PaperArtsy blog - stencils and Paper flowers

 I'm back on the PaperArtsy blog again tonight. With a short tutorial to make these very easy flowers, and this card which uses lovely stencils.

Pop over and see it in full and don't forget to enter this week's challenge to win stamps.

Reversible Knitted Polka Dot Baby Blanket (double Knitting technique)

 This may just be my favourite thing that I have ever knitted. It was quite hard, but very rewarding.
It is quite large for a baby blanket, somewhere between stroller and cot size (I forgot to measure it before I gave it away).

I used two colour of Aran yarn and it used approximately 200g (200m) of each.

The technique is known as double knitting (not to be confused with double knitting yarn) and basically knits both sides of the fabric at the same time, creating two separate layers, the two layers become joined together where you cross the colours from front to back.

I used the following set of 3 excellent youtube videos to learn this beautiful technique

Harriet Hare

Meet Harriet Hare..

The lovely Laura Liddell from Flaxen Hare Designs asked me to have a play with her new kit, designed for teaching children to knit... and I fell in love with the lovely Harriet Hare.

The kit included Harriet, 5 balls of yarn (3 colour ways at the moment) needles and everything you need to get started, as well as some wonderful instructions. All of the pattern use just the knit stitch and then introduce basic shaping.

 

(photo from Flaxen Hare Designs)

The scarf, short dress and skirt all come from the kit, and are all easy to do. The skirt uses short row shaping, but beautifully explained so that it is so easy.

There are also instructions for a bag, pants, tshirt and boots.

Of course I couldn't resist making up my own pieces including this simple cable jumper,

and a crochet hat!

PaperArtsy Blog

It's time for my PaperArtsy blog post, and it's a clean and simple card again.

You can see it in full here

don't forget that you can use my card as inspiration for the challenge, to win stamps.

PaperArtsy Project

It's time for my monthly project on the PaperArtsy blog again.

This month I've gone for a card that is one layer, but is also shabby chic. One Layer doesn't always have to mean Clean!

I've used the gorgeous limited edition Jofy paint colours.

To finish the shabby chic look I created these shabby corners.

Don't forget that you can use my card as inspiration in the weekly challenge. I'm really hoping to see a few shabby corners there!

Chutney Tuesday: Carrot Chutney

I decided to make this chutney because I really like Carrots! So I was curious to know whether they would work as a chutney, after a bit of googling I found that Marks and Spencer's used to make a wensleydale and carrot chutney sandwich, which was widely regarded as delicious.... so I knew this had to be my next chutney project.

Ingredients

approx 1400g carrots (weight is before peeling) - grated (this is by far the most time consuming part)

2 onions diced

2 cooking apples finely diced

1 red chilli pepper finely sliced

2 tbls veg oil

1 tsp coriander seeds crushed.

350 ml cider vinegar

250g light muscovado sugar (or whatever brown sugar you have)

heat oil in large pan, add onion & chilli and cook until soft.

Add grated carrot and 2 tbls of the sugar and cook until carrots go limp and start to produce juice.

Add vinegar, rest of sugar and coriander and simmer for 20 mins covered and 20 mins uncovered, stirring frequently.

transfer to sterilised jars, squishing the chutney down in the jars.

makes approximately 1.5 litres of chutney.

one layer simplicity #3 and less is more #161

I made a decision today that whatever the new challenges today at One Layer Simplicity and Less is more, I would combine them to make a card, and hopefully one that would be useful.

Less is More announced yellow and green as the theme, so straight away I thought Daffodils, and then One Layer Simplicity announced use water. yes! I could do that. (although just read the one layer simplicity challenge again, and it specifically says to use water to create a background or spritz your inked stamp, so this card probably doesn't qualify - it's okay, the kind people at the challenge have allowed it.... and even edited the challenge to include the technique :D.  )

I used distress inks and a water brush to colour this daffodil stamp from The frantic stamper.

And that's a mothers' day card sorted!

One layer simplicity challenge #2

the one layer simplicity challenge has replaced the One Layer Wednesday Challenge.
I've been meaning to take part all month and made something today, but then have just spotted that the challenge only runs to the 24th of each month.
Oh well I may as well post it anyway.

The challenge was "Can you repeat yourself"
I made a really simple card, repeated the main stamp to create both a background and a focal image.

I added a little extra touch by cutting into the card at the corners of the masked off area, and then scuffing them with my knife blade to create a faux shabby chic layer. I'm really pleased with this effect so expect to see it a lot more on my cards!

All the stamps are from PaperArtsy

PaperArtsy Reveal: PaperArtsy Papers

Today's Exciting reveal is PaperArtsy's new release of their own double sided http://blog.paperartsy.co.uk/2014/02/new-2014-products-paperartsy.htmlpapers.

These are of fabulous quality, and lovely muted designs to work with their new stamp releases

They work really well with die cuts, and paper modelling.

And are beautifuly smooth for stamping on.

(these flowers were made by painting Lin Brown's new paints onto Copier paper.)

Ask at your local stamp store for PaperArtsy's new range.

PaperArtsy Reveal: New Jofy Collection

I have to just say it, straight away...

Check Out those colours!!!

I am absolutely in love with the limited edition Jofy Paints. Such a gorgeous set of colours with amazing coverage.

6x6 greyboard

And the stamps are great too!

ATC

I created the dots using the eraser end of a pencil with the paints

5x7 card

And some tags

Again, just look at those colours.

and the new stamps

There's even more to see on the PaperArtsy Blog,  with even more stamps and stencils in the range.
Ask at your local stamp store for availability.

PaperArtsy Reveal : New Lin Brown Eclectica Collection

Time for a very exciting reveal from Paperartsy. Lin Brown has released a new range of stamps, stencils and paints, which work really well with Lin's existing range of stamps and dies.

I used them to make a simple 5"x7" card

and a 6"x6" greyboard scrapbooking piece.

I used the stencil on this ATC in my embossing machine to create the background.

and with  the paints on this large tag

I used the paints with PaperArtsy's crackle and then used the stencils on top for this small tag.

I used a couple of Lin's existing stamp sheet (andd the dies)

WIth one of the new words stamps

The gorgeous new paints

And the fab new stencils

Check out the PaperArtsy blog for even more of the reveal, and ask at your local stamp store for availability.