Scarlett In Pink

Morning everyone. First of all my thanks to all the ladies that were on my classes on Saturday - you all made it such a lovely day and each of you did a splendid job with your cards!  I do hope that you were pleased with them!  I am back at The Craft Barn again teaching on the 24th July incase anyone fancies it - more details for this can be found in My Event Diary on my sidebar.

Today I wanted to share with you a card I've made for the Stamping Bella In Pink theme that is being shown over on The Craft Barn's blog.  The rest of the DT have also made some beautiful cards for this. Click here to go and see!

Do you remember those Bo Bunny Double Dots background papers that I had to have a little while ago from The Craft Barn?  Well as you can see I used one of these sheets for my background along with a paper out of the 6x6 Porcelain Basic Grey paper pad which I bought at the same time!  They really work well together don't they?  I punched the Basic Grey paper with my favourite Martha Stewart punch (Floral Lace) - I just had to use this one as it went so well with the image!  I then used my mini daisy punch to punch out some extra flowers to go along the base of my card and added a self-adhesive pearl to the centre of each one. The wording came from my Fancy Flourish stamp sheet and I was delighted to find that the pink ribbon (from The Craft Barn) was an absolute perfect match for the paper!!

I used my Labels Twelve Nestabilities dies for the main image which I cut out using my Cuttlebug. Scarlett The Teacup Girl was then stamped centrally using Tuxedo Black Memento ink and then coloured using Copic markers. The background was also created using the Copic markers. As you can see I used those self-adhesive pearls again for the centres of the daisies in her hair.

Once I had finished all my colouring I used some Smooch Illuminate on the daisies,  (I've angled the card in this photo so that you can see the shine that this gives - fab isn't it!) and then used Stardust glitter glue around the edge of the die cut.  I hope you like it! 

Don't forget to head on over to The Craft Barn's blog too to check out the rest of the cards that the DT made. While you're there, if you scroll down a bit to one of the Extravaganza posts you can also see a really bad photo of me!! (And yes I was talking at the time - but then again when aren't I?? Lol!)

Never Enough Hours In The Day.........

Well I think that I am finally starting to make some headway and with a bit of luck by next week I will have caught up with everything that I need to do!!

So sorry that I've been a little quiet this week but I've been trying to get everything done that needs to be done - I'm sure you know how it is!!  Tomorrow I am off to The Craft Barn to take my classes using the Belles 'n' Whistles stamps so I thought I'd take this opportunity to show you one of the cards that I made for the Extravaganza Weekend using the Belles 'n' Whistles Cupcake stamp. (And no this isn't one of the cards we'll be making tomorrow!) 

Infact Belles 'n' Whistles have currently got a challenge going over on their blog to make a card using the colours White, Pink and Brown so I thought I'd enter this card for it.

The background for the card was made using Bo Bunny Double Dot papers in Almond Dot, which I stamped over using my fine flourish stamp off of my Fancy Flourish stamp sheet. (The wording also came from this sheet too.) As you can see I used my Martha Stewart Cupcake punch for this card to create my border and the whole of the card was lightly spritzed using Iridescent Gold Glimmer Mist.

I coloured my Belles 'n' Whistles image using Copics in shades of pink and brown and then lightly distressed around the panel using Antique Linen Distress ink and a blending tool.  I used the same inkpad to ink up the fine flourish stamp to create a border down the left side of the panel.

Here's a closer look so you can see the colouring a bit better of the image. You can't really tell from this photo but once I'd finished colouring the image with my Copic Ciaos I then used the Copic Spicas to add some shimmer here and there before using small amounts of Diamond  and Platinum glitter glue.  So all in all this is one very sparkly card!!

A House In The Country

Hi guys.  I had fully intended to post earlier than this but you know the story by now about how time flies etc...!!  As you know a few days ago I was talking about making Dad his Father's Day card - well this is what I finally came up with!  My Dad was born in the country and grew up there and only moved away when he married my Mum - he has always dreamt of returning to the country but unfortunately the price of houses in the middle of nowhere are out of his monetary reach so I decided to recreate a house in the country for him for his Father's Day card this year!

As I mentioned previously I always struggle with mens cards as not only do I find subject matter hard to find but I also have to resist on 'prettying' them up.  However this year I think I rose to the challenge as I didn't even apply any glitter glue - although I did want to!!

For the background of the card I used some scenic stamps by Stampscapes which I stamped using Frayed Burlap Distress ink onto green Bazzill card.  I have got loads of these stamps in my stamp collection which I absolutely love but it has been quite a few years now since I have played with them.  The detail on these stamps is just amazing and the way these stamps join seamlessly together is fantastic.  For those of you who have never come across these stamps before they are sold in the UK by Serendipity. Click here to go view their website.  The quality and detail of the stamps is outstanding.  After using them for the background on Dad's card it has made me want to start using them again to create proper scenes - I just need to find some time to play!!

Anyway here is a closer look at the bottom right corner of the card.  Because of the texture of the Bazzill card and the fine detail of the stamps - it gave a patchy effect which I actually found perfect for this type of background as I really didn't want a solid look for this. (I also decorated the inside of the card too with these stamps but I'm afraid I got carried away and wrote in it before I photographed it so I'm afraid I can't show you the inside!!)

For the main panel I chose to use stamps by Art Impressions (availabe from my good friends at Sir Stampalot) which is yet another stamp company that I love but rarely have time to play around with now!  (For those of you who have got my Basics and Beyond DVD I used the same techniques to create this panel as I showed in the last section of the DVD where you ink up the stamps using water based pens and stamp them out several times fading out the ink.)  For the house and fence I actually used a dark grey pen to colour the stamp and then watercoloured the images by scribbling the pens onto a palette and picking up the colours with a damp paintbrush.  The wording was taken from my Fancy Flourish stamp sheet. (Available from The Craft Barn.)

Here's a closer look at the main panel so that you can see the detail a bit clearer.  Making these sort of cards where you are using lots of different stamps to create a scene or a picture really appeals to me as this is when stamping starts to become more of an art form although it's a bit scary as well when you haven't done it for a while!!

Anyway I hope you like it - it's a bit different to anything else I've posted for a while I know, but sometimes it is nice to return to things you haven't done for a while!!  It is actually a year since I have picked up any Art Impressions stamps and probably about 5 years since I've done any sort of work at all with the Stampscapes range but bizarrely I still rate them among my favourites - strange eh??

Lots Happening!!

Hi guys.  I just had to pop on and tell you all that there is lots going on over at The Stamp Man's blog.  Currently Jill is offering some wonderful Tim Holtz blog candy which is running until the end of July so if you fancy winning this little lot which is worth over £50 then click here to head on over to The Stamp Man's blog to find out how to enter.

Also there is now a new blog on the block as Jill has decided to bring back the popular ATC swaps and has dedicated a challenge blog to this. To advertise the fact she is offering up yet some more blog candy with the total value being over £60!!  So again to find out more simply click here.

I'll try and pop back later to post up a card!

Still Catching Up!!

Oh dear!  I had thought now that things aren't quite so manic with not so much prep to do for demos etc... that I would be caught up with all the other stuff that had to take a back seat whilst I was so busy!!  I have finally caught up with paperwork though - which I am pleased about and have begun uploading all the cards that I have made recently onto the computer - I guess that I have probably done about a third of them so far!!  Then just as I think I am getting somewhere more work starts appearing!  One of these days........................!!

Anyway I was trawling through my blog this morning when I realised that I hadn't ever gotten around to sharing the cards we made for one of my classes at The Glitter Pot using my Japanese Plum Blossom stamp sheet.  This was one of my more advanced classes as the entire card was made up of inking and stamping.  For the background panels we used Distress inkpads (Bundled Sage and Milled Lavender) which were pressed onto a laminated sheet of card, spritzed with water and then the panels were dabbed into the ink to create a watercoloured background. Stamps from the Plum Blossom sheet were then stamped over the top of the panels once they had dried using the same inkpads to get a tone on tone look.

The main image was stamped using Tuxedo Black Memento ink and coloured first of all using Copic Ciaos/Sketches then glitter accents were added using the coloured Copic Spica pens. For the centres of the blossoms I used a gold metallic pen and to get the stamens white again I used the Ranger Inkssentials White Opaque pen.  Then lastly very small amounts of Stardust glitter glue was added to catch the light. (All these products can be purchased from The Glitter Pot.)

I had wanted to show that although this stamp sheet  has an oriental flavour to it - it doesn't necessarily have to look VERY oriental/Japanesey as I know that not everyone likes oriental style cards.  So by adding pretty backgrounds to the plum blossom images on this sheet you can create some very pretty flowery cards too.  I hope you like it!

Just Dropping By.......

Morning everyone.  Have spent the last couple of days trying to catch up with stuff and am getting there now.  I still have all my cards to load up from last weekend so until I've done that I thought I'd continue showing you the cards I did for The Glitter Pot's Spring Spectacular weekend.

This card was made from the Penny Black Make A Wish clear stamp set - the one that I ended up having to have myself!  I truly LOVE this set!  The mice were stamped using Tuxedo Black Memento ink and coloured using Copic markers.  The background paper is by Basic Grey and is from the Kioshi collection which is just gorgeous!  The swirls and wording came from my Funky Flourishes stamp sheet.  All of which can be purchased from The Glitter Pot.

Here's a closer look at the mice panel for you. The mice on the blackberry stalk is one stamp and then the mice floating down - one with a daisy head; the other with a dandelion head are separate stamps from the stamp sheet, which being clear allowed me to stamp them exactly where I wanted them. The soft background around the mice was also done using Copic markers and I do have a class coming up at The Glitter Pot showing you how to do this on Saturday 10th July.  In the morning we will be using this particular stamp sheet and I will show you how to colour these cute little mice and add a soft dotty  background to them (like this one) using the Copic markers and in the afternoon we will be using Copics again along with the Milton and Milly characters from Wild Rose Studio. Click here for more details.

Getting back to this card I also used the Clear Copic Spica pen on the dandelion heads but I don't think I got the light right for you to see the wonderful shimmer!

A Catching Up Day!

Hi everyone.  Well what a manic weekend that was!  I do hope that for everyone who came to The Craft Barn's Extravaganza Weekend that you enjoyed it!  I must say that from my perspective the weekend absolutely flew by! My thanks to everyone who stopped by my table and kept me company - it was lovely to see you all! 

Unfortunately I didn't get to see anyone else demonstrate as I was kept too busy myself but on the Sunday morning before we started again, I did take the opportunity to have a quick wander around and I must say that from all the cards and samples I saw I felt quite inadequate!  There were truly some very talented people there and I think there must have been something for all tastes and styles.

Today I have taken the day off from crafting in order to catch up with all my paperwork etc.... which has been mounting up now for a few weeks.  I also need to unpack my demo bag and put everything away that I had just left out on my table before departing for the weekend as it is one BIG mess.  Then I really must see about making my Dad a Father's Day card!  The trouble is, I REALLY struggle with men's cards and at the moment I am absolutely brain dead as to what to do for him.  Somehow I don't think that he will appreciate a Belles 'n' Whistles image or even a Sarah Kay one and if I bought him a card he would be most put out - lol!!

Anyway once I've caught up with myself I will get round to showing you some of the cards that I have made over the last few weeks - as there are quite a few!

PS. You won't believe this but I only bought 2 glitter Spica pens this weekend whilst I was there!!  However I will be back at The Craft Barn in 2 weeks time to take my classes and the shop won't be so manic then so I'm sure I'll be able to do better on the 26th June!!

1 Sleep To Go...........

Yes that's right just one more sleep to go until The Craft Barn's June Extravaganza which really does promise to be the biggest yet!  I do hope for all of those who can make it that you are looking forward to it!

Finally I have got all my sample cards done and now have my prep left to do along with my packing! 

Here is a peek at one of the cards that I will have on display at the weekend.  This little cutie is of course from the Belles'n'Whistles range of stamps and is called Cupcake.  I also took the opportunity of using my new Martha Stewart Eyelet Lace punches on this too as well as punching out some flowers.  I see that over on the Belles'n'Whistles blog they are currently running a punches and ribbon challenge so I thought I'd enter this card into it!  Well you never know!

Now as you know I normally colour most of my imagery with Copics but as well as demonstrating this weekend with my favourite markers I will also be showing you how I colour using Distress inkpads, although for this card I used my trusty Copics!

Anyway I hope that you like the card and for those of you who are attending The Craft Barn's Extravaganza I hope that you will be able to stop by my table at The Community Centre and say hi! I'll be able to show you some of the other wonderful Belles 'n' Whistles stamps too!!

Birthday Wishes Ted

Morning guys. I'm afraid that I am not getting much time to post at the moment as am busy beavering away for this weekend trying to get lots of card samples done to provide those of you who can make it to The Craft Barn's June Extravaganza with inspiration!!  So please excuse me for neglecting my blog a little!

Today's card is one I made for The Glitter Pot's Spring Spectacular weekend using this lovely teddy stamp by Penny Black called Joie De Vivre - he really looks in the birthday mood doesn't he?

Those gorgeous background papers are by Basic Grey and are from the Kioshi range.  I think this is such a beautiful range of papers - there isn't one paper from this series that I don't like!  The wording is from my Fancy Flourishes stamp sheet.  There are lots of words on this sheet and 3 different fonts allowing you to mix and match the styles which I really like to do!

Here's a closer look at the teddy panel for you.  As you can probably guess he was coloured using Copics.  For those of you who would like to know my bear colours are E37, E35, E31 and E30.  I tend to use these colours a lot for my bears and just vary how much or how little I use of each colour in order to vary the look of them.  The subtle background is done using lighter shades of Copics along with a blender pen and I will be doing a class using this technique at The Glitter Pot in July.  Still finalising details for this but once it is ready to book I'll let you know!

To add that subtle shimmer to some of the image I used that Clear Spica pen over the top.  I managed to get the lighting right so that you can see the gorgeous shimmer that this pen gives here on the balloons and as you see it doesn't detract from the original colouring in any way.  Just LOVE this pen!  The Spicas also come in some lovely colours too but I definitely use the Clear one the most.

Then on other parts of the image I used some Diamond glitter glue which gives more of a sparkle.  I really like to layer my shimmer and glitter in this way as it gives more dimension to the image when it catches the light.

Well must get back to making those card samples!

Only One Week To Go........

Until this!

I don't know about you but I am already getting excited!!  I love demoing at these events as there is always such a buzz and this promises to be the best yet as there is an amazing line up of demonstrators.  For those of you who have no idea what I am talking about simply click here for more information.

However I've got to confess that I am beginning to panic ever so slightly as I am nowhere near prepared!  What with one thing and another I haven't been able to spend the time so far on my prep infact this is as far as I have got!!

Colouring in a few images!

So far each of these images are coloured using my trusty Copics but now I need to get colouring some with Distress Inks too!

I know that some people think that when colouring with Copics their images are too dark but do these look dark to you?  You can get some beautiful, pastel results using your Copic markers so if you'd like to stop by my table next weekend I'll show you how I do it!

By the way aren't these images fabulous?  I am so lucky to be able to play with these for the June Weekend.  They are of course designed by Elisabeth Bell for Belles 'n' Whistles which I'm delighted to say The Craft Barn are now stocking!  As well as demoing with some of these little cuties I'll also be taking a couple of classes at The Craft Barn on Saturday 26th June using two of these gorgeous images. In the morning class I'll be showing you how to get pastel results (like these) using your Copics and in the afternoon class we'll be watercolouring another image with Distress Inks, so if you fancy coming along and having a go you know what to do!

Well enough talking..........................I think I'd better get on with some work so that I've actually got some finished cards to show you next weekend!!  So no fun in the sun for me then!!

Are You Proud Of Me?

So it seems as if you were all expecting me to have come home laden with stuff from The Glitter Pot!  Well although there was a lot of temptation and I truly could have gone mad I was infact VERY restrained!!  This is that clear stamp set that I was using as part of my demo and I couldn't leave without purchasing it as I had such fun with this.  There are so many different pictures that you can create with this stamp set and over the next couple of weeks I'll show you the cards that I made with it. (So Sharon and Tracy you weren't alone with having to purchase it - I HAD to have it too!!)

For anyone that has ever been to The Glitter Pot you will know that it is crammed full of stuff so all in all I feel that I did really well just walking away with the above stamp set and these punches!  As I think we already know by now I love MS punches and have had my eye on these two for a while now.  I wasn't expecting to get the Sunflower punch though and that is Joanne Gelnar's fault!  She was sat next to me demonstrating how to make these wonderful flower creations using punches and I've decided that I have just got to have a go at this as they would make wonderful embellishments to your cards.  She is a very talented lady.  Click here to go visit her blog and you'll see what I mean! 

I have a feeling though that for anyone who visited The Glitter Pot last weekend they probably weren't as restrained as me as the shelves are just crammed full of wonderful things.  Infact I purposely didn't go into the room that houses the papers and Prima flowers otherwise I would have come home with a bulging bag!!

Poor Clare Curd (from Do Crafts) wasn't as good as me though!!  After demoing next to me (on my other side) she went and bought all of the Copic Ciaos and some of the Sketch markers too!  I hope you enjoy them Clare!

So you see............................I can be good sometimes..............................well sort of!! Lol!!

Apple PIckin'

Morning everyone.  As you know I was at The Glitter Pot this last weekend and this is one of my sample cards that I had on display there.  The main image is by Penny Black and is called Hedgy Gift and the swirls and wording are from my Fancy Flourishes stamp sheet. The colouring was done using my fave markers of the moment (Copics) and the stamping of the wording and flourishes was achieved using the Bundled Sage Distress inkpad. (Just LOVE this colour!)  The paper is the reverse side of one of the new Basic Grey papers from the Kioshi collection.

Here's a closer look at the hedgehog panel so that you can see the colouring a little better.  I didn't get the light right when I took this but I added the Clear Spica pen over the top of the apples for some subtle shimmer. Love this pen as it doesn't detract at all from all the colouring and shading you've already done but still adds a gorgeous shimmer when it hits the light. The clear Sakura Stardust pen is just a little too opaque for this for my liking which is why I opt for the Copic Spica when going over shaded colouring.

Anyway hope you like the card!

So I think we can probably guess that I probably at least bought one thing this weekend but just how good or bad do you think I was then????