More Katy Sue Shabby Chic....and a giveaway

Here are the last samples from the Create and Craft Katy Sue Design shows, I actually found time to watch one of them, which must be a first for me, and Noreen was doing a grand job with the demonstrations. I made this little tag - you can tell I was very attracted to the blue and green papers.....

and this canvas took me ages to make, but it did get an airing, it's a 18 x 12 canvas, and there is all sorts of stuff going on in the background - texture paste, stencils, acrylic paints and washes, you name it, I had fun getting inky with this one, and I really love those daisy papers....

Now to my last big clear out giveaways, this time I have four brand new black fineliner pens by Letraset



 I love these, they don't smudge when used with alcohol inks, so you can use them to draw in fine little details that your stamp may have missed, I often use them to accentuate the stamped image eyes, and if I cut out an image, I use one of these to draw a fine line around the image so that you don't get white edges, and it looks as if you have been very precise with your scissors. You get four nib sizes, ranging from super extra fine, to a thicker line.  And of course, they are brilliant for drawing - I just wish I was brilliant at drawing too!  I have not one, but TWO sets of black fineliners to give away, so if you would like to own a set, just leave your name under this post.

See you tomorrow x

Katy Sue Christmas Stamps - and a winner.....

Here are some cards I made with some really lovely Christmas stamps just released by Katy Sue Designs. I used white embossing for this first one, distress inks for the background, and the stars were done with texture paste sprinkled with glitter

this silhouette Santa and tree (separate stamps, I used a mask) were stamped in black, then heat embossed. The tiny stars in the background were heat embossed with Rangers queens gold embossing powder....

I went a bit mad adding strings of liquid pearls and stickles to the tree.....

This last one is one of those cards that didn't photograph well, in real life it is very pretty, and this was the one that took the longest to make for some reason! I sponged a background with distress inks and then flicked water onto it to make it look like a starry sky. The star was stamped in silver embossing twice, once onto the card, then I lined it up so that the bottom of the star was also stamped onto the vellum sentiment panel which I stuck on in just a couple of places with glossy accents, then covered the glue with a couple of sequins.....

We are driving home today after a really lovely week in Ambleside - huge thanks to Anne, for inviting us to stay at her lovely cottage, great company and lots of laughs. Lots of you have said you love the Lakes, so if ever you are looking for a place to stay, you won't find a nicer and more comfortable cottage than Silver Howe - and you can bring your dog!

On to the winner of the Aquamarkers. Congratulations to

SandraH

Email me with your address Sandra and they will be in the mail on Monday

I'll be back at my desk on Monday, creating crafty chaos as I try to catch up after my week off - and I am doing my volunteer thing at the charity shop in the afternoon, so who knows what tales I will have to tell....see you then x

Christmas Samples

This post was supposed to be all about showing you the samples I made for Katy Sue Designs for the premiere of their fabulous Christmas CD's premiered yesterday on Create and Craft TV - but after searching for hours, it looks as if I forgot to photograph them before sending them off, I hate it when I do that! I did find just this one photo which is part of a swing card I made, but it gives you an idea of the wonderful artwork on the CD - have you ever seen a more authentic Santa? The artwork was painted by American artist Dona Gelsinger

His hat and cuffs are sprinkled with Polar white extra fine flower soft - another fabulous product from Katy Sue

Here is a stamped card made with some lovely tree and sentiment stamps they sent me. I masked off the whole card apart from the oblong, and went all inky to create a scene, I'm very happy with this one. I have more beautiful Christmas stamps to use and share with you over the next few weeks

 So my parcel from Craftwork Cards arrived, and I can't wait to share with you next weekend, when it will be premiered on Create and Craft TV - my favourite collection EVER, beating Harbour Boulevard into first place. I have made some cute samples, and also had a sneak peek at what some of my team mates have done - feeling awestruck and a bit inadequate I can tell you!

In the middle of the sample making frenzy I bent down to pick up something from the floor (where I hurl drop stuff when I am in full creative mode), and PING - that's the sound my back made as something slipped firmly out of alignment again. So I had to cancel my stint at the charity shop yesterday (which I was rather looking forward to after last week's adventures), but today we have a special treat and are going to Raymond Blanc's  Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons in Oxfordshire for lunch. No backache is going to stop me going to that, we've been looking forward to it for months, so, even though all the foodies there will probably think it's terribly naff, I'll smuggle in my camera to take some photos

See you tomorrow x

Delft Tiles....

 I bought this stamp set from Katy Sue Designs in their recent sale. I was intrigued by the subject - Delft tiles

We once lived in a lovely Georgian house in a Yorkshire village, one of the rooms had a fireplace with original delft tiles. How I loved that fireplace - if I could have taken it with me when we moved, I would have done. So for this card, I wanted to just simply recreate the look of the tiles - you get the central image, which I just stamped in Stormy Sky distress ink, no shading, the lovely little corner stamps and a crackle stamp..... 

I stamped the crackles with antique linen distress ink

and here is a photo of an original tile......I think the stamp set does a pretty good job, don't you?



I continue with my quest to become the next Stephen Spielberg....I have now learnt how to download a video clip to my computer, that is where I am stuck. I am 'test driving' various free video editing software, and frankly, I'm not getting anywhere very fast. I would quite like to be able to clip out unusable bits, and do a voice over rather than having to work and talk at the same time, that way I could just concentrate on what I am doing then talk through it afterwards. There must be a video editing programme for dummies out there somewhere. Any suggestions anyone?

See you tomorrow x

Retirement Card

 Here's another magazine card, this time a retirement card. I used my favourite Katy Sue designs little pot, shaped out of air dried clay and coloured with ProMarkers, then 'varnished' with glossy accents....

The image is also from a KatySue Designs CD, called Fabulous Fellas, it's full of male themed images, so I thought this card would be good for a fella (fabulous or otherwise!) who plans to spend a lot of time gardening. I chose the background embossing folder because I thought it looked like a garden trellis. I used ProMarkers again to colour the image, and the sentiment was printed onto Safmat then smoothed onto a panel of coloured cardstock. And you are right, the top right hand corner looks a bit bashed around - the cards have to be mailed to the magazine to be photographed in their studio, then they eventually come home to me, sometimes looking a bit worse the wear for their travels!

So yesterday was one of those perfect UK summer days, cloudless skies and pleasantly warm without being scorching and sweatily hot - and what was I doing? Sitting in my cupboard making Christmas projects for a magazine. I can't tell you how odd that seems. Another problem with working so far ahead is that, in the main, the Christmas release papers and stamps haven't hit the shops yet, and as everything you use has to be current and available for readers, that can be a bit of a problem. Thank heavens for Craftwork Cards who released a fabulous Christmas range on Create and Craft TV last week. So even though it was just pleasantly warm, it did get a bit on the sweaty side in the crafty cupboard, but three cards down, one to go. Result! Now on to New Year and Valentines...........

See you tomorrow x

More shoes....

Here's a couple more from a recent commission for Papercraft Inspirations magazine, my brief was cards with a shoe theme. This first one uses the Fabulous shoe stamp from Katy Sue Designs, coloured with Promarkers. I know a lot of you don't live in the UK, and it must be frustrating when I use products you can't get hold of, but the good news is that Katy Sue sells worldwide......

the ribbon bow is white seam binding from The Ribbon Girl, coloured with a Promarker

this next one is an image from a Polkadoodles CD, called Dollie Daydream Girl Talk -  love those summery wedges.....the sentiment is a Memory Box die cut

The photos are a bit dark today, sorry - I probably finished the cards at midnight or some other silly-o-clock then packed them up ready to go to the publisher. I work months in advance so I can't remember, but the photos look like a late night session to me!

That's it for today, come back tomorrow, it's my turn to post on the Letraset blog, and you know what that means...yep, giveaway day. See you then x 

Happy Birthday Anne - and some winners.....

Today is my very good friend Anne's birthday. I made her this card using a shop window from the Fabulous Fellas CD by Katy Sue Designs - no she is not a fella (but she is a fabulous friend) but she is an artist, and I just loved this little bow window art shop. All the elements were cut out using my other new best friend the Scan N Cut. I used some acetate from packaging materials I'd salvaged to make the windows. The little pot is air dried clay, made with a mould also by Katy Sue

Happy birthday Anne xxx  

I hope you didn't go into chocolate overload yesterday? We did the egg hunt thing just before the heavens opened, what a soggy day it was for us. My son had bought some gadget for himself that six year old Max was very taken with (something to do with phones, I haven't a clue.....)

'Daddy, when you are elderly, can I have this please?'

'Your daddy may still need it when he is elderly Max' I pointed out

'No, old people just sit in a chair and watch TV. He won't need this then...' 

A whole generation written off in a single sweeping sentence uttered by a six year old!

Now on to the winners of the various giveaways I posted last week. Firstly for the (slightly used) Polkadoodles Paper Boutique CD. The names were all chosen using random.org, and the one that came up for this prize was:

JAN who said...............

Hi Enfys, Wow what a fantastic tip for making the mats sticky again, that will prove to be an invaluable method for me, thank you so much!

I love all of the cards, the robot would be perfect for my little grandsons.

I would love to win the CD, thank you for the opportunity.

Hugs Jan xxx

Next, the winner of the UK/Europe crafty goodies (set one) is:

RHIAN PENNANT who said......

Would love a Michaels in my home town, Llandudno North Wales. Diolch thank you Enfys
Rhian

Lastly, the winner of  Set 2 is:

JESSICA who said......

 Jessica said...

I have a friend in Australia who recently got a Scan N Cut, so I sent her to see your posts. I'm sure she'll love them. I'd love the DVD. Which is great since I'm in the US;) You are so sweet to bring some Michaels things for your European friends. I'm sure they'll love them. TFS Hugs, Jess

Congrats to you all, if you can email me with your address your goodies will be winging their way to you

Little pots - and a winner

Remember my lovely little pots? Made with moulds available from Katy Sue Designs (available in the USA and Canada as well as Europe). I dug out some papers by Authentique and made a couple of cards.......

I used a clear stamp for the sentiment, so I was able to curve it on the block to follow the line of the circle......

the little flowers and leaves were done with Martha Stewart hydrangea and fern punches out of the papers in the pack.....

Once I have dug out a paper pack, I can't leave it alone so made another quick card, this time using the memory box window die.... 

all this stuff in the bottom corner was printed onto the cardstock, but it looked dimensional so I quite liked it - apart from the printed label which was one of those encouraging little sayings that I hate so much, I think it said 'live each day to the fullest' - well, that had to go, there is no way I am telling someone how to spend their days, especially as most days are spent with me drifting around quite happily achieving sweet nothing, so who am I to talk? So I stamped another saying (so much more reasonable, enjoy your special day, no philosophical tracts exhorting them to spend each day dashing around living life to the fullest......) which covered up the original......

Look what's arrived, the latest collection from Craftwork Cards, this one is RIGHT up my street, I love the colours and can't wait to start using it....

When we were looking after the boys, we took them to Pizza Express where they were given a sticker book and stickers. Milo decided they were more fun on his face than in the book - I am not showing you the photo of me sporting a sticker moustache that makes me look a bit like photos I have seen of Mussolini. Milo looks cute, I look ridiculous!  

The winner of the two sets of Flexmarkers is Crafty Jo


who said:

 CraftyJo said...

Your post at Letraset is fascinating, I do appreciate the way you experiment so that the rest of us don't have to!!! :)

Congrats, email me with your address and I will get them in the post to you 

Little Pots and Urns.....

Remember I showed you the little pots that I fell for at the trade show? Well I got my hands on the moulds from Katy Sue Designs I know those of you in the USA will be happy to know you can buy these from the website - click on the USA flag, go to cake decorating and then embellishments. They are $12.99 for all three pots

They are such fun to make - fill the moulds with air dry clay and leave, then when dry, unmould and out pop some lovely little pots. I didn't discard the ones that weren't quite perfect, because in my experience garden pots often have little flaws that add character....

Then I spent a happy afternoon decorating them, I used distress inks, distress paints, glimmer sprays, colourwash spray and some gilding waxes. I varnished the little pots with glossy accents, but left the 'stone' ones just painted....

I think they look quite authentic, do you?

Then since I was in a messing about sort of mood, I dug out my Susan's Garden Sissix dies and made some pansies. They will go on a project some day soon....

I had to watch a video to remind myself how to make the (fiddly) little Susans Garden flowers. As I was watching you tube videos, I marvelled at how many of these people skillfully manipulate  little bits of paper with a pair of tweezers. They niftily pick up a tiny piece of paper with their tweezers, lightly dip it into glue - just the right amount of glue, no big blobs for them, then apply it neatly and perfectly onto their project, in exactly the right place and without a trace of glue.  When I use tweezers, the bits of paper drop into the glue, or on the floor, if I do manage to hold onto it long enough for the glue dip, the glue is then transferred messily onto my card  - I need to take a course in tweezering skills. It made me wonder what they do for their proper job. Work in a brow bar? Neurosurgeon? Honestly, I expected one of them to say 'swab please nurse' as I watched in awe...

See you tomorrow x