Tuesday 30 April 2013

Textured Canvas for The Craft Barn

Good morning friends
I hope you are well. Over at The Craft Barn Blog this week it's all about texture and today I'm sharing a canvas over there. All the "how I did it" details can be found on the blog post HERE so I'd love you to pop on over to visit there!
Here is a photo of the project to whet your appetite


Hope you have a great day!


Materials
Dylusions ink - London Blue, Crushed Grape and Turquoise
Prima mask - Flourish
Washer Strip Die - Tim Holtz
Umbrella man - Tim Holtz
Tissue paper
Stamp - Good Thoughts - Tim Holtz

Monday 29 April 2013

Classes at Crafting Time

Hi there friends

I'm really excited to share that I'll be teaching 4 classes later this year at Crafting Time in Cambridgeshire which is really exciting for me!

The first class begins with the creation of a loose leaf journal using one of my lovely Book Cover kits and then beginning to look at the basics of Art Journaling. The next 3 classes each focus on a different aspect of journaling  from adding textures, hidden journaling and then finishing off details.
So if you are in the area, I'd love to see you there! These classes are always fun with mucky paws guaranteed.

The Shop is in Shepreth and the link above will take you to their home page and here are the links to each class so you can see the details.

Sunday 28 July : Journal Journey - Stepping Out

Sunday 25 August : Journal Journey - Texture and Depth

Sunday 15 September : Journal Journey - Hide and Seek

Sunday 29 September : Journal Journey - Finishing School

All the dates of my classes are on my teaching schedule page (Look on the left sidebar at the top for the link.

I'm really looking forward to it!
Also, while I'm here and it doesn't feel right not to have a picture; here is a layout I shared on the Katzelkraft blog last week. Katzelkraft are a French company with some truly lovely stamps. Do pop over and take a look!



Right, I'm off, I need to create a "cage" for a skirt; this should be fun.......

Transfer class at The Craft Barn

Good morning friends,
I hope you had a great weekend. I did; spending some time just wandering with my wife on Saturday, exploring places and then yesterday I taught a class at The Craft Barn. We explored various transfer techniques using what I consider to be store cupboards essentials rather than having to get specialist stuff.
We spent the morning trying out and practicing the techniques before moving on to creating this

 We used different layers of paint and sandpaper to age and distress the unit before adding stamped details
 I love these flowers, though they were the most fiddly of things to do!
 I love the aged, vintage feel that the transfers give, and adding details with inks also creates a lovely vintage effect.



 Hope you have  great day too. I'll be back just now with an exciting announcement (Exciting for me, at least!)

Thursday 25 April 2013

Finished Journal page

Good morning friends
If you visited my desk on Wednesday you may remember I had a journal page on my desk that I was not sure where it was going .... well it went in this direction


 The background was done using left over paint from a previous page rather than waste it. I applied it with a baby wipe which gives a great smooth finish. I added a bit of detail with a Prima flourish mask before starting to stamp.
 All the background imagery, the birds, splots background sentiment and feathers are from Visible Image. The Give wings to your dreams was stamped onto card using a small alphabet stamp set and aged with some Walnut Stain and Stormy Sky Distress ink
 The main sentiment was stamped onto card and aged the same way as the smaller words. The character (Also Visible Image) was stamped onto white card and coloured with Distress Markers. I love the "ink blot" bird, don't you?
I'm not someone who "colours in" a lot but I am pleased with how he came out. I couldn't use my Copics as I don't have the right ink pad to stop it bleeding. (Will rectify that soon!)
To add the finishing touch I used Picket Fence white Distress Paint to add circles, lines and dots to the page with assorted lids lego and card. Shadows were added with charcoal and the page was bordered with my new best friend; something I looked at a while ago and thought; hmmm, I wonder... a Tippex correction pen! It gives a great white mark so I'm pleased I tried it.

I'm entering this into a few challenges this week

Over at The Visible Image blog, the challenge is Stamping so I'm entering this into their challenge. After all, it is their stamps so it would be rude not to!

Simon Says Stamp has an anything goes theme so this is anything.....

Simon Says Stamp and Show has a colour theme this week; I've used enough colour and colouring mediums to fit the bill too.

Creative Craft World the theme is Blues and/or Browns

Fashionable Stamping - Sentimental

Also, just a reminder, I've a small giveaway on my blog to celebrate reaching 500 followers, the details are HERE and you could win these goodies, all my own designs.
Hope you have a great day everyone.

Wednesday 24 April 2013

500 Follower giveaway

Good morning again!
I've thoroughly enjoyed sharing my creative journey here in blog-land and I am honoured, thrilled and amazed that over the last few years so many have decided to follow. My Google followers have just passed the 500 mark so to celebrate I thought I'd have a little giveaway ....

So, I've put together a little pack of one of my book cover kits, my shoal mask and one of my stamps. (I'm sure a few other little goodies will make their way in too but this is the main!)

So to be in with a chance to win all you need to do is leave a comment here on this post. Obviously you need to be a follower (either by email or by Google, and yes I will check) But I'm not asking you to jump through hoops and share and post and add to Facebook and ...... it's just a simple comment here.

I'll draw the name randomly next Wednesday.

Once again, thank you for sharing my creative journey, it means a lot to have you along for the ride!

WOYWW 203 and a giveaway

Good morning friends
I hope this finds you all well and happy. Time sure is flying past at a rate of knots if it is Wednesday already! Time to join in the big desk hop as decreed by Julia at Stamping Ground

Here is my desk, with no artificial lighting, just an open door at 6 30 am.......

 Fairly respectable I think this morning, probably because Mark was here on Monday and I didn't do much yesterday in here!
 Busy working on this journal page, that's as far as I got, now I'm wondering where it wants to go next....
 Some embellishments waiting to be painted (or packed away, whichever comes first)
 Started doing something on this canvas with Distress Paint and the Wild West stamps from Tim. Wasn't happy with the first try so covered it up with more paint ready to start again. It's been one of those times where I want to do stuff but can't quite settle in a direction.

One last thing, for those of you who visit me that have a Wordpress blog; I am sorry but for some reason when I visit you I cannot leave a comment. It asks for a password but doesn't recognise it when I do. So I do visit but unfortunately you never know!

So there's my world this morning.
I'm also doing a giveaway so check out my next post!
Have a great week fellow WOYWWers and all you other lovely peeps who visit me here.

Monday 22 April 2013

Take Flight at The Craft Barn

Good morning friends
I hope you all had a good weekend. We had loads of sunshine so spent time in the garden and even hauled out the BBQ for the first time this year, twas fabulous!
I got a couple of posts today, firstly over at Katzelkraft I have this layout.


The full picture is HERE and I'd love you to pop on over!

Then, this week over at The Craft Barn, our theme is Take Flight and today I'm kicking off the week with a balloon. All the details are HERE


Ball, lightbulb, lollipop sticks
Distress Stains - Forest Moss, Walnut Stain, Pewter and Tarnished Brass
Embossing folder - Clock Faces, Tim Holtz
Distress ink pad - Black Soot



Saturday 20 April 2013

Journal pages

Good afternoon folks, it's lovely and sunny here in Kent this morning. I've even pottered about the garden a bit too, trying to neaten up and control the weeds that are beginning to come up. Still, you're more interested in my crafting than gardening I'm sure so here are a few of the journal pages I've been fiddling with recently

The first page was just done as I was sitting in front of the telly watching the events in America and though I was not planning anything, I found it good to do.
Then, my first foray into the world of Digi "Stamps" Ive watched in confusion how suddenly there are tonnes of these "Digi Stamp stores" popping up and I wondered what was the point. You see I love the tactile nature and even the smell of ink and rubber that proper stamping gives you. I am not a colourer inner.....
So the concept and attraction of this eluded me somewhat. Then I happened to win a digi stamp voucher at Smudgy Antics so here we are, my first page using  my only digi image.

 Dylusions masks and inks form the background, paint in silver and pearl has been used to add interest with various cards and blocks
 The image was printed out in different sizes and coloured and attached with multi medium.

 I like this page, very much. Am I hooked on digi; no. Will I use them again, probably, though I don't think they'll ever be a big part of my life! The big advantage is the ability to resize.
 Then there's this page, started in a class and finally finished off!

So there you have it. Now it's time for work so I will leave you to your weekend.  I'm also excited to see that my google follower count has just passed the 500 mark, how exciting is that? I think a giveaway is needed to celebrate so watch this space!
HAVE A GREAT DAY FOLKS!

Friday 19 April 2013

Small scale at The Craft Barn

Good morning friends
Just a quick little post to share a peek at my project for The Craft Barn. This week is small scale week and today my project in detail is on their blog HERE
Here's a peek of it along with the product links.



Thursday 18 April 2013

Craft Barn Alpha challenge - letter W

Good morning friends
Don't know how this slipped through the net but still, better late than never.
Sunday was the start of the new letter over at the Alpha challenge and this week it is the letter W but with a twist... you must use circles on your page.
This is mine
 I chose the word Way and went mad with all my circle masks and inks on the pages!
 I added some dabs of Distress Paint and some drawn circles too. I added a couple of spare die cut butterflies too.
 I highlighted the definition with Liquid Pearls
The Scripture was written onto a Tando circle and a charm was added to finish.

All the details and the link for you to add yours can be found HERE
Hope you all have a lovely day.

Wednesday 17 April 2013

WOYWW 202

Good morning friends
I hope you are all well. I am surprised that it is Wednesday already though. So time to pop on over to Stamping Ground for the weekly gathering of workplaces. All the details are HERE

So here is my place today

 Not a  huge amount going on at the moment. My holiday is over and it's back to juggling the different jobs. All my goodies from Ally Pally have been packed away, though I have to say I could not resist cutting some of my new leather pieces......
 Pretty good, I think, and on the top right you can just see a leather ATC peeking. im going to have fun with these....
 Then this book just fell into my hands the other day while wandering a charity shop...... Loads of illustrations  of Wonderland.

Lastly there's my little journal pouch, I use it to add quotes etc so I have notes of things that have struck a chord with me......
So there you have my little place today. Hope you all have a good time today too.

Monday 15 April 2013

Ally Pally

Good morning friends
Phew, what a busy weekend I've had, it's Monday and I'm still exhausted, in a good way though. Saturday saw us up bright and early to get to Ally Pally early so we could get decent parking Mark came along with us and we met up with Paul Browning from The Artsiders blog who traveled down to meet us for the day. It was great to actually meet him and we had a great day together.

 In between all the chatting we did managed to take the occasional look at what was going on around us, once we managed to drag Mark away from The MDF man, that is..... This was at the Creative Expressions stand. The melt pot appears to be making a welcome return and there was some fab samples there.
 This is the hall, the first time I have been in this hall. Though it was busy, there still seemed to be more space which was good.
 A couple of things caught my eye, like these stamps (Visible Image, I think)
 This was cool too, love the cracked glass effect on the porthole.
 I got dragged up to talk about my Book cover kits and Masks with the lovely Helen from Crafting Time and Di from Tando in the demo room, talk about being put in the hot seat, it was fun though.

It was fantastic to see that one of my masks had been used on one of the samples too!

So, what stuff did I succumb to I hear you ask. I was remarkably restrained I think. Well, I had to have this fab cabinet, a 12 x 12 size one so I am really looking forward to doing something with that!, Then I stocked up on orange tape and white card, a couple more Distress Paints (Have I told you how wonderful they are!) Then a bag of leather pieces, great value at a fiver and they are lovely big pieces too. Rose trim. Then Susan bought me some lovely keys and scissors charms and chain tassels, cameos and the watch mask too.
So that was my day, meeting loads of lovely people as well. I got to chatting to a lovely couple of ladies who had come over from Ireland and as we were chatting about my jouranlling they asked if I did classes and when I said I teach at The Craft Barn it was with great excitement Shirley said  they were going there on Sunday, which just happened to co-incide with my Art Journalling #1 class...... needles to say, when I arrived at class there they were all booked in and raring to go! So along with the other 10 ladies we had an amazingly fab day getting all inky and getting to grips with inks, stains and paints. I of course forgot to take my camera out which was a pity.

Now I need to unpack and get the studio sorted, stat working on some DT stuff before it's back to the pay the bills job tomorrow!
Hope you all have a wonderful day.

Friday 12 April 2013

Bits and pieces

Good morning friends
I trust that you are well and having a good week. I've been flitting from this to that this week, trying to get stuff finished, other stuff started, class planning, keeping my studio tidy (failed on that) and just generally on top of things........oops, excuse me a moment, I think I'm burning the muffins.... be back in  tick.
Phew, cooked and not burn't.....
It's going to be a busy weekend; on Saturday I'm off to Ally Pally with Susan and Mark (from Speshink). We're meeting Paul (from The Artsiders) there too which I'm looking forward to. So if you are there on Saturday and see three guys who look as if they are having a great time and enjoying themselves rather than wandering around with the I've been dragged here against my will faces of some other chaps, then it'll probably be us so do say Hi!

I've also had a bit of fun playing with paint and altered one of the plaster cherubs that you may have seen on my desk on Wednesday


Isn't is gorgeous, I've used Paint dabbers, Inka Gold and Decoart Traditions paints and love the effect. I'm busy working on something that will use this but I'll share that later when I manage to get it finished properly.

On Sunday, I'll be at The Craft Barn teaching my Art Journalling #1 class, I'm looking forward to that very much as it's always a fun class and also it's my first class in the new premises. There are a couple of spaces left I think if you'd like to join in the fun; details are HERE.

I've also managed to finish the journal page I've been working on too, using Jofy stamps as well as my own funky birds.



It was fun to do, there's Dylusions, stamping and colouring, a bit of doodling too, the colours are a bit funny in the photo but better in reality, I think so anyway!
The first step toward success is taken when you refuse to be a captive of the environment in which you first find yourself. Mark Cain

Right, I must away, things to do and places to be, hope you all have a blessed and creative day.