Sunday, 7 October 2012

Joining a Katia Scarf

Since this is such a useful thing to know, I thought I'd do a proper post on it. If you fancy the idea of knitting one of these scarves, come in and have a look! We have a huge range of types and colours to choose from, and half-knitted samples of most of them so you can try before you buy.

Some of the Katia yarns will occassionally have a knot in them due to the manufacturing process, or maybe you might want to join up a couple of colours to make an interesting mulitcoloured scarf. It's really nice and easy to do! And this is how:


If you find a knot like this, first off, chop it off!


Make sure you end up with two fairly neat edges:


Lay these two edges over each other like this:


Next, pinch hold of the top of this and knit through two holes together as if they are one:


The two ends will be safely joined, and won't come apart.


You can leave them alone if you want to and just keep knitting. Due to the nature of the yarn the join shouldn't be noticeable, the next ruffle will lay over it hiding it. But if you want to, you can actually sew the ends in so they're completely hidden.


Just use a nice large needle and a piece of coordinating colour cotton and oversew the ends in place.


This is a few rows on.


Spot the join!




(It's about three rows down from the needle on the right hand side, but it's not easy to see at all!)


Thursday, 4 October 2012

We're having a free Cardmaking Demo!



Are you thinking of making your own Christmas Cards this year?
Christmas Cardmaking Demo

Whether you’re new to card-making or you want to add to your skills, there will be something for you!”

FREE CARDMAKING DEMONSTRATION

Saturday 10th November
From 10am – 4pm

At:
Anne & Paul’s Sew Simple, 94 Church Road
Ashford, Middlesex, TW15 2PL

01784 255 742

Discover the tips, ideas and techniques that make all the difference – plus grab fantastic discounts on all the tools of the trade!

Loads of Cardmaking Demonstrations all day on a wide range of techniques including…
Tim Holtz Distress Inks – Die Cutting – Papercrafting Techniques – Rubber Stamping

Plus loads of fantastic bargains to be had on the day!
One off Demo-Day-Deals - Starter Kits - Bargain Bundles

Fantastic Special offers on all sorts of ranges such as…
Papermania – XCut – Ranger – Anita’s – Docrafts and so, so much more!

Look out for our regular Cardmaking Workshops and our fabulously popular Introduction to Cardmaking” Beginner’s Class! Or check out our website for more info at:
www.anneandpauls.co.uk

Wednesday, 3 October 2012

Michael Powell Stamps and Promarkers - a match made in Heaven!

Loving these gorgeous Michael Powell Urban Stamps! They're perfect for colouring, and there's such a lot you can do with them.

This is just one of my favourite ways to colour in one of these stunning stamps.

First off, this is what you need; a clear block, a Michael Powell Stamp, (RRP £3.99) some Black Soot Tim Holtz Distress ink (Our price - £4.99) and Payperbox's premium smooth white cardstock.


So, I've stamped on my Michael Powell Stamp, and I'm just loving the clarity! The design is just so crisp and clear, and the Tim Holtz ink is a wonderful quality. It's a true jet black, and it doesn't smudge with Promarkers like some inks do.

Gorgeous, isn't it?

These are the Promarkers I'm using to start off with. They're from a set called "Build Environment". The Payperbox card makes an incredible difference too. It's a perfect stamping cardstock and works really well with promarkers, distress markers, distress inks, watercolours and a wide range of other media. RRP £3.99 for a folder of approx 25 sheets.


I'm keeping my Urban Stamp next to me whilst I'm working so I can copy the way it's coloured, although I will be using slightly different colors to do it. My first colour is Sandstone, and I'm colouring all the buildings I want this colour first. I'm going around parts of the windows because I want them a darker brown.



And I'm colouring in circles. This is the real secret to Promarkers! If you want that gorgeous solid, almost printed look, colour in little circles and the colour will go on much smoother.


And that's all my light browns done. Next up is the reddy-brown, it's called Terracotta.


And the third brown, Cocoa, is used for all the windowsills, doors, chimneys and other detailing. If you look, I've not been too careful with the light brown! But the dark brown will hide this totally when I go over it, so I can safely cover one colour with another.



And this is the result so far:






Next bit of colouring is the blue sky, again coloured in little circles:


I really love the difference it makes to use a light blue! This one's called Cool Aqua.





And just look at the stamp compared to the stamped image! Sorry Mr Powell, I'm afraid I prefer my blue...


Adding some finishing touches now, this is Ice Grey 3 and I'm copying the shading from the stamp itself to give the illusion of shadows on the snow drifts.



Adding a bit of yellow for the stars, and some on the window:


Green for the trees, and the window:

And some more random colours to fill in the window!


To finish off, I've coloured in the christmas lights and the rest of the window. I've added a "glow" to the lights by drawing little circles around them in yellow.


Ta da! Isn't that just stunning?


And here are a few cards I've made using the gorgeous Michael Powell stamps with Promarkers:





And the freebie Tulip stamp from the last Creativity Magaizine:


And this is another Michael Powell stamp done in Gold Mica Powders. How stunning is that?!



Hope you've enjoyed!

Tuesday, 2 October 2012

An Introduction to Cardmaking - Beginner's Class - 1st November

Due to the success of our previous Beginners Classes, we are pleased to announce we'll be running another one!!

There will be a new goody bag, and different designs to make, so if you attended the previous Beginners Class, there will be something new to see!


Anne and Paul’s Workshops
An Introduction to Cardmaking
Beginners Introductory Class with TWO demonstrations!

A fabulous opportunity to try out this wonderful hobby in a friendly, relaxed atmosphere!”

£25 per class

FREE CHRISTMAS CARDMAKING GOODY BAG WORTH OVER £15 TO TAKE AWAY TO GET YOU STARTED WITH CARDMAKING!

Thursday 1st November
From 6.00pm - 9.00pm

At:
Anne & Paul’s Sew Simple, 94 Church Road
Ashford, Middlesex, TW15 2PL

01784 255 742

Come along and try your hand at Cardmaking for Christmas in a friendly and relaxed atmosphere! There will be demonstrations on more than one design, and we will be covering a few of the basic techniques used in Cardmaking!

Please call to reserve your place – only 10 spaces available
Or you’re welcome to pop into the shop to book!

DISCOUNT ON ANY PRODUCTS PURCHASED ON THE NIGHT

As well as the goody bag to take away, all tools and materials are provided to make 2-6 cards on the night

Sign up at www.anneandpauls.co.uk  for email updates on our workshops

 

Wednesday, 12 September 2012

Christmas Cardmaking Workshops 25th Sept - 16th October 2012


Are you thinking of making your own Christmas Cards this year?
Christmas Cardmaking Workshops


Whether you’re new to card-making or you want to add to your skills, there will be something for you!”

£10 per session

Tuesday Evenings from 6.30pm - 9.00pm

At:
Anne & Paul’s Sew Simple, 94 Church Road
Ashford, Middlesex, TW15 2PL

01784 255 742

All tools and materials provided to make 2-4 cards per session!

Please call to reserve your place – only 10 spaces available per session
Or you’re welcome to pop into the shop to book!

DISCOUNT ON ALL PRODUCTS PURCHASED ON THE NIGHT

Tuesday 25th September: Distress-Style Markers
Create a stunning birthday/occasion card using Artiste’s Distress-Style Marker pens and experiment with some fabulous, unique new techniques.
(This workshop is great for beginners)

Tuesday 2nd October: Die-Cutting with Tatty Teddy
Using Tatty Teddy Christmas dies and layering, create a wonderfully effective card using some surprise supplies!
(This workshop is great for beginners)


Tuesday 9th October: Promarkers and Shaker Cards
Experiment with the wonderful world of Promarkers! Make a wonderfully simple, yet unique coloured shaker card.
(This workshop is great for beginners)


Tuesday 16th October: Marvellous Mica Powders!
The most wonderful crafting product I’ve ever seen! Create a stunning Christmas Card using these unique Perfect Pearls-style mica pigments.


Workshops run every Tuesday for 4 weeks, then 1 week off, and then begin again.
Sign up at www.anneandpauls.co.uk to receive email
 updates as new workshops are announced!

Look out for our new “Introduction to Cardmaking” Beginners Class next Thursday 20th September!

We will be covering a range of basic cardmaking tools, tips and techniques, as well as looking at some of the design principals.

Oh, and or course there's the wonderfully popular free £15 Anne and Paul's Goody Bag to take away at the end!!

Tuesday, 28 August 2012

Mica Powders!

These are just so fabulously gorgeous I just had to share a few quick piccies!


This is the Vintage Kit, containing Antique Green, Enchanted Green, Antique Blue, Antique Red, Black Pearl and Antique Gold.
The Flower is done by smudging Tim Holtz Embossing Ink onto a paper flower and brushing the Mica Powder over with the brush from the kit.

Hopefully you can see the sparkle! They're a beautiful, vibrant pearl finish. The Birdcage is a mix of Black Pearl and Antique Gold.

So shiny!!


Excuse the poor close ups! I wanted to show off the detail. The swirls and dots are done with a gluepen.







And that is how fab they look onto black cardstock! Stamped in clear ink, then brushed over the top.

I'll do a more detailed post on these soon! But they've only just arrived and I just had to share the prettiness!

RRP £13.99 for a kit including 6 powders, a brush, and a mini mister for setting and water techniques.


Sunday, 19 August 2012

An Introduction to Cardmaking - Beginner's Class - 20th Sept.

Due to the success of our previous Beginners Class, we are pleased to announce we'll be running another one!!

There will be a new goody bag, and different designs to make, so if you attended the previous Beginners Class, there will be something new to see!

Anne and Paul’s Workshops
An Introduction to Cardmaking
Special Beginners Introductory Class with TWO demonstrations!
A fabulous opportunity to try out this wonderful hobby in a friendly, relaxed atmosphere!”
£25 per class
FREE CHRISTMAS CARDMAKING GOODY BAG WORTH OVER £15 TO TAKE AWAY TO GET YOU STARTED WITH CARDMAKING!
Thursday 20th September
From 6.00pm - 9.00pm
At:
Anne & Paul’s Sew Simple, 94 Church Road
Ashford, Middlesex, TW15 2PL
01784 255 742
Come along and try your hand at Cardmaking for Christmas in a friendly and relaxed atmosphere! There will be demonstrations on more than one design, and we will be covering a few of the basic techniques used in Cardmaking!
Please call to reserve your place – only 10 spaces available
Or you’re welcome to pop into the shop to book!
DISCOUNT ON ANY PRODUCTS PURCHASED ON THE NIGHT
As well as the goody bag to take away, all tools and materials are provided to make 2-6 cards on the night