NEW BLOG COMING !!!!

Hopefully many of you will know what i do in regards to other cards separate to stamped imaged projects, and i recently said i was going to set up another blog that covered everything else i did, oil painiting, decoupage, cd crafting, scrapbooking, jewellery making, candle making, etc, i also have a website under this same name of The Artful Codger and this will contain videos of workshops, demos and one to one teaching workshops as after Christmas i will be teaching advanced stamping techniques at a local craft shop for a friend that owns the shop, so i am looking forward to that too. All the demos and workshops will be linked to my YouTube channel so you will be able to subscribe to my channel and save your favourite techniques. There is also lots coming on this blog too as i still design for Sheena Douglass and Barbara Gray, infact i am currently working on designs for Barb in between lieing down on my bed due to illness so i do a couple of hours of designing here and there and designing in bed as my previous post alluded to, LOL, listen........ crafty people never stop, you know what its like, you think you aren't designing etc until you have an idea whilst watching something and then desperately look for paper and pen to write it down, or is that just me, lol???I do that too with psychic visions and dreams i have,  so i guess i write lists for everything in my life, and anyone who knows me will be laughing there, as they know just how many times i make lists for things in a week! do i take notice of my lists? do i heck..........lol anyway so i thought i would just leave this post to let you know that these things are coming soon and after christmas as well, as they cannot physically happen all at the same time, i used to work 98hrs a week, im lucky if i can do 5hrs a week now, thanks to M.E and physical disabilities, so please bear with me friends, i will get the things done that i need to, as soon as i can, hugs to you all for sticking with me and hopefully more people will know im here soon too xxxxx Vick

Designing in bed!!

I'm sorry i haven't left a blog post for a few days but i have been stuck in bed due to long term disabilities i have flaring up, they have a habit of doing that nearly all the time now, however, i have been using this time cleverly by stamping my new Barbara Gray stamps onto an A4 jotting pad and then using each couple of pages on that one stamp as a mood  board and adding design ideas for the cards and colours/ribbon etc etc, as i am working on stamps only Barbara and the designers (thats me and my fellow teamies) have been privy to so i will have some goodies to show you around the same time they are on with Barbara on C&C, so looking forward to that 2hrs! hey stampers? so i will love you and leave you for now and i may post the odd thing besides my samples so to keep my blog topped up or you'll become bored and not visit me no-more! lol........i hope not.......if you can come and say hello on FB or leave me a comment on here
bye for now guys xxxx vick

MY LAST TEASE ON THIS PARTICULAR OCCASION!

Hiya Folks,
Well here you go, the last one to show you, before the shows tomorrow, Sheena has posted or rather Gopher has, posted her last sample before the show here and so has Lin my other fellow design teamie, here so hopefully you have had enough teasing lol and have loads of ideas about all the stamps coming tomorrow at 8am and 12noon and the techniques you can use! so here's mine..........hope its ok folks!
I will add a full rundown of ingredients used for this card and others however, i would like to welcome Bearly Mine Designs to my crafting arsenal, i bought some of Donna's designs a couple of weeks back and used some of her gorgeous designer papers in this creation for Sheena, and have passed on Donna's website to my crafty friends who have asked where i got this gorgeous backing paper from! So if you love designer looking, vintage,  shabby chic, which is my favourite...... pop over to Bearly Mine Designs to purchase some digi papers that you can print as many times as you wish, hugs stamping friends, Vick xxxxxxx

ANOTHER SNEAKY PREVIEW!!!

Well, less than 24 hrs left now to another Sheena couple of hours on Create and Craft at 8am and 12noon, if you cannot watch make sure you record! Here is another one of my designs from the poppies stamp which i have used Ultra Fine Flowersoft on in Strawberry, to add some texture, i couldnt decide between flock or flowersoft but i was hungry when making this sample, hence the 'strawberry' lol, hope you like...........x

THE CRAFTERS COMPANION BLOG HOP

Hi all,


Just thought i would say what a good hop i've just had and if you want to blog hop too and have the chance to win the new collection of SWALK stamps and CDRom to match you must go to every stop!  Click here http://jacqui47.blogspot.com/  at Jacqui's blog to start your hop, good luck everyone!  hugs Vicky xxxxx

WELL I'D GUESS I'D BETTER!!!

Oh dear, i am absolutely shattered. Been in London all day today ( i now remember why they call it the big smoke , my lungs are killing me, due to bumper to bumper traffic jam for 2hrs somewhere half way down Edgware Road, that road becomes longer than i remembered at 2miles an hour, i can tell yer!!!.).........set off 6am this morning, but i never went to sleep till gone 4.......went through my iternary for the day for about the 12th time, a list for this,...... list for that........lol....then finally called it a day 90mins before my alarm was due to scream at me..get up you lazy cow!!!.......i never realised there was 2 ....6o'clocks on a Sunday...........hehehehehe,    just kidding!....I was a nurse on night shifts for nigh on 8years i knew, honestly!!!.....
Not many people know this but i was born in London and lived there the first 13 and a half yrs of my life, i went back today to take part in an all day workshop within the other love of my life, my mediumship! but we won't go there at the moment, as i am pooped..........haven't had a journey like that for years, M1 or spiritually so its really taken it out of me and the old hubby! he's currently letting out a dull snoring sound to the tapping of my keys on the old laptop, we're making a weird sounding music together, it'll never reach Numero Uno!!!!!LMAO....anyway, enough of my rantings and snorings, this is my Sunday contribution to the brilliance that is Sheena 'distressed' Douglass!! I have to post or i may not be forgiven for being old and senile! So here it is folks, a little later than i anticipated as my lappie decided to die on me a few hours ago when i meant to post, so it needed to recharge its battery whilst i recharged mine with my favourite drink.........the old Gold Blend...i'm teetotal without the tee!!! its cof 'fee'......so here it is, hope you can forgive me........oh who am i kidding you dont wanna see mine, its just a teaser so you know what sort of stamps Sheena's bringing on, on Tuesday, and who can blame yer, so there you go, hope you like, and catch you all tomorrow with another tease.........well i have to have my fun somewhere don't I? its hard being this angelic all the time!!!LMAO!!! love you darlings xxxxxx vicky 'the angelic' mcclean.........

YOUR 3RD SNEAKY PEEK!!!

Oh i know, its early, you was expecting to see this, this evening but i won't be around so i thought i would treat you all this morning and post this a little earlier. Out of all my designs, this is my favourite one, probably because of the colours, i do like all of them but this one just makes me feel christmassy, even though its not a christmas card, its got a traditional, vintage feel about it, and that's the look i was aiming for, i just love vintage!  So here it is my 3rd contribution an 8x8 square card, my favourite shape.....They're going to be great shows, don't miss them....  This card shows the leaves and branches in the sets at there best, a real autumnal feel to it i think..........what do you think?     I do hope you like it!!

HERE'S ANOTHER SNEAKY PEEK

If you are as impatient as me, waiting until Tuesday will be doing your head in, so i promise to post my cards one a night and here i am for the second helping, hope you like it, and i've done Sheena justice!!



Items you will need to make this card

Centura A3 ivory card

DCWV Olde World 12x12 stack

Ivory Opalescent card

3D foam pads

DST

Collall Glue Gel

Good quality paint brush size6

Bronze Stardream card

Specialised Watercolour card 300gsm

Core dinations cardstock 12x12

Gold Mirri card

Heat Resistant Acetate

"WOW" E.P by Sheena Douglass in Pepper Regular & Brass Regular

Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Walnut Stain

Spellbinders Leaf dies

Spellbinders Sm. Scalloped Ovals

"A Little Bit Sketchy" stamp plates from Sheena Douglass "Twisted Tree" and the sentiment on same set

4 Large Antique Brass round brads

Antique Ivory Crocheted Lace with antique ivory ribbon threaded through it

Assorted paper flowers and leaves

Various Cosmic Shimmer watercolour paints used from the 'Metallics' set

Obviously, you do not have to use everything i have as you may want to change colourways etc however, i have listed everything i used to make this card

Thanks for looking, i truly do appreciate it, so thankyou, hugs, Vicky xxx

IT'S THAT TIME AGAIN!!!!!!

One a day keeps the guessing at bay, so that's what i intend to do, post a little something to whet your appetite until the big day, when the lovely Sheena wows us again with her unique style of crafting that has us, spending and begging for more!!! So here is a one of my designs from my samples, i do hope you like it and you come back tomorrow for another sneaky preview of what is going to be two Super Sheena Shows.....as Sheena has said on her blog, check it out http://www.sheenadouglass.blogspot.com/ there are 6 A6 stamp sheets altogether and 3 on each show on Tuesday Create and Craft.........in a style that has become unique with Sheena, arty, sketchy, brilliant!!!

Happy Stamping,
Hugs, Vicky xxxx

Items you will need to make this card

A4 Centura Pearl card in Snow White

Black 300gsm card

Silver Mirri Card

Brilliant White Stamping Card

Martha Stewart Punch around the Page 'Rings'

Memento Inkpads in Black and London Fog

"WOW" E.P by Sheena Douglass in 'Black Glint'

Crafters Companion Spray and Sparkle in Silver

Black and White Polka dot satin ribbon

Collall Glue Gel

DST

3d Foam Pads

Spellbinders Leaf dies

Marianne Designs Leaf dies

You obviously can use other products, thats your chouce however, this is what i used to make this particular card

Happy Crafting and i hope you have a great time completing your own little masterpiece,

stick around, follow me, lots of goodies to come!!!

Hugs, Vicky xxxx



COMING SOON!!!

Well I have just finished some designs for Sheena Douglass' show that is on next Tuesday 19th October, and i really don't want anyone to miss these stamps! They are quite arty, and sketchy, designs we have grown to love from Sheena, so don't miss out and keep your eyes on this blog, as i am one of Sheena's chief designers and i will have some sneaky previews of stamps coming up in the show!! Please tell your crafty friends and follow me!
Hugs, Vicky x

Joy to the World is distressed!!!

I thoroughly enjoyed distressing this stamped image and its background, in my mind it makes it look like an old, golden, scroll...................

 Another version of Let It Snow, but a more antiqued look, how can you tell i love the distressed antiqued altered look!!!

Well i tried something here that i thought would never work, however, i truly believe it gets down to a good quality stamp, that i was able to stamp and heat emboss on glitter card, what elation that was when it came out ok, i was worried i had wasted good glitter card and i would have to stamp again on another surface but hey.......it worked.......wow!!!

And this last card was the first time i have played with Alcohol Inks.........I know.......where have i been.?......ive got most of what Ranger and Tim Holtz do but didnt go the the alcohol side of things yet, and i mean ink not the local bar! lol...........hope you like it, bye for nowHappy Crafting xxx

Barking up the wrong tree...lol

I loved this silver birch stamp and remember painting birch trees in oils making them up dark brown and with the white bark covering with my pallette knife and not a brush, happy days, i thought this handmade backing paper went well with this stamp that i painted from the texture looks 'bark' like, hope you like it .......hugs vick xxx

Let It Snow

Another designed sample for the Clarity show 10th Oct simply called 'Let it Snow' always makes me wanna burst into song! lol...............

IT'S ALL IN THE SWIRLS

This is a card i recently made for Barbara Gray's show on, 10th Oct, i used only the two sizes of swirls to make the whole card hope you like it

PLAYING WITH MORE PROMARKERS

I just love these little beauties............for me personally, promarkers are one of the diamonds of the craft world! They are such a dream to work with, me thinks i should lead the advertising campaign for Letraset hahahaha............here are a few more cards to look at designed by me and coloured with promarkers, and me of course, lol...................hugs xx 

Wonderful Promarkers!!!!

I really cannot tell you how much i adore working with these beauties, suffice to say, they calm me right down and make me want to colour in forever! Such a professional piece of kit! Here are a couple of pics of  cards i made messing around with my promarkers!Hope you like them. xx

WATERCOLOURING WITH DISTRESS INKS

Some stampers may not realise that you can colour in with the ink you stamped with!  In these 3 projects i used Tim Holtz Distress Inks by Ranger (I cannot leave them alone! lol ) to stamp the image used, and then within the next 5mins i would draw out the stamped line with a damp good quality paintbrush.  For reference, some people might like to know what type of brush and size to use, i personally have many expensive brushes and would not use these necessarily for this task as i have had them years and used them for oil painting, so really they would be damaged if i started using them for watercolouring. A lot of people didnt even realise i was an artist, before i became a cardmaker/designer, i don't brag!......anyway, i personally would use a brush that comes to a lovely point and stays that way,as some flay out, you do not have to pay the earth but i also wouldn't buy too cheap either, and use a size 3 for this particular job! so here you go, and i hope you like them, any questions, please dont hesitate to comment and i will get back to you as soon as i can...........Happy Crafting, hugs, Vicky xx

my clarity samples from previous show

Hi Stampers,

I realised today that i hadn't put my last samples for a previous show with the lovely Barbara Gray, and i really should post them so here they are! If anyone wants a run-down of what i have used to make them, please leave a comment. And don't forget folks, Barb is on this Sunday on Create and Craft in the morning, not the afternoon slot..........after that show during the evening sometime i will post my samples for that show too, hope you like them, i would love to hear your comments guys, hugs Vick xxxxx