Hi
I've had a few days in  Switzerland since I last posted meeting my first grandson who is now 2 months old.
Henry is great and it was lovely seeing him but of course that has meant that I haven't been doing many cards - and I've had stocktaking to finish!
I tried doing some more cards for men  before I left....

Some are ideas I have used before but others are new.

Hi
Had a busy week with workshops this week so not done many new cards.
I have been busy today on an order for a wedding card so although I picked an old design of mine I did try some of the new skeleton flower die cuts with it. This design uses some of the mirri Kanban card I had in stock. Having used this type of card I never want to cover it up but one has to cover some bits so here's what I've done....

Hi
Sorry not to have posted for a while. We had a long weekend away in Northumberland last week and since getting back I've been busy stocktaking and doing end of year accounts ( the trouble with being a one woman band - although Maureen did do some stocktaking last weekend whilst covering the shop)
Before I left I was busy doing an order for sporting cards - I have done these before but will repeat them on  "More Men's cards" workshop if requested.

The rugby players still need greeting added but I'm waiting until needed. They both use my "Fold back aperture" design and then peel off players. For those of you who don't know me I like working out new styles of cards that we can make with the equipment we have. I don't do much with stencils and bought in shaped cards since I like to vary the idea to suit the situation. Full Instructions are given to those who attend workshops making these cards.

Then it was onto completing my board for the "Creative Stamping 16 - Birdsong" all day workshop. Some ideas I like better than others but since people often choose ones I would reject I put them all on the board so customers can choose which they prefer. 

I have shown you some of the ones using the "Creative palette" from stampendous ( bottom of board) but we also have added ways with distress inks, using gold leaf, masking and using different embossing powders.
I have had a cancellation for this Tuesday so if anyone else wants to come.....

Well better go and clean the shop now. More next week...

Hi
As I said last time I've been busy with my workshop boards recently. I have shown you some of my cards from different workshops before but in a few cases e.g.pivot and accordion cards, Sue Wilson's Spanish collection and the Dreamweaver - stencils for men's cards I have added extra - hence the reason they are repeated.
The Woodware & Stix 2 products include ideas adapted from demos and make & takes we saw/ did at the trade show with these firms. This is Wednesday's workshop

Two extra cards here to those shown before - sorry about the background! but at least you can get the idea.
This workshop is on on Tuesday if anyone wants a go with the dies.

Then ready for the following week's workshop are.....

"S W 's Spanish Collection" -  Just one extra card here to those shown before - this is using the Seville die only ( plus some of the skeleton flowers)...

And then there are the Dreamweaver stencil cards for men. As you will have seen previously I got carried away with the sailboat trying it lots of ways but only a couple will be done on the workshop where I shall concentrate on black (or white) glossy paste and spray mists for inking. LAso included are the guitar stencil and the sandcastle.

I'm working on more ideas with the creative stamping birdsong this coming week so I'll show you what I've done later in the week

Hi Everyone
Sorry it's been so long since I last posted - been meaning to for days now and then something else always crops up. The other thing is that I have been so busy darting about - playing with one new thing after another that I haven't completed many cards recently. That must change over the next week as I get my new workshop boards ready for the new list which should be out by the end of the week. The one I am most advanced with is the "Spanish collection" dies and stamps from Sue Wilson which are shown below. There is still a lot more I want to do with these but that will be on hold for a few days whilst I look at other things. I used the Creative Palette from Stampendous for the background to the butterfly stamped images.

 After doing a Stencil workshop with my monthly Thursday group I decided to try out the new Dreamweaver sailboat stencil. Tried a number of ways - still have to decide which we do on the workshop but some of the samples are below.

Well must go and open the shop now. Hopefully there will be more by the end of the week as more workshop boards are prepared
Linda

new dies

Today I have been working out the best ways with the new accordion and pivot card dies, ready for demonstrating them at the weekend. The papers etc. & the photo aren't the best but I was just trying things out.

I do hope you can come and visit us at the weekend.

 Open Sat 15th 10 - 5 then Sunday 16th from 11 -4.30.

I am expecting more new products tomorrow! so another play needed. I wish all the firms were as prompt as Woodware who are really prompt in getting orders out.

Creative Palette & Birthday Cards

Hi everyone
Sorry not to have posted for a few days. It was my birthday last week and a few friends and customers sent me handmade cards which I enclose a picture of.

I have been busy with the New Creative Palette from Stampendous. Initially it was trying it out with all sorts of paints etc. (good way of using up old stuff) then I stamped some new stamps from Creative Expressions which have dies to go with them - trouble is stamps are in not the dies... so I'm waiting to finish them. I was then lucky in that the stamps for the new creative stamping magazine "Birdsong" came in. ( They were always supposed to send us them a couple of weeks before we get the mags but this is the first time it has actually happened!) Magazine due out 21st March. So I have used them on a few of my backgrounds. I am continually working on these around this weeks workshops and will be demonstrating them with other things at this weekend's Demo weekend. A few examples are shown below.

Hopefully more ideas will follow soon.

Do come and see us at the weekend

Dreamweaver Accreditation

I have been very busy over the last few days with my project for my Dreamweaver Accreditation following the course I did the weekend before. The project was sent to Lynell Harlow from Dreamweaver and I have now received confirmation that I have passed and so I thought it was time I shared with you what I have been working on
We were given these two stencils and told to use the methods we had covered in the course.

I was working on glossy black paste for most of them but used glossy gold on the black card. I then coloured with mica  on both dry and wet paste & used the "molten magic" technique on some. The lilac/ purple cards used glitter instead of mica.
To learn more come on one of my Stencil workshops. If you are interested in learning more and wish to do a course yourself on stencilling please contact me.

hi
I've just got a couple of photos of the cards done at yesterday's workshop "Timeless Opulence". This was the half day session - full day on Tues if you care to join us.

Sorry photos not as good as I'd have liked but hopefully you get the idea.

After 2 days with workshops I finally got round to thinking of a new baby card but unfortunately didn't feel very inspired. I tried one new idea, was unsure so adapted a recent workshop one, then was reminded of one I'd done years ago but not sure....
My attempts are below - still not sure which to use - perhaps I'll get some inspiration tomorrow

I've been having a busy time lately. First of all we had the trade show which I mentioned on my last post. In order to show you the new products I have purchased I will be doing a

DEMO WEEKEND on Saturday 15th March from 10 'till 5 and Sunday 16th March from 11 till 4 30.

in the shop at Laneham. We hope to see lots of you there.

Then last Friday - 21st FEB. our first grandson was born. A picture of Henry is enclosed for those who may be interested.

I then went to Skipton for a Dreamweaver Accreditation Course at Woodware for 2 long days ( 8 o'clock starts were challenging for me but I managed!)

 Lynell Harlow from Dreamweaver ran the course and we went through lots of different techniques with stencils. I had done most of them before but here we learnt the finer details of colouring etc. which I shall be able to pass on to you during my workshops.

 The boards we did during the course are shown below.

I now have a project to do in order to obtain my accreditation, so that will be next weekend's job!

Workshops during the year will include different ideas with stencils but I can also do a course if anyone is interested.

A baby card is my next project but that will have to wait until Thursday since I have a workshop to do & get ready for tomorrow. It's Creative Stamping - Timeless Opulence I have done some extra cards for this now but haven't taken a picture of the finished board yet.