Woodware Design Team Challenge - Look what I did with my Frantage!

What messy fun! My card looks very controlled but my table was not... I have two other variations to mount and although I used the same products they all look slightly different. It's not easy to duplicate!


I have used the following stamp which is from the new Spring release:


FRS215 Calla Lily


and these three products from the Stampendous 'Frantage' range:
Shabby pink embossing enamel
Aged rose embossing enamel
Fresh green crushed glass glitter


I made up a 'coffee' spray which I used on the cream card to tone it down before stamping. The Lily is stamped with Graphite black Brilliance.

After stamping I sprinkled some of the 'Shabby pink' embossing enamel very lightly over the whole image and dusted some off trying to be a little selective as to where it should go.


If the ink is still slightly wet the powder stays on the line. I heated from below so as not to blow the powder away!


I sprinkle some of the 'Glitter' over the enamel and heated again from below. So the enamel becomes the glue.

I used a VersaMark pen to apply some of the 'Aged rose' embossing enamel. You can be more selective  as to where the powder goes using the pen by drawing some patches. I did this next to the leaves.I heated the ribbon to make it curl up.


The greeting is from this set:
FRCL207 Ribbon Banners


Finally the colour has been added using Sakura Stardust pens.


If you want more ideas using 'Frantage' why not pop along to the Woodware blog!

In to doodling?

Whilst out at CHA-trade show last month I had the chance to attend a 'Zentangle' workshop. A lovely lady called Joanne Fink took the class.


I had by fluke bought her book just before Christmas - a present for me! so I was extremely pleased to be doing the class [I was on standby but there were a few no shows - we got there at 7.30 am to be first for a cancelation!]. 


We had a really relaxing class and I came away very inspired. I also had the chance to get my book and sketch-book signed.
Since then I have been doodling... not quite tangling as I do not follow specific patterns

I saw an opportunity to put some doodling in my black Peel off's designs. The first sample I am posting uses my 'Mum round'. It is now available to purchase.


I chose not to fill all the spaces but to add some colour. For the doodling I used a Sakura Micron black pen - 01. The colouring is achieved using Sakura Stardust pens from the dark range which I have water coloured.


More samples to follow....

Woodware Design Team Challenge - 40 Shades of green

For the challenge this week I have chosen to use some of my new Peel Off's. Last year I designed some Oriental pots so this year I have added a teapot and cups. 


FRANCOISE - ORIENTAL TEAPOTS 94279


The greeting is from this stamp:

BLOSSOM TEAPOT - CLEAR MAGIC SINGLES  FRS114

As you can see there are not 40 shades of green on this card but there are a few nevertheless with a touch of gold and black! 
I have used Sakura Pens to colour in. I have used Glaze, Metallic and Stardust pens. I like to combine the different effects the pen create for a more interesting look. They combine so well!


I have added some pale green Mark Richards Dots. I like the subtleness of the Dots. Woodware are stocking the smaller clear version which can be coloured very nicely with the Sakura Identi pens. So looking forward to playing with those!! 


Its a brief visit today as I have just returned home from the 'Stitches' trade show. Previous to that we did 'CHA' the US trade show and I came home with a very nasty bug!. Why not pop along to the Woodware Blog for further inspiration...

woodware Design Team Challenge - Heart for my sweetheart

This card is too late for 'Valentines' but my feeling is that hearts can be used all year round and for lots of occasions. It's nice to feel love all year round. The elements all come from a very 'hearty' set! 


FRCL149 Lots of Hearts


Its one of these sets that cries out to be coloured in... or maybe not as you could go classic black and white with bright red hearts. So it will lend itself to lots of different schemes. My scheme is very sugary!! but I do love  pink, lime green and orange as a combination. 


I have stamped the panels several times on different coloured card and paper pieced the hearts. I have shadowed the hearts using a VersaMark pen. Its a marker type pen that contains the same ink as in the pad. I have then highlighted the hearts with a white gel pen. The little kisses are a small stamp in the set but easy enough to stamp a border with.

Pop along to the Woodware Blog to see other great ideas for this challenge

Valentine Card

I made this card for one of the magazines last year. I love the simplicity of the tags and the three strips of  paper for a background. Less is more as they say.


It's the same set that I have used for the Woodware Challenge card that will be posted this Friday so pop back to see how different the two cards are colour wise.


It is such a versatile set. I used the colours of the papers to guide my colouring. I had just started to use Copic pens at the time. My handmade colour chart helped me select the right pens for the job.

Woodware Design Team Challenge - Sketch

This week we are back to doing another sketch. This card is definitely for dog lovers. We have never been a 'pet' family but many of my friends have a cat or dog so I've seen first hand how much people love their furry friends. We had a goldfish for a little while... but that is it. I had great fun designing this set and still enjoy playing with it.


FRCL119 Man's Best Friend

All the stamped elements used on this card are from the set. There are lots of doggy related words and items associated with a dog. The large bone is blank so as I have done on the card you can put in a wording or leave it blank.
The papers come from the 'London Collection' that Woodware distribute. I do like my spots and ginghams as they don't clash with the stamping.

I've gone for a bit of sponging around the edges of the papers and card. For that I used a  terra cotta 'Colorbox Fluid Chalk Ink' from one of the Cats Eye Queues. So useful for this sort of thing.


The little paw is the waste from this 2cm Woodware punch;  CAT PAW  815-43
A little tricky to arrange and stick but well worth the effort. Other detail include nailheads, ribbon, dashed line drawn using a Sakura Black Micron pen and white highlights using a white Sakura pen.


I should really have made his nose shinny for this post so I will need to do that at some stage!


Pop along to the Woodware Blog to see other great ideas for the sketch.

More Peel Off's... Mums too

A variation on the first sample I posted a few days ago using one of my new Peel offs. Its called Mum Round... nothing to do with Mother!!!


I have used Sakura Glaze pens for the colouring. 


The greeting and thin black lines are also Peel Off's.


The ribbon was heated with a heat gun to make it twist and curl.

More New Peel Off's...

I was in a hurry when I took this photo so I don't think I have done the card justice!


Last year I bought out some Oriental pots and this adds a teapot and cups to the collection. The flower is also new.


I started with gold Peel Off's and changed them to orange using a Sakura Identi Pen. I've used Tombow pens and a red Sakura Glaze pen for the colouring.


Unfortunately you cannot really see that I used the red glaze over my red water colouring. This technique gives depth to the glazing.

woodware Design Team Challenge - 3D delights

Not to sure if my contribution this week is really what was meant by 3D delights [lol]... it certainly covers the delight part and jelly beans are 3D. Well it's my take on the wording. 


I've used one of the owls and greetings from this set:
FRCL193 Patch an Owl


I've stamped using the Coffee Bean Brilliance inkpad for a softer look. The owl and flowers have been coloured in using a mixture of marker pens and Sakura Glaze pens. So no paper piecing! ....but this shows how easy it is to colour instead.


For the topper I have used Woodware punches: 3" circle and 31/2" scalloped circle. I have sponged the edges of the circle, scalloped circle and oval with inks; pink, yellow and green.

I then cut a shaped panel that I folded in half to make the holder for the bag of Jelly Beans. I stamped some patchwork flowers on the holder using the flower which is in the set. The ribbon is decorative but also secures the flaps.


As home baking is becoming popular again you could put some homemade cookies or chocolates in the bag or maybe healthy nuts!! Whatever takes you fancy...


Pop along to the Woodware Blog for other takes on this challenge.

More New Peel Off's...

This time it's a new circular design with Mum flowers. The little elements in the corners are from the same sheet as the circle.


Again I have used Sakura Glaze pens to colour in the image. I've kept it quite simple as black Peel off's are quite striking and do not need over done. 


The image fits into a 3" punch so no cutting out by hand is needed!


This sample will go on show at Paperworld 2012 which is a big trade show in Germany. This card was one of many I made over Christmas.

Woodware Design Team Challenge - Template teasers

For this week's challenge I have turned my crafting hands to doing some scrapbooking! Yes it is quite unusual for me as you probably already know. I have never used the Artemio templates before so I thought I would just follow the instructions to see if it was easy or hard to do. I actually found it quite easy to do as the instructions are very clear. I used the following template;


ARTEMIO DIAMOND - DIE-CUT MINI ALBUM - TEMPLATE 18002017

I started by selecting the theme and photos I wanted to use. As I chose pictures from our holiday to Santorini an island in Greece I chose a blue and white theme as in the flag. Blue and white colours appear on buildings also!

You need a piece of 12 by 12 cardstock for the base. Use a retractable pencil to mark out the cuts and scores. Once you have marked these on the card, do the scores for the folds first using a fine embossing tool. Then do the cutting on a mat using a nice sharp blade on your craft knife to avoid tears. You do need to be fairly precise if you want it to be neat and fold up well. Use a good rubber to remove any pencil marks.

 This is my front cover and shows my mini book all folded up.I printed off a couple of maps that I found on the internet and a Greek flag. 


On the template there is a little flap which you use to hold the mini book shut. You could ignore it and add ribbon instead or some string. I wanted to use it to see if it worked. It does the job but it might get worn if it is over used. I would recommend not to mat and layer every photo especially if you use the back and front of your mini book like I did

 On the template there are different size windows which you can use as view finders. You can move them around over your photo to select which area you want to cut out. You can also use the windows to cut matting layers for your photos. That is a really helpful tool as you don't have to do it by eye!


Make sure to use a photo glue on the back of the photos to avoid lumps and bumps...

I really enjoyed doing this project. I was not sure to start of with about using this diamond shape but it's worked really well. Now I have a little brag book all about our beautiful holiday!

I do love Greece..... the sun, food, islands, churches....

Enjoy the rest of the pictures and pop along to the Woodware Blog to see how other templates have been used.

New Peel Off's- what fun!

I though I would give you a sneak preview of some of my new Peel Off's coming out at Stitches and Paperworld 2012. 


This one of the samples I made and sent to Holland to be on show at Paperworld. 


I've coloured the fish,bubbles and seaweed using Sakura Glaze pens. I did some sponging on the back panel using a bubble element as a stencil.


I love it when I have new designs to work with!!!


Another sneak peek in a couple of days...

Woodware Design Team Challenge - Winter Wonderland Cool Cool Colours

Another quick and simple card from  a take forever kind of card maker!
As I start to write this up I have just seen two [not just one] foxes cutting across our wintery garden... At least the frost has lifted completely today. So this card is quite appropriate for this time of year.


I think I have followed the brief for once! I have used the trees, greeting and little bunnies from this set:
FRCL143 Winter Wonderland


There are 3 trees in the set and I have used the largest and middle ones. The stamping is very simple using two Brilliance inks, Graphite Black and Starlite Black [that's the deep silver]. 
A little tip when stamping the moon; stamp it twice, first on scrap paper, second on the card panel to soften it. I have added grey and blue highlights using Sakura Stardust pens that I have watered down with water. You can just about see the little paw prints of the bunnies in the snow. I have added my obligatory piece of ribbon!


Pop along to the Woodware Blog to see other great ideas for the sketch.

woodware Design Team Challenge - Handbags at Dawn

No stamping this time! Instead I have used some Woodware Handbags - JL726 'Chippies' which I have covered with paper and sponged at the edges with red ink. The sheets on which the handbags come also have lots of small extra elements that you can use for decoration. I have also used some Mark Richards gold 'Metals' and 3mm red 'Nailheads for a little bit of bling!

I have used two handbags of the same shape and size and joined them together at the base with a folded piece of background paper. Fold the paper so you have a valley, peak and another valley. From the side it looks like a W. This helps the whole structure to stand as with a single fold it wouldn't... It also means you can put a gift inside like a chocolate bar.


So all us ladies need is a posh handbag and chocolate! [lol]


Pop along to the Woodware Blog to see other variations on this challenge

Woodware Design Team Challenge - Sketch

This is a quick one as I'm still really busy getting the samples for our spring catalogue ready for photography on Monday and Tuesday...
This week it's another sketch... which I'm gradually getting use to![lol]. 
I've used this set;
FRCL185 Fancy Labels
I have stamped it using three inkpads, all Brilliance;
Starlight Silver for the frame, Graphite Black for the greeting and Pearlescent Purple for the little flowers.


I like this set because you can mix and match. The frames are empty and you get two frames. There are really useful greetings to choose from and you get the little elements to embellish the frames.


The beautiful paper in the background is a lovely new Magenta paper from the 'Colour Me Softly' Collection.


I've added some Mark Richard bling, gems and pearls. The ribbon is from Woodware's newest range. I love them all. They come in colour co-ordinated boxes and have different patterns on them. They are even too nice to want to use!!


Why not pop along to the Woodware Blog to see other variations of this sketch.

Woodware Design Team Challenge - Thank you

For this challenge I thought it would be a nice idea to make a set of mini cards. If you made a few you would always have a card at the ready.

I was looking through my box of punched shapes when I found the hearts and a trio of tortoises all beautifully coloured in. The light came on... it flickers at the moment! and this idea came up...

Simple and effective and a good way to use up these bits and pieces.

The tortoise comes from this set:

FRCL164 Sammy Snail and Friends

And the greeting comes from this set:

FRCL094 Thank You For...

I coloured them in using Tombow markers and I have added some Diamond Stickles and Glossy accents to the eye and little hearts. These tortoises are meant to be fun and funky!

The ribbon is from the Woodware gingham collection of ribbons and simply tied in a double knot.

The greeting set I have used is perfect for outside and inside wordings. It's about all the things you say thank you for in everyday life e.g thank you for listening or for your smile or for being you. I haven't used it for a while but it was perfect for this.


Pop along to the Woodware Blog to discover more ways to say thank you...

Elegant reindeer

This one of my all time Christmas favourite sets.
FRCL143 Winter Wonderland


It does not need much in the way of colouring. I like to stamp it in black and add light washes of a single colour as in this card where I have used teal. For the moon, grass and trees on the teal panel I have used a Starlight Black Brilliance inkpad. Its a dark silver or pewter gray. 


Yes... the cute rabbits come in the set. This set is all about building a scene so the elements vary in size and some are solid. There are greetings included in the set and I have used one on the main panel.

The main part of the card is a 14.5 cm square card but I have cut off a section from the front panel. Then I have made a smaller card for the main reindeer panel. That card is stuck to the inside of the card and it opens the opposite way. I think the photo just about shows the mechanics...


I have used 3mm 'Nailheads' for the corners and added one for the reindeer's nose to glow! The silver card adds to the wintery effect.


The trees could be used all year round and not just for Christmas...

Woodware Design Team Challenge - The richness of red

I think this is what the challenge meant?... Maybe it was supposed to have more red in it (lol) but still I enjoyed making this card. It was quick to make and I think the end result is quite effective.

I have used a wood mounted stamp so it's an early design;

FRW001 Noel Sampler

It's one of those stamps that doesn't really need any colouring in so it's ideal for a last minute Christmas card.

I stamped it using a 'Rocket Red Brilliance' inkpad. As I wanted the red border to match on the matting and layering I cut a piece of white card and sponged the edge with the same ink. It's a great tip if you cannot find a piece of matching card stock.

The paper is from the 'London' collection of Woodware papers. Of course there has to be some bling... red 'Nailheads' and look at that wonderful ribbon! For a final touch I glazed over some of the solid areas with a clear Sakura glaze pen.

This is the challenge for the week so pop along each day to the Woodware Blog to see other fab ideas.

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

Apologies as I know some of you might have seen this tin before but I am snowed under with sample and magazine articles to complete. I think... well I know that Christmas day will be a rare day off in the coming weeks!


I have used elements from this set:
FRCL157 Time for a Cuppa
as well as 'Chippies', Nailheads and papers to decorate my tin. The silver Nailheads almost look as if they are part of the original tin. Being silver they are very versatile in that you can alter the colour to suit by using Peel off's pen, Sakura Identi Pens and alcohol inks.

 I have painted the 'Chippies' with acrylic paints. The paint goes on very well - no lifting or buckling!

I also like 'Brilliance' inks on the 'Chippies'. Woodware have two alphabet packs both containing two sheets with two complete aphabets.I have also used the 'Bracket' frame on the tin.

I have filled the tin with some individual special tea bags. So a perfect gift for a tea connoiseur!

Think outside the tin...

Pop along to the Woodware Blog for other ideas all this week using tins.

Girly tags

Two girly tags using one of my early clear set from my collection: FRCL034 Girlie Fun

I have stamped on pale lilac card with a 'Victorian Purple' Brilliance ink pad and used some of the ink watered down to add some shading. The highlights and stitching are added with a white pen. The Sakura Gelly Roll white pen is excellent for this and I do recommend it.

The papers are very early Magenta papers. The tag was cut using a Sizzix die. One of my all time favourite dies. I remember buying it in the US and being thrilled with it... how things have moved on since then!