Magazines

Just a quick post this morning while I have my cuppa. I've been clearing away my drawing and colouring pens after my Zentangling spree....I could hardly see the table for pens! I don't know about you, but I sometimes reach the point where my untidy mess just goes beyond the pale and I can't do anything until I've had a bit of a tidy up. My Doo Lally room is still very messy, but I have put away most of the things that I know I won't need to use today. There's definitely a big clear up on the cards though!

Anyway, thanks to Chris for a heads up in the comment she left after my last night's post. I did a couple of magazine projects recently and, although I knew that the Crafts Beautiful one was in the current issue, I didn't know that the September issue of Craft Stamper was out yet. That sounds rather scary doesn't it? The "September" issue.....crikey!

I created a set of a canvas, card and tag for CB using the Anthem Collection from Bo Bunny. Here's a sneaky peek.....

 .....needless to say the magazine have photographed everything beautifully and my picture does not really compare in any way! The Anthem collection was really lovely to work with, gorgeous shades of red, blue and a sort of weathered white which gives a shabby chic feel.

As I haven't seen the feature in Craft Stamper magazine yet, I won't post any pictures until I see exactly what has been included, but it does feature my Doo Lally Pip characters. Thanks for the info Chris!

Well, I'd better drain my mug and get cracking now. I have to sort out papers, brads etc for my WI evening on Thursday....I wrote the quiz questions last night so all I need to worry about now is what I'm actually going to talk about at the start of the evening - think I'll just do it off the cuff!

Once I've sorted Thursday's materials out I'll be back to making Christmas samples again - just what I need too as it looks like, after all the rain yesterday, it's going to get pretty warm again today...my thermometers are pushing 21 degrees already and it's only just past 8am!

Crafts Beautiful project

I've been pretty rubbish at blogging this week what with no creative pictures to share. So, I thought I'd show you the project that I did for this month's Crafts Beautiful magazine.     

I used a selection of Darkroom Door stamps with various techniques to get the rich autumn colours that I wanted. If you'd like to check out the magazine, it's the November issue.           

I'm no happier with this "new improved" blogger thingy than I was. The pictures just won't play ball and keep skitting around and instead of going in the centre they go to the side...gggrrrr! So please ignore the bad layout of my posts these days. I do try.

Hello to all the ladies who came to see me at Weavervale on Saturday. It was a busy old day and I'm still finding glitter everywhere!

My work in the garden has been stopped again due to the wet weather we've had here. Well, it's rained on the days I had free and been okay on the days when I have to work - of course! It's getting pretty chilly up here lately too and, as I have a definite shortage of warm clothes, I decided it was time to get a couple of things. Being the inveterate bargain hunter that I am, I did the round of charity shops in the village and, as Monday is market day, I checked out the stalls too. I did pretty well, and for very little money indeed I came back with two cardigans (Per Una ones at that!), a sweater and a warm jacket for when I'm travelling...I don't really like thick coats but I've spent some very chilly times waiting for trains in cold stations.

I picked up a couple of new shower cremes as well....with the colder weather I like to abandon the fresh, zesty limes and lemons in favour of Shea butters, ginger and warm spicy aromas. Psychological nonsense really!

I also got my new diary which is always something of a  ritual. It has to be just the right kind with the layout I'm used to, with enough room for all  my scribbles and able to stand up to lots of crossings out when work dates get changed. Mind you, having said that, I've gone for a slightly smaller one than usual so I'm being a bit daring! I've got lots of dates to write in there for 2013 already and I was having trouble scrawling them into the back of this year's diary - I always start writing everything in very neatly but it will soon descend into a scribbly mess as usual.

One of my neighbours brought some plants over for me too, after he'd been tidying his garden and digging a few things out. So I've got a fairly large daisy type bush (very specific!) to find a spot for, as well as some Irises and another anonymous plant that I know has a lovely purpley blue flower. Hopefully there will be a sunny half hour tomorrow for me to get them planted out. 

Tara is getting much more relaxed at last, though not with Thomas I'm sad to say - she still despises him! However, she's been lying next to me on the sofa with her little, short legs pressed up against me and has been purring quite loudly. Good to know that she's feeling happier even if she does hate having the feline version of Jethro Clampett living in the same house! (Giving my age away there!)

Well, I'm feeling quite warm now, snuggled in my PJ's, woolly cardigan and fluffy socks - that conjures up a glamorous image I know. So, I think I'll sign off now and get a reasonably early night for once. I dare say this post will look like a dogs dinner again thanks to the newly improved nonsense, but never mind.

Crafts Beautiful projects

I'm back again before the weekend after all. Just wanted to let you know that I have an online project on the Crafts Beautiful website this month which was uploaded today. It features gorgeous vintage Union Jack paper from Personal Impressions as well as stamps and charms. Here's my picture of them ........... just click the Crafts Beautiful link (above) if you'd like details of what I used and how I made them. I'll take them to Card-Io in Wigan tomorrow, so you can have a closer look if you're popping in.
And, just to give you a chuckle, I took all your comments on board, inked up my shoes and stamped onto some card - literally! Not sure what I think...looks like a couple of weird faces now. I'm guess I can incorporate them into something at some point though - will let you know when I do.Thank you for all the calls and texts I got last night and today...my birthday seems to be lasting for longer than twenty four hours!
Well, everything's packed in my case for tomorrow's demo at Card-Io, so I'm going to take a walk with Thomas and Tara now and then it will be a couple of hours relaxing before a shower with some of the new "smellies" that Heather gave me.
So, hope to see some of you tomorrow and I'll have photos to share with everyone else after the weekend. Take care everyone.

Crafts Beautiful project

Hello everyone. Thought I'd write a quick post this evening whilst David is watching a drama that I missed the start of. I've had quite a productive day, getting some specific stamp designs finished and posted off, doing some last minute grocery shopping planning a new magazine project and cooking dinner. After the long break that I've had, it did feel like a day of good results!
Whilst I was out I saw that the February issue of Crafts Beautiful is in the shops now, so I can share pictures of my Steampunk project that's in there. I used the Steampunk stamp set from Darkroom Door (DDRSO68) which has some great images - good value too as there are twenty stamps on the sheet....at least twenty....I keep losing count!
I created two cards and a shadow box and also used the Donna Salazar Sprightly Sprockets Spellbinders set (SBS5-048) mixed in with TH metal sprockets and Timepieces. I had great fun making this set. If you'd like the list of materials and instructions do grab a copy of Crafts Beautiful magazine. Here's a close up of the shadow box at a better angle to show the dimensional effect. If you're a Steampunk fan, Andy Skinner has posted a video of a short animated film with a Steampunk feel. Worth taking a look...and checking out Andy's creations too, of course!
As it's Monday I just have time to add a link to Crafting Buddies which is run by my friend Joanne. It began as somewhere to post about our pets who "join in" with crafting, but has now become somewhere to show any of our animal friends.
This picture is of a Seagull who I met in Aberdeen station when I was waiting for my train home a few weeks ago. He was very bold and very sure that I would have something tasty in my bag! Of course, he picked the right person and I was able to offer hime some biccies from the hotel! If it wasn't for his rather dashing pink feet and yellow beak I don't think you'd be able to see him at all! After me telling you that Tara was not happy at all about living with Thomas, it turns out that she just wanted him to make an honest kitty of her......

......mmmm, slight lie there. She is as grumpy as ever and I think her pose is more one of "we are not amused" than a blushing bride! Definitely not "I do", more like "in your dreams"!

One of the supermarkets here was selling chocolate eggs before Christmas and, today, I see that most of the shops have now got a range of them in. Am I the only one who finds this cynical and manipulative. No wonder we feel as though time goes by more quickly now when we are rushed from one point in the year to the next with no time to take stock (sorry about the unintentional pun!) in between.
Okay, that's all for tonight. I am just going to check that those links work and then relax for a bit before bed time. Hardly slept last night, so I am hoping to do better tonight. Tomorrow I'll be working on card samples and a new project, so hope for another productive day! Sleep well everyone!
PS the links did NOT work, so am hoping I have now done them correctly!

Crafts Beautiful

Two posts in one day...I'm making up for lost time! I just thought I'd share these pictures of some new projects that I did for the November issue of Crafts Beautiful magazine using the beautiful My Minds Eye Lost & Found Christmas collection. The papers are a really lovely mix of quite vintage images and colours but with a modern twist and a good lashing of glitter! I also used the matching brads and dimensional stickers as well as my Christmas Collage stamp for the card's focal image.

I have to thank my big sis, Heather, for suggesting I make a Bunting decoration! I really liked the way this turned out and I was especially pleased that I was able to use the MS Holly border to punch around the triangular shape. Certain of the punches will allow you to be a little more experimental and daring with how you use them. So long as you hold the punch upside down then you can check that you aren't cutting through an area you've already punched - I also found it easier to start at the point at the bottom as this one is harder to punch around otherwise. I have found (by accident!) that I can also use this particular PATP set to punch around squares and rectangles that aren't the standard size, simply because the holly leaves are a fairly random pattern. It's also just a really lovely design that I like using! The Triptych is made from a base of mount board and is really simple to make. Embossing all the edges with gold powder takes extra time, but is worth it for the extra neatness and stability that it adds. Patterns are included in the magazine of course, and you could enlarge or reduce this...I quite fancy making some Triptych ATC's. Hope you like them. If you want any more details about Crafts Beautiful, just check out the link in my sidebar. I've had a nice day colouring in, so I have a little stack of images now, all ready to add to my backgrounds and cards this weekend. Hope to see you in Essex!

Brainboxes!

Hello folks, and what brainboxes some of you are! yes, the quiz answers are flooding in...I've even had an entry from as far afield as New Zealand, but, if you haven't had a go yet, there's still time to enter. Just email me with your answers by early next week...you have to be in it to win it as they say!
I'm sorry that I've been somewhat absent for the last week, but it was a mixture of no photos to share and being quietly busying myself with an assortment of things. Last Thursday I was teaching at Crafts 4 U 2 Do and in the morning the ladies made an array of tags. Here is one that we ran out of time to make! This one features Darkroom Door stamps, Graphic 45 Christmas Emporium papers (which Personal Impressions are now stocking - yippee!) Tissue Tape and a Christmas Muse token by TH. I do like the tissue tape as ribbon effect. In the afternoon we used Darkroom Door stamps to make cards and this one was David's favourite of the samples I made. The lovely paper is Christmas Emporium "Believe!" which has postcard sized retro images on the front and this beautiful blue paper on the reverse. I used Faded Jeans to ink the postage stamp and then, once I'd applied it to the paper, lightly misted it with water for that slightly blurred effect. On Saturday I was at Crabapple Crafts who were celebrating their twelfth birthday. Rosemary and Debbie were also demonstrating as well as Woodware and even Nigel got in on the act. Hello to everyone who came along and glad you enjoyed the day.
Sunday was also a busy day as I was at the Craft Shop in Congleton where a group of very keen ladies spent most of the day with me as I got very messy indeed with various inks and stamps. There were lots of homemade cakes and the kettle seemed to be on all day...I did indulge in one piece of delicious lemon cake which was my lunch as the ladies chained me to the table all day! (not really of course!)
I have added an email subscription to the sidebar near the top - if you'd like to get my posts sent to you via email (!) just add your email details and follow the simple instructions. Hopefully it will work...I'm never too sure if I have done things correctly or not!
Crafts Beautiful's current issue features a set of cards and decoration that I made using Nitwit papers and toppers - along with some inks of course! Here are a couple of pictures featuring the stocking.... ....and one of the cards - though you can see the second card in the background. The magazine includes the template for the stocking and full instructions of course. So, not a very long post tonight really! I am just about to go and call Thomas for his dinner as he has been out enjoying the weather all day. It's been incredibly warm here and, at 7.15pm in late September, we have the windows open and the fan on - and it still feels hot! Bonkers! david cooked a really delicious chicken, stuffing and baked potatoes last night, so we are going to have the same again now...he hasn't cooked a roast for a while but it was worth waiting for!
I am off up to Lancaster on Saturday for my demonstration at Card Craft and from there I travel over to Hull for Sunday's demo at crafty Creations in Cottingham. Hope to see some friendly and familar faces at Lancaster and some new ones on Sunday! Finally, a warm welcome to new followers of my blog.

My busy week

Hello again! I thought you might like to see some pictures from the QVC Craft Party event that I was at last week. I headed down to London on Wednesday and met up with Kathy and Jayne from Personal Impressions who were already busy getting out Make n Take and display tables ready. The whole room was decorated with bunting, pretty china cups, saucers and cake stands filled with fairy cakes. Very pretty. Here's the Personal Impressions display table complete with Martha Stewart goodies and two lovely Charlie Bears....I did wonder if the cupcakes would be safe in their paws! We also set up the workshop room where I'd be teaching twelve classes over the next two days. We were up bright and early for the first day of the event and Craig was there to welcome everyone and get them in the mood for crafting! Craig also introduced everyone...Marion Emberson, Imaginations, Michelle, Stix 2, Amy, Julie Hickey, Sizzix and everyone else that I've missed off my list. On the second day, new presenter Anna was there to do the honours...she was lovely and made a really excellent card on my workshop.Then it was time for myself and Jayne to lead our first group to the workshop where we would be making our "Winter's Tale " cards. We only had forty five minutes for each session, so had to get straight down to making a Distress Stain and Perfect Pearl Mist background, before stamping, masking, bleaching, colouring, cutting out and sticking everything together! Whew! Everyone did really well - even when, on the second class, Craig joined us and sang "Only a Winter's Tale" throughout! Bless him!??? Jayne and I scurried around, making sure that everybody knew where they were up to, and, with only twenty minutes between each class, we didn't have much time to spare! Here are a couple of the ladies carefully painting the fences, owls and postboxes for their cards. This is the lovely lady who had me in Stitches at the session that she attended...I've never seen anyone applying ink and stamping with such a lovely flourish and her laugh was infectious! A couple of the ladies went "off piste" so to speak, and used the techniques and the stamps etc to just have fun doing their own versions. This card was just gorgeous, with a very ethereal look to it. And this lady got really into the spirit of stamping and made her own version too. After twelve workshops Jayne and I were all in, but everyone's enthusiasm had made it all worthwhile - even stamping and cutting out 120 post it note fence masks was worth it (I had been going to stamp one each - 240 - but I caved in and people shared!!!).

Here's a picture of Craig drawing tickets for one of the raffles that were held over the two days. Great prizes were up for grabs, as well as tours of the QVC studios and behind the scenes in the craft prep room etc. How I would have loved to have won one of these Charlie Bears....but, of course, I wasn't even in the running for prizes. How cute is this chappie though...look at those pleading eyes! So, there's a mini round up of the Craft Party. It was a great chance to meet so many keen crafters and I hope you all went away having had a fantastic time at a memorable event.
I got home very late on Friday night and on Saturday I was off to Samuel Taylor's in Brighouse, Yorkshire. I was feeling very tired but, thankfully, everyone that came to my demonstration was so jolly and we did so much laughing, that they soon energised me and the day flew by. A special hello to Claire and to Diane who was teaching a workshop where the ladies made a beautiful birthday cake card. Take a look at Diane's blog, Inky Meanderings for more of her lovely work. Here's one of my cards from Saturday, using the same stamps as the QVC workshop, but with Distress inks instead of Stains for a softer feel to the scene. Lastly, don't forget that it's Craft day on QVC this Thursday (ie starting at midnight Wednesday through to midnight on Thursday). I will have some stamp sets on air, including new ones. And, really lastly, I also have a new set of projects, featuring penguins, in the latest issue of Crafts Beautiful magazine. I am now off to give my typing fingers a rest!
PS don't forget to read my previous post as I have done two in quick (?) succession!

What's on this weekend

Well, it's been a dull old day here today, but really warm and clammy. I've spent today making extra samples for this weekend's demonstrations. I'll be at Samuel Taylor's in Leeds tomorrow and then at H G Arts & Crafts on Sunday, which is at Brookside Garden Centre, in Poynton. I'll be stamping, staining, punching and inking...bit of all sorts really! Hope to see some of you at one or other event if you are nearby.

I forgot to post these next two photos the other day....they are of a project that I have in the current issue of Crafts Beautiful magazine. I used the gorgeous Flora and Fauna range from K&Co and, when I received the papers and matching stickers, Grand Adhesions, borders etc I just couldn't decide which ones to use! So, I decided that a configurations box would give me the leeway to use a good mixture! I had so much fun making this, filling corked vials with flower seeds and making tiny labels for them and cramming as many details into, and around the compartments as I could. I didn't use tissue tape for covering the box edges (except for the main frame of the lid) but, instead, I used strips of the K&Co paper to keep the theme going.
I made a matching card and tag as well - the card features MS punches - a deep edge Punch Around the Page set "Wildflowers, and the Punch All Over the Page butterfly. I had to add some Tissue Tape frills to the tag of course! Hope you like them, and if you'd like the instructions and to see much better photos of them do check out Crafts Beautiful...they photograph everything so well.
There are still a few places on the August 14th Early Christmas workshops that I'll be teaching in St Helens...we'll be using some of my new Christmas stamps and I'll also be demonstrating with these the day before at Crafts 4 U 2 Do. This will be the first showcasing of my new stamps, so I'll be busy getting cards etc made with them next week - can't wait to start on them! (Nice chance to unlock the glitter cabinet!)
I must share a picture with you of two teeny tiny, ever so sweet fairies that I was given by the wonderfully talented Kath. My photo just doesn't do justice to them, as they are very delicate and measure only about an inch across - if that! The detail on the faces is brilliant and the hair (in ringlets no less!) is incredible. The edges of the tiny wings are even glittered. Thank you Kath. I have earmarked one fairy to sit inside a corked vial in my next configuration box - will show you when I have done it.
Well, time to sign out now and have a few quiet hours before retiring. Have to be up early for the trip over to Leeds tomorrow. Hope everyone has a great weekend!

The wanderer returns

Not that I've been wandering! Quite the opposite really - I feel a little bit like a hedgehog that's reluctant to come out of hibernation! Christmas was quite a stress filled week and I've been taking some time out to catch up with some much needed sleep and a little R & R too. I've still been working away at home, with new designs and magazine projects. The picture below is of part of a set of matching pieces that I made which are in the February (current) issue of Crafts Beautiful. We'll be doing something in a similar vein on my first workshop of this year in a couple of weeks. These particular examples are made using the lovely Rachel Grieg's Darkroom Door stamps - gorgeous images. I'm looking forward to seeing Rachel again in February when she visits the UK for Stitches and workshops at Dawn's studio. Looks like the sun was shining when I took the photograph.....mmmmm, not much sign of it today. It's a very dull, dour day today.Well, it seems a little tardy now, but I hope that most of you had a lovely Christmas - I say 'most of you' because I know that a few people had a fairly depressing time. Let's all hope that this year can be a fresh beginning and that we have more positive things happening.

Apologies to those who never did receive their Christmas cards from me....that's apologies from the post office I think really! Thank you to everyone who sent cards to David and me, they were much appreciated, beautiful and it was difficult to take them down after the twelve days were up!

Well, I shall be back into the travelling about mode next weekend! I have enjoyed the novelty of being at home at the weekends, it feels quite decadent! So, I'll be up at Dainty Supplies in Washington, Tyne & Wear next Saturday. I'm going to be demonstrating stamping and stencilling with the new Ranger Perfect Pearls Mists and Crafter's Workshop stencils. I'll be using Darkroom Door stamps too, so, if you are around the area, do pop in and bag a set - they are top quality and come in snazzy tins to keep them safe and for easy storage.

The weekend after that I'll be at Card-Io in Wigan - I'll have more details next week about exactly what I'll be demonstrating. Then I'll be busy with workshops at Dawn's Studio at the beginning of February. These will be stamping (cards), making jewellery with Ranger products and an all day Art Journalling class. I've had a few email queries as to whether the workshops are still going ahead, as you will have no doubt read/heard that Dawn and her family have taken the decision to sell the shop. I can reassure you that, yes, all the advertised workshops are going to be running. Dawn will keep everyone posted as to any more classes that may be added after these. I know that many of you will be very sad, including myself, at the news, and I know that it was a difficult decision for everyone involved and that we all wish them well.

I'll try to catch up with any emails that I'm still late in replying to and the next thing I know it will be Stitches time again, so lots and lots of samples to be made. That's my favourite few days in my working year, when I get to catch up with everyone - including Tim of course...think I shall have to warn him about some of you who are going to his workshops in February!!!

So, I'll sign off for now...I feel as if I have almost forgotten how to blog after all this time! Will be back with more photos soon. Lindsay

PS Please do check out my rant blog, or go to http://www.fishfight.net/ to find out about a very important campaign, if you haven't been watching the Channel 4 programmes on the state of the fishing industry. This is one of those times when the general public can really help to get things done!

My last demonstration before Christmas

Hello folks, me, signing in from the library again! So, no pictures yet I'm afraid. Hope that everyone has been keeping warm in the cold weather and not too many of you have been snowed in.

I'm off down to Norwich tomorrow...thankfully the trains seem to be back on track (!) so it should be a straight run. I'm taking extra gloves, a woolly hat and a shawl though, just in case! If you are in the area, do drop into the new Hobbycraft store on Saturday where I'll be demonstrating and hosting an informal Make n Take where you can make a decorative tag to take home.

Last weekend was a busy one as I was demonstrating on Saturday and then teaching two workshops on Sunday. The double class days are hard work but great fun too. We made Fairy Doors and Christmas decorations...pictures will follow as soon as I am back on track with a computer. It was great to meet some new crafters as well as catching up with Chris, She, Kath, Elaine, Caitlin, Tracy, Paul, Edna and Gill. Joanne and "Peg Leg" dropped in too, so it was a busy old time. Thanks to everyone for cards and gifts which are so appreciated. I have made a start on my Christmas cards....finally! Paul....the hot chocolate was delicious - can I put in a repeat order?!

I have been busy all this week on two projects for Crafts Beautiful magazine which will be in issues next year. I do a regular project each month for them and, of course, always have to be working several months ahead of the publishing dates....so it can be very odd, thinking about Spring time themes when there is snow everywhere and Christmas Carols in the background! I'm also working on designs for next year and having to re-do some things which were stored on the computer...gggrrrrrr! I have another week of trying to get all of the work finished and then I might be able to start relaxing and thinking about Christmas. I'm looking forward to an afternoon in Norwich tomorrow though, so that will be fun.

Unfortunately, it does mean that I have to miss the last Christmas bash at Dawn's Studio this weekend, both Saturday and Sunday. I would normally be there to join in the fun, but it will be a good weekend if you can make it. I believe that the usual mince pies, hot mulled wine and chocolates will be on offer along with demonstrations by Dawn, Amy and the team and lots of last minute special offers! There are Make n Takes as well as demonstrations and a gift wrapping service too...how posh! Hope it's a great weekend and just sorry that I'm missing this one.

Since the trees were cut down next door (see my rant blog for that story) we've been making an extra effort with the birds and wildlife to make sure that they are well fed. With the icy weather I've been putting fatty food out at night so that there is something for the shivery little birds when they wake up. Did I say "little" birds? The latest visitors this week have been seagulls! just shows how cold it is as we never normally see them, but they are obviously needing some extra food too. Our regular foxes have been calling earlier than normal and asking "can I have some more please?"!!! A new addition was a Robin who we saw every day until a few days ago, so hoping he hasn't succulmbed to the cold. It's amazing just how they survive these temperatures isn't it? So, as Joanne said on her blog, remember our feathered (and furry) friends and put extra rations out for them. I grilled some sausages the other day and drained off the fat from them into a tin plate, poured in some bird seed, stale cheese etc and then let it set in the fridge. Saves having to dispose of yucky animal fat, saves buying fat balls or lard and was so quick to do. The birds loved it!

Well, my case is packed, so I am all set for my last trip for 2010. Am going to go back home now and have a relaxing evening before my early start tomorrow. I'll take some pictures and hope to share them with you before next year!!! Have a great weekend everyone and a special greeting to my new followers - welcome. Lindsay

I'm home and it isn't even dark yet!

What a treat...it's Sunday evening, I'm already home and still light outside as well! I think we all look forward to the light evenings and when I'm travelling I enjoy it so much more in the daylight. This weekend was lovely though as I was near to home and David drove me everywhere, so no dodgy train journeys!

On Saturday I was demonstrating at Craftzone in Pontefract near Wakefield in Yorkshire. This is a huge shop which focusses on having lots and lots of stock - great for anyone who loves rummaging as you can see from the photo below and this is just one of the rooms! I had a big crowd of ladies, and a few men, all day long and it was a day full of fun and laughter as well as techniques and projects. We remembered to put the clocks forward thank goodness, so there was no last minute dash this morning! So today was spent at Crabapple Crafts in Frodsham, the shop owned by Rosemary and Nigel Merry who you will know from QVC of course. Another gorgeous day, weather wise, and another busy and fun day. I was showcasing the new Distress ink colours as well as other Ranger products and a mix of Personal Impressions and Hero Arts stamps.Everyone seemed to really enjoy the day and almost everyone was tempted into giving Ranger inks a new home! I hope everyone enjoys using them - just keep practicing the blending techniques! The card below was a popular one today - I used Bundles Sage, Tumbled Glass and Victorian Velvet Distress ink colours to create the spattery background and then used Marvy Le Plume pens onto the small flower head stamp from PICS012 Count My Blessings set, spritzing them lightly with water before pressing onto the card to create a soft watercolour effect. I sketched in soft stems and leaves and then made a hole at each side of the stems to thread my ribbon through to create the bow. This was mounted onto an alcohol inked mat and then onto the card. I coloured my ribbon using alcohol inks and, to my great amusement, this brought a round of applause as everyone loved the instant hand dyed effect! After that, we had applause every time I coloured a ribbon - very funny! The next example uses a stamp from a Hero Arts set and is a whimsical, fun card. I used all sorts of elements here, including one of Paula Pascual's lovely message stamps punched out with a scalloped circle punch. Also some weeny flowers from K&Co's Que Sera Sera range and a daisy border MS punch too.The last sample from this weekend is from the "Whoo Loves You" stamp set from Hero Arts.I really like these fun owls! This card features a Distress ink spattery background again - another simple card, and I liked the natural look of the corrugated card as a mat for this one.Finally this is a not very good photo of my project as featured in this month's, April, issue of Crafts Beautiful magazine. So, if you fancy making one of my boxes featuring a"tree" inside, then you can find all the instructions and patterns in there, plus a simple matching card. Well, that's all from me for tonight. We are going to have a takeaway dinner tonight so that we can completely relax after the busy last couple of days and make the most of the first light evening of the year. Lindsay

PS The weather forecast has just been on......snow for tomorrow! Goodness!

Fairies and Friends

What a lovely weekend that was! I was teaching the Fairy Doors workshop at Dawn's shop on Saturday and I had made fours different examples of them to inspire the ladies. For those of you who have not come across them before, they began in a small American town called Ann Arbor where little doors began to mysteriously "appear" on the skirtings boards, cupboards and walls in homes and stores to the delight of local children and adults alike. If you google the town you can read more about them. The ones in Ann Arbor are beautifully constructed from wood just like full sized doors, but, as the whimsical idea caught on, people have been making them from all sorts of materials, including those readily available to paper crafters. They can be attached to skirting boards or hidden inside a child's cupboard for them to discover, but are equally enchanting for adults who, like me, refuse to grow up! This first example was inspired by Tolkien's Hobbit homes with its round door set into a stone framework. The window has an orange glow behind it hinting at the cosy fireside within. This next one was a more "prettified" version, though the photo doesn't show the pinky lilac tones very well. I used inked tissue to make the foliage around the door, but the ladies on the workshop had Flower Soft to create shrubbery and flowers. The third one was, I have to admit, my favourite one to create as it was a more Gothic style and I had great fun adding the torn posters and graffiti! This last one utilised a Martha Stewart punched owl and cat and the crackling on this one shows up really well. The cauldron looks rather odd in the picture as the Glossy Accents hadn't fully dried when I took it!

All of them began by drawing around a simple shape onto Grungeboard before cutting it into sections to represent boards. These were coloured with Tim Holtz Crackle paints which, once dry, I inked to emphasise the cracks. The doors were re-assembled and stuck into place on cardstock. This could be cut larger than the door to allow for a framework of stones or foliage, or, as in the Gothic door, it can be the same size if no surround is needed. Embellishments such as hinges, door knobs, windows etc are all then added using punches, scraps of Grungeboard, charms and brads. I use Glossy Accents to attach everything for a very strong bond.

Here are the ladies all working hard on their doors. David was helping me and dishing out brads and charms to everyone as well as taking snaps of us all. Some finished doors.......
A closer look......
And even more......note how different they all look!
And this picture shows them more clearly.......
It was a really lovely workshop which everyone seemed to have lots of fun with. It's nice to concentrate on the child within all of us every so often so I hope the pictures might inspire you to have a go and make your very own doorway to fantasy land!
As we were packing things away we spied Joanne's husband, Terry, who was at it again - this time trying to sneak off with my new Neatnix bag filled with my pens and tools! Lol! We had a real giggle and I had to take another picture!


I stayed over at Rena (Dawn's sister) and Stephen's home that night where we had a lovely three course meal prepared by Stephen himself. It was delicious too! Then, after a good catch upand a restful night's sleep, we were back to the shop on Sunday morning where I was giving a demonstration - quite an eclectic one showing various techniques. It was a lovely day, meeting keen and eager crafters.
Rena and I also sorted out which workshops I am doing on what dates, so, as promised, here are the dates and descriptions of what I'll be doing:
Saturday 17th April - "Ranger Framed Mirror" - you can see an example of this on my last but one post. We'll be colour washing the frame and then using different techniques to create the decorative items to embellish it.
Sunday 18th April - this will be an all day demonstration.
Saturday 15th May - "Fairy cards & a fairy in a jar" - a selection of magical cards and a jar with your very own caught fairy.
Sunday 16th May - this will be an all day demonstration.
Saturday 19th June - "A secret canvas" - we will be decorating the front of a canvas and then turning it over and creating a collection of secrets in the recess....this is one for those with a romantic imagination!
Sunday 2oth June - this will be an all day demonstration.
Saturday 17th July - "Ranger techniques & ATC's" - a great way to learn lots of techniques with Ranger products and then use them to create a collection of ATC's - swap them or keep them as an aide memoire when you need inspiration.
Sunday 18th July - This will be an all day demonstration.
There will be more workshops to come so I'll post details nearer the time. All the above workshops cost £20 and are from 1pm - 4pm. To book, call the Dawn Bibby Design Studio on 01254 356501.

For anyone has seen my boxes at demonstrations and wanted to make one, I have a box project in this month's (April) issue of Crafts Beautiful magazine which gives full instructions and diagrams.

So, it's Monday again now and that's my morning off finished for another week! Back to work now with a long list of things to catch up on - just for a change! Many thanks for all of the lovely cards, emails and comments which have winged their way to me in the last few days. I said to David yesterday that we have met so many genuinely kind and lovely people in this last year or two, it has been really special to have such great support. Lindsay