Happy Christmas everyone!

Hello everyone, and hope that you are all looking forward to Christmas now, in whichever way you spend it. Hope too that you got all of your cards made...I have to confess that I didn't get to make all of mine! I've just finished wrapping the last of my gifts and will be off to my parents' tomorrow for a week of rest and relaxation, although I will be cooking the Christmas lunch which is rather a worry as I'm not known for my culinary expertise!

I'd love to say that I took this gorgeous picture of the squirrel myself, but, no, I have to confess that it was on the RSPB newsletter! Isn't he cute though, all tufty and bright eyed. I took the photo on the right though!

This is under mum and dad's tree which we decorated a couple of weeks ago - the snowmen on the right are ones I made years ago and look a bit battered now, but one of the lovely things about this time of year is the way that traditional things are important even if they are tatty round the edges!

I shan't be able to post now till next year (!), so I wish you all a wonderful Christmas and let us all hope that 2009 brings us all lots of positive things. Lindsay

Catching up!

I'm catching up with myself and all of you too, as I'm a little late with this post! The weekend at Dawn Bibby's Studio was great - "hello" to all of you who came along....too numerous to mention individually! We had a lot of fun with plenty of crafting, mince pies and hot mulled wine...well, the customers had the mulled wine, not me, or I'd have been making very wonky cards!

Here's Dawn chatting to customers and making ATC's. And below is a
picture of some of us at the end of the Sunday...from the left...Sarah, Lindsey, myself, Dawn, JJ and Gill.

I've now posted details of some of the first round of events that I'll be at next year, though I'll be adding more and updating them as time goes on. I've also listed the first of my workshops at Topaz - if you are interested in booking onto a class then contact Topaz (link to their website below).

I've had a bug the last couple of days which is why I haven't posted sooner, but I am fending it off as I'm determined not to be under the weather over Christmas! I am trying to catch up on the designs that I still need to do as well as some gift buying and sending some cards too!

Well, this is a fairly quick post as I should get an early night to kick those germs into submission! Take care everyone and call back soon! Lindsay

Dawn Bibby's weekend event

Hello everyone, I've just added details for this weekend's craft event at Dawn Bibby's Design Studio as you can see. It's going to be a fun weekend, so do come along if you possibly can. There will be plenty to see and do and it's a good chance to drop a few hints to the other halves in your life as to what you might like for Christmas!

I am busy working on new stamp designs for next Spring. Lots of people ask me where I get my ideas from and the answer is everywhere really. Sometimes an idea just pops into my head or it may be that something I've seen sets an idea in motion. Once I have some ideas I begin doodling and sketching with a pencil at first. This stage can be very vague to begin with as the initial ideas begin to take shape, some being discarded whilst others are worked on further. Once I have "worked up" a sketch till I'm happy with it, I then place it onto my light box (I use a large, flat lightbox which is very stable to avoid slip ups!) and use my ink pens to trace the design onto very smooth white card. This can often take a while as I sometimes alter things as I go along...the designs look very different in ink than in pencil, so I may have to amend certain elements. Once I am happy with a design I then make photocopies of it. The final stage is to hand colour one of the copies which will be used to make the "index" which goes on top of the stamp. The other copies are kept for reference and are "stand by's" in case of accidents when I'm colouring - sometimes the phone rings and my hand slips!

So, I'd better carry on! Time is gaining on me and deadlines are looming!

I hope to see some of you at the weekend and will post photos next week for those of you who cannot make it. I'll also be adding demonstration dates for the first part of next year.

Till then, enjoy the rest of the week, Lindsay

Chilly weekend catch up!

Well, it's been a chilly old week here! At one point it looked like my saturday demonstration might be cancelled as the roads to Holmfirth were closed due to snow and ice. Thankfully all was clear by yesterday, so the show was back on the road! Here I am, busy at work getting some last minute samples made before the customers arrived.

"Hello!" to all the ladies (and gentlemen!) who came along and I hope that you're using the things you bought and not just looking at them! Below is just one of the cards which I made on the day. As you can see, it features the little penguins again, but I just wanted to share the idea of making a tall slider card with you. This card stands up nice and high, but it folds absolutely flat and will fit inside a DL envelope with no trouble.

Notice the lovely 3D snowflake from K&Co...these have been so popular, so if you see any on the shelves - grab them as they are like gold

We survived the drive to and from Holmfirth...it is a truly scary road with impossibly sharp corners, inclines and no barriers beside the sheer drops....lovely!!!

Today we went to Redesmere again, but this time were armed with loads of stale bread. The lake was a sheet of ice apart from the edges where most of the birds were congregating to be fed. The man who runs the hot food stand said that it was only the second time in four years that the water

has frozen. The larger birds looked very comical as they skated across the surface, but we did feel sorry for them - their toes must have been painfully cold! I tried to get a good picture of the Gulls who were very impressive with their mid flight bread catching skills. They are much too fast for a digital camera, though I liked the way this one had the vapour trails from the planes in the background! Redesemere is in Siddington which is a few miles from Alderley Edge, so if you live anywhere within reach it is well worth a visit.

It is now time for another cosy evening! I shall be adding details of the Making Cards workshops after I complete this post and will be putting the Topaz workshops schedule on as soon as they are confirmed. Dawn and her team are still very busy moving everything from the Mill to the studio, so it may take a day or two longer to get the details.

I hope that you have all had a great weekend with time to craft, relax and enjoy good company somewhere in the mix! Till next time, Lindsay

Check out Making Cards website

Crikey it's cold! I have been giving the wildlife extra rations today as I can't imagine how frozen they must feel out there. The squirrels have been taking the monkey nuts and burying them all around the place - even in the wheel arches of the car! My friendly pigeons have been tapping on the window pane to drop heavy hints about suet and peanuts...I know that some people dislike them, but they are comical little characters. We also have Nuthatches, various Tits, Magpies, Chaffinches and Crows plus many more. It's very satisfying, because a few years ago there were only the pigeons and an odd Blackbird. Oh yes, there is a very sweet Thrush at the moment who keeps perching on the wings of parked cars and watching himself in the wing mirrors! At first I thought that he was attacking his image, but he seems to be talking to himself and spends ages staring at his reflection, so I am now wondering if he has lost his mate and is lonely...bless him. Well, that's the end of the wildlife report!

Do check out the Making Cards magazine website ( http://www.magmaker.co.uk/ ) as they are organising residential weekends of card making for next year! I shall be teaching at some of these and will post details of where and when in the next day or two. The weekends promise to give the chance to try new techniques, meet like minded people and generally have a lot of fun as well!

I am also going to be teaching workshops at Topaz Crafts again next year and will be posting details as soon as I know the relevent dates and themes. You can also check out http://www.topazcrafts.co.uk/ to see their workshop programme or subscribe to their newsletter for updates on a regular basis.

Meanwhile, if you are anywhere near Holmfirth this saturday, pop along to the Edinburgh Woollen Mill where I'll be giving some last minute Christmas inspiration. That's all for now folks! Stay snug and cosy, Lindsay

Bbbrrrr!!!!

Don't know how it is where you are, but it's freezing here! Kendal was cold too, but looked lovely with a frosting of powdery snow on the hills. "Hello" to Dorothy...I am putting a picture of the garden shelf card especially for you as a reminder of how it looked. I'm sure that you will manage it with no problem though! This card uses Funstamps FM197 (Gardening Shelf)...I added a die cut from the Carol Wilson range in the left corner (this was to cover a mucky mark...but don't tell anyone!)

I was also using Iris folding stamps by the very talented Anna Stemplewska (Google her name to find lots of great samples of her cards) which are really easy to work with, relaxing to make and create great cards, especially if you use larger card blanks. Here is a wedding card made using

Personal Impressions stamp P1481P. I used pearlised paper for the strips and just matted the image onto an 8" x 8" card, wrapping a ribbon around and adding a floral embellishment. Some gems and glitter added the final flourish.

Finally, here is a fun card using the Carol Wilson "How does your garden grow?" range. I used a Personal Impressions template for the apron shape, adding plain old garden twine instead of ribbon for a rustic look!

Despite the cold we have been out and about today. I don't always have Sundays free, so when I do, we like to visit the large car boot sale and market that's also a nice little drive out...wished I'd had my camera as the countryside looked like a fairyland this morning with the frosted trees and mist over the hills. We also made a discovery as we followed a sign that announced "good food this way"...the cold had made us unusually peckish! When we rounded the bend we came upon a huge lake that was home to waterbirds of every description. There were people with loaves of bread surrounded by honking geese, squabbling ducks, moorhens and swans. Thankfully, the catering van which was the source of the advertised good food, also sold bags of bird seed, so I was able to join in the fun of "feeding the ducks" which I think is a national pleasure. Hot chocolate and sandwiches went down well too...for us, not the ducks! We'll be going back there for sure - armed with stale bread! I think that moments like this are all the more enjoyable when they are surprises.

Well, after seven hours of walking around out in the chilly air it is time for a snuggly evening in with a beef curry to look forward to...lovely! Keep warm everyone. Lindsay

Tagging along to Kendal!

Thank you to Leonie for "tagging" me! My mission (if I choose to accept it of course!) is to give seven random facts about myself and then "tag" seven other people. A bit of fun and a way of connecting blogs. So, here goes.....

1. All my "Cherry the cat" designs are a tribute to our beloved cat (Cherry of course!) who passed away four years ago. She was a little sweetheart and we still miss her.

2. I believe in ghosts and supernatural goings on. Would love to spend a night in a haunted location...but not on my own!

3. I was originally a wildlife and landscape artist and Russell Grant (the astrologer) was one of my clients.

4. My sister is Heather Fenn-Edwards, an award winning beadworker whose stunning work can be seen on Beadworkers Guild stands and in magazines.

5. I grew up in Blackpool where my parents ran a hotel. We had season tickets to all the shows and saw everyone from the Beatles, the Who, and the Kinks through to Gene Pitney and the Bee Gees....I was very, very young at the time!

6. I stayed at Duncan Bannatyne's (Dragon's Den)hotel in Darlington and he was in the restaurant at breakfast. I think he must be the richest person that I've ever been in the same room with! He looked a bit scary though!

7. I love animals of every description, so my birthday treat this year was to go to Chester zoo. Brilliant! Long story, but I also had the very first ticket to Blackpool zoo and entered behind Johnny Morris on an elephant (Johnny Morris, not me!).

Now for my seven "taggees"! Debs from http://debscards.blogspot.com/
Clare at http://hornersartycorner.blogspot.com/
Jan at http://janbloomfield.blogspot.com/
the talented ladies at http://mytimetocraftchallenge.blogspot.com/
She at http://craftyshe.blogspot.com/
Paula Pascual at http://craftystorage.blogspot.com/
Michelle at http://cardgrotto.blogspot.com/

I don't have photos to upload tonight, but I'll be taking pictures at Kendal on Saturday, so shall post them on my return. Hope to see some of you there at Grosvenor House Papers...it's well worth a trip to. I've been making "shelf" cards and Iris folding using stamps this week, so do pop back for a look at the samples. I'm not sure how cold it will be in Kendal, but, if there's any snow I'll be sure to get a good picture! Enjoy the weekend everyone and do come and say hello if you are in the area on Saturday. Lindsay

Back home...

I'm just relaxing today after the long, and rather cold, journey home from Dundee. A lovely bubble bath and a warm bed was enough to banish the chills last night though!

Hello to all the folk I met at Millers in Glasgow on friday (including some gentlemen for a change!) and hope that you remembered how to make the slider cards. Picture below, as promised, to jog your memories! This one features Christmas Cheer

paper and a Jolly Nations stamp ( PNO30Q Sleigh) which decoupages very well of course. I also added chipboard trees from the Swell Noel box and a lovely snowflake (each one layered, glittered and with a gem in the centre) also from the latest K&Co range - these are gorgeous, and, as the ladies this weekend know, should be grabbed if you see them, as they disappear from the shelves very quickly indeed!!!
I travelled on up to Dundee, and from there to Broughty Ferry on friday evening... it was getting colder and by the time I went down to dinner it was snowing. My hotel was literally across the road from Kitty Krafts, as you can see in this picture which I took from my window on saturday morning...very handy! I met some lovely ladies there and was thrilled when Hazel appeared...Hazel had posted that she would love to come along, but as she has agoraphobia she didn't know if she would be able to. So well done Hazel, you should be so proud of yourself! Check out Hazel's blog at Dido's Designs. Hello to everyone else who came along - as you can see...it was smiles all round!

This comical line of penguins uses "Have an Ice Christmas"(Funstamps FM208) which is a penguin and polar bear - by just using the penguin several times, cutting away the back wings and adding wings cut from black card, I created the idea of them all holding on to each other and slipping over. Add seperate feet for the bottom two to complete the effect. Notice the lovely snowflakes again?!
The last picture is the inside of a
pop out window effect card. This one has the delicious Christmas Cheer papers combined with chipboard icons from Swell Noel.
Well, that's all for now - check my dates section to see where I'll be next and for workshop dates when I will be doing at Topaz Crafts.
Keep warm everyone! Lindsay

All set for Scotland!

Well, I'm all packed and ready for my trip to Scotland tomorrow. I'm travelling by train, so am looking forward to gazing at some glorious scenery on the journey up there. I do enjoy train travel (except for when I miss connections of course!) as there are no traffic jams, no road rage and the chance to relax and just enjoy the views.
I've made loads of samples for this weekend but my camera's batteries are on charge, so I'll have to take photos of them whilst I'm away and post them on my return. I had finished packing, checking off my list as I always do, and was winding down for the evening when I suddenly realised that all the cards were still sitting in a pile on my table! Just the idea of leaving them behind gave me a shiver! Thankfully, they are safely tucked into my case now...phew!
So, till Monday, I shall sign off and hope that everyone has a great weekend. Lindsay

Thanks for coming along!

Thank you to everyone who came along to the demonstration at Samuel Taylors in Brighouse yesterday...it was lovely to see both new and familiar faces. Everyone was so enthusiastic that it made it a very enjoyable day! I must say special "hello's" to Lynne (Eccles), Clare (Ramsden) and Mary (Brady) who arrived early and stayed nearly all day! Hope you ladies are enjoying your new stamps and papers (have you stopped stroking them yet?) and thank you for keeping me supplied with glasses of water! Also "hello" to Clare (Horners Corner) and I didn't mind you being cheeky at all! "Hi" too to Karen (Johnson) - it was lovely to see you again! Hope to see you all again soon.

As promised, here are a few more cards that I had with me yesterday:

This one is my Christmas Shelf (Funstamps FP120) which is really dimensional, as I hope you can see from the picture. It features a "real" shelf...well, it's made from card actually!..so you can add lots of extras. I made baubles by glueing small gold beads to the top of larger Miracle beads, and little gifts from metallic paper and thread. The secret to attaching the shelf is to glue it to the card and then add folded card tabs, like brackets, which are then hidden by the decoupage. Great fun to make!

The next card is made using papers from the Swell Noel Speciality
pad by K&Co. A very simple fold which is just an A4 piece of card which has been folded into three and then one end folded in half to form a lop sided "M" shape in cross section. A piece of torn white card covers the front fold to represent snow. I covered the back panel with the Santa and village section from one paper and then cut out more buildings from the glittered sheet and added those to the front. Really easy, but very evocative of a silent, idyllic Christmas scene.
Well, I must get on with making new samples for my weekend up in Scotland. I'm travelling by train again, so will have to do some nifty packing ...my case was a Tardis in a previous life I think! So, if you are in Glasgow, or Broughty Ferry this weekend, do come along and say hello.
Lindsay

Some new cards...

Well, I waited and waited for the daylight to arive yesterday so that I could take some good photos of my cards in natural light, but it remained dark and dreary all day! Pretty much the same again today, so I have had to use the flash after all - the pictures have come out okay anyway.

The card on the left features new papers from the K&Co Christmas Cheer Speciality pad...aren't they lovely and rich? I used "Peek a Boo Kitty" (Funstamps FM200) and added a die cut hat from the Carol Wilson Jingles range. The greeting is hand written with a Marvy Le Plume pen - use the fine point to write and then the brush point to add a dot to the ends of each letter.

The card on the right is a sliding pop up card - great to fold flat for posting. This uses red card stock along with K&Co Swell Noel paper. The stamped image is Funstamps "Mistletoe Penguins"( FM203) coloured using Marvy Le Plume pens with Personal Impressions fine glitter in Blue Black added to the penguins using a glue pen. They look as if they are in their best bib and tucker! It's odd why we all colour penguin beaks and feet in orange when they should really be grey, but I guess they are dressed up for Christmas!

No stamped image on this card, which features baubles cut from the K&Co Christmas Cheer Speciality paper pad and layered onto the fabulous reindeer paper from the same set. I simply added some burgundy ink swiped around the card edges to tie the colours together.

Finally, on the right is a cute card made using "Peek a Boo Puppy" (Funstamps FM210). I've coloured him using a waterbrush and Le Plume pens and layered him up. I also stamped him onto Christmas Cheer paper to get the stripey effect on his hat. The presents were a mixture of images from Swell Noel and ones which I made using rectangles of paper with paper strips as the ribbon. Notice another terrible pun for the greeting!

Well, there are more pictures, but I'll add those in seperate posts. I'll be busy next week preparing for my trip up to Scotland but will hopefully get chance to get on here at some point! I'm off to Brighouse tomorrow morning, to Embsay crafts, so do pop along if you are in the area as I'll have these cards, and more, with me, as well as those lovely papers and embellishments to show you. Till next time, happy crafting! Lindsay

New products

Well, I have had a day of making samples for this Saturday's demonstration at Brighouse and.....I had new papers and embellishments to use along with my stamps! I was using the latest Christmas ranges from K & Co - Swell Noel (think snowflakes, snowmen, Babycham type deer and pastel shades) and Christmas Cheer (think classic, gilded, baubles and jewel tones). These are both absolutely gorgeous and you will love them I'm sure. I'll post photos tomorrow of some of the cards I have made using them. If you are in the area, do come along to see me on Saturday (details in my demonstration diary below left) and see what you think about the new products.

A lot of people have asked me how they can find out which stamps are those that I've designed. Well, I'm pleased to say that we have now cross referenced the stamps on the Personal Impressions website (see link on website list below) so if you put my name into the product search, all my designs will come up! Technology eh?!

Well, that's all for now, but check back soon to see the latest card samples. Lindsay

Bury St Edmunds

Well, I had a great time in Bury St Edmunds! It's a lovely town with lots of little streets off the main roads, filled with interesting shops...I just wished I had had longer to look around.

The Stamp Hut is a great store, filled with oodles of crafting treasures, and I was made very welcome there. "Hello" to all the lovely ladies that I met and I hope you are all having fun with your purchases! I was so busy that I just didn't get chance to take any pictures of everyone around my table, but I did take one or two of the samples before I left.

To the left is part of my (as usual, rather messy!) table and here is a canvas which I made using a mixture of Ranger products - acrylic paint dabbers, crackle paints and distress inks etc and featuring one of Tim Holtz's stamps. I love creating one off pieces like these, where I just go with the flow and see what happens!

Below is a Vintage lady stamped and smudged using Distress ink in Walnut Stain (a great colour)

and mounted onto a panel made with alcohol inks on gloss card. The background paper is from the Blue Awning Range from K & Co.

I must say "thank you" to Leonie for adding a link to this blog from hers and for using one of my stamps in the kits that she is selling to raise funds

for the Princes Trust - do check out her kits if you haven't already seen them. I don't know where Leonie finds time to do everything! Here's a great picture of Leonie and Tim when we were all together at Topaz Crafts earlier this year....

isn't it a lovely photograph?

Well, I had a very lazy day yesterday to recover from all the travelling on friday and saturday. Today has been catching up with
emails and finalising details for my next group of demonstrations.
So, if any of you are in the Brighouse area (yes, home of the brass band!) on saturday, do come alng and say hello. I'd love to see you.
Till next time, keep warm and cosy, Lindsay

Looking forward to the weekend...

Well, I'm looking forward to my trip down to Bury St Edmunds this weekend to demonstrate at The Stamp Hut on saturday. I've got a long train journey there and back, but I've never been to this town before, so it will be interesting to have a look around. I'll be using Ranger products as well as some of my Christmas stamps. I went to New Jersey in June to qualify as a Ranger educator, so will be able to answer any questions about their products.

This was me with some of the other girls on the Ranger U course...we are outside the Cheesecake Factory restaurant at the Mall where they served the biggest meals I have ever seen! I am somewhere in the middle of the group...honestly! As well as completing an inspirational course we all had so much fun too

I'll take some pictures at the demonstration on saturday and post them next week. Lindsay

More card samples...

I've been busy preparing samples for my demonstration at The Stamp Hut on saturday down in Bury St Edmunds. I'll post some pictures of the day next week. Meanwhile, here are a couple more general Christmas cards using my latest stamp designs.

This first one is a simple pop up using Carol Wilson Jingles paper and die cut tree along with "Have an Ice Christmas" (Funstamps FM208). I love making pop up cards as they really do bring a smile to peoples' faces.

This next one is a pop up slider card featuring "Snowman Family" (Funstamps FM209). These sliders are so easy to make and yet very effective - they also fold flat for posting which is a great bonus of course.

Getting there bit by bit!







Well, I'm starting to find my way around the maze of blog world slowly but surely! I've added a demonstration dates list and this will be updated on a regular basis.







Here are a couple of pictures of the type of cards which I'll be showing how to create...the one on the upper left has a frame around it made from Carol Wilson "Jingles" paper. The main image is my "Polar Christmas" (Funstamps FQ210).






The card on the right features my "Peek a Boo Kitty" stamp (Funstamps FM200) along with paper and die cuts from the Carol Wilson "Jingles" range - this paper range has been one of my favourites this year.

Well, I will add some more links now and will post again once I have got to grips with some more of the "techy" stuff! Lindsay

I'm still constructing my blog, so do call back in a few days to check it out!