Final Pics - Oyster Retreat Part 4

Cannot believe it is a week ago that I was doing my canvasses with these lovely ladies.  Missing everyone, missing the fab food we had - and of course missing having it made and the washing up done.

Here is the last round up of my photographs:

Friendships made

Pretty Lilac

waiting to start eating

Additions 

Lilac Time

Sharing a joke

Is that a tree I espy?

Work on a Sunday?

Where should I put it?

and finally

I dreamed about it and dared to do it in black!

Thanks everyone who took part in whatever way.

Upcoming shows I will be at: Harrogate 4/5th October

                                               Leigh Show 12th/13th October

                                               Lincoln Show 3rd November ... anybody coming?

Part 3 Oyster Retreat

Have finally got my stamping room looking a bit more like normal now.  Surprising how I have managed to condense the equipment I brought back into a medium sized box.  Mind you I am quite good (read "very" good) at packing.  Am 'itching' to get another canvas made and also to make some more resin paper for some flowers plus a bit of jewellery of course.

Here are some pictures from last weekend (again apologies I did not get photographs of all of my groups)

Here's Hilary (new to crafting) with her lovely canvas

Pat - pretty in lilac

and in pink

sunny yellow

love the turquoise with the pale lemon

and Romayne with her dusky pink

Still got a few more but will save them for tomorrow - I'm on a promise - got the freezer to defrost and I did promise I would do it this last week.

WOYWW 220 and Putting Things Right

Last week I had to forgo commenting but I have left all the comments made in my 'inbox' and I will spend a day commenting on all the ones I have missed.  So sorry about that but I was up to my armpits and eyeballs in prep for the Oyster Retreat (see labels down side and more to come) and then only got back Monday evening and was so tired (hard bed at the second hotel = little sleep) that I just went to my own bed.  Yesterday was my Chloe day, my adorable little five year old who is so full of fun and love (friend's daughter) so this is my first opportunity to put things right.  Sorry about that.

Anyway, this is my desk - still as it is from dumping all the stuff from Tracey.  Did a bit of a 'pan' along one side of my room.  Not a bit of space so Chloe and I had to die cut on the dining room table yesterday.

As I teased you long enough with sneak peeks here are my samples from the weekend

Canvas gessoed, then Pan Pastels to colour and put through punchinella/negatives from dies cuts, Distress Inks on cardstock for die cuts, images stamped (with block underneath for stability). (Stamps by Tim Holtz, dies - Spellbinders and Memory Box, Flowers - Heartfelt Creations (all available from Oyster Stamps).  Bottom Right is an Ice Resin Flower.  Everyone made a small piece of resin paper.

Then ice resin - everyone made a tiny heart which was supposed to go on the canvas, some will, some will be worn.  Heart had scrapbook paper inside then a Bindi before the resin was poured in.  The pendant (ear ring really) was left clear, done on packing tape, with a piece of grass inside.

Steampunk heart - three layers (or might have been four) of ice resin poured in at stages over various watch part additions.

Scrap book paper in first, then guitar charm added and more ice resin, then treble clef and more ice resin until it domed.  Hopefully looks as if the treble clef is floating/suspended.  (what seems to be a mark along the left side must be the light catching - the whole pendant is crystal clear)

Hope that gives you an insight into what we did in my class.  There were four classes on at one time with 10 people in each.  In my first class they learnt a bit about ice resin and did the heart and then they learned how to use Distress Inks in a three colour way to die cut what they wanted on their canvas.  This was a one and a half hour class so a lot was achieved.

Next day they came back for a further one and a half hour class, gessoed the canvas, put on the base colour (PP's give such good and quick coverage), did some stencilling, stamped images and assembled. I would say 99% went home with a finished canvas so it was achievable and I am so proud of them and how well they all worked.  A pendant and a canvas in three hours!

Have uploaded some pictures from the Retreat with the ladies but will be uploading many more over the next couple of days so watch out for them.  In the meantime go along to Ms Julia's blog and see what the other WOYWW'ers are up to and where they have been.

Have a good week!

(More pictures of the ladies at the Retreat tomorrow)

Working My Way Through My Weekend (Oyster Retreat Part 2)

Well I am back home now and coming down to earth after my fabulous weekend meeting and making new friends with lots of lovely people.   A BIG Welcome to my lovely lovely new followers Janet, Karen and Hellen.

Didn't sleep well Sunday night when I changed hotels and had a firm mattress on my bed.  I don't do firm.  [Nice to have my OH with me though (hope he does not read this) as I missed him being around (can't have him knowing I  missed him)]  Anyway that is why I am up at silly o'clock doing my blog - I was in bed for 9 pm last night!

Thought I would take the opportunity to upload some more photos from my fab time away.  Have to confess I was worried that the ladies on the weekend would find my style and class a bit daunting and so would hate it.  Most of them gave it a try and came up with some fabulous results which I hope to share with you over the coming days.  I am just so sad that I did not get photographs of the first groups - I just have this mental block about taking photos when I am busy and it wasn't until I saw Martine (love you honey bun) with her camera that I got mine out.  So if any of the ladies in my first groups read this please will you send me a photo of your finished canvas.

Anyway, here are some pictures:

and I leave you with this one which proves what a good time we were having - more tomorrow - back to bed for an hour.

Don't know what all the hype was about followers and all that a few weeks ago - I have got three new followers in the normal way and have just 'followed' someone myself.  

Oyster Retreat (Part 1)

Just resting up in the hotel before setting off home tomorrow after the firstOyster Retreat. Had a super time, what a lovely bunch of ladies we had attending. Missing them all already. Plus missing the wonderful staff who I had the pleasure to work alongside.

My two workshops were connected. The first day they made components to use on a canvas. One of these caused a great deal of excitement as they had nearly all heard of the product but not used it. What was the product you are asking? It was Ice Resin.

The first thing was to have a brief word about the two mixes, how long it takes etc etc and then it was time for the first group to begin mixing - then pouring into the heart shaped bezels. Great excitement and eager waiting for the next day when the resin would have dried.

Sunday saw the participants "Getting Down and Dirty" with me. This took a lot of the ladies out of their comfort zone but as you can see there were some great, and varied, canvasses.

Here is Pauline who says she is going to make another, and she bought one so I hope I get to see her next one. Didn't she do well?


A lot of these ladies had never done anything like this before so it was taking them out of their comfort zone. They worked so well. Here is Karen with hers.


That is only two and there will be more when I get home. Am so looking forward to my own bed, my pc and all the home comforts. Just found out some dear friends have broken down on the motorway. Hope they are not too long before they get home as they have worked so hard to produce such a wonderful weekend as the one we have just had.

Night! Must get some sleep.

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