Christmas Creations and Baking too

I am a bit of an obsessed one with baking cupcakes and literally, any other type of cakes right now! Here are a couple of things I baked last Friday while my work was Automated on the lappy!. I had made some Smartie and Chocolate Button Cupcakes plus a yummy scrummy Coffe Cake, never made before! All were very tasty and all gone except one lonely choc button cupcake! That's been kept for my DS Josh!

Next, are some of my most recent handcrafted creaions for Christmas; ATC (for a swap over on CB Forum), Wallhanging and a tag wallhanging also! These have beenm made using craft materials given to me by some members on CB Forum who have been good friends! Enjoyed making each one and have many more craft makes to share with you all out there in the land of crafting!

I am now off to hope into my bed with my January copy of Crafts beautiful and see what is in store for the new year 2010!

xx

Baking and Crafting

Over the last few.....well! Okay, Many months I have ben really getting into baking and I try and bake something each week on a Friday, when i can! These are some wonderful Butterfly Cupcakes that my DD Ava and I made last Thursday morning, a day we had beautiful sunshine might I just add in. hese were more like muffin butterflies as I used these re-cycled cases and tasted like muffins too. We iced the cupcake/muffins with pink icing and finished with wings on top. These were very tasty indeed and now in m baking box are some yummy scrummy cupcakes with 100s & 1000s on top!

Created here are a couple of ATCs made for the Purple Passion ATC swap for November, over on the CB Forum (Crafts Beautiful)! I used the adoreable images by Sandra Kuck, whom I can not get enough of her designs as they are overwhelmingly pretty and beautiful to work with too. Aded on buttons, beads, flowers, ribbons and used LLB paper for the background! Loved making these! And hope the received Swappers like them!

iartsupplies

Please pay us a visit at www.iartsupplies.co.uk for all your art and craft supplies! We focus on art materilas but, we sell Ecoline (watercolour ink), Glass Paint, Relief Paint and Rembrandt and Van Gogh Watercolour Paints too which are all extremely good to us for all your craft projects. I am forever using my Rembrandt WC paints due to thier richness of vibrancy and true colour and, just for the pleasure of working with also! The quality of all these is nothing compared to that of any other kind around in this day! So, do come along and visit and check out these popular art and craft products! Any questions please just leave a comment on this post and i'll get back to you as soon as I can. Thanks All.

Natalie xx

Bird Bookmark

I am hosting a Bookmark Swap this July over on the Cb Forum (Crafts Beautiful) and the theme for this months swap is "Birds"! Any type of Bird can used and, I used my favourite stamp, my Peacock (I got this beauty from Angel Crafts.biz). I stamped and embossed the image in gold embossing powder and used two patterned papers and some new organza ribbon, bought from Josy Rose. Curved the edges to finish off and soften and, embellished with a punched daisy flower and beads and sequins to add interest! Now, I just hope that the receiver of this LOVES it!

Vivid ATCs

Over on the Crafts Beautiful Forum there is a ATC Swap themed on Vivid Colours! I had not signed up for this in the beginning but, later on asked to join in and luckily, I was able to join in on the fun with this swap! I was delighted to be able to as this ATC swap was a challenge and a half for me - vivid colours are not my style at all so, this was particulary difficult to do! Spent aaaaaages looking through my stash finding that perfect Vivid paper to go with vivid materials and embelliushments! I just managed to get them sorted and made last night and these are what I came up with! Used some mouthwatering Papermania paper flowers, brigh pink beads, interesting ribbon, beads and sequins using stitching to put together! Hope you like them and enjoy looking at them!

Birthday Card

This is a birthday card that I made just a few nights ago for a dear friend, Barbara aka barbara19 over at CB forum! It's her birthday today actually, and thankfully she recieved this card I made yesterday, was worried she wouldn't get till tomorrow in al honesty! This is a Fairy Stak It decoupage which I have used on top of some Regency paper given to me by annother friend Irene aka Witchqueen over at Cb forum! Kept it very simple and used a flower bloom with ribbon rose then finished with stitching on beads and punched paper daisies and sequins and pearls and then glued on silver gems to frame the fairy!

40th Re-union card

Just a few days ago I received a phone call from my Step MIL putting in a card order for a Re-Union card of 40 years! She wnated it to have that American feel as she is American herself. I had a lot of difficulty coming up with something for this order but, kept to the Cherleader and Football American thing as felt it was just perfect for cheering o 40 years of a Re-Union! She wanted it to have 40 somewhere on the card and the use of maroon and white as was her school colours. I didn't have Mauroon so had to go with the closest thing to it! I used the Matting and layering techniques and stitched on seuins and beads and used ribbons and punched flowers too! Very difficult! Ever so challenging and most enjoyable to work to certain specifications! Hope you like it, any comments will be gratefully received.

I am very shy.....but, here goes.....

I am very shyyyyyy.....But, here I am....This is me! Natalie aka Sequin, a member & Moderator of Crafts Beautiful. Lovely to meet all you bloggers, welcome to my Blog. Hope it brings you joy, a pleasure to read and is inspirational to you too! Sit down have a cuppa & Enjoy.........................................................................

Butterfly Fancies

"Butterfly Fancies" was made based on using an image from the Counry Diar of an Edwardian Lady. I couldn't quite find the right paper to combine it with until the I realised that I had this delightfully gorgeous butterfly paper, geven to me by my dear friend Sarah Louise aka tiggertastci - over on Cracfts Beautfiul Forum. I thought it worked perfectly well once put together and all needed doing was some basic and few details! I stitched on some pearl beads, a few pink transparent buttons and a opaque pink button and then used 3 small tear drop pearl beads to mirror the butterfly wings. Sequins were used on top of some organza and satin ribbona nd then finished witha beaded green flower.

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Surprise ATC

What a wonderful suroprise this was when it popped through my door. This was a delightfull RAK from my dearest friend Katie aka Kittykat975 (over on Crafts Beautiful). I was in such awe as we have been chatting for weeks each day and, before we knew it we didn't chat sooo much but, thats ok because she has been very busy as Ihave been too. This ATC was a delight to receive as she wrote some lovely touching words to remind me she was thinking of me! I also received a love Fairy card too and have put both up in my craft space to admire! My friendship with Katie is very valuable to me and is a friend to treasure forever and ever! Love you hun and thanbks again for this beauty!

Sketchwith Alex Eaton C&P Magazine Issue 68

Challenging myself to following these Sketches found in the Cardmaking & Papercraft issues have been helping me a little with card ideas and using materials I ahve not yet used in my craft stash. This Sketch is from the current issue, issue 68! I ahve not yet come to follow the sketchbut will be doing so in the next week or two so, will post up my card make after having followed this sketch! Feel free to follow this if you have popped on over here and like to follow sketches. Very good for beginners to get the idea of making layouts for your cards and also very good for the advanced cardmaker too! AHve fun anayway!

Family Outing

Last weekend we took an afternoon out for a walk to the Brewster Bear place for a walk and get the kids out to run off some energy in the soft play area while we had a lovely peaceful, if you can call it that, drink! Josh then wanted to go outside to it's little park and just so pleased that we did as they enjoyed it soooo much more than th soft play inside. These are just some photos to share with you all as my wee angels are growing up ever so quick right now and their personalities are beauties even though they drive us up the wall too! There's nothing quite like a Big Brother & Little Sister enjoying paly time outside in apark and giving Mummy & Daddy so much joy and happiness to watch! This was such a precious time to me for you will see tht Avas' Big bro is helping her out cross the bridge to the slide, holding hands! he did this everytime so Josh did and it made me feel incredibly emotional to see him helping her each time! Showed me how much he loves her and wants to help her in his way! That holding hands bond is just pure and beautiful to see and made me smile hugely inside! Just how cute are they................................?

My Noisey but, Joyful Ava

My Two Angels: Josh & Ava xx

Fairy Series

I ahve been doing a series of Fairy Cards for a very special occassion and here is my very last card made for the series. All done with stitching using beads, sequins, punched out flower daisies, fairy images layered and sticky fixed on and ribbons too! here I have used my most ecent paper pad purchase of Amy Butler Lotus paper! Isn't this patterned paper just beautiful?? too scarey to use but, I felt it worked perfectly well with all I have used in this card! This last card of the series is no.20 and has an extra pizazz to it and will be very special to someone this I know! Hope you like it! Thanks for looking and hope you've enjoyed seeing my 20x card of this Fairy Series!

Card for Barbara19

I made this card especially for a good friend over on the Crafts Beautiful Forum and now she has received so, thought I would pop it on for all to see! There's nothing quite like making cards for others and making them feel ever so special to show how much you care and that you are always thinking of them,Well, this card went on a journey to Barbara Gamble aka barbara19 - CB forum! Enclosed with papers, ribbons and more! I am now delighted to hear that she received it safely even though found outside on their porch by her DH. It's now in it's home to be loved and treasured! used a Elegant Lady Stack It I bought a while ago and matched it with some beautiful rose paper I received from a good friend of mine on CB! Sue aka Purplepixie over on CB again! I also used some green paper to frame and finished with beads, tear drop beads, punched paper daisy flowers, fabric rflowe and did all with stitching...oh and sequins too, how could I forget????

Delicacy

This is my most recent card made! I have used an image from the Diary of An Edwardian lady booklet as my basis and main focus here. Don't you just love these images of flowers, all so very delicate and pretty and very feminine too! This is why I have called it "Delicacy"! I sticky fixed to all hte papers used in the card and on each corner have stitched on square transparent buttons for interest and texture. On the 4th corner I added on a fabric flower for interest and unusuality! Keeps the subtley of the whole card together! I have used matting here, first time used, and thoroughly enjoyed using this craft technique (layers of papers added onto each other flat). This form of techinque was inspired from my dear friend Sarah Louise (tiggertastic over at CB forum) and used some Basic Grey papers and Regency paper too, given to me by Irene (Witchqueen over at CB Forum) topped on top of the base paper paisley patterned! Finished off with another couple of buttons and pearls and bicone beads adding more texture! TFL xx