March 2024

 

Today the group is led by Shirley and we will be making 3 cards.  You will need your normal kit (glue, ds tape, scissors, mat etc) as well as some ink pads to colour the flower.  If you don't have any ink pads, don't worry as extras will be available to you.

Card 1

Card 2

Card 3

February 2024

 Jackie is leading the class this month, and we will be making the following cards:

Card 1

This card is a stepper card, decorated with printed images and paper flowers.

Card 2 - 6 x 6 

This card is a simple die cut image, which is matted and layered onto a plain card base

Card 3 - 7 x 5

This card is a layered one with printed and inked images, paper flowers and ribbon.

January 2024 - a new year begins

Welcome to a new year at Busy Bees!

This month there are 3 more cards, courtesy of Shirley.  You should bring a scoreboard/trimmer if you have them along with your normal craft kit - but there will be equipment available for you to borrow if you don't have it.

Card 1 - this will be made using an embossing folder and inks.  You can choose which of these 2 folders you want to use on the day

                                                          

Card 2 - This is a quick and simple card made using printed paper and inks.

Card 3 - This card is made using die cuts and plain card - a good way to use up offcuts!

  

October 2023

We are very much in the Christmas spirit now - 3 more Christmas cards are on the menu for this month's class, led by Jackie.

Because there is quite a bit of die cutting, and a limited amount of time,  a lot of the prep work will be done before the class, so you will only need to bring your normal crafting kit - scissors, ds tape, glue, sticky pads, a pokey tool and a cutting mat.

Card 1

This card is made using a stepper card die (one of my favourite card shapes, to be honest) and a snowglobe die set.  The wonderfully vibrant image in the globe can be found on the The Witches Cauldron (thecraftywitches.co.uk)  All of the images there are available to download, and I printed this one out using matte photo paper and my epson ecotank printer.

Card 2

This is a card made also using images from the Crafty Witches, and a frame die.

Card 3

This card is an advent card, and is made with a Moonstone die from Hunkydory.  The die, and also pads with a selection of 12 top and bottom sheets can be obtained from Hunkydory or Amazon.

Alternatively, this card can be done as an easel card, with room on the base of the card then for a sentiment or other personalisation.

September 2023

Hopefully we will all be refreshed after our summer break - and we are back in September with.... drum roll... the first Christmas cards of the year!

Shirley will be leading the class and we will be making these 3 lovely cards.  All you will need is your normal craft kit - so let's all get in the Christmas spirit!

Card 1

Card 2

Card 3

July 2023 - photo/memory book

 This month we will be making a photo book - or, as I have made, a birthday book.  The beauty of this book is that you can have as many pages as you want - just keep adding spines!

The book can also be the size you want - I have chosen 6 x 4 for this one, so if you want to include photos, you can trim down a standard size to fit.

At the class we will primarily be concentrating on creating the book - the decoration can be done at leisure and will be up to you.

For my book pages, I used plain 12x12 black card but you can use any 12 x 12 paper/card that you have.  Patterned paper will save you having to mat and layer onto the base page as it will already have interest.

For this class you will need basic craft kit plus a trimmer and a scoreboard.  Using a bone folder will ensure a nice crisp line, and make it easier to line up the edges when sticking pages together.  I'm a belt and braces girl, so I like to use glue for stability with a taperunner as a quick stick, but it is up to you - you can use either.  It is best to use red liner tape for the spine though.

Visual printed instructions will be provided so you can follow along when making future books.  And as a bonus, I have included the instructions for making the small "maze" book, which leaves you with a 3 x 3 inch square book.

Instruction sheets:

     

    

June 2023 - special folds cards

We are making cards using unusual folds this month, in a class led by Jackie.  No specialist equipment except a score board will be required.

The papers used can all be obtained from the Crafty Witches - my new favourite source of papers, because they are all downloadable so can be printed out when wanted and not having to be stored in a room with less and less space!  I use an Epson Ecotank printer, and it is REALLY economical, rarely needing the ink to be topped up.  I have printed out 100s of pages before the ink even goes down....

Card 1 - this is an 8 x 8 base, ending up with a 6 x 6 inch card. 

 For convenience, I have also included a picture of the template, with an explanation of how to fold it.

Card 2 - this is made from a standard 6 x 6 inch card base, and is scored from the centre bottom edge up to the top sides, then valley and mountain folded to get this effect.  I should add that I took this pic before I added the diecut flowers I used to decorate it, but I think plain is also effective - and if you used a less floral paper, it could be ideal for a boys/mans card.

Card 3 - this  is a smaller card, made from a piece of card that is 11" x 6 ", and ends up fitting into a C6 envelope.  Again, I have included a template of how to fold and cut this shaped card.

Enjoy!

April 2023

This month's class will be led by Jackie and will highlight good ways to use up scraps from the stash!

Card 1

This card is made using a corner fold to create an interesting shape and images from Crafty Witches.  Plain black card makes the images pop - it's a trend this month, lol!

Card 2

This card was an experiment with a black card base - super quickly made using images from Crafty Witches.

And finally, 

Card 3

This is a pinwheel card.  This pinwheel just needs small scraps of paper and can be very effective - various papers will be available to choose from, the images below are for guidance only.  

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February 2023

 This month the class is led by Jackie, and we will be making 3 cards, plus there will be a sneaky bonus!

Card 1 is made using rubber stamps, distress inks and dies.

Card 2 is made using images from the Crafty Witches - no special equipment required, except a corner rounder punch for the topper.

Card number 3 is also made with no special equipment, except small scissors and glue gel - it is also from the Crafty Witches and is decoupaged.

And finally, the bonus!  If dexterity and cutting out is an issue, the following images will also be available, so they can simply be cut out and stuck on.

     

 

November Class

 This month (as Christmas is rapidly approaching) we will be making a gift box, with a slot for a gift card.  There are 2 versions, and you will have enough materials to make either one, so you can choose either!

It would be helpful if you had a score board, but if you don't have one, don't worry - there will be extra there!  Otherwise, the only other thing you will need is your usual craft kit.  

Version 1 is suitable for a bar of chocolate or some teabags in envelopes (like Twinings) and a gift card.

Version 2 is made specifically to hold 2 of the Aldi own range of hand sanitiser - but of course, you could pop sweets in there instead.  Probably best to use a poly bag to put them in if they aren't wrapped though!  And of course, there is also a slot for a gift card too.