In between the advent calendar

Greetings,

I have been rather quiet of late BUT i have been really busy - hmm what have I been up to . . . I have been running a Christmas craft group each Thursday evening and it has turned out to be a major success, we first made our coke bottle top trees 

Fabric Coke Bottle Top Tree

  

 They really looked stunning, it was a shock to the girls when I told them we would be sewing - but they were all good sports and happy with the end product!

We have now started with our Wreaths - I completed mine to see what was required before teaching it to the group :) Seriously loving the Christmas Paper Pack!!!

Christmas scrapbook or hanging wreath!

  On a Tuesday night I go to my regular craft group and we have all been making mixed media trees - since we learned this fabulous craft we can't seem to stop!
This is my first one and ofcos its blue one :)

Mixed media Christmas Tree

I have also been busy at work with many orders - this is my latest - its a little duck and daisy cake for a one year old girl :)

number 1 birthday cake

I have al,ost completed my daughters teachers end of year gifts, I am really proud of them but doing 12 is really taking a while and half - yet those FRIKKEN FANTASTIC teachers who have tought my girls this year deserve the world!!!  I can't say what I am making (just in case) so you will have to wait until after Christmas to find out!


Also, squeezed in between my latest obsession (my advent calendar) I have completed and distributed my Christmas Eve dinner invites - this year the theme "A Silver and Red Christmas" The invites are kind of simple but because of their style they had to be PERFECT there was no room for lop sided borders, skew corners or mismatching fonts, so the big stress about these was getting them just right!    I love how they turned out!

Christmas Dinner Invite 2010

I plan to follow the same them thru out the evening with name cards menu etc - yes I might be going all out but its my fav holiday and it is my turn to host Christmas eve dinner this year and I plan to go ALL OUT for my 30 dinner guests!

On the miniature front I have completed an entire house, to go with the little garden room and the lounge (previously posted about) I now boast 4 bedrooms - my girls did their own rooms and I was VERY proud!  The little house has a bathroom and all the goodies that go with it :) I lost the kit - chen I bought months ago and recently found it so that is all that is waiting to go into the house,  I have designed a cover for the house a little hard to explain so I will show you pictures when I receive it ( I am having it custom made to me design specs by a laser cutting genius) so more to follow on the 144ths.

Ok I know you are waiting to hear about the Advent Calendar progress so I will end off this post and start on the next "Advent Calendar - Part 2"

Lots of luv - till next time Keep it Crafty

The Advent Calendar

Greetings,

I have taken on a rather big project - I have been thinking about starting a dolls house asomewhere to collect miniatures, but I was absolutely blown away when I found this advent calendar 

My imagination kind of ran away with me - I decided on the spot this was it and this would be my BIG Cristmas project for the year :)

So I will be blogging on my progress, as this is really going to take some time - and if I don't finish, there is always next Christmas!!

This thing is huge about 50 x 50cm, because the inside bit is 30x30cm, it is supposed to fit a scrapbook page into it - but when have I ever gone with the norm. . . ?So I decided that in this little 30x30x5cmspace I am going to do a 3D 1/12th Christmas scene!

So far I have a beautiful chair, some filigree corners, the little wooden numbers for the drawers, beautiful golden tie backs for the red satin curtains, I have ordered and received - but have yet to make a little 1/12th "pull along wagon of blocks" and a 1/12th kit for a hobby horse, it involves sewing so it have kind of scared me a little as sewing is not one of my strongest talents.  I will have to sew the satin curtains - so . . . 

I have seen a STUNNING little Christmas stocking cross stitch kit (also 1/12th) but the (I-think) 48ct fabric scared the living crap outta me, so I am gonna need LOTS more time to ponder on that one - but its soooo cute! I am really hoping I will find a couple at the miniatures and all things Christmas fair this weekend.

I have settled on a really dark green as the main colour for the drawers and a more olde Christmas feel than a modern one but who knows it may end up being a little bit from olde world meets tomorrow.  We will have to wait and see.

So if you like you can follow my progress - keep the positive motivation coming - I am gonna need it!

Till next time - Keep it crafty!

 

Mini Christmas Cake Challenge

Greetings Cake Decorators

All the other groups on here hold regular challenges, and just because we can eat our creations I don't see why we can't have a challenge too.

With Christmas / Hanukkah  on the way I thought it would be a great time for us to take part in a little themed challenge,  I really look forward to everyone joining in!!  Should you need any help or advice along the way I will do my best to provide you with it, or if I cant I will find someone who can.

Title: Mini Christmas/Hannukkah Cake
Due: Tuesday 30 November 2010
Open to: www.in2crafts.co.za - Cake Decorating Group Members and my blog members followers
Details:
1. The cake must be a fruit cake.
2. The cake must be covered in marzipan and then plastic icing.
3. All decor on the cake must be edible.
4. The cake must measure 6cm in diameter for round, and 6x6cm for square.
5. The cake can be as high/tall as you like (but should you be required to,you must be able to post it should you not be able to deliver it. Shouldn't happen but just incase.)

I think that's all, I am working on a sponsor of a prize and will let you know shortly, it will be related to cake decorating.  Anyone who enters and has followed the above conditions is illegible for the prize which will be drawn randomly from the entries received.

Lots of luck!!!

Will you be taking part?

Love Col

What . . . . . Its October?!?!?

Oh my word - I have been so busy, yes you guessed it another new hobby!  This one is VERY time consuming it is challenges, i seem to have made my lastest hobby looking for challenges to join - after all it is a pretty good excuse as to why I HAVE to craft and why it HAS to be done then. . . And then ontop of that if I can't find a suitable challenge (is it still a challenge if you don't do it cos its not suitable and is it a a challenge if you select only the suitable ones? *ponder*) I go about creating my own, where you ask, mostly on in2crafts, my favourite playground of late!  

I just completed two challenges there, one was mine for the Card Making Group's October - Happy Halloween Pumpkin and the other was held by Theresa Gerber and it was for the Scrapbooking group - called Books.

Here are my submissions for both :)

Its not at all surprising that I did paper piecing on both :) When I have to do any sort of paper craft I will automatically choose piecing !!

I am off to check out a new challenge that was posted by Mel on in2crafts and see what this 13year old dahling requires from me - Ill keep you posted . . . WATCH THIS SPACE :)

Keep it creative

Luv 

Col

My Hobby

Greetings Folks

Can you believe I have even more to say - its been a pretty busy time for me the last couple of months so when I get the chance I add my next post imagine if I had enough time to post on the actual day of the event LOL LOL LOL.

A while ago my hubby informed me that he had finally figured out what my hobby is - I don't know why it took him this long as a leave clues ALL over the house, the dining room table, the bedroom (infact yesterday he asked why I had an eyelet setting tool in my car - to which I replied - you never know when you might need to set an eyelet - really I lent it to someone and they returned it and i just forgot it in the car but  . . . you never know)  as I was saying my hubby took great pleasure in informing me what my hobby was. . . I collect hobbies!!  This is true - very expensive but none the less true - it is also the only explanation I have for taking on and having such a passion about the many things I do!  This leads me to the introduction of my latest hobby, addiction, love!!!  Mini miniature building - and as usual it comes with a long story:
 

Last month I went to the miniature fair in Parkhurst this is where a number of miniature enthusiats get together to show, sell and buy miniatures and dolls house accessories. I was as usual wowed by all the "little things" I do have a special place in my heart for them - I don't have a dolls house but I do collect miniatures (and other little treasures - not necessary to scale)  I think my love of little things stems from my love of fairies, and fairies being little would use mostly little things so i actually collect fairy furnishings, crockery and decor as apposed to just miniatures.

After browsing all the beautiful things for a while and being completely blown away by the Christmas shops and cottages - my daughter and I happened apon a stall with cross stitched pillows 1/12th!  oh my word they were cute (we bought a couple and my daughter got her usual cute kid discount) - and THEN also at this stall were kits to make miniatures for a dolls house - UM NO. . . .  I don't think you get it - let me explain! Ok you have a dolls house, with a lounge in it, and then you decide hmmm I would like a dolls house . .  IN MY DOLLS HOUSE the scale we are now talking about would be not a 12th but a 144th. 

So being me I thought hmm . . .  I can do this - (keeping in mind I have never even built a 12th scale piece) so my daughter and I settled on the cutest little garden room, the rest is history - i am so unbelievable ADDICTED to this craft it is amazing and I can't seem to stop, we went back to the fair the next day and bought 3 more kits and this afternoon I will be ordering more by post. They truly are amazing. Thank you Erna for my latest hobby :)

The 1/144th garden room box

the 1/144th Lounge room box

 So if you have the guts to, maybe you would like try one of these little rooms and send me a pic - you can also join the miniatures group on in2crafts and share there.  My next big little thing will be designing a kind of cupboard house to keep all these little rooms in.

Keep it creative

On my soap Box

Greetings,

As per usual I have an awful lot to say - and have not been blogging regularly so have even more to share!  If you make it to the end I thank you :)

2nd August - Scrapping with mom!
Today I went to a Scrap Class with my mom - it was hosted by one of my mom's scrap paper suppliers, it was most inspiring - which is, I think what the whole point was.  The morning started off with a delicious breakfast and then we got given a jam packed kit filled with delightful treasures that we were going to use to make our double layout.  I was ready .... I listened to the teacher with both ears and . . . .. well I got it wrong :( The very first instruction I misunderstood - I was so scared that I had messed up my paper, when the teacher came round she tried to put me at ease - with no luck. 

I felt terrible! And this leads me to my point.  I am always on the other side in a lesson or class, I am always the teacher.  There are very few opportunities I have to attend a class.  So often in my classes ladies make a mistake and/or cut a piece of paper skew and I don't have any problem at all but they always seem to feel so bad, even sad, I have not understood why because I like to think I am patient with all the people in my classes.  That was until I was in a class, I understood 100% the teacher was a sweet and kind and helped me out but I still felt awful.  Almost unappreciative of her class. 

I did go on to create (with her help) a stunning double layout and I was most impressed with the kit, the class, the company and the food was DIVINE!! - Thanks Cathy what a fantastic morning! 

I did however make a mental note to myself to try and prevent people feeling like crap when they do something wrong and I think the only way to do this would be to explain the task VERY slowly and clearly and not to begin until they are certain they know what they need to do - HUH don't I do that anyway?!?

I think I will continue with my other stories in a new blog - look out for that  :)

Luv Col

The First - My Hadeda Cake

Greetings, Thank you for taking the time to read my first ever blog entry!  I was faced with a real creative cake challenge and decided that it was a good enough story to start my blog with.

So here goes . . . I was asked by a customer to design a cake that incorporated all of his daughters favourite things: Hadedas, hair, butterflies, cats, hearts, teletubbies, labels & bunnies. 

He gave lots of notice - which to me was just more time to stress and procrastinate. Then it came to the last couple of days before collection, I had no time left to stress or procrastinate, i HAD to do it!! 

So i started with the Hadeda I didn't have a mold (or a clue really) so had to do this one out my head.  It turned out quiet well!

The 100% edible Hadeda

Once the bird was done I moved onto the teletubbies, the kitties, the bunnies, the hearts and the butterflies.  they all looked really cute - the kitties looked real :) 

The CUTEST 100% edible Kittens

So I had all the little bits and pieces now except the hair and the labels. Oh yay. . . more time to procrastinate! so i sat back had a much needed cappuccino and it worked like a charm, because - the light bulb went on!! And the whole cake fell into place :)  I did a little girl with LONG hair, playing with the kitties, and decided to make the labels out of rice paper!  DONE and sorted.  

What seemed like a very strange cake turned out to be quiet cute, it was a little garden scene with all the creatures around, with the labels on the 4 sides of the cake. 

The Completed Cake

 I really enjoyed the challenge of this cake and look forward to more :) In the mean time I have to finish sorting out my craft area and finish my daughters birthday present, her birthday WAS on the 14th June!!

Till next time keep it creative!

Luv Col