A WALK IN THE GARDEN

     It would not take very long to walk around our garden it is not very big. Modern houses do not get large gardens usually, now we have retired my husband really would like a larger patch to cultivate. Think he would quite like a greenhouse but unless we move not a possibility. I will just have to find him lots more jobs to do instead.

    Anyway A Walk in the Garden is the theme for this month's challenge over at Claritystamps. Lots of stamps that could be used for this one but I settled on the blossom and butterfly stamps as the main ones. I had not got a butterfly with wings folded so I had to adapt the one I had. Using the large one from the butterfly tree set I covered half the little chap with masking tape, inked up then stamped. I also did the same thing onto a post it note to make a mask. Masked off the butterfly and  masked off a larger portion of the stamp again then positioning carefully I stamped another wing into place. ( just remember to remove masking tape from stamp before using, good job I did a few practice ones on copy paper.) I drew the legs in with pen. 

      My background was made using a gelli plate. I inked all over with brayer then dabbed with scrunched up copy paper and pulled my print. I did this three times with different shades of ink. I think it gives a nice soft background to work with.  I also used the script stamp from the journal set very faintly , not sure that it shows too well in the photos. 

     

 
       The birdcages were stamped with second generation Black Archival ink. 

        A little blue tit helped to complete the garden scene. We get a lot of these little birds in our garden, looking for the feeders that my husband puts out for them. He loves to watch the birds

                                        So to the completed scene.

  

 Items used were;-
                            Cherry blossom stamp
                             
                            Birdcage stamp
                               
                               Buttterfly

                               Blue tit

    Hope you like this little scene. Still time to enter the challenge closing date is the end of the month. 

      Thank-you for reading.   xxx

HARE IN THE MOONLIGHT

       Goodness aren't the nights beginning to draw in. Think our summer is just about done now, not been the best really but there were a few nice spells. I hope you have all had some pleasant breaks away, now I suppose our thoughts turn to the long winter evenings. Dark starry nights which brings me on nicely to this month's Calendar challenge on the Claritystamp website. The picture is a lovely starry moonlit night. 
      
       I enjoyed trying this one needed to use a brayer which I have finally mastered and quite like using now. The idea is to try to re-create the piece of artwork that Barbara Gray did for September on the Clarity Calendar for 2016. Hope I have done it justice. My attempt is featured below.

       
        If you want to give it a try there is still time this month to get an entry in. Worth having a go, a wonderful Clarity voucher is the prize if you are lucky enough to win. Just visit the Calendar Challenge blog to see how to enter. 
     
       Thank-you for visiting. xxx

FINALLY FRAMED.

      As I have said in previous posts I recently attended the Claritystamps retreat at Crowborough Rugby Club. I thoroughly enjoy these two days and having gone last year it is now set in stone. They are two very busy days and you must not expect to be coming home with completed cards etc but goodness you do pick up some wonderful techniques. The retreat is run by Barbara Gray and Paul Church is also on hand to help with those meltdown moments. Last year I just could not get my mask on my blue tit that I had stamped. Paul came along and did it instantly, I was so glad he was there.
 
       Anyway both of the years we have created a canvas. Now I am not artistic at all, ask me to draw a picture and I wold be useless but we were shown how to use a brayer, chalk paint and ink. The geese are stamped onto tissue paper then stuck to the canvas. The sunflower is a stencil and grunge paste dragged through then coloured with inks.

        I was pleased with my results so decided I needed to frame them and display. They are now hanging on the wall of my stairs.

   

          The geese we did this year. Love these bird stamps useful for Christmas cards as well.

     

        Lots of little flowers on this one. Created by dabbing paint on with a little ball tool.

 
          Hope you like these, have a go at a canvas if I can do it so can you. All the stamps and stencils are available from Claritystamps.  xx
 
 

PAINTING ON PARCHMENT

       I spent a lot of time this last weekend at Curborough Craft Centre. On Saturday there was a wonderful Parchment Craft Exhibition, many very talented ladies were showing their brilliant work. I am in awe of some of the designs produced by the experts. I also picked up a lot of advice and met up with several friends who are all interested in the same craft. There has been quite a renewal in this ancient craft lately due to the Groovi plates being produced by Claritystamps. These have made parchment work easier for a lot of people who previously struggled with it but having said that many experts have embraced the system. I enjoy both aspects of the craft, traditional which involves tracing and using Groovi. 
     
        On Sunday I attended a full day workshop run by several parchment tutors. I was apprehensive to begin with as I thought I would be out of my depth but I was soon put at ease. My lovely friend Maggie Craner also came along and we sat together. Safety in numbers I reckon. The first project was very intricate and I will have to post a photo of that one later as I have not finished it yet. In the afternoon we were painting on parchment using any water based markers that we had. Now colouring and blending is not my strong point but I learnt an awful lot. I am keen to try the technique again and can carry some of the tips over into my stamping. 

           Below is my finished project and I am quite pleased with it. Not perfect I know but definitely an improvement for me. 

  
            I added a few more flowers to mine and also some gems and a little bit of glitter although that does not show very well on the photo. I wanted to send this to my lovely little great niece who says she loves my glittery cards. Hope she likes it. 

                       When painting on parchment you must be careful not to get too much water on your brush just damp really. The parchment will crinkle otherwise. 

              

         Hope you like this pretty little design, this one was designed by Sue Hastwell who taught the afternoon class. I will post my other project as soon as I have finished it. 

           Thank-you for dropping by . xx