Wednesday 26 February 2014

Midweek Papercraft Party (26)

Hello!  It's time for another papercraft challenge!  This week's theme is

red, white and/or blue!  We have some gorgeous images from the design team to show you, but first up let's announce the winners from last week...

Laura and Angelique

I loved the bright colours in Laura's card (and the fact she used a Handmade Harbour freebie!) and who could fail to be impressed by Angelique's beautifully made After Eights Dispenser!!  Wow, chocolate and handmade craft.  What's not to love?

Laura and Angelique, you both win three Handmade Harbour digital stamps and get to display the winner's badge on your blog (it's in the left hand sidebar, you may need to scroll down a little).  Please email wendy@handmadeharbour with your choice of digis and I'll email them to you as soon as I can.

Moving on to this week and the design team makes...

Lynne is from Canada and (feeling patriotic after the Olympic medal count!) she went with her country's flag colours... a great sentiment too, which I'm sure would be endorsed by many of the Olympic teams and medallists!  The do what you love and love what you do digistamp is perfect for wall art as well as cards.




Rachel went with all three colours but ended up with a beautifully soft and gentle look to her card.  It makes for a really sweet thank you card using the girl with flowers digistamp.  This stamp includes the thanks message on the bunch of flowers.



Aleksandra used all three colours, too!  I love the look of this card - gingham, twine and buttons are three of my favourite card elements so this card is definitely right up my street! The young guy on a laptop digital stamp is a great one for cards for men or boys - always hard to make for!


The design team and I would love to have a peek at what you've been making too!  If you have any papercrafts to show off in a red, white and/or blue theme, please do link up this week!  As always, two winners will get three digistamps of their choice from Handmade Harbour...

Just click the linkup text below to join in!  Edited to add: sorry for the linking up problems - hopefully it's all sorted now!

Tuesday 25 February 2014

Applique from Digital Stamps!

You may be aware we have a new design team here at Handmade Harbour.  Looking through applications for a design team is a little like unwrapping birthday presents - you never know what surprises are in store for you!  Most of the surprises are really nice ones, but some are just so unexpected!


It was a totally unexpected delight to be introduced to Josie from Sew for Soul via the latest applications.  Josie told me she wanted to use digital stamps for applique and because her designs were so appealing, I couldn't wait to see what she would come up with.  I am completely in awe of her first project, which she rustled up in next to no time.


The brief was put some ribbon on it and not only does it fit the brief beautifully, it's a truly gorgeous gift in its own right.  Anyone would be delighted to own this.



What do you think?  This needle case uses my bird with nest digital stamp and I just love that Josie transformed  this little drawing...



into this truly gorgeous applique needlecase!


Do pop over to Josie's blog to see more of her makes.  I can't wait to see what she comes up with next!

Sunday 23 February 2014

Handmade Monday 156

Welcome to another Handmade Monday!

This week I finally got to listing some digital craft paper packs on my website!  It's taken a long time to come together because there was quite a learning curve with some of the digital tasks.  But I'm pleased to have finally got to the stage of listing them - if not the final stage of my learning curve!  And I still have hair, albeit greyer than it used to be (that could just be my age though...).


I hummed and ha'd quite a bit about number of papers in a pack, size of papers and price. And I may well hum and ha again... but for now I settled on 12 A4 papers in a pack for £3.00 - A4 seems to print out well on US letter size paper too.  I think as a customer, £3 for 12 designs is pretty good value as you can print them as often as you like once you've bought the pack.


Up to now, there are five packs of papers available, but I am working on more!  I really like the fact I can work on lots of varied themes when I'm making papers - perfect for my butterfly brain! 

Creating digital papers is a new direction for me, so please feel free to give me any constructive feedback you think might be useful!

What's been happening in your creative world this week?  If you're joining in with us this week...

Friday 21 February 2014

Where do Handmade Harbour digis end up?

One of the really cool things about designing digital stamps is that other creative people get their mitts on them and turn them into something much more exciting!

Today I want to share what one of my customers (and a Handmade Monday friend!) has done with some of my digis.  The images in this post are all Victoria's and they're all made using Handmade Harbour digis.

Thank you notes using flowers in plantpot digi

Victoria started her small craft business - Lucy Blossom Crafts - on 27th February last year – so is about to celebrate her first birthday! She made cards as a hobby for about 6 years, but when she left her job (as a Nursery school teacher) she decided to launch her own business, especially as a very fussy friend of the family saw her cards and said she could sell them.

hearts within a heart digi on thank you notes

Victoria likes cards with clean lines and tends to start with either a picture or an occasion (like Valentine’s) However, very often something else sparks her interest – and she says she's all for just going with the flow creatively speaking. Her daughter loves to join in with “Mummy’s work” and can often be found sitting at Mummy's work desk, in her chair, pretending to be Mummy (which usually involves waving a lot of paper around, making marks on card then putting them in envelopes – bless her).

another thank you note using toddler Emily with cat balloon digi

 Victoria started selling at fairs in July last year, and says she learnt a lot from them and from other stallholders too. One thing that became clear is that people don’t necessarily look for just cards, so for her Christmas fairs she added some simple notebooks and bookmarks. These proved very popular, and since thenVictoria has been very busy making pencil cases, notebooks and thank you notes/invites ready for her first fair of the year (beginning of March)

we're engaged party invite using young couple digital stamp
 
The digistamps Victoria chooses reflect her uncluttered style - she reports being very pleased with how they’ve turned out.  I love them too!

Victoria has recently started a ‘secret’ market research group on Facebook (what a brilliant idea!) of people she trusts to give honest feedback with ideas – she says the hardest part of having yourself as the boss is not being able to give yourself a different point of view.  She is looking to expand the number of people in there (currently 13) and may ask some fellow Handmade Monday peeps if they would like to be part of it.
 
Speaking of Handmade Monday, Victoria says that finding it has to have been the best thing she did last year (aside from starting the business) because she's learnt so much from reading others' blogs and the links they share!

party invitation using the little girl with bunting digi

Do look up Victoria online:




Have you made anything using Handmade Harbour digis that you'd like to share?  You can email images and information to me: wendy@handmadeharbour.co.uk and let me know if you'd be happy for me to share them on here and on the website (with credit of course).

 

Wednesday 19 February 2014

Midweek Papercraft Party (25)

Hello and welcome to another papercraft challenge!  This week's theme is

Put some Ribbon on it!

Your make can be anything you like: a card, tag, scrapbook page or even something else entirely.  But we'd like to see some ribbon on it this week!

Last week's winners are...

Sue and Ginger


Well done both!  You win three digistamps of your choice from the Handmade Harbour shop.  Please email wendy@handmadeharbour.co.uk with your choices and I'll get them to you as soon as I can!

This week we have some fabulous new members on our design team, and these are their first assignments - and rather lovely they all are too!  You can find out more about them all on the design team page.

Emma made this gorgous card in pastel colours using the campervan digital stamp.  I love how the ribbons are holding up the stamped bunting!


Teresa used the thank you topiary digital stamp to create this bright and happy card ... or is it a canvas?  I can't quite tell from the photo - it looks like it might have some depth to it - but whatever the finished product is, I do love it!


Josie came up with something completely different!  This needlecase is made using the bird and nest digital stamp - Josie used the stamp as a pattern for applique.  I just adore this!  OK, so it's not papercraft, but I do love how edges can be blurred and one craft can transfer to another.


Frezja made this adorable journal page - how gorgeous has she made the momma and baby owls look?  That little one is so sweet with the ribbon in her hair!


and a close up!


Last but definitely not least, Elina created this oh-so-pretty card which would make a gorgeous birthday card for a special little girl.  She used Toddler Emily birthday Princess digital stamp for this.


If you want to join in and play along with our challenge this week, all you have to do is put some ribbon on it!  If you use a Handmade Harbour digital stamp, you increase your chances of winning  (there are some free digital stamps you can use).

We'd love to see what you've made!  To join in...


Sunday 16 February 2014

Handmade Monday 155

Welcome to another Handmade Monday!

So, the awful weather in the UK has made the news yet again but (as long as you've not been flooded out of your home!) there's a good side to it too: bad weather always seems to me to be the perfect time to sew.  And that's what I did for at least a few hours this week.

sneaky peek of the notepad organiser

Making things for magazines means I have deadlines to keep, and that's what galvanised me into action this time!  Sewing World wanted a little notebook organiser (a surprising number of my projects are about organisation - I think this might just reflect a deep-rooted desire for a more organised me!) and this is what I came up with.  It has holds a notebook (of course), pen, credit cards and that zipped pocket could hold cash, receipts or whatever you like - tape measure or swatches for shopping trips, maybe?

lots of pockets

This should be in the May issue of Sewing World if all goes to plan!  The gorgeous colourful canvas fabric came from Wholeport, as did the starry denim.  The other snippets were, if my memory serves me well, from Abakhan.  The whole thing was made with fabrics left over from other projects, which wasn't too difficult as all the pieces needed are quite small.

We are ready to go with a new design team for Handmade Harbour - it's all very exciting! - and while I'm talking about sewing, I am delighted that one of the new team, Josie from Sew for Soul, is going to be using my digital stamps for stitched applique designs.  I love this idea and can't wait to see more!  I love Josie's style and it will be amazing to see my designs interpreted in fabric.

What has your handmade week been like?

An Email Blip

I just thought it worth mentioning here that some of my emails haven't been getting to me.

If you have emailed me in the past few days at wendy@handmadeharbour.co.uk and haven't had a reply, please feel free to resend the email.  Or send it to wendypmassey@gmail.com.  I'm so sorry if anyone has been inconvenienced by this.

I have visions of a cyberpostman stuffing a sack of emails under his bed because he can't be bothered delivering them.  It's entirely possible I don't have a full understanding of cyberspace and email delivery in particular...

Friday 14 February 2014

Happy Valentine's Day!

Whether you celebrate Valentine's Day or not, it can't be a bad thing for love to be the focus for the day!

card by Mary

If you need to rustle up a last minute card, there are plenty of digital stamps with the Valentine's theme ready for instant download on our Valentine's Day digital stamps page.  You could be making a card in a couple of minutes - quicker than nipping out to the shop and much more personal!

card by Lynne

Wherever you are and whoever you are with, I hope you have a very happy Valentine's Day.



Wednesday 12 February 2014

Midweek Papercraft Party (24)

Welcome to another papercraft challenge!  This week's theme is BRIGHT AND HAPPY!

Congratulations to last week's winners:

Naomi (Mad Moose) and Very Belle Makes

You both win your choice of three digital stamps from the Handmade Harbour store - please email wendy@handmadeharbour.co.uk with your choices and I'll get them to you as soon as I can.  You also get to grab the winners' badge for your blog- you'll find it in the left hand sidebar.

This week, Lynne has made a gorgeously bright and happy card, using the vintage caravan digital stamp - I love what she's done with colour and pattern here!



Rachel played with the funky monkey digital stamp and created this very impressive napkin fold card that opens up when you pull the tab!  I'm full of admiration for the skill and time that went into this card - a true feat of engineering!



Bright and happy is a theme I can warm to - a feeling that might cheer some of us up in a damp British winter - and those of you in a warmer(or indeed drier) climate could perhaps share some of your sunshine with us via the internet!  If you haven't got sunshine, then the bright and happy theme might mean you can fake it!

As I type, I'm bundled up in scarf, duvet and blanket, waiting for an engineer to fix my central heating boiler - it's just 5 degrees outside and possibly slightly warmer inside!  So do please share your bright and happy cards or other projects with me!!


Sunday 9 February 2014

Handmade Monday 154

Hello!  It's Handmade Monday time again - come and join us!

This week has been particularly hectic.  My elderly parents moved house and hadn't packed a single box (unsurprising, as both have problems with their memory).  You can only imagine the chaos when the removal men turned up two hours earlier than planned!  They were fabulous though, and despite the mayhem, nothing was too much trouble for them. I would highly recommend Kitson's Transport if you live locally to their base in Atherton.

other family members took them to lunch 
and for coffee while we moved and sorted
(in the complex where they now live)

Mum and Dad's new apartment is now cosy and settled, but there is still much confusion in their minds.  Dad in particular is confused about absolutely everything and has wandered off twice already.  Each time he has been found within the building, so that's good (and he is now well known to the care team who are on site 24/7).  My sister and I still have a lot of work to do settling both of them and familiarising them with everything so we've established a twice-a-day visiting rota between us for now.

They have started using their medication organiser pockets.  Up to now, it's working well - but they are having more support than usual at the moment.

In other news, issue 34 of Craftseller popped through my letterbox.  I love that they published a letter from reader Terrianne George who made a cushion inspired by my seaside vanity case in issue 25.  I love seeing how other people have been inspired by my designs!


The seaside vanity case which inspired Terrianne's cushion was one of my favourite projects, and has pride of place in my sewing room now (below):


I also made the cards in the current issue, a project which shows off their free papers.  These cards had a Mother's Day theme.


I think that's enough from me for now.  What have you been making?

Friday 7 February 2014

Alzheimer's and a Medication Reminder...

This project is my attempt at helping my elderly parents remember to take their medication!  It might work for anyone who needs a visual reminder.

Mum and Dad both have Alzheimer's and can't really cope with technology, so even the simplest of digital reminder gadgets will end up wrapped in a teacosy and stuffed in a cupboard to muffle the bleeping (yes, it happened).

However, Mum responded really well to a technology-free wall calendar for appointments and she always appreciates anything I make for her, so this is what I came up with...


It's a wall hanger with two main pockets for medication - one pocket each for Mum and Dad, made from transparent PVC so the contents are visible for easy checking.  The top pocket is a place for notes and reminders.  I like that it's made from pretty fabric and isn't too utilitarian.  And I like that it will never ever bleep at her and stress her out!

Using PVC for the pockets means you can add post-it notes on the outside, too, if you need to add some temporary reminders or messages.

Each pocket is designed to accommodate a UK Nomad system blister pack, which makes the pockets a generous size for other medication too.  Each pocket measures approx 28cm x 18cm - there are pleats at the bottom of the pockets to create a gusset.  The blister packs measure 23cm x 18cm (the pack in the middle pocket is one of these - the plan is they'll both be using this system soon).  I'm sure other countries have similar systems but I'm not sure of the sizes.

You could make this in any size, and you may be happy to work out sizes to suit your own requirements, but if you'd like full instructions and cutting guides for this size, I will be making a more detailed downloadable pattern available that you can follow (there will be a small charge).

In the meantime, this is how to make a similar one:

Press all bindings under along all long edges and in half lengthways.


Bind the two sides of the top PVC pocket.

Bind the tops of the second two PVC pockets.


Place the pockets and fabric pocket backings onto the wadding and backing, starting with the top and working your way down.  The fabrics below form the hem of the PVC pockets above them as you go along.  The picture above might help you make sense of this idea!


Using clothes pegs helps hold the PVC in place without putting pin holes in your PVC.


Sew the top and bottom biding into place.  Position the tabs before adding the side binding.


Fold the binding in place around the tab and stitch to secure.

Hang on the wall somewhere prominent!

The main fabrics I used were kindly donated by Gütermann - the gorgeous French Cottage Flower and French Cottage Ornament 4 in collaboration with Craftseller magazine.

The clear PVC I used for the pockets was from Abakhan.

NOTE: If you use a directional print, like I did, be careful when cutting your bindings as you'll probably want the print all facing the same direction.

Wednesday 5 February 2014

Midweek Papercraft Party (23)

It's time for another papercraft challenge - and this week's theme is LOVE.  This is an easy one as we approach Valentine's Day, but I think love is the background motivation for so many cards anyway.

The winners for last week are:

Susie and Gail

and both winners get to display the winner's badge on their blog (you can grab it from the left hand sidebar of this blog) as well as choose three digistamps from the Handmade Harbour shop.  Susie and Gail, please email wendy@handmadeharbour.co.uk with your choices and I'll send them over to you.

This week the design team has been playing with the theme of love... Lynne made two gorgeous cards with the I heart you digistamp - these balloons floating in the sky are a lot of fun and proving popular!  To see how Lynne made these cards, pop over to see her card making process.

Lynne's Card - Using Pastels - Blog post to follow

Lynne's Card - using Silks to paint the images and liquid pearls like paint... LOVE this one

Connie at Times To Cherish made this super sweet heart wedding Mini album with the Wedding Couple digi


I love it - there's lots of space to add pictures or keepsakes


Laura's Card is a beautiful example of the Clean and Simple look.  This adorable Momma Owl and Baby Owl shows the strongest love of all - between mother and child!  Who wouldn't be thrilled to receive this card?


kel used the lovely cute hedgehogs digital stamp to make her gorgeous with love card.  A perfect example of using the LOVE theme for something other than Valentine's cards!


It's your turn now - if you've been making cards or other papercraft projects with the LOVE theme, we'd love to take a peek!  Add your link below and we'll pop over and have a look.

Sunday 2 February 2014

Handmade Monday 153

Hello!  Welcome to Handmade Monday!

Life never seems to get any slower, and this week it's going to be a total whirlwind.  My elderly parents are moving house and it feels like I am the one moving!  There is so much to organise!

They both have a diagnosis of Alzheimer's, although it's possible that much of Mum's memory loss and confusion is simply down to the stress of looking after Dad.  In their new place - a retirement village - there is a wide range of social activities, support when they need it and even a restaurant, coffee shop, library, hairdressers, grocery shop - and lots more - without even having to set foot outside.  I think it's the perfect move for them.  It's also closer to my sister and me, so we can visit more easily and more often.

This week I've been making Easter cards for Craftseller magazine.  I can't show you the whole card yet, but you may be able to see a little Easter bunny's ears in the bottom corner...


I've also been working on lots of other things... I'm trying to put together a few things that will make life easier for Mum and Dad, as well as make the new place feel like home.  Sometimes, even in the flat they've lived in for 15 years, Dad asks when they are going home (it's so sad, but in another way not so sad as he usually thinks he is on holiday - which is probably not too bad a way to live life!).

One of the things I'm doing to make the new place feel like home is a big framed montage of old family photos, including their wedding in 1953...


I've enjoyed putting them all together - they have a lot of happy memories and I think it's important to try to hold onto them, especially as their own memories become more fragile.

Wish me luck with the move!  It feels like a military operation - two of my daughters are helping out with looking after my parents on the day, while my sister and I will oversee the removals and pack the boxes.  It's at times like this you realise how important family is.

What have you been making this week?