Hi All!

Hi All,

Happy January 2014 to everyone and hope you all had a fantastic Christmas.  I had a great time with my family and despite having 5 weeks off work so far I am still in the swings of wading through my heaving Craft Studio in an attempt to clear the clutter and I am not sure I am winning this one...no really I am!!!  I have been clearing, bagging and throwing for over a week now and I am now nearly finished so for next week I am tackling my scheduling of crafty projects for the year.....which is the fun part!! The clearing out has been a hard slog as I have had a really bad cold, throat and cough and haven't felt too well but knowing it all has to be finished in the next week has spurred me on.

I thought I would catch up with you all just to remind you of a few dates for you to put on your calenders:

• The Pinnacle Craft Club members weekend starts today (Friday 24th January 2014 and continues on the Saturday and Sunday 25th and 26th.  I am not sure if I will be there as I still feel a bit under the weather but if things improve I shall certainly try to pop along.
• The Craft Coffee Morning is back on and the next one is on Monday 3rd February 2014 from 10am till 12pm and is at Café-Tiere in Berrys Arcade in Rayleigh. I am looking forward to catching up with you all for a nice cuppa and a big of cake!
• The Craft Club also resumes on the week commencing Monday 3rd February 2014 and I will post my Craft Club Challenge in the next few days....I promise to keep is simple in order to ease us back in.

Have a great weekend and fab week next week and see you all soon.

Just a reminder - Pinnacle Crafts 30% Discount weekend this Friday, Sat & Sun

Just thought I would send you a quick reminder that Pinnacle Crafts have got their 10 Year anniversary big discount weekend starting this Friday until Sunday.  There are loads of prize draws with great prizes...for members who buy during that weekend. Full details are on their Website Click Here

I will pop along...may see you there.

Demo Day at Pinnacle Crafts - pop it on your Calender!

In this fantastic life of crafting it is always nice to help push the word out for any exciting things that are happening in our craft stores.....and I thought I would share this one with you as I love PanPastels and how easy they are to use.  They are so highly pigmented and have a great feel for blending and colour tinting on paper or card....I would definitely recommend a visit to Pinnacle crafts if you want a demonstration of how to use them and loads of ideas and techniques.  Click on the following link for details of the demonstration day and whats going on in store.

(Advert copied from Pinnacle Crafts website)


Hopefully I may see you there....if I can get out of a job which I was supposed to be doing on that day....I will try my very best!

12/3/13 - Snow Up-date for Craft Club Today

Just to let you know for todays Craft Clubbers....the South Fambridge Road is fine apart from a tiny part where the snow has drifted off the field...both Adie and Phil have gone out this morning and have said its not a problem just take it slow through that part otherwise other roads are fine.

If conditions change and worsen I will post an up-dated on here.  Hope to see you later.

Craft Supplies for Sale

Just a short post to let you know that the Craft Supplies are back up for sale have been sorting out new stuff this week.  Call first before your visit just to check I am in and I can pop the kettle on for a quick cuppa!

Hope to see you soon.

3D Church Christmas Cards

I can't believe Christmas has been and gone and all that work for the special season...mustn't grumble, I am a big kid really and would keep decorations in the cottage all year long....in fact that's my aim for 2013, I am going to celebrate each seasonal event by decorating the cottage.  Valentines Day is my next project so watch out for the Valentines day room setting, lucky hubby eh!

Getting back to Christmas here are my 3D cards I made for my nephew, his girlfriend and some friends.  I adore these little makes ....so satisfying to make!

 The base for the Black and White church above was a gift wallet and contained a gift voucher.

Hope you like them as much as I do, I will make some beach huts for the summer using the same template.

Happy Crafting!

Happy New Year!

Better late than never....Had 2 weeks off and now back to work!!

Just had a lovely conversation with Alunn Nicks who has started up a craft fayre which will be held at Rochord and Hockley on alternate months...only hand crafted items wanted...but this could be the year you start to sell your crafts or even join a co-operative in selling your lovely wares and sharing the experience (not so much hard work that way)

I was at a craft fayre (in a supportive role) just before christmas and despite the horrendous weather it was a great turnout and everyone had a great time....I'd never seen so many santa hats!

Now working on the IT side of Becky Lou Memories for the next couple of weeks so keep posted on Facebook/Twitter/Pinterest for all the up-dates and will be clearing out the Studio tomorrow so I will let you know when the supplies are organised and new stuff in if you want to visit.

Also to let you know I have just had a great chat with Alunn Nicks who has started a craft fayre in Rochford and Hockley on alternate months and is looking for crafers ...your wares must be hand crafted and this may be the year to start selling your lovely items or even to set up a craft co-operative with crafting friends to share the cost/workload.

Take a look at the link for further details:

Hockley/Rochford Crafters Market

Hope to see you soon.

Our Last Craft Club Week before Christmas.

Wow!  How busy life is at the moment.  I am in a flurry of hectic excitement with Christmas and all the things that evolve from this time of year.

This is our last Craft Club week this side of Christmas and the spec is simple....bring with you anything you want to do....it may be finishing your Christmas cards...last minute Die Cutting....asking questions about products or equipment...we will have our coffee break in the kitchen by the warm Aga with mince pies and a bit of bing Crosby's "White Christmas" to sing along to....

There is no challenge for this week and then the Craft Club will be closed until the week commencing 28th January 2013...I will however have supplies available in my Craft Studio and will be sorting out new products and die cutting lovely new designs.  So if you need anything or just want to pop along to see what new things I have then just give me a ring before you come to make sure I am in.  If I get time I will try to put a post on the website each week for a card and will have the die cuts here if you want to buy them and have a go....

Lastly I just want to wish all our lovely Craft Club ladies a wonderful Christmas and wish them good heath and happiness over Christmas and the coming year. You are all truly an inspiration to me and I would like to thank you for crafting with me over the last year.

Coffee Morning - Thank You

This is just a quick post to say a huge thank you for a lovely Coffee Morning (the first of many I hope)  which was on Monday at Café-Tiere in Berry's Arcade in Rayleigh... A huge "Thank you"  to Matt and his staff for letting us meet in the café.  It was great to see so many crafters most whom are regulars at the craft club but it was lovely to meet the new crafting ladies who I haven't met before.  I hope to see you again at the next Craft Coffee Morning which will be on:

 Monday 3rd December 2012 - 10am till 12pm  
(same Venue CAFÉ-TIERE - wear your pink flower so we know you are a crafter. )

I would also like to take this opportunity to also thank Tom and his staff from Rayleigh Fruit N Veg Ltd      for helping advertise the coffee morning and their continued support in helping me advertise the Craft Club.  It's always inspiring to meet hard working like minded people who are always ready to serve with a smile!

Hope you have a great week.

Craft Coffee Morning - Monday 12th November

Craft Coffee Morning - Monday 12th November 2012 ( full details on the Flyer below)

Following a number of requests I have now arranged the first (of hopefully many) coffee mornings, which is intended as a relaxed informal get together with like minded crafters in the local area, enjoying a coffee or tea and perhaps a slice of tasty cake and sharing crafting news and ideas.  Crafters are welcome to bring along their latest makes and share inspirational ideas with others.  Wear your pink flower so we know who the crafters are.

Click on the attached flyer for the details and any help with advertising the coffee morning would be appreciated:

Flyer

The coffee morning/craft social will normally be on the 1st Monday of every month where possible ....however our first meeting has had to be delayed and is on 12th November 2012. 

Future Dates will appear on the Craft Cafe tab.

New Die for weekly use in the Craft Club

Oooooooh... I just can't contain my excitement at this one!  We have a new die which has now been added to our cutting die collection for everyone to use as much as they want.

This is such a great die as you can snip it apart to create other outline shapes such as a butterfly, a small mini heart (centre bottom of die) scrolls and swirls.....simply lovely and so elegant.

A top tip for this one....there are areas of the die that have no holes to poke out the surplus waste...pop a little blu-tac on the end of a pencil and push it against an angle corner of the waste ...eh voila!

I am having a great week so far and its only Tuesday morning.  I met up with a lovely crafter who I have known for many years and haven't seen for a while and shared a cuppa and biscuit catching up with all our tales of the beautiful wooden stamps we have both collected over the years. A big thank you to Maureen who brought her over it was so kind of you.

Looking forward to doing loads of crafting this week.

A Great Day at the Rayleigh Art Festival 22 Sept 2012

Now I am back in work mode, I must up-date you with the latest goings on from the Rayleigh Arts Festival  which Tracy from the Art Shop (in Berry's Arcade) and I attended  on Saturday 22nd September 2012.

Although it was a bit short notice we had a great day chatting to all the visitors and I must say it was a very busy day!  Our stall looked lovely, very colourful and the intention was just to inform the public of what we do and the services we offer which I think was a great success.  I had loads of crafty samples on display and did some demonstrations although I didn't get much done as I seemed to be chatting to the visitors most of the time.

It always gives me great pleasure to meet up with ladies I know and have taught before and also those whose paths have crossed through crafting.  The time flew and before we knew it....it was time to go home.

For those people who took a leaflet....and there were many...it was great to meet you.  I hope to be able to post photos of the event here shortly and look forward to welcoming to the craft club new ladies who showed a keen interest.

Open Days at the Cottage during September 2012

Although I am having September off I have decided to open the Craft Studio and my Cottage to ladies with whom I have not yet crafted with and would like to extend an invitation for a crafting chat, tea/coffee and biscuits "Free of Charge"  There will be an opportunity to pop along to the cottage and visit the Craft Studio to see what we get up to including the facilities available and the vast range of equipment which we use during the Craft Club on a weekly basis.  I will be available most days (Monday to Friday)  and these visits must be booked in advance by giving me a call on (01702) 206910. (just in case I need to pop out for any reason)

I am looking forward to meeting you. You are welcome to bring with you crafts you have completed....its great to swap ideas.


Autumn Cottage, South Fambridge, Essex, (Pink Painted Cottage)  See "A" marker on map, 2nd map below gives more detailed directions... access via gravel road.   For Septembers Open cottage craft visits please park on the driveway at the cottage. For Craft Club sessions use public parking as cottage parking spaces are limited.

Map to get to South Fambridge Village (click once on image to enlarge)

                           Map of South Fambridge Village (click once on image to enlarge

Phone if more directions are required.

Crafting Goodies

Another great magazine from the Creativity team at DoCrafts with loads of ideas projects and I must say I absolutely love the retro 12 x 12 "Happy Days" paper pad.....gorgeous 1950's images with that true vintage retro feel and double sided!  These are available in the pad format and are also now available as individual sheets at the Art Shop in Rayleigh.

I have just heard that the Pro-marker pen sets have just arrived at the Art Shop and these include:

                                                Set of 12 markers + blender £19.99  (options: Brights/Pastels)

                                                  Metallic markers, set of 6   £12.99

                           Contemporary Christmas markers, set of 6 £12.99

                                  Traditional Christmas marker, set of 6 £12.99

                                                                    Blenders, each £2.49

Look out for the "How to" samples which will be in the shop shortly.

Have a happy day.

A tidy Craft Studio!

I was recently asked for some photos of Autumn Cottage and the Craft Studio and immediately said ....yes, leave it with me...then it dawned on me how untidy the room looked so after lots  of tidying and sorting I now have a tidy Craft Studio, although I am now not sure where everything is!  A good clearout is good for the soul!

                                   (Click once to enlarge)

A room with a view!

A great purchase today!

Sometimes I just can't hide my excitement!!!!  Its true, I get a wave of pure delight at some of my crafting finds and today was just one of those moments!  Without warning I let out a squeal of joy as I spotted a must have crafting item , in the Art Shop (Rayleigh), which has been on my wanted list for what seems like an eternity.  A fabulous pair of X-Cut "Fringe" scissors.  As you can see I hurried home and put them to good use....these pretty flowers took just minutes to make and the laborious cutting of the fringe was swiftly replace by just a few cuts with the scissors "eh, Voila" a perfect fringe ...which was rolled around a  quilling tool and glued to keep in place.

Thank you X-Cut and thank you Art Shop Rayleigh for a great product which I will use over and over again.  As you would expect from X-cut they are great quality and cut perfectly and I may try cutting some material too.  There weren't many left so if you don't want to miss out then pop in as quick as you can.

Have a great weekend.

Back log of Challenges!

Hi all,

As you may have noticed my website has fallen behind a bit with the challenges as my computer decided to give in to old age!  Although we have still been doing the challenges during the Craft Clubs as well as demonstrating I have just been unable to up-date the web site.

I have now sorted a short term fix and so I am posting the back log of challenges here now with Photos of finished samples. 

A Great Magazine! - Issue 33, May Edition

I popped into the Art Shop in Rayleigh (Essex) on Friday and I was given the latest edition of the fanastic Docrafts Creativity Magazine to review.  I must say that this edition is packed full of great quality crafty projects and left me itching to get home, put my feet up....with a cup of tea by my side....and looking forward to a good read.  The bonus "Free" stamps and papers are beautiful and as you can see I have put them to good use. (Click photos once to enlarge)

This is a "recommended Good Read!"

In Need of some Sunshine!!

These cold damp days are beginning to dampen my spirits at the moment. I am not one for long cold winters and you just know in your soul that the warmth of the sunshine and being outside in the fresh air is such a tonic.  I am thinking sunshine and holidays but it's just not happening.  I haven't even done my mad spring clean which inexplicably occurs as soon as the sun shines and the trees wake up. 

I guess we are all wondering when the summer will arrive, although a little birdie told me we haven't got long to wait now!  Lets hope it's here soon or I'll have to buy some new jumpers as mine are now a bit thread bare and over worn!

I was sitting in my Craft Studio yesterday and drifted into a world of contemplation and deep thought.  My dad has not been very well recently and I found myself totally overwhelmed by thoughts of how lucky I am....to have a great caring family and a wonderful extended crafting family.  It occurred to me, in the blink of an eye, that I am privileged to be part of so many lives and see so many weekly snippets of an individuals life.  The ups, the downs, the pain, the laughter, the sadness, the happiness it all makes for a life of experience and a wealth of knowledge.  So to all my crafting family.....thank you for being part of my life....

I am off to do a bit more crafting  and look forward to seeing you all soon.    My challenge for these damp dark days is to find something heart shaped, such as vegetables, flowers, petals....photograph it.....then make a backing paper from it!   You are welcome to have a go if you like.
 

A lovely morning crafting!

Hi All,

I have had a lovely morning crafting with the girls and really enjoyed myself.  We created some lovely Shabby Chic flowers and also dabbled with some dry embossing.  

(Click on photo to enlarge)

Just to let you know I have some spaces for the Craft Club so if there is anyone wanting to come to a relaxed Craft Club once a week, make new friends, drink tea & coffee and indulge in a choccy biscuit then give me a call.  Loads of new techniques to learn and a craft studio packed full of equipment for you to use (including rubber stamps, spellbinder dies, die cutting machines, embossing plates, inks, embossing powders and just too much else to mention.)

These sessions differ from most in that they are extremly informal and you learn at your own pace in a totally relaxed atmosphere.  So if you fancy a bit of crafting come along to the Craft Studio at the cottage (which over looks the beautiful countryside and the river.)

Give me a call on (01702) 206910