Clarity Stamp Challenge for April

There is leaving it late and then there is going down to the wire.  I was not helped today by various people turning up late.  However, this is my entry for the April Clarity Stamp Challenge.

I have used some of the lovely Wee Fairies and Elves, mixed with the fantastic castle and hollyhocks, all on a shaving foam background, with the shaving foam being pushed through a Clarity stencil.  The background was done at one of Sazz's workshops.

I also used a mixture of Spectrum Noir pencils and Derwent Coloursoft pencils to add colour to the castle and the flowers.

I apologise for the poor photo but the battery on the camera has now given up and there is no time to charge it.

PS Forgot to say that I brushed the base card with some Dusky Concord to tone with the Dylusion in sprays in the shaving foam.

 When I posted this in such a rush yesterday, I had trouble in getting a decent photo.  However, I did succeed today so here is  the shot taken today once I got the computer to talk properly to the scanner.  It shows the bit I like best where the shaving foam and ink almost look like quilting

I love parchment craft

As a result of Barbara Gray's promise of something to do with parchment about to appear, I got my things out to have a play. The one with the Clarity Wallflower corner on was just done on a piece of scrap left over to test out the colouring, in particular.

 The first one with the posy of pansies was from a design by Robyn Cockburn and I used the same border on the second one with the three pansies.

They were drawn by me last year with the idea of trying to create a stencil from them. I still haven't worked that idea out but I like them as a parchment piece.

  The colouring on all three was done with a mixture of Derwent Coloursoft and Spectrum Noir pencils, and was also a mixture of colouring on the back and on the front. A lot of people think you can only colour on the back of parchment, but you can get a really delicate effect colouring on the front too. 

For anyone who has been following my blog for a while, you will know that I am a major fan of Derwent products and have most of what they produce.  They are made in this country and their products have been in my life since I was a child.

I am still a fan but I have been persuaded to give the Spectrum Noirs a real test, and from that, I have decided that they are both good products and they will actually work well together.  For example, I found that the Derwent white is stronger, while the blue from Spectrum worked better than the Derwent equivalent.  So, from now on, I will be using both sets together.  They blend together and the Derwent blender pencil will also work in the same way with the Spectrum Noirs, as does the Derwent burnisher pencil.

As far as I am concerned, you cannot have too many coloured pencils anyway.

WOYWW 307 - I am late again

I am late again today, but at least I got here on the right day, having been missing for the last few weeks.  My only excuse is I just keep losing days and those that I find rush past so fast.

This morning was just like that.  I took my photos, all ready to post, and then got sidetracked into carrying on with the parchment work I started last night, so you can see the progress I made this morning before I realised that Wednesday was half over again.

Why is it important to post on a Wednesday, you may ask?  Well now, where have you been if you do not know what happens on a Wednesday - What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday.  I could take up this whole post explaining it all to you, but someone else has already done it much better than I ever could - the lovely Julia, who is waiting to see you all at her Stamping Ground blog.

So now, I will show you my temporary desk in front of the tv, where I can see out of the window and also keep an eye on my two mischievous dogs.

Last week, I managed to finish making, write and seal all but two cards for sending this year.  Sounds good, but it did give me a slight problem as I then found I had nothing that I had to do.  then I realised that this achievement means that I have weeks and weeks of just playing with different techniques, old and new, or a mixture of lots of things.

As you can see, I have dug out some of my parchment work, really relaxing and so pretty when it is done.  Up till now, I have done very little colouring on parchment, preferring to stick mainly to the classic white.  However, this one will be coloured, when I work out what colours I want.  

This is actually a pencil sketch I did ages ago, trying to work out how to cut it as a stencil.  The stencil idea is still waiting but I decided last night that it could look pretty good in parchment and transferred the image in white pencil on to the sheet of parchment.  The bright pink is my new embossing mat which is brilliant used on the light box.

As you can see, I have taken it a lot further today, having got totally lost in doing it after breakfast.  The border is not my own design but is one from a pansy design by Robin Cockburn, who was generous enough to share her designs on the internet.

 You can also see another piece of parching, the triangular piece on the left.  This design is a Clarity stamp that I have been playing with a lot just lately, colouring and stamping on different media and in different colours, comparing different kinds of pencils etc.  The colouring is done mainly on the back, in this case with a mixture of Derwent Coloursoft and Spectrum Noir pencils.

You can also see some of the other bits and pieces I have been playing with, including a great bookmark design from Lynne Hammond, a lovely lady with great ideas.  Most of the colouring in was done while I was relaxing in the Holiday Inn at Shrewsbury at the weekend, just the right thing to play with.

I am going to stop waffling right now and let you get off to visit some of the other people showing their desks with the help of our Julia.  I hope you all have a great week.  xxxx