tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40501146285375122482024-03-05T05:42:44.778+00:00SilverCrafterMaggieC (Silvercrafter)http://www.blogger.com/profile/13560733295194874288noreply@blogger.comBlogger578125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4050114628537512248.post-15160519884786294672022-10-12T10:56:00.001+01:002022-10-12T14:02:41.605+01:00Tribute to a special lady<p> I am ashamed to see that it is around two years since I posted anything on my blog. However, I felt that this week was important to come back. Many of you will already have heard the sad news that we have lost another friend in crafting - Debbie Rock.</p><p>Debbie was a talented crafter and a valued friend. I first met her in a caravan at Eastnor Deer Park, just outside Ledbury, Herefordshire. We were all there to enjoy Land Rover trialling and the great social life around the barbecue in the evening. Debbie was there because her parents were long-standing club members and her husband, Phil, was the Treasurer. I remember Debbie's mum, Gwen, was so proud of her daughter's crafting talent, and would show anyone visiting her caravan some of Debbie's latest work.</p><p>It took a long time to get to know Debbie because she never pushed herself forward, but she was so well worth getting to know her. She was one of those rare people that you could talk to while knowing that your conversation would remain totally private. She was a listener rather than a talker. After my husband died very suddenly, I started to go to crafting workshops, and Debbie often came with me. During our travelling together, we would chat about anything and everything, not just crafting, but anything that concerned us.</p><p>It is no secret that Debbie's family was the centre of her life, and she was so proud of their successes in life. She loved nothing more than to have her nephews and their young children around her. </p><p>Apart from her family, Debbie's other love was crafting. Debbie and I had totally differing crafting interests. Mine was stamping and parchment craft. Debbie, on the other hand would bite the hand off anyone who was getting rid of an old redundant computer, and then turn them into masterpieces, and I believe she would raid her husband's (Phil) stash of Land Rover bits and pieces. I could not get to grips with what she did. If I was presented with the same heap of things as Debbie, by the end of the day, I would still have a heap of apparent junk, while Debbie had something special. I did try but never produced anything I wanted to keep. Debbie did try hard to get to grips with my favourite craft of parchment, but it was not for her. We each settled to appreciate what the other did.</p><p>Debbie would do anything she could for anyone, producing wedding stationary, glorious wedding and other celebratory cakes. She could have made a successful business, but never believed she was good enough. No matter what any of us told her, that she was really talented, she never believed us. The loss of her mother and later her father further reduced Debbie's self confidence. She always thought she should have done more.</p><p>She hated photos of herself, and never really understood that she was beautiful inside and out. She had a smile that would light up a room. A really lovely person.</p><p>RIP Debbie</p>MaggieC (Silvercrafter)http://www.blogger.com/profile/13560733295194874288noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4050114628537512248.post-69783539033989992542021-03-19T11:40:00.003+00:002021-03-19T12:56:11.963+00:00A tribute to a special lady, and a special crafter<p> It has been a while since I wrote on my blog, but today is a special day for many of us for those of us who knew Shaz Silverwolf (Sharon Brooks). A talented crafter, so generous with her tips and techniques.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-klPU1Yg4UyU/YFSfNL81EaI/AAAAAAAAF1g/TgWpb0JJhUctmn1srfA6KuFQDpPrsz6oACLcBGAsYHQ/image.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="120" data-original-width="132" height="240" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-klPU1Yg4UyU/YFSfNL81EaI/AAAAAAAAF1g/TgWpb0JJhUctmn1srfA6KuFQDpPrsz6oACLcBGAsYHQ/image.png" width="264" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Today was the day we all said goodbye to her earthly life but she will live on in our hearts. A perfect send off for Shaz's spirit, allowing he to fly free with the birds into the beautiful countryside outside that window. As we get older, sadly it is a place we visit more and more frequently, but that view does calm the spirit, even though we cannot all be there.</p><p>On a personal note, I owe a lot of my crafting life to Shaz. She inspired me to start my own blog and I learned a lot of brilliant techniques from her, for which I will always be grateful.</p><p><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202020; font-size: 13px;"> RIP Shaz Silverwolf</span><span style="background-color: white;">. Long may she live on in our hearts and memories.</span></p>MaggieC (Silvercrafter)http://www.blogger.com/profile/13560733295194874288noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4050114628537512248.post-29166419391149169412020-02-06T19:33:00.000+00:002020-02-06T19:33:11.112+00:00Bold or fine?<div style="text-align: center;">
I have really enjoyed the two Pergamano shows on Hochanda today. I always enjoy them but today's shows were right up my street. I have to emphasise that everything I write in this blog is my personal opinions and thoughts. Everyone is entitled and right to make their own decisions. We are all different and should be.</div>
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It is no secret that although I love dabbling in lots of different crafts, my favourite is probably parchment work. I am no expert but I have been doing it for many years. It was a no brainer to join in the Groovi journey, and even more obvious that I needed to find someone from whom to learn the finer points of the craft. I was fortunate enough that Linda Williams put Lynne Bishop and me in touch with a lovely traditional tutor, Pat White. She soon took us in hand and started to tidy up our faults and stretch our knowledge.</div>
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Because the multi-needle tools are fine (thinner and closer together), I never really did much with the bold tools. In fact, I never use the two needle and four need bold tools. The single needle bold tool is an important part of my kit, but rarely used for its original purpose. I use it to make the holes to insert the tiny Clarity brands and remove glue that has dried in the nozzles, and other non-parchment things. It is often seriously misused.</div>
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I can cut picots with holes made with the bold tools, but I am never satisfied with the results, whereas those created with the fine needle tools are, for me, much better. One very good reason is the increasing cost of postage. We now have to pay extra for 8x8 and 7x7 inch cards, so it makes sense to reduce our designs to smaller sizes, unless they are hand delivered. <br />
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Because of the fine multi needle tools, I could never see the point of mixing in the bold tools. That just did not make sense to me.<br />
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I do have a bit of a reputation of changing designs set for a workshop, and one of my regular changes is to convert bold grids to fine grids. Yes, it takes longer but I enjoy doing it and it gives me satisfaction. No argument for me. I am fortunate in going to classes where the tutors know me and are happy for me to interpret things differently.<br />
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One argument for the bold tools is it is easier to see what you are doing, especially if you have eyesight problems. I have developing cataracts which are causing me some problems these days, not least with the need to replace my two pairs of glasses very frequently. I do make sure that I take my parchment work to every eye test to ensure that I get the best prescription for that work.<br />
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Two years ago, I was so frustrated and thought I was going to have to give up all gridwork. I tried different types of expensive and cheap magnifier and lights, but nothing seemed to work for me. Even bold grid work was impossible. Then I picked up one of the many head torches we had scattered round, management only used for taking two black dogs out late at night on unlit caravan fields. I had a sudden flash of "Clarity", and tried it with a bit of gridwork. <br />
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It was a revelation, a real game-changer. I could see everything I needed. I now have two head torches, rechargeable from the mains or from a power pack. Each one will usually last for a full day at a workshop. They are not cheap but they allow me to continue the hobby I love. My make of choice sits comfortably, not too heavy, can be angled to spotlight exactly where you are looking. The intensity of the light can be adjusted so that it is comfortable for any environment. I do get the Mickey taken about my appearance, but I don't care if it allows me to carry on.<br />
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You can laugh all you like but I can continue with fine work like this one. This is a traditional design, traced in the old way, and then each butterfly divided into sections for different designs of grids. A bit fiddly, but with proper prescription glasses and a really good head torch, I can see it all clearly, even with cataracts.</div>
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I did a couple of Christmas cards using one of Tina Cox's designs<br />
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, then while I was looking through the Clarity member's sale, I realised it had been turned into a Groovi plate.<br />
<a href="https://claritystamp.com/collections/groovi-1/products/tinas-embroidery-christmas-trees-br-a5-square-groovi-plate">https://claritystamp.com/collections/groovi-1/products/tinas-embroidery-christmas-trees-br-a5-square-groovi-plate</a><br />
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Here's a challenge for you. Draw out two outlines of this tree from Tina, divide it up in sections and create different grids in each section. Do one tree with the bold grid and the other with the fine grid. Then show the results, good or bad, on Facebook, and decide whether you are a bold or fine person or a mixture of the two.<br />
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The question in the title was asking how you prefer to work, with the bold grid and tools or the fine ones. I am curious to know how everyone else feels. There is no right or wrong answer. As I said, we are all different and we must choose our own way.<br />
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MaggieC (Silvercrafter)http://www.blogger.com/profile/13560733295194874288noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4050114628537512248.post-16478143708642834292019-09-05T15:24:00.000+01:002019-09-05T15:24:02.775+01:00Thirsday - Techniques and Tips<div style="text-align: center;">
My blog is likely to die from lack of use right now. Life has definitely got in the way just lately, but I have still been crafting. These are two cards I did for a friend's 50th wedding anniversary, quite a special day. We spent 7 years at school together, and although going to university and college meant we did not see each other as frequently, we never totally lost contact. Over the last 15 years or so, we have made determined efforts to meet at least once a year, taking it in turn to host the get together. This was an extra meeting. Sadly the two who live down in Dorset could not manage to get there, so I was charged with getting the present from us all and delivering it, which is why there are two cards.</div>
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This is the card from me, which owes a great deal to Maria Moorhouse and her workshop at Evesham. Sitting working at this design, I realised that is had a lot of lovely hearts on it - perfect for an anniversary card. All I had to do was to finish it and add their initials in the centre from one of the Plate Mates - job done.</div>
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Well nearly done anyway. This second picture was from the main part of the insert. The main part of this was done on the coloured Clarity designer parchment. I cannot remember which design as it ended up being whatever I had close at hand, being rather short of time by then. I used the lovely Jayne Nestorenko frame and the centre panel had the writing from the same Plate Mate as the centre of the front panel. All the gridwork and edge picot was done with the fine grid, which you may already have gathered is my favourite way of doing it. </div>
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These two cards took a lot of the designer paper, but for such a special occasion, it was worth while.</div>
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The third piece was used as the other insert piece for me to write on.</div>
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The second card was one I had already basically done and just had to add the insert pieces. By now I was running out of time so there was no time to start from scratch. This was to hold the gardening vouchers we had bought for their gift. Some of you will know that this is based on one of Tina Cox's lovely embroidery plates. I added a corner of embroidery to match on the card itself. The "messy " bit inside was hidden by one of the insert pieces of designer paper.</div>
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The insert for this card was slightly problematic as I could not find a piece of designer paper to match the front. The nearest I could find was a little on the blue side, so I took a dark green Faber Castell polychromos pencil and coloured the back of the paper until it looked more green.</div>
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I know that the amount of work in these cards will be appreciated and it is a special occasion The party was lovely and we were able to sit outside and enjoy the sunny weather, while looking over the stunning scenery to the Wrekin.</div>
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MaggieC (Silvercrafter)http://www.blogger.com/profile/13560733295194874288noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4050114628537512248.post-40470403516493250082019-08-08T16:04:00.002+01:002019-08-08T16:04:33.186+01:00Thursday should be tips and techniques<div style="text-align: center;">
I have been holding these back until today until they were officially launched by Paul Church on Hochanda today. I really love this new plate from Linda Williams for Clarity Stamp (<a href="https://claritystamp.com/collections/as-seen-on-tv/products/lindas-heart-sampler-br-a4-square-groovi-plate?variant=29312116457520">https://claritystamp.com/collections/as-seen-on-tv/products/lindas-heart-sampler-br-a4-square-groovi-plate?variant=29312116457520</a>)</div>
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Having watched the shows so far today, the design team have done a fabulous job and produced so many different ways of using this lovely plate. I chose to work on small cards (cheaper through the post) and had real fun with them. With this first one, I took a part of one heart and extended to create a slightly larger border with the criss cross design. I was aiming at something to suggest tartan and coloured the border before perforating and snipping in between. I backed it with one of the Clarity designer papers. It took a while to find the right backing for all of these. </div>
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When you have spent a long time and a lot of care working on a piece of parchment, never rush to stick it down. So many pieces have been ruined by using the wrong backing paper. If you use a very light colour behind the parchment, you risk totally losing all your embossing work as it disappears into your backing. Spend time placing your piece on top of different types of background Many experts suggest that you should choose your backing before colouring your work, but that does not work for me. My brain is not that organised and my pieces of work tend to develop as I go and finish up miles away from the original idea.. That is just the way I work.</div>
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I love the design in the centre of this heart and it reminds me of quilting I kept totally to the whitework as I did not think it needed any extra colour, particularly with the narrow frill round the outside. I really love the frill design. Remember that there are two parts to embossing a frill. You need to decide which part is sticking up and which is going to the back. The bits that go to the back should be embossed from the front, but only very lightly and with a thin piece of cellophane between the ball tool and the parchment. That prevents the parchment getting shiny on the front which can look ugly. The bits that are coming to the front are embossed, as normal from the back. Make sure you work right from the outer edge inwards. There should be no gap between the outer edge and your embossing, but fade it slightly as you go towards the inner edge.</div>
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I like this next one a lot as it gives me the impression of more depth. I coloured, perforated and picot cut the small heart before backing it onto the designer paper. Most of my perforating and snipping is done using the fine grid and tools. As a personal choice, I do not like the bold grid and tools, and with something this small, I feel that the bold grid is too big and would overpower such a small piece. With a really good light such as my head torch, which I can focus exactly to where I need the illumination, I have no problem seeing what I am doing, despite developing cataracts. While I am talking about light, strong sunlight is not a good situation and I really struggle to see anything clearly enough to snip or perforate in the sun.</div>
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This blue card is a marriage between the corners from one of Linda's hearts and one of Josie Davidson's plates. It is backed on Shenandoah paper in blue, but I used two different shades of blue pencils to add extra colour, You really need a needle point pencil to do this successfully, and keep your sharpener ready to resharpen those pencil points, especially if you are colouring on the front as I did here.</div>
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These next two were kept simple with just basic whitework. I did not think they needed any further embellishment so they are ideal for anyone just starting out on their parchment journey. The only thing that is slightly more advanced is how I did the borders. I chose a couple of multi needle tools to edge them. I cannot remember which tool this was, I just grabbed three different ones to play with.</div>
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I further decorated the border with a sun tool and a tiny dot in the centre. I really like the effect you can get with this arrangement with very little effort.</div>
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On this one, I edged it with the small semi circle tool and put a dot in the centre of each semi circle to finish it off.</div>
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Then we come to my favourite of the ones I have done so far.</div>
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Again, I have done a lot of perforating and picot cutting, and the border is my favourite multi needle tool, the semi square.</div>
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Hope you like what I have shown you today, and get your multi needle tools out and play with them they really lift your work and are not hard when you get the hang of them. Don't be afraid to just play and experiment. Have fun.</div>
MaggieC (Silvercrafter)http://www.blogger.com/profile/13560733295194874288noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4050114628537512248.post-61795690897994200322019-08-03T20:12:00.001+01:002019-08-03T20:12:35.703+01:00Friday/Saturday - Finishing off and something new<div style="text-align: center;">
Some of you may have seen my post of Groovi Worldwide last week, when I showed my mishaps with one piece of parchment. It all started when I went over to Hazel Edwards' class at her home last Saturday. She had done some lovely samples to give us ideas, using the Silent Night plate as a base. I was there all day so had plenty of time to play.</div>
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The first card went fine, although, in retrospect, I should have strengthened the colour. It is a little on the pales side, but I can adjust that by adding some colour on the front of the church.</div>
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Then after lunch, I started on my second card and it all went to pieces. Too much chat and not enough concentration, which led to elementary mistakes.</div>
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I embossed the border, then decided to do the perforation of the grid. Mistake One - I forgot to turn it over so that meant that the embossed border ended up as de-bossed. OK, I can accept that, not too much of a disaster until I started on the centre panel. Mistake Two - The words were now backwards. Right, stop, and have engage brain, if I can find it!</div>
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I was detemined not to throw anything away and to use every bit. So I picot cut the centre panel out and then tidied up the inside of the frame. </div>
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Then I created a new border for the panel. It has not shown up too well on this photo. I put a coloured piece behind the centre panel but that just has not been picked up on this scan.. a</div>
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Anyway, that is the centre panel saved with a new border. That left the original border to be used on this next card. I used a piece of Shenandoah in green at the back of the whole thing. I had already embossed the border plate onto the green parchment, which threw up the border lines more strongly.</div>
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I had intended to use my rubber to remove colour from the green behind the church and the trees, but, in the end, I decided I did not need to do that. With the green on the trees, i was really just strengthening the existing colour. and the brownish hue of the building seemed to come through quite well. The ground in the front is just embossed with tiny dots from the fine grid. Then the whole thing was mounted on an a piece of Shenandoah paper. I chose to use the bright side as it seemed to throw up varied lights in the sky. All my colouring on this was done from the back with extra in some places on the front.</div>
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Then I decided I was in the mood to play a bit more, so I did another, using two different pieces of parchment. Again, I embossed the border on both pieces of parchment. This time the border gridwork and the church were on the normal white parchment, with the background picot cut out. By laying it over the blue Shenandoah parchment, I was able to place the moon and the stars just where I wanted them. Fortunately, the white embossing on the top of he church was strong enough to be able to place very tiny dots of Perga Glue to stop it moving and curling.</div>
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A big thank you must go to Hazel for running such a lovely class, and for a very tasty lunch, not forgetting all the coffees made by Steve to keep us going.</div>
MaggieC (Silvercrafter)http://www.blogger.com/profile/13560733295194874288noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4050114628537512248.post-47061267694191181562019-07-19T17:58:00.002+01:002019-07-19T17:58:39.254+01:00Friday is for finishing off<div style="text-align: center;">
Four more parchment pieces finally finished and mounted ready for use. The first three were started at various classes, and just needed time and finishing of embossing etc.</div>
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The first one was from a workshop run by Maria Moorhouse at the Crafters Companion store at Evesham. For some reason, this one was the hardest to find backing paper that I liked.</div>
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This was one design that I actually followed and I think it shocked Maria, as I do have a reputation for going off piste. It is a quiet sort of piece and I kept the colours very soft too. To me, this makes it the kind of card that would work for a sympathy card.</div>
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The next two started life at a workshop run by Josie Davidson and Chris Walker up at Whittingtom. Josie gives us several designs to choose from. Rather than work through one piece from start to finish, Lynne Bishop and I tend to go through the prep work and set all three up, then settle down to develop them. </div>
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Number 2 did contain rather a lot of dots and I think the hardest bit was trying to line them up diagonally across the whole design, Very fiddley but give a very effective texture. The centre section is a combination of dots and perforations, so the only picot work is round the outside border, which I did using the fine straight grid </div>
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Number 3 has just two borders, top and bottom, of gridwork with the centre panel coloured. For once, I used the bold grid, but because all the cuts are straight, they were not such a problem to snip.</div>
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Both these pieces were coloured with the Faber Castell Polychromos, first on the back and then on the front, with highlights added on the front. </div>
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I think that Number 2 is my favourite. The colours work better for me on that one.</div>
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The final piece for today uses one of Josie's royal border plates and one of Linda Williams Flowers and Lace. I love pansies and the colours of the flowers on this one are close to one of my favourite pansy flowers called Joker.</div>
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I did the border some time ago so I cannot remember which plate it came from. The colouring is done with the same pencils, but this time, I dorsed them on the back and the front and then added darker lines to each petal on the front to give them definition. Looking at this on here, it does not really show the colours to their best. It shows better if you click on it and look at the magnified image.</div>
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I enjoyed doing all of them and there is still the third one from Josie's class to be finished, but I am still thinking about the colours for that one.</div>
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If you have been finishing off some of your UFOs, why not share them on Facebook or on your blog.</div>
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<br />MaggieC (Silvercrafter)http://www.blogger.com/profile/13560733295194874288noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4050114628537512248.post-3033613185065115392019-07-12T14:37:00.000+01:002019-07-12T15:26:36.138+01:00Friday is for finishing off<div style="text-align: center;">
I am taking a different path today with my finishing off. I would love to ask everyone to finish being unpleasant and hurtful. "The Water Babies" by Charles Kingsley has two very important characters in it. They are two ladies by the names of Mrs Be-Done-By-As-You-Did and Mrs Do-As-You-Would-Be-Done-By (try typing that lot fast).</div>
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I would show you a picture of my treasured copy of this book but I might fall foul of copyright law, so, instead, I will show you a picture that I did very recently.<br />
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To give credit where it is due, this piece came about after doing the Encaustic Make and Take with Mike and Shona Bossom at the recent Clarity Open Days in Ditton. They inspired me to get my kit out and play with it at home. Watching them on Hochanda taught me even more, especially the show where Mike Bossom and Barbara Gray swapped their skills. I learned how to use stamping together with hot coloured wax. I know it is not brilliant but I enjoyed playing with the equipment and learning more from that play.<br />
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To me, crafting is a way to relax and escape from problems in life, and I don't think I am alone in that. I need to escape from sad and bitter people who think they can get their own way by shouting and bullying others. They need to think about Mrs Be-Done-By-As-You-Did, which is probably another name for Karma. If you constantly dish out physical and verbal bullying, at some stage it will come back to bite you. It will, also, only serve to make you even more sad, bitter and unpleasant. No-one wants to be with someone like that.<br />
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The other lady, on the contrary, Mrs Do-As-You-Would-Be-Done-By, is a much happier person, the kind of person you enjoy being with, and her Karma brings a much better life. If you want people to treat you kindly and help you out, then you need to treat others with kindness and respect. If you want respect, then you have to treat others with respect.<br />
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Back to the crafting world, the same applies. There is an unpleasant minority that is so sick that they spend all their time trying to bully others and damage other people's reputations. I try to keep out of the angry rows that come from this. However, when a good friend or family member is being treated so unfairly, then I will step in and say my piece.<br />
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Let's all take a deep breath, then exhale hard to get rid of bad feelings and childish behaviour. Spend your time doing nice things for others instead of trying to make them do things for you.<br />
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<b><i><span style="color: blue;">P.S. How could I have forgotten to give credit for the stamp on my picture? Of course, it is one of the lovely Clarity stamps. </span></i></b></div>
MaggieC (Silvercrafter)http://www.blogger.com/profile/13560733295194874288noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4050114628537512248.post-16475596117232965272019-07-04T20:15:00.000+01:002019-07-04T20:15:48.184+01:00Thursday - Tips and Techniques - PTCs<div style="text-align: center;">
First of all, what are PTCs, I hear some of you say. Originally, there were ATCs - Artist Trading Cards. They were used a bit like business cards for artists and crafters, tiny pieces of art to be given as a sample of your talent. These days, they are usually used as swaps, generally on a theme. Then, Artist Trading Coins, round pieces of art, came into the picture. The only real absolute rule is the size of these pieces. The cards must not be bigger than 2.5 inches x 3.5 inches (64mmx89m), while the coins must not exceed 2.5 inches. The main reason for this is to ensure they will fit into the plastic wallets designed to display them.</div>
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PTCs, both cards and coins, have to stay within that size. This is a PTC (Parchment Trading Card) that I put together for a recent crop. Despite the apparent intricacy of the design, the whole thing is still only 2.5 inches x 3.5 inches. So it fits properly into the wallets.</div>
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To make sure you get the right sizes, this is how I work.</div>
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1. Cut your final backing card to the correct size out of white card and put the ATC backstamp on it (<a href="https://claritystamp.com/collections/stamps/products/atc-stamp-br-unmounted-clear-stamp">Clarity ATC Stamp</a>).</div>
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2. Cut your parchment to the same size before starting your work. You will almost certainly have some kind of a border to be cut, which will reduce the size of the parchment slightly.</div>
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3. At some stage, either at the start or at the end of your work, you will also need a piece of backing paper or card to go between the white card and your parchment. Ideally, that should be slightly smaller than the white card and slightly bigger than your finished piece of parchment.</div>
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By lining up all three in this way, you are showing off your work to its best. Measure the backing card carefully and keep everything else within those limits.</div>
MaggieC (Silvercrafter)http://www.blogger.com/profile/13560733295194874288noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4050114628537512248.post-17956829595863389862019-06-27T08:00:00.000+01:002019-06-27T10:24:00.058+01:00Thursday -Tips and Techniques<div style="text-align: center;">
I had so much fun yesterday. My new extension lead arrived at lunchtime, so after putting my dinner in the oven, I draped the cable safely round the conservatory to put the socket on the right hand side of my desk. That means I am not reaching across a hot iron. This is a new craft for me, so it is all about learning and having fun.</div>
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I decided to really get brave yesterday (or stupid) and play with an A5 BLACK card. Oh boy, that was a steep learning curve but so much fun. I have already learned a very valuable lesson. If it does not work out how I imagined, it does not matter one iota because I have had so much fun just playing. It is not a waste of card.<br />
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This has not really photographed well but it is really moody and windswept. It reminds me of the moors round Haworth (Bronte territory) on a stormy evening. I think I will leave this as it is, certainly for now. Having watched Barbara and Mike, I know I could change it totally if I wanted.<br />
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The second play piece is a remake of the one I didn't like from yesterday's blog.<br />
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To me, the proportion of sky and land really did not work. So, I took the iron to it and then wiped the wax away with a tissue, before adding more restrained hills in the foreground. Then, I still did not like the sky, so I swept more colour over it. When I did it, I thought it was a stormy sky, but looking at it now, it looks like mountains rising up from the lake.<br />
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Now I have my kit set up on my desk in the conservatory, I get the feeling I will be doing a lot more playing, whenever I get a few minutes to spare. I must remember to keep an eye out for intruders. I had to evict a magpie from the doorstep, cheeky bird. I think it was a youngster, but I don't particularly want his company.<br />
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Any of you who have the kit, don't let it moulder in the cupboard. Get it out and just have fun.<br />
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MaggieC (Silvercrafter)http://www.blogger.com/profile/13560733295194874288noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4050114628537512248.post-25752921561324419792019-06-26T07:00:00.000+01:002019-06-26T07:00:12.402+01:00WOYWW 525 - a different desk.<div style="text-align: center;">
With a number of things that have happened since the fantastic Anniversary Crop, I have been AWOL for a while and I apologise for not replying to those who commented last time.<br />
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Sadly, I had to take that final decision for Flash. After that, I was down in Kent at the incredible Clarity Open Days. Two days of watching and learning from incredibly talented crafters - Barbara Gray, Maria Moorhouse, Dee Paramour, Sam Crowe, Tina Cox, Linda Williams, Paul Church, Leonie Pujol, Lou Withers, Martine Smith, to name but a few. </div>
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We also had the chance to do a Make and Take with Mike and Shona Bossum creating Encaustic art. For those who have not come across this craft, it is the somewhat unpredictable art of painting pictures with a hot iron and melted wax.</div>
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I bought my starter kit a couple of years ago but never had the courage to get it out to play. However, a brilliant lesson from Mike inspired me to get going and see what I could produce, as you can see from my conservatory desk. These photos were taken on Tuesday afternoon after a fun time trying to remember what I had learned from a half hour lesson and watching on Hochanda.</div>
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My first attempt is due for another session with the iron today as I don't like it at all. Much too dark with the colours becoming muddy.</div>
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The next two I will keep as I quite like them, although they are not perfect but I learned a lot from them.</div>
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I quite like the fence I managed to draw in on this one, and the folds of the hills.</div>
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This final one was intended as a seascape but changed a little as I played.</div>
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I feel sure I will be doing a lot more as I learn just what I can do with just a few blocks of coloured wax and a small iron. It is a lot more fun than doing the household ironing.</div>
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I will let you go now on your way to visit the other desks on show at <a href="http://stamping-ground.blogspot.com/">Julia's place, over at Stamping Ground</a>. Have a good day, everyone.</div>
MaggieC (Silvercrafter)http://www.blogger.com/profile/13560733295194874288noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4050114628537512248.post-37934229241837655312019-06-20T23:03:00.000+01:002019-06-20T23:03:07.516+01:00Thursday Tips and Techniques<div style="text-align: center;">
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Some of you know that I have been struggling with my snipping over the last few weeks. Somehow my precious Ringlocks have been damaged. Not a problem, I thought as I already had a new pair on standby. </div>
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Oh boy, was I wrong? Spectacularly wrong!</div>
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Three weeks later and I am still struggling to get used to them. Struggling to the point that I have even tried today snipping with a very old pair of scissors that I dug out of the cupboard. </div>
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Just because you have two pairs of apparently identical scissors, they will not behave quite the same. Your new ones will almost certainly be stiffer until you have worked them in. I took the advice of Jeannine from Clarity and sprayed the new ones with WD40 and then worked them well before cleaning off the excess. </div>
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I also found that it helps to leave them at least overnight before using them in anger. I have also prepped a page of perforations ready to snip out to make sure I can get it right. Some are from the fine grid, which I prefer, and some from the bold grid, which I am not so keen on.</div>
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I started snipping picot about 15 years ago but really improved with the help of an experienced tutor more recently. However, with the change of scissors, I really feel I have to go back to basics and do a lot of practice to get it right again. It really is a case of lots of practice to succeed at any skill.<br />
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One of Leonie's phrases from her sticker collection seems apt. Lots of people are scared to try the picot cutting. Don't be.<br />
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<span style="color: blue;"><b>IT'S OKAY TO BE SCARED, DO IT ANYWAY</b></span><br />
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MaggieC (Silvercrafter)http://www.blogger.com/profile/13560733295194874288noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4050114628537512248.post-61229952100146987402019-06-19T08:30:00.000+01:002019-06-19T08:30:01.837+01:00Wednesday - more photos<div style="text-align: center;">
These are more general shots from the Clarity Open Days at Ditton. Any of you who did not manage to get there this time, you missed a brilliant time. I hope you manage to get there next time. For £6 per day, you experience great tuition and help by the creme de la creme of great tuition and the chance to see just what your crafting goodies can produce. You get fun and friendship from so many like-minded people. Just look at the fun in these last photos.</div>
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Paul and Maria sharing the very last of Ruth's beautiful cakes.</div>
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Sam is still busy with her inking and stamping.</div>
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Some of Maria's watchers listening to Barbara doing the final raffle. For those who were not there, part of your entry includes a raffle ticket which functions all day, when Barbara does a draw every hour on the hour. The prizes are all very generous.</div>
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No idea what the joke was but it was obviously good. Either that or hysteria after two full on days had set in.</div>
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Maria behind her little tree.</div>
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And finally ....... the lovely Linda Williams. I did not manage to get to watch her this time. I also missed Lou Withers and Martine Smith, and I failed to get any photos of Barbara.</div>
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Thank you all at Clarity for all the work you put in to make this such a great event for all of us.</div>
MaggieC (Silvercrafter)http://www.blogger.com/profile/13560733295194874288noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4050114628537512248.post-80705037113689911832019-06-18T10:26:00.000+01:002019-06-18T10:26:38.596+01:00Tuesday is tidy up day<div style="text-align: center;">
Here are the second batch of photos from the Clarity Open Days. I do seem to have taken a lot of Sam Crowe, a lot of them from my position at the corner of Tina Fox's table.</div>
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What that lady can do with a gel plate! Wow! She started off with just two at a time, the big one and one of the Petites, lots of inks, mainly the mini Archivals, and also the Viva Decor paints, the ones that </div>
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TaDa!</div>
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Boom!!!<br />
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From Sam, I edged my seat closer to the corner to chat with Tina, and learn how she does her beautiful parchment embroidery and beading.<br />
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Tina's work is so beautiful and distinctive. I love watching her adding colour, and embellishments in her own way, but making sure the rest of us can follow and try it out for ourselves.<br />
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Here is just a bit of her work and that of the design team.<br />
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See the rows of beautiful haematite beads, adding more bling to this one.<br />
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I believe that this sample was created by Glynis Whitehead. There are no holes on the plates for the flowers, but Glynis has adapted the design to add beads for the centres.<br />
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Karen Wheatland, Lynne Bishop and Rosalind McClellan listening and watching intently to Tina.<br />
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Not sure what Lynne was explaining so intently here.<br />
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Right, that's your lot for today. More will follow tomorrow. I want time today to play with some of my new goodies before I forget how to use them. I am looking forward to seeing lots of your pictures of your experiments after watching the experts. Have fun and have a great day. Damp outside so perfect for crafting instead.</div>
MaggieC (Silvercrafter)http://www.blogger.com/profile/13560733295194874288noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4050114628537512248.post-86707214065343615232019-06-17T16:20:00.001+01:002019-06-17T16:20:22.980+01:00Monday is for Mindfulness - maybe<div style="text-align: center;">
What a fantastic time we all had down at Ditton in Kent. I have no idea how many came in the end to the Clarity Open Days extravaganza, but everyone had a blast.</div>
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I promised photos when I got home, so be prepared. There are a lot. I will split them so they will not all appear today. There are some people I missed, which is a shame, like the lovely Glynis on the Snip Clinic. I went straight to her on Friday morning for some snipping advice. I need a lot of practice and probably over a long time to beat my problem.</div>
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Any way, here we go!</div>
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Maria was my next port of call, demoing the beautiful Mirror Mist, combined with the acrylic shapes, gliding flakes, glitter and the Viva Decor paints. Here are two of the beautiful things she was making, such a talented lady and so generous with her help and ideas.</div>
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Aren't they lovely? I can see so many uses for these shapes. Here you can see Maria sharing her skills with us all, adding the Viva Decor paint to the stamped design before spraying it with the Mirror Mist.<br />
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I can't wait to have a go myself. I have already used the Mirror Mist to put the mirrored surface behind my engraved peacock, and loved the effect. Christmas decs, mirrors safe for children, keyring, pendants, the list of possibilities goes on.<br />
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From Maria, I managed to get a space to watch Leonie. Her enthusiasm is so infectious, and she is so keen to pass on her ideas and knowledge. Gel plates, stamps, inks, paints, prayer, often all mixed together. Sadly, no photos for some reason.<br />
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Then it was on round the room to Mike and Shona Bossom and their encaustic art. I reckon they sold a huge number of their starter kits. I got a space on Mike's Make and Take, and I showed you my results a couple of days ago. Everyone followed the same instructions and came away with beaming smiles and different looking pieces. It is unpredictable art, although you have some control. If you don't like the result, you can clear it off and start again. People who tried it showed their pictures to anyone and everyone they saw, and those people rushed off to book their own slot.<br />
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This is my last photo for today, a more general view of the room, a much bigger space than previous years, but full of a very happy, inspired buzz all day.<br />
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I must say a big thank you to those who worked so hard to provide us with our lunches and all day drinks to keep us all going. You did a superb job.<br />
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MaggieC (Silvercrafter)http://www.blogger.com/profile/13560733295194874288noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4050114628537512248.post-59612227967163216942019-06-15T21:53:00.001+01:002019-06-15T21:53:46.274+01:00Saturday - Start Something new<div style="text-align: center;">
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Just one of the many photos I took today at the fantastic second day of the Clarity Open Days at Ditton Community Centre in Kent. However, all the others are on my camera so you will have to wait to see those until I can transfer them onto the computer.<br />
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What I really want to do tonight is to say a huge thank you to Barbara and the entire Clarity team, those we usually see front of house and those who work so hard in the background. Each year it gets better and this year was no exception.<br />
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Two days superb demos from the best, hours of hints, tips, how to use everything that Clarity excels in. Anyone who missed it this year, make sure you are there next year. Everyone had a smile on their faces.<br />
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Yes, we spent a lot of money over the two days, but the best part was chatting with friends, old and new. You cannot bottle that great atmosphere.<br />
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Thank you, Clarity. You rock!</div>
MaggieC (Silvercrafter)http://www.blogger.com/profile/13560733295194874288noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4050114628537512248.post-71446250304477036982019-06-14T17:39:00.000+01:002019-06-14T17:39:54.309+01:00Friday - Finish Off Day<div style="text-align: center;">
Not a totally normal finishing off here. However, I did finish with my dithering over whether to get my encaustic kit out for its first airing.</div>
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Like a lot of Clarity fans, I spent the day down at Ditton in Kent at the Open Days. It was lovely to meet up with so many people, some for the first time.</div>
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Mike and Shona Bossom, good friends of Barbara, were there demoing their fabulous encaustic art and doing make and takes all day. I bought the kit ages ago but now I can wait to get it out and go for it.</div>
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This was my first test piece, just to get the feel of it and it taught me so much, not least that it was nothing to fear. Then we went for it, under Mike's instructions and this was what I achieved. I am so chuffed with it. It will be framed and hung somewhere in the house.</div>
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So be warned, folks, you could be receiving cards made like this in the near future.</div>
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I will write more about the Open Days in the very near future. If you are in the Ditton area tomorrow, come along for a great day.</div>
MaggieC (Silvercrafter)http://www.blogger.com/profile/13560733295194874288noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4050114628537512248.post-71436113718117585122019-06-10T10:20:00.001+01:002019-06-10T10:20:34.147+01:00Monday for mindfulness<div style="text-align: center;">
Just to tell you, I am about to be arrested for fraud. That is, according to the recorded message I have just received from BT. It is related to a problem with my internet.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5Tw2POkvhzY/XP4Ui4IK9GI/AAAAAAAAFec/PypGj7uJYB0TeqSy_P6LfaKsdZ1JQyqzQCLcBGAs/s1600/8-new-scams-to-watch-out-for-136425937197102601-180718112458.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1366" height="179" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5Tw2POkvhzY/XP4Ui4IK9GI/AAAAAAAAFec/PypGj7uJYB0TeqSy_P6LfaKsdZ1JQyqzQCLcBGAs/s320/8-new-scams-to-watch-out-for-136425937197102601-180718112458.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Should I panic and press the button to speak to the engineer? Definitely NOT!!!! However, this could be a very scary call to receive for a lot of people. The threat of immediate arrest would scare many people into following the instructions in this message. </div>
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I have the benefit of knowing (a) I am not with BT anyway and (b) BT would never make such phone calls. Another pointer to this being a scam is that the voice is American, unlikely to be genuine for this country.</div>
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It is hard to believe that anyone would be so cruel as to deliberately frighten people in this way. I wonder if they ever think how it would be if their relatives were targeted in this way. Sadly, these scammers probably never think that way. All they want is the money they can scare people into handing over after extracting information from them</div>
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I have, many times, talked about ways of avoiding scams on the internet. Never take part in those apparently harmless quizzes about the first pet you had, your first school etc. They are not harmless at all. When you look at them, it is surprising how much personal information you are giving away, information that is often used by us to decide on passwords and secret questions for example. Just don't take part and you will avoid one possibility of getting your accounts hacked.</div>
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The other important thing to remember is that if an offer seems especially good, too good to be true, then it is almost certain that it is a scam. Offers like Tesco (or other companies) are giving away £50 vouchers to everyone who applies today and shares the post are definite scams. Before you press that button to win the voucher or the campervan which is available free due to overproduction, just STOP and THINK. No company could possibly afford to make such an offer. They would be bankrupt.</div>
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Then there are the offers saying that Fred Bloggs (other names available) has failed to claim his prize of a free holiday, so the holiday is now up for grabs again. All you have to do is to apply before 5pm and fill in the form. Another scam designed to draw you in and get your details.</div>
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So, as we start another week, stop and think logically before you press that button, whether it is on your phone or on the internet. Five minutes will make no difference if it is genuine, but it will allow you to avoid being scammed.</div>
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MaggieC (Silvercrafter)http://www.blogger.com/profile/13560733295194874288noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4050114628537512248.post-9168317478412648582019-06-07T23:38:00.000+01:002019-06-07T23:38:36.681+01:00Friday - Finish off day<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Not much finishing off today, but I did come across this part done sketch. As a child, I loved drawing, mainly horses (my passion), birds and architecture. I had my pleasure in drawing knocked out of me at school and am still struggling to get back to it. </div>
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This is my attempt to draw a very imposing house down near Bridport in Dorset. It is only a tiny sketch book that fits in my handbag, so you can see that I did not get very far. Since then, I have done nothing. So today, I have decided to "finish off" my avoidance of pencil and paper, and try to do a little every day.</div>
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It is so easy to be put off doing things because we believe we are not good enough. At this stage of my life, I can now see that we are all wrong to be led down this path. It is never too late to go back to these things or to start a new path in life. Drawing is just a small piece of paper. It does not matter if you don't get it right first, second or third time. Just keep trying, just a few minutes a day.</div>
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A number of my friends have been and still are going through difficult times at the moment. I hope they can find some kind of support from family and friends, and some kind of solace from their hobbies. </div>
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When Geoff died so suddenly, I made the decision that I needed to change my life radically, and I have never regretted that decision. That was <i><b>my</b></i> way of coping. It may not be right for everyone.</div>
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I have heard the same comment from a number of people on Facebook this week, telling us that they are afraid to travel alone or to drive alone. There is one lady, however, who, after dealing with the immediate trauma, really grabbed hold of life with both hands, and drove her camper van (they are not tiny vehicles) on a grand tour, doing things she would not have done before.</div>
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My first long drive on my own was to Dorset to visit friends. I had planned my journey very carefully, looking at the map book, writing the important points on Post-it notes on the dashboard, checking it out at street level on Google Earth, plus my trusty SatNav. All this planning did not stop a rising tide of panic, and I had to pull in at the first services and sort myself out. An hour later, I was able to set off again and had a pleasant time with my friends.</div>
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I am rambling again and have twisted today's theme rather. If you are afraid of something, try to grab hold of it and beat that fear. Little steps first, but then "<b><i>finish off</i></b>" that fear. </div>
MaggieC (Silvercrafter)http://www.blogger.com/profile/13560733295194874288noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4050114628537512248.post-48718182178081761822019-06-06T23:03:00.000+01:002019-06-06T23:03:04.707+01:00Thursday is for tip and techniques<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I am not doing any tips today. Having watched the very moving views of the D Day Commemorations yesterday and today, I do not feel it would be appropriate.</div>
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To watch those veterans, so determined to pay their respects, certainly brought tears to my eyes. What they saw, and heard and experienced cannot be forgotten by them and never should be forgotten by us or by our descendents.</div>
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I am watching this morning's service right now, having had to go out part way through, and I am not ashamed to admit the tears are pouring down. So many of those men have never spoken of what they experienced until now, and, in the last part of their lives, are facing those horrors again to pay their respects to those who were cut down in their youth next to them.</div>
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We must never forget the huge numbers of young men, sons, brothers, finances, husbands who gave their lives to ensure we could live in a world where we are free to have opinions, free to have our own beliefs.</div>
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Remember them and teach your children to understand and remember them always!</div>
MaggieC (Silvercrafter)http://www.blogger.com/profile/13560733295194874288noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4050114628537512248.post-74601966215209667462019-06-06T08:21:00.001+01:002019-06-06T08:21:12.273+01:00WOYWW 522 - after the Crop.<div style="text-align: center;">
I am so late joining the gang this week. After a great get together on Saturday in Shrewbury, I had intended to now show the PTCs I made for the ATC swap. However, I am limited to using my Kindle to write this and it is very difficult to manipulate my photos, so that will have to wait.<br />
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More importantly, I want to say a big thank you to the wonderful organisers, Wipso and Twiglet, and the two ladies who started the whole thing, Julia, and Lunch Lady Jan. You all did a wonderful job.<br />
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This photo gives me so much pleasure. To see Jan and others trying parchment work for the first time and having so much pleasure doing it gives me a real lift. People, who thought they did not have the patience to do this lovely craft, finding how very relaxing it is and producing their own small works of art. <br />
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I also want to thank everyone who gave me their own tiny works of art, using the crafts that are special to them. I will treasure them all. I will photograph them all and hope to share them next week.<br />
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MaggieC (Silvercrafter)http://www.blogger.com/profile/13560733295194874288noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4050114628537512248.post-3854909323418658702019-06-04T22:46:00.000+01:002019-06-04T22:48:05.520+01:00Tuesday - Tidy up day?<div style="text-align: center;">
Not a lot of tidying up today. Instead, I had a great time at Maria Moorhouse's Groovi workshops at Evesham, using one of my very favourite plates, the one with the blue tits on, which was designed by Linda Williams for the Groovi Retreat.</div>
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Maria had created a lovely card with that plate, but also using some of the multi needle Pergamano tools, including the semi square. I cannot show you the results as I believe there is another class to do this design </div>
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However, I do have a couple of photos for you of a very happy Maria.</div>
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She had just fallen in love (it is ok, Peter, no rival to you) with ............ a pencil sharpener! I did just about manage to retrieve it to bring home. </div>
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I think she was having fun, don't you. It is amazing what excites us crafters. Maria's classes are always fun and today was no exception. A lovely project with lovely people, taught by the lady who had the original idea for Groovi. What more could you want?<br />
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Thank you, Maria, for a lovely relaxing day.</div>
MaggieC (Silvercrafter)http://www.blogger.com/profile/13560733295194874288noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4050114628537512248.post-42459272891882986482019-06-03T09:00:00.000+01:002019-06-03T20:42:22.028+01:00Monday is for Mindfulness<div style="text-align: center;">
It is always interesting to see what floats other people's boats. This train of thought started at the WOYWW (What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday) Crop. It was a lovely get together to celebrate ten years of the communal blog, started by Julia Budd. Lots of chatting, lots of cake, some crafting.</div>
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We were discussing what inspires us and what relaxes us. As most of you know, I love all things parchment (apart from stippling) and it really relaxes me to hear that satisfying little click as the scissors create that lovely picot edge. </div>
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Many people adore zentangle, or doodling and find that relaxing, while I find that it winds me up and I get more and more stressed. On Saturday, I found two other people who feel the same about all forms of doodling. It was quite refreshing I was not on my own.</div>
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I had taken more stuff than normal to the meeting as there were a couple of people who had expressed interest in having a go at parchment craft. Two of them said the usual "I don't have enough patience", but after sitting down and creating their own PTC (Parchment Trading Card), they were delighted and remarked how relaxing it was. Annoyingly, I had forgotten to take my box of tiny brads so was unable to put them together. So I brought them home to mount and then send them on to their creators.</div>
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There were so many crafts being shown on that day, some of which I could appreciate for the skills, but would never be my choice. Because they are not my choice does not mean that I cannot understand that others feel happy and relaxed while doing them.</div>
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We all have the option to choose for ourselves just as long as we respect the choices of others. Sadly, our craft world is not immune to arguments and battles, just the same as the wider world in which we live. No matter how hard we try, we can never stop that.<br />
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There has always been fighting between human beings since the first. The dangers now come from the increasingly deadly weapon that mankind has invented, where one man can kill and maim hundreds of others in seconds and no longer even sees the true results of his actions.<br />
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If you are reading my ramblings then you are using a phone, tablet or computer of of some kind. You are using some form of social media, where the click of a button becomes the front end of a weapon. You will have, almost certainly, have come across so-called keyboard warriors, who cannot accept that others have opinions and views, and aim their vitriolic attacks quite deliberately at those least able to cope with it. Like those aiming guns that kill so many without really experiencing the results, they can not see the devastating effect of what they write, being protected themselves and unable to see the faces of their victims.<br />
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Not so long ago, there was a group of people in our craft world who could not accept that there were new and, for some, better and more achievable ways of producing beautiful work. For a while, Facebook really showed its worst side, with a small minority of people attacking anyone who disagreed with them. For me and many others, the only way to deal with such unpleasantness was to just turn our backs on them by blocking them from view. Right now, for me, Facebook is now a very pleasant place where I can communicate with good friends in freedom. Anyone who becomes controversial or unpleasant just gets blocked and ignored. Perhaps that would be the best way to protest against Donald Trump. Rather than turn out to shout and cause trouble, just ignore the whole visit.<br />
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The way I try to look at life is fairly simple. If you can do something about a problem, then don't stress, just do it. If there is nothing you can do, then don't stress. Concentrate on what you can do, and what you can do will be far more effective.<br />
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If you are still reading this, thank you. I had not meant to ramble on so much.<br />
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MaggieC (Silvercrafter)http://www.blogger.com/profile/13560733295194874288noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4050114628537512248.post-26785408061359542132019-06-02T13:47:00.000+01:002019-06-02T13:47:51.299+01:00Sunday - Anything Goes<div style="text-align: center;">
How do you take a decent photo of a mirror? This is the best I have managed so far. I was trying to get one without me showing in it.</div>
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This was the best of a rubbish lot of pictures. So why am I showing it to you?</div>
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This peacock started with a real live bird on the outside window ledge of Hunters Inn in North Devon. I then turned it into a parchment piece, which a very clever member of the family (Sam Morrison-Williams) proceeded to engrave on glass for me. </div>
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It has been on the wall in the conservatory since then, one of the few pieces of art that will not fade in the sun.</div>
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A couple of weeks ago, I watched Maria Moorhouse demoing the Pentart Mirror Mist, a spray (one for glass and one for plastic) and the deciding factor was the ability to replace missing silvering on the back of old mirrors. I have one that needs sorting in a couple of places. Then I thought of this engraved peacock and thought how good that could be if I turned it into a mirror.</div>
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So, that is what I did this morning. I took it all apart, cleaned and de-greased the back, before spraying the whole thing. I reckon it worked beautifully apart from a couple of bits in the corners, where my spraying was not too good. I think the problem was the speed it dried in the stuffy heat today. </div>
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My decision now is whether to re-spray it more carefully or whether to leave it looking a little shabby chic. What do you think, folks?</div>
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MaggieC (Silvercrafter)http://www.blogger.com/profile/13560733295194874288noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4050114628537512248.post-70566833399864994552019-05-29T20:26:00.001+01:002019-05-29T20:26:27.737+01:00WOYWW 521 - Rather late today<div style="text-align: center;">
Never mind being late today, I am still trying to catch up from last week. My whole week is totally messed up this week. Sorry if I did not get round to you last week and I will try to do better this time.</div>
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There are about 30 PTCs ( Parchment Trading Cards) here, all different. I have removed two from the pile to be posted separately. Otherwise, these will be going with me to Shrewsbury at the weekend. I have enjoyed playing with these, using different techniques. </div>
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I have also done two wedding/anniversary cards this week but I cannot show them for a few weeks until they have been delivered. I still have two more wedding cards to do fairly urgently, so back to work now and stop procrastinating. I have a plan!</div>
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MaggieC (Silvercrafter)http://www.blogger.com/profile/13560733295194874288noreply@blogger.com13