Week 165 - A Recipe

Good Morning Crafters

I hope that this finds you all well and enjoying the fabulous Olympics.  The Brits seem to be making their mark and for a small Island in comparison with the other huge nations I think we are doing a great job.

Watching the Olympics has been in snatches for me as it has been another hectic week.  I have had 3 excellent shows on C and C including my first show representing Crafty Notions. This is the first show since the terrible loss of Sarah Lawrence.  These were big shoes to fill and I must say I was nervous about making sure I did the best job that I could have done.  Having Nigel presenting was the best start to the show and it all went so well with 4 sell outs in the hour! phew!!!!

May I say a huge welcome to our lovely new members on our design team - Tracey and Sarah.  check out their blogs they are very talented girls.  I hope that you both enjoy your time at Allsorts.

This mornings Allsorts Challenge has been set by our lovely Emma and the title is A recipe.  What a great idea and a recipe with no calories - even better!!! We have been asked for a design using a certain recipe of elements and this is what I have come up with

   I have chosen to make a decorative hanging using every possible Tim Holtz product!  A bit of a Ranger Fest I think on reflection!!!! As always it isn't the best photograph but have taken a couple of close ups to see more detail.

Are you ready for the list of products! First of all I took a piece of Grunge Board and cut a Labels 1 Spellbinder out. I used Distress stains - Dusty Concorde for the background - great for quick coverage -  and spritzed it with perfect pearls to add some glimmer.  I added to the background by using some paper from my stash which has a generic text on it so perfect for what I wanted.  I used Tim Holtx Flourish from Sizzix as a stencil and used Snow Cap alcohol ink to create some depth.

  I then tackled the next layer with a group of tattered florals (again Sizzix) which were cut from Grunge paper and Glassine paper I also coloured the grunge paper flourish with a cocktail of alcohol ink colours (I couldn't make my mind up at this stage!)I also spritzed these with the perfect pearls too.

the butterflies were stamped onto Grunge using the lovely floral set from Hunkydory (check these out if you haven't already - fabulous designs and great value for money)

The Ideaology buttons finished off the flowers, Creative Expressions pink pearl PVA added the girly touch and Cosmic Shimmer ribbon was used for hanging.

Great fun doing this as I am sure you can see - get your newspaper ready for the inking frenzy though!! (that reminds me must get on now as I didn't tidy up after finishing quite late and I have a parchment class this morning - I don't think alcohol inks, distress stains and parchment are a match in heaven!!!

If you are around the Preston area on Sunday I have the pleasure of demonstrating at the fabulous |Inspirations shop (Hunkydory home).  The gorgeous Phil Martin will be there also trying to upstage me!!!

Very much looking forward to this always a great day and the staff are some of the best.

I have been asked to demo Tim Holtz and Ideaology products so will take my project to display,

It would be great to see you if you have a chance to pop in.

Anyway must dash.  Please pop over to the Allsorts blog to check out the other recipe ideas from our lovely team and it would be great if you left a comment about my Tim Holtz Fest!!  Get all your Ranger stash out and have a blast.

Bye for now and enjoy a lovely weekend.

Lots of crafty love

Jo xx

  

                                                            

Week 151 - Sketch

Good Morning to Everyone,

Well!  if the farmers tell me that they need MORE rain!!!!!! ................  I am not sure if you have been the same this week but we have had all of March and Aprils rain fall in one week!!!  Apart from that it has been a good week in the land of Let's Create - a bit strange in the fact that our Daughter Kate has been on holiday in Spain which is her first foreign holiday away without us!!!!!  Of course she has been in heaven I am sure soaking up the sun and trying out a different cocktail each evening - which I have been sent pictures of each time - most of them have looked like a nuclear explosion! Not many e numbers in those ......................  I think so!!!!!  Of course I haven't had full details of all the activities over the week but I did bump into a friend who is on facebook with Kate and she did say that going back the hotel at 6 am was cool Mrs Channon!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  At that point I just stopped listening and carried on with my daily goings on!!!  LOL  She is back home today - I do hope that she wraps up warm as it is horrible - she has been warned!!!

Apart from all of the above I have been kept busy by Joanna this week with 2 shows at C & C and another at 5pm this afternoon - hence fast typing as I have still to pack everything!  I have had an abundance of fabulous product to demo with (its a hard job but someone has to do it!) including the ever popular Jayne Shasky but especially the brand new Mandala stamp range - wow were these fabulous to work with and they were very popular on the show - thankyou to everyone that emailed in, the cup was overflowing with lovely comments.  I haven't taken pics of the samples but have asked Mark to do some for me so I can post these tomorrow along with the demo cards I am taking in this pm which are another set of new stamps entitled Cameo - another gorgeous set that shouts out to be stamped onto parchment.  Hope that you like these - I am sure that you will let me know.
Well back to this morning I have my Allsorts DT card for this week which is inspired by a great sketch from our lovely Emma - pop over to the Allsorts Challenge blog to have a look at the sketch.

(the flash has made it a bit sparkley) I have used the Embellishing Flourishes from the Eco Green Crafts selection. I have stamped them in Creative Expressions Black Sparkle embossing powder which have been done on a piece of mount board that has been crackled and distressed and edged with the same embossing powder.  The flower has been made from 8 layers of a scalloped edged Spellbinder fastened together with a brad and then spraying each layer and pleating and scrunching up into a tight bud.  When all the layers have been scrunched up carefully (as they will be damp and fragile) open up the flower and then dry - this will made the flower quite sturdy.  You can distress the edges and add glitter glue if you wish.    The paper for the background is the new Bo Bunny Vintage Double Dot coillection and I have finished it off with a piece of egg shell ribbon that I have coloured using Distress stains (really loving these at the moment they are so useful) and a crystal pin.

I love working with a sketch especially if you have got a creative blank (often happens!!! - age related I have been told - funny ........not!!)

I hope that you like my take on the sketch, pop over to the Allsorts Challenge blog and have a go there are some gorgeous vintage ribbons up for grabs from the Pretty Little Ribbon Shop and some even more great cards from the Team.

If you have a few moments to spare today at 12 pm Joanna will be launching her brand new totally stunning CD Rom called If Flowers Could Talk on C & C today and I am on at 5pm for an hour using anything that she has left for me!

Must get on with the packing or I wont be going anywhere!!!!!
Enjoy a lovely weekend and please pop by tomorrow I will be posting those samples to show you from the shows this week.

Thankyou as ever for popping by and thankyou also for all the wonderful comments on last weeks post.
Bye for now
keep warm
Jo xxxx