Hi EveryoneAt long last the worst of the 'bug', has subsided, it takes so long to recover from these things in this horrible damp winter, so depressing. The only bright light on the horizon at the moment is the continuing fab work of our http://www.allpinkgirl.blogspot/ aka Dawn! She is beavering away with the Inkadinks and the Silkies even while her little girl is also suffering from some vile virus - well done Dawn, keep up the great work!
This great card above uses another of the great Ollyfant range of clear stamps that we love so much here. Alot of the cutie stamps are images of little girls and we often get asked for boys, so this card fills that gap and it is quick and really easy to make, great for autumn/winter birthdays and great for using some patterned papers and a die cutting machine. The big bonus of this card is that you don't have to use a die cutting machine if you haven't got one! So using Autumn 2, code no 0902 and a dotty cuttlebug embossing folder on some core d'nations cardstock to create some textured background, patterned paper and paper flowers and ribbon makes a quick simple background. Stamp the little boy and the dog and colour in with marker pens, cut out and stick on with double sided foam pads - quick and easy!!
During the last round of shows we have noticed how many brand new crafters there are - which is fantastic news! We all get excited when we can welcome someone new into our magic creative world, as we know what an exciting future waits for you out there! The difficulty is how to inspire and advise new crafters, so that they realise their full potential and don't make expensive mistakes which can be really off putting! How many times have we all bought so much new stash and it stays at the back of the cupboard - we've all done it! So next year we are on an Imaginative Crusade to try and unravel the technical world of inks. So many people get confused about inks and like everything 'it's easy when you know how'. We need to give people confidence to move on from cutting out and sticking on. Nothing wrong with with that, but it is really exciting to be able to learn some new techniques, put them all together and produce something even more inspiring. What we have learnt from talking to people at shows is that they lack confidence and information and making the leap from licking and sticking to inking and stamping seems daunting and scary. We know it isn't but it is like riding a bike or using a sewing machine if you don't have a success early on and you keep falling off and don't enjoy the experience you don't want to carry on. So, here at Imagination (true to the name!), we want to try and guide and inspire but most of all give lots of information to help people to make the right choices. If you have any hints and tips that have inspired you on the way, please let us know. It might be something that you stumbled on that really made a difference to your papercrafting. Using a particular product, learning a particular technique, seeing a particularly inspiring demo or just sharing ideas with a friend - share with others let us know and we can pass it on. We are so lucky to have such a great team here who all work hard behind the scenes to make us a success. Heather, is, as we speak, designing new rollers. She will also be inspiring retailers at the Craft show in February. Her Workshop using the Silkies will be one not to be missed. She will be assisted by Harvey and I think we can say hand on heart, this will be a double act not to be missed!! Jennifer is working with the silkies to make some more of her amazing samples for next year. Michelle is tearing around the country teaching and demoing. Susan is on Create and Craft every week for the forseeable future with her papers. We are always looking for new people to join our design team, so if you would like stash and stamps in return for sample cards just get in touch.
Happy Crafting!
