Craft Club projects - aperture cards, magic motifs and shaped cards

Well, feeling high on the first successful few meets, we then started to plan for the rest of the year. We joined the craftwork cards club, and got inspiration from the gorgeous range and quality of their card blanks. We decided to utilise things that we did not use alot of, in order to use up our leftover things as well as forcing ourselves to look outside of our comfort zone. My style of cardmaking is quite simplistic - an image, matted and layered. So we bought some aperture cards and acetate squares (from eBay) and played with making shaker cards, and also just simply using stickers on the window. I loved the baby boy card (pictured). So simple and quick to make. The shaker cards were quite difficult for the beginners to make, but they got there.
The next month, we used magic motifs with glitter, flock, foils and micro-beads. Great fun. But we had to find the hoover!!!!! I love using magic motifs - they are so detailed, and look super with the different materials - I just love using foils - I had bought the tonertex foil set from QVC and NOT used it in 3 years so this gave me an opportunity to play!!!! Some examples of these cards are shown in the blog!
The craftwork cards handbag blanks gave us the idea to use them one month, but the cost was too much - so we gave out one craftwork card blank, and a handmade handbag blank which we took from a Hobbycraft leaflet (basically, from an ordinary card crease at the top, mark two cms in both sides and cut the card so that the folded length was 4 cms shorter than the bottom - then round off the corners at the bottom and add on top a shaped piece of card to act as a flap (DS tape at top, 3d foam at bottom) same top length, and with bottom corners rounded - you could use a length of pearls, or wire, or fibres/ribbons as a handle). This project was extremely popular - everyone loves their bags, and the handmade blank was not too bad - it enabled the ladies to customise it with papers, and stamped images, jewels and ribbons. We used the DCWV floral stack to complement the cards.

Projects for Craft Club - first 3 months

So, for the first project, everyone was given white and yellow card, floral embellishments and daisy ribbon. Everyone had the same stuff given to them - it was up to them what they made with it - it was amazing to see what everyone had done with it. As that happened 2 years ago, it will have to be left to your imagination as to what they had and what they made. It wa suggested to me to get everyone to bring in a favourite card, or one they had made using their favourite technique. As we had some complete beginners that was not an option.
After that meeting, we had the NEC Hobbycrafts show, so Amanda and I trawled the stands to find goodies for projects - and with so many people there, it needed to be something that did not require everyone wanting to use one piece of equipment and having queues everywhere. So we bought some fabric squares from pinflair, with glue and cardboard. There was musical material, and also seaside material, so we could make cards for Father's Day. Again, people's imagination was fantastic to see and someone always managed to do something we had never thought of. From having frayed edges to separating the golden threads to layer on top of the design it was just inspiring (and we were supposed to be the ones doing the inspiring!). If I find the samples or some spare material I will post it on here but again, don't hold your breath.
We then found whilst trawling through some websites that there were some free downloads of templates for stitching cards - well spirelli was something I had done before but I had not thought it would take up a whole evening so we used stitching card templates - bought metallic threads and needles for everyone (and plasters!) and this went down not quite as well, as the hole pricking was quite time consuming - but I had after that someone who was a spirelli-lover from not having done it before and the templates were very pretty (though not used since.....).....

Starting craft club

I can't believe it is 2 whole years since our first craft club meet... I started to organize this with my best friend Amanda, who lives next door - she is a mega keen crafter (verging on obsessive but hey, who isn't). As Amanda has had her garage converted to a craft studio, we normally meet up in there, with a bottle of wine (or two) and by the end of the evening nothing is on straight and we are normally in fits of giggles. We listen to Late Night Love on local radio, and if nothing is done by 9 o'clock we are stuffed. Well, Amanda makes cards and had done for a few years, whereas I was still a beginner, having only started whilst off work for a few months. We decided, as selling cards at school fairs was not doing too well, to start a local club - as on the docrafts forum and topaz crafts forum I had noticed some local ladies who had asked if there was any clubs in the area. So we started one. Luckily, my OH was Chairman of the local Cricket Club, so we had a cheap venue - all we needed was to advertise and plan the first few meetings. We were expecting about 10-12 ladies to turn up, but were amazed when we had nearer 20 ladies, of mixed abilities. Some total beginners who turned up to support me (and still come now!) and lots of now very good friends. I will post on here some of the projects that we have done - some easier than others. Do feel free to use the ideas if you run a club - and contact me if you want to.