An old new trick…written on the A1 in a jam.

An old new trick…written on the A1 in a jam.

It’s round midnight, there has been yet another big accident up the road, so my trip to the TV studios is not going very well. 2 hours later, and we haven’t moved an inch. I overheard a truck driver outside just tell his mate we’re here till at least 4am. And all I can say is God help the poor souls at the front of this chaos. If I am a bit tired on telly tomorrow, I’m a bit tired is all. So let’s be constructive! I have to use what I have with me on my Ipad, so this is it …
Saturday’s blog a new technique…well, when you have been stamping and crafting for over 20 years, there comes a point when the old tricks from the last century become new again, so I am very happy to say that this is an old new trick! Back in the early 90’s, when I first invented see through stamps, I drew a series of flowers, and this fuchsia was one of that collection. It was the little bud which worked the magic, because being transparent, one was able to position it cleverly. Now at the time, this was pretty revolutionary! Now of course, transparent stamps are everywhere, and the little fuchsia has been languishing, forlorn, but not forgotten. Months ago, my Mum said “Whatever happened to those beautiful flowers you drew years ago?” So out they came, and do you know what? Sometimes the old ones are the best ones!
I shall be demonstrating this technique on TV on Sunday morning, but I have decided to give you a visual step by step, too. Not everybody watches the Box, you know! And at this rate, I may not even get there!!!!

All you need is
The large Fuchsia and bud
May Flowers blessing
Square White Card (I use the gelli plate Card)
The Round Aperture Stencil
Pencil
Bottle Adirondack ink pad
Wild Plum Adirondack ink pad
Black Archival ink pad
Green and Fuchsia colouring pencils
Position the round Aperture stencil on the square 7″x7″ card. Perfect fit. Draw a faint circle with a pencil.
Stamp the large fuchsia along the pencil line. I inked the stalk in Green and the flower in pink.
Cut out a postit mask of the fuchsia.
Stamp the message in Archival black into the circle.
Cover up the fuchsia with the mask.
Start stamping the little bud in bottle green at intervals around the pencil line.
Now go back filling in the gaps with the same green bud, but blot each time on scrap paper first.
Colour in the buds and the fuchsia with colouring pencils. Lovely and soft.
Layer up on pink and mount on an 8″x 8″ white square card.
Hope you like it! Making a wreath by following a pencil line. What can be simpler?

67 thoughts on “An old new trick…written on the A1 in a jam.

  1. Loved this little insight to your world Barbara, me being the nosey person I am . Hope you get a baker to move closer to you sometime, meanwhile it's keep on trucking .! X

  2. Wonderful! What a mess!! Oh I'd live to spend a day or two in there! My goodness, who knows what treasures you may find (like Jim for instance! – hullo Jim!). Thank you for the insight! X

  3. Ooh, thanks for the tour. Just showed your photo to my other half & now he thinks my craft room is super tidy…creativity & tidyness do not make for condussive living! Met Dave at SECC & he was lovely. I'm sure he'd drive 4 miles to get you a croissant in the morning x

  4. How fabulous to see Clarity towers and like Amanda I'd love to spend a day there with you all!
    You have a Dave…I have a Colin. Where would we be without them ay Barb? X

  5. Morning to you all. I love Jim ' s watch. You can't beat a good Casio! Dave looks smashing too – we all need a rock with a smile. I am enjoying my porridge. This, along with a painkiller, will help to get me going. Busy day ahead. Ali x

  6. Morning Barbara you still there. Wow by the looks of it, should be a great show. Super mess, wonderful basket. Don't you dare go walking. Someone who work there must pass the baker on this way in and would pick up breakfast. Say hi to Jim, he is a treasure and Dave is priceless. Lol.

  7. brilliant room of productivity. my like that you need so much out when doing have safe trip will give a wave from st. neots as you pass see you inclass room Dave is fantastic and Jim x

  8. Morning Clarity Towers. Great to see what the place looks like. Love your basket, and what it means to you. I hope you don't go off and lead your other life for a good while yet, we'd miss you so much. Looking forward to seeing you at the NEC next week.

  9. Love it, a nice big workroom ,cannot wait ti Sat /Sun ,and have set the recorder , love the basket ,but you cannot go to France we need you to stay here ,he he

  10. I've only just discovered your Blog Barbara, what a treat for me!! I really enjoy your monthly newsletter, so being able to read your posts every day will be an added bonus. Thank you for the pics of your 'creative cave' and its great to put faces to the names of your right hand men as we hear about them so much on your shows. Keep up the great work but make sure you get some down time for yourself too! x

  11. Hello Barb!
    Just found your blog via email!
    What a lovely surprise!
    I did belong to the club but money seems to be in short supply now that I have retired! ….
    But I still have the inclination for craft lol!
    Lovely read, and I smile at your humour Barbara Gray!
    LoveMarg

  12. Brilliant blog Barbara. Love it. I don't want to put any pressure on you but I really do think you should write a book. Your newsletters are fabulous and are looked forward to as much as the stamp.

  13. I am lucky enough to have my craft room to withdraw to as well but why is it we crafters give ourself this place to Craft yet we only leave ourselves 6×6 to work at, on the work surface ?? never have known the answer .Say Hi to All at Clarity Towers .You do a Brilliant job xx

  14. Thanks for sharing your craft space with us, I don't feel so bad about my craft space now :-). It's great to meet Jim and see Dave again. Looking forward to the Clarity weekend and seeing you at the NEC. Thanks so much for a truly great blog. Crafty hugs, Angela xx

  15. Lovely to have a peek into Clarity Towers, and good to see you keeping up with us crafters in the busy/untidy/chaotic craft areas. Lovely to put a face to a name in Jim, come on Jim smile please, you have such a lovely face a smile would light up the picture. And Barbara, what can one say about your Dave, have met him now a couple of times at Essex Workshop, he is certainly kind, helpful and caring. Every girl needs a Dave. I've got one too but his name is Tony. Story behind basket to is lovely. Keep the memories fresh and who knows one day that life will be yours again. But being selfish not for a while yet full time anyways . God bless you Barbara and all at Clarity Towers. xxx

  16. Herzlichen Dank für diese privaten Einblicke liebe Barbara!
    Freu mich schon ganz riesig, wenn Du wieder bei HSE auf Sendung bist!!!
    Einen schönen Feiertag wünscht Dir Eva

  17. This really made me grin from ear to ear. Love it Barbara, and love your Blogs, you really know what blogging is about in my opinion! I am going to copy the 1st picture and pin it to my Craft Room Door and when Paul or a member of my family say "look at the state of your craft room" I will point to the picture and say "look, this is the craft room of a genius"!!! Sam xxx

  18. Wow, what a surprise Barbara……I thought that it would have been tidy and organised and I am so glad it's not as this shows us "Crafters" just how much work and creative energy you put into bringing us the fantastic stamps and products that keep us so happy. Thank you and the whole Team at Clarity Towers for the amazing work and effort that you all put in for all of us xxx

  19. Loved the Peek into your world, glad we Crafters work in a Similar state of Creative Maddness lol, now my Dear Hubby can't say a word, as he knows how highly I think of you & your work. Met Dave at SECC such a nice man, I'm very happy for you. Love the French bag & what it means to you, my best friend retired to France ,& I'd love to live there too, going to get Croissant 's in the morning , that's the life eh. Xxx thanks , Ju

  20. love seeing these photos, hope you don't give up your current life for one in France, would miss you and your creations. Hi to Dave and Jim too x

  21. Good evening Barbra just found your blog it's fabulous. I do admire you and was lucky to meet you in Exeter Thanks for sharing its nice to see were you do your creating. Looking forward to the weekend shows I will have to record them as I am working. But may be able to have a snecky peep on my phone. Take care. Debra x

  22. The fuchisa stamp is delightful, this I know. But I believe I have a ways to go before I can create such a beautiful card Barbara. Your hints, tips and step by step instruction help me so much, every step of the way. Thank you xx

  23. What a lovely card, fuchsia's are one of my favourite flowers, so much so I bought the small fuchsia second hand recently! I hope you will be selling the buds and large fuchsia separately on the Clarity site so I can have them as well 🙂

  24. Good morning, I am sorry you had such a difficult journey. I think this technique is awesome, what a clever way to make such a lively card. Nice job. I would love to see how to do the mirror image technique. Loving your blog, today was truly a labor of love. Thanks. Hope you got a little rest, bless your heart.

  25. Hi Barbara
    Hope you have arrived safe and sound. Looking forward to this weekend's show. Recorder set so I can watch again and again!. Thanks for this idea today.May try the same idea with a poinsettia stamp for Christmas cards.x.

  26. Hello Barbara, I have just found your blog and have to say how I enjoy your shows on Create and craft, I have lots of then recorded and look back at them for tips. Love the card you have made its so pretty. Hope you were not to long in the traffic and arrived safe, Recorder set for the weekend shows. Lilian

  27. Hope it was'nt 4am and you got there at a reasonable time to get Some….Enough sleep . Look forward to the show tomorrow, and Sunday. Take care xxx
    Love this set will be another one to go onto the list. xxxx

  28. The fuchsia card is beautiful! Hope you had some sleep and that today you get to rest up after the show! What a nightmare for you! Watching later! X

  29. Barbara this is stunning! Your mum is right (aren't they always!) the fuchsia is beautiful. Hope you manage to get some sleep before your busy day, I'm sorry to have to miss both days as life just doesn't allow me to fit everything in. I really hope Santa brings me a recording device! x

  30. its horrid when you are stuck cause you never know why!! u can sometimes be stuck for a while then all of a sudden there isnt anything to know why and you are through ,that happens a lot on our travels to shows in summer . !! hope it wasn't to bad . love the fuchsia its a lovely stamp ,think i need it is it still available xx

  31. Beautiful card and step by step you're right sometimes the old ones are the best, so pleased you revisited this one… guess what I'm off to order it and I guess a few others will to just on the back of this lovely blog post xxxx

  32. Morning Barbara. Phew what a time you're having of it! And those other poor people who were in the accident. Barbara. One of the things (and there are many) that I like about you is that, although you are an international celebrity for your stamps, artwork, demos, inspirations, lessons and humour, you still show us your human side. Just like us life send you trials and tribulations and you never cover up when things go wrong you just honestly tell us what happened and start all over again. You're such a nice, nice human being. x

  33. Oh what a beautiful fuchsia card they are one of my favourite flowers might have to add those stamps to my collection teehee … hope all is well now and you are safe at Peterborough was hoping to come shopping there tomorrow but as is usual my plans are scuppered while everyone else does what they want seems the rest of my family can have a life but me no … At least I can watch the show today 🙂 have a great one xxxxx

  34. Hello Barbara, this is just too beautiful, simple yet so stunning, hope your journey turned out good in the end….Your skills are just so mind boggling, it is never ending, cannot keep up with you….xx

  35. Beautiful card Barbara, Fuschias are my favourite flower my garden is full of them. I try to find them with names of my family!! Sorry you were stuck in traffic, really looking forward to your shows this weekend. Such talent x

  36. Hi Barbara, hope you managed to get some sleep. Recording the show to watch later, when all my jobs are done. Love the Fuschia card, might just have to get the stamp. See you next week at the NEC. X

  37. Beautiful card Barbara. Watched your show this morning and it was brilliant as usual – no sign of your late night. Can't wait for tomorrow's shows – hopefully you'll have a better night's sleep!
    Lesley

  38. I ordered these fuchsia and gerbera stamps last night as I could see how gorgeous they would be and now that I see your lovely card I am very glad that I did. Fab classroom as always. Thank you for all the inspiration. Your blogs are a real treat too xx

  39. Oh what a trip at least you got there safe and sound. I love the card looks easy but I bet it's not. I would like those stamps so pretty. Had a snecky peek at your show while at work loved the trees. Will have to have a peek again in the morning as at work. I am there now. I hope you have a good nights sleep Barbara. I will email the show in the hope to win one of your masterpieces if there's one up for grabs. Debra

  40. An absolutely beautiful card, more stamps I need to order now! haha I love your way of looking at a stamp and creating such a masterpiece! I don't have great inspirational thinking, but your blog does help me with techniques and the bravery of trying something new.

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