Starting a new venture - cardmaking

I love cardmaking, it offers so many possibilites and is like mini-scrapbooking! I thought as a new venture I would start to make and sell (hopefully) some of my own handmade cards and see how I go. I know there are a lot of these available out there, and it's really something that you need to be uber good at or really stand out from the crowd to get a look in but I'm not really aiming for either of those things, I do it purely because I find it relaxing and seriously enjoyable! That's all you need really, the rest in due time will follow naturally as with most things crafty :)

I am a paper-junkie. I really am! If I see a piece of scrapbooking paper or a new stack at a store, then generally it ends up in a bag coming home with me whilst I slowly repeat 'my precious' under my breath....oh yes I am obsessed!! And since I don't actually do a lot of scrapbooking as I find once you buy everything you need (I like my scrapbooking pages to be coordinated and when I think it needs something specific I could spend 6 months hunting for it!)  it ends up being a very pricey hobby so I've decided to satisfy my paper-love with cardmaking instead.

So first I gather my pile of loot (ooooh how I love loot! So shiny and sparkly and new!) and a now clean crafting desk (it was rather messy a few hours ago)...

And then off I go!

 You gotta do it for the love of it and just go with the flow!

Til next time,

-Tashy Xx

Heaven!!

Guess what my hubby bought me home after helping to clean his parents' shed????

CHOCOLATE MOULDS!!!! Christmas moulds (including advent calender moulds!), chocolate frog moulds, christening moulds, chocolate seashell moulds, sea creature moulds, leaf moulds ooooh I'm a very happy lady!

I was also given my first sewing machine today too! My aunt had one that had been in the family for a while and she wasn't using it so I gave it a new home! Previously I'd been hand stitching everything (bags, skirts, clutches, pillows...everything!) so I am very excited :)

Now all I want to do is make dozens of chocolates all flavoured and coloured and ganache filled and test out my new sewing machine!! Pity the kitchen is a mess and my crafting room needs a good clean out... drat! Looks like I'll have to tidy first!

What an absolutely crummy day I've had! Nobody likes coming down with the flu this close to Christmas...I must just be unlucky! I didn't end up finishing (or getting anywhere near) all those handmade Christmas presents I was meant to have had done by now so no presents from us this year :( that is a major dissappointment!! My husband and I won't be having much of a much needed holiday this year either..after everything we've been through this year we desperately need a break and wanted to go camping, just the two of us for just a weekend but even that doesn't seem possible anymore. At this rate we don't even think we'll make it home to visit my parents and brother and sister which I don't even want to think about!! Unfortauntely Im doing my usual drown my sorrows in food thing, which isn't so bad coz hey, it's actually helping but I'm sure my tummy will remind me of what a bad idea that was when my jeans don't do up.

Should I look for the positives of today? I had to just to get through it! My wonderful husband has been taking care of me whilst I've been sick, bringing me cold and flu tablets, hot cups of lemon honey tea and lovely Twix bars :) And our puppy got the official approval to live here in our apartment today which is great! I have been working on a bag today too but it hasn't turned out quite how I wanted...originally it was going to be handbag but I made a mistake with the measurements and it's a tad big; but I have deducted it would make a fantastic Baby Bag so that's what I'm going with! I've tried to stitch the handles on twice today and for some reason my thread has just been knotting up all day...i'm currently working on a nappy wallet as part of the baby bag and stitching my first button hole. I just don't know when to quit do I? I keep trying and things just keep not working ARRRGGGGG Maybe it's time for bed!

This is my bag too... I'll show you the work in progress now in case I make another mistake and in my sick and short tempered state fling it out the window!

It's super spacious! You'll notice the lack of handles.. I will add those later and hopefully wont jab myself with the needle too many times! Ahhh the hazards of hand stitching! I figured with the rest of the fabric I'd make a large nappy wallet, a baby bottle holder and a change matt. I have no idea what I'm going to do with it yet!