#craftblogclub

#Craftblogclub Secret Santa

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and super New Year. I was battling a terrible cough like many over the festive period, but still had a fab time with family and friends. Over at #craftblogclub we hosted a Secret Santa following it’s success in 2013. This Christmas I was given the lovely Zoe @oodlesofcraft. I made Zoe some Christmas bunting and her very own Christmas stocking. After reading Zoe’s blog post I think she liked her handmade gifts!

I was away for Christmas so wasn’t at home when my Secret Santa parcel arrived. I was pleased about this though as it prolonged the excitement of Christmas! I was the very lucky recipient of a beautifully hand made gift from @EmmaRuthJones. Emma had made me a notebook (which is the perfect size for jotting down crafty ideas) and a beautifully delicate bracelet. Thank you Emma, I love them!

A big thank you to everyone who took part in the #craftblogclub Secret Santa challenge. I am enjoying reading everyone’s posts. It really is so wonderful to make something handmade for a fellow crafter. I hope you can join us for the first #craftblogclub of 2015 on Tuesday 6^th Jan at 7pm. We will be sharing our Secret Santa posts. We have lots of exciting things planned for #craftblogclub in 2015 including guest hosts and more super challenges! Here’s to an amazing 2015 of crafts and fun

Inspiration

#craftblogclub Secret Santa

It’s that time of year again and we are SO very excited here @craftblogclub! If you took part last year I am certain you will want to be involved again. For those of you uncertain of how it all works here are the rules:

If you want to take part please email me at katie@katiegetscrafty.com and include your name, twitter name, email address and postal address. Please email me by 8pm on Tuesday 11^th November. I will then email everyone back with the name and address of the person you are making a gift for.

You then make that person a Christmas gift – this can be anything you like and made from any craft. It would be lovely for everyone to receive their gift in time for Christmas, therefore we have set a deadline of 20th December. Make sure you include a note revealing who you are.

Then the real excitement begins. We all receive a special handmade Christmas gift from our Secret Santa! You can then write a blog post about the wonderful gift you receive and about the gift you made.

I hope you are all as excited about this challenge as I am. I can’t tell you how giddy I was to receive my Secret Santa last year.

I look forward to receiving your email by 8pm Tuesday 11^th Nov. Enjoy making and receiving your special #craftblogclub gift.

My amazing 2013 Secret Santa gift from @teenagebabushka

Inspiration, Knitting & Crochet, Sewing

#craftblogclub – What’s your favourite online craft tutorial?

For tonight’s #craftblogclub chat we shared our favourite online tutorials. Tutorials are a great way to learn a new skill or for a quick refresh. Below I have listed some of the suggestions from tonight’s chat. Here you will find tutorials for crochet, paper crafts, sewing, jewellery making and lots more. I hope you find something that will inspire you to get crafty!

@ForestFlower23

For all things #crochet you MUST visit attic24.typepad.com – Lucy’s blog inspired me to learn to hook!

Lucy’s blog is so colourful and inspiring. So good to see her popping up in various craft mags now

Also for a weekly dose of craft tutorials check out @craftsonsea #pintorials loads of things to do plus you can link up too!

Here’s one of my most popular tutorials – lots of traffic via @Pinterest!

Really my best suggestion would be to go to Pinterest – there are tutorials for EVERYTHING!

@IcySedgwick

I quite like Crafts Tuts Plus crafts.tutsplus.com

Crafts Unleashed do some good tutorials craftsunleashed.com

And there are some good jewellery tutorials on Flamingo Toes flamingotoes.com

@eightandsixteen

Our latest tutorial shows how to make a wire bead cage – http://www.eightandsixteen.co.uk/2014/07/jewellery-101-diy-wire-bead-cage.html

My favourite DIY of Erin’s so far is these photo coasters: http://www.eightandsixteen.co.uk/2014/07/diy-shabby-chic-photo-coasters.html

@katiegetscrafty

I used this tutorial for my first sewing machine make. Simple and clear instructions for an easy cushion cover bit.ly/U1DcB9

I watched this earlier and am inspired to make a skirt. She makes it look so easy http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkuJY1dJ6SCWxPcAVvdVpPg

@fizzijayne

For papercraft I like https://www.youtube.com/user/Claritystamp stamping, gelli plate and brayer techniques

@hugsarefun

My favorite tutorial is @thezenofmaking on English paper piecing. I’m addicted now! http://www.thezenofmaking.com/2013/08/english-paper-piecing-tutorial-series.html

@createitsam

I still love @MS_Living tutorials they are so simple and inspiring

@CornerofCraft

@EmmaRuthJones also has some ace tutorials on blog!

Inspiration

#craftblogclub – Summer Crafts

With the Summer holiday’s upon us tonight’s #craftblogclub topic was ‘Summer Crafts’. We shared our ideas for portable projects to take on holiday, plus projects to entertain the rest of the family. Here is a little summary of some of tonight’s tweets. Hope it give you some ideas!

@hugsarefun – yay! I’m excited to be able to catch my first #craftblogclub

@fizzijayne – When I go on holiday I’ll be taking crochet with me as it is so portable #craftblogclub

@youngonesfive – I’m learning to crochet and inturn teaching my youngones. loving it and so therputic #craftblogclub pic.twitter.com/OWdMWGewPZ

@CarolineGsbM – I’m taking my hexie patchwork I think. #CraftBlogClub

@eyrea – I’m with Elizabeth Zimmermann – summer is perfect for small items like socks, and for piecework.

@craftypremed – For my little cousins, it seems to be washi tape crafts! #craftblogclub

@craftsonsea – washi tape is ace! I’ve got a pinterest board over here http://uk.pinterest.com/craftsonsea/washi-tape-craft-inspiration/

@CarolineGsbM – I’m planning on telling my boys to play on the Xbox or in the garden so I can craft in peace.

@craftblogclub – I love this tutorial from @ChlorisBoris I think this is a perfect Summer make bit.ly/1jeEHlH

Happy Summer Crafts everyone! See you next Tuesday for another #craftblogclub (don’t forget the chocolate!)

Inspiration

#craftblogclub – A Craft Community

I was so inspired by this article in the Guardian yesterday that I decided to use it as our topic for tonight’s tweetchat. The article looks at why ‘Make do and mend’ has become so popular and goes on to talk about the craft community. I really feel a part of the craft community thanks to #craftblogclub. Here are a few tweets from tonight’s chat.

@eyrea – #craftblogclub clothing quality has got so bad it’s making people think twice. I’ve had stuff rip first wear (to the office)!

@fizzijayne – we are in a make do and mend society now, people are watching their wallets lots of people are learning new skills

@hookstitch – plus it’s all the trendy thing to be doing and all

@daintyandIvory – This chat has introduced me to crafty bloggers and its great having people who I can ask for tips/advice!

@daintyandIvory – And it’s also thanks to this chat that I started a monthly craft swap on my blog!

@fizzijayne – I have lots of lovely new blogs to read since joining #craftblogclub and appreciate all hints and tips

@fizzijayne – my confidence with my blog has grown as well #craftblogclub

@Kay_O – It’s great to have other bloggers and crafters to chat to, not to mention the excuse to have a chill on a Tuesday eve!

@IcySedgwick – I ask questions. Still no comments. It’s really disheartening. #craftblogclub

@jet011 – I have no craft clubs in my area so this is brill, it is great to share ideas and has helped my confidence

@IcySedgwick – Blog hop could work. We all post about a theme & see what each other says about it

It’s great to read so many tweets about how #craftblogclub has boosted people’s confidence and that friendships are being built. It was highlighted that we could look at supporting one another more by commenting on posts. We are all limited by time, but it was agreed that if we read a blog post that has a positive impact or inspires us in anyway, it really is important to comment if you can. If you have any other thoughts on how we can develop as a group and continue to support one another please let us know. Either leave a comment here or tweet @craftblogclub.

We love #craftblogclub and we hope that you do too

Inspiration

#craftblogclub – Blogging dos and don’ts

This evening I have had the pleasure of hosting another #craftblogclub. Our topic this evening was Blogging dos and don’ts. Here I have selected a few of my favourite comments from our chat to share with you.

@kay_o – on blog comments ‘I always try to respond quickly to blog comments, and also hop over to see them if they blog too, and leave a comment there!’

@DaintyandIvory – on how often should we blog ‘I also think it helps if you blog about crafting wrongs, makes everyone realise not everything goes right!’

@rosetintedcraft – on grammer ‘I find it really helps to write a post, then come back to it the next day. Often find loads of mistakes!’

@fizzijayne – on word count ‘I read a book that suggested anything more than 250 is too many’

@i_heart_home – on blogging dos ‘Lots of photos, commenting on others blogs, regular updates without overloading, link parties, have fun!’

@i_heart_home – on blogging don’ts ‘Don’t rant, use bad language, slate other blogs, give too many personal details or beg for followers!’

@kay_o – my fave comment of the night! ‘at the end of the day it’s YOUR blog, your rules’

So there! Be proud of your blog and have fun

Inspiration, Sewing

Spring Clean Gift Swap #craftblogclub

If you are a regular visitor of my blog you will be aware that I co-host #craftblogclub – a tweet chat for craft bloggers and lovers that takes place every Tuesday 7-8:30pm. I love #craftblogclub. It’s so much fun chatting with other crafty types and sharing tips and generally helping one another in our quest for crafty perfection. One of my favourite things has to be our challenges. This month’s challenge was ‘Spring Clean Gift Swap’ – make a gift using only products and materials you already have or by finishing off an old project you’ve left. The lovely Emma from @livepeachy paired everyone up that wanted to take part and then we were off. I was teamed up with @sal_strawbs. I checked out Sally’s website before making my Spring Clean Gift to make sure I was making something she would really like. I could see that crochet is her passion and so I dug deep into my fabric stash and made a crochet hook case. I was really pleased with it and even more pleased when I received this tweet ‘@katiegetscrafty I received your parcel this morning and I LOVE it! Thanks so much. #craftblogclub’

We were set the task of making sure the recipient received their parcel in time for Easter. Well, I was away over Easter and so I was REALLY excited to return home to find my parcel had arrived! I was as excited as I was at Christmas for our #craftblogclub Secret Santa. Receiving a handmade gift and knowing that it was made especially for you is so exciting! Maybe its something that only a fellow crafter can appreciate but I really do value the time and energy that people put into making their own gifts.

So here it is. Check out my fab bag from the lovely Sally!

Had to take a pic of the wrapping paper!

The spots are inside too!

I love the spots – it’s so bright and cheery, especially on a wet and miserable day like today. I used it at the supermarket this afternoon and it even put a smile on the cashier! And so I would like to Thank You Sally for my bag. I will make use of it and enjoy doing so.

Inspiration

#craftblogclub – Are we creating a craft legacy?

Last night I hosted #craftblogclub and the topic that I set was inspired by my last blog ‘Are we creating a craft legacy through our blogs?’ I hope you were able to read this post. When writing this blog it made me really think about how we inspire with our craft and the legacy we hope to leave behind. I was really keen to discuss this idea with the group. I asked –

Who inspires you?

Who do you hope to inspire with your blog?

Do we worry about certain crafts/art forms being forgotten as new techniques come forward?

What message/legacy do we want to create with our blogs?

It was so great to get so many different thoughts on this. Some expressed a concern that a blog wouldn’t be around forever and so this is not a lasting legacy. One person suggested taking our blog posts and creating a book from them.

On inspiring others @Kay_O really hit the nail on the head tweeting ‘I blog about what I make, seeing the simplicity of the process could inspire others to try in the future! #craftblogclub’

@fizzijayne spoke of the importance of passing on our skills ‘crafts need to be passed down the generations by family, friends, teachers so these skills can go on #craftblogclub’

We ended the chat by sharing special items that we had made for loved ones. It was agreed that these heirlooms are the best way to leave a lasting legacy. @GiftFrippery and @_TheVilla both shared beautiful photos of heirlooms they had made for their daughters.

It was a great chat and thanks to everyone for taking part. I look forward to tweeting/chatting with you all at next weeks #craftblogclub.

Inspiration, Knitting & Crochet

Are we creating a craft legacy through our blogs?

Three weeks ago today my Nan passed away. My Nan was a creator in many ways having 5 children, 13 grandchildren and 17 great grandchildren. She adored her family and her football! My Nan was a keen knitter with the family benefiting from many lovingly made items. Her most popular creations were Jean Greenhowe knitted toys. She would find the perfect knitted friend for any occasion. A favourite of mine has to be the football octopus mascot. If only City could have a player with 8 legs!

I asked my Dad if I could have a pair of my Nans knitting needles, as I like the thought of knitting something with them. When I visited my parents at the weekend I was presented with 2 boxes of needles and patterns to look through and 3 bags of wool. As I am sure many of you will have experienced, going through a loved ones belongings brings up many emotions. I had a few tears but I mostly had a smile on my face as I read the notes she had made on the patterns. She would scribble the lucky recipients name next to the pattern along with sizes and comments such as ‘just fits nice but next size up would be best’. One in particular really made me giggle as it was a ladies sweater pattern with my cousin Ian’s name next to it. When I see him next I will be asking if he still has it!

As well as patterns, needles, buttons and wool there were two projects that she hadn’t finished, a half knitted Santa and a baby’s cardigan. Knitting was my first craft but since getting my sewing machine I haven’t picked up my needles as often. These will be the perfect excuse to get me knitting again as I would love to finish them for her.

Looking through my Nans knitting collection made me realise the legacy she has left behind. I will certainly remember her for her knitting and will treasure everything she made for me. I believe this is her crafting legacy, as one day I hope to pass on the treasured items as well as the craft of knitting. This got me thinking about the importance of my blog. Social media is so much about the present, the here and now and I have been treating my blog in a similar way. But as I think about my Nans knitting legacy, I realise that my blog is my legacy. As a craft blogger I am sharing my interests and craft that will hopefully inspire others. So when I now write my blogs I am going to think more about who and how am I wanting to inspire and what lasting thought do I want to leave the reader with?

When I think about my Nan she inspired me to make things for the people I love the most. As for a lasting thought, that has to be ‘live life to the full’.

Tonight I am the host for #craftblogclub from 7pm. This blog post has inspired tonight’s topic ‘Are we creating a craft legacy through our blogs?’ I hope you will all join me and share stories of who inspires you and how you are using your blog to inspire others. Plus, I would love to hear your thoughts on the importance of a craft legacy and are we already doing this through our blogs?

Inspiration, Knitting & Crochet, Sewing

#craftblogclub Secret Santa

The wonderful Emma from @livepeachy is the host of #craftblogclub and for Christmas Emma had the idea of setting up a secret santa for all #craftblogclub regulars. As Christmas has now come and gone the secret is out so I am able to talk about it!

I was given the lovely Sonia from @layoutlines to make a christmas gift for. I decided to make Sonia some personlised bunting. I was very relieved to read the following tweet that not only had Sonia received my secret santa, but that she liked it! ‘Feeling the #craftblogclub Christmas love, yay, big thank you to my #secretsanta’.

It was so great watching all the tweets come in with everyone sharing their lovely handmade secret santa gifts. I received my gift on 3^rd Jan and I can tell you everyone in the house knew about it! I was running around like a kid on Christmas morning. My parcel had come all the way from America from @teenagebabushka. I was very lucky to receive not one but two hand made gifts! Check out my headband hat and wrist warmers. I am still feeling the #craftblogclub Christmas love. A big thank you to @teenagebabushka for my secret santa and to all #craftblogclubers for taking part in a very special secret santa.

Katie Gets Crafty

Welcome to my creative blog

Tag Archives: #craftblogclub

#Craftblogclub Secret Santa

#craftblogclub Secret Santa

#craftblogclub – What’s your favourite online craft tutorial?

#craftblogclub – Summer Crafts

#craftblogclub – A Craft Community

#craftblogclub – Blogging dos and don’ts

Spring Clean Gift Swap #craftblogclub

#craftblogclub – Are we creating a craft legacy?

Are we creating a craft legacy through our blogs?

#craftblogclub Secret Santa