Making a little more sense of it all

Today marks the day that my amazing Dad died a few years ago.

We spoke almost everyday and I relished being able to share all the things I was doing. With this in mind I celebrate the day he died by doing something either unusual or challenging myself.

A few weeks ago I attended a coaching at the end of life study day. What I took away from that among many things was the notion that when people are dying they consider the things that are important to them. It's  fair to say that the stuff that gets on our nerves doesn't seem to matter anymore. We can learn so much from people who are dying.

This is me and my Dad

We don't have a bucket however, if we did I would like to consider that we filled it with his focus, determination, courage and drive. I always remember we used to sit with the people we didn't know to learn from them. "What can our club tell us that we don't already know, let's sit with the Italians instead"

Today I applied that courage and coached a master coach in front of others. 

The actual event may not have been my finest hour however, I came away feeling brave, courageous and driven to improve.

Thank you Claire for the opportunity and thank you Dad for my values and beliefs.

Take care 

Sam

New adventures

This morning I have made a card for a friend who is starting a new job in a few weeks.

Housemouse always makes me smile and the cd has loads of different designs for all occasions.

Take care

Sam

Lest we forget

Today I would like to dedicate my post to the brave and courageous people that have, do and will protect me. These amazing people do their jobs without most of us even realising who they are, what they do and where they are.

To begin I stamped the beautiful poppy stamp by indigoblu. I then got out my fine liner black pen and began a 3 hour zentangle adventure.

Here is the finished card..

It's also nice to see a work in progress...

Take care

Sam

The first Christmas craft fair

All packed and ready to go.

Here is just one of the cards I will be taking with me.

OAP Hall

Barley Close

Little Eaton

Derby

Saturday 7th November 10am -3pm

Looking forward to meeting lots of new people and sharing the craft I love.

Take care

Sam

A gift for a friend -stage 5

She sells seashells on the seashore.

Out came the glue gun again to attach the net, shells and a length of string.

The photo doesn't really do it justice.

Take care 

Sam

A gift for a friend - stage four

I have a new favourite thing.....

Iridescent medium.

This stuff is fantastic, shiny shiny and really easy to use.

I have added it to the canvas with a small make up sponge. It makes everything look shiny and pearly. Most appropriate for a beach theme.

Take care

Sam

www.namfas.co.uk

A gift for a friend -stage three

I wasn't quite sure where I was going when I covered the borders with blues greens and yellow. It looked a little 'patchy'

To help blend in the edges I reached for the glue gun and got messy. I adore the effects you can make with a glue gun, highly underrated!

I then covered the middle of the canvas with a very light blue. To give the top and the bottom of the canvas an orientation I gave the top more of a blue hue and the bottom a light brown for the effect of sand/land.

Looking forward to it drying so I can start and attach the beautiful embellishments I have lined up.

Take care

Sam

An interlude of sorts

OK so the canvas is coming along great and I am sure that for you it would be like watching paint dry.....literally.

The final coat of gesso has gone on this evening and it's looking fantastic however it looks almost the same as the last photo I took.

So here is a different view.

This is one of the Christmas cards I made on holiday. I adore the simplicity of black and white with a splash of winter sun.

Take care 

Sam

www.namfas.co.uk

A gift for a good friend - day 2

Step two has consisted of getting out the gesso and slapping it around, making sure all the little nooks and crannies are covered. Not sure if I will do another coat yet, let's see what it looks like once it's dry.

I am really liking the texture.

Think a visit to the local charity shop may be in order to find some trinkets and treasure to adorn the blank canvas I am creating.

Take care

Sam

A gift for a good friend

Step one: a 12x12 canvas, an old summer top cut into pieces and a big pot of glue. I can't wait for it to dry so I can start the next step

Take care

Sam

Rabbit rabbit rabbit

As much as the Chas and Dave song makes me chuckle that's not what I am getting at.

The rabbits I am interested in are the kind that I stamped whilst on holiday.

This is just one of the cards that I will be selling at the first Christmas fair I am attending this year.

OAP Hall

Barley Close

Little Eaton

Saturday 7th November. 10 - 3pm

See you there!

Sam

Wicked Witch Of The West

Look what arrived today!

New beautiful Swarovski crystals to make these quirky Halloween earrings.

You can find them to buy as a gift HERE

Keep your eyes peeled for more new items being added on the run up to Christmas.

Be sure not to miss out and sign up to receive an email from namfas at the top of this page.

Take care

Sam

Preparing for Christmas

I have been a busy bee whilst on holiday and have returned home with a selection of Christmas cards and some earrings.

I have created 10 different designs and its so tricky to choose my favourite.
Today this may be the number one card...

I have used cardio stamps, memento inks (applied with a make up sponge and brushes) and finished with some snow glitter.

The plan is to create a newsletter with all my designs on. If you would like to receive this newsletter then please drop me a line.

All the designs are now listed in the online shop HERE

I also have a few dates for the diary when I am selling my cards at local Christmas fairs.

Marstons brewery Christmas Festival Burton upon Trent 6th December

West Hallam village hall 29th November

Long Eaton OAP hall Christmas Fair 7th November

Take care

Sam

Stamping heaven

This weekend I spent some time in the craft room creating some new cards for the online shop.

I used my new stamps bought from card-io and mini dew drop ink pads from memento.

The beauty of these cards is that I can create any colour combination and personalise with any greeting.

What colour would you like to see?

I have left them blank inside so will suit any occassion.

The online shop has 6 cards using these new stamps. 

Watch this space for the Christmas selection, here is a sneaky peek.....

Take care

Sam

Say cheese!

I bought a dodgy looking plastic photo frame a few weeks ago and since it's rained all day, I decided to get my fingers working.

The frame was sprayed black with simple acrylic paint and left to dry. Great opportunity to have a quick brew.

Then I rubbed treasure gold gilding wax onto each of the frames. I used gold, silver and copper.

The cuttlebug was used to create a few embellishments. These were cut out using black card and the rubbed with the gilding wax.

I used silicone gel to attach each embellishment to the frame.

I then printed out some of our photos from the past few years.

Thanks for looking

Sam

Pretty little stamps

Today saw me crack out the inks and stamps.

I made this card for my fairy godmother..... Every girl should have one!

I used distress inks and card-io majestix stamps with a little glitter glue to finish.

I am planning to make this years Christmas cards with card-io stamps. They are really pretty and so easy to use.

Take care

Sam

Jeff and his nuts!

So when the time comes for a bit of adjustment Jeff needs the right tools

Jeff also needs a reality check...

I love my husband

XXX

What to do with the little ones

It's the summer holidays so I need to start and think about what to do with the little kilner jars I have acquired.

Our sweet peas look fantastic sat in one of the smallest kilner jars.

Take care

Sam

Jingle Jangle

So the purchase of a new bike means the Walker household is being taken over by keys!

I have been considering a key hanger for a while and today I created one.

The hooks were bought in my local cheap shop

The canvas board is from The Range.

I have used several different coloured gilding wax from creative expressions and Treasure Gold.

The cogs have been cut using my cuttlebug, spellbinder and X Cut dies.

The photo doesn't do it any justice. It looks great and keeps all my keys handy.

Take care

Sam

Anglesey plop enduro July 2015

The 4th of July.

 Independence Day for some, for me it means riding a C90 for 8 hours around the coastal track at Angelsey.

We started in the rain but that soon changed to glorious sunshine.

Jeff took the first hour stint while I waited anxiously in the pits.

My first hour was cut short to 50 minutes. Jeff stated that endurance means just that, not coming in early for a wee!

I can't believe how quickly 8 hours passed. I can't believe that I managed to pass 2 people.

My first ever chequered flag left me feeling proud as punch.

Quote of the day ' you shouldn't be looking at the view of the sea, your not a tourist. Watch the track and go faster!'

Lemon Curd

This morning has seen me make my first ever lemon curd, using my coveted Kilner jars.

I didn't realise it was so easy and it tastes fantastic!

This is how I did it....

Ingredients

4 unwaxed lemons, zest & juice

200g unrefined castor sugar

100g unsalted butter, cut into cubes

3 free range eggs, plus one free range egg yolk

Method

Put the lemon zest and juice, the sugar and the butter into a heat proof bowl. Sit the bowl over a pan of gently simmering water, making sure the water is not touching the bottom of the bowl. Stir the mixture every now and then and again until all of the butter has melted.

Lightly whisk the eggs and the egg yolk and stir them into the lemon mixture. whisk until all of the ingredients are well combined, then leave to cook for 10-13 minutes, stirring every now and again, until the mixture is creamy and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.

Remove the lemon curd from the heat and set aside to cool, stirring occasionally as it cools. Once cooled, spoon the lemon curd into sterilised jars and seal.

Keep in the fridge until ready to use.

This recipe fills a 0.5l Kilner jar perfectly.

Pins and Needles

So today brought my first acupuncture experience.

Having given up on the solutions offered by my GP I had my first acupuncture consultation.

It was quite enlightening and yet not surprising at the same time.

I had needles in my hands, legs and feet.

None of them hurt but I did feel a dull ache from one of them.

Looking forward to seeing some positive results in the future.

Take care 

Sam

The Cats Whiskers

I have had a lovely evening with a new pair of cheap nasty pumps and a sharpie pen.

I wonder how many people will notice the kitties as i walk through the hospital tomorrow?

Take care

Sam

Dip Dyed Birthdays

I adore the stamps from Gorjuss. One of the main reasons is that it opens up the possibility to personalize your cards.

Here is a card I have made this morning for  good friend.

She has lovely long hair that has been dip dyed. The grass is some what questionable but hey ho, that's hand made for you.

I used my spectrum noir pens an pencils which can be bought HERE The shading is fantastic and they are so easy to use. There are also loads of tutorials online.

The stamp can be bought HERE

Unfortunately I dont remember where I got the tree stamp from however, the gems can be bought from all good crafty shops :)

Take care 

Sam

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner!

Its a rare occurrence that I win something however, today that all changed.

I am now the proud owner of this stunning Swarovski bracelet.

a BIG thank you to Stephen Arnold for picking me in their raffle. Click HERE to visit their website, If you like sparkly things I can guarantee you will be spoilt for choice and be amazed at all the different colours and shapes.

Take care

Sam

Summertime Blues

What is it about the begining of Summer that stirs a need for different colours?

One of my best sellers at Namfas are these beautiful Swarovski cube earrings.

Click here to see them in the online shop → Blue Cube Earrings

They are so simple and yet so effective. they come with the usual brilliant sparkle you would expect from Swarovski and also have a bit of a trick up their sleeve.

From the side the crystals look clear and its not until you move your head that you see the deepest, richest blue you can imagine.

One of my buyers has a 7yr old son and he calls them ' her magic earrings'

Take care

Sam

Redeemed Myself

After yesterday's disaster I felt the need to create something half decent.

I used my wigjig for the first time and made these gorgeous earrings.

I used Stirling silver earring posts and silver plated wire. The crystal is Swarovski, my favourite.

With Jeff on lates this week I could possibly spend most of my evenings making more for the online shop.   www.namfas.co.uk

Take care

Sam

A Brave Attempt

OK so the beautiful tweed I brought back from the Isle of Harris made it onto the craft table today.

I found a cute pattern for a Scottie dog in craft seller magazine and decide to bang the two together.

Around three hours later with the air more blue than the bunting hanging outside Downing Street, I have a Scottie dog with many holes and a laparotomy scar to be proud of.

I didn't stuff him for fear of him losing most of it through his holes.

Not quite sure what I hope to achieve by sewing things when I am so rubbish at it and I despise doing it!

Hey ho, tomorrow I will be enjoying breakfast on a steam train at Market Bosworth.

Take care 

Sam

Up Up & Away

This weekend I decided to make a hot air balloon necklace.

It came as a kit from one of my favorite jewellery shops The Bead Shop

The kit included everything to make a beautiful necklace:

A hot air balloon charm
Swarovski Elements pastel pearls
Silver plated head pins
Silver plated jump rings
Silver plated 24" curb chain

The necklace took around 10 minutes to make and is really pretty. Not something I would usually make, but actually its quite nice to step outside of my comfort zone and create something so summery.

Click  HERE to buy the kit yourself and have a go!

Take care 

Sam

Treasure Everywhere

Since making earrings and having extreme difficulty on choosing colours, I now have quite the collection of treasure.


I wanted to keep them all together and safe but in a crafty way.
This is what I came up with...

Having never entered the country crafts challenge blog before, their current challenge 'Use Kraft Card' gave me a great idea. Country View Crafts Challenges

I bought the box in the hobby craft sale for 64p!

I painted it using acrylic brown paint, I then cut out some of my card stock and ran it through my cuttlebug with a wood grain embossing folder. Once the wood panels were in place I covered the entire box with a black wash.

The inside was lined using some lovely wire edged ribbon I Picked up from Costco at Christmas, it fit perfectly.

The index cards were made from kraft cardstock, cut to size and then stamped using the beautiful Jane stamp from Indigoblu.

All the cards were then pierced and earrings attached.

The final step was to attach a small lock I made using craft clay and a modpodge mould and gold acrylic paint.

Now I can keep all my earrings together in a unique way. (there is also spare cards for loads more, but don't tell Jeff)

Kraft card is great for that earthy feel.


Take care
Sam

Today has been a great day!

I am proud to belong to probably the most tolerant of all nations.

Glorious Technicolour

Having treated myself to a new camera, this weekend has given me the task of taking pictures of all my earrings.
Its such a challenge getting the light right and the colours to reflect what they actually look like.

These sunflower Swarovski stud earrings are a beautiful colour, especially given the time of year when all the daffodils are out in bloom.

I have also been experimenting with the adhesive I use on my earrings.

The new favourite isn't actually designed to be used on jewellery however the fix I get is fantastic.

The gems stick beautifully, it doesn't take ages to dry and it dries clear so any mishaps don't show :)

Take care
Sam