A Little Something Just For Me!

Having made lots of cards lately, I decided to take a bit of a break and make something else! It's very unusual for me to make an "Off the Page" project, but sometimes it can be really good to step a little outside your comfort zone!

I had recently purchased some stunning Kaiserkraft papers from Bee Crafty, so I chose a selection of papers from the Gypsy Sisters collection and came up with the idea of making a mini folding photo album/calendar - just for me!
               

First of all I cut 6 pieces of card measuring 9cm by 13cm. I then inked around the edges of the card using a Plum coloured Promarker. I made 8 hinges from card and glued them onto the relevant sections.

I then cut 12 pieces of patterned paper measuring 9cm by 13cm and distressed the edges with "Faded Jeans" Distress ink.The papers were then glued in place onto each section of the album.

I made some pockets and tags out of the paper off-cuts and decorated them with co-ordinating ribbons, pins, adhesive gems and lace. These were then glued to the various sections of the mini album. I added a few photo's of my lovely mum (sadly no longer with us) to the remaining sections and also added a 2012 calendar.

                         

                          

This album was so simple to make and is going to take pride of place on my craft desk from now on.
 

If you haven't tried Kaisercraft papers before, please believe me when I say the papers are simply stunning. The quality is excellent and the patterns and colour palettes they use are beautiful.

Bee Crafty has lots of the new papers by  Kaisercraft in stock at the moment (both on line and in the shop) I am definitely going to buy some more from them next week - whilst they are still available!

Till next time - happy crafting!

Free Digi Stamp from Bee Crafty

Have you downloaded your lovely FREE Bubble Christmas Tree digi stamp from Bee Crafty yet? I downloaded mine yesterday and have made three Christmas cards with it already.

The first one was made by using up some of my non-adhesive clear gems. I simply glued the gems onto the image and then matted and layered it onto some silver mirror card and co-ordinating card stock from my stash.

On the second card I coloured in the gaps between the bubbles with a Promarker in Holly. Then I used a selection of adhesive gems, coloured pearls, cabochons and brads to once again to fill in the various bubbles. I then cut the image out and matted it onto some gold mirror card and green card stock. The photo doesn't do this card justice ... it's really lovely (if I say so myself! lol)

For the third card I wanted to keep things really simple, so I just coloured in the bubbles with my Promarkers. I then added a little Stickles glitter (in Stardust) around the edge of each bubble. Once again I carefully cut around the image and matted it onto a green card.

Make it fancy or keep it simple, this image is really versatile. If you have children who enjoy crafting, why not print off a few images for them to colour in and make their own Christmas cards.

Don't forget the digi image will only be there for one week - so use it or lose it! lol. Happy Crafting.

FREE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . Christmas Tree Digi

We have got a FREE Digi on our website.

http://www.beecrafty.net/

Available in both PNG and JPEG formats

The PNG is great if you want to print onto printed paper (as the background is clear) the JPEG is great if you want to colour, glitter, sticky gem your digi

Please show us what you make with it either by sending a picture to shop@beecrafty.net or upload it to the Bee Crafty facebook page

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Bee-Crafty/109016309116

Bev x

Just One Sheet of Decoupage ....

I have dipped into the world of non die-cut decoupage for the first time this week and have discovered I really like it!

Bee Crafty have a wide variety of beautiful non die-cut decoupage sheets, covering all manner of occasions. For my decoupage taster session I chose a "Good Luck" sheet (a bargain at only 25p!) which had three lovely images on it.

First of all I carefully cut out all of the images using a pair of small embroidery type scissors.(I took my time as I didn't want to lose a ladybird leg! Then I used 3d foam pads to layer the relevant pieces together. I would have preferred to use silicon glue but I had run out! (Note to self - pick some up next time I am in Bee Crafty - lol) Then I chose my card stock and backing paper from my paper stash and set about making the following three cards.

I made three extra ladybirds for this card - just a red card Candi drawn on with a black pen, with a few legs added once they were on the card!

For this one I mounted the brick tag shape onto some cream card stock and added a green satin bow and some card Candi. 

This one was just simply matted and layered onto some green card stock and some green gingham paper.

I was very impressed with both the quality of the decoupage paper and with the number of cards I could make from one 25p sheet of decoupage. I am off to make some more now! Till next time - happy crafting x

Wow ... what a fabulous Sunday

Hello Crafters,

Today began with a 5.00am alarm call, so I dragged myself out of my warm and cosy bed and into the shower and slowly got myself ready. Outside, the sky was still as dark as it could be and the temperature was quite chilly.  I longed to go back to my cosy bed, but today was the day for a special adventure! So at 5.45am I left home and drove to meet up with Bev and David (Bev's hubby) at the Bee Crafty shop in Bidford upon Avon.

What were we up to you may well ask? Were we off to trek into the deepest darkest jungles of Africa to look for lions or tigers or elephants? No. Were we off to race F1 cars at Brands Hatch? No. We were off to man the Bee Crafty stand at the Excalibur Craft Fair at the Braunstone Leisure Centre in Leicester! Yaaaay!!

We arrived in really good time (only took 45mins to get there) and began to set up the stand. It didn't take long as Bee Crafty are very well organised when it come to preparing for craft fairs. Then at 10.00am the doors were opened and in came the general public! This was the first time Excalibur Craft Fairs had organised an event in Leicester, so both the public and the exhibitors were a little nervous to see how the day went.

Neither party had anything to worry about! The venue was extremely well lit, nicely decorated and very clean. There was plenty of space between each of the stands, which meant people could move about freely and were able watch the many demonstrations taking place with ease. (There were also plenty of chairs available, which went down well with those who were a little less able  than others.)

David expertly manned the till with his usual beaming smile and proved himself to be very popular with certain more mature lady crafters! I donned my trusty "Bee" headgear, Bee Crafty apron and ribbon rosette and enthusiastically welcomed all who visited the Bee Crafty stand. It was lovely to be able to spend time chatting to so many happy and genuinely friendly crafters.

Bev did an amazing job demonstrating the "WOW" range of embossing powders to a steady stream of interested crafters. They watched eagerly as they were shown how they could emboss using an embossing stamp pad, and embossing pen or even double sided tape. One of the real hits was the creation of glittery embossed paper using Wow's "Sparkling Snow|", which was then used with a paper punch to make snowflakes ... it was so popular that it was the first colour to sell out!

Bev also demonstrated how you could emboss other items, such as chipboard shapes, buttons, brads and Card Candi. She also showed how you could use just a touch of embossing powder to highlight or accent part of a stamped image. The stamped images Bev used were from the new Christmas range from Molly Blooms. These new Molly Bloom stamps were also promoted on the stand via the beautiful card samples that Julie-Ann had made over the past few days.

Another range of products that proved popular today were the "Shabby Vintage" collection of papers and die-cuts from Craftwork Cards. Again promoted by the stunning card samples made by Sam yesterday. I can't wait to get my set of papers out and have a play with them, they really are gorgeous.

One final range that stood out today, was Kaisercraft - the new December 25th paper collection and the Magic Happens paper collection received ooooow's and aaaaah's all day long. Regulars to Bee Crafty are looking forward to the 2hr Christmas card making class on the 12th November, in which a couple of the Dec 25th papers will be used to make two beautiful cards. (Anyone who is interested in this class should book a place as soon as possible, as places are limited - details can be found on the Bee Crafty website).

We all had a really enjoyable day in Leicester and would not hesitate in going back again in the future. Off now to have a long relaxing soak and a glass (or two!) of wine. Till next time  - Dx

Brrrrrrrrrrrrr

......it's cold out there!!!

HOWEVER!!! what a gorgeous day despite the slightly cool temperatures!  This is my favourite weather - sunshine but cool - perfect.

Anyhow, how are we all? well I trust?  So I decided that it was nice enough outside to stay in and have a little crafty session with myself and my new Shabby Vintage paper....I've only had the Teal and Petrol for now however I do envisage the Walnut and Rose making a swift entry to my craft room over the next few days!  Shabby Vintage is the new collection from Craftwork Cards and for me it's just different to the others they have done.  Largely because you can "rough it up" a bit but on the flip side it can be pretty and beautiful too. 

So here goes

Pretty.......

 Roughed up a bit.....

And pretty again

So there we are another great range from Craftwork Cards available at Bee Crafty.

Another thing, being as I'm here, the shop still opens on the 1st Sunday of the month so 2 weeks on Sunday, 6th November, the shop will be open 11-4pm.  This is also our Crop Sunday and I believe there maybe some spaces left so if you want to book then get in touch.

Have a yummy weekend everyone!

Take Care

Sam xxx

68 sleeps until...........

........you guessed it CHRISTMAS!!!!

So I have been consciously making my Christmas Cards for 2011, and it's not going to be long before they are heading off in the post! 

This year I have decided that I am going to make all of my Christmas cards different, no 2 the same - I'm not sure if this makes me slightly mad or just silly but hey ho lets give it a whirl, whats the worst that can happen! (maybe that's not a question I should ponder??)

Now there was the decision of which papers to use so I decided to start (at least) with my Christmas Warren Collection from Craftwork cards. Some of them are inspired ideas and some are all my own but anyway here are some of the results...

So all of these cards were created with the papers and die cuts available within the range and loads of Stickles!!!! I have found a new love for it!  lots of sparkle on Christmas cards is the new thing for me and I love it!

All of our card blanks can be found by clicking here

And anything else you would like to know please don't hesitate getting in touch!

Hope you like them as much as I loved doing them

Take Care

Sam xxx

A Spooky Kind of Blog!

Hello Crafters, how are you all ... are you looking forward to a nice weekend? I can't believe we are only two weeks away from the end of October and Halloween! With Halloween Parties and Trick or Treating becoming more popular each year, I thought it might be nice to share a couple of ideas with you for some fun, simple, spooky projects that you could enjoy making with your little ones.

One idea is for a Trick or Treat decoration and the other is for a Trick or Treat Spooky Goodie bag. These are very simple projects and all you will need is as follows:

A Bee Crafty Halloween Die Cut Kit, (99p) which contains the following die cut/embossed items: 2 ghosts, 2 tombstones, 2 orange pumpkins and 2 green pumpkins.
Die-cut scalloped and plain circles in your chosen colours.
Card Candi
Small double-sided sticky foam pads
A length of narrow ribbon
Craft glue
Double sided tape
Scissors
Small clear cellophane bags
Selection of spooky sweets

Bee Crafty Halloween Kit

To make the Trick or Treat Decoration: Fold a small length of ribbon in half to make a loop and glue/tape to the top of a scalloped circle. Then glue/tape a plain circle on top.

Then decorate with your chosen spooky image

     Small bags of sweets can be attached to the back, if so desired

The Trick or Treat Goodie Bag is just as simple, fold a scalloped cirle in half and decorate with your chosen spooky image and some card candi. Then glue the folded circle to both sides of a cellophane bag filled with spooky treats.

All the items used to make these items are available from Bee Crafty, so why not have a bit of spooky fun with your little ones this weekend!

Happy Crafting
Debz

Bee Crafty’s 10th Birthday Celebrations

Hi - it’s Debz here, with my first guest blog for my wonderful friends at Bee Crafty and what a lot of crafty news I have to tell you. So much has happened at Bee Crafty over the past week, it’s hard to know where to start!

The Bee Crafty 10^th Birthday Week Celebrations began with a re-jig of the shop and what a difference the move around has made. The new shop layout has meant that the crafting tables and chairs that were upstairs on the mezzanine have been able to be relocated down stairs. So all you lovely crafters, who found the stairs a little tricky, will find it much easier to attend the many classes, crops and demonstrations that Bee Crafty  regularly arrange.

The week was also a big one for Macmillan, who held the World‘s Biggest Coffee Morning on Friday 30th September 2011 . Bee Crafty whole heartedly supported MacMillan by holding a Coffee Morning in the shop. Sam provided a bounteous supply of delicious homemade cakes (of which I had to try at least one of each flavor!) and coffee was generously donated by the Shakespeare Coffee Company. A big thank-you on behalf of Bee Crafty, to everyone who came along and supported them, It really was appreciated. Thank-you also to Ollie Gallant of Touch Radio, who interviewed Bev and helped publicize the Bee Crafty event.

Coffee Morning and Make & Take



Bev being interviewed by Ollie Gallant from Touch Radio

The grand finale of the week was the Bee Crafty Demonstration Day on Saturday 1^st October 2011,  Those who know me, will know that I didn’t do “messy” crafting – I was happy to do a bit of stamping, maybe a bit of embossing and a bit of colouring in, but generally I was a cut and stick crafter. Well, this has all changed since attending the Bee Crafty demo day with Michelle Johnson from Stix 2 & Woodware. I simply can't get enough of "messy" crafting now!

Michelle came along armed with a glue gun, clear stamps, mica powders, foils, glitters, beads, Christmas crackers and the new Woodware Crafty Edger and WOW did she inspire me! So much so I think I bought one of almost everything she demonstrated!.  She made: centre’s for Gerbera’s out of glue, mica powders and foil, she also made glittered backing papers, foiled backing papers and beautifully decorated Christmas crackers. Michelle really knew her stuff and all of us that attended the demo day came away having learnt loads! 

Christmas Cracker Kits by Stix 2

Gerbera topper made with a glue gun & mica powder

Bee Crafty are planning to have Michelle Johnson back to do a class sometime before the end of the year and I for one can’t wait!, So all you keen crafter’s - keep your eye on the Bee Crafty web page and Facebook page for more information nearer the time,  as I know places will get booked very quickly!

Thank you to Julie-Ann for allowing me to guest on Bee Crafty’s blog … have a very happy and very crafty week everyone.  Till next time!

Debz x

INTRODUCING...............

Hello, as you will have noticed we are a bit pants at keeping the blog up to date. Well we have had a bit of good fortune and whilst we are all busy making things, creating things and generally trying to keep on top of things we have had a flash of genius..................

"get some help"

But who?

Well the person would need to be at least a friend, a crafter, have an insite into the workings of me, Bev and Sam as a family running the shop, be prepared for new ideas and products to turn up out of the blue and write about them, in fact generally be a bit bonkers to want to take it on. Who on earth would be daft.......sorry, I mean generous enough to do it........................

Ta Da .................................. Deborah Gill ~ Come on down..........

Yes as of today Debrorah, Debbie, Debz (I'm sure she will let us know what she prefers) will be our guest blogger and I hope you will support her as you have us.

Thank you Deborah and I believe, it's over to you.......................................

Worlds Biggest Coffee Morning.......

.....and a Demo Day the Day after!!!

So the poster says it really, come down on Friday the 30th from 10am until the cake is all gone......I plan to make plenty though!!!  Make and Takes with proceeds to Macmillan

Why be a part of it?

Macmillan Cancer Support helps improve the lives of people affected by cancer, both those living with cancer and also their families and carers.

Macmillan provide medical, emotional, practical and financial support and push for a better cancer care system. For anyone, at any time, for as long as you need them, they’re the team that gives you the strength and energy to face the fight and get through it.

WHAT WE'LL HAVE FOR YOU AT BEE CRAFTY

* Tea

*Coffee

*Cake

* £1 Make & Takes ALL PROFITS TO MACMILLAN

It will be on as long as the cake holds out so you can join us for half an hour or all day it's up to you. x

Oh and what a treat ...... Look at whats going on this Saturday!!!!

 



So there you have it, short and sweet but most definately to the point!

See you there guys

Sam xxx

Crop Day......

.........Sunday!!!

Evening guys, how are we all???

Well as normal it's been the first Sunday of the month so the shop has been buzzing all day, we had a a very full crop today with lots of chatting, and crafting and tea drinking going on.....just an average crafters day then really??? 

We have started to intake quite a bit of Christmas stock which some of you (did you go to the show at the Motorcycle Museum?) might have already seen.  The new Warren Christmas Collection from Craftwork Cards, Decoupage, Cd's and more....all sure to be making it's way to the website very soon!!!

Have you seen the Classes and Crops Schedule lately?

you can book any of these by clicking here

Well that's quite enough for one day.  Hoping you've all had a lovely weekend

Take Care

Sam xxx

Do you remember.....................

................me? 

Just kidding!!!

How are you all - it's been ages - too long in fact!

So then do you remember the days when milk was available in cardboard cartons???  I do and when I first saw that crafty versions were around I was so excited about them.

I set about my scrap paper drawer (do you all have one of those and the stack never seems to go down?) and had a mess about and now I honestly can't stop making them - so much so that the teachers at school got them for thank you presents this year.....

I absolutely love making them and they are so cute - but they are versatile and can be embellished for many a situation.......I am a bit addicted so can't promise not to upload pictures of more!

On that note - we have a workshop running on Saturday 13th August where you will learn how to do so - and like me hopefully will love them too.  The workshop details will soon be added to the website and you will be able, as always, to book online or over the phone.  If you can't wait for this then do give us a call to book 01789 778074.

With that I'll leave you to have a little look and like I say there's a good chance I'll put some more pictures on over the next couple of days - just to show you how different they can be.

Take Care

Sam xxx