A quickie step by step and a birthday wish xx

A quickie step by step and a birthday wish xx

Hi there,
Thanks for popping in.
Hope you are enjoying your Sunday?
Had a quick coffee with Paul this morning, 
made a plan for next week, (yikes)
and then got back to cleaning and packing Groovi Plates!
I have set myself 400 daily. Every little helps.
Dave has been at work baking them all weekend too.
Sometimes, the only way to get the job done is to do it. 
So to today’s step by step.
It’s from last week’s TV shows.
I had wanted to get arty and get my Gel printing plate 
out this afternoon; I have had an idea and want to try it out.
But the other Baby plates are calling !!!

So here’s a little stampy step by step offering,
using our ever popular Letterbox Set
which now includes masks.

A5 Theuvacard is fab for this. 
Decide which word or name you want to spell out.
Then decide whether you want to go landscape or portrait.
This will depend largely (literally) on the length of your word!

Stamp out the right number of boxes using Black Archival,
 and mask them off.

Out with the Wee Trees.
These are wonderful.
Pick and mount a selection,
then stamp them across the boxes, like a little landscape.
1st and 2nd generation ink for black and grey respectively. 
Use a make-up sponge to smear the black ink on the masks 
down below the masks, like a drop-shadow.

Use a ruler and a black Micron Pen 
to draw to straight lines across the card, like so:

Add a large Moon mask and then load one of our Clarity Stencil Brushes with a nice blue ink.
I went for Stonewashed. Great blue.
Dust lightly back and forth across the sky area.

When you remove the masks, this is what you get:

Now for the birds on the wire.
This is an old trick I showed you how to do years ago, 
when we used to have the Classrooms on TV, remember?
Really easy, but do it on scrap first.
Draw a little heart and black it in. 
Give the heart a little head, and black it in.
Tiny flick for the beak and two flicks for the tail.
Perfection.

Now add all his mates.
These little birds always make me smile when I draw them.
I’ll revisit the old boat trick next week, too…

Now for the words: F R I E N D S
The little birds on the wire tie it in now.

Nice and simple.

Squiggle lines randomly around the picture with the black pen.

Colour in the overlap areas in blues and greys.

Have I got a finished card?
Nope.
We gave it to our friends Debby and Gill on Friday evening.
They are emigrating to warmer climes, to Texas.
On Tuesday!!!
BIG MOVE!!!
I shall miss them muchly. Already do.
I love them, I love spending time with them and I love their energy.

But hey! Texas isn’t a million miles away!
It’s just not up the road is all. 
And this is when Facetime, Skype and Facebook are Godsends!
How did we deal with the distance before ???
And ultimately, if they are happy, then I am happy. 

So I hope you will join me in wishing them 
a safe trip and Happy days.

One more thing:
It’s Debby’s birthday today too!
Can we all sing HAPPY BIRTHDAY together?
And how about clapping along with Pharrell?
That always make me happy when I’m feeling blue. 

Ready?

love & hugs.

99 thoughts on “A quickie step by step and a birthday wish xx

  1. You certainly know how to make a girl happy, have never posted comment before although I have followed your blog since day 1 and adore your work, more please

  2. Happy Birthday, Debby! And I hope your new life in Texas with Gill is happy too! I read recently that some enterprising person was bottling fresh air and selling it to the Chinese in the smog-filled cities (seriously). Maybe you could bottle some of that lovely Texan sunshine and send it back to us? We need all the help we can get. 🙂

  3. Happy Birthday Debby and all the best in your new life.
    Barbara, I've just tried doing the birds and it worked. Great tip. I love the green and blue card too with the white resist. I shall try it with the wee folk. Enjoy your Gelli session when you get to it. Carol

  4. Have a very Happy Birthday Debby, and I am sure Gill and you will have a ball in Texas. Hope the rest of your Sunday goes well Barb, and that Dave and you can have a relaxing evening…hugs. XX

  5. I had forgotten all about the little birds. Thanks for the reminder. Happy Birthday to Debbie and a happy new home. Barbara I don't know how you and Dave manage everything, such energy.

  6. Happy birthday lovely Debby. Safe journey and many happy years and adventures together. Fabulous project Barb and I am sure it will have pride of place in their new home. Xxxxx

  7. Hi Barbara
    Those Wee Trees are so useful. I like small stamps (I like ALL STAMPS) especially Clarity Stamps. This Is why I am always broke!!! I use the lovely "Count your days " for all sorts of occasions. Only 7 days to your next Hochanda shows. Where does the time go?
    Hugs from Chris X

  8. Happy Birthday Debby, have fun in Texas. XX

    Great demo, I really love these simple ones with only one colour and crisp black stamping. Always stand out. Hope your 400 get done quickly! XX

  9. Really love this tutorial and I'm defo going to try it once I obtain the wee tree set. ( on my wish list) happy birthday Debby have a good day. I was at my sisters silver wedding lunch but couldn't eat so much as a bit fell off my front tooth and left a gaping hole 😱 So it's dentist tomorrow for me . Ah well worse things happen at sea xx

    1. Hello to you all. I hope you too are having a good day.
      I've been crafting but this time it went in the bin! As Barbara says..it's only a piece of card. So I'll try again..and succeed later! xx

    2. Evening, been busy crafting so that always makes me happy. I love the stamp in my diamond envelope, already ordered the masks to match. Have you seen the new baby plates on the website? I found them and had to have the square and circle ones! Xx

    3. Hi Donna, I found them this morning too but also found some lovely big plates I had overlooked but saw Paul using them yesterday age craft show. Hope you have had a good day playing, I had to catch up with washing and food shopping today but I'm sure som play time will be sorted for tomorrow xxx

    4. Evening Donna late tonight. No craft for me today, been out to lunch then visited my Niece & family. Late tea then caught up on some TV programmes. Nice relaxing day. Hope you have too.xx

    5. Hi Morag I crafted last night for the challenge but mine ended up in the bin as well. Probably won't be in time for this month's now. Better luck next time. Hope you've had a good day.xx

  10. Happy birthday Debby and wishing you and Gill all the very best in your new life, love this demo, Barbara, your birds on a wire are fab and I be used them loads, although not recently so must do so again. We always comment when out and about on the number of birds there are sitting on wires! My husband always says there are Barbara's birds!
    Love the simplicity of this and may do it for my grandson's birthday, he s only 6 but loves to see his name, shame you can t package all those plates up I d happily help! Bit far away X X X

  11. Hi Barb,
    Happy Birthday Debby, I hope you and Gill are very happy with your new life in Texas – enjoy xx
    Love this card especially the simplicity of it. I remember doing the birds (& the boats) after you showed us how to do them a few years ago.mi was chuffed to bits that I actually managed to do them! Hope you and Dave haven't worked all day and that you have a very pleasant evening. Love Alison xxx

  12. Lovely step by step Barbara – good luck to your dear friends as they set off on the next phase of their journey together. I'm sure they will miss you and Dave too. Having an evening off tonight, so just going to watch your recorded shows from last week and put my feet up. Susan x

  13. Hi Barbara, I'm loving this, the techniques are fabulous, I must try these little birds.

    Happy Birthday, Debby, and here's hoping your trip to Texas is fabulous, you lucky, lucky, person – enjoy !!
    Lots of love from Patricia xx

  14. Hi Barbara. Great 'step by step' demo and it has reminded me to order a set of masks for the Letterbox kit (bought it in the early days prior to masks) then I will attempt to recreate your lovely card but first I must dance around the room to 'Happy' it always make me smile. Xx
    Happy Birthday Debby and Bon Voyage to you and Gill!

  15. Happy birthday dear Denby and good luck to you and Gill on your relocation to Texas, hope all goes well.

    Great pictorial today, enjoyed watched this demo on the box x

  16. Great demo, card , stamps , and music .
    Pharrell attended high school,about 15 minutes from where I live . Didn't know him then but this song has filled so many with happy ,happy happy

  17. They will love being there. Spent a few years in Texas; my favourite place on earth is down at Brazos Bend Wetlands, roughly an hour from Houston, walking amongst the wildlife of birds, otters, wild pigs and at this time of year, WAIT FOR IT, tiptoeing through the alligators, all basking on the walkways, the greatest viewing count being 43 on our walk around one of the lakes – Fabbbbb! But then there was the bayou wildlife viewed from our apartment (another tale), Bear Park with the trees cocooned with spider webs at a certain time of year oh and not forgetting the lovely lady Helene at White Buffalo – she sold fab jewellery. Isn't it lovely to reminisce!! ;~}

    1. Debby,
      Craft places are abound. Within half an hour from outer base in Houston, I had four Michael's, two Jo Anne's and two 'Texas Art and Crafts,' all of which offer different things. San Antonio was also a gem. You'll have a ball. Saw Katie Amelia supporting Il Divo up at the Woodlands -another fab 'do' as we Scots would say. So many other things I loved about the place. Best wishes on your move. ;~}

  18. Firstly – Good Luck, safe journey to Debby and Gill – distance is but a number – with the power of the internet it will seem they are still just down the road – and you can visit them when out in the states!
    The card is lovely Barbara xx

    Much love

    Kim

  19. Hi Barbara great step by step from the shows love that your blogging them not got the letter box set yet but I think it will be soon I really loved the other demo to with you and Leonie's picture.
    Happy Birthday Debby, may all you and Gills dreams come true.
    Love Dot.xx

  20. Happy birthday safe journey .love the letter box kit so versatile .
    Had a happy day today clearing out the boxes in the craft room .just need to sort the desk draws and folders in the filing cabinets happy days xxx

    1. Evening Sheila, I'm late tonight, had a relaxing day. You are doing really well with your craft room, sounds lovely. You must be nearly at the end by now. You've seen all th he New plates for the groovi then, so tempting, my list grows by the minute but want to save some to get at Ally Pally if I'm up to going that is.

  21. Lovely. I do remember you showing how to draw the birds, I promptly showed my granddaughter as well. Happy Birthday Debbie and I hope your move goes well. A big decision to make. xx

  22. Happy birthday Debbie may you both settle I your new home quickly and safe flight Tuesday I had forgotten about how to make the tiny birds reminded me of the boat you showed us think was a S shape must have ago again thanks Barbara hope your finished the cleaning of groovi' so for tonight xxx

  23. Wow thanks you posted my card which is packed in my bad for Texas… 62 young today, YEEHAW. Love you. Thanks. I love this blog…wow. You are so awesome, we miss you already as you say. Xxx

  24. I am overwhelmed by the Clarity blog community, so many kind words and good wishes. Good thing for the blog to connect us over the 5000 miles. I love Clarity and Barb you rock? Thanks

  25. Hi Barbara
    A lovely card and had a little practice at the birds very clever,thank you Barbara a great little trick will use this in the future for sure.
    Happy Birthday Debbie hope your move is stress free and enjoy your journey together.

  26. I'm a bit late tonight. I hope you had a great day Debby and I wish you both well in you new adventure in Texas. Remember to keep us up to date on the blog.
    I love this classic Barbara card. I had a lovely afternoon in the back room with David Bowie doing groovi, I completely lost track of time, bliss.

  27. Hi Barbara, I actually managed to watch most of your shows, loved all the demos, thank you for posting them on your blog too. I definitely need to sit one day very soon and look through your website to work out my want/need list, get back on track. I had forgotten about your wee birds until you showed it on telly the other day, I used to be quite good at them first time around, must find a reason to make some more! Can't remember the boat one, but can't see how I missed it when I watched and recorded all your TV shows from day 1! Look forward to seeing you show us again.

    Happy birthday Debby. And very well done to you and Gill for finding the courage to make such a huge move. I admire you both for it. I hope your new life in Texas is even better than you hope it will be.

    Ok, gas pipe upgrade, to cut a very long story short, after cutting the floor away, making a big mess of sawdust and dust from front door to back door, they decided the pipework didn't need upgraded after all. Tried to leave saying it's all done and will be free of charge. From what I can deduce the very first guy and his boss have totally messed up and turned a simple thing that happens to boilers and is part of why they need serviced into this much bigger problem that isn't a problem for my boiler! None of it from start to finish makes any sense! Gone through all that these past 4 weeks or so for nothing! And causing my health to suffer greatly too! So me not doing so good right now. But you could say the boiler saga is at an end, hopefully, but not the outcome any of us was expecting!!!!

    Glad to see you back Dot, I was getting a bit worried about you being AWOL. Cuddles back

    love Brenda xx

    1. Evening ma wee pal never thought I would ever miss a computer they had me umpteen times pulling oot plugs and going into settings on the telly and the router thingy our the phone well a wis up ti high doe, and you know what it was an outside problem the man was in the hoose 2 mins and oot in the connections outside for 5 sorted Numpty's jist like yir gas guys am thinking, but glad you've no got anymore hassle I hope yi can relax now hopefully..Love Dot xx

    2. Evening Brenda, so glad for you that the boiler saga is at last sorted. It's such a shame they messed you about. Hope now it's over you will get stronger and start to feel better. Try and do some Groovi it'll help you to relax.xxx

  28. Hi Barbara
    I loved this when I saw it on HOCHANDA this week, it's great to have a reminder of the little birds too. So a huge thank you. Isn't it good to have a card for a friend you can send, just because, rather than just for a birthday. I hope you and Dave have managed a walk in the sunshine today – 400 a day on the plates is quite a lot!!
    Happy birthday Debby, I hope it's been a good one. Safe journey and happy adventures to you and Gill, let us know how you are getting on through the blog.
    Take care
    Love Diane xxx

    1. Hi Diane, late tonight. Hope you've had a good day. Mines been really nice, lunch out then visiting my Niece and family. No time for crafting though. Have you done any? The new plates look great don't they. The baby Groovi ones are on my list among other things.xxx

  29. Late happy birthday wishes to you Debbie, hope you've had a good day. All the very best to you and Gill for your new life in Texas.
    Thank you Barbara for your reminder for creating the birds on the wire, I did it a few times but then forgot about them. Glad you're going to remind us how to do the boat. Really liked this card so must try it when I've ordered the masks. Hope you and Dave managed to finish your work early so that you could have a relaxing evening.

  30. I love the way you put this together with the words and the trees and birds and just a little colour. I will definitely give those birds on the wire a try soon! What a great card to give Debby for her birthday. Happy Birthday Debby and hope you and Gill enjoy your new life in Texas! Hope you and Dave got through all that groovi-ing to give yourselves a little time to relax this evening. x

  31. Lovely picture Barbara as always, especially the little birds. Sorry but happy that you are busy with Groovi plates, wish I was nearer to give you a hand packing plates. I'm really looking forward to the next Groovi chapter and can't wait to improve my parchmentwork by following in your footsteps.

    Happy birthday Debby and good luck to you and Gill in your new home in Texas xxx

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