My November Christmas card workshop at Dotty's teahouse

Hello blogging friends I know I rarely post something that is not a design team make these days, but today is an exception as I have some very exciting news; I am going to be hosting a Christmas card Creative Workshop at Dotty's Teahouse in Carshalton, where I sell my cards.

 It will be held upstairs at Dotty’s on Thursday 24th November from 7.30pm to 9.30pm. We are planning a fun festive event in a small group setting.

You will learn how to make distress ink backgrounds using a mixture of sprays and ink pads. You can choose to create with traditional Christmas colours or go more contemporary, the choice will be yours.

The stamp set we will be using for the images is the beautiful Christmas Robin set by Visible Image stamps. I will also demonstrate stamping techniques and heat embossing and will share lots of card making design tips and techniques.

These tips and techniques will enable you to make your own unique handmade Christmas robin card. If there is time you can make a second (or take it home to finish). Everyone will also receive a little Christmas bag with some festive die cuts, papers etc to take home too.

Here is a little taster.

The workshop is suitable for beginners or those with crafting/card making experience. It is for ages 16 years and over.

All equipment will be provided plus a card making take home bag.

The cost, which will include a mince pie and hot drink, is £25

And just in case you are new to my blog;

+++A little bit about me+++

I have 30+ years of crafting and card making experience. For the last 6 1/2 years I have been on the design team for 2 UK companies (Visible Image and Country View crafts) and 1 in the USA. I demonstrate distress inks, stamping and paper crafts at craft shows, including the annual Alexander Palace Craft show in London. My work has been shown on TV and is regularly published in craft magazines. I am proud to have been Dotty’s in- house card maker and sold my cards there since the day she opened. Check me out on Instagram; @jane.tyrrell

If you would like to attend the workshop please book via the Dotty’s Teahouse website here. Or you can phone to book on 0203 754 4613. You will find Dotty's at 108 High street, Carshalton, Surrey, SM5 3AE. Carshalton railway station is a short walk away. Buses from Croydon, Sutton and Morden tube station all stop in the High Street.

Places are limited so please book asap if you would like to come.

Please feel free to share this info with to anyone who is near the Sutton, Surrey area and might be interested. 

I am so looking forward to the evening. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact me by email via the link in my side bar. 

(PS and if you don't like mince pies I am sure that Dotty's will find you something else!) Ho Ho Ho!

Thanks so much, 

Bye for now,

Jane x

My Creative Chemistry with Tim Holtz

If you saw my last post you would have read that I had a date with none other than the professor of all things inky, Tim Holtz at his Creative Chemistry Live UK edition workshop in Harrogate on Friday.

Oh my...what a day!

 The sun even shone and as I walked to the class from the hotel I smiled at the colours of the autumn trees.

The workshop was held at Art from the Heart in Harrogate

Everything was set up for us as we arrived...including our very own Tim Holtz aprons which of course we all got signed.

 There were 25 very exited people raring to create...including ME!

I cannot describe how much fun I had and what a brilliant teacher he is. Tim is just such a great guy, his teaching is inspiring and with Mario helping with the smooth running of the class, the workshop was everything and more than I dreamt it could possibly be. He also has some very funny crafting anecdotes which I will always remember.

 The ever smiling and helpful Mario, kept everything running so smoothly.

I will obviously not share Tim's teaching notes but I will share what I made.

It was also such fun to be among a group of such like minded crafters. We really did come out with the biggest smiles possible on our faces, and laden with goodies too. I also caught up with some blogging ladies and Facebook friends who I have never met but felt like old friends. 

These are the tags I made. 10 tags to learn 10 new inky techniques.

We were even given a little folder to hold them in

 and so many wonderful goodies ..in the photo further down you will see the bag he gave us to put everything in. Such generosity.

And when class finished Tim patiently signed everything we wanted signing and posed for photos...

even taking a selfie for me on my phone.

Wow, that really was an experience I can tick off my best wish list...I was in crafting heaven. Thanks Tim and Mario you really are the best....and thanks to Ben of AFTH for organising the whole event.

So today I decided to take my 4 favourite tags (below) I made on Friday and use a combination of these 4 techniques to make a tag to put into Jane's Journal to remember this most awesome creative experience.

I used one of my favourite Tim stamp sets, Lady Rose to watercolour with Distress Oxides and chose colours from those I saw around in me on that warm sunny September day.

 Remember the now was the perfect sentiment to use.

So I used a little Creative Chemistry...

to make my tag.

some close ups

I will certainly remember that glorious autumn creative day.

More words cannot express just how much I enjoyed myself and also what gentlemen Tim and Mario are. I know they won't be reading my blog but I just want to say the biggest thank you to them. Moments like that are ones to treasure forever.  When I look at my tag in my journal it will help me to

Remember the now.

I would like to link my tag up into the following challenges;

The Ribbon Girl 2/3 any image
Frilly and Funkie 2/3 to everything there is a season
Happy Little stampers September watercolour
Creative Inspirations 2/3 Seasonal my season is a glorious start to autumn
Craft Stamper take it make it September
Rubber Dance favourite stamp Lady Rose is my favoruite Tim Holtz stamp set

I am back tomorrow with my weekly Visible Image DT post, the weather this weekend has just been glorious. Enjoy the sunshine if you have it. If not I have plenty to send.

See you in the morning,

Bye for now,

Jane x