About Me

I'm a freelance artist, designer and demonstrator and have been involved in arts and craft my whole life in one way or another. I design stamps for top British company Personal Impressions, under the "Lindsay Mason Designs" brand, as well as papers, templates and other crafting products. I'm a certified Ranger Educator and my first book,"Stamping", was published in 2009. I also design regular projects for Crafts Beautiful magazine and have made guest appearances from time to time on QVC. I've recently joined You Tube under the name of LindsayMason1000 where I'm posting short technique videos and you can buy my paintings and hand crafted pieces from my Etsy shop. My work takes me all around the country demonstrating stamping, papercrafts and general inkiness! When I'm not working, I love gardening, church & community activities, nature watching, journalling, music and theatre and just relaxing at home. Email me at: ljm.design1@virginmedia.com

Saturday 26 March 2016

The new blog

Hello all, this is really just to say that I'm concentrating on my new blog now, Lindsay Mason Designs, which you can find HERE Do pop over and take a look if you haven't visited it yet.

That will be the home of the work of my new Design Team as well as any of my own creative news and projects etc. The reason for the new blog is to showcase my new designs and the DT projects, but I've also become increasingly weary of trying to use this, my original blog, which keeps being interrupted by an ad page that blocks everything whilst I'm posting...really frustrating!

I will still put the occasional post on here, but do switch over to the new blog for more regular projects, designs and news. Hope to see you there!

Saturday 19 March 2016

Meet the Design Team...

Hello folks, I'm pleased to announce the eight new members of my Design Team. It wasn't easy to choose the final eight as I had such a lovely response...thank you to everyone who emailed samples in to me - they were all fantastic!
Anyway, without further ado, these are the eight DT members:
Elaine Greaves
Millie Moss
Sallyann Jackson
Tracey Fairgrieve


I can't wait to see what everyone creates and I'll be sharing the DT member's blogs, FB pages as we go forward.
I hope you'll check back regularly to see what we've all been up to!

Friday 18 March 2016

New blog...

I've just finished putting together a new blog which will be to showcase projects made using my stamps and my downloadable designs. It will also be the main place to publish the work done by my new Design Team!
It may take a while for the address to work in normal searches, but here's the link Lindsay Mason Designs blog !

Tuesday 15 March 2016

Design Team

I'm thinking about organising a Design Team for my digital images. I would send free downloads of my designs for you to use to create whatever you wanted...Mixed Media projects, cards, canvasses, scrapbook pages etc etc. I wouldn't be able to provide any other materials but you could use whatever takes your fancy. I would only ask that you create one project per month (more if you fancy of course!) and post them on your blog/FB page as well as sending me a link. If you fancy being on "my team" could you send me a few images of your work in an email and I'll be in touch. My email address can be found in the sidebar of this page. I've had quite a few interested parties already, so the deadline will be this Friday 18th March.
Meanwhile,here are the two latest digital designs that I've added....both are A4 sheets...
 The first one is "Feline Fun"and the second is "Fungi Fun"....I know....not very original titles!
Here's an image of something made by Millie Moss using my "Quirky Buildings" download....
....love what she's done with them!
Great news on the Thomas front as he is back to his old self now after his big dental operation.there were some rather worrying moments when he just refused food and became very listless but he's got his strength back and is getting back to his fighting weight now - whew!

Tuesday 8 March 2016

More new designs...

I've been working on some more digital designs and have added a further four this afternoon...I've been struggling to work in the cold as there is a problem with my central heating that can't be sorted until Thursday.....bbbbrrrrr...I am wrapped up like the proverbial Eskimo and still frozen!
Anyway, here are the four new designs, all available in my Etsy shop

This is "Pugglie"...
 .....here is "Zomboy"
...this is "Tazzy".....
.....and here is "Jilly". Hope you like them!
And an update on my own pusscat Thomas....he's eating much better now though not quite himself yet. He's still on antibiotics and painkillers for his swollen gums, but we're getting there I think. Fingers and paws crossed!

Saturday 5 March 2016

Digital Designs now in my Etsy shop

I've now uploaded the first of my new downloadable digital images to my Etsy shop - a bit of a mix of drawings! The "One Eyed Matador" is there, along with some other quirky characters, one or two owls and a few buildings etc. I'll be working on, and adding, more on a regular basis, so hope that you may find something that you like. The drawings have all been scanned at 600 dpi for the best resolution. They can be coloured and cut out or simply used as a panel on a card.
By the way....the One Eyed Matador has a back story as I originally drew him in my Art Journal and lots of ladies at my workshops (several years ago now) really wanted him as a stamp. As he's pretty creepy I knew that the chance of him being chosen as a stamp design was virtually nil, so he was never used. I've drawn him as close as possible to the original character...his back story is that I used to look at the light coming through the curtains in our old flat and I began to see patterns forming into this weird character! 
Anyway, do take a look and let me know what you think! https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/LindsayMasondesigns 

Here are just a few of the designs....The One Eyed Matador, Percy and Wallace!



Monday 29 February 2016

Thomas update and digital design news

Hello all, I just wanted to give an update on Thomas's progress. He finally had his dental operation on Thursday after several delays due to emergency patients at the vet's. He's now almost back to his usual self after a few days of hiding from me...obviously fearing that I was going to leave him at the vet's again! He's just coming round to the knowledge that he can eat without pain, so is making up for his lack of food over the past few weeks. The vet did several tests on him whilst he was "under" and gave me the good news that, apart from gum disease which he'll need more treatment for further down the line, he is a "very, very healthy cat" - brilliant news! What a relief!
The other item in this post title refers to something that I am working on at the moment and hope to have up and running within the next couple of weeks. I've decided to create some downloadable images (I hate the expression "digi-stamps"!) which I'll be selling in my Etsy shop. As I'm not the greatest technical expert in the World (to say the least!) I've been dithering about, wondering whether I could do it or not. However, I added a test piece today which my sister kindly purchased (!), printed, resized in various ways and declared to be fine. So, I will be adding some images to my shop over the next week or two and will let you know as soon as they are ready. I'd appreciate any feedback, suggestions about anything you'd particularly like etc...it will all help! Thanks!

Monday 22 February 2016

Catch up - again!

Hello folks, just having another catch up on this sunny Monday morning - hope it's sunny wherever you are too.
Since my last post my big softie pusscat Thomas has been to the vet's a few times after going off his food. First he was diagnosed with a mouth infection but a second visit, and closer inspection, revealed that he needed a dental operation. So, on Wednesday he will be going in to have several teeth out which I am hoping will solve his problems. It's been very tough trying to get him to eat....mushed up high calorie prescribed pate which I've been syringing into his mouth, lots of cream, Lick-e-Lix and butter lapped from my fingers as well as antibiotics and painkillers...not easy. I'll be glad when Wednesday comes around, although I'll also be feeling queasy with worry.

An enormous quote was presented to me of course....money I didn't have but I knew I would have to just find a way to raise it. My sister suggested I tried Crowdfunding and it seemed worth a try. I created a page and uploaded it to my Facebook page and am amazed, grateful and thrilled to say that, due to lots of very generous, often anonymous, donations, the money was raised in a few hours! I never cease to be amazed at how warm hearted people are. I'll let you know how the little sweetheart gets on.
Well, it's Stitches Trade show at the NEC at the moment and it seems quite strange not being there...the first time that I've not been demonstrating and teaching there since I started. I'm feeling relaxed about it though and enjoying the lack of pressure which I really need for the time being at least. I'll be keen to know how my new stamp designs went down at the show though!
I've added some new items to my Etsy shop, including a canvas which I created for Crafts Beautiful magazine at the end of last year and the Winter Frost canvas which I did for the DecoArt Design Team challenge - step by step instructions are in an earlier post here on my blog. Here are a few of the new items...



Hope you like them! Any money from sales at present is going straight into Thomas's fund for his post operative care...medication, follow up appointments and specialist food.
Well, having mentioned it's being a sunny day here, it's now clouding over and turning grey! Still, not as cold as last week so that's good.
Have a good week whatever you're up to and hope you find time to do something creative!

Thursday 4 February 2016

New Zendoodle designs

Here are a few more of my new stamp designs. These are the latest Zendoodle stamps, each available as the outline to doodle within or as the "Ready to Go" version. They will all be available to order at Stitches Trade show later this month.

 SDCSA6045 Zendoodle Houses

SDCSA6049 Zendoodle RTG Houses


SDCSA6046 Zendoodle Cat


SDCSA6050 Zendoodle RTG Cat


SDCSA6047 ZendoodleTeddy


SDCSA6051 Zendoodle RTG Teddy


SDCSA6048 Zendoodle Flowers


SDCSA6052 Zendoodle RTG Flowers

More to follow soon!

New Fairy Door stamps

My new stamp designs will be coming out in a few weeks so I thought I'd share some of them with you here. Personal Impressions are now releasing new stamps under the Sweet Dixie brand with each artist's name on the reverse of the packaging. These first four designs are my new Fairy Doors range. All the new designs will be available to order at Stitches Trade show later this month.
 SDCSA6053 Fairy Toadstool Home
 SDCSA6054 Crooked Fairy Door
  SDCSA6055 Gnome Door     
SDCSA6056 Curly Fairy Door

More to follow....!

Wednesday 3 February 2016

Update

Sorry to have been absent from everything for a while now. Illness and other circumstances have kept me away, apart from things I had already scheduled to be posted some time ago. I'm making some changes and the biggest one is that, for the time being anyway, I'm not going to be teaching workshops or doing any demonstrations. I will still be doing my design work, including stamps etc, for Personal Impressions and selling my work on Etsy. I'm hoping to get to grips with selling online artwork too...I hate the term "digi stamps", but that kind of thing!
Apologies if you've tried to contact me over the last several weeks and not had a reply...I will be trying to catch up with messages etc over the next few days.

Wednesday 20 January 2016

DecoArt Winter Wonderland Challenge..."Winter Frost" canvas

Hi folks, my turn to share the  project I designed for the DecoArt Winter Wonderland Challenge and I decided upon an abstract canvas that would convey the icy chills of the season. 

As well as various products from the DecoArt range, I also used some twigs and a dried leaf from my garden, a few beads, some mesh and and some white thread. 
Before I begin the step by step instructions, here's a list of everything I used:

DecoArt Media Line:
White Gesso
Fluid Acrylics in: Cobalt Blue Hue, Dioxazine Purple, Quinacridone Violet, Phthalo Blue, 
                          Paynes Grey, Cobalt Teal Hue
Shimmer Mister:Violet
Matte Medium
Liquid Glass

DecoArt range:
Snowtex
Glamour Dust: Crystal

Other products:
8" x 8" canvas
A few clear, or white, beads
Mesh
Strands of thin string
Needle and white thread
A few dry twigs and leaf
Brushes, spatula, heat tool

Okay, here we go then....lots of photos!

 Begin by applying gesso over the canvas with a spatula, aiming to create varying thickness and texture.

Press a few beads into the thicker areas of the gesso.

Scratch a few "icicles" into the gesso along the top and bottom edges of the canvas using a ball ended tool or a brush handle.


When the gesso is partially dry, apply heat in a few areas...this will cause the surface to bubble up and create extra texture.

Add some strips of mesh and thin string to the surface, using more gesso to keep them in place.
This was how my canvas looked at this stage.
Add some drops of Liquid Glass to create nicely rounded blobs of texture.

Use Matte Medium to adhere a dried leaf to the canvas - if you don't have any, then a purchased skeleton leaf would work. Smudge a little gesso around the leaf and stem to fill any areas where it may be sticking up. You can also add a little to the surface as I did. Allow everything to dry fully.

Paint the whole canvas with the Fluid Acrylics (except for the Cobalt Teal Hue) blending them over the surface and getting into all the nooks and crannies.You are aiming to cover the white completely - don't forget the edges!
Spritz areas of the canvas with the Violet Shimmer Mister - this will give a subtle glint to those areas.
This is how my canvas looked at this stage...the colours didn't photograph too well here, but you can see the various shades blending across the surface.
Next we need to start highlighting the canvas surface. I used the Cobalt Teal Hue to brush over some areas, blending as I went with a dry brush and light touch.
I mixed some Snowtex and gesso together to get a slightly more fluid version of the Snowtex and then brushed this over various areas. I particularly concentrated on the raised elements.
 Some Glamour Dust sprinkled onto the wet Snowtex/Gesso mix gives the ultimate frosty effect!
After playing around with the size and shape of the twigs I wanted to use, I added neat Snowtex to the top edges of them and let them dry.
I used a large, sharp needle and strong white thread to attach the twigs to the canvas - just a few stitches at various points on each twig are enough to hold them firmly in place.
I used Fly Stitch to create the look of some birds flying in the distance. You can see how to create a Fly Stitch here
Here are a few close ups of my finished piece which show the detail and texture.
....the beads and string are a great way to add instant texture, picked up by the gesso/Snowtex mixture, and the Glamour Dust really gives the extra frosty touch.

I love the detail that is picked up on the dry leaf.
It's worth playing around with the placement of the twigs before committing to the stitching. 

There you have the completed canvas. You could create a series of these for a feature wall, or why not try making a set of four - with one for each season? Don't forget to check out all the other Design Team projects for our Winter Wonderland Challenge and remember that you still have until the 29th to submit an entry yourself - there's a great DecoArt Media prize package up for grabs!