Thinking about a Maclaren…

Thinking about a Maclaren…

Hi there.

Thanks for popping in. On the way to the Chinese Shen Yun performance the other week, we drove past Maclaren Headquarters, Woking.

“Oooh! Look! There’s the Maclaren Headquarters!”

“Forget the cars! Look at the Silver Birches!!”

What a wonderful avenue of silver birches! And in the twilight hour, they just looked magnificent. Then yesterday, Dave and I were out walking, and came across a whole forest of them again. Absolutely glorious right now. The lilac haze atop the white legs is magical.

So I came home from work this evening and decided to pay a little tribute to – no, not the Maclaren (although I’m told it is a rather special kinda car) – no, no. This is a tribute to the delicate, the elegant, the mysterious Silver Birch. She will last a lot longer than a Maclaren, provided we take care of her. She probably does a lot more for the planet than a car, too….

I drew a silver birch stamp years ago, complete with wispy leaves, and found a very lovely blessing to match…

CLICK HERE TO INVESTIGATE

Here’s a quick how to:

Stamp the branches either side of a sheet of Clarity stencil card. Add the little leaves randomly in an archival blue

One trunk at a time, colour in with a Versamark PEN and add Detail clear embossing powder. Heat emboss from underneath, from behind.

Add some blue Artistry ink (water based) to the blending mat, and roll out onto a Speedball brayer. Add a large moon mask, then transfer the blue sky ink to the birch card. Roll off the blending mat – roll onto the card, until you like the depth of blue. Wipe the ink off the embossed birch trees, to make them white again.

Add a little Lilac artistry ink to the blending mat. 

Add a little Lilac ink to the blending mat. Spritz with water, lay a polybag over the top, squoosh around, remove the poly bag, then lay the birch card down onto the watery ink on the blending mat.

Once the card is dry, add more leafery, using the Archival blue ink pad again. Mount on white card. Then decide. What next?

What next? What would you add to the opening we have here. Please don’t say a picture of a Maclaren!!! Write down your idea below… What‘s it to be? Whimsy? Fairies? Hares? A poem? Where do the silver birches take you?

I thought we’d have a bloggy offer on the Silver Birch Stamp – just in case you fancy her. CLICK HERE. Great price – especially if you’re a Clarity Club member too! £19.99 down to £12.99 (plus 10-15% additional discount!). The leaves are really useful too…

I’ll announce the winner of last week’s competition tomorrow. Forgive me. Just hit a wall. Metaphorically speaking, you understand. Have to concentrate to read through all the entries! Will do it tomorrow….

Love & Hugs,

Barb xx (aka AUDI GIRL!)

31 thoughts on “Thinking about a Maclaren…

  1. This was one of the first stamps Mum took a shine to, so it’s in our collection of Clarity stamps that came ready mounted. (Does mean we don’t have the version, though, as the stamps used to be sold individually).
    Think it’s time we got that box of stamps down from the shelf for another play, have a go at our own version of this. Then we can decide what goes in the opening!

    1. Version? – That should read “verse” – don’t you just hate auto correct?! I caught its attempt to convert “shelf” into “Sheffield” but “verse” to “version” slipped through the net!

  2. That is truly beautiful and I’d add a sentiment. Nothing more it doesn’t need it. I’ll be taking advantage of that offer thank you for it lovely lady xx

  3. When someone says silver birch to me, it takes me to a camp fire, with guides years ago. Looking up the stars we’re twinkling and looking down, the flames of the campfire were flickering. We sang the song “Land of the silver birch
    Home of the beaver
    Where still the mighty moose
    Wanders at will
    Blue lake and rocky shore
    I will return once more
    Boom diddy boom boom, boom diddy boom boom, boom boom boom

    Swift as a silver fish
    Canoe of birch bark
    Thy mighty waterways
    Carry me forth
    Blue lake and rocky shore
    I will return once more
    Boom diddy boom boom, boom diddy boom boom, boom boom boom
    Boom diddy boom boom, boom diddy boom boom, boom boom boom”
    Happy memories x

  4. No probably about it Barb, she defo does far more for the planet than any car does! Beautiful artwork. Thanks for sharing. I would write “sanctuary” in the space. Defo would be for me, if I was lucky enough to be able to escape to the wilderness. Hope you’ve got your feet up now, chilling. Love you xxx

  5. I really wouldn’t add anything as the silver birches speak for themselves. We have a very tall silver birch in our garden which I grew from a tiny whip in a pot and planted out a few years ago. I look out of my first floor craft room window up at it and feel proud. Today it was full of great tits hanging on the thin branches in the sun. Just magical! Xx

  6. Have this stamp – oft used in backgrounds. Love it.
    Mind numb with pain at the moment so no poetry from me – sorry.
    🍒🍒🍒

  7. I would stamp a beautiful stag and the word ‘Always’ beautiful card, the silver birch is much better for the planet than a car no matter how fancy the car! I saw a report on the news about a footballer crashing his £170,000 sports car…he was fine, car wasn’t ! Xx

  8. I have three silver birches at the bottom of the garden and the trunks are so beautiful at this time of year. When they start to come into leaf, they are so delicate and perfect. I have used the bark that comes off to stamp on in the past. I must have a wander down the garden and see what I can recover right now. I feel some more experimenting coming on. xxx Maggie (Silvercrafter)

  9. The moonlight through the silver birch trees looks the ideal place to find the fairy wee folk.
    Having read the song above I now have the descant tune going through my head for the refrain. I seem to remember that we sang it in a round.

  10. Just a thought… Light shines in the darkness and the darkness cannot put it out. (Not very original but true!!

  11. I would have a barn owl flying across the moon. They look ghostly and ethereal when they fly in the twilight which would go with the silvery birch trees !

  12. That reminded me of a lovely photo I took of these trees. I went with my daughter and family on one of their many skiing holidays. When the children were little. Not sure which one, but the house they rented had these beautiful trees at the back. I lay down on my back and took the photo through the window , must look for it They are fabulous trees, wish I had one. I think I will have to get that stamp. Xxxx

  13. Beautiful stamps, lucky enough to have silver birch at the bottom of the garden…they’ve always fascinated me with their slender silver trunks. Ain’t nature a wonderful thing x

  14. Hello Barb, well what a lovely step by step, the stamp set is fabulous. I think a verse would be great, how about a die cut verse from one of the Fresh Cut dies, for example “Be still and listen, the Earth is singing”. I think I got that right without running upstairs to look. Whatever it is, it will add to and enhance the beautiful tree images. Take care all. Bx

  15. I have those stamps somewhere! Your artwork is just beautiful so I think it needs nothing more than a single word as a sentiment. Beauty. X

  16. Love these stamps, didn’t have the verse with them when I bought mine. I think the flying ducks would look good in the gap flying at an angle across the moon. Always wanted a silver birch tree in the garden.

  17. I live in Birchwood and am surrounded by – birch trees! I also play golf there and we have lots of them on the course. They stand out from the rest of the trees and look magnificent. I would add a couple of wee fairies and add the word “magical”.

  18. To me the silver birch tree stamp is like a Clarity trademark. A beautiful stamp. I would just place a single owl in flight.

  19. I think a sentiment like” Lets look after the trees as they look after us” .
    The world around us is changing so much and not always for the better

  20. Seeing your photo made me chuckle. It reminded me of driving past the MacLaren site many years ago with the children in the car. We pointed the site out to the kids saying that’s where the racing cars were made. My daughter looked very puzzled and said “How do they fit the cars in that tiny building?” She thought that the sign was the whole site as it looks a miniature building!! It still makes us laugh to this day!

  21. I would add the first line of a Walter de la Mare poem.
    ‘Slowly, silently, now the moon. ..’
    I have always loved that poem. X

  22. I would add a sentiment. It is so good to stand and observe nature, it somehow restores us.
    I would add:-
    ‘Be Still and Know……..’

  23. I would mask off all but the third line of the verse that comes with the set and stamp that in the opening in the upper sky. Below, I might add deer silhouettes in black. Beautiful as is, but always fun to think of other additions to any piece.

  24. How beautiful love trees. There was s something special about a diver birch though sure I have this set but not sure if not why did I not get it will have to. Little simple sentiment as beautiful as it is. Hope Chinese was good to xxx

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