Create and Craft obsession

As I've said already, I started crafting to create memories for my daughter in the form of scrapbook pages. Eventually I found the shopping channel 'Create and Craft' as just that - another place to shop for craft items.  However, these days it's part of my viewing choice watching it as entertainment rather than really thinking of buying products necessarily.  As those who know me well would confirm, it is on throughout the day and can almost be guaranteed to be on in the background if they visit for a brew.

What it has done is introduce me to a wider range of paper crafting products and craft companies who I would never have been aware of.  The likes of 'Hunkydory', 'Tattered Lace', 'Tonic', 'Spellbinders', 'Kanban' and 'Crafters Companion' are now staples of my crafting work but I'd never heard of things such as die cutting, embossing and decoupage before I found this channel.

It has proved to be an expensive discovery over the last few years but to be fair it is one of the only things I spend money on (well apart from my daughter obviously) and I get so much pleasure from it it is worth it.  It is very true that crafting helps to de-stress me and I've needed that over the last couple of years when work has got the better of me and when I finally gave it up.

I started to make cards once I'd found die cutting.  I bought a couple of 'Tonic' fairy dies and a few 'Tattered Lace' dies and got to work creating my first cards.  I was so proud of them.  Now I look back and although I still like them, in the same way with my first scrapbook pages, they look so basic compared to what I'm capable of now.

I didn't know about matting & layering, about different card shapes and what was actually achievable.

 

Now though my cards have come on in leaps and bounds.  'Create and Craft' not only sell the products but also show you what you can do with them.  This means that I can then transfer these skills to the other products I have - not just the things that are being sold at the time.

 

I've now done a couple of parties for family and friends with my Christmas cards but mainly make bespoke cards for people on a request basis.  I'd love to expand this to become a full time job but at the moment it is really just paying for my crafty stash.  I just need an occasion and a bit about what the recipients like and I'm away.

 

Here are a few of my favourite makes:

some cards made for Harry's 90th

One I made for my Bradford city mad nephew Zac

A touch of paper folding

One for the hubby

A pretty ballerina

A wedding

An anniversary

A new baby

 

At the moment I have a list of cards to make from birthday's to fathers' day.  I'm so thankful for my friends and family for supporting me and just hope that I can make enough money to support my 'Create and 'Craft' addiction.