Design team make...Time to Dream

Hello everyone...Genny here. I'm sorry that I didn't manage to post last week..I was so ill and feeling very sorry for myself..lol. but I'm back on form now and looking forward to getting my head down into some serious crafting.

For this weeks make I have decided to make a home decor item. I'm seeing so many wonderful items that you are possible to make as little art features in your home. I decided to make a plaque for my bedroom.All the items that I've used are available from Julie here at JB-Crafting Supplies. There are lots of different types of plaque out there...I decided to use this mdf one. I first painted it using a mixture of a pale pink and then a pale lilac acrylic paint. Whilst that was drying I stamped out the flowers. They are from a Sheena Douglas stamp which features the cherry blossom. I stamped out a number of the branches and then stamped out a number of the single flower. I coloured them all with my promarkers, and then cut them out. It was quite a job but I loved doing it. Sometimes there is nothing better than doing some cutting whilst watching a little tv. I found it to be a lovely evening. I then attached them around the edge of the plaque, adding some pearls and jewels amongst them. I then in pencil drew out the word dream and coloured it with a toning promarker. All I have left to do is to add a ribbon hanger and also to varnish it. I will use a spray varnish, just to give it a little protection. I will be hanging it in my bedroom.

On thinking about where I could put a plaque I thought about how lovely it would be to put in a spare bedroom. And also what a lovely gift it would make. You could change the colour way depending who or where it is destined for. If you have children or grandchildren, it would be a great gift for their bedrooms.

I will be back tomorrow with a matching item..using the same techniques..just another idea on the same lines. I hope that the weather is being kind to you where ever you are...we have had some spectacular thunder and lightening here in the mountains. So until tomorrow..take care and happy crafting.

Design team make using a Stampendous Stamp

Hello everyone...Genny herewith my design team make for JB-Crafting Supplies. I was lucky enough to e able to work with this fabulous stamp from the Stampendous range. I made this simple card this week to send to a friend of mine who just adores shoes. I stamped the image and simply matted and layered it onto some patterned mirri and some plain black. I then just added the silver bow. It was a great stamp to work with as all the detail stamps so cleanly. The actual amount that they have managed to get onto one stamp is amazing. When you find a stamp company whose stamps work well every time..gives you confidence to use them again and again. And it like that for me with Stampendous stamps. They also have the license to work with all the house mouse range...a range which you must know by now, I love.

For next weeks make, I will show how this stamp can be used alongside a vintage make. The same stamp but used in a totally different way. Oh and to answer a question that was sent to me...for most of my stamping I use a memento inkpad..normally in tuxedo black. That's so I can use my alcohol pens to colour onto it if I want to. I use a Versomark for embossing and a Stazon for stamping onto acetate and glass. For inking backgrounds and for stencil work, I tend to use the Tim Holtz Distress range. There are many different types of inkpad out there but once I've found something that works for me, I tend to stick to it. One more that I have remembered is that I use a Versafine in black if I intend to watercolour. I hope that helps..and as I've said if you have any questions..just ask.

So until next week..I hope that the weather is kind to you all...so until then ..take care and happy crafting.

Design team make...Another Tag..Another Tale

 Hello everyone...Genny here again.For this weeks make I decided to make another tag. This one continues the story of my Grandmother. I so enjoyed making last weeks, that I decided to do another. I began by covering the tag itself with some more of the beautiful paper from the set brought to us by Craftwork cards..the shabby vintage range. Both the tags and the papers are available from Julie here at JB crafting Supplies. To to be the basis of the tag I stamped this old english prayer which was from my stash but very much was the way that my Grandmother lived her life. No matter how busy she was, she always made time for her friends.

I can always remember when they got together to put the world to rights..lol. I remember the scents that they wore and their pretty dresses. Quite often when they got together they brought their sewing along and you would see their needles flashing as they chattered and laughed. That gave me the idea of the pansies. They are from a rubber stamp set by Joanna Sheen called embroidered flowers. The whole sheet of stamps reminds me of all the table cloths,chair backs and tray cloths that they spent many hours on. I am lucky enough to have many of the pieces myself and have sewn some myself to add to the collection. So in thinking of these, I stamped out the pansies and the leaves and coloured them with my promarkers, cut them out and used them to edge the prayer. For the base of the tag I used some lace stamps from my stash, then coloured them to match and then added them to the tag. Finally I added a bow and a butterfly and dragonfly.

Now as I look at the tag, I see the ladies with their sewing in my minds eye, their sewing on their laps, the laughter of their stories and as fanciful as it may seem, am transported back to a happy place. This is one of the fantastic things about tag art..it doesn't too long and you can build your own story or a simple memory...whatever you like. I even fancy having a go at one featuring one of my cats..I may do that one over the next couple of weeks.

Next week I will be working with another wonderful stamp from the Stampendous range. Julie has a wonderful collection of stamps in the range of crafting goodies she has instore.If you ever have any questions about anything that I have made..please just get in touch via Julies facebook page and I will be more than happy to get back to you. So until next week...take care and happy crafting.