Keeping it short Today. I Came across something very Interesting Too. Stay Safe.xx

 Hi everyone. Honestly I dont know where today has gone, I could do with about 50 hours a day or more. 24 is definitely not enough. I'm going to keep this short, but did want to share something very interesting that I came across on the internet and a bit of general information. First I am going to share the offers that are still available on the Craftascope Store, I know they are easily missed as I was looking for something specific yesterday and couldn't find it so I have made it easier.

None of the offers I have shared are products that I am trying to get rid of, they are all really popular designs. They have always sold incredibly well, so it's a great chance to add to your collection, especially as some are ending tonight. The slice of Heaven is a brand new release and is a collection of incredibly useable elements, they are great for your Mixed Media, Home Décor and all sorts, I am hoping that I can bring this to Hochanda again, sadly I couldn't but Lou did a couple of wonderful shows with it. I doubt I will ever be able to bring it at such an amazing price again, so if you dont have it make the most of the terrific saving.

There's well over 50% off the Dancing Dolphin, which is normally 22.99, 2 lovely dies to allow you to leave it in you card, for a box lid or similar, or as a separate piece entirely.

You can see how many have the Rose Petals in their baskets and there are now only 9 or 10 left, so someone is going to be disappointed. The Chrysanthemums are also another thats low, none of these items will be available once they have sold out. It really is the best time to get these at this price, The striplet Dies are such wonderful dies and excellent quality, if you missed out on the stencils on Hohcanda, with these you could make your own for a couple of uses.

Here's another selection of items with great offers, I have also included a few that aren't on offer simply as they are about to sell out. The ATC Antics and Such a Card are so useful for all of your Mixed Media projects, your Journals and Scrapbooks too.

Here I am saying I was going to keep it short and I'm not. It's because I am so passionate about the my designs and I really want you to have fun and explore your creativity. There are a lot more in the store, but I thought I would share some for today.

When I was looking through the internet, I came across a company in Bulgaria that were offering these for sale, They are huge Self Adhesive poster that go on your wall, with any image behind that you choose. I thought it must mean that the 'Splinters in Time' collection must have been seen maybe. I thought it was quite flattering to see this being offered. It's obviously been a great seller and maybe now is the time to get hold of the collection. It makes wonderful cards, the only limit is your imagination.

Thats all from me today, Please do take a look at the Craftascope Store, it will help me no end and you will find something on offer that you want. There's a shop link at the top of the blog pages. I just want to say, Keep Safe and Take care. Lots of love to you all and thank you ever so much for your support.

Lots of Exciting News Today- Day 18 Advent Offers Added- A Star Buy Added-Craftascope Closing on December 22nd

 Morning too you all. Well Day 18 is already here and there's not long to go now. There's lot of Exciting news today, so here are the bullet points with more information below. The Advent offer for Day 18 Has been added, A Special Star Buy. Customers in the USA can Purchase, An Extra Discount Code For Everyone, Some offers ending on the 20th & 21st, Last Posting date 22nd December, A big Day on Sunday and Finally Craftascope will be closing on the 22nd December. Full details below. Hopefully you will all be adding your wonderful creations to the Craftascope December Giveaway, Im looking forward to seeing them all. Here is a wonderful Creation from a Craftascope Customer, this uses the wonderful Retro Leaves Stamp Set, what a great piece, thank you to Emma for sharing.

There is a special star buy in the store today, I will give you a clue, It is a collection and has a large discount. If you find it, add it to your order along with a note on the order and you will receive a free Bonus Die set. Please don't forget to keep your eye out for the hidden Daily prize, add a note of what it is and you will have that added to your parcel too.

  One From Katrina Using Retro Leaves.

Here is a discount code for everyone (BASKET10) enter this code and you will receive and additional 10% discount off your order total. It is valid across the store, even on items already on offer. So it really is a great time to add to your collection.

One From Natalie Using the Retro Leaves.

I need to say this again as there are so many items in Baskets. Please do check out these items as soon as you can, I honestly dont have enough stock of these items to cover everyone, so there are going to be people losing out. You should be able to see this when you are in the store. There are more items in basket than I have available. Some of them are still on offer but some of the offers will be ending n the 20th & others on the 21st, why not get them now with the additional discount and you know they are yours. There's nothing I can do I am afraid and some people are going to be disappointed, there won't be new stock available once these have gone.

One from Bryan with Xander & Retro Chaos

For all of my very valued Customer in The USA, with the help of a friend I can now offer postage to you via the UK, so if you would like to place your orders and take advantage of the discount please go ahead until the 21st December. The discount code above is for everybody, so do use it and share it with any friends and Family that might be interested.

One From Jane Using the Retro Leaves.

As I mentioned above, some of the additional offers are ending at midnight on the 20th and the others at Midnight on the 21st. Craftascope will be closing on the 22 December, this will also be the last posting date, so do please take advantage of all of the amazing offers on the Craftascope Store and the additional Discount available. As you know the Transition Period ends on the 31st December at 11pm and after this Etsy will be collecting VAT on Behalf of the UK Authorities, this has nothing to do with me at all. Also anything posted after that date will be liable for Customs and Import Taxes on Delivery, so another reason for taking advantage of the offers.

One From Cheryl Using the Retro Leaves.

Because of the last posting date, the Last Advent Calendar Offer will be Day 20, On the 20th I will add all of the remaining offers, so do watch out on Sunday as it will be a very exciting day. After the 22nd December, then next day for posting will be on the 5th January 2021.

Jewellery from Terri Using the Retro Maze

Thank you for supporting Craftascope, especially over the last few weeks. It's been incredibly kind of you.  Please continue to add your support for me and Craftascope, it still can make a difference. As soon as I have got myself sorted I will be in touch with each of you, I will never forget it whatever happens in the future. For now Take care and Happy Crafting.xx

All About Essentials Today - Day 16 of the Advent Calendar Event

A Very Good Morning to all my Wonderful Friends & Crafters. The New offers have been added to the Store Today for Day 16 of the Advent Calendar. Today is all about the Essentials, some might think they are boring and there's not much difference between them. I can tell you there is and they can make a huge difference to your Card Making, Scrapbooking, in fact they form the basis of most of our projects and getting it right is essential. Like everything in life you need to get the foundations right if you want things to look good. It's all abut the preparation, they can save you a fortune too, so read on.

Firstly the Triskaidecagon Die Sets, or 'Trisky' for short. This is the name I should have chosen, rather than the tongue twister. I never was a lover of circles or rounds, although this has really changed and you will now find a lot of circles and rounds in some of the designs. I really wanted something different that was circular in shape but not quite, so came this 13 sided shape. Here Nicola Has used them to Create the Hungry Caterpillar, a really great design and such fun.

There are 2 sets, One gives you a perfect matt & layer, with pin detail around the edge, the second gives an inner mat & layer but also a beautiful pin detailed thin frame which all work in conjunction with each other, giving  a huge variety of options. Having started to write this I think the best way of seeing them in action is to watch the launch show, they were launched alongside the Florals. But also a dedicated video might also be a great way of showing them in action, I will set about that after Christmas, whatever happens. So here I will show them in use. In this card Jane has used the Layering Dies with the Floral Companions & Floral Harmony stamp sets. It really is a beautiful colourful card.

This next card also from Jane is using the Nesting Die Set to create her base easel card along with all the mats and layers. These dies are excellent quality and will easily cut your card bases. The decoration for the card comes from the Floral Companions Stamp& Die Set. These leaves stamp beautifully to give perfect image transfer and the words are so crisp, embossed in white.

The next two cards are from Katrina & Natalie, The first has used both sets one to cut the aperture in the card and the nesting set to use the fine pin detailed frame which sets it off beautifully. then a similar look for the sentiment. The decoration used stamps from Floral Harmony and Floral Companions. In the second card both sets have been used again, this time t create a topper, then the nesting set to get the fine detailed pin framed raised edge. The flowers here are from the Floral Harmony Stamp Set.

Next we have a shaker card from Jane, using both sets to create the matt behind, then two dies to create the thicker frame and finishing it off with the lovely raised frame with the pin detail. This is something you couldn't get with any other die set. The stamps used are the Floral Harmony, but you could also change the look completely using the Floral Companions or the leaves from the same set, or any other stamps of your choice.

Here's a really striking but simple card from Nicola, A plain black Background embossed using the Retro Maze Stencils, all of the stencils emboss well into your card stock, so dont ever think of them as just stencils. The a variety of coloured frames cut using the Nesting dies, it really is so effective. A great card to make if you need something quickly as well.

This one uses a mixture of the dies to create an easel card cutting through acetate, Then creating the frames and base matt and Layers in card. The baubles are made from the Retro Leaves.

There are just so many other ways to use them, This is just a small selection to show how different they are. They really are not like all the other dies out there, despite looking exactly the same. Please don't make the mistake of taking everything on face value. The products I bring out will always offer you something different.

Form Natalie, Using the Retro Banner Dies

From Jane, Using the Floral Harmony Stamps.

From Nicolas Using the Floral Companions Stamps & Dies.

Nicolas Using the Floral Companions Dies & Stamps.

This last one is from Natalie, Using the Floral Companions Stamps, Very Clever.

Now moving onto the Rectangles, I made a couple of boards to show these on the show, it was by far the easiest way to show them, They can look rather plain, they have been perfectly sized for all the popular card sizes. They can give a range of Matt & Layers ranging from the finest and for those of you prefer you can widen the border by selecting alternate dies. They had to come in 2 sets as I wanted thicker dies that wouldn't warp out of shape after going through the machine. One of my other sets will no longer cut a perfect rectangle, If I fold the die cut in half it doesn't meet, so no good for cutting notelets. Here is a beautiful piece from Ann, using  a selection of them for a totally different project.

I designed my rectangles as I have 3 other sets in my collection and in each set there are a minimum of 3 dies that I cant use for anything, they are too small for sentiments or anything on another the rectangles get more square like as they reduce in size so weren't perfect for layering. Just because they look simple it's far from easy to design a set, it's simply not the case to reduce them by increments, that just doesn't work. Here is a great card using the Rectangles for matting any layering, such a simple but effective card.

Now gutting card, tis really is must and can save you  a lot of money on Postage, I hear the prices are going up again on January 1st, so we want to save every penny. I have seen lots of gadgets and gizmos to gut card, but they all require measuring or cutting. One you have to mark the card, some use a grid and then have to cut it with a craft knife. None of them are cheap. These are sized perfectly, gutting couldn't be simpler, You just run through your card with the die, no measuring ,no marking, no Craft Knives and no accidents, it's just so simple. These can save you a fortune on all your decorative card and papers. I think this is also something I need to show in a youtube video. I have to say it really infuriates me when I see things being sold, that are just not needed and they aren't cheap either.

It's so much harder to describe the benefits of these Rectangular dies, I really do need to show them, but for those of you who know me, know that I wouldn't try and sell you something that I didn't believe in. I have bee recommending things for many years, even before I had Craftascope, so I think I have a reputation for giving good advice. We have all wasted lots of money on things that we think we want, but then we get it and it's no good. I have been there, I was new too and I dread to think of the rubbish I bought, sadly there was nothing like this when I started, so it really was trial and error. Here are a few more of the projects made with the dies on this blog.

All of these Dies are on offer today as pairs, I do recommend both sets. I believe in them 100% and I know that when you get them home you will see the value in each one of them. If you have had any Craftascope products you will knw that the quality is excellent, whether it's the Stamps, Dies or Stencils. For anyone that doesn't know I would like to point out that I have only ever brought out 2 sets that are the A5 size, those are the Media Dolphin & the Media Profile in the Thermo Plastic Rubber. Then there were 2 other A5 sets made from the Grey Rubber and made for me By the wonderful Girls at Stamp Addicts. Each of the other sets are very large Stamp Sheets, they are not A4 either but some are very close.

Thats all for now, Just to say please continue to add you support to me & Craftascope, your support so far has been amazing but Im not out of the woods yet. If you do need or want any craft items then this is the time to buy, the offers are incredible and until December 31st there's no extra to pay when they arrive in the UK. Etsy will be collecting the VAT on behalf of the UK Authorities from Jan 1st, so you will notice that on any receipt after that date. Even if it's a small order, if a lot of people do then together it will make a big difference. You're probably tired of hearing it but I do want to continue bringing my designs for as long as I am able. If I could reduce the prices any further  to get more sales then believe me I would. For now Take Care and Happy Crafting.xx

Dat 14 Advent Offers- Well worth a look. A Recommendation and some Important POSTAGE Info

Morning everyone. I hope you are all well and that you had a great weekend. It was great to speak to so many of you yesterday, it's been a fairly long time since I've heard from some of you. If you ever need packing boxes I have a recommendation and (A Steer Clear Notice). So, I have added 2 new offers for Day 14 of the Advent Calendar Event. Congratulations to those of you who have found the hidden Daily Prize, they will be added to your order, keep looking every day. Two of you got in touch yesterday as you couldn't place orders, I am really sorry, for once this wasn't my error, but it is fixed and there should be no more problems.  I've added the previous offers back on to make up for yesterday, please read on for postage information.

There's so much to choose from in the Craftascope store and with amazing offers, to help you get a good price and so I can hopefully go on bringing you unique and special designs. The florals are all still on offer, even the Rose Bouquet Die Set and the Rose Striplet to match the Hochanda Offer. The Beautiful Regal Rose Stamp set, the Splinters in Time Stamp Set both have a super discounts. Sadly there are only 2 of the Complete Floral Companions set and still at a great price. 

BASKET INFORMATION: There are some items that are low in stock and are in more baskets than I have stock available. Regular Rose Petal Dies, Large Rose Petals, Chrysanthemum Dies and a few more. I really hate to go on, but I like to let you know, I really don't like having an ear bashing when customers miss out on something that I can no longer get. The ATC Dies are low in stock as are the wonderful Handy Helpers, the Retro Banner, the Retro Banner Stamps and others.

There are postage delays everywhere at the moment, I have added a note about this on the Craftascope Store and I try to let everyone know before packing to give the option of cancelling. So please, please dont get angry with me these delays are caused by flight cancellations, staff shortages, checks etc. Unless otherwise stated, I pack and post every order immediately and either post the same day or the following day, depending on the time.

IMPORTANT NOTE RE POSTAGE: Tomorrow I will be posting all orders received before 8am on the 15th December. These will all go by Courier to the UK and will be posted from there to ensure faster delivery. Any orders after that time will be posted as normal, it just isn't possible financially for me to post each individual orders by courier, there are no postage charges made by me, apart for the nominal charge for some items going to the USA. Do bear in mind that orders over the 35 pounds are free to the USA anyway. The post office have notified me that I can't send any parcels to the USA after tomorrow, so please do make sure you meet the deadline. I am doing everything in my power to make sure everyone gets everything they want, I am not being difficult or forcing you to make your purchases.

I am so touched by the wonderful messages and emails offering support, they have been wonderful to receive and some have had me in tears. You all mean such a lot to me, I can honestly say that your support for me and Craftascope from Day 1 has been amazing. You have been a real tonic, knowing that you like the designs I bring and love to craft with them is the greatest compliment I could ever wish for.

I'm not heartless, this year has been dreadful for everybody, I realise that not everyone is in a position to buy anything from Craftascope. But getting your message and emails of support has been comforting as well, it's wonderful to know how much you care it really is. It's been humbling that you have spent your hard earned cash on my designs and that you love using them in your crafting. To hear that you like that they are unique and different as well as inspirational, all f these mean such a great deal to me. I am still hopeful that I will be able to continue bringing the Craftascope collections to you in the future.

Support comes in many different ways, Comments on my Facebook posts are always welcome and as you know I always answer. Leaving comments on those posts helps such a lot, especially when it comes to them being shared throughout Facebook. The more comments, the more they are shared which helps me & Craftascope no end. Likes & Loves etc are wonderful as well but Facebook doesn't recognise these as interactions and doesn't help with them being seen by others. I love to see your comments, they really cheer me up, I know I am not alone, so please leave a comment, it's worth a lot more than you think, this is why the larger companies are shared so much as they attract the most interaction. I'm not asking for fame or fortune, just to help where I can and to have my designs used by so many creative people. Thats all for now, Take care and Happy Crafting. xxx

Advent Calendar Day 5, Another Video for youtube and More

Morning Friends and Crafters. Well it's Day 5 of the Advent Calendar event already, Todays offer is a must for every single crafter, don't forget to look for the hidden gift. It looks like a month that is going to fly by. I really can't believe it's only a matter of weeks until Christmas. I am loving my Father Christmas, He makes me smile every time I walk past, a couple of the cats are very wary of him, keeping a wide berth as they walk past. He's definitely a great buy and something that will come out year after year, although saying that I don't know if I would feel good packing him away. 

I have uploaded the second show from Sunday 29th Nov with Leonie on Hochanda, the link is here so you can either watch it directly or choose to watch it on Youtube. I have lots of other video on my channel and there is a link at the top of the blog page. Please comment on any of the videos if there is anything you would like to see me demonstrate, I would love to know what you are looking to see, if there's a particular technique or anything. It's much better than me doing something that nobody wants to watch.

I have packed the orders that came in, thank you once again. I am more than happy to hold onto any package for anyone who would like to take advantage of any other offers through the Advent Calendar event. Just let me know as soon as you would like me to post them to you. If you've not asked for this then I will just send them as normal. Just to let you know, even if you have asked for the delayed dispatch, I will still mark them as sent to avoid the emails reminders from Esty. For all of you who have got Craftascope products, please get involved in the December Giveaway, it really is simple to do, full details are on my Facebook page and on my earlier blog post.

I'd like to thank those of you who added their support on Thursday, the sales did help. If there's any more of my valued customers and friends that would like to add their support, just take a look at my store. I have had some wonderful messages & E-mails, Thank you ever so much. A few saying sorry that they couldn't help more, I can't begin to tell you how you have helped. Even hearing from you helps, It's been a lonely year, not being able to see a way out. Every single sale will make a difference however small, if everyone bought some half price stencils it would make a huge difference. Please don't feel you are not helping, I can assure you, you really are. If closing Craftascope is what lies ahead for me, then so be it, but after trying so hard to keep going through the year, I am asking you from the bottom of my heart to add your support if you are in a position to help and if you would like to help me continue bringing my designs. Craftascope has been a  huge help to me, It has helped to keep me going despite my health, I dont know if I would have done so well without it. Thanks again for now Take care and Happy Crafting.xx

Just one of many ways to use the mens face stencils

Good evening to you all, well I am even later tonight. I have had so many things to sort out and I was determined to get a blog post written at the very least. So here I am sharing a collection of sketched faces made using the mens A5 face stencils Trent, Xander, Bailey and Brendon. At the time I designed these there were plenty of 'Ladies' stencils but nothing to help if you wanted a male face for a project. I designed these to be incredibly easy to use whether you are a beginner or more advanced. I have a real time video, it's about 15 minutes long and shows how easy it is to create your own from start to finish.

The stencil has an inside and an outside edge, one edge will give you one look and the inner edge will give you another, then you can also get another look by using a mixture of the 2 edges. You can leave the hair of totally and add a hairstyle of your own choice.

As you progress you can start altering other parts as well and even add more such as shoulders chest etc. It's totally up to you, its a great tool for youngsters too, my nephew has actually used it to learn to sketch draw and paint and now loves it even more, it can really build your confidence to move on.

So it's a great learning tool if you choose to use it like that, but it can also be used in the same way as any regular stencil. With inks, paints, pastes etc, the choice is yours. It's great on t shirts and for so many other projects. Use them in your mixed media, journals, card making and scrapbooks too.

Here is the video, it really is worth watching if you have just 15 minutes or so, if you have already got the stencils why not work along too. It will be here whenever you want so, if you do get hold of them on Sunday's shows, come back and lets draw together. I tell you at the beginning everything you need, which is very little.

So thats all for now, I hope you have enjoyed this, I am hoping that I will get a video done again for tomorrow and go through some of the other items that will be shown by Leonie on Sundays Craftascope shows on Hochanda at 3pm & 7pm. There are some back in stock items, but be quick some have yet to last the length of one show and sadly I wont be bringing them back once they have gone. If you haven't seen any of the other videos or posts this week then I am giving everyone a voucher code for 35% off your orders on my Craftascope store on Etsy, the code is THANKS35, do feel free to share it with Family and Friends. Take care and Happy Crafting.xxxx

3rd Anniversary and a New Video

Hi everyone, This month marks the 3rd Anniversary of Craftascope. Yes it's 3 years since I first appeared on Hochanda with the very first Craftascope Collection. Since then, there have been 10 and the lovely Lou Withers launched the last one for me in September. I really can't believe how quickly the years have passed. Leonie Pujol will be spinning her magic this Sunday with a wide selection of Craftascope goodies, there's something to suit everybody. Don't miss her shows at 3pm & 7pm, There really are some 'not to be missed' offers to be had along with some back in stock items that might not last. I hope you will join ,e at 8.30 UK time for this new video.

As I have said before I really have missed you all so much over the last few months. I would really have loved to visit Hochanda to share a couple of hours crafting with you. But sadly with things the way they are, it just wasn't possible. I am thrilled that Leonie kindly offered to do these shows for me. It's always good to see just how versatile the products are. How to use them in a totally different way.to achieve a wide variety of looks for your crafting.

It's been an incredibly difficult year for everyone this year, but how wonderful to see a little light at the end of the tunnel. Having been in regular contact with some of you it's been a great comfort to me. It's been a very lonely year, so I'd like to thank those of you who have kept in touch, it's made  all the difference.

It's been such a shame that I have not been around as much as normal, a few of you will know the reasons. Sadly my health hasn't been good and has deteriorated over the last few months, so it's just not been possible to spend so much time keeping my blog up to date.

Like a lot of small businesses I have struggled through the year and not being able to travel has meant my Hochanda Shows have not been possible either. I have never been the sort of person to share my problems or ask for support or help, but I have to admit that with my health \s it is and reduction in sales has been incredibly difficult to cope with. Quite a few people have asked how or if they could help, at the moment the best way to help me, would be to treat yourself to some Craftascope goodies.

It's hard to say and normally I wouldn't but just lately everything seems to be going wrong for me, I just keep telling myself that things will soon turnaround, so hopefully they will.

Please do bear in mind when shopping online, every country is warning pf postal delays, due to lack of transport, illness and self isolating. I would like to let you know that I am still packing and posting within 2 days and normally the same day, but the delays are put of my control. If you would like to buy anything from Craftascope, here is a voucher offering 35% off (THANKS35). Feel free to share it with Friends and Family. Every single order means a lot to me and makes a difference.

Do keep a look out on Facebook and my Youtube Channel this week, I will be adding more videos, showing off just a few of the products along with some card ideas, hints and tips. And don't forget to join Leonie on Sunday.

One last thing, I will be running a big Giveaway on the Hochanda Facebook Page. It's due to go live on the 25th, so good luck to you all. Take care and Happy Crafting.xxx