Santa Bear

Good morning to you all.  Here is my card offering for today.  This is a card that I made for The Glitter Pot classes that I took the other week.  Isn't he cute??  The bear is of course by Forever Friends and is a Glitter Pot Exclusive stamp so if you want him you know where to go!  He was stamped using Starlite Black Brilliance and coloured using Copic Ciaos.  The background papers are also from The Glitter Pot and have been embellished using stamps from a Hero Arts clear stamp set - can't remember what it is called!  The wording is from a Popcorn Bear Christmas stamp set and all of this is available from The Glitter Pot.  Tomorrow I'll post up the other card that we made using a different Forever Friends Bear!

Sharon's Card

Oops!!  Forgot all about posting yesterday and am late posting today and I can't even say it is because I am really busy as things have eased off a bit for me now which is REALLY nice!!

Anyway today I wanted to share with you a card that I was presented with by Sharon when I was up at Stamp Addicts in October.  It was a complete surprise to receive it.  As you can see Sharon chose the Mimi character (by Denami Design) who is most like me - or at least who was most like me because as you know I can't eat chocolates any more - still perhaps one day...........Thanks Sharon - I will treasure it!  (By the way if you want to make me a Christmas card at all.........................!!!)

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After having been making Christmas Cards since August I suddenly realised over the weekend that Christmas really isn't that far away now - how did that happen???  So now that I have more of an even schedule from now until Christmas I have been thinking that I may see about making some Christmas cards for me to send to a few special people.  Although I'm thinking that I may well cheat and base my Christmas Cards on designs I have already done!!

Last of the Penny Black Ted Cards

Morning everyone.  Here is the last one of the Penny Black teddy cards that I made for that Glitter Pot weekend.  As you can see (just like I did for the postbox card that I posted the other day) I decided to cut him out from his background and put him onto a smaller card.  Again this really helps to pop him out from the rest of the card.  He was coloured using those Copic Ciaos - have I mentioned that I just love these pens????

The other stamps that you can see appearing on this card are all by Hero Arts and once again I have added a layer of acetate which I stamped using white StazOn and the Hero Arts snowflake and then stamped the holly flourish (by Hero Arts again) using Stone Grey StazOn.

Everything featured and pictured can be bought from The Glitter Pot.  By the way don't forget that in a weeks time I will be at The Glitter Pot demoing with the Copic markers so if any of you have any questions regarding them and are close enough to stop by I will do my best to help you, although I am still learning with these markers myself so am no expert!!  I would dearly love to do one of the courses run by Copic to become Copic Registered but as yet they don't actually run their courses in the UK but if anyone hears anything at any time please let me know!!

Craft Stamper December issue

Morning everyone.  Just thought I'd take this opportunity to show you a peek of my project that is in the December issue of Craft Stamper which is now out.  I have a four page project in this issue (at the back) showing you step-by-step how to watercolour using glitter gel pens.  I hope you like it!!

In this issue of the mag I also saw for the first time what the cover looks like to my first DVD - Basics and Beyond.  You'll never guess what..........................it has got a lilac background!!!  I can't wait to see what the other DVD's look like now!

By the way last night I could stand it no longer and finally reached for Breaking Dawn - the fourth book in the Twilight series. I have got to say that so far it has not disappointed and I found it really hard to put it down and go to sleep!

A Helping Hand

Oh my goodness I just don't know where the time has gone this morning!  I  have just looked at the clock and couldn't believe the time so thought I had better do my post now before the time just runs away with me!!

I don't think that I have posted up this particular card before but with all that's been going on I just can't remember!!  This is another of those Penny Black cards that I did for The Glitter Pot's birthday celebrations.  Out of all the Penny Black stamps I was working with this one was most definitely my favourite.  Unlike the cards that I know I have shown you before using this stamp I decided to cut it out and mount it onto my card which really stands it out as it emphasizes the shape of it,

The image was of course coloured using Copics - I just don't want to colour with anything else at the moment!!  All the background stamps that you can see including the wording are by Hero Arts and everything is available from The Glitter Pot.

Creative Crafting DVD's

Morning Guys.  Now that I am back up and running I have just got to take this opportunity to tell you that my three brand new craft DVD's will be available to buy very shortly!!  I think that I am right in saying that all being well they will be available at the Hobbycrafts show at the NEC this week on Traplet's stand!  Also Pauline has told me that they are now being advertised to pre-order  in the December issue of Craft Stamper.

The first one is called Basics and Beyond and covers basic stamping, stamping and embossing, working with bold stamps, kiss stamping and interactive stamping and this is already available to buy from The Craft Barn. The second one is called Colouring Techniques and this ended up being a double DVD as it is around 2 hours and 45 minutes long! In this DVD I cover colouring with dye-based pens, pigment pens, dye-based inkpads, colouring pencils along with blending solution, water colour pencils, Copics, glitter pens and chalks.  Lastly the third DVD is all about different techniques with shrink plastic including the basic method of colouring it first and shrinking it into a flat object, colouring and shrinking it then shaping it whilst it is still warm, intaglio effects with both background stamps and outline stamps, using frosted shrink plastic with white StazOn, using black shrink plastic with Brilliance inks and layering shrink plastic.  You'll find that in some of the DVD's I have made mistakes or nearly made mistakes but these have been left in so that you know I am human too!!  I think that I am right in saying that once all three are available both The Craft Barn and The Stamp Man will be stocking them and of course Traplet will be selling them through Craft Stamper too.

If any of you go ahead and buy any of the DVD's at the NEC show do let me know as unfortunately I won't be at this show.  Although after having to just buy a new computer perhaps it is a good thing that I won't be there as then I can't be tempted by anything!

Tomorrow I'll see what cards I've still got to show you so do check back then.....

Have You Missed Me??

Hi Everyone.  As the title says..............have you missed me?  Did you even notice that I've been gone????

I'm afraid that for the past 10 days or so I have had major computer trouble!!  It all started when my computer absolutely refused to start!  So I called my computer guy who stopped by later that day and after running a few tests was unable to fix it there and then so he took it away.  Basically to cut a long story short after trying for several days he was unable to get my files and folders off of the computer and the disk drives had become so corrupted that it was pronounced unfixable!!  So not only did I lose 2 weeks worth of work (as I hadn't backed it up) but I also had to say goodbye to my computer and see about getting a new one!!  Meanwhile I was checking my emails on my ipod but trying to type replies on it was a nightmare so I soon gave up!!

Anyway as of yesterday I am now up and running with a brand new computer and am having to get used to the new operating system of Windows 7 as well as finding my way around a whole new model!!

As you will know from my last post, I mentioned that Jill and I would be on your screens again shortly but unfortunately my back has not been good since my last trip.  So when you next see Jill she will be on her own but I will leave it up to her to tell you all about the next show on Create and Craft.

At the moment I am busy loading all my software, installing the updates for the software and loading my files onto the new computer as well as trying to catch up with the work I lost!  Unfortunately some cards have gone forever but fear not I still have some to show you!

Meanwhile I must say a huge thank you to Sandy from The Craft Barn as she has invited me to be part of The Craft Barn's Design Team so expect to see some Craft Barn orientated cards soon!!

Absolutely Shattered!!

Morning everyone.  What can I say??  I really did not want to get up this morning as I am just soooooo tired!!  I worked it out this morning that in the past 5 days I have driven around 570 miles and unfortunately my body knows about it!!  (So far I have yelled 3 times today where the sciatic pain down my leg has taken me unawares!!)  Anyway I am home safe and sound which is the main thing and I don't have to do anymore motorway driving for a couple of weeks.  I just don't know how other people manage with all the commuting - travelling anywhere these days on the roads is a nightmare!

Still I hope that you managed to catch Jill and I yesterday on Create and Craft and that you enjoyed the show.  Although it was my first 'live' show I've got to say that it was no different really from doing a 'pre-record show' as Jill and I always do those in one take anyway.  By the way did you notice how well Jill and I matched with each other??  As most of you know we don't live anywhere near each other as Jill is based in Yorkshire and I am on the south east coast so we communicate with each other either by email or phone.  We were both trying to work out what to wear and discussing it with each other a few days ago on the phone and I couldn't believe how well the colours we had chosen matched each other - we obviously see colours the same as each other as another of our outfits (that we had brought with us) also matched too!! 

Unfortunately we didn't get Nigel as our presenter (who we had booked) and we had Dave instead who neither of us had worked with before.  However he seemed very nice and at least he let us both speak which was a good thing!!  There will be more happening with Jill and I on Create and Craft very soon but I will let Jill tell you all about that on her blog so keep an eye on The Stamp Man's blog.

The card I've posted up today was one of the ones that I managed to make for yesterday's show using both the Funky Frames and the Fancy Flourishes stamp sheets.  I have got to say that I just can't stop using my Fancy Flourishes stamp sheet at the moment as there are just so many different backgrounds that you can create with them.

Whizzing!!!!!!

Here's another card from that Glitter Pot weekend demo using a Penny Black hedgehog this time instead of the teddies.  I have always really liked the hedgehogs that Penny Black do and have quite a few of them in my collection especially the Christmas ones.

The actual image is just of the hedghog skiing - I added the (Hero Art) trees by doing some simple masking of the hedgehog. Everything was stamped using Starlite Black Brilliance and then coloured using Copic Ciaos and Copic Spicas.

The green background was achieved using a large background stamp by Hero Arts combined with a Versamark inkpad and the wording (also by Hero Arts) was stamped over the top using that Starlite Black inkpad again. I then added a panel of background paper in complementary colours.  Everything is of course available from The Glitter Pot.

Dashing Around Like A Mad Thing!

I don't have a card to load up that incorporates my title today for my posting!  This teddy looks far too serene for how I feel today!!  I am desperately trying to locate stuff and then pack it before we go whizzing off up the motorway.  Although our show isn't being filmed until midday tomorrow we have to be there 2 hours before and being that I live on the south east coast and that it takes 3 hours from here to Peterborough if the traffic is ok, it means it is far easier and less stressful if I go up the day before.  However it also means that I have a day less to prepare stuff!

So since I've been back at home I have been busy beavering away but have only managed to get a few new cards together which I will show you another time once I have had chance to upload them!!

Meanwhile here is another of those Penny Black teddy cards that I made for The Glitter Pot's weekend back in September.  He has been coloured using the Copics which gives a really clean and crisp look.  The stamping that you see on the background panels was achieved using a Hero Arts background stamp, Versamark and Crystal embossing powder and the background papers that you see also came from The Glitter Pot.

Anyway wish me luck for tomorrow..............