No Sparrows Here!

Hi and many thanks for looking at this blog. 
Below is a card made with new Cherry Green stamps from Clarity and the rest from my stash. It's great to make use of long forgotten papers and dies, really in an effort to rationalise both outlay and stock. Colours rather remind me of the numerous sparrows in our garden, currently clearing all the bird feeders on a daily basis!

Not a Sparrow!

Materials:-

·         Stamp – Cherry Green Stamps - Bird set

·         Ink Pad – Archival –Potting Soil

·         Cartridge Paper; Mulberry Paper; Patterned Paper; Toning Card; Brown Card; Card Blank

·         Gold Gel Pen

Instructions:-

1.       On A5 cartridge, stamp main image centrally. Stamp single feather around all four edges.

2.       Add highlights to image with gold pen.

3.       Layer onto patterned, toning, brown and mulberry card/papers before attaching to card blank.

4.       Stamp six feathers on separate cartridge; trim. Attach three each to diagonally opposite corners. Add gold gems. 

Back again soon with another example.

Meantime, 

Happy stamping!

Best wishes,

Shelagh

'The Making Lady'

Dragonfly Duo

Hello again, hello!

It's good taking time to blog and share ideas as a fair amount of it is taken in preparing examples for shows. 

This one is simply stamping but as a permanent ink pad was used on watercolour paper, I had a little experiment with a recent purchase - Faber Castell Albrecht Durer Water Colour Markers - Lush! I only bought the set of ten but really ought to have known better and gone for the full thirty! This is only a repetition of my Faber Castell Polychromos experience!

Materials:-

·         Stamp –  Cherry Green Dragonfly Set

·         Ink Pad – Archival Cobalt

·         Cartridge Paper, Watercolour Paper, Holographic Card, Designer Paper

·         Wink of Stella – clear; Stickles – Crystal

·         Faber Castell Albrecht Durer Water Colour Markers – Phthalo Blue, Ultramarine, Middle Purple Pink, Dark Phthalo Green

·         Polychromos

Instructions:-

1.       Stamp dragonfly twice in Archival Cobalt diagonally onto A5 cartridge. Colour one image with

2.       Stamp image once more onto water colour card. Trim the latter.

3.       Colour one dragonfly image and image on water colour paper with water colour markers. (Scribble selection of colours onto craft mat and pick up colours with fine paintbrush.) Splash some residual colour remaining on paintbrush over card.

4.       Add fine-liner border.

5.       Layer onto chosen paper and card.

6.       Decorate with Stickles and Wink of Stella.

This stamp may be used for any occasion and there is enough detail to exclude the colouring. 

See you soon.

Kind regards,

Shelagh

'The Making Lady.'

In the Pink!

Hello and thank you for visiting. 

Here is a card made with Cherry Green/Clarity stamps in luscious colours. Decided to go slightly off the usual with this one and the swags worked perfectly as corners and also connectors. (Make rather swish oval frames, too.) 

Materials:-

·         Stamp – Bird, Dragonfly

·         Ink Pad – Permanent Fuchsia (Versaclair used here)

·         Polychromos

·         White Card; Designer Paper – Shenandoah

Instructions:-

1.       Stamp swag from Dragonfly set at each corner of stencil card. Repeat to join swags. Colour.

2.       Stamp bird twice on separate card. Colour.

3.       Trim, attach bird centrally and decoupage areas.

4.       Layer onto designer paper, followed by card blank.
Thanks again for taking time to look. Back again soon with another one from the set. 
Happy inking!
All god wishes,
Shelagh
'The Making Lady.'

Craft Stamper November 2019

Most remiss of me, not posting any work for some time but hardly had to change my mind!  

Delighted to have had a card of mine selected for the November 2019 issue of Craft Stamper.

Craft Stamper November 2019 Cover Story

Fleeting glimpse of my submission

Back soon with more examples. 

Best wishes,

Shelagh

‘The Making Lady’

Clarity Stamps - Mel's Christmas Branches with Acrylic Shapes and Baubles

Mel's Christmas Branches, Acrylic Mini Shapes and Baubles

Hello - these fabulous stamps from Mel arrived just before vacation time and I have many 'half projects' but few complete thus decided to incorporate some into one. Three matching circles were cut using largest and 4th largest Nested Circles dies, glued together and wrapped with hessian ribbon. Various acrylic shapes were stamped using Staz-on black ink pad and allowed to air dry prior to colouring with Sakura Glaze Pens. Once dry, Versamark ink was applied straight from the pad to the reverse of the coloured side, glitter embossing powder applied and heat set, then edged with a black Sharpie.

I had thought to colour the reverse but wanted to show the transparency of the acrylic shapes. 

Back soon with another selection of 'makes.' 

Best wishes,

Shelagh

'The Making Lady.'

Mixed Media - Not Sure

Mixed Media - Perhaps Not!

Found this in my archives and it could just be the first time I have 'walked the brayer' over the canvas. Love the stamps It's a bit dark but what may be expected using a mid-blue and brown paint? A bit of stamping over and in addition - however, the sentiment does say it all!

Many thanks for looking in. 

Upwards and onwards with creativity!

Shelagh

'The Making Lady'

Clarity Stamps - Lou's Stencils and Acrylic Tags

Clarity Stamps, Stencils, Tags

On attempting to tidy my workroom, I re-discovered lots of paper and card from what seems aeons ago but only five or so years - it is easy to forget things when constantly looking on-screen at all the new additions. Lou's stencil was placed on the acrylic tag, chosen area outlined with a Sharpie, stencil removed, areas coloured with other alcohol markers and finally the tag outlined with a black Sharpie. Mounted onto a re-discovered A6 size patterned card, thread, ribbon and flowers attached, ready for the stamped word 'Friends.' 

My first foray into Clarity acrylic products!

Look out for the next project!

Best wishes,

Shelagh

'The Making Lady'

Clarity Stamps - Oriental Panels

Clarity Stamps

Another project from the 'Mets' archives using Clarity stamps - I recall having the idea of a Japanese screen as befitting the challenge, stamping and constructing the panels then wondering how on earth to join them together with a semblance of authenticity. The answer was to sandwich strips of lightweight card between panel and backing in a ratio of three strips to one side, two to the other; coil these strips and slide a toning and shortened bamboo skewer between these coils. It worked!!!!

Many thanks for visiting. 

Best wishes

Shelagh

'The Making Lady' 

Clarity Stamps - Floral Flourish Floral Forest Dies

Clarity Stamps

Hi - back again with two dies featured on Maria's shows on Hochanda today. 

Here I've used the Unravelled Twine stencil as a Gel Press background, along with cutting the two dies into one piece of card; all it needs is a bit of 'plate juggling' - die-cutting plates that is. Uncut areas were torn away to create a solid diagonal before the addition of gems and a couple of Barbara's sticker words.

All components listed available from Clarity Stamps website.

• Stencil - Unravelled Twine
• Gel Press - 6" x 6"
• Artistry Ink Pads - Lime Kiss, Fancy Fuchsia
• Floral Forest, Floral Flourish 5" x 5" Dies
• Barbara-isms Stickers

See you again soon with more examples.

Best wishes,

Shelagh

'The Making Lady.'

Clarity Stamps - Great Lakes Designer Paper

Great Lakes Designer Paper

Thrilled to receive Dee Paramour's new designer papers, I was itching to use it to its advantage. A bit of scoring, cutting, matting and layering with a tea-bag folded rosette and a stamped sentiment to complete. The paper did the talking!

Back with another project soon.

Chin up, meantime.

Shelagh

'The Making Lady.'

Chocolate Baroque Butterflies

Chocolate Baroque Butterflies

Different components for me, this butterfly wreath I concocted a few years ago using a selection of Chocolate Baroque stamps during their challenge time - and gosh, how I loved making this although it is now languishing in a box in the study somewhere! The big draw is the 'pea-pod' leaves (as I refer to them) mainly as they remind me of some of the flowers/foliage my great-aunt grew and dried as part of their market garden business decades ago, hence the orange tinge. Some 'Wink of Stella' or similar gave the added shimmer. 

Love these butterfly stamps as they are so realistic. 

Back soon with another of my makes.

Be happy!

Best wishes,

Shelagh

'The Making Lady.'

Clarity Stamps - Leonie's Wings Circus

Wings

One of my early foray with the mini gel press shapes - ashamed to say they remained, each lolling on a Clarity Mini Mount and in the original packaging until Leonie's stamps rolled up. 

Main image stamped in centre of stencil card, and part images stamped 'off the page.' Mini square gel press inked, brayered for a more even finish then applied over stamped image. Envisage even more mileage by repeating process, cutting out and attaching over - I do have this 3D propensity!

Clarity Products:-

Stamps 

• Leonie's Wings Circus

Artistry Inks

• Fancy Fuchsia
• Midnight Blue
• Hay Stack
• Dry Weed

Yet another to alter through colour, stamp or any of your wonderful ideas!

Cheerio - as my great uncle used to say.

Shelagh 

'The Making Lady'

Clarity Stamps - Woodland Animals

Woodland Foxes and Dies

Another favourite, sparked from uncovering not only large quantities of 8" x 8" multicoloured, scalloped card but also a large number of 'Big and Juicy' inkpads, all of which have been in the outer corners of my work room. No idea when I bought any of these but it's decided, they're not going to waste. 

Small square gel press pressed into a 'Big and Juicy' pad, lightly brayer over then pressed over stencilled image (inked stencil placed onto card and run through die-cutting machine.) This process repeated three times more using different 'Big and Juicy' pads. 

Toning scalloped cards cut in half and formed as a frame for colourful image.

. . . . And the same image but in die form with a little bit cut away! 

Clarity products

Stencils

• Woodland Foxes

Fresh Cut Dies

• Woodland Foxes
• Luggage Tags

Thank you again.

All the best!

Shelagh

'The Making Lady'