Merry Christmas Everyone!

Hope this holiday time brings all of you some craft time, relaxing time and family/friend time!

Here are some more cards I created this year for friends and family.

See you in the new year!!!

It's Almost Here!

Hi everyone!

Well the Christmas season has snuck up on my again this year!
Work hours increased, and preparations for a family Christmas here has kept me busy.
Before my guests arrive, I thought I'd show this year's Christmas Card designs.

I decided to do a foil emboss this year.  Relatively quick and very pretty!

Here are the steps!

Foil adhered in random fashion on cardstock that has double sided tape (sookwang in my case), then passed through an embossing folder and machine. 

 Rub a permanent ink over the raised parts of the embossing

 Cut these panels in half and also cut the layers you will need.  Keep the scraps for the inside!

 Use the green panel to cut a mat for your embossed piece.  Also will save on weight when layering.

Add embellishments and voila!  80 Christmas cards ready to go out! LOL!

Vintage Christmas

Hello!

I've been busy making cards to sell for the upcoming Christmas season.   Man I dislike that term, but when making things to sell, unfortunately November 1- December 24 is the Christmas season...

I've attacked a pile of vintage cards that were given to me and upcycled them to be able to use today.  The artwork is quite pretty and it seems such a shame not to re-use them!  I cut them apart and add pretty papers, sometimes fibres and Voila!  We have new/old cards!

For all my cards, new or recycled, I try to add a little something of the front of the card to the inside.

Sometimes it's a few strips of the same paper, sometimes a bit more.

Feel free to come down to the Vintage Co-Op on Saturday's from 10-4 to see what new cards I have for sale!

Minion Love

Hello!

As previously mentioned, my sister and I are both Minion lovers:)  I got inspired to make some cards with some sticker sets I found at the store and my own supplies.  These can be used for almost any reason: birthday, thank you, Halloween!  Let me know what you think?

Giving Thanks

Hello!

Well, we are a week away from the Canadian Thanksgiving weekend.  I regularly try to keep my perspective and be grateful for what I have: family, my husband, my puppy, friends, relatively good health, safety...  Especially with recent hurricanes and storms, I am grateful to be working and have a safe, clean home to be in.

Here are some of the cards I created in this spirit.  Stop by the Vintage Co-Op if you get a chance and check them out!

New Opportunities

Hello!

There is a saying that goes something like, 'Whenever one door closes, another one opens'.

Well this summer that is what happened...The Artisan Emporium here in the Soo closed at the end of July and I was wondering where else I could place my cards for sale.  Then at the end of August, another group, whom I have been a guest vendor, invited me to become a full time vendor with them!  Woo Hoo!  So I am proud to announce that Connell Crafts is a vendor at The Vintage Co-op at the bottom of Church Street here in Sault Ste. Marie.  They have a Facebook page where you can keep tabs on all the beautiful things you can find there.  Just click here.

I'm off to make more cards!

HBC Inspired

Hello all!

Here in Canada there is a store that has its roots in the formation of our country.  It's called Hudson's Bay, formerly Hudson's Bay Company (HBC).  Back in the days of the settlement of Canada, this company representing England traded furs for products like knives, guns and many other things including blankets!  These were made of wool and had a signature look to them. Details on this blanket can be found at http://www2.hbc.com/hbcheritage/history/blanket/

It is a beautiful blanket, but neither my husband or I can stand wool.  Bit allergic, actually.  So when I saw blankets that were crocheted in the same pattern, I thought it would be a perfect project to do in the evenings while watching TV!

Because it's pretty straight forward, I just created my own pattern as I went.  Using information I found from the 2010 Crochet World magazine article by Michele Maks and also an artist on Ravelry by the name of Anteateralice, I compiled my supplies.


3x 14oz balls  Red Heart Super Saver yarn in Aran (off white)
1x 7oz ball each of the same type yarn in Black, Gold, Cherry Red and Paddy Green.

I made the blanket 143 single stitches wide.
and did the following rows:
12 rows White
8 rows black
8 rows white
8 rows gold
8 rows white
8 rows red
8 rows white
8 rows green
100 rows white  (you'll need to start a second ball here)
8 rows green
8 rows white
8 rows red
8 rows white
8 rows gold
8 rows white
8 rows black
12 rows white ( the 3rd ball will be started here)

The blanket was completed in about a month of evening sessions.  I sent it off to my friend in Alberta and she will be donating it to a cancer hospital that she is receiving treatments in right now.  Hugs Alanna!

Minion Love

Hi!

I've been working on a special project for my sister for a few weeks...
A Minion Quilt!

Truth be known, I started planning this in January, but finally got it going in June.
I cut out the fabric in January at my mom's when I was visiting.

It had to be put aside for a while then I started piecing it in my quilting class.

After a few weeks of assembling blocks, then rows, the connecting the rows...

I pieced the back of the quilt too, then brought it to my newest friend, Shawna with Aba Daba Quilts to pick out a pattern and thread.  She quilted it on her long arm, edge to edge.

I finished the binding in time to enter it in a local quilt show at St. Joseph's Island.

 Here's Shawna again at the show with the backside:)

My first show...

Now I just have to bring it to my sister for her birthday present at the end of August.

Hugs!

Cindy :)

Canada Cards

Hello!

I seem to finish my cards just before an event and therefore do not leave myself enough time to post them before hand!  Oh well!  Hope you like these anyway.

I am selling my cards at a local store that was started up for local artisans in May.  So each celebration that passes, I try to make new cards to sell. Mother's day and Father's day passed in a blur, then came Canada Day.

I decided to use some left over scraps from my Canada quilt that is almost done :)  I hate wasting such beautiful fabric, so they went into these cards.  There were more, but I had to bring them in fast and forgot to photograph them...

On Canada Day the store had a $1.50 table in honour of Canada's 150th birthday this year.  As I did not want to sell my cards for that low a price, I made up these bookmarks.  They're selling great!

Thanks for checking in!

Cindy :)

Christmas in July

Hi there!

Working on a few projects right now, but thought I'd share a Christmas card design I used in 2014.
Washi tape is an easy and quick way to add fun to cards.
I saw other similar cards around the internet and figured this was up my alley for making about 100 cards...

Spray the cards with gold spray.
Then add strips of Washi tapes, overlapping slightly.
In the top sample I stamped a background shape before stamping the greeting over top.
Then I embellished with a die cut poinsettia, or the bell enhanced with metal flakes.

See ya!

Cindy

Way overdue!

Hi!

I'm going through websites and deleting ones bookmarked that haven't posted this year.  Then I check and I THOUGHT I had posted at the beginning of June, but NO!  It was May!  SO sorry to those that check my site!

I've been quite busy it seems making seasonal cards for sale and then emergency cards for dear friends and family.  I've been selling my cards at a local shop that opened here in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario.  The Artisan Emporium is a shop that was opened by a local lady to highlight local artisans of all types.  We have potters, sewers, jewellery makers, photographers, painters, etc.  As a holiday approaches, I make a few cards to se if they sell, and to my surprise they have, then I need to quickly make more before the holiday passes! 

I've been forgetting to take pictures of all of them, but I'll catch you up as best I can.

Mother's day cards: I've been collecting doilies and handkerchiefs for a while to make cards with them and finally got brave enough to do so.

Father's Day:  After showing a new friend how to use stencils and inks, I got inspired to make a mess one day and made a pile of backgrounds.  This is one of the cards I made that I remembered to photograph!  Having lost our fathers to cancer 9 years ago, this is tough holiday for both my husband and I and our families, but it's getting easier, if I think of making a card they would have enjoyed.

Clay cards:  I'm still making cards for Clay It Forward, a not for profit group here in the Soo.  Sandra is such a great promoter of causes!  I draw inspiration from the clay pieces/ ornaments she gives me to use.