Beamsley Babes Craft retreat 14-16th March 2014

Sorry these are late - its been a busy and tiring week following an exciting weekend.

The retreats with the Babes are always very special as quite honestly they are some of the most wonderful people on this planet. All busy ladies who want time to play and experiment with the supplies they buy. this retreat we focussed on Ranger - playing with paints, stains inks and sprays, masks, dies, stamps and embossing folders in many different styles.

In their goodie bags the ladies received

Worn covers file folder and book rings

12 plastic pockets

pk 20 size 8 tags

Some crackle paint

a Tim holtz stencil

some linen ribbon

numbers rub ons

Gorgeous grunge stampin up stamp set

Muslin bag containing ideology and other trinkets

watercolour paper

grungeboard

and stickyback canvas.

We set about playing - here are some of the results

 Pams gorgeous tag using the birds and the Bees stamp - she also embossed this - the texture gives it a real wow factor.

 This is Liz's tag - experimenting with the different paints and stamping.

 and would you believe it - I bought special napkins with friend sentiments for us to have with our cakes - before I knew it these were snaffled for crafty projects too!

 On Saturday night Liz gave a workshop on zentangling - this also incuded a goodie bag with a pink pig zentangle pad and a fab zentangle pen.

 Linda really enjoyed playing with her worn covers book - making some fab alterations she added in a die cut from the lucky dip bag - she got the movers and shapers friends die.

 Here are a few of her lovely tags too. Fab use of the masks

 (they all got a different one so they could share them around too!)

 This is Siobhans gorgeous book

 Look at that fabulous giraffe tag! I lov how Siobhan also customised inside her book. Linda did this too getting us all to sign the book as a weekend momento.

 I think this tag is Margarets - love the fab mask detail

 Another gorgeous book revamp - this time using a UTEE piece Pam gave as a momento - stunning colours!

 I think these tags are Julias - beautiful use of colour and fab stamps too!

 Another revamp in progress

 and some tags of Annes.

 The weekend flew by in a blur of colour and friendship but we did laugh lots and enjoyed being together again.

On Sunday Morning Anne did a workshop with Ikea mirrors and texture paste - some amazingly varied results - I will share pictures next time.

It tells me how much fun the ladies had when the next retreat is full already! Roll on 28th September when the Beamsley Babes reunite once more>

Happy crafting xx

Janet

Scrapbooking Posse

When I first began crafting scrapbooking was my passion. I wanted to share that passion so I started (with lots of encouragement from Dy Reaveley) a scrapbooking group in Skipton.

I met with some of the girls to craft on a more regular basis and Jo, one of my original ladies emigrated to Australia 5 and a half years ago.

One of Jo's sons nick named us the scrapbooking posse so we took on the name and

 laughed and laughed as we crafted.

Today I met up with Elaine and Jo for the first time since Jo emigrated 

(Though I still see Elaine fairly regularly to craft in the various groups we go to)

- it felt like we had been together forever.

 We went on a trip to Ilkley so it would have been rude not to drop into Bettys for a light lunch.

 Here are the girls - all smiley and giggly as ever.

 and of course some English tea !

 Our attempts at Selfies !

 After a little wander round so Jo could get some shaving brushes 

(a little behind with the techniques in Aus even if the sun does shine a lot !)

 We headed into Costa to laugh some more. Poor Jo was frozen as the North wind was definately blowing today.

Loved meeting up again - and we laughed as we always used to - though back in those days we never went out for coffee just crafted at each others homes.

Back tomorrow with some retreat pictures - Gosh I have had some fun the last week.

Thanks for stopping by x

Janet

Ok so what is happening this month...........

Before Christmas I was asked to do some workshops at Samuel Taylors in Brighouse - you know the one at Kershaws garden centre? Well that took all of 2 seconds to think about as the ladies over there - staff and customers - are soooooooo lovely.

My first workshop last month was full and we had such fun revisiting embossing.

March class is this.

Inspired by the advent calendar in Decembers Craft Stamper I immediately saw it as a family history piece of home decor. 

The issue came out when I was in the midst of my marriage breakdown and Mum, in desperate need to see me smile, bought me the Artful dwellings die. I could not wait to play with it.

as you can see I have chosen Mum and Dad as my theme - but the sky is the limit with the idea really - whole family, friends, new home gift with inspirational quotes - yes you could indeed do many things with the idea.

I love the little quotes - all what we feel about family and home.

and of course my Dad as the best Dad ever - a girl should always feel that way about her Dad.
If you fancy booking to come of the workshop its on March 29th, 10-4pm in Brighouse. You can book through the shop by ringing

Kershaws Garden Shopping Centre 
Halifax Road 
Brighouse 
HD6 2QD 
T: (01484) 401419 

Would be fab to see you there x
Janet 

ok so I am a bad blogger........

Life has been full of twists and turns but to be honest its been nothing as complicated as life that has kept me from blogging. I take all my photos with my phone camera and in January I upgraded my phone so have taken this long to work out what to do. The plug in and go of my last phone has been taken over by far more complicated procedures that went way over this gadget fearing gals head.

Finally I have worked it out.

Its also about the same time Mr MoJo semed to have come out of hiding and not before time either as I have a sudden rush of commissions for cards and gifts to fulfill and also my first class retreat with The Beamsley Babes. 

so what are we doing?

For a start we will be playing, exploring and experimenting with all things Ranger.

I have been playing myself catching up with my creative chemistry homework 

(dont tell Tim, it was months ago I went to class)

I have to say stains and paints in the distress line have been duly played with and I have fallen in love with them (after firmly deciding to stick to my distress pads)

and I am more than in love with all the things you can do with the layerng stencils - as you can see I have given them some hammer.

The ladies at the retreat will all have some of the Ranger products in their stash and also a chunky goodie bag as part of their retreat but having time to play and experiment can be a challenge to us all - so a weekend of playing is just the thing to bounce us back into creativity again.

I am lucky that 2 of the ladies are also doing workshops at the retreat. Liz will be doing some Zentangle basics and Anne will be doing a texture shabby chic mirror. So we have lots of creative fun in store.

Thanks for sticking with me and stopping by hope I am better at blogging from now.

Take Care x

Janet 

Happy New Year ! a crafty start.

Hello folks - are you still with me after all my doom and gloom in October and November?

I do hope so because I am ready to start the brand new year filled with creativity!

Christmas came and went with lovely time spent with my family - It was great having them all under one roof for a few days so they could chat and re-connect following the news.

We ate, drank, made merry and of course played games - what every family Christmas has been to us Despite everything it was a happy and joyful time.

New year - Megs and I were on our own again as our Tom lived it up at the street party in Edinburgh and James and his band had a New Year Gig in london - so we decided to celebrate how we like to spend our time and we crafted. Megs had a couple of commissions to complete - family pet portraits - one line drawing and one water colour - she also has her main piece to complete for her Art A level so she has worked on that too - Pictures to follow.

I had a magazine commission to complete and also wanted to get the first project for stamping club completed - A Molly blooms hanging.  I was inspired by Clares own make from last year which you can find here.

As crafters we are also always giving our creations away so I wanted to create something we could keep. This weekly to - do calendar has a laminated front which can use a whiteboard pen to make notes on. teamed with the cute Molly and George stamps I am pleased to have this hanging in my craft room.

The base is a piece of Christmas packaging - just a bit of corrugated card - which works well giving it a sturdy feel. The rustic look of string also gives a lovely feel.

So this is fridays project - Hope the ladies enjoy it !

Thanks for stopping by - hope the cheery post is much more exciting to read !

Love Janet x

I am blessed - I truly am

Yesterday a work colleague helped me turn a big corner in how I have been looking at life the last few weeks. She gave me a little "just a note" card - here is the inside.

I was moved to tears - what a beautiful gesture. In the midst of the turmoil my life has been the last few weeks this was just what I needed.

How blessed am I to be surrounded by kind, thoughtful and loving people?

This is day one of the new stronger and ready to face the world Janet.

First stop - Manchester - 2 days in a lovely hotel where I get to meet with folks I have never met before at the Stampin up Convention.

Its going to be Fab!

and to top it off I think the hotel rooms has  big bath in the en suite. We only have a shower at home so I will be having bubble baths twice a day just because i can !

best get my team swaps finished then hadnt I ???

Hope your day is feeling positive today.

Thanks for stopping by x

Janet

In the midst of upheaval a welcome bit of birthday crafting..............

 Today it is my beautiful Niece Rebeccas 8th Birthday so even though crafting is furthest from my mind, at the moment, I headed to the craft room to make something worthy of my youngest crafty fan and where better to start than with my Molly Blooms and a craftwork cards diorama card.

On opening it Rebecca was confused as to why it did not open but once I explained the 2 little girls were her and her best friend Ella she didnt mind a bit.

She was also thrilled with the Sizzix boutique I had bought her along with some embossing folders - this will work really well with her cuttlekids die cut machine so i am sure i will see some great crafty Christmas cards from her.

Its stamping club tomorrow so I will be playing with my crafty chums for a few hours. In the midst of the turmoil my life seems to be in this bit of normality will be a welcome break.

Thanks for stopping by at least some crafty project to view this time x

Janet x