So sorry I’m late….had an important date.

So sorry I’m late….had an important date.

Hi there!
Thanks for stopping by.
So sorry I’m late tonight!
Did some priority sorting today,
and spent the day with my parents, which was lovely.
Wurka and Hollick were locked in the garden shed; 
didn’t even get to ride in the boot.
Mum and I went off for a spot of lunch and shopping.
Then back to Dad with the cake and fresh cream!
So please excuse me for cheating a little.
I am simply going to take the blog 
which I did for our German speaking friends today, 
and translate it!
Ready?
Cut a piece of Gelli Card down a bit 
and cover it with a selection of Dye based inks/Distress Pads,
 using Clarity brushes and blending tools

Use a white Brilliance pad through Jo’s Bubbles Stencil
to create lovely white circles,

randomly, all over.
Different size circles, overlapping is great.

Add a few dots with a white pen too.
Very lovely background this!
So what to use…

Cherry Blossom branch in Black Archival.

Add the beautiful little tits.
It’s OK. It’s nearly 10pm. Way past the watershed !!!

This background is a very fresh take on the Bokeh technique 
which folks are raving about lately.
Jo’s Stencil is excellent to use as a mask 
for this faux photographic illusion; 
in fact it was Jo who put me onto it!
Dankeschön Jo!!

I think we need the little flock of birds in the background, 
to add depth, don’t you?

The Spectrum Noir Pencils work beautifully 
on top of the dried ink and Brilliance pad.

See how their waxy opacity defines the colours of the individual elements despite an undercoat of a completely contrasting colour?
And if you think I said that in German too, 
you really do over-estimate me!!!!
These pencils really are super.

Drag the Brilliance pad around the edges.

 Add black card in the background.
This will make the stamped images jump out.

The subtle white circles really create an almost magical feel…

Mount on white, and we’re done.

I do hope you like that one!
There’s a Spring Cleaning Sale going on over at 
Webshop Clarity this weekend :
www.claritystamp.co.uk
every little helps, as they say.
There’s 20% (30% for Clarity Club Members) 
off pretty much everything.
In fact, I have just gone over and had a look.
Ink Pads, stencils, stamps the lot!
They really did take me literally at Clarity Towers, 
when I said I wanted to have a Celebration Sale this weekend!
Better go see if Dave is still awake.
He’s definitely feeling very second hand.

51 thoughts on “So sorry I’m late….had an important date.

  1. Oh wow! This has completely blown me away Barbara – how magical would that technique be with your fairytale castle stamp!!! Glad you had a great day with your parents, and hope that Dave progresses from second hand to well loved by tomorrow, Susan x

  2. OK Barbara! That's lovely! I liked it when I saw it on your German blog…..even better second time round!
    Glad you had a good day with your parents!!!
    Hope Dave is getting lots of rest and will soon be feeling better! Xxx

  3. I'm glad you managed to lock Wurka and Hollick in the shed so you could spend some time with your Mum I hope you both enjoyed your lunch. I'm sure your dad enjoyed his cream cakes too.
    This is a lovely fresh and cheerful card and that background is awesome
    Jackie x

  4. Hi Barb,
    This is fabulous and one that I will definitely be having a go at. Love it! I bet the Germans did as well. I hope that sounds correct. Also wanted to say a big thank you for the extremely generous sale – brilliant! Hope Dave is on the road to recovery. Love Alison xxx

  5. I saw this on Facebook earlier and hoped you would repeat it for us. Glad you have, thanks Barbara. Hope Dave feels a little better and that you enjoyed time with your parents. What a sale on Clarity. Must do an order over the weekend. It's like Christmas in February.x

  6. Wow lovely bright and the beautiful blue tits one I will be trying . What a sale weekend glad you had a great day with your mum and then dad better give Dave bit extra TLC know hope his feeling bit better xxx

  7. I'm glad you could enjoy some time with your family. I love the card, especially the white circles against the colourful background. Lovely parcel of stencils and stamps arrived today, but seeing the sale I'm sure I'll be back for more.
    Your blog, and the comments, are doing wonders for my almost forgotten German. Best wishes to Dave.

  8. Nice technique, I was also hoping that you would translate it. I like that Bokeh technique. Gotta try it one day. Glad you had some R&R, and locked those pests in the shed. Have a lovely weekend. Off to check out the sale.

  9. You are always worth waiting for. English or German your ideas keep us inspired. Glad you had some time off today and spent it with your parents. Now I have to prioritse with everything 30% off what to choose? xx Margaret col.

  10. Stunning, beautiful card. Will give this a try as i love rhe effect. Used this stencil today for a birthday card, wanted gold circles so rubbed my Pebeo guilding wax through, looked so shiny. Hope Dave is enjoying having his nurse back. Xx

  11. Wonderful. I have been looking at the Bokeh technique and this definitely looks a good way of getting similar effect. Hope Dave is improving and glad you enjoyed time with parents. xx

  12. Hi Barbara This is a beautiful background and your tits work so well on it with the cherry blossom (oh Matron steady on!) . Sounds like you have had a lovely day with your mum and dad, they must be so pleased to see you after being away, being poorly and finally getting your awards. Hope Dave starts to improve over the weekend, did he leave any of that chicken soup in the freezer? Thank you for the great offers in the sale, not sure how to get that one past hubby! Take care. Love Diane xxx

  13. Ooooo loverly artwork, I've just bought Jo's bubbles stencil so I can have a go at the bokeh technique. Thanks for the generous sale too.

    Very pleased to read you've taken time out with loved ones. Hope Dave is on the mend x

  14. Love it, so pretty. I will be trying this one methinks. I really need to go to sleep now, so I will check out the sale tomorrow. No, that would be Sunday. I mean later today, when I've had some zzzzzzzz!

  15. Lovely effect Barbara. I am going to miss seeing Clarity at Glasgow this year so thank you for the sale so that I can get my 'fix'. Hope Dave is on the mend and that you are doing okay too. I was away for 3 days and got back to hubby and son down with a virus, I am sleeping on couch so I don't get it as my immune system is already shot due to Thyroid treatment…looking for an extra long grabber stick to hand in drinks etc to them!!!

  16. Hi Barbara. Beautiful card today. We don't mind what you share with us, especially after hearing you have spent time with your Mum and Dad : ) Wishing Dave a speedy recovery. Take care

  17. Hello Barb, what a lovely card, really must give this a go, as I have the bubble stencil, but will have to use a different stamp. Glad you had a nice day with your Mum and Dad and hope Dave gets better soon. Will have to go have a little look around the website. Have a great day. Bx

  18. So pleased you had a lovely day with your Mum and Dad ~ parents must come first!
    I like Bokeh effect ~ apparently I have been doing it for years with my photography but didn't know it! Thank you for the sale ~ off to increase my equity now ~~~Deb

  19. Brilliant, Wonderful
    Looks great as always and one to achieve one day soon, as love these birds
    Hope Dave feeling better,men always get things worse than us ladies!!!! know what I mean
    Don't you overdo things as you do not want to go back down with it, take care

  20. Brilliant, Wonderful
    Looks great as always and one to achieve one day soon, as love these birds
    Hope Dave feeling better,men always get things worse than us ladies!!!! know what I mean
    Don't you overdo things as you do not want to go back down with it, take care

  21. This is such a great fun technique and love the bright colours you have used Barbara and the prettily coloured bird and blossom go so well. That Brilliance ink is such a wonderful opaque white too. Glad you set work aside to have a nice day with your parents and hope Dave soon starts to feel better x

  22. This was worth my wait . I love it and am waiting for the stencil to arrive . I even have those colors . We are also waiting for Spring it been ice and snow and very cold . Suppose to warm up today . Yeh . .

  23. Hi Barbara, you don't need to be sorry for posting late. I was worried that you had maybe relapsed from over doing it, but now knowing it's because you had a day of r&r, that's great, glad you had a good time with your mum and dad. I'm happy you chose to give us this demo, it's brilliant, looks beautiful, just perfect in all ways, thank you.

    Had to google what the technique was! Like someone else on here said, I too have been taking photos using this technique for years, not knowing it had a name nor even that it was a technique!!! I just take what I see and what is pleasing to me :-). I had a worker for a wee bit several years ago who had a degree in photography. She used to come and get all excited pointing out things in my photos and giving me names of techniques I've supposedly achieved and trying to explain what they were, all just went totally over the top of my head!!!! She used to say I was doing naturally what people go to uni for 4 years to learn to do and even then often struggle to make it look natural. She even went away with a couple of my photos for her walls! I don't think my photos are anything special, I literally just take what I see and playing around, when I get the chance. I think everyone must be able to do just like me, because I've got no knowledge, have learned nothing about photography, don't use filters, settings etc. other than the camera specific settings and mostly I ignore them too. I've been told not to try to learn as I could lose what I do naturally. It's funny how to some people something is just natural and normal, and to others they strive, sometimes their whole life, to be, achieve etc. Like this worker saying she was jealous of me because she spent all these years learning to do what my brain can do naturally, and she still struggled to make hers look natural. For me, I see all you guys, and most of the world, doing all your social stuff, just knowing the rules and knowing what to do and say, it's just natural to you guys, it was already there in your brains to be built on. Me, that bit is missing, and even trying so hard to learn for many years it's still a huge struggle and I still can only do it on a basic level and can still get even that wrong. And what marvels me even more is the code you all talk in, you all use a special code system, again that your brains just knew, it was already there. And what amazes me so much about it is that most of the time you all know what each other is saying, don't even have to think about it or try to work it out! For me, I'm totally lost, only being able to interpret literally and having to literally consciously think about everything said to me and everything I say back, it often ends up going so wrong, even with the people that are trying to talk to me without using the code system! it's not so bad when it just makes no sense to me, as then I can ask for more words instead of responding inappropriately!!!! Then there's your natural ability to skim read, that I have never been able to do, get the gist of something – totally baffles me. I do find it fascinating – when I'm not in the middle of it!!!!

    Hope Dave is starting to feel better
    Love Brenda xx
    p.s. thank you so much for very generous sale

  24. Glad you are feeling better you can hear it in your 'voice'! All the best to Dave, hope he is on the mend now. Wonderful! Love this it's amazing what some ink and a few circles can do, stunning effect. Dithered about that bubbles stencil in my order yesterday and then did nt buy! Might just need to go for it after all and the white Inkpad

  25. The artwork is fantastic. I love it. Now who can I make one for? Sneaking your idea again – what else would I do but sneak an idea from the best, not completely plagiarise of course. What a naughty Barbara Gray fan I am becoming in my old age.

  26. Beautiful artwork Barbara, I love that you go back to stamps we already have and give them a whole new lease of life with yet another fabulous technique. Thanks for sharing so much of what should be your own personal time. I hope you feel the love and gratitude of your followers, you really do make us feel as if we are your own best friends, thank you so very much xx

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