Crafty Creatives - August box

This months box has a Western theme and kits to make a dreamcatcher and a rope basket.

Crafty Creatives - July Box

Also known as Box 13 which means they have been going for over a year now, how exciting! I'm still not bored of receiving these boxes every month. Some may appeal more than others but I've liked all of them. My craft stash has grown as well, I have tubs of interesting buttons, beads and fabrics. I hope in another years time I am still getting these boxes.

Because I've been getting boxes since the first month there was a little extra added to my parcel:

A lovely tote bag, a notebook and a hand written tag. One of the great things about Crafty Creatives is how the creators interact with their customers, through Twitter, Facebook and by email. This is another example of how well they manage to inspire customer loyalty.

(These pictures are rotated the right way on my computer but not on Blogger, I'm not quite sure what is going on with them).

This box was a bit different this month. Instead of one kit and lots of extras, there are five kits and a few extras. Of course if you don't like one of the kits then you can use the items for something else. I liked the concept though, although I wouldn't want all the boxes to be like this (I don't always get one kit finished never mind five!). As their first box theme was florals these kits are all to make flowers:

The flower kits are to make a felt flower, stocking flower (I've wanted to make one of these for years), french beaded flower, paper rose hair slide and a crepe paper flower bunch.

Here are some of the things needed to make them:

And as always there are a few little extras:

The balloon hasn't been blown up yet because I am one of those people who cannot blow up a balloon, perhaps the Husbeast will oblige when he gets back from the allotment.

Another fab box from Crafty Creatives!

FO - Let them eat cake part 2

I mentioned yesterday I wanted to do something with the little canvas to go with my cake embroidery, well here we go:

Its was my first time using stamps so please excuse the imperfections! Its cute and I think they are both going to look great if my craft room.

Crafy Creatives - May Box

The theme this month is Glamour which I love. Although the kit isn't entirely my colours, I tend towards silvers rather than browns and bronzes, this is a fabulous box and I'm itching to get started on some of the contents already.

First there is the art card:
 

I love this one!

Then there is the kit to make a beaded hair piece:

There's some gorgeously tactile black velvet and beaded trim which would probably work well together to make an opulent evening bag:

Beads beads and more beads:

(There's some swarovski crystals in a pretty black pouch, some starbust beads, some metallic starburst, a rose pendant and a couple of silver tear drop rhinestones)

And some practical stuff, picture glue, some earring findings and a pretty lace stamp and ink set:

Here is is all together:

I already know that those teardrop beads are going to become earrings, and I think those and the hairpiece might be my task for this evening.

Crafty Creatives - April Box

This months theme is blue, which is great because that is one of my favourite colours. There's loads of things in this months box I love:

The artcard:

Isn't it beautiful, it looks like the trees are standing right out on the page.

The kit this month is to make a mobile with blue felt birds on it:

Which should be fun, and if my craft room ever gets sorted it would be nice to hang in there.

There was also some jumping clay in there which I had never heard of. What is nice is that they give you enough materials (including a hanging loop) to make a project out of as well, its like I've got two kits this month:

Then there are some blue papers and some lovely blue checked fabric:

There is a selection of tiny beautiful glass beads, two bluebird pendants, some glitter and seed beads, and some felt balls. I love felt balls, especially ones I haven't had to felt myself:

There is a really cute dinky canvas and some acrylic paints:

And finally here it is all together:

This is probably one of the months where I've looked at the contents of the box and thought of something I could do with everything. Whilst I love how the boxes sometimes unusual contents stretch my imagination, sometimes its nice to get something and feel that immediate rush of creativity that comes from seeing something and knowing what to do with it straight away.

Crafty Creatives - March box

I'm getting in earlier with the post this month!

The theme for this months box is steampunk, which is fantastic, I think for me this comes second favourite only to the Gothic inspired box.

I am secretly a little Gothic at heart. My favourite colours are red and black, my favourite music is  a type of German Heavy Metal, and I love my Doc Martens. Not quite enough to make me a full blown goth, I haven't the dedication to do the full make up and hair dye etc, but this box does definitely excite me.

Inside the boxes are:

The art card

Leather pieces
Tweed fabric

Lock and Key fasteners
Copper wire
Leather cord
Tiny watch parts

Crackle glaze
Metallic transfer paper

And the kit, which this month is to make a decoupage box, which I think will turn out quite cute. Its another craft I've not tried out before which makes it more exciting.

The unexpected side effect of this box was finding out that the Husbeast didn't know what Steampunk was. I've taken him to loads of Gothic belly dance festivals where there are always steampunk fans, and yet he still didn't have a clue. My poor little main stream Husbeast, he's learning bless him. 

Crafty Creatives - February Box

I know, its March. Somehow this little box of goodies has been push to one side until I suddenly realised the March box should be here any day soon (I think its the parcel sat at the Post Office waiting for me at the moment) and I still haven't even looked at the February box properly.

The theme for the box is spots and stripes:

There was the usual art card - very funky this month!

Inside were

A roll of washi tape (this has been used already)
Paper straws
Spotty cupcake cases - these are great
Stripey string
Resin beads
Single spotty glass bead

PVC fabric
Striped fabric
Tissue paper

Foam dots
Round nose pliers
15 silver plated head pins

Plus the kit which this month is to make a polymer clay necklace. I haven't tried using this stuff before so I am looking forward to giving it a try. I wont have chance this weekend, so next weekend perhaps?

I liked this month, although I don't usually go for spots, I do love stripes - take my two crochet blankets for example.

It is making me wonder about the possibility of some spotty blankets to go with my stripy blankets.

FO - Swap knits

I've finished my knitted item for the Alice in Wonderland swap:

My swap partner likes purple and wristwarmers so these should be just right for her. I'm supposed to be the March Hare, so a yarn in the colourway Jam Session seemed perfect for someone who is  at a perpetual tea party. The little leaf buttons from my Crafty Creatives box seemed perfect to finish them off, straight from a woodland scene.

I've ordered a few more items for the swap over the weekend, one of which is some purple yarn called March Hare, I couldn't get better than that for the box.

I love doing swaps and finding the right things for people. Sometimes its quite difficult, I've seen people who have not given much information and say they are happy with anything go off and complain in other groups that what they received wasn't good enough.

Its hard for knitters of different ability and experience to swap unless everyone accepts that a handmade item is always going to have had a certain amount of time, effort and care put into it and so even if the knitting isn't as good as your own, its still something someone has worked hard over.

My knitting is certainly not as good as some of the things I've seen people knit on Ravelry, but, as I am not a quick knitter, I would hope that anyone receiving a hand knit off me would realise its taken me a lot of time and effort to make. Sadly that's not always been the case but hopefully this time my swap partner will appreciate and love the things I have made her.

Crafty Creatives - January Box

I've been having the lovely Crafty Creatives boxes since they started and every month has been fantastic. Some months I've preferred to others but its given me the opportunity to try new crafts. Sometimes I get more out of the additional items in the box than the main craft itself, but that's okay because it means I'm building up a lovely stock of beads, ribbons, stickers, buttons, pictures and lots of other things which come in surprisingly handy.

If you haven't come across Crafty Creatives before basically they send out a box once a month. In each box will be a small craft to try out, I've made a notebook, a Gothic mask, bath bombs, a flower for my hair and so on. Also in the box are lots of other crafty bits and pieces. Each box has a theme and the items are linked around that.

January's theme is: Woodland

In the box this month is:

The Art Card
The Kit: this month needlefelting leaves
Toadstool beads
Wooden leaf buttons
Skeleton leaves
5 leaf pendants
Owly fabric
Flower soft and glue - I've never used this stuff before its apparently like glitter
Fox beads
Owl pendant
3 birch hearts
Pine cone

I've done needlefelting before, if fact if I ever get round to putting together my red needlefelted cushion cover you'll see just how much needlefelting I've done! So this kit is of less immediate interest to me than some of the others, but I will do it at some point as I think the leaves would make a nice addition to an autumn themed wreath.

In fact I find the whole box very autumn themed this time around, rather than winter, however I like everything in it so I'm not complaining.


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