Got some bits and pieces left over from your issue 11 kit? Make this sweet card! It's perfect for friends and family who like a spot of gardening.

Harvest festival

Use the template to cut fruit and veg pieces from your papers, then apply glue to the peas and plums. Wind pieces of the cord from your kit tightly into a spiral and place it on the glued pieces. Trim the paper to fit. Score and fold the leaves for an extra 3D touch. Stick the pieces down on a blue card. Give the peas a few curled cord tendrils. Use scraps of the patterned paper in your kit as colourful borders.

Our Technical Editor, Angela, gives her top tips for easy crafting.

"Card toppers are designs that can be quickly attached to the front of a card, tag, bag or even gift box. They're so handy if you need an instant card and you can then add a simple greeting to suit the occasion. A card topper can be any shape of size but I like to make them small enough to fit on an A6 card blank (like the ones in your kit). Perfect if you want to do some crafting but don't have a particular card to make. To get the most out of your card toppers, keep them simple with flowers or motifs that can be used for more than one occasion. It's also handy to have a few card toppers suitable for men in your stash."

Keep an eye out for our crafty post-it style notes throughout You Can Craft magazine for more great ideas.

I’ve come over all texture-inspired this month – tactile treats galore have been catching my crafty eyes lately! Adding that extra something to make it especially strokable is so worthwhile. It really makes the recipients of your cards and gifts appreciate even more the thought you put in as they get touchy-feely. Check out our fab value kit for great texture ideas… This issue we have cords and ‘hint of a glint’ fibre to ring the changes from flat ribbons, and buttons and seed beads are winners for added dimension. Even the chunky die cut shapes have been coming into their own as I’ve been layering them up: I just love the quirky shapes we have for you (especially the on-trend birdie!) and the versatile frames have been grabbing my attention the most.

The issue's out now, enjoy it! And remember to look out for more stunning projects next month, as we kick off our Christmas crafting (on sale 18th September).

Love stash? Get your craft collection sorted with the second of our massive giveaways! This time we have five boxes to send out and one of them could have your name on it… Just click here for the competition.

We have five pairs of tickets to give away to this massive papercrafting event! For your chance to win a great day out at Alexandra Palace in London, click here.

Congrats to the following lucky folk who won our competition to go to Manchester's Stitch & Creative Crafts show, which takes place from August 29-31:

Nichola Hamilton, Preston; Andrew Stevenson, Motherwell; Karen Marrie, Oldham; Joan Kelly, Leeds; Christine Hammersley, Wakefield; Alison English, Altrincham; June Chandler, Walsall; Kerry Musk, Milton Keynes; Ros Hughes, Flintshire; and Hazel Holroyd, Rochdale.

Have a great time guys! Your tickets are in the post and should arrive with you shortly.

Unlucky this time? Go to www.tridentexhibitions.co.uk for more info about the show and ticket details, and keep your eyes peeled for more ticket giveaways right here!

We had to share the latest cards from Christine in Nottingham with you – aren't they great? We especially love the felt detail on the ladybird, very nice Christine!

Would you like your crafts to reach a wider audience?

Crafting enthusiasts Roseanna Wyatt and Tjobbe Andrews, from Byfield in Northamptonshire, are embarking on a crafty tour this month across England, Scotland and Wales to meet as many crafters, artists and makers as they can.

“The aim is to stop off at crafters and makers along the way and take photos of the work we see, and put it onto the travel diary on our website and blog as we go along,” says Roseanna.

The website, www.thegreatbritishcrafttour.co.uk is the place to check on Rosie and Tjobbe's progress and find out what people are making across Britain. If successful, it could become an annual expedition.

Like a crafty day out? We have just the competition for you! It's the Stitch & Creative Crafts Show at Manchester Central between 29th and 31st August and we have ten pairs of tickets to give away! Click here to enter.

There's a nod to Nickelback's chart topper inside this fun card made by Belinda Dawes in Newport.

She says, "I made this card for my son's 19th birthday. I used some of your free papers and templates as my inspiration. Everyone seems to agree that it's very hard finding new ways to make cards for men and this design really enabled me to try something different. I'm usually an avid 'pink and everything that sparkles' kind of girl!"

"The guitar ideas in your magazine really got my creative juices flowing and I came up with this little number. I loved the rock star theme as my son is a music fanatic. I've been crafting for many years and don't think of myself as that confident when it comes to cardmaking, but your magazine has helped me so much."

Thanks for sending us this card Belinda, we love the way you've adapted the design to suit the occasion. Don't be scared to show off your cards, they're fab!

Fanfare of trumpets please for Kathy Surridge from Littlehampton who sent us this picture of a cracking card she made from issue 9's templates and papers. Kathy says, "I bought You Can Craft for the first time as I was looking for inspiration for my husband's birthday in July. He loves all that's jazz and he was very impressed as were our friends and neighbours at his party."

"I have MS and am partially sighted because of it. Crafting and cardmaking are my passion – it keeps me going and keeps me happy."

Thanks for sharing your creative flair with us Kathy and we're glad you found a card design to suit the occasion!

Nothing goes to waste in the You Can Craft office! I salvaged this pink card after issue 10's 'All you need to know about cutting shapes" photo-shoot as I thought it would make the perfect base for a card for my parents, who've just celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary.

All I did to jazz it up a bit was layer up some You Can Craft papers and a sheet of mystery-brand stiffened 'letter' fabric up on the left hand side, with a threaded 'Best Wishes' greeting on top, fixed in place with a scrap of narrow brown ribbon, tied in a bow. As it's their 30th I wanted to include some pearl elements so I stuck three mini pearl beads at the top and fixed the greeting onto a piece of ivory corrugated card, also from a previous You Can Craft kit. What do you think?

You can get the heart punch from Tollit and Harvey stockists.

Queen of cool fabrics, Amy Butler, is behind a gorgeous new sewing kit that we loved so much it went in the August issue! It includes 15 simple sewing projects, an illustrated booklet, pattern sheets, thread and a couple of fabrics - all for £15.99. The good news is Chronicle Books are running a You Can Craft reader offer – simply email orders@gbs.tbs-ltd.co.uk or call 01476 541080, stating reference code 'ucancraftpguk' to get £2 off and postage paid.

Celebrate!

For a really quick card, use up simple strips of left over papers by sticking them down a card for an instant pattern. A few decorative greetings, like these ones from the issue 10 kit, make the finishing touch. It's a 'make in minutes!'

If you loved the baby pink and chocolate brown ribbon-stitched cards in the August issue, you're going to love this competition! We have five McGill ribbon-stitch punches that we used for the project, kindly supplied by Craftime, to give away. Recreate the look at home with ease! Simply click here for the competition.