Something Different but Special

Hello everyone.

Today I am here to share with you something different because it was created on a medium I don’t usually work with. But special because I was creating it for a very special friend of mine.

This is Carole and she is a wonderful and talented artist who has decided to break out and sell her items and also do paint and sip classes. Carole mentioned that she would be needing an apron for her classes and I was prompted by God to make her a special one just for her. I wasn’t sure what to put onto her apron; several ideas came and went but then I was asked by Carole to follow her art Facebook page called – Be Bold and Create. Then I knew, these were the words to use because they would suit all of her creative pursuits.

Now I don’t usually work on fabric but I do work on canvases so I was brave and went ahead with my creation. To make the lettering so that the words were bold and I didn’t have to cut them out by hand. I used my Cricut machine to cut some letters out of vinyl then I placed them onto the apron and rubbed over them really thoroughly to make sure they wouldn’t move. During some of my craft space cleaning, I found some fabric markers and this is what I used to make the colourful background. All I knew was that I should make it bright and colourful because that is Carole’s personality so I just kept on adding colour until all the letters were surrounded. I carefully peeled each of the letters off and then following the directions on the marker packet I heat set the design with my iron.

Carole was really touched by this handmade gift and the reasons behind it all. I wanted her to have something with her as she bravely goes forward with this new chapter in her life. As I believe this new adventure of hers is going to lead her to many new places and she will be able to connect with many new people while sharing her incredible talent.

Thanks for stopping in and looking at this different post of mine. But I wanted to share this project (after I got Carole’s permission) as it is definitely something different for me.

Until my next post,
Be Kind to Yourself and Others.

Laughter Imagination Dreams

Hello Everyone. The project that I have to share with you today is a little bit different. I love making cards and I love using sketches but I have started getting into art journaling and mixed media. So when a challenge came up from Just Add Ink I checked if they accept off the page creations – and they do 🙂

This is a close up of my final piece. Because the influences for this piece also came from a card sketch that I had been creating as a design team member of the Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge.

So which elements did I chose from the Just Ink Challenge – well you could say I chose all 3. But I would mainly say flower and paper. The flowers are made out of an old book which I stamped the flower image onto and then cut out with my small scissors. The leaves I drew freehand in pencil before cutting them out.

I roughly figured out where I was going to place the flowers and painted some black flower outlines with black acrylic paint and then I edged each with a white acrylic pen. I glued all of the elements down with Mod Podge and once this was dry I drew around each of the flowers and leaves with coloured acrylic paint pens.

Looking at this now I think that I would put a wash over the area where the quote is just to help it to stand out more. I don’t like my handwriting but I am getting braver in using it instead of just using my computer and printer to do quotes for projects.

Thanks for stopping in and looking at my off the page project. If you have any tips on how I can improve my writing on these kinds of projects I would love to hear them.

Until my next post,
Be Kind to Yourself and Others.
Tracy B.

CHALLENGE LINK:
Just Add Ink Choose 2 Challenge – which I am entering
Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge #467 – which you can enter

3 Questions for Decluttering

Hello everyone, this isn’t my usual post. But I thought that I would share the questions that I think will help me to declutter my current crafting space.

This is my current space. Some of this has changed since this photo was taken and my space is also on the move again later in the year. So before this happens I have decided that I will try and do a declutter but sometimes I get stuck on certain items. But I have come across 3 questions that I think will help me on my decluttering journey and they are

 

1: Is there something else I could use in place of this item?

**For eg: If I got rid of most of my ribbon collection is there something I could use in place of it on a card project? Well yes – I could use Washi Tape or a strip of pattern paper.

2: What is the worst thing that would happen if I got rid of this item?

**If I got rid of my extra pairs of scissors what could happen. Well, I could misplace the ones I have or they could stop working somehow. But I don’t live that far from a craft store so I could replace if necessary.

3: Why? Why am I keeping a hold of this? What is preventing me from throwing this out?
** Is there some memory attached to the item? If you can’t deal with an item at the moment – get a box and store it in there where you can’t see it and then look at it again in 6mths. Maybe then you can deal with the letting go.

 

Hopefully, these questions will help me to conquer my space. I will also be going into the other storage spaces that I have and looking at the stuff there as well. I am going to use this time where life is being forced to slow down to get my most used space in my house – my craft space – into somewhere that I want to spend more time.

Thanks for stopping by and looking at my post on decluttering. If you have any tips that you have used to conquer your clutter please leave a comment below. Before you depart my blog I would love to leave you with this last thought for this post.

Until next time,
😉 Tracy

Bookmark for You

Hello everyone, challenge 3 for the Birthday bash over at Bugaboo.

I wasn’t quite sure what to make for this challenge but I loved the Molly Moo’s garden image from the previous challenge that I decided that I would make something with this to add to the card in the previous post.

A lot of my friends are readers so I decided to make a bookmark with this saying and another image from Bugaboo; this time I used Book Stack. These images were coloured this time with my Copic markers. I will laminate this before I give it but I know that trying to photograph through laminate is a nightmare 🙂

Thanks for stopping in and looking at my project. Before you depart I would like to leave you with the last thought for this post.

That could take a while!

Until my next post,
Get lost in the pages of a book.
🙂 Tracy

Tag Your It

Hello everyone, something a little different to share with you today. A tag instead of a card.

Why a tag and not a card like usual? Because of Day 3 of the Holiday Critter Chaos.

I love how this turned out. It was made so much easier with this cute penguin trio image. They are so adorable and I coloured them in my with my Copic markers and used some blue distress ink around them just to help not have such a stark tag.

Thanks for stopping in and looking at my non-card project. I am glad that you stopped by my blog today; before you depart I would love to leave you with this last thought for this post.

Until my next post,
Enjoy a cup of Tea and remember me!
❤ Tracy

Where Have I Been??

Hello Everyone.

You may have noticed that I haven’t been on lately. This has been due to two things.
1. Ill health 😒

and I decided to do the craziest thing
2. Change of my Craft Space!!

The ill health has been a lot of my family including myself. This took me out because I have been looking after others – doctor appointments, return appointments and such plus stuff (that I thought was worked out) going on with me as well.

But the 2nd reason was my craziest idea of them all – you see I had this space it was fine

It worked OK but the desk was too small for larger stamping projects and a few other things were annoying me as well. So I asked my hubs if he would help me build a new desk and figure out new storage and this is what I have ended up with

This photo just doesn’t do my new space justice!

My desk is wide enough that I have a dedicated area for photos and my cutters are no longer taking up so much space that I can not move any more. I am not 100% back in but enough that I can do some Design Team work!

I cut that very close and nearly didn’t make it because I couldn’t get a good photograph for my Design Team work that was due … TODAY!! But I pushed ahead and got to a point where I could set up my new photo area and got a good photo! Then worked at getting my post up and ready for tomorrow afternoon 🙌🙌🙌 Don’t like cutting things so close.

And of course a last thought before you leave

I am looking forward to crafting in my new space. It will be interesting to see how my next larger project goes.

Until Next Time,
Tracy B

Cutting Pad Revival

Hello Everyone,
Today I am sharing with you a tip on how to flatten your cutting pads for your Cuttlebug or Sizzix Machines.  Here in Australia trying to get a hold of crafting supplies can be a drawn out affair.  So I had to find a solution because I wanted to try out my Quilt Die
but my Cuttlebug pads have been progressively been getting more warped after many card making adventures. Where do most of us turn when we need information …. yes the internet. I looked at blog posts and YouTube but most of them talked about ‘cooking’ their plates.  I didn’t like the idea of doing that but then I ran across this YouTube video from Lindsay the Frugal Crafter where she bent her plates using just hot water and her hand strength.

I really liked this idea but my hand strength these days is almost next to nothing so I needed to find a solution that would suit me.  I first cleaned both sides of the plate with dish soap and a scourer to remove the embedded paper. And I came up with this for the rest of the flattening process.

I put my Cuttlebug B plate in the bottom of this glass baking dish and poured boiling water over it. I waited 2 minutes for the plate to warm up and then put the bottom of my mortar and pestle on top.  I left it like this for 15mins but you could leave it until the water cooled. And my plate was nice and flat but I didn’t use it until it was completely cooled. And it worked perfectly and I was able to make this card
I needed my plates to be working well with all the cutting for this card. But I love how it turned out I will definitely be using this die again. And want to look into more of the cover up dies.

Thanks for stopping by and looking at my post I hope that you may have found some useful information here. And as usual I want to leave you with this final thought:

This picture says it all and more.

Have a Happy Crafty Zebra Kind of Day,
❤ Tracy

 

Progress but It’s Slow

Hello Everyone,
Just checking in with everyone … I am both on school winter holidays at the moment. It’s been colder this year and my body isn’t liking it much so sitting at my computer or my craft table hurt.  The progress of my shift around is going a lot slower than anticipated because of the cold but there has been progress.

The photo on the left is what my space looked like before I started sorting through.  The photo on the right is what it looks like now after I put in 1 1/2hrs in the space. There is still stuff in front of the shelving unit but it is more sorted and I have gotten rid of quite a lot from there. I decided to take photos of my journey and blog about it because I was doubting that I was making progress.  Seeing these photos though I now know I am making a move towards a more pleasant space to be in.

This is a photo of my craft desk in it’s new space.  I can craft at it but I while I am sitting there I know the mess that is sitting behind my desk and in the rest of the space.  Sometimes I feel guilty sitting there while the mess is still around me.  So I am not spending much time here …. 😦 Does anyone else feel like this? Wanting to craft but knowing that you should be doing something else so the enjoyment goes away from the time spent there!

I just have to remind myself that I am further along today than I was yesterday. Which comes to my farewell to you …. Thank You for stopping by to read this post and I hope that you are having a fabulous day. And so for my final thought for the day:

This is true in any walk of life. Always move forward. A little progress is better than none. I need to remember this as I continue with the shifting in my craft spaces.

Have a Happy Progressive Crafty Kind of Day,

❤ Tracy

Hit And Miss

Hello Everyone,
Just letting you know that I will be a little Hit and Miss with my uploading. As you may have noticed I haven’t posted anything for a couple of days. Well there has been two main reasons behind all of this ….

1. I am in the process of moving my craft area around….
   
   This is where my crafting happens at the moment. It is in the corner of our living room and I am feeling quite cramped here. I haven’t been able to get the storage right to stay in this area so I need to move. I actually find myself doing stuff out of this space so I am going to move into part of our garage.
   This is a photo of the area that I am going to be moving into. I have been here before but a lot of changes have happened to make this place a much nicer area to work in.

   So I will be without my usual space, as you can see from the photos a lot of packing and unpacking is ahead of me.  (((Let you in on a secret … I am not looking forward to that aspect of this GRAND idea of mine))) So since I have a few other things going on during this total move I am going to put together a box of minimal supplies so that I can continue to participate in my favourite online challenges … at least that is the plan.

2. My Hubbys Birthday was Today actually ….
   
   

   

   We had a wonderful lunch with family yesterday. Today after we went to church in the morning we went for lunch at a favourite place, Wellington Point Queensland, and my darling Husband got to have some time doing a favourite activity – Photography.  This is just a hobby but he is getting better with his photos and he finds it very relaxing.

So life is continuing on … My walk with God is becoming stronger, I am still battling health issues – but they are not my biggest task to deal with at the moment. I am taking life at a lot slower pace now and I am enjoying things a whole lot more.

Thanks for stopping by and reading a everyday blog post instead of my usual crafty post. I will be back soon with another crafty post … I plan on putting up more than just my cards because my other crafts give me as much joy as my card making does so I want to share those finished projects with you as well. And as always before you go I want to leave you with this thought:
Each of us are a unique creation created by a true Master of His craft.
No one is a mistake! Remember this ….

Have a Happy Unique Crafty Kind of Day,

Toe Update and What I’ve Done

Hello Everyone,
Well my imposed time away from my blogging and card making has been so much longer than any of us thought it would be. I went to the fracture clinic in February and was told that my toes were not set properly and that I would have to have surgery to fix it.  Well that happened nearly 6 weeks ago now and it didn’t work.  So I have been released from the horrid Moon Boot and am now learning how to walk again.  Don’t get me started on the Physio side of things!! But it’s not going to be a short road back.

BUT I am slowly getting back into things but I am getting into more of my usual activities.  The biggest achievement has actually been being able to drive again!!!  My Wonderful Hubby has been doing all of the driving since I broke my toes – which has included getting our Son to and from school each day.

Some lessons that I have learned over this time of forced rest

• not to be afraid to ask for help from others. I have had to ask for various things but I still find this hard even now.  I was bought up as a very independent person, this can be both a strength and a flaw.
• being more thankful for the little things – this actually comes from the above lesson – being able to have a shower by yourself, being able to walk long distances without having to rely on a wheelchair, being able to drive and go where I wanted to go without having to have someone take you
• that I am more thankful for being able to do some craft – this was my sanity saver – I have been crocheting and colouring so much.
• Don’t take anything that you enjoy for granted – you never know what could change it!!

I have also had quite a bit of alone time which I have spent reading my bible and journaling.  Oh I would have been so lost without the use of my hands and eyes.  My walk with God has deepened but also my story has been influencing others – who would have thought!! I have been surprised by the people who have told me that this journey of mine and how I have been dealing with everything has influenced them and their journey.  The journey with my foot has only been a small part of my health and life journey – this part of my journey started in August 2016! Some big stuff and some little stuff – a couple of illnesses, a couple of surgeries, death of a parent, changes in schools for DS and 2 broken toes. There is more ahead of me before I get to the end of this journey/season.  I believe that this time will end because God has promised that we will walk through seasons of life and never be in this season for ever.

Ecclesiastes 3:1 it says
To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven

Just as we have Summer, Autumn/Fall, Winter and Spring.  So my time will come to walk out of this season.  I never thought that I would write this but I am glad that I have had to walk this path. My walk with God is stronger and I feel stronger for what may be ahead of me.

And here is a photo of 1 of the projects that I have completed so far

I made this as a Random Act of Kindness project.  I didn’t know who this was going to go to when I began this scarf I just loved the yarn and I chose to make it just using just Double Crochet stitch.  When I started it I was praying while I crocheted the stitches and then as I came close to finishing the piece I was guided to whom it was to be given too.

I gave it to the lady that it was intended to be given too and she was quite touched by it.  She told me that she had been having quite a hard time with things happening in her world. Then to have someone make something “Just Because” they could was quite wonderful and helped her think that yes she could get through what was happening in her world.

Thanks for stopping by.  I truly hope to be on here more often now sharing all different kinds of crafts with you not just card making.  And as always I have to leave you with a thought for the day:

My Super Hero – Jesus, the Son of my God.

I will definitely not be trying to do this life without Jesus beside me.  I am human and I will not always be perfect about this but I know how to come back to where I should be.

Have a Happy, Crafty, Thoughtful Kind of Day