Colours of the Earth

Shopping List

Stampendous stamps:-

CRP184 Grapes

CRR138 Calligraphy Sampler

CRM Birthday Wish

Watercolour pencils & paper

Brilliance inkpads:-

Cosmic Copper, Pearlescent Rust & Olive,Coffee Bean

Vesafine Onyx Black & Vintage Sepia

Stazon Black

Cream Shrink plastic

Pewter brads

Caramel brown A5 card blank

Brown card

Piece of hessian

All available from:-

www.woodware.co.uk

Your local Exmouth stockist is:-

Japonica

22 The Parade

Exmouth

EX8 1RW

01395 271739

OK I'm just going to come right out & say it! I'm so pleased with this card I did a happy dance while punching the air muttering "Yes! Yes! Yes!" when it was finished! Now come on ladies we all know how that feels now & again don't we? Think it's got to have Mr. Frosty's name on it as his birthday card for next month. Considering his delight in all things Spanish it should fit the bill nicely don't you think? 

OK now all my waxing is over you may (or not but I'm going to tell you anyway!) want to know how my work of art was achieved!! I started by taking 2 pieces of watercolour paper & randomly scribbling on them with shades of brown, orange, red & yellow watercolour pencils. I then activated the colour with a generous wash of water & left to dry. On one piece I stamped "Grapes" several times with Onyx Black to be able to decoupage parts. On the second piece I stamp "Calligraphy Sampler" with Vintage Sepia at the right hand side of the piece.The whole piece was then layered onto a piece of dark brown card & attached to the inside of the card blank (add your brads before you do this). I cut a piece approx 2" from the front right side of the card blank so that the "Calligraphy" is now visible.

I water coloured the grapes using ink from the pads- just splodge some onto a plate or tile & paint with a water brush. I've decoupaged the grapes & some leaves to embellish. Don't forget to sculpt the grapes with a Character Shaper to give some roundness before attaching with 3D foam tape. Now just layer onto a piece of hessian add the birthday greeting (which has been printed onto a piece of cream shrink plastic with black Stazon & then shrunk using a heat gun) & finish with Pewter brads. Perfect!

WOYWW 206

Hi everyone it's nice to be back after going missing for a couple of weeks due to a stint at work etc. duty calls! I've been in the craft doldrums a bit too (now I can hear all those sharp in takes of breath but it happens to us all sometimes right?!) So I'm getting on with a project that I've had on the back burner for a while & am now itching to get on with. Inspired by our friend Ria Gall I'm going to have a go at creating a canvas. You can see on my desk (not a lot of progress yet!) I'm gathering all the things I'm thinking of using & I've made a start on the canvas itself. Got lots of ideas buzzing so watch this space!! I'm off to foreign parts for 2 weeks in the sun soon so I'm going AWOL again  hope to show you the finished product before I go! Have a great Wednesday & can't wait to have a snoop on some of your desks & see what you've been up to! Bye for now!

For the Men in Our Lives

Shopping List

Stampendous stamps:-

CRR138 Cling Calligraphy Sampler

CRW087 Navigateur

CRW068 By the Sea

Crafty Edger + Japanese Fan cassette

Colorbox Queues Pumpkin Patch & Sand Dunes

Versafine Vintage Sepia

Pewter Stud brads

Teal Basil 12 x 12 paper

Detail gold embossing powder

A5 cream hammer card blank

All available from:-

www.woodware.co.uk

Your local Exmouth stockist is:-

Japonica

22 The Parade

Exmouth

EX8 1RW

01395 271739

This week we're concentrating on the men in our lives & lets face it ladies they're an awkward bunch at the best of times!! We love them to bits though!! I've gone all nautical this week with Mr. Frostie in mind. He's always loved all things to do with the sea as I can well affirm having spent hours being shaken to bits in a power boat, but I digress. 

I've surpassed myself this time & used not one but three stamps but they all go together so well. "Navigateur" is from the new season from Stampendous while Calligraphy Sampler (you'll have seen me use many times before) & By the Sea are a little older. Basically I've sponged, stamped,torn & layered for that vintage look. The border from the Crafty Edger is just right for the wavy look & I've embossed just the compass from "Navagateur" with gold & attached to the print just to make it zing out. Now just finish off with some pewter brads before attaching the panel to the card blank which has been sponged around the edges with teal ink.

May Sketch Challenge

Shopping List

Stampendous Cling CRP151 Mermaid

Artquest Micacolor palettes Interference & Stargazer

Versafine Onyx Black + Detail Clear embossing powder

Frantage Pearl Mica flakes, Shaved Ice &

Champagne Glass Glitter

Peacock Liquid Pearls

Mark Richards Elements (clear)

Green s/a pearls

7mm organza ribbon Olive & Baby Blue 

Lime green & aqua mirror card

6 x 6 ivory linen card blank

All available from:-

www.woodware.co.uk

Your local Exmouth stockist is:-

Japonica

22 The Parade

Exmouth

EX8 1RW

01395 271739

It's that time again for this month's sketch challenge- boy doesn't it come around quickly!! Quite a simple sketch this month so the world's your lobster (as Del Boy used to say- bless him!) or in my case your mermaid! Isn't she cute?

I've stamped with black & embossed clear as this helps to encapsulate the mica paints & give you a definite outline. The colours & effects that you can get with these paints are just perfect for this misty magical underwater design. Just layer onto mirror card add some twisted ribbon for "seaweed" & go mad with the mica flakes, shaved ice & glitter in the corners of the card blank. I've added some flourishes of Liquid Pearl dots & clear elements in the corners of the design.

Here's the sketch

Oops! Just realised I've cheated! Sorry Dorothy!
Spot the deliberate mistake! 

Graduation Day

Shopping List

Stampendous clear set "Changito Shamrock"
Cling Calligraphy Sampler
Magenta 12 x12 paper Gourds
Sakura coloured pencils
Versafine Vintage Sepia
Peel off letters
Mark Richards Copper Nailheads
All Available from:-
www.woodware.co.uk
Your local Exmouth stockist is:-
Japonica
22 The Parade
Exmouth
EX8 1RW
01395 271739

We're celebrating a graduation this week with our old friend Changito. The eagle eyed among you will notice that I have "removed" the shamrock from his hand & replaced it with his degree in monkeying around! I've used a 5" x 7" card blank & covered it with the "Gourds" double sided paper. Changito has been stamped coloured & layered  onto a background layer created with the Calligraphy stamp. To finish add the peel off greeting & some Copper Nailheads.

White...............

Shopping List 

Stampendous CRP144 I Love Paris
Stampendous SSC196 Silhouette Songbirds
Stampendous shabby White embossing powder
Detail white embossing powder
Versamark inkpad
Crafty Edger +  Diamond border
Paper flowers
Dreamweaver embellishment pin
Sm, med & lg s/a pearls
3cm white  organza ribbon
White button, brads
A5 white linen card blank
White vellum & linen paper
Black card
White Opal Liquid Pearls
All available from:-
www.woodware.co.uk
Your local Woodware stockist is:-
Japonica
22 The Parade
Exmouth
EX8 1RW
01395 271739

 I must admit that when I  saw this particular theme it had me scratching my head. White...White what? Wedding? Rabbits? Heather? Embossing? Embossing!! It's amazing how hard it is to keep everything white & still come up with a pleasing design. I started by cutting an inch strip from the right hand front of the card blank & embossing a flourish from the Silhouette Songbirds set all over it. I stamped the Paris stamp onto a piece of vellum & embossed with Shabby White powder from the Frantage range. I have added some dry embossing to the back of this piece using a ball tool. I just had to mount this onto black card to show it off & I've held the vellum in place with white brads at each corner. Now simply go mad with your embellishments! I've pleated a piece of folded  organza ribbon & secured with the pin. The paper flowers have also been give the Frantage treatment & I've surrounded them with pearls. The Crafty Edger has been used to create a border for the edge of the cut side of the card, the cut out piece is laid on top & finished with the Liquid Pearls. 

Here's another take on the same theme.

WOYWW 202-Not a lot this week!

Boring! A neat & tidy desk- nothing going on here this week!

Some of you lovely people who visited my blog a few weeks ago may remember me agonising over my Mama's 80th birthday card- well here's a sneaky peek of the finished article.

 It's a gurt big card & I've used a maple leaf punch for the topiary trees, Chippies for the letters & numbers which have been given the Frantage treatment with Aged Wine embossing powders. Greens & purples are Mum's favourite colours & the trees & flowers are a nod at her love of gardening- she still has her pots on the balcony of her flat to potter about with in the summer. Sorry about the wonky photography, that'll be the sherry!!

She hasn't even seen it yet as her birthday is actually tomorrow & the reason that I don't have much on my work desk is twofold! 






We held a family party for Mum on Sunday afternoon & I was in full cupcake baking mode before that as well as all the other preparations.

I'm about to be chained to the counter at work for the next 10 days as Mr & Mrs Japonica take a well earned break in the sun so not a lot of time to get too crafty- sorry!! I'll be demonstrating at Japonica for the next 2 Thursdays so have a look at my demo page if you get the chance & you could even "have a rant" (And another thing!) too if something has enraged you. See you next week have a great day!