Shrink Plastic

Shopping list

Frosted shrink plastic

Magenta L-0390 Love Branch

Sakura pencils

Timber brown Stazon

Brilliance Pearlescent Beige

2" Elipse punch

Long reach punch

Heat tool.

all available from:

www.woodware.co.uk

Your local stockist is 

Japonica

22 The Parade

Exmouth

EX8 1RW

01395 271739

We're taking a break from card making this week as I try my hand at some jewellery making. Shrink plastic is perfect for the job as you can make some beautiful embellishments using stamps and/or punches. 

There are a few basic rules to remember when using shrink plastic:-

1. Check to see is your plastic is pre sanded. This means that you have a rough side and a smooth. If your product needs to be sanded before use the manufacturers instructions will guide you through.

2. You will need to use Stazon to stamp with as it dries instantly. You can get away with using Brilliance but it needs to be left over night to dry

3. Always use coloured pencils to colour you image and keep colouring faint and pale as colours darken and brighten dramatically when you shrink.
4.Don't forget to make any holes that you will need for attachment before you shrink and make sure that it will be large enough for your purpose after shrinking. 
5. If you're a shrinky virgin don't be scared! It looks really scary when you first start to heat and your piece starts to curl up but keep going all will be well.
6.Have something flat to hand like the back of a stamp to flatten out your piece when the shrinking is complete and the plastic is still hot.


As you will see I've used a fairly old stamp from Magenta but a gorgeous one. I lightly sponged the frosted shrink plastic with Pearlescent Beige Brilliance to give a bit more of an antique look. After stamping with Stazon and colouring I've loosely cut around the image and punched my hole. For the earrings I have punched a piece with the oval punch. I've cannibalised  a necklace and earring set that I bought very cheaply but it creates a very unique piece of jewellery. Go on- start shrinking!!

Here's the piece before I shrank it

Zentangle

Shopping List

JGS 256 Christmas Rose

JGCL 519 Essential Birthdays

Tombow pens

Versafine Onyx Black

Brilliance Peacock & 

Pearlescent Purple inkpads

Lime, sky blue & mauve chalk inkpads

New Blue Flower buttons

6"x6"  white card blank

All available from:-

www.woodware.co.uk

Your local stockist is:-

Japonica

22 the Parade

Exmouth

Ex8 1RW

01395 271739

What is Zentangle I hear you ask! It is a recognised art form which consists  creating patterns within a shape. Anything goes just let your imagination free and.......doodle!!! You need to choose a fairly large open shape  for your Zentangle and I have chosen  one of Jane Gill's large single flower stamps from last year, the Christmas rose, although after my doodling I confess it looks nothing like. Firstly I created some background with a little direct to paper technique on some white card using a combination of the  chalk inkpads. I have printed  the rose twice and used a punched heart template to divide up a few areas of the petals.Using the fine ends of my Tombow pens I have chosen 3 complimentary colours for my patterns. I have used a little light grey shading around the edges of the petals before cutting around the flowers and leaving the leaves behind. I also gave the flowers a little movement using a DEET (double ended etching tool) and a Character Shaper before mounting them onto the card with foam pads. I have used the Essential Birthdays set to stamp around the edges of the card blank using the purple inkpad and then Brilliance Peacock  (a tricolour pad) to stamp the block message. Have you seen the lovely new range of fun buttons now available from Woodware? You know how I love my buttons and they were just what I needed to place at the centres of my flowers and at the four corners of the card blank. Hope you like my Zentangle, come on try doodling!!!

July's colour challenge- Grey & Chartreuse

Shopping List

Stampendous SSC 1123 Fairy Queen

Tombow pens

Sakura Stardust & Metallic pens

Aged Silver embossing powder

Pearl Mica flakes

Halo & Silver Glass glitter

Shaved Ice

Versafine Onyx Black inkpad

Green chalks

White & silver pearl card

Black A5 card blank

All available from:-

www.woodware.co.uk

Your local stockist:-

Japonica

22 The Parade

Exmouth

Ex8 1RW

01395 271739

We have our second challenge of the month this week in the form of our colour challenge. This week we have the imaginative combination of grey & chartreuse ( a lovely pale lemony green). I have been longing to try out the gorgeous "Fairy Queen" isn't she just so pretty? There is no other choice of inkpad for all the fine detail in this stamp but our ever reliable Versafine Onyx black. I have water coloured the image using a  selection of Tombows & Sakura pens.The Stardust pens give a lovely effective shimmer. I have used the Stardust pens also straight from the pen to add detail & highlight some areas. There are some lovely embellishment stamps with this set & I have used the flower border to stamp a garland around the Fairy Queen head. Stamp & emboss the flourish onto the pearl silver background & emboss with Aged Silver powder. As you will see I have "Frantaged" the bottom right hand corner with a mix of Aged Silver, Pearl Mica, Halo& Silver Glass glitter  & Shaved Ice. I have also used some Silver Glass glitter at the centre of the decoupaged flowers at the left of the card. A little green & lemon chalk just softens the area around the Fairy Queen's head. I think this gorgeous & versatile set will be getting many more outings yet especially with Christmas almost knocking on the door again!!

Why not join in our colour challenge, you never know you could be the winner of a Woodware voucher to spend at your local craft shop!! 

Happy Wedding Day Claire and Sam

We're off to Cambridge next weekend for the wedding of our great nephew Sam to Claire so I thought I'd share the wedding card that I have made for them (hope they don't view my blog!!). I just love to do a special wedding card don't you? I do hope this unbelievable weather rights itself by then and doesn't spoil their day after all the expense and planning that goes into it. I'm sure we'll all have a wonderful day whatever the weather but keep you fingers crossed for us anyway!

Cottage Rose

Shopping List

CRS5034 Jumbo Cling Cottage Rose

CRN208 Cling Classic Anniversary

8x8 card blank

Aged gold & Detail Gold embossing powders

Tombow pens

Encore gold inkpad

Glossy Accents

Versafine Onyx Black inkpad

All available from:-

www.woodware.co.uk

Your local stockist:-

Japonica

22 The Parade

Exmouth EX8 1RW

01395 271739

The Woodare designers challenge this week is to design a card which is neither square or rectangular in shape. I have gone for this 6 sided easel card which started life as a 8"x8" square card. I firstly cut a template & cut the card & an additional piece which will be the card front. I stamped the background using the flourish which comes with the Cottage Rose set using the gold inkpad. I then stamped the rose onto a separate piece of card & coloured with Tombow pens. I stamped several images & as you can see the rose lends itself beautifully to a little decoupage.  I edged the card with embossing ink & then embossed with the Aged Gold powder to give an antique frame effect. The Happy Anniversary was stamped & embossed using the Detail Gold powder & I have also used this to edge this & the rose bud piece which I have used as my "stop" for the base of the easel card. I have also "dappled" these 2 pieces with some tiny sprinkles of powder to give a more antique look. I have painted the rose & bud with Glossy Accents which gives a lovely enamelled look to the image.

Grasses

Recently I was fortunate to be asked to design a project for the July edition of the Cardmaking & Papercraft magazine. Unfortunately my project  appeared on the subscribers only pages so not visable to all. Here is my original design & below is a copy of the article if you would like to have a look!

Shopping list 

JGS 267 Grasses

Brilliance inkpads:-

Pearlescent rust,purple & thyme  

Versamagic Wheat

Dreamweaver embellishment pins

Terracotta,olive & purple organza ribbon

Lime elements 

8x8 card blank

cream cloud paper

Lime,orange & purple card

Ivory card

Diamond stickles

All available from:

Japonica

22, The Parade

Exmouth EX8 1RD



How to make
A. Cut a 200mm square of beige cloud paper. Randomly ink border stamp from “Grasses” set with a mixture of the 3 Brilliance inkpads. Stamp border down right hand edge of paper & stick to front of card blank.
B. Ink Grasses stamp in same way as border & stamp onto a 110mm square of ivory linen card, sponge edges with Wheat chalk inkpad (Versamagic). Use inverted corner punch on corners. Layer onto lime, purple & orange card. Attach to card blank. Stamp sentiment directly onto card blank below Grasses piece.
C. Tie a bow with a piece of each of the ribbon colours, tatter the ends with scissors & attach to card with glue dots. Insert hatpins at the back of the bow. Add lime crystal jewels to punched corners& to the bottom left hand corner of card. Add a touch of Stickles to Grasses. 

Recently I was fortunate to be asked to design a project for the Cardmaking & Papercraft magazine. Unfortunately my project only appeared on the subscribers pages so not visable to all. Below is a copy of the article if you would like to have a look!

July's sketch challenge

Shopping List

JGS267 Grasses

Versamark inkpad

Woodware chalks

1" butterfly punch

Ivory,brown & terracotta organza ribbon

Lemon Liquid Pearls

Stickles Orange Peel

Woodware craft card

Lime & orange  linen card

All available from :-

www.woodware.co.uk

 It's sketch challenge time once more, gosh how the months fly by it's less than 6 months to Christmas now!! What a thought when we haven't had summer yet! I've used the  lovely "Grasses" single stamp designed by Jane Gill which has a delicate accompanying border. I've given my chalks a long overdue airing this week & chosen vibrant summer colours. To use chalks you need to stamp with a sticky medium & I  have used a Versamark pad. Simply stamp as usual & use your chalks to colour the image using sponge applicators or small cotton balls. Start with the lighter colours as you can go back after & build up colour where you wish to shade & highlight. I have used some Stickles to add a tough of sparkle to the largest grass head & to embellish I have punched some butterflies decorated with Liquid Pearls & a simple knot of the 3 ribbons to finish.As you will see I have stamped along the bottom edge of the card blank simply with the Versamark pad which gives a lovely muted background watermark effect.  The "Thinking of You" message comes from Jane's "Daffodils" set which has some lovely sentiments that you can use for a variety of occasions.

 Here's the sketch for this month so why not join in the challenge & you could win a Woodware voucher to spend at your local craft shop.