Canvas week - Jo Firth Young

Hello everyone, 

Well, here we are, nearly in 2013, but for us on the blog, the new year starts today. New theme and one of the 2 guest designers for this month is with us: Jo Firth Young.
You will meet our second guest designer on Wednesday ;)

Many of you will know Jo for her work with PaperArtsy and/or because you met Jo at a the shop for a demo, or class or at the Extravaganza. And I'm sure you have loved her new stamp line: JOFY

 

I asked Jo for a little bio, and here's what she wrote...

I enjoy all things creative - whether it is painting, sewing, book crafts, altering items or stamping (of course!).  My work is 'a little bit of this, a little bit of that' and that's what makes creating 'stuff' so enjoyable.  I like combining different techniques on one item - sewing on cards, die cutting on canvasses or altering/upcycling items that would otherwise be thrown away.  

I have my own line of rubber stamps with PaperArtsy which is very exciting, and I'm on the design team of, and regularly published in, Craft Stamper magazine.

So what about this week? Canvases...
Whether you like the free standing canvas, or the Claudine Hellmuth sticky canvas, or the canvas board, stretched canvas, printable canvas.... you can find them all HERE.

And the DT has been busy having a play with the canvas, so you have a lot of inspirational projects waiting for you this week. 

Back to Jo and her beautiful work, here's her altered canvas.... 

Cut a 6x6inch square of chipboard. 

Cover in Claudine Hellmuth self-adhesive canvas (wrap around to the reverse of the chipboard to create a nice neat edge).  

Colour around the edges of the canvas with Walnut Stain Distress Ink. Use Archival Black ink  for all stamping. Stamp the Cotton Reel border image (HP1213) along right hand edge of the canvas. Stamp 'habedashery' up the left hand bottom corner. Stamp the collage image on HP1216 onto the canvas (towards the right-hand side) masking off the cotton reel image if necessary. Stamp the text image from the same plate in the remaining space on bottom.  Wrap cotton around the canvas on left hand side and secure with a knot at the front.

Die cut a mannequin from chipboard and use a Distress Marker to colour it.  Die cut again from fabric - cut off the stand elements and attach to the chipboard mannequin. Die cut scissors from gold card.  Die cut cotton reels from corrugated card or chipboard - colour to resemble wood - wrap with cotton.  Cut small 'samples' of ribbon & fabric and secure with a pin.

Stamp 'button card' image onto card, distress and attach misc. buttons. Stamp the collage image onto card, cut out the 'needle packet' image and attach to the canvas (matching up with corresponding image).

Assemble all pieces as shown in the photo.  To attach: Use 3d foam pads for the mannequin & button card, glue dots for the samples, and Claudine Hellmuth Matte Medium for all other elements.

Material

Chipboard

Claudine Hellmuth sticky back canvas (to cover the chipboard)

Inks: Archival Black, Distress Inks Gathered Twigs

Dies:  Sizzix/Tim Holtz 'sewing room', Sizzix Sizzlits 'sewing & writing set'

Stamps: PaperArtsy HotPicks: 1211, 1213, 1214, 1216

Fabric

Buttons 

See you tomorrow for another canvas project.

NEW CHALLENGE FOR 2013

Hi everyone, 

Hope you had a fantastic Christmas and got spoiled with beautiful pressies (some crafty ones too?)

This is just a quick post to let you know of our new challenge for 2013

The ALPHA/DICTIONARY CHALLENGE

starting on Sunday 6th January

The idea behind this originally, was to do an altered dictionary challenge, so we are hoping to see a lot of dictionaries. 

BUT, as we would like many of you playing with us, we have made it an ALPHA challenge so you can play in all sorts of ways (altering an AJ, ATCs, tags, dominoes?... as long as there is an obvious letter or word starting with that letter  as well as its definition.)

We will tell you more next Sunday when we start...
and just saying... we are not starting with the letter A.
We will go through the whole alphabet throughout the year, but not in alphabetical order...
And sometimes, I might add a little "twist" to it, to make sure you are not working ahead of time ;)
The challenge will be posted every 2 weeks

Some of our DT members are playing and have already started. 

So far, they are all approaching this challenge in a different way, and it's going to be faaabtastic!

Here's a few previews.... 

Can you guess who's hiding behind each picture?

See you soon, 

WICKED WINTER SALE

Just a quickie to remind you that our winter sale is now on.  We have literally thousands of products in the sale at half price or less.  There are additional end of line things on sale in the shop which have never made it on to the website which includes wood mounted stamps from £1.

We have turned the "paper room" into a clearance section because we want to clear a lot of stock prior to our move to Priory Farm.  This will continue until we move or until we have sold all the clearance stock!

See you soon

Sandy x

Calendar challenge grand finale

Hi  everyone,

Our 2012 calendar challenge is now over. 

Some of you participated week after week, completing the 12 challenges, some only did a few here and there and this is also fantastic.

I'll show you Gio's finished calendar today

This post is for those who completed 

THE TWELVE CHALLENGES ONLY

We thought we would reward you with a special draw. 

One of you will be picked at random to win 

a £ 20 voucher

as well as 

some of the DT's samples

(not telling you which ones, it will be a surprise)

All you need to do is write a post on your blog that shows your 12 samples, link back to our blog and post the link to yours below (blue frog)

You have until January 3rd to post your link

I will draw the name of the winner on January 4 th

By the time you read this, I will be on holiday, but I wanted to thank you all for following this blog

and wish you a 

Very Merry Christmas

See you soon

DT showcase: Isa

Hello, 
Last day for our DT showcase and I am going to do a separate post for something very special for you. So stay tuned ;)

Today will be Isa'sArt day. Now I know for sure that you love her work, as I do...  Stunning vintage samples, always packed with new techniques to try and always a source of inspiration. 

Isa has been on a break too, as you must have noticed, so I chose the samples for her. VERY difficult choices to make, but I hope you will enjoy seeing those again. 
She will be back with us in January I glad to say, and I can't wait to show you more of her beautiful style. 
Merci Isa pour tout le temps que tu passes à nous préparer ces superbes réas chaque semaine xx

See you later

See you tomorrow

DT showcase: Gay and Simply Saturday

Hi, 
It's always Clean and Simple on Saturdays on this blog and I know that many of you love those samples. 
Clean and Simple is NOT easy. I know because I personally struggle with it, and as Gay has been away, I have asked the team to "cover" on occasions and they struggle too. So many times I read "I don't know how  Gay does it".
Yet she makes it look so easy, with her beautiful and elegant style, I'm always "wowed" when I receive her samples. She won't like me writing this, as she does not think her work is "special", but I truly think it is, as she is too to us. She has been on a break for a while but I do hope she will be back with us in 2013. We miss you Gay. Thank you for all your beautiful samples.

Why don't you take a bit of time today to write a comment and let her know that her work is indeed gorgeous? Here are a few of her samples. It was very difficult to choose, once again, I hope you like those.

See you tomorrow

DT showcase: Jane

Hi, 
This is Jane's turn today. Many of you, who go to the shop have met Jane during the demos and classes and know her beautiful, elegant style (and how funny she is too). Here is some of her work again for your today. 
Thank you Jane for all those gorgeous samples you give me every week :-)

When asked what was her favourite sample for this  year, Jane picked her gorgeous Advent Calendar

She added: I just loooove playing with paints and papers!!!

As for the favourite product, here's what she said:

My favourite item of the year????? Hmmmm well, my favourite one I use most would have to be Copics. But if you want my favourite new item then that would have to be Dylusions Inks!!!! They are great and I want to do lots more with them.

Here's more of Jane's beautiful samples  (can you tell she loves pink and purple ? lol)

See you tomorrow