Robins and a bird cage!

I was asked about using my birdcage and birds stamps for a Christmas card by Christina at 'A Maze of Memories' and this is what I came up with.
I use this set to stamp a background on craft card with a VersaMark ink pad:
FRCL174 Holly Swirls
The greeting is from this set:
FRCL207 Ribbon Banners
The birdcage and birds stamps:
FRS205 Ornate Birdcage
FRS206 Birds


The heart brooch is made from a large metal brad and some Mark Richards gems and metals. It's inspired by a good friend and co-designer for Woodware Jane Gill.

Woodware Design Team Challenge - Sketch

 Another sketch this week and I am first to showcase my version. I have not done Peel Off's for a while so I thought I would use some of my mushrooms:
93198B Mushrooms and Toadstools
If you look at the sketch layout over on the Woodware blog you will notice that instead of putting lots of layers in my matting I have chosen a wavy strip of craft card for the middle of the card and use faux stitching to make it stand out. 
The greeting comes from this set;
FRCL207 Ribbon Banners

A close up to show you my colouring. I used Copic markers and I have glazed over the colouring with my trusted Sakura Gelly Roll clear glaze pen. The glaze really brings out the colours of the Copic pens. This also shows how you can use your Copics pens with Peel Off's but they do need to be black ones.


I like to do a halo effect for the sky. I basically left a gap between the sky and the mushrooms. If you go right up and leave no gap you will probably end up having to fill the whole space to make it look right. It takes a bit of practice but is well worth learning.


The background paper is from the Oslo range of Woodware papers. One of my favourites!
Check out Woodware blog during this week to see other designs using this sketch.

Woodware Challenge - One Layer

This is by far the quickest card I have made this year!... just one layer of stamping and a few additions with a Sakura Gelly Roll white pen and 0.1 Micron black pen.
The butterfly come from this set:
FRCL155 Flutterby Butterflies
And the greeting is from this set:
FRCL200 All Occasion Bloom
I use a 'Blue Breeze' KaleidaColor ink pad  for the butterflies to get some colour variation. The antennae are easy to draw as you are going over the blue ones already there.
A little tip for getting the butterflies in formation in the middle of the card. Use a card slightly larger than you intend to end with. Start by stamping the butterfly in the top left corner. After stamping all the butterflies you can trim the left and bottom borders to match.


I would probably add some white ribbon. You know me a card is not complete without a bit of ribbon! I wasn't sure if it would be counted as another layer...


Pop along to the Woodware blog to see other variations on this challenge.

Woodware Challenge - Spooks and Treats

 We don't really celebrate Halloween in our house but for some reason or other I quite like playing with Halloween images and I like the colour palette associated with it... lime green, purple, orange and black.


My treat is a recipe for 'Witches' Halloween Brew' ... quite nasty really but I had fun putting it together!
I've combined two sets to make the card:
FRCL203 Spooky Tots
FRCL137 Treat or Trick

I have highlighted my colouring using a white Sakura  Gelly Roll pen and lots of Diamond Stickles glitter glue. I used the glitter glue in the background to create webs.


I'm really into Mark Richards 'Candy Bonbon'. That's the green and orange dots you can see here and there on the card. They have very fine glitter inside them so they sparkle and the colours are perfect for Halloween.

Here is a close up of the recipe... please don't try it at home!!!


I have grunged all the edges of the panels and stripy paper with black ink but used some lime green ink on the recipe card.


Where do the spiders come from? no not my garden... a very cheap purchase from my local Asda! I say cheap as the glitter is not very secure. When I saw them I had to have them...




Hope you have enjoyed my version of the Woodware challenge. Pop along to the Woodware blog to see other variations.

Another welly Christmas

Back again with another take on the Christmas welly!! I did have a good play last week...


I found this cute die cut teddy in my stash. It's another 'Quickcutz' die from a while back. I've used another 6 by 6 pad for the paper piecing this time from 'My Minds Eye'.
I had great fun coming up with the computer generated welly greetings.


I would love to hear what you have done with your welly stamp!

It's a welly Christmas!

I did a demo at 'Samuel Taylors' in Leeds on the 8th of October. Sue Hobbs who invited me to demo had sent me some pics of her Christmas welly. I was well impressed! so... here is my take on a Christmas welly.
I really enjoyed doing this card. Christina from 'A Maze of Memories' had given me a lovely 'Echo Park' Christmas 6 by 6 pad to play with so I had to play!!
I dug out some very old 'Quickcutz' dies for the parcels and the holly corners are made from a Martha Stewart punch and some 3mm Nailheads.
I used some larger red Nailheads to accessorise the welly. The greeting is computer generated.
What fun [lol]....

Teardrop Christmas - Orange

Another variation on the teardrop theme. This time I've used the 'Desert Heat' Kaleidacolor ink pad for stamping.


The background paper is from the 6 by 6 Basic Grey paper pad 'Nordic'.
This time I've used 'Candy Bonbon' in orange for the corners of the bauble panel.


If you want to see the other colour variations pop on to my post for yesterday and the day before.

Sorry!

For those of you now searching for the 'Evergreen' Kaleidacolor ink pad I do apologise it is actually called 'Fresh Greens'. Thank you for pointing it out to me!!!

Teardrop Christmas - Green

Last Saturday I had a lovely day at A Maze of Memories. This lovely shop is situated just outside the village of Long Crendon [lovely village also]. I did a demo in the morning and a Masterclass in the afternoon. 


I caught up with lots of very friendly and keen crafters. Christina had done a super job getting the kits ready and of course there was lots of lovely cakes!


I prepared this sample for the morning demo as Christina had asked me to use the set from which this stamp comes from. So after showing you a blue version I thought I would show you a green version stamped with the 'Fresh Greens' Kaleidacolor ink pad. I've used a gold Sakura 'Metallic' pen to add the tiny dots between the teardrops and for washed gold highlight on some of the teardrops. Another variation tomorrow...

Woodware Challenge - Blue Christmas

 This week's challenge was just perfect for me as I love the colour blue. I'm a blue and silver fan rather than blue and gold. Blue is a cool colour so it goes well with cool silver.
For the two cards featured in this posting I have used elements from my set:
FRCL204 Teardrop Christmas


In the set you have two trees, a bauble, star, sparkle and two greetings.


As a set it's quite a departure for me as it's a solid design and as most of you know I love colouring in! However this stamp lends itself really well to quick cards and what I call instant stamping.

I have use a Kaleidacolor ink pad for the stamping. This particular ink pad is called 'Blue Breeze' and is made up of graded blues from light to dark. If you have never used one before it is carries die based inks and is very cleverly constructed to avoid the colours mixing in storage. The ink is also virtually  waterproof.


I used the fade out technique for the stamping which involves continuous stamping without re-inking the stamp. There is no masking involved. You might need to huff on the stamp before the third print to get the most of the ink left on the block.

Finally to decorate and complete the cards I used Mark Richards silver 3mm Metals and Blue 5mm Nailheads.
Put your metals on the teardrops before you add the Diamond Stickles glitter glue.


The 'Metals' come on a continuous  sticky strip so they are very easy to pick up and place to make a hanging string for the bauble.


For the greetings on both cards I have used one of Jane Gill's set called:
JGCL551 Christmas Verses

If you have enjoyed these cards why not pop along to the Woodware blog to see more ideas and inspiration from my fellow designers.

Woodware Design Team Challenge - Look what I did with my flock

 What a challenge!!.... I'm not a big flock person... however when I got into it I enjoyed it and it made me realise that I should make more use of my flock!
I decided to use my new Ted set which is FRCL199 Love You Ted.


I decided to flock the scalloped circle. So I applied a piece of double sided sticky paper to some black card and punched the scalloped circle [3"1/2 punch]. I then removed the backing and generously spread black flock all over it. It worked really well.

Ted was stamped on a 3" circle and I added further stamped hearts. I used brown flock on the bear. I did colour him first. I didn't smother him with flock as I did not want to loose the detail on his face. He looks kind of threadbare which make him even cuter! I used the Sakura Quickie Glue pen for this stage of the flocking and it worked really well.
I've used some of our new papers at Woodware. This sheet comes from the London Collection and is covered with lovely tiny heart flowers.
All the words come from the same set so plenty to play with!


Pop along to the Woodware Blog to see other flocked creations!

Woodware Design Team Challenge - Sketch

 This week's challenge was another sketch. You can see the actual sketch layout over on the Woodware Blog. My version has changed the layout of the background slightly. It didn't help that the main panel should have been the other way up!! .... but still I was really pleased with the outcome. 


I like this set as it's a complete change from all the other images that are popular at the moment. There are nice elements to play with to create borders and backgrounds.

 FRCL158 African Holiday is the name of the set I have used.


The gated card meant that I cut through the middle of the background panel before  sticking the sections on the card. I'm always into square cards but at the moment it's gated square cards.


I've chosen quite a bright colour scheme that reflects the beautiful african textiles you see in programs about Africa. These are also colours found in the African national flags.

I've stamped using the Brilliance Coffee Bean inkpad. I started off on white card and used a black inkpad and the effect was just not in keeping with the African theme.


It's not easy to see but I have used my clear Sakura glaze pen to highlight some of the colouring. 


I used a green Sakura Identi pen to colour over some gold 3mm Metals.


I opted for raffia instead of ribbon again to keep to the African theme


If you enjoyed my take on this week's sketch why not pop over to the Woodware blog to see other versions of the sketch.

Woodware Design team Challenge - Something for the boys

This is another older design from my collection and another favourite as I drew the design around the time my son was trying to learn how to skateboard. It's a woodmounted stamp:
FRW006 Skateboard Dude


For the greetings I have used words out of these two sets:
FRCL079 Male Relatives
FRCL080 Mixed Greetings


I'm not sure if the wording is up to date as it probably should have the words sick and bad on there!!

I have used paper piecing for the clothes and skateboard. The face, hands and wheels are coloured in. I have added some highlights with my Sakura clear glaze pen.


I used quite muted colours as boys do not always go for bright ones... I used stripy paper for his trousers which I thought was fun!


I've used a Woodware mini punch for the star and added some Nailheads to the corners of the panel.






Why not pop along to the Woodware Blog this week to see what other creations my team mates have put together.

Woodware Design Team Challenge - Inspired by the colours of Autumn

I was not sure if I would enjoy this challenge or not... as although I love the colours of Autumn, I do not often go down that road when I pick colours for my work!  but I surprised myself and really enjoyed it...


I mentioned last week about re-visiting old stamps and the one I have used is one that I designed when I had my license with Stampedous in 2001. It is a favourite of mine and along the years I have used it in lots of different ways [If you like a challenge try paper piecing it- it is a challenge but well worth the effort!] It's very giving and never seems to go out of fashion.
The stamp is:
XXP001 Garden Sampler

I have scored and folded a 14cm square gate folded card. It made a nice change from just mounting the panel on a normal square card.


It's difficult to see the highlights on the colouring but I have used the clear Sakura Gelly Roll Glaze pen to make the detail pop.  


The greeting come from a brand new set called:
FRCL207 Ribbon Banners
the greetings can be stamped on a ribbon banner or used individually as on this card.

In the corners I have used silver 'Metals' which I have coloured orange using a Sakura Identi Pen. The coverage is excellent and of course you can also use the pens on your Peel Off's .


For all the stamping I have used the Coffee Bean Brilliance inkpad. It's a great colour for a more muted effect.

If you have enjoyed this card why not pop along to the Woodware blog to see what the other designers in the team have produced!

Woodware Design Team Challenge - Sugar and Spice

 This week's challenge - Sugar and Spice... lots of possibilities such as baby girl, girly or sweet things? I chose the girly theme and used my set 
FRCL131 Mary and Friends
I have not used this set in ages but the challenges are good at making me re-visit some great sets and stamps!
I enjoyed colouring the little girl with her pals and the greeting from the set is quite appropriate to the image as well as to girls in general and their friends. My trusted Sakura Pens - white and clear glaze have helped to bring the image to life.
The tag has been punched using the blue Woodware Price label punch. I've added some gingham ribbon from Woodware's great ribbon selection.

What I've enjoyed the most about this card is using the Zig Zag border punch:

ZIG ZAG DIAMOND - CRAFTY EDGER CASSETTE CP43-10

The waste is fabulous [as well as the border itself!]. You get lots of little squares - I've used some in the corners of the panel. You get small sections of zig zags which you can stick and link - I did some faux stitching on mine. Great!!

There is more ribbon threaded through the button at the top of the card.

The card shape is A6 but you cut your A4 longways and fold strip in half. It just makes a change from the usual A6 card.

Finally I've used craft card for the strip and matting. I like it because it is quite neutral and goes well in almost any colour scheme. So if you ever get stuck and can find the right coloured card turn to craft card!

Why not pop along to the Woodware blog to see what the other team members are doing for this challenge.

Dove Too

 As promised another version of the 'Patchwork Dove' 

FRS107 Patchwork Dove

This time I've used 6 by 6 pad 'Happy Heart' from 'My Mind's Eye'.
It's available from The Glitterpot.

I've used another greeting from
FRCL207 Ribbon Banners going up the side [This time without the ribbon banner].

The stencil for the gold 3" circle is:LJ 899 Petals background.
I ran it through my Cuttlebug.

What I like about this card is that you do not have to necessarily use Christmas Papers to do the paper piecing. You make the card 'Christmas like' by adding the gold card and the greeting.

The Glitterpot Demo

I wanted to say thank you to all those who came to chat to me at the demo weekend at 'The Glitterpot' on the 3rd of September. 
I had a lovely day and we sold lots of stamps!
I was asked by quite a few of you to post some of my cards on my blog especially the cards made using this beautiful brand new dove stamp.
FRS107 Patchwork Dove

I love my paper piecing at the moment and it is proving very popular with all the lovely 6 by 6 paper pads available. I adore the 'My Minds Eye' pads. I have used the 'Twelve Days of Christmas' pad for this card

I ran the gold 3" Mirri circle through my Cuttlebug with a beautiful Dreamweaver stencil:
LJ 891 Holly swirls

The greeting is from a brand new set also;
FRCL207 Ribbon Banners

You can stamp all the wordings within the set in 4 different ribbon banners. The greetings cover all the most popular ones including birthdays and Christmas.

Pop back tomorrow to see another dove!

Winner of Dreamweaver Blog Hop

BIG drum roll please!!!!...... the winner picked at random from the comments left on my blog is:
Junie Moon - Well done!


Junie can you please contact; Dorothy@woodware.co.uk to give her your details to receive your prize.


Thank you to everyone who left a comment. I was really touched by the really nice comments left on my blog.

Woodware Design Challenge - Sketch

Ted is back! I have designed another set that shows what a big heart Ted has:

FRCL199 Love You Ted

Ted is featured in three different positions with hearts/flowers. The nice thing about this set is that you can use it for lots of occasions such as Valentines, general 'love you', anniversary and birthdays. There are quite a few greetings to choose from within the set. I do like using hearts all year round. 

This is my take on this week's sketch challenge. It's a very simple layout so great for quick and easy cards.

I've used Woodware punches for the tag/sentiment and the 3" oval. The paper is from the 'Oslo' range number: 22260. This range combines really well with lots of different colours. I like it with reds and blues.


For a change I have used Glossy Accents for the hearts and Ted's nose. His blue t-shirt really pops out but also helps the overall effect to work.

 Up close you can see the glossy accent on his nose and the hearts. The LOVE U on the t-shirt is tiny but stamps out beautifully.

I've used the Sakura white pen to add some highlights on Ted and the hearts on the card.

Do pop over to the Woodware Blog to see what the rest of the team has created using this sketch.

Dreamweaver Blog Hop

Welcome to Woodware's first bog hop and giveaway.The Dreamweaver design team is partying with the UK Woodware design team to bring you innovative ways to use our wonderful Dreamweaver stencils and supplies all week long! By the end of the week, you'll have seen stencils used in inspirational ways you just couldn't have imagined, and you'll see that, although our stencils are wonderful for paper crafting, they have SO MANY other uses too! We'll have several posts a day for you, from Monday August 29th to Saturday September 3rd. At the end of our celebration, each designer will randomly select a winner from all blog comments to receive a free Dreamweaver stencil. We look forward to you partying along with us!

Here's my entry for today:
I wanted to show how the Dreamweaver stencils can be beautifully combined with stamped images.


The Dreamweaver stencil I have used is:
LJ840 Peacock Bkg
It's a beautiful stencil and it goes really well with my set:
FRCL205 Proud Peacock
I used my Cuttlebug to run the stencil through with a piece of silver Mirri card. You must use the base plate [A], rubber mat, two B plates and between 4 to 8 sheets of extra card go get the right pressure.I used 5 extra sheets.

I then used the ink from a Black StazOn pad to distress the card and make it look like old metal. You have to work fairly quickly to remove some of it with some kitchen roll. I also used the most tiny amounts of alcohol blending solution with a cotton bud  to remove more ink in more selected areas.

If you wanted more colourful results you could use Alcohol inks instead of the StazOn ink. 

This is such an easy way of using your stencils and very effective. I love it!

I wanted a monochromatic look and I love the combination of  silver, grey and black.

To complete and dress the card I've used white ribbon, Nailheads, Metals and the Sakura Silver Metallic pen. 

You can find all the supplies you need right here:

http://www.woodware.co.uk/ and  http://www.stencilwithstyle.com/

Your next stop along the hop is to LOUISE at http://www.artfullyarticulate.blogspot.com/