Hi there! Thanks for popping in. Just spent a couple of very lovely, chatty, crafty, arty hours with a dear friend on Facetime. Many of you will know Sam Crowe from oop norf. To know her is to love her. It was great to catch up with her. She’s a smashing woman. Fun and crazy. Here we see here in action at the last Open Days in Ditton… When we get talking about art and projects, we could go on…
Hi there. Thanks for popping in. You know how sometimes you are making something, be it a card or a canvas, a doodle or a painting, and it hooks you, to the exclusion of everything else. It draws you in and you are completely oblivious to the world around you. You realise that it’s going to take a lot longer than you’ve got, that you’ve got a million other pressing things to do – but you can’t stop. You have…
Hi there, Thanks for popping in. You know how it is when you craft. Sometimes, you have a great idea, but it doesn’t work out at all as you imagined it, right? Then other times it doesn’t work out at all as you imagined it – but even better! Happy accidents we crafters call those occasions. I had one this morning, whilst prepping a little step by step for today’s blog. I was wanting to use Gold Wax… Out with…
Hi there Thanks for popping in. Monday’s blog is trees and flowers, right? So how about shedding a little light on a fabulous stencil of ours, called The Frameless Floral Forest … In fact, there’s another fab stencil design called the Frameless Floral Flourish (Say that when you’ve had a few sherberts!!) Here they are in a set, complete with their mini stencils too. CLICK HERE to investigate Out with the 8”x10” Gel Press and matching megamount . Set the…
Hi there, Thanks for popping in. Saturday’s blog a new technique, right? Well, this may actually be one of the oldest art techniques: Kintsugi Kintsugi is the Japanese art of putting broken pieces of pottery back together using gold. The idea behind this is that in embracing imperfections, you can create an even stronger, more beautiful piece of art. Dave came to me this morning with a broken pot. He’s got something special in the garage that he’s working on, it’s…
Hi there. Thanks for popping in. Been arty crafting all day here in the SHAC, and am all set and ready for the 9am HOCHANDA TV Show tomorrow, showcasing the new Doodleology Collection, designed by Cherry Green. These are just fabulous. I’ve prepped far more than I’ll ever be able to squeeze in in two hours (9am and 1pm), but the ideas just kept flowing – and you know how it is – just couldn’t stop! Here’s one of the…
Hi there. Thanks for popping in. Thought I’d shine a light on what we’re doing in the SHAC-Shack this week, and show you how well transferring our doodles to our Designer papers works…. I mentioned this morning that Stuart has put together a very cool Barb’s Faves Set and called it THE SHAC PACK!! It’s for those doodlers who want to dip their toe in this kind of artwork at a really good price! £10 for 50 sheet of 8×8…
Hi there Thanks for popping in. Been revving up for Mixed Media Friday this afternoon. Every last Friday of the month, we showcase arty, mixed media stamps and stencils on HOCHANDA. And at 9am and 1pm this coming Friday, wait till you see the new Mandala stamps that Tina Cox has designed for us. She calls them doodles – I call them masterpieces! Absolutely superb, they are. I cannot believe the detail of the patterns. These large images make for…
Hi there. Thanks for popping in. Many thanks for supporting our HOCHANDA TV shows yesterday. The Stamps and Stencils are among my absolute favourites. Here’s another easy step by step demo using the Tree and birds stencil which didn’t make the demo cut! Like I said, got carried away and made too many – even for a 2 hour show! Ready? This is pretty cool actually…. Place the stencil on an 8×10 Gelpress. Cover the whole stencil and the Gel…
Hi there. Thanks for popping in. Before I head off down the woodland path to clear the old head and blow away the cobwebs, I though I’d share what I’m currently working on: a fabulous pair of Mixed Media Woodland Stamp backgrounds. You know – those superb A5 Mixed Impressions stamps we make. Well, in keeping with our woodland doodles last week, here are 2 sets of fantastic woodland backgrounds to stamp and doodle into. Literally. It’s amazing what you…