Training Day Cards - First Set

Hello, Crafters.

I hope you've enjoyed a great weekend.

I had a lovely day at Natalie's training yesterday - it was certainly the best turnout I've seen on the occasions I've attended.

A lot of demos were particularly interested in Natalie's presentation on how to get the best out of your camera and mine on equipment needed for making videos.

I was really pleased to win the top sales prize which  was a Project Kit Tin of Cards. I've often thought about ordering one of these but never did!

Natalie always runs a raffle at our training day. She gives everyone a ticket for attending and one for each new recruit we've had since the last training.

I won the Enjoy The Little Things Project Kit and the coordinating Stamp Set. This is another kit I was thinking about ordering because it comes with a very sturdy chalkboard/clipboard.

One of the other demos had one for our display at the Make It Show in Farnborough last month and I was amazed at how solid and sturdy the board is.

We also have a Show and Tell table where demos can display their recent projects. Yesterday there were so many projects that we needed three tables! 

Needless to say I came home with an amazing amount of photographs jam-packed with ideas! 

In the afternoon we get to spend about three hours crafting with the bag of goodies we received.

I'm not sure why but there wasn't much crafting done yesterday.

I suspect that the two morning presentations generated so much interest that demos were sharing their photographic experience and, I don't know if Natalie found the same, but I had a lot of people asking more questions about videoing.

Fortunately we get given instruction sheets for the afternoon projects so we can make them at home, which is exactly what I did.

The four cards I'm sharing with you today is one of the sets.

I've changed the colour scheme and added my own spin on each of them.

One of the items in our goody bag was a pack of the It's My Party Designer Washi Tape.

This is a product I very rarely use so this was a great opportunity to get out of my comfort zone..............and I'm really pleased I did because I'm really pleased with these cards.

That's about it for today. Until tomorrow, happy crafting.

JanB.

 

 

 

In the Meadow, again!

Hello, Crafters.

After Wednesday's In the Meadow card I had to have another go with it to see how much of a difference colouring the image would make! My conclusion is that  the image looks just as good as line art as it does as a painting. What do you think?

I found that the Designer Series Paper I'd used for Wednesday's card really didn't suit yesterday's card. So I chose a design from the Wildflower Fields Designer Series Paper (DSP) which is available as a free product from the Sale-a-bration catalogue (one free product for every £45 you spend - offer lasts until 31.03.16). 

I made a card base using Shimmery White Cardstock, then a layer of Basic Black and a top layer of Shimmery White. Using Tuxedo Black Memento Ink, I stamped the deer and then covered them with the mask I'd made yesterday and stamped three sets of the trees.

I painted the trunks using my Soft Suede Marker Pen. Then using my Mossy Meadow Marker Pen, I painted small random lines over the trees almost following the directions of all the small black stamped lines but I added extra where I thought it was appropriate. I didn't want the trees to be solid green so I deliberately left gaps.

I also followed the lines of the grass deliberately going by the sides of them. I used Crumb Cake Ink and a Blender Pen to colour the deer, which is my preferred  method of colouring when I want to have some shading.

I lightly sponged from the grass upwards using Soft Sky Ink and the from the grass down using Mossy Meadow Ink. I wanted to add a bit of colour but dismissed the idea of pink blossom on the trees and chose to go with red fruit. This I did with a Real Red Marker Pen.

I stamped the sentiment, which is from the Perfect Pairings Stamp Set (which is another Sale-a-bration product) using Memento Tuxedo Black Ink onto Shimmery White Cardstock and rounded the corners using the Project Life Corner Rounder. I assembled the card the same way as I did yesterday's card except with today's card, I lined the torn DSP to the edges of the Shimmery White Layer and not the Basic Black layer as I did yesterday. 

Photographs 4 - 6 today, show the card I made with my first attempt at colouring this image! It wasn't a huge success which is why I had to cut it down so I could use it. LOL!! But at least it gave me a chance to play with the trees remaining on my offcut to try a few different ways of painting the trees.
Just a couple of notes about the last card. I die cut the image using die no 6 from the Circles Collection and the Crumb Cake circle was die cut with die no. 7 and embossed with the Woodgrain Embossing Folder. 

The deer were coloured with Sahara Sand Ink and a Blender pen and the DSP is from the Going Places DSP Stack. Stampin' Up!  recommend this to go with Sahara Sand Cardstock but I think it looks better with Crumb Cake. Finally, the sentiment is from the Suite Sayings Stamp Set.

That's about it from me today. Have a great day and until tomorrow, happy crafting.

JanB.

What I Love Birthday Card

Hello, Crafters.

I think I started a new tradition for myself yesterday and it doesn't have anything to do with card making, scrapbooking or paper crafting!!

It's all about Christmas. Now that Internet shopping has become a way of life for a lot of us, at this time of year we have deliveries arriving everyday. I decided I'd offer a chocolate to everyone who knocked at my front door.

So I filled one of my newly made Berry Baskets with chocolates and put it on the unit by the front door. When someone knocked at the door and handed me my parcel, I was ready!

I waited until I was handing back the machine I'd just signed and asked if the courier/postman would like a chocolate. It was such a treat to see the smiles on their faces - it was such a small gesture but it made them all smile and it made me smile, too! Can't get much easier than that, can it?

Unfortunately, I didn't have as much success in my studio today!

I want to make a video showing how to make a magic card and I knew I had saved one of Dawn Griffiths's videos in my YouTube playlists. I found it, watched it, made notes and was raring to go! But it was not meant to be!

The problem was that I wanted to make a Christmas one but I couldn't find a suitable image. It had to be a certain size and needed some painting. I tried one, the poinsettia from Reason For The Season, but it was just a bit too big.

I thought about the snowman in Sparkly Season but he's too small and also the soldier/drummer in Sparkly Season but that needs too much painting for a video.

I then decided to find out how Robbe Beatrice made the swap I received from her when I was at the OnStage Convention last month. I made three attempts and have now sussed it - hopefully! Today - the video!

To make today's card I used four of the products that are in the new Sale-a-bration (SAB) 2016 catalogue. I hadn't planned it like that but my original idea just carried on growing!

It started with me wanting to use the Perfect Pairings Stamp Set - see photograph six. I love the font that's been used for Kindly, Hooray and Happy Birthday.

My original idea was to use Gold Embossing Powder for the Happy Birthday at the top of a piece of Vellum Card Stock with TO YOU at the bottom, and then mount it over some Wildflower Fields Designer Series Paper which is also in the SAB catalogue. Nice and simple!

It was not meant to be - my creative juices were going nineteen to the dozen. I have to say that I'm very pleased with my finished card even though it's nothing like I had envisaged it when I started.

The other two SAB products I used are the stamp set called What I Love. The flower is a three-step set but I only used two steps and added the solid ring stamp in the centre of each.

I used Old Olive for the leaves and fussy cut them and the flowers out. The strip they have been adhered to is some of the Botanical Gardens Designer Vellum Stack adhered to a piece of Hello Honey Card Stock.

Today I'm hoping to get my Magic Card video made as well as one other. Tomorrow I'll let you know whether I've been successful or not!

Until tomorrow, happy crafting,

JanB.