Ranger Workshop and more classes...

I taught a class on Saturday which was very much inspired from a class I did at CHA in January with Tim Holtz. Because some of the products have not yet hit the shops, I improvised and used some Artistic Stamper stamps, and used products already available.
It was a fun class, and I love how everyone did their own thing!
Here are some pictures....

 

Can you guess the original creation from Tim's class, and my interpretation of it?

If you fancy a class which has been inspired by my CHA experience, I am teaching a lettering for your journal class this Saturday , very much influenced by Joanne Sharpe.

You can find all of our classes here

Have a creative day
{hugs}

UKS Blog Hop- Marvellous Marbling with Dylusions

 

Welcome to the UK Scrappers blog hop, and if you have started at the beginning, then you will have come to me via Angelfish
I wanted to show you a great technique that I have developed using Dylusions Ink Sprays. I was looking for a way to make end papers for an altered book class some time ago, and stumbled upon the technique of marbling using paints and water. I wondered if you could use it with Dylusions Sprays, and discovered that you could!
I used the darkest of the colours as the sprays are formulated to react with water, so they do fade, and the darker the colour the better the marbling. Take 2 or 3 colours and use a plastic or metal tray ( I ended up using one of those Ikea plastic drawers that fit in their wooden units- perfect size!)

Sprays, water and tray

 I filled the tray up with enough water to cover the bottom, and literally sprayed the colours into the water in patches. The action makes them swirl about, but you can stir them with a stick if you like.

Spray into the water

 

You need to use an absorbent paper. I would test it first. I actually used some Scrapbook Sally Paper that I had rather a lot of, but did also use Bazill Basics and that worked fine. Put the piece of paper on top of the colours in the water and allow it to soak in.. don't drown it, and don't move it either!

the colours will move about on their own but use a stick if you need to.

Lay paper gently into the water. allow time to soak up colour

Once you can see the water coming up around the edges of the paper, lift gently out and lay on some kitchen towel to dry. Depending on your paper the drying can vary from an hour to much longer. You can add more sprays as you go along, but you will  only get about 3 or 4 papers out of the water before it goes muddy and will need changing.

 

Lift out paper and lay on kitchen towel to dry

 

 

A selection of marvellous marbling!

Be warned as the sprays are water soluble, the colour fades as it dries on the paper, but you get some great marbling effects.

brighter colours!

Finished brighter colours.

I do hope you try this very simple but effective technique.
To continue on your UKS hop you need to go to Beanpole. if you get lost then just check into UKS here.
Don't forget to comment and leave your UKS name too :)

Happy Blog Hopping

Tagging with Tim Holtz!

Part of this week was spent up in Coventry to do a Ranger retailer workshop with Tim Holtz (master of Distress) and Dyan Reaveley (girl with a journal or two...or three!!)  Organised by Personal Impressions, the day was full of tags and techniques and friends!

 

We spent the day learning new and old techniques, all of which I will demonstrate in the shop or at my workshops.. My mind is definitely a'buzzing!
One of the highlights of my trip was seeing old friends, having lunch with Kate, and catching up, as you do :)  meeting new ones, and I had a great evening amongst some wonderful people.. Brenda, Jenny, Annie, Rita and Chris. We laughed and then we laughed some more... my sides ached from laughing.. a great tonic! Thank you girls ....

 

Here are a few pictures from the day... sadly none of my new friends as muggins here didn't notice her camera was switched on and the battery drained just as we started the workshop!! Doh! Had to use my phone, which is ok, but not marvellous :(

 

Have a very creative day
Hugs

Loving these metallics!

I just love it when new products hit the shelves! These brand new Metallic Distress stains are a definite must have! We have them in the shop, and on the website, and of course I just had to try them out :) What girl could say no?!
I did my favourite technique with them, and just splatted them onto a tag, added them to stamps from the Ephemera set, and a few of the Idea-ology mini cogs, and because they are splats they go just perfectly with our Creative Team challenge this month too!
See I have "checked", "fitted", and made sure they were "original" for you!!!
Check out the photo, as the craft Tag behind are the size #10 and the JUMBO tag is a Manila tag size #12...they are humongous!!!

If you want to see what else arrived from Ranger check out our new products page.
Hope you have a creative evening
Hugs

Sticking to Simple

The urge to get out the inks and make a mess, always takes me when I am most busy, but the call of the new Summer Distress inks, and this simple glue technique from Kaz at the Little Shabby Shed, was too good an opportunity to pass. The technique is simple, and I changed it slightly to adding distress ink (dry it well), before using the glue and using a couple of background stamps from The Artistic Stamper, plus one of my favourite Willeez from USArtQuest... all ATC's should have a gecko on them by law!! LOL

Do try out the technique, Kaz has made a great  video to show you how :))
All the products I used are at the bottom of the blogpost...loving that I can now use Inlinkz to give you direct access to the webpages :))
Have a very creative day
Hugs

InLinkz.com

Birthday Bonanza Card & Candy!

Today is my birthday! I am very lucky to share it with Tim Holtz and another very talented friend of mine, Tracy!  January babies are the best!
The question is how I could celebrate all our birthdays in one? Linda from Grungy Monday Challenge solved my problem for me earlier this week, by setting a challenge that was to make Tim a birthday card. How could I refuse? So here is my card, which is a tag cut down, linked to another to form the card and Stampers Anonymoused, Rangered, Idea-ologied, and Sizzixed to honour Tim. Thank you Linda for the challenge, loved that it happened to be my birthday too :))

As you know I love any excuse to celebrate, so here is my birthday celebration for you... a whopping , mega bunch of candy!!

 Just comment here and if you would like another chance comment over on the Creative Team blog, and add me to your sidebar too....entirely up to  you.
I will post anywhere in the world,and will pick the lucky winner next Saturday..
Happy Birthday to Tim, and to everyone else who celebrates their birthday today
Hugs

Blog candy Winner!

I have to say I almost forgot to draw this winner, as I am busy designing new stamps, and a new product too!  Watch this space next week for sneak peeks, and more candy! lol Have you seen all the new Tim Holtz goodies, and all the Ranger goodness...white alcohol ink, black and Kraft tags, white distress stain, and ALL the colours in distress stains! Be still my beating heart!! lolThey wil be on order for you to buy soon on the website!

Back to the matter in hand, and a BIG drum roll please for the winner of these goodies!

ROSEMARY!!

Congratulations, and please email me your snail mail address, so I can send you the candy!



Back now to my computer and the new stamps....
Have a very Creative day!
Hugs

I'm back!

I have been, I have gone, and I conquered! ok, I got a little muddy, a little wet, a little sunburned, heard an amazing amount of music, and had a thoroughly wonderful time at Glastonbury music festival! :)))) I truly haven't lost my mojo, but I think he took a little longer holiday than me, and seems to be languishing on his own out in the wilderness, having a pina colada or two!
But I did manage a couple of tags for you that are two of the techniques we will be doing next Saturday at Pickleberry Papercrafts , if you fancy a few happy hours, learning how to use all ( I do mean all! ) of Ranger's Adirondack range. This includes Alcohol inks, pigments inks, dye inks, color wash and dabbers! A thoroughly technique based full workshop.

To book contact Kate at Pickleberry or book online!
I had the wonderful pleasure of a surprise visit from my daughter today, so am off to spend some time with her!
Have a creative weekend
 

Fossilized wings

How do you dream up your ideas? I think while driving on my own...no one to talk to you or ask you silly questions, so my mind focuses on ideas either for workshops or a piece of artwork or in this case the use of a product. I love using the meltpot, and have wanted to incorporate the Ranger memory capsules into something for a while, but hadn't quite worked out what. I hit up the idea of using them to hold an object while pouring clear utee into them. I wasn't sure if it would work, and might melt the plastic. Somewhere in my vast collection of *things* I have some tiny tiny black ants, but can I find them.. not a hope!, so I have used some tiny winged charms instead, just perfect for this week's Lots to Do challenge, birds and wings.
I soldered another ring onto 2 of the frames to get them to join together, and covered three of the frames in "goop" or Inka Gold cream in Rose colour, and using one each of the Memory glass covered this in Tissue Tape Traveller from Tim, and distressed inked it in Victorian Velvet.  Then I put the charm into the capsule, and covered very gently and slowly with clear utee. The utee does go a bit yellow if overheated, but I wasn't too worried about this as it adds to the fossil effect.  Don't overfill as it is very difficult to get out, should you wish to. Leave to harden completely, and you will be able to pull it out if you wish to, making a complete piece to use on a card etc. I left mine in the capsule, and layered it with the glass, and put it into the frame. You can use some of the packaging too from the idea-ology, but be careful, as I have had some melt when you put the utee into it!
Join them all together, and add a little bit of ribbon, and a Vintaj butterfly charm to the bottom loop.

Thank you girls for the challenge.
Happy Creating!