tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78124950221767281552024-02-18T18:58:58.885-08:00CleverCrafterSnippets from the Creative World of AliCleverCrafterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03608290201626626018noreply@blogger.comBlogger49125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7812495022176728155.post-57354449363613328602014-10-03T02:08:00.001-07:002014-10-03T02:08:27.644-07:00Pallets, Pallets everywhere!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div>Ok I admit I might just have a slight pallet art addiction... But they are just an amazing blank canvas that you can truly make your own, from the simple use of a nice graphic 45 12x12 paper<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGzbUbMDcswCPdfqWJ8ytTEc_K4ayY98x7qKMzzsBTDc8XlwRkir_XORIPAc9OJpr6dRnDTyxQj3ME2y4yeg0D7epv8aRaLKVVH9bFOBTlBgPwcowffrnT0K05_RLbBEmu6cPoeqiSOhk/s640/blogger-image--841213787.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGzbUbMDcswCPdfqWJ8ytTEc_K4ayY98x7qKMzzsBTDc8XlwRkir_XORIPAc9OJpr6dRnDTyxQj3ME2y4yeg0D7epv8aRaLKVVH9bFOBTlBgPwcowffrnT0K05_RLbBEmu6cPoeqiSOhk/s640/blogger-image--841213787.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">To going to town with texture pastes (in this case a spoon of baking soda mixed with gesso, then heated till it bubbles and a stamp pressed into it!!) and paint</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaTsjqTwR_QzoO0VHved6plYbbzy0B3yQiPKs5IFqg7KnE2h76KS7nXrYMfMTcrPjPJTwBfpuZ1wwD8b7kVrbOl1BePA0sgs6xOBYrqSKhBSDjAi7UqR_Bd0iWZYa4aBOPKtuK7WB3F78/s640/blogger-image-555672445.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaTsjqTwR_QzoO0VHved6plYbbzy0B3yQiPKs5IFqg7KnE2h76KS7nXrYMfMTcrPjPJTwBfpuZ1wwD8b7kVrbOl1BePA0sgs6xOBYrqSKhBSDjAi7UqR_Bd0iWZYa4aBOPKtuK7WB3F78/s640/blogger-image-555672445.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Each pallet is made up of 4 larger planks and 2 narrow planks, what you do next is up to you!! Below are some with paint and stencils on, wallpaper samples are great too</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9nWmCj15T0Yy9w7pCFmtTr24LQz1hBaT5eg8dt-pDXXwBZXZJU1ckkiuqfqi1HAQMCQplXPNsMR9VTlMe7zdcPBYXTROUZgdqEXCIWSyqOXfRcL_G85JQfGhMes7vHK3zhcXYNIiNsnQ/s640/blogger-image-872928671.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9nWmCj15T0Yy9w7pCFmtTr24LQz1hBaT5eg8dt-pDXXwBZXZJU1ckkiuqfqi1HAQMCQplXPNsMR9VTlMe7zdcPBYXTROUZgdqEXCIWSyqOXfRcL_G85JQfGhMes7vHK3zhcXYNIiNsnQ/s640/blogger-image-872928671.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRuOBMICy6EIw4_NElbKClHLejfW_7WRuB6bNB4SO13Xa2u_JHrh4eO7JXtsXGId8pyZnEQd8dzJq9mjkfAGqrfcVpMGfZHyz25tHLvvzuwR7PYNw-myf3ncThrBknOzIStQYHXz0gpxQ/s640/blogger-image--1459265297.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRuOBMICy6EIw4_NElbKClHLejfW_7WRuB6bNB4SO13Xa2u_JHrh4eO7JXtsXGId8pyZnEQd8dzJq9mjkfAGqrfcVpMGfZHyz25tHLvvzuwR7PYNw-myf3ncThrBknOzIStQYHXz0gpxQ/s640/blogger-image--1459265297.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU7S6xukhFNPWfBkOlv6aweYj7fPlQ08mkD0sypfjSj6Sws05S2qFYCSXZJ-HrZSuHyVIsUjY2su53i3HsKuB2FJS_f0lb1X7k-jpq0COQb0sIBwEaICHxF_3tow_4dFJU-friZAHRWR8/s640/blogger-image--1065133715.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU7S6xukhFNPWfBkOlv6aweYj7fPlQ08mkD0sypfjSj6Sws05S2qFYCSXZJ-HrZSuHyVIsUjY2su53i3HsKuB2FJS_f0lb1X7k-jpq0COQb0sIBwEaICHxF_3tow_4dFJU-friZAHRWR8/s640/blogger-image--1065133715.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">We also do shelf and clock kits in the range. Here is a shelf that has used a stencil and a gloss medium to create a resist and then lovely distress ink over the top!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnzH2lf2hkrq_qafVIhdT167xeiKkFI0GEzLJVW4dW-t-DZMPXaD0M472Pc1OTpqUgOqKP-3rh_QXbvln3bOb64P627XugzMhL1ifD6Ql9ExALv9M_8_CFXMyrJOcrh3xCq8BhnBSz1mw/s640/blogger-image--1525782444.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnzH2lf2hkrq_qafVIhdT167xeiKkFI0GEzLJVW4dW-t-DZMPXaD0M472Pc1OTpqUgOqKP-3rh_QXbvln3bOb64P627XugzMhL1ifD6Ql9ExALv9M_8_CFXMyrJOcrh3xCq8BhnBSz1mw/s640/blogger-image--1525782444.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The options are endless!! Don't panic I am not going to subject you too all of them!! As they could have their own blog!!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Right off now to Happy Stampers Northwest!!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Have a crafty weekend</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Ali xx</div><br></div><br></div><br></div><br></div><br></div>CleverCrafterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03608290201626626018noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7812495022176728155.post-90233549648365937232014-09-30T12:51:00.001-07:002014-09-30T12:51:38.172-07:00Let us spray!Ok a little bit of a history lesson.... A few years ago Mica sprays exploded onto the craft scene, we were spraying everything!! And I mean everything because that was the nature of sprays! Many found them too messy and too uncontrolled, so we developed a range of items that would give the crafter the chance to use sprays easier. And so masks were born!! Skip forward a while and masks are used for so much more now, so ink sprays wandered off trend a little. But there are some lovely ones on the marker now, mainly ink ones with out the mica, so I had a play, and I sprayed over a mask....and I was disappointed! Gone were the smooth colours I was so used to when inking with distress ink, instead I had spotty designs!! I just fr crafting with masks had moved on, so I decided to play and test them a little more! So I got some card and saturated it with loads of beautiful colours, then placed a mask on the top, and another bit of paper on top of that!! And ran it though my die cutter on the cutting sandwich. This just applies pressure, which pushes the colour around, allows it to blend, and where the masks lay the colour is dispersed creating a faded look! The results were fantastic!! Plus even the top paper was pretty. Just make sure you mop up any overflow of ink off your machine to avoid any accidental inking later!!<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYOQpUlHsAJZ-4DfoPdWNXTLQXswg5ZkMnuhnFS0pXfTqHf4Zv1E_TwCtCiwjj44e24sVLwf5Fxh5z7JM4UyCJHNtr9jlKvl6AHfyW59GjsB5n4yeELUcDByEi7wHD17ewG4LRVqCijpw/s640/blogger-image--594994541.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYOQpUlHsAJZ-4DfoPdWNXTLQXswg5ZkMnuhnFS0pXfTqHf4Zv1E_TwCtCiwjj44e24sVLwf5Fxh5z7JM4UyCJHNtr9jlKvl6AHfyW59GjsB5n4yeELUcDByEi7wHD17ewG4LRVqCijpw/s640/blogger-image--594994541.jpg"></a></div><br><div><br></div><div>Hope you have fun with this and happy crafting</div><div><br></div><div>Ali xxx</div></div>CleverCrafterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03608290201626626018noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7812495022176728155.post-63887492249028963392014-09-26T14:26:00.002-07:002014-09-26T14:28:09.760-07:00Words don't come easy .......Ok here is the first of my focus on a product entry...and I am choosing our lovely greeting stamps. I love stamping, and we have some stunning art work on our stamps, but recently we have been adding some beautiful greeting stamps to the range, from everything to large verses, to simple word greetings that say it all. What I love about them is that fact on some cards they are all you need, especially if you have had a whale of a time creating backgrounds that are just too pretty to cover up! So I could fill pages with photos that show off the greeting stamps but I thought for all your sanity I would share one of my favourite projects with the stamps....<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Orizomegami!! The Japanese art of paper folding and dying...messy but soo much fun. You create stunning bright papers that just look fantastic with the simple bold greeting...simple as that! </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">So how do you create these papers, all you need is some ink (I used distress re-inkers), watered down a little, and some kitchen towel! Pop a couple of different colours of ink in little pots, a cake baking tin is a great pallete, then take a sheet of kitchen towel and fold it up into a small wodge. Then begin the fun bit of dipping the folded kitchen towel in the inks, corner dipping creates star bursts, dipping the edges in creates stripes. After dipping gently unfold and hang up to dry. Here are the results of a workshop dipping session!</span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhaaSk-KZPc50DrnWv_04dTYMpVHcwhvvgVymhrWEttrENDl5d2zDgKYbi1VJHGpWT2rIQ724ii0Ae6iMaoogba9Z1eZvHJGBsYoMltKfxTtX2xB7PVo79Iex3Athyphenhyphen8FdsafAosBT2Wus/s1600/IMG_0267.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); clear: right; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhaaSk-KZPc50DrnWv_04dTYMpVHcwhvvgVymhrWEttrENDl5d2zDgKYbi1VJHGpWT2rIQ724ii0Ae6iMaoogba9Z1eZvHJGBsYoMltKfxTtX2xB7PVo79Iex3Athyphenhyphen8FdsafAosBT2Wus/s1600/IMG_0267.JPG" height="200" width="150" /></a></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYXbVdEvJNT92G2Bgv1FI06O743C0EpReTfwEkE0PYM2R927hN68CsqHgFMdxVC_TtWWRiuV8nNo36Q5fDOExPxk6OzKWz39gNTr51HqG5SDGB-CYfwubpNNFtDdNUlUz2On3sGL2bYwk/s1600/IMG_0268.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYXbVdEvJNT92G2Bgv1FI06O743C0EpReTfwEkE0PYM2R927hN68CsqHgFMdxVC_TtWWRiuV8nNo36Q5fDOExPxk6OzKWz39gNTr51HqG5SDGB-CYfwubpNNFtDdNUlUz2On3sGL2bYwk/s1600/IMG_0268.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Don't they look amazing?? So simply let them dry and then either tear or die cut the paper, stamp your choice of greeting with archival ink and you have a bright and stunning card!!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDpWzG6iuNhnMtDyfL6af47cqTk5n9ZFCdGOmR69VZ7H6XfY8q2F8yegXZT_OviX2ZEo0sTqeusez_6QY-vSc_gt_6yuSuFWK-XSDenhAQIFhvFujLtSFX4nqzCSIsMHG5yV737gmWoNE/s1600/IMG_0265.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDpWzG6iuNhnMtDyfL6af47cqTk5n9ZFCdGOmR69VZ7H6XfY8q2F8yegXZT_OviX2ZEo0sTqeusez_6QY-vSc_gt_6yuSuFWK-XSDenhAQIFhvFujLtSFX4nqzCSIsMHG5yV737gmWoNE/s1600/IMG_0265.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></span></div>
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Ali xx<br />
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<br />CleverCrafterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03608290201626626018noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7812495022176728155.post-34219196686799151602014-09-23T01:38:00.001-07:002014-09-23T01:38:57.884-07:00Let's try this again!!Ok I know I am quite possibly the worst blogger in the world but I get distracted by paint and ink and all things crafty!! But I vow to try and do 2 posts a week, a try it Tuesday where I share a technique so you can give it a go and a something for the weekend where I show off a product, some old some brand new and a few ideas to use it! Sound like a plan?<div><br></div><div>Ok it is Tuesday so a technique, we will start with something fairly simple to ease me back into this blogging game!! Not sure what I should call it, but I call it back stamping!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_0t-xh7S1y_nOqHCWFx2VwWoe5zJxb4EE2EsODmpm1oK7tSX5ajAQzoLgJQyQrCXl3CjQNBkDHvp6vyNcSHg7xM137vxbig3x6GlVmvJaebrkuDvDgA1gkx2Xd-6HSNOjRLu190xo_TY/s640/blogger-image-903362685.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_0t-xh7S1y_nOqHCWFx2VwWoe5zJxb4EE2EsODmpm1oK7tSX5ajAQzoLgJQyQrCXl3CjQNBkDHvp6vyNcSHg7xM137vxbig3x6GlVmvJaebrkuDvDgA1gkx2Xd-6HSNOjRLu190xo_TY/s640/blogger-image-903362685.jpg"></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">It only works with stamps that have some kind of symmetry, round and square are the best!!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">So before you pop your stamp on to your acrylic block, ink up the back if the stamp (where it normal would stick to the block) you can mix colours you can add patterns. Really experiment! Now pop the inky side down on your paper, and place your acrylic block on the top so you can apply pressure. Lift up the stamp to reveal a lovely panel of colour. Now simply clean the stamp, pop on to your block normal. Ink up on a bold colour, black is very effective, and over stamp your panel of colour!! See simple but effective, on my card I did 3 panels of back stamping and one normal.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Enjoy!!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Happy crafting</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Ali</div>CleverCrafterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03608290201626626018noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7812495022176728155.post-71658308712172800912013-08-20T01:19:00.001-07:002013-08-20T10:28:37.187-07:00Let me correct you!!Well at least let me show you a fun way to use the trusty correction fluid! Now recently I bought a pack of correction pens etc from a bargain shop, you got 2 correction pens (great for white highlighting) and a traditional pot of the correction fluid for the princely sum of 99p! Now it was the pens I really wanted but I stashed the fluid in my "might come in handy" pile. And you guessed it.... It did!!<div>So in this digital and predictive text age where would you use such a product? In your stamping of course!!</div><div>The pigment in correction fluid is really strong so I thought it would be ideal for highlighting a subject, so I stamped a fun image, our aptly named Man Flu stamp on to some patterned paper in black archival ink. Then using the brush applicator painted a border of the white fluid all around the edge of the image, being careful but not worrying too much if I caught the image (as you can draw in the missing bits with a black fine liner). <div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIRJ6nJfIP1a-bXrydrgUf7e0hnEs1qIrLHKlkXy1Dzhp6R2enru7IY29WppKClKRZO3DdeMvyn3_6SSCWVUkdj0g5KLmXKEzi69TDoRXTqUDX6BSoG5XHEtLQtApKu0cExsFMqJ109hg/s640/blogger-image-1307879292.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIRJ6nJfIP1a-bXrydrgUf7e0hnEs1qIrLHKlkXy1Dzhp6R2enru7IY29WppKClKRZO3DdeMvyn3_6SSCWVUkdj0g5KLmXKEzi69TDoRXTqUDX6BSoG5XHEtLQtApKu0cExsFMqJ109hg/s640/blogger-image-1307879292.jpg"></a></div>And low and behold the image pops out of the page. Simple and quick. Also looks amazing in altered book pages etc, best patterned papers for it are not to busy and simply tonal colour schemes.</div></div><div><br></div><div>Have fun and happy crafting</div><div><br></div><div>Ali xx</div>CleverCrafterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03608290201626626018noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7812495022176728155.post-18574123922410405202013-07-10T05:20:00.001-07:002013-07-10T05:20:55.477-07:00Don't Distress it is only Christmas in July!!I know it is early to be thinking about Christmas especially in the middle of a glorious heat wave, but that is the way of card making and especially when preparing samples and demos for TV. So Christmas is in full swing!! Ho Ho Ho! But the kinds of techniques I try and share here are generic and can be altered for any occasion, so even if you are not feeling festive give them a go! So distress embossing in another form.<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNeNSQQO61XcZ0CbbjfoHwDfuguCNH2f6nVDc9ukB3_yjqEyDOqhg6TT9jSb7x6k9eOjVEGlhL75UWUFRSC1G5rYtOz6SziRTJPGQ8R9RW5zfH8GsAe0b5TtEnx6SDvJyjQ_AqUVJF1IA/s640/blogger-image--1830383815.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNeNSQQO61XcZ0CbbjfoHwDfuguCNH2f6nVDc9ukB3_yjqEyDOqhg6TT9jSb7x6k9eOjVEGlhL75UWUFRSC1G5rYtOz6SziRTJPGQ8R9RW5zfH8GsAe0b5TtEnx6SDvJyjQ_AqUVJF1IA/s640/blogger-image--1830383815.jpg"></a></div><br></div> First I created a background by inking with antique linen, then repeat stamped out music background stamp in frayed burlap. Then let it dry for a bit. Place the mask over the top and ink through with a piece of cut and dry loaded with perfect medium. Remove the mask and apply black embossing powder. Tip off the excess, you will find the odd bit clings to the background but that can be removed with a dry brush or left for a more distressed look. Heat set the powder from the back. Once it is set and cooled, reposition the mask, and with out re-inking your cut and dry, just dab randomly through the mask, not to much. Remove the mask and sprinkle on the gold powder (try different colour combos you will be amazed at the effects you get). Heat set the gold from above, not too much or the black may lose its definition. I love this effect.<div><br></div><div>Enjoy and Happy Crafting</div><div><br></div><div>Ali xx</div></div>CleverCrafterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03608290201626626018noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7812495022176728155.post-40205521144160245342013-07-01T02:01:00.001-07:002013-07-01T02:01:30.258-07:00I'm forever popping bubbles!!Well who doesn't love popping the bubbles on bubble wrap... There is just something about it, and now I have discovered extreme popping!! I same some cute beads made online from ironed bubble wrap and knew I had to try!! So in the interest of science and craft I grabbed my iron (only time the iron is grabbed in excitement!!) and a selection if bubble wraps. Now you must remember to sandwich your bubble wrap between parchment to protect your iron, and enjoy! It is cool the bubbles pop and sink, I even tried double layers of bubbles to make thicker pieces. My personal favourite was the larger bubbles, one side would go may and one side stayed shiny, I loved the contrast. When ironed you can then colour with alcohol inks, die cut etc. I grabbed my Tim Holtz tattered dies and fell in love with with the shapes just plain. <div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMrtmVzq4_RRkl3Vh_C9wOChWdG3lThzF3vcDggnd2bWDx1v4W-UCiicoMvsUJUyRzJlV0zsCLPkkrihEOwBg7VmRW3UP0FLxged9lfms-jKiOJmdADMtTQ-7ezB1qNM7LQQ__XkWjbm4/s640/blogger-image-1502909056.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMrtmVzq4_RRkl3Vh_C9wOChWdG3lThzF3vcDggnd2bWDx1v4W-UCiicoMvsUJUyRzJlV0zsCLPkkrihEOwBg7VmRW3UP0FLxged9lfms-jKiOJmdADMtTQ-7ezB1qNM7LQQ__XkWjbm4/s640/blogger-image-1502909056.jpg"></a></div>So a quick embossed background with my beautiful peacock mask, a simple greeting and beautiful white on white card was born! You have to give this a go!!<div><br></div><div>Happy Crafting</div><div><br></div><div>Ali xx</div>CleverCrafterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03608290201626626018noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7812495022176728155.post-34191883856322364532013-06-20T01:51:00.001-07:002013-06-20T01:51:38.755-07:00You are not doing it right it is swish and.....<div><br></div>Stamp! Sorry couldn't help the play on a line from Harry Potter on this one! This will be a mega quick card and blog post but I loved the feel of the card. <div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiofQuuOEMV4CgPfCdyr0myCerhXOZVyqQ3hVfWytnBZBgsGjM3tyhDd_oLXIkO8sSB0ROiEuJg_TAYCaGQw8W1fCZLIWMq28Z-FbhwgBndQUxpieaN2b8RgchAMm0VX95wYvIMsrhOBQ4/s640/blogger-image--1307971323.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiofQuuOEMV4CgPfCdyr0myCerhXOZVyqQ3hVfWytnBZBgsGjM3tyhDd_oLXIkO8sSB0ROiEuJg_TAYCaGQw8W1fCZLIWMq28Z-FbhwgBndQUxpieaN2b8RgchAMm0VX95wYvIMsrhOBQ4/s640/blogger-image--1307971323.jpg"></a></div>Simply take a pale distress ink (I used old paper) and placing the pad face down on your card swish it across in a fairly quick motion, so you get a band of colour. Dry it and then take your silhouette stamp and first stamp it in Black Soot ink and again dry it and then stamp another in a more pale colour such as pumice stone, slightly overlapping the black one, to make it look like it is stood behind. The drying between each stage is important as the damp ink can interfere with your stamping.<div><br></div><div>Easy and quick but really atmospheric!</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>Happy Crafting</div><div><br></div><div>Ali xx</div>CleverCrafterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03608290201626626018noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7812495022176728155.post-28494345730973352412013-06-05T01:49:00.001-07:002013-06-05T01:49:07.099-07:00Sooty and Stamp!I am having a bit of a revisiting old favourites on the technique front at the moment, as much as I love experimenting and trying new things I also take great pleasure in using old techniques with new stamps. And soot stamping is one of those revisited techniques. With our stunning Deer stamp it was just the perfect technique. <div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDjPet0y0OzBy0_YWF7LjUZrDM2c4zwclbfMsHNpTynZnjk2M5-rmC7Ouif2R73aFeii6mLFYx1hdOygWirh4mlyziCH8NDMcftRjv3aJSuGyHtyC-rk9UqR1bi-2bZUvSDYMxxDuN6a0/s640/blogger-image--375381234.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDjPet0y0OzBy0_YWF7LjUZrDM2c4zwclbfMsHNpTynZnjk2M5-rmC7Ouif2R73aFeii6mLFYx1hdOygWirh4mlyziCH8NDMcftRjv3aJSuGyHtyC-rk9UqR1bi-2bZUvSDYMxxDuN6a0/s640/blogger-image--375381234.jpg"></a></div>But seriously if you are going to try this at home I strongly recommend you do it on a clear work space with a bowl of water near by, I always do it on the draining board of the kitchen sink!! The reason is you are going to be using a naked flame, so care must be taken. To start you want glossy or coated card stock, white is most effective, then pass the card over the top of the flame, so the smoke deposited the soot on to the card, use only the middle of the card as the card is more likely to catch light if you try to go right to the edge. Once you have an area of soot large enough, blow out the candle and take a perfectly clean stamp and press it into the soot coated area and remove. The stamp picks up the soot leaving a perfect impression. Your stamp will need a good clean as the soot really grabs, but on your card you will need to fix the soot with hairspray or proper charcoal fixer. It is a stunning effect so enjoy but please be careful with naked flames!!<div><br></div><div>Happy Crafting</div><div><br></div><div>Ali xx</div>CleverCrafterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03608290201626626018noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7812495022176728155.post-1275891820357344102013-05-22T06:53:00.001-07:002013-05-22T06:53:00.522-07:00Cracking up!!That sum me up pretty well to be fair, but on this occasion I am referring to crackle effect! This is fun but not for the more impatient crafters, so do as I do, start it just before bed so you leave it over night...that stops you impatiently trying stuff too early! This works on card and wood so give it a go, you need 2 colours of acrylic paint and good old PVA glue! Choose your base colour and paint a coat of this. Let this coat dry completely, then slap on a coat of PVA glue, and straight on top of that paint your second colour of paint. Keep your strokes in one direction. <div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq_RPqNJM7_FRla5FLjDLi181DZIaaZKJEr8i5zCBFTEMWfRcvnO4i7aD5KwUnGxyTeS0Glbfmu_u8FIMXhAGGbcYKgcYzPtXMvA_JBKEk2wQLhUE_qnk-aDHmTMb2nNCh2C5SeykK5fM/s640/blogger-image-740982024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq_RPqNJM7_FRla5FLjDLi181DZIaaZKJEr8i5zCBFTEMWfRcvnO4i7aD5KwUnGxyTeS0Glbfmu_u8FIMXhAGGbcYKgcYzPtXMvA_JBKEk2wQLhUE_qnk-aDHmTMb2nNCh2C5SeykK5fM/s640/blogger-image-740982024.jpg"></a></div>Leave to dry and crackle!! It is so cool you will be tempted to watch paint dry!! Once dry you can stamp and colour on the top. Simple but soo much fun!!<div><br></div><div>Happy crafting</div><div><br></div><div>Ali xx</div>CleverCrafterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03608290201626626018noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7812495022176728155.post-55110211701656661802013-05-02T14:03:00.001-07:002013-05-02T14:04:09.711-07:00I call it "Faux Laser"Said in my best Dr Evil voice!! I love the effect of this technique, it really creates the sense of dimension and it is easy to do! All you need is a brown ink pad and a good white embossing powder and a nice stamp. So simply stamp your image in the brown ink (I used Frayed Burlap distress ink) then while the ink is still damp give it a little smudge. Make sure the image is dry and then re-stamp the image with an embossing ink, over the top of the smudged image, so the brown shows through. Then add the white embossing powder, heat set from behind and watch the whole design just pop out of the card!!<br />
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Simple but very effective!!<br />
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Happy Crafting<br />
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Ali xx <br/><br/><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJCiiCw0rjSsOzsND7NZ3__W01dLsZZsqZdes0dQpxpnW4MuZ06O7-JnrMHead03hL60hRvoDTy-5oTMenah_xAKshI_9IGN07ssNY1M_yQvGVmE_i3MRotFR-5tLLV3HbXIY-dA6h2_U/s640/blogger-image-844038914.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJCiiCw0rjSsOzsND7NZ3__W01dLsZZsqZdes0dQpxpnW4MuZ06O7-JnrMHead03hL60hRvoDTy-5oTMenah_xAKshI_9IGN07ssNY1M_yQvGVmE_i3MRotFR-5tLLV3HbXIY-dA6h2_U/s640/blogger-image-844038914.jpg" /></a></div>CleverCrafterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03608290201626626018noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7812495022176728155.post-20128384527171235462013-04-18T06:09:00.001-07:002013-04-18T06:09:32.017-07:00Wax lyrical!I love to play and try things out, I know shocking you didn't know that about me did you?? And I will use anything I lay my hands on! So when I wanted to try something different for a background effect on a card my hand fell on an old candle I had lying around. I wanted to use it for a resist technique, which I have done before but I have traditionally done it over a mask like a brass rubbing, but this time I embossed my card with the beautiful Moroccan mask first. I left the mask under the card and the ribbed the candle over the embossing, this way the embossing is not squashed and the wax only catches the edges of the embossing. I them removed the mask and inked like crazy with a couple of distress inks, forest moss and gathered twigs. Then rub off any ink on the wax with a bit of kitchen towel and voila!! A lovely distressed background. Added a faux out of the box die cutting with one of the aperture masks and the card was nearly done! Final touch was to use a 4 ply hemp twine, carefully untwist a 1 inch section until it flips back on itself creating a four petal flower effect, glue it in with a dried rose and it is done!! Simple, honestly it is!!<br />
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Happy Crafting<br />
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Ali <br/><br/><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_oY9fgnxTkiGbJ7AMyzpoYsXht648cvR4RvLhi2cCiUiHiC8ELOR33yQiyJ8ycBFhRcHn6IoSqu8SGrvBmE8p1eO7atHg0SnEqC-wumb8EMY6-dPbUBhIVL5l9hJcfzLjR1Nm39jsSc4/s640/blogger-image-996323089.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_oY9fgnxTkiGbJ7AMyzpoYsXht648cvR4RvLhi2cCiUiHiC8ELOR33yQiyJ8ycBFhRcHn6IoSqu8SGrvBmE8p1eO7atHg0SnEqC-wumb8EMY6-dPbUBhIVL5l9hJcfzLjR1Nm39jsSc4/s640/blogger-image-996323089.jpg" /></a></div>CleverCrafterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03608290201626626018noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7812495022176728155.post-46692043039449459642013-03-31T09:14:00.001-07:002013-03-31T09:14:39.088-07:00Strings Attached!Wow this is promising another blog post, I'm on a roll!! So I just wanted to share a card that came about after seeing a lovely card online, that was beautifully collaged with different stamps and me being me didn't really have the stuff to do it, so improvisation was required!! First instead of fancy matting and layering I decided to use my lovely apertures to create a focal panel, so a bit of inking with distress inks, bundled sage, faded jeans and tumbled glass, gave me a lovely panel of colour but it lacked the texture if the card I had seen. I needed a background stamp, but I didn't have one, but I did have some garden twine and an acrylic block, so I wrapped the twine around the block a few times, tied it in place and voila I had a background stamp. All the little fibres of the twine created lovely fine lines like pen strokes, so I inked and stamped it randomly through the aperture and created a lovely faux script effect! Then it was just a case of inking through the tulip silhouette mask slightly off set of the middle and a matt and layer here and the card was done!<br />
So moral of the blog post, if you don't have what you need, improvise and sometimes you will surprise yourself!!<br />
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Happy Crafting<br />
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Ali xx <br/><br/><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyzOUK7rXmhujIYFzvXpahkiCY4Km42JUhvC6Uw2oPNrQCD5IjpToUB7DkFpV1Ch4arudVVCEm79xP4UyZlCpjEUgbto6dSxOQVpwDvN7-A2XEiUrK3bXWfaowS5l07ZZTMzpi9MM3-nU/s640/blogger-image--40415894.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyzOUK7rXmhujIYFzvXpahkiCY4Km42JUhvC6Uw2oPNrQCD5IjpToUB7DkFpV1Ch4arudVVCEm79xP4UyZlCpjEUgbto6dSxOQVpwDvN7-A2XEiUrK3bXWfaowS5l07ZZTMzpi9MM3-nU/s640/blogger-image--40415894.jpg" /></a></div>CleverCrafterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03608290201626626018noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7812495022176728155.post-89935800752677841572013-03-26T13:14:00.001-07:002013-03-26T13:14:32.793-07:00Just Chalk it up!!Ok not too long between posts, but enough time for the NEC show and a couple of fun Create and Craft shows and a pile of new products to have a good play with!!<br />
One of the most used new products in my crafting arsenal at the moment is the aperture sets, these lovely masks are ideal for all sorts of techniques and make amazingly simple but effective cards. But they also mean you can let your creativity flow, and so I have!!<br />
One of my favourite recent experiments was to make my own chalkboard paint. And it is so easy!! Simply mix a teaspoon of tile grout (the fine stuff is best) with a tablespoon of acrylic paint, mix well. Now apply to whatever surface, I have done jars but my favourite is on cards, so you can write little messages, I stipple the paint through an aperture on to a nice patterned paper, let it dry (which doesn't take long) then mat and layer. Add chalk on a string and away you go!!<br />
Great fun and tonnes of potential projects in the pipeline with this.<br />
Happy crafting<br />
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Ali xx <br/><br/><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqYd2p0z5kGxNEAEM2npvNv1TbejQbdH3Yc9tpFG_FdworZSVh1VW2RhWbRZnjddH6HKK10TDW3MDrlWKDJvMNezl3FDvZfHsY2Qh_DkMmgKCBWPJXcLiuXs5SmPUqpRaUeAgattEB7EY/s640/blogger-image--724338134.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqYd2p0z5kGxNEAEM2npvNv1TbejQbdH3Yc9tpFG_FdworZSVh1VW2RhWbRZnjddH6HKK10TDW3MDrlWKDJvMNezl3FDvZfHsY2Qh_DkMmgKCBWPJXcLiuXs5SmPUqpRaUeAgattEB7EY/s640/blogger-image--724338134.jpg" /></a></div>CleverCrafterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03608290201626626018noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7812495022176728155.post-8259375100726338402013-03-10T07:08:00.001-07:002013-03-10T07:08:27.282-07:00I know, I knowI am possibly the worst blogger in the land of blogdom!! But I have my excuses!! The last few weeks have just been crazy! Like proper crazy, very very long hours and hard work and I am only just starting to catch up!! But we have released a new DVD on using Masks, released some fab new designs of masks and some beautiful stamps! <br />
So a quick share in this occasion as I haven't done much experimenting but have big plans over the next couple of weeks!! <br />
What I have been trying to do is explore different card layouts and Pinterest has been an amazing source of influence. The card below is using the beautiful lighthouse stamp, coloured with distress markers, spritzed with water and stamped to give a lovely watercolour effect and then scraps of patterned papers patchworked in the background. The second card is a patchwork of background that were made during demonstrating at the trade show. When I demo I always create a huge stack of backgrounds many of which never make it to a finished card, but this style is a great way to use up these play pieces!<br />
Right best get back to it!!<br />
Happy Crafting<br />
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Ali xxx <br/><br/><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9sLTcqSd-QqR4ugH8Fx0y8gqkj2jBIuqaCjP-5FD_tsJYQN-ru2SawqzkL-j6FK3bjUz5Bk2-d7fnI_hhROkwAalUslo2vxMTsFqmo39svfAXBM-Hh9H7wn5QG25hT3LQ2buBEEjPgSg/s640/blogger-image-984684411.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9sLTcqSd-QqR4ugH8Fx0y8gqkj2jBIuqaCjP-5FD_tsJYQN-ru2SawqzkL-j6FK3bjUz5Bk2-d7fnI_hhROkwAalUslo2vxMTsFqmo39svfAXBM-Hh9H7wn5QG25hT3LQ2buBEEjPgSg/s640/blogger-image-984684411.jpg" /></a></div> <br/><br/><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtPOeftt5xqFmikmvXWZuILW4PLmaUKhR6C1caUT8yjyB_7mEU9O-9OQUHOO3van8w4pB8hSoc-_zIbNKNns1CvYfDtt9IS2LN0cHmZjmKDoY087Yax5P2rHDSRZJMHBiq9FKadSNBJY4/s640/blogger-image--1869808329.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtPOeftt5xqFmikmvXWZuILW4PLmaUKhR6C1caUT8yjyB_7mEU9O-9OQUHOO3van8w4pB8hSoc-_zIbNKNns1CvYfDtt9IS2LN0cHmZjmKDoY087Yax5P2rHDSRZJMHBiq9FKadSNBJY4/s640/blogger-image--1869808329.jpg" /></a></div>CleverCrafterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03608290201626626018noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7812495022176728155.post-24335004419391433312013-01-28T13:06:00.001-08:002013-01-28T13:06:14.840-08:00I can't plan...I change my mind like the weather (just ask Paul) and this card is one of the prime examples!! I was going to demonstrate this card on Create and Craft today, but the stock ran out before my demos did!! so here is a little run down on how it came about. <br />
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It was going to be like wet stamping, where you ink the mask and lay it on wet card, let the colour bleed out and then over stamp! But shock horror I changed my mind and decided to lay the inked mask onto the wet card and then ran it through the Grand Calibur (on the nesties cutting sandwich) and wow I loved the effect. The colour was sort of washed out and around, leaving the mask design pale, and as the card I used was a pulp card (more like water colour card) it compacted slightly giving a slight embossed look. I matted and layered it, as I thought it needed nothing else. Hope you like it. <br />
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Happy Crafting<br />
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Ali <br/><br/><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikT_PPGuFyvVY3vP-O1KpbYYFpp1LjGT75psxcvpg9LBlt9C4AnS3wfkIAIyIu-ksGRwq34yUfB5B-5c2NfD3i8jpEtCSoNPOjzMXqYYZDEZ1QybUl6xiAXeawlNuTKw8GWXwV67la3y0/s640/blogger-image-90052709.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikT_PPGuFyvVY3vP-O1KpbYYFpp1LjGT75psxcvpg9LBlt9C4AnS3wfkIAIyIu-ksGRwq34yUfB5B-5c2NfD3i8jpEtCSoNPOjzMXqYYZDEZ1QybUl6xiAXeawlNuTKw8GWXwV67la3y0/s640/blogger-image-90052709.jpg" /></a></div>CleverCrafterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03608290201626626018noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7812495022176728155.post-53118735486884262822013-01-20T09:08:00.001-08:002013-01-20T09:16:24.745-08:00Transferring...Last week we launched our washable verses on Create and Craft and they proved popular, so popular I didn't get to demo the below card. Now on first look you think "nothing special" a greeting stamped on patterned paper and matted up with co-ordinating papers. But the greeting is not stamped it is from the washable verses, these are black printed verses on 300gsm card, so how do you get it on to patterned paper?? <br />
Well the secret is in the fact that the ink is waterproof. So choose your greeting, and cover in Sellotape (I used the wide parcel tape as it covered the entire greeting with one piece), take the back of a teaspoon and run like billy o, you will see the tape adhere better to the card, then cut roughly out of the whole sheet and drop the tape covered greeting into a saucer of warm water. Leave it to soak for a while, and then run away the card, if it is difficult, leave to soak a bit longer. Then take a piece of kitchen towel and rub away any paper residue, until you are just left with the words on the back of the tape. Allow to dry, the tape will still be sticky so make sure you leave it to dry face down. When dry adhere to your patterned paper of choice! Simple!!<br />
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Enjoy<br />
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Happy Crafting<br />
<br />
Ali xx <br/><br/><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPOcNSyXmgntc8DyA-dHpwcak-gdzfii22gGHy4v2Dj25ufhj7A9tCQ5-rTcLp-yEWJKVD1h0s2mgXAh42qMQ8xKNNMxIHirMU4OQRybhLuWerFfv2tb0F8g5ajeFn3hE0RY06PfYx4CY/s640/blogger-image--2079366460.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPOcNSyXmgntc8DyA-dHpwcak-gdzfii22gGHy4v2Dj25ufhj7A9tCQ5-rTcLp-yEWJKVD1h0s2mgXAh42qMQ8xKNNMxIHirMU4OQRybhLuWerFfv2tb0F8g5ajeFn3hE0RY06PfYx4CY/s640/blogger-image--2079366460.jpg" /></a></div>CleverCrafterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03608290201626626018noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7812495022176728155.post-9523295573491402322013-01-12T14:57:00.001-08:002013-01-12T14:57:18.505-08:00Plenty of dough!!I know I know I am rubbish!! But at least I have plenty to share...so lets get started with the first post of the year!! I wanted to share my salt dough project! The dough itself is easy to make, 2 cups of plain flour, 1 cup if salt, 1 cup of warm water, mix together into a dough, unused dough will keep in the fridge. Then just roll out like pastry. Then use your stamps to make impressions in the dough, if you leave the stamp clean you can ink after the dough is dry and also brush on mica which looks amazing, or ink your stamp up and then as you stamp the colour is transferred to the dough. But my favourite is to fully colour the stamp, even into the recesses with distress markers, then wipe off the ink on the raised parts, now when you press it in to the dough the ink from the recesses is transferred to the raised elements of the design. Then simply use cookie cutters to cut out your designs. Leave to dry, in the air it will take a while or you can pop them in a warm oven to speed up the drying process. You now have stunning unique embellishments for cards. Fun and cheap!!<br />
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Happy crafting<br />
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Ali xx <br/><br/><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgffSErZMkMy8wuEFOh7WcXtwVctCd-n3DRWwDiuVg3PrTdtUS-XgW3jOOc85pfXMPjtWgHHqIem3AVHmtttS8kF_cagudxipB4S7ajIzEpg-u9tfOI3iUEKDlJKfY3_ji628wyCuw-lc/s640/blogger-image-1624939018.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgffSErZMkMy8wuEFOh7WcXtwVctCd-n3DRWwDiuVg3PrTdtUS-XgW3jOOc85pfXMPjtWgHHqIem3AVHmtttS8kF_cagudxipB4S7ajIzEpg-u9tfOI3iUEKDlJKfY3_ji628wyCuw-lc/s640/blogger-image-1624939018.jpg" /></a></div>CleverCrafterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03608290201626626018noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7812495022176728155.post-4755339943459495702012-12-05T12:28:00.001-08:002012-12-05T12:28:56.467-08:00Wet, Wet, WetI know I know, I have been an appalling blogger, but time has got away from me so drastically I just don't seem to have 5mins to breath. But enough of excuses I will try and share some of the stuff I have been working on, starting with some of the new montage bits. I love this technique, it is simple effective and creates stunning backgrounds. You basically stamp with water!! How easy is that? Now the tricks to getting a good result with this technique are, you need nice bold stamps, they don't have to be big just bold or solid designs, and plenty of water! So first ink your background up with a distress ink, then fold up a piece of kitchen towel into a wad, and wet it, really wet it! This is now your "ink pad" simply press your stamp into the wet towel, and stamp onto your inked background, hold in place for a couple of seconds with a good bit of pressure and the remove. Watch the colour fade as it dries. Repeat randomly over the background. To finish off stamp in the same colour randomly over the background to provide more depth with the darker shade of colour. Ready to use it on your project!<br />
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Happy Crafting<br />
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Ali <br/><br/><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6hFEHOJtSXxl6i457Dn4gycutm76owmYIp7TnidrxE8_Afq9DtBgO3aBD3AF-cQzEUlIQiefF07r-l_TGrvB2-MWPpcUQ7GAZGSR_wi4dGzZVsoGQHgEMzlk7LN_AxG5vGU2b7Xzszsk/s640/blogger-image-1573772169.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6hFEHOJtSXxl6i457Dn4gycutm76owmYIp7TnidrxE8_Afq9DtBgO3aBD3AF-cQzEUlIQiefF07r-l_TGrvB2-MWPpcUQ7GAZGSR_wi4dGzZVsoGQHgEMzlk7LN_AxG5vGU2b7Xzszsk/s640/blogger-image-1573772169.jpg" /></a></div>CleverCrafterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03608290201626626018noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7812495022176728155.post-66683334424046306002012-09-04T05:27:00.001-07:002012-09-04T05:27:40.702-07:00Montage stamping!!Way back in 2007 we bought a little stamp making machine and we started to make our own stamps, it all started with a little flower. Well at that points Stamps Away was born. I was not a confident stamper by any stretch of the imagination but I discovered what you could do with even the smallest of stamps, so we started our Montage Range. They were popular and I started demoing with them at the retail shows. So over the next few years these little stamps have ticked along nicely, but as I became more confident at stamping and we had the amazing Pilkington artwork they got left behind a little. Until now, now they are back and better. We have taken all aspects of the business, and joined them together to make a complete stamping system. We knuckled down, filmed another DVD and here we are. So I thought I would share a few of the samples over the week of my stamping babies, where it all started. In the next post I will also do a little tutorial as well but I thought it would be nice to see how we have reconnected with our stamping roots!<div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyCxSLdHLr8W87455CHsbX1KCrRShyphenhypheniNSKsG2uF-wCaf6RvbcCNIZckSeDVCYJ-RdPNz3NE8_XcNvVPpk2dTqbQ1w2JGvHSYLYuxoR2l1-_lMN73fxrXBIiTnfWGjgllMP9pMJk2kVwdg/s640/blogger-image--1910921151.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyCxSLdHLr8W87455CHsbX1KCrRShyphenhypheniNSKsG2uF-wCaf6RvbcCNIZckSeDVCYJ-RdPNz3NE8_XcNvVPpk2dTqbQ1w2JGvHSYLYuxoR2l1-_lMN73fxrXBIiTnfWGjgllMP9pMJk2kVwdg/s640/blogger-image--1910921151.jpg" /></a></div>CleverCrafterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03608290201626626018noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7812495022176728155.post-23523187033727744482012-08-03T06:57:00.001-07:002012-08-03T07:04:13.522-07:00Just a quick post...Boy where has time gone!! This whole year is just whizzing by and I am running to catch up, I might pass myself going the other way at this rate. This is just a quick post really just to share some of the samples from the last couple of weeks and to say watch out for a major launch of some exciting stuff on 16th August and I will also be demoing it all at The Great British Craft Festival that weekend, so it is head down and sample sample sample. All I can say is it revolves around one of my favourite styles of stamps, that we have made for years but combining it with our other products to make it awesome!! Right back to already dine stuff. The below butterfly card was created just using the beautiful botanical washables, all I did was coloured the butterflies with a distress market, and the used clear embossing powder over the top, hear set it from behind to make it nice and glassy. Then I roughly colour in the flowers again with my distress markers, spritzed them with water so the colours bled, allowed it to dry and the did a light inking with antique linen to take away any remaining whiteness. Die cut, inked and glazed the flower embellishment and we were done! Simple. The second photo is a similar technique just a different paper.<br />
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Keep crafting<br />
<br />
Ali xxx<br />
<div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyHCXVnf6SAPoMmaQ1Ymnit9iY8wvmuIG3CcgHQUNB1AxAfVmvd6Xh8gmwUAt3mTo1ExIVL6YaV8SYsRwiRyMP325WTIhQZhSA9O0af_SsJY_sSBWQp3S0CZxgsXmjNs5nxWbt8tifJEo/s640/blogger-image-1899440572.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyHCXVnf6SAPoMmaQ1Ymnit9iY8wvmuIG3CcgHQUNB1AxAfVmvd6Xh8gmwUAt3mTo1ExIVL6YaV8SYsRwiRyMP325WTIhQZhSA9O0af_SsJY_sSBWQp3S0CZxgsXmjNs5nxWbt8tifJEo/s640/blogger-image-1899440572.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9r44VdQM4p_P968WUgAMfV4E-_SbvnL9SlZOHytcrbf52XzFhTcz3ugl3sCudvWC4SMlQ72jPc_ykgtYpES4dYgULCbf7jTLTyMo8LKnw6-GVEWPZUyhkfIbfsQZxeTlNM26pW7_8gW0/s640/blogger-image--1805362656.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9r44VdQM4p_P968WUgAMfV4E-_SbvnL9SlZOHytcrbf52XzFhTcz3ugl3sCudvWC4SMlQ72jPc_ykgtYpES4dYgULCbf7jTLTyMo8LKnw6-GVEWPZUyhkfIbfsQZxeTlNM26pW7_8gW0/s640/blogger-image--1805362656.jpg" /></a></div>CleverCrafterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03608290201626626018noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7812495022176728155.post-17922810735286073752012-07-21T03:30:00.001-07:002012-07-21T06:24:16.943-07:00Ways with washables!I love the washables because I love to be in creative control. I love to have options, I like to have choice and I like to do what I want in what ever colour. So the idea of washables was born, they are the burger king of the paper world, you have it your way! Now because they are printed on the beautiful stamp and colour paper they ink brilliantly, so all the inky techniques in previous posts work on washables, but have the added bonus of that design shining through. A really easy and effective use of washables is a nice crayon resist technique. I used the bauble washable from the Christmas pack for this. I then took a white crayon and added highlights to the edges of the design. Then all over the top with with a distress ink, where the white crayon is you will see the design pop! Buffed it with a bit of tissue, just to remove any residue ink off the wax, and my own designer paper is finished. A candle can also be used for different effects.<br />
Nothing I do is overly complicated it might be different but not difficult, so. give it a go.<br />
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Happy Crafting<br />
<br />
Ali<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGFMv8Xc_KrBehAn-o_-QjoaYAGof0YPj9wo2ce9j5kKjVs0wcR8LHdRM8z6bMuRVO_Qc2ylfSAc5HQJwj90E8r-ybY-IJhyTqWqsB30sUCWcVkE44cXCCluJauZr7OfGW9QlPqwIybDA/s640/blogger-image-1826827251.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGFMv8Xc_KrBehAn-o_-QjoaYAGof0YPj9wo2ce9j5kKjVs0wcR8LHdRM8z6bMuRVO_Qc2ylfSAc5HQJwj90E8r-ybY-IJhyTqWqsB30sUCWcVkE44cXCCluJauZr7OfGW9QlPqwIybDA/s400/blogger-image-1826827251.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>CleverCrafterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03608290201626626018noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7812495022176728155.post-72638906369553798302012-07-12T23:45:00.001-07:002012-07-21T06:24:30.115-07:00Upon ReflectionOur beautiful new riverside wildlife stamp set contains the most stunning Kingfisher stamp, it is adorable! But as soon as I got it I knew I had to reflected him, but me and brayers do not get on..... So I decided to use another easier more Ali friendly technique. First I needed to create the water effect and again this is usually a brayering technique, so I improvised, screwed up a sandwich bag, dabbed it in the ink pad and on to the paper, instant ripples! Just be careful to mot over do it as you can lose the effect. Normal inking gave the effect of sky. Background complete now on to creating the reflection, all I did was stamp my kingfisher with black soot distress ink onto a piece of acetate, the ink does not dry on this so it means you can turn it over and press it down onto your water effect, gently rub it and you will see the image darken as it is transferred. Remove the acetate and then just stamp the kingfisher normally above the reflection. This technique is perfect for this type of reflection as it doesn't give you a perfect image it really looks like there is movement in the water. I then coloured it in with promarkers, making the reflection slightly less intense with the colours. Job done!<br />
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Give this a go you will be surprised how effective it is!<br />
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Happy Crafting<br />
<br />
Ali<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmHHqXjj8nRcDpwts8XSlSZP9r5QxCKHBseublYZAM6Z6zLk4ZTOGffJIVPIHYNrr_25Qr1Wz4pSFVqcU2F_PDv1BX9XzOwZwUmrCdvCO71SqeC5KqFkOzasXxQ1eM9ppVqt811AHO3-c/s640/blogger-image--599954499.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="335" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmHHqXjj8nRcDpwts8XSlSZP9r5QxCKHBseublYZAM6Z6zLk4ZTOGffJIVPIHYNrr_25Qr1Wz4pSFVqcU2F_PDv1BX9XzOwZwUmrCdvCO71SqeC5KqFkOzasXxQ1eM9ppVqt811AHO3-c/s400/blogger-image--599954499.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>CleverCrafterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03608290201626626018noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7812495022176728155.post-61436422447923534972012-07-11T10:10:00.001-07:002012-07-11T10:32:18.328-07:00Simple is bestWell sometimes the simplest of techniques can create the most wonderful cards. And colour blocking is one of those techniques, quick, simple but stunning! All you need to do is select your stamp, and the acrylic block you are going to stamp it with (now make sure your block is clean!!) select a couple of nice distress inks (or a Big and Juicy pad) and swipe the colours on to your acrylic block, always apply the lightest colour first to avoid contaminating your ink pads. Now spritz it with some water and stamp it onto some paper (not too close to the edge as a nice white border is effective!) making sure you really squished it down. Now lift the block off, trying to lift the lightest ride first as the colour can pool a little. Set it aside to dry, I sometimes mop up the excess with some kitchen towel but you don't need to. Let it dry. When fully dry overstamp with black your chosen image. The finishing touch comes from a free hand black line around the colour block. Simple bit effective!! <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7-6SVGYz5FB4ypyuHzALpJ425FmsPzF4e-qLSnKJ8tVIViGCr7QsJloFBpCBfGtDqetKUs6vJdS4dcZqSFbxBfmL9kDrWhDk5KPj8fbAV9UyQJZgF_5TNvPxrC7-XvKsChLLdk4pg8XE/s640/blogger-image--2146087250.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="473" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7-6SVGYz5FB4ypyuHzALpJ425FmsPzF4e-qLSnKJ8tVIViGCr7QsJloFBpCBfGtDqetKUs6vJdS4dcZqSFbxBfmL9kDrWhDk5KPj8fbAV9UyQJZgF_5TNvPxrC7-XvKsChLLdk4pg8XE/s640/blogger-image--2146087250.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Now just a little note my Paper Clinic for Create and Craft has been moved to 30th July but that gives me time to do more experimenting!!</div>
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Keep crafting</div>
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
Ali</div>
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</div>CleverCrafterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03608290201626626018noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7812495022176728155.post-52921837897184156812012-07-09T06:57:00.001-07:002012-07-09T08:33:38.252-07:00Plaid and simple!<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiHT0SPnEzr_cucMS7yTBf-LJDlTEtsaMGOB7KR82Hn4xrKK923W6XAi8MtIBlarAB1bmfG8upAKPLTdY0gJV_awkT7-eTKt-TJj7zqf7CuXEOlpEEKjY5b3R7cJiArQsQPEbRkhFy9bs/s1600/VintageCar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" sca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiHT0SPnEzr_cucMS7yTBf-LJDlTEtsaMGOB7KR82Hn4xrKK923W6XAi8MtIBlarAB1bmfG8upAKPLTdY0gJV_awkT7-eTKt-TJj7zqf7CuXEOlpEEKjY5b3R7cJiArQsQPEbRkhFy9bs/s320/VintageCar.jpg" width="320" /></a>I am a sucker for patterned paper, I really am, but I also get frustrated when I don't have the right colours to suit my project. So I inevitably end up making my own. From these frustrations washables were born, printed papers specifically designed for you to ink yourself in your colour scheme, enabling you to create your own designer papers. Plus it is all printed on our beautiful stamp and colour stock, which is carefully selected to take inks wonderfully. Meaning all your favourite ink techniques work perfectly. My favourite of this background making session wa my plaid effect. All you need is a couple of distress ink pads and a wet wipe (still wet) fold the wet wipe up to form a pad, then dab the folded edge into the different colours of ink, so you have spots of colour along the edge. Now drag those colours diagonally across the paper, so it leaves streaks of colour. Repeat the process until the paper is covered with diagonal lines, I then repeat with diagonal lines across the other way to complete the plaid look! Great for men cards, quick and simple, plus helps clean all the mica and embossing powder off your ink pads!! Give it a go</div>
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Happy Crafting</div>
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
Ali xxx</div>
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</div>CleverCrafterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03608290201626626018noreply@blogger.com4