Birthday card for a handy man

This is what I wanted to post yesterday, Helen made this card for Ian's birthday earlier this year. Sorry Helen, you can run, you can hide, but I'm still showing your card:) No actually Helen happily agreed for me to show you her card.

Helen has used the tool and screw brads, I have added them to our website here. I finally managed to get the photos on the website today. It is still a mystery as to why I could add them at the shop but not from home, umm, odd! There is probably a good reason why, anyway the brads have been available for a while and have been very popular. The good news is that we have some left in stock, the bad news is that Woodware have run out so if you fancy getting some, do order them quickly!!

I've put some close up pictures below.

Also, I wanted to say thank you to everyone who has entered to win the blog candy so far and also for the messages you have left me, much appreciated.

Jill

PS: We've had a lot of people ordering the Stampendous Jumbo Snowman Perfectly Clear set, just wanted to mention that if you are looking for it, we have it in stock here.

Close ups of tool and screw brads

Slight disaster!!

So sorry to anyone who visited our website this afternoon and found no pictures, I had a ummmm SLIGHT disaster today, I was deleting old pictures from our website files and all was going well until I decided to multi-task something else at the same time.

I obviously didn't notice as I did it but when I went to delete the next file I realised that I had deleted ALL the photo's from our website, thousands of them that have taken years to put there!! Thanks to the help of a great tech support team they are now restored, PHEW!! Thank goodness for backups! Let that be a warning.... when did you last do a backup? I didn't 'fess up to tech support that as it is my day off, I was also ironing at the time of the mishap! Wouldn't do to let the men know about that, but I bet they suspected something like that had happened!

Thank you to the ladies who placed orders this afternoon anyway, it must have been like shopping in the dark!

Yesterday's post here didn't go much better either, I intended to add something to the website and tell you about it but it didn't work, hence me meddling about today trying to make more space on there for new stuff. I guess it wasn't that as it is still not working for me!! Anyway, I shall save all that for another time.

I've decided to post more photos taken of the flowers Kay sent me for my birthday, just to cheer the page up and also seemed relevant after being annoyed about something I read earlier. With all the hassle of the pictures, I didn't get round to publishing the other thing I was going to mention yesterday, but it is there now, it's about Julies Open Window blog candy. I follow Julie's blog and read earlier that she has had some terrible news today about where she lives, if you visit her blog you will read about something that really shouldn't be allowed, all for the sake of another road that'll have a knock on effect on nature. If you visit, you'll see why I picked a sunflower.

Anyway, you may wish to follow Julie's blog too, she is planning lots of fun things there. She had her own stamp store in the US for years, and is very talented!

Jill

PS: I know that the main photo needs rotating, sorry but I'm photo problemed out for today so it'll have to stay that way round!

Julie's Open Window Blog Candy

Pop over to Julie's Open Window for a chance to win some great candy, although based in the US, Julie is offering the prize internationally. Julie's blog is fairly new but growing very quickly and she has lots planned for the future, so worth keeping an eye on!

French Country Funky Flowers

I hope you are having a nice weekend, or should I say had, as it is nearly over as I post this.

This was a quickish card to make using Kay's Funky Flowers and Fancy Flourish stamps. I coloured the main image using French Country Starburst Stains, the same set as the giveaway. I misted the pre-printed background paper before stamping the flourishes over the top. I also stamped them on the yellow mount. The wording is from the flourish stamp sheet. Yellow and white brads plus a little white yarn are used as embellishments.

Another mini puzzle

Here's another of those mini puzzles, 180 tiny pieces in the packet, with no picture to follow.

This one was made up by Anne who spent hours on it, yes it would have been much quicker if there was a picture to follow, anyway Anne said she enjoyed the challenge. Thanks for sending the photo to me Anne. Anne said you may find it useful to know that the exact finished size is 9.5 x 14.5 centimetres.

As I mentioned before when Jill M and Brenda put theirs together, you can use the pieces as individual embellishments or make up the complete puzzle and add it to a card as it is with a greeting or, if you want to take it further, alter it by painting and stamping your own image. I have painted pieces with the Ranger Acrylic Dabber Paints, they work well on the surface albeit a little fiddly when painting the individual pieces, but what fun would it be if we didn't get our hands messy!!

The packs can be found here on our website, they are £1.95. As there are no pictures on the packs we can't be certain of sending particular designs but Anne asked us to pick out 4 different ones and hopefully we have. If you order more than one pack then that is what we will try to do.

I also thought they would make ideal Christmas cracker/stocking fillers, I reckon they will keep someone happy for a few hours on Christmas day when all the repeat films are on the telly!!

Icicle Creek card from Margaret

I received this card in the post yesterday. Margaret has made this card following a visit to the shop when I showed her the Starburst Stains. I was so pleased to hear that she is enjoying using them and has sent me this card she made with the Icicle Creek set. It is a really lovely card when seen in real life, my photo doesn't do it justice at all (it still looks dark even though I lightened it alot), also it needs to be seen to really appreciate the shimmer Margaret has on the card and how great the overall effect is. Thank you Margaret, we'll pop your card on the wall in the shop so people can see it when they visit.

My birthday card from Kay

Kay sent me this beautiful card for my recent birthday. It is a large 8" x 8" square card and Kay has stamped onto the pre-printed background paper with her Fancy Flourishes stamps using a pesto green ink for some flourishes and embossing others with what I think to be crystal embossing powder. You won't see the glitter in the photo but it is there adding a very subtle twinkle, nice Kay!! The design is beautifully coloured with Copic markers. Thank you Kay it is so lovely. To see more of Kay's cards, do visit her blog by clicking here.

Shrink Plastic Funky Flowers card

I'm still enjoying using Kay's new stamp sheets, here is another I made recently.

I sanded and coloured translucent shrink plastic using a Brilliance lavender ink pad. I put the ink pad directly onto the shrink plastic (direct to paper style) making random blobs all over. I then worked the ink over the whole sheet lifting some away to leave it fairly pale. As the shade will intensify when shrunk, it needs to be very pale.

I stamped the design using Stazon black ink and then painted the flower with the Brilliance ink that I had pressed onto my non stick sheet, and a detail paint brush. I also used coloured pencils for the leaves, then heated the piece with my heat gun to shrink. Use wooden dowling, or lolly sticks to hold it down as shrink plastic doesn't stick to wood and it is also less likely to spoil the plastic than using tweezers (that can also get very hot). When it looks like it won't shrink anymore, splat it with the back something solid that won't spoil such as an acrylic block. This will give a nice flat finish. If you call into the shop you may see this card, the photo shows the piece quite dark but it is a lot lighter in real life.

I punched out a flower and made 2 holes in it to make it into a button. I shrank the piece completely and while still really hot, I stamped one of Kay's flourish stamps into it with black Stazon ink and attached the ribbon when it was cool. Oh, nearly forgot to mention that I reheated the flower a little after stamping, just enough to make it curl upward to give it dimension.

I stamped over the pre-printed dragonfly background paper with the Brilliance ink pad, then stamped over again randomly with the black Stazon.

I added mauve brads to the corners and added some Magenta mesh style ribbon that I attached to the back before mounting onto a square base card.

I used silicone glue to attach the shrink plastic to the card.

I'll add appropriate words to the card before sending.

Birthday Flowers

I'm back home and hopefully back to blogging again. I've had a great time away, a really special time with my family.

I received lovely cards and pressies for my birthday, and today's photo shows flowers sent to me from Kay that arrived yesterday. Really summery colours. Thank you Kay!!

I have taken some photos of them, yes, I can take photos again so hopefully my posts will be adorned without having to keep asking Debbie to take them for me. Thanks so much for helping me out with them Debbie.

Watch for new products on the website now too.

I'll post a new blog candy giveaway very soon, I hope you will all join in again.

Thanks for visiting

Jill

PS: It was nice chatting to you today Anne!

A quick hello

Just a quick hello, I went away on Friday and didn't get a chance to blog before I left. I had hoped to be able to use my computer while here visiting my family but of course, it wasn't playing and I couldn't get online. I'm borrowing a computer for a little while so am able to post a little note.

It's been a lovely few days away, the first time in years that I have spent time with my family on my birthday, they laid on a yummy chinese, and all the birthday trimmings including an chocolate birthday cake with candles.

Will be back on Wednesday so will post then.

Thank you for the comments left, sorry it's been delayed adding them here.

Jill

Paperwork or Play?

I've had a lovely day, a lady asked yesterday if she could call back today and have a play with the Starburst Stains and Moonshadow inks with me so what am I do? Do paperwork or say yes and play? So we played. It was arranged that her husband would go for a walk and come back in a couple of hours. It was only afterwards I realised that the lady had told me yesterday when she first arrived that it was her birthday the next day, and duh, I didn't remember until this evening!! So a belated happy birthday to you!

After we started splishing and sploshing another couple arrived who were also on holiday, and we sort of highjacked the lady from her husband! She really wanted to join in so after playing for a while they went for lunch and she came back later to play and shop while her husband went sightseeing alone. Two good husbands there! The ladies are up and running with some techniques now.

Hilary (a regular customer) came this morning with yarns she no longer wanted and asked if I'd like some, ummm, would I? She had 2 bin bags full, you should have seen the look on Ian's face when he caught me delving to the depths of a bag to make my selection. He shook his head muttering something about giving up... I am supposed to be having a clearout myself at home, I am such a horder of stuff, I just like adopting things, mainly crafting things or things I can use for it, I have no hope of ever living minimalistically.

Anyway, I sorted the ones I wanted into sets, as you do, and came up with a perfect combination of all the colours in my favourite French Country Starburst Stains set. I think I'm getting a bit too obsessed about this set now.

Hilary dropped the rest of the yarns off at a charity shop so a good time for anyone who wants yarn in the Skipton area at the moment.

Yesterday we had an unexpected visit from a gentleman customer who we haven't seen for 5 years as he's been through a bad time healthwise. Norman first shopped with us when we had just moved into our old shop about 17/18 years ago. I wonder if anyone out there remembers Norman attending our demonstration days, it was lovely reminising with him over a cup of tea.

Today's photos are of the dark pieces of stained card that I ran through the Cuttlebug with the swirl folder. I then sanded the embossing so the pattern pops out giving a distressed effect.

Jill

Is anyone still visiting?

Sorry I haven't blogged for a while, what with our holiday and one thing and another I've been AWOL. Thank you for the messages you left while I was away, they are much appreciated.

I made this gatefold card on Saturday, using some of the backgrounds I'd made with the French Country Starburst Stains. I ran the piece through my Cuttlebug in the Swizz Dots folder, then sanded it to allow the dots to appear white, a very satisfying technique! I detail painted the flower image with the French Country stains to match. The flower image is of course one from Kay Carley's new stamp sheets. I seem to using them for everything at the moment, I absolutely LOVE using them.

Followers of Kay's blog will know that she now has a winner for the blog candy, congratulations to Cathy, lucky you. I have been using Kay's swirl stamp set and they too are lovely to use. I will show another card that I used with the swirls another day.

My camera is still broken, and Debbie is on holiday, (probably glad for a break from taking my photos for me I'm sure), so I'm using my mobile at the moment so expect some naff photo's for a while. It's my birthday at the weekend so I'm hoping the camera problem may be solved!

Now that Kay's blog candy has finished I will be starting a new blog candy giveaway as soon as I have decided what to offer and have a photo of it, so please call back.

Jill