Handcrafted Fridge Magnets

Hi everyone.

I hope you remembered to put your clocks back at the weekend. I'm a bit rebellious where that's concerned and don't usually alter my clocks until it suits me. Mind you, it can get very confusing after a couple of days when you are on a different time from everyone else!

It was certainly quite a shock tonight to get up at 5pm after a "night-shift" and see that it was dark. It seems to be the time that a middle-aged woman's thoughts turn to Christmas (there I've said it) as I don't do Halloween or Bonfire Night for reasons best known to myself.

This last week or two I've been making handcrafted fridge magnets which make great stocking fillers. After all, who do you know who doesn't have a fridge? I've enjoyed selecting the artwork and designing the background, then finding a suitable quote to match. Adding glitter is fun too but if you ever decide to have a go at making them yourself, a top tip is to make sure you are 100 per cent happy with the design etc before you push the back panel in as they are a nightmare to get off again!

Here are a couple of my favourites. They are available to buy now from the gift section of Melissa Lawrence Designs online shop along with some other designs that may catch your eye.

These products are available to buy now from www.melissalawrencedesigns.com

Christmas Cards With Dogs On

Hi everyone.

Well, it's getting scarily nearer, isn't it? (And we're not talking about Halloween!) It always amazes us that even though Christmas has been coming around on exactly the same date every year since goodness knows when, it still seems to take us all by surprise.

To help you get a little bit more organised this year, we've done a bit of research and come up with some great places where you can find Christmas Cards With Dogs. It seems that dogs on Christmas cards are only slightly behind reindeer, robins and red squirrels in the animal Christmas Card stakes so if you have dog lovers among your friends and family, you won't go wrong with a cute Christmas canine. Here are some places you might want to consider buying from.

Gifts From Guide Dogs 
A lovely selection of cards and you'll be helping a great cause. The "Gold, Frankincense and Fur" card is our favourite design as we can't resist a black labrador puppy!

Sally Mitchell Fine Arts Ltd
If you like a more "arty" style of card, there are some beautiful designs here and not just of dogs but horses, donkeys, foxes etc. Our favourite doggy design is the lovely border collies in front of the roaring fire.

The Dogs Trust
Another excellent cause and some super cute cards. Check out "First Steps In The Snow" for a real "ahhhh" factor.

The Little Dog Laughed
If you're looking for humorous dog cards then you should find something you like here. Really original designs, very quirky and amazing prices for such lovely designs.

Melissa Lawrence Designs
Of course, as dog lovers ourselves we have to include some four-legged friends in our own range of unique "OOAK"  handcrafted Christmas cards. The image below is one of our personal favourites and is available to buy online right now.

We hope you can find something you like and don't forget, a dog card is for life, not just for Christmas!

HOTP Botanical Etchings Scrapbook Page

Hi everyone.

I've just looked in my notebook and it's over three months since I managed to complete a scrapbook page, so this new one is well overdue. What's more, it's a "real" page as opposed to a digital one! Actually it's been quite a good day for scrapbooking as the weather has been so wet and windy, it was definitely a "stay indoors and craft while listening to 70s pop music" kind of day.

When I'm feeling a bit low on confidence, scrapbooking-wise, I tend to use a kit. Hot Off The Press produce some fabulous paper kits and the one I've used here is called Botanical Etchings. The good thing about using kits, especially if you're new to scrapbooking, is that everything co-ordinates so you don't have to worry about matching colours. You often get sentiment tags as well which can be good for scrapbooking titles such as this one "Know that you are Loved".

If you can't find a kit to match your photo (or vice versa) you can always use a black & white photo and "matt" it onto co-ordinating coloured card. Then just add some journalling, a few embellishments, a touch of glitter and you're good to go.

Why not give scrapbooking a go if you've never tried it before? You don't have to wait until it's pouring with rain!

Copyright Melissa Lawrence 2014

National Grandparents' Day

Hi everyone.

It certainly feels a bit autumnal tonight. I'm holding off turning the central heating on for a few more minutes. Brrrr.

October is quite a month for celebrations. Halloween, Diwali and one that may have passed you by... National Grandparents' Day on Sunday 5th October. I know it seems like we have a special day for just about anything now but although my own grandparents are long gone, I do think that grandparents can play an incredibly important role in family life and should be appreciated.

National Grandparents' Day originated in the U.S.A. and was introduced into the UK by Age UK (or Age Concern as it was then known) in 1990. In America, there is even an official National Grandparents' Day song and also an official flower, the forget-me-not.

If you have children and their grandparents do play an important role in their lives, the following suggestions might provide an opportunity for them to show how grateful they are, whether it's National Grandparents' Day or not.

1. Get the kids to make a collage or write a poem outlining all the things they appreciate about their grandparents and present it to them.

2. Invite the grandparents round for an afternoon of board games organised by the kids!

3. Help the kids to put on a play or musical performance just for their grandparents.

4. Ask the kids to take pictures of gran and grandad doing activities with them and then frame the best ones as lovely gifts.

5. Make a "promise" jar for the grandparents containing promises from every child about how they''ll help their grandparents in the coming year.

Happy National Grandparents' Day!

A handmade thank-you card is always appreciated.

This card is available to buy now from Melissa Lawrence Designs