Bird Tag

Hello and welcome to the IndigoBlu Blog!   It’s my, Kay M, turn to share a project with you today, and I’ll be using one of the fabulous new stencils- the humming bird in flight.

This tag uses a technique I used recently with Luscious Powders and GrafixArts Double Tack adhesive sheet, it gives a lovely soft look effect with added sparkle!

 Place an burnish Double Tack on white GrafixArts chipboard and cut out a tag shape (8cm x 16cm) and an eyelet reinforcer, peel off the backings.

Tap clear embossing ink over the bird stencil and place that side down onto the exposed sticky sheet and lightly press so it just makes contact.    

Brush the Luscious powders, I used Teal, Poseidon Blue, Mermaid Tresses, Lawn and also Fizzy Pop for the beak and feet, one at a time into the cut out areas on the stencil.  Black glitter was used for the eye.  Bush off the excess and peel off the stencil.

Take care as the sticky surface will attract stray powders and dust! 

Add Luscious powders to the eyelet and then place this onto the tag.   Work Porcelain Luscious powder all over the tag and remove excess with a soft brush.

  On 2.5cm x 4.5cm piece of white chipboard adhere Double Tack and peel off the backing.   Stamp with your choice of sentiment ( used one from Victorian Garden) with Archival ink directly onto the adhesive. 

Brush Porcelain Luscious over the text and one of the colours around the edges.  

  To finish the tag, apply dark blue pen to all the raw edges then attach the sentiment and tie the ribbon through the hole and trim.   

I do hope you enjoyed this way of using the fabulous Luscious powders, it would work with all the IndigoBlu stencils and other Luscious powders.

Take care,  Kay M

Round up of News from IndigoBlu

Hello to you.

Over the last few months we have had quite a number of exciting things happening at IndigoBlu and I wanted to make sure everyone has had a chance to catch up or at least read about it here.

Kay and Alfie have been out and about with their Dirty Weekend on Tours having lots of Fun and Crafting along the way meeting lots of their lovely customers as well as making new friends. Whilst Kay runs the workshops with help from Lou, Alfie takes care of the Pop Up Craft Shop, which by the way is open to the public as well as to the Workshop folk so if you can't make the whole weekend you can still visit them for a crafty shop.

The Coventry Dirty Weekend is on this Weekend at the Holiday Inn Coventry M6 Jct2 for 2 Fabulous Full Day Mixed Media Workshops led by Kay Halliwell-Sutton. There may still be places if you're interested!

Kay and Alfie are sorting out Venues for next year so if you have ideas of where you would like them to visiot please let them know by leaving your comments on the FB pages or Kays own FB page.

You may also have seen IndigoBlu out and about at the various Craft Shows over the last couple of months. Create it Show, Happy Stampers, and at the Dome in Doncaster where Kay did a live Hochanda show with lots of lovely techniques using the Mega Flakes.

As some of you may already know, Lou Withers has now joined Kay doing some of the IndigoBlu shows on Hochanda.

Lou's first show was to bring us some fabulous New Junk and Disorderly Paint Colours, and beautiful Red Rubber Stamp sets that are IndigoBlu!  (as we all know Lou loves her paints), these were Ugly Duckling, Duck Egg and IndigoBlu and we watched some super demos on how to used these paints for painting, stamping, mixing colours together and of course using them on fabric and Rice Paper.

Lou then went on the do her 2nd show on the 8th June at 12pm & 4pm (which you can still catch on line at Hochanda for another week) with Brand New Luscious Pigment Powders, Dragon's Blood, Mermaid Tresses and Unicorn Dreams and some stunning Stencils. These work beautifully in so many ways. Brush them over images that have been stamped with VersaMark or better still IB Flitter Glu, mix them with a little water and you have a paint, mix up a little on your glass mat or similar and press your stamp into it  then stamped images on your card, Rice paper etc,  mixed them with Fabric Slap-it-on for a Luscious shimmer paint for designs on materials.

The IndigoBlu DT have been showcasing some brilliant projects over the ;last few months from samples for the Hochanda shows to Blog Tutorials and videos. 

Did you see the Blog Hop for Fathers Day? Well if not you can check it out here. Don't forget you can still claim a 20% discount off some of the stamps we used up until Sunday 17th. These stamps can be used all year round for Male themed cards so please don't miss out on this Discount. Shop online here.

We really love to hear back from anyone who loves IndigoBlu as much as we do so Julie Atkinson and I, together with Kay are trying to get the "I Love IndigoBlu" Unofficial Facebook Page going again. Kay has very kindly has offered to sponser Giveaways and Challenges in the hopes this will spark peoples interest again. The First Giveaway we have running is on the FB page, (Kay is giving away 3 of the New Ladies 8" canvas panels plus one she has painted herself) now so if you would like to Enter all we are asking you to do is to join I Love IndigoBlu group, invite a friend and share one of your own IB creations with us. You need to hurry though, it ends this weekend!

Kay and Lou have more Hochanda shows coming up over the next half of the year with lots of Gorgeous, eye popping products and I should know as I have seen and am working on samples as we speak for the shows! I'm just going to leave you now with that little teaser now.

Thanks for stopping by and having a read and

have yourself a great weekend, whatever you may be doing.

Have fun and Happy Crafting.

Sue xx

Bumble Bee Themed Flip Top Note Pad with Mike Deakin

Hi Guys,

It's Mike here with my DT project for June. As the sun has been shining and I see many honey and bumble bees in my garden buzzing around the lilac and hydrangeas I thought I'd capture the essence of early summer by creating a small A6 sized flip top notepad using the Collector's Edition No9 Bumblebee stamp.

As I normally do - I captured the whole creation process of making the journal on video for you to watch and if you're feeling summery, have a go at making one for yourself!

Click the YouTube link below.

Products used in this project can be found below:

Collector's Edition No9 Bumblebee

Collector's Edition No2 French Script

Flitter Glue

Phat Foam

Scoochy

Chocolate Box Gilding Flake

Here are a few close-up pics of the Bumble Bee NotePad.

Floral Fantasy Box

Good Morning,

Hope you're all enjoying the good weather we've being having recently. 

Today I'm sharing a project I made some time ago using the Fantasy Floral stamps. The Buddleia is a gorgeous flower that attracts butterflies and this is why it's commonly known as the Butterfly Bush. 

Materials

MDF box

Indigoblu Stamps - Floral Fantasy, Rugged Edge

Stazon Black & Vibrant Violet

IndigoBlu acrylic paint - Lime Marmalade, Coastal Walk, Wimberry Pie, Aladdin 

IndigoBlu Stencils - Laurel Leaves & Texture

IndigoBlu White Gesso

IndigoBlu fine paste

IndigoBlu Slap-it-on Gloss

IndigoBlu Diamond glaze

IndigoBlu stamping card

Seed beads

 

Divide an A4 card into 4 sections to create the background for the sides of the box and paint with the

Lime Marmalade, Coastal Walk and Wimberry Pie. 

Apply white Gesso with a palette knife to create texture and lines and add Lime Marmalade through the Texture stencil. 

Stamp the butterflies and the lilac flower in Violet and Black. Create circles using the top of a water mister bottle dipped in white Gesso. Cut each section into 92mmx36mm for the box side and 92mmx19mm for the lid side.

Create another background (94mmx94mm) for the lid of the box using the same colours as before and stamp the lilac flower in Black. Stamp an additional flower using Wimberry Pie, cut out and decoupage the main image. Apply fine paste through the leaves and circle Texture stencil. 

Use Slap It On to adhere beads randomly to the lilac flower. Stamp a border to the lid background with the Rugged Edge Stamp. Stamp two small butterflies one in Violet and the other Black and paint with Wimberry Pie and Aladdin. Cut out and adhere to the box lid.

Using Slap It On adhere all the backgrounds to the sides of the box and lid. Randomly apply Korma Crackle. Once its dry paint the inside of the box with Aladdin and stamp a butterfly using white Gesso to the inside of the base and lid. Finally apply Diamond Glaze to the top of the box to encase the beads and give it a gloss finish.

Thank you for stopping by and please do leave a comment. It's great to hear from you.

Happy Crafting

Carolyn

x

Dirty Weekend- With IndigoBlu on Tour

Hello there, I thought I would write a post about the IndigoBlu Dirty weekends as I have had a lot of people asking me about them and thought sharing the Information would help those of you who are still deciding.

We have received so much positive feedback from customers about the workshops I have asked two of the ladies to write about their experiences which you can read further down the page.

The dates for the remaining 2 day workshops are:-

Coventry 16th & 17th June 2018 (Holiday Inn Coventry M6 J20)

Edinburgh 14th & 15th July 2018 (Holiday Inn Edinburgh City West)

Maidstone 15th & 16th September 2018 (Holiday Inn Maidstone-Sevenoaks)

Exeter 17th & 18th November 2018 (Jurys Inn Exeter)

The workshops are led by Kay Halliwell-sutton and help from her best friend Lou Withers from 10am-5pm each day with a break at lunchtime (Please provide your own lunches).

All Materials will be supplied within the cost. 

Kay will be showing you how to decorate your very own Canvas with lots of techniques, hints and tips on how to build up the layers of the face and the surrounding images. 

There will be more but I don't want to spoil that surprise!

All you need to bring with you is the following: 

Apron, 1 cm Paint Brush, Blending Tool, Heat tool, Pair of Strong Scissors, Knife, Cutting Mat, Pencil & Ruler.

Alfie will be running the IndigoBlu Shop throughout the day, so you can buy supplies to build up your crafty stash! Who doesn't like to do a bit of crafty shopping!

*Total Cost for the 2 days is £175.00  and when you go to book on the IndigoBlu website it says from £50 which is the deposit amount.

*Each hotel charges different rates for the rooms so when booking please ask to speak to the Events Coordinator as Alfie has negotiated a reduced rate with them.

But don't just take it from me about these workshops being a bit special. Here are the testimonials from a couple of ladies who have attended one of these workshops.

From Wendy Wallace

From initial shock at being presented with a large blank canvas to going home with a finished piece to be proud of, Kay guided us through a range of techniques using the fabulous IndigoBlu products. The pace was geared to ensuring everyone grew in confidence and succeeded, with a mix of group demos and individual support and the techniques taught have been easy to transfer to other projects done at home since. Add to that a great venue, the company of other crafty folk, lots (and I mean lots!) of laughter and the lovely Alfie running the pop up shop with discounts on all our purchases, and you couldn’t want a better crafting weekend. Can’t wait for next year’s dates to be released so I can do it all again!

..-..-..-..-..-..-..-..-..-..-..-..-..-..-..-..-..-..-..-..

From Clare Calver

I first came across Indigoblu when I saw Kay on Hochanda demonstrating the spiffing art journal bundle with 5 steampunk paints. I'd only recently started watching Hochanda and didn't really know what an art journal was, but loved the look of the products and demos and the art being created, so I ordered it. As soon as I got the order I was hooked on the brand because the quality of the products was brilliant.

Since then I've watched many shows, bought many more products and it has become my favourite mixed media brand by a long way as I just love everything they do. When I saw mention of the Dirty Weekend workshops, I instantly wanted to go to one. Modern life is too busy and I rarely get time to enjoy messing craft time in extended periods around everything else, and two whole days sounded amazing! It took me a little while to afford it, but hey, I'd decided it was a treat to myself, and I was going to go. When I mentioned it to my friend (a newbie to indigoblu) she was unsure but decided to come too as a weekend of art and no children/housework/cooking seemed too good to turn down.

When the weekend came, several months later I was so looking forward to the me time. And also a little excited to meet Kay as I was such a fan. We'd also booked a room at the hotel the workshop was being run at, so when we got there the kindly receptionist looked after our bags for us while we went to the function room. When we walked in, I saw a treasure trove of indigoblu products for sale (with a lovely discount) and I saw Kay smiling away chatting and have to confess I felt a little star struck! She was the famous clever lady from telly after all! She welcomed us, introduced us to Alfie (finally, a face to the name) and Lou and we got little name tags personally handmade by Lou. This was a lovely touch. I already felt special.

After everyone arrived we got cracking on our first piece of the weekend, which was taught step by step by Kay herself showing us in stages what to do. It was broken down so well it was impossible for any of us to go wrong, and if we needed any help, Kay and Lou were right there to help. We ended up running slightly over on time but by the end, everyone in the room had created a portrait of a lady with flowing hair. When they were all drying it was amazing to see as they were all so different, but all really lovely. That shows how well everyone was taught. It was so relaxing and enjoyable and I felt I'd really achieved something. In fact I have since framed it and hung it, and that's the only piece to have ever made it to my wall!

At the end of the day, Kay and Lou said that if anyone was staying over at the hotel, they'd put on an extra treat of a little practical demo of other things, so after we'd popped to our room to freshen up, we went to that. It was really good and I picked up lots of tips from it. In fact I cannot stress enough that while Hochanda shows are great, you learn so much more at a workshop. After this, my friend and I went to eat at the hotel restaurant (which was very nice) and had an early night as we were tired and wanted to be nicely refreshed for the next day. Sunday was spent playing with many delicious luscious colours creating a mini journal and some pages. I should also add that there were copious free drinks and biscuits provided throughout the day! When it was time to leave, we helped tidy up a bit as there was a lot to do and I'm sure Kay must have been worn out! As people were leaving I noticed Kay and Lou thanking everyone individually for coming and for their support. What struck me was the absolute sincerity of their thanks, and this is something that means a lot. I can honestly say that while indigoblu is a business, it really isn't about making a whole ton of money. I can see Kay's passion and her desire to make everyone into an artist. To give people the tools, knowledge and confidence to create art that they enjoy. It was that sincerity and absolute gratitude that really stood out, and I love everything about Indigoblu. To sum up, the weekend was fantastic and I cannot wait to go to another!

Places are filling up fast so if you fancy a bit of time for yourself and  learn a few new techniques, plus have a good laugh with like minded crafters this may be, just the weekend get-a-way for you.

Happy Crafting,

Sue xx

Sunny Summer Days

Hello Jannet here today with a Sunny Summer Days scene. Summer is my most favourite time of the year with the long light days, to enjoy all of the beautiful flowers in bloom I  created the summer scene in a 3D frame but it would also work well as a card. 

I began by making the bee hive so I could set it aside to dry. I sketched a  bee hive shape, and cut it out. After mixing some warm tan paint with fine texture paste, I applied it over the hive. I used a pokey tool to create lines into the paste. I quickly wiped the pokey tool afterwards, anything similar could be used to create the lines, even the side of some card. I set it aside to dry before adding more colour detail to it. 

Next came the buzzy bees I used bees from the  Collectors Edition - Number 9 - Bumblebee  Set and also the little bee from the Victorian Garden Stamp Set. I heat embossed them all in black and then coloured them with Lemon Meringue and dabbed their little  wings with glitter. As they are flying freely in the scene I attached some thin wire on their backs.

After stamping some of the beautiful flowers from the Anemone and Daisy and Flower Power  stamp sets, I coloured them with Mulberry Bush, Pantry White, Lemon Meringue, and Olive Waistcoat acrylic paints. I always add a little water to my paints, to give a softer wash like watercolours. After fussy cutting I twisted some thin green wire together and adhered it to the back of the flowers.

l laid  some green modelling clay inside the bottom of the frame, this will hold all of the flowers and bees in place. 

Now all of my little bits and pieces were assembled I began putting the scene together. I inserted the wired flowers and bees into the clay along with some dried and artificial flowers. I cut a twig to fit snuggly inside the top of the frame and adhered the hive onto it. 

Here is the rather unsightly back view, it shows how I have held up the flowers with wire and twisted them around twigs for support and lots of rather messy gluing! A painted background cut to fit the frame covers  it up before putting on the frames back board.

Collectors Edition No 9 Bumblebee

I hope you will have many happy sunny days this summer xxx

IndigoBlu 'Fathers Day Special' Blog Hop

Hello there and thank you for stopping by today. I have a couple of exciting things to share with you.

As part of the TV Design Team, we have all come up with some inspiration for Fathers Day in a way of a Blog Hop. Each of us has created a blog post with so many Hint, Tips and Inspiration for you to use when creating your own Fathers Day card or indeed helping a younger member of the family to craft with you. But of course you can use these tutorials for other male themed cards throughout the year.

 Kay and Alfie have also given us a huge 20% discount to share with you on a selection of the Stamp Sets we used in our blog posts so that you can purchase your favourite stamp set at a discounted price. (you have until the 17th June to grab this discount)!

Here are the main Stamp Sets the DT used in their Fathers Day Cards and the sets you can claim a 20% Discount on.

 'The Draughtsman' - 'Drive Hard' - 'Fly High'

   'Travelling Home' - 'Grand Tour II' - ''Grand Tour III'

'Steampunkesque' - Circus Alphabet'

And now for a bit of Blog Hopping. 

Click onto each of the titles of the Blog posts to take you straight there to see how each card has been created.  

But before you do that, read on to the bottom of the post to find that all important Discount Code to use when making an order on the IndigoBlu website.

Kay Molyneux - One for the boys!

Sue Ralph - Inspiration for Fathers Day 

Carolyn Larkin - Steampunk Fathers Day Card

 Julie Atkinson - Fathers Day With IndigoBlu

Linda Simpson - Fathers Day Inspiration

 'Aitch'- Fathers Day Blog Hop

Emma Blake - Fathers Day Card and Special offer

We all really hope you have been inspired by this post and would love to hear what you think so please leave us a comment below or indeed on our blog posts.

We hope this discount will help you on the way to create your own cards or mixed media pieces. Enjoy and Happy Crafting.

Until next time,

Sue xx