Wreaths at Christmas Card Club

Hello there! The fortnight has rolled around again and its time for another Christmas card club outing - this time the theme is wreaths and has been chosen by the lovely Rita. I managed to make four cards using stamps, dies and a stencil. They are all 8x8 cards.

I used the believe die and laurel leaf die from Tim Holtz and a holly die from Sheena douglass. The stamps are mostly from card-io and I used a stencil from clarity.

In the top card I also used pixie powders in the background.

I also used pixie powders in the bottom one in this picture!

The ribbon was added at the end...a bit of an after thought! 

I am looking forward to seeing what the rest of the CCC ladies have made! 

Big hugs

Rachel x

Stamps and stencils in pottery painting.

Hello there! I am over at the stamps and stencils blog today with an insppirational post about pottery painting using stamps and stencils...

This is my final, fired piece. You can see how I made it by visiting here.

Hugs Rachel x

More pottery painting...

Good Morning all! I do hope you are ok! I am good and feeling virtuous having spent 3 hours working on the community pool refurb yesterday and going off to make tea for the ladies and gents of the village this morning! Its all good!

I just realised I hadn't blogged these last couple of pottery makes from Pottyroos yet so here goes!

This is to go with my set in the kitchen - a tea canister with attitude!!!!

This pot was made using Tim Holtz and IndigoBlu stamps ...all the pictures below are on this same pot! 

Less successful than I would have liked but I think that was largely due to my being there with 4 children in the holidays!!!! Less concentration going on! 

There's more pottery coming up on Thursday - I think its a more successful method I used for that one - its all a learning process!

Big hugs

Rachel x

Jo Firth Young Workshop at Rowantree crafts

Hello there and happy Sunday to you! I do hope you are well and happy! Did you watch any of the Marathon? It took me back to the one and only time I did the London Marathon and boy I wouldn't have fancied doing it in todays heat. Well done to all those who completed it, whatever the time!

Yesterday I went along to Rowantree Crafts at Carnforth and did a lovely workshop with Jo Firth Young using some of her latest release stamps from Paperartsy. We made a canvas...

This is a 10 by 8 canvas ... I did different colours to most people... more so that it would suit my living room than anything else... I am so pleased with the result ...its lovely...

Here's a shot of the course in action ...

my workspace 

and here's the finished articles...

It was a lovely day indeed!

In the evening I carried on working on some knitting I have started - its basically new to me and I am taking a course to make a cushion cover. I will let you know how it progresses! I am finding it hard work!!!

Enjoy the rest of your day! 

Hugs

Rachel xx

Connie's card

Hello there! How are you? I do hope you have been enjoying the change in the weather. It certainly seems warm here! Lovely! We have all been busy trying to get things moving on our current production of the Twits.....and the teenagers production of Hamlette. Its starting to take shape but time moves so fast it needs to!

I am showing a card today I made for a girl in Penny's class who lives opposite us. She's quite a quirky child and I hope she's going to like it.

I don't seem to have the picture of the card straight on so you will have to forgive the arty shot! I've used a stamp set from Donna Ratcliffe and distress oxides to make this card. The colours are her favourites so I am hoping so!

Got to take the car for an MOT today...fingers crossed all goes well! And then I have library and PTA meeting!

Big hugs!

Rachel x

Coffeepot

Hello there! How are you? I am doing ok. First day without the children yesterday but I had the lovely coffeepot ladies to craft with so time just flew. We were making cards based on these two cards i have already posted here and here.

This is the one I did as a demo of the technique....

I used all hobbyart stamps except for the sentiment which is by alison bomber from paperartsy....

I did this one as a second make - I do so love this stamp set - really pretty!

I hope you have a good day - I am hoping to get organised and do some chores and also hoping to pop into pottyroos and do some painting! 

Big hugs

Rachel xx

Chas Jacobs workshop

Hello there! How are you? Hope you are well and that your weekend was good! Mine was fabulous - I went to a workshop with the artist Chas Jacobs on Saturday and on Sunday I did a run and then had lunch and went to see Peter Rabbit - I wasn't expecting to like it but it was great!

Back to my workshop - it was really relaxed - just four of us plus Chas and his wife in their home - they live in my village so I could walk there.

Here's where we were working - there is beautiful light in the house and its just lovely!

Here's me getting stuck in with my painting...

This is my watercolour version of the complete scene - you can see the greeting card that I was using for my inspiration too!

Here's the acrylic version completed on Sunday morning!

A really lovely workshop - so peaceful and a great way to spend the day!

Big hugs

Rachel x

15 minute chocolate baroque post

Hello there! How are you? I hope you are doing well. Today I have 3 cards made in 15 minutes each (or less) to share with you. There are also others on the chocolate baroque blog to inspire you here.

These first two just have simple stamping on a distress oxide background. On the first I also used a moon mask to add the idea of the sun. 

On the last one again I stamped on an offcut of distress oxide background and matted and layered. I also added the corners.

The stamps sets I used here include:

eastern-grasses

artistic-affirmations

Have a great day!

Hugs

Rachel x

CCC: Poinsettias or any christmas greenery

Hello there! How are you? I hope you are well and happy! I am a day early for the christmas card club this fortnight but I hope the ladies don't mind...saves me from having two posts on the one day! The theme this time was chosen by Mary and is poinsettias or greenery. I have made four cards...

These two cards were made using Sheena stamps, dies and embossing folders plus TH christmas paper dolls. I think they look quite sweet amongst the greenery!!!

The next two are made from chocolate baroque stamps - the same techniques were employed each time! 

In both cases the images were stamped in versa mark and heat set with clear powder. Then I added brushos and once dry painted the leaves and berries. The backgrounds were done using distress oxides  and then I stamped small images plus the sentiment on that before adding the topper.

Have a great day... I am having a day at the house of artist Chas Jacobs doing  a painting workshop. Really looking forward to it!

Big hugs

Rachel xx

A rainbow?

Hello there! How are you today? I hope you are feeling good. I am still enjoying my easter holidays with my youngest, Penny. We have done lots of crafting! Not much else really! Once I had finished my DT work today I had a play with some Birgit Koopson stamps I bought up at Art Workshops in the NE. I've not been up for a while now so that just shows how long I've had them!!! I got my distress oxides out and played!

I stamped onto my DO background and cut out the leaves stamped onto random offcuts! I also added the words from the same stamp set and a stamp from craft stamper magazine! 

Its not a card for anything in particular - just reflecting my mood really!!! 

I'd like to enter this into craftstamper take-it-make-it-challenge-april

I am off to the Uni this afternoon on a training course for doing Invigilation. Once I have done this I have to take an online test. Its only then that I will find out if I have got any work or not! And I just thought invigilation was checking that nobody cheats! I'll let you know how I go!!!

Have a great day!

Hugs

Rachel xx

Another upcycle

Hello there! I am posting over at Countryview challenges again today. Our theme is 'pimp it up' this month and we want you to upcycle something. I have chosen a cheap box from The Works this time...it only cost £1 ...and here is what it ended up looking like...

And here are the steps I took to change it...

The box at the start - very dull and plain...

I started by adding gold relief paste through an indigoblu stencil ...

Once dry I painted the whole thing with ravenblack paint from indigoblu. This looks a bit gold in the picture but sadly I think thats just the light I took the picture in! After the paint was dry I added several layers of luscious powders and finally some gold gilding wax and the flowers!

I think it look much better now than it did at the start!

Big hugs

Rachel xx

More Chocolate baroque show samples

Hello there! How are you? I hope you are doing well. We had a fun time yesterday in Morecambe - pottery painting, chips on the prom, a walk in our village and then some crafting time at home!!! All good stuff!

Today I would like to share with you some more of my samples from the April Chocolate baroque show on Hochanda.

This one used the honey bee stamp set again....The main topper has a distress oxide background and I have stamped in the background of the main card too.

This one involved repeat stamping of one of the stamps from the essence-of-nature-unmounted-rubber-stamp-sheet-a4. plus another stamp added around the edge.

This one is again using the essence of nature stamp set and a distress oxide background. The butterflies were fussy cut and added separately after stamping the image again on another piece of card.

I just love these stamps - I hope you do too!

Big hugs

Rachel xx

Meet Harry

Hello there! How are you? I do hope you are fine and doing ok? If not, sending hugs! We are entering the home straight of the easter holidays today - just one week left - and just with Penny this time - were off to Pottyroos again today - I've got stuff to pick up and also stuff that I want to get done for a couple of DT pieces so plenty to go at. I'm trying a new technique this time but more of that hopefully soon!

I have a needlefelted hare to share with you today...

This one started off as a drawing I spotted on pinterest.... I copied it onto a piece of felt and then needlefelted it. 

I attempted it whilst at the Indigoblu dirty weekend. I know its not brilliant but I did enjoy doing it!

Hope you have a good day! 

Hugs 

Rachel x

What a wonderful workshop with Tracy Easson

Hello there! How are you? I am good and still feeling full of fun and laughter from my Tracy Easson workshop yesterday. If you ever get the opportunity to go on a workshop with Tracy then do - she is such a lovely lady - so humble and yet so talented and bubbly and slightly crazy!!! A wonderful combination. We made two items - there was also a badge which I am yet to complete...

In the morning we made a book cover - thats the one on the right. We stamped the lady on fabric, painted with decoart paints then added the other layers of fabric. In the afternoon we made the thingie on the left! I may add to her dress - but thats how she looks just now!

It was so nice to work with fabric - I don't do that enough - the sewing really was therapeutic!!!

Here's a pic of me and Tracy - I think I look a bit crackers - but I was just having so much fun!!!!

Have a great Sunday!

Hugs

Rachel xx

An honour and some atcs

Hello there! How are you? I am well and happy - as are my girls. We've had a busy couple of days - yesterday lots of walking - we did 9 miles - very proud of the girls! And today we went to see the plaque dedicated to Shaun to honour his time at the University.

So pleased its finally in place in the new labs. We are hoping that the lab becomes known as the Fisher lab - albeit informally! So very proud of him. Of course, it goes without saying that I wish there was no need for the plaque ....

I got my ATCs back in the post today too from the UK Stampers Forum ATC swap for March - the theme was Flowers ...

These are the ones I sent ....

and these are the ones that came back!

I do love being part of the craft community - so lovely to see what different ideas are going on out there!

Off on a Tracy Easson course tomorrow - I am very excited!

Big hugs

Rachel xx

In the meadow at stamps and stencils.

Hello there! How are you? I do hope you are well and happy! I am in charge of the theme at stamps and stencils this month and I have chosen 'In the Meadow'. Here was my brief for the challenge...

 Meadows are such amazing places - lots of different grasses, wild flowers and wonderful wildlife. Let your imagination run wild ...and use stamps or stencils too! Enjoy!

I decided to use some stamps from Hobbyart in order to make my card - I will show you the final piece and then how I made it! The words are from Alison Bomber and the stencil from Kay Carley both at Paperartsy.

Here's what I did....

I started with stamping and masking the hare and masking a sun. Then I created some hills using the clarity stencil brush and distress ink.

Next I added the sky....

I then used the Kay Carley mask adding some grasses, butterflies and dragonflies.

Next I coloured the hare using distress inks and stamped more grasses using hobbyart stamps.

Finally I stamped the sentiment and also coloured the sun!

I hope you can follow what I did! 

I hope you can join our challenge too.... you can find more inspiration from my amazing teamies and enter the challenge here..

Big hugs

Rachel xx

Jofy Jug

Hello there! How are you? I hope you are feeling good! We are fine...still enjoying the holidays. It was a bouncing day yesterday - a visit to the trampoline park - and then we went pottery painting and I managed to pick up my jug that I have been working on with JOFY stamps ....finally finished and fired!

It took a lot of work this piece and I am mostly pleased...I wish the red wasn't quite so streaky but other that I am chuffed with the way things worked out!!!

What do you think?

Hugs

Rachel xx