Welcome to KraftyGurl, your online source of krafty goodness! Have a look around and come back often, as more will be added soon!
Apologies…
I realise I’ve been a bit quiet lately. There’s been loads going on with the baby, a whole mess of appointments with doctors, specialists, dentists, etc, and I’ve had a hard time getting the gumption to write, let alone craft!
Plus, my boyfriend’s mother is currently visiting from Utah, so we are taking her sightseeing throughout England, and it eats up a lot of time. :)
That said, I seem to have come down with a cold and as such have had to bow out of some activities, and I found myself quite enthusiastic about the prospect of doing some crafting! So tonight I’ve been working on some brand new beautiful handmade books!
Currently in the works are two gorgeous artist drawing notebooks. I’m hoping I’ll be able to get them done and release them next week, and I have to say that so far they are my very favourite things I’ve ever made!
I’ve also done some cute little earrings which I’ll be adding to my shop soon.
Other than that, all I’ve really been doing is buying maternity clothes off of ebay and admiring my ever-increasing belly!
I’m sure though that I’ll be updating this site soon with more fun goodies to check out. So come back soon!
Well while searching through several alchemy requests on Etsy, I realised there’s quite a lot of folks out there requiring coupon organisers. Never having been much of a coupon clipper myself (probably to my detriment), I figured I’d go ahead and try my hand at creating one.
I think I just wanted further excuse to use my lovely Zutter Bind-it-All, which has been my best friend for the last couple of weeks. I never realised how much fun it can be to bind your own booklets! :)
Anyway, I don’t really know what makes for a good coupon organiser, so my first try may possibly not be exactly what those alchemy folks are looking for. However, I suppose if I was looking to get started clipping coupons, I’d probably want something simple, portable, cute and easily organised.
I think that if I make one in future, though, I might choose to have accordioned pockets to allow for more coupons. I also might choose to have categories – like groceries, household goods, toiletries, hardware, toys, gifts, etc. I’ve got lots of ideas, but first I need to see if there’s any interest! :)
Anyway, here’re some pics of the newest addition to my shop. A bargan at $10! ;)
Front Cover
Front and Back Covers
Well technically it’s not completely new. But it’s never been shown before now! I created this 9 x 6 painting when I first found out I was pregnant, and since I just ran across it again, I figured I’d post it here. I’ve offered it for sale in my shop, as well as print options for anyone who’d like a copy but doesn’t want to pay for an original painting.
I do hope you enjoy it. It certainly means a lot to me now!
A Pregnant Pause - original watercolour
Baby Love!
Well I know it’s not craft related, but things in the KG house have been pretty exciting lately! Yesterday we went to the doctor to have our ultrasound, and wouldn’t ya know it! There’s a real baby in there!!
And while it sort of resembles a skeletal alien at the moment, it definitely looks more like a baby than the first scan we had – that one merely resembled a bean!
So as you can imagine, we’ve been pretty busy admiring our photos and getting super excited trying to guess the gender. Sadly it’s a bit too early to tell.
Right now, I reckon the baby is taking after his/her daddy, as he/she spent the whole sonogram laying back, chilling out and relaxing. Didn’t move too much and let the sonographer do whatever she wanted.
The heart rate was 156 beats per minute, which if you listen to the theories, would indicate a girl. But when we heard the heart beat on the doppler last week, it sounded exactly like a train – which would indicate a boy!! We’re totally flummoxed!
Still, it’s an exciting time for us. And in honour of our little love bundle, I’ve been going all out trying to create a PERFECT baby book, which doubles as a pregnancy journal. I’m creating the pages in microsoft word and will print them out on high quality card stock and put together a GREAT book! I’m really very excited about it.
Stay tuned for more, as I’m now even more craft inspired! I’ve got a little muse inside me!
After trying out my new Zutter Bind it All yesterday, I figured out how to create this beautiful little scrapbook without messing it up! Hoorah! All it took was a bit of thinking ahead and learning from my mistakes. :) Whodathunk it??
Anyway, this gorgeous little book measures 6″ x 6″ and has 20 high-quality card stock pages for you to do with what you like. The covers are handmade from chipboard decorated with my favourite embellishments.
The front includes the quote “There is no remedy for love but to love more.” – Henry David Thoreau. This is one of my very favourite quotes and seems to encompass my own view of the whole concept of love. :)
Both the front and back cover also feature a tiny bejeweled heart in the bottom right corners. And the spiral binding is decorated with cute red ribbons to give it that extra “loving” look.
This would make an excellent mini-scrapbook to document a new relationship or even a lovely gift for a soon-to-be bride or groom!
Actually, being completely honest, I would love to keep it and fill it with photos and stories about my relationship with my boyfriend. It would make a great present for his birthday in less than two weeks! Plus, it is something that will last a long time, and I bet our son or daughter will love to see it when he/she is old enough!
I guess I’ll just have to make a new one for myself! :D
As usual, you can find it in my shop if you like the look of it!
Front cover
Back Cover
Inside cover
Open book showing front and back covers
Exciting news for all my pregnant readers! :) KraftyGurl has recently purchased my very own Zutter Bind-it-All system, allowing me to create my very own bound books!
And since I’m BABY CRAZY these days, I actually decided that my very first project would be a Pregnancy Journal. I was quite pleased with the design aspect of the book, and I learned a lot about creating my own books. For instance – it is incredibly important to pre-plan the covers so that you don’t wind up in a situation like I found myself – with holes that don’t match up for binding! D’oh! Though they were only the tiniest fraction “off,” it meant that the front and back covers (which are made from chipboard) don’t quite match up the way they should. Good to know for next time!
Also I have learned the importance of making sure the spiral binding meets INSIDE the book so that it doesn’t create an ugly finish. Luckily I figured this out BEFORE I bound it. Ten points for me!
Anyway, I will probably be adding this first book to my shop very soon for a reduced price, as it is an imperfect version of what will hopefully be a very exciting new avenue for me!
Stay tuned!
Front Cover
Back Cover
Inside Cover
Open Book Showing Both Covers
So a couple of years ago, I had this great idea for this children’s book series based on funny little characters from my mind. These sort of gothic children – y’know – witches, ghosts, albinos… that sort of thing. They’d have their own little society free from adults, but they’d live quite cool lives.
Over time, I developed the concept of the WicKids, and many many characters developed their own little stories. This was thanks in large part to me getting my hands on some Fimo and creating tiny little replicas of my characters.
So I decided that as a jumping off point, I would put up for sale the very first series of WicKids. There are eight little gals in my shop right now, selling for $10 a pop. Not bad for One of a Kind figurines! Each comes with her own little personalised poem which details her personality/history.
Check out the Shop section of the site and get your hands on your own little character. Who knows? I might be the next JK Rowling with these guys, and you’d be the first to get your hands on a piece of history! ;)
Well hello to you!
If you’re a first time visitor, I welcome you. If you’re a recurring character, then I must apologise. I opened this site back in March 2010, and now that it’s August I am only just getting around to adding content… despite the fact that I’ve linked to this site on every other site I’m a member of. Silly me!
Anyway, I like to think I have a valid excuse. You see, the first couple of months I was trying to get the site set up to be a perfect representation of me and my business. It took some time as I was switching between applications and wasn’t sure where I wanted the site to go long term.
Then, my boyfriend took me on a long holiday across the world! We went to beautiful Las Vegas and then drove up to Salt Lake City, Utah to meet his family and friends. We had an awesome time, and I planned to really get moving with the site when I got home.
Only…
When we returned from our travels, I got some very unexpected (though exciting!) news…
I’m pregnant!!
Yes, I am expecting a little one this winter. Should be a Valentine’s Day baby, which will be just lovely. :)
As you can imagine, however, it has put quite a spanner in the works, as the last three months I’ve been dealing with nausea, exhaustion, and out of control mood swings! It’s meant any thought I had of crafting or working on this site has been put on the backburner.
But now I’m in my second trimester, and my energy levels have returned to near normal, and I am excited to once again have the time and inclination to work on this website.
In the next few days/weeks, I hope to be adding many posts about crafting, as well as a shopfront where you can buy my arts and crafts for your very own!
So check back soon, and I promise you’ll be rewarded.