having a mandi moment

HAPPY HALLOWEEN !!!

 

Hubby isn't too impressed that this is how I'm going to work today !!  but what the heck !!

Happy Halloween everyone !!
  

NEW Paisley Cartridge

OH MY GOODNESS !!!!  this cartridge is even cuter than I had hoped for.  The name of it is a little misleading as there are only 3 images of paisley on it !!

This cartridge (along with Sweet Treats) are currently only available in Europe.  Maybe Provo Craft are trying to sweeten us up after not allowing us to have the Hello Kitty cartridge !!

Whatever their reasons.......I am thrilled to have mine and am having sooooo much fun with it.

So...here is a view of what's on this cartridge

And here are a few of the cards I have made with it...

  
 
 

 
 

Directions for the step/concertina card

You will need:

Piece of cardstock 8" x 12", pencil, ruler and scoring board (optional)

How to:

DOH !!!  the bottom score lines should all be the other way !!  ie: where it says mountain it should say valley and vice versa.....sorry everyone !!

1. Place the card in landscsape mode and measure down 2" on each short side and make a small pencil  mark.  Draw a faint pencil line between the two marks.

2. Now score from bottom upto pencil line at 2" and 4".

3. Score completely from top to bottom at 6".

4. Repeat step 2 at 8" and 10".

5. Following the above diagram, cut between points A and B.

6. Again, using the diagram to help you, fold each piece as shown.

7. A mountain fold pops out towards you and a valley fold goes away from you.

Here are some the cards I have made using this technique

Fancy Folded Pop Up Card

 

A few people that have seen my pop up cards have asked me to post a tutorial...so here it is!!  I can't take the credit for this card, that has to go to Crafter's Companion.

You will need:  4 pieces of A5 card, patterned paper for decoration, scoring board (I use the M&F scoring board)

Take the first piece of A5 card and score at half A5.  This will create a square section.  Now score corner to corner both ways.  Then fold this square in half vertically.

 

Push in on the vertical score line to collapse the whole piece.

 

Repeat with the second piece.

Stick a 4" x 4"piece of card to the back of the pop up diamond shape and another to the front.  This will now be called part A.

Now take third piece of A5 card and score it in half and then A5 gate fold.  Repeat with fourth piece.  These will now be called part B.

PART APART B

Adhere each of the end rectangular panels on Part A to the front of the larger section on part B.

You are now ready to decorate your card.

 

 

And here are some examples.  You could also make this card larger by doubling the sizes or smaller by halving the sizes. 

 

 

Monte Carlo here we come!!

As you may already know, this week the South of France is playing host to two world famous events.  The Cannes Film Festival and the Monte Carlo Grand Prix. 

We are lucky enough to have family who live near Cannes so tomorrow we are off......hopefully to some sunshine.

At the end of April I went to Lancashire and took the Scrapbook Design and You course (SDU) and I am now a qualified SDU teacher. Our classes for this exciting new course will be starting in early June and will run for 8 classes.  Anyone interested can contact me at: crosspatchcrafts@aol.com

Well......Bobbi-Sox has just gone to the cattery, everyone is fed and watered so I will sign off now.

Catch you all soon !!

Happy Birthday Cross Patch Craft Store

Yay !!  I really can't believe that we have had the store 8 years already.  This weekend we decided to give the whole store a face lift.  Instead of cerise pink and royal blue .......we have gone all coffee and cream !!

Well....here are a few of the cards that I have been making over the last few weeks

 

Good-Bye Little Nan and Twinkle

Today my dear Grandmother, Little Nan, passed away quietly at Earlfield Lodge nursing home.  She was 88.  She had been poorly for a long time and today was a release from her pain.

This picture was taken on Christmas Day 2008....just a few weeks ago.

She leaves behind 5 children.  Barry, Stella, Suzan (my Mum), David and Cindy.  10 grandchildren...Lee, Beverley, Richard, Ian, Jacquiline, Amanda, Naomi, Anne Marie, Aaron and Darren......and 19 (and one on the way) great-grandchildren.  We will all miss her terribly.

On Saturday 17th January our dear little Lionhead rabbit, Twinkle, passed away.  She was 3 1/2.

This picture makes her look like a Guinea Pig !  she really was the sweetest little thing.  Having lost our precious Lavendar back in September, we are now down to 8 bunnies.

Oooooooooh.......I am loving this cartridge

I am having way too much fun with my Wild Card cartridge !!  although to be honest, I should so that I'm loving the doily card !!  I hadn't really played with the cartridge very much...until my Sunday craft club.  One of my friends, Jackie, made an adorable card using this cut and I thought I would join her.  Whilst Jackie had the spine of her card on the side, I made mine with it at the top.  A cute little Hello Kitty on top...and hey presto! this was the end result

 

If only it had stopped there......next came the Indie Art butterflies, followed by the Christmas Solutions teddies!!

   

   

I really should stop playing and do some work around the store....but I'm having too much fun !!

Happy New Year !

Wow !!  and what a cold one !!  After two weeks off, Mike and the children have finally gone back to work and school (hooray!!) and I have gone back to happily using my new Christmas presents.  Santa was very good to me this year....bringing me all four of the new licensed Cricut cartridges.  Sesame Street and Friends, Sesame Street Font, Hello Kitty Greetings and Hello Kitty font.

However, Mike has told me that I have to start selling off some of my (rather large) collection of cards if I am to have any more cartridges before my birthday in the summer.

So here are a few of them !!  If you are interested in purchasing any of them, please email me at crosspatchcrafts@aol.com.  I can accept payment by PayPal.

  Kitty Balloons £2.25

Little Miracle £1.99

  2-4-6-8  £2.25

Cherries £1.99

Matchbook style notebooks £1.99 each

All of the cards in my gallery are available to purchase, so please feel free to browse through and let me know, should you wish to order

2008....A YEAR IN REVIEW

WOW !!! I don't know about you...but it only seems like yesterday that we started the year and here we are facing 2009.

Although it seems to have been a short year....we have certainly not wasted our time,

JANUARY - a retail craft show in Exeter...not the greatest !! and Catherine turned 14.

FEBRUARY - trade show in Birmingham and the launch of the Winnie the Pooh and Friends Cricut cartridges.

MARCH - I had the first of two operations on my hands for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.

APRIL - 14th saw the store celebrating it's 7th birthday.

MAY - second operation on my hands and a trip to Disneyland Paris with the children

JUNE -We got our cute (and naughty) kitten, Bobbi-Sox, went to see Neil Diamond in concert, and my dear friend, Cristin, arrived from New Jersey to stay with us for a week.  we had a fabuluos time and were both sad to see the week end.  I turned 35....aaargh !!! and Andrew turned 12.

JULY - Mike and I spent a few days in the South of France visiting his brother, Royston and his wife Louise.  As we flew home (on our wedding anniversary) we saw the Grand Pier on fire....shock was oon replaced with sadness as realisation dawned that we would never see the beautiful building again.

AUGUST - We are all still waiting for the sun to shine !!!  someone forgot to tell Mother Nature that it was summer !!  Mike turned 51.

SEPTEMBER - Children went back to school and we are STILL WAITING for the sun to shine !!

OCTOBER - Our long awaited trip to America.  Philadelphia, Atlantic City, Washington DC and New York....and I got a chance to go and stay with Cristin and her family and have dinner and then breakfast with our dear friends, Ted and Jaime.

NOVEMBER - The United Kingdom is definately in a recession as (it seems) is most of the Westernised world.  Banks are closing and 100 year old businesses are ending....a worrying time for us all.

DECEMBER - and now here we are in December. What will the New Year bring we wonder?

I hope that you all have a Happy and Healthy New Year !!!  Chat to you in 2009 xxx