Making Cards with Memories and More Packs

 Sometimes just a small packet of loveliness is what you need to rekindle your mo-jo. I used the Come Sail Away Memories and More Card Pack from Stampin' Up to make this card. Usually reserved for decorating my photo albums, this pack had just what I need to make, a certain sailor I know, a tailored birthday card.

To make the card I folded a card base and added a navy blue mat with 'Stampin' dimensionals' and then added the lovely laser cut waves from the pack and some of the cut out images and stickers giving some of them dimension with 'stampin' dimensionals'. (by the way these will, from the 4th September, be available in black - see the new autumn / winter seasonal catalogue).

A finishing touch was to add an anchor charm with bakers twine to the top right hand corner. The charms are also available - visit my shop and type in 'sail away trinkets' A little pot of 20 is yours for £7.50. 10 anchors and 10 ships wheels.

I have this August moved to the countryside in North Devon near the beautiful Exmoor and so away from the coast and this card is a tribute to my seaside 35 years living on Hayling Island. You have not heard from me in a while as I concentrated efforts on house selling and buying and moving and everything that goes into it. However I am nicely settled in now with my craft stash (nearly) organised and I have made lots of crafty items while I have been moving I just have not blogged any of it. Consisting mainly of knitting and crochet, as it is so portable.

I am taking some time now I am hooked up with not too bad internet (although nowhere near superfast,  after all this is the countryside!) to re-set my JOPPY blogging and Stampin' Up business and would dearly love it if my current customers kept in touch and new customers joined me in my new retired but not retired venture!

Look out for some new bundles with free goodies that I have turned into kits towards the middle of September and me updating on some tips and techniques long overdue! These kits are fabulous because you can get stuck into 3 to 4 cards straight away as all of the materials to make them are included with the Stampin' Up bundle. P.S The butterfly bundle box is still available soon to be joined by a cake bundle and 3 (yep 3) christmas themed bundles!! I am just waiting for delivery of all the items and I can go ahead and advertise them to you soon!

I also have joined the local craft club and knit and natter and I have been invited by the local WI to a talk about soap making which is exciting and I look forward to reporting back on these activities soon. I have joined as a lifetime member the John Arbon wool warehouse which is situated near me and signed up for a Kaffee Fassett knit day in mid October to learn some new knitting techniques and knit one of his designed scarfs in lot of different colours as is his style! I have also been making some curtains for my new cottage. Some for the kitchen from bee printed tablecloths by Walton and some for my spare room and my own bedroom out of spare quilt covers.

If you follow my Instagram you will know I have progressed with my autumn leaves blanket and this now has a new home on one of the sofas and my silk knitted gillet purchased from my expedition was back at Yarnery show is also now completed. Two large projects mainly completed to lull me while waiting for someone to buy my house and then waiting for all of the selling and buying palaver to go through. I am such an impatient person and knitting gives me an outlet to 'waiting'.

Sometimes the prints you love just don't come in curtains. My sitting room still does not have any curtains and it is so hard to match any because of the busy print on the two second hand sofas I found in a charity shop (they both match!) Never-the -less I have ordered some fairly plain cream curtains for now from Dunelm and I will see what they are like - if they need a bit more pizzaz I might put some large cross stitches on them!!

I will be back very soon with more inspiration from the upcoming Autumn / Winter seasonal catalogue. If you would like one for free please contact me at craftyjop@gmail.com and I will send you one in the post. It is packed full of lovely harvest, halloween and christmas inspiration available to order from 4th September. Alternatively you can browse my online shop - just follow the shop tab from 4th September onwards!

love JoP x