Help

Help. I've lost my header and my crafty blogs rankings thingy!! Was trying to be clever and see what gadgets blogger had that I could use and have lost them in cyberspace. Help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Progress?

Had a couple of fairly useful meetings earlier today. Can't reveal all just yet but hopefully both the wedding stationery and teaching sides of the business have some exciting new developments in store. Well its exciting for me anyway!
Second of my five after school classes at the local high school tomorrow so I had better go and do some preparation.

Red Nose Day!!!!!!

Well I made it to my Tuesday class despite having a nose that would rival any seen on Comic Relief. We were working with the Cuttlebug and in particular the embossing folders.
Some old faces tonight who I haven't seen for a while. Was nice to catch up with the gossip! Have two young girls in the class now. They come with their mum and grandmum. I was working with them using peel-offs and chalks and the finished cards were making the adults jealous.lol

Coughs and sneezes

Had to cancel my Monday papercrafts class with my ladies with learning difficulties. I am full of cold and coughing, sneezing, snotting and sniffling all over the place. Wouldn't been fair to pass it on!!

Tomorrow night I have a card making class so hopefully I will be feeling a bit better because I think I may have at least two new starters.

Anyway must make some samples or I won't have anything to show them.

New car

Well, we toddled off to Durham fairly early this morning to pick up the new car and as a result I am typing this in bed. As a woman the only thing about cars that interests me is how much will it cost and what colour is it. Hubby loves the colour but I am not so sure. Its a very dark shade of grey/green. He likes it because its an OAP colour but he is after all three years older than me and as such much nearer to pensionable age!
Anyway his new baby is parked outside the front door and his old baby has parked her weary bones upstairs in bedroom. I know which one he prefers though and its not the wife!!!!!!

Extended Schools Programme

Yesterday afternoon was the first of a 5 week papercraft course at the local high school. It's been organised as part of the extended schools programme where kids are offered a number of after school activities.
Nine attended and they spent the session making mini coaster albums. Next week they will decorate them. It seemed to go well! At least I thought it did!
Tomorrow we are collecting the " new" car. Our old car, a Ford Focus, is dropping to bits so hubby decided it was time for something newer. He loves VW's so we are getting a Golf and as we are buying it through the business I will need to work twice as hard to pay for it.

Alnwick Weddings website

Well so much for being more organised in 2009. This is my first post for over a month.

Today is my birthday and I am well over 21. Actually I am well over 51 but we won't go there.

I am trying to concentrate more on the wedding stationery side of the business now. Just before Christmas I joined the Alnwick Weddings website ( http://www.alnwickwedding.co.uk/). The website was set up a couple of years ago in a bid to promote the town and recommend local companies to couples who want to get married in Alnwick. As part of the Keep It Local campaign the website was also featured in the Northumberland Gazette.

In the past week I've been in touch with a few of the other wedding companies on the site. Networking, networking, networking. How can you tell my book for bedtime is on marketing.

Blogging Along

Its 1.15am and I have just put down a good book on blogging by Andy Wibbels. Its "Blog Wild! How Everyone Can Go Blogging". It has some really useful tips on using your blog to market your business.
Borrowed it from the library. It might just get lost down the back of the sofa!!

Bad blogger ! Naughty Blogger!

Well, seems once again I have been a bad blogger. It's been three weeks plus since I last posted. And my excuse this time? I have none....
I could say I have been really busy. I could say I had to complete my tax return. I could say I have been feeling under the weather. All true but still no excuse. Will try to do better.....

MISI

I am so excited (and I just can't hide it). Just opened a shop on MISI. (www.misi.me.uk) . I have named it Chris Coxon Crafts and I intend to sell all things papercraft eg cards, journals, mini albums, etc . I will let you know when I have listed anything. So watch this space!
But first of all I need to prepare some samples for tonights class. You would think having just had two weeks break I would be ready. Oh no! I am a firefighter and do everything at the last minute. So got to go!

Happy New Year to you all! I spent the first day of 2009 going up and down the aisles of Saisbury's along with a few other saddos! It was very quiet.
I also finished making a coaster album for my friend to give her sister for her birthday. I really like making mini albums. Just as well seeing as I will be making more for my papercraft taster sessions.
My great niece will be a year in February and I need to finish the baby album I started for her. She will probably be 21 before she gets it at this rate. Good grief, considering it's only four pages I should finish it before her birthday surely!
Tomorrow, I intend to put aside an hour and plan the month ahead. My New Years resolution- be much more organised!

Roll on 2009

Well it's New Years Eve- eve and the first time I have blogged in a fair while. I am not a one for New Year so I will be going to bed early. Think I would be with me being Scottish and all that but it brings back too many memories of people I have loved and are no longer with us so it's bed for me!
Hope you all had a happy Christmas. The TV was rubbish so tended to go to bed ( notice a theme here) with one of the books I got as a Christmas present.Love reading- especially crime novels and my daughter gave me a good one by Stuart McBride - Flesh House. I would recommend it if you like cannibalism!
Must start preparing for next terms classes. I have been asked to run two five week papercraft taster courses. Hopefully it will lead to something more permanent.
Two of my other classes may have to be cancelled. The numbers are not looking good.
Anyway be back soon and wishing you all a Happy New Year

A tale of Christmas past.

This is another card sample using the Split Negative technique. The stamp is "Four Little Birds"by Stamps Happen.

We started a tradition in our household three or four years ago where my husband makes the Christmas cards. Although he is very artistic we decided that in view of the number of Christmas cards we needed he would use rubber stamped images and each year we buy a new rubber stamp just for that purpose. Last year we bought the "Four Little Birds" stamp.

So I left hubby with the stamp, some white card, watercolour pencils and the trusty Staz-on to return a few hours later, thinking he would have completed quite a few of the robin images. I found to my surprise that the robins had changed to Birds of Paradise and taken on every colour the box of watercolour pencils could provide. Needless to say this year I am making the Christmas cards.

Split Negative Technique

I saw this technique done by Lori Craig on Splitcoast Stampers and just had to try it out in my card making classes. They loved it and came up with some excellent ideas and I will post them in a day or two.

Still not mastered the camera and neither it seems has my daughter, although she is still better than I am!! She took this photo in fading light with the flash but there is a lot of reflection. Sorry!

Baby Step/Stair fold card

Just finished this stair/step foldcard for a member of my class. Used my Cricut Create and Don Juan cartridge for the lettering. I need to spend more time working out the pressures and blade depth. The letters are not as crisp as they should be.

Also need some lessons on taking and editing photographs. The image is a little dark and blurred. In fact, I need to go back to school and learn all the computer technology they teach the kids now!

And what about my efforts in being more self-disciplined. Well, I did manage to reach my craft room by 9 o'clock this morning but unfortunately I am still sitting in my pyjamas.

Hmnn! I suppose one out of two ain't bad. I think there's another song in there somewhere.

Self-discipline failure

Well so much for day one of self-disciplne! I intended to start work, fully dressed and breakfasted at 9am, but I switched off the alarm clock, turned over and went back to sleep. If it hadn't been for the phone ringing I might still be in bed.
I actually managed to drag myself into my craft room at 10.am, still in pyjamas, hair dripping wet and starving hungry. Not a good start!
Just means I will have to work an extra hour at the end of the day. Must go and get some cereal now.

Self discipline in the craft room!

Its Sunday and I have just finished my preparations for my Monday class and my weekly accounts so I am quite pleased with myself.
I have decided that if I want to make more of my business I need to be more self-disciplined. Hmmn!
I have been reading a few internet articles and found an excellent business website www.sparkplugging.com/craftboom which offers some really good advice for people working from home.
I am determined to put some of that advice into play. I am going to work set hours, deal with things as they arise instead of putting them off and try to make the most of my opportunities by trusting my instincts. Sounds good .Well thats the plan anyway.
Only time will tell if I can pull it off.

Surprise Pop-up Card

I made this Surprise pop-up card for my class tomorrow. I got the instructions from the Splitcoast Stampers web site. I am not very happy with my sample but time is getting on. Will probably try again over the weekend and post the image.

Step Fold Card

I made this step fold card for one of my classes earlier in the week. Got the idea and measurements from Split Coast Stampers. Really quick and easy to make. Made it using Sissix die. The wording reads" Friends Brighten Your Day"

Loved it so much I made one for my friend's grandaughter .

Sorry for the quality of the photo but I snapped it earlier today in dull weather. Thats my excuse and I am sticking to it!

I mentioned in my last blog update that I was thinking of opening an Etsy shop and selling unusual favours. The basques and waistcoats for miniature spirit bottles is the kind of thing I was thinking of. What do you think? Will they sell? I would welcome your comments?