Sarah x
Cardmaking & Papercraft
Sarah x
Retro Fun
Today I'm sharing a quick card made with the Echo Park 'Happy Days' range - I love the retro look of this range and it's great for mens cards as well - something I know a lot of us struggle with!
This card will probably end up going to my Dad...
A quick dinner break for me and then I'm back to my designs and illustration work - I'm trying to work really really hard this week so I can have a half day off on Saturday to play on my Xbox - fingers crossed!:o)
Sarah x
p.s. don't forget to pop pver the the Challenge blog this week where we have a Vintage challenge going on with a wonderful sponsor!!
This card will probably end up going to my Dad...
Sarah x
p.s. don't forget to pop pver the the Challenge blog this week where we have a Vintage challenge going on with a wonderful sponsor!!
Sparkles & Shopping
Firstly, I want to share a card I made last night, my first attempt at an 8 x 8 card, not sure why but this size intimidates me a bit, I'm never quite sure how to fill the space (I'm fine with A5 and even A4 though, odd!) but with some new stamps to try out and my crafty mojo having returned (who knows for how long!) I thought I'd give it a try...
The stamps are from Lavinia Stamps, I added extra details and colour with distress inks and then worked over the top with my Kuretake Wink of Stella pens, I'm not really a glittery girl but I love the subtle shimmer of these pens! I had to take this pics in just the right light to try and capture the detail... (you can see better if you click on the pics to enlarge them)
I'm loving LOTV stamps! Lots of colouring in ahead for me! :o) and of course a few more Lavinia Stamps for my collection which I used in the card above and some gorgeous little bits from Artistic Stamper to use in future projects - they do the most adorable little things for your printer trays and vintage style projects, I got dominos, keys, chipboard angel wings and lots of other little trinkets, just fab!
Now I'm back to work on deadlines for my new craft ranges (of course!) with my pre-Christmas releases all wrapped up I'm now working on the designs for my big launch at the trade show early next year (sounds ages away, in fact I have about 6-8 weeks to design a gazilion ranges and add-on products!!!) and I have a few illustration pieces to finish up for the Frankfurt Book Fair which is just around the corner as well as my usual mag projects and bits and pieces and some other exciting projects I can't share just yet - this is literally the most exciting time ever, but I'm so busy, the other night I actually didn't go to bed at all, I just didn't have time to sleep! LOL (I did get in trouble from B who woke up for his early shift and found me still awake from the previous day though - oooops!)
Sarah x
The stamps are from Lavinia Stamps, I added extra details and colour with distress inks and then worked over the top with my Kuretake Wink of Stella pens, I'm not really a glittery girl but I love the subtle shimmer of these pens! I had to take this pics in just the right light to try and capture the detail... (you can see better if you click on the pics to enlarge them)
The new stamps were part of my weekend haul! I took a trip to the Big Stamp & Scrapbooking show at Ally Pally on Saturday where I also met up with Emma and Kim, this was my first time to just visit as I usually demo at the show, so nice to just enjoy it (and shop of course!) and shop I did, oooops! (it's only twice a year though, lol)
Funnily enough I bought hardly any paper (my usual weakness!) but lots of stamps, although I do need to expand my collection and Clare from my design team has me hooked on lots of new brands, I was particularly excited to get this bag...
Now I'm back to work on deadlines for my new craft ranges (of course!) with my pre-Christmas releases all wrapped up I'm now working on the designs for my big launch at the trade show early next year (sounds ages away, in fact I have about 6-8 weeks to design a gazilion ranges and add-on products!!!) and I have a few illustration pieces to finish up for the Frankfurt Book Fair which is just around the corner as well as my usual mag projects and bits and pieces and some other exciting projects I can't share just yet - this is literally the most exciting time ever, but I'm so busy, the other night I actually didn't go to bed at all, I just didn't have time to sleep! LOL (I did get in trouble from B who woke up for his early shift and found me still awake from the previous day though - oooops!)
Sarah x
More Halloween Inspiration & a Free Halloween Digi Stamp!
As promised today I'm sharing lots more lovely Halloween projects from my Design Team (unfortunately mine still isn't finished, where does time go?! but I will share it when I have) using the new kits I launched this week. I also have a Free Halloween Digi Stamp for you which matches the 2 kits and the range of Halloween character digi stamps I released today (yay!) all available pre-coloured or in black and white for you to use with your Promarkers - get your kits and digi stamps here!
So, first up, lots of lovely Design Team projects to inspire you...
Jaine made this lovely Arch card...
and this lovely 'Trick or Treat' bag...
Jess made this fantastic coffin shaped card...
Claire made this gorgeous spooky pumpkin layout...
Claire made these gorgeous jars (one contains her homemade jam - she puts Nigella to shame, I tell you!) all using the Whimsy Halloween kit
and this party invite and party blower (that actually works!)
Elaine also made a layout, using kraft card (my favourite!) as a base to perfectly match the elements from the Vintage Halloween kit.
I hope thats given you lots of inspiration and ideas of things to make with the kits!
Finally, today I'm giving away a free Vampire Girl digi stamp, pre-coloured (the black and white version is available to buy in my shop for a bargainous £1 along with the other characters - get them all here) To download your free stamp just click on the picture below!
Please do come and share your makes with these new releases, either by leaving your blog link in the comments or posting them to my Facebook Page - I'd love to see!
I hope you have lovely weekends, this Saturday I'm off to the Big Stamp & Scrapbooking show at Ally Pally, very excited as its my first time to not be demo-ing at it, I'm just visiting (shopping!!! LOL) if you see me wandering about do say hello! and on Sunday, of course, I am back to work!
Sarah x
Home Decor with Basically Bare
Today I'm sharing a home decor project I made using Basically Bare chipboard elements
I made this canvas using the Heart chipboard shapes in 3 different sizes, some packaging from a parcel I received that day and lots of white paint, all onto a blank canvas that I'd laying around for a while. To see how I made each element, pop over to the Basically Bare blog for a step by step run through
This is now hanging in my bedroom and I love it!
Thanks for stopping by, don't forget to drop by again tomorrow when I'll be sharing more Halloween projects and I'll have a little freebie for you :o)
Sarah x
This is now hanging in my bedroom and I love it!
Thanks for stopping by, don't forget to drop by again tomorrow when I'll be sharing more Halloween projects and I'll have a little freebie for you :o)
Sarah x
Frankfurt Book Fair
So, in the middle of designing my Halloween and Christmas ranges, designing my pre-Christmas release paper and accessories range and preparing for my big launch at the 2012 trade show in Jan / Feb, I also have the Frankfurt Book Fair right slap bang in the middle of next month! That means my agent will be taking some of my illustration work over to the fair and showing it, exciting times! I don't often get chance to mention my illustration work as my craft work has dominated so much recently but I now have to come up with a few new pieces for the fair, so I'm racking my brains for some ideas and sketching things out on the back of scraps of paper and occasionally even in my sketch book if I can get to one in time!
Here are a couple of illustration pieces I done fairly recently...
This was a first draft for someone who had seen a picture of a giraffe I had done and wanted a swan in a similar style, unfortunately it was regected as this is a swan and not a giraffe.... (I know, I was confused too!!! LOL)
And these are the first draft for a childrens ABC book...
Halloween Kits!
Today I can finally share the brand new Halloween Digi Kits that I've been working on as they have been released and are in my shop ready for you to get hold of!
The first is Vintage Halloween
This kit has lots of distressed effect background papers in kraft (my fave!) purple, orange and green, journaling cards for your scrapbook pages, ephemera such as Bingo cards and tickets, embellishments and digi stamps (in black and white and colour), including my personal favourite, the jar and labels! You can get hold of yours here.
And secondly, the Whimsy Halloween Kit
This kit has brighter colours and cuter characters, fuzzy spiders, cute ghosts and skull and cross bones on the backing papers, a sheet of journaling cards and 3 brand new digi stamps (also available separately) in black and white, a witch, wizard and cauldron. You can get yours here!
And here are some of the fab projects my Design Team has created with them so far....
Sarah x
The first is Vintage Halloween
And secondly, the Whimsy Halloween Kit
And here are some of the fab projects my Design Team has created with them so far....
Claire created this fab shaped layout using both kits together (see, you can even mix and match!)
Jess made this fantastic pop up card using the Vintage Halloween kit
Claire made this fab card using a combination of both kits (the papers are from the vintage kit) and she has used my fave - the jar and labels!
Elaine has made this fab card using the Vintage kit, I love that she has added more distressing and that ribbon is so fun!
What fab projects, I can't wait to get a bit of time to make my own projects! I'm making a banner for the door, some little bags for Trick or Treaters (I may even give them out this year! hahahaha) and I have a fab idea for a card with those digis - I just need some alone time with my Promarkers :o)
I will be showing even more fab projects from my Design Team, and maybe even mine if I get a moment, later in the week. In the meantime, I'd love to see what you make with them, you can post me a link to your blog here showing your projects or share them on my Facebook page.
Happy Things...
Today I'm sharing some happy things...
Firstly, my Christmas CD has gone off for production and off to the DT for them to work their magic on, I'm just head over heels in love with it and can't wait to start making lots of projects to show you. I'll be sharing sneak peeks and ordering / stockist info very very soon!
That does not mean I'm now lounging in front of the TV enjoying a nice cuppa and a slice of cake, oh no, I'm now working on more deadlines and another range of paper, (actual paper!), embellishments, stamps etc... that we hope to launch as a pre release before Christmas, it is based on a great theme that I hope you will all LOVE as much as I do! and then I will be cracking on with the main release ready for the CHA / Stitches season early next year - these are such exciting times and I have to keep pinching myself!
And last but definitely not least, when doing my little rounds of blog / website catching up this afternoon I noticed that Craftime have updated their website to include all of my current products and a lovely news item / press release about me, you can have a look here
Smiley happy times!
Sarah x
Step into Christmas...
Today I'm sharing a Christmas card, it really is The Most Wonderful Time of the Year and I just love to make tons of projects, cards, anything I can really!
I used my Cuttlebug to make the embossed panel which I matted onto some gold card. The die cuts again are all done on white paper in my Cricut (Winter Woodland cartridge) and then coloured with my promarkers before layering onto the card with silicone glue.
It's a very simple make but I love the colours, I think I'll make a few of these as part of my big lot of Christmas cards this year.
Now for me it's a very Silent Night as I get on with proofing my Christmas CD before sending it off for production and to the Design Team tomorrow. Sneak Peeks and ordering info coming soon!!!
{ And I managed to fit 3 Christmas song titles into my post ;o) }
Sarah x
It's a very simple make but I love the colours, I think I'll make a few of these as part of my big lot of Christmas cards this year.
Now for me it's a very Silent Night as I get on with proofing my Christmas CD before sending it off for production and to the Design Team tomorrow. Sneak Peeks and ordering info coming soon!!!
{ And I managed to fit 3 Christmas song titles into my post ;o) }
Sarah x
Imagination...
For me, a lot of my work is about imagination, what will happen 'if' I try that, or draw that, or put those papers / colours together. It's the part of my job I love the most. I imagine all the time, I see the pictures in my head, where someone who draws a still life will look at the objects in front of them, I look at the pictures in my head. I could of course draw a still life or a landscape but for me there is no fun in that, you can see what I can see, or I can take a picture of it and show you, but unless I draw or make the things in my head noone will ever see them :o)
Sarah x
A BIG welcome...
...to the 5 girls joining my Design Team....
They are....
Please pop over to their blogs and say hello and have a look around, you will start seeing their projects from the next challenge. They join my existing fabulous team of Clare, Melly, Claire, Jaine, Emma, Nat & Sue and of course my mum when she gets the time! All their blog links are to the side if you aren't already following them (which you should, they are all very talented!)
Have a fabulous weekend!
Sarah x
Basically Bare Layout
Today I'm sharing a layout I made with Basically Bare's 'Paperazzi' chipboard embellishments...
For all the details and some more close up pics please head over to the Basically Bare blog to check it out...
Also, a quick DT update, I have now emailed the successful ladies and all have replied, I will be announcing them here in the next few days! A big thank you to everyone who applied, once again there were so many fantastic entries, you make my job very very difficult indeed!
Sarah x
For all the details and some more close up pics please head over to the Basically Bare blog to check it out...
Also, a quick DT update, I have now emailed the successful ladies and all have replied, I will be announcing them here in the next few days! A big thank you to everyone who applied, once again there were so many fantastic entries, you make my job very very difficult indeed!
Sarah x
Rubber Stamping with Derwent Coloursoft Pencils
Last week I found these gorgeous Woodland stamps from DoCrafts on eBay (bargain!) they reminded me of my own Woodland Whimsies designs so of course I had to have them! I thought they would be perfect to use with my Derwent Coloursoft pencils as the texture of the pencil would really help to make the scene soft and pretty and make the animals look almost fluffy!
So last night during another bout of insomnia *sigh* I burnt the midnight oil to make and colour this card...
For the background I used a shaving brush with my Distress Inks to create a soft look then used the blending tool round the edges to make it a bit darker
The owl is on a little spring so it looks like its flying!
The little animals I stamped separately and added using 3D foam in different thicknesses to give a dimensional look.
The grass I hand cut from a piece of scrap paper and then coloured with pencils, I did think about cutting it from green paper but I didn't want it to look odd!
I love using Coloursofts because the colours blend so well, you do need to keep a pencil sharpener handy though if you're quite a heavy handed colourer-inner like me!
Last night I also cooked! what a feat that was for me, hahahaha. Clare from my DT is always encouraging me to have a go and sending me recipes so I actually tried to cook one of my favourite things last night, lemon chicken and noodles, and I have to say, the half that wasn't welded to the bottom of the pan was delicious! ;o)
Sarah x
So last night during another bout of insomnia *sigh* I burnt the midnight oil to make and colour this card...
I love using Coloursofts because the colours blend so well, you do need to keep a pencil sharpener handy though if you're quite a heavy handed colourer-inner like me!
Last night I also cooked! what a feat that was for me, hahahaha. Clare from my DT is always encouraging me to have a go and sending me recipes so I actually tried to cook one of my favourite things last night, lemon chicken and noodles, and I have to say, the half that wasn't welded to the bottom of the pan was delicious! ;o)
Sarah x
Design Team Call
Thank you to everyone who took the time to apply, it is much appreciated. I will be spending the week sifting through all of the entries and looking at everyones samples and blogs. I will be contacting those that are successful early next week and posting the new Design team at the end of next week once I've spoken to everyone.
I can't wait to welcome some new ladies to my wonderful team - exciting times!!
Sarah x