Crafting at Ally Pally 2019

This year was a first for me as I was delighted to be asked by Helen and Mark to demo at the Crafting at Ally Pally show in London at Alexandra Palace, on the Stampers' Grove Stand. James and Emma aka Stampers' Grove take Visible Image products all around the country selling at various shows.
I made a few samples in preparation and the one below demonstrated using the new alcohol ink pearls.
Here is a little snapshot.

I didn't take my camera with me so I am grateful that Helen took some photos, these are hers, thanks Helen xxx
There were lots of questions to answer!

Tips to share

 and yes I always get very inky!

It really was such fun sharing my love of Visible Image products and to put names to faces. I was also delighted to introduce new some customers too. One lady who was visiting from Venezuela. She had never stamped and was very keen to start. I took her around the stand and she picked up her first ever stamping kit including a set of Visible Image stamps. She was so excited to fly home on the Sunday and get started!

My Monday design team for Visible Image is the accordion card I took to the show as it included stamps from a 6 sets of the new mixed media ones. I wanted something to show them all together. These sets have been so popular.
Creative chaos

 See everything

Random art of kindness

 Art rebel

  The world needs art

 and Wings of change 

 People at the show asked how my card was made, as I didn't demo this one.  I told then that my step my step would be on my blog today so here goes.
I used PaperArtsy Fresco paints.

and brayered a background onto 2 A4 sheets of card as I wanted to make 2 masterboards to cut up.
I used these colours of Archival ink

and randomly stamped over the sheets using all the image sets. Here is one of the sheets in progress

I then die cut my accordion card

and stamped the 4 World needs art sentiments, 1 on each panel.
I also added some stamps which I yellow embossed

and also stamped and cut out a few images.

I then put everything together. Here is my accordion card

with some close ups;

I would like to enter my card into the following challenges;

Craft stamper take it make it 1/3 April
The butterfly challenge D is for mine is denim blue (my butterflies and fish) and Dartmouth green which is the green archival ink I used.
Creative moments 1/3 anything goes
Allsorts 1/3 sentiment in focus
Addicted to stamps 1/3 lots of layers/stamps
Penny Black and More Springtime
Lil patch of crafty friends 1/3 anything goes
Crafter's castle 1/3 anything goes
Sweet stampin 1/3 mellow yellow/spring
Let's craft and create 1/3 Anything goes/butterflies

Now after I finished off my card I had some off-cuts which sat on my side. I had a flash of inspiration that I could use them to made Artist trading coins, which I did.

These were all packed ready for taking to the show when I had one last idea. If I attached a badge back to them I could turn them into badges for Helen, Mark and myself to wear at the show. I quickly ordered some on line and hey presto, one of a kind badges!

which Mark, Helen and I wore at the show!

I really had a lovely day and thoroughly enjoyed demoing and meeting so many lovely crafters, new and seasoned!

All the Visible Image links can be found here;

Visible Image group page on Facebook. Our friendly Group is here ...it would be lovely to see you there. You will see lots of gorgeous makes by the DT and customers to inspire your own creativity.

The main Visible Image Facebook page is here; there are regular giveaways...open world wide.

And the shop web site is here; where all their gorgeous stamps and stencils can be purchased. 

Thanks for stopping by and getting to the end of this rather long post. I would also like to warmly welcome my newest followers. Thanks for joining me here on my creative journey. 

Back soon,

Bye for now,

Jane x

A rocking birthday

This is my second post today. If you are looking for my Country View Challenges post you can find it here

So 2 posts on my birthday, who would believe it! Thanks so much for coming back. 

For my Visible Image Monday design team I made something inspired by some of the bands I loved as a teenager...Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Queen, Alice Cooper....yes you get the picture I was quite a heavy rocker. It seemed just the right thing to be celebrating on my birthday.

I wanted to do something very different with the new release stamps and combine them with a couple of other existing sets. 

These are the stamp sets I used with links to the website;

You are not alone

 Live life now

 and wings of change

I have also been having fun making Gelli prints using the

entwined butterflies stencil

This is what I got up to. I used red and black acryllic paint and pulled a print.

I then stamped the inky butterfly from live life now.

On a piece of card I red embossed the sentiment in this set and also one from "We are not alone". 

I stamped and embossed some of the medium butterflies onto black and white card and one large one onto white card. I added a hint of colour to this butterfly.

I red embossed the hands and cut the fingers a little to enable them to "hold" the largest butterfly from wings of change. In real life this is all very dimensional

I then put my card together.

Some close ups;

and one last shot

Well that's me done for today. I am being taken out to celebrate by my dear Hb. 

I would like to enter my card into the following challenges;

Simon says stamp Wednesday anything goes

Crafty Catz 2/3 anything goes

Polkadoodles anything creative/mixed media

All the Visible Image links can be found here;

Visible Image group page on Facebook. Our friendly Group is here ...it would be lovely to see you there. You will see lots of gorgeous makes by the DT and customers to inspire your own creativity.

The main Visible Image Facebook page is here; there are regular giveaways...open world wide.

And the shop web site is here; where all their gorgeous stamps and stencils can be purchased. 

Thanks for stopping by twice in one day. And in case you are wondering.. yes I am still quite a Rock Chick..or should I say at my age, Rock Hen!!

Back soon,

Bye for now,

Jane x

A rainbow lion

Well what mix of weather we have had over the last few days...rain, sun, sleet and wind strong enough to bring down a few trees.

Everywhere though is really greening up and looking very spring like. I have spotted this rainbow of flower colours this week at various place I have visited

 as well as in my own garden

This fits well for my Monday Design Team make I am sharing today for Visible Image. It is a "rainbow lion "I made for the recent Create and craft show using the fab Cowardly Lion 

 and his coordinating die.

For his background I created a rainbow swirl using the Strobes stencil

I wasn't sure which colour I wanted the medal or crown so I stamped several out on white and gold card and used the brilliant dies to cut them out.

I coloured my lion in Promarkers and decided to give him a rainbow mane and tail too!

Here is my finished card.

with a close up of my rainbow lion.

I would like to enter my card into the following challenges;

Passion for Promarkers anything goes
Happy Little stampers watercolour anything goes
Mix it up 3/5 anything goes
Stamping sensations 2/3 somewhere over the rainbow
Through the purple haze 1/3 rainbows
Pile it on 1/3 fave colour or rainbow

All the Visible Image links can be found here;

Visible Image group page on Facebook. Our friendly Group is here ...it would be lovely to see you there. You will see lots of gorgeous makes by the DT and customers to inspire your own creativity.

The main Visible Image Facebook page is here; there are regular giveaways...open world wide.

And the shop web site is here; where all their gorgeous stamps and stencils can be purchased. 

Thanks so much for stopping by today,

Back soon,

Bye for now,

Jane x

March flutters in

Good grief  here we are in March...now wasn't Christmas just a few weeks ago...hmmm time rally marches on and here we are into the 3rd month of the year. Spring is just 3 weeks away now.
What wonderful weather we had for the end of February, let's hope March is not too chilly. At least the daffs are all in flower. I bought these alpine daffs at Wisley recently and they are so pretty.

I still have some on my kitchen side too.

It is time for my first design team card for the newest challenge over at Country View. For March our theme is "letters/numbers" and we would like to see letters and/or numbers taking up a prime position on your projects.

You can enter our March challenge as many times as you like and combine with other challenges. There is also a £20 crafting voucher up for grabs to the lucky randomly selected winner to spend over on the Country View Crafts on line store. Remember that UK postage and packing is absolutely FREE! All the details for the challenge can be found here.

For my first project I decided to make a card using the new Visible Image mixed media stamps which Susan has on the website. Mother's Day is on the 31st of this month so it was also ideal to add to my stock of Mother's day cards at Dotty's Tea House. I have used "words" in my project with book pages and the "numbers" are on the butterfly wings of the stamps. I used the entwined butterfly stencil and blended distress inks onto my book page. 

I stamped the Visible Image butterflies from their  wings of change set *****(EDIT; I note that this set has sold out but if you put your email address in the box on the website Susan will email you when they are back in stock) on to white card, fussy cut them out and then added a little shading and a touch of bling with some Spectrum Noir glitter pen. 

I added some heart die cuts and stamped Mother's day sentiment onto the cloud.

Here is my finished card.

with a close up of these gorgeous butterflies. 

I would like to enter my card into the following challenges;

Simon says stamp Wednesday anything goes

Shopping our weekly stash 1/3 February I have gone with purple

The butterfly challenge B I have gone with burgundy. This is the colour of my small heart die and there is also burgundy in the mix of inks in my stenciling and my die cut doily heart. 

Time Out 1/3 unique I think our Mum's are so unique!

All the details for the challenge can be found here.

My 2nd DT post for Country View will be on 4 March.

Thanks so much for stopping by and for the kind comments you take the time to leave me. Let's hope that March is kind to us and even if it come in like a lion that it goes out like a lamb weather wise.

Back again at 3pm with my DT post for STAMPlorations as yes it is also the first Friday in the month!

Bye for now,

Jane x