Calligraphy Letters? No Probs Baby

Have you ever wanted to have crack-a-lack at doing calligraphy?

I know that you can get kits and books and heaps of online tutorials.

How would you like a really simple version,
that will get you writing
– yep you read that correctly WRITING –
your own place cards (wedding)
door sign (bedroom door)
or even a title page (homemade recipes)?

Here’s a couple of tutes,
that will show you how just doing it
is all the skills you require.

.

.

.

Here’s my attempts.

Attempt #1

Attempt #2

.

Not so appalling is it?

I panicked,
when trying to think of words to write!

I suppose if I practice a bit
I could actually get good at it.

Will you have a crack?
I’d love to know if you do :D

Sorry just had to share this – it’s just a tad funny!

.

.

.

.

.

Black Stamp Pads – the Absolute BEST Review

.

Stacey Dunning from Block Head Stampers,
wrote this amazingly helpful post
comparing various specialist** stamp pads.

Originally,
I came across it on the Jellybeans FB page

I then created a printable Table
so as to keep handy when I ordered any stamp pads
OR
when I did a particular project
that required a special ink.

I’ve already found it so helpful.

Onya,
Stacey

** not  relevant
for general craft use

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Font Fetish – I Love the Look of Letters

I have always loved Fonts.

Being a calligrapher from a young age (11+)
how could I not be in love
with the lines, and swirls and connections of different fonts.

It’s so cool.

So imagine my delight
upon stumbling across
a Periodic Table of Fonts.

Oh Em Gee

.

– Master Cell –

.

Click on ‘Source’ to go to an expandable version :)

Source: LOGOBR

So what Fonts do I have a fancy for?

My current favourite . . .

Bickley Script

.

Tempus Sans

.

American Typewriter

.

.

.

.

.

SlackArse

Well it would seem that I have been incredible lazy and unproductive. Not True!!!

I have suffered the ultimate bloggers nightmare – no computer. My new iMac blew it’s LCD screen and the company that I purchased it through was very unhelpful (“Not happy Jan”). Apple themselves were unimpressed that my new iMac was stuffed but that unfortunately has not speeded up the process of getting it fixed.

It’s so depressing not being able to ‘do’ my normal online stuff.

I have been using my old iMac (7 y.o.) and believe when I say, it’s not coping too well. The internet drops out all the time. I can’t load photos. I quite often can’t access online sites like FB or JBS. Boo Hoo.

So I am being super optimistic and trying to upload a post today.

Wish me luck peeps!!!

……………………………………………………………………………….

Craft Classes – Some Samples

Hi Peeps
I just wanted to put up some photos of the classes I am running in the holidays.

The following pictures
are examples of the techniques we will use
in the Cardmaking Class.

Remember – each pupil chooses their own colours, stamps and theme for their work.

Blend & Flick Techniques

Blend & Stamp Techniques.jpg

Wrinkle Distress Technique.jpg

i’msorryi’msorryi’msorryi’msorryi’msorryi’msorryi’msorryi’msorry

So where have I been?

I know this is crap – but I am just so busy.

I have been given full-time hours on the Autistic Bus (37.5 p/w) and I am having a lot of trouble sleeping and balancing all of my responsibilities.
Sorry peeps.
The crazy thing is, I have been making SO many creative and crafty projects.

Here’s a peek to keep you tied over, I am starting a new sleep regime tonight so hopefully I will have more time to blog and show you all my ‘stuff’.

T!m tape + Green Tara Flowers
+ Kaisercraft Stamp onto KC paper + Green Tara satin ribbon

Botany C.S. + K&Company adhesive strips + Kaisercraft stamp + KC paper + Gauze coloured with glimmer mist + scrap from old book (in background) + brown string + T!m’s Distress Markers (white in the ears of the deer & tail)

FYI
Although I only start at 5am (I know a LOT of mum’s who do that too) – I then travel the bus for four hours,
come back to the shop and try to do some work,
as well as general “Pia’ duties,
then I am back at the bus at 2:30
and not home until 6:30.

I only sleep a few hours in the night
(I don’t know why)
and so then I usually fall asleep at some point during the day as well.

VERY unproductive.

I’m not making excuses,
just telling you what I’m up against

P.S.
Sorry about the shocking quality of the photos
I took them with iPhone as camera is on the fritz
& I can’t afford to repair at the mo :(

Thursday Cardmaking Class

Well it’s been an age since I have posted about our Thursday classes
here at the Purple Paper House.

Just a quickie today
(I wish, jelly fish)

I was desperate to make a card using vellum.
I think it’s a gorgeous material, but it is scary to use sometimes.

• It melts if you heat it for too long
• It can split if you try to dry emboss it
• It’s non-porous

However . . .

. . . when you finally just ‘try’ playing with it – the results can be astonishing and truly beautiful.

Joy & I mucked around a bit at first,
but this helped us build our confidence.

Here is Joy’s gorgeous final results

Joy

Here’s our process (we started with the PINK card and honed our skills on the PURPLE card)

1. Stamp a simple image onto vellum (flower – white ink onto white vellum)
2. Add desired coloured (we used Snow White) embossing powder and heat set (we pre-heat out tool and then moved it around the page, checking for ‘hot spots’ regularly)
3. Fussy cut images (we cut five)
4. Score and cut base card (white pearlescent)
5. Measure and cut contrasting patterned paper (KC Tigerlilly: Blossom) and ink edges (we used white stamp pad and T!m’s blending tool for soft effect)
6. Stamp and heat emboss a sentiment on a piece of vellum (a.a.)
7. Attach sentiment onto card (we used Balune tape as it is the clearest under vellum)
8. Attach flowers in a cluster on the card (we used a wet craft glue, as this make the vellum ‘tighten’ and therefore contort a little)
9. Voila!

Here’s my attempts. . . . I think I like Joy’s better. Well – I definitely like her photos better. Ha!

Pia

For our second card (the purple and red), we followed the same steps with the following alterations . .

1. We used red embossing powder and purple vellum
2. Our base card was red
3. Our contrasting paper was Fancy Pants Oct 31 – Bewitched
4. Instead of using the blending tool, we used a purple ink pad directly onto the paper
5. We attached the sentiment to the contrasting paper with Balune tape AND two pewter split pins
6. When finishing the flowers, we added some ‘slick’ purple kindy glitz to the centre of each flower (in random amounts)

I really hope you can take some inspiration from our cards.
We really enjoyed making them.

Joy has already tagged the purple card for one of her DIL’s birthdays in a few weeks.

Another Day – Another Twenty Cards!

I was asked to make some more cards for a customer
(who I made 30 for yesterday).

Today she needed a dozen to finish of the list.
It was much a easier task,
as I was allowed to double up on some of the designs.

Phew!

12 Cards . . . pronto!

Then while I was in the mood,
I made a quick five cards for Jane to sell
at Beside The Seaside here in Busselton.

My favourite?
The top right hand butterfly – it has a partial stamp on it in chocolate ink. It looks carefree IRL.

All these cards have been made from Collections Elements chipboard shapes that have been painted. Some have then been dry embossed & then wet embossed for effect. The other technique used is stamping onto the painted surface.

The cards are all large 140 x 140mm.

Five cards for BTS

And because I had more time I made some mini-bunting and a large bunting sign for BTS’s Mothers’ Day display.

Here’s the sign
(I forgot to photograph the mini-bunting before taking it to Jane).

Each letter is on c.s. that measures 110 x 210mm. It will hang in the window at BTS

There’s more to follow in the coming days.

Tell me what you think of the yellow and pink colour scheme.
It’s a first for me and I really like it.
Very soft and ‘charming’.

30 Cards in 1 Day

I had a colleague (from my Austistic Bus run) ask me to make some cards for her – sadly she is leaving for another career. (Exciting for her though!)

Not only did it stretch my brain/imagination but also my technique ability. What would work, look good and be dry and ready in only a few hours?

Here’s the result . . .

Phew!

The toughest element of the task? Most of the cards are for men.
So the cards had to be attractive, yet ‘blokey’.
Easy!
(Not)

My favourite of the bunch!

Folded Card from Jelly Bean Scrappers

Try as I might, I still not seem to organise my creative space and this therefore means the shop. And I mention it because I have just created a card that I am quite proud of and I had to do the amongst “The Mess”.

Thankfully, I was inspired by Chris at JBS with her creation.

I will post instructions HERE, shortly.

Here is my attempt.

These cards are so cool because they stand so well on a mantle or shelf!

I love the colour combination of teal/turquoise and brown

My favourite part? I have a couple . . .

1. All the detail on the Collections Elements chipboard butterfly
   

   Chipboard – painted, dry embossed, swiped with pearl-ex, edges dabbed with pinecone ink pad and then heat embossed with clear embossing powder. Final tough was a hatpin & purple thread!

2. The Green Tara flower cluster
   

   Green Tara flowers – eggplant & cream Apple Blossoms, white Stemmed Flowers (cut off into individual blooms), dark brown 10cm Gerbera that was folded and then cut in half

And here is my disgusting and absolutely inappropriate creative space. See
. . . now you know what I meant!

Pretty bad, huh!?!

NB

The gorgeous teal-coloured swirls are a T!m die that the lovely Noriel gifted me. She cut some T!m swirls for me, out of a Special K box. I then painted them in teal acrylic paint and doodled over them with a white gel pen :)