The Isle of Man is such a wonderful place to live if you are always on the search for inspiration for crafty and creative projects. You are never far away from a scene that just begs for you to photograph it. Sometimes I just get the scene in, sometimes I get the angle wrong but when that happens I don't consign the picture to my recylcle or trash bin on my phone or laptop. This is where using a graphics program and being a creative sort comes in as I always keep in mind that I can always take it into my program and crop some of it out, change the colour of it or in fact make several different scenes from one photograph just by picking a different part of the photo and cropping the rest away. Even when I get a part of the car,lol! I can take the photo in and use it as part of a design including images from digital scrapbooking kits I have or parts of other photographs, creating a completely different type of scene altogether. This is where my imagination run wild as I have done designs featuring photos or parts of photos I have taken around and bout and put fairies, unicorns, animals,clouds shaped like peoples face, all sorts of things in. Using a digital graphics program is so so much fun and so addictive once you get started. I use one originally designed for digital scrapbookers called Serif craft artist [ originally called Digital Scrapbook Artist] and now used all over the world by graphic designers, Digital artists, Photographers, Sign designers, Printing companies and loads more. Its is basically like photo shop but does loads of other stuff and doesn't cost a quarter of what some other programs doe. I love it !

Good Evening everyone,
Bit late in the day I know only today been quite busy day you could say.  This morning was spent designing some of the personalised Christmas cards I need to do for my family and friends, gathering together all the stuff I needed for today's Messy Church session at the church I attend, and then bit of shopping. I was in town for around about 11am, and then proceeded to spend hour or so grating soap as part of my Messy Church activity preparation.   Originally the activity involved chopped up wax crayons but following my after the event idea of adding candle wax[discovered wrong kind of wax for the idea so now have two sweet tins of mix of chopped/grated wax crayons and candle wax doing nothing,lol!] going bit pete tong wrong, had to start again using grated soap hence the hour grating soap!
The activity was supposed to be this. Crayons get melted in the micro [which not practical as might top the electric current and blow all the electrics at the church, if use extra micro than being used already at messy church, so a non starter!] then poured into star shaped moulds to set before turning out the resultant stars. Conversation behind it is how even though we may be young or think we cannot do much,with gods help and if we listen to how he wants us to live, we can do anything and become great and shine like the star that guided the wise men, helping and guiding others.
    Well brains here, two hours of chopping wax crayons later, thought that might be quicker adding wax candle grated in to the mix ,so promptly grated two candles worth into the crayons mix before melting......
Heated and melted the wax yes, but the candle wax must obviously have been not the same kind of wax as the crayons as when melted the whole mix then cooled the  things wouldn't set hard. Aaargh...!
Then had idea to try that with soap. Besides the micro ending up smelling cross between chemist and business premises of ladies of the night, soap didn't melt evenly and too runny taking ages to set even halfway hard......try again
By this time was at church and running out of ideas! Had my craft heat tool with me so thought, I know, lets melt it with the heat tool, it will melt the soap just enough.. WRONG! The top melted most of the soap at the top, but even after leaving to cool, not many solid stars were made.
So those on my activity today have a little Messy Church homework in trying at home to find a better way to do it as most of them went home with two pointed star attempts on a piece of kitchen roll [well its different,lol!]  The activity table smelt gorgeous though!

Living on an island is wonderful as you never very far from the sea. I think because I live on an island, that is why when choosing where to go on holiday, most of the time end up picking an island. I do have this thing mentally where on holiday my head tell me that I MUST be as close to the sea as possible. Just love the sea, its changing colours, the unpredictability of its moods, the untamed feel of it. I love to watch the waves crash against the rocks which to me represents its sheer strength, might and power, but just as equally I love seeing the sun glint on a sea which is as calm as a millpond and the colours it send up, the reflections in still water and the peacefulness of it all. We are lucky on the island where I live that there are so many places where you can just sit and watch the sea and be peaceful. Its a very calming thing to do I find, to sit away from all the hustle and bustle and just be with your surroundings without having to think of anything in particular. If I could I would bottle the feeling that it gives me and carry it round with me wherever I go, there is nothing quite like it

Till next time               xx

Welcome To My World!


Hello and welcome to the world of a CraftyManxie!

Ive decided to start a new blog seeing as how I have changed my crafting name from CraftyManxie Creations to the hopefully less 'playing-at-it' , and more, hopefully 'doing-it-better-and-in-more-organised-way' name of CreationsByCraftyManxie as well as my facebook page, so the obvious thing was to revamp, tweak things and re start the old blogging thing.
    Now for all of you who not crafters,] and know that there must be at least a couple of my friends somewhere who aren't!], don't put put off from checking by my blog by the mention of craft. Yes, crafting, whether with paper, and crafty stuff you can touch, or digitally, plays a HUMOUNGOUS part in my life, but it doesn't define totally who I am. Yes, I use my digital crafting as a way of expressing myself, but that's because sometimes, and Im sure we have all been in this position, I know what the thoughts are going round my head but I just cant seem to find a word or phrase that sums them up, because there doesn't seem to be a word that fits with them exactly right. When that happens often I can open up my digital graphics program and find a colour, an image, a shape, that does. I can express my thoughts without words. So yes, the digital I suppose do define me in a way!

On here I hope to share with you phrases and quotes that I have discovered along my crafty journey so far that I love, photos I have taken of the beautiful island where I live, photos of my digital designs, photos of various more hands-on type makes, general diary type entries  as I often find that writing helps me deal with stuff that happens, my recommendations of crafty tools and products that you may find useful if you maybe are just starting out on your crafty journey, life hacks and tip, and lots more.
So welcome and enjoy the ride!