Tell
us a little bit about yourself?
My
name is Lyndsey; I am 37 years old and live with my hubby Richard and our 2
fabulous kids Oliver (13) & Abigail (9) in Wolverhampton in the West
Midlands. Many years ago I was into cross stitch and made quite a few as
presents for people but started dabbling in cardmaking when Oliver was little
after seeing some handmade cards at a craft show and fancied having a go
myself. When Abigail was born she was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis, I
gave up my job to stay at home and be her carer and that's when my cardmaking
really took off as I had all this time on my hands. I have been doing the
classes now since November 2009 and currently teach 3 classes a week from home
to a fabulous bunch of ladies, where we create a varied selection of cards and
3D projects. I love being able to share my ideas and know how with others and
love the fact that with just a little help and instruction a total beginner can
come away a fabulous creation and then also have the confidence to try it
themselves at home.
What
was your favourite project ever crafted?
I think my favourite project ever would have to be
when I made my Mum & Stepdad’s wedding invitations a few years ago. It was
lovely to be given the job to produce something so special. I even made them a
matching card which turned out beautifully. I do however have a few things that
once I had made them couldn't part with them and so have kept them myself - one
of the things being a picture frame that I decorated up using the Santoro
Mirabelle collection and it still sits on my living room shelf now.
What
is your favourite Trimcraft product?
At the moment, I am totally in love with the Belle
& Boo collection, I love the nostalgic feel to it and I really have a soft
spot for cute characters. However, my favourites do tend to change with each
new collection – I am so fickle!What
is your top crafting tip?
I always advise using good quality products
especially adhesives (which is a must if you don't want your embellishments
falling off) but one of my top tips would be that if you are trying out
new folds/styles of cards etc., use cheap copy paper for your first mock ups.
It saves wasting valuable card if you haven't quite got your measurements right
or folds in the right place.
What
craft trends are you liking at the moment?
I'm not sure if I really follow trends, if I like a
product I will buy it - I love unusual styles and different folds on cards. I
love sequins at the moment! I seem to be adding them onto quite a few of my
cards lately.If you
were stuck on a desert island (luckily with electricity!)
What craft essentials
could you not be without?
A huge supply of card stock, my paper trimmer and
also my Die cutting machine with dies. I think I would also need a huge box of
gorgeous papers and embellishments such as ribbons, gems, flowers etc., so
basically I would just want everything!
Tell
us a little bit about yourself?
I love art and crafts, I had two great art teachers at school who were both
very colourful characters, and they just exuded creativity, plus many of my
family members are manually dextrous with sewing machinists, yarn workers,
cake confectioners, engineers they are able to turn their hand to make items
they need or want. It inspires me.
My lovely babysitter taught me to knit and when she left, I was scared of
losing my new skill so continued to practice using pencils and string
until my mum got me some needles and wool with which I kitted out my dolls.
Now I would rather buy beautiful if unloved old furniture to upcycle and give a
new lease of life. I appreciate it more if I have invested time and
thought into it, that I have rescued it only adds to its appeal. My sister
and I have a dream we will one day open a little art and craft tea shop where
we will offer lovely home made fare along side craft classes, a place for
creatives to meet and share their love of crafts.
What was your favourite project ever
crafted?
Recently I had a mad idea to make a sign with marquee lights for my sister’s
birthday of her name. I went from confidently thinking ‘I can do this’ to wondering
‘why did I started this?’ to finally sighing with relief with a wow I did it!
The determination of realising the end result sees me through and also the
thought of seeing someone's face when you give them a gift and they know you
have made it yourself just for them is priceless.
What is your favourite Trimcraft
product?
My favourite Trimcraft product is the Santoro Mirabelle Pursuit of
Happiness girl. I was crafting with her at a particularly difficult time so on
a personal level, her thoughtful little face symbolises, not to have regrets,
be thankful for what you had even if it was fleeting and that there is
always hope in finding future happiness. I also use the First Edition Doily Die
often.
What is your top crafting tip?
If threading bakers twine, light a little tea light to melt some wax and dip
one end of the twine in. Press the twine into a point until it cools and
harden, it will be much easier to thread and if you use scented wax your project
will smell lovely too!
What craft trends are you liking at
the moment?
I like the trend for handcrafted items, gifts, upcycling, make do and mend,
personalising items. People can see the worth, value and
individuality in handmade items and are having a go at new crafts and reviving,
rejuvenating and reinventing old forgotten ones.
Colouring in for grown-ups, was an undercover pastime now it’s out in the open
and acceptable to non-crafters who are enjoying it for its relaxing benefits.
If you
were stuck on a desert island (luckily with electricity!) what craft essentials
could you not be without?
It has to be an unlimited supply of paper, paints and paint brushes!
Tell us a little bit about
yourself?
Hi my name is Karen, I live
in Bedfordshire with my son Michael who is 16 and my new Husband James, after
10 years together we finally got married last year! It was a fantastic small
black tie wedding with everyone we love and my son gave me away. I had a long and happy career, in prop making
and print and design working with companies like Pentagram, Selfridges,
and Jimmy Choo. Four years ago the idea started to bubble away about starting
my own business, once it was there I could not shake it off, but there is a lot
of competition out there for stationery, then fate took a hand, a dear friend
very sadly lost her first baby Oliver at full term. I could not find anything
suitable to send them that was totally personal. At the same time I also
started working with a children’s cancer charity the NCCA UK, everything came
together and cherishthememory.co.uk was born. I took that final leap in being
self-employed in 2014, which is terrifying and wonderful at the same time.
What was
your favourite project ever crafted?
My first
one! For someone who can’t sew was a patchwork cushion for a sewing class my
mum runs, she needed a guinea pig for her class to teach people who don’t have
a clue! Yours truly volunteered; the cushion still sits on my bed.
What is
your favourite Trimcraft product?
Anything
in the Santoro range, love it, love it, love it!! It is totally romantic and whimsical.
What is
your top crafting tip?
Don’t
worry about making a mistake on a project; mistakes are new opportunities to
make something fabulous.
What craft
trends are you liking at the moment?
Upcycling
and recycling, anything where I can include rope, string, twine. I like the
70’s trend and the nature trend of owls and foxes which still seems to be going
strong!
If you
were stuck on a desert island (luckily with electricity!) what craft essentials
could you not be without?
A time
machine (which of course I would make from recycled parts) so I could go
backwards and forwards in time, always coming up with new ideas to stay ahead
of the competition.