Handmade in Windsor Lab

Hi, I've been busy making end of year teacher presents and cards, which I will share on another day, but I have also been stitching on cards while watching TV or sitting in the sunshine with the family in the evenings. Here's the first two cards I made, with the first two backgrounds I stitched. This was my first background with full cross stitches. This was my second background and I used half cross stitches. I invested in a die set that cut the little holes into the card as I have cross stitched since I was a child, but I rarely end up using what I stitched, so I thought making cards with the results would be a fun change! This is the die set I bought, it was an unbranded set I got on AliExpress, so was inexpensive, but took a few weeks to arrive! The larger die came with a small strip as well that I haven't used yet. I found that the die cut pretty well, but was much better if I used a metal shim with it in my BigShot, I think the same applies to a ...

Hi, Today I am sharing some photos of quick cards I made using embossing folders and inks to make quick backgrounds. I made a batch of backgrounds after watching a Jennifer McGuire  video last week, with no end plan of what my cards would be. Feel free to head over to her blog to see how to do the technique if you don't know it. Here's the batch of cards I ended up with 11 cards today! Here's all the backgrounds I made, I didn't use quite all of them, but I used all of the larger pieces and a few of the small bits. These are all embossing folders I got as freebies with magazines. The large 'Thinking of you' card used the whole embossing folder image which I couldn't bare to cut up, so I made a frame for it and placed it on an A5 sized card. I added a die-cut sentiment raised on foam and a few sequins with the frame raised up on foam tape and I was done. Next all the yellow cards, this is a 3D embossing folder from Crafters Compani...

Hi, So I was inspired, once again, by Jennifer McGuire to try out a fast watercolour technique using Ranger Distress and Distress Oxide Inks on watercolour card. The Altenew Beautiful Heart stamp set (July 2018 release) had the perfect flower outline and leaves to try it on, but the technique will work with any outline stamp. One of my completed cards. The technique gives a really fast watercolour look to your images, and I did a quick video showing how to do it. You have to use a watercolour card for this technique, as you will soak the paper with water. Other cards will tend to end up all buckled if you try it with them. Distress Oxide and Distress Ink comparison You could do any colour of heat embossed outline to act as the resist, but I used Heat It Up! Silver Pearl embossing powder that I have had for years. The Distress Oxide inks give a more matt, chalk look than the Distress Inks, but I like both! It does look like a mess when you are waiting for them...

Hi! I decided to make a second card with the Altenew Needlework Motif stamp, keeping it in the same place on the card, just using a different colouring technique. This time I went for water colours and used my Gansai Tambi water colours. These are really thick creamy water colours so you can get really strong colours with them as well as the more traditional wash type looks you get with many watercolours. Lovely splatters to hide where I got a finger print! Here's a video quick video of how this one was done. You might want to speed it up to double speed which you can find under the cog on a computer, or under the 3 dots in the top right corner on a mobile device, unless you like to relax and watch people colouring in! The embossing acts as a resist for the paint, so it doesn't go outside of the lines, so it's a fun thing to paint without having to concentrate too hard! Don't forget to use an anti-static bag before stamping with embossing ink. Lesle...

Hi! I mentioned in my last blog that if I was going to recreate the card Tasnim did at the Altenew Workshop using the Needlework Motif stamp, I would heat emboss it rather than hand outline it, so I did! Ignore the excess powder, I forgot my anti-static powder! Here's a video of exactly what I did, I used the other stamp from the set just to change it up a bit. The technique is the same as the one we used at the workshop, up to the embossing part, at the workshop we hand traced around the card with a Sakura Metallic Jelly Roll pen, which I found pretty time consuming. Even double embossing the stamp and heat embossing the sentiment, I think this was faster and gave a similar effect, it its still a single layer card without any real dimension so would post nicely. You don't need to be too careful with your colouring as you cover up the edges with the embossing at the end, the same applies if you are going over the stamp with a pen. Don't forget to use an...

Hi! Yesterday I was lucky enough to go to the Altenew day long workshop in Daventry that was held ahead of the One Big Show event they were attending. If anyone knows the company, they are famous for their floral layering stamps that I have demonstrated at a couple of craft fairs while out and about with Handmade In Windsor stalls. We got to make 6 cards and a scrap book layout, with Lydia, Lillith and Tasnim (who owns Altenew and was over from America.) I thought I'd share the things I made today and give a sneak peak of the stamp sets we got as part of the workshop that aren't out until next month (July 2018). First up was Lydia's 3 cards... This is the photo I took during the workshop....  And here's some better shots of the cards I took when I got home... First up was a single layer card using the Life is Awesome stamp set We only had blue and pink inks from the Floral Ink Set and the Sweet Dreams set, so the purple flower was created by simply ov...

Hi! I am in the unlucky situation that my husband's birthday falls the same week as Father's Day most years (it's his birthday as I am writing this!), so I spend most of June on 'man' cards. My two daughters also spend the month wondering what 'daddy likes' to make a card on the theme of, and we invariably come up with cricket, music and cycling! There's no bought cards in our house unless he buys them for me! (I will pop a bonus picture at the end to show what my daughters made for Father's Day last week.) He's become partial to a 'dad' joke now my eldest is nearly a teenager, if for no other reason than to embarrass her I am sure!! So I thought that I would make him a card based around his likes and 'dad joke' style puns! I trawled through my stash of Creative Stamping magazine for stamps to fit the bill and came up with plenty to choose from, so here's the finished card to start with: Music, cricket and cycling...