What a fabulous weekend it was both Saturday and Sunday, meeting up with crafting and blogging friends to have a meal together (I lost count how many of us there were in the end but we started with 15) and to attend Wendy Vecchi's Make Art workshop, we had such an amazing time. Wendy created a fabulous box and some tags for us to make using her signature products and we learnt some of her new techniques first hand and got lots of new ideas, tips and tricks.
Wendy has a great style for teaching and demonstrates and explains her techniques so well ........ and of course blending with archival ink rather than just distress inks was a revelation in itself. No really it was only because I always reach for the DIs and never think to use anything else.
She wanted to show us how in such a short time and using the same products our boxes were becoming so unique and individually personalised to our own preferences.
Here's mine.
I loved making this box using Wendy's embossing paste in a new and different way, it is such a cool shaped box and looks fabulous with the metal trim....
.. and label.
You can see the flower and button on the lid from this angle.
In the afternoon we made technique tags and here are mine featuring the gold texture paste, clearly for art, wendy's coloured archival inks and matching embossing powders, stencils, stamps and art parts.
One tip Wendy shared was that she always cuts down her tags she prefers to work on a 5 1/2 inch long tag rather than the standard 6 1/4 inch and I have to say I also like the dimensions as a more compact surface to work with.
Tag 1
I wasn't going to buy this cup and saucer die but I can see all sorts of ways it can be used now.
Just look at the gorgeous teaspoon Wendy found us to use.
Tag 2
We used clearly for art and Wendy's stamp it - stencil it rose. It's so easy to use this range to get exact colouring in.
I loved creating the 3D rose and vase and using Wendy's fabulous stamps and stencils.
Tag 3
More stencilling, stamp and art parts ......
... and the star is one of her own embellishments.
Tag 4
Wendy had very kindly stamped and embossed on some of the tags for us leaving us more time to create the backgrounds and get the pieces all assembled on the card.
This last tag was right at the end of the afternoon and a long but amazing day - I admit to not looking to change anything on this one and just get as much of it done before we took some photos and left for home.
Wendy also very kindly had some souvenir buttons made up for us.
And these were the tags she had made.
Here are just a few more of the photos from the day, I am hoping I will get some from some of those who attended as I missed out on getting any with Jenny and Sue - so girls if you are reading this do you have any I can have please?
Myself with wendy ....
Myself with wendy ....
.... Lesley, Cathryn Nikki (AVJ)
.... Tracy ....
.... Toni ....
.... Jane and Julie (AVJ) .....
.... Suz and Jane ....
.... Annie (AVJ) ....
.... and Anne (AVJ).
Thanks for staying with me through all the photos, but I really wanted to record the fullness of the day. A huge thank you to Wendy and her husband Rick for all the hard work they put into making everything run so smoothly and to all my crafting friends both above and those I didn't get photos with. It is certainly a day that will remain in the memories that stand out in my life.
I hope you have had a good start to the week and will be able to fit in some personal creative time today or soon.
Take care.
hugs Brenda xxx
