The Craft Room...

I've started a new job which explains my lack of blogging, I'm running a project working with vulnerable, unemployed adults helping them back into employment or further education, I'm on week three and although it's challenging and hard work I'm loving it, such a change from what I usually do, it's still with the college I teach for which is handy, and as I'm on summer break from the other departments I work for it means constant teaching hours. I'm back teaching both leisure and qualification craft courses in September alongside this project so will have probably be pretty busy then so will have to make the most of my days off through summer!!!

I'm back demonstrating tomorrow...it's been a while since I've been up at silly o clock on a Saturday to catch a train to spend the day getting inky and messy and meeting up with crafty friends old and new so I'm especially looking forward to tomorrow, I'm demonstrating at The Craft Room in Newcastle under Lyme

I have a lovely set of "groupies" here and can't wait to catch up. I'm demonstrating die cutting and embossing with the Cuttlebug, distress inks and stamping techniques...so if you see me on the return journey tomorrow I'll be the one with disgusting stained fingers ;-)

I've created lots of new samples but have everything packed in my little trolley dolly case ready for the 5.30am alarm so will post some pictures over the weekend.

I'm off now for a few glasses of the relaxing juice and a catch up with some crappy telly!!!


Take care
Love
Est xx
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Okay yes I know it's been a while...again...but I promised my crafty ladies in Kendal today that I would blog pictures of our afternoon project from today's class at My Paper Warehouse, and despite the face that it was the only place in the country it seemed had rain today there was certainly a lot of sunshine in our workshop today...I really do love teaching workshops as much as my crafty ladies love attending and for me today was a fabulous day, even though the alarm cruelly went off at 5.45am and I left the sunny skies of Warrington!!!

So here is our afternoon "stunning" (word of the day) project...a huge 20x20cm card...

Which was inspired by this very similar canvas I created earlier this month...


It's just like a crafty spot the difference!!!

I'm back in Kendal for their craft event on the 18th august, I've demonstrated at this event for two years on the run and it's always very busy and very inspiring, with a whole host of talented demonstrators, so if you can pay them a visit do, it's certainly worth it, they are also hosting a card making competition...oooh and I may know one of the judges for one of the categories ;-)...I'm told I'm not open to bribes though ;-)...all the details can be found Here

I'm off to play with some new stamps and to create a whole heap of distressed mess :-)

Take care
Love
Est xx
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Pretty in Pink

I know it's been a while since I blogged...sorry...no excuse really, I have been creating I just haven't had a chance to blog what I have been up to.

So I'm back on the challenges...which I've also neglected for the last couple of weeks and it's Sunday which can only mean one thing...Hel's Sunday Stamping Challenge which this week is PINK...bang goes my plan of linking challenges with Fathers day cards this week...oh well back to the inks and stamps!!!

I have however created this little timepiece...

The fob watch is a blank I picked up at Port Sunlight and I've used Victorian Velvet distress ink to distress and stamp and then, not like me at all, added stickles to highlight, made lots of 3d flowers and stamped and hand cut all the leaves.

Off now to concentrate on the football...yes really there are 22 men in shorts some wearing green some wearing blue...good colour combination!!!

Take care
Love
Est xx
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Weekend stamping

Day two of my three day weekend and I'm supposed to be relaxed and rested...ha...awake at 2am and again at 4am when I decided sleep was not going to come back to me so I browsed the Internet...I love my iPad...and bought this...

Which I browsed through in Waterstones in Manchester yesterday, but couldn't bring myself to pay the £18 for....got to love Internet shopping...£13 delivered!!!

Have been creating, last night Mia had a friend sleepover so I was banished to my desk with my headphones on whilst they were in charge of the television...
Created a card...


Oooh another card...male themed this time...


And this little wooden hinged display arch that I bought from port sunlight last week...


I've used around three thousand stamps because they are heaped on my desk and all need cleaning and tidying away...I'm a messy crafter but I think most of us are!!!

Off to clean my stamps...yeah right I'm off for a glass of wine :-)!!!

Take care
Love
Est xx
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What's on your work desk Wednesday (erm Friday!!!)

So this is a little bit late but I always say better late than never, I've had dreadful insomnia this week and probably should have blogged during the many early hours I have seen but caught up with paperwork and lesson planning instead...sad I know but now I have a whole three day weekend off...woo hoo!!!

So although it's Friday I did take this picture Wednesday...honest...

So you can see my registers...now all sorted along with learning evaluations too, there's a pile of fabric I used in my cupcake canvas class, the White boxes at the top left are glass paints and pride of place my giant cup and saucer filled with Alta Rica...only the best coffee in the world!!!

It's all tidy now...ready for a weekend of playing with all my port sunlight goodies that have been teasing me all week!!!

Have a great weekend everyone

Take care
Love
Est xx
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Cupcakes and Stamping

Not stamping on cupcakes obviously...that would be rude...and a waste of cupcakes!!!

It's a late post from me tonight, I've been lesson prepping and catching up on paperwork all night, and listening to Mia chatting and giggling with her friends, she invited a couple over tonight to chat about....dum dum dum dum....the SATS...not sure much SATS talk was going on, probably more to do with The Wanted but hey she's got to chill out, I hate that's she's having to go through the pressure of these exams but they have to be done so any way she can take her mind off it is a bonus!!!

So created this tonight for one of my classes this week...cute little cupcake canvas and all nice clean crafting...not a distress ink in sight...needles and thread alert...

And created this on Saturday night when I got home from Port Sunlight, I'm entering this into this weeks Simon says stamp and show challenge which is anything goes...



Was originally a blank MDF heart that I painted with cream acrylic paint, distressed and stamped, die cut flowers from card that were "swooshed" into some ink dried then stamped, shaped and highlighted with gold acrylic, added some punched butterflies and some ribbon and lace.

Off now to huff on my nails and polish them because all my lesson prep for the week is done...yay me!!!

Take care
Love
Est xx
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Hobby versus Addiction

...Stamping...is it a hobby or an addiction?

I could argue both sides and say it's definitely a hobby but then after visiting Port Sunlight yesterday I realise it could be more of an addiction...I mean really I have thousands of stamps, wooden and unmounted and really did I need any more...

Well obviously...yes i did...doesn't that little stash there make me look good though...oh hold on...That was just the stamps...

Here's my wooden alterables...


Here are my "other" alterables and Tim Holtz crackle paints, picket fence stain...which I've been after for ages, stickles and stamp cleaner...


That's not all...
Here's my masks, some more stamps, new scissors and chipboard fob watch...


And that's the stash for the day...ooh apart from the pan pastels I finally treated myself to, have wanted some for ever but they have only recently been available in the UK...maybe I need some more of them though!!!

So today after the obligatory washing, ironing and cleaning I had a little play with some of my new stash, I saw lots of inspiration yesterday and had ideas buzzing in my head from about 6.30am this morning...bloody insomnia...anyway came up with this wall hanging which I'm entering into Hel's Sunday Stamper challenge, which this week is Queens and Crowns...look closely and you'll spot the crown!!!


The circles were all hand cut from greyboard, painted with a couple of coats of cream acrylic paint then inked with distress ink, stamped and embellished with fabric flowers, die cuts, stamped images, buttons and lace...clue the crown is a stamped image on the middle circle!!!

Loved creating this, although my fingers are rotten!!!

Also managed to create this card for some classes this week...


I love that little "Gorjuss" girl and completed with lots more distressing, stamping, embossing and die cutting.

So the hobby versus addiction...It's my hobby but I'm definitely addicted!!!

Standing up...I say..."my name is Est and I'm a stampaholic"!!!

Take care
Love
Est xx
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I'm so excited....really...

I'm so excited!!!

I feel like a kid on Christmas eve waiting for Father Christmas to deliver all those presents...you remember when you couldn't get to sleep and woke every hour until you thought it was time to open presents only to have your parents tell you it was 3am and definitely not time to get up!!!

I'm off to Port Sunlight tomorrow, heading there with students, meeting up with groupies and shopping for lovely new crafty stash...I can't wait, it's a little sad how excited I am really but hey being creative isn't a hobby it's a way of life...!!!

I promise to post crafty stash pictures...off to try and sleep!!!


Take care
Love
Est xx
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Just about made it...

...what's on your work desk Wednesday...just an hour to spare...it's been one of those days...want to check it out? Then head over to Julia's to check out the details and to have a good old nosy around everyone's desks.

I love looking around everyone's space and seeing what people are up to, I pay particular attention to storage ideas because I'm quite limited on space, and have a huge amount of supplies to store...Sunday I decided to spend a couple of hours sorting out under my desk...limited leg room and an ever increasing pile of stash meant it was long overdue and I even remembered to take some pictures whilst I was in ruthless mode...

I managed two bin bags of rubbish and a bag of stash soon to be listed on eBay...no after shots just yet because I got interrupted...had to go for a pub lunch...and haven't quite finished!!!

Off to start my wander round the work desks, have a great week to all my new (and old) readers and my new woyww friends :-)

Take care
Love
Est xx
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Monday blues....

...not today I swear all day it's felt like Sunday...from the public transport into town centre this morning, to the roast I cooked tonight...my plan has worked...which makes next weekend even closer...and I can't wait for that because I'm off to Port Sunlight...woo hoo...excited because I've not been to a craft fair for so long and it's so nice to be on the other side of the table...watching the demonstrators rather than being the demonstrator!!!

Been lesson prepping today and have created this little gift box for one of my classes this week...very British but all distressed and brown...and check out my new "keep calm" stamp, cute or what...

Entering this for a new challenge blog I've found...very Fashionable it's all about the London Baby!!!

Talking of baby's...my little baby boy is 19 tomorrow...not so much my baby anymore because he's been taller than me since he was 15 and because he uses more hairspray than me, is always using my hair straighteners and steals my jeans and chinos...seriously he does...but he's still my baby boy and will always be...Happy Birthday little guy!!!

Take care
Love
Est xx
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Red and yellow and pink and green...

...purple and orange and blue...
...I can sing a rainbow...
...well honestly I can't sing unless I've had plenty of Pinot and the girls persuade me to play on Lips on the Xbox...and even then I'm not sure I can sing even though the said xbox tells me I'm a "superstar"

However I've been playing with colour all evening...distress inks again...you really should see my fingers...red and yellow and...you know how it goes!!!

The reason being...Hel's Sheriden Sunday stamper challenge is all about the blue and brown...Oooohhh that means broken china and frayed burlap....look...

Theres a whole lot of distressing, stamping and die cutting there, along with some little clay flowers on a sweet little canvas that I bought from Garners Craft Room yesterday...got to love my job duck...that's what they say in Stoke!!!

Speaking of Stoke...


Look at all that space on my demo table...and quite tidy too...I had a great day in Stoke yesterday, met up with some of my "crafty groupies" who brought some cards to "show and tell"....I love that...and i want to give a shout out to the very lovely Linda who collected me from Stoke train station at silly o clock and then came back to Garners to take me back to the train station..you are lovely Linda thank you!!!

So back to the rainbow...my poor little finger is currently red and yellow...burnt it on my glue gun earlier and it hurts so much...won't go into gory details....but ouch....

Over on Simon says stamp and show the challenge, last week...I'm catching up but get there eventually..was a kaleidoscope of colour...


So I went with red and orange and created a...wait for it...card!!!
Lots of distressing again, stamping, die cutting and some embossing too!!!

Speaking of red and orange...did you see that in the sky earlier today...i think it's called "the sun" normally unheard of on a bank holiday weekend but I can assure you it was there in all it's blazing glory...how long it will last is certainly questionable but we made the most of it today and headed to the pub for lunch...a beautiful sunny walk home meant I could capture this...


Off to catch the results of Britain's got Talent....yep I'm that sad!!!

Take care
Love
Est xx
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Chocolate

It's late but I'm still awake...because it's the weekend for me woo hoo...I'm off work tomorrow and much as I love my job I need a day off, it's been a long week and tomorrow I may just hit the streets of Manchester and shop.

So I'm sat in bed munching on cadburys fruit and nut which the Co Op very kindly put on offer for me...£1 for a big bar...and as I walked past it on my way to the wine aisle after work tonight...Very needed tonight...it actually whispered my name...how else would I have seen it :-).

I'm in the middle of several crafty projects at the moment and have not one finished, it's a good job you can't see my desk tonight because I have some issues there...mainly messy ones, you know how it is you start one project and get sidetracked and before you know it your scissors are hiding behind your cuttlebug your distress inks have ran away and your stamps are cowering in a corner!!!

Just had to share this...Harry will not let me take his picture much so have to cherish each one he allows me too...he's off out tonight at his end of season football "do"...just look how well he scrubbed up...

Thats all thanks to Gillette fusion...finally... even Mia was calling him a tramp, lynx...none of us could breathe after he'd finished spraying, MY hairdryer and MY hairspray...kids!!!

Take care
Love
Est xx
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What's on your workdesk wednesday

Okay posting this from my iPhone so hope it works.
Julie has her weekly workspace up and here's what's on my work space today...

It's a new notebook, for my new online course that starts at the end of this month, hosted by Christy Tomlinson, we have our own secret...yep secret, Facebook page and there are weekly journalling exercises that we have to complete before the course starts. So far I've bought my notebook and printed out the exercises, not bad for me!!!

Off to work now will have a nosy round some desks when I get back :-)
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Red, Stamps and Tramps!!!

I finally got round to completing Hel's Sunday stamping challenge only two days late so not bad for me really, her theme this week is the colour RED...

Which tied in very nicely with my class sample for Thursday as we are doing dry embossing (with the Cuttlebug and embossing folders) and heat embossing. I've created a canvas board and used the free stamp that came with this months Craft Stamper, my most favourite magazine, and embossed with an off gold colour, lots of fired brick and frayed burlap distressing, a fair bit of background stamping and some embossed and distressed card, I've also die cut some swirls and "coloured" them with an embossing pen, added embossing powder and voila gold swirly bits!!!

It's a similar piece to one I created last month Here, but with the addition of the embossed flowers.

Ooh and I bought knobs today look...


Whilst I was inking this morning with my distress tool it annoyed me that I had to keep changing my foam to change colours...then i had one of those lightbulb moments...



And created these...just stuck some self adhesive Velcro on the bottom and stuck my foams on...they aren't as brilliant as Mr Holtz's tool but they do work and at a fiver for four they are considerably cheaper!!!

And finally...it's official...I am a tramp!!!

I have a pair of boots I bought in the January sales that I absolutely lurve they are funky and very comfortable especially when I am on my feet all day, however last night the sole finally flapped and started chatting with me every time I took a step...the only glue in the house that I deemed suitable for the purpose was contact adhesive...so carefully following the instructions applied it and wrapped an elastic band around the said boot to hold it in place whilst the glue dried...nipped out for a crafty smoke...in said boots, my hands covered in distress ink and my hair a pretty wild mane after washing it and letting it dry without the use of heat or product...imagine the look...not good...needless to say I didn't photograph myself...I did however buy new boots today, used my hair straighteners and my fingers...well after completing the RED challenge I've definitely been caught red handed!!!

I'm off to give my old boots the send off they deserve!!!

Take care
Love
Est xx
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Smurfs!!!

Those little blue creatures from my childhood that have been wonderfully recreated...yep I've been distressing with blue ink again and I'm turning into Smurfette...that's my fingers blue for at least twenty four hours...it's a good look...honest!!!

I've been busy all night working on my demo boards for my demonstration at Garners Craft Room on Saturday, a demo I'm really looking forward to, I have a lovely group of ladies that I meet up with here and I'm demonstrating independently too so if you are close by please come and say hello and you will be able to take a closer look at this...

Which is a sample board showing all the materials the Createables will cut.

And also this...


Which is my new sample board of some of the new Createables...and the reason for my Smurf like appearance...Tumbled Glass distress ink!!!

Tootled over to Haydock Race Course yesterday with a friend, luckily we weren't there for the horse racing because I think we'd have got slightly wet due to the torrential rain...BEAD FAIR...the only reason to travel anywhere in weather like that...here is my stash from the day...


I've recently bought some new grey tops so that seemed to be the colour of the day, also picked up some matt black chain and some 20gauge black wire to make findings with, the orange is some cord...Ella wants a shamballa bracelet making and her favourite colour is orange so I also picked up some black crystals to make that...shhh it's a secret!!!

Other bits are selected beads that made me go "oooh", charms, spacers and some trays...just the essentials!!! That lot will probably sit in a bag until summer though, it's not often I sit and make jewellery just for fun!!!

Right I'm off to check out some challenge blogs, so far I've missed Hel's Sheridans's Sunday Stamping challenge and Simon Says Stamp And Show, I've been combing these challenges very nicely with my class samples making one very organised Est!!!


Take care
Love
Est xx
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