Week 261 - For the Guys!

Good Morning Everyone,


I'm afraid this will have to be a really quick post as I am away in Bolton all weekend at the Hunkydory Show and have only 30 minutes to do all my catching up on my blog and my post before my 30 minutes limit runs out!! love Premier accommodation but internet service is a bit short!

This week we are showing you cards for the guys and, although it appears that this card is the same as one I posted a couple of weeks ago it is a different theme - this one has more Steampunk ideas with it with the clocks and cogs and the fabulous stamp from Visible Images.  I have also used the new steampunk corners and hinges from Cheery Lynn which I am loving.

 



Tomorrow will be a busy day as I am doing Make and Takes all day at the show - really looking forward to meeting everyone.

Anyway, sorry it is so short but hope that you like the style. Let me know what you think, please leave a comment and pop over to the Allsorts Challenge blog to check out the other Design Team ideas which are fabulous!

Thankyou as ever for popping in as ever I really appreciate it.

Take care
Bye for now
Jo xx

Week 260 - Happy Birthday Allsorts! and Blog Hop

Hello Everyone!

Well! another Bank Holiday weekend has rolled around and at the moment it looks as if the Sun may show itself.I hope that you all have planS afoot.

It is also a special week on the Allsorts Challenge Blog as it is our Birthday!!! 

It's been a fabulouS five years and it's wonderful to see all you lovely crafterS joining in each week, many who have been with us from the start and it's all of you who make AllsortS Such a Success. Plus of courSe our fabulous SponsorS and talented Design Team, a huge thank you to you all.

As you can See today is Allsorts Birthday and the Team are celebrating with a fabulouS Blog Hop and there are lots of crafty prizeS to be had.

You need to pop over to the Allsorts Challenge Blog to find out how to play the blog hop (it is really easy!)

The theme for the challenge thiS week is very appropriate

Happy Birthday!

and thiS is my project for you to have a peep at .................... 

ThiS is a card that I have put together for the Birthday Blog and alSo for a Sample to take onto TV on Tuesday.  I am So pleased to be going back to Create and Craft after a long enforced break due to health problemS.  I will be working for the Hobby House and, aS you all know, I love crafting with their gorgeous products.  The lovely image on the card is from EliSabeth Bell and it is from the brand new Ready to Colour Art bookS that I will be showcasing on the show. The paperS, flowers and greeting are alSo from Hobby House. I hope that you like the design. 

At the end of the challenge this week everyone that has commented on my card will be in a draw and I will pick a winner. There are some fabulous prizes up for grabs so it is really worth it.

There are lots of other prizes to be won from the Allsorts Challenge site and from the other members of the design team blogs. 

Enjoy a fabulous Bank Holiday and I hope that you have found my letter for our Birthday Blog Hop at Allsorts.

Thankyou so much for popping by,

Bye for now

Jo xx

Week 258 - Purple Passion

Hello Everyone!

Well! what a turn up with this gorgeous sunshine and so early in the year! I hope it doesn't burn itself out before the summer months get here!

It really has been a very busy and exciting week in the Channon house. Firstly Kate, our Daughter has got a new job and we are all so very pleased and proud of her. She starts her 10 weeks training in June and she cant wait. We went out for tea on Monday evening to celebrate.

Thursday was Mark's birthday and his treat (and mine because I had to go with him!!) was a Spa Day at Eden Hall.  What a fabulous day. 

 and to finish the week off it has been our Anniversary today 27 years married!

To start a new week at Allsorts Tracey and Challenged us to make a card 

With

PURPLE PASSION

included.

and this is what I have made ~

This is a card that we made in class last week using Pinflair dies and matching papers.
The centre die is a Creative Expressions Sue Wilson design which has been backed with purple glitter card. The embossed background has been created using a Sheena Douglass embossing folder from her new India collection. It is an A4 sized folder and very useable. The class enjoyed making it as one of their 3 projects.

The sponsors this week are:

Passion for Stamps

 & Craft Fairy

Thankyou to them both for their generosity.

Please pop over and have a look at the DesignTeams lovely designs at Allsorts Challenge Blog and hope that you are inspired to have a go this week for some lovely prizes.

Thankyou for popping in today and hope that your weekend is enjoyable and have fun in the sun!

A appreciate your lovely comments, please pop one in if you have time.

Bye for now

Jo xx

Week 258 - Fancy folds - Allsorts Challenge

Hello my fellow Crafters,

Firstly welcome to my new couple of followers this week and thankyou for choosing to follow my ramblings each week (or if you are really lucky!! lol) maybe twice! I really appreciate all of my members.

It has been another great week in my crafty world with our usual workshops and chatting with our lovely customers. We are still laughing about our Melt pot workshop that we had last Saturday - thankyou for all of your lovely comments about the projects that I blogged on Sunday. What we need is a Tardis! so that all of you lovely crafters that live too far away can pop into it and transport yourselves to my shop so that we can all play together! If anyone has one stashed in their back room or garage please let me know!!!

Now onto this weeks Allsorts Challenge. It is the turn of our Wendy (L) to lead this week and she has chosen .......................................

FANCY FOLDS

for us to have a play and come up with an idea so that we can inspire all of you to have a go at the Challenge.

I couldn't choose between 2 projects this week so I hope that you don't mind me showing you both.

as you can see I have been one of many that has had a go at making a pop-up card and these are so easy but great fun. this one was for my Father in Law to give to his boss who owns a Bike shop! it is always a challenge to make a card with bikes on and get it totally different each year.  I hope he likes this one.

The Penny Farthing is a Marianne design and the cogs are from Rob Adams range of dies.  I have left the tag open at the front so that John can write his message on.

If you havent made one before the card folds flat and so fits in the chosen size envelope really well.

Papers are from my stash but they might be some old designs from Graphic 45.

My second project was one that we did in class today and it fitted the bill nicely.

  This is an easel card that I have made from another Marianne - this one is from the Creatables range.

I really love this set as it is so intricate if you want it to be or quite plain if you choose.

The flowers are from Pinflair and these are the dies and papers to match and cut out. They are really excellent quality and I would recommend them to you.

The edge has been finished off with Hobby House pearls on a roll.

Please pop over to the Allsorts Challenge blog and check out the other Teamies ideas. 

We have 2 sponsors this week and they are:-

Eureka Stamps

and 

Yours or Mine Papercrafts.

Thank you to both of these for their generosity.

Also I need to mention that it is Allsorts birthday on the 24th of this month and as usual we are having a blog hop. so keep your eyes open for this as there are prizes galore to be given away to lucky crafters.

We have a busy weekend coming up as it is our eldest Karl's birthday today he is 23! today and we are going out for a family meal this evening.

I hope that you all have a lovely weekend and try to fit a bit of crafting in.

Please leave a comment if you have time and let me know what you think about my projects this week.

Thankyou for taking the time to pop by and I hope to see you back really soon,

Bye for now

Jo xx

Melt Pot Saturday at Let's Create

IHello Everyone,

Thankyou for popping in and I hope you enjoy checking out the photographs from yesterdays Melt Pot class.  Well what a laugh we had! and we certainly created some variations on the flower that I made! it was a lovely day but I did work everyone really hard so that we could get both of the projects done before the end of the day.

This was the first project of the day and was meant to get everyone warmed up ready for the main project.

I have used a very small cake stand in Mdf ( this project was from inspiration that Hel's Sheridan gave me) the rose has been created using the Spellbinders Blossom three die set which is perfect for the job. The leaves are from Creative Expressions Sue Wilson designs and he flourish is a Cheery Lynn which is a firm favourite of mine. We used clear UTEE to dip into.

A close up of the rose 

After finishing his project we had lunchtime to give every one a breather and then started our canvas project. I was really pleased with how this came out as I am not particularly an arty person but just love to play.

What do you think? 

A few more shots a little closer up on the detail 

We started by covering the canvas with tissue paper and decoupage Matt glue. It was left scrunched up to give some texture. This was dried and then painted with two different colours from the creative expression chalk paint range. It was then dry brushed over with a deeper shade.

The background was then worked on a little bit more using a stencil and Matt paste. This was left to dry. 

We then went on to make the sentiment. Using a piece of grey board the white smooth side was painted with two of the shades that was used

on the canvas base. A sentiment was stamped into the middle and distress ink blended around the edges. The edges were sealed using a dark shade of UTEE. 

We then started making the different flowers using a variety of moulds including Katy Sue, Martha Stewart, WOW and Crafty Notions. These were made using melted UTEE from the pot.

These were all brought to life using Treasure Gold wax in different colours. 

The canvas was then coated in Beeswax which sealed the detail and prevents it getting damaged.

The sentiment piece, flowers and flourishes were then stuck on to finish off.

The day was a best success with lots of laughs, some fabulous ideas and great fun.

I hope you have enjoyed reading about the day and the projects that we made.

I would love to hear what you thought about the projects. Please leave a comment if you have the time.

Thankyou for popping in

Bye for now

Jo xx 

Week 257 - Butterflies

Hello My Crafty Friends

I hope that this post finds you all well and looking forward to another long weekend! Well didn't that come round quickly! Another busy week at the shop with some great workshops using the PaperArtsy stamp range and tomorrow another workshop using the melt pot - really looking forward to this and if you pop back to the blog tomorrow I will show you what we will be doing. I am really chuffed with the canvas I have put together. I just feel my way with real arty stuff but really enjoy it and I am a big believer in thinking that if you are enjoying what you are doing that is everything. ( it's great if it looks ok too but that's a bonus!!!) 

Well back to the job in hand today. Our lovely Tracey has challenged us to use .................

Butterflies

In our project this week and we all know that this is a trade mark for any crafter and plays a great part in a project that has a little error on it as it is a great cover up!!!! 

I have chosen this project to show you - 

        

I have used one of the new die sets from Sue Wilson's range from Creative Expressions. ( I'm sorry a bit rubbish but don't have the name of the set) the stamp has been designed to match the die.  I embossed the image with black embossing powder and then coloured the background with several colours of distress inks.  I love using black with these rich colours and I hope that you like it too. 

Our sponsors this week are
            
Digistamp  and   Nice crane      

Thankyou both for your generosity. 

Please pop over to the Allsorts Challenge blog to check out the other team members ideas for this weeks theme.    

Thankyou, as ever, for popping by to see this week's post, please leave a comment and pop by tomorrow to have a peep at what we got up to in the Melt Pot class today! X

Bye for now and take care,

Jo xx