Sarah Lawrence

Thank you all for your kind words, thoughts and prayers about Sarah. We have been reading through all of them here and on several other blogs and message boards. We are drawing comfort from them and the thought that Sarah has inspired so many people in her all-to-short life. That is her legacy.

Sarah’s funeral was held yesterday at St Leonards in Newark, her final resting place is a natural burial ground just outside of Newark.

It was requested that Sarahs Eulogy read by Liz Welch was posted for all those to read who were to far or unable to attend the funeral, it can be found here

David, Tom and Fran

It is with great sadness that I write this to announce the sudden and untimely death of Sarah on Friday 2nd December 2011.

Many of you reading this will know Sarah as a feltmaker, embroiderer, author, teacher, friend, or through her appearances on TV. However it was that you knew her I hope you saw her passion for her art, and her commitment to freely pass on her knowledge and skills. I hope you will all take inspiration from her work for many years to come.

Sarah sometimes felt her head was bursting with ideas and possibilities that she could just not get out. She had so much more to give.

Sarah has left charm in my life, and that of our two children, Tom and Fran, that stretches far over the horizon. She will be so very much missed.

David

For funeral details please call E. Gill & Sons funeral directors (01636 677461)

I have had a lovely morning with The Big Stamp Group … and have a picture of their work desk!

We were using a background stamp and making paper flowers of various sorts for a sort of Christmas wreath.

Partly made Christmas Wreath with telephone book flowers and stamped paper flowers.

My voice is still on the blink and I am very grateful to all who offered words of wisdom … like shut up Sarah!

Anyway I did try vocal zone and proctors lozenges , neither had I heard of ( thanks Sue) both soothed but the Proctors lozenges are used as it says on the packets by public speaker and members of Parliament! not really sure that is the best advertising , they were a pine-apply flavor!

I have put up some of the pieces I was doing at the hobbycraft show ..not had time to complete them yet!

work done at the Hobbycraft show not finished yet but not had the time since we got back!

gilded backgrounds with a lovely paper embellishment as an accent featture

Hello to every one who visited our Stand …..

Ive still not found my voice and the wifi at the hotel is very slow so I’ll keep this quick. We are here in Birmingham for the HobbyCraft show which starts tomorrow 3rd November.

Just a quick note to let you know the secret blog candy password. Be the first to come to our stand at B19 and say the password and you’ll be rewarded.

Password: squeak

I am going to moan (albeit silently!)  I am loosing my voice… the first wave of winter chill bugs have roosted in my throat !

So i am feeling a little sorry for myself! I have been busy tiding up some of my work areas … they sorely need it after all the show and book and C&C prep I have done lately .

a tidied up sewing desk .. I even dusted the desk top !

I am also posting some of the pieces from Mondays Create and Craft show … these pieces used the Sari Ribbon and the needle felting kit.

Big and Bold sari ribbon Beads

Needle Punch Kit flower

We have some alternate colourways on the craftynotions site.And finally the scarf.. yes I did iron all the strips before hand…

Scarf length made from Sari ribbon

one lovely lady emailed into the show to ask if I finished all the ends of neatly!  you could do but it would be very time consuming but probably worth the time investment if you could as the edges would have a more elegant finish… all I had time to do was to cut . When the Sari ribbon is washed ( by Hand ) the fabric softens and you gain a lovely musch softer handle to the fabric.

Just to let you all know we are at the Norwich Bead and Textile Fair on Sunday the 30th Oct and at the Hobby craft event at the NEC from thusday to Sunday. We are on Stand B19….. so hopefully we will see you there and I will have reGained my voice .. other wise I will be communicating with hand gestures !

Have fun , behave ..but not too much !

We got back from the show at Ally Pally and it was really lovely to see old friends and some new. Had a really good time demoing with Form a foam and friendly plastic and our Colourful thoughts paints.

My big desk today had all my Big Stamp group around it this morning and so all I have had time to do is to lay out some of the pieces I did at the show and Play with some wonderful sequins which we are going to put on the web as soon as we can …they are fantastic colours .

my big desk with some creative possibilities

arranging and rearranging to sort out he final placementsand then I will stitch all these together!

Not much else to say as it has been quite a hectic day! …and that is as near as I get to poetry!

Do hope you all like the stamp I did for Craft stamper?

We are nearly ready to depart on our journey to London and the Knitting and stitching Show at Ally Pally.

Whilst we are away I am afraid we will not be able to take personal callers at the unit in Newark . We will be back to usual on Tuesday the 11th October.But as you know we open here at Craftynotions by Appointment, Chance or Invitation.W are not like a shop , we more of a cavern of creative possibilities .. with usually the offer of tea coffee etc and sometimes a biscute or bisquit as that panda says on the advert!

Some images of the work I have done and will be demo-ing some of the techniques on our Stand TGB3.

multiple layer of spun bond , our new zappable felts and puff paint and gleams and stitch and beads and the list goes on. !!

This was an experimental piece using most of the new creative goodies I have acquired for craftynotions (and me!) I have had a deal of fun doing this and the other pieces ..gIving  myself permission to just play ! so when I make some more considered pieces of work I will have control and be able to design more effectively.

Laminated Repair Tissue ... one of my pieces for ally Pally !

Come and say ‘Hello’ to us on the stand ..and I will be back on Tuesday next. The Craftynotions Elves will be working on sending out orders and dealing with telephone inquires whist we are away.

Well the weather people got it right we are having an Indian summer .. I have had to get my sunglasess out again . what a change from the wet and stormy weather we had on the back of the hurricane.

It has been busy as usual here at Craftynotions . I have designed some new paint colour with my team of colour boffins… we are launching them at the Knitting and Stitching show   We are on Stand TGB3 …  www.twistedthread.com/

Also I have been playing with some brilliant zappable acrylic felt so I have post some piccies of my trial sto ee what it will do …Some of you textilers will know that there has been an issue with acrylic felts . The addition of polyester as an eco friendly re-cycled part of the content meant that although you can mark and cut with a soldering iron you cannot manipulate and distress it with the direct heat if a heat gun.

Anyway after a lot of hunting I have found the right stuff and I have been distressing and stitching when in all honesty I should have been doing other things . but it is so addictive to see the little gaps and filigree

Stitches zappable felt... before

And ....after.... being zapped with a heat gun

effects appear . This may not float your boat as theysay but at the moment it does mine .!

working on stuff for my demo at insirations!

www.cardcraftplus.co.uk/ you may have to delve a bit on the site but this Saturday  I will be doing my thing as well as Hayley West.

also I am at Colemans in Ross-on -Wye on Saturday 15th..

.http://www.colemans-online.co.uk/acatalog/Free_Demonstrations.html

Anyway the name we have chosen for the new Glitter Puff which is a really lovely colour is…..Angel breath..

Firstly a picture of my desk, I have been trying out some new glitter puff colours and I like them so as soon as I can get them … but if I can they will be available for the first time at the event next weekend at Inspirations in Preston.     http://www.cardcraftplus.co.uk/acatalog/index.html

playing with new things...tim's tattered flowers(yes even i finally had to get one!!)and karantha unmounted stamps ,butterflies and my favorite at the moment Bloom

I am also waiting for some new stamp designs , these we will definately have at Ally Pally…not the forthcoming stamp show ..but the Knitting and Stitching show which starts on the 6th October. Our stand is TGB 3.

Tags with stamping,embossing , mica, glaze and our latest glitter Puff yet to have a name!

Tattered flowers .. these are soo addictive

If you can think of a name for the new glitter puff … you can see it on my desk… white topped bottle next to the glazes……

not the best photograph I have ever taken , but you hopefully can see the lovely colour...have a go at a lovely name .. and the best one that the craftynotions team select will get a blog pressie!

When I was driving back home on Saturday , there was almost every weather type you could imagine. wind , rain (of course) blinding sunshine and even thick fog! this is all on the A616 , for those of you who don’t know this  road , it is a Trans Pennine route that is a very desolate road , although well used .It takes you over from manchester to Sheffield . The views are breath -taking , when it is not foggy.

Well , the rainbows were amazing. I even stopped (as were others) to take pictures Sometimes you just have to stand and stare.

Amazing rainbow on the A616

just shows how magnificant it was against the size if the wind turbines...

Whilst i was at Abakhan on Saturday I met some lovely customers , some of whom had traveled from Ireland, and fro Angelsey!

Anyway, despite the most thunderous downpour of rain , the craft barn was ful of people.

Here are a few of the things I was demoing.

stamped image is a karantha stamp called Blossom and leaf. The flowers were then cut oot and painted with mica powder made into a paint . The colour was oyster which as you can probably guess is a georgeous pearl.The word was cut out from double sided ahesive sheet using a sizzix word and then gilded with flake.

An extended version of the previous piece .

My desk as it is at the moment.. some stuff from the last create and craft show , stars cut from hearty air dry clay, my new Pitt pens... and for those of you who have the new Craft Stamper ... the stamp I have designed for next months issue.have a look at the back page .

Have fun and craft as much as you can !