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Hello folks, sorry to have been AWOL this week but have been trying to get through lots of work....magazine projects, Christmas designs (my snowmen are melting as I draw them!) prepping workshops and demonstration samples etc.
Just a reminder that I'll be at Crafts 4 U 2 Do in St Helens tomorrow where it's always a fun day. I'll be demonstrating my some of my new stamp designs as well as some by Darkroom Door, along with Distress Stains, Perfect Pearl Mists and other goodies! Then, on Sunday, I'm at Dawn's Studio to teach two workshops - Fresh Spring cards in the morning and Steampunk style in the afternoon. There are a few places left I think, so do call Topaz Crafts if you'd like to make a last minute booking.
Last weekend I was down at ESK in Eastbourne...you may recall that I was going to have a paddle. Nobody told me that the beach there consists of pebbles and shells (as opposed to sand!) so I took a few ouchy paces into the water, stood there getting a good soak and then a few ouchy paces back to where I had left my sandals! Flip Flops are a must for that beach and I didn't have any - oh well! The weather was fantastic of course and I did a lot of walking on Friday afternoon before a lovely meal and early night (awful hotel, but I won't bore you!) ready for a busy day on Saturday. I must thank Gaynor and Anne for all their hospitality at the store and for the lovely meal we had that evening. I stayed over a second night before trolling home as it's a looong journey, so I didn't have to race to catch a late night train. That Sunday lie in (9am - how decadent!) was really welcome!
Since then I have been head down working, hence my absence on here. Thank you for all the quiz entries...I definitely made this one far too easy, so David will be having to draw a name from the proverbial hat! Shall have to go back to trickier questions next time! I'll announce the winner, and answers, next week, so check back to see if you have won.
There are still a few places available for the workshop day that Amy and I are hosting on the 15th May, so if you fancy joining the fun, just email me for details.
Well, my bags are all packed with inks, stains, stamps and punches, so I'm calling it a day now and going to spend some time relaxing before another busy weekend. Bank Holidays? No idea what they are?!?! Lol
Okay, after the success of the last quiz, it's time for the second one. Once again there will be a prize for the person who gets the most answers right and if there is a tie, David will draw the winner.
On Sunday I was at The Craft Room in Garners Garden Centre for another busy, and very hot day. Hello to all the lovely ladies and gents who came along and welcome to my new blog followers too!
Next out of the box were my new stamp designs.....it's always exciting to get the new stamps, especially when they have brand new packaging! The stamps are available in shops now, so, should you wish to get your hands on them, you will be able to get them from Personal Impressions stockists. The stamps in the packs at the back are all A6 clear sets whilst the ones at the front are ATC sized unmounted rubber (these will normally have packaging as well of course!). I'll be using a selection of these at my demonstrations tomorrow at Reams, in Derby, and on Sunday, at The Craft Room in Garners Garden Centre in Newcatle Under Lyne.
Talking of my new designs, here is a picture of the prize which is winging its way to Carole for her brilliant cryptic quiz skills! Hope you enjoy using them Carole. I'll be posting a new quiz after the weekend. 
So back to this last week, and starting with the workshops at Dawn's studio last Sunday. It was a hoot as usual! David decided to revert to being my assistant and official photographer this time, as opposed to joining in. Lots of concentration going on here as you can see from Sheila, Jolene, Elaine and Kath.
In the morning we were making cards using Andy Skinner's new stamps, Distress Stains and the new Tim Holtz Kraft Resist stash. As soon as I brought a few stashes through to show everyone they were immediately grabbed and popped into baskets! Here are two of the cards that I made as samples for the class. Both the same design but showing how it could be varied...everyone loved the sentiment on the blue card! 
The one hour break between classes reduced to half an hour for a quick sandwich as we overran somewhat as usual! In the afternoon we were making mini Grungeboard albums which involved staining, cutting pages and stitching. This led to lots of hilarity, especially from Sheila who is showing what she thinks of me making her sew pages into her book in the picture below.....she enjoyed it really!!! As you can see, everyone's books looked quite different and I hope that they'll be inspired to make more of them. 
Here's a picture of the one that I had made....I kept my cover fairly simple but may possibly add some more embellishments to it at some point. 
After the classes had finished we had a real treat as David, Sheila and I went to Kath's house, along with her daughter Elaine of course. You may recall my post a few months ago when I showed you pictures of the amazing fairy egg which Kath surprised me with as a much appreciated gift. Kath makes the most incredible creations and had invited us to go along to see her collection of no less than 72 eggs of various sizes and a huge range of styles. As you can see they are just fantastic......carriages, fairies, swans, flowers, so much variety of style, colour and theme. 
Here's Kath (well, you can just see her!) with one of the largest...check out the beaded detail on the velvet upholstery of the carriage interior! We were quite lost for words at the work and patience involved. What a treat, and it makes us even more honoured to have received one of them as a gift that will be treasured. 
Well, onto Tuesday then, when I set off down to Norwich. I had good train journeys there and back you will be pleased to know, after the unwanted dramas of my last journey there. The beautiful weather helped and I was able to enjoy the changing landscapes at their Springtime best. I saw so many rabbits, I think they must have been enjoying the sunshine too! Lots of oh so cute lambs gambolling about or resting next to their mums, great fields full of pigsties with huge sows snuffling in the dirt with little piglets dashing around them and lots of birds of assorted varieties! It was better than any telly programme! 
This is a feminine version of a full box that I prepared in advance too. Notice that I turned one of the inner boxes around where the heart and wings are - this would be nice to attach a photo to if you were making a wedding memento for instance. This box has the acetate front in place though you can't really see it here - thankfully! 
Here's a second single box which I decorated on the day....can't tell you what fun these are to do!
So, after getting back late on Wednesday, I have spent the last two days preparing things for demonstrations tomorrow and Sunday. Here's a card that I've made using Andy's Back to Nature set stamped onto alcohol inked card. Don't tell anyone, but I stamped the birds the wrong way, so they are flying sideways on!!! Do you think anyone will notice if I don't tell them?! The fab ribbon is from the new Tim Holtz pack - I used Distress stains and water on it and scrunched it up before drying it lightly with the heat tool which lightens the colours somewhat. So, hope to see some of you this weekend for inspiration, tips and new stamps! 
So, on to the news for those who are wanting to know about future workshops. The good news is that myself and 
Meanwhile, tomorrow will see me back at Card Craft in Lancaster where I'll be demonstrating inky fingers....I mean inky techniques (!) as well as stamping and spritzing etc. General messiness and loveliness really! Hope to see you there.
I'll be up in Lancaster at Card Craft (Millenium Heights) on Saturday, so if you'd like to see some of the techniques using Rangers spritzes and sprays I'll hope to see you there. On Sunday I'll be at Topaz to teach workshops - card making in the morning and a mini grungeboard album in the afternoon. Bound to be fun!