So what do I think of...

...the WRMK Alphabet punch board.

It is a very clever piece of equipment that allows you to cut all the letters of the alphabet, numbers and some punctuation symbols.

I've only had a brief 'play' with it but here is my opinion...

When you open the packaging, this is what the board looks like...

 ...it has a cutting area with a grid and cutting tool. A single function punch and a double function punch.
The board comes with a detailed instruction booklet...

...so all you need to do is decide what you want to cut your letters etc. from. Most of the letters are cut from pieces of card 3" x 5" but there are instructions for doing "M" & "W" from a 5" x 5" piece so that you don't have to join anything.
Wandering around the board...

 ...the single function punch cuts a 'd-shaped' piece from your card and there are score marks on the board to help you ensure that you have placed your CS correctly.
The cutting area has a grid that is hinged and lifts up so that you can place/move your CS...

 ...this has magnets in it that help to keep it and your CS in place whilst cutting. The cutter is the small round blue item to the left of the photo and has its own storage area attached to the grid so it is always to hand. When cutting, this little tool slots onto the grid and you have a guide to slide along to create your cutting line.
The double function punch has a notched, curved 'v-shaped' cut at the top...

...and the board in this area has markings and raised areas that help you line up where you need your card to be before you 'cut'.
The bottom of the double function punch rounds off your corners...

 ...and works very much like a corner rounder - you slide your CS in to fit snuggly into the recess before punching.
My 'play' was so that I could make some signs...

...I cut everything twice - once in blue (for the shadow) and once in red...

...I also used the curved 'v-shaped' punch to fancy up the edges of the red pieces.

So what do I really think...

PROs
* The letters/numbers are a good size for signs, bunting, scrapbook titles and initial/number greetings cards (you can actually cut letter shaped cards by using folded CS/PP).
* Once you have cut a stack of CS/PP the process is fairly quick & easy.
* The instruction booklet provides details for every letter & number. This is provided in step-by-step pictures of the actions you need to take.
* You can stick with plain style letters or you can pretty them up a bit with additional punching so you have the option of more than one style.
* There are quite a few YouTube videos out there so there are lots of ideas for getting the most out of your board.
* It is easy to use.

CONs
* You need to follow the instruction booklet carefully on some letters. On some of the images the CS is 'grey' - this means that you need to cut from the reverse otherwise you end up with some funny looking pieces, especially if you are using a PP.
* Even being very careful about cutting my CS pieces to the required size, I had a couple of incidents where the cutting on the grid area didn't quite line-up - a craft knife or scissors soon sorts this but you need to know that it does happen.
* The pieces are large - 3x5 or 5x5 so these letters/numbers will not be suitable for all your crafting but don't just think of the pieces as letters. On the packaging is an example of a scrapbook LO where one of the photos had been cut to form the title - so you still have your photo but also the title - two for the price of one.
* This punch board is more expensive than previous boards but then you have more functions, so I suppose it is swings & roundabouts.

At the end of the day, am I pleased that I bought it - yes.

It wasn't something that I rushed into, I thought about it for a few months and my purchase was actually well timed as far as the RNLI fund-raising is concerned.

So if you have been thinking about one of these, I hope my comments help................................

A New Toy...

...to play with.

The WRMK Alphabet board has been 'calling' to me for a while and as it was 30% off at Pinnacle Crafts Members Weekend, I treated myself.

Here it is...

...and it is coming to work with me today to get a bit of a 'workout'.

I am organising a number of fund-raising events over the coming months to help the RNLI celebrate 150 years of protecting folk. They are aiming to raise enough to buy a new Lifeboat for the Wells-Next-the-Sea lifeboat station. I have planned a book sale, cake competition & sale, a raffle, a craft stall and will probably come up with a few other ideas as I go along.

I thought the alphabet board would be great for making some topical signs & bunting. I'll let you know how I get on................................................................

How do you...

...photograph your cards?

Not being the best photographer in the world, I often struggle with getting a good picture of my makes. I've tried standing them on windowsills, cloth backgrounds, flat on the floor or even holding them but things still end up rather hit & miss.

Now I'm not saying that this item will improve things that much but I thought I'd give it a try as it was £4.99 (so not a huge outlay if it doesn't work)

This is the MDF card easel from Creative Expressions...

...which comes flat-packed ready for assembly. With just 3 pieces it isn't complicated and it slots together very easily.

The idea is probably that you can decorate this to suit your own taste but as it is intended to display a variety of cards and colours, it seems sensible to leave it 'bare'.

I haven't even glued the pieces together at this stage because it gives me the option to flat-pack it again between use. The slots are quite tight but not a problem so the whole thing is very stable even without being glued.

I'm not promising that my photos will be any better but at least the presentation may look a little better LOL.......................................................................

Do you get the most...

...out of your craft equipment?

I'm probably as guilty as the next person - I buy something and only ever use it the way it says on the box/tin/pack.

If you are busy (and who isn't these days) the time you have available for crafting is limited and you don't always have the luxury of playing around with pieces of equipment to see if they can do more...this is a shame because craft equipment can be expensive and in this current financial climate, who can afford to buy things that will only be used occasionally when there is the possibility that they could be in use on a regular basis.

Take the We R Memory Keepers Envelope Punch board...

Would you have thought that you could make this cute gift box...

...isn't it great and you can even add apertures if you want the contents to be seen.
Andy Pearson (Pinnacle Crafts) held a demo day above the shop yesterday...

 ...and he shared a lot of his ideas and those that he had found on places like YouTube. These boxes were one of the favourites of the day...

 ...and the samples got a lot of handling. Andy said these boxes were not his idea but he had found some videos by a lady called Deb Valder. I only look at YouTube occasionally so I probably would not have found these - thank you Andy for bringing this idea to my attention and thank you for another great demo day.

So of course, when I got home I had to have a go...

 ...out came my Envelope Punch board...

 ...a paper cutter and a scoreboard...

 ...some pretty CS, ribbon & DST.
In next to no time I had this...

...my own little gift box (I didn't put a window in mine)...

...as I was in a hurry to get it done...

...these boxes are adorable and even have a lid to help keep the contents secure.

With Easter coming up, I thought this CS would be perfect because of the Spring-time colours - just imagine one of these full of tiny chocolate eggs.

Change the colour scheme and you have favour boxes for the wedding table or gift boxes for the bridesmaids.

You can get 3 of these out of 2 sheets of 12x12 or one out of a sheet of A4. This is an ideal way to make a dent in that mountain of PP & CS.

So an envelope maker can do so much more - I made cutlery holders at Christmas. I've made bon-bons (crackers) and a wrap over box that will hold two crème eggs. Now I know I can make these cuties as well..........................................................................

New Printer...

...installed and working.

Despite my lack of 'techiness', you will be pleased to note that I bought my new printer, un-packed it and got it installed...all by myself. Yes!

Hope you are sitting down as you read this Suzie as I know this will come as a major surprise to you that I actually managed something like this **chuckle**

Having watched 'Strictly' & 'X Factor', I thought I really shouldn't put the job off any longer and set to. The first thing that I noticed when I opened the box was the fact that there was a USB cable & a power lead - I had asked the assistant if the printer 'came with' as it is also a WIFI capable machine. He had said no to the USB cable and proceeded to try and sell me one. I politely declined as he confirmed (grudgingly) that my existing one would do the job. I would not have been very happy if I had paid for something I didn't need.

I admit that the cable that came with the machine was not overly long but I had been considering a new layout for my desk so got stuck in.

Everything except the PC came off the desk and if you had been a fly-on-the-wall you would have been killing yourself with laughter. My desk is old, large and very heavy so I can not move it on my own and I can not reach the cables from underneath so there I was - kneeling on the desk, fishing for the various cables and hauling them up (trying to identify what related to what).

Anyhoo...

All done, cables somewhat tidier now than they had been and this is how the desk now looks...

...printer and PC are now to the left of the monitor (and easier to access)...

 ...and my 12x12 stacking trays are now over with my pen stack.
Here is the new printer...

 ...which I had to check was working properly...

...so a few taps on the keyboard and...

...perfect.

With Christmas coming and other more important things on the replacement list, I didn't have a lot of spare cash to spend on a printer. So this is probably not an all singing or dancing machine (although it carries out a lot more functions if you set it up to work in WIFI mode). However, it prints onto card - I've only tried 160gsm so far but that is the weight I use for most of my digis and it had no problem dealing with that. The other thing was that I wanted a printer with individual colour carts. I am so fed-up with having to replace a tri-colour cart when I know that only one of the colours has run out.

The assistant in the shop was trying to encourage a sale further up the price range but everything he showed me had tri-colour carts - I think he soon got the message that I wasn't going to be talked into something that I didn't want.

This machine prints, scans & copies. It has individual ink carts and it works. So I am back with printer functions and an extremely tidy desk...............................................................

A Slice...

...is sitting waiting for me to collect.

Whoop, whoop!!!

Pinnacle Crafts celebrated their 10th birthday last weekend and boy did they celebrate...they were giving away loads of super prezzies.

Club members who purchased something over the weekend went into a draw for a chance to win some fabulous prizes. Members of the shop's Facebook group also had a chance to win a prize, whilst over on Andy's blog there was yet another chance to win something - just for leaving a comment.

Making a quick check of my blog reading list yesterday morning I noticed a post from Andy containing a picture of one of these...

...with my name next to it. I have to admit that I shed a tear or two before I was able to respond - what a fab way to start the week.

My friend Suzie (Weasel) has been on tender-hooks ever since she found out - checking Facebook and the blog to see if any of the other prize winners had been announced. I got a sad face from her when she found out who had won the Facebook prize - cos it wasn't her.

I did wonder if the list from the shop draw would be included in a newsletter later in the week then as I was travelling home I got an excited text from Suzie to say she had won the 3rd prize - toot, toot!!!

Didn't we do well...

I'll have to wait until Saturday before I can go and pick up my new toy but Suzie is hoping I'll agree to her finishing early tomorrow - umm, I'll have to give that one some thought LOL............................................................................................

Does it really...

...make a difference?

Using expensive or cheap craft tools; that is.

From a personal point of view, I have to say, if it means the difference between being able to craft or not...I will happily make do with my £ store bargain or Charity shop find. Afterall, when pennies are limited I'm sure most of us would rather spend them on lovely materials to actually make something with.

But...!!!

If we are all honest, isn't there a 'feel good' factor to being able to reach for a nice craft tool.

I have loads of pairs of scissors - although you would never believe it when I actually need to use a pair LOL - and amongst my collection I have ones from bargain stores (they do their job), some slightly dearer ones that I bought because they had pretty handles or came in pretty colours and my dearer craft specific ones (my Tim Holtz, X-Cut and Fiskars ones).

Did I really need to buy the Tim Holtz ones?

Yes - after trying a pair that belong to a friend I realised how much better the handles were, especially when needing to do a fair amount of cutting, and the non-stick coating seems to make them cut more smoothly (they were also on promotion in a store that I visited so it would have been rude to pass up on a super low price). However, I would not want to misplace them or allow them to be used by folk for any other purpose. On the other hand, I have some small very sharp non-stick scissors that came from a supermarket. They only cost a couple of pounds and whilst I wouldn't want to lose them, I don't think I would fret too much.

I have all manner of crafting tools and they have been sourced from a multitude of places but it is still 'nice' to have some that are a bit more special...

 I have quite a lot of crochet hooks and most of them are those dull grey metal ones but I do have a few coloured plastic ones to throw into the mix. That didn't stop me drooling over a new range of items that one of my local craft stores started to stock.

Take a look at this lovely case that comes complete with hooks in 15 different sizes and still has space to add more if you wish...

 ...and this little dumpling case containing stitch/row markers...

 ...well I have to say, the temptation was just too much - what is a girl supposed to do, especially when she has a completed loyalty card just waiting to be used...

...yes, I couldn't resist and I now have both items in this beautiful teal colour scheme. They were not cheap (the cases are made from silk fabric) but they are beautifully made and they make me smile when I reach to use them. They are something special...a treat...and I just love them. Are they any better than my boring grey hooks in their plastic box or the nappy-pins that I have been using as markers - no, probably not but they make me feel good. There is a 'touchy-feeliness' about them that makes them a pleasure to use and isn't that part of the reason why we craft - the enjoyment?

I also have a veeeeeeeeeeeeery large collection of knitting needles. Some were given to me by my Gran, some by my Mum...many were freebies with magazines. Over the years I have added numerous pairs myself (often because I needed a particular size and all the ones I had were in use on UFOs **unfinished objects**). I do have a couple of pairs of beautiful carved wooden needles that I picked up at a craft show many years ago...

...these are a treasured possession. Like the crochet hooks, they don't work any better than any of my other needles but they 'feel nice'.

I suppose I could go through all my crafting tools and identify a general mix of cheaper items and some more considered purchases...does this change whether they do their job - no!

I see no purpose in throwing away money on cheap items if they don't work, but then again, why pay lots of money just for a brand or current trend. Balance is important. None of us have money to throw away these days so sometimes buying cheap can be a false economy but then again we don't want to blow all our available cash on something that we would then be frightened to use in case we 'spoilt' it.

Bog standard work horses will let us endulge in our crafts but go on...admit it...it does feel good to have a few 'special' items in our tool boxes..................................................................

Boxing clever...

...with the help of my Crafters Companion Ultimate Pro.

I love my 'Ultimate' and I have to say that it has been worth every penny just for the box making facility alone (I don't think I could have made all those favour boxes for my niece's wedding without it).

So when it came to making a box for the Cluedo themed memory book, I grabbed my 'Pro'.

As I mentioned in the previous post, the book was actually a bit bigger than 8x8 so I was going to struggle to make a suitable box because I didn't have any CS larger than 12x12. Then I had the 'lightbulb' moment and pulled out some 12x12.
The lid was never going to be a problem as the sides didn't need to be any deeper than 1 inch so grabbing a sheet of 12x12, I scored along each side.

I'm a lazy crafter who doesn't 'do' all those measurements and calculations unless absolutely necessary - the 'Pro' lets me score at just the right place and I know it will fit.
Snipping into each corner to create a tab to secure the corners...

...I then used the scoring tool to create crisp edges. Then using DST I stuck the corners. One completed lid for a 10x10 box.
The base of the box was always going to be the problem area.

If I scored at the 2 inch point on all four sides I was going to end up with an 8x8 box base - not a lot of use! This was where I utilised 2 sheets of 12x12.
I only scored the CS on two adjacent sides...

...creating 2 walls and a base.
By creating two pieces like this I was able to slot them together to form a whole box...

...and by having a double layer for the base it makes the box a bit more sturdy to cope with the larger size.
Ta-da!!! One 10x10, 2 inch deep box...

...all ready to reinforce/decorate with some washii tape.

So as you can see - it is possible to make bigger boxes without resorting to the expense of having to buy A3 CS.

I handed the completed Cluedo book & box over to my friend/colleague Simon today and he was over the moon - it will be presented to Patsy tomorrow as she will be popping back to the office for a meeting.

Simon asked if I'd taken photos of it for my blog...doh!...bit late there Simon LOL

He also said that I should tell you all that I have the rights to this 'Intellectual Property' - the boardgame book idea (those of you in the UK will have probably seen the Compare the Market/Meerkat adverts...) - again - bit late there Simon...I've already shared with my crafting friends.

I hope the idea about using old boardgames for your crafting has sparked some other ideas for you and I'd love to see anything that you come up with.

I also hope that the tip on how to make a bigger box from 12x12 CS proves to be useful and that it helps to solve a few of those packaging problems..........................................................

Now grab your "Gear"...

...it's time to play.

Keeping it simple, I thought I'd show you what the Inkadinkadoo Stamping Gear does.

This is the basic Starter set...
...it comes all nicely packaged but please be warned - it is near impossible to get the products out of the packaging without completely demolishing it...shame...as the packing has some examples and is a neat little container that would have been ideal until you decide on some other form of storage.

The plastic 'shells' that contain the pieces are deadly - watch those fingers!!!

In the starter set you get...
...the small round cog, the stamp paddle and a set of stamps. This will cost you about £16.

There are about a dozen additional packs of stamps that you can buy...
...the one you see here is called "Celestial". Stamp packs are about £6.

You don't have to stick to the Inkadinkadoo stamps. If you have foam mounted stamps or put some E Z mount on your clear stamps you can use more or less anything you have. The only restriction is the size of the 'paddle' and the thickness of the stamp...
...as you can see, the 'purpose' stamps are quite thick and they need to be as there is a lip on the paddle that you need to clear in order to be able to stamp your image.

This is the paddle...
...it has some grid markings on it to help you line up your stamps.

I have used a Memento ink pad...
...on this occasion I have stuck with Tuxedo Black but there is now a super range of colours which make playing with this item really fun (you can mix & match colours to your heart's content).

To start, you place your cog where you wish to stamp and hold it in place with a finger on the top...
...the cog has slots all around it and the paddle has a point either end that slots into these notches.

Do take some time thinking where you want to place your image - you would be surprised how big a circle even a small stamp can create. You don't want to be disappearing off the page if you were hoping to create a perfect circle. Mind you, stamping off the page gives a great effect too...but only if that was what you wanted.

Continue 'sloting' and stamping until you have completed your design...
...as I said, on this occasion I have only used black but you can still create shading. As you work your way around the cog you can stamp-move-second stamp - then re-ink and repeat. This gives you a shaded effect. You can play by 'stamping off' a third or fourth time just be aware that this cog has 16 slots so if you want the effect to be even you need to consider whether your number goes into 16 evenly. Random 'stamping off' can look good too but only if that is what you want.

Once you have completed your design you can mount a topper or a sentiment in the centre...
...I have just stamped in the middle. This particular design is about 8x8ins so you need to keep that in mind for card making...but how about creating your own scrapbook page backgrounds?

I'm looking forward to having a good play - why don't you have a go too................................

Time to...

...meet Andy.
(Photo heavy post)

This is Andy (Pinnacle Crafts) all organised and ready to introduce folks to the wonders of Inkadinkadoo's "Stamping Gear"
Despite the snow trying it's best to put folk off on Saturday morning, there was a good turn out.
Andy had certainly made plenty of samples for folk to see.

What a busy bee he has been getting ready for this demo-day.
This lovely blue and silver wreath looked even better in real life.

Anyone would think Andy was shy...
...hiding behind some colour combos that he had just created.
Who remembers "Spirograph" ?

Don't you think this design is very spirography in the way it looks.
This clock idea was made using the 'gear' principal but not the gear itself as the spaces in the cogs & rings don't split evenly for the stations of the clock.

Very effective - don't you think?
Something a bit posher (word???)

Navy card stock and gold heat-embossed design.
More of the mauve & lime.

This was created using a stamp from the 'Petals' set.
This one was just to show that the stamps work perfectly well on their own.

In this case they were used as corner accents.
This was one that I really liked...

...made up of a wreath stamped using fir sprigs in a couple of shades of green and then over-stamped with a berry twig - great idea for Christmas.
Oh, and whilst on the subject of Chrimbo...

...very "un-Christmas" type colours but an example of how to create a background using a cluster of small snowflakes.
Having started the demo at 9am and continuing non-stop - a final cuppa as folk made their way down to grab some of the goodies that had been in use during the day.

Thank you Andy for another super demo - your hard work is much appreciated (even if it does end up with me spending more money LOL)........................................................