Duuuuuhhhhh...!!!!!

Well I have good news and I have bad news. Which shall I go with first, hmmmm let me think. Ok we'll go with the BAD.

I , being the natural blonde that I am...!!!!!!! got the dates wrong for the online preview of the next lot of workshops. I said Sunday---WRONG--- after being severely reprimanded by Ben, for not listening (who me..??? where does he get that from..??, lol) Anyway the upshot is that classes will be released online on Tuesday 2nd June. WHAT!!! is it June next week ..?? Oh crikey moses, whats going on this year..?? So I REPEAT , STUDIO preview is Sat 30th may 10.30 - 4pm. ONLINE preview is Tues 2nd June. Got that..?? Good.. 10% discount applies, Sat in the studio and Tues online. Don't leave it too late either, because you were disappointed when we had sell outs last time and you don't want to miss out , do you?

so to the GOOD news. Most of the workshops are nearly done..YAYYS.....!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yes I know you are all stunned, but between shaking my tail feathers around my landing to my Northern and leaving trails of snotty teary snivel all over bezzie Su, I have in fact,been working my cute little butt off, lmao.

Now don't go all giddy on me. I didn't say all, I said MOST. and I didn't say finished, I said NEARLY DONE..... so I am rewarding myself with gluten free Ginger nuts, a banana and some Sainsbury,s fiery ginger beer. You see, I haven't lost it in my old age, I still know how to live it up. woop woop...

Right I am going to leave you tonight with another fave video clip from Wigan Casino. This one is from 1972 and I just blooming lurve it. I didn't start going till 1976, but it was exactly the same. I only have to watch the video and I am transported back to the sounds, the smells (oof not nice) and the sweat... ( hence the smells). Those were the days...!!!

Enjoy xx

More show and tells

Lots of students show and tells again. First of all we have the two lovely sisters Denny and Sue, affectionately known as giddy and giddier..!!! They attended their first workshop not long ago, and it was the Starbook. It included lots of inked and faux bleached backgrounds. When they turned up for class today I was real chuffed to see that they had made more, and had brought one each for me to see. I was amazed how well they have done for beginners and it just shows what you can do when you set your mind to it. They said they enjoyed every minute of making them and I feel that it shows. They are both Works in Progress - that's the starbooks and not Denny and Sue, lol

This is Denny,s starbook. All the papers on the book are inked and stamped.

She is filling the pockets with photos on tags.

And this is Sue's. Again most of the papers on the front are inked and bleached.

And the insides are made from Blonde Moments papers, with inked tags.

And here's a lovely album from Sexy Suzy from Saltburn ( don't ask,lol). She has made this as a gift for her friends birthday. I,m not sure how she can bear to part with it though.

Todays class was the Hidden Surprise Quote book, always a popular class and you can see today was no exception.

L - R Sexy Suzy, Jean ,Caroline and Elaine the Baker.

Sue, Denny(giddier), Sue and Gill.

Newcomers Alison and Anne. Jane, Joy, Carol and Sue( giddy)

And here's Sue with a massive amount of rhubarb which she very kindly brought in for whoever wanted it.

As usual Suzy contributed to shoe watch. Check out these strappy metallic wedges. Ace for summer.

There was a lot of eating going on today, what with Suzy's blueberry muffins and Elaine the Baker's chocolate cake and chocolate Tiffin.

There was enough to feed a small army, and just look what was left at the end of the day. Not a lot, lmao...The plate was full and it is no ordinary plate, it is a massive meat dish that's at least 2ft long.

So all in all a good day was had. Next workshop of this brochure is on Friday. It is a Craft Day, where you can maybe catch up on a class you missed previously or just have an idea in mind to work on. We still have a few places left, if anyone is interested/. Unfortunately technique classes are too time consuming for me to teach on Craft Days, so its project based only, subject to availability.

Talking of workshops, all the classes for the next 2 mths and more will be available to preview on Saturday at the Studio. As usual all the samples ( some finished, some works in progress) will be laid out on show for you to have a look. This is always really successful as you get to see the projects in the flesh, so to speak. But be warned we have had a few sell outs on Preview Day alone and I am sure this one will be no exception. All workshops booked and paid on the day will qualify for a 10 % discount.

The workshops will then be released online on the Sunday, and again if they are booked and paid for on that day the 10% discount also applies. I will also tell you news of further Ranger technique and Fabby Dabby weekends in the Autumn and Winter.

I seem to have a craving for bananas at the moment, have had 2 today already and I can feel another urge slowly coming on. So I am off to see if Maisie has left me any. If not it will have to be chocolate again. I know , I know, but if that's all that's left whats a girl supposed to do..???

Enjoy xx

Show and Tell

I received a lovely email from one of the ladies from the Saturday beeswax workshop and I thought I would show you it.


Hi Dyan, Just a quick note to say thank you for a truly inspirational day, I really enjoyed myself, loved the music, and the pace of the day, the time flew faster than ever. I hope that I can get to more of your workshops in the near future.

I also had a great time shopping too !!! and have put some of my new goodies to good use today, attached is a photo of an A3 size canvas that I have completed today using my Studio paints, grunge paper and the photos I took on Saturday, you will also see that the packaging from one of your fab parcels has been recycled. As you can see it has been inspired by the some of the colours we used on Saturday, and in some part the heart canvases that you showed us, I have had this canvas lying around for ages waiting for inspiration and this morning I woke up knowing exactly what I wanted to do.

I hope you like it, Thank you once again, hope to see you soon.


Bye for now. Barbara (Bee)





And here is a pic of her fabulous canvas.

Fab isn't it, I love it when you send me pics of work you,ve done.

Been making samples again all day today, in between, shimmying, dancing, boogieing, strutting my stuff and shaking my tail feathers. Here's some sneaks.

Of course I am miles behind as usual, but then I don't want to spoil the tradition do I..??

Gonna leave you tonight with one of my fave Northern Soul clips. Just love this..

Ha ha yes Kirsty... I,ve finally mastered it, there will be no stopping me now, bringing my Northern to the rest of the world, he he he...

KIIIIRRRRSSSSSTTTTYYYYYYY HEEEELLLLPPPPP....!!!!!

Why have I got this massive space here...?????

Enjoy xx

Beeswax beauties...*EDITED VERSION*

So on to the Beeswax workshop. What a fabby class this was. As you all know I love any class that involves teaching techniques, and if its messy and painty at the same time even better. Just love making people step out of their comfort zone and watching their faces as they realise that actually they love it there...!!!

Here's the students.
L-R is Katie, Amanda and Sarah. ( Sarah isn't having a fit here, she is laughing at Amanda who although looking innocent was actually reducing us to tears..)

Sam, Chris and Sue.

Isobel, Pat and bezzie Su

Heidi, Teresa and Isobel.

Lisa , Maz Heidi and Teresa

Barbara, Lisa and Maz

The students were fantastic and picked it up really quickly. I was feeling quite redundant for a while there. The smell of beeswax melting is extremely calming and I think this . rubbed off on the class.

We started by making backgrounds with Claudine Hellmuth paints and then I gave them a quick demo of the beeswax technique. We used images from Lisa's Altered Art and Paperstreet.

And here's what they came up with. Looks like they have been doing it for years don't they..?

And then they moved onto the canvas's.

I think they were absolutely fantastic students, they quickly lost any preconceptions or inhibitions that they might have had. Nothing seemed to faze them and I think they were all very quickly hooked. Well we didn't have a lot left in the shop, put it that way..!! If they got away with buying all my equipment then I think they would. I had to keep a close beady eye on it. If this has wetted your appetite then , don't worry, there is another beeswax class in the next lot of workshops released on Saturday.. But its always first come first served remember.

Here's the promised shoe watch. Pink, patent and high wedges.. Just the thing for summer..

Bows and nails to match...


Five of the ladies travelled from Grimbsy especially for the workshop. My good friend Sue, former owner of Paper Paradise, organised it now that she has a bit more time on her hands. They were a great bunch and hopefully will be over a bit more often.

L-R Barbara, Maz, Lisa, Me, Sue and Sam.

Sue was a student of mine from 8 yrs ago and we quickly, along with her gorgeous husband Paul, became good friends. She is a fabby altered artist and now that she has sold her craft business is concentrating on her teaching and her own art. If you have been following her blog Paper Paradise

you may have seen the fabulous tissue box that she has been altering. I was admiring it from afar as I have always had a thing about angels, so imagine my surprise when she came and told me it was especially for me. I was quite overwhelmed and struggled not to cry. Yes, ha ha , I actually managed it. Isn't she a darling..? Thanks babe, I love ya lots and hope to see more of you now... xx

Here it is in close up

This is my favourite side, I think..

Isn't it gorgeous..? And seen as I seem to spend a lot of my time in tears these days it will be extremely useful. She has also got a write up about the day on her blog.

Another of the students, Chris, has also written about it on her blog Rubbaluvva . She is also a big Northern Soul fan , so was over the moon at the music played. Don't know what she made of me dancing in the aisles though, lol. Well what else are you supposed to do when you are surplus to requirements..?

What a gorgeous day today. I was supposed to be completing lots of the workshop samples for preview, but you know what they say about best laid plans, don't you. I spent most of the morning uploading old Northern tunes to my face book. And of course I kept having to get up and have a dance. On the landing, in my home studio, rolling back the rug in the front room (love it on the laminate floor) and my favourite, out on the patio around the garden furniture. This always produces two smashing results, it annoys the hell out of the neighbours (ha ha , no love lost there) and it frightens away the squirrels, yayy..!!

I then shot up to the studio with Bezzie Su to prepare Tuesdays workshop kits. She was in charge of the Bind it All machine 225 separate sheets she had to punch) and I was wielding a sharp scalpel through mount board. I know every one thinks that I have a little secret army of Oompa Lumpas to do all this tedious and time consuming preparation, but unfortunately I haven't. If you spot any hanging around can you point them in my direction. Failing that any redundant firemen are always welcome to come and hang around. The pays lousy but the perks are good, woop woop.

I then shimmied on home to find the girlies sat in the garden , with lunch prepared . Our Emmi , The Goddess, had made a beautiful chicken and Balsamic salad. Yuuuuummmmmyyyyyyy. We washed it down with Raspberry and Pomegranate juice. How healthy are we..? We are on a bit of a health kick, ever since Bezzie Su told me that fruit and nut chocolate did not count towards my five a day..!! What a shame. Anyway it would have been rude to rush off to do work when they had gone to such an effort, yeah..? lmao. So we lingered a while in the gorgeous sunshine and put the world to rights , yup that's right, we had a bitch fest, ha ha.

Then it was hanging washing out, twittering, face booking, in fact anything but samples.!! If I don't get my act together tomorrow, our Ben will be having my guts for garters. Oops.

But seen as I am not a telly fan, the blog is already to post and only the ironing is beckoning , suddenly the samples seem like a fabulous option. Unless I get distracted by something bright and shiny on the way up the stairs, pmsl..

Enjoy xx

*EDIT* Just found another of the students blogs. Its the lovely Sam from Grimsby and you can see her work HERE She has samples and photos from the workshop, and also has some fabby stmped samples on there. Dont forget if you have a blog you think my lot would be interested in then let me know and I,ll give you a link..