Handmade Monday 134

Hello! Welcome to Handmade Monday!

I have a dilemma this week and I'm not sure where I'm going with it - except to say I'm going public with it and asking for your opinions!  Here we go:

 Handmade Monday is popular and I feel I've made some really good blog friends through it (I think some of you feel the same way too).  We don't get hundreds of people linking, but we always get a good number, and there's always a good feeling of community, I think.  It has developed a bit of a life of its own, I feel.

Card by Laura

So, I started the midweek papercraft party, thinking it might run along the same lines... and of course, hoping that it might help to promote my digital stamps, which is a new start up (many of you know how difficult new websites are to promote and get off the ground).  I expected that there would be less interest in the new linky party than in Handmade Monday, but I must admit I was disappointed that nobody has linked up this week.
It feels like it's doomed!  Am I doing something dreadfully wrong?

A few stats:  I have promoted the papercraft party in a few places.  There are 30,000 page views each month on this blog.  There are over 300 followers via Google and more via other blog readers.  Many of those won't be papercrafters though, because I blog about other stuff too.  Is it a numbers game, or is something else wrong?

card by Mary

I think that perhaps two linky parties a week on one blog may be too much.  So, do I combine the linky parties?  Do I kick one in touch?  Do I carry on regardless?

Some of my thinking is along the lines that I may be trying to do too much on one blog.  Am I?  Or am I trying to run before I can walk?

card by Deanne

I have to think about the Handmade Monday crowd, I know that.  I also have to think about my design team: these are a group of lovely ladies who make the most wonderful cards and other papercraft projects with my designs and blog about them - for no other reward than some free digi stamps each month.  I think they deserve a blog post each week linking to their sites - a blog post which I had thought should really introduce a challenge to readers.  But does it need to?  Or perhaps: does it need to for now?

I do think some hard thinking is in order for me this week - and I would very much appreciate feedback from anyone who has any insight, ideas, opinions or advice to offer!

card by Anita

I think a few big thank yous are in order right now too!

- Firstly, thank you to everyone who links up to Handmade Monday because you remind me how fabulous the crafting community is.
- Secondly, thank you to the Handmade Harbour design team - you are all just amazing and I'm so grateful for your wonderful designs and enthusiasm.
- And thirdly, thank you to anyone who can help me sort my muddled thinking out a little!

card by Zoe

Thanks also for reading my ramblings!  The images are all courtesy of the design team this week!

It's over to you now for this week's Handmade Monday...

Handmade Monday 131

Welcome to another Handmade Monday.

This Christmas in August lark sure has dragged on!  I'm not complaining, though ... this is another commission for Craftseller magazine.  I needed to make two Christmas cards for them using the free craft papers that they give away with the magazine.

When you are designing using free papers that aren't actually going to be published for a few months yet, they need to email you the papers, which you then of course print before you use them - exactly like using digital stamps and papers, really!

Some commissions are so much fun and this was one of them!  I really enjoyed the process of chopping up paper and sticking it in place (it's kind of relaxing and therapeutic, I think).   I introduced a bit of depth with some of the elements...

In other news, I'm thrilled with how the design team work for Handmade Harbour is coming together.  There's a brand new weekly papercraft challenge started this week - in which I show off the design team's work first, but (a bit like Handmade Monday) anyone is welcome to join in by linking up!

I'm also interviewing the team one by one so you can meet them and find out more.  Lynne and Zoe have been interviewed so far with more to come.  I just love that this team brings together like-minded people from all over the world.  And I love seeing my images becoming a part of someone else's creative project - it's just completely amazing!

I love what Lynne did with my beach huts digi stamp

(this card also makes the perfect antidote to Christmas in August!)

With everything that's been going on in my little corner of the world, I've found it difficult recently to find time to leave comments on all your blogs - it's been quite a juggling act (my third-world-speed internet connection hasn't helped) and I'm sorry - but I always read as many of your blog posts as possible.  I always look forward to seeing what's going on in other creative households!

Over to you for Handmade Monday!

Midweek Papercraft Party 1

Welcome to the first ever Midweek Papercraft Party here on Handmade Harbour!

This is a challenge-type party you can join in, if you enjoy papercrafting. There's more info at the end of the post if you'd like to take part.  Most weeks we'll have a theme, but this week it's Anything Goes - so you have no restrictions at all - you just need to make something using paper!

First up, let's have a look at what some of the design team have been creating!

Mary's made a really pretty card from the birdcage in branches digistamp.  I love the pink and blue colour scheme she's used here - just gorgeous.

Visit Mary at Cr8ive ME

Speaking of colour, this card (below) by kel is another one using a colour mix I love.  The orange and blue with touches of green and red looks so fresh and it's just a brilliant card - simple but very effective!  It's been made using the boy with presents digistamp.

Find out more from kel on her blog: Scraps & photoGRAFFS

I love what Laura's done with colour too (has the design team been reading up on my favourite colours?) The red dotty accent used with blue and white on the cute birdy card (below) is just so me - and the floral background adds a pretty and vintage-style touch. Laura's used the bird with shopping bag digi stamp for her card and a super job she's made of it too! 

the bag reads for someone special

Speaking of super, Laura also made this super card (super in so many ways!) using the super hero boy digital stamp

Laura's blog is Crafty Lawyer Creates

OK, so perhaps the superboy card needs a girly project to balance things out?

How pretty is Connie Hall's ballerina scrapbook page?  This is so gorgeously girly and feminine - a very special page for some very special memories!  Connie's used my little ballet dancers digistamp on her page. A fabulous use of the image, I think.

Connie blogs at

Look at the colours in Anita's card (below)!  I love how the contrasts she's used make her colours really pop! Anita's been keeping a secret from me - I'll let you find it out when you pop over to her blog.  It really doesn't matter though - I've seen Anita's work in person, as we often did the same craft fairs in the past. I know everything she makes is of a really high standard as well as being full of colour and zing - just like her card (below) made from the birds and gifts digi stamp, (which actually is 10 stamps in 1 - amazing value, when you think about it!).

Anita at Itsamistry Design Studio

If you are inspired to join in this week, here's how it works:

• You blog about a papercraft project you've made: cards, scrapbooks, wall art - well, anything really.  

• You link up to this blog post using the easy-to-use linky tool below (please be nice and include a link back to Handmade Harbour's blog in your post - or add the Handmade Harbour shop button on your blog). Keep it current - please don't link to old posts.

• If you use a Handmade Harbour digital stamp, you'll be eligible to win a prize (three free digistamps of your choice from the Handmade Harbour shop).  The design team will be taking turns to choose a winner each week.  It might not always be the slickest, most professionally-executed design which wins but it will be something which appeals to that week's judge in some way... use of colour, usefulness of a tutorial, innovative or different use of materials...etc. - so everyone is in with a chance of winning, even beginners.  

• You can still join in without a Handmade Harbour image, but you won't be eligible for a prize.  

• You can use a Handmade Harbour image without making a purchase - there's a free digistamp you can use.

• There's another way you can get a free digi stamp,  by placing a Handmade Harbour blog button in your blog sidebar - click the link for more details.

We'd love to have you take part!  This week's theme is Anything Goes so you don't actually have to stick to a theme at all (but themed challenges are coming up soon!).

Have you been inspired by any of the design team makes?  Have you got a favourite? And are you joining in with the papercraft party this week?  We'd love to see what you've been crafting from paper!

Winners will be announced at next week's Midweek Papercraft Party!  In the meantime...

Handmade Monday 111

Welcome to another Handmade Monday!

This week my picnic rug carrier was revealed in Craftseller magazine (I think it's in the shops on Monday)...

But much more importantly, this week was also my parents' diamond wedding anniversary (that's sixty years! Which is pretty amazing, however you look at it!).  We are having a bit of a get-together today (Sunday, at my house) so this post is being written in advance.

We decided to make things simple and have fish and chips in paper cones (among other things).  We thought 1953 newspaper, but couldn't find any free ones, so I went with the theme (as you do) and designed my own.  My next job is scanning and printing them, then assembling and diamond-studding them.

Of course.  Diamond wedding anniversary, we need diamonds!

I couldn't resist adding some silly touches to the cone (which every family get-together needs, doesn't it?)

and it's all personalised, of course...

I'm also working on some diamond-studded bunting and my youngest daughter is making some diamond-themed cupcakes, which we'll arrange in a big 60.  It will be her first-ever attempt at frosted cupcakes so she's taking on quite a challenge!

So, this is a fish and chip party with bling!  Does that make us chavs?

And just in case you think I have inadvertently revealed that I have a lot more money than sense, let me tell you the "diamonds" all came from Hobbycraft and I thought they were slightly overpriced...

Hopefully I will have some more photos to show you next week.  Meanwhile, I will try to get round your blogs this week but who knows when!?

Handmade Monday

Welcome to Handmade Monday - click the link for more info about joining in.

When you design for a magazine - or even when you post tutorials on your own blog -  you don't always get to see what people decide to do with your design.  So it was a lovely surprise to see the Letters page in this month's Craftseller - a reader had written in with a photo of what she'd made using my sofa clock template.

letters page

I designed the sofa clock a while back and it's one of my favourite designs.

felt, pelmet Vilene and sketchy stitches

I like the homey, cosy feel of it and I actually have more ideas for this sofa - not all of them in fabric!  But it was really lovely to see how a reader had developed the idea and made the clock her own by using a canvas and adding some lettering.  It's always really good to see how your idea can be developed in a different direction by someone else (er, as long as it's not something you are trying to sell yourself - copying designs on sale by another designer/maker is a definite no-no - but there are lots of patterns and tutorials about for designs you could make and sell).

the original article in issue 16

I also had an email this week from a lovely lady asking me about the heart-shaped scissor keeper tutorial and whether she could make it to sell at her Guild show.

So, does it make me more organised?

Surprisingly, yes - I can always find my scissors now!

The email reminded me that I really should add information about this to my tutorials.  If people are making from my patterns or tutorials on a small independent basis, I'm more than happy for them to sell their makes (and, although it's not absolutely necessary, a mention for me and my blog on the labelling would make me very happy indeed!).  However, you'd need to contact me about mass production.  All my patterns are developed by me and I do own the copyright - it's all about respect really, this copyright issue, isn't it?

Oh, and before I forget - Happy Mother's Day to those of you who are mums in the UK (I think the rest of the world celebrates this on a different day, doesn't it?).  Enjoy your day - feet up on that sofa, I think!

Anyway, I'd love to have a peek at what's been going on in your world this week.  Feel free to join us for Handmade Monday by