Hi Friends!
Carabelle Studios is no more
[Tuesday morning edit:] I’m so sad to wake up today and read that Carabelle Studios are closing their doors after being in business for over 12 years. They cite several reasons for this but the one that makes my blood boil is Chinese counterfeiting. People who buys unbranded stamps etc have no idea the damage they are causing to the industry by encouraging these thieves of copyrighted designs, and now a wonderful stamp company is no more. These fake stamps are available on sites like Aliexpress, Temu, and Amazon, the purveyors of fake products and thieves of copyrighted designs. I have never bought any but I see them on Amazon all the time, and it is not just Carabelle, many US stamp companies are victims of this fraud too, including Tim Holtz/ Stampers Anonymous and Sizzix dies. People who buy the fake crap say that they can’t afford the real thing, well here’s a thought, just buy less of the fake crap and buy a few couple decent originals. These people are fond of filming “haul” videos on Youtube, and showing everyone just how much they got for a few dollars. More is not always more, you don’t need it, and you are putting people out of business. Instead of a “haul” video, how about a video about some carefully thought out purchases of selected craft supplies that you really need and will use often. If you don’t know Carabelle, they are a French company who make rubber stamps, stencils etc and have such designers as Kate Crane and Birgit Koopsen designing for them, or did have until now. Kate has the official announcement here on her blog post.Happy Tuesday . . .
… Though I am writing this on Monday because this week will be crazy! I am getting some work done on the house and the workmen need to be in four different rooms. I have to move furniture and *cough* craft supplies *cough* out of the way so that they can access what they need to access. The main problem is that they need access to so many rooms, if it was just one room, then easy to move stuff to another room, but I have no idea where all the stuff is going to go for all these rooms. And on top of that, I will have to lock the cats up in the living room all day because people will be in and out and doors and windows will be open, so I can’t store anything in the living room as that will have to be our sanctuary for the day. So as soon as I finish writing this, I will have to get on with the moving of stuff. It will all be worth in in the end! I’m just glad that the weather will be dry that day. Miss Lily was so excited to see an uncluttered horizonal surface that she just had to roll around on it and make it hers.
I am still hoping to join in all three of the journalling events I mentioned last week, though I just realised that December starts on Friday! This has been such a quick month. I am hoping to somehow combine them rather than creating separate pages for each, it really just depends what the daily prompts turn out to be. At the moment I only know the Dephemerember prompts. Here are the links again if you missed them last week Dephemerember (an ephemera junk journal challenge in December). It’s hosted by two lovely people in Austria -Barbara from 49 Dragonflies and Luise Heinzl, Care December run by the Wanderlust people on Teachable, and Art Journal Advent which is an Instagram challenge but you can get the daily prompts by email from her website too if you want to join in.
Black Friday?
The only shopping I did was to buy some Domestika classes – yes Kate if you are reading this – I bought more classes lol. But that’s the first I’ve bought in about a year and the BLCM sale prices were good plus they sent me an extra discount coupon which made them about £5 each. I picked up a few older Paperartsy stamps and stencils which were about a third/quarter of the usual retail price and I’d had my eye on them for a while (I have a PA wishlist!) so it was good to get the special price. These stamps are red rubber and will no doubt last forever. They are the best stamps I have ever used, very deeply etched, and stunning designs, so I think well worth the price.
Today’s Art . . .
Today’s art is a page I made for Jo’s theme this month on Art Journal Journey – Nature. My nature elements are plentiful!
A few months ago I started on this page using a napkin that is covered in butterflies and other flying insects. I painted around the outside of it in green but I wasn’t happy with it so I set it aside and forgot about it. I rediscovered it last night and decided to do something with it. (I have another such recycled page coming up next month too.)
I made these tags so I could use them to cover my background. All the images are free downloads from the #Dephemerember people. Unfortunately my printer was playing up and everything came out green instead of the vintage brown they are supposed to be but actually I kinda like it and thought I could use them on my page. I used more of their free images and some old Christmas diecuts from last year’s cards to adhere everything to the page so it works as a journal page but then the tags are removable for journalling if needed. The tag backing is of course old amazon boxes – I have a stash of these lovely kraft card boxes that they don’t use so much now.
Currently (Re)Reading . . .
I’m being very lazy this month and find myself re-reading books that I have just read! I read the new Michael Connelly twice, and now I am re-reading both of these books for a third time! I have to say though that they are very much comfort reading, they are just so easy and enjoyable with warm, fuzzy feelings. I guess that’s why they call them “cosy” fantasy. I’m really enjoying them keeping me company while I get on with the work I have to do before tomorrow. I recommend them for light, cosy reading, and I would really love one of the very large cats in the second book! If you get the audiobooks, they are perfectly narrated by the author. Other highlights this month are The Toymakers by Robert Dinsdale – what a magical book this was, and Resurrection Walk by Michael Connelly, I really like where this series might be heading and will be interested to see if I’m right.
Genre: Cosy Fantasy
TOTAL for 2023
123 books so far (could have been more if I hadn’t been re-reading the same books!)
November Books so far – 7
117. Charlotte Bronte – Jane Eyre 
118. Anne Rice – The Vampire Lestat
119. Bernhard Schlink – The Reader
120. Robert Dinsdale – The Toymakers
121. Travis Baldree – Bookshops and Bonedust – Legends and Lattes #2
122. Michael Connelly – Resurrection Walk – Lincoln Lawyer #7
123. T F Muir – Killing Moon – DI Gilchrist #12
(re-reads if any are in bold)
T Stands For . . .
I have a few tickets for the tea party today… First of all some Pukka Elderberry and Echinacea teabags from my tea stash. I’m glad I bought some in bulk a while back because the price of this tea now is ridiculous and I refuse to buy it. I am still working on the big granny square thing (haven’t decided what to call it yet) with the cotton and a 3.5mm hook but then at the weekend I saw a pattern for a sunburst granny square blanket that looked so nice and used such lovely yarn that I was sorely tempted to spend money I can’t afford on yarn, then I remembered that I was trying to crochet through my stash, so I tried the sunburst square on this very stiff 100% wool yarn I bought when I was on the Isle of Harris (Hebrides) a few years ago.
It’s the same weight and I tried it with a 5mm and then a 10mm hook, the yarn is very non-drapey so I am wondering how a blanket would be with it as it’s very stiff. If you want to see how the blanket should look with the right yarn click here. It uses an American brand of tweedy wool and many colours, nearly every square is different and very very pretty. I did find a cheaper substitute here but it’s not quite the same as the original yarn. The price difference is a lot, probably about a third of the price if I got the substitute yarn. Still, not really meant to be buying yarn. Meant to be USING THE STASH.
My other ticket to tea is this Starbucks Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate powder. It’s really nice, I only bought it as it was on special, otherwise it’s quite pricey. Also in this photo are some Isle of Arran chutneys I picked up at the same time. I have since tried all three and they are all delicious but possibly the Beetroot one is my favourite.
While I remember, the Isle of Arran that I am referring too, and the one that features in my beach photos, is not the same Isle of Aran (with one R) famous for jumpers (sweaters). The Aran with one R refers to a small group of Irish islands off the West Coast of Ireland near Galway. My Arran with two Rs, is off the West Coast of Scotland, and is famously referred to as “Scotland in miniature” because the landscape is so much like the mainland but in a condensed size, including mountains. There is a thriving tourist trade and gourmet food scene, and natural, organic products, including Arran Aromatics, whom I believe export worldwide.
And finally I wanted to share my cucumber harvest with you. The seeds were planted at the beginning of May, plants spent all summer in the greenhouse and then I brought them inside to sit in the kitchen window for the last month, and my amazing cucumber harvest consists of…
…This one, solitary Crystal Lemon cucumber, which is about the size of a large cherry tomato. It makes all that work and months of watering worthwhile doesn’t it? LOL (also in the photo you can see I am wearing some wristlets crocheted from the same Harris yarn I mentioned above. These are a few years old and seem to have softened up a little, so maybe a granny blanket would be OK.)
Apologies to those I couldn’t comment on last week due to browser issues, I managed to catch up with the ones I couldn’t comment on. All fixed now.
Let me know what you think in the comments. As always, thanks for reading and Happy journalling!
Ingredients
handmade journal, napkin, matte medium, free printables, amazon box cardboard, tim holtz word stickers, twine, glue, pitt pens, pencil, white pen, old christmas diecuts,
Challenges
T Stands For – pukka elderberry tea, starbucks hot chocolate,
Art Journal Journey – Nature
Those are beautiful tags. I also noticed the Amazon boxes were no more. This is a fabulous entry for Jo’s theme at AJJ.
I also saw Kate’s post.
Your nature pages are amazing! I love the images and how you combined the tags in your design – beautiful ?. Such a shame about Carabelle Studios, I love the quality of their stamps and stencils. Loved seeing your kitty cat too. Thanks so much for joining us at AJJ. Hugs, Jo x
Wonderful posting from nature and alls
happy week , hug Elke
Sadly many people fall for the cheap copies. And then they complain about the bad quality – beats me.
When I can I buy local. Which gets more and more difficult with most buying online and hence shops closing.
Just Monday a colleague said she needed (speaking of minus-temps) a new coat. It was like in former GDR, she said. 3 models she maaaaybe liked and he hopped through more than one shop.
And ended up ordering online.
I think with cheap copies and shops not provong as before… new times we live in.
Miss Lily is sooo cute.
Speaking of Black Friday… nonsense in my eyes. Many here rise the prices the days before and go back “down” for the occasion.
Love your art.
Pukka it is here often, too. In general loads of hot tea…
LOL on your harvest!
To a belated T-Day, was a full day yesterday. -7, brrrr! Here again -1C. Warming hugs!
Hi Elle. Great post. The Chinese invasion of fake, crappy replicas has hit every aspect of the art world. They invaded the beading world decades ago. Beadwork was sent over from China in the designs of Native Americans. Just crap, but was found in every gift store across the country. Anyway, it is a shame for sure. I love your art and really enjoyed you post today.
Very sad about the Carabelle Stamps closing. I think I need to take a remedial geography class. I didn’t know there was a difference between Aran and Arran. The granny square pattern is very pretty. There are so many different types, too. You page and tags are really lovely. Fun how the printer decided the tags should be printed in green to match your page. I hope you get through the renovations smoothly. Happy T Day
Such a neat cucumber. I have never seen one that is that shape or color.
That is so sad about that stamp company. I have admired their stamps but never purchased any. China is really ruining a lot of good companies yet we give them business by importing because it’s cheaper. We need more local made but it’s all about politics.
You go, Girl! $5 each is a great price! I just hopped on Domestika and they still have the sale. I have been saving for the Domestika Plus Subscription. If I do that, each class I keep comes out to 6.99. Who knows if I will make it through the day without purchasing more classes.
I am going to do a day of Scottish Christmas for Advent. I planned on making Shortbread, Cock-a-leekie soup and Mince pies since I read they were Scottish staples. Is that true? And if you have time, I would love some recipes for your favorite Christmas dishes. I would rather take your word than the internet for traditional Scottish dishes. My email address is XXX removed XXX.
Happy Tea Day,
Kate
Hi Elle! Oh my, you seem to be rather busy, take a break in between.I have seen stamps etc on the Chinese Online stores, o sale for a few cent, no firm can keep up with these prices. Sorry Carabelle ks closing, that’s sad. I have an enormous amount of stamps, and can rarely use them because of my shaky hands, pity! It is very hard for me to write in this tiny compartment here, would it be possible to enlarge it a bit, as I see very badly and the type is so small. If it’s not possible, don’t worry! Hugs, Valerie
I am sad to read about Carabelle Stamps closing down. I have some, and I love them. (I love PaperArtsy stamps too. Finding good red rubber isn’t easy, and I agree about buying cheap China knock offs and how they harm real companies. Especially artistic companies because idea stealing is not a good thing. And I didn’t know there were Aran Islands and Arran Islands. I guess my geography knowledge isn’t all that good, smile. (But probably better than many folks. I picked up the Toymakers as a Black Friday deal on my kindle. I haven’t started it yet, but I just finished a good mystery by Asa Larsson last night, so who knows what’s next on the reading list. And I also found a yummy salted caramel hot chocolate at Trader Joe’s. I don’t think you have Trader Joe’s on your side of the pond. It’s chilly this morning and I’d love a cup. (Maybe I will go make one after writing this comment.)
Your page is gorgeous.I love how you used the tags. They work well on the background paper and the bottom left corner overlap is great. Thanks for joining Jo’s challenge again. And lucky you to be still picking from your garden. My garden season is over. Nice crochet and books also. I hope the work at your house goes smoothly and is done on time. Happy T day too. I’m off to make my hot chocolate. Smile. hugs-Erika
Buying cheap has so many problems, including the ones you mentioned. Everyone (just about) needs to save on some parts of their purchases like you on yarn, rather than buy more hand-made local product or just buying fewer goods. And the result is so much waste as well as badly affecting small-scale crafts people and producers. It’s really challenging to see what is the right thing to do.
best, mae at maefood.blogspot.com