#CraftBlogClub Secret Santa....

Happy New Year! I hope you have enjoyed the festive break and 2017 has started well for you. I hope this year is a happy, healthy and crafty one!

To start the year off it's time to reveal my #CraftBlogClub Secret Santa.

My Secret Santa this year was for the lovely Kay who has been one of our guest hosts on #CraftBlogClub. I made her a Christmas decoration....

I painted an MDF bauble and stamped it with a funny sentiment in black ink.  I used green irridescent and silver metallic acrylic paints giving it a satin finish.

Along with it I sent a Made By Mrs M notebook, I love these, I have some myself. They are a handy size to keep in your bag and I thought a great place for Kay to keep ideas for blogging, crafty projects or whatever else she would like to use it for.

Notebook by Made by Mrs M

Tonight is the first #CraftBlogClub chat of the year and we will be sharing our Secret Santa gifts.  Don't worry if you haven't taken part we will also chat about any handmade gifts we made or received for Christmas.

If you have taken part in this year's Secret Santa please link your blog post below so we can all go and check it out.  This is the best part of the challenges, seeing what everyone has made.

Tonight's chat is over on Twitter from 7pm (GMT). If you have not joined us before we are a friendly bunch and welcome newbies all the time, you can find out more about our club here.

The final days of #100PatternsofCBC....

I can't believe it's the end of #100DaysofPatternsCBC and that I managed to complete all 100 days (even if I had to play catch up a few times!).

Here are my last 20 photos from the challenge....

Days 81 to 84 ~ A pretty plant growing through a fence / lots of leaves / close up of an autumn leaf / lots of multicoloured leaves on the ground.

Days 85 to 88 ~ A pretty mug found in the supermarket / tree trunk / two days of scarf patterns.

Days 89 to 92 ~ A throwback to my trip to Lisbon two years ago and a close up of tiles / mmmm chocolate! / day 91 was also my birthday and the butteflies were from wrapping paper / close up of packaging for fancy tea.

Days 93 to 96 ~ close up of crochet, love the colours of this yarn / fat quarter / creased stripes on a mans shirt / close up of a tree trunk.

Days 97 to 100 ~ An amazing quilt at No3 Royston / a hand drawn map of Hertfordshire from the 1920s on a tote bag / floral fabric / a close up of a beaded Christmas decoration by my clever crafty friend Debbie of Debbie Claire Designs.

The challenge has taken us from Summer through to Autumn, I have found patterns and inspiration everywhere! If you have enjoyed this challenge you can check out my previous posts here and all the photos from everyone who took part on Instagram here. 

This challenge has Inspired me and I have set myself another challenge ~ #100fizzijaynepatterns! 

This new challenge will start in the new year and I will be designing and creating my own patterns.  It's not a 100 day challenge, I don't want to put myself under that sort of pressure but through the course of the first 6 months of 2017 I will create 100 patterns using various techniques and taking inspiration from #100DaysofPatternCBC. I'm feeling inspired and can't wait to get started!

Days 61 to 80 of #100DaysofPatternCBC....

As we head in to November we are in the final few days of the #100DaysofPatternsCBC. Where has the time gone?!

Here are my photos of patterns from days 61 to 80....

Days 61 to 64 ~ King's Cross station's impressive ceiling / building in the new Kings Cross development / pavement at a crossing / close up of a hydrangea.

Days 65 to 68 ~ Brick work of St, Pancra Renaissance Hotel / rows of beer barrels / a friend's blind / looks like ice cream sprinkles but I came across this in a department store advertising Clinque.

Days 69 to 72 ~ A close up of the seat from a Northern Line Underground train / a manhole cover / another manhole cover / leaves.

Days 73 to 76 ~ A stripe pattern made up of ivy, brick and leaves / close up of a marrow / somones's gate / it's another photo from #MadebyMrsMPhotoWalk, the ceiling of Clapham South tube station.

Days 77 to 80 ~ Butterflies from a visit to Jimmy's Farm / Another photo from #MadebyMrsMPhotoWalk, I think these tiles were at Balham station / Ivy / More butterflies. 

The challenge ends on 17th November 2016, so if you would like to join in over the last few days all the details can be found here.

Psst.... Have you noticed I'm sharing my photos in a larger format, what do you think? do you prefer them large or would prefer me to go back to a smaller size?

Upcycle project ~ squeaky dog toy....

My new puppy, Jenson, has inspired my latest crafty make for the latest #CraftBlogClub upcycling challenge.

The challenge was launched by Jenniffer Taylor of the #SewingRevolution and Sewing Bee fame and all we had to do was upcycle anything.  So using an old pair of jeans and fleece jumper I decided to make a squeaky dog toy.

What did I use....

• Old pair of jeans. Denim should be hard wearing enough for my teething pup
• Old fleece jumper for the chew ties
• Matching thread
• Polyester toy filler
• Dog toy squeaker. I used Kong replacement squeakers which I bought from my local independent pet store but they are also available online.
• This tutorial by Laura Griffin which includes a template.

It was a great opportunity to dust off my sewing machine.

Laura's instructions were easy to follow and it only took me a couple of hours to make.

The Finished Dog Toy!

I think it was a big hit with Jenson! As soon a I gave it to him he ran around with it and then hid under the dining room table to play, making sure no one could take it away from him! 

I enjoyed getting my sewing machine out again, I don't use it enough. I am now on the look out for my next sewing project.

Have you taken part in the challenge? Even if you haven't taken part in the challenge but have done an upcycling project I'd love to see it, please share your links below so I can check them out.

Disclaimer: The Amazon links in this post are affiliated

New Year Crafty Resolution ~ Calligraphy....

I launched a new #CraftBlogClub challenge back in January and the topic was simple, to learn a new craft or technique.  A perfect excuse to get out the beautiful calligraphy starter kit that my lovely friend Sarah gave me for my birthday and make a start on my crafty resolution.

I also have this book that I bought a while ago to help me get started.

So here are my first attempts at calligraphy....

Using the book I followed the advice of making different pen strokes first.

I kept smudging the ink.  It can take a while to dry especially if you make thick lines.

Using the guide that came with the kit, I traced the letters to practice writing them individually and then I traced my name.

Here it is freehand underneath.

Once I had finished the paper that came with the kit I bought a calligraphy pad.  I did try using a layout pad but the ink bled.  The calligraphy paper is beautiful, it's like the old fashioned parchment paper, I feel like I should be writing important letters or thoughtful poetry with it!

I started to practice more freehand using the book for guidance.

I started to feel comfortable and started to write words, without drawing guide lines first, I know I'm a maverick!

I haven't got a finished piece, but that's not what the challenge is about, I'll keep practising and keep posting updates on my progress.

Have you started a new craft this year? I can't wait to see what everyone has created and how you have got on with this challenge.  If you have written a blog post please add the link to the linky below so everyone can have a look, this is the fun bit of the challenge, seeing what you have all made. Don't worry if you haven't posted it yet, the linky will be open for the next 3 weeks.

In tomorrow night's #CraftBlogClub chat we'll be talking about this challenge and sharing photos of what we have done. I hope you will join us at 7pm (GMT, 15th March) over on Twitter, it doesn't matter if you haven't joined us before, we are a friendly bunch and welcome new crafters every week.

fizzi~jayne x

#CraftBlogClub Secret Santa reveal....

Happy New Year! I hope you had a great festive break and 2016 has started well for you.

My first post of 2016 is another #CraftBlogClub challenge reveal....

#CraftBlogClub organised a Secret Santa, it's the third one I've taken part in and it's my favourite challenge of the year. Each year names are picked at random for us to make a gift for another participant.

As soon as I received my parcel I had to open it, I couldn't wait until Christmas day!  Gill from The Little Soap Kitchen sent me gorgeous smelling handmade soaps. The box smelled amazing even before I unwrapped the beautiful box the soaps were wrapped in....

Gill sent me a selection of her handmade soaps

I've started using them and they are gorgeous! You can tell they are made with love and they aren't harsh on my hands that tend to get dry easily, I'm impressed with how soft and smooth my hands are, thank you Gill!

My Secret Santa was for Sue from The World of Suzy Homemaker. When I did my research, I found she was a fellow Bon Jovi fan! I was very excited by this so I made her a coaster with this in mind....

I painted MDF and stamped the phrase with black ink before varnishing.

I've been making and selling a lot of my beaded snowflakes which are fun to make so I also sent Sue one of these....

I also made this card which you might recognise from this tutorial....

I made a box in Kraft card using my Silhouette Cameo to fit Sue's gifts and added a pom-pom. I made pom-poms for all my gifts this year using sparkly red yarn, they are fun to make and I think they look fab on a gift.  I've also added pom-poms to my tree this year as well. There has been a lot of pom-pom love this festive season!

Have you joined in with the #CraftBlogClub Secret Santa? I can't wait to see what everyone has made during our first chat of 2016! 

fizzi~jayne x

Pssst.... Our first #CraftBlogClub chat of 2016 will be on Tuesday 5th January at 7:30pm (GMT). 

A first....

Last month I launched the latest #CraftBlogClub challenge which, for a change, was a blogging one. The topic is "Firsts", all the details can be found over here but the topic was left quite open for us to interpret how we choose.

The topic got me thinking about my first craft fair (but I write a lot about craft fairs and I thought you might fancy a change), my first time hosting #CraftBlogClub, my first crochet project (but I've already blogged about that here), If I had taken pictures of the very first cards I made you could have had a laugh at them.  In the end I decided I would share something different with you, nothing crafty or business related but about my first race!

Race For Life 2006

I started to run back in 2002 when I started my first proper job after university.  I've never been sporty but I needed to lose the excess weight gained from cheap pints and late night takeaways! 

My colleague had started running and signed up for the Race for Life and encouraged me to do the same.  Race for Life happens every year across the UK and it started as a 5km which you can walk, run or jog, there are now various distances you can take part in.  I don't have any pics from that day back in June 2003 but I remember I really enjoyed it, well, I must have done as I went on to run 3 more!

I have gone on since to run 10km and even the Great South Run which is 10 miles.  Over the years I have raised money for various charities - Cancer Research UK, The Alzheimer's Society, Bloodwise and The Stroke Association.  

Bupa London 10km 2010

Bupa London 10km 2011

Bupa London 10k 2015

Great South Run, Portsmouth. 2012

After running 10 miles, I fell out of love with running for a while. I think the pain in my knees and the rest of my body had something to do with that!  After a 2 year break I joined a running club as I was starting to miss it but I needed some motivation.  

Since joining the club I have taken part in another 10km and I have another one booked for January 2016 plus I take part in the local ParkRun when I have a free Saturday.  

I intend to apply for the Great North Run when the ballot opens for next year, I may not get in but if I do, it will be a challenge! The Great North Run has been on my bucket list even before I became a runner. I went to university in Newcastle and for some bizarre reason the love I have for the city makes me want to run 13.1 miles?! I think it is also because I can't believe I would be able to do it, but I strongly believe that anything is possible if you put your mind to it.

I'm by no means a skinny girl, I jiggle (a lot) when I run, but the accomplishment I felt after completing my first race has kept me running and entering more races.  I hope it shows that anyone can run, really they can! If you can put one foot in front of the other you can run, it doesn't matter how slow you are or if you have to walk part of the distance, it is still further than sitting on the sofa.

What I love about running is it takes me out of my comfort zone, into the fresh air and gives me some me time.  Although my first love will always be craft I have had some of my best ideas whilst running so it is an important part of my routine.

I hope you have enjoyed this post and the embarrassing photos! 

Did you join in with this challenge? 

I can't wait to read your post, please link your blog post below and don't forget to mention #CraftBlogClub and link back to this blog in your post.  

As we have often chatted about how we don't make enough time to comment on blogs, it would be great if you check out everyone's posts and comment on at least one of them.

I hope you will join me in our Twitter chat on 3rd November at 7pm (GMT) where we will be chatting about our firsts and sharing our posts.

Before I sign off my fellow co-host, Katie, has launched our Secret Santa challenge! It's probably one of my favourites, I love making gifts and receiving happy mail.  If you would like to join in please visit Katie's blog here where you will find the details of how to sign up which you will need to do by 8pm on 5th November 2015.

fizzi~jayne x

#CraftBlogClub Challenge Reveal....

It's time to reveal the latest #CraftBlogClub challenge - Pimp my Wardrobe!

The challenge was to transform something from your wardrobe. Full details and inspiration to the challenge can be seen here.

So what did I do?

I really wanted to revive a pair of shoes that were looking past their best which I'll still do but I also wanted to try crocheting with yarn made from a t-shirt and I was going on holiday so the crochet won as it is portable.

I used a top that my Mum was throwing out and gave to me.  It didn't flatter me but I thought there would be something I could do with it so it has sat in my wardrobe for about a year. 

I used this tutorial that I found on Pinterest to make the yarn.

Once I stretched the yarn it didn't roll the way I wanted, it went inside out, but I went with it. 

I didn't really have a plan with what I was going to make I just packed the top, scissors and a crochet hook in my suitcase. The lack of planning may have been my problem as what I have made isn't really a finished project more an experiment that hasn't turned out as I imagined!  

I thought I could make lots of small things to see what works.  I tried a flower, the more intricate designs were unravelled and I ended up with a simple daisy and well, um, its different....

I then just made a granny square, which could be a coaster but I may be clutching at straws with that idea....

This technique would work for a rug, I might turn to Pinterest for more inspiration.  However, more than one t-shirt would be required as the yarn soon runs out and one without seams may look better.

So, not my best project but it shows that not everything I envision works out but that's part of the fun, right?! 

Have you tried to crochet with t-shirt yarn or yarn made from other clothing?  I'd love to see what you have done, please leave your links in the comments.

What did you do?

Did you join in with this challenge? I can't wait to see what you have done, please link your blog post below and don't forget to mention #CraftBlogClub and link back to this blog in your post.

If you would like to feature your creation on our Facebook page please email an image along with a link to your blog or social media page to craftblogclub@gmail.com.

I hope you will join me in our Twitter chat tonight at 7pm (GMT) where we will share our creations.  I also want to see your crafting experiments to make me feel better about my challenge fail!

fizzi~jayne x