Vive La Différence – Craft Class

It’s December and this is the last Vive la Différence for 2013. It’s been a fun ride and I’ve loved featuring so many talented bloggers.

Today I’m delighted to introduce you to Giova Brusa whose blog One Bunting Away is about crafty things and crafty people. Giova started off writing the blog with her sister, but now it’s mostly her. She was born in Colombia and now lives in Amsterdam with her husband and their 2 boys.

For new readers:

The concept: each month I will invite one blogger. They will create and showcase one image/vignette. There are 20 themes and 20 objects for my guest to choose from. They choose 1 theme and up to 3 objects. I will then create an image/vignette based on their choice. Everyone has free reign on how to create the image. It can be simple photography, a drawing, a collage, a hand-painted image, a styled table top… the choice is yours! The fun part is that you, my readers, will see 2 versions inspired by the same subject matter. There is no right or wrong. There’s just ‘different’.

Giova chose the theme: Craft Class with the objects: Books, Magazines and Art Supplies – Here’s her take on this.

Thank you so much Tina for inviting me to your lovely blog.

After seeing all the others at “Vive la Difference” I was a bit nervous, but once I saw that the theme “craft class” was there, all I could do was dream of craft classes, what they would be about, what crafts would be made, and what sort of food we would eat, if we even ate at all.

I craft almost everyday. It is what I love doing and if I haven’t done any crafts during the day, I feel it wasn’t a day well spent. Anything counts as craft, whether it is paper crafts, embroidery, crochet, collage, rubber stamps or letter writing.

The only downside to all the crafting that I do, is that it is quite lonely and I don’t actually get to spend much time with fellow crafters.

What you see here is my dining table pretending to be holding a craft class. In that imaginary class there will be endless art supplies, all the crafty magazines out there (for inspiration of course), and various old books to tear through and create new things. All my favorite tools would be there, like; washi-tape, scissors, all types of paper, neon paints, ink pads, doilies, scrap reliefs, erasers, and ribbons.

There will also be tea, lots of cookies, cakes, laughter and endless chatting. And a big pile of mess everywhere because that is how I get the most inspired.

Thank you again Tina for allowing me to dream the perfect craft class, and to share it with your readers.

The best Christmas wishes to all of you! Giova

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When Giova chose Craft Class I was secretly happy because it’s the time of year I start thinking about my Christmas cards. I have a rather large list of people I send one to, so tend to divide it into the following: I make a number of hand-made cards (mostly for those that appreciate the effort:-), I have a list of people that get shop bought cards (with a personal touch) and last but not least, I design an online e-card I sent out to many.

Every year I enjoy plotting my Christmas cards and this year I knew exactly what I’d be doing for the hand-made version. I’ve been collecting cards by artist and fellow blogger Alison Sye for a while now. Alison scavenges the skips of London looking for abandoned treasures to resuscitate and make into beautiful cards. My collection is growing and I cannot bear to part with them. When Alison was selling a particular card (one I already owned and loved) for a juicy discount, I grabbed the whole lot (or almost) with the thought in mind that I could personalise them for Christmas. (I asked Alison for permission).

Here’s my craft class, an actual one, as I go about personalising each card before I send it to the receiver. It’s getting rather late as each one takes a long time to do. I tend to work in the evenings and into the night and will have to do so for a bit if I want them to get to people before Christmas. I love doing them and I hope that people will love receiving them. 

Thank you Giova for being part of the VLD experience and for sharing your imaginary craft class. I love: “I craft almost everyday. It is what I love doing and if I haven’t done any crafts during the day, I feel it wasn’t a day well spent.” What a beautiful thing to do every day.

To all my readers and all of you that support Vive la Différence here on Colourliving, a million thanks. We’re signing off for the year and look forward to seeing you again here in 2014 when I will have more fab bloggers showing off their talents.