Weekend catch up

Hello everyone, and welcome to the people I met on Sunday who are new to my blog. I travelled down in Bury St Edmunds on Saturday, ready for the Suffolk Papercraft show the following day. I haven't been in Bury on a Saturday before, so I was able to have a look round the open market. The fruit and vegetable stalls were fantastic, even selling Samphire which I would have loved to have bought, but it wouldn't have been very practical! I did, however, buy a big bag of cherries which were just delicious and not as expensive as here "up north" surprisingly. Yum!

Sunday morning was a beautifully warm and sunny...who would have thought the day would change so much! I think everywhere in Britain was covered by pouring rain by the late afternoon. Anyway, I was demonstrating on The Stamp Hut stand (who organised the show) and was soon very busy stamping and inking. Here's a view of my table whilst I was getting everything laid out. Look at all those lovely Marvy Le Plume pens! (they're not mine btw!) I could have done with some of those useful boxes too, but don't think I could have managed them on the train! It was a terrific show, and I really enjoyed meeting everyone there. Here's a photo of one card which I took in my hotel room. I combined Andy Skinner's tree and foliage, from his Back to Nature stamp set, with some of my silhouette fairies, all set against an alcohol inked and Stazon Cleaner spritzed background (whew!) I am really enjoying this technique. And here is another of my little decorated boxes taken from a Configurations box. I used the spritzy technique again and stuck two pieces of the resulting card together, back to back, then cut two wings. The little frill of tissue tape hangs just below the top of the box for a slightly theatrical look. I used the separate towers from my "I dreamed of Castles" stamp set, coloured, cut them out and curved each around a pen to shape them. To attach them I made piles of 3D foam that I stuck into the box so I could stick the towers against them for stability. The box is topped by one of the Idealogy baubles stuck to some Idealogy metal Foliage. I also used a couple of my Tattered Butterflies in there too. Next weekend I'll be in Derby on Saturday for a day at Reams. I have Colourwash dyes to work with as well as the usual Ranger products along with plenty of stamps. Then on Sunday I'll be at The Craft Room in Garner's Garden Centre in Newcastle Under Lyme. That's Newastle under Lyme as opposed to Ashton Under Lyne! (I do keep getting those mixed up!) I'll be using all sorts of goodies here, including Kraft Glassine paper! Hope to see you there, and do bring some ATC's to swap if you feel inclined.
Talking of ATC's, check out my sister Heather 's blog, as she is running another swap. The theme has yet to be announced, but do check back as it's sure to be something interesting. Heather's swaps are very informal and you only need to make three cards to receive three different ones back - great fun and much nicer than getting bills in the post! (well, you'll still get the bills, but the ATC's will help to soften the blow!)
Please be sure to check back here on Wednesday evening, as I will be posting details about new workshops that I'll be running. There are just some last minute things to sort out and then I'll be able to let you know all the details of where, when and what etc!

Melt Pot creations

Hello everyone on yet another wet and windy evening. Well, I haven't felt too chilly the last two days as I've been working with my Melt Pot creating some samples for my demonstration at The Stamp Hut. I've made a range of things so here's a sneaky peek at some of what I'll have with me on Saturday.

I did take some closer pictures of these two necklaces but they looked awful, very blurred, so hope you can see some of the detail in them here. They both feature images which I got from Suze Weinberg when I was at Ranger U a couple of years ago. I eke them out as you can tell! The left one has a tiny key embedded under clear UTEE poured into a Memory Frame with the image adhered to glass inside the frame. I've used a Swivel Fastener attached to the hanging loop (at the bottom) and I Glossy Accent-ed (!) the other end to the corner of the frame. Once set I added a couple of alcohol inked Foliage flowers with inked gems in their centres - the alcohol ink just knocks back some of the bling. I then attached various charms to the chain using Mini Paper Clips, added a Hinge Clip at the top and threaded the whole piece onto a length of Lace Chain.

The right hand piece is made in the same way but with a teensy dragonfly as oppoed to a key. I added the clip at the bottom and strung a key and a letter charm from it. More Foliage and gems and some Glossy Accents drizzled around the piece to which I added some Beadazzles (that was fun!). I srung this piece onto large ball chain. These were fun to make! Next is a card that I made using the technique which Dawn Bibby amazed Suze herself with! If you haven't tried this, or if you don't like cleaning out you Melt Pot, then do give this a try. Simply cut a piece of non stick craft sheet to fit inside the Melt Pot. You can then add various UTEE and powders without them gooking up the Pot. So, here I added a scoop of Black UTEE, a sprinkle of gold and copper Perfect Pearls and a little Bronze UTEE. It only takes a few seconds to melt and then I whipped out the craft sheet piece and place it onto another craft sheet before pressing my stamp firmly into the surface. After a few more seconds just peel away the stamp and craft sheet piece to reveal a thin, lacy edged piece that can be stuck to the front of a card or used however you wish. This card is very simple and I just used an EK Success punch (Scroll & Hearts) to add some extra interest. Simple card for a man I think...as opposed to a card for a simple man! Oh dear! The next card features the same technique to make the focal image using different colours. This is an example of my "looking at clouds" way of working....that is I sometimes look at an abstract thing and either something will jump out at me, or I'll try to see something in the design. This one was the former! The piece of stamped UTEE just looked like a Christmas tree to me, so I decided to add it to a Best Creations paper background and then added a border of snowflakes across the top - MS Snowflake Trim M42-70016. A bit quirky but I like itThe penultimate picture is a mixed technique piece which started out as a boring coaster. These are great - cheap to buy, a nice size to work on and you can easily pierce them to make holes for a wire or ribbon hanger. I covered the coaster with a page from an unwanted (charity shop buy) book of Fairy tales, using Multi Matte Medium to glue it in place before trimming. I then brayered the page using a Soothing Sunset Big n Juicy ink pad. To this I added another of my precious Suze W. images and the word Heart from Tim's Seasonal stickers pad. I melted natural Beeswax in the Pot and brushed it over the whole piece, thicker in some places than others. The thicker areas obscure the images underneath, but you can scrape away thin layers of the wax to re-reveal them. I then dropped a paper flower into the melted wax and then secured that to the corner using more wax. The heart was a piece that I had already made by placing a greased cookie cutter on top of a colour copied image and then pouring melted UTEE into the cutter, allowing to cool and then removing the excess paper with a finger dipped into water. I also inked and partly embossed a Grungeboard flourish before sticking these to the piece with melted wax. I added more wax over the top, scraped areas away and then added the wire hanger. The final piece is my favourite! Those who came on my Matchbox Shrines workshop may possiby recognise the crown which was one of the car boot treasures which were on the table to dip into. Nobody had chosen it, so I decided to use it myself! I began with a teeny canvas that I had already begun and then given up on...all I had done was used Paint Dabbers to colour it and then stamped the TH sentiment over that. I used white Beeswax to texturise the whole canvas and added another Suze image in one corner. I stamped Marion Emberson's lovely dandelion from her "Make a Wish" set. The image didn't completely take on top of the wax, but that's okay. I added the extra word and a teeny dragonfly before adding more wax layers. I cut some Maya Road chipboard wings in half and embossed them with silver and verdigris powders...just enough to leave them looking a little textured. I adhered the wings to the back of the canvas with Glossy Accents and, once they were set, I adhered the crown between them. It was an old brooch that I was able to easily snip the pin off..think it may be made from lead! I finished the piece by adding more Beadazzles held in place with Glossy Accents...not just decorative, they also help to keep the wings and crown in place. Hope you like this piece. So, tomorrow morning I am setting of down to Bury St Edmunds which is a lovely town. I'm especially looking forward to this visit as last time I was there I discovered, too late, a whole area which I had somehow missed on my previous visits! It takes a good few hours (four and a half to be precise!) to get there, so I'll be doing some of my exploration in the dark and, probably, the wind and rain if the last few days are anything to go by! If you are in the area please do come along and say hello. Meanwhile, remember that my blog candy ends on Sunday and the winner needs to email their details to me by Tuesday, so leave a comment, if you haven't already, and pay another visit on Sunday evening to see if you've won! (I've confused myself now! Lol!)

Have a great weekend whatever you are getting up to, and see you back here on Sunday. Lindsay

Blog Candy artwork

Hello folks, and welcome to the new followers who have recently joined. I had a terrific time in Thame and at A Maze of Memories in Long Crendon on Saturday. It was a very busy day with lots of ladies joining in a make n take using alcohol inks and my fairy stamps. Here's a picture of some of them hard at work...concentration on every face! Everyone was so friendly that it was a pleasure and I was kept topped up with fresh cups of fruit tea all day...thanks ladies! It's a beautiful part of the country and I had a few hours looking round Thame itself on Friday. Even though it was pouring with rain I really enjoyed having a good long walk and it blew the cobwebs away that's for sure! So, hello to all the ladies that I met on Saturday and just to let you know that the ink came off my hands by about Monday!Anyway, I'm posting a couple of photos of the picture that I've created for the Blog Candy. Hope you like it. I decided on a Fairy as I think these appeal to most of us. She's quite a "modern" fairy I suppose, with her stripey tights and all! Her wings are slightly glittered and she's attired in some of my favourite colours of lilac and teal. I've put her into a plain black frame and the mat around the picture is from the Tom Holtz Vintage Shabby paper stash. Ha ha, sorry, I meant Tim not Tom!!! Here's a closer look...and this is the finished piece. So, if you haven't already left a comment, remember to do so by the 14th when David will pick a random winner.

I'm off down to Bury St Edmunds on Friday for my demonstration at The Stamp Hut on Saturday. I'll be using the Melt Pot with UTEE and Beeswax as well as EK Success punches, stamps etc. I'll be making cards, Christmas decorations and jewellery, so hope you can call in if you're in the vicinity. Lindsay

Quickie!

Just a quick post as I'll be leaving to catch the train in a few minutes to go to Bury St Edmunds. It's a beautiful morning, so I'm looking forward to the journey as the scenery goes through many changes on this route. Looking at the autumn landscape from the train and trying to spot birds, deer, rabbits etc is so much more rewarding than reading a newspaper!

I'll be at the Stamp Hut on Risbygate from 10am-4pm tomorrow and then it's a long journey home again...not so much fun, as train travel in the dark is very monotonous. Then on Sunday I'll be up at Dawn's Design Studio to teach a Christmas workshop. I'm staying over on Sunday night so that I can help out in getting some sample cards made for Craft Day on Tuesday, as they are a bit short handed this week. Should be fun!

So, I hope to see some of you tomorrow at the Stamp Hut, and do enjoy Craft Day on tuesday! Lindsay

Do try this...it's fab!

This is a technique that I was showing when I was at The Stamp Hut last saturday. If you have alcohol inks then give it a try as the effect is lovely...the photographs don't do it justice. You may have used white Cast Coated card in this way, but here I used the new Metallic Film from Personal Impressions (check out their website for your nearest stockist) which comes in packs of five A4 sheets. It's a versatile surface as it can be used on ink jet printers for a metallic sheen behind photographs, it can be stamped on with permanent ink and can also be heat embossed...images created in this way look great if they are highlighted with a white pen.

So, to create this lovely abstract effect, you will need a non-stick craft sheet, Ranger alcohol inks in three colours plus one of the Mixatives (I used gold here) and the Alcohol Blending Solution, plus, of course, a piece of the metallic film. I cut mine into a managable size - around 4" (or 10 cms) square(ish). You may wish to wear disposable gloves as it is rather messy, but that's part of the fun!

Okay, take one of the ink colours and squeeze a streak of it onto the craft sheet - around a 2" (or 5 cms) line will do. Now take the second colour and add a streak of that...you can either put this one beside the first, or be daring and go across the first one! Repeat with the final colour. Now take the Mixative and shake it well, with the lid on, before adding a few blobs of the ink in and around the colours streaks. Squirt a small amount of the Blending solution over the colours - the amount is up to you really, but remember that the more you add, the more you will dilute the ink colours and their viscosity.

Now take a piece of the metallic film and drop it, shiny side down, onto the inks. Press lightly (this is where it gets messy when all the ink squidges out!) and, keeping it flat to the craft sheet, twist it clockwise before lifting it up. At this point you will probably go "ooooh!" or "aaaaah" or something similar, but you may want to touch the film back to the surface to pick up some extra colour before it dries. The ink will dry very quickly but you will probably have some colour left on the craft sheet, so you can add another squirt of Blending solution and repeat with another piece of film. The colours will be lighter but just as effective. I have managed to colour three pieces of film using just one application of inks.

Once the film is dry you can use it as a background, for ATC's, stamping onto with an Archival ink pad, or even punching out shapes...butterflies or leaves spring to mind. Have a go anyway and let me know how you get on! Lindsay

Bury St Edmunds & an afternoon out

Hello to all the ladies who came to see me

at the Stamp Hut in Bury St Edmunds on Saturday - it was a very busy and enjoyable day. My journey down there was long but the wonderful scenery along the way made it pass quite quickly. The train passed through wonderful rolling hills in Derbyshire with little lambs frollicking in the energising sunshine. As we neared the latter part of the route, the landscape flattened out to endless fields - a much starker, yet equally dramatic vista. I was not quick enough to capture the wonderful view of Ely Cathedral which was gone before my camera would whirr into action...so frustrating! Not many birds along the way, though I did see rather a lot of Pheasants and loads and loads of Bunnies - very sweet! I arrived in time to have a look around the town and, unlike my last visit in November, it was still daylight so I was able to take in the sights. Here are just a couple of views of the very atmospheric Abbey which held a beautiful park within its' walls. It had centuries of history etched into the walls and doors as you can imagine. I spent the evening writing some articles for a project that I am working on at the moment and had a great night's sleep....too good really, as I could hardly believe how quickly the morning seemed to arrive!

All the ladies who visited the Stamp Hut were so eager to see new ideas and I hope that you are all having fun with your purchases and not getting too light headed when making the trees! I was so busy that I just didn't get chance to take any photos of the day and even missed the chance to snap the new cards I had made. Oh well! Above you can see a Starbuck's mint tin which I decorated using Personal Impressions canvas coloured with Alcohol inks...I loved the leathery effect that this gave. I used Shrink Plastic to create the little medallions and strung them from gold thread which I wrapped around the tin. I used a gold Decocolour pen to add some swirls and a few bronze coloured gems added the fiishing touch.Here is the tin surrounded by the "Moo" cards which I made to fill it with. I don't think that I have made them the correct size for Moos, but they fit my tin so I don't mind! For those who may not have heard of these little cards, they are a standard, smaller sized business card, which, like ATC's, can be swapped or given away to share ideas or your details. I had great fun making this little set and it was very simple to do. I used JEJE double sided adhesive sheet to stick the canvas around the tin as it's a strong, all over adhesive so it gives a smooth finish.

My friend Elaine came to see me at the end of my demonstration, helped me pack everything away into my special Tardis suitcase and then we hot footed it to a restauant for a quick meal and a catch up before my train was due to depart. I don't get to see Elaine very often, so it was a lovely chance to get together, even if it was a bit rushed! The journey home was rather tiring to say the least - train travel in the dark always seems so much longer with no views to speed things along.

I didn't get to mum and dad's for Mother's Day, but my sister took them out for lunch. So, mum had a second treat today as we went over to see them and took a trip to a rebuilt garden centre which had been beautifully designed and was a feast for the eyes with unusual displays, well thought out decor and gorgeous flowers. There was a customer survey to vote for your favourite three from a selection (over a hundred) of brand new Violas and Pansies. They are among my favourite garden flowers and there were some exquisite little blooms of countless colours..very hard to choose!
Here are mum and dad by two Pansies, though I hasten to add that these were artificial ones and were not a new Triffid variety, though, judging by mum's face she's not too sure! Carrying on the oversized theme, we found this rather unusual planter. Dad thought he'd better check if there was a cuppa in there though! It was a lovely afternoon and a nice change for all of us! Well that is all for the moment. I thought that I'd better write a longer post as I have been away from here for a few days. I'll be adding new cards and some new Blog Candy soon, so keep an eye open for that. I'll be in Ashton Under Lyne on Friday and Wrexham on Saturday, so pop in and see me if you are around - details in my diary on the left of course. Take care folks! 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.