Something is growing...

In the garden, something is growing.



I find they multiply in warm places.

Ready to be picked and taken home.



Made using this wool, miniature pumpkins (with or without faces) are now available in the shop. They are not on the website but you can phone or email to order.

K x

Inspiration :: No. 3

We were out and about enjoying the sunshine at Ventnor Botanic Gardens, when we discovered an exhibion by the Vectis Quilters. Even if you don't quilt, you can't help but be impressed by the bright designs and colourful patterns.


Some of them were amazing geometric designs, while others were full of quirky details:

This one had the most amazing hand-stitching....someone obviously has a lot of patience! I love the effect of the variegated thread. (This is also the quilt used as the background on their homepage).

I have enough hobbies already, I don't need to start quilting. But there are definitely some ideas here for other projects with paper...

~ k ~

A perfectly finished piece

Most parchment work that Mum (that's Hilary) does is on cards or ATCs...running several workshops each month doesn't leave much time for creating anything else. So it's a change to see her making something that looks just perfect in a frame.

This lovely lady is full of delicate details and gorgeous 3-d flowers.

The frame is deep enough to let the piece sit perfectly without being squashed, but not so deep that you can't see the details. Beautiful!

~ k ~

Work in progress

I'm not sure where August went?

Things have been pretty busy in the world of Wightcat...but now the weather is cooling and it suddenly seems like the perfect time to start some serious crafting again.

This is a work-in-progress, and it's from this book. We're even running a competition for you to win a copy - just make a card and send it to us, and every entry will be put a draw for a copy of the book. After the competition, the cards will be sold for charity, so please remember to include a blank envelope with it!

All styles and skill levels welcome - go on, give it a try!

kate x

P.S. I couldn't possibly take credit for the beautiful parchment work - as always, it's done by Hilary.

Colour me happy

Pastels just don't cut it when it's hot. And lately temperatures have been hitting some unusual highs. Hot pink and green? Will always mean summer to me.

1. Lime green, hot pink and chocolate wedding cupcakes, 2. Hot Pink Green cotton Crochet stars!, 3. Latest & Greatest, 4. crafting 111/365, 5. Big Neon Sprinkles ring, 6. I somehow made this look cool., 7. 14 June 09 130ed, 8. Rainbow hair in bad lighting, 9. altered tin for my scraproom, 10. Elegant Pillow with Pink Flower Applique, 11. happy pink stack, 12. Pink and Green., 13. Thank You, 14. Embroidered button/brooch, 15. antidote to sadness, 16. Turkish Knot 83/365

Inspiration:: No.2

Owls are everywhere, aren't they?

K x

Quick and easy cards:: No.6

Decoupage isn't just for girls! This card was also made using one of these great value 99p sheets. I've used a larger card blank (A5) and some more masculine backing papers. I've even restrained myself from using glitter this time - instead, I've inked the edges of my paper with my favourite Versamark in Jumbo Java. This baby is my go-to colour whenever I want a dark edging that isn't too heavy, but gives definition.

K x

Inspiration:: No. 1

What inspires you?

I spent the last weekend in May discovering that Mindy and I are both museum junkies....we spent many happy hours exploring the delights of Oxford, and the Ashmolean was a big highlight for me. Everything was beautifully displayed (and well lit - take note, Pitt Rivers museum) and I was allowed to take photos to my heart's content. I will definitely be taking inspiration from these in the weeks to come.

K x

Quick and easy cards:: No.5

Die-cut decoupage is one of the easiest ways to create a stunning card in minutes. These sheets are just 99p and each one creates two toppers - great value. Here I have backed it with plain card and added a peel-off sentiment to finish it off. Perfect!

K x

Recording my life, one scrapbook page at a time

Last year was somewhat 'scrapbook interruptus' for various reasons, mostly health-related. Which means that over the last few months I have had plenty of photos to work on, and it's been lovely to re-live some fantastic moments from 2009. It was a busy, fun-filled year and I have the photos to prove it.

Further proof, if any were needed, of my glitter obsession:



K x

Quick and easy cards:: No.4

Another quick card...this one I have left blank, just waiting for a sentiment to be added to the middle. Sometimes I make a load of cards that all say 'happy birthday' and then need something for another occasion - so I like to have a few cards like this sitting in my stash that can be adapted to suit.

Use a simple patterned background and then punch your butterfly out of contrasting papers. I've used some stickles glue to highlight the edges. I know, I love my glitter!

K x

I don't think he understands me

Morpheus is my cat. I love him to bits, but I don't think he really 'gets' scrapbooking - other than as an endless source of bits of paper and ribbon to play with.

Quick and easy cards:: No.3

These embroidery stickers are technically for using with thread to create embroidered patterns on paper...instead, here I have used them to create some quick and beautiful embellishments for a simple card. Stick them on some fairly robust patterned paper, and then use something round (I use the blunt side of a pair of scissors) to curve the paper for a 3d effect. Position on a coloured background, and add some swirls with Stickles glitter glue. Easy!

K x

Sparkly scrapbook paper

Would you believe that one sheet of double-sided scrapbook paper was enough to do 2 pages, a card and a tag?

I kid you not. So I had fun experimenting with some different styles.

These photos were taken exactly a year ago....life has changed so much since then. I have to say, though - short hair is so much easier to look after ;)

This flower is part of the paper - just use a craft knife to cut around the petals and bend them slightly before you stick it to the page.

I didn't even need to add any extra sparkle to this one - all glitter is included!

K x

Need some inspiration with your kit?

If you have one of these kits from Hunkydory, you might be looking for inspiration...when I was putting together some samples for the shop, I noticed that there weren't a lot of images in the card kit itself. So, to help you - I've put together an idea sheet with some images of the cards I made. I hope it helps!



K x

Tip of the week

If you are embossing a straight line against a ruler it’s very easy using a Pergamano shader tool or PCA shader (holding it vertical), if you use a ball tool it can slip underneath the ruler if you are not careful.

Do you have any Crafting tips???

Send them in to us so we can share them we everyone, for every tip that we use, we will send you discount voucher for your next order when you shop with us (online or instore).

crafts@wightcat.com

It's all hunkydory

These new card making kits from Hunkydory are fabulous. I'll admit that they're not my usual style, so when Mum asked me to have a go at making some samples I was dubious to say the least. But, I'll try anything once - so I took the kit home, and am I ever glad I did!

The kit comes with enough cardstock to make at least 8 cards, including 4 A5 size. By adding extra card blanks from my own stash I was able to make more than double that, and I even added some tags using the leftovers. The quality is amazing - the cardstock is thick and glossy, the die cuts are beautiful and the gold finish makes them look truly luxe. These are quality cards and even better - they are super-quick to put together. You'd never guess that I made most of my cards in one evening, would you?

And some close-ups of the details. I couldn't resist adding even more glitz with some Stickles glitter glue.

The die cuts include single butterflies, and two sets of pyramid decoupage:

And you get a whole sheet of matching sentiments to add a message to your card:

Please excuse the mess on my desk - I think I have some clearing up to do now!

K x

Squares, repeated

I do scrapbook as well, you know!

Repeating a simple shape for a patterned effect works just as well on a larger scale as well as on cards. For this scrapbook page, I simply used a variety of co-ordinating scraps and arranged them in a grid pattern. I stamped on some of the squares to add a bit of variety. As you can see, the photo didn't quite fit in the grid so I added some brads down one side to balance everything out. The scalloped trim on top and bottom ties it all together.

I've just ordered a big batch of photos - there is so much of last year still missing from my scrapbooks. I'll have plenty more to share with you soon!

P.S. I use www.snapfish.co.uk for my prints - email me on katebucci@wightcat.com if you would like a referral :)

Quick and easy cards :: No. 2

Any punched shape, repeated in co-ordinating colours, is an easy way to create a stylish card. I particularly love this scalloped square, but any similar shape would do. A striking ribbon finishes it off nicely.

Do you know the simplest way to get your ribbon to look good? Instead of tying two ends of ribbon together to make a bow, lay one long piece of ribbon flat, take a shorter piece and tie around it. Much easier!

Do you believe in fairies?

This book is available to pre-order now, and will be with us (and you) in May. There are some beautiful designs in there and we are dying to get our hands on it!