Sunday 31 January 2016

Un-inking technique with Blender Pens

Colourful Cards with Sheltering Tree


I love the Sheltering Tree stamp set, and had fun creating this card as an example for my Male Card Class. I really enjoyed the bright colours of Cucumber Crush, Watermelon Wonder and Pacific Point, they are lovely and zingy together! 

I was especially pleased when I managed to add some bunting to the scene using the cake toper from the Build a Birthday stamp set. I was keen to remove the poles from the stamp to just leave me with the bunting. So I set about trying various methods. 


 I didn't have my Stampin' Markers with me so was unable to colour in the section I wanted, so instead I 'un-inked' the poles of my stamp with my blender pens by running the tip of the pen over the unwanted inked area. Blender pens are designed to pick up ink and so they are perfect for this technique


I would recommend going over the area on the stamp you want to un-ink several times with the blender pen, and clean off the pen each time on some scrap paper, this allows you to keep picking up the colour off the stamp. 

Also have a practice at stamping your un-inked image before you put it directly on your project, its very annoying to add that finishing touch, only to smudge it slightly. 

I mounted my finished picture on a piece of striped DSP from the Pretty Petals DSP Stack, onto card base of Cucumber Crush. Happy Stamping!


Built for Free Using: My Stampin Blog

Friday 29 January 2016

Wildflower Fields DSP Simple Cards

Simply Does it


I love the New Designer Series Papers I got free with Sale-A-Bration. These gorgeous designs team will with the Flowering Fields Stamp set and need little to make a quick and simple card.

I had a nice relaxing time colouring in the images which I'd stamped in Stazon Black with blender pens.

I personally love blender pens! Being able to pick up the ink from the lid of all the different coloured ink pads I already own really increases the versatility of them. 

Plus, they allow you to control the depth of colour, as well as providing smooth line free colouring.




Just remember that if you use them with images stamped in non-permanent ink it can cause the image to smudge, although this can be a nice effect too!

I finished each card with a little twine and a sentiment from the Teeny Tiny Sentiments set.


So to get your free stamps or papers just pop on over to my webshop and spend £45 during Sale-A-Bration and take your pick!

Wednesday 27 January 2016

Spring Craft Classes 2016

Spring Craft Classes 2016

We have a lovely selection of classes coming up that I am really excited about.

Everything from card classes suitable for all abilities, to some more complex ones exploring different techniques and 3D projects. We have also added Tuesdays to our regular timetable.


New way of running classes

At the end 2015 Sally and I experimented with a different way of running our classes, with very positive feed back. We now have a station for each card design/project element and split the class into groups to rotate round the stations. Each station is manned by myself, Sally or my ever willing mum Jane. 

This means that everyone has something to do all the time, and we have more time to dedicate to you. We hope you will continue to enjoy this type of class as much as we do!

Booking!

Please get in contact to book and pay in advance for which ever class takes your fancy. We are a very friendly bunch, and unless stated, everything is suitable for a complete novice. All materials are provided except a basic craft kit of scissors, pencil, ruler and glue etc, but we can provide what you need if you wish to have a taster and have nothing.


Can't make the date?

Talk to us! we are happy to put on addition dates for classes you cannot make. I can always host at my home day or evening, or if you prefer I can come to you. just contact me and we'll have a chat.



Contact: Helen on 07971 899462 or email helenwinstone@gmail.com

Wednesday 20 January 2016

A Nice Cuppa

Tea and Cake anyone?

Afternoon tea is one of my favourite past times, especially with little sandwiches, posh China and lets not forget the cake!
So when I saw the new Spring Summer Occasions catalogue I was delighted, the new A Nice Cuppa Stamp set, with matching dies and embellishments was right up my street and so, unusually for me, I bought everything in the collection!

I have been enjoying having a play with these items to create some pretty cards. 

This card uses a base of Bermuda Bay stamped with the lemon image from the Nice Cuppa set in Bermuda Bay. I then used a strip of paper with a tiny lemon pattern on from the matching Have A Nice Cuppa Designer Series Paper stack. This was then wrapped in Bermuda Bay thick twine and tied in a knot with a super cute lemon embellishment

This Stamp set has some nice sentiments, and the 'You are tea-riffic' used on this card in Melon Mambo make this card suitable for many occasions.

Bermuda Bay was used to stamp the die cut tea cup and, paper from the DSP stack was used for the milk jug and spoon. Final touch of a wee tea bag tag stamped in Wisteria Wonder and hung from the cup with linen thread. The die cut heart in Daffodil Delight Cardstock finishes of this sweet card, with the items all arranged on Whisper White card, mounted on Wisteria Wonder.

If you love these products as much as I do check them out on my shop. The stamps and dies are available as a bundle saving you 15%. 

And remember its Sale-a-Bration, so for every £45 you spend you get to pick an exclusive free SAB product!