Its all about the boys 'n' bots....

... in my class this coming Saturday (16.04.16) at The Craft Barn..

we'll create a group of cards featuring the latest JOFY stamp releases along with stencils, Fresco Finish paints, Distress Inks & a touch of die cutting.. (& I'm not sure I'll be able to resist adding googly eyes to those cute little 'bots much longer!)

You can find all the details for the class HERE on the The Craft Barn's website.

Hope you can join me!

x

Christmas Inspiration day at The Craft Barn....

... tomorrow (3rd October - OCTOBER - how is that possible!!)

You can find details HERE on The Craft Barn blog...

It'll be a fun day full of festive inspiration - I'll have the latest JOFY stamps.. 

Look forward to seeing you there..

x

The demo desk from both sides...

Last weekend was a fun one!

On Saturday I was at The Craft Barn where I had the first chance to demo my NEW stamps!! yes, new stamps.  

Its always a lot of fun to demo new products - but I'm not sure customers on Saturday were ready to contemplate Christmas - I think we're all enjoying the gorgeous weather we have here in the UK at the moment to think about Christmas just yet... and so I found myself demo'ing the flower stamps and stencils. When I demo the samples are along the 'less is more' 'clean & simple' lines because I want the stamp designs to be the focus..

(& look at the amount of YELLOW I've used on these cards - I am embracing yellow!!)
One of the new plates has a design created to be stamped over the top of the my flower stencils as shown below (and also doubles as a lovely fragile snowflake...):

I also created a couple of christmas cards.. but I'll show you those later in the week.. easing you into the festive seasons gently..

You will start to see the new stamps arriving at your local PaperArtsy stockist but they're not 'officially' released until later this month....oooh and paint - lets not forget the paint!! (more about that later in the week too...)

On Sunday I dosed myself up against a thumping migraine/sinus headache and went to Stamperama in Stevenage.. and I'm so glad I did - I had a really good time..
Much as I love demonstrating and teaching it was nice to be on the 'other side' of the demo desk.  I was able to walk around the show, see what was new, chat to the crafty people I know that were there, watch demos (love watching demos!) and SHOP!!  :o)
Its been a while since I've been to Stamperama and I forget how easy it is to get to and what a nice show it is - not too big and all the stands are craft specific... smaller than in previous years but still worth the visit.

x

A house that JOFY built....

... or that should really read another house that JOFY built, because last Sunday I taught another house project (I like houses almost as much as I like bunting!), this time at the Craft Barn- very different from the last one - this house (or is it a shed?) has a lovely summery garden feel to it.. full of bits and pieces..

My original sample looked like this, using my JOFY Limited Edition paints (now sold out) and I loved this house but the naughty people at the manufacturers have discontinued it!!....eek...

so quick redesign and it looked like this...

I think I like this version a little bit more than the first - more layers and spaces to fill with 'stuff'... its the same but different.

The class created a row of houses:

They did a great job - there's lots of bits and pieces in there - fun project to create - I can see more of these being made for all sorts of occasions and themes...

and look - I used YELLOW!! yes I did - YELLOW!!!

Yellow is not one of my 'go to' colours - I don't wear it, don't decorated using it and I don't craft with it but this might change now because I like how this flower looks - fresh and bright, and juicy looking!
Bring on the yellows! lol

All items are available at The Craft Barn - this house would make a great christmas gift for a greenfingered friend/family member (and yes, I did just say christmas!!... just sneaking it in there! lol)

x

Its a garden shed of Lilliputian proportions...

... that we'll be creating in my class this coming Sunday at The Craft Barn. An adorable wood house with compartments filled with a garden theme...

Places are still available so come along and join the fun - green fingers aren't necessary! :o)  Contact the shop to book your place.

x

Busy, busy, busy...

... fun, fun, fun! The next few weekends (well this whole month really) are full of creative workshops - here's where I'll be during the first 2 weekends in the month - by the way I don't normally blog several events at once but on this occasion/just this once - here we go - in calendar order:

5-6 July 2014
I'm pleased to visit Colemans Warehouse in Northampton.
Saturday is their monthly demonstration day & I'll be demo'ing the latest JOFY stamps, paints & stencils...

On Sunday I'm running 2 workshops - a card class in the morning and a project class in the afternoon.
There are a couple of places left - contact the shop to book your place.


11 July 2014
The Birds in the Barn SummerFest, held at The Marks Tey Hotel, near Colchester. This is a 4 day event (10-13 July) and I'm teaching a tick-tock of a project.. its an oversized pocket watch style clock decorated with all sorts of JOFY/PaperArtsy products.
I'm really looking forward to this event- its going to a lot of fun, creativity & inspiration - 6 great teachers running workshops over the 4 days.
Contact the shop to book a place, or for more information click here to go to the shop's blog.

13 July 2014
My latest workshop at The Craft Barn   a little 'house/shed' with a garden theme - containing the bits & pieces you'd need for a garden - but all in paper and miniature.  We'll use paints, stamps, diecuts and little miniature elements to create a decorative 'greenhouse'..
(adorable - even if I do say so myself! lol)

I'd love to show you how to create all these projects so please follow the links and contact the shops to book your place.

x

Stenciling...

... sample board on its way to The Craft Barn to sit on the racks with the JOFY stencil, paints and stamps, but I thought I'd upload it on here too as a reference/helpsheet for the lovely people out there who've bought the stencil - and hopefully it will inspire you to have a play...

I've used the same colour on each flower combination so it is easy to see the different layers:

The flowers are laid out on the board as they are on the stencil.

Here are some more sample tags I made while at the Craft Barn a couple of weeks ago - these flowers have been detailed with doodling and stamping... (& I've just realised that some of those flowers 'need' a button or two....)

L to R:  

NB - the complete flower on each tag is the one stenciled first, masked off and additional flowers added.

All colours/paints are Fresco Finish.

Layers listed in order of working...

Left hand tag:

bottom flower (1st to be stenciled): chalk base with flower 4, Amethyst & Dolly Mix blend with flower 3, stamped detail (black ink) (JOFY24)

top flower (highest on tag): chalk base with flower 4, haystack & amethyst blend with flower 2, doodled lines.

Middle tag:
bottom flower: chalk base with flower 4, amethyst shading with flower 3, stamped detail (black ink) (JOFY24)
middle flower: dolly mix & amethyst mix with flower 2, stamped in chalk using EEV06, doodled in black ink.
top flower (highest): amethyst with flower 3, doodling in white gel pen and black pen

background: freehand doodling

Right hand tag:

bottom flower (1st to be stenciled): chalk base with flower 4, Dolly Mix blend with flower 1, stamped detail (black ink) (JOFY24), haystack centre

top flower (highest on tag): dusty teal with flower 2, mix of chalk & dusty teal with flower 1, doodling/detail with white gel pen & black pen

These are simple flowers, and hopefully it will help you to realise the possibilities of the stencil - & don't forget its not just for paper & card - its a lovely stencil for working on fabric too....

xx

Lovely day...

... at The Craft Barn for the Extravaganza!

I demo'd: stenciled, stamped, painted, chatted/laughed while demo'ing - putting faces to names, meeting lovely new people - sharing/talking ideas & inspiration... lovely to see everyone.

I mainly demo'd my flower stencil - PS009, with stamps, paints and detail pens... showing how the four flowers can be layered up to create different combinations of flowers ... (I'll show examples of this later in the week...)

The panel below shows the flowers detailed with all kinds of doodling - once you start doodling its hard to stop! (put the pen down & move away from the page! lol)

The Craft Barn sells all the products I demo'd (obviously! lol) and so, as an add-on to the weekend, the links given in this particular blog post will direct you to the Craft Barn store.

In the shop they sell really useful/versatile/inexpensive kraft/natural covered notebooks in different sizes (HERE)- the covers are a lovely surface to paint onto - & I created my demo projects onto these (I think they'd make great little presents..)
Here is the A5 size book -

The cover is painted with Dusty Teal Fresco Finish, with circles stamped in Pearl Glaze (using EEV06 stamp set) - I like this glaze because it is subtle on the background - catching the light now and then without creating an overwhelming pattern.  The large flower is created with stencil PS009, small flowers are stamped in Chalk using images from stamp set JOFY23, and the letters are from JOFY21.

Here is the A6 version - similar design but with smaller dots in the background than the A5 notebook and less flowers...

I really like the contrast of the Pearl Glaze and the Chalk Matte paint.

I created a really quick sample when asked about a stencil - definitely less-is-more - and I really like it - a card that could be used for so many different occasions - love the colour and the simplicity of the design - stencil is PS007 painted with Dolly Mix and Amethyst, the stamped images are from stamp set JOFY24.

So that's what I did on Sunday - thanks again to all of you who came along - these are always great weekends with lots of different styles, products and ideas being demonstrated. I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did!

I'll be back a The Craft Barn on the 29th June for a Die Cutting Masterclass workshop - hope to see some of you there....details can be found on my teaching page (press the button under the main title at the top of this page) or go direct to the Craft Barn page - here,


xx

Its an Extravaganza!!....

... of a weekend at The Craft Barn over the next couple of days....

I love these weekends - I'll be among the 27 demonstrators on site over the weekend - 18 each day - phew that's a lot of creativity and inspiration in one place!

I'll be there on Sunday demo'ing, getting inky painty and enjoying every minute. go HERE for more details...

Hope you can make it.. I look forward to seeing you - please introduce yourselves.. (wear a name badge if you're shy) - its nice to put faces to names I regularly see on my twitter and blog feeds.

xx

Yesterday was a GOOD day!

A good day for many reasons including..
* It was beautifully sunny
* The roadworks on the M25 were finished - no more crawling along in traffic at 50 miles an hour!!  (yes I am that easily pleased)

* but most of all, after a break of NINE WEEKS!, I taught a class - and that makes me happy!

I was at The Craft Barn to teach a card & tag class - using all things JOFY & PaparArtsy - to a lovely group of ladies... paint, ink, stamps, stencils, grunge paste - we used them all!

(nb: the tag looks small - its actually big - 10.5x21.5cm, size 10)

We used stamp set JOFY23 which has flowers and a vase - yes, its a vase (sometimes mistaken for (and used as) a dress - which I can understand lol)...
The vase is quite tall and when filled with flowers is even taller, so a tall card is needed such as this DL sized card (10x21cm) below.

This card was created using lots of scraps of scrapbook paper - LOVE using scraps and papers this way.

Don't worry if tall cards aren't your 'thing' - here's a quick card I made during yesterday's class showing that the vase could be made smaller & used on a smaller card (13.5x13.5cm:

All I did was cut off about 2-3 cm off the bottom and draw a couple of lines across - similar to the ones that are used on the image.
... the photo doesn't really show how much smaller the vase is so here's the 3 versions together...

It was a lovely day at The Craft Barn - that has some very nice new products (couldn't resist some new sprays and paper pads) - go check out their website where you will also find details of the annual Extravaganza!!

I'll be there on Sunday demo'ing all things JOFY/PaperArtsy.. hope you can come along - its a fabulous crafty inspirational weekend.

I'm looking forward to it very much - its good fun!

Stamping, stamping and more stamping...

... was the plan at The Craft Barn today.. we stamped, painted, stamped, embossed, & stamped some more..
:o)

Thanks to the customers who came to the class - look forward to see you again soon!  Have fun with your purchases!

BLOG COMMENTS:

Thank you for all the comments you leave on the blog - it is very much appreciated!
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xx

Time well spent at The Craft Barn.....

.... on Saturday..  Thanks to everyone who came and watched the demo's yesterday - lovely to see everyone and to get painty with new products...

I'll post photos of the samples when I have better light... (tricky in the uk at the moment - we either have blazing sunshine or pouring rain!)

I'll be back at The Craft Barn next Sunday for a class of Beginners Stamping - looking forward to it - there are still a few places remaining - contact the shop to book a place.

xx

oooh I do love a day of demo'ing...

... and this Saturday (01 March - oh my goodness MARCH!!!) you'll find me at The Craft Barn where I'll be demo'ing my new PaperArtsy JOFY products - stamps, stencils and paints.. oh my!
:o)

I'm really looking forward to demo'ing the new products- I hope you can come along - it'll be lovely to see you.

x


I also have a workshop booked at The Craft Barn on 09 March:

"Get Stamping - This fab class is aimed at beginners and those who feel they are not getting the most out of stamping. You will learn how to stamp, how different ink pads work and when to use them, heat embossing, creating focal points and basic backgrounds"

Love to see you on that too - its nice to go back to basics sometimes!  

:o) 

A fun filled weekend...

... full of arty-craftiness..

Saturday was spent at The Craft Barn as one of the demonstrators for a festive MiniFest - was good fun - lots of people came and watched the demos - lovely to see everyone....  and thanks for all the lovely comments about the new Christmas JOFY stamps.
If you fancy a day of card making using the stamps then come along to the Craft Barn on 10 November - call the shop for more details.
ho ho ho!

(Please remember:  designs shown in demos are to inspire & encourage you to get crafty.

please don't recreate for classes or projects for publication online or in print. ta muchly)

I'll blog better photos of the samples in another post.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Sunday I ran a workshop at Its Crafting Time - 'Sun, Sea & Sand'.. a fun day - nice to see everyone.. and one of the lovely ladies bought some VERY yummy bakes! too yummy! Thanks for that! (yum yum yum)

Lots of lovely beach huts were painted by everyone (and 2 of the ladies gave the sand on their project a 'pebble' effect because that's what their local beach has, instead of sand - love the effect they created):

Thanks to everyone for coming along!

What better way is there to spend a weekend!

xx

What are you doing next weekend?....

.... just asking.. incase you are free and fancy a day or two of crafty/arty fun.. then you could maybe join me on...

... Saturday when I'll be at the Craft Barn (10:00-4:00) where I'll be demo'ing my new Christmas stamp designs with a focus on Christmas cards.. there will be other demonstrators too - go to the Craft Barn website to find out more details..

... or on Sunday when I'll be running a workshop at Crafting Time - creating a lovely box canvas with a summery beachy feel (I'm hanging on to Summer as long as I can! lol) - there are a couple of places left if you'd like to come along - contact the shop to book a place...

Hope to see you!

xx

Ooooh I do like to be beside the Seaside... part 2..

... a couple more samples from Sunday - a long canvas (12x4in) - quite clean and simple... huts were stamped on tissue paper, glued to the panel and painted with Fresco Finish - Bora Bora, Elephant, Beach Hut (appropriately) and the green on the centre hut is a mix of Bora Bora and Guacamole (nice!).

 Stamped the phrase repeatedly along the top edge:

I bought a box of driftwood from Birds in the Barn when I was over there last weekend - the wood is lovely and some pieces were perfect for stamping and painting.  This little hut is from the row of beach huts on JOFY16 - would make a great lighpull in a beach themed bathroom..

... and because I really do 'like to be (and live) beside the seaside' on Sunday I took the 10 minute drive to the seaside... even though its actually the Thames Estuary we have a fantastic long stretch of beach, beach huts, fun fares, a Pier (complete with train!) and recently we've also had glorious sunshine too.... yay for Essex!

Most of the beach huts in Thorpe Bay are on stilts because of the slope on the beach:

Some people keep their huts plain (treated) wood but there's a stretch where the huts are lovely & smartly painted {I'm a little biased as that smart blue one in the middle of the photo belongs to my MiL and her sister :o) }

They are so 'summery'!  I love the red & white one too - very striking against the sky and sand.

I went down the beach early on Sunday morning for a bit of beachcombing.  First thing I found (but left behind) made me chuckle:

There's a statue somewhere missing a nose! lol  I checked- its just a stone but it definitely looks like a nose don't you agree! 

I 'needed' sea-worn glass and 'stuff' from the beach.. but, pickings were few and far between - I was disappointed and pleased in equal measure that there was very little sea worn glass - disappointed because that's what I wanted but pleased because hopefully it means that less glass is finding its way into the river/sea (less bottles being discarded etc etc etc)

There were A LOT of cockle shells.. . I picked up a few of these white flat ones but only if they had worn holes in them (great for threading) but as you can see very little glass.... (and I'm glad)

 LOVE my bits of wood... especially the right hand piece - lovely cracked paint!

Hubby's not often quite sure about the 'treasures' I bring home - but even he said - 'ooh thats a good bit of wood'  lol so it must be winner!  lol

OK, I'm going to go and make something with my stash from the beach...

Thanks for popping by

oooh I do like to be beside the seaside Part 1

.... It felt quite seaside-ish sitting at my demo table at The Craft Barn on Saturday surrounded by beachy images, stamps and samples... It was a lovely day- time to chat with customers about the new stamps, Fresco Finish paints and whats coming up in the next month or so (taps nose in I've-got-a-secret-type way).

But, note to self, DON'T FORGET THE CAMERA! doh because I did forget my camera so, for some of the samples I made on Saturday, the only photos I have were taken on my phone - apologies in advance:

Started the day with a book cover.
I love using the Stix2 Stamp Masking sheets for masking off images - such good thin surface to stamp futher layers over.. Paints used are Nougat, Beach Hut, Elephant, Haystack (lightened) Baltic Blue, London Bus and of course last but not least - Tinned Peas.

Then a wooden thermometer - the photo of the whole piece wasn't quite in focus so here's the detail shot: The letter are corrugated card board die cut using the Sizzix/Tim Holtz 'word play' die.  The hut image was stamped onto scrapbook papers (my minds eye) which was then painted with Baltic Blue and detail added with Aquarelle pencils (faber castell).

Next it all got a bit shabby chic - this is an idea I've had right from when I was designing the stamps - I wanted to be able to paper-piece the images together - creating an almost patchwork effect:  Created using My Minds Eyes papers (a 6x6 pad - love these pads - 12x12 sheets shrunk to 1/2 size - perfect!) with a bit of Claret & Elephant Fresco Finish (bit of Tuape and Nougat on the canvas board base) (canvas measure about 5x7 cm):

... and this is the mini23 version: again with scrapbook papers and this time each roof is coloured using the Aquarelle pencils:

... and every day at the seaside should include a bit of sandcastle building:

This card - lovely and simple card, coloured using the Aquarelle pencils as part of a demo to a customer - it makes me smile - lovely bright sunshine colours...

I'll have a couple more samples to show you tomorrow.....

x