It‘s a Toucan Double-take

It‘s a Toucan Double-take

Hi there.
Thanks for popping in. 
It was a long hot day in the van up here to North Yorkshire.
Sandwiched between Dave and Jayne, like a bratwurst in a bun.

We landed, caught up with our friends, had a good old chinwag and supper, made a plan for set-up tomorrow; 
then suddenly I remembered the blog!!!
Where does the time go?
Where does it go?
I hope you don’t mind, but I decided to go back to a year ago today, and see what I was up to then.
I was pleasantly surprised to see my two mates, the Toucans.
Love these birds!

So forgive me for copying and pasting last year’s blog, but sometimes it’s quite nice to look back and check how far we’ve come…

Ready?

Wednesday’s blog is something new,
so here’s a new super Toucan stamp from the weekend, 
and ….
Here’s my stash of cling film Claritycard which I made using Eggplant Adirondack and Peach Bellini Adirondack mostly….

Pick one and stamp the lovely Toucans in Black Adirondack.
At the bottom of this post, I will insert the Clarity YouTube I did a while back on the clingfilm technique – just in case you aren’t familiar with it.

 Allow to dry or heat emboss with detail clear embossing powder.
Then cover with the very very useful Toucan Mask.

Enter the large Gelli Plate 8″ x 10″
Really easy for loading colours bleeds  on your card.
It’s ideal if you place your Gelli Plate on the MegaMount to fit.
Here’s how:
Brayer Squeezed Lemonade Distress Pad yellow up one edge of the Gelli Plate.

Lay the card on the Gelli and the yellow will transfer.

Do the same with Ripe Persimmon

Dab the orange area with screwed up copy paper.

Here’s where the Gelli on the Mega Mount comes into play. 
Flip the Gelli plate on the mount so that you can see where you are lowering the pattern onto the artwork.
Brilliant for scrapbooking and journaling. 

Time to add a few leaves.
Ink, blot, blot.
I have used the same Persimmon colour, which is perfect, and Mowed Lawn, a super Green.
Somebody said yesterday how lovely and kooky the names of these pads are. I agree. They are really accurate, too.

 Stamp both sizes of the cheeseplant leaves
in the two different colours. 

Out with the Eggplant Adirondack.
We need some eggplant cheeseplants 
to balance out the cling film corner….

And now to colour in the Toucans!
Promarkers at the ready…
Better check what colours they are:
AMAZING. Absolutely, irrefutably unbelievable….
I wonder whether in the Toucan World, they have particularly gorgeous toucans. You know, like we have Beyoncé and Beckham, do you think they have celebrity toucans? So say one may be sitting on a perch minding his own business, and all the others suddenly start screeching “Oh my God!” (in Toucanspeak, of course) “Look who’s over there!!”

Ah well. That’s a questions we may well never be able to answer.

So while I am colouring in my two beauties, 
I am deciding who they are, 
whether they’ve got kids,
and if they are still happy together.

Well, the truth is, they have been together since they met, 
which is many years ago.
Toucans mate for life, you see.
They love each other very much, and they look after each other.
So the expression stamp Together
Together 
we
can
handle
anything
is actually very appropriate.

In fact, we humans could learn quite a lot from the way these beautiful birds behave towards one another.
When was the last time you heard about a Toucan invasion, or a Toucan referendum, or a Toucan massacre?
They live for 20 years on average, and their biggest enemy?
Yep, you guessed it: humans.
Let me add a little cleverness….

See what I’ve done?

Throw a shadow underneath the letters with a Promarker and its add on fine nib.

Mmm.. Purple or Orange? Orange or Purple?
You decide.
Lots of love,

38 thoughts on “It‘s a Toucan Double-take

  1. Hi Barbara Dave and team the toucans are beautiful and bright we are very lucky you can blog each day or at all your so dedicated and I for one appreciate that ,have a good nights rest .
    I received my groovi boarders today and would like to say a big thank you to you and your clarity towers team lots of crafting hugs xxx

    1. Morning Sheila, what a light weight owlett I am! I was asleep before Barbara posted yesterday. It is very strange taking the dog for a walk and not having my cat following along behind. People who see her usually say it looks like I'm taking both for a walk. 🙁

  2. It's lovely to revisit pre-loved samples and techniques, especially as you move on so fast, as the reminders are helpful and appreciated.
    I hope your northern exploits go really well and that you both get a chance to relax too. Carol

  3. You night hawk! Trying to get in my bed but had to have my "fix" of Gray. Lovely card and yes, I agree with the words – 46 years married! Medal on the way.
    I diversify – you are clairvoyant – I received my Clarity Design stamp today and read about making presents. I have made several book marks – getting better each time and creating not copying. Also just put together a basket of home-grown pink flowers for a work colleagues birthday. How lovely to make things for others – give not receive. Now working on one for my best craft" inspirationer" ever – wonder who that could be and what could I make her?
    Well, will sleep on that my friend.
    Best wishes and lots of love – weekend ahoy!
    Anne (Reading)

  4. lovely toucans, must give this a go. I got my NDC envelope today, love the stencil and couldn't believe there are still spaces for the open days – I always assumed they would be all booked up in advance! So H2B phoned Clarity and booked me a space for Sunday. I am beyond excited!!!! Never been to a open day, won't know anyone, and it's a long drive from Scotland (will need to leave about 5am), but despite these apprehensions, I can't wait!!! See you on Sunday!!

    1. You'll have a great time, I went to Crowborough in June not knowing anyone, but soon got chatting with people. Got lots of tips, and compared notes – it was lovely and very friendly, I loved it. Enjoy!

    2. That's great, Ruth. How lovely of your H2B to buy the tickets. I'll be there on Sunday and so will lots of others. You'll have an amazing time and you're bound to get to know lots of new friends. I'm looking forward to meeting up with people that I first met last year and have developed a friendship through Facebook since. You'd best warn your H2B that you may come back with an empty purse though. Hopefully we'll meet up but if not have a lovely time. Jeanette x

  5. Really glad you had a safe (if rather squashed) journey up. Hope the setting up goes well for you tomorrow. Love the toucans, you've reminded me that I have them and should get them out to play. What beautiful birds. Was lovely to revisit your blog. Hope you sleep well and I'll see you on Sunday. I'm really looking forward to my day out, it was such a fantastic atmosphere last year. Best wishes, Jeanette xx

  6. Hi Barbara
    I'm glad to hear you have arrived safe and sound, even though you were a tad warm! ( don't forget a couple of weeks ago we were complaining how cold it was thus summer! Funny lot aren't we!!!). Good luck with your plan of action tomorrow. How lovely to see these toucans again and to see how far we have come in a year. Now they would be a spectrum noir colour in, possibly on a Groovi backdrop? Thank you for the reminder. Oh and I think it was me who mentioned the quirky names of the ink pads because you made me smile when you mentioned it on your blog! Yep still think they have lovely names! Have a good nights sleep and do find somewhere comfy for Dave to sit and 'supervise' tomorrow! Love Diane xxx

  7. Really glad that you posted tonight. I was missing it so I decided to go back to the first blog on your site and started to work my way through. How strange that you would do a repost tonight. Know all the ladies will have a great time with you. Wish I was there but live in Canada. Have a great weekend.

  8. These toucans are gorgeous Barbara and I love the bright colours here and all the different layers with the cling film technique and stamping and then finished with that perfect sentiment. I hope you find the set up goes smoothly tomorrow and that you have a good weekend. x

  9. I love looking back you do so many great technics it's great to be reminded of different ones we may have forgotten they are a beautiful pair of birds. Have a fantastic weekend with old and new friends look forward to hearing all about it xxx

  10. I have no problem with looking back at all – its good to look back – dig out an older stamp/stencil and remind us what to do with them!!
    The verse was rather apt don't you think Barbara!!!
    Have a blooming super weekend watch that neck and have a ball. Sorry I can't drive up but have the lovely ladies at Nottingham to look after whilst Saz is with you then a trip to London on Sunday to see my mum who had a knee replacement done 2 weeks ago – would have loved to come up to the open days on Sunday but other things have to come first – sorry xx
    Much love
    Kim x

  11. Hello Barb, thanks for the brilliant reminder, it was actually this original blog post that prompted me to buy the Toucan stamps, and to make a get well card for a friend using these techniques. Have a great weekend, hoping to see some shared pics. Take care. Bx

  12. Liebe Barbara, Deine Vidoes sind der Knaller – besonders die kreativen Pausen liebe ich sehr, denn ich lache so gern! Natürlich sind die Tricks AUCH toll, aber am Tollsten ist die Art, WIE Du sie vermittelst. Und ich lerne englisch dabei – allerdings nicht gut genug, um englisch zu schreiben …..
    Hab ein gutes Wochenende und mach bloß weiter so wunderbare Videos, pass mal auf hahahaha!
    Liebe Grüße von Annelotte

  13. Wow! I think I was in bed and asleep before you posted yesterday! Great stamps and I really love the background. I have tried it a couple of times will have to dig out my attempts to use them. Have a fantastic time this weekend. Xx

  14. Lovely to look back, I'd forgotten this one and remember how much I liked it and wanted to do this one. I feel a challenge coming on, I like the idea of trying to build a scrap book of my version of all your blog posts. I do frequently have a go but not consistently and don't bring them together in one place. So when back off holiday in a couple of weeks, I am going to have a go. I got some great really reasonable scrapbooks from Hobbycraft that are just crying to be filled. It will be my inspiration book. Have a fab weekend in Catterick, one and all, sorry I can't make, it would love to be there. Karen xxx

  15. Hi Barb,
    I don't mind you reposting! I think it's lovely to look back especially when it's to something as lovely as this. Love the toucan stamps, they are such lovely birds. Glad you had a safe journey up here to the North East – even the sun came out to welcome you! I'm really looking forward to seeing you and the team on Saturday – I loved last year's so much ,I had to come back again this year – it would have been rude not too!!might not be able to stay all day though unfortunately as my Dave had an operation on his hand yesterday and it would have to be his right one! So far he seems to be a good patient and wants to do things for himself when he can so hopefully should be ok. Love Alison xxx

  16. Good morning Barb-Ara,

    should be funny but no one in Britain will understand it. (Ara is german and means macaw in english.) I know these are toucans not macaws ;-))

    A wonderful card… Love the background.
    Thanks for posting the video once more.
    As I try the clingfilm trick once I wasn´t really happy with it. I´ll try it again now.

    Rolf xxx

  17. Hello Barbara

    No complaints from me about reposting. It is good to be reminded about techniques.

    Have an enjoyable time oop norf, family commitments stop me from being there. Oh well, perhaps next year.

    Love
    Roz.x

  18. Playing catch up today – had to have an early night yesterday as I have a nasty cold and full house, so no time to be sick sadly. Not only did I miss your post, but also a fabulous aurora over Inverness – one day I will get to see it!!! Love the background, and a great story about the toucans. Enjoy your open days, and wish I could be with you. Susan x (Hi Brenda – hope to see you back here soon. We're all thinking of you xxx)

  19. I love these Toucans – and seeing these made me think I need to sort through all the clarity boxes and get some more folders to put all my older stamps into. It's so much easier to just turn pages to choose what to use rather than having to open all the boxes 🙂
    I think I'll change my FB cover photo with one of my pieces of artwork using these. The Toucan cards certainly proved to be popular when I had my sales here at work!
    Hope the open days are a lot of fun. Take it easy xxx

  20. We have just been laughing at a pigeon in our front garden, he landed on the bird bath and there was no water in it. We usually keep it topped up, so he just sat there looking at the kitchen window until I took some out. He was soon back after I got back in the house. Good idea to remind us of past blogs, so many to choose from now. Hope all goes well at Catterick wish I could visit but at least I have a get together with crafty friends tomorrow. xx

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