ENJOY what you DO

I needed a few get well cards or cards to encourage friends who were facing a difficult time. This made me decide to dig out the inspirational word stamps to make some thing I could mail out to them. This was the spring board for my classes.

This weeks stamping classes have been exploring using the Oak House Studio pigment inks on Linen card.
We started by colouring the linen card with the pigment ink and then over stamped with a  selection of our palette and texture stamps. The texture of the card really stood out with ink.

We then used some inspiring sentiment stamps including the new Enjoy stamp to create cards or postcard sized affirmations to frame.

Both classes seemed to enjoy the workshop and we hope to extend the technique at next weeks classes.

If you would like to join me for a workshop check out www.vip-stamping.co.uk or email me at lynnda@oakhousestudio.co.uk

The Enjoy stamp will be available from Sunday when we will be at the Ross Papercraft Show at Leeds Grammar School

Farm Watch : The older bull some of us call Simon was really enjoying a good scratch again a tree yesterday. He was really enjoying it a few us stopped to watch this might beast enjoying the simple pleasures of a good scratch in the sunshine. Much to everyone amazement the tree fell over and lay there roots and all. The old bull looked puzzled and wander away look at the fallen tree very sheepishly trying to look as innocent as possible.

Well there I go missing action yet again, where does the time go.
Here is a photo Denise took of me at the studio on Friday. I was showing off the earrings I had that were made by the very talented  Suze Weinberg.
Suze had started by saying "Do you dream in blue?". Well  it obviously struck a cord with me.
You will see I am also wearing a Silver clay pendent I made to go to Artisan in 2010.

This piece is one the first I made with out the safety net of working in Tracey's studio. I wanted a piece that showed off as many of my texture stamps as possible. Then after the nudge from Suze I have added alcohol Inks to the silver clay piece and the cord, giving me something of my own to wear with all my blue/ green stuff I keep getting teased about.

In case you are wondering I was outside the studio and just on my way back in, Friday was a bit grey but you can still see I guess, why I ended working so much in Green and Blue.
I am so lucky to work in such an inspiring location in studio full of stamps, card and inks, a pair of scissors and some adhesive is all I need to keep me happy. Ok well add to that list the ability to make a cup of tea and may play some music if there is no one around to talk to.Then add a ready supply of chocolate/biscuits.

Dare I ask what are the basics you would want to have in your dream studio?

If you want to come visit the studio I have to remind you this is a place of work for me, but  you are very welcome to come along on the open days or for a workshop. I am not there every day so please don't set off without having made arrangements to meet up with me. Here is a link to my calendar so you can check out when you can next come visit the cows and me.
http://www.vip-stamping.co.uk/calendar

back to tags

Well here is another simple tag, to create a background I have stamped and embossed in clear the larger of the two lines stamps.


The poinsettias are from the tile set and have been stamped and embossed in gold on to my new favourite card (well for this week). that is a dark red linen ideal for Christmas and not bad for stamping considering it has a texture on it.


They have been cut out and mounted on to the tag using silicon glue. The centre flowers have been highlighter with ice stickles. I think I might have smudged it just a bit : ) but then I am not very good at letting things dry.


My tip for adding three flowers like this is to line up the two outside flowers then pop the last one in the centre. I am sure I read somewhere? that "us humans" are really good at estimating the middle of two points (fairly bad at estimating thirds etc).

It is not a TAG

Very similar type of project to working on Tags, My bunting has been a feature of our displays since 2008 and some of the original still looks good despite being up and down at the NEC and other shows. Janet Pelling asked me if her art group could come and make bunting together at the studio. So that was my cue to revisit this old favourite. So here was I with a room full of ladies who had really not done any stamping so need to keep it fairly simple but ensure they got good results

1. We use OHS stamping card (that always help beginners get a more consistent good result).
2. We used Versamark through out, slow drying and very forgiving (not mention relatively clean).
3. We added colour with Pentel watercolour pastels (stamping is all about picking your own colour scheme).      These are my samples, I decided to focus on the stamp images we have that give a look of fabric.

 I did use a bit of clear embossing powder and some white. Loved the effect chalk has on the embossing powder.

Mondays Tag

Another tag made with the white 120 x 60 mm tags.
Here I have simple stamped the winter words background stamp using archival ink.
The poinsettia was stamped twice on stamping card using versamark and embossed with detail powder. I painted both images with Aquash. I have then cut one image up to make the top and bottom layers of the decoupaged flower, Used foam pads today but generally like to use silicon or pinflair for jobs like that.
Bit short and sweet today hopefully something more exciting next time.


Summer School dates still available if anyone fancies playing with stamps for a few days out in the countryside. Check out www.vip-stamping.co.uk

and another tag

 A second blog in two days, I guess some of you will know what I have been up to, but please don't spoil the fun for everyone.

I love this tag for it's simplicity. I have simple stamped warm winter wishes using versamark ink repeatedly across the tag and used chalk to create some colour. I have trimmed some blue card to cover the bottom and torn the top edge of that for more texture. I used a piece of white organza ribbon threaded it through a jump ring on a polymer clay charm on which I have stamped the word kiss. I tied the ribbon in a simple knot then wrapped it round the blue card before sticking the card to the tag. 

Re the polymer clay charm I sat made 100 of these and 100 of another design for use in my class at the last BCE Dabble day. It is a very simple use of polymer clay and stamps but I like it.

I know I should be blogging more often, I had planned to set myself lots of challenges to help keep me on track, it just doesn't work for. I know or am aware of some the road blocks that stop me completing a blog on a more regular basis but to be honest I am not really sure why I find it so difficult. Maybe I should just try and not put too much in each post then I wouldn't worry that I have got enough to say or that I don't have an image to go with what I want to tell you.
I can tell you I am more excited about Christmas this year, maybe it because Ben is come home for the first time since September. Maybe it is because for the first winter in 5 years or so I have managed to fight of the colds in a couple of days instead of things flooring me for weeks but whatever it is I am much happier this December than for a long time and that will show in the number of Christmas projects I have done this year.


Here is just one tag. This was a white 120mm by 60 mm tag. I have stamped the OHS Christmas tree off the edge,  and embossed with gold detail powder. I then masked the tree. I have repeat stamped the winter garden words in the background with Forest Green pigment ink ( Oak House studio of course). At which point I wasn't happy with the top of the tag, so I stamped and clear embossed a couple of snowflakes in that area, then applied the same Forest Green Pigment ink across using cut n dry foam.
The tree was watercoloured using my faithful aquash set.
All materials are available from me although they might not yet be listed on the website, well I can't do everything at once!
If you are looking for any Oak House Studio stamps please feel free to email me and I will do my best to help.

Lynnda