One Day Special starts today at 6pm

Hi Bloggers.

I'm launching a new One Day Special on Hochanda at 6pm today with some lovely dies from the November release of Dies by Sue Wilson. There's another show today at 8pm and then more shows tomorrow at 9am, 1pm and 5pm. I hope you can join me.

Here's today's card -

For the background on this one, I have used my favourite background technique with Pixies Powders on Acetate. I have been asked to demo this on one of my shows so hopefully I will get time to show it again at some point (probably tomorrow at 9am).

So, to re-cap how it's done - I used a piece of Heat Emboss Acetate. I added CS Glue, spritzed with water and spread the glue all over using my finger. I then added Cosmic Shimmer Pixie Powders in Straw Yellow, Burnt Orange, Bronze Blush, Lava Red and Pale Olive so that all the glue was covered. I spritzed with a little more water and then added CS Frosty Dawn Diamond Frost. I scrunched up a piece of White Tissue Paper, opened it out and added it to my background. I dabbed it down using a piece of Kitchen Roll and put aside to dry.

I wanted to use the Linear Leaf Background over the top of my Acetate but I also wanted to add a frame made using the Stitched Square Peg Board Die Set so I needed to extend the Linear Leaf. It is a little bit tricky but it is possible. I cut it once and then slotted the left hand leaf column of the die into the right hand left column of the die cut. I've already cut this in the pic below and extended it lengthways but I wanted to show what I mean.

As you can see from the pic, I have already extended the background's length - it's just a little short for the largest frame you can cut from the Peg Board Die Set. This is a little trickier - the dies are hand drawn so do not line up perfectly. Below seems to be the best fit for the length I needed - leave the edge of the die where it's overlapping where you have already cut so that you son't get a line from the edge of the die.

I slotted the die back in once more to complete the piece.

Once my Acetate Pixie Powder background was dry, I added my Linear Leaf Background and my Frame. I matted onto a couple of pieces of Coconut White Card.

I cut the words for my sentiment out of Black Card using the Mix & Match Friendship Die Set. I glued them to my frame using CS Glue in a Fine Tip Glue Applicator.

I cut some sunflowers and leaves from the Sunflower Bouquet Die Set out of Coconut White Card. I painted the flowers with Straw Yellow Pixie Powder and the leaves using Pale Olive Pixie Powder. I shaped the flowers a little using a Woodware Shaping Tool on a Moulding Mat. I popped a little CE Double Sided Self Adhesive Sheet onto Coconut White Card and cut 3 sunflower centres. I removed the backing and added Dark Bronze Polished Silk Glitter.

I'm offering 10% discount on items from the shows on my website. You can find them here. Please enter JULIAWATTS in the discount code box at checkout to activate the discount. Offer applies till midnight tomorrow night or while stocks last.

I have loaded photos of the samples from the shows to the Gallery Section of this Blog and to my Julia Watts Crafts Facebook Page.

Thanks for stopping by.

Julia.
www.juliawattscrafts.co.uk

Freebie Friday

Hi Bloggers.

It's that time of the week again! Here's this week's card that needs a new home -

You can read how this card was made here.

Leave a lovely comment below to go into the draw to win it. I will announce the winner on Monday. Be sure to pop back to see if you have won.

Please note : Only comments left below will go into the draw. Comments made on the original post will not count. Information given on the original post was correct at the time that post was published.

Sue Wilson is launching a new One Day Special on Hochanda today at 6pm with some of her September release dies. I'm offering 10% discount on items on my website from the shows. You can find them here. Please Note : The discount is not automatic - you need to enter the code SUEWILSON in the Discount Code Box at Checkout. Offer applies till midnight tomorrow night or while stocks last.

Thanks for stopping by.

Julia.
www.juliawattscrafts.co.uk

Let it Snow Frame

Hi Bloggers.

Here's today's card -

For the background, I drizzled some CS Glue onto a piece of Heat Emboss Acetate. I misted it with water and spread the glue around using my fingers. I then sprinkled Cosmic Shimmer Pixie Powders over - I used Midnight Blue, Aqua Lagoon, Pewter and White Pearl. I made sure that all the glue was covered. I misted with a little more water and then sprinkled over some Sparkle Star CS Diamond Frost. I scrunched up a piece of White Tissue Paper. I opened it out and added it to my background, patting it down using a piece of Kitchen Roll. I put it aside to dry - approx an hour.

I made a frame out of Coconut White Card using Sue Wilson's Double Pierced Rectangles and Double Pierced Rectangles Set B.

Once my background was dry, I added my frame using 2mm Foam Tape, trimming away the excess. I matted onto a couple of pieces of Coconut White Card.

I cut the Paper Cuts Let it Snow Frame and the snowflakes in the set out of Coconut White Card and added it to my background using CS Glue in a Woodware Fine Tip Glue Applicator.

I added some of the extra snowflakes. I popped a piece of CE Double Sided Self Adhesive Sheet onto a piece of Coconut White Card and cut the snowflakes. I peeled away the backing and added CS Sparkle Star Diamond Frost. I added these snowflakes to my frame/background. I added some White Pearls to the centre of some of the snowflakes.

I cut the snowflake corner from the Paper Cuts Jingle Bells Die Set out of my card with the self adhesive sheet on it 4 times and added CS Sparkle Star Diamond Frost to it. I added them to the corners of my frame adding a White Pearl to the centre of each one.

The winner of the card from Freebie Friday on 1st September is .....................

SuzzieQ

Please email me at juliawattscrafts@gmail.com with your address and I'll pop your card in the post.

Just before I go, I have some workshop updates -

This Wednesday, I am running a Chalk Cloud Masterclass at CE HQ in Kettering. We will also be looking at Distress Oxides (hopefully the new colours too) so you can compare. This is a workshop that will be packed with techniques. It runs 10am till 4pm. There are just 3 spaces left - you can book here.

I am also running a Christmas Stamping Workshop on Wednesday 27th September (again up at CE HQ). The projects aren't 100% set in stone (it depends if I make anything that I think is cooler over the next couple of weeks). We will be aiming to complete 4-6 projects on the day.Bookings are now being taken for this one here.

My own Christmas themed workshop in Yardley Gobion is on Saturday 30th September. It will be a mix of die cutting and stamping on this one. Again, I haven't 100% decided what the projects are but there will be up to 6 of them. We are definately doing the one below but there will be a choice of background techniques to use and there will be a whole host of dies to choose from to make the background. You can book for this one here.

The workshop in Yardley Gobion on 28th October with myself and Leonie Pujol is nearly full with just 7 spaces up for grabs. We haven't set the projects for this one yet but it is going to be inky with lots of stamping. Don't miss out on this opportunity to spend a day with probably the bubbliest Craft Personality in the World! You can book here.

Thanks for stopping by.

Julia.
www.juliawattscrafts.co.uk
Free card with all website orders over £10 (ask for one in the comments box at checkout).

One Day Special on Hochanda today

Hi Bloggers.

Today's the day when I launch a new One Day Special on Hochanda with Festive Dies from Sue Wilson. I'm really looking forward to it. I hope you can join me.

Here's today's card -

I started by creating my caught in crystal style background. I used a piece of Heat Emboss Acetate. I added CS Glue, spritzed with water and spread the glue all over using my finger. I then added Cosmic Shimmer Pixie Powders in Peacock Green, Lava Red and Rich Gold so that all the glue was covered. I spritzed with a little more water and then added CS Aurora Sparkle Diamond Frost. I scrunched up a piece of White Tissue Paper, opened it out and added it to my background. I dabbed it down using a piece of Kitchen Roll and put aside to dry.

I cut die #1 from Sue Wilson's Poinsettia Star into a piece of Milk Card several times.

Once my Caught in Crystal background was dry, I glued my Poinsettia Star background to it. I made a frame out of Milk Card using Sue's Doubled Piercd Squares Set B. I added it to my backgrounds using 2mm Foam Tape and trimmed away the excess. I matted onto a couple of pieces of Milk Card.

I stamped the sentiment from Creative Expressions Santa's Sentiments Stamp Set using Onyx Black Versafine Ink. I cut it out using Sue's Pierced Flags.

I cut the outer die from Sue's Poinsettia Cluster out of Milk Card. I cut the inner flower die out of some more of my Caught in Crystal Background. I added a Cream 5mm Pearl to centre of each flower.

I completed my card by adding an 8mm Cream Pearl to each corner of my frame.

I have uploaded photos of the samples from the shows to the Gallery Section of this Blog and to my Julia Watts Crafts Facebook Page.

Shows are at 6pm and 8pm today (the 8pm show is not on Freeview but it's on Freesat and Sky and you can slo watch online at hochanda.com and they usually stream live on facebook). Shows continue tomorrow at 7am (Netherlands and hochanda.nl), 9am, 1pm and 5pm.

I'm offering 10% discount on items from the shows on my website. You can find them here. Offer applies till midnight tomorrow night or while stocks last. Discount will be applied automatically at checkout.

Thanks for stopping by.

Julia.
www.juliawattscrafts.co.uk
Free card with all website orders over £10 (ask for one in the comments box at checkout).

Simple Stained Glass Window Ideas

Hi Bloggers.

I have a few very, very simple cards with Sue Wilson's Stained Glass Window Dies for you today.

For this one, I popped the Butterfly Stained Glass Window onto a Pixie Powder Background created with Scarlet Mist and Mango Blaze Pixie Powders.

For this one, I simply popped the Hummingbird Stained Glass Window onto a patterned paper from Sue's Classic Elegance 8 x 8 Paper Pad.

The Butterfly Stained Glass Window on Caught in Crystal Background - CS Glue on Acetate, Pixies sprinkled over (can't remember probably Midnight Blue and Peacock Green) then Sparkle Star Diamond Frost. Finally scrunched up a piece of White Tissue Paper, opened out and popped on top.

Buttterfly Stained Glass Window cut twice and glued either side of a piece of Acetate. Sections coloured with a Quickie Glue Pen on reverse and then CS Polished Silk Glitter added. I used Light Purple, Hunter Green, Turquoise, Rose Copper, Ice Blue and Pale Bronze.

Background created on Watercolour Card. 3 drops of CS Intense Pigment Stain in Rich Crimson, Emerald, Blue Violet and Sunflower Yellow into separate mister bottles with water. I misted Watercolour Card with water and then drew circles over it using the ends of the tubes from the bottles, re-misting with water as required. I then blotted with Kitchen Roll. Quickie Glue was added to some areas and when clear, CS Rose Copper Polished Silk Glitter added.

Sue Wilson has a very special birthday today. Pop on over to her blog to wish her a Happy Day 😊

Thanks for stopping by.

Julia.
www.juliawattscrafts.co.uk
Free card with all website orders over £10 (ask for one in the comments box at checkout).
Deal of the Day today (4th June) - Creative Expressions Stamps to Die For - Shaded Nasturtium only £2.40!

One Day Special launching this evening

Hi Bloggers.

I'm launching a new One Day Special on Hochanda this evening at 8pm with the Stained Glass Window Collection from Sue Wilson. I hope you can join me.

I have 3 simple cards for you today - one for each of the dies in the collection.

I cut the Butterfly Stained Glass Window die out of Antique Gold Card, Silver Mirror Card and Black Card. After each cut, I carefully removed the die cut from the die leaving all the fall away pieces in the die. I used strips of Low Tack Tape all over the back of the die and pushed fall away pieces into it (you can also use Cricut Transfer Tape). I turned the die over to the front and used my Tool n One to push the pieces out of the die onto the tape.

I popped a piece of CE Double Sided Self Adhesive Sheet onto Coconut White Card. I peeled off the other backing sheet and added the die cut. I added Black and Silver Mirror Card pieces to the exposed double sided adhesive as shown. I added CS Pale Bronze Polished Silk Glitter to the remaining space.

I completed my card by matting onto Black Card, Silver Mirror Card and then adding to a Black Card blank.

I started by creating my background. I added CS Glue to a piece of Acetate. I misted with a little water and spread the glue all over the Acetate using my finger. I then added lots of CS Pixie Powder. I used Emerald, Scarlet Mist and Mango Blaze. I misted with a little more water to increase the vibrancy of the colours. I sprinkled CS Frosty Dawn Diamond Frost over. I screwed up a piece of White Tissue Paper, opened it back up and added it to my background, tapping itdown with a piece of Kitchen Roll. I put aside to dry (2 - 4 hours approx).

I cut the Bonsai Tree Stained Glass Window Die out of Coconut White Card. Once my background was dry, I trimmed it slightly smaller than my die cut piece. I used Quickie Glue to adhere the die cut to my background. I completed my card by matting onto Black Card and then popping onto a Coconut White Card blank.

For this card, I used a background that I demonstrated on my last Hochanda shows. To recap how the background was made -

I started by misting a piece of Watercolour Card with Phill Martin's CS Vintage Blue Ink Spray Mist. I blotted it off with Kitchen Roll, misted again and blotted again. I placed the Droplets Mask on top, on one side and misted with water. I picked the mask up and turned it over and popped it on the other side of my background, so that the water lying on the mask was now touching my background. I removed the mask and blotted the whole area with Kitchen Roll.

I misted through the Heroic Mask with Phill Martin's CS Old Gold Mister onto one side of my background. I turned the over and popped it on the other side of my background, so that the ink lying on the mask was now touching my background. I blotted off with Kitchen Roll.

Finally, I misted through small sections of the Every Which Way Mask with the Vintage Blue Ink Spray Mist. Once again, I blotted with Kitchen Roll.

I cut the Hummingbird Stained Glass Window die out of Black Card. I trimmed my background slightly smaller than my die cut piece. I used Quickie Glue to adhere the die cut to my background. I completed my card by matting onto Coconut White Card, then Black Card and then popping onto a Coconut White Card blank.

It's very easy to create lovely cards with these dies. They don't have to be complicated and work really well with printed background papers and any backgrounds that you create with your inks, etc. And, as you can see from the 3 in this post, they don't have to be large cards either.

I'm offering 10% discount on items I have on my website from the shows. You can find them here. Offer applies till midnight tomorrow night or while stocks last. Discount will be applied automatically at checkout.

If I haven't done so already, I will be popping photos of all of the samples for the shows into the Gallery Section of this blog and into an album on my Julia Watts Crafts Facebook Page here.

The winner of the card from Freebie Friday on 19th May is .............................

Rolfi

Please email me at juliawattscrafts@gmail,com with your address and I'll pop your card in the post.

See you later 😊

Thanks for stopping by.

Julia.
www.juliawattscrafts.co.uk
Free card with all website orders over £10 (ask for one in the comments box at checkout).
Deal of the Day today (22nd May) - Creative Expressions Stamps to Die For - Shaded Orange Blossom Leaves only £2.99!

Dapper Waistcoat

Hi Bloggers.

Back from a busy weekend at Ally Pally. I'll be spending the next few days trying to catch up with things that have been neglected of late. I'll be loading the stock of Sue's new dies onto my website (due in this Wednesday) and the new April Release of Woodware stamps which I picked up at Ally Pally. I did pop a few Woodware stamps that I was out of stock of onto my website last night including Geraldine Giraffe, Going to Seed, Grasses, Dotty Flowers and Birthdays Galore.

Here's today's card -

For the background, I dusted a piece of Black Card with an Anti-Static Bag. I inked up the Boomerang Mask with Clear Perfect Medium. I popped it onto the platform of my Platinum Machine, inked side up, added the Black Card, dusted side down and ran it through the machine using the embossing sandwich. The ink transferred to the deboss pattern. I added new CS Pharoh Gold Brilliant Sparkle Embossing Powder and heat set using a Low Speed Heat Tool. I matted onto Antique Gold Pearl Card and then onto Black Card.

For the waistcoat, I used a piece of Heat Emboss Acetate. I added CS Glue. I misted with water and used my finger to spread the glue around and then sprinkled CS Pixie Powders over - I used Rich Gold, Silver Dream, White Pearl and Midnight Sky. I scrunched up a piece of White Tissue Paper, opened it out and added it to my background. I tapped it down using a piece of Kitchen Roll. I put aside to dry - approx 4 - 5 hours.

Once dry, I dusted the front with an Anti-Static Bag and stamped the Woodware Waistcoat using Clear Perfect Medium. I added CS Black Detail Embossing Powder and heat set. I cut it out carefully removing the back of the vest. I stamped again onto Antique Gold Pearl Card twice more. I cut one out completely and on the other, I just cut the pockets out. I added Black Gloss Glaze Pen to the buttons.

I stamped the sentiment from the same stamp set onto Antique Gold Pearl Card using Clear Perfect Medium and embossed with CS Black Detail Embossing Powder. I cut it out using Sue Wilson's Double Pierced Squares Set B.

I added a little Key Charm and some Jute Twine.

I completed my card by adding a Small Black Circle Dazzler to each corner.

Thanks for stopping by.

Julia.
www.juliawattscrafts.co.uk
Free card with all website orders over £10 (ask for one in the comments box at checkout).

Freebie Friday

Hi Bloggers.

Here's this weeks card that needs a new home -

You can read how this card was made here.

Leave a lovely comment below to go into the draw to win it. I will announce the winner on Monday. Be sure to pop back to see if you have won.

Please note : Only comments left below will go into the draw. Comments made on the original post will not count. Information given on the original post was correct at the time that post was published.

Thanks for stopping by.

Julia.
www.juliawattscrafts.co.uk
Free card with all website orders over £10 (ask for one in the comments box at checkout).

2016 Review

Hi Bloggers.

Well it's goodbye to 2016 so today I thought I'd share some of my favourite cards with you from this year month by month.

January -

You can read how this card was made here.

February -

You can read how this card was made here.

March -

You can read how this card was made here.

April -

You can read how this card was made here.

May -

You can read how this card was made here.

June -

You can read how this card was made here.

July -

You can read how this card was made here.

August -

You can read how this card was made here.

September -

You can read how this card was made here.

October -

You can read how this card was made here.

November -

You can read how this card was made here.

December -

You can read how this card was made here.

Hope you've enjoyed this trip down memory lane - it's been hard to pick some months! Don't forget there's every post I've ever written available for you to view anytime - just pick a year/month from the menu in the right-hand bar of this blog.

Today's Flash Sale is 20% off Cosmic Shimmer Colour Cloud Blending Inks. You can find them here. Offer applies till midnight tonight or While Stocks Last. Discount will be applied at checkout.

Just to warn you, there may be an interruption on the facility to pay by card on my website as I swap over payment gateways (trying to get my head around it). You can still pay by card via paypal. Sorry for any inconvenience caused - my usual payment gateway is no longer accepting UK payments from today.

Thanks for stopping by.

Julia.
www.juliawattscrafts.co.uk
Free card with all website orders (ask for one in the comments box at checkout).