Christmas Trees

Today I'm revisiting some samples made for Clarity Take 2 with Maria Simms.
For the first design I made a distressed background using distress inkpads, Antique Linen, Old Paper and Tea Dye.
I stamped the images with Black Archival and then using masks I randomly sponged some pearlescent and gold embossing paste over the design.
I coloured the Carol Music with Rec Distress Ink Pens and glazed with Glossy Accents.
A couple of gems, ribbon and layering and job done.
The second card uses linen texture cardstock with a background covering of pan pastel, Magenta Shade then the trees and stars stamped in a mix of Purple Twilight and Eggplant Adirondacks.
Dots of Star Dust Stickles, gems, ribbon and layering and another finished card.
I hope you like these two very different styles and apologies for the very poor images, in my haste to post them off I hadn't checked the quality of the photo's!
Whatever you're doing I hope you have a good weekend and I'll try and blog some more this weekend too...xKx

Oh, the sight of Duck and Drake...

I don't think I'm alone when it comes to struggling with male themed cards.
So having just recently purchased some of the new Metallic Pan Pastels I decided to have a play and try a design for my Father in Laws birthday.
I used a dark blue card and embossed it with the Clarity 7 x 7 Treescape stencil.
I then used Permanent Red Pans and a mixture of  Bronze, Copper, Rich Copper and Pewter Metallic colours over the design to try and accentuate the embossing.
The thing that has really impressed me with the Metallic colours is the effect when used with a Versamark pad as I've done with the Ducks and the Quote.
 I then drew lines around the edges with a ruler and Versamark pen to give the gilded finish there too.
A quick spray of fixative seals the product.
A bit of layering up and some dots of Enamel Accents and job done!
I'm rather liking these and think a few more male cards will be created with them.
Hope you like this idea, I'm happy with the result.

Craft Stamper October edition - Alice in Wonderland Clock

This is the design I created using an MDF teapot clock face featuring all Clarity Stamps and I'm absolutely thrilled that it is featured in the latest edition of Craft Stamper magazine.

Silver Anniversary card

I was asked for a 25th anniversary card and using one of my favourite Clarity stamps, Leafy Swirl       I came up with this. I've added the flower and pearly hearts from Sweet Lilac Flowers
Hope you like it, I'm off to do a commission birthday card now...xKx

Laminated Lily

I absolutely love the Wrought Iron Dog and created this little scene with him and Lily, perhaps walking through the park.
After layering up the the laminated card onto shimmery purple card I added the white punched butterflies as a contrast to the vibrant colour.
Here are two photo's I added the bubbles to the second photo using photo editing for a bit of fun, I thought they were a nice addition...xKx

Laminated clock

I just love the laminating technique we learnt at Cowden and that Barbara demo'd on C&C and
have lots of ideas in the pipeline for clocks using this since trying this first one out as a tester.
It simply uses the Wrought Iron Kite stamp for the design which fitted perfectly for the clock face.
Hope you like it...xKx

All that Jazz!

How cool are these stamps!
Good idea for Father's Day if you're still needing inspiration...
I decided to keep simple in monochrome for these as time was pressing on to complete my monthly samples.
The first sample uses the image stamped three times in a row and I mounted onto black card which I had embossed with diagonal lines using my Hougie board.
Unfortunately this doesn't really show in the photo, I finished with three silver card candy.
The second card shows the diagonal embossing much clearer and I liked the effect it gave with these stamps.
All very simple and nice and quick.
Hope you like them and I'll be back later to share some more...xKx

Dolls House

I can't believe it's Wed already, where does the time go!
So it's about time I started blogging my Clarity samples for this months and as there was a huge buzz around the dolls house I thought I'd start with that.
Thank you all so much for the lovely feedback and messages after the TV shows, I really appreciate it.
I will warn you this is a bit of a long post but please bare with me if you can...
So the Dolls House, I was so thrilled when this set of miniature stamps arrived I can't tell you, it was as if Barbara had climbed into my head and read my thoughts!
For me they are just perfect because years ago when my daughter was growing up I use to make 3D picture/shadow boxes.
They were very popular for a while and I had many bespoke orders for them, so around and about people may still have them tucked away somewhere.
I know my nieces adored theirs and I had the best time making them.
The original idea for the shadow boxes came when we took my then young daughter on holiday to the Isle of Wight. I never go anywhere without hunting out crafts or handmade items.
I came across these glass framed shadow type boxes with 3 shelves, they had little items inside like cushions, teddies, little wooden toys etc.
So needless to say as soon as I got back home I was on the make!
I adapted them to my own style and started making my own miniatures from things I had in my craft stash.
I always try and make my own things wherever possible.
I used Dolls House magazines and books for further inspiration, they give good tips on how to make things yourself.
Anyhow I made and sold a few and then was requested to make some more personalised designs, for
christenings and special birthdays which included, a garden and wait for it, a pub! This was a request for someone who was owned his own pub as a special birthday keepsake.
Well I do like a challenge!
I have photo's stashed away somewhere and, I will try and upload them for you.
I also know I still have a haberdashery shop window in my loft so I will post pictures of that.
So that's the story behind the Dolls House and I have been asked more recently if I would go back to this type of thing so this make is my updated version of my old craft.
Barbara asked me to add the link for the actual house frame on her Facebook page so that is there for you.
Now the frame is actually quite deep so the first thing I did was to bring each compartment forward by making a false box base for each section.
I could then decorate each one individually and glue into the frame once finished.
The hardest part as with the clocks is the composition and deciding what to put in each
"compartment" so I decided I needed a little story to help me picture the house in my head.
The story behind this design is that Lily is upstairs getting ready and Douglas is "clock" watching
with the beautiful dog downstairs...
The roof space was always going to be the attic and the rest followed in from there.
My only reservations with this were if the stamped images would do the job of replacing the
miniatures I use to use.
Due to their size I cut some of them after stamping with leaving a "frame" around the edge.
I used some papers I have had in my stash for a long time and sorted out a selection that would work together a bit like decorating your house!
I used the papers for the rooms and to stamp the images on to, which worked quite well for this.
Now the most important thing is something my dear Dad, bless him, taught me years ago and that is you can create an illusion of something that often works as well as if not better than the real thing, I have used this theory and it has worked for me very well during my crafting times.
So I worked out where I wanted my Clarity miniatures, the cushions are from the haberdashery set
edged with mini ric-rac.
I then turned to my boxes of ribbon trimmings, buttons, beads etc for adding finish touches of
inspiration.
I used lace, buttons, gems, cut bead from the lengths of mini beading you can buy, some Prima flowers and
the clock face was in a little set that was free in a magazine.
So you can create an illusion of pretty things by adding unusual buttons, gems and bows also by make beads look like pretty perfume bottles.
The vase on the table is actually the large Clarity vase cut down as I don't have a mini one.
You can see I've edged the house unit with mini ric-rac and ribbon and that's about it, if there is anything else you want to know about this project please don't hesitate to contact me.
I'll leave you with the images...xKx

June TV Samples with Clarity Stamps

Good afternoon,
Hope the start to your week is good.
I have been busy planning projects this morning, a few things in the pipeline...
This is the showcase of my samples from the weekends shows and I will be blogging fully during this month.
Thank you for all the lovely feedback and comments regarding my samples, I'm delighted if they inspire you further.
I'll leave you with a montage of my samples and hope you have a good week ahead xKx

German TV Samples

We have lovely sunshine here today and as I'm off to a garden party this afternoon it's very welcome indeed!
The gathering is being held as a "Thank You" to volunteer workers helping Alzheimer's and Dementia Support Services in my local area.
So it's a relaxing Sunday for me, I'm currently sat with a cuppa watching the Clarity C&C show.
Theses are my last samples from May which used the Hummingbirds, Hot Air Balloons and Flourishes and Corners.
The Flourises and Corners I used for the tea gift "A Little Gift for You"
I hope you like the samples and that they give you some further crafting ideas, I'll start blogging June designs soon.
Thank you for popping by and I hope you have a lovely day...xKx

The Hares and The Toadstool, Lesson 17 Kit

I think I went a bit Gelli mad with my samples!
I loved playing and creating backgrounds and then matching the stamps to use with them.
Hopefully if you haven't got yourself a Gelli plate yet you will soon be inspired to do so and become as addicted as the rest of the Clarity enthusiasts are.
I particularly like this set of stamps too...xKx

The Foxes are out and about...

Tonight I thought I'd share this card with the Foxes and Tree Stump, I love the Tree Stump, it has so many possibilities.
I had been playing with the Gelli plate and thought this background would add an eerie twist to these stamps.
I knew I wanted to have the Fox on the Tree Stump and thought the positioning of the other Fox would give the illusion of it walking through the shape and was pleased with how this worked.
The Foxes and Tree Stump were stamped and masked and then I added the background scene.
I have one more sample from May to share and some that were one for the Germany shows before I move on to the June designs.
Thanks for reading...xKx

Mr & Mrs

Good Morning, the weekend has arrived and a full on Clarity weekend at that!
Today not only sees the start of the new Clarity blog challenge but another classroom lesson on C&C with Barbara Gray this morning and two further Clarity shows tomorrow.
I hope you can join in the Clarity weekend and have a go at the new challenge over on the blog
claritystampchallenge.blogspot.co.uk
I still have some cards from the previous shows to finish blogging but this is my design idea for the new challenge.
It was made for a Diamond Wedding anniversary.
Once again the entries for the last challenge
"It's All in The Sentiment" were extremely high calibre, so many different styles and interpretations.
It makes choosing a Top 5 a "Challenge" in itself.
So, many congratulations to the winner and our chosen Top 5, great job and very well done, thanks so much for taking part.
Whatever you are doing I hope you have an enjoyable weekend...xKx

Funky Flamingos

What a gloomy day out there!
So here are the Flamingos strutting their stuff!
Many thanks for all the messages and good wishes for my daughters birthday yesterday.
It was lovely of you all to send good wishes and we had a really enjoyable day.
I thought I'd post this colourful make to brighten up the gloomy day outside.
Simply stamped with the addition of a Gelli plate background and die cuts.
Thanks for popping by....xKx

Friends

Good Morning,
Apologies for my absence in blog land recently, it's been so hectic!
I've neglected to finish blogging my Clarity samples from the beginning of May so thats my mission for the next couple of days just before the June samples are due!
So what's been happening...
I've been playing with the new MDF clocks and making new clocks, which were taken with me to a wonderful craft retreat at Cowden with Barbara Gray, Clarity Stamps and the most special group of friends and crafting buddies you could wish to meet.
So I was busy preparing my clocks for the occasion as the ladies all seem to love them and I like to share how they've "grown" and developed.
We had the best time, full on crafting sessions with Barbara and Paul Church, supported by the
wonderful Dave, Barbara's other half, Jane who works tirelessly ensuring we have delicious lunches and the rest of the supporting Clarity Team, "Huge Thanks again" to everyone involved.
Then when the crafting day is done we eat more, drink and socialise until the wee small hours!
All in all superb fun, lasting memories and great crafting techniques that continue to inspire.
Ok, so then after Cowden it was head down preparing my samples for June TV this weekend and sorting things for my lovely daughters birthday today.
I thought it would be apt then to share "Friends" Lily, Rosie and Annabel for this post from the samples I made for May, using a background created with the Gelli plate.
Thanks so much for reading, I have a lot of blogging to catch up on in the next few days, so I'll be back soon....xKx

Umbrella!

Good morning one and all,
I can't believe it's been a week since the Clarity TV shows, it was my intention to have blogged more during the week but time has flown once again!
So Sunday mornin in bed with a cuppa brings me back to blog land and I'm pleased to see the sun streaming through again while it lasts.
It's still very breezy too after the windy week so I can't see me having the sunbed in the garden like I did on bank holiday Monday.
We had rain yesterday and much more last night which is very apt for my umbrella posting.
This was super quick and easy and seemed to be well received according to my feedback and messages, thank you.
It's funny how sometimes the simplest of designs catch the eye the most.
For this I literally made splats with distress stains, peacock feathers and scattered straw, on my base card and stamped the umbrellas.
I used contrasting liquid pearls on the umbrellas and added dew drops to the splats and a gold ribbon bow on the side of the card.
This card was fun and brightens up the subject matter of rain and umbrellas, fun and job done!
I hope you have an enjoyable Sunday whatever you're up to.
Me, I'm finishing off a clock that has really caught my inspiration and will be an example of how to use the clock bases from the kits.
I'll be sharing once I'm done, thanks for popping by xKx

Samples made for for May Clarity TV shows

A preview of my samples which I will blog fully in due course and details about "Clocks"

Foxgloves on Gelli Plate background

A bit of a late posting from me but I thought I'd make a start on sharing my samples from the Clarity TV shows at the weekend.
I used a Gelli Plate background that I'd already created while experimenting for my other sample cards.
So the background was already done!
To this I stamped in versamark the foxgloves and embossed with white embossing powder.
I then blended distress inks, picked raspberry and a little seedless preserves, over the embossing and some of the background.
A lace and ribbon bow, hat pins and ribbon trim finished the design before matting and layering on to card that I coloured the edges of in the same two colour ways.
It was a good way of including the shocking pink ribbon I have had in my stash for ages, bought cheaply and never thought I'd use!
Thanks so much for popping by and I'll bid you goodnight now for tonight xK

Heart shaped clock face

"Singing in the Rain"

These MDF clock faces are lovely to work with, they are great quality and can be painted and altered as desired.

For this first example I chose the heart shape and used the new Clarity Stamps from the Clarity Characters Set, the little texture stamps from the Making a Point Lesson 15 Stamp Set and stamps from The Letterbox Set, Lesson 12, for the title.

I cut the inner heart shape from white card stock and stamped and clear embossed all the black images after deciding on their positioning.

The light of the street lamp was masked off before adding background colour,

Next came the background using a selection of blue distress ink pads.

I added clouds and created an illusion of the background buildings using sections of the Paris mask background.

The rain and rain drops were added using the little texture stamps.

I drew the pavement with pencil and glossy accents were used to create the puddles.

After removing the stencil from the lamp I added some yellow colour for the glow.

Clear dew drops complete the clock "number" digits.

I painted the MDF clock face on both sides and slightly distressed the front edges with blue distress ink before gluing my finished card heart in place on top.

I hope this project has inspired you, thanks so much for visiting my blog today xK 

It's all in the sentiment!...

Good morning crafter's,
Can't believe it's Clarity Stamps blog challenge 3 already!
The first two challenges have had some amazing entries, such varied and inspiring designs so thank you all for taking the time to take part.
We have had a hard task choosing the Top 5 from such a high standard once again.
Many congratulations to the winning entrant and the chosen Top 5, you all did a great job!
My design for the new challenge as titled above, was made for a 60th wedding anniversary.
I die cut the frame from pearlised card and the inner shape from stamping card, to which I stamped and masked off the swans.
The background colours used are Adirondack in Stream and Distress ink in Dried Marigold.
I stamped some bulrushes on the back ground also some which I cut out and layered.
The sentiment is stamped on another die cut shape and once everything was put together on my base card I finished off with some gems.
It's a busy weekend looming with Clarity on the TV, in the Classroom with Barbara on Sat and then the Sunday shows.
My DT samples are all done and dusted for another month and I look forward to sharing them with you at the weekend and blogging them all over the following days.
There are some lovely stamps for the month of May but then there always are each month!
I had great fun with Gelli Plate for several of my samples, trying not to get stressed out with my perfectionist side and instead tried to go with the arty flow that came using the Gelli Plate.
Have you got yours yet and had chance to have a play?
Anyway I'll leave you now with this challenge sample and hope you can tune in at the weekend.
Hope the rest of the week is good for you xKx