Monthly Make - Craftwork Cards Wreath

Well the festive ribbon and toppers are safely tucked away for another year and it's time for January's monthly make!

This month I'm making a flower wreath from a Craftwork Cards kit that is currently a members offer on the Create and Craft website at the mo, so if you're a C&C member get your paws on this before it disappears!

In the kit you get enough to make 3 wreaths. Included in the pack you get ribbon, 3 chipboard rings with precut holes and loads of die cut flowers! (Which may come in handy for other projects if you have left overs!)

First of all, pop out a chipboard ring and cut 6 pieces of ribbon, 5 inches in length.

Thread these pieces of ribbon through the pre-punched holes and tie a knot. 

You will notice there are 2 holes closer together. This is the top of your wreath. I used different ribbon to tie in these holes to create a hanger loop, but you can use the ribbon that's provided if you wish. Make sure you have enough loop so you can hang it on a nail or something around the home when it's complete.

Next pop out your die cut flowers and get creative! I used an embossing tool to make the petals stand up a little so it was more 3D. Go crazy! Mix and match colours and make some wild flowers!

Next you'll need to stick your flowers on your wreath. 7 flowers should be a perfect fit but there's no limit! Obviously the less chipboard showing the better.

And there you have it! A gorgeous shabby chic wreath to hang around the home. I made one of these for my mum for her birthday and she has it hanging on a notice board in her kitchen which looks great! They'd also be great valentines/Mother's Day gifts.

If you're not a C&C member or missed out, you can buy the Craftwork Cards 2 piece wreath kit here: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Craftwork-Cards-Create-Wreath-Kit-Vintage/dp/B00CMVD6R4

Project Life and being a Working Mum

Happy new year, happy holidays and all that madness. Many of us find January as a month of looking back on the year we have just had and finding changes we can make within ourselves in order to be on the road to happiness whether it be a new hobby, new job, losing weight or just thinking more positively.

I have found that I share so much on social media, however not a lot in my scrapbooks. Over the years I have collected scrapbook upon scrapbook and never found the time to sit down, lay them out and stick it all together only to be unhappy and rip it all out. However, one of my Christmas presents this year was the ultimate in scrapbooking, Project Life.

Project Life is a pocket scrapbooking company, developed by Becky Higgins. It is recognised all over the world, you might have seen them in Hobbycraft, on Amazon or even on Create and Craft TV. The binders are colourful, the pockets come in all different shapes and sizes and the cards are stunning with some beautiful sentiments on them, or lined for your own.

Starting Project Life has had a personal effect on me however. Since going back to work, I have battled with myself as to whether working 12 hour shifts and missing out on my little boy and his rapid development is the right thing. However, completing Project Life has helped me get out all the photos that I would normally just post on Facebook and forget about, look and remember those happy family moments we have every month. Completing the scrapbook helped me take a step back, stop, and view my life from the perspective of someone else and helped me realise that all those hours of work are worth it for those happy family moments we can afford to do. We have a happy, healthy little boy, who is developing well and has had so many amazing holidays and days out to remember forever, now the memories are being kept in my Project Life scrapbook.

Also for Christmas I got an Instax Camera so I can instantly capture those special moments and not just post them online and forget to get them printed, I can slide them into the pockets and write about that day immediately without guessing dates or places.

A lady at work said to me once that it's the quality of time with your children that matters, not the quantity and this has really become clear while completing my Project Life pages. We don't often have time in our busy lives to take a step back and remember the good times but this has really given me and so many others the chance to.

So thanks Becky Higgins and her team for making me realise that actually I am a good mum, all those tiring hours are worth it and memory keeping can be an emotional journey of reminiscing, not just a fab, fun hobby.