And away we go!

This morning my husband and I are flying out to Bulgaria! We will be there for 2.5 weeks, teaching English in a town called Ascenovgrad (which you can just about make out on the map below). The trip is run through our church, so we know some of the people, but some we have never met, which is certainly a daunting prospect!

  

Image Source 

At the end of our trip, it will be our one year wedding anniversary(!), so the husband and I are going to take a few days together, just the two of us, to relax and explore Sofia, the capital. It's all very exciting!

I have scheduled some posts for while I am away, so hopefully that should go smoothly?! If not, I will share them when I return! You can find me on Bloglovin' here!

See you in a few weeks!

Fran xx

Crafty Creatives Box 12

After catching up with my backlog of reviews in yesterday's post,  today I am sharing my thoughts on the latest Crafty Creatives Box...

Box 12, entitled 'The Treat Box', took it's time in coming! I received a 'red slip of doom' on Friday, and as i was away all weekend I didn't get my hands on my box until Tuesday (yesterday!). After all the positive and raving comments on Twitter and Facebook, i caved and read some blog spoilers, so my creative juices have been mulling this box over this weekend!

Here are the contents...

 Gorgeous Art Card by Louise Williams

The Kit - a sweet-inspired cross stitch! I've done a lot of cross stitching in the past, so looking forward to this one! i have tons of embroidery flosses so will probably mix up the colours a bit...

Macaroon fabric fat quarter - i LOVE macaroons! This fabric has a good weight to it, and is so pretty! can't quite decide what to use it for yet as i don't want to waste it!

 Cookie cutter - i love butterflies so excited to try this!

Recipie card by Cathryn Dresser - i was a huge Cathryn fan during the Bake Off! I've also just started using spelt in things, so intrigued to try these biscuits out!

2 Chupa Chups - how yummy!

 Double sided craft papers - very pretty and colourful designs. Will add it into my papercrafts stash whilst i think on a good use for them.

Three cake slice charms from Susan King - I love Susan's work and have been an admirer for quite some time, so was VERY excited when i read about these in the blog spoilers! I was reaaaally hoping for two of the same colour and was so excited to get two pink & blue! These will be swiftly turned into matching earrings! I also received one pink and mint green charm, which will be put to one side whilst i think of something special to do with it!

Cupcake grosgrain ribbon - i have a vast and growing collection of ribbons, so this pretty length can join the happy family! However, I am loathed to use my ribbons as i love them so much!

5 ice cream buttons - how lovely?! I have a few ideas for these, mainly to use in forthcoming projects, so will share what happens to them in the future...

12 alteration tags from Stix2 - i was going to buy some of these, so was happy to find some in the box! I have plans to washi tape and ribbon them! perfect for gifting ear studs.

Colourful juicy beads - no real plans for these, but i really like the shine on them (the photos don't do them justice!), so will use them in future

'M' print cabochons - I have to be honest, but i was so disappointed with these... I saw how everyone (well, everyone i've seen!) got an array of colourful ones, and i LOVE colour and had some big plans for these... and then mine turned up and were black and white :( anybody want to do some swapping? Even just a couple?! I'd be very grateful!

So there we have it! despite the 'M' cabochons disappointment, I do really love this box, and it feels very summery! Next month is the Birthday Box, and I'm very excited to see what that one has to offer!

Crafty Creatives - Boxes 10 & 11

Hello there!

Well, i can't quite believe so much time has passed since I last properly blogged.... i finished my course at the end of May, and was going to just jump straight back into blogging, but was just at a loss with where to start as i had so much to catch up on. Over the next few weeks, i have posts lined up to fill you in on life and where my creative streak has taken me recently, but i figured it was best to start up again where i started off originally! So, here is a photo heavy post of #ccbox10 and #ccbox11...

Crafty Creatives box 10....
So, box 10 arrived in April, just as my work got crazy. Initially, i felt a little underwhelmed by the 'Blue' theme, but as i trawled through the box i found it gave so much inspiration and pretty much everything lent itself to something i would like to make! Here are the contents....

Art Card by Catherine Moody; 

3 Americana acrylic paints (I love the middle one!); 

mini canvas

 

Nepalese felt balls (which i LOVE); 

tiny beads from Musha Makes; 

2 bluebird pendants (i really like the pale blue ones that a lot of others received, so still trying to find some inspiration for my navy birds)

2 pieces of A5 blue craft paper; 

3 tubes from Stix2 (one glitter, one seed beads, one caviar beads); 

samples of white & blue Jumping Clay; 

fat quarter of blue dotty cotton, as featured in the background of these photos!

The kit was for a bluebird mobile. i ended up adapting this slightly, and so the photo above is of the leftovers! Will share my creation soon!

Crafty Creatives Box 11...

Box 11 arrived in May, and the 'Glamour' theme just screamed Gastby! It certainly got me excited for the film (which I loved!)! I haven't really touched this box yet. Whilst I loved it's contents and the theme, I felt like i needed an 'occasion' to wear / use some of the items. So, most of it has gone into my stash, ready for some inspiration or a glamorous occasion! Box 11 included...

 Red rose cabochon; 

10 gorgeous Swarovski crystal beads; 

fat quarter of black velvet (featured in the background!)

 Chunky sparkly beads; 

silver stardust (anyone got any inspiration for this?)

 

Findings; 

jump rings; 

2 silver-plated rhinestone teardrops; 

red inkpad; 

lace stamp

 A close up of the pretty lace stamp

 

Art Card by Lianne Williams;

removable photo glue from Stix2; 

beaded fluffy trim

Also included, but not shown, was the kit to make a beaded hair slide. That is a work in progress, so will share when it is finished!

What did you think of these boxes? Would love some inspiration for box 11!

Fran xx

Bloglovin'

Hello there!

So sorry about the unannounced hiatus - i got bombarded with many unforeseen deadlines which has turned my life into little more than work, eat, and small amounts of sleep. I kid you not. Almost there now though, and excited to get back into crafting and blogging very soon!

This is just a quick post to let you know that you can now find me at Bloglovin'

Hope you're well!
Fran

4D Nail Art

Having seen this product in shops and read different things about it, i was eager to try it out. Known widely as a 'caviar manicure', tiny no-hole beads are used to decorate some or all of your nails, for a raised and textured effect. So when i found Nail Constellation by MUA for a bargain £3, i just had to get it!

MUA has a whole range of different colours, each named after a star sign. I chose Pisces, a silver, turquoise and light pink mix.

Firstly, i painted all my nails with one coat (i used 'Catwalk Couture' by 17) and left them to dry. Having chosen to decorate just my ring finger nails with the tiny beads, I painted them in a second coat and sprinkled the beads all over. I then gently pressed them down, ensuring they were stuck, and painted the rest of my nails in a second coat.

 The instructions on the label suggested that was the end, but elsewhere I've read that it's a good idea to apply a coat of clear nail varnish at the end to secure the beads. I chose to use clear nail polish (hoping for durability!), but this has had less than desirable effects. It made the tiny beads appear a lot less shiny and a lot discoloured quite swiftly. A few days on, they're looking close to a matt effect, but they're all still stuck down!

All in all, I've really enjoyed trying this effect out. I like having accent nails, and this is something a bit different. I will try out the MUA product another time without using the clear varnish, and see how durable they are. It would also be worth looking round for beads that won't discolour, and it may be worth spending a bit more for a better quality product.

Crafty Creatives Boxes 8 & 9

Since it was my Crafty Creatives boxes that inspired me to set up this blog, it seemed apt that my first proper post should be about them!

Crafty Creatives is a monthly subscription craft box (costs a very reasonable £10 plus £2.95 p&p), filled with a variety of items to craft with. Each box is themed, so as well as the anticipation of the contents, it's always exciting to discover the theme too! Every box always includes an art card which doubles up as a list of box contents, and a little kit to make something specific - so even if the rest of the box stumps you, there's always something to get the creative juices flowing!

#CCbox8

So, Box 8 arrived mid-Febuary, and the theme was Spots and Stripes! As i opened my box i was overwhelmed by colours - a perfect way to brighten up a dull & wintery day! The kit was to make a polymer clay necklace. I've never worked with this before, so am excited to try it out!

 

#ccbox8 - Spots and Stripes

 The polymer clay kit from #ccbox8

I've been really busy this month, so haven't used anything from this box yet, but the ideas are certainly forming...

#CCbox9

Box 9 arrived on Tuesday to much intrigue. The theme this month is Steampunk, something I've never heard of before, but has a large following (i discovered upon researching!). The art card contains this great definition: 'What the 21st Century thinks that the Victorians thought the 21st Century would be like'!

Here are the contents...

 Art Card by Britta van den Boom

 The CC kit: decoupage! This is something I've wanted to try for a while, so i'm excited to get stuck into this.

 Beautiful tweed fabric with copper threads running through it. I'm mulling over what to do with this - i love it and think it's too beautiful to waste!

 Copper wire, which I'm planning on putting towards a project I've got planned; some leather cord which I think would make great bracelets for my Husband / brothers?; crackle glaze, which i've never used so am excited to try!

 Beautiful lock and key charms

 Leather scraps and some pipe spacer beads to add to the bead collection

 Clock and bulb charms. I love these, and am planning on making them into long necklaces.

 Foil transfer sheets, which i think would be great for creating a 'distressed' look on a photo frame; teeny tiny watch parts, which I'm not quite sure what to do with just yet...

So, there you have it! Lots of ideas brimming and formulating for both boxes. I'm loving searching round Pinterest for more ideas - I'm definitely a visual thinker!

What are you planning on making from the Steampunk box?

Trying something new.

Hello there!

So, I have always loved crafting, but it has definitely gone in ebbs and flows. I think i enjoy collecting beautiful things to craft with, but often lack inspiration and motivation. Since recently discovering the Crafty Creatives monthly subscription craft box, it has reignited my interest, and i wanted to join the online crafting community in the hope that it would encourage me!

I have never been very good at keeping a regular blog, so i hope this doesn't follow trend! Watch this space...