Thank You

Well I think I jinxed myself sharing a Christmas card yesterday. We had at least 2" of snow when I got up this morning. I will share a few pics at the end of this post.

I needed to make a 'thank you' card for someone whom I don't know very well yet they have gone over and above for me. Its a member of our demonstrator support team. The support team are brilliant I can't praise them enough, if any demonstrator anywhere in the world has a problem there is a support team member available to help them and they are so good at the helping.
I am not going to share what this person has done but I do want to share my thanks.

The card is a bit of a case card from Julie Kettlewell and her demonstration at Telford but I have used the new 'Thankful Thoughts' stamp set, so a bit of a sneak peek for you into the bargain, as well as a farewell to the 'pictogram punches' set in which I love this sentiment that I have used for the inside.

The inside. Love this sentiment from 'pictogram punches'.




The snow......

Baubles

I didn't fancy mid week male today so I'm leaving that until next week.

Today I opened a box of stamps that came with last weeks order. I resisted this at Christmas but now that I have the little brush and sponge thing for using with the big shot intricate dies I decided to create with the embellished ornaments.

I have kept it plain and simple, black and silver. I have used the black glimmer paper which I do like behind the silver then mounted onto ordinary black card which I have matted and layered with silver foil.
The dies, brush and sponge thing did their job the 'bits came out really easily. The sentiment is stamped in versa mark the heat embossed with silver embossing powder.
I think this may become a favourite this year.

The detail on these dies is amazing. Can you see the black glimmer paper sparkling through.

the sentiment is lovely for those in the family we don't see very often.
And the inside too.

Are we going to make lots of these together this year, watch out for class details in the next few weeks.

Botanicals

I can't believe its Wednesday already, I just haven't got back into a routing since Telford and days are slipping by very quickly. Today I am having a crafty day, We have flurries of snow, hailstones and heavy showers and I don't have the car, we live miles from anywhere so I'm allowed to craft all day.

The botanicals set has sat on my shelf having only had one outing, so I thought I would get the big shot out and do a load of handle turning, as I was doing this an idea began to form...... isn't that often the way.
I have had these two origami leaves that I have wanted to use for ages and they fit so well with the botanicals theme. I didn't want to do a box frame but I have a shelf full of new picture frames. This is what I came up with.

and here it is in the sunshine!

I really like this sentiment, its something my Dad used to say.









Just using the dies and not the stamps really show off the fine detail of the images created.














And the leaves are so intricate I would have spent hours fussy cutting those.














What do you think? I think I need a small butterfly to sit below the sentiment. Must go and do that before I forget!

This was the previous outing of this set, a box and a tin. A very different colour palette.

Right I'm off to stamp and fussy cut a butterfly. Back tomorrow with a mid week male make....a day late but hey ho!

Card and a Cuppa

Its my third card and a cuppa tomorrow afternoon. I have really enjoyed the previous two weeks. We have now stamped flowers, used DSP as a feature and tomorrow its Balloon celebrations.

This is tomorrows make as well as one in yellow. I now have a tin with 4 different samples in. I intend to make it up to 10 then put it into my Etsy shop, Some of the cards have numbers on the balloons. Just a bit of fun.

So drop in and join the fun tomorrow, The Hebden Bridge Mill cafe, Innovation at 3pm. Its a drop in session and all are welcome. see you there,

Birthday Blooms again!

Today I have the second card I made from the flower print that I painted last Monday.  For this one I looked for a background designer paper,

Enamel dots in the corners and a double mount make this a stand out card. I have really enjoyed colouring these.

                          

Again I have used the gold Wink of Stella pen for the stamens and for that bit of sparkle.

Don't forget the class to make this on Thursday 28th April, see the vents and classes page.

Birthday Blooms and watercolour.

Last Monday when I was waiting for my card and a cuppa customers to arrive I had a little job to do. I had stamped the large Birthday Blooms in momento ink onto watercolour paper ready for colouring. I took my aqua painter some of the marker pens and an acrylic block. I had a lovely quiet 10 mins painting the blooms. I scribbled the marker pen on the block and used this as a paint palette.

Here is the first card that I put together this morning.

I have used the sentiment from the set plus a little victorian lace from my stash and 3 enamel dots. Love these they have so much depth of colour.

In the centre of the flowers I have painted the stamens with the gold Wink of Stella pen. These close up pics show the colour very well but not the sparkle!

 First announcement ; - new class.... using birthday blooms and watercolour. Come and make 3 cards and a decorative tag and bag on Thursday 28th  7.00 - 9.30. £10 or £25 including the stamp set. Message me to book your place. Limited number.

Talking about flowers - a little more detail

After our visit to the Royal Acadamy we wandered the local area window shopping. This were part of one window display that I really liked

They had something similar hanging and on the shelves in the shop of the RA but I couldn't find any kits for sale which was a pity as I would have bought one of those, in the end I bought nothing. A record for me.

Lastly we had a leisurely late lunch in Cafe De Pierre which is across the road from The Ritz, I have told my OH next time he has to take me to The Ritz for afternoon tea.

 I promise I will be back with some crafting tomorrow, probably not flowers though.

The Royal Acadamy is Wild about Flowers at the moment.

Well a very late in the day post from me today. Yesterdays post was scheduled as I had a trip to the big smoke then today I have been at my other job....teaching and this evening a visit to the theatre. Yes its a bit manic at the moment, role on the weekend  when I hope to sit in the sun and sip a white wine.
The Royal Acadamy exhibition was wonderful. I loved the room with the greenhouses in the corners. There were displays of old gardening books, all had tooled leather covers - beautiful, and hand written letters between the various artists and plans of their gardens. I hadn't realised that gardening had become  fashionable  during this time.
I didn't take pictures inside in the exhibition although there were people doing that but I felt any camera would not do them justice. The triptych of the Monet lilies on the pond were huge, so impressive a scale of work.

Can you spot me on the pictures below?

Wild about Flowers again

I'm not sure if I have caught up with myself since the weekend and as you read this I am either on the train to or in London. A treat; -  having a visit to the Royal Academy to see an exhibition of paintings of gardens so an apt stamp set to be using!

Today I have used the same flower head but a different leaf and a very different colour combination.
My starting point was the 'yellow' DSP from the Botanicals pack. I love 'crushed curry' but have rarely used 'hello honey' or 'delightful dijon' here you are getting the latter two, with a little cajun craze thrown in.

These are also painted with the wink of stella so glisten in the light, how people get it to show up on photos I just don't know!

I know you can't see the sparkle but it is there, it also acts like a delicate wash over the flowers.

So now you need that Wild about Flowers set its here