Saturday 31 December 2022

New Year, New Beginnings - A Pair of Tags

This fortnight's  prompt over on Tag Tuesday is New Year, New Beginnings and I went with a Spring theme and made two tags.  I found the perfect background on my inky paper pile.

Cover a #8 manilla tag with the top layer of a piece of inky paper towel, seal with matte medium, dry and trim the excess.
Add one of the eggs from the Clarity Chicks and Eggs stamp set in Ground Espresso archival ink.
Stamp one of the chicks from the same set on top of the egg in Black Soot archival ink.
Add shading to the images using Faber-Castell big brush markers, blended out with a Pergamano blending pen and nibs.
Add yellow flock to the chick using a quickie glue pen and yellow fun flock powder.
Add a glaze to the eggs and the beak of the chick using a clear embossing pen and heat emboss in clear embossing powder. To finish, add the Clarity Spring stamp (NDC #100) in Onyx Black Versafine ink and heat emboss in clear powder. Colour using Faber-Castell big brush markers.
Cover a #8 manilla tag with another section of the top layer of the same piece of inky paper towel as before, seal with matte medium, dry and trim the excess.
Stamp some of the Wee Foliage stamps at the bottom using Library Green, Peat Moss, Ground espresso and Black Soot archival inks.
Add the foliage from the Birdhouse Garden stamp set at the top in the same manner.
Add one of the bunnies from the stamp set of the same name at the bottom in Ground Espresso archival ink.
Stamp the same bunny onto Clarity stencil card in the same ink.
Colour with a Faber-Castell Albrecht Dürer water colour pencil scribbled on the Pergamano mix mat and picked up with a watercolour brush pen.
Fussy cut (taking off the whiskers, edge with a brown brush pen and add to the tag.
To finish, add the Clarity Time for Something New stamp (NDC #113) in Onyx Black Versafine ink and heat emboss in clear powder. Colour using Faber-Castell big brush markers.
NB For those not sure what an inky paper pile is.  I keep all my sheets of copy paper and paper towels that I have used to mop up ink off blending mats, cleaning stamps and stencils and removing excess ink/paint from brayers.

Friday 30 December 2022

Clarity Club Dies 2021: Ideas and Inspiration

 Here is a round up of all the projects I completed with the 2021 Clarity New Design Club dies.  I started with a bonus die which was a gift for paying for the whole year up front.

See HERE for step by step.

Thursday 29 December 2022

Wednesday 28 December 2022

WOYWW 708: Getting There

 Hope you all had a festive time at the weekend and that the lurgy didn't bring you down. 

My desk shows the start of a card attempt since my surgery.  I have lowered my seat so I do not have to look down too much.
I had a great Christmas gift from Eva which takes pride of place on my shelves.
I also promised to show you the results of my last Tilly Tea Dance workshop once the gift had been received.

Please join in with WOYWW care of Julia at Stamping Ground.  Happy New Year everyone - next time we get
together it will be 2023!

I will try and get round to visit everyone this week but may only leave a generic comment.


Tuesday 27 December 2022

Clarity Die Club Dies 2019: Ideas and Inspiration

 I have very much enjoyed being a member of the Clarity New Design die club for the last four years.  Although now discontinued, past dies are available.  Here are some ideas and inspiration using some of the dies from 2019.



Using the very first die (see HERE and HERE).

Monday 26 December 2022

KISS Build a Scene Stamps: Ideas and Inspiration

 As I have recently had a catarct operation I thought I'd share some projects made using the original KISS Build A Scene stamp sets.  Links to step by step instructions beneath each image.


They work well agains a marbelled background (see HERE).

Saturday 24 December 2022

Friday 23 December 2022

Noel Card

 As thia is the penultimate die from the Clarity New Design Die club I wanted to make full use of it.  Sadly this club is being discontinued although the stamp, stencil and Groovi clubs will continue.

Wednesday 21 December 2022

WOYWW 707: Be Prepared

 I am preparing this post on Monday morning as I am not sure how well I will be seeing after my first cataract operation today.  I wanted to wish all my WOYWW friends a Merry Christmas and many thanks for your company this year.

My desk is empty as I will be taking a break from crafting, but I have blog posts ready to go for the next week and a half so will be able to keep up with that.  Samples posted off this morning too so I shall put my feet up and relax over the holidays.
Wishing you all a happy WOYWW and a Merry Christmas - sorry unlikely to be visiting this week.  Thanks to Helen for linking me up today.


Saturday 17 December 2022

Daily Challenge Round Up: On the Home Straight

 I am now on the home straight with my #dailychallenge2022 journals.  I now only have a couple of weeks to complete.  As always each page is finished off with a word sticker from one of the five collections from Clarity Crafts.

I started December with the last of my vintage paper backgrounds and Paper Dolls mix.

Next I moved onto more festive background papers and images.

Using a mix of Tim Holtz ephemera.



Back to using Paper Dolls with Washi tape.


More festive florals.