Last Sunday of 2013

Hi all, and how was your Christmas? I do hope that you had a lovely time, although I'm well aware that not everyone has a happy time and I do think we all need to spare a thought for those less fortunate as ourselves and all those who have been caught by the flood waters.

We had a lovely day in the Rice household made even more special as Adam was at home (he's had to work for the last two Christmas Days).

I was totally spoilt with gifts and I must thank some crafty ladies for a gorgeous scarf, some toiletries, chocolate, craft goodies, bracelet and a plant....see, I told you I'd been spoilt...

I had a really great phone call too from my Niece to say that she had got engaged ....oh, how exciting...(I see Wedding Invitations on the horizon !!!) 

The last few days though I have been nurse Mummy as Mikey has been unwell again, but a visit from my Sister and Brother in law did help....

So this year has nearly come to an end and it has been a busy crafty year....but that's the way I like it...

So here is my finale card for the year. It's one that was featured in the recent Creative Cardmaking  magazine....using Claritystamps and Inka-Gold paints....

I do hope you like it .....I have just finished my next batch of samples and need to get them in the post tomorrow....as Barbara is on TV on Sunday 5th January ....oh there are some 'must have' new stamps...

Have a very Happy New Year all and I shall see you early on New Years Day as there will be a new Challenge over at the Clarity Challenge Blog...

Much love to you all.....Jo. X 

Happy Christmas all

Well...are you ready  for the big man tonight ? I'm almost there, just need to walk Tess then it's a shower, glad rags on and out for a meal....

I just wanted to take this opportunity to Thank all the lovely crafters who have come to my workshops this year...and made them so special. Also to all those Facebook and blog friends that I have met and who are sharing my crafty journey with me...I've had a brilliant year and believe me the plans for next year far out weigh my expectations already....so stay tuned ....even better times ahead...

I wish you all a very Happy Christmas...with lots of love and joy....

Just before I go .....here is a photo of me yesterday when a tree blew down in our garden ....just what I needed an hour in the garden when I had lots to do ......

Stay safe and enjoy....

Much Love....Jo. xxxxx

Christmas Party...

Well today was our party day at the Hazel  Grove workshops...

So instead of crafting....we ate, chatted, ate some more, drank coffee, oh and then chatted and chatted...(I even lost one of my tassels!!!!!!) 

And we had a give away with some brilliant Clarity prizes.......Christmas or what....

As we didn't make any cards, I thought I would share one of the recent magazine cards with you....

This was was inspired by a very talented designer ...Emma Williams....(check out her blog here...  http://stickydots.blogspot.co.uk/ ) her design was for the New Design Clarity Club.....

The magazine article for this card was on how to use Inka Gold Paints....so, as my latest toy is my Melt Pot ...it seemed a good way to use it....plus the wonderful stamp from Clarity......

If you want to see how you make it, you need to pop along to your local craft shop and buy the latest Creative Cardmaking magazine....

Well that is it from me, all that is left for me to say is a Big Thank you to all the ladies and gents who have come and crafted with me over the last twelve months..and special thanks to Alex my sidekick.....

We start back at Hazel Grove on the 8th January.....I'm planning it already....enjoy your evening.....

Hugs...Jo. X 

New day...New Challenge....

Good morning ...I do hope that you had a good weekend...

Today, is a new Challenge over at the Sweet Lilac Blog....firstly I would like to say a big thank you to all the crafters who entered last months Challenge ...wow, there were some stunning cards ...and well done to the winner...

The new theme is.......Lace and / or Buttons......oh and off course there must be some Sweet Lilac flowers or lace involved too.....

Here is my DT inspiration ...I do hope that you like it...

I have used one of my favourite Clarity Stamp sets...the Corset Montage set..

I stamped the images in VersaFine ink....Vintage Sepia and used Paper Piecing for the corset..

This gorgeous lace is from Sweet Lilac and I used a vintage button from my stash ....

I do love the crisp image that Clarity Stamps give....I added a little colour with watercolour pencils...

To complete the design, I twisted six stems of contrasting flowers so that it gave me a lovely compact border...which I then shaped and glued into place.

If you would like to see the other great projects from my fellow team members just go to..... 

http://sweetlilacflowers.blogspot.co.uk/

Or even better, why not enter the Challenge...there is a brilliant prize to be won each month...

Right I am off to make Karl a Birthday card...last minute or what...

His Birthday is tomorrow!!!!!!!!!

Have a good day and see you soon....Jo. X 

It is a Fussy and Fancy Friday....

Hi all, and welcome to another Fussy and Fancy Friday...

It is a new Challenge on the blog ....and the new theme is......

...............Chocolate.......(mmmmm) 

Now this time the Challenge is staying open for four weeks, so plenty of time for you to join in....and we have a sponsor....Fresh Brewed Designs......

and one lucky winner will get a special Candy Prize......3 digi images of their choice and a fun candy prize....

Here is my DT inspiration ...I do hope that you like it...

I used my Gelli plate to create the design ...I used two Adirondack inks on my Brayer side by side ....Latte and Espresso...and rolled them onto the Gelli plate...

I then placed the Clarity snowflake stencil and then on top of that the circle Aperture stencil...I used a piece of scrap paper and pressed them down...

I then took the paper and stencils away...and used a piece of white card to take a print ....

The beauty of using inks is that there is no rush...you have plenty of time to take a print...you can even use another piece of card and get a second print...slightly paler ..but still really cool...

The sentiment is a Clarity Stamp and I used a VersaFine ink...Vintage Sepia...

Some brown ribbon, card Candi, gems, Stickles glitter glue and metal embellishments and the card was complete...

If you haven't had a play with a Gelli plate....you really are missing out ...they are great fun and produce gorgeous prints...

The other DT members have produced some stunning examples...you can find the here at..... http://fussyandfancychallenge.blogspot.co.uk/

I will leave you now ....I have a good shop to look forward too.....just before I go....yesterday, I thought it was a good idea to defrost the chest freezer...well it was all going to plan until I reached in to dry the bottom of the freezer and yes....you've guessed it ...little old me fell in.....it was like a scene from the Mrs Pepperpot books if anyone else remembers them....there I was, legs waving up in the air....oh I do get in some predicaments......Such Fun!!!

Have a good day....and call back soon...

Hugs....Jo. X 

Our last workshop of 2013.....

Good evening all, you will be reading this on Wednesday ...well, that's if all has gone according to plan. As I am scheduling this post on Tuesday due to the fact that Wednesday I will not be able too.

I can't believe that it's our last workshop of the year, I can honestly say that I have had a brilliant twelve months and enjoyed every minute of it.....and oh, how we've laughed....and hopefully learned some new skills along the way...

Who knows what the new year has in store!!!!!!

Our theme for this workshop is stencils....

This is the first project using the fabulous Treescape stencil from Clarity and Distress inks with the Clarity brushes....oh they are so good to use ....if you haven't tried them ...I do recommend them.

The whole image actually looks embossed ...but it isn't.....

The sentiment....Life is not measured and the dragonfly stamp are also from Clarity...

The second project uses the Sunshine stencil with Spiced Marmalade Distress ink...these Sun rays are gorgeous...

Black Versafine ink a couple of Clarity stamps and card completed....

There are so many ways to use these stencils. They can be embossed through your machines, used with texture paste, simple inking like today or even with Film and Fibre.......a perfect gift for Christmas....

Thanks for looking in today, I do hope all your preparations are going well, I'm off to make some more Christmas cards.....

See you soon,  Jo. X 

Hello Monday

Well here we are again...Monday....how fast does the weekend go????

Although on Saturday afternoon I did spend a couple of hours catching up with some lovely crafty friends....we had tea and cake...oh, and more cake...thanks, Chris, Mark and Mike....(sorry you were not well enough to join us Jane) 

I do think that it is important to make time for friends and family...we all lead such busy lives....it's good to get off the treadmill on occasion ....

So that is why today I have been up to the Lake District and had coffee with my sister and lunch with my Mum and Dad...(and yes, Mum I will post this straight away so that you can read it...lol...) 

I had a wonderful time, even if I did forget one of my Mums presents...oh it's still under the bed!!!!!

Today, I thought I would share some cards made with the Clarity British Isles stamps...they are fabulous...and I am not surprised that they sold really well...

For this first card I used my melt pot and some UTEE....I wasn't sure how it would turn out but I was really pleased with the effect...I put VersaMark and Archival black ink on my stamp before putting it into the hot UTEE which was on my heatproof mat...

I also used clarity stencils and Distress ink  Tumbled Glass in the background...and the Letter Box stamps...

Here is another card using the same stamps....just simple stamping this time, some Glossy Accents and Bakers Twine....

The third card is a very quick card only using the compass stamp from the British Isles set ....the centre part was cut out and attached with a brad so that it could be rotated...

The ship is from the weathervane set...

I do love the way that one stamp can look so different depending on how it's used....

Off now to feed and walk Tess...have a good evening....and thanks for looking in...hugs...Jo. X 

It's me.....

Hello....and yes before you say anything.....I know that I have been quiet all week...I did have every intention of writing a blog post or two.....but then, well things happened.....

Like Mikey telling his work colleagues that I would make some Christmas cards for the Charity sale...

So that was Monday and Tuesday....but I did make 30 and they were all different and had matching inserts and envelopes...

Then I realised that my next lot of magazine samples had to be made and delivered....so that was Wednesday and Thursday...

Before you know it, here we are Friday....

So what you really want is a photo or two...

How about a couple of samples from last weekends Clarity shows....? 

Did you see the TV? I had to record Saturdays classroom as I was at workshops all day in Stockport....but I thoroughly enjoyed it when I got chance to watch it...and then there was Sunday.....

Brilliant shows Barbara, even if Dean was a little tinker!!!!! I think you handled him very well....and you made us all smile too....I'm lucky that I am able to chat with other Clarity lovers via the Clarity Facebook page...it really adds a new dimension to the whole experience ....

I do love the new Chrysanthemum stencil and stamps....for this first card I used white embossing powder to form a resist for the background...then blended my favourite colours of Distress ink....Mustard Seed, Spiced Marmalade and Fired Brick...

The topper was stamped and embossed...I then water coloured it, put some distress ink onto my nonstick mat, added a little water plus some Pearl...Perfect Pearls...that's what gives it a sheen.....

I used ribbon and card Candi to complete the design...

For the second sample, I used the stencil first and used my Distress inks to make the background...I also used the honeycomb inner from the square stencil (the set of four were on the show....I'm really pleased that they sold well because they are so versatile and useful...

The sentiment is from Clarity...'Friends are like flowers' and I think it is perfect for this card...I was so pleased to see that Barbara thought so too....

I do love these stencils there are so many ways you can use them...

Did you see Barbara's blog last week.....? You can use them with film and Fibre....oh and a bit of heat....sounds like a topic for a workshop....

Right I had better go...before I do ...I must just say 'Hello'....to our new follower...118... Oh, how fantastic is that ....I remember when I only had 1!!!!!

Have a Good Friday evening....mine is curling up on the settee with Karl and Tess....

Hugs .....Jo. X 

New Challenge at Clarity...

Good morning and welcome to December......have you opened the first door on your advent Callander yet?

Welcome to a new Challenge over at the Clarity Challenge Blog....

Firstly, congratulations to last months winner who wins a £50 voucher to spend with Clarity....now that's what I call an early Christmas present...

This month the theme is ' Scene Building'.....and here is my interpretation to share with you all....hope you like it....

I decided to create a Clarity plaque for the wall in my craft room....(if only I had a whole craft room...but it does sound better than.....a plaque for my side of the back room!!!!) 

I started by planning my design on scrap paper and drew around a wooden plaque that I had bought a while ago...

I used Clarity stamps.......The old mill and barrow, Poppies, small scarecrow, small hot air balloon and some stamps from the Remountable garden set...

When I was happy with my design, I stamped it onto the wood using Versafine ink- Vintage Sepia....then using my hot Pyrography machine I began to burn the design into the wood....(I do love the smell ...it reminds me of camping as a child) 

I drew the sun free hand added some clouds and some shading....

The good thing is that the design is now permanent.....so the plaque could even be hung up outside....

I love to mix my stamps up and create different scenes....in my head each one has its own little story too.

The other ladies on the Design Team have come up with brilliant inspiration ...why not take a look....go to....

http://claritystampchallenge.blogspot.co.uk/

It would be even better if you submitted a design ....remember a £50 voucher will be won by one of you....

Good luck and enjoy the rest of your Sunday....

Barbara and Clarity on TV for me.....plus walking Tess....oh, and it is another Red Knickers day here.....(wish them luck.) 

Crafty hugs,

Jo. X 

Fussy and Fancy Friday......Hearts...

Good morning to you all, and yeh it's Friday.....plus...a new challenge over at the Fussy and Fancy Friday Challenge Blog....today the theme is....

.................Hearts......

Here is my D.T. Piece, do hope you like it....

I had started with an idea, you know the ones that I get at 3am....well, I had used my Melt Pot and some UTEE...and a cookie cutter to make two hearts...and as I was pondering what to use for my background........

Low and behold my Clarity New Design Club newsletter arrived and with it a brilliant new stencil......oh it was hearts and leaves....(thank you Barbara) 

So I got my Distress inks out.....Dried Marigold, Brushed Corduroy and Fired Brick and began to play...

The words are from the Clarity Remountable Sentiments set, some ribbon and oh...card made...

If you would like to check out the rest of the D.T. Inspiration go to the blog ..

http://fussyandfancychallenge.blogspot.co.uk/

Even better why not enter...it really is good fun....

Just before I go, I need to remind you that Barbara is back on C&C this weekend with the Classroom on Saturday and her shows on Sunday...

I have workshops at C.J. Cardcrafts in Edgeley on Saturday so I have sent a note from my Mum...explaining my absence ...but will set the recorder...

Have a great weekend all....

See you soon

Hugs...Jo. X 

Creative Stamping is out tomorrow....

Good evening all, another day another blog post....

Well tomorrow the latest edition of Creative Stamping is on sale and I have some projects published in it...

A couple use one of the fabulous new stencils from Clarity and these stencils may even feature on the TV this coming weekend....but shhhh, I didn't say a word!!!!

For the tag I used Dylusion sprays and my spray booth...

Hope you manage to pick up a copy.....

Some brilliant articles and ideas...

See you all tomorrow...

Jo. X 

Evening all....

Good evening....a bit later than usual...but it has been a busy day....well...busy week so far.

I've finally got my Clarity samples in the post...phew.....great new stamps and stencils....so remember to watch the Clarity shows this weekend...

Then today was our workshops in Hazel Grove...and as always the lovely crafters make me smile and Marjorie had made us some homemade jam....yum, yum....so Thank you Marjorie....

We also had the usual laugh.....

So picture this.....I sent the ladies an email saying that we were going to be using PanPastels, so please could they bring an applicator tool and spare sock....

And yes.......so they did.....lol.......

Oh I do love you all and so look forward to our workshops....

Back to the cards....this was the first card that we made....(requested by Lucy) and we used Linen card.....we started with a pale blue PanPastel and created the sky....a post it sun/ moon was used....

Then some simple paper tearing and more PanPastel and the snowy hills were created...to make the background blend better it is worth spending a few moments dragging a little colour into the picture from the sides....

This is the bit where we now had choices....what stamps to use and where to place them....

I choose the gorgeous rabbit stamp...only because I wanted to add a cotton wool tail....All the stamping was done with black VersaFine ink and the rabbit was coloured with a brown PanPastel....

The other stamps are from the Remountable Christmas miniature set....another must have...

Stickles was used to add some sparkle....but we didn't add it directly to the work, we put some onto the mat and dabbed it on with our fingers....this is a really good way of adding glitter but in a subtle way....

This is the second card that we made .......and we used a brilliant new die system from Sizzix....the kit contains all the dies to cut out the complete card, all the matt and layers and embellishments....

All you need is some patterned paper....and lets face it we all have some of that.....

Well that's enough from me as it is now 9-50pm.  And yes ladies.....the lucky red knickers worked........yeh......

Thanks for looking in....

See you soon....Jo. X