November 2021 Crafty Goals

I didn't do too badly on my crafty goals for October:

1. Make a birthday card and some gift tags for my Mum's 70th birthday
2. Complete at least 4 different papercraft projects using challenges for inspiration
3. Get started on at least one journal using one of my Bigz dies (make the cover and at least one signature of pages, more pages and other items can continue next month)
4. Sort out 5 pages of dies or stamps
5. More sewing practice - some sewn journal pages and some sewing on actual fabric!

I also made quite a bit of progress with the Geometric Mocha collection. This collection was in my "Use It or Lose It" challenge: my plan was to try and use all of the different types of elements that I have from this collection, and I'll dispose of any items that I can't find a use of. So far, I've created 3 junk journal style travellers notebooks along with several journal cards and other elements to go in them. I'll post about these once they're completed. 

I think that I'll put off  organising my stamps and dies until the New Year - hopefully the Totally Tiffany Get Organised Challenge will run again, which helps me get motivated. In the mean-time, tidying up my desk area would make it easier to craft and to get my sewing machine out!

Here are my crafting goals for November:

1. Make a birthday card for my sister
2. Make and write my Christmas cards
3. Complete at least 4 different papercraft projects using challenges for inspiration (this can include projects for any of the other goals)
4. Finish the Geometric Mocha junk journals and items to go in them
5. Make some Christmas cards to use as pages in Christmas junk journals
6. Make another Christmas journal using the Eileen Hull Pocket Notebook die 
7. Make a Christmas junk journal using the Eileen Hull Full Size Journal die
8. Make a Christmas junk journal using one of the vintage books in my stash
9. Make some Christmas-themed journal cards, tags etc to go in the journals
10. Use at least two of the "Use It or Lose It" items that I picked out last month (accordion journal and Sara's Surfaces pockets)
11. Find storage for my junk journal supplies
12. Tidy my desk

Gorjuss Foxes

While I was working on my previous project, I realised that I have a lot of products from the Gorjuss range including toppers, paper and other embellishments. I recently bought a couple of second-hand copies of Little Women to make junk journals, so these may end up with a lot of Gorjuss girls in them! 

I decided to make a couple more cards using the Gorjuss range. I put together two decoupage toppers featuring Gorjuss ladies with cute little foxes. I mounted these on pearlescent card blanks layered with blue pearlescent paper and some purple patterned paper from the Gorjuss range. For embellishments. I added some Gorjuss ribbon and a sentiment.

I'm entering these cards in the following challenges:

1. Alphabet Challenge Blog - O is for Outdoors
2. Little Red Wagon - Challenge #625 Outside
3. Watercooler Wednesday Challenge - WWC327 - Dawn's Challenge: All Things Feminine
4. Crafty Catz Challenge Blog - Anything goes with optional twist add some layers
5. Lemon Shortbread Challenge Blog - Challenge #157 Anything goes

Santoro Mermaids

I was tidying up in my craft room when I came across some Santoro products. I love anything related to the sea so I was inspired to make a couple of mermaid cards.

The first card uses toppers from a set of Santoro self-adhesive toppers and a printed card blank from a co-ordinating set. I matted the image on some scraps of card I also found on my desk (free tidying!) and embellished with some more stickers from the same pack and a piece of woven "netting" which has been in my stash forever. 

The second card has a topper from the Gorjuss range also from Santoro. I had put the decoupage together a while ago but never used it. For this card I used some card from a pad called "Fresh Feelings" by Make & Create on a shaped card-blank. I embellished this card with some pretty fringed yarn, some gems and a sentiment.

I'm entering these cards in the following challenges:

1. The Fairy and the Unicorn Challenge - October 2021 Challenge
2. Alphabet Challenge Blog - O is for Outdoors
3. Creative Crafting Uncles - #22 Males Go Feminin
4. Corrosive Challenge Blog - #10 Anything Goes

A Mini-Book for my Mum's 70th Birthday

It was my mum's 70th Birthday this week, so I wanted to make something special for her. 

I decided to make a mini-book using Tonic Memory Book dies, layering plain and patterned paper from the DoCrafts Papermania Capsule Collection in Lavender, including two flip-out pages. I assembled die-cut decoupage from the DoCrafts Forever Friends and Tatty Teddy ranges, printed quotes and die-cut them, then added these to the book with a couple of notelets from the same collection as the flowers and some layered paper flowers. 

I wanted to add a special finishing touch, so I decided to create a beaded dangle. I don't have much in the way of beads so I bought a couple of bags of broken jewellery from eBay. It was actually really fun sorting through the bags! I started by creating a tassel using various threads, yarn and ribbon from my stash then added some beads recovered from the broken jewellery. I finished off the beaded dangle by adding some charms to the glittery ribbon. 

Creating this project was really fun, but more importantly my mum really loved it!

I'm entering my mini-book in to the following challenges:

1. The Sisterhood of Crafters - Happy Birthday
2. The Paper Funday Challenges -  Challenge #34 - Anything Goes with Optional Twist: Halloween or Use Color Purple
3. Craft Catz Challenge - Challenge #569 Anything Goes with optional twist 'Add Some Layers'
4. Incy Wincy Designs - Kindness/Fondness and/or add lace
5. Craftyhazelnut's Patterned Paper - October 2021 challenge
6. Creative Crafting Uncles - #22 - Males go feminin
7. Happy Little Stampers - October Anything Goes With Dies
8. Creative Fingers Challenge Blog - Challenge #217 Always Anything Goes
9. Crafty Creations Challenges - October Challenge (#426) - Anything Goes