Wednesday 24 May 2017

Patchwork Christmas Tree Card …… And The Sad Demise Of The Craft Punch

This card measures 5ins x 5ins and uses a hand cut kraft card as it’s base.
punched Christmas Tree Card 7I am not sure about this card, I think it’s too busy, with too many trees and too many patterns, on a not very merry background and looking at the pictures with fresh eyes, I am not even sure about the mat and layering! With all the square gems and stars, there’s just too much going on …… put simply, I don’t think I really like it!
Punched Christmas Tree Card 1The idea is there, it just needs refining, so you’ll probably be seeing a few more versions of it over the next month or so as I try to get it right.
Punched Christmas Yree Card 3But, there is a story behind it too …… I know I had a triangle punch before I moved, in fact I had two huge drawers of punches, but I had to sort through them very carefully to condense them down to one drawer and I guess my original triangle one slipped through the net!  Well, I thought, I’ll just have to order me a new one from eBay …… OMG not a one!  Well, there were some in China, but the size wasn’t clear and for the price I guessed that they were tiny.  So I had to look further a field and this taller style punch was the only one I could find after a good while searching. I have since managed to find a squatter triangle on eBay, but had to do so by buying it in a bundle!
I blame dies for the sad demise of the punch, I love a punch, I cut my crafting teeth on them all those years ago. I have a good collection of exactly what I know I will use, the basic shapes in all sizes plus lots of flowers and leaves, with my Stampin Up circles as a staple. I have a Big Shot, and again have all the basic shapes I need, although I am not averse to increasing my collection occasionally, but Tattered Lace etc. don’t really do anything for me. But I admit I  am a very lazy die cutter, unless I have a specific idea, I don’t want all the palaver of getting my Big Shot out just for a few shapes, I prefer to go to my drawer and get out a punch.  Marc always tells me that I am a VERY impatient crafter, but all those mats and rolling for couple of shapes? The fact that I could buy a huge punch at The Hobbycrafts show that would have once cost well over £10 for just £1 shows that the punch is doomed …….. so I really need to double check to see if my collection is lacking anything before they disappear forever.
But …….. having had a great moan and a whinge all because I couldn’t easily find a triangle punch, it doesn’t mean this lady can’t be turned everso, everso slightly because I am now considering buying a small die cutter to have on my table whenever I craft  ……….. I fancy the Baby Blue, so all recommendations would be very much appreciated.