Claritystamp challenge blog 34 - In the garden

Hi there - well we have reached September - will somebody tell me how it arrived so quickly!

I really do not understand where this year is going to - its been all go and September is panning out to be another busy month . Will you be going to the Clarity open day oop norf?  It will be a fantastic day and I shall miss seeing everyone but I will be at the Crafters Companion store on Saturday demonstrating Clarity products and I will be joined on the Sunday by Barbara - no pressure then - Oh my giddy aunt !

We  had lots of lovely entries for the challenge last month so the fussy cutting didn't put you off!

This month the theme is in the garden so here is my offering - it is also doubling up as a birthday card for my friend Stella so I had to add a dog!

I started with a 7 x 7 piece of Clarity stencil card and laid over the flare frame stencil

I removed the outer section carefully so as not to disturb the centre piece

then I masked off around the edge with low tack tape

I made a template to cover all the outside of the rest of the card - just to be sure I didn't get carried away ---better to be safe than sorry lol

First job was to add the little girls from the Meadow dance stamp

I only wanted some of the children - I wanted them to be playing in the garden - didn't want the deer so I masked off what I didn't want inked up the stamp with sepia archival then removed all the tape before stamping 

next I added the house  from the wee farm scene - now I know it looks like its levitating but I will sort that out 

I did a bit of masking then added clouds with  cloudy blue adirondak and the cloud mask - forgot to take the next few  pics!

I added some willow and meadow adirondak for the grass 

Next I added a fence around the front of the garden with the stamp from the waymarker set

and a few trees from the  wee tress set. and for some reason I have two wee folk set 1   So as I thought a dog would just fill the empty space to the left I decided to part Lynne Hammond from her beloved Maya and then I cut the lead off too!  eee aren't I a bad un !

I added some colour to the house with some spectrum noir blendable pencils.

Job done now to tackle the outside.  I removed the masking  and added the stencil using post its I masked off the middle ( I could have used the inny from the stencil but I wanted it to stay still.  I made a pencil mark on top of the postie roughly where the sky ended   

Using the Claritystamp brushes I started to add some colour using the same adirondak colours as I used before  starting with the light ones, adding shade around the edge with the darker ones then finally added a bit of tone around the very edge with some latte adirondak.  swept in the excess from the stencil with a make up sponge .

Thanks for stopping by and please do enter the challenge it is well worth it - you never know you could get picked by random org. And dont forget to check out the calendar challenge too 

Claritystamp challenge blog 42 - Fussy cutting

AUGUST    Oh my word  I really cannot believe we have got here already.

It's been a VERY busy year with lots of demo's and workshops this groovi malarky has really taken the country by storm.  Only last Saturday I was in Burnley demonstrating and selling out of stuff very quickly. I have a workshop there in August that also sold out !

We didn't have as many entries for the  July challenge as normal I am guessing people are busy with holidays etc . So for the ones that did join us  the odds on them winning a lovely voucher are much better!

So the theme for  this month is fussy cutting - whether you choose decoupage, just cutting out or parchment the choice is yours  I am looking forward to seeing what people choose to do.

I was asked for a Wedding card the other week  so this is what I did  and then I thought it would fit this challenge perfectly.

The background is navy blue paper with silver embossing - a stamp I have had years and the happy couple from one of the wee folk sets.

The front piece is parchment and I used the banner for their names added nested hearts.  I added double hearts in the corners from the line sentiments border.  

I did some white work. embossed and pricked and snipped out the crosses and the whole of the heart so that the couple could be seen through the aperture.

Looking forward to seeing all your lovely artwork this month.

Claritystamp challenge blog 41 - A day out

Well here we are in July the height of Summer allegedly - bit of a joke really it just keeps raining here.

We've had some more lovely cards last month for the masculine theme - which is always challenging! so well done to everyone who took part .

This month has been very very busy.  We set off on our holiday down to Devon and the traffic both going and coming back was a nightmare but boy was it worth it when we got there - such a beautiful location on top of the hill overlooking Salcombe harbour we were well blessed with the weather too so I spent most days sat on the balcony under a parasol groving to my hearts content!!

Anyway I digress.  The theme for this month is  A DAY OUT  and I had several plans - but my teamies beat me to it - go check out their blogs!

I then had no idea whatever in my head and I struggled for days to come up with something - then I saw a photo of a house in an oval - it may have been an advert for a stately home or something and thats when I hit on this idea.

I started with the nested ovals in landscape mode I framed it with the nested squares but shortened them to make a rectangle.  I added a few lines across to give a bit of interest to the frame .

I did the embossing and pricking next just in the corners using blocks of 4 to make the squares and crosses.  I thought if I made a mess of it I hadn't lost too much of the groovi if I had to start again.##Next I chose Lily  to go for a walk in the country and I chose her because I could shorten her in the frame and she would look too big for the back ground.

 I made the scene using the plates below - a right mixture - but that is what so great about the groovi system

 I chose not to do any white work as such because I had just taken delivery of  these beauties and was bursting to have a quick play.

they are lovely to use but I feel I need to find time to have a proper play time with them.

So come on folks get your thinking caps on and come and join us to be in with a chance of winning a £50 Clarity voucher 

Claritystamp Challenge blog 40 - Masculine

Hi there it's the 1st June time for a new challenge on the Claritystamp blog.  Don't they come around very quickly?

I am a very bad blogger and don't get on here often enough, I just don't seem to get the time! Where does it go?  I mean I am supposed to be retired but I don't know I am always busy.

Anyway the theme this month is Masculine and I remembered pictures so you might want to brew up!





I had no idea what to do for this theme but I just fancied doing something a bit different for a change ,  I have been doing lots of die cutting - samples for demos and of course LOADS A GROOVI   I think some secret groovi stuff will have to come on holiday with me!

Whilst I was in Durham I came across some texture paste by Pebeo - it said White Sand so I bought some to see what it was like.  I also have the Harley Bike stamp  and the baby bike from the victorian miniature set  so what to do..using these three items?

 Firstly I needed a stencil so I picked the zig zag background one.

I spread through the Pebeo stuff and left it to dry overnight.  It was soft and very grainy - a bit like sand really - no surprise there then !

I didn't do the best of jobs but good enough for what I wanted.  next came a coat of black gesso

At this stage I decided to add silver gilding wax just on the chevrons so back on with the stencil and off I went

I did like the effect on the paste but wasn't happy so added some to the background too..  didn't like it with the silver so added Renaissance gold on top - much better 

Next came the letters so I used the alpha set - I do love the funky fonts in this set

I thought I had better position them around the bike which I hadn't yet stamped.  

i had already made myself a mask of the bike using the blank masks so I stuck it down to give me a rough idea then went to work with the letters.

When all was dry I trimmed back my card and stamped the bike with versamark and used silver embossing powder - I was thinking lots of chrome!  I then covered up the bike again

Now for the background  I have one of the large shape stamp sets  

I wanted random but not totally random so I marked two pencil lines on the card to help line things up

I added the small bike in these diamonds,

Next using a dark red pen and my ebrush I added a little colour to the background.  I gave the bike a red seat and used a silver pen to fill in the rest of the chrome work

So that's it for this month  I am off on my jollies to Devon for a week - leaving in a couple of days.  I can't wait its been a very hectic May and I shall be taking more secret groovi stuff with me and hopefully get some done.

We have hired a house and this will be our view  lets hope we get some fine weather and I can sit and get in the groovi at this table!

If it gets hot - I will open all those bifolding glass  doors in the background  I can't wait 

Claritystamp challenge blog 39 - Anything goes

Hello  and welcome. Its time for a new challenge on the Claritystamp blog challenge the theme this month is anything goes.

We had  lots of lovely entries last month where the them was a little different in so much as it was all about a technique  (masking),

As ever the standard is amazing you all put in some fantastic entries,  good job the winner gets picked randomly ..

I have a very busy crafty weekend this weekend so its Friday lunch time as I write this blog and I will schedule it  as I won't be here. On Saturday I am over in Fleetwood at the crafty company doing a groovi workshop and then on Sunday I am joining in the fun at the retreat being held by Maria Simms and Susan Moran - really looking forward to that and getting to meet some friends.

So anyway back to this months challenge - I seem to have been taken over by the groovi and I didn't have much time so I thought I would just make a quick inky card for a complete change .

I started by inking up the gelli plate I used forest moss and rusty hinge , I spritzed with water .

I had mounted my plate on the mount  so I could turn it over and press on my card - this way I could press till all the ink ran together 

This is the piece I used to trim down for my topper.

I repeated to make a piece to use for the background but on this piece I blended a little more ink around the edges - green where it was green and brown where it was brown then finished off with a little black soot

Using black archival and a mixture of the meadow grass stamps  

I used a fine black liner to colour in some of the leaves.

Added a word from the word chain. then  mounted both pieces on some black before attaching to the card.

Right I had better get cracking and sort out what I need to take tomorrow and consult the long list of stuff I need to pack for Sunday too.

Have a great bank holiday and I look forward to seeing your entries.

Claritystamp challenge blog 38 - masking

HELLOOOOO

oh my have I been busy its been all go since the middle of February - but I am loving it really lol.

I nearly didn't get chance to do a card for this challenge but it was my brother in law's birthday on Thursday so I tried to combine the two.   Its so hard making cards for men don't you think.  He loves the outdoors and walking but sadly had a stroke so cannot walk  like he used to so I don't like to do a nice landscape or anything like that as I feel it is just rubbing it in so I decided to go with the birds and I didn't have much time as I made it the night before his birthday - 

I do like these birds and after watching Paul on Sunday I decided to get out the burst powders from Ken Oliver.

This is miles away from all the clean groovi stuff I have been doing lately ...watch out for Barbara back on our screens Sunday and Monday - marvellous  you mustn't  miss it - get your cards out!!!

 Any way I bet you are shocked and astounded ....cos I remembered to take piccies.
I stamped in black archival and used clear embossing powder  a much safer option than black embossing powder.

I want to keep the birds white so that I can colour them with pencils

I wasn't bothered about the legs - these will be black

I decided to add a sun behind them

another mask - look where I have positioned it - I couldn't put it behind them as a rising sun so I just aligned it with the bottom of the birds feet ----didn't want to cut my moon mask up!

I added some blue at the top and sepia at the bottom (ish)   well that was the plan lol

Sorry I did miss a step with the old phone camera

I then removed all the masks and gave them a wash whilst my colour dried.

Now it was time for a cover up job I just wanted to colour the moon

lots of mask, copy paper and low tack tape 

Well its not a perfect circle and the blue isn't just in the sky but I like the randomness of colour bursts

I coloured in the birds with a mix of pink and blue layering them on top of each other to add to random style  bit difficult to show 

Anyway that's it  a bit different lol....now what can I do for my other brother in law whose birthday is on Tuesday and I have to post it!  blummin fellas ----I can feel a car coming on lol

Claritystamp Challenge blog - All about the girls

Wow March is here - I cannot believe it! 

It's all go here - busy getting samples done for Barbara's shows on Sunday  and a one day special on Monday  and lots of  demo bookings so I am a very happy bunny right now 

We had some fabulous entries again in February so if you did take part thank you - it means a lot to us when we get lots of entries  even though it makes it hard  to pick our fave five lol 

Anyway enough of the waffle this month's theme is all about the girls

Now hold on to your hat I started and remembered to take a picture before I went too far

but then I got carried away and didn't take anymore

so back to words lol

I put the nested frame in the plate mate and mad a tiny pencil mark on the two corners where I need to put the flowery corner so that it all would meet up .  I traced the corners from the border plate then added the classic frame.

Next I added the ladies - I picked these two as they face in opposite directions so they could look at each other.  I decided to do a wrap around to attach so scored to make it square .  

What to do next to fill in too much black space - so I added  a smaller classic frame on the inside and used the lace netting for the outside then I used a diagonal grid and pierced the frame

thanks for stopping by today  I look forward to seeing your spin on this months challenge  - good luck