Red Nose Day Countdown for Ross

Counting the days till I get waxed. The ladies sponsoring me are taking altogether too much pleasure in saying how much it's going to hurt!   Painkillers anyone?

Making Cards April Issue now on sale

The April issue of Making Cards magazine has now arrived and is full of great articles.

• Cute bunny cards by Deborah Willis

• Easter cards featuring images from the Forever Friends range by Jenny Higham

• Sarah McCrossan has some beautiful stamped designs, ideal for this time of year.

• Dee Paramour’s bright designs feature lots of elements for baking

Vintage birdcages and chandeliers are among the other popular themes elsewhere in this issue.

Sadists wanted!

Come on ladies, where's your sadistic side? The more money you pledge the more Ross will be waxed on Red Nose Day.  The beautician has plenty of wax so no part of him will be safe, so long as you pledge enough money.

There will be pictures posted after the event so if you can't make it along on the day you'll still be able to enjoy seeing him suffer, all in the name of charity!  If we can, there will also be a video so you'll be able to hear the screams and maybe see him make a bid for freedom too.  Security will be posted though so once it starts he is there till the end.

It's all happening at Bladez Hair & Beauty, Panmurefield Village, 1.00 p.m. - 2.30 p.m. Come along and join in the fun.

Sponsorship forms are available in Kitty Krafts and Bladez Hair & Beauty

Wave 102 Competition Winners

Congratulations to the winners of our Wave 102 competition.  You will have received your emails telling you of your success.

The winners were Christine McDonald and Emma Colville.  Well done both of you.

Craft Stamper April issue available now

Carve a Niche, by Rachel Jackson
Rachel transforms an old, unloved book into a stunning piece of art.

Stamp, Stitch and Stuff, by Helen Chilton
Try your hand at stamping onto hand-dyed fabric, with Helen’s inspiring tutorial.

The Midas Touch, by Isabelle Norris
Hints and tips on using luscious Inka Gold, from Isabelle.

Really Tweet, by Jean Hardy
Make Jean’s delightful miniature birdhouse to adorn your home.

In Parentheses, by Katy Fox
Katy shows you how to ‘stamp’ using embossing folders and paint.

Painting the Flowers, by Joanna Sheen
Get ready for spring with this cute House Mouse card design.

Concertina Collage, by Kate Crane
Make gorgeous alcohol-inked backgrounds with Kate’s helpful hints and tips.

Red Sky at Night, by Jo Firth-Young
Celebrate the beauty of nature with Jo’s pretty painted mini book project.

Green Eyed Monster, by Kate Bentley
Make Kate’s cute little monster from dyed and stamped fabric.

Floating Fronts, by Joanne Wardle

Make eye-catching 3D cards with Joanne’s helpful tutorial.

Digital Diversity, by Kim Costello
Kim shows you that digi stamping can be much more than just characters to colour in.

Beautiful Beads, by Lousette Ashton
Lousette shares some great ways to add dimension to work with seed and micro beads.

On the Cover, by Hels Sheridan
Get more from your free cover stamps with this colourful wall hanging from Hels.

Terrific Tiles, by Sara Naumann
Make Sara’s teeny wearable artworks from Scrabble tiles.

Pack It In, by Linda Elbourne
Linda’s fabulous altered suitcase and book is ideal for journaling on the go.

Anyone for Tea?, by Morag Cutts
Make Morag’s fun and quirky Alice in Wonderland themed table centrepiece.


FEATURES

Free Stamp Makes
This month’s free cover mount stamp is a pretty, delicate butterfly designed for us by Chocolate Baroque.

Stamping Contrasts
Four designers are challenged to work their magic on some stunning vintage typewriter stamps this month.

Craft Dragon Competition
Win an ImPress multi-crafting tool and accessories worth over £400!

Idea Gallery: Framed
Our regular gallery is packed with things that are framed!

Stamping for Scrapbookers, by Kim Woods
In our regular feature, Kim shows you a stunning technique combining embossing powder and foiling.

Stamping with…Hearts, by Gail Milburn
Our regular feature looks at using common stamp types creatively – this month, Gail shows you four clever ways to get more from the humble heart stamp.

Masterclass: Joseph’s Coat, by Trish Latimer
Trish shows four variations on the striking and vibrant Joseph’s Coat technique.

Designer’s Palette, by Lousette Ashton
This regular feature looks at combining colours effectively in your stamped projects.

Felix is in the building!

Felix has decided to come into the shop today to help set the competition questions.

 Once he's had his lunch he'll be getting me to post the questions for him. It's better that way as he gets distracted by the mouse! Watch this space ...

Alternative craft room anyone?

Have just found a company selling what they call Micro Lodges.  They look ideal for a little craft room, and are probably cheaper than building an extension, or moving to a larger house.

Pop over to www.microlodge.co.uk to have a look.

The Great Escape!

It's good to be back at the shop today knowing that there are two kittens at home, busy wrecking the place.

Mollie, the grey, got out on Sunday night.  She and her sister, Millie, are both house cats, but she is in season for the first time and Nature called so off she went.

Hours of searching without any result followed, only for her to be found hiding under a car just across the road late last night.  She seems to be none the worse for wear, although our tomcat wasn't too keen on her scent last night so a trip to the Vet's is imminent.  We'd rather not be surrogate grandparents in 9 weeks time if we can help it!

Thank you to everyone who was looking for her, it is very much appreciated

The Titchy Terrors at rest

Most of the time Mollie and Millie, henceforth known as the Titchy Terrors, are tearing around like mad things.  Sometimes though, both Felix and us get some peace and quiet when they need to rest.  They look so angelic when sleeping, but they are far from it, as Felix can testify.

Grunge can be cute too ... or is it Tim who's cute?

The trip to Birmingham was a great success, even if the journey back was a nightmare.  What with roadworks, diversions and hellish weather it took about 3 - 4 hours longer than going down.

But the Workshop with Tim Holtz and Dyan Reaveley was excellent.  They are both so friendly and informative, happy to share their knowledge.

Here are pictures of the projects we were all doing.

Watch this space for future Workshops here!