At last!

Gosh, it's been a while...mostly because something has been messing around with my access to blogger and keeps sending up a page that interrupts me whenever I've tried to post. I think it's something to do with Virgin having "updated" whatever it is that they update and my system doesn't seem to support everything as it did before. Gggggrrrr!

It's also been a really busy time here one way and another....Stitches trade show was as manic as ever - even more so this year, as I was working on both the Personal Impressions and Deco Art stands. Here are some images from the show.

The Deco Art stand and the make n take area that myself and Mark Gould were manning.

I was adorning T Shirts with Andy Skinner's latest stencils and So Soft paints.

One of my hand painted samples using the So Soft paints.

A Mixed Media hanger...I wanted to do something with a more Summery feel.

There's always time for some fun however busy we are of course!

With Andy...the Master of Mixed Media! And the thorn between two roses at dinner with Andy and Mark Gould...

My new stamps were previewed at the show but, due to the pre production sets not being ready, I haven't been able to make any samples to share with you as yet. You can check out the new sets here though  and they will be hitting the shops from around the 15th March...fingers crossed!

I'm happy to say that I'm now on the Deco Art International Design Team which is really exciting. My first step by step project on the Mixed Media Blog can be seen here and there is a new button in my left sidebar which will take you straight to the general Mixed Media Blog. 

I've also been really busy with Church of course...lots of special services lately, including Ash Wednesday and St Chad's day. I was in Chorley on Wednesday for a full day's seminar on courses that we'll be running in the Summer so that was very interesting - if a little long! 

My garden is looking extremely neglected...probably because it has been! I am just waiting for the weather to warm up so that I can get out there and hack through the jungle of weeds, clean out the micro pond and mow the lawn at last. 

Thomas and Tara are beginning to spend a little more time outside again and I can tell that Spring is approaching by the fact that I am finding cat hairs attached to my clothing again..the moult has started!

 I've also decided to start running small (very small!) Mixed Media workshops from my little studio here.I can only take up to three people per session and these will be full days priced at £50 per person which includes all materials, refreshments, including lunch, and a goody bag of papers, ribbons, die cuts etc to take home. You can check out the first dates in my demo/workshop list on the left or you can request a specific date and I will try to fit it in for you.

Right, I will crack on as I have a large amount of dies to cut in preparation for tomorrow's workshop at Craft Range in Burnley!

Service resumed

Hello folks and, yet again, I'm starting with an apology for being absent from blogland for a few weeks. This has been partly due to me being weighed down with show prepping work - I'm going to be at forthcoming Event City show this Thursday, Friday and Saturday and then Stitches trade show for four days the week after that, so, loads to do.

Alongside this, our mum developed a chest infection which, combined with her ongoing illness, meant that she was very, very poorly. So much so that we warned to expect the worse.We have had a very worrying time and, you may imagine that other things have taken a back seat. Thankfully, I'm happy to say, that mum has amazed everyone and has bounced back yet again. She really is a remarkable lady and my new name for her is Duracell! We know that we still have to take things a day at a time, but, for the moment, mum is out of the woods. Needless to say, Heather and I have been feeling pretty stressed again and it's been quite hard to concentrate on work.

I have been doing my best though and I'm ready for the first show at least! So, I'll be on the Card-io stand again at the Event City show near the Trafford centre in Manchester. I'm concentrating solely on Sizzix dies this time, so I've been making a whole selection of dimensional projects, including flowers made using the Susan's Garden range of Thinlits dies. Here's a wheelbarrow made using a Bigz XL die which I've then filled with flowers made from card stock that's been inked and shaped. I cut slivers of green card on my trimmer to create the filler - I didn't have any of the stuff you can get from the florist which would have been quicker if not as creative!

I'm especially fond of the Poppy die which comes together beautifully. I used a heavy card stock to make the wheelbarrow which I then coated with black gesso. I used the same technique with another Sizzix die - the watering can......

....I used my pallette knife to spread the gesso quite thickly to give plenty of texture. It takes a fair while to dry, but if left in a warm spot the surface will cure faster and then a heat gun can be used to gently finish the drying process - with care though, so as not to make the gesso bubble up.

Once fully dry I use DecoArt Metallic Lustre to create the finish by simply rubbing it over the surface with my finger. I used Silver Sparkle on the watering can.........

...the left hand example was just cut from basic card stock which I inked to give some definition. The watering can creates an open box effect, so it's easy to add flowers etc.

The weather has been pretty cold, wet and windy here and, on Friday, we had some snow......bbbrrrr! Thankfully, it turned to sludgy sleet so it didn't stick...

....anyway, a combination of the icy temperatures and having a tidy entrance to the house over Christmas made me decide not to fill the Doo Lally room up with work again. I really do like coming in at the front door and not being confronted by piles of card and an inky mess everywhere! It's much nicer when people call round too - especially if they don't know what all the mess is about! So, I decided to go back to the way I used to work back in our flat in Manchester - that is, on the floor! I know it wouldn't suit everyone, but it has lots to recommend it....I'm warm for a start, by the fire in the lounge. It also means that I can spread things out around me, all easily on hand. When I'm die cutting it makes things simpler too with so much more space than working on a desk. 

I have a small table with wheels that I put everything I'll need onto and then I can simply push the day's materials into the lounge in one go. I "tidy" it away when I've finished for the day, though it's not very tidily put away at the moment whilst I'm so busy. The spare room (which is already minus a bed - given to my nephew!) does look rather like a dumping ground just now but at least I can close the door and get away from it in the evening. And I don't mind working on the floor - I'm always the one sat on the carpet when there are more people than chairs!

Thank goodness the evenings are gradually getting a little lighter. I don't know about you, but I'm really fed up with the dark mornings and short days. It's been really sunny here today and that, coupled with seeing Spring bulbs poking through the ground really does help to lift the spirits. I don't know where my snowdrops are though - I know I planted some! I had to go into the village today and I walked through the park where the gardeners were laying tons of bark chippings on all the beds. It looked and smelled wonderful and really made me want to get cracking in the garden again. I'm afraid my garden really does look shocking at the moment, so I'm desperate for the warmer weather so I can get it sorted.

No time at the moment anyway of course - especially when this box arrived last week....

...my new stamp sets! They are pre production rubber versions and I can't share any of the designs with you as we haven't released the images yet. You may be able to get a sneaky peek if you enlarge the photo though! So, you can see there's a lot to go at there - and all to be done by the end of next week.

When I'm working (on the floor!) I usually have my lap top nearby so that I can regularly check for emails, stock numbers of products etc. I thought you might find this picture quite amusing........

......I got quite a surprise when I looked up! Thomas has a habit of plonking himself beside the laptop when he wants my attention, but I think he just decided it would be a nice way to warm his bum this time! Needless to say I shooed him off there pretty sharpish and, thankfully, the laptop survived his ton weight and tendency to dribble!

So I'd better share a piccie of Tara as well, just to even things up, and she does look very pretty in this one...

....the little worried expression is her default setting!

Well, now that I've said hello again, I'll sign off and hope to share pictures from this week's show after the weekend. Also hope to see lots of you there for, what I'm sure, will be a very busy and interesting event. 

Various "stuff"!

It was so long between my last and previous posts that there were quite a few pictures and tales that I didn't share. I thought I'd do a mixed bag of a post now to give a taste of the last few weeks here.

Back in August (how scary does that sound?!) on the 11th to be exact, Blackpool hosted an airshow. I strolled the few yards down the lane at the back of the house and, across the fields I had a grandstand view.....

 ....the incredible Red Arrows were on top form as always. If you fancy flying with them, you can get as close as most of us would want to by watching this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1e-aw3aJpBc ...how on earth they do what they do is beyond me! Heart stopping stuff!

The Red Arrows were brilliant but when a deep, heavy sound filled the air I wondered what was going to appear in the skies above me. What came into view was a magnificent Lancaster Bomber.....

 ....wow, what a sight. I found it really emotional, especially as our dad and uncle were in the air force and uncle David was killed when he was on a mission. I did take a video of the Lancaster as it was being escorted by two Spitfires....it came over the rooftops and right overhead - unfortunately, I had inadvertently turned the camera off!!!! Darn!

There's been quite a lot on TV recently about the plight of our bees, and there's no denying that they are struggling. However, I seem to have got a good percentage of them right outside my back door! The giant Lavender has been literally heaving with them all summer long and I took a few pictures of them including this close up that came out quite well....

....they are all so busy that they are no trouble at all even when brushing past them on the steps. They get very drowsy in the Lavender so I sometimes take the chance to gently stroke their fuzzy backs! My nephew thinks I'm certifiable - especially since Heather told him about the spider that I've christened Maximus, as in "The Gladiator"....every time I hoover the lounge I have to stop just short of one end of the radiator as Maximus charges out from behind the pipe and stands his ground to stop the vacuum cleaner getting to his home! He's big, but not quite as big as this chappie who suddenly appeared on the bedroom wall.....arachnophobes (like my nephew) look away now.....

....he really was a whopper, but I welcome all the spiders as they do help to keep the insects at bay.

I've had a lot of people asking how the garden is doing and my stock answer at the moment is "don't ask"! Still no lawn mower and I'm afraid the weeds have been getting out of control again. However, there have been some really lovely shows of colour and fragrance. Even now, as the summer is ending, the Nasturtiums and Sweet Peas are still blooming and there are berries on the shrubs and trees. I have a new rose and a lovely Red Rocket Berberis to plant when some of the plants around my bench have died back a bit. Here are a few of my favourite things in the garden though....

This white Foxglove was a surprise one morning....I had sown seeds for purple flowers and then this one was suddenly there in all its glory.

Stunning Sweet Peas and Pansies that both seemed to glow with ultra violet shades.

And this morning the foggy dew brought the ethereal delights

of spider's webs festooned amongst the drying Poppy heads.

Sorry about the big gaps everywhere - I had a nice quartet of photos planned to sit in a neat square....blogger had other ideas of course!

Back in mid August I also made good use of one of the thimble houses that Heather gave to me. They were one of those purchases that she meant to do something with and then never did, so she thought I might better use of them. I ripped a couple of the wooden strips out to give me different sized spaces to fill and then, after a quick sanding, I gave the whole thing a few coats of paint - you can see the dodgy pattern on the roof showing through! I left the inside back mostly unpainted as I planned to use papers inside anyway.

That was also the day after I had decided to give the Doo Lally room a real blitz! I decided to stack all my Distress ink pads in a long box that's been sitting in the cupboard for ages and I have them in piles sorted by colour families...makes things much simpler. I've got my extra fine colouring pens on top as well as my Neo colours. I admit that the tidiness didn't last too long, but it's better than it was at least.

Anyway, here's the finished thimble house, decorated and filled with a mix of my Christmas stamps, dies and other little bits and pieces. I used Gesso sprinkled with Rock Candy glitter for the snow. The little deer on the right is from my Winter Silhouette set, stamped onto shrink plastic and given a bit of sparkle with a glitter pen.

Although today turned into a gloriously warm one, there's no doubt that there's been a little nip in the air this last week or two and my neighbour/cat sitter (!) and I were contemplating the colder months drawing nearer - mainly prompted by the huge number of berries that are already heavy on the bushes which she thinks are a sure sign of a harsh winter. We were swapping tips for keeping warm and listing the things that we need to sort out like replacing old hot water bottles, getting the cardigans out of "storage" and stocking up on fluffy socks and spicy scented candles....the latter being for psychological warmth! But there's still some warm days left I think, so meals like this one have been quick, easy and cheap....almost free in fact!

Yummy, scrummy home grown courgettes, french beans and tomatoes roasted with a splash of olive oil and served on toasty bread. I found another massive courgette/marrow hiding under a leaf but, after my last disaster with one of those giants I decided to pass it onto my neighbour instead - think she did a better job of cooking it than I did!

A couple of weeks ago I was down in Coventry where I was teaching a workshop for a brilliant group of ladies who really got stuck in and we all had a great time getting inky and messy!

I can't find any pictures of what the ladies made...I'm sure they are on my files somewhere! Here are a couple of things that I've made using my new Christmas stamps though...just a random selection!

 This was an empty coffee jar that I covered with paper - out of which I'd cut an aperture that I backed with vellum, stamped with an image from the "Be Still for the Glory" set, coloured with Pro Markers.I also punched small holes in the paper and I added a collar of card that I ran through a Tim Holtz rosette strip die to disguise the screw top of the jar before tying a ribbon round it. The vellum shows the candle through really well. It's sitting on the mantlepiece beside the picture of my lovely David.

I had a lot of fun making this card. The character is one of my Steaming Snowmen and I've added him to a background that features white acrylic paint and Goosebumps spray (more on this at a later date) which I've added Distress inks and Stains to. The lamp post was cut from Grungeboard - I used Rock Candy crackle paint and Stains to get the surface textures. It's a fun card with the snowmen flying by!

Last Saturday was a completely different one as I was taking part in a puppet show for the Big Church Family Picnic. It was going to be held in the Vicarage garden, but the weather was rather unpredictable so we headed into the church hall instead. I had three roles...Camille the camel, a stripey knitted character singing "Praise and Shout" words to the tune of the Beatles Twist and Shout (with backing group!) and two sheep  amongst a singing flock - think the Beach Boys Barbara Ann with slightly different words - very funny!

 I was the two sheep on the left - my arms were a bit sore, but I really enjoyed the afternoon, as did all the children...and adults too!

Well, what a lot of photos! Room for two more though I think, just for everyone who likes to know how my two terrors are getting on. Tara has been mooning around all week as she knew there was a freshly cooked chicken in the fridge and she just can't settle till she knows that every scrap has been eaten - preferably by herself! Thomas is his usual steady self, guarding his mum every night and patrolling the garden between naps.

Love those enormous feet! As for madam, well, this picture says it all - "just you try it mate..."!

Well, I'd better sign off now before I use up my whole blog capacity of photos! I was going to watch Whitechapel but I've decided it looked far too creepy, so it's been switched off!

If you haven't left a comment after my previous post then don't forget to add one now (it must be after the previous post) to be in with a chance to win the Tim Holtz blog candy. You have until September 17th to enter.

Okay, I'm off, saying goodnight and signing out till next time.  

Out and about

What a super day it was at High Legh garden centre yesterday. It took a sight longer than it normally would to get to Knutsford due to the engineering works on the line, so three hours there and the same back! From the back of the house I can see the massive crane and the various trucks and so on that are helping to lower the bridges to allow for full electrification of the lines - don't ask me what's powering the trains at the moment! They are working pretty much through the night so it makes for quite a dramatic floodlight scene at night - as well as being a little noisy!

Everyone was very keen yesterday and my attempts at making a nice display of my samples were soon given up in favour of everything being passed around the table instead! Hello to everyone that came along and I hope you're all going to have great fun using the stamps and the ink sprays. It's always good to see familiar faces and Chris took some photos for me...being watched by her very crafty granddaughter Em....

...this was me inking up the edges of a tag that I'd covered with Tim Holtz tissue wrap and spritzed with Dylusions ink sprays. The tissue has a slight coating so I always dab at the inks with kitchen towel to blend them into the surface. This is the tag that I was working on....

 ......I used kitchen towel at the base, scrunching up a piece that I'd used to clean up the spare ink from my craft sheet, and glueing it to the tag with Glue n Seal. I just kept brushing more of the medium to the paper until it was saturated and then sprinkled it with a touch of Rock Candy Distress glitter. I've stamped, coloured, cut out and stuck down the character from my "My Fragile Heart" set. The flower is just two circles of Kraft Resist paper that I screwed up, spritzed with ink and then heat set. I added a small metal flower to the centre with a brad and then inked a ribbon to co ordinate.

Here's a piccie showing more of the table....

 ....and after I'd had a tidy up by the look of things! It's always tricky to balance displaying samples and obscuring everyone's view of what I'm doing, hence the rather flat appearance of everything.

Here's a last photo of a card that I put together on the day....

 .....the background of the panel was made using Distress Stains in various shades including the Tarnished Brass metallic stain - this creates some lovely marbled effects. I used the scrunched up inky kitchen towel technique again to form something for the character to sit on. She's from my Piffy on a Rockcake stamp set. The flower was made like the one on the tag, except that I used two scalloped circles instead of plain ones. I made the stalk from twisted kitchen towel and the leaves were simply torn from the same sheet. The text is from my "Don't be afraid" stamp set and the butterflies are from my "Hope Blooms" set - I just added a couple of shades of ink and misted with water lightly before stamping down. I often don't get to finish cards on a demo day as it's more about techniques, but this one just came together nicely.

I was so tired last night after such a long day, that I fell asleep on the sofa after dinner and woke up there after midnight! Of course, just the act of getting myself ready for bed then woke me up again! Today began with going to church and some hearty singing which always lifts my spirits. Then I had coffee with some of my friends from church before the "Lent Lunch" in the church hall - this is a symbolic simple bowl of soup and a piece of bread. It was very good soup though - all homemade and with a choice of five flavours. I had to buy a few groceries before coming home and I've spent this afternoon peeling and chopping vegetables for a curry that is bubbling on the hob as I type. 

David's curries were always one of my favourite treats and, though I've made some simple veggie ones, I decided to be more adventurous and make a beef one, following as many steps from David's "recipes" that I could. So I've been sealing and simmering the beef, frying off the spices, cooking lentils to thicken the curry and adding an array of veg, ground almonds and coconut. Goodness knows what it will be like but it smells pretty good at the moment! I have to confess that it has had quite a bit of butter added to the mix as well but, as I said, David's curries were a treat so I don't feel too naughty having it once in a blue moon. I'll let you know if it's any good!

I've had the final episode of the amazing penguin "spy in the huddle" series on in the background - I'd seen it last week but it certainly deserved a second viewing. Have any of you been watching it? Can you think of anything more appealing than those penguin babies? And wasn't it a nice change to watch a wildlife programme that didn't keep showing things being killed or eaten? 

Well, I'd better check that my curry isn't burning, so I'll sign off for now. Hope everyone had a good weekend.

Colour full

I'm busy with my last push to get everything ready for Stitches in a few days. I'll be travelling down to Birmingham on Saturday and can't wait to see everyone from Personal Impressions - they are like my second family really, but I only get to see most of them once a year. The whole event is punctuated by lots of "hello"'s between people who only meet up occasionally of course!

I'm just about there with samples and workshop prepping now, so I'm at the "getting myself organised" stage which is my least favourite part! How to fit everything into my case, including several changes of clothes, making sure that I don't leave anything out...not forgetting the mundane things like ironing of course! I'm pleased to say that the new washing machine is behaving very well and is so fast and efficient that I'm thinking of starting a small laundry business as a sideline - not!

As promised here are a couple of photos, though I took them in a hurry so they aren't the best. This one is a canvas that I finished this morning. 

I used Tim Holtz tissue wrap to cover the canvas and a mix of Dylusions ink sprays and Distress inks to colour the surface. I stamped, coloured and cut out "Hopeful Harriet" and glued her down on top of the wings from my "Steamed Up" stamp set. I added her top hat at a jaunty angle. The phrase is from my "Happiness" set - it's one complete quote, but I decided to tear it across to form two parts as it looked more balanced. The pen nibs are TH Idealogy of course and I used Ranger's Emboss it Dabber to add some gold accents around some of the edges. You can't see it here, but I also used Perfect Pearl spray in white (actually called Perfect Pearl but I find that confusing!!) over the butterfly and I added crackle accents over the butterfly body and veins on the wings. Actually, I think it's a moth really! 

I've been keen to use lots of colour for my samples this year and this is another colourful piece. It's a journal page but not in my journal if you see what I mean. For the show it's better to have loose pages so that people can see them more easily. This one has my "Piffy on a Rockcake" images.....it's pretty much a northern saying and has always made me smile! It means that you're hanging around, with the implication that someone, or something, is wasting your time. Much easier to say "sat here like piffy on a rockcake" though!

I used Dylusions spray inks again,  stamped my "leafy borders" foliage and bleached the colour out with water. The toadstools and "Piffy" were stamped, coloured and cut out to be added afterwards. I used some spritzed dictionary paper for grass. I loved making this page with the rich colours and I can relate to the sentiment too as I very often find myself hanging about waiting for things.

Lastly is a card that I kept quite simple really. This one uses my new "He is Risen" Easter set of stamps. 

 I chose a background from the pile that I have ready inked on my table. I liked the un-inked areas on this one and I simply stamped the cross in black with the message below. I added some white gel pen dots to the cross as well as a clear gem that I tinted with a soft yellow Promarker. I made a border strip stamped with the fish from the same stamp set. Simple but striking was the effect I wanted.

Sunday turned out to be a very sad day as I had the news that one of my friends from church had passed away. He was one of the first people there to talk to me and it was Peter who "dragged" me to the church hall after one of the services for a coffee and to introduce me to other people. He always gave me a big hug and we had some really good conversations. We only knew that he was ill last week so it was a big shock to everyone and very, very sad. He'll be very much missed.

Well, time to relax a bit now this evening. It's been a pretty chilly day, so I have some soup ready to heat up for a quick and simple dinner, just what's needed after a busy day.

New arrivals

The postman called with a special delivery today........

 .........a box containing my new Doo-Lally-Pip range of stamps. I haven't showed you all the new images yet as not all of the sets are on the Personal Impressions website yet, but there are eighteen in total, as well as new sets in the general ranges.

The stamps will be clear ones but I have got the pre production rubber ones so that I can get working on projects for Stitches trade show in February. So, it's head down and crack on time for the next few weeks! I'll share some of my makes with you as I go along.

I'm going to be busy getting ready for my demonstration on the 26th January as well which will be at Studio Craftique, a brand new store in Beverley. Good to see new stores opening! I'll be using Dylusions ink sprays with a selection of my Off the Wall stamps and Dylusions stamps and stencils. So, I can guarantee a colourful day!

Meanwhile, I picked up some little thermometers when I went to the village today - they were free in the Age UK charity shop - and have dotted them in various rooms at home. I hope they are not very accurate because, according to the readings, I am in danger of hypothermia if I sit in my Doo-Lally workroom for more than about five minutes! Unfortunately, the boiler is one of those really ancient ones, so I can't really adjust the temperature to a constant low heat which is the most economical way to heat the house of course. British Gas are coming next week to sort out the cavity wall insulation (I just enquired about it in time to get it done free as they are now charging again) and I'll be interested to see what a difference it makes. I'll let you know!

There's a big dish of pasta bake in the fridge now...had some last night and some for lunch today....still loads left! However, I won't be adding the sausage pieces next time...ugh, they aren't nice at all! Veggie curry will be the next big dish that I make - great way to use all the bits and pieces that are lurking in the bottom of the fridge!

Something on the TV yesterday set me on a journey down memory lane. One of the answers in a quiz was Dave Edmonds.....any of you remember him? I did, and I googled one of his songs that I remember being in our collection of 45rpm records. I soon found it and listening to "Baby I love you" rolled back the years.....then, looking down the list of "related" you tube clips I saw the name Hurricane Smith (remember him?!) and I listened to "Don't let it die" which I didn't register at the time had lyrics which are very relevent today being about looking after the planet. I loved that song when I was growing up. 

Next a name caught my eye that I had completely forgotten about. Do any of you remember a song that began "I could be a millionaire, if I had the money...."? It was by Clifford T Ward who was a singer songwriter and the song was "Home thoughts from abroad". Goodness, that took me back too! Clifford T Ward had long blonde hair and a very gentle voice if that jogs your memory - what terrific songs he wrote...remember "Gaye"? Sadly, he passed away a few years ago at quite a young age.

Of course, I'm amazed that I can remember any of those songs considering how long ago they were in the charts!!!! Any good ones you can recall that we might have forgotten about?

Well, I'm going to sort and label the new stamps now so that I don't get myself in a muddle with them. I'm still drawing as well, so I have a real mixture of work to keep me busy. As I type this, Thomas has ventured outside for the first time today but Tara is being sensible and has snuggled up beside me....in fact, she keeps patting the laptop as a hint that I should put it down so she can climb onto my knee. So, I'll sign off for now!

          ................................ 

Just popping back before going to bed much later than I had planned - so much for getting an early night - but thought you might like to see a couple of photos taken this evening of my two little pals.
Tara looked so cute sitting up straight in the chair and I got this snap of her showing off her tootsies.....

 ......purrfectly manicured claws of course. But Thomas, sneaking a peek through the curtains, just thought she looked ridiculous.......

....!!!!!!!
Right, I really am off to bed now....lots to do tomorrow!

Frighteningly cold......bbbrrrr!!!

David walked to the village shops this afternoon. It was drizzling with rain and sleet and he came back soaked and icily chilled. A hot water bottle, a cuddly throw and a hot coffee, plus a warm towel hair rub just about thawed him out. Thomas decided that the throw was too tempting to resist and nabbed David's spot as soon as he moved - comfy chair, furry throw and a radiator close by....one happy cat!A couple of hours later and I decided to put some things into the recycling bins outside. I put my foot onto the first of the two steps and just managed to stop myself from going "A over T"! The steps were completely covered in black ice, despite the fact that it's pouring down. I put a bit of salt on the steps and scrubbed the ice off before tentatively going outside again. I thought I might freeze on the spot and then spotted these.....

......icicles hanging from the bottom of the conservatory window surround! So it's time to batten down the hatches, draw the curtains and snuggle in for the night. Thomas and Tara are definitely not being allowed out or they'll have frost bitten toes!

Just to prove that I have actually been working (what with all the lack of photo evidence lately!) here is my table from this afternoon. Not too messy for me really! The bottle of sparkling water is not there for me to drink but for my brushes! I discovered (one day when I was too engrossed in work to get tap water for my painting pot so I poured in some of my sparkly soda) that if you pop brushes into sparkling water it fizzes through the bristles and gets them clean with very little effort - top tip there! And here's a very naughty, sneaky peek of the new stamp sets that arrived yesterday. They will be in clear Polymer when they are in the shops, but I am using the pre-production rubber versions. It took hours to attach the KlingOn cushioning and cut round them all and I had a very sore thumb by the end of it! There are loads of them, as you can see..... and lots of samples to make. Right, time to sign off now. Keep warm and cosy everyone!

Absent without leave

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

New stamp designs

As promised, here are pictures of some of my new stamp designs as well as some sample cards that I made for Stitches. This first set is called Fly Soul Soar Dream (PICSA6201) and is an A6 clear polymer set. You can see the stamps used on some of the ATC's which are on the tiered display which I showed in my last post.Not stamps obviously, but I wanted to share this picture of one of the displays from the PI stand....look at all those lovely Petaloo flowers! Looking forward to using some of these. Next is a card which I made using a background stamps from my new set, below, which is called Rose Galore (PICSA6202).I repeated the background stamp several times around the card using a Sepia Archival ink pad and then smudged over it with Tumbled Glass Distress ink. The message is stamped using my new Sending Words of Love set, which has three verses in it. They can be used inside cards of course, but I do like to use verses on the front as well. I alcohol inked the Petaloo flowers and simply added them at the base of the panel. The next set is called Tattered Butterflies (PICSA6213) and comprises four various flutterbies and three text images. This is quite a delicate set but not too tricky for cutting out the images.I'd suggest stamping one image directly onto a card and then cutting off the antennae from a second butterfly to overlay the first one. This is what I did here, though I must apologise for the terrible colours here! The actual card is in delicate mauves and pinks but, for some reason, my camera has taken to intensifying purples into blue instead. Even some altering of the colour hues didn't help, but hope this gives you an idea of the way I used the stamps anyway. Next are three sets that are designed to work either alone or in tandem. These seemed to be the most popular of my new sets so hope you like them. I wanted to do some more quirky designs this year, and images that you might like to use on journal pages too. The first set is called I Dreamed of Castles (PICSA6206) and is designed so that you can build up a small or large castle in any combination you fancy. It looks good stamped over book pages, as per my sample, but works equally well for a glittery, princess card. If you leave tabs at either side of the main castle you can bend these under and attach the image to the card with them, enabling you to curve the image. Next is a set called Hoist the Flags (PICSA6207) with some matching buildings, quirky characters and bunting - I've used this set on the card below as well as using the buildings on the card further down.For this card I stamped onto Gloss card, coloured in using Le Plume pens for a really vivid look. I decoupaged some of the bunting, the kite and balloons.The third set in this series is called Keep on Smiling (PICSA6208) with a larger character, various trees and the gothic style arched door. I used the trees on the following card, mounting all the images over a Distress inked background. Notice the text on the castle from the book pages which I adhered to plain card first to give strength. The castle was coloured by lightly scribbling Le Plume pens across the book paper. I cut out the extra towers and curved each around a pen before adding them using 3D foam for dimension. These are just a few of my new designs, but if you'd like to see more, please go to http://www.personalimpressions.com/ , go to "products" and scroll down until you see "Lindsay Mason for Personal Impressions". If you click this icon it will take you to all my stamps, cardstock etc. My new designs are on pages 6 and 7 of clear A6 designs, as well as in the unmounted rubber section, where my new ATC designs can be found. Do also check out new designs by my friend Andy Skinner, some of whose stamps I used on this card below. I used a background of dots by Marion Emberson before stamping and cutting out various of Andy's images. Great designs aren't they? Well, I have been making a couple of Shadow Boxes today, which I'll photograph and show you after the weekend as they are packed away for my demonstration at The Art Shop in Darlington on Saturday. I'm travelling up there tomorrow and will be scouring some of the Darlington charity shops for some extra bits and pieces for next weekend's Shadow Box workshop. Fingers crossed that I find a few unusual little nick nacks!

Well, time to switch off the laptop now, so I'll wish everyone a great weekend and hope to see you in Darlington. Lindsay