New Designs for June

I introduced a few new designs to my Etsy and Spoonflower shops in June (I can't believe that it will be July tomorrow already!).  Most of my new printable designs this month were around the Hot Air Balloon theme and included sets of scrapbooking papers in different colour schemes; blue, grey and teal, coral and mint, grey and yellow.  Lots of lovely colours - I'm not sure which is my favourite, which one do you like best?
I also have a new collage sheet, designed to coordinate with the blue set of papers, and a set of digital stamps.

(PS. You still have time to download a free hot air balloon digital stamp and background paper via this blog post: Craft Challenge: Hot Air Balloons and Free Printables, where you'll also find details about how you can join in with the challenge!)


Apart from Hot Air Balloons, I did also create this new printable recipe card - great for sharing summery recipes!  It has a strawberries and floral design...

On Spoonflower I have released a batch of new designs on fabric, wallpaper and giftwrap after receiving test prints on this sampler..


The new designs are on a variety of subjects, including Steampunk Clockwork Hummingbirds, London skyline, Japanese garden designs inspired by cherry blossom, watercolour geometric patterns, dalmations and rabbits (including an Easter one, which I know is a little unseasonal but will be ready for creating Easter projects for next year!).

Origami Box Tutorial

These origami boxes are fun to make and really useful too!  They're great for storing little bits and pieces from your crafty stash like washi tape, or for using as gift boxes. You can change the look of your boxes by using different coloured paper, patterned paper and by varying the size of paper.

I used some printable scrapbooking papers which I designed to make my boxes, from my Strawberries and Summer Garden sets of papers. (You can find these and more in my Etsy shop, hfcSupplies).
I printed the designs to fit on A4 white paper with a weight of 120gsm - paper this weight or slightly thinner works well for the origami boxes.

Before you start folding your box you will need to cut squares of your paper. The paper I used was 20.4 x 20.4cm (approx. 8 x 8 inches), this produced boxes which measured approx. 7.25 x 7.25 x 3.5 cm (approx. 2.85 x 2.85 x 1.4 inches).  If you want to make a box with a lid, cut one square slightly smaller than the other.

1. Start with your paper patterned side face down. Fold the square in half to form a rectangle.  Open out and repeat in the other direction.
2. Now fold your square in half diagonally, open out and repeat in the opposite direction then open out again.
3. Fold each point into the centre, then unfold to your square again.
4. Fold each point of the square to the point three-quarters across, as in the diagram below, then open out again.
5. Now fold each point one quarter across, then once again open out to the square.
6. Now fold 2 opposite points to the centre.
7. Push the sides up to start making the 3-dimensional box shape (see diagram below).
8. Finally tuck the remaining 2 corners inside the box. Your box should keep its shape on its own, but if you like you can use a little glue to secure the triangle points to the base of the box.

Now you are ready to fill your boxes!  What will you put in yours?  Share your makes with #myhfcmakes so we can all see what you have made!

PS. If you love crafty projects and would like some free printables, check out my blog challenge here! (You could even use the free printable paper to make some of these boxes!)

Colour Palette Inspiration #28 - Cherry Blossom Flower

My last colour palette was inspired by pink apple blossom and here is another one inspired by blossom - this time it is a flower from my cherry tree.  The flowers are very pretty, but as you can see there weren't many on my little tree...

Craft Challenge - Hot Air Balloons and Free Printables!

UPDATE! The closing date for this challenge has been extended to Thursday 21st July!

Would you like free printables and to join in with a craft challenge with the chance of winning a prize? If the answer is yes - keep on reading!


I have been working on lots of new hot air balloon themed designs recently (which you may have already seen if you follow me on Facebook or Instagram), so Hot Air Balloons seemed the perfect theme for my first blog challenge!

What is the Challenge?

I would like you to create a hot air balloon themed card, scrapbook page, atc, tag or other craft project made using my printable designs.  You can use the free printables below, or something else you have purchased from my shop...

This hot air balloon digital stamp and spotty patterned paper will be available for you to download free until entries close on 18th July! Download them here. (Please follow the Terms of Use)

If you sign up to my newsletter by 22nd June you will also get 2 bonus printable patterned papers (which will be sent out in my newsletter on 23rd June)!

The digital stamp is approx 4 inches tall (you can print it smaller too) and the spotty paper comes on a letter size sheet (8.5x11 inches), which can also be printed on A4 paper.

You can find more of my hot air balloon themed printables in my shop here.

Challenge Rules

1. Create something on the Hot Air Balloon theme - using either the free printables above or something else you have purchased from my shop.  You can use any other supplies you like in your project.
2. Post your entry onto your blog or online gallery and include a link back to this blog post, so that other people can join in!
3. Enter by leaving a comment at the bottom of this post, with a link to your project - please make sure I can contact you if you are a winner - either via your blog or by leaving your email address.  The link you submit must be for your project post, not a general link to your blog.
4. Your entry must be new and created (by you) for this challenge.
5. Up to 3 entries per person are allowed.
6. The deadline for entries is Monday 18th July 2016 (challenge closes at 11:59pm BST).
7. Winners will be announced on my blog on Thursday 21st July.  There will be 2 winners:
• 1 chosen by me - will win £10 coupon for my Etsy shop hfcSupplies
• 1 chosen at random - will also win £10 coupon for my Etsy shop hfcSupplies
8. By entering the challenge, you are giving me permission to share your entry as an example on my blog, website, facebook page and Pinterest board.

For full Challenge Terms and Conditions and Printables Terms of Use please see here.

For your inspiration, here are some I have made:

I hope that you enjoy taking part in the challenge, I can't wait to see what everyone comes up with! I will be posting all the entries here on the blog, so do check back and see what other people are making.  Share your creations on social media with #hfcblogChallenge and please share a link back to this post so more people can join in!

Happy crafting!

Chocolate and Beetroot Cakes Recipe

I baked these chocolate and beetroot cakes with my sister a few weeks ago when our neighbour gave us some beetroot from their allotment.  The cakes were delicious so I'm hoping that our own crop of beetroot will grow well this year and we can bake some more.  Our Mum, who's not that keen on beetroot, even liked them!

I created this recipe myself, by combining and adapting a few different recipes I found online.  Beetroot is a great vegetable to eat, packed with vitamins and minerals - so that makes these cakes healthy too - right?! I used a little less sugar than other recipes I saw, to make them healthier.  Also, they are not coated in a thick layer of frosting, just finished off with a dusting of icing sugar.

I hope I have tempted you to bake some for yourself, here's the recipe...

Ingredients

120g plain flour

50g cocoa powder

150g caster sugar

170g beetroot (cooked)

2 eggs

140ml vegetable oil

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

50g dark chocolate
icing sugar for dusting

Preheat your oven to 170°C / 325°F / Gas Mark 3.

Sieve the cocoa powder together with the flour into a bowl.  Mix together with the rest of the dry ingredients.
In a separate jug (or bowl), blend the beetroot with the eggs, one at a time. Then add the oil.  Blend until smooth.  Add the vanilla extract. (The beetroot makes the mixture a fantastic colour!)
Stir the wet mixture into the dry mixture.

Chop the chocolate into small pieces and fold into the mixture.

Spoon into cupcake cases.  Bake for 30 minutes - the cakes should spring back when gently pressed, or you can test the cakes with a skewer - it should come out clean when they are cooked.

Leave to cool, then dust with icing sugar.

Happy baking (and eating)!!

If you liked this recipe you may also enjoy the other recipes I have shared - you can can find them here.

Celebrating My Etsy Shop Anniversary - Guinea Pigs and a Special Offer!

Today is my Etsy shop anniversary and my guinea pigs are joining in the celebrations wearing some mini versions of my new printable party hats.  Keep reading to find out about a special offer too!

My shop, hfcSupplies, has changed quite a bit since I opened it back it 2010.  It was my second Etsy shop and I started it to sell craft supplies separately from my artwork.  At first I sold vintage buttons, clock hands and craft kits made from new, vintage and handmade items.  I introduced other craft supplies like card blanks, envelopes, baker's twine and washi tape. At the same time, I gradually started to try out printable products - starting with scrapbooking papers and collage sheets.  Now my shop is completely dedicated to printables, ranging from paper sets and digital stamps to invitations and party decorations.  I have learnt so much along the way!  I love drawing and coming up with new design themes, then applying these to different products - there are so many possibilities with printables!  The best part though is working with my customers - it's lovely to hear that my designs bring pleasure to other people.  Thank you to all my customers for supporting my business, you inspire me to keep making new designs.  I have lots of ideas for new designs and growing my shop and business, I hope that you will continue to enjoy the things I share!

My guinea pigs, Lily and Rosie, are modelling some of my newest products - printable party hats.  I've printed them guinea pig size - the ones in my shop are much larger (6 inches tall)!  So far you will find Safari Animal themed hats in my shop, but I plan to add more designs soon.  Lily (above) is also modelling a Wheels on the Bus hat - a sneak peek at a new party collection I am creating.

Special Offer!

To celebrate my shop anniversary use this code hfcAN10 to get 10% off your next order from hfcSupplies.etsy.com - the voucher applies to everything in my shop and will be valid until 30th June.

Positive Thinking - You Can't Use Up Creativity

Does anyone else worry that they will run out of ideas?  When I think about it, that's a silly fear really - just think of how much creativity is in the world and how much inspiration, the number of paintings in galleries or craft projects on Pinterest!  As creative people, we may have times when we don't feel inspired, or motivated to be creative but trying something new can often be the spark to get things going again.  Since I usually have a long list of things I want to make, paint or draw, I should probably trust in this more!...

You can't use up creativity.  The more you use, the more you have. - Maya Angelou