Only words!

After all the photos on my last post, this one is going to be picture-less! It's been over a week too which is shocking. This is such a busy time for everyone of course though, myself included, as I am still working on new designs and demonstration samples.

I've been really enjoying "looking" at Tim's twelve tags of Christmas and also seeing pictures of how some of you are interpreting them and being inventive with what stash you have. Just wish I had time to join in, but I'm making mental notes of Tim's latest techniques to use on my demonstrations of course!

Well, what have I been up to since I last posted? On Saturday David and I were at Top Barn Crafts in Wrexham where I was demonstrating. This is (as I have mentioned before) a great spot to visit as, along with Top Barn Crafts, there are gift and clothing shops, cafe, restaurant as well as stunning scenery. It was a very enjoyable day, and I tried to cram in as many techniques as I could. I really find those sort of days challenging (in a good way!) where I am using a certain number of materials and mediums and then have to keep showing new and different ways to use them. David was so engrossed in what I was doing that he didn't take any pictures!!! So, hello to everyone that I met there and thank you to Theresa for organising things so well.

On Sunday I was at Dawn's Design Studio and had a fun day demonstrating as well as helping to make some samples for QVC whilst I was there. They are having a special event next weekend with bargains, make n takes, demonstrations as well as mince pies and mulled wine. Amy and Dawn will be there on Saturday and it will be Dawn and myself on Sunday. Included in other pre Christmas bargains all my Christmas wooden and unmounted stamps are on a special offer now too! I'll also be there the following weekend for my last demonstrations of the year.

This Saturday I'll be up at Dainty Supplies near Chester-Le-Street with lots of differet inking techniques, so pop in if you are in that vivinity.

I did manage to send Heather "something" for her latest swap! I really thought that I wasn't going to manage it and must aplogise to whoever receives my creations as they are probably not up to my usual standard!

Lots of pictures to share!

I have put the pens and pencils away for the rest of the evening and thought I had better upload some new pictures as promised. I'm still behind on my new design schedule - first time I have missed a deadline...ever! However, I'm on track for the new dates so wish me luck!

First up are some pictures from Dawn Bibby's residential weekend which everyone really enjoyed. Having said that, everyone round Amy's table looks a little glum, but I think they were just concentrating on their crafting! I was only there for the Sunday when there were around ten Make n Take tables for everyone to go round making a different project at each one. Below is the ultra talented Jane who makes lots of the cards that you see on QVC - she is a very versatile crafter and works away like a trouper behind the scenes. So, here she is at her table where the ladies were using hair gel in their cards!Next you can see Dawn who was using Distress inks and Ink Potion no 9 on her Make n Take project. As you can also see...even broken arms don't stop keen crafters!
Here's a face that QVC viewers will recognise! Craig (QVC presenter extraordinaire!) came along to the weekend with his friend Angel and they joined in all the fun and the crafting. I missed the Saturday night party, but am assured that he is a very talented dancer! Craig was absolutely lovely, one of those people who makes you feel as if you have known them for years.Here he is showing the watercolour stamped card that he made at my table.
And below with me and my friend, the lovely and talented Sarah who now has her work featured in Making Cards magazine....well done Sarah! She is modelling one of the new Dawn Bibby Studio aprons whilst I am wearing my Ranger one!
Now for a few of my recent creations! I made the frame below using a K&Co base which I covered in K&Co paper from the Que Sera Sera collection - I simply glued the paper on and cut it fairly roughly around before sanding the edges. This is a great way to work as it means you don't have to be too fussy with the cutting. I inked the edges and then did the same thing with three Maya Road chipboard birds. I used Ranger crackle paint on a couple of Grungeboard swirls, letting them dry naturally until the paint began to crack and then heating to speed up the process. The chipboard word was painted using Adirondack acrylic dabbers. I then simply glued everything onto the frame using good old Glossy Accents and added a handful of Petaloo flowers as a finishing touch. Great fun to make and it didn't take too long either...Christmas present ideas I am thinking! PS the kittens are anonymous ones....I just needed a picture to pop into the frame!
Next is one of my favourite cards that I've made this Christmas. I used alcohol inks on gloss card and then cut it using a circular Nestie, matting onto a scalloped circle after adding a swoosh of white card for snow. I stamped, coloured and added the smaller version of my scribble snowman from PICS01 Christmas set 1 clear stamp set. The gorgeous Snowflake by Sue Dix is from the same set and I used Distress ink pads Faded Jeans and Dusty Concord to stamp it onto the background card. Clear gems added to their centres just add that necessary touch of bling! My favourite element here is the ribbon. Why? Because it was just a boring white sheer ribbon until I ran my alcohol ink applicator tool along it so that it perfectly matched the rest of the card! This is one of my top tips - just buy plain white ribbon and then colourise to match your card....job done! Saves scratting around looking for that elusive piece of ribbon to match your project that's for sure! Here is a card made using Tim Holtz stamps...they are fabulous to use, just about fool proof as they seem to stamp perfectly every time, even the tiniest details show up. I used a large square card and made my background paper with Distress inks (there's a surprise!). I spritzed Perfect Pearls around the edge of the card blank and generally distressed and spritzed everything in sight! The butterfly was just a metallic piece that I found in my oddments box of bits and bobs.

Next is a little house that I made using Maya Road chipboard pieces for the sides -

again, paper covered, sanded and inked

as for the frame.

I added some paper grass and some acrylic square windows.

I simply folded some card to make a box base and attached a house shape to two sides.

Some Maya Road tree and bird stamps were the finishing touch. Voila! A dinky holder for ATC's on my demonstration tables!

I had a lovely trip to Norwich, travelling down on Friday meant that I had a chance to look around the city and do some window shopping....no buying when I know that I have my demonstration baggage to take home with me! Here is the Arcade which is a genuine Art Nouveau building and was, as you can see, beautifully adorned with trees and lights for the festive period.

And here is a very inviting looking window of a shop that had made such an effort with their display that I had to take a picture - this was the handmade chocolate shop and, no, I didn't indulge...in fact, the delicious aromas that emerged as people entered and left the shop was enough to get a chocolate overload on! Finally, here is a shot of Jarrold's department store where I was demonstrating the following day. The photo does not do justice to the dazzling lights that adorn the building. I must say that Norwich have made a really big effort with their Christmas displays and, as the afternoon grew darker, the atmosphere became more and more festive, so I had a really lovely wander and ended up walking miles. Hello to all the ladies and gents that I met on Saturday. Everyone was so enthusiastic and friendly that it was a pleasure to talk to you all. One comical thing was that I was positioned right in front of the lifts on the third floor and I was working on a little kidney shaped table that was on wheels. Let's just say that I had to keep my knees pressed against the sides of the table to avoid finding myself on my way down to the first floor!
Again, apologies to my neglected friends and those who I am owing ATC's etc to....please bear with me. It's a very busy time here and things have been rather difficult for one reason and another, but I shall rectify the situation asap - promise! Lindsay

Absent without leave

It's been a bit of a disastrous week here! After a very busy day at Wickfords near Basildon on Saturday and then a lovely Sunday at Dawn's residential event, the plan was to spend this week working on new stamp sets which I need to have ready veeerrrry soon. However, all plans were scuppered when I woke up on monday morning with a nasty bug which got worse as the day went on. My eyeballs felt as if they were being pushed into my head and I just couldn't get on with anything - nightmare! So I've had three enforced days off which I couldn't afford right now and am now running way behind schedule and have to play catch up very quickly. I'm off down to Norwich tomorrow morning for my Saturday demonstration at Jarrolds department store (if you're in the area I think I'll be on the third floor!) so will be taking my pencils, pens and paper along with me and doing some sketching on the train!

I'm doing a, mostly, Ranger product based demonstration on Saturday, so have, today, made a few new non card samples, so will take photos whilst I'm away and post these, and ones from last weekend, next week (?!).

Apologies to Joanne, Helen, Sheila, Hazel and everyone else who I have been remiss in replying to...will catch up once I have caught up! I'm now all packed up ready for my early train tomorrow so I'm going to spend a bit of time on the drawings before dinner. Lindsay

Workshops and thank you's!

What a lovely weekend that was! On Saturday I was at Dawn's Studio to teach a workshop making Christmas boxes. We made a fold out box decorated with penguins and containing an "iceberg" (rolled paper!) with tiny polar bears scooting down it. There was also time to show the ladies how to make a very useful folded box which is ideal for popping little gifts into. Here is a picture of the boxes that everyone was busy making....

On the left you can see Jean who I snapped the week before as she was the lucky, and very deserving, winner of the card competition that Dawn hosted. Check out her prize! Ironically, Jean almost missed out on the competition because of the postal strike, so the result was obviously meant to be!

Although you can't see Joanne at the table...she's hiding behind Margaret!...she surprised David and I with a wonderful gift which her lovely husband Terry had made for us. It is a bee house! As we all know, our bees are in danger at the moment and are really struggling. The bee house is a cosy home for them to hibernate in over winter, and we may get a few Ladybirds moving in too. It's absolutely lovely and we were really chuffed with it - thank you Terry and Joanne.

It was a lovely afternoon and we all had lots of fun. Do check out Joanne's blog (My Toby Jug) for more pictures of the boxes. Joanne also brought along the pieces she has made for my sister's ATC and Tree Ornament swap. They are fabulous, so do join in the swap...you may be the lucky recipient of Joanne's handiwork.

The list of next year's workshops will be available very soon, but I can let you know a couple of themes for my classes which are already getting booked up. The first will be Embossing Techniques including Triple embossing. The second is "Fairy Doors" which are whimsical doors, each around 6" high and will appeal to those of you who believe in fairies, elves and everything magical. I've been wanting to do a workshop on these for ages now! The doors can be used on cards or scrapbook pages or can be strategically placed around the home for children, small and grown up (!) to discover. Please contact Topaz crafts directly if you would like to book on either of these.

On Sunday David and I were at Crafts 4U2 Do in St Helens. This is a great shop and, since I was last there, they have expanded and added a great little cafe in the store as well. Sue and her team looked after both of us wonderfully all day, keeping the coffees coming and insisting on us having lunch "on them"! I saw lots of familiar faces and there was lots of note taking going on - I said that I'd be asking questions later! Hello to everyone that came along and hope that you are enjoying all your new pens and stamps.

I must apologise to everyone that I am behind in catching up with - I do have some outstanding ATC's, emails and cards to send....they will get to you eventually, I promise. This week I am getting prepared for my trip down to Basildon (nightmare journey) to Wickfords. I will be using Nestabilities along with stamps, inks etc. Then on the Sunday I'll be at Dawn'd to demonstrate in the morning and host a make n take at her residential crafting event in the afternoon. So lots of samples to get ready - just for a change! Well, dinner is just about ready I am told, so I shall say cheerio for the moment and will hopefully post again before the weekend. Lindsay

Busy old week

I've been busy on new stamp designs for the last week and a half, so apologies for not posting, leaving comments on everyone's blogs or otherwise being sociable! The first batch of new designs are complete though, and the moment that I put them into folders and send them off is always a good one - another job done!

So, now I have workshops, demonstrations and a make n take to get prepared. This is what makes my work so interesting for me, as I'm always busy with new things. It was nice, for instance, not to be working on Christmas designs this last week, as I seem to have been "snowed" under with penguins, snowmen, robins etc for months now!

My sister Heather is organising another swap, following the Witch ATC swap that she hosted last time. Check out her blog (Fenn Edwards...in my blog list) for details if you'd like to join in. This latest one is based upon Guardian Angels and a Christmas ornament, so it's a little different.

I do have one or two photos to share at some point, but I'll take some more at my workshop on Saturday and post them all after the weekend. So, hope to have pictures of icebergs, polar bears and penguins to show you once the ladies have completed the Christmas surprise boxes that they will be creating...it's going to be fun! Lindsay

Last minute demonstration date

Just wanted to let you know that I will be at Dawn Bibby's Design Studio tomorrow (Saturday) to demonstrate Ranger products, stamping, punches etc. This is a last minute arrangement...those of you who came to the demonstration weekend will know that, because of the postal strike, some products weren't delivered in time, but they have now arrived, so will be available for those of you who weren't able to get them last week. We thought it would be a good idea for me to come along again for those of you who missed the weekend, or want a reminder of how to use some of the products.

I've been asked by quite a few people about my new templates and if they will be available in the shops. I can now confirm that a selection of them are now on the Personal Impressions website, so should be avilable in the shops very soon. Any stockist of PI products would be able to get them in for you if you ask. Here are a couple of pictures of how the templates come together....

Lastly, a big thank you to Sheila for the wonderful, and hilarious, card which she sent me out of the blue. It was a lovely surprise and made a change from all the bills which are the bulk of my normal post...I keep telling my postie not to deliver the bills, but he just ignores my requests! I haven't posted any pictures of the witch ATC's that I got in return for mine in Heather's swap because I haven't got mine yet - Heather is keeping them for me to pick up when I see her. However, you can check them all out on Heather's blog in a slide show that she has set up. They are all so diverse - this is the fascination of ATC swaps. I do know that Heather is preparing to do a new swap, so do keep a look out for that, as I know you will really enjoy this next one! Right, back to my drawings!

A few photos and some thank you's

I've been busily working on new stamp designs since the weekend, so I'm a little late in posting these pictures I know. I have reached the stage where I have quite a few sketched designs that I am happy with and now comes the more painstaking process of drawing inked versions of them, then photocopying them and colouring the copies. As I've said before, I work better with a tight deadline, as I have this time, as it really does focus the mind!

This first photo is of part of my table at the demonstration weekend at Dawn Bibby's Studio. I was next to Jo who was using some beautiful glitters, Jane was behind her using the Melt Pot to create some very luscious cards that were just gorgeous. Back to back with me was Sarah, featuring Hero Arts and Craftwork Cards papers. In the other room, Brenda was cracker making and Mary was demonstrating how to use Dreamweaver stencils with paste. Jill was using Flower Soft to make some very tactile cards. Unfortunately both Dawn and Amy were poorly, so they weren't able to be there.
The next picture is of yours truly, looking like a real nutcase in my witches' hat! As you can see from the one after, the hat looked much better on little Aleysha who is the grandaughter of Rena (Dawn's sister). Doesn't she look cute in it, especially with the stripey tights! Well, I do try to get into the spirit of the seasonal events, even if I do make a fool of myself!

Next is a canvas that I made using Ranger paints and inks. You can see that I spent quite some time altering it and changing my mind about things as there is some brown ink coming through the paint in one area...I subsequently overpainted it to remove the odd looking spots!

Thanks to everyone who came along and especially my ATC "swappees"...yes....I actually swapped some this time! So, thanks to Joanne, Jacqui and Glen, Sheila, Suzanne, Sharon, Debs and especially to Angie, who also presented me with a lovely pin that she had made for me, as you can see here. Isn't it fabulous? Many thanks Angie, for such an unexpected and lovely gift.

On Saturday night I stayed over with Sarah and her lovely husband, Ewan, who is a chef. He made us a delicious Chicken Caesar salad and then went back in the kitchen to bake some scones - light as a feather! I also met Thumper the rabbit, who is awaiting a new name - what a cutie pie! Saffron and Poppy, Sarah's two cats, were not overly impressed by the floppy eared newcomer, but no fur flew!

On Sunday, after we had packed up and said our goodbyes to everyone, we travelled over to mum and dad's. Tara immediately hid under a low set of drawers where she could keep an eye on us all from a safe distance. She is settling in pretty quickly though and, after a while, when only David was in the rom, she came out to say hello. I managed to get a couple of snaps of her. As you can see, she is a very pretty girl and, although she looked very nervous when we picked her out at the sanctuary I can see that there is a very mischeivous look in those big eyes now!

Here she is, cheeky girl, sharing David's Choc Ice! Little minx! I'll keep you posted as to how she gets on - or how mum and dad get on I should say! I haven't met little Mia yet (my sister's teeny weeny kitten) but hope to see her soon.

I didn't realise until I was adding some tags to my older posts that Monday was the first anniversary of my blog! I can hardly believe it. As I keep saying, this year is just whizzing by. Well, I shall post again as soon as time allows and hopefully will have some more pictures to share with you again. Lindsay