some early spring cleaning!

I've been playing in a new journal  :)  I'd like to start including more written journaling so am practising!

It's also been my treat for finally sorting my craft room, not that it looks particularly tidy and organised in this general shot.  I used to have space in the cellar but once the kids moved out of the attic I got to move up there.  That was a few years ago and although I've blitzed it before it's never got properly sorted.

I'm forever turning these two tables around.  I have one for paper stuff and the other for stitching.  I have a sewing machine and an embellisher on there.

Last year my Mum bought me these huge boxes to keep my fabrics in.  Sometimes it takes a while to work out how best to organise things, but I think I'm there with them this time.

  

I bought the above mannequin for my corset and it's been standing empty for ages whilst I hunted for my corset, sure I'd seen it around somewhere.  It turned out I'd given it to one of the members of the corset swap a couple of years ago and she surprised me with it the other week :)  It still has space for work but I'm happy with it for the moment.

Around behind my paper workdesk is this lovely plan chest which was gifted to me by Paddy of Paddy's Stamping Place.  I use it as an additional workspace for my Big Shot and for working on other paper projects such as using Brusho.

I'm going to give the Documented Life Project 2015 a go, alongside Documented Faith and Take Me Deeper, this year.  I'm not great at keeping up with long term projects but a fresh start and all that!

Wishing you all a very Happy New Year!  Thanks so much for all your support this year, Sarah x

2014: My Year with Stampotique

OK, where did that year go?  I can't believe I've been on the Stampotique Designer's Blog team for a whole year!!  I have absolutely loved it; such a wonderful, friendly group of people.

As it's Boxing Day here in the UK an appropriate final project for 2014 would have been an altered matchbox, but that only occurred to me as I wrote this post!

I decided to pick out some of my favourite projects from the year and was hoping to put them in a slideshow but couldn't work out how!  So you have a shorter collection of photos from over the last year.

I've never done one of those end of year looking back posts but looking back at these projects is making me consider doing one!

I've made tags, envelopes and journal pages and happily cut, stuck, stitched, sprayed, collaged, stamped, painted and doodled and had a wonderful time :)

I've also made some lovely friends and want to thank Carol, Jim and Kim for having me on team this year.

Thanks for sticking with me on this photo heavy post!  And thanks for supporting me through my Stampotique adventure :)

 Wishing you all the very best for 2015, Sarah xx

Wishing you a very happy Christmas

Every year my Christmas cards have a snowflake theme.  Can't help it I'm afraid!  I just love snowflakes :)

Thanks so much for reading my blog and leaving lovely comments.  It means a lot!

Have a wonderful Christmas and I wish you all the very best for 2015, Sarah xx

a Christmas fairy

There's a new feature over on the Lavinia Stamps website - monthly papercraft articles, and I'm one of the regular contributors :)

This month I share step by step instructions to make this little Christmas fairy card.  It would make a great thank you card for Christmas gifts, a fun journal page, or a very late Christmas card! (although I'll be making a few more tonight, nothing like last minute!!!)

Happy Christmas!

Oh Christmas tree, Oh Christmas tree...

... how lovely are your branches!

I love twiggy trees like this and would be quite happy with this as a Christmas tree, I'd just add white lights and some silver baubles.

Stampotique stamps used:

Oh...Tree  #6152  by Daniel Torrente

Text star with tiny star on side  #3027  by Jo Capper-Sandon

romantic text  #10028  by France Papillon