My Blog has moved!

My new blog can now be found at:

www.aldridgecrafts.co.uk/blog

see you there for daily inspiration!

Jane

Our workshops June-July 2014 held in Norfolk

Aldridge Crafts & Champagne Moments
01953 454976  www.aldridgecrafts.co.uk
Craft Workshops
Held in Store – Limited places – book now! - workshops are all on our website where you can book & pay online.
Booking is essential.  Payment is required at the time of booking.
Check online or in-store for pictures/samples of our workshop projects.

Wed 4th June 2 – 4pm             Meltpot Marvels                                £20
The Ranger Meltpot is a great tool. This workshops will show some of the things that you can create using it. Faux dichroic glass, Galaxy flash and UTEE combining to make a show stopping ring. There are so many things we can try. So book your place and join in the fun!  The workshop price includes all the jewel enamel and use of tools  (Beginners)

Thu 5th June 6-8pm                         Papier Mache Stamped Heart Panel       £15
In this workshop with Jane you will create a beautiful painted papier mache heart panel.  We will use rubber stamps, inks and embellishments to create a unique piece of artwork perfect for your home. (All levels)
 
Wed 11th June 2 – 4pm           Gemstone and Crystal  Collar          £20   
Using Agate or jasper column beads and teardrops combined with Tibetan silver bead caps and crystal rondelles. Skills required turning loops with round nosed pliers.  The price includes all beads and use of tools. (Intermediate)
 
Wed 18th June 2-4pm                    Cascade Necklace and earrings set       £20
This lovely necklace combines chain links, gemstones and pearls in a lovely cascade in summer tones ideal to team with your summer dress with matching earrings.  Price includes all beads, gemstones and use of necessary tools. (Intermediate)

Saturday 21st June 10-4pm         
FREE Stix2/Woodware Demonstration with Annette Taylor
Come along to see Annette demonstrating using products from Stix2 and Woodware.  Pick up lots of handy hints and tips and see her using the latest products.  Just come along on the day! - FREE!

 Wed 25th June 2 – 4pm           Polymer Clay with Gill Thompson    £20
Come and learn how to work with Polymer clay each month Gill teaches a new technique using this versatile medium.  Price £20.00 includes all clay, tuition and use of tools. (beginners)

 Thursday 26th June 6-8pm            Scrapbooking for Beginners                    £15
Scrapbooking is creating your own personalised photo album to record your pictures and memories.  You can use a variety of decorative papers, embellishments and die cuts to create a beautiful scrapbook page which you can put together in a lovely album.  All you need to do is bring along a couple of photographs and we will help you create a scrapbook page.  All who attend the workshop will be entitled to a 10% discount on any album in store on the day. (beginners)

Wednesday 2nd July 2 – 4pm              Flower bracelets                               £15
These very pretty bracelets combine 4mm crystal bicones with 6mm rounds to make lovely floral bracelets suitable for young and old alike.  Price includes all beads, findings and use of tools. (beginners)

 Thu 3rd July 6-8pm                         Pop Up Box Card                                         £15
Learn how to make a pop up box card which you can decorate with flowers.  This clever card folds flat to fit into an envelope.  We will use a mixture of decorative papers and lots of flower dies to create a unique card. (Any level)

Saturday 5th July – 10am-12       FREE Demonstration in store with Jane – Stampbord – learn how to stamp onto this clay board to create vibrant embellishments which can be used on your crafting projects or as jewellery- FREE!

 Wed 9th July 2 – 4pm                     Chain Maille with Shawn Mills    £20
Would you like to learn a new skill or have tried chain maille and would like to learn another weave? Our guest tutor Shawn has several years of teaching Chain Maille.  Price includes all rings, findings and use of tools. (Beginners/intermediate)

 Thu 10th July 6-8pm                       Sheena’s Faux Leather Technique          £15
You have probably seen Sheena Douglas’ fabulous technique on social media forums or on the telly, well we will show you how to turn a piece of ordinary Kraft card into a pliable leather looking material!  Perfect to use in your mixed media projects, as a bookmark or book cover or as part of your scrapbook. (Any level)

Saturday 12th July 10am-12        FREE demonstration in store with Jane – Using Ink with your Embossing Folders.  Learn about the different effects you can get by using inks with your embossing folders through your die cutting machine. - FREE!

 Wed 16th July 2 – 4pm                   Gemstone Torque necklace                      £20
A lovely wirework piece using 1.5mm wire as a base as your torque then add gemstones to the frame using the tiara technique. Makes a lovely light-weight but visually beautiful necklace. Because of the nature of the tiara technique used good manual dexterity is needed.  Price includes all gemstones, wire and  use of tools. (Intermediate )

 Sunday 20th July     A WHOLE DAY OF WORKSHOPS

10-12.15      Sweet Poppy Stencils with Paste and Flitterglu and Flakes £15
We will spend the morning using stencils together with dimensional paste but also how to apply flitterglu and flakes through a stencilled design too

12.45-3pm   An introduction to Alcohol inks                                                   £15
We will spend the afternoon learning how to use alcohol inks to create backgrounds and then stamp onto them.
You can book on these workshops independently, but if you book for both you get a free bottle of Alcohol Ink. (Any level)

Wed 23rd July 2 – 4pm                  Polymer Clay with Gill Thompson           £20
Come and learn how to work with Polymer clay each month Gill teaches a new technique using this versatile medium.  Price includes all clay, tuition and use of tools. (Beginners)

Thurs 24th July 6-8pm                   Steampunk or Flowery Birdhouse          £15
Decorate a papier mache birdhouse with paint and die cuts to create a unique piece of art you can put in  your home.  You can choose between a grungy steampunk style, or a soft flowery style. (Any level)

Sat 26th July 10-12                        FREE demonstration in store with Jane – Using Sakura Pens – stardust, glaze etc.  Learn all about this fabulous pen range and the ways you can use them. - FREE!

Thurs 31st July 6-8pm        Zentangling                                                  £12.50
Come and learn the art of zentangling – posh doodling!  You will learn how to break down and create intricate looking patterns which you can use with stamps, die cuts, stencils and on scrapbooking pages. (All levels)


Can’t make one of our workshop dates?  Most of our workshops can be run on a 1-2-1 basis at a mutally convenient time.  Minimum cost for a 1-2-1 workshop is £20.00 for a 2 hour workshop.  Phone/call in to book  01953 454976
By booking you agree to our booking/cancellation T&Cs available to see online & instore.

Monthly Craft Club – Join our friendly club that meets monthly to get together with other crafters for crafting, tea and a chat – Friday 20th June, 18th July 15th August 6.15-8.30 at the francis Rooms in Connaught Hall - £3.50 on the night.

have you found my new blog yet?

Did you know that my blog has moved?  It's now attached to my website.  You can find it at

www.aldridgecrafts.co.uk/blog

here are just a few of the posts I've put up since moving... be sure to come and find me so you don't miss out on all my new creations!

see  you there

Jane xx
www.aldridgecrafts.co.uk

New Blog now live!

The new blog is now live and part of my shop website

Come and find me here.... 

My Blog is moving! #147

There are changes afoot here at Aldridge Crafts HQ.  I am rellocating my blog to be within my website for a more streamlined set up, so very soon my posts will be made from my new blog.  This may be as early as tomorrow (if all the techy stuff is straightforward when I set it up in the morning)... otherwise over the next few days.  But don't worry - I'll post links on here for a while so you won't lose me and as a lot of you find my posts via my links on Facebook & Twitter, the links will take you to my new blog.

That's enough of the boring techy stuff - onto the creative stuff!  Today's creation is zentangling with the Sweet Poppy Phoenix Stencil.  Love this stencil for zentangling!  I kept the body pattern quite bold so it really stood out and then used repeats of quite simple patterns for the feathers and tail.

Did you know that we stock Zentangling supplies?  I've just had a new delivery of the fabulous books - only £5 each and 11 different titles to choose from.  We also stock the Micron pens too - but these haven't been put onto our website yet - but just drop us a line to add them to your order.

That's all from me today... off to get a good night's rest as I have to have my technical head on in the morning!... wish me luck! :-)

happy crafting

Jane

www.aldridgecrafts.co.uk

Number 83 #146

I've had a busy busy day today sorting out my craft room.  Why does the crafting table end up so covered in stuff! 

Well... this is the start and the finish pics - at last I am again organised and have room to craft hurrah!

So...no time for getting creative today, however one of the discoveries I made whilst clearing through my boxes of random things was this little ATC created I think at one of my demonstrations quite a while back.  Please excuse the dark colours, but I didn't get a chance to photograph it until this evening under houselights.  The colours in real life are lovely warm pinks and browns.

I've started with an alcohol ink background - dragging the colour down in vertical stripes.  The stamps are all Crafty Individuals - all stamped in Archival Black.  Then a few white highlights to finish.  A nice little piece of artwork I think!

Must get out the alcohol inks.. it's been a while since I've used them.  Did you know that there are new colours out?  We've just had a delivery in store of the new shades. 
 
now off to create a little zentangling ready for the workshop I am running in the morning!

hope you've had some time to enjoy the sunshine today

happy crafting

Jane

www.aldridgecrafts.co.uk

Indigoblu... more words! #145

I could only put in one entry for the Indigoblu words blog challenge - but I made a couple to choose between.  This was the other piece I created.  I started with a colourful cosmic shimmer ink spritzed background.

I started by stamping the Indigoblu Tree-mendous stamp around the borders in my latest acquisition - Archival Potting Soil.  I then stamped my greeting from the BFF set in black.  I drew a border around the greeting and added some dashes in black and white pen.  I finally traced all the outlines of the leaves with a gold gel pen to add a little extra detail.

It was such a difficult choice in the end as to which one to enter into the blog challenge - I couldn't decide so my hubby got the final vote and preferred the colours of yesterday's piece.

So which is your favourite out of the two?   Today's project or yesterday's one?

happy crafting

Jane

www.aldridgecrafts.co.uk

Indigoblu Words Challenge #144

I spotted that Indigoblu Challenge blog had a challenge theme of words this month - and thought I would have a go at creating something to enter the challenge. 

I started by spritzing my background with a mix of blue shade Cosmic Shimmer Mica Sprays.  Once dry I stamped my words (Indigoblu BFF set). 

I then started to add my border detail - I've used a Christmas stamp - (Indigoblu Baubles Flourish).   I love this stamp because it's perfect for Christmas - but the rest of the year, just stamp the flourish part and turn the snowflakes into flowers!

I then added plenty of white and black pen highlights - including some little white dot swirls in the background.  It's been mounted onto a simple black mount onto a 5x7" card.

I am entering this for the Indigoblu Challenge Blog Words are all you need Challenge

happy crafting

Jane

www.aldridgecrafts.co.uk

PS - don't forget it's craft club in Attleborough tonight - join us for a free Scrapbooking for beginners make & take!

Kingfisher #143

I have had a lovely evening running a workshop for a local WI group creating pretty bag charms.  It is always so nice to introduce new people to beading, they were all really pleased with their creations and we all had a lot of fun!

Today's projects are very quick and easy ones.  I have been exploring my CD roms as it has been such a long time since i have made any cards with them.  I wanted to rustle up a few quick and easy cards for the shop, and these always make such lovely cards without needing a lot of embellishments.  Do excuse the poor photo today, i have left my camera at the shop so had to rely on my ipad taking photos under poor light.   .  Happy crafting

Jane

Www.aldridgecrafts.co.uk

Blue and White Cat #142

More scrapbooking with kitty cat Finlay again today getting ready for our Scrapbooking session at craft club this Friday.  My aim today was to create a really simple layout that was really easy for a beginner scrapbooker to achieve.  It was also to show that scrapbooking doesn't have to be complicated - a simple photo, a simple layout is all you need.

Finn has such gorgeous blue eyes, going with a blue and white theme picked out the colour in the photo perfectly.  I wanted a background paper that had something going on - but not too much that it would distract from the main focal point.  The flower paper again - enough pattern without being overpowering.  I mounted both the photo and the flower paper in the same card which is a brown/green/gold shimmer cardstock.

I next cut out some dies out of white cardstock - all Memory Box, I used Blooming Vine, Bella Bouquet, Chesapeake Circle.  I cut a couple of each die so I could play around with layout.  Once happy with how they sat I delicately lifted the card stock to dab a little glue so they would stick in the place I had positioned them.  Once dry, I then turned over and added more glue and stuck down my central panel.  A few little blue gemstones in the centre of the flowers added an extra detail.

 I also added this hand-drawn border - ever so easy - just do a wibbly line with a little loop in every now and then.

 an ever so subtle date written at the bottom of the photo panel was the final touch

It was very tempting to add more to this page, but I wanted to keep it nice and simple - hope you like it!

happy crafting

Jane
www.aldridgecrafts.co.uk

Lazy Cat Nap #141

 We are having a scrapbooking night at our craft club on Friday so the perfect excuse to create a few pages!  and what do I scrapbook...?  Of course it has to be my gorgeous one year old Birman cat Finlay.  I just loved this pic of him sound asleep all curled up so this was my picture to start with.

I wanted this to be a bold bright page so the pale picture really would stand out.  I used the DCWV Pets 8x8" stack.  I started by taking out of the pad each of the cat pages - if you are anything like me - when you get one of these lovely card and paper stacks, they are a so lovely you don't want to use the papers!... so I always take them out of the book so no excuse then! 

I wanted to use a variety of page designs and so I decided to split my page into four, but not so it was exactly central - ofsetting my squares gives a little more interest.

I mounted my picture on brown card an then cut a  couple of thin strips to use as my divides between the pages. 

 I created a zigzag pattern around my picture with a white gel pen and cut some decorative elements with some green card - Elegant Posts from Spellbinders and the little flowers are cuttlebug dies.  I added my now famous 'barbed wire' border in white gel pen.  The words on the photo were cut from another page within the book.

Another scrapbook page to come tomorrow!

happy crafting

Jane
www.aldridgecrafts.co.uk

Hot Pinks and Orange #140

I seem to be in a bit of a pink and orange phase at the moment - whenever I dive into my box of Distress Inks, I seem to gravitate towards Spiced Marmalade and Picked Raspberry. 

I created this piece using the Chocolate Baroque Wild Meadow stamp set - a firm favourite of mine.  The greeting is from the Chocolate Baroque Artistic Affirmations set.  I've used a clock mask in teh background and stamped in dark shades of archival and Versafine inks to give that silhouette effect.  A final bit of white and black highlights adds the finishing touches!

happy crafting

Jane

www.aldridgecrafts.co.uk

Stamping Workshop #139

I've had such a great day today at our all day stamping workshop.  This lovely deer card was my creation for today (I was too busy teaching to finish my other project!).  This deer stamp is a Stacey Stamp.  I've stamped in archival black and coloured using Cosmic Shimmer Drawing Inks.  The background has been created using the Tim Holtz Shattered Mask and Gathered Twigs and Spiced Marmalade Distress inks.  It has all been mounted onto an 8x8 card blank.

These are the fabulous creations of Laura and Lisa who joined me at today's workshop..

Aren't they fab!

Lisa's Steampunk card (Creative Expressions Stamp)

Lisa's Daisy Card (Stampendous Jumbo Daisy Stamp)

Laura's Lighthouse card (Crafty Individuals stamp)

Laura's Peacock card (Chocolate Baroque Stamp) coloured with Cosmic Shimmer Watercolour Paints

Got just a little soggy getting to and from the car with the torrential rain - but it was certainly the day to stay indoors crafting!

hope you got to have a crafty day too

Jane

www.aldridgecrafts.co.uk

Owls #138

I found this tag amongst my background stash box.  It has been cut with a Sizzix scallop die and then spritzed with  mix of brown green and gold Cosmic Shimmer Ink Misters.

All I had to do was decorate it!  I've had this Magenta owl stamp for a while and been itching to use it - and this was the perfect project.  The background was just so pretty I didn't want to go too elaborate with the decoration.

He was stamped and embossed with detail black powder and then coloured using a Distress Marker with a few white highlights.

The dash border was added with a black pen and then the final detail was to tie some baker's twine around the top and tie on a little owl charm.

Did you know that we stock 100s of design of charms in our shop - they are perfect to accent your crafting projects!

Entering the following challenge: Crafts Galore Challenge: Anything Goes

happy crafting

Jane

www.aldridgecrafts.co.uk

Rainbow Poppies #137

Today's creation started with a bright background created with five colours of distress paint.  Drawn simply with lines of paint.  I then dotted over some white distress paint and took a dotty mask and added the green dotted border down one side. 

I next stamped using archival black and stamped my greeting (Indigoblu) and my poppies (also Indigoblu).

I used my clear stamp block to draw a border around the words and added black shading one side and white the other to make it look three dimensional (also to make it look like I stamped it on an angle on purpose!! - oops). 

I coloured my poppies with Distress Markers - I was really impressed how much colour showed up as the background was so bright (now I need more distress markers to add to my four colours!!).

I added a few highlights and lowlights using black and white pens on the poppies and decided to also outline the flowers in white gel pen to make them stand out of the background just that little bit more.

A final addition was to add the dash border and then stamp a few swirls in toffee Versafine at the bottom to give it a base border.

happy crafting

Jane

www.aldridgecrafts.co.uk

All Purple and Yellow #136

This project starts with cardstock painted in a random manner with Eco-green paints - periwinkle, white and butternut.  Once dry I've applied white paint through a couple of different stencils and the butternut through a text stencil. 

I painted some of the butternut paint onto separate card and once dry stamped the greeting using purple archival ink and the stamp is from Indigoblu.  I ripped the edge to give a wide border and then just caught the border with my purple ink.

I cut out my two dies - both from Crafty Individuals and tinted them using cut n dry foam with my purple archival.

Once the die cuts were stuck down I then added little # accents and a border with my black fineliner pen.

happy crafting

Jane

www.aldridgecrafts.co.uk

Think Happy Thoughts #135

Today's project features PaperArtsy stamps.  I started by creating using my Distress Stains.  I then added a scrap of dictionary page and tinted it with some of the same stains.  Next I stamped my dream lady in brown onto the dictionary page.  I then started to build up background layers by stamping different stamps in different shades of browns and yellow tones and eventually stamping in black. 

I drew a couple of borders with my fineliner and then as a final touch added Glossy Accents over the main image.

I've had a lovely crafting session this morning and you'll be seeing the projects created over the next few days - I've been busy playing with inks & paints again!

happy crafting

Jane

www.aldridgecrafts.co.uk

Everywhere Tranquil #134

Another one from the archives today - I found this lovely creation amongst my boxes of bits and bobs when I was clearing and sorting yesterday.  I'm loving the vibrancy of the contrast between the pink and black.

The background was created with cat's eye pigment inks direct to cardstock and then stamped using the crackle stamp from Crafty Individuals.  All the other stamps are also Crafty Individuals - the ladies, butterflies and the words are on different stamps.

My usual few white gel pen highlights add some extra detail.

short and sweet tonight! :-)

happy crafting

Jane

www.aldridgecrafts.co.uk

Scottish Wedding #133

It's one of those long put off tidy up and sort out days here today...  finally tackling reorganising all the spare beadstock as they get a little disheveled over time!  So I've rummage through my archive for today's card as I had no crafting time today.

I was asked to make a wedding card for a friend for a Scottish Wedding card.  I thought the thistle from the Chocolate Baroque Wild Meadow stamp set would be perfect.

I started by stamping the two thistles and coloured them with coloured pencils.  I then mounted onto a pretty lilac card and the black mount.

The paper and the greeting are both from Lily of the Valley and the final accent of the lilac gingham ribbon I think finishes the design nicely.

It's nice to look back over past creations, gives you some new ideas of old favourites you can revisit and revitalise with your new techniques

happy crafting

Jane

www.aldridgecrafts.co.uk

Baked Clay Pendant #132

A different project completely today.  I've worked with some Fimo to shape into a heart (I used one of my nestablities as a template to draw around.

I started with a flat base and cut out my heart - I've worked in a dark brown clay, but its only on the back that you can see the colour so you can use whatever colour you have to hand - either Fimo or Sculpey type clay.  I used a little metal flower to add some texture to the background, just by gentling pressing it into the clay.

I then rolled out the clay into long thin sausages and shaped it around the outside and then shaped for the flower stalk.

The flower is made of five little round balls of clay, flattened and shaped with my embossing tool and then another ball for the centre.

I then applied mica powders - gold, purple and pink to highlight the design.  I put in a hole at the top so I could attach my pendant.

then bake and all ready!

happy crafting

Jane

www.aldridgecrafts.co.uk