Blossoms and Bees!

Is the theme of my workshop at The Craft Barn this coming Sunday (26 April) - a day where we'll use paints, stamps and surprisingly- a drill!!

There are a couple of places still available so if you want to join us contact the shop to book a place.

x

Inky painty indeed!

A day spent at That's Crafty, running my first workshop at this great craft shop (where they have probably the biggest range of stencils I have ever seen in one place! and lots of paints, inks, and other 'stuff' to work with them!) :o)

We created this cute canvas combining JOFY stamps with a Prima Julie Nutting girl stamp - I have a couple of these and they're adorable and, I think, work really nicely with the JOFY stamps.

Everyone in the class created lovely (and finished) canvasses - and had free range to choose outfits for their 'girls' from a pad of My Minds Eye papers - nice small designs which were perfect for dress fabric.

Here are a couple of boards:

I really liked the bold geometric of this dress (on Linda Carpenter's canvas) (I would wear that dress, if I was younger!), and the blue bee-hive.

This girl (Janette Smith's) also wore a largish print, this time with co-ordinating flowers - really fresh and summery.

People were sometimes undecided on how to layer up the dresses - with contrast pockets or without, with or without contrast sleeves so I suggested (because lets face it nowadays most people have a camera phone with them and its a useful tool) they photograph the dress with the options and then look at the photos - which is what we did with the cute blue yellow dress (on Liz Riding's canvas) shown below - love this option... (by the way: the contrast pocket option was chosen)

This was a fun class - & its always interesting at the end of a class to see how the canvasses are all so similar but all different at the same time.

x

Come and get inky painty with me...

.... I have a class next saturday, 25 April, at The Artistic Stamper in Kent and there are a couple of places left..

we'll be 'buzz'y creating a lovely fun box canvas (love my wired bee!) featuring new JOFY stamps, and we'll probably have time to make a couple of cards too...

Contact the shop to book your place - I look forward to seeing you there!

VersionScrap... ooh La La indeed!

VersionScrap was a whirlwind of a weekend - one where it feels that your feet haven't touched the ground but you know they have because they ache from standing, walking, stair climbing.. a bit more standing - and you've enjoyed ever single minute.. that was my my weekend...

(I take my hat off to the rest of the PaperArtsy team because they worked for 3 more days than me!)

It really is a lovely craft show - though 'craft show' doesn't do it justice - its almost like a big retreat - 2 days of great classes on offer, beautiful stands, lots of make'n'takes, great products and a nice atmosphere all help to create an inspiring craft day out or weekend as many people visit for the weekend (or all three days!) - so many things to do.

I spent Friday teaching 3 classes to groups of lovely ladies (57 people! phew!) and we worked through the language 'barrier' with the help of Sally's translation skills, and its surprising how much (or little lol) of my school french came back to me... and how miming skills come in really useful... 

... the classrooms are bright & airy and have a nice view out of the window onto the park...

I didn't get a chance to take many photos of my classes - all very busy - and I only took a few around the shops/stands themselves,.. and then it was mainly of shop names I wanted to remember - I even forgot to take photos of the PaperArtsy stand!  (or the demo samples!)  Very unusual for me & so I've borrowed a couple of stand and class photos from PaperArtsy's Leandra's twitter feed.

I walked the whole show twice on Saturday (in case I missed anything the first time, and because it was 'a bit' busy)  and did a bit of shopping (well it would've been silly not to!) - here's my stash pile - I haven't had a craft-spend like this in ages!

several dies, a few stencils, couple of stamps, cute little laser cut embellishments (love the smell), and magazines as research and because the French magazines are lovely.  My suitcase on the journey home was only two-thirds full but weighed a blummin tonne! lol

One of the stands had 3d pens- v clever.. tempted to look into these back in the UK - could make all kinds of quirky embellishments & 3d drawings....

At the back of the hall is a gallery of great big canvasses - scrapbook layouts but huge - about 60-100cm - this wood plank based one was one of my favourites...

as well as this yellow and black one (yes, me, liking yellow - how things have changed - I told you I was embracing yellow!)

Big paper flowers seem to be on trend at the moment- I've see it used on catwalks at recent fashion shows, and in window and product displays and so I really please to see this clever use of a frame and flowers:

so much to see.. I really enjoyed this show, thanks to everyone who came to my classes and who visited the PaperArtsy stand and watched Leandra and Lin demo their socks off all weekend- it was lovely to meet everyone. 

The PA team work so hard keeping everybody happy and the stand well stocked with PA products.

I had time, on the walk back to the courtesy bus (or NoddyBus as its affectionately called, because it looks like a toy train lol), to take photos in the gardens... only the tulips were in bloom at the moment and they looked lovely - so colourful...

I had a few hours to spare before I caught the Eurostar back to the UK and so I dropped my luggage in a locker at the station and caught the Metro down to Les Galleries Lafayette... this is a mecca for shoppers - the shop is just beautiful!  The central gallery with its huge stained glass dome is stunning and smells amazing with the perfume counters in its centre.

... and last but not least here is my one and only pain au chocolat..  Being wheat intolerant I shouldn't really eat these but when in Paris how could I not!! so I had just one and it was half size so it was OK!
Cute.
and very very tasty! lol

Now I'm back at home - so glad I went to VersionScrap and experienced teaching outside the UK and the show itself - I'd recommend going to the show if you get the chance...  I hope to go back next year... we'll see... I'll start brushing up on my French now, just in case :o)

x

oo la la!

... I'm all packed (well, almost) and ready (eek) for my trip to Paris to demo and teach classes at VersionScrap!  (just a liiiiitttle bit excited!)..

I will be on the PaperArtsy stand (Boutique 01) on Thursday night demo'ing (VIP event) alongside Leandra and Lin Brown - and then teaching 3 classes on Friday - its going to be a lot of fun (hardwork but still a lot of fun!).

One of the classes has sold out, but there are still a few places up for grabs on the Journal & Block class (love these projects!) here are the sneek peeks (and go HERE to book a place)

This is the first class of the day, 10:00 (for 2.5 hours), 'Block of JOFY Flowers'

.. and 'Mini Journal' is at 13:00 (2.5 hours), this is a lovely journal/sketchbook, notebook - all wrapped up..

And there are new stamps!!!  I wanted to design something especially for the show and here they are.. all new images, new phrases and a couple of translations from the most recent English releases (and the spiky flower on JOFY36 fits onto stencil PS009, this time it fits inside within the stencil)

     

Really looking forward to VersionScrap - everyone says its a lovely show and I can't wait!! 

I got my suitcase out a few days ago - I wanted to give it a 'makeover': one black Carlton suitcase looks very much like every other as they are trundle around the luggage carousel at airports so,  and showing again Fresco Finish paints can be used on pretty much everything, I stenciled an image on the front and back..

I love it!

I recently tweeted reasons to customise luggage:

1. easy to spot on a luggage carousel
2. Ensures partner doesn't borrow it.
3. Its pretty!!
and I'm adding a 4th reason to the list:
4. Why not! 

(I'm travelling to Paris on Eurostar, and yes, I know my newly prettied up luggage won't be on a luggage carousel..)

I think Bertie cat wants to come to Paris - he made himself quite at home IN the suitcase... but I explained that he can't come because he doesn't have pawsport - get it pawsport/passport... no, ok then.. moving on... (apoligies - that was like a christmas cracker 'joke' wasn't it - groanworthy! lol)... aaaany hoo

Then he staged a sit on protest... cute! but still not coming to Paris!

OK, I'd better go and finish packing.. and brush up on my French...

x

Mono printing with a gelli plate ....

... again...
I think making gelli prints might be a little bit addictive - no idea yet what I'm going to do with all the prints but am enjoying the learning/experimenting (re-learning/re-visiting) process.. also I'm sharing/showing you these because I can't show you other secret bits and pieces I'm currently working on ....

I'm printing onto 120 weight paper - the sort you'd use in your printer - I find its strong enough to take the paint but still light enough to find all the nooks, crannies and detail of a stencil.
Even though I'm using the larger gelli plate I'm still pulling A5 prints too..

Like this one, the very first (a5) print off the plate (that's why there are tiny bubbles in the print- a coating of some sort)  - the plate was coloured with Tinned Peas and Chartreuse blending with a roller, then I removed some paint with bubble wrap):

 ... then pulled this print - I like the way the a5 print has created a clean space and a 'frame' print on the a4 sheet:

 and this is the two prints laid up together:

Here's a Mermaid version (everything looks nicer when its painted Mermaid! lol).. I think this started as a 2nd generation print as the background isn't a solid colou, and I'd also laid onto the plate 3 die cut scribble circles to act as a resist.... this is the a5 print that I pulled and when dry added a print of bubble wrapped rollered in Bougainvillea (Mermaid + Bougainvillea = FAB colour combo! lol)

The remaining colour print pulled to reveal a frame (as before)

and the two laid up together:

These are mixed prints - clean up prints or the 'lets see what this looks like' prints - and also prints where I've 'stamped' bubble wrap onto to a ghost/clean up print - I like these - the print is less blocky and you have all these subtle images, layers and colours.

This 'print' is actually a page where I cleaned the roller several times - I like it! lol  nothing's wasted... & afterall - its just paper - whats the worst that can happen..

I can see these prints all being made into a journal, or stamped onto to create a masterboard.... so many options.. and one print leads to an idea for another print - its quite addictive...
and what I also like about it is that its surprisingly 'un-messy'! - all the 'mess' is on the plate which is cleaned up by making another print!  bazinga!

Mono printing with a gelli is fun and relaxing - I think everyone should give it a try :o)

(I have been using the Gelli Arts® 8x10in and 6x6in plates)

I hope you've all had a lovely Easter weekend.

x

ALBOTAT: Messing about with a gelli plate again....

... and this time with the large plate - roughly A4 size....

'inked' up the plate with Tinned Peas and Chartreuse Fresco Finish paints, lifted some paint with doily masks and pulled a print.  I then covered the plate with Bougainvillea and another stencil and using the doily print pulled this:

.. its not perfect but I'm really enjoying playing with the plate - building layers, creating contrasts between delicate prints (the doilies) and a block print (the flowers) -  for me its about embracing the imperfections of the prints...

I removed the stencil from the gelli plate and there was still enough wet paint to pull a final print.. which I doodled onto (when dry) - spots had been left on the gelli plate after removing the stencil and so I highlighted/used these and made them part of the image...

This was fun to do - reminding myself that 'its just a piece of paper', gelli prints at this stage are almost 'disposable' aren't they - playing around with the process...

Happy Easter!!

ALBOTAT: Brayered background card...

... that I made for my Mum-in-Law for Mother's Day...

The long white flower/seed stems are a Clarity Stamp stencil - I thought it worked really nicely with my bull rush stamp.

Here are the colours I used to created the brayered background - unusually they are all opaque which built the background up to be quite textural and similar to a matte pottery glaze.

 I cut it in half and edges the panels in different colours to see how it changed the look...

Fun card to make, and interesting to see how you can change the look of the pieces at the last moment by colouring the edges.

x

(PS - the colour change in the brayered backround between the first and last photos is caused by change in lighting - I either turned the lights on or off ... not sure which, sorry!)