Catching up with Stamping Mathilda

Once a week I spend the day playing catch up, adding the finishing touches to any projects not quite yet done, taking photos and browsing the net for inspiration, and as always, looking for free patterns and interesting tutorials, and this week with my craft room in a total shambles I felt like I have needed more than one catch up day!

I don't remember when I first stumbled across Stamping Mathilda's site, but I am so glad that I did.  The artist, Godelieve Tijskens is wonderfully inspiring.  She has designed for Darkroom Door and Art Journey, and her site contains a beautiful array of projects that include both classic rubber stamping and card making to art journalling.  Whenever I am feeling low on inspiration a cup of tea and an hour at Godelieve's site and I am fully recharged.

She posts frequently, every other day or so, making her website rich with content.  There are plenty of tutorials and as she is also a photographer the blog itself is eye candy.  Do go visit her site, you won't be disappointed!

Here are just two of my favorites out of hundreds of projects and tutorials:

Votive holder made from vellum.

An ongoing project she has to illustrate a dictionary.

Catching up with Crafty Storage

Once a week I spend the day playing catch up, adding the finishing touches to any projects not quite yet done, taking photos and browsing the net for inspiration, and as always, looking for free patterns and interesting tutorials.  

Where do you craft?

The major living areas of our house are relatively open plan (thanks to some creative renovations!).  The lounge room and dining room are one big room, and the dining room and kitchen are divided by a breakfast bench, so if you stand at the kitchen bench you can see right through to the lounge.  At the beginning of this year my storage space was two book cases in the dining room, and my work space was the kitchen bench.

This became increasingly frustrating, having to clean away what I was working on before every meal, or risk it getting dirtied as others prepared food in the house.  So I cleared out the spare bedroom of everything and moved my craft stuff in there.

It's still not fancy, I work on a 6' long trestle table, have plain wooden book cases with stacking baskets and round tubs to try and organize everything, but I can shut the door and be at peace, or close it off from wandering pets and people without worrying about half done projects being disrupted.  As finances permit I will start remodelling in there to specifically accommodate my crafting equipment, which is where this site deserves a mention.

Crafty Storage is a blog dedicated to showcasing craft storage ideas, how to stash your stash.  It has tonnes of ideas submitted by readers, not just for organizing entire rooms, but fabulous ideas for specific products like holders for your Copic pens, stamp and ribbon organizers etc.

I've spent hours committing the sin of envy and drooling over many of the work spaces.  Mostly I can't even imagine how some people have so many crafting supplies!  I imagine I will get there eventually LOL

Here are two of my favourite posts, ranging from one extreme to the other.

First is Jane's Creative Cupboard, which is literally a crafting space in the under the stairs cupboard space.

And in complete contrast is Dawn's Creation Station, a complete cottage set aside for her crafting.  I just loved the exterior decorations she chose!

I hope you enjoy looking through the blog as much as I did :o)

Catching up with Agnes The Red

Once a week I spend the day playing catch up, adding the finishing touches to any projects not quite yet done, taking photos and browsing the net for inspiration, and as always, looking for free patterns and interesting tutorials. To stick to my commitment to posting daily, I'll share with you something that I thought was a fabulous find.

All this week I had been doing searches for matchbox ornaments, to see what other people had dreamed up and get a little inspiration. I noticed that a few people called them matchbox shrines, and when I searched for those, I found Agnes The Red Tutorials.

The author has over a dozen step by step tutorials on a number of different techniques related to stamping and altered art, but the matchbox shrine tutorial is absolutely fantastic, with 46 step by step colour photos to walk you through her creation process. 

Catching up with The Olde Country Cupboard

Once a week I spend the day playing catch up, adding the finishing touches to any projects not quite yet done, taking photos and browsing the net for inspiration, and as always, looking for free patterns and interesting tutorials. To stick to my commitment to posting daily, I'll share with you something that I thought was a fabulous find.

I think I was searching for inspiration for a few light bulbs I want to turn into ornaments when I stumbled across The Olde Country Cupboard, a site dedicated to country/primitive style decorations.  Her style is just lovely, I find some prim art is too primitive, too simplistic and too drab for my liking, but she has a gorgeous rustic style.

Best of all, if you scroll down to the bottom of the page you will find her "share box" where there is a collection of over two dozen free pdf patterns to download, like the adorable mouse in a matchbox you see above.

Catching up with Fonts For Peas

Once a week I spend the day playing catch up, adding the finishing touches to any projects not quite yet done, taking photos and browsing the net for inspiration, and as always, looking for free patterns and interesting tutorials. To stick to my commitment to posting daily, I'll share with you something that I thought was a fabulous find.

I have found that every new thing I make requires a font, requires it's own font! I guess it's because each has it's own feel, and there really isn't a one font suits all. So I did the happy dance when I stumbled across Kevin Amanda's site which offers two huge arrays of fonts.

The first is handwriting fonts, which she creates from samples sent in by her readers. Dozens and dozens of beautiful fonts can be downloaded for free at Fonts For Peas. Loopy, lazy, scrawled, elegant, they are all here!

The second is scrap booking fonts in all shapes and sizes, fun, quirky, enough that I think even I could find a font for every mood!

These are just four from dozens and dozens she has available, all free to download, most conveniently packaged in monthly zip files.

Catching up with The Vintage Moth

Once a week I spend the day playing catch up, adding the finishing touches to any projects not quite yet done, taking photos and browsing the net for inspiration, and as always, looking for free patterns and interesting tutorials. To stick to my commitment to posting daily, I'll share with you something that I thought was a fabulous find.

Whilst blog hopping for the Simon Says Stamp Challenge I came across The Vintage Moth, a collection of free antique and vintage images for mixed media artists.  There is the usual selection that you can expect to find in a free graphics collection such as victorian postcards, vintage advertisements, black and white photos.  My favourites, however, are the dictionary pages encompassing the words that are commonly used by artists such as love and creative.

No need to chop up a dictionary for paper to use as a background when you can just print out the sheet you want :0)

Catching up with Just Something I Made

Once a week I spend the day playing catch up, adding the finishing touches to any projects not quite yet done, taking photos and browsing the net for inspiration, and as always, looking for free patterns and interesting tutorials. To stick to my commitment to posting daily, I'll share with you something that I thought was a fabulous find.

Today I found a fabulous collection of over 150different categories of  free digital printables at Just Something I Made.  Wide variety of vintage cards, tags, labels and inserts, luggage tags, apothecary labels, kitchen canister labels, clip art, templates.  Wonderful collection well worth bookmarking.

Catching up with Bearly Mine Designs

Once a week I spend the day playing catch up, adding the finishing touches to any projects not quite yet done, taking photos and browsing the net for inspiration, and as always, looking for free patterns and interesting tutorials. To stick to my commitment to posting daily, I'll share with you something that I thought was a fabulous find.

Today I found a fabulous collection of over 100 free digital papers over at Bearly Mine Designs.

Each month they release a co-ordinating set of digital papers for free download, a fabulous way for the new crafter to boost their stash without an outlay of cash! Oh I am a poet and I didn't know it! That's enough rhymes now, I mean it!  Anyone want a peanut? :o)

OK Princess Bride reference officially over, here's just a small taste of what you can find over at Bearly Mine Designs.

Catching up with Craft Passion

Once a week I spend the day playing catch up, adding the finishing touches to any projects not quite yet done, taking photos and browsing the net for inspiration, and as always, looking for free patterns and interesting tutorials. To stick to my commitment to posting daily, I'll share with you something that I thought was a fabulous find.

This week I spent quite a bit of time browsing the Craft Passion website, which has dozens of free projects and tutorials. 

These adorable little bunnies were made by the author as dessicant bags, but you could fill them with lavender and use them to scent drawers and cupboards, or fill them with rice or wheat and make a "bunny toss" game for the kids, or use them as a paper weight, or fill them with polyfill and turn them into ornaments, or sew on adornments.  That's what made this find so fabulous, there are so many ways to utilize this easy to assemble pattern.

You can see the full tutorial and pattern here.

Catching up with Loani Prior

Once a week I spend the day playing catch up, adding the finishing touches to any projects not quite yet done, taking photos and browsing the net for inspiration, and as always, looking for free patterns and interesting tutorials. To stick to my commitment to posting daily, I'll share with you something that I thought was a fabulous find.

Today, being April Fools Day, I spent a while searching for Jester Hats and stumbled across these Jester Tea Cozies by Loani Prior.

I rushed to the library and borrowed her book Totally Wild Tea Cosies which features the pattern for the tea cosy above, but alas she knits :(

Catching up with Gama Go

Once a week I spend the day playing catch up, adding the finishing touches to any projects not quite yet done, taking photos and browsing the net for inspiration, and as always, looking for free patterns and interesting tutorials. To stick to my commitment to posting daily, I'll share with you something that I thought was a fabulous find.

My eldest daughter has been bugging me for an owl purse ever since she saw this ornament perched in my mini tree.  It should be fairly easy to adapt, rather than sewing up the top and stuffing, it should be a simple matter to sew in a zip, and then put a press-stud closer under the central peak.

Anyway while looking for ideas on how to bring this together I found this fabulous gem! You can print out the pattern here.

Catching up with Studio Willich

Once a week I spend the day playing catch up, adding the finishing touches to any projects not quite yet done, taking photos and browsing the net for inspiration, and as always, looking for free patterns and interesting tutorials. To stick to my commitment to posting daily, I'll share with you something that I thought was a fabulous find.

I had recently borrowed a book from the library on painting and decorating wooden spoons.  As always, when I find something new, I do an online search and what a joy it was to discover Studio Willich.

I have always had a fondness for polymer clay dolls, and a great admiration for the artists that give the clay so much character and life.  The Studio Willich site has some of the best step by step tutorial photographs that I have seen online, well worth the visit for clay and doll enthusiasts.

Catching up with Wee Folk Art

Once a week I spend the day playing catch up, adding the finishing touches to any projects not quite yet done, taking photos and browsing the net for inspiration, and as always, looking for free patterns and interesting tutorials. To stick to my commitment to posting daily, I'll share with you something that I thought was a fabulous find.

These are so adorable that at some point I am sure I will want to make some as Christmas gifts, but alas in our house a shoe is about as designer as our doorstops get!

The pattern for the cat can be found here at the Wee Folk Art blog.

The pattern for the owl can be found here.

The entire Wee Folk Art website is worth grabbing a cuppa and settling in for a visit, a huge range of free patterns with a special focus on gnomes.  Love gnomes!

Catching up with Kaisercraft

Once a week I spend the day playing catch up, adding the finishing touches to any projects not quite yet done, taking photos and browsing the net for inspiration, and as always, looking for free patterns and interesting tutorials. To stick to my commitment to posting daily, I'll share with you something that I thought was a fabulous find.

If you have walked into any craft store you have seen products by KaiserCraft who have a huge range of scrapbooking supplies.  You can find the PDF file for this adorable little mini heart bag here.  The PDF includes a full size template to print, and step by step instructions for assembly.

Catching up with The Graphics Fairy

Once a week I spend the day playing catch up, adding the finishing touches to any projects not quite yet done, taking photos and browsing the net for inspiration, and as always, looking for free patterns and interesting tutorials. To stick to my commitment to posting daily, I'll share with you something that I thought was a fabulous find.

The Graphics Fairy site contains over 2000 high quality, royalty free, vintage images for you to print and use on your projects.

There's way more ads on the site than I like, but it is a small price to pay for such a valuable resource. I especially love the labels category, with plenty of ready to print vintage labels as well as blank templates for making your own. Here's just a few to whet your appetite.

Catching up with Grace is Overrated

Once a week I spend the day playing catch up, adding the finishing touches to any projects not quite yet done, taking photos and browsing the net for inspiration, and as always, looking for free patterns and interesting tutorials. To stick to my commitment to posting daily, I'll share with you something that I thought was a fabulous find.

I find it kind of funny that scrap booking is such a huge crafting industry, when in many ways it really is just a combination of journal writing and decoupage.  So today I explored creativity of a different kind, journaling.  I found these fabulous, fabulous pages by Christie at Grace is Overrated.

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The pages come either in black and white ready for you to colour, or pre-coloured, and of course full of journaling prompts and topics.   With 39 different pages, and growing, this is a fabulous resource for young and old.

Catching up with Mimi Kirchner

Once a week I spend the day playing catch up, adding the finishing touches to any projects not quite yet done, taking photos and browsing the net for inspiration, and as always, looking for free patterns and interesting tutorials. To stick to my commitment to posting daily, I'll share with you something that I thought was a fabulous find.

Often I find really cool stuff that I would never make myself, but still makes me go oohhh!  ahhhh!  These Tiny Worlds in a teacup by Mimi Kirchner are gorgeous, but in my house they would just gather dust.

If you are inspired to make one of your own, Mimi Kirchner sells the pattern below in her Etsy store.

Catching up with Alan Dart

Once a week I spend the day playing catch up, adding the finishing touches to any projects not quite yet done, taking photos and browsing the net for inspiration, and as always, looking for free patterns and interesting tutorials. To stick to my commitment to posting daily, I'll share with you something that I thought was a fabulous find.

Alan Dart

I'm not a knitter, I grapple with the needles, I struggle with the tension, and by far I prefer to crochet, but Alan Dart's patterns tempt me so!

These little fairies are so cute! You can download the free PDF file from the official website.

While you are there browse through the other fabulous patterns he has to offer. I have purchased from his site and the delivery is immediate, the patterns easy to read and very affordable.