I have been busy with workshops this week but managed to try some ideas for the dies with matching stamps workshop. The stamps and dies are from creative expressions. Some are new and some are from last year.

The other workshop for this week is using the dies for shaped cards. We have used the stepper card die  a few times recently so I collated a few ideas as shown across the top of this picture. New is the lattice tag die which can be seen better on my last post. Then we have pivot and accordion cards from last year. Hopefully there will be time to do more variations with these before the workshop.

The final  picture show a combination of the above and includes all of the items we will be using this week.

from last year

Last week I was busy preparing for our demo weekend. Below are some of the things we did with the new products. The first was using the lattice tag from Elizabeth Craft designs in different ways. I didn't have time to get too elaborate but I wanted to show different ways of using his die set.

Then I looked at using some of the new dies from creative expressions.

and then I played with the Cornflower die to see what different flowers I could make. (excluding daisy which was a different die!)

This week I've been working on the "Cards for Spring & Easter" workshop ready for the next 2 weeks.
I have used the leabilities Daffodil die in other ways to those which appeared earlier and I have also included the Celtic cross stencil from Dreamweaver which I just love. I then used the creative stamping "Rural Springtime" stamps. The oval die used is from Creative Expressions

Next week I'm getting ready for our demo weekend on 28th & 29th. Do hope you can come along. Details on my website www.llindas.co.uk

I've been busy this week with workshops and then spending my free time working on my project for Dreamwaver Accreditation2. That will be shared with you later. So no new cards of mine to show you but since it was my birthday last weekend I thought I'd share the many handmade cards I've received form friends and customers. Thankyou to you all - they are lovely.

I am now working on cards for Spring & Easter using creative stamping - Rural Springtime plus dies & stencils, so that will be next week's picture.

This week I have been getting ready for next weeks workshop "Say it with flowers". Rather than making lots of 3D flowers this time I have looked at different sources of flowers. We have the lovely new Woodware poppy stamp, the daffodil die from Lea bilities, the Joy Rose (good for when you want a flat die cut image) and stencils using mica colouring - with the addition of dies also coloured with mica.

and then just in case these don't suit... I've pulled together some ideas from previous recent workshops in case they were missed before. Lets face it flowers appear on many of the cards whatever their theme, so we can always pull out extra ideas.

Hi
I've been busy lately with the trade show at the NEC where we go for 3 days and then I had a few days in Skipton doing the "Dreamweaver stencil Accreditation 2 course". In between there has not been a lot of time for doing lots of cards but I have come up with a few ideas for the creative stamping 22 - New Beginnings, where I used a lot of the sheets I had done in preparation for the tonal cards using sprays, inks, micas, metallic gilding wax etc. - as shown below.

I have also been looking at what we will be covering on this weeks stencil course. We are using double stencils, embossing powders, multi methods etc,

and then we will look at using stencils with metal

Although it is best to do the course from the beginning  for comprehensive coverage, people are welcome to dip in and out as they please

More with the stencils this week, I have done the art deco rose card 3 different ways using embossing and sparkle texture paste - couldn't decide which I liked best!.

After using the texture paste I moved to dreamweaver metallic pastes and mica powders. There are 2 methods for these as illustrated by the 2 cards below.

I also used the micas for colouring machine embossed images as shown with the large rose last week. I;m afraid I haven't mounted up the pieces done with the other stencils yet,
These methods  - ways with mica and stencils/masks plus using sparkle texture paste will form the basis of the next stencil workshop coming soon.See website for details www.llindas.co.uk

Working on a few more of the tonal cards this week but linking them in with the stencils. I have used the sparkle texture paste for images and frames are done with inks and mica powders

This one I have machine embossed and coloured using mica powders - sorry about the light on the pictures - a problem with lots of skylights in the workroom!

Over the last week I have been looking into the "tonal cards". The idea for this came from the cosmic shimmer ranges which are supposed to be different products of the same tonal colour. I initially selected the pink and blue ranges but as I tried them out I became disappointed. The sprays were nothing like the other products and so my initial thoughts needed changing. I then collected together all sorts of pink & blue products which I had as well as shades of other colours and looked at what went well together. I produced samples of each using different methods embossing, inking, stamping,  powders, micas, metallic rub ons, inks
etc and then looked at putting some of the bits I'd done together - so if they seem random bits that's why! I id find in many instances that 1 other colour needed adding e.g. bits of black or the gold on green.

Now I've widened what I'm doing this is obviously a work in progress but here are some of the cards |I have done so far

This week I've been working on some of the "hearts for all occasions" cards. Some of the examples with the hearts striplet appeared with the striplet boards. Yet again lots more examples need doing but this is an initial board of ideas to use on tomorrows workshop.