Friends Forever

Friends Forever

Hi there!
Thanks for stopping by.
Stuck in traffic on the M25, trying to get to the studios for American TV shows this evening.
Oh the power of The Cloud! 
Mmm.mambulance just flew past. Some poor soul is having a bad day up the road.
So I thought I would chat to you and sort my blog out at the same time.
I am hoping to do this project on the TV tonight, 
so it will serve me well to go over it again anyway!
Ready? 
Letterbox Stamp kit at the ready, and decide what you want to say.
Friends Forever, methinks…
Starting in the centre, work out which letterbox combination you need.
Black Archival and stamp the boxes into place on Gelli Card.
If you want keep the boxes tight together, then you may need to mask off the centre ones.
Mount the letters and add them.
Now doesn’t that look lovely!
But then I had an idea!
Decided to split the letters up…
Play it again Sam!
Like I’ve got enough time on my hands to start over!
Ah well. Now I have one for Ron. 
Later on.
Mask off the letters with the masks enclosed.
If you have got the stamps but not the masks, you can get them separately too.
Add the two little blue tits from the Garden Bird stamp set.
They come with masks too.
Trim the card.
Add a moon/sun, and add some blue skies,
Tear a piece of copy paper and make some hills in the background,
Using Willow Green and another brush.
Looking lovely…
Unmask and check it out. Pretty. 
Now I think a darker vignette would look good, 
so out with the Clarity Blending Mat and mini blending tool
Work your way round the edges with Antique Linen.
There are two small cherry blossom twigs in the Blossom Branches Set
I think they will look good in the background.
Now it’s time to tie up the bunting in the branches.
A black Micron pen will do the trick.
How about a splash of colour?
In the Letterbox set, there is a solid box stamp
This is perfect for instant colouring AND glazing.
Pick some bright spring colours, like
Peacock Feathers.
Notice that I use second Generation ink.
So I blot the colour once first.
Ink, blot, plot! Remember?
Colour in the birdies with Spectrum Noir pencils
We have a very good offer on the full set.
Couple more hills at the bottom, and we are nearly done.
I added an edge with the chisel edge of a Denim Promarker.
 
Mount on a white 8″x 8″ card, sit back,
and think of a good friend
Who would really enjoy this artwork.
I bet they appreciate that you took time to make them something.
Just for them.
You see?
You got a kick out of making them a special piece of artwork,
And they get a kick out of knowing you think they’re worth your effort.
Making cards for others. 
It’s a win-win.
Still on the wrong side of the Dartford Tunnel.
Good job we gave ourselves 7 hours to get there!
Blimey.  I could have made a couple of cards in that time!

Much love,

57 thoughts on “Friends Forever

  1. Hi Barbara, stunning piece of artwork. I am really enjoying the letterbox stamps at the moment. Having great fun with them. Have a safe journey. Kind regards Joanne K x

  2. Lovely card, Barbara! I love all three sets of stamps you have used today. The letterbox set is so handy and a delight to use, as are all of your products.

    Safe journey to the studio and back home xxx

  3. Stunning Barbara anyone would love to receive this card I have this set of stamps and the letterbox kit they are so versatile to use safe journey out and back xxx

  4. That's a beauty Barbara and one that could be adapted for many occasions. Thank you. I've got all those gorgeous stamps too, so will be having fun with those… Safe travel on this beautiful day. Gill x

  5. Good luck!
    I love this card so much i may have to give this a try later. Making me smile just thinking about that prospect!
    Oh, I meant to pop back onto yesterday's blog to let you know about #colourtogether. Instead I've tweeted the link to @claritybarb. You might find it interesting to look at the gallery of last month's design. Some amazing work & such variety (I'm still working on mine)

  6. I love the letterbox stamps (well actually I love them all) but I couldn't see where you were going today and thought you placed them really odd. When I got further down and you added the black line of course it all became clear. With the lovely colours added it makes a really cheerful card. Hope you eventually got there safely and that the show went well.

  7. Hi Barbara, love this artwork, thank you for sharing :-). My smile grew bigger and bigger the further I read your blog. And another piece in the jigsaw towards helping me to think outside the box, have artistic license, something I've been trying unsuccessfully for several years to grasp, be able to do for myself. So thank you for that too :-). Today's chores done and sitting in my craft room in the sun, enjoying the last day of this lovely weather. Going to get a wee bit food, something I can forget to do until I start getting jittery, and then I'm trying to cram in my equivalent of lunch and dinner into a few hours!!! So it's actually lunch I'm off to have, but in my defence, breakfast is later than most folks!!!! Then I'm going to tackle a wee bit craft, a boring bit that I've been trying to catch up on before starting anything new. Hopefully by the time I get proper caught up, my arm will be well enough to use a brayer and my sewing machine 🙂

    It must be really frustrating sat waiting in traffic when you have so much you could be doing but at least you've got no option but to rest 😉 That's one positive for being housebound, no queuing!!! I hope you've got there by now safe and not too frazzled. My numpty head, I've forgotten how many hours USA is behind us, for knowing what time to watch your shows on my laptop, can someone tell me please? Thank you.

    Love Brenda xx

    1. I think I've worked it out, I think Barbara is on USA Create and Craft at 9pm and 3am – I certainly hope I've got the 3am one wrong for your sakes Barbara and Dave! xx

    2. I was telling Nicola I'd signed myself up to something but I hadn't a clue what! She asked what you were saying so I said it's mindfulness, and colouring in. She knows what that is and thinks it could be just what I need right now. She said I'm probably not going to understand what you are meaning until you start telling us to do things, because of my Asperger's and not being able to grasp concepts that aren't concrete things. She seemed happy about it and thinks you are a very clever lady 🙂 She's going to read what you wrote yesterday and see if she can help me understand it any, and if not, at least she'll know what you are up to for any extra help I'll need when you start doing it. Don't know whether to feel relieved or more scared!!! xx

    3. Glad your chat with Nicola went well, definitely think you should be relieved and I'm sure whatever Barbara has in mind will be great for everyone! Don't know about the shows but will have to see if I can find them on the web. Hope the sun made it to you today. Xx

    4. Thank you Donna. It was a beautiful day today and I tried to make the most of it in my craft room as it's about to get wet and cold here from tomorrow! It was really good to see Nicola, a friendly caring face, and we got the damaged pots oiled with a plan to give them another coat in a few weeks time. I watched Barbara's first show (they are on the .com instead of .co.uk website, you'll be able to watch them on catch up), brilliant demos and sample art, thank you Barbara. The hard bit is not being able to record it for future reference. And when I've tried note taking in the past, I can never work out what my notes meant!!!! Bet you feel like it's been ages since you were in America, but at least only one more day and then it's the weekend. Night night xx

  8. Thank you for the lovely comments….We have arrived safe and sound in T.V. Land.. Barb and I will be here for while now. It's gonna be long one …….x

  9. Hi Barbara your card is gorgeous I love the little birds they really add to the design. I do like hoe you build up to the final image. I hope that you are there by now. It is so frustrating sitting in traffic. Take care. Hugs Jackie

  10. Oh dear traffic is so dull! Glad to hear you arrived safely. This card is stunning, love the whole thing. Good luck with your American shows. Hope you had a chance to enjoy the afternoon sunshine. Xx

  11. Hello Barbara

    Sorry to hear you have been/still are stuck on the road. At least you have allowed yourselves enough time.

    Love the picture. Never thought of using the blank square for adding colour, only used them for glazing!

    What time will you be on the television? I will try and catch it on the computer.

    Love
    Roz.x

  12. This is a great piece of art and something a good friend is sure to appreciate.
    I hope you are on your way again now and not still sat the wrong side of the river.
    Jackie x

  13. Lovely card, and glad to know that you arrived safely for your TV show. Must find some time to craft tomorrow, as my baby nephew is 30 at the weekend, and as yet there is no card!!! Off to Tai Chi now, so best becalm myself in readiness… Susan x

  14. Lovely. Hope you finally got moving on the M25 and that no-one was badly injured if there was an accident. Motorways are brilliant for getting us somewhere fast but very scary at times. xx

  15. Such a beautiful card and the colours really made me smile…it is such a good feeling making cards for friends….and any of your friends would be proud to recieve this one…hope the rest of your journey and the TV show went well….hugs…xxxx

  16. Hi Barbara

    What a fantastic card. Looks easy if I follow your instruction. I do have someone in mind that would appreciate this lovely card………..so will try it out!

    Lol Barbara W

  17. Hi Barb,
    Fabulous. Really beautiful and as I have all of these stamps ,one that I can have a go at. Love the new letterbox set as well as this one too. Hope you arrived safely and weren't too frazzled. Love Alison xx

  18. Hi Barbara
    Dartford tunnel, my husbands favourite place! You either fly through or wait for hours and pay for the privalage as he says! Glad to hear you arrived safe and sound – I hope Dave was driving as you blogged though, that's taking multitasking too far! Lol.
    Love this artwork today, I do love my letterbox kit and the way you have put the colours in looks wonderful. Thank you for sharing. I hope your shows go well tonight and Dave manages to get some shut eye whilst you perform.
    Take care and safe journey home.
    Love Diane xxx

  19. Hi Barbara, what a lovely, pretty card. Thanks for reminding me that I can colour in the letterbox set. You've made yours so colourful.
    I hope you've arrived in time for your show. We were also caught up in the same traffic as we were at Dartford trying to get on the A2. I think the delay was simply caused by the restructuring at the Dartford Toll booths and traffic from the A2, M25, M20 and local area were all converging and queueing to get through. It should be clear when you come back. Ssfe journey xxx

  20. I do hope you have been done the shows and safely back home by now! LOL. i am only just getting round to checking in having missed the past few days. Needless to say I am glad that I have checked in and not jumped forward to today's post as I would of missed this beautiful and colourful card. I would of also missed the opportunity to ask if there are any tips regarding getting the fill in stamp into the outy stamp. I love my daisies but cannot use the two together as I just can't seem to get them lined up correctly.

  21. Very pretty card and the coloured letters are so attractive. You've certainly had your share of traffic holdups of late. I hope the blogging and crafty thoughts keep the frustration at bay.

  22. This is so very pretty Barbara and I love the colours you have used. The tits are beautiful and the scenery and trees with blossom go perfectly. I also love the letter boxes too coloured using second generation ink which gives a much more subtle look. Hope you arrived at your destination in plenty of time. How frustrating to be stuck like that! x

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