and stitch a narrow zig zag or stretch stitch along the edge

And you are done !

Please give me a shout out if you make one and let me know if you come across any problems

Glass display box

Here is my cut file for a display box for a wine glass I etched a glass for my friend as a gift and could not find a box that was suitable and did I ever tell you I love my Silhouette Cameo ?
I was fed up of not having the right box so decided to design one and share it with you all...enjoy :)

I cut two pieces of card 3" x 31/2 " and stuck that on the inside at each end to stop the box closing too close to the glass, I also added a piece of acetate behind the 'window'

Be sure to download the lid and base as the score lines are made to fit exactly
I am happy for this to be used for personal or commercial use.
Please do not pass this on or sell the file but feel free to share the link with your friends

Glass Display box Base

Glass Display box lid

Sleepless nights*sigh*

Things aren't going too well at the moment so figured I would have a blog moan...turn around if you want a happy blog...no doubt I'll be back on track soon, I don't need much to make me bounce back !

Sometimes it is hard to discover that people you can consider as friends are nothing more than work colleagues looking out for number one !
Several times in my career I have come across these people but for some reason this time it hurt. More than usual, don't get me wrong I know these people exist but now instead of fighting other people's corners I feel it's time to fight my own and block out anybody else's 'problems'. You know the type, they moan and moan about situations but do Jack shit about it, then when you become spokesperson they deny having a problem !
I was asked today if I like my job and I said I loved it, then I find out people aren't who they seem to be and suddenly I realise I can no longer love my job but just endure it until I can retire...sad but true
So I am wide awake at 3am with my mind working overtime
Wishing I was old enough to retire
Wishing card making or dressmaking could make me enough money to change my job
Wishing yesterday never happened
But most of all wishing I had not left myself wide open enough to be hurt again.

My hip replacement redo has decided to play around and 'pop out' at random moments so I am waiting to see my consultant to see what can be done to stop it
I am hoping he recommends some strengthening exercises but there is a possibility it will need a revision, at this moment in time I think it may be my cue to quit work and retire early on ill health .

So let's look for some positives....
My puppy is adorable and just what you need after a shitty day, puppy cuddles are the best !

That's about it for now
So I'll say goodnight, snuggle up to my puppy and have a few games of candy crush until I bore myself to sleep xx

Happy New Year !

So 2016 is here, wow the time goes by so fast sometimes it is scary.

My Craftiness knows no bounds, from card making to sewing a dress I am loving it !

I went to a vintage wedding last year and made myself and my puppy matching dresses...oh yeah I have a puppy now so maybe there will be a lot of dog talk and designs coming up or maybe I will be too busy with my puppy to create ...NAH!

Meet Belle my baby Morkiepoo

Didn't we look cute lol?!

Oh I have gone into HTV too , I made a bag for the wedding gift, so much better than just a shop bought gift bag and believe it or not it was cheaper too !

I have had so much fun playing with my silhouette cameo but now I need to concentrate on making cards again, well at least until after Valentines day...but then it's Easter...and Mother's day . Not that I am complaining because any kind of crafting is fun for me.

I might even try making some more tutorials, I just need to remember how I did them and upload them etc :)

Another tutorial : The Cascade Card

Today I am hoping to help you make this gorgeous cascade type card using the silhouette cut file.

 Studio Cascade

Cascade for V2 

As you can see it folds flat and fits in a standard envelope for posting ( although I would put a 'fat' stamp on it :)

When you open your file in Silhouette software you can just send straight to cut as the perforations are already there for you .I have DE so adjusted the perforations to a depth of 3 then it didn't make those ugly  cut/score marks on my good cardstock ;) , that's why I made the score and cut lines different colours to make it easier for you to change individual cut settings. Don't worry if you don't have DE just make it so pretty no one will ever see a score mark :)

The design is made to fit a 12 x 12 piece of card but if you ungroup the file you can then group into two separate halves that will each fit on an A4 piece of card.

This is how it will look when it is cut. Be careful choosing your card if using printed cardstock, it needs to be double sided and the print should look the same at any angle ( if you use something with an image that only looks right one way you will find one is upside down when you build it up )

Fold the creases like a concertina as this will make it easier to slot the card together

Matching up the cuts slot one card onto the other as shown, push the slots as far as they go or until the flat edges are together

this is how it should look, it should stand easily as you fold it in on itself following the creases you already made

Lay the card on a firm surface and push it into position, flatten it gently so the card looks like this when it is flat

And when you stand it up again the card should stand easily and not fall over

I have used a patterned card for this one but the previous card was made using plain white cardstock  and decorated each flap with co ordinating papers. 

Now You are ready to add embelishments, as you add them make sure the card will still fold down ( It wont be totally flat) Just avoid putting bigger things too near the folds

                                   

Push down the front regularly to ensure you aren't stopping it from closing 

Good luck x 

My First tutorial...be kind !

 So I want to show you how to make this fab tealight holder card using my studio file . Here is the link to the studio file for use with V3 Candle Card Studio 3 and for the people afraid to upgrade here it is in Studio 2 Candle Card Studio 2 


The file cuts out from a single A4 peice of cardstock, use coloured cardstock if you prefer, I usually use Pearlescent cardstock from crafters companion but this is just made in plain card for demonstrative purposes only.
So here is what you get when you cut it out ....

 Start by folding in the score lines towards the inside ( if using patterned or one sided the colour should be underneath at this stage)

 Then on the small rectangle cut small v shaped notches on the tiny square side of the scoreline as shown

Apply tape or glue if preferred to the right side of the tiny tabs of the rectangle and along the thin end of the box 'frame' 

 Fold the tiny tabs to the inside and secure as shown, the edges of the tabs should sit flush with the box edge ( you may need to trim them a little if they protrude)

 Fold the outer box frame around the slider box to ensure the box retains the shape and to ensure the slider will in fact slide in and out and secure down as shown.At this stage you could also insert a peice of acetate as a window , just stick it to the inside with tape :)

 You can now fold in the final flap to make the card and decorate as you like.... enjoy

you can make the card open either side it doesn't really matter. The slider is just the right size for three small tealight candles.

Please leave a comment at the end to let me know what you think. I might even share more files and ideas if enough people show interest :)