What a good day

I have had a lovely day.  OH took me off to Higham Ferrars Near Rushden near Northampton to Colemans Craft Warehouse www/colemans-online.co.uk.  It was a sale day today and the majority of things if they had a white label on you got another 30% off and the yellow labelled items had already been reduced.  It was really worth going and having a rummage.  I could have spent a lot more time in there though especially on the beadwork and patchwork front.  OH has agreed to take me again not every week as he put it but he would take me again (I am hoping it will be a monthly event and then we would be able to take my friend Margaret who I bumped into whilst I was there).  It is about half an hour from Peterborough so not that far.

We had not seen each other since before Christmas.  In fact it is Margaret who is responsible for me crafting at all.  We both used to work as legal secretaries (Margaret is retired and has been for about 10 years).  Although she is an older friend I get on great guns with her.  Margaret used to bring in craft work and do it during lunch time and I was admiring her work and said "I can't do craft".  One of my Teachers because I was slow used to take things off me because I was not keeping up with the class and it knocked my confidence and made me feel not good enough.  Margaret had other ideas and encouraged me to buy a needlepoint and work it.  Her philosophy and outlook was that you learn as you go along.  So yes your work may have a few wrong stitches but it is all quite normal to make mistakes each time you do a piece and each piece you do you will learn from and those "mistakes" make your work individual and unique.  She was quite right of course and each piece has been a learning curve and I have got better over the years. 

I have found quite a few dies:

Dies

Tonic Holly Wreath

Die'sire Essentials Scalloped Hearts

Signature collection by Sara Davies Festive Wonder Snowflake Trio

Tonic Santa's Sleigh

Marianne Design Ivy Wreath

They had quite a few patchwork dies but not ones I was specifically interested in at the minute.  I was particularly looking for strips and squares.  However I have located some on Amazon so at another point I will probably invest in them to start with.

Sizzix Bigz 1 1 /2  (3.81) cm Hexagon (suitable for cutting fabrics I have bought for patchwork

Sizzix Equilateral Triangle 4 3/4 inch high x 5 1/2 inch width (unfinished)

Folders

Darice Birds in Branches

Crafts-Too Scrollworks

Scroll frame

Dreamweaver Greetings

Dreamweaver Peace on Earth

Die'sire Embossalicious Cherry-licious

Crafters Companion A Little Bit Nordic

Downton Abbey Leaf Flourish

Signature collection by Sara Davies Rambling Rose

Crafters Companion Nordic Christmas Reindeer Forest

Stamps

Docrafts PapermaniaTo You with love and Good times special people warm memories Christmas both from the pocket full of posies wreath stamps

Other Bits and Bobs

I have also bought the frames for four bags three for Christmas presents at the end of the year and the fourth a larger bag for myself.  I had when I went before bought similar frames and still have not got around to doing anything with them but I have found a couple of tutorials that I want to have a go at.

I have also bought three pads of different backing papers.  The first is a small pad entitled Garden Party by Dovecraft which is a 6 x 6 paper pack.

A 8 x 8 paper pad entitled Jingle All the Way by Tina Higgins produced for First Edition papers.

 And finally Bella Rose by Tanya Whelan 12 x 12 inch pad.

I have also bought Crafters Companion Parchment Printer paper pack of 20 sheets;

Colour vision A4  Leafbird green 225g card 10 sheets;

Colour vision A4 Rosella Red 225g card 10 sheets;

An A4 Glitter card in a tree green colour; and

Finally A Crafters Companion Printable Light Card 25 sheets 160gsm which you can use with inkjet printers white

So all in all it has been a good one and it is not even over yet.  Still lots to do and some playing with the Big Shot, dies and folders either for tonight or tomorrow and over the next few days.

There are some websites to look at below:

Websites

www.crafterscompanion.co.uk

www.dreamweaverstencils.com

www.crafts-too.com

www.darice.com

And now I am having a cheese and pickle sarnie being washed down by half a bottle of Thatchers 2014 oak aged.  A very nice drop of cider.

Now I have to look for a box in which to store all the dies and embossing folders to keep them safe.

Catch You later on

Pattypan xx