Busy Bee Sunday

Well I have been a proper busy bee today. I've been finalising the card designs for the workshops and demo in Devon so that I can let the stamp company have a list tomorrow of the stamps that will need to be sent to the shop I am at.

The design below is my final one and I have used the TandaStamps Far East Set 3 along with my Bondaweb technique over hand stamped paper.

Have to say that I'm pretty chuffed with it.

I've had to scan it over three views as my scanner wouldn't take the full width of the card.

View 1 is the card closed and folded. Like this it will fit into a C6 envelope.

View 2 is with the left panel open..........

and View 3 is with the right panel open.

When the card is standing the front panel stands forward........a little bit like a chimney breast.

So that is now all prepared......workshop packs done, instructions typed up and a list of materials that need to be packed is all done so I just need to finish the other packs and instructions before next Saturday and then I have promised myself a day out on either Sunday or Monday for a little crafty spend up at Crab Apple Crafts in Cheshire.

It will only be a little spend as it's just a ride out to get me out of the house for a few hours and spend some quality time with my DD.

Hope you've all had a smashing weekend in the lovely sunshine.

Bye for now

Sheila-x-

More DCM Tempting Template Cards

Well I'll go to the foot of our stairs..lol!!!

Having said that I wasn't over fond of or very good at templates I've been on a bit of a roll with the one that Jane gave us for the Daring Cardmakers challenge yesterday. It is still only the very basic template but by card three I was thinking that maybe I didn't have to put my stamped image onto a rectangle of card....so a slight improvement.

The butterfly on the square card looks so much nicer in real life. It has been stamped onto overhead projection film, run through a Xyron Sticker Maker and had crumpled Fantasy Film applied to the reverse.

When it's not squashed flat to a scanner bed the butterfly is 3D as I have stamped and painted it onto a piece of pale blue card and then mounted the film one over the top, attaching it just in the centre with a piece of DST. The light catches the Fantasy Film beautifully.

Now I warned you on Wednesday that I would be coming home from work Thursday with goodies for my stash didn't I?.......Well the gorgeous lady stamp at the top is just part of that stash. She is from Clarity Stamps and I was shown the technique used to pattern her dress by the fabulous Barbara Santerelli(owner of Clarity Stamps)herself at the trade show.

So I have stamped the image in black Stazon onto smooth white card and colourwashed her using an Adirondack ink pad in Slate.

I stamped her again onto copier paper and removed the areas of her dress to create a mask. Placing the mask over the stamped image I then used a pattern stamp from a set of Elusive Images stamps to add pattern with the black Stazon...I think it's very effective.

The Glamour stamp is from a Rubbadubbadoo set.

I'm afraid I didn't stop at just one stamp and ended up with three. The others were a ruler and a rather gorgeous shoe which I am sure I shall be doing something with very soon....once more pressing jobs are out of the way.

Thanks very much for stopping by.

Sheila-x-

Daring Cardmakers-Tasty Template

This weeks challenge set by Jane from the Daring Cardmakers is a template.

Now I nearly didn't do this one as I'm not really over fond of templates but I've been feeling a bit off it today and couldn't concentrate on making lists or doing up class packs so I decided to have a play and I really quite enjoyed it.

I have followed the template quite closely as I am not proficient enough at using them to start moving things around etc.

So here is my effort........nothing groundbreaking or innovative.......although I was very pleasantly surprised at the lovely vintage wash on the stamped rose which is done with Memories ink pads. I've never tried painting with these before and thought they would be very strong colours but picked up with a waterbrush they give this lovely soft, faded, chintzy look. The rose and text stamps are Elusive Images.

Paper is by K&Co and I have chalked it to age it a bit.

Thanks again to the DCM team.........I just don't know how you do it week after week.

Beside meself with excitement!!!

Oh gawd I am sooooooooo excited today.

I have just opened my mail for today to find a preview copy of the June issue of Craft Stamper magazine and....................I have been published (fainty type smily needed here)...lol.

I have stopped looking at it long enough to scan the cover to show you but I don't think I would be allowed to show the inside article which is a six page spread........six blooming pages.......oh my life!!!

Here is the cover(I screamed when I saw it and hubby is now calling the men in white coats).

I am going to let you guess which is my effort to see if you get it right.Back later I just need to go and check that I wasn't seeing things.

Bye for now

Sheila-x-

No wonder they call me Manic!!!

I've had quite a busy day today.......quite being a bit of an understatement.

This flippin' Domestic Goddess keeps fighting to get out and if I didn't know better I would think I was nesting or something for a new little arrival.

I seem to have developed a mania for wanting things to be tidy and nice, fresh flowers in the lounge, waste bins emptied every day, dusting......I am getting quite frightened.

I've done more home cooking in the last fortnight than in the last two years and me and the hoover seem to have become bosom buddies.

If I start letting you all know where the best prices on groceries are instead of craft stuff........somebody take me out and shoot me.

Anyway...last night I was sorting out a box of A5 card and found loads of odd sheets left over from projects which I would normally either die cut or take to the shop and put on the paper stand. Instead I decided to have a bit of a play with my jar of bleach, the kitchen scrub pad and an old syringe from an inkjet refill kit.

Before I start I always paint a spot of bleach onto the back of the card to see how it will turn. After all there is no sense in wasting time artistically applying bleach if the colour underneath is horrible or the card doesn't react at all.

In the past I have had some absolutely amazing colour changes happen and also my fair share of disappointing results.

The top three pieces have been done with the kitchen scrub pad......the flat green ones not the ones on sponge.

I cut a piece from the pad and stuck it to a spare wooden block with DST which makes it much easier to handle.

I poured some bleach onto an old plate......just a small puddle which I then spread out to give a thin layer.

Then its just a case of dipping the pad and stamping it onto the card twisting the block to get a more random pattern.

This second set has been done using the inkjet refill syringe.

Just fill the syringe with bleach......thick is best for this method.

Then hold the syringe in one hand and gently depress the plunger for a constant stream. Move your hand in a scribbling motion and take the bleach off the edges of the card for a more natural look.

Leave on one side to dry.

This technique never ceases to fascinate me as every piece is unique.

These pieces will be worked on some more with stamps and inks to produce some one off background papers for use on some collage cards I have in mind. They probably won't get done until later in the week as tonight I am trying to put the final touches to some class projects for the shop.........ooh talking of which.........the Clarity Stamp order has arrived. I got a very excited call from the boss to let me know they were here today so as it is payday tomorrow you can almost certainly expect to hear of new additions to my stash when I get home.

Well best go before I bore you to death.

Bye for now

Sheila-x-