Nieces Birthday

This is the card that I made for my niece's birthday.  I can't believe that she is no longer a teenager and hopefully will be able to go to her graduation in 2 years - although I least I will not have to travel to the US for hers.

I thought that I would use one of Sue Wilson 's stamps and dies as I really love her designs and it is nice to have the matching stamps and dies to use.  I used the stamp Kalika Trio.  I coloured it using Chameleon pens. This was the first time that I had really used the Chameleon pens and not sure that I am that keen on them.  The idea sounds great but not as easy to use in reality. To me you do not get as much control with them.  I coloured the centre of another stamped image and then cut out the layers using Greek Island Kefalonia die but only using the outside edges.  I then cut out  another one in cream but this time included the embossing die and then cut out a centre and foiled the greeting onto this.  

I mounted both of these onto cream card adding ribbon to beneath the greeting and then onto brown card.  

Clarity Day 2

Project 1

I have finally got round to posting the projects from day 2 of the Clarity retreat. I  thought I would get so much done in the close football season but it hasn't worked out that way and now the season has started I am going to have even less - and still have a two week holiday to fit in.

I was lucky to actually get to day 2 of the retreat as I was staying a a local bed and breakfast which was down a country lane and a tree had blocked the road early that morning.  There was just enough room for my car to go under - with about 1 cm each side and above to spare.  I was lucky that someone had stopped the other side of the tree and could tell me I was going to clear it. I didn't fancy reversing all the way back to find another way.

Project 2

The projects that we did were using techniques that Clarity are more associated with - braying and gelli plate.  The first project was creating a box that looked like it had been mounted onto and the background was done by brayering with acrylic paint.

Project 2 was brayering onto canvas (which Barbara called "walking the brayer") and we also got to use texture paste on it which I had not used before.  It was coloured using Big 'n Juicy ink pads.  Once we had finished the canvas, it was mounted onto another canvas.  

Project 3

Project 3 and 4 were done at the same time.  These two were my favourites mainly because they were using one of my favourite stamp - the blue tit.  We also used the masks that you can get with these stamps on both of the projects and it certainly makes it easier to use them rather than making your own.  We got taught a really quick way to colour the birds using distress inks.  We also used stencils to help create the frame.

Project 4 was using the gelli plate and distress inks .  The distress inks were put directly onto the gelli plate and then brayered.  Although it cannot been seen in the photo, I stamped the image into the gelli plate a few times to  create a watermark effect and then laid the card onto the plate to get the background.

Project 4

Project 5 was stamping and masking and we even got to use tracing paper to help to create this.  I still have not quite finished it as I need to put a border around it and colour it in but  I guess I may get around to that one day - I always keep them in the file provided just as samples so won't matter if I don't finish it completely.

Project 5

I was glad that I had managed to drive through and make it to the retreat as some of the projects I really enjoyed.  The canvas one was not one that I would do again, but it was still good to try it.  Sometimes it is good to know what you would not want to do again without the expense of  having to buy the supplies to know that it isn't for you.  I might still use the texture paste but on a much smaller scale.  

I certainly think that this retreat is one of the best that I have done and can't wait until next year to do it all over again.