A class from...

...ATDML by Jane Hewitt.

I have to admit that I had totally forgotten about a recent ATDML cybercrop until I saw a lovely creation over on Virginia's blog.

Jane's class was to create a folio - along the lines of the ones designed by Tim Holtz that can be bought. So I thought I'd have a play.

Here is the basic folio...

 ...doesn't look much until you open it up...

...and then you find a mass of pockets, flaps & pages that you can decorate however you wish. This one will eventually be decorated in greens & lemons - I have the papers but I sort of got distracted.

I had a pack of 8x8 kraft card blanks and they were perfect to use for this project.

Having already made one folio, it was quite a quick affair to put this together...

...using the G45 "A Christmas Carol". At the moment only the outside is covered with PP but there is no decoration and I haven't even made a start on decorating the inside - so it is a 'work in progress'.

Jane's basic idea is fabulous and her instructions are easy to follow so why not hop over to ATDML and have a look...and perhaps a little play. The folio is a great size and can be adapted for lots of occasions.

I promise I will show you both of the folios when they are finished..............................................

Have a wonderful Easter...

...and don't forget to "Spring forward" those clocks.

The Spring flowers have been appearing all over the place and at the moment the Sun is trying very hard to break through the cloud - so fingers crossed that today will be a pleasant day (weatherwise) as the forecast for the coming week is very damp.

I hope you all manage to get out for those egg hunts or at least manage to tuck into some chocolate over the weekend.

Happy Easter everyone..............................................................

Oh dear...

...as if I didn't have enough yarn already.

I just couldn't resist.

I actually went in to buy a couple more balls of the green yarn but they are currently out of stock - then this caught my eye...

 ...so a ball or SIX came home with me. Six balls makes a nice size throw and I didn't want to be hanging around for more stock to arrive if this colourway also proved to be very popular.

The lavender throw is completed...

...and the way the variegation worked-up is so pretty. I was also able to join the balls in, keeping the colours following correctly by just checking each of the balls as I needed them - some I used from the middle & some from the outside...but it worked.

Here is the throw on the chair by my PC, sorry the light isn't very good at this time of day (the Sun is on the other side of the house)...

...but I think you can see how the colour shading has worked. With the yarn being intended for babies, it is lovely and soft and great for snuggling under.

I hope they get more of the green is soon. In the meantime I think I've got plenty to keep me busy............................................................

What a dull & gloomy...

...Sunday.

As I look out of my window there is really nothing to support that today is the first day of Spring.

So I thought I'd share some spring-like coloured yarns that I am currently crocheting with...

...they are DK soft baby yarns in gentle variegated shades.

The central ball is a pretty mix of lavenders and this is the last ball for the item that I am making. I've started on some of the green yarn but I still can't decide whether to keep to the greens or to mix in some of the yellows - I'll have to decide soon as I'm coming to the end of the present ball that I'm using.

I like throws especially for those evenings when it isn't really cold enough to have the heating on but a bit too chilly without it. I have a number of tartan fleece throws but thought I'd make some pretty crocheted ones. I'll let you see once I've finished..................................................................

Aren't they...

...Dinky.

When I went into The Range it was clear that they had originally had a much larger stock of the Gorjuss collectible stamps but this was all that they had left...

 ...just 10 of the 20 designs that are currently available - so I grabbed them.

It is always difficult to judge size from a photo unless there is a reference....

...so I stood one against a standard individual packet of crisps (the 25g size) and as you can see they are much smaller than the normal Gorjuss stamps.

I hope to get some of them inked up this weekend for a bit of a play...............................................

So much for...

...my trip to the seaside.

The sun was out - lovely.

However, I'd forgotten about the change to the C2C timetables since December - not so lovely.

So yes, there was a beautiful blue sky...

 ...with fluffy clouds on the horizon...

...but I had to wait for almost half an hour for a train and boy was it chilly.

The only 'up side' to the new timetable is that most of the services heading away from London during the morning go all the way through to Southend Central - so no platform hopping at Pitsea.

Southend was beautifully bright & sunny but unless you could keep in sheltered areas it was cold.

I had forgotten how the high street is all hustle & bustle on a Thursday due to the stalls of the street market - after all, it is 3 years since I was managing the team at Southend. Gosh time has flown.

Of course, being in Southend I couldn't pass up on a quick nip into The Range and I did come away with some of the new Gorjuss collectible stamps. I have a bit of a 'love/hate' relationship with the Gorjuss girls - I fall in love with the images but am often disappointed with the results of my colouring as they are quite big stamps. The collectibles are a cute smaller size so I'll give them a go.

Perhaps not having to go to Southend on a regular basis is a good thing because to get from the station to the office I have to pass too many tempting shops - at least in Stratford I have the option of walking straight to the office without going near any shops LOL

Back to my own office today and then it is the weekend - yay!!!

Unfortunately, it looks like Mother Nature is saving on the electric at the moment as it looks pretty dull and murky out there. I'd better wrap up well - have a good day folks.........................................

Happy St Patrick's Day...

...to all whole celebrate the event.

Last year when I was having a sort through my stash I found this PP...

...as St Patrick's Day had been & gone I put it to one side, intending to come back to it when I found the photos from a family gathering that had taken place on St Paddy's Day, many years before. I still haven't found the photos (doh!!!) and now I can't find the PP - go figure.

Perhaps I should speak nicely to the 'little people' and ask if they can give me hand to find them.

Have a great day everyone..................................................................

Here is the last...

...of Saturday's projects.

This one involved embossing folders and gilding wax.

First up, a recent DoCrafts embossing folder was used on some black CS...

 ...it is a Celtic ring frame. After applying Autumn Bronze and Graceful Peach gilding wax (Creative Expressions) the ring was cut out.

The texture embossing folders from Crafter's Companion have been out for a while but the dry stone wall pattern is still one of my favourites...

 ...an aperture was cut in a piece of 8x8 CS before being embossed and then waxed. Here is a closer photo that shows the detail a little better...

...and as you can see, the Celtic ring was adhered to the CS as a frame to the aperture.

A bit of matt & layering to construct the card...

 ...some miri and a bit of die-cutting...

...and there you have it.

With this project, there was actually texture in the form of the embossing but it is the colour applied in the form of the gilding wax that makes this visible.

Andy's workshops at Pinnacle Crafts are always fun and there is normally something new to learn or a reminder about a technique that we may not have used for a while. Thank you Andy for another super day.

I'm looking forward to seeing what workshops Andy has planned next.

This coming weekend is my friend Hilary's parchment workshop so we will meet up for lunch and a natter and then the following weekend is Easter - which means a four-day club member's weekend at Pinnacle Crafts. A whole four days to take advantage of the 30% discount that club members get on the last complete weekend of each of the odd numbered months throughout the year (Jan, Mar, May etc.). I've already started my shopping list LOL

At home I am crafting with colour & texture - I am crocheting some blanket/throws in pretty Spring shades of random coloured yarn. If I get some decent light, I'll show you what I've been up to..............................................................................

Embossing powder...

...and bleach.

This was project number two from Saturday's workshop.

The base decorated layer for the card was created by stamping the butterflies randomly over the surface with Versamark...

...the sprinkling with black embossing powder & heating. The background card was the vibrant green you see here so you may be wondering how the 'colouring' on the butterflies was achieved. That's where the bleach comes in. Using a very fine paintbrush and some thick household bleach, the parts of the image without embossing were carefully painted - I say 'carefully' as just slapping the bleach all over will dull the embossing.

So now you are wondering about the 'texture' - after all, the workshop was "Colour & Texture".

Some additional butterflies were stamped, embossed and bleached...

...on a spare piece of card. Then as you can see here...

 ...they were carefully cut out and curled.

A bit of matt & layering to create the card...

...and the cut out butterflies were attached to the 3 'whole' butterflies. This next photo shows the card slightly from the side...

...and you can see the raised effect but the next phot with the card laying down...

 ...really shows of the depth & texture.

Just as a little finishing touch...

...the bodies of the butterflies were accented with some mini self-adhesive gems.

I have to say, this is the first time that I have 'painted' with bleach - I've stamped onto dark CS in the past using bleach instead of an ink pad - but this was quite a different effect and one that you can control quite a lot. If you want to create the effect of shading, just let the first 'bleaching' dry then paint over the areas that you want paler with another layer of bleach.

It was at this time we had a break for lunch so Hilary & I headed to the café - Mediterranean Chicken on Rice and pressed Apple & Raspberry juice to wash it down...yummy.

We then headed back for the final project of the day - which I'll show you another time........................................................................

Colour and...

...texture.

The workshop this week at Pinnacle Crafts was to help with creating texture from the use of colour and to encourage folk to pick colours that would normally be outside of their comfort zone.

The first project Andy (Pearson) set for us was to colour a selection of circles with Distress ink pads using the help of the Creative Expressions "Smoothies"...

 ...I have some of the larger ones but hadn't 'played' with the small ones - they are a fabulous size for applying colour where you want to be in control.
I coloured my circles using some of the 2015 colours of Distress ink...

 ...Wilted Violet, Twisted Citron, Fossilized Amber and then threw in a circle coloured with Peacock Feathers.
This is the resulting card...

...the circles were mounted on 3D foam and some folk glazed their circles with Glossy Accents - I didn't as I rather like the more matt finish.

The sentiment was a Hero Arts wooden mounted stamp but unfortunately this is now discontinued.

Although pretty quick & easy, this was a very effective card to start off with.

I'll let you see the other projects from the workshop later in the week...........................................

I gotta be me...

...is a fabulous song.


The Sammy Davis Jnr vocal is currently being used as the soundtrack to a TV advert but if you pop over to YouTube you can find a number of recordings by Mr Davis which allows you to enjoy the song in its entirety.


I grew up in a household where the "Rat pack" swing music - Sinatra, Martin, Davis - was played on a regular basis and I love it. However, I don't think I really understood the implications of this song until hearing it again recently...


Whether I'm right or whether I'm wrong
Whether I find a place in this world or never belong
I gotta be me, I've gotta be me
What else can I be but what I am
I want to live, not merely survive
And I won't give up this dream
Of life that keeps me alive
I gotta be me, I gotta be me
The dream that I see makes me what I am
That far-away prize, a world of success
Is waiting for me if I heed the call
I won't settle down, won't settle for less
As long as there's a chance that I can have it all
I'll go it alone, that's how it must be
I can't be right for somebody else
If I'm not right for me
I gotta be free, I've gotta be free
Daring to try, to do it or die
I've gotta be me
I'll go it alone, that's how it must be
I can't be right for somebody else
If I'm not right for me
I gotta be free, I just gotta be free
Daring to try, to do it or die
I gotta be me


This was a song sung by a man who despite being a 'headliner' in Las Vegas was not allowed to enter through the front door because of his colour...was not allowed to stay in many of the hotels where he headlined because of colour segregation...was subjected to a lot of media harassment because he married a white woman...but despite all of this he pursued the career that he wanted and became a worldwide household name because of his talent.


Many things have changed in the world since this was recorded but I still think these are very powerful words and can be applied to all of us......................................

Time for a...

...messy play-day.

Although I have to say, the only one who got messy was Andy - we all had gloves LOL

The workshop was a chance to play with alcohol inks and as there were only a few of us we were able to spread out and enjoy a lovely day playing with colour.

This inspirational piece was done by Andy (Pearson) and he said that it had been a very happy accident...

 ...my photo doesn't do it justice as it was difficult getting an angle where the light didn't cause a problem. The effect created is of a lovely bluebell dell with a view out to a stream/lake and hills in the distance - it looks stunning in real life.

Andy's picture was created using alcohol inks swirled on a textured 12x12 floor tile. A sheet of 12x12 acetate was laid onto the ink and then the ink was moved out to the edges using finger pressure and a bit of wiggling of the acetate. How the acetate is removed from the tile creates more texture and Andy then 'double dipped' areas of the acetate to create even more colour and interest.

We started off with some sheets of A5 acetate cut in half and the aim was to create a background that we would then stamp over. We used alcohol inks for some...

 ...but also used Promarkers on others...

 ...just to show the different in colour intensity...

 ...because, despite using some of the deepest coloured Promarkers...

 ...the results were very pastel in nature...

 ...giving a very soft effect compared to the inks...

 ...which tend to retain a lot more of their vibrant nature...

 ...I decided to go with one of the Promarker pieces that looked like a cloudy sky...

 ...and this was the card that I ended up with.

After lunch we came back to some more play - this time on the 12x12 sheets.

I will have to try and get some photos without the light reflection...

...because, depending on which way round you look at these pieces, you can see all sorts of images within the colour mix.

A fabulous day having the chance to play with colours that would normally be outside of our individual comfort zones.

The smaller pieces will be great for backgrounds on cards or even to punch out some petals and create flowers and the larger pieces will make very colourful scrapbook layout backgrounds...I'm sure I have some photos of daffodils that would look great against the green piece.

Next week's workshop is texture & colour and Andy wasn't letting on about what we would be doing but said it would be another messy one - better remember the pinny & gloves then.............................

Where do I park...

...the Zimmer frame?

For those of you living in the UK you will have seen yesterdays headlines in the papers about workers having to wait until they are 75 before they can retire.

At a time when most UK workers are having to contribute more and more to their pensions in order to receive less when retirement finally arrives, you can imagine how this impacted upon conversations in the workplace.

I work where there is a serious age demographic problem as the employers decided a number of years ago to 'downsize' by 'natural wastage' and put a block on recruitment. This has now been amended with a number of recruitment exercises to bring in younger folk but the bulk of the workforce is still nearer to retirement than not.

Or so we thought...

We already had the joy of having to wait until our late 60's before we could retire but now the indication is that it will change to the mid 70's - or if you read the detail closely - you could NEED to work until 81 to ensure a reasonable pension level.

Oh joy !

So in keeping with the way I started this post; you should have heard some of the conversations going on in our workplace...

"Will they be risk assessing the work area to ensure that Zimmer frames are parked safely so that they don't cause a trip hazard?"

"Would someone check with Estates as to how many mobility scooters can safely be carried in the lift at any one time."

"Anyone know the 'lead time' for the installation of chair lifts?"
(visions of the scene from "Gremlins" immediately sprang to mind)

"Will allowances be given for additional toilet breaks?"

All said very 'tongue-in-cheek' but it does make you think.

The upper age limit for employees was scrapped a few years ago here in the UK (there are some occupations where a retirement age is compulsory) and this is great for those folk who wanted to continue working, for whatever reason. However, we now have a large proportion of the Nation who are seeing the day that they can finally give up the early starts & long commutes disappearing into a haze somewhere in the future.

If I'm feeling despondent about all this, you can imagine how youngsters leaving school are feeling.....................................................

This is the other...

...Make & Take.

Originally made as a birthday card, I will be using mine as a Mother's day card.

Mum loves blue so this will be a perfect card for her...

...the sweet topper is adorable (and pre-coloured)...

...and there is now Cosmic Shimmer Twinkles in Icicle on the hatband and the bows on the shoes & flowers...

...a bit of die-cut swirls and punched flowers as additions and we have one finished card.

The stepper style of this card helps to make the topper show as the feature of the card. I love the way the blue & lemon colours work together.

So there you have it; the other "Make & Take" from Saturday's Marie Curie event.

This Saturday is one of Andy Pearson's lovely inky/mucky classes - I wonder what we'll be up to....................................................................