Crafter's Inspiration Issue No 11...Thoughts from a non card maker

Hiya guys, this is the first time i have ever purchased one of these magazines by the crafters companion peeps, im not a card crafter, i make cards at christmas and the odd one here and there but thats it....i do however cross alot of the card making materials over to other crafts and because the 'freebies' with this issue were my sort of thing and the cost for those alone was worth it to try them out, i went for it.

I have to admit i watched all the demos on Hochanda very carefully once i had decided to try this magazine.

anyway onwards.

The Magazine itself : fortunately or unfortunately depending on the point of view, i have been very poorly of late which was actually the perfect time to browse a new magazine...what did i think???? well im intruiged, love the lanterns and some of the tips, love the product ads that allowed me to check out what was about.....even loved some of the cards although i doubt i'll make them....and as the magazine was, for technically the freebie lol i was very happy with it and certainly wont be throwing it away.....

The Stamps: This was one of the reasons my interest was caught, love leaves and anything woodsy, they will be great stamped into/on all kinds of media and worth adding to my collection.  The Picture below shows the results of me having a little play, the background is coloured with washed inktense pencils. I found the shading on the leaves heavy stamped in black ink, but think the solution to this is simply a different coloured stamping ink.

The Dies: The Clincher for me and combined with the stamps, made everything else the freebies lol, these are gorgeous.....would love to get these in the mixed media dies, so i could cut fabrics etc lol

The Embossing folder: When i ordered.. i thought...oh well another embossing folder...since then ive discovered i can emboss powertex'd fabric and the vine effect will and does look stunning embossed, this will be featuring on the odd project methinks lol i love it!!!!!

The Double CD, Messy Crafting: I havent actually looked at this yet, BUT i have seen the shows on Hochanda where Sheena has demoed the two CD's these are from and they are on my wishlist so i will be perusing at some point...and it was free so a bonus lol

The Double CD, Papers and stuff: This was fun to browse through, the papers are gorgeous and as i like making memory books and the odd scrapbook page, they are a handy addition to my arsenal....The Autumn Morning papers are delicious.

So there we have it.....having played i decided to try and make a card....which is stepped below lol

One of the papers from the CD for a background.

Added the stamped peice of card.

and the peice of embossed fabric.

Leaves cut from cheap brown paper, coloured with pixie powder and raised with the Collal 3D Glue

I varnished the leaves with the stuff that came with the pixie powders, happy accident here as the paper curled slightly which has given them a cool windblown look

All i need to do is add a sentiment and the card is complete.....i am very happy with this. Hope you like it too.

In Conclusion: 
Was the magazine value for money?, honestly i wouldnt have bought it without the extras as i viewed the magazine as a freebie and the dies and stamps as the money...however it was a great freebie lol.
Would I buy another issue?, Absolutely yes if there was extras i wanted....for example issue 10 didnt appeal to me personally, but i have seen pictures of Issue 9 and would have loved to have got my sticky paws on that lol...so for a non card crafter it still has many benefits.
What is the Outcome of Issue 11? I want the entire Autumn Morning collection when it is released so it has done it job lol....

If you are tempted by these magazines even for the 'freebies' i say go for it, it made a poorly non card crafter very happy and there is lots to play with.

Hope you enjoyed this review and found it helpful, ive never done one before so any thoughts about what i might have missed...let me know.