Enough to make a cat laugh...

I've got a pot of hot fruit tea sitting on the table and whilst it's brewing I thought I'd write a post as a change from doing so in the evening. It's a bit overcast here this morning, but I have a feeling it will brighten up quite soon and then I'll have lovely natural light to work by. I'm almost set for tomorrow's demonstration but there are always lots of last minute things that need to be done, plus packing everything into my "Tardis" case of course - not my favourite bit!
So, tomorrow I'll be in Frodsham for Crabapple Crafts 7th birthday celebrations - just click the link to see more details of who else will be there and some special offers for the day. I'm going to be working with a fairly eclectic range of things including some of Andy's stamps, including his Easter set. I like Easter cards to be quite simple as this one shows - just wish my camera would pick up the colours more exactly. I'll be bringing my Art Journal with me - by request! This is a new page in progress on my table the other evening. I usually have no idea what I'm going to create when I start...I just see what transpires and then go from there. This spread started by tearing round two Encyclopedia Britannica dictionary pages and glueing them into my journal. I then covered them with Multi Matte Medium so that I could work over them without anything seeping through to the other side ie onto completed pages. I've then painted them with Martha Stewart Summer Linen satin paint before wiping off areas with a soft cloth to reveal more or less of the words in the background. I drew a border using a black Promarker and then added the extra lines which I'll work on as I progress. Finally, I blended Vintage Photo, Mustard Seed and Barn Door Distress inks over the main areas - just a soft hint of colour. I have done a bit more on this page since then, so will share another photo next time. I also finished a page this week. When I started it, several months ago, I had no idea what it would turn out as. I had gessoed the pages and blended some pale blue Neo Colour over them. I had also done a very vague pencil sketch when I was on the train going to....somewhere! Because I lost my journal for a time (gulp) I didn't get any further and so the other evening I decided to see where it led me. It's a simple page, just keeping to my initial sketches and using a fine line black pen and Promarkers to add the colours, details and words. The giant mushrooms aren't my usual colour choices, but I felt like being daring! Don't think Thomas was very impressed with my efforts though.....I caught him sniggering next day as I went past the window with my camera! It was a beautiful morning and I'd gone outside to take a few photographs. The sun was beaming down on a very special place in the garden which marks the grave of our beautiful little pusscat Cherry. It was lovely to see the crocusses coming through as there isn't much colour in the garden yet. Well, I will get that cuppa now and get back to work. Hope to see lots of you in Frodsham tomorrow. I'm sure it will be a really enjoyable day.

Inertia after the Leigh Show!

What a wonderful weekend it was at the Leigh show. I was demonstrating on The Stamp Hut stand and it was non stop from the moment the show opened. Here's where I was chained to the table all day - apart from when I was taking this picture! No, not quite, but we didn't even take a break and just kept going on coffee and water. You can see all the products that I was demonstrating behind my table - except for the whirligigs of decoupage which were on the adjacent stand and kept knocking my cards flying every time someone whizzed them round!
Lots of my stamp designs and the Gorjuss range along with Ranger goodies, including my new favourite Glue n Seal of course! Here's a closer look at one side of my table, not that it was as tidy as this for very long, though I was quite good really and didn't make too much mess!I met so many people that I know, many of whom I haven't seen for an age, so it was a lovely couple of days. Hope you are all making good use of your purchases and Glueing and Sealing for all you're worth!
I'm going to be at Crabapple Crafts in Frodsham this Saturday where I'll, once again, be working with Gorjuss stamps as well as some by my mate Andy Skinner. I'll have some new My Minds Eye Kraft papers as well, which I really recommend as they're a great weight, really unusual designs and work well with Distress inks. I'll post some samples later in the week, but have got lots to catch up on for the next few days after a Thursday and Friday that got completely taken over by other things for one reason and another.
Now, my good news for today is this............ .............yes, after some people pressure, Personal Impressions have added my robot into my Off the Wall Collection of stamp sets. Initially he had been made into a Twinchie sized stamp (still available) but I asked if he could be made into an A6 set and I drew some springs and nuts to go with him. So "Overhaul Needed" PICSA6332 will be available from the end of March. This is a version of the robot I drew for one of my journal pages but he'll be just as useful for cards, scrapbooking or any altered art projects as well of course.
I'll sign off for now as it's time to sort out some food for Thomas and Tara, as well as David and myself of course!

Candy winner & a step by step

Thank you to everyone who left a comment since I posted my Blog Candy. I've used a random number generator to pick someone from 1 - 22, simply going from top to bottom of the comments. The number that came up was 15 which corresponds to Redanne. Well done! Please send me your details and I'll post out your DD kits as soon as possible. I'll organise another Candy soon, so please do pop by again for another chance.

1 Random Numbers 15 Specs: This table of 1 random numbers was produced according to the following specifications: Numbers were randomly selected from within the range of 1 to 22. Duplicate numbers were not allowed. This table was generated on 3/1/2012.

If any of you are coming to the Leigh show this coming weekend, do come and see me at The Stamp Hut stand. I'm concentrating on Gorjuss stamps as well as a few of my Build a Scene sets along with Ranger inks. I've been busy doing lots of colouring this week and here are a few more of the cards that I'll have with me at the show....... .......I find the characters very soulful as I said in my previous post, partly because of the lack of mouths and noses. I do know that some people find that a little weird, or even creepy, but it's very easy to add simple features and look how it totally changes the feel of one of the characters and makes her look cute rather than thoughtful..... ......all you need is a fine black pen! Thank you to Paul for the link to my blog. Paul said that he had bought some Ranger Glue n Seal after seeing me at Stitches...all he needed was to remember what I did with it! I know Paul was joking, but I thought I'd post a step by step in case anyone else would like to try this technique which Joanne and I came up with together when she came over to help me with my show samples. So, here goes!
Firstly, stamp your chosen image onto decent quality cardstock and colour with your chosen medium...Distress inks, water based pens, Promarkers etc...... Now heat the image to make sure that all the ink is fully dry and set.... If you don't heat set the image you may find that the colours will run during the next stage. Using a fine brush, carefully coat the whole image with Glue n Seal. Be sure to cover every bit of the image and try not to go outside the lines. I recommend a fairly stiff, but finely pointed brush for this as the Glue n Seal is quite thick and you want to achieve as smooth a finish as you can......... allow to dry, or, if you're as impatient as I am, heat set! One of the great things about Glue n Seal is that a thin layer won't be affected by heat. If you use the heat tool, allow the image to cool down as, when warm, the surface will feel slightly tacky to the touch. Now, blend Distress ink over the cardstock. No need to skirt around the image - that's what the Glue n Seal was for!.... ......Take a darker shade of Distress ink and, starting on top of the image, blend outwards to give a halo, or shadow effect, and blend in any other colours that you wish..... .....now take a paper towel and rub over the image to remove excess ink and reveal the original colours. If you want the colours to really pop, use a baby wipe, being careful not to let it go onto the background as Distress inks will react to the moisture and will lighten. I find just using a corner of the wipe to add a little moisture and then wiping over with dry paper towel works best..... ....and here's the finished result. No more fiddly cutting out to stick to a dark background, or trying to colour around an image! The tags that I did for Stitches were mostly made using this technique...... I really hope you find the technique useful and will give it a try. At Stitches I was using Glue n Seal Gloss, but I have now used the matte version which also works.
Let me know what you think and Redanne, don't forget to send me your details!

A Darkroom Door Candy

I have a lovely Darkroom Door Candy on offer today, courtesy of the lovely Rachel Greig. Rachel left us some great kits when she came to Stitches and I have a set of two available here. All you need to do is to leave a comment on my blog between now and the end of February (this Wednesday) to be in with a chance of winning. I'll draw one name on Thursday 1st March. If you add a link to your own blog that would be appreciated! One pack is a complete kit, with instructions, to make a "Love Letters Accordian Book". It includes Wordstrip, Photostrip and Photochips from the Love Letters collection, as well as cardstock,lacy ribbon and Idealogy findings. The other pack has cardstock, Photostrips, tags, mesh and string for you to create anything you'd like from. Really lovely packs that I'm sure you'd enjoy using. Thanks Rachel!
I've been enjoying the lovely Springlike weather and yesterday was a really bright, sunny day if a little chilly. Great natural light for all the colouring I'm doing at the moment. Here's one of the cards that I made yesterday using one of the Gorjuss stamp sets that I'll be demonstrating at the Leigh crafts show this coming weekend. I'll be on The Stamp Hut stand, so hope to see some of you there - do say hello if you are coming along. I love this image of the wistful girl and the soulful owls. The word is from the same wordstrip that's included in the DD candy. They're really handy to have, for odd words or to make up random phrases. The backing paper is a new MME one - I do like the MME range which are such good quality.
Yesterday morning I went into the village to do some errands and the local Church grounds were carpeted in crocusses - wished I'd had the camera with me. I had a wander along the paths and then went inside the Church, lit a candle and sat quietly for half an hour. The sun was streaming through the stained glass and it was so still in there. It really gave me an injection of peacefulness and positivity. It reminded me that we all need to take some quiet time out sometimes.
When I got back I spotted Thomas sitting in the field behind the house. As soon as he saw me he came bounding back and leapt over the fence (no going under for him!) before going for a little walk up the lane with me. I'm sure he thinks he's died and gone to Heaven after living rough on the suburban streets of Manchester! I got a large box through the post from Personal Impressions (all the canvasses and other stuff that I couldn't carry back with me from the show) and a certain someone, called Tara, decided that it had been meant for her.... ......as you can see! She loves every box or bag that lands on the floor and immediately has to claim it, but this one really tickled her fancy!
Well, that's the end of my coffee break so I had better carry on with those cards for next weekend now! Don't forget to leave a comment to have a chance to win the DD kits!

I've been Stitched up!

That is to say that Stitches is over for another year and I'm now in the relaxed, slightly tired (!) state of mind that always follows the show. It's such a busy few days that it flies by every time and, after all the hard work that everyone does to make it such a great event, it's always hard to believe that it can go so fast. It was such a whirlwind that I hardly even took any photos this year.
I travelled down to the NEC on Saturday morning and spent an hour or so helping the Personal Impressions team to get set up....well, I say "helping", but they have it down to such a fine art that I usually feel that I'm more of a hindrance! Here's our stand on Saturday afternoon...it always astounds me how it goes from looking as though it will never be ready to looking pristine by the start of the show the next morning. This year we had a new bright aqua shade along with the classic PI colour, so the stand really did "stand" out even more than usual - groan! I then scurried along to the Ranger workshop which I was really looking forward to - a chance to try new products and to be on the other side of the table for a change! In the first session, with Tim, we made a really neat little hanger based on two teeny canvasses and using various TH products. In the second session, with Dyan (Reaveley) we made a journalling page using the new Dylusions inks and masks. Just check out these hands after the second session! This is me with the lovely Dot, from the Stamp Hut in Bury St Edmunds and the ladies from Two Cats Crafts !It was then time to go back to the hotel for a bite to eat and a catch up with everyone from PI before getting a good sleep in preparation for the busy day ahead. First job for me was to get my demonstartion area ready and put samples up. This was my extraordinarily long counter - the whole stand had been revamped and there was much more room for working on - I needed elasticated arms really! Just to the left, on the wall, you can see the boards showing new PI stamp designs. Next to them are Gorjuss designs, Hero Arts and then Petaloo flowers. I took this photo on Saturday night - hence the ladders in the background! I then had to hightail it up to the workshop area to get everything ready for my first class of the show at 9.30am. I had some help getting ready as the turn around is so fast at the show - one person clearing up after a class whilst the next one is itching to get in and get prepped! My workshop was using the Build a Scene stamps and we did lots of masking and colouring - a gentle start to the show.
Then it was back to the stand where I was demonstrating for the rest of the day. Joanne was at the show as I had given her one of my tickets as a thank you for helping me with samples. I think she enjoyed herself! Here she is posing by Tim's demo area and looking very glam! I managed to get some shots of Joanne with Mario and Rachel Grieg which I'm emailing to her so I'm sure they'll be up on her blog quite soon. On Sunday night, after the show, it was our traditional meal out at the Wing Wah. This is always a fun evening with the whole PI and Ranger team as well as any other overseas guests we have on the stand. This year Alex from Martha Stewart as well as the Spellbinders team joined us. I did take some pics there but they haven't come out well enough to share. Then it was back to the hotel for a few hours in the bar lounge (no rabble rousing though!) before another good sleep - comfy beds!
Monday brought another workshop which I was teaching along with Andy Skinner This time it was focussing on Martha Stewart paints. We were merrily setting up the class until we realised that we couldn't find the canvasses that were pretty integral to the whole thing! Panic stations ensued and I was reminded of Basil Fawlty looking for the missing roast duck inside the trifle! The PI team searched everywhere back on the stand and the canvasses eventually turned up in a cupboard which they had somehow found their way into! So, ten minutes late we got started and, thankfully, everyone was very understanding and all went smoothly (if a little rushed!) from there. Could do without that kind of excitement though!
That afternoon team Ranger were off down to QVC for the launch of the TSV that night, but I did get a quick pic with Tim and the lovely Rachel from Darkroom Door. What a titch I look! Rachel has designed lots more beautiful stamp sets, so I'll be looking forward to working with those soon. All too soon it was the final day and I spent my time demonstrating, arranging new dates for the coming year for various stores and I had a final stamping workshop at the end of the day. Then it was time to pull the stand down which takes hardly any time compared with setting it up! I always find it really sad - a bit like taking the Christmas decorations down in January. Then it was time for goodbye's and the trek home which took me five hours due to points problems at Birmingham New Street station.
As always, we worked hard and played hard! I didn't get much chance to look round the other stands but there were lots of wonderful products and samples everywhere I looked as I rushed through the aisles to the workshops etc. I think the craft appetite will be catered for for another year! Must sign off now as I have to get some new samples made in readiness for the craft show at Leigh at the beginning of March. I am going to do some gentle colouring in to start with after all the heavy schedule of the last few weeks!

Canvasses & Tags

I feel very relaxed at this moment, as I have put everything away except the kit that I'm taking away with me this coming weekend - samples are all done, workshops are prepped and, today, I finished some drawings that I am taking down with me for Personal Impressions. Feels good. Tomorrow is going to be a day to forget about work, except for packing everything in the evening, and relax a bit before the busy few days ahead.
I'll be demonstrating on the Personal Impressions stand as usual, as well as teaching three workshops - one with my friend and colleague, Andy Skinner. We have a really large stand with several demo counters. As usual myself and Tim Holtz will be on the stand as well as the lovely Rachel Grieg. Dyan Reaveley will also be on the stand to demonstrate her new Dylusion ranges. So there will be lots of techniques to watch and lots of new designs to look at. It's the annual chance to catch up with everyone, though it goes by in a whirlwind and often there's not much chance to have a proper chat. I will take as many pictures as I can before my camera batteries run out!
I'm not showing any more of the new stamps until after the show now, but thought you might like to see a few more of the things that I've been making. This canvas started as a background made with Martha Stewart paints that my sister Heather
created. She then made a pattern using the MS stencil film (I love this product as it's easy to cut and to peel the backing off and sticks really well until you want to peel it away) and dabbed black paint through and around it to create a somewhat abstract building effect. Heather's idea had been that "Humbert & Spider Boy" could be added to the canvas...sort of a Gothic street gang! I stamped, coloured and cut the characters out and adhered them using Multi Matte Medium (another must have product) which I also used to seal them as well. I moved some of the elements round (the dog and the bats) and drew extra details, such as the dog lead, back in with a fine pen. I drew the moon and stars with an Inkssentials white pen and added my favourite spiders using a fine pen to draw the silky thread and their legs before placing black gems on as their bodies. Mad and bad but fun!
Next are some more of the tags that I've been having loads of fun making. They have been a real treat to make. The tag on the left features a fairy with Zentangled wings and a Zentangle heart - both from a set that I haven't posted details of yet. Next is Melissa. The third tag is using two of Andy's new sets - the background set is really useful. I've added Glossy Accents over the fish for a really wet fishy gleam. The righ hand one features my Building Blocks set and words cut from my Creative Thoughts stamp set. By the way, I've photographed all these against sheets of MME Kraft Funday "papers" (card really!) which I am becoming very keen on! Next is another collaboration between Heather and I - I cut these funky spirals from the stencil film and Heather painted the background and added the stencilled colour. I used Gwendoline (without blackbirds) and added words using my Alphadigit block stamp. Two TH Gamespinners finished this one. The last canvas I'm sharing baffled me a bit to begin with as Heather decided to go for a heart design and surprised me by painting a large one that almost filled the canvas! She added MS glitter paint dots (there are great nozzles that attach to the paints to allow you create dimension) and rubbed more of the glitter over the edges with her finger. I think that Heather decided I needed a challenge! After a bit of thought, two Corked Vials filled with sparkle, a little white pen work, a touch more MS glitter paint, a Word Key and some ribbon this became one of my favourites of the canvasses! Heather hasn't seen the finished article yet, so I hope you like it sis!
Well, that's all from me for today. I am going to put my feet up now as I have a sore bum from sitting on a fairly hard bench for the whole day!

Another preview...

Just popping back again to share some more previews of the new stamps, but the first picture is of a card that Joanne made when she came to help me with sample last week. You might just be able to make out the spider that we made to put into the Corked Vial, along with the ubiquitous string that seems to be a necessary part of a boy's collection of bits! The flash on my camera has rather eclipsed his boots, but hope you can make out the rest of the card okay. Joanne made a great background with lots of swooshy inks and Picket Fence Distress Stain. The card itself is made using My Minds Eye Kraft Funday paper - although it's such a great weight it really is a cardstock. Fabulous paper as there are resist areas that show up when you ink over them. Again, you can check the range out on the Personal Impressions website.
The angry boy is called Humbert, and the set he's from is "Humbert & Spider Boy" (PICSA6279) which features two little horrors! Great fun for boys and teenagers cards, or journalling of course. I wanted these to be real scruff bags with a touch of the Gothic about them. Hope you like these two...I have a soft spot for them!!! Next is another words set, this one being "Love that Binds" (PICSA6273) which is a set of dictionary style definitions. I wanted a distressed, old book feel to these, so the words are rather soft focussed and bleached out in areas. Another useful one! The last set that I'm sharing tonight is called "Building Blocks" (PICSA6288) a set of six houses that can be built into street scenes, set on top of hillsides etc. I went for a slightly Zentangled look that lends itself to lots of colouring in and highlighting with white pen work. I'll post a picture at a later date of what I did with them. Meanwhile, here's a frame that I made from scratch and painted with Martha Stewart acrylics after creating the texture with MS Stucco. The MS range is really extensive - it even includes magnetic paint! Once I'd dry brushed metallic gold and copper over the base colours I then added the central image behind the aperture. I made the background with Scattered Straw and Pumice Stone D inks and stamped steampunk images from two of Andy's new sets. I then added "Steampunk Sarah" after I'd stamped, coloured and cut her out. I added more stamped images and a selection of TH Idealogy items that I had altered with MS acrylic paints. This was a really fun piece to work on and I'll explain how I made the frame itself at a later date.
Well, that's all from me for tonight. I've got two more days to get everything finished for the show. The excitement of Stitches is approaching rapidly! Take care everyone.