Thursday 19 December 2013

Catching up

Hello everyone!

It's been a few weeks since I've posted on here and I feel like I've been a little neglectful.  I've been so busy and feel as though I've not had time to sit and think about things.
Firstly I have some pretty exciting news...James and I have booked our wedding and will officially become Mr and Mrs on 12th March 2016!  We've also booked a photographer for the day who we are looking forward to getting to know better before our big day and you can look at David's work on his website.

Another thing is that I will be stocking my first shop from January 2014!  Very excited to get my products out and hopefully will mean things will start to build and grow from there.

In between everything else I've been getting ready for Christmas just as I suspect all of you have, although Christmas shopping isn't quite finished yet I am almost done.  I'm hoping everyone likes what I have got them for Christmas this year.

So before I go just a quick reminder that I have a shop open on my website, also purchases can be made on my Etsy shop.

And here is a photo of one of my favourite cards I've made this year.


I printed my sentiment and lines on the card before adding buttons which act as baubles.  I love how it looks and feel it shows Christmas is always bright and beautiful.  

Lastly, in case it all becomes too hectic before Christmas I'd like to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year with all the good luck and happiness in the world!

Bye for now!
Abbie x

Thursday 5 December 2013

Quick Post

Hello everyone!

Just a real quick post to let you all know I have more new products and card designs on my website, etsy and facebook page.

A couple of images of the cushion I added.


Front of the cushion.


Back of the cushion which is closed using poppers.

Take a look and I hope you enjoy my new products and designs!

Bye for now!
Abbie x

Monday 2 December 2013

Listings galore

Hello everyone!

So the past couple of weeks I've been thinking about how to improve all the platforms which I use to promote my business, this included rethinking how I use my facebook page, the products which I have on my Etsy page  and my website www.abbierussell.com.
I spent hours redesigning my website and adding new information and products to the site which paid off as I have had a lot more traffic viewing the site, I'm over the moon with how it looks now and I think it had a very clean and professional look which works well with my products.
Secondly I decided I must start posting more frequently to my Facebook page in order for people to start noticing I am there and forgetting about little me sitting in the corner, this has worked as again I've had a boost in viewings.
Similar things have been happening in my Etsy shop with new products being added every couple of days it seems more people are viewing my page than when I post all at once! I'm amazed how such small changes can make such a difference.

Anyway in between all of that I have also been contacting local and not so local shops in the hope to start stocking some of my products there, hopefully I will hear back from them soon with positive news!  I've also been making more cards which are very simple but I love them and this they are so effective, here are some pictures.



One of the first ones I decided to use red and gold as I feel these are very Christmassy colours, I stamped the bauble and sentiment before adding 6 tiny red rhinestones to finish the card.


Secondly I used purple and silver to create this card, done in the same way I added 6 purple rhinestones to finish this card.  Also the silver parts on the card have been embossed with silver powder, this gives some texture to the card.


To finish both cards I stamped "Happy Christmas" inside.

Hope you enjoyed reading today, I'll be back with more news.

Bye for now!
Abbie x

Saturday 30 November 2013

WOW WOW WOW!

Hello everyone!

Well I have now officially graduated and it feels amazing!! All my hard work from the last three years has paid off.

Yesterday I woke up incredibly nervous knowing I had to walk across the stage in front of everyone, after some champagne for breakfast I felt a little more confident. Still shaking I finally walked across that stage at about 3pm to collect my certificate.

Here are some snaps from the day!







Now a big congratulations to everyone in the Class of 2013 from CCAD and a big thank you to everyone who supported us throughout our three years there! 

I'll be back soon posting some updates of work I've done :)!
Thank you for reading!
Bye for now!
Abbie x

Tuesday 19 November 2013

It's been far too long!

Hello everyone!

It's been far too long since I posted on here. I have been so busy that I feel like I haven't even had time to breathe!! I have spent so many hours making products for my craft fair which happened last weekend, although it wasn't as successful as I had hoped it had been I do now have the bug for doing craft fairs and am already looking for another to do.

Here are a couple of photos from my fair and I hope you like the look of it.




On the left side is a collection of the product I did which includes memory boxes, cushions, frames, cards, tealight holders and my pocket mirrors.  On the right is the collection my aunt and uncle did which were driftwood and seaglass images, also some embroidered pieces.

I will be uploading closer images of my cushions and frames in the coming weeks!  Thank you for reading.  Also don't forget to take a quick peak at my Etsy page which has some products on and I will be adding more soon.

Bye for now!
Abbie x

Friday 18 October 2013

A kept promise

Hello everyone!

As promised last week I told you I would show my mams birthday cards which I made.  She had a lovely day and loved her cards which I was very pleased about.  I created two very different cards and I really enjoyed making them.  I have also been busy this week making lots of stock up for my craft fair which is creeping closer!  I have photos up on my Facebook page and my Etsy shop.  Also don't forget I have entered the Ohh Deer competition and need your help to win, my links are in last weeks post.

The first was pink card with a white border and pink heart and happy birthday sentiment.


I hole punched lots of little flowers in different shades of pink before gluing them into the shape of a heart.  I then added "Happy Birthday to my Amazing Wife" to the side of the card and 2 pink rhinestones.  I also added a few little pink rhinestones to the flowers on the heart.  The card was left blank inside.

The second was a very basic colour scheme of beige and black.

I layered the card so I had beige then black then beige which I then placed 2 die cut black butterflies on, I added 3 small silver rhinestones to the middle of each butterfly.  I love the simplicity of this card.  I added an Happy Birthday sentiment inside.

Hope you've all had a brilliant week and enjoy reading my post.

See you all next week.
Bye for now!
Abbie x

Saturday 12 October 2013

Sneaky post!

Hello everyone!

I know I don't normally post on a Saturday but I am wanting to share some images of a competition I entered and I kind of need your help to win it!

I entered a competition on Ohh Deer which was to design 3 cushions which could potentially be sold on their website should I win.  Now here is where you lovely lot come into it... to win the competition I need to sell as many cushions as possible to show my design is right for their website.  I'll post a link to each of my cushions alongside the designs which I am going to show you now.  If you don't want to purchase my cushions could you please just pass the message on? Thank you in advance!!
Here is the more exciting bit, my designs!


Street


Street View


Busy City

If you would like to purchase any of them just click the links below the image or you can share them on facebook, twitter or pinterest if you wanted!

Thank you for reading!!

Bye for now!
Abbie x

Friday 11 October 2013

Working hard

Hello everyone!

I've been working very hard this week and have barely had a chance to sit down and think but that is just how I like it.  It's my mam's birthday next week so I am making cards for her which I will share next week, until then I have a card to share with you now.

A Christmas card.



This card has a circle bauble cut and stamped with white ink and a snowflake stamp.  Green and red silk organza ribbon have been added to look like the string from the bauble.  Red card has been placed down the side and "It's Christmas Time" sentiment stamped in black.  Under the bauble 3 red rhinestones have been added and a "merry christmas" sentiment.  The card is blank inside for your own message.

Again take a look at my Etsy shop if you want to see some of the cards I have for sale.  My Facebook page has also got other products on.

I'm off to carry on with my preparation for the craft fair which is 6 weeks away!  Exciting times!!

Bye for now! 
Abbie x

Friday 4 October 2013

Cards, cards and cards

Hello everyone!

This week I have been busy making some more cards ready for my craft fair in November, not long to go now and I am so excited, hope your all going to come and visit the stall (will post details soon).

Some of my favourites that I have made this week...


I hole punched my little flowers gradually using a darker blue card to work up the card and added the sentiment "Birthday Treats".


Using a die cut butterfly I glued it onto white card and stamped the "Happy Birthday!" sentiment before adding silver rhinestones to the butterfly.


I hole punched hearts from different shades of orange card and placed them into the shape of a heart before adding a single gold rhinestone to the centre.

All my cards are very simple this week but I have really enjoyed making them rather than using my usual style of bold!  Hope you've liked them too.  Don't forget I am selling on Etsy now too.  Also other cards which I have made are on my Facebook page if you'd like to see them.

Bye for now!
Abbie x

Friday 27 September 2013

Tealight Holders

Hello everyone!

I have added a few more products to my Etsy Shop, if you would like to take a look just click the link :).

This week I have been working on another new product which I have really enjoyed making, tea light holders.  I found the idea online and loved it so much I had to give it a go.

Here are some pictures of the designs I have done...




My holders are made from plaster and I have painted them using acrylic paint.  Some of my designs are black with white painted designs on, my others are white with colourful designs painted on.  I have spent a few hours each day painting my designs on and this is quite difficult when my hand is deciding to go through a shaky phase, which it has done a few times this week.  Like I say I am very proud of these and I have loved making them!

I have more designs which you can find on my Facebook page or in my Etsy Shop.  Take a look if you are interested!

Thank you for stopping by and having a read, hope you enjoyed! I'll be back next week with more news!

Bye for now!
Abbie x



Friday 20 September 2013

A new product

Hello everyone!

Another busy week here and I have to say I am absolutely loving it!  I've opened my Etsy shop this week and although not many products it is a start, here is a link if you want to check it out Etsy Shop.

I have also just finished one of my new products which I am going to show now.  I am very excited about these and am over the moon with how they look.

Introducing my memory boxes...

M is for Memories

Close up of the box

On these boxes I have used white card with text printed onto it and layered it on pink card.  I then added the die cut butterflies and glued rhinestones as extra embellishment.
The dimensions of the box is 300mm deep, 150mm x 400mm and it had a magnetic lid to hold it shut.
Hope you all like them!

You can find some more pictures of my other boxes on my Facebook page by clicking on this link, Memory Boxes.

Bye for now!
Abbie x


Friday 13 September 2013

Preparing for the fair

Hello everyone!

I have had a busy little week since I last posted.  I've designed some CD covers and disc fronts for my dad's duo Eurasianeyes (Eurasianeyes Facebook) ready for them to release their EP!  I've also been working on new card designs, some new designs for pocket mirrors and I'm currently working on some new products but not sure how they will work yet so got my fingers crossed.

I have decided to share a Christmas card which I have made, I know it seems so early to be making Christmas things but it will creep round so fast it's scary!


I've used red and brown card onto a white background for this card with a green ribbon to tie in all the Christmas colours, I've stamped using brown ink adding rhinestones for that little bit of sparkly magic everyone loves at Christmas time.

Hope you all like the card and will keep reading in the coming weeks as I prepare for the craft fair on November 16th and 17th.

Bye for now!
Abbie x

Friday 6 September 2013

Sorry it's been a while...

Hello everyone!

Sorry it's been a while since I last posted, I have been fairly busy this summer and I am finally able to take a breath and think!  It's been a VERY exciting summer for me, I graduated my degree, I jetted off to Egypt, I got engaged, worked a lot and am currently looking after the Uniko Studio (http://www.uniko.co.uk/) business whilst Bev gets married in Hawaii (TODAY, EEEEK!!) I'm so excited for her!

So another exciting thing which has happened is I have applied to do my very first craft fair in November with my uncle.  I have been making lots of products which I will show you in the coming weeks and it's all a bit manic but I am loving it!

Here is a card I have made recently.


As it's Bev and Karl's wedding day I thought I would show you a wedding card.  I've stamped the cake, sentiment and bride and groom then I added little pearls and a silver rhinestone as embellishment.  I decided to use some red and cream card to make this card more interesting.

Hope you all like it and will join me in wishing Bev and Karl all the best for the years to come and a big CONGRATULATIONS!

Will be back soon with more cards!
Bye for now!
Abbie x

Thursday 20 June 2013

My first card making challenge.

Hello everyone!

Another update now I am finally getting the hang of blogger!  I am thoroughly enjoying my works experience with Uniko Studio and I am learning so much about life when your self employed, we've been doing some very exciting things which I am sure you can catch up with on the Uniko Studio blog!  A task I was given on Wednesday was to find my very own card making challenge and use the Uniko Studio products to create my own card so this is what I came up with...

The challenge I chose was from the Christmas Card Challenges blog, I thought it would be quite a challenge to do a Christmas card in what is supposed to be the Summer season but I did enjoy it a lot!  Here is an image of the sketch which I had to follow to create my card.


I used the Uniko Studio stamp sets to create my Christmas card with some paper also provided by Uniko Studio.  I have included two images of my cards, hope you like it!



The stamp set I used on this card is Label Love: Christmas Clear Stamps, I find the stamps incredibly easy to use and you always get a high quality, fantastic result!

Hopefully you will be hearing a lot more from me from now on, but right now I am off to continue enjoying my works experience!

Bye for now!
Abbie x

Tuesday 18 June 2013

Finally learning.

Hello everyone!

I have some very exciting news!  I have completed my degree in Textiles and Surface Design and I will be graduating in November.  I have also done my degree show where lots of the public, other students and past students came to visit, I felt very pleased with how my show looked and felt everyone had worked so hard to ensure their best work was on show.  

Now I am doing a work experience with Beverley at Uniko Studio, she designs stamp sets to make beautiful cards with.  I had a play with the stamps today and produced two cards which will be shown on her blog on Friday.  Click on this link to keep up to date with Uniko Studio!

I am finally learning how to use blogspot now thanks to Beverley as she gave me a quick overview of how to use it! I'm so excited to start using it properly and showcasing some of my work.

Bye for now!
Abbie x

Monday 11 March 2013

Back to uni

I'm back to uni tomorrow after 3 weeks off and I have a lot of work to do! Very scared that deadline is not far off, going to pull my socks up and get cracking!! I'm starting today with professional studies, collecting all my work and working my way through my checklist. I've also wrote a list of what I have left to do for studio work and I keep remembering things to add on so it's getting longer not shorter....Panic starts now!

Wednesday 6 March 2013

Handmade Horizons

I started an online course at the end of January on marketing and I am finding it so interesting, my confidence seems to have built so much from doing only 3 Modules.  I'm learning information that will be invaluable when I start my business.  Time and money well spent in my eyes!
http://www.handmadehorizons.com/

Friday 1 March 2013

Twice in one day...

I've just downloaded the blogger app on my phone and I am trying it out to see if I'm using it right!
Hopefully will have lots of exciting posts on here soon!
X

Still confused...

I'm still quite confused about how to use blogger but I am slowly working my way around it even though I've had it for months I like to stick to what I know!
I'm currently working on my FMP, based on a trend called "Crowd". Again working with bright colours in an abstract way.  I am hoping to make a rug as my final piece with packaging and cushion designs to go with it. Here are some images of my drawings and work bay.