Another fabulous day

Good evening all and thanks for popping in this Sunday evening...I do hope you have had a lovely weekend.

Today started with Karl and me taking Tess and Eric out for a long walk , then it was home for breakfast.

It has been a day of catching up with washing, ironing, gardening and emails...

Yesterday it was our monthly workshops at CJ CardCrafts in Edgeley, Cheshire, and it was a really fun day,

Glynis had a Summer Event planned and we stated our class by blowing up balloons.... Honestly you had to be there to see the balloon blowing skills of some of the crafters!!!!

Our morning workshop was an inky class where we used one of my favourite stencils...the Leaf wreath stencil...

Some ink blending....

And some masking with drawing gum,,,fab technique ...

It was great to catch up with the regular ladies and also fab to have Paul join us...I did try and behave,,,,well for five minutes,,..

Our afternoon was a Groovi one...using the plate...Frilly circle friend...

I do love this plate , it has so many possibilities...

 

A bit of glitter for Christmas...

Now as you know I am quite new to the world of Parchment...but it is great to lean a new craft and then to pass it on to other crafters.

You see we have all been beginners at some stage,,,and I do feel as a tutor it is important to remember what it is like to be new to things, techniques, etc.. It helps me be a better, more patient and understanding teacher...

So I am busy practicing my snipping....and yes I do mean practing..

Today one of my jobs on the list was to make a Brithday card for a very special lady...Nanny win,,,it will be her 92nd Birthday...( and don't worry , she doesn't read my blog )

So I thought I would carry on and make a card using part of the design from yesterday's Class...

Just don't look to close at the snipping....like I say I am practicing...I just keep telling myself that practice makes perfect.....

Before I go , I just need to remind you that if you pop over to the Clarity website there is a brilliant Sale on Pergamano tools and some Groovi plates

http://www.claritystamp.co.uk

Fill your boots.....

Right , I had better go...time for some food, a shower, then catch up with some tv...

Another busy week ahead...

Much love and hugs

Jo. xxxx

 

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Poppies or Sweet peas.

Good evening all and thanks for joining me...I am a bit late but it has been another very busy day.

I hope you are relaxing by now,,,as soon as I have finished chatting , I am off for a shower and then some catch up tv with Karl.

On Wednesday it was our regular classes in Hazel Grove, and we had a play with the wonderful poppy stamp from Clarity...

We used distress inks and blended some backgrounds, then did stamping with water to create a ghost image,,,such a fun technique...do remember that the stamp shouldn't be over wet.

We also did some watercolour painting with Distress inks,

Now it was at this point that some of the poppies looked like sweet peas..

Especially the pale pink and blue ones.

We also did some paper piecing...

I must say...note to self....watercolour painting and cutting out means a very quiet class....and yes....

Even with these lovely ladies.

Mmmm...maybe we will do more of it...lol..

Take care all.

Much love and hugs

Jo. xxxx

 

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Fun in the sun...

Good afternoon all, I do hope that your week has started well.

I had a meeting this morning , then it has been an afternoon of crafting, I just need to chat to you for a few minutes, cook some food, walk the dogs then I may just get chance to catch up with the Clarity shows from today...I am really looking forward to seeing them and the fab demonstrations from Barbara and Paul.

As you know Saturday was our Clarity Anglesey workshop, we had a few ladies who were on holiday...lucky people...so it was extra cake for yours truly....

We did have a couple of new members who came to play...it is always great to meet and craft with new crafters.

We started off with some spotlighting...

Followed by some ink blending....

These are the pieces of art work for our bags, some of the ladies needed lunch to decide what they wanted to stamp to personalise them.

After lunch we did some blending with the Clarity stencil brushes

Then it was tea and cake ( thanks Julie ) followed by a quick tag to finish..

We were a but distracted as the local football team kicked off their season at 2-30....

I did wonder outside for a little look....purely for research you understand......

It was so good to catch up with my lovely Welsh friends, and as you can see the sun came out to play too...

On Sunday we drove home and had a little detour....to a lovely coastal beech...

Even Tess got her feet wet ,

The views were breathtaking...

And the ice creams were rather good too.....

All that fresh air....we all slept very well last night...

Better get on...

Have a lovely evening...

Much love and hugs

Jo. xxxx

 

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August workshops...

Morning all...

Happy Friday to you , I hope you have a great day and a wonderful weekend...

It is a beautiful sunny morning here in Cheshire , so Karl, Tess, Eric and me have had a most wonderful early long walk....I do love the silence, and stillness of early mornings....the day ahead holds so many possibilities.......

So I decided to walk around my garden and just snap some quick happy photos on my iPad....

I do love my garden....

Whoops....sorry...so does Eric....see ...how he smiles....

He does make me laugh....Tess was in her bed fast asleep at this point...

I have a tiny , hidden pond, full of frogs....and yes...I do love my frogs...( sorry Mum,,,I know you don't like them )

My heron guards them ....

Better get a move on....lots to do before we set off to Anglesey....

Here are some dates for this month....

August workshops.

 

Jo Rice- jrcrafts28@gmail.com

 

 

Saturday 6th August - Clarity Anglesey, Bodedern, N. Wales.

Wednesday 10th August - Hazel Grove, Cheshire

Saturday 13th August - CJ CardCrafts, Edgeley, Stockport

Tuesday 16th August - Mixed Media at CJ CardCrafts

Saturday 20th August - Demo Day, Grosvenor House Papers , Kendal, Cumbria

Wednesday 24th August - Hazel Grove, Cheshire

Saturday 27th August - Clarity Cumbria, Lindale, Cumbria...

 

And relax.....

 

Take care all

 

Much love and hugs...

 

Jo. xxxxx

 

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Another road trip

Good afternoon everyone...and thanks for popping in again...I really appreciate your little visits...

I have had a busy day getting ready for Saturday's Clarity Anglesey workshop...I love going to North Wales..

We are hoping to set off tomorrow morning and just take it easy, the scenery is fabulous...

I am so looking forward to another crafty day with friends...

And hopefully the weather will be kind to use too..

Today I thought I would share some Groovi samples with you....as you know I am still learning , but the beauty of the Groovi system is that you can do as many parchment techniques as you wish...so it really is great for all ages and all abilities...

I love the new plates designed by the lovely Tina Cox,

And the light panel makes using them so much easier to use ...( which is good for me!!!)

Our Barbara is back on our screens this Sunday and Monday....you will really love the new products...

Monday is all about colouring....and Sunday is going to be a Groovi day...

I have a sneak peek to show you...

But I think it is pants....!!!!!!! lol....all will be revealed .....l!!!!

Thanks Linda Williams more fantastic new plates....

I will have to record the shows as we will be driving back from Wales....but I am really looking forward to catching up on them with a coffee and a piece of cake....

Enjoy your evening...and yes Mum ...I will phone you later..

Take care all.

Much love and hugs.

Jo. xxx

 

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August already..

Good evening everyone, do hope that your week has started well.. I really can't believe that we are in August already...oh my goodness...it really will soon be Christmas!!!

I have had a lovely couple of days making samples for Barbara who is back on Hochanda on Sunday and Monday , and once again you are going to love what she is bringing..

My samples are safely in the post , fingers crossed that they arrive in one piece...

 

I realised that I still have a sample from the previous show to share with you...

So here goes...

I started with a piece of Stencil card...attached the stencil with a hinge of tape , and using the large moon mask. I added the sun..

Followed by the sky

Look

Then some land

 

Some scenery, and some figures.

At this stage I must admit it took me a while to decide whether to leave the stencil outline white, or use a fine liner pen...

In the end , I went for the fine liner pen....

Some matting and layering...and a word from the word chains...

Pride....well it just had to be...

Speaking of pride...

I had a lovely treat at the weekend when Karl took me out for a meal and the boys had organised a bottle of Prosecco for us as a surprise....

I just thought I would share the words that they wrote in our card.

 

You are the parents that all kids hope to have,

You are the couple that all lovers hope to be,

And you both are the pillars of support that every family wishes it had...

 

And yes , when I read them , I had tears in my eyes...thanks Adam and Mikey....xx

Have a lovely evening all

Much love and hugs.

Jo. xxx

 

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A Walk in the Garden.

Good morning all, and here we are , Friday morning....yah ....we made it....

Yesterday I had the most wonderful day at the Paper Warehouse in Kendal, we had a full day of Clarity play.....making two cards, a jigsaw and a piece of bag art...

It was a jam packed workshop but we did stop for a lovely lunch, thanks Janet...

If you get chance due visit the shop it is really well stocked and has a huge range of crafting accessories...and off course lots of card and paper..

I always come away with a boot full of purchases.....

Today it is a new challenge over at the Fussy and Fancy Blog...

Our new theme is

A Walk in the Garden

And here is my DT piece

We have the lovely and talented Diane as our host ,

Plus the winner will receive a

Noor Designs Gift Vouvher

I do hope you will pop over to the log and check out the wonderful inspiration from my lovely fussy and fancy friends...

http://fussyandfancychallenge.blogspot.co.uk

 

My design started with a piece of stencil card and the Clarity leaf wreath stencil

I had an idea about colour blending in my head...you all know how I love to blend colours...

So , I started with Mustard Seed and blended a section...again ....I had a rough idea of how large an area I needed for each colour

Next came Spiced Marmalade....( remember ladies to blend the section where the two colours meet )

Then on to Abandoned Coral , and Candid Apple

Then bringing up the rear Ground Espresso and Fossilised Amber to bring it all together and fill in the gap...

See where I was heading , a full circle of colours that blend...

I was so happy with the way this turned out , it was just as I imagined it....now that doesn't happen often...

I must warn you , I do love this and I think I will be using it again and again...

Using the same Distress ink colours , I stamped some Clarity butterflies,

And a perfect Clarity sentiment

Some matting and layering

Some card assembly

Then it was the finishing touches of the butterflies and some paper flowers from Sweet Lilac .

I do love these colour tones....

Hope you like them too...

I must dash as I have a long list of jobs to get through today....I say jobs,,,.some of them involve,,,colouring.....mmmmm I wonder what they can be for?????

Have a wonderful day...and a wonderful weekend...

I actually have tomorrow off work...it is our Wedding Anniversary ...

Karl and me will have been married for 28 years....

And I love him more now than ever , he really is my best friend, companion, lover and number one....

Those of you that have met him at workshops will understand why I feel like this...

As I hate having my photo taken , this is the only one I could find of us both....it was earlier this year at my nieces wedding....

Take care all,

Much love and hugs...

Jo. xxxx

 

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