HAPPY NEW IDEA

HAPPY NEW IDEA

Hi there

Thanks for popping in. Snow here today. Just a light sprinkling. When I was a kid and it started to snow, my Mum would always tell me that God’s housekeeper, Frau Holle, was shaking out the featherbeds, the eiderdowns.

“Frau Holle shüttelt die Betten aus.”

Isn’t that a lovely notion? Stayed with me all my life. As soon as I see a slight flurry of snow in the air, Frau Holle is busy again.

On Sunday we showcased a lovely, refreshing new set of Alphabet Stamps, which proved very popular! They are lovely and easy to use too. Here’s a step by step tutorial which I did on the day: a little mobile for a little girl’s 1st birthday.

FRONT

BACK

So let’s take a closer look, and break it down, to show you how to lay out the letters and get good balance.

I used our Stampboard, which is great for this kind of mobile, or dangly art!

First thing though, make a rough draft on a piece of copy paper. Draw around the largest round stampboard and position the letters as you want to see them. I sketched them in with pencil first, to help centering.

  • Lay the stamp board disc on top of the draft, so you can see the two lines either side which you stamped along in rough.
  • Lightly pencil those same lines into place.
  • Mount the letters you want to use on mini mounts and stamp away. I used Black Archival ink for the outline. TOP TIP: Start in the centre with the middle letter. A here.

You can use your draft as a guide too.

There’s a fabulous little set of extra stamps too. Use a few of these little elements to add interest, and also help create overall balance

Next we will tackle the back of the mobile. You can stamp on the back of the same disc too, of course. Or you can take a second disc, and sandwich ribbon between the two when you stick the backs together.

Either way, let‘s do a rough draft first. Here’s where we need the matching numbers stamp set. I drew around the smaller stampboard circle in the centre, to help with stamping in a round.

Note to self: turn the date round the right way at the bottom!

  • Starting with the 1st, start stamping around the circle. You can see that the inner guideline is not at the base of the stamps, rather higher in fact.
  • When you start on the date at the base, start writing with the tops to the top!
  • Add more little elements from that cool little stampset again.

Now for colour. I used Pergaliner pencils.

Add a dropshadow on the letters with a grey pencil. We sell a set of 12 Polychromos. Brilliant additional set to the perga liners! Greys, ivory, gold, silver, sky blue, light rose beige – really useful.

Makes such a difference!

Then sandwich the ribbon between the two discs with double-sided adhesive strips.

All done. Very simple. Very lovely as a little keepsake.

As promised, we are travelling gently through January. Instead of price driven, pile it high, flog it cheap sales, we are taking the softer path, with tutorial led special bloggy offers. This is one of them.

Tomorrow, Grace is posting a beautiful Groovi bloggy tutorial by Josie Davidson, over on the Clarity Matters Blog. Be sure to check that out !

If you fancy a look at all the special prices on products used in the project, then click HERE

Stay safe,

Love and Hugs

Barb xxx

14 thoughts on “HAPPY NEW IDEA

  1. Just love these stamps, so had to pop over and order them had already bought the Groovi plates the other day but as my husband gave me an IOU for Christmas for £40 and I can see so many uses for them I just had to go for it! Love your mums saying about the snow too! Stay safe xx

  2. Loved this when you showed on tv and love the way you have broken it down looks so lovely will be giving this a try xx great idea for the blight tutorials thank you so much for all you are doing xx
    What a lovely way of thinking about snow will remember that now xx

  3. Loved this on Sunday when you made it so ordered the stamps as I can make them for my youngest 2 granddaughters who will be 1 & 2 in June & will go with the Christmas ones I made them. I might paint a twig white & set in a pot of plaster to hang them on to create a memory tree !!
    Looking forward to more of these projects & will pop over to see what Grace & Josie have lined up for us tomorrow on claritymatters.

  4. I love the old sayings, especially when they are passed down the generations to create a lasting legacy.
    The mobile is also a lovely keepsake. Beautiful artwork. Hugs. Annette X

    1. Thank you. I ordered all on Sunday and looking forward to trying, love the tutorial, when I was young a million years ago when it thundered my mum used to say it was God changing furniture around take care, stay safe, your helping my recuperation so much thank you all xx

  5. Hi Barbara this is a gorgeous project. I love those stamps. I for one if I see how something is used I am much more likely to buy it. So tutorial led sales are such a good idea. Have a great evening. Take care. Hugs Jackie

  6. Love this alphabet and hope it will be in my basket when my son has time to do the shopping for me.
    Love writing letters and doing calligraphy!
    When we were young my sister and I, and there was thunder and lightning-my mum always said… Vrouw Holle is beating on her pot to call her husband to come home for dinner.
    Take care and enjoy Frau Holle!
    Lots of love, Trijntje Huppel

  7. this is beautiful, and the tutorials are a brilliant idea! We’re travelling well, not just gently 😍 Take care and stay safe xx

  8. Thank you so much Barbara. Frau Holle is very familiar to me too. It is so good to hear your stories about your mother as they remind me of my own mother, grandmothers and my life in Germany before my parents decided to emigrate to Canada when I was 10, taking myself and my sister. I’m trying to be patient waiting for your new stamps to drop through my letterbox. Thank you very much for all you do for us Barbara. It touches our lives in so many ways.

  9. Hello Barb, love the notion of Frau Holle. This project with the stampboard is so pretty. Love the thought of the offers linked to tutorials. Take care and stay safe everyone. Bx

  10. Absolutely love this and will be purchasing and having a go. So pretty.
    I’ve already ordered the Happy stamp. Can’t wait to get going.

    Thank you again
    XX

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