February Newsletter

Hello!  Happy February and a belated happy new year, I hope 2018 is treating you well so far. January was a bit of a wash out as both Kirsten and I were ill with the horrible flu that has been going around. It was very disappointing that I had to cancel the January workshop, but we just couldn't have done it. We're feeling much better now, so it's onwards and upwards.............

Saturday February 10, between 10am and 3pm, will be the first workshop of the year at Grove Green Community Hall, ME14 5BT and I've got two options..................

The theme is Spring Floral and the first option is a 30x40cm canvas panel. You will use an assortment of mediums, including paint, texture paste, stencils etc., greyboard flowers from That's Crafty and create your own foam flowers to add extra dimension to your project.

The cost for this option is £30.00 and includes the canvas panel and all the materials.

To book online click HERE or telephone me on 01622 675078.

The second option is to use the same materials and techniques to create FOUR 7x7 Spring cards. The cost for this option is £25.00 and again, all materials, including card blanks and card to use as your substrate, is included.

To book online click HERE or telephone me on 01622 675078.

The next workshop at Grove Green will be the Card Making Masterclass on Saurday February 24, between 10am and 3pm. The theme will be Resist Techniques, using various products. I'll be adding sneak peeks to the blog/Lisa B Designs Facebook page/etc., so keep an eye out for them.

The cost is £25.00, which includes four cards and TWO stamp sets for you to use during the workshop and keep.

To book online click HERE or telephone me on 01622 675078The January workshop has been rescheduled to Sunday March 11. Again, there are two options, you can find the information HERE.

All workshops must be booked and paid for in advance.My mobile shop will be present during the workshops and is open to all, so if you're in the area feel free to drop in.

In other news, I've added various new items to the website, including Flower Foam and cutting dies from Leane Creatief. The Flower foam is available in packs of 5 sheets of A4 and the colours are beautiful - we'll be using them in the February workshop.

I'm expecting the arrival of the March issue of Craft Stamper any day now, so keep an eye on the website for it. As always, it's packed full of gorgeous mixed media and stamping projects and includes a FREE acrylic stamp............

**Update! It's arrived and is on the website!**

You can find all the new products in the What's New section.

I think that's all the news for now. I hope you have a great February and I'm looking to forward to seeing many of you at the workshops. 

Hugs, Lisa B xx

When is Tree not a Tree?............

Good morning all,

This is a scheduled post for me today as I am in Sunny Spain taking a well earned break......

Apologies for not blogging too much lately, I have had a lot going on and just kept forgetting. I think it has something to do with age, lol!!!!

Below are a few card samples that I made for last month's workshop using the gorgeous Leane Creatief Paper Patch Bauble and Tree Dies.

  

Now I really loved using these dies for many reasons.......

The first reason being that you know as well as I, that we have all got a massive paper stash in our collection of wonderful craft supplies. So these are the ideal dies to die cut and paper piece with those gorgeous papers that you have been stroking for years.

It is time to let go and use them.......Nooooo, I here.....

I know sacrilege isn't it!

But not only is it good for those papers but you don't get any waste because you mix and match them and the aperture you cut from the card you can use as a stencil for inky baubles.......

I just love them. 

Now when it comes to Christmas I love to do Clean cut, quick and classy and this is exactly what I did with these dies as you can see below.

One of my favourite all time collection of papers to use is  Teresa Collins Designer Paper Pad.

I can't tell you how much I love this pad with it's ditsy prints in my favorite colours teal, black, peach and kraft. It has gorgeous designs that I use all the time with dies and even my much loved Paper Artsy Stamps. A little paper piecing in between colouring works wonders and I know Kirsten has also enjoyed using this pad too and you will see some lovely blog posts from her with it.

It has lovely script papers as well as classic prints and works with so many projects, even torn paper on canvases as backgrounds and journaling too, before you add paint layers, I just love it........

Well for the first card I used the Leane Creatief Paper Patch Bauble die and also the Marianne Design Petra's Poinsettia Die  in conjunction with the Teresa Collins Designer Paper Pad

It is pretty self explanatory really, just die cut from the paper pad and teamed up with die cut black and kraft card circles. It just makes such a classic card, the baubles were die cut with one of each co-ordinating papers and then swapped over so no waste! 

The greeting was a Hobby Art Stamp from Christmas Frosting......

This second card was made in a similar way but this time using the Leane Creatief  Paper Patch Tree Die, again using coordinating paper from the pad. The sentiment came from the same Hobby Art Stamp set and I added a lovely Marianne Design die Holly Corners. This is such a lovely fine die that cuts perfectly every time.

So on to the last card.......

You see the blog post title......When is a tree not a tree......

When it's a bauble of course!!!!

I remembered seeing such beautiful bauble shapes in the shops at Christmas and looked at the tree and thought.......'If I use the bauble top and the tree die up the the other way.........hmmm, that would make a good bauble' and then voila it was done.......

This time I used black papers from the pad and gold mirri card. Gold and black for Christmas......

you can't go wrong!

And you have guessed it, the sentiment was from the Hobby art Stamp set and then the holly corner die to finish off.

Well I hope you have enjoyed my ramblings and I will be back next week with another post but for now Adios and have a great week,

Much love Lisa B xxx

            

September Class Samples

Hi everyone, Kirsten here. Yes, it's been a while, what with one thing and another blogging just got away from both Lisa and me. Thank you so much to Jan and Martina, who kept things going for us. I'm going to do some catch-up posts over the next few weeks, which will hopefully bring us to the next Maidstone classes on October 27. 

***There are NO classes on October 6, Fant Hall is not available.***

These cards are based on the September class projects, you can see the cards made by our ladies in this album on the Lisa B Designs Facebook page.

 I used Versacolor inks - they blend so well! - to create simple backgrounds with templates cut from the Leane Creatief Houses, Clouds and Mountains cutting die set.

The tress are the Happy Holidays Pine Trees by Joy Crafts and the deer is from the Marianne Designs Tiny Deer cutting dies set - I added Diamond Sparkle Medium to the trees and deer.

These are the Leane Creatief houses and the ivy pieces are Marianne Designs Ivy Corners cutting dies.

The stamped image on this card was used for the class projects. It's Christmas Corner 1, a set of three layering stamps by Nellie Snellen. Again, I used Versacolor inks.

              

That's it for now, I'll be back soon with more of my recent Lisa B Designs projects. 

The next Grove Green workshop is on Sunday, October 15 and it's all about Imagination Crafts' fabulous Rusty Patina. Click for info and booking details.

Kirsten

September Newsletter

Hi everyone, I hope you had a great weekend, hasn't the weather been gorgeous? I'ved loved every minute of it. It's back to work now though, with all the prep to be done for Friday's classes in Maidstone and the new PaperArtsy workshop the following Saturday, Sept 9 in Grove Green.

The theme for Friday's classes is Christmas and this morning I added all the new Christmas stock to the website. There are some really nice Christmas cutting dies by Marianne Designs, Leane Creatief and Joy Crafts and two sets of layering stamps by Nellie Snellen...............

            

Last week I added more PaperArtsy stamp sets, including some very cute monsters and sets that are ideal for boys.............

         

As always, all the new stock can be found in the What's New section.

If you're coming to one of Friday's classes and you'd like to order goods in advance, please do so before lunchtime on Thursday, Aug 31.

The projects for Friday's classes will be two Christmas cards, using some of the news cutting dies and stamps, sneak peeks below.........

   

For those attending Friday's classes, we will be using Versa Color and Distress inks, you're more than welcome to bring and use your own to save you having to wait for colours. You might also like to being an Onyx Black Versafine/Jet Black Archival ink pad and a Christmas message stamp, if you have one you particularly like. 

***Please ensure your items are clearly marked with your name.***

 

If you would like to join us in Fant Lane Community Hall, Maidstone ME16 8NN on Friday, there a couple of places left in both classes; 2.30 - 5.30pm and 6.30 - 9.30pm. The class fee is £16 and this includes your projects, a tool kit to use during the class and tea/coffee and a slice of cake. Places must be booked in advance; a deposit of £6, or full payment, will secure your place. Please contact me by lunchtime on Thursday August 31; lisabaker1@btinternet.com/01622 675078

 

There are still a few places available on the PaperArtsy workshop and on Friday I will be taking bookings for the Christmas workshop on November 12, the project will be at the classes. There is a workshop on October 15, it will be based on techniques using Rusty Patina and I will have project images available soon. 

 

The next classes in Fant Hall will be on October 27, NOT October 6.

 

I will be demonstrating for Imagination Crafts at the Hobbycrafts show in Exeter between September and 24, if you're attending the show please stop by and say hello, we'd love to see you.

 

That's all my news for now, I hope you have a great September and thank you for your continued support.

 

Lisa B xx

Happy New Year with Starlights........

 

 

Morning my lovelies,

 

I do hope that you all had a wonderful New Years Eve and didn't over indulge too much so as to spoil the day. Wishing you all a wonderful, happy, healthy and prosperous new year to come......

 

 

 

 

I spent a day with some really lovely, special people over Christmas and they told me about a little idea that I am going to do this year to give me a more positive year ahead and I want to share it with you.......

 

 It is always this time of the year that you look back and nearly always remember the not so good things that have happened during the past year whether they be big or small and then wish for a better year to come....you know we all do it!.......

 

BUT.......

 

They suggested to me to take a large jar ( and lets face it with Christmas over we probably have enough pickle jars!!! )........and every time something good happens or something that really makes you laugh or smile or your hear from an old friend, or someone does something thoughtful or just anything that makes you feel GOOD, maybe an achievement........write it down on a piece of paper, fold it up and put it in the jar.

 

Now come on...... We are crafters let's call them 'Memory Jars' and let's decorate the jar with ribbons and maybe some charms and let's write it on the back of a coloured bit of paper so that the jar fills with colours all through the year......

 

I will be sharing my 'Memory Jar' with you soon......so let's see yours too.

 

Then at this time of the year open that jar and read all the good things that have happened regardless of the bad things and let us not wish our lives away on to another year, let us look back and be thank full for the another year that we have all shared together as we all know it doesn't last forever.......

 

 

 

 

So, today I thought I would show you a few more Christmas cards that I managed to make before Christmas using the fabulous Starlight paints and combining a couple of recent ideas and techniques that we have shown you. Here they are with a list of products used:

 

 

 

 Products used:

Starlights - White gold, Green, Menthol and Platinum

Leane Creatief - Multi Flower die -004

 Holly Leaves and Pine Branches

Sue Wilson - Trailing Ivy

Card-io Stamps - Festive Fir Cones

Christmas Scenery 2

Distress Ink - Tumbled Glass

Imagination Crafts - Honeycomb Stencil

Embossing folder from stash

Versafine - Black Onyx Ink pad

 

 

 

Card two....... 

 

 

 Products used:

Starlights -  Green, Menthol and Red

Sue Wilson - Holly Sprays

Winter Trees

Card-io Stamps - Winter Woods

Winter Walks

Distress Ink - Tumbled Glass

Imagination Crafts - Honeycomb Stencil

Versafine - Black Onyx Ink pad

 

 

 

Card three.... 

 

 

 Products used:

Starlights -  Green, Menthol and Red

Leane Creatief - Multi Flower die -004

 Holly Leaves and Pine Branches

Sue Wilson - Holly Sprays

Card-io Stamps - Christmas Scenery 1

Distress Ink - Tumbled Glass

Imagination Crafts - Hexagons Stencil

Versafine - Black Onyx Ink pad

 

 

 

 

 Well that is all from me for now peeps, have a lovely day and here is too the New Year and I will be back soon with some more inspiration.

 

Remember if you need a little mojo to get you back in to the crafting you can always take a peek at out Pinterest Boards HERE or you still have time to enter our challenge which closes on the 2nd January and win yourself a £20 e-voucher for the website.....

 

Big hugs Lisa B xxx

 

 

Starlights & Artemio Christmas Baubles

Good morning, I hope everyone had a nice weekend & is ready for Christmas?! I most certainly am not, so thank goodness there's one more weekend left before the big day. I've got three cards to show you today, made with the Artemio Christmas Baubles stamp set, Starlights paints & Sweet Poppy Christmas Wreath stencil & Glossy White Dimension Paste.

I created simple backgrounds for the first two cards by brushing Platinum & Rich Gold Starlights over squares of white Super Smooth card. I added splatters of Topaz mixed with water to the first piece.......

I stamped two baubles onto the first square with Versamark ink & heat set with WOW Rich Gold embossing powder. The third bauble was stamped onto a piece of scrap Super Smooth that I had painted with Red Starlights & also heat set with Rich Gold EP, then I cut it out & attached it to the square.

I found the little gold bow & bells in my stash, matted & layered with red, gold & black card onto a 7x7 white card blank.

For the second card, I stamped the bauble onto card painted with Blue Starlights & cut it out. I painted pieces of art canvas with Green, Menthol, & Blue mixed with Silver Starlights, then die cut the canvas with the Leane Creatief Multi Flower 004 die & the Sue Wilson Trailing Ivy die set (sold out at present)..............

The die cut canvas has a lovely texture...........

For my final card today, I applied Glossy White Dimension Paste through the Sweet Poppy

 Christmas Wreath stencil (sold out at present) & when it was dry, I replaced the stencil & applied White Gold Starlights. 

I stamped the bauble onto white card painted with Platinum Starlights, then cut it out & embellished it with a length of gold thread. I added some clear gems & another piece of Trailing Ivy die cut...........

I used a mini blending tool & foam to apply Menthol Starlights through the Imagination Crafts' 

Holly Corner stencil directly onto the 7x7 card blank.

The greeting on all three cards is the Retro Merry Christmas stamp by Stampendous, stamped with Onyx Black Versafine & heat set with clear embossing powder.