Lots of lovely new things...

Yes, a box of lovely new products arrived from Personal Impressions yesterday! Along with my new stamps there were lovely new papers and embellishments from K & Co, gems, rub ons, ribbons, brads and flowers etc - all very scrumptuous indeed. I shall post photographs as soon as I can do, but it will be a few weeks yet. So, I'm busy making samples for my workshops and demonstrations at Stitches trade show, which is my favourite working weekend of the year. It's always really busy and I get a chance to catch up with people that I hardly see otherwise.

This is a general picture from our stand at last year's show...it's a really large one that takes two days to construct and fill and then about an hour to pull down at the end of the show! It's very hard work but also enormous fun.

I've just added a new demonstration date for February too, at Heaths in Barrow in Furness, so do check the dates list. I'll be showcasing Sakura pens and how to get the best out of them - it's surprising how versatile they are!

Well, not a very exciting post, but I just wanted to say "hello"!

Take care all, Lindsay

I got photo tagged!

Hello everyone on a rather dullsville day...well, it is here anyway. Mind you, birds are as jolly as ever, with lots of canoodling going on up in the tree branches, in between pecking on my window to hint that more food would be appreciated! The squirrels have been feasting on the corn cobs which I left out for them, looking really cute with 3" of cob sticking out either side of their faces! They are strong little creatures - still able to leap around the trees even whilst carrying their oversized treasure. Unfortunately I just can't get a close enough photo to do the cuteness justice!

Talking of photos, Hazel has tagged me (check out Didos Designs) and I am supposed to go to my pictures file, go to the 6th folder and then go to the 6th photo within that file (hope you're following this!) before uploading it here with a description of what's going on. Well, I say "supposed" only because my first folders are all of new designs which I can't put on here as yet for obvious reasons, so I am going to count from there and see what comes up.......and the result is............footprints in the sand! This picture was taken at the beach at Pier Village, New Jersey and the footprints are mine (with a few seagull ones too!). This was during my trip to Ranger last year and, because we spent most of the time inside, doing lots of wonderful inky things, I didn't get to see much of the surrounding area. On the last day I took a taxi to the beach all on my lonesome and took pictures of my feet in the sea and my footprints in the sand. It was a very calm end to what had been a really exciting few days.

Well, now I have to choose six people to photo tag and they are.... in no particular order.........

Debs @ debscards.blogspot.com

Lynnda @ oakhousestudio.blogspot.com

She@ craftyshe.blogspot.com

Jan @ janbloomfield.blogspot.com

Leonie @ leoniepujol.blogspot.com

Lesley @ themessycrafter.blogspot.com

Well, that's all for now folks! Have a good week everyone, Lindsay

Feeling human again at last!

It's a beautiful day here, with a bright sunny sky and just a little, crisp nip in the air. The birds are looking happy to be alive and there are signs of spring as the magpies gather twigs and start building their nests. I feel I can join in with the general positivity now as I've finally shaken off the aches, pains and general unwellness that's plagued me for some weeks now! I think that I've had my whole year's worth of feeling ill in one go...well I hope so anyway!
So, apart from finishing my new stamps designs (which I'll be able to tell you more about after they are launched in February) I have just been having a quiet time recharging my batteries and coming up with new ideas. I think that we all need to have a bit of time out sometimes and it really does help to clear the mind and allow fresh things to come in.
I've added a couple of new dates to the demonstration list - one is in Essex in February and the second is in Liverpool in April. I have more dates to add shortly once details have been confirmed, so do keep checking back to see if I'll be anywhere near to where you live.
That's all for now folks! I just wanted to touch base and say hello. Lindsay

A late "Happy New Year"!

Apologies for being so long away from here. Hope you all had a lovely Christmas and a late "Happy New Year" to everyone.

My Christmas wasn't quite what I had in mind as the "bug" which I was suffering from turned out to be a severe ear infection, so I spent half my holiday going to and from the hospital! It was the most excrutiating pain that I've ever experienced! Thankfully the pain has now stopped, though I am still partly deaf with a loud ringing in my ear. All this has meant that I have been trying to catch up with work which got delayed....new stamp designs!....and is why I haven't updated the blog till now.

If you look at the demonstration list you'll see that the Making Cards weekend workshops have been removed. Unfortunately, administration problems have meant that these have had to be put on hold for the time being, but I will let you know as and when they are back on track.

I feel as if I've been working with Christmas themes for so long now that it will be a real treat to get into fresh Spring designs. The designs that I'm working on now will be launched at Stitches, the huge trade show, in February, and I will, of course, post samples of new products and ideas on here soon after that. The very talented Tim Holtz and Suze Weinberg from Ranger will both be on the Personal Impressions stand along with myself, so I will endeavour to get some good pictures to post and maybe some Blog Candy from all three of us...watch this space!

Well, I must get on with putting the finishing touches to the new designs and will post again in the next couple of days. Stay warm everyone...it's freezing here today! Lindsay

Happy Christmas everyone!

Hello everyone, and hope that you are all looking forward to Christmas now, in whichever way you spend it. Hope too that you got all of your cards made...I have to confess that I didn't get to make all of mine! I've just finished wrapping the last of my gifts and will be off to my parents' tomorrow for a week of rest and relaxation, although I will be cooking the Christmas lunch which is rather a worry as I'm not known for my culinary expertise!

I'd love to say that I took this gorgeous picture of the squirrel myself, but, no, I have to confess that it was on the RSPB newsletter! Isn't he cute though, all tufty and bright eyed. I took the photo on the right though!

This is under mum and dad's tree which we decorated a couple of weeks ago - the snowmen on the right are ones I made years ago and look a bit battered now, but one of the lovely things about this time of year is the way that traditional things are important even if they are tatty round the edges!

I shan't be able to post now till next year (!), so I wish you all a wonderful Christmas and let us all hope that 2009 brings us all lots of positive things. Lindsay

Catching up!

I'm catching up with myself and all of you too, as I'm a little late with this post! The weekend at Dawn Bibby's Studio was great - "hello" to all of you who came along....too numerous to mention individually! We had a lot of fun with plenty of crafting, mince pies and hot mulled wine...well, the customers had the mulled wine, not me, or I'd have been making very wonky cards!

Here's Dawn chatting to customers and making ATC's. And below is a
picture of some of us at the end of the Sunday...from the left...Sarah, Lindsey, myself, Dawn, JJ and Gill.

I've now posted details of some of the first round of events that I'll be at next year, though I'll be adding more and updating them as time goes on. I've also listed the first of my workshops at Topaz - if you are interested in booking onto a class then contact Topaz (link to their website below).

I've had a bug the last couple of days which is why I haven't posted sooner, but I am fending it off as I'm determined not to be under the weather over Christmas! I am trying to catch up on the designs that I still need to do as well as some gift buying and sending some cards too!

Well, this is a fairly quick post as I should get an early night to kick those germs into submission! Take care everyone and call back soon! Lindsay

Dawn Bibby's weekend event

Hello everyone, I've just added details for this weekend's craft event at Dawn Bibby's Design Studio as you can see. It's going to be a fun weekend, so do come along if you possibly can. There will be plenty to see and do and it's a good chance to drop a few hints to the other halves in your life as to what you might like for Christmas!

I am busy working on new stamp designs for next Spring. Lots of people ask me where I get my ideas from and the answer is everywhere really. Sometimes an idea just pops into my head or it may be that something I've seen sets an idea in motion. Once I have some ideas I begin doodling and sketching with a pencil at first. This stage can be very vague to begin with as the initial ideas begin to take shape, some being discarded whilst others are worked on further. Once I have "worked up" a sketch till I'm happy with it, I then place it onto my light box (I use a large, flat lightbox which is very stable to avoid slip ups!) and use my ink pens to trace the design onto very smooth white card. This can often take a while as I sometimes alter things as I go along...the designs look very different in ink than in pencil, so I may have to amend certain elements. Once I am happy with a design I then make photocopies of it. The final stage is to hand colour one of the copies which will be used to make the "index" which goes on top of the stamp. The other copies are kept for reference and are "stand by's" in case of accidents when I'm colouring - sometimes the phone rings and my hand slips!

So, I'd better carry on! Time is gaining on me and deadlines are looming!

I hope to see some of you at the weekend and will post photos next week for those of you who cannot make it. I'll also be adding demonstration dates for the first part of next year.

Till then, enjoy the rest of the week, Lindsay