I know it's been a while, but you know having a full time job (which does involve doing some blogging) and trying to manage Crafty Storage blog, it leaves me with not much blogging energies. From now on I will be posting a project a week over at the Sizzix Uk blog - here - on Mondays afternoon.

So pop over there for some die cutting inspiration and tutorials.

In the meantime I will leave you with a card I did a while ago for Crafts Beautiful.

Happy Canada Day!

So it happens that today is Canada day, so to my brother and sister in law, pictured above, and to every canadian out there -yes, Omar that include you- Happy Canada Day! 

Don't forget to watch the Sizzix show with Fiona today at 2pm and 8pm on QVC.

Sizzix on QVC

As I mentioned last week, I have been busy preparing samples for the next Sizzix hours on QVC which happen to be tomorrow, Friday the 1st of July.

This is a box that I recycled, it was a present that I got, a posh leather purse that came with the lovely wooden box. I painted it using DecoArt Americana acrylic paint -I think I used Antique Green and Burgundy Wine.

The Sizzix kit includes my favorites types of dies, Movers and Shapers and their magnetic dies. That is the Ornamental and the Mini Butterflies Magnetic dies - QVC kit 590788 Butterfly option.

My boss Fiona Williams is going to be doing the QVC shows, so tune in at 2pm and 8pm. You can watch online too here.

Vintage Cabinet lantern

When I saw this die - Vintage Cabinet card, from the Alterations Tim Holtz range - for the first time I knew it was going to be one of my go-to dies. It is a nice size as a blank card and because it is a Movers and Shapers die is even more versatile.
The idea of making a lantern out of it came to me when I was making a card. It occur to me that with a bit of scoring, folding and gluing a 3d box could be made.
For the step by step instructions, visit the Sizzix blog.

Getting used to full time

The last two weeks have been a combination of fun exhausting hard work and very little sleep. Today is my first proper day off in fifteen days and while I know I am lucky that I get proper days off, oh boy, my tired self certainly needs them.

Let's see how it has been for me. The Craft Barn demo weekend was great, my first visit to Sizzix/Ellison Europe in North Wales)was brilliant but tiring - a lot to take in - and last weekend I had to do 100 wedding invitations, which I could not finish till Wednesday because they took three times as long as I planned - having to print them one by one did not help!

Then last Monday and Tuesday I was down in Dorset demonstrating at the Docrafts open house. Seriously, it's a brilliant event for retailers to get to see the new products from them. I loved meeting new people and old acquaintances such as Becks Fagg and steph from kuretake.

Wednesday I was back at home working from my studio making some home decor projects for upcoming Qvc shows. In the evening, I finally finished off the invites at 23:50!

Thursday and Friday were rather calmer except for the fact that as soon as I over do it (ie work non stop for the last few weeks) my never fully out wisdom teeth start bring painful. I am really used to it by now (I have had six years of practice) so it doesn't really affect my design work but it does my overall mood. My colleagues are lucky that I am not in the office every day!

So today I am taking it easy. Except for checking email, try to sort out a few bits and bobs and really feeling extremely happy that I have a full time job that I like so much so that I have to tell myself stop working on the projects because it is a Saturday!

A sneak peek

Of some of my projects done so far for Sizzix. This one is for Sew.

A few changes

So now that the Sizzix newsletter is out I can share with you all that from Monday I will be one of their full time Creative Designers alongside Pete Hughes and Stacey Rogers. Which means that I wont be anymore a freelance which scares me but excites me too. It will bring me quite a few changes!

By the way, tomorrow Saturday and Sunday too, I will be one of many demonstrators sharing die cutting projects and top tips at The Craft Barn. It is their fabulous "Best of British" Extravaganza Weekend, something not to be missed.

The reason why I make cards

Last Saturday was my father 60th birthday and to celebrate such special day my parents, sister and husband and Omar and I flew to Madrid to do a road trip around Castilla.

My mother asked me to make a special card for him in which we could all write on it our wished for my dad. I tried my best to make something special that he would like, so I chose a japanese theme that I know he would appreciate. I made a multi card which is basically a card with multiple pages so different family members can write their individual wishes.

I will be honest, I don't make that many special cards. It is my job to make them to inspire fellow crafters, and besides, in Spain there is not much tradition of sending cards. But every time that I make one to send I do make it special. Why? Because of the joy that a simple card causes is more than words can express as this photo shows. It is not so much about the particular card, it is about the thought that you have put in the making of the card.

The thing is that my father is probably the reason why I craft. He is a fantastic artist that has  provided for the whole family through his art. I am incredibly proud of him and of his art. And I suppose I did inherit some of his creativity even though I certainly did not inherit any of his drawing and painting talents. It was through his left over art papers that I started making cards, so he is the main reason why I am a professional crafter.

Whitewash

I still love the subtle effect that this card offers with embossing folders.
Soon it's my father's 60th birthday so we are arranging a family road trip in Spain, so i thought the message was also nice as it is something that is very fitting for parents.

Anyway, a lot to do these days.

So, one of my UK crafty friends, Kirsty Wiseman, is organizing this amazing crafty raffle to save the life of a dog that belongs to another crafty friend of ours. Huge crafty Raffle - Saving DaisyThis is a raffle so huge, that by the time I have collated all the prizes, you need never buy a single craft item ever again, well....barely! Tell your friends, tell your family, raid the kids money box.......please, please find it in your hearts (and paypalaccounts) to help raise money for Daisy Dog.As a animal lover myself, I ask you to please go to Kirsty's blog and make a donation so that you can save a dog's life and maybe win some craft goodies!

So, one of my UK crafty friends, Kirsty Wiseman, is organizing this amazing crafty raffle to save the life of a dog that belongs to another crafty friend of ours. 

Huge crafty Raffle - Saving DaisyThis is a raffle so huge, that by the time I have collated all the prizes, you need never buy a single craft item ever again, well....barely! Tell your friends, tell your family, raid the kids money box.......please, please find it in your hearts (and paypalaccounts) to help raise money for Daisy Dog.

As a animal lover myself, I ask you to please go to Kirsty's blog and make a donation so that you can save a dog's life and maybe win some craft goodies!