Happy 100th Post!

Although I will be posting my new weekly entry later this evening, I wanted to do something a bit more special for my 100th post, so here we are.

Nearly two and a half years ago I manned my first table selling my cards at my hall of residence's fundraiser and not long after that I sat down and wrote my first post (I'm still slightly in awe that I managed to stick with it!).

This blog was started to share my makes and ideas and to record my progress of starting a small business so it makes sense to look back on the last 100 posts and to see how far I've come.

 

2012 not only saw the start of my blog but also of the London Olympic Games. I loved taking part in my own “Card-lympics” (even more so when I Googled the phrase!) and although a fair few of them have been sold, I’ve still got a small handful of them (I was very reluctant to let any of them go to begin with!)

 

 

In August I got a mention in Papercraft Inspirations, the magazine I read, when they published one of my cards from my blog. I was particularly pleased with that card and have since made it at least once. I was thrilled to see my card in my favourite mag.

 

 

October saw me making my first ever paper-pieced picture, inspired from one of my cards. I figured I should trial my idea and keep the first one for myself. The 10th Doctor still sits on my desk and will definitely be coming with me to Bath. Since that first one, I’ve made Alice in Wonderland, Marvin, Pokemon and Jane Austen. I should really start making those again soon . . .

 

 

 

These were a big hit when I attended my first craft fair at Victoria Baths in Manchester. Despite the cold, I had a great time although I’m pretty sure most of that was down to the fact that I had a really successful day. I hope to one day repeat that success as none of the events I’ve done since then have even come close.

 

 

 

Six months on was Victoria Baths II and although it wasn’t as successful, it was much warmer and really interesting to see how far I’d come in that time. By this point, I had a whole table to myself and managed to fill it!.

 

 

 

In September, I started taking my cards to the next dimension and am still experimenting with new 3D shaped card – I even have a new one to try out soon! While I’ve had a go at all sorts of shapes, there are a couple that I keep going back to. If I had to pick a favourite, I think it would be my hiking ones.

 

 

 

Over the last nine-ish months, I’ll admit, my cards (and my blog) got rudely pushed to the side in order for me to concentrate on my final year at uni. It wasn’t necessarily intentional, I just didn’t have time to do both and no good enough excuses to spend an evening aimlessly making cards. However, now that I have finished uni for now (and with a 2:1 to boot!), I can get back to card making with a vengeance and last week saw my first Technique of the Week, a series that is going to make me publish at least once a week but hopefully will challenge my blogging and give it more of a purpose. 

 

While I am now back in North Wales, I won’t be seeing Manchester again for a while and this time in two weeks, I’ll be down South in the city Miss Austen herself lived in. A new location and a new job with regular hours mean plenty of new opportunities for me and my cards. Here’s to the next 100!