Stampaholics Rewound

 Hi Crafting Friends

I hope you are all safe and well. Even though lockdown restrictions are easing things do feel far from normal. I know that personally I won't feel comfortable flying anywhere for sometime. Whilst I am more than happy to holiday in Scotland, it means that is not so easy to go to Ireland to see my family. 

As some of you know I have led occasional workshops at my local craft shop McOyster Paper Crafts for about 3 years now. Adrian has been able to reopen the shop but unfortunately there will be no physical workshops for sometime. So I have ventured tentatively into the world on on-line tutorials. 

Having had my own shop Stampaholics in Perth, I know only too well how hard it is to keep going in a very competitive market place. Whilst it is so easy to buy products on line, nothing is better than going into a proper craft shop. Its a great place to meet like minded people, be inspired by samples and take part in workshops. Cupar is 40 mins away from where I live but it is the only craft shop left in my area. Hence I wanted to help Adrian if I could by posting craft videos using products that he stocks to give some inspiration and techniques on how to use them. Adrian's Facebook page can be found at https://www.facebook.com/McOysterPaperCraftsAtPolesApart 

It's early days and I am still finding my feet. But in time we plan to offer proper workshops on line and even live!! I am not quite ready for that yet. I have also set up my own Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/StampaholicsRewound which will have some of the same tutorials but also using stamps that I love that are not available at McOyster Crafts.

We are very open to feedback, suggestions and comments. I hope you enjoy what we are trying to do.

Keep crafting.    Siobhan xx

 

Lockdown Project

Hello friends

What a strange year it has been so far. I hope you have all managed to keep your health and sanity throughout lockdown. I have been working throughout this time. It was quite daunting at first having to wear so much PPE and not knowing if your patients had Covid or not. Some of our patients were positive for the virus but required lung scans. But after a while it just became part of our job and we got on with it. Thankfully in Tayside we are seeing very few new cases and I hope it stays that way.

I wanted to do something for myself during lockdown. I wanted to try my hand at art journalling but I am not "arty". So I decided to pick a theme and start a stamping journal. I wanted it to be a sort of catalogue of my favourite stamps and quotes etc. I also thought it might kick start me to see a stamp and use it to make a card.

I have now completed about 12 pages and it has been an enjoyable project. I have found stamps I had forgotten all about and used them in my pages. It has been a great way to unwind and be creative at the same time. My theme is nature (No surprise there for anyone that knows me).

Here are some of my pages:

 I love small birds so this had to be my first page. Most of these stamps are from Crafty Individuals.

 I bought this Stampers Anonymous set some time ago and had never used it. I love the ant walking across the page!

 This was my favourite page early on. I took Geology as subject in my first year at uni, because I had an interest in fossils. I was so disappointed to find that we only had one lecture on fossils!! Again I bought an Andy Skinner set with fossil images and this was the first time I used it. Why do we do that!!!

 I live near the river Almond in Perth and I regularly see our resident heron. Such a beautiful bird. So I had to have a page to honour it. 

Thats all for now. I will share more next time.
Take care and stay safe.

Siobhan xx

First Workshops for 2020

Happy New Year everyone! I hope you have all recovered from the excesses of the season and are ready to try out new ideas in your craft space. I spent a bit of time over the holidays having a clear out and some re-organisation. I always feel it helps get me back into the mood to craft again!!

I have some new workshops planned for McOyster Crafts in Cupar to tell you about.

The first is a mixed media project using an MDF shaped top hat. I immediately thought "Steampunk". However the techniques lend themselves to a variety of other projects. The challenge is coming up with a doable project in three hours. So this project works in that time frame.

 We will be using embossing paste with a stencil, embossing folders with foil, paint techniques and making flowers. 

The second workshop is a technique based stamping class using large floral stamps. This is another in my "Stretch Your Stamps" series. This format goes back to my shop days when I would make display boards featuring one stamp done in lots of ways to show their versatility. 

This would work with a lot of stamps on the market and you probably already have something similar in your stash.

This one layer card with a masked border is very simple but effective for a quick make.

The second card uses triple embossing to create a faux ceramic hand painted tile that makes a lovely focal point.

The third card uses gold embossing and pixie powders to give these lovely jewel colours that shimmer in the light.

One stamp, three looks. I also have other samples to show you at the workshop. 

There are two dates in March and one in mid April. If you are interested please contact McOyster Crafts at Poles Apart in Cupar for availability and booking.

I am sure many of you like me are Tim Holtz fans. I have been following the new releases from Sizzix and Stamper's Anonymous. I know I need to start saving now for all the new stamps and dies that I have to get my hands on!!
I have already bought a couple of new Tim Holtz Sizzix dies. I fell in love with the new thinlits colorize die called Theodore. I am not really into this sort of thing but I just had to get this one. He is a lovely big bear. And unfortunately there are more to come ... an elephant, a giraffe and a zebra. They all look amazing and no doubt I will have to buy them! Here is my first play with Theodore!

Keep crafting!!
Siobhan xx

New Workshops Coming Up

I hope you have all had a good summer. The highlight of our summer was my daughter Catriona qualifying to be a primary school teacher and my nephew Neil getting married in County Kerry in Ireland. We planned a holiday around the wedding and enjoyed spending time with my Irish relatives. We also got to explore the Beara peninsular and other parts of Kerry. It is a lovely part of Ireland and we would love to go back and explore more.

After a bit of a break from crafting for the summer I am trying to find my creative mojo!! So I have designed a couple of workshops for McOyster Crafts in Cupar. I was asked to run another mixed media class. I find these quite tricky to do in a three hour class but I think this little winter themed project will fit the bill. 

Winter Reindeer

We will be using 4mm MDF media boards that are free standing when assembled. The back will be finished as well to make them reversible. The first date for this class is Friday 25th October.

Winter is Magic

The second workshop is a stamping class using silhouette images of winter creatures. I choose this set from the shop as I thought it would be lovely for winter birthdays as well as Christmas.

Here are images of the three cards we will be making :

 The first date for this 3 hour class is Saturday 2nd November. If you fancy coming along then please phone or message Adrian at  Mc Oyster Paper Crafts at Poles Apart. 

Workshop Coming Up - Saturday 20th July

I have a new workshop coming up at McOyster Crafts in Cupar next Saturday 20th July. I have been asked several times for more technique based classes. So I have designed a few classes called "Stretch Your Stamps". The idea is to use one stamp or stamp set in a few different ways. Its something I used to do myself when I had time. I would make at least 6 cards with one main stamp using a different technique for each. These days I am lucky if I have time to make one card!!
So this has been a good challenge for me and if this workshop goes well then I plan to do more.

This class is called "Stretch Your Stamps - Negative Image Stamps".
I have chosen this flower head from Imagination Crafts. The techniques will work with lots of other stamps that have a negative image. That is where the background is solid and the image has been carved out.

We will make 3 cards on this workshop. 

1. Ombre Effect with Dye Inks

2. Using Bleach for a Monochromatic Effect

 3.  Painting with Embossing Powder

If you are interested in joining us please get in touch with McOyster Crafts in Cupar to book a place.
Keep crafting!!
Siobhan xx

Pink Ink Designs “Bee-utiful”

I recently bought some new rubber stamps by Pink Ink Designs from McOyster Crafts in Cupar. I finally had a play with this set called “Bee-utiful”

The bee is quite large but perfect as a centre piece. And the set contains lots of nice elements for creating backgrounds.

Here are a couple of cards I made with the set:

I painted the wings with pearl mica pigment mixed with a little water to make a paint. It gives the wings a lovely shimmer, that you can't really see in this photo but is lovely on the actual card.

For this card I used a resist technique to create the strip at the LHS. It was done on glossy card using Versamark ink. I will be covering resist techniques in an up coming workshop. There are many types of resist and I thought it would make a great theme for a class. 

Canvas for Catriona

I have been wanting to create a canvas for my daughter Catriona. I had this photograph of Catriona taken on her wedding day, after hair and makeup done just before she got into her wedding dress.
I was unsure whether to go with a black and white copy or colour. In the end I decided to use the colour photo as it shows off her red hair.

The first stage was to start selecting the embellishments. I wanted to use some gorgeous lace that I had found a while ago and had kept for this project. I used a combination of lace and paste through a stencil. The stencil was from Finnabair and had an Art Deco feel. This was the general theme of Catrionas wedding and I thought it would work really well.

This was me laying out all the embellishments to get an overall idea of the final layout before sticking anything down.

And after painting all the flowers and adding wax I ended up with the finished canvas.

Mixed Media Bird Houses Frame

I bought this frame a few years ago in the shape of a row of houses. Like many crafters, I buy things with a vague idea of what I want to do with it. And then they sit in a corner of my craft room gathering dust!! Until the time is right.....

To start with I gave it a light sand and removed a few wooden birds that had been stuck on.

I then added paste with stencils and added some chipboard pieces. For added texture I added a gritty texture paste (Graphite paste by Prima) especially on the roof. Everything was painted with black gesso and then I started adding colour with mica sprays and metallic paints.

I knew I wanted a bird theme (so predictable I know) but I also found a couple of little rabbits that just had to be included.

Instead of photos I stamped some of my favourite bird images and popped them into the frame apertures. I was quite pleased with this and am now looking forward to my next project.
Have a good week. 
Siobhan x

Home Sweet Home

I am really enjoying playing with all my mixed media products. I bought a bare wood word “Home” a couple of years ago intending to do something with it. So I finally plucked up the courage to try something. I don’t know about you but I have loads of ideas of what I want things to look like but not the actual courage to start because I am not confident that the end result will be worth it.
But I have finally decided it’s about time I actually started using all this stuff I have accumulated and have a go. After all if it’s a complete mess no one needs to see it and hopefully I will have learnt something in the process.

I keep meaning to take photos of the various stages but forgot and just went for it.
I love birds as a theme and managed to include a few in this project.

I was quite pleased with the finished look and am now deciding what to try next!!

Getting Dirty

After saying I would do a mixed media workshop at McOyster Crafts in Cupar, I have had some fun playing!! And making lots of mess. Over the years I have collected paints, waxes, pastes, mica sprays etc, but never really used them properly. So I decided it was about time I actually started using them.

I have been inspired by several mixed media artists, especially Finnabair (Anna Dabrowska) and some of the artists on her design team. I am still learning how to use the different products and produce something I am happy with. I want to find my own style but think at the moment I am happy to try ideas I have seen. Here’s what I have made so far.

This was inspired very much by Finnabair and the techniques she showed us on a workshop my friend Linda and I went to last September. I didn't have a black and white head shot to hand so this was from a card my daughter Catriona had printed at Art College. I quite like the layers of lace for the background and the white gesso dry brushing to pull everything together.

For this mdf tag I was trying to get a rusty patina look with paints over the black gesso base.

This was created using Finnabair rust paste then gold wax on top. The background layer was a piece of thin metal paper embossed with a Tim Holtz 3-D Mechanicals embossing folder. 

The photo does not show this at it's best. I love this stag die and wanted to create a wintery background. Again I used a piece of metal sheet (that I got from McOyster crafts) and embossed it with a Tim Holtz Christmas words folder. I triple embossed the stag after colouring him, with clear powder. I then stamped into the hot melted powder with a crackle effect stamp and used a copper wax to pick up the raised areas. I might do something similar for another workshop if the first one is successful.

I think its time now to clean up my desk before I start anything new. I look forward to seeing some of you next Saturday 9th February at my workshop at McOyster Crafts in Cupar.

Keep stamping!!

Siobhan xx

Happy New Year

Now that Christmas and New Year are past, it's time to look ahead and start planning lots of projects to try. 

This will be another busy year I'm sure. My daughter is now halfway through her teacher training. I am so happy that she is now on the perfect career path for her. I think she will be a great teacher!

We have a family wedding in August. My nephew Neil is getting married. So that will be a trip to Ireland to look forward too. And on the work front, I have put a request in to work 4 days a week. Call it pre-retirement if you like. I have worked full time for as long as I can remember but I have been struggling over the last few years. I want more time to do the things I love. So I am hoping an extra day a week will help that.

As some of you know I have been doing the odd workshop at McOyster Paper Crafts in Cupar. I will be doing some new classes this year. Adrian and I have agreed dates for the first two.

Setting the Scene - Saturday 9th February

This workshop is all about creating little scenes using ink blending and masks. We did this in the Christmas workshop but I was asked by a few customers for more ideas that weren't wintery. The card with the cowboys on the fence is just there as an example. One of the shop's other tutors Pamela will be doing a workshop using that die.

Here are my examples:

This is a card I designed last year for a magazine commission. I thought it would be a nice simple idea to start off with.

I love Oriental style cards. I bought this die in Adrians shop and I just think it is so effective. It reminds me so much of the designs on a willow pattern plate.

As soon as I saw this stamp set from Visible Image, I knew I would use it lots and I have. I just love the owl flying across the moon. 

This is the sample I mentioned using the two cowboys on a fence die!! Such a great die for men's cards. 

Vintage Dress Form Monolith - Saturday 23rd March

This my first mixed media class for McOyster Crafts. Visible Image make these MDF monoliths. They are freestanding and reversible. I thought they would make a great base to create a mixed media project. This class shows you some basic techniques which I am hoping will inspire you to try your own ideas at home. 

We will use texture paste and stencils, black gesso, mica sprays and waxes. 

I am still finding my way in the world of mixed media, but trying to develop my own style. Be prepared to get a bit messy in this class, so if you have an old apron please bring it with you. 

If you are interested in joining me on any of these classes then please contact the shop. They have a Facebook page (just google McOyster Paper Crafts)  or phone Adrian on 

01334 654606.

KEEP CRAFTING!!!

Winterland Woods Continued

I am now trying to get my own Christmas cards made. So to make it easier on myself I thought I would batch some using the gorgeous stag from the Winterland Woods set. I had also bought a while ago some of the new deep embossing folders from Tim Holtz. And they are fantastic!! I especially love the floral one as it reminds me of old damask material. And the lumber one worked really well with the stag. 
Next time my son is home I will get him to show me how to put images of products onto the end of a post. But sadly that is beyond my limited IT skills at the moment.
Anyway here are some of the cards I have been making!!

Once my Christmas cards are finished I will be working on samples for new workshops at McOyster Crafts for next year. I have some ideas floating around.

Thanks for all of you who came to my workshops this year. I have enjoyed dipping my toe back into the craft world and hope to see some of you next year.

I also want to thank Sue who gave me my very own storage box for my round applicator pads. All the Distress Oxide ink colours on sheets with velcro strips - perfect!! 

Winterland Wood Workshop

I am now all ready for my workshop this Saturday at McOyster Crafts in Cupar. I have enjoyed playing with this set of stamps. They stamp beautifully and are perfect for creating winter scenes. As this is a special workshop which includes the stamp set I have put together a display board with some other ways to use this set. I will leave the board in the shop after Saturday's workshop. 
All I have to do now is to persuade Adrian to stock Bazzill card and I will be a happy bunny!!

Here are the cards from the board.