Monthly Archives: September 2020

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My DT Samples for Claritystamp on HOCHANDA TV – and a little confession.

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Hi there long time no see/hear!! The last few Blogs I have written on what is supposed to be a supra dupe Website wouldn’t post. I am on WordPress? It’s supposed to be the best. But it lead me on under false pretences of a long future together. The last few posts (actually the last 10) it wouldn’t post for me, says its full????

Anyway, this is its last chance. So you might see this or I might just be talking to myself AGAIN!

So, I have a little confession to make………… being a professional DT Member of Claritystamp you obviously are supposed to do the best samples you can to show what can be done with the products and to try and inspire people if you can. You are also supposed to meet deadlines, obviously, and get your work back on time for Clarity to take some photos, decide where the samples go and what they are used for and to get them to HOCHANDA TV Studios on time, if that is their ultimate destination.

I made this after taking several prints on the GelPress Mono-printing Plate. This is one of those “last minute” Ideas I had. See when I switch off I get a little story in my head and just go with it. I do see where this could be improved, I didn’t “ground it” did I. But the ideas is what it was about.

Well, I have noticed I have this weird way of working, I always have, its always been an uphill struggle for me!!! You see, I get sample products through, I sit and stare at them for a while, I start to think about what I might do with them to show them to their best! Then generally I stare at my work for days literally days, thinking that I maybe have one or two pieces that might just be good enough to send off.

I made a Print again on the Gel Plate using acrylic paints then I stamped the lovely image on a smaller piece of card I had already coloured and used Polychromos to colour it in.

Then I will realised I have dallied too long yet again and the deadline for posting is lurking, or worse still GONE!! So then I think to myself, just get on with it and get some samples out. So I start to just craft like I would if I bought the Stamps, Stencils etc myself, And blummin eck suddenly I produce DT Samples that are much better than the ones I actually thought about!!

I just cant bring myself to post samples that I am not proud of, and why would I? We are supposed to inspire so obviously a little more is expected of us as a team than just average ideas, isn’t it?

Yep another Gel Print! This time it was using the Stencil. I coloured the tag below to match and I drew this little Birdie to make a topper. I think I will call this one “Nosey Bird”. I have been drawing a few of them lately, what do you think?

So my best samples are the ones I have to just get on with, or the ones where I turn on my music and switch off, where I forget I am making DT Samples and just enjoy playing with the products.

Which is what happened in this case. I missed the post deadline. I didn’t dare confess to my mate Jilly this time, because I did that last time!!! So I snook my samples in the post on next day delivery on Wednesday straight to our friend at HOCHANDA Studios, for todays shows.

However it looks like they didn’t make it in time. My Bag, I do apologise.

This print was done with Paint off the Gel Plate. I then used Polychromos to colour over the paint. The bit of yellow in the middle (well lets pretend that isn’t there eh”? You know when you spoil something last minute!!!!! Still it gives direction for the centre flower.

I don’t know why I work this way, I have always been the same? Every workshop I did I would pre-plan it weeks ahead but come the night before I would start to sit and re-hash it, under the fear that the samples might not be good enough! But of course they always were, I always got good feedback from my lovely Mixed Media Crew. It’s just lack of confidence in what I do, and during Covid it seems to be getting worse.

Ha Ha maybe this is why suddenly I made all these “Replacement” DT cards in one afternoon after trying the rejects over several days!! Can you see what I am talking about? Yep – I used my Gel Plate again. Why don’t I go to it first???

So to counteract that, I am doing an hour a day at least, on something “completely different” in crafting to get myself sorted. Another little confession, I watched one of my old videos last week that had been loaded onto the Claritystamp YouTube Chanel, and I suddenly had loads of ideas, is that weird? Maybe?? But I suppose it shows that my video does what its supposed to????? OK even my Daughter thought I was weird watching my own video, I need to put a lock on my craft room door so I can watch my videos LIKE NO-ONE IS WATCHING”!!!!!

I do miss my Crafty mates and I look forward to a few big reunions when this is all over.

Oh look I made this with the Gel Plate!!!

But in the meantime, I am enjoying watching my mate Barbara Gray on TV.

Are you enjoying the show? There is another one at 1 PM .

So I have just tested this Blog and it won’t let me upload any photos. Fingers crossed I can post just my little confession and I will post the pictures with it, next to it, or after it.

Yep you guessed it, Gel Plate print. Well a bit more than that but hey if you know and love something, then stick to it. I split the girl the match the split in the two Stencil Patterns. It makes sense to me??

Please say Hi below if you are listening, and any suggestion of a good blog site would be good, this is the second one I have worn out. Blogger totally died on me which is why I came to WordPress!

So while I am here, and my Blog is working!!!! Did you notice? I thought I would show you a couple of my cards from the Clarity Shows earlier this week.
This is another card from the Clartystamp show earlier this week. These are actually Book Marks or could be used as Gift Tags but I displayed them on a card because I think they look nice as a set.

See you soon, not sure where but Soon I hope.

Thanks for dropping in

Sam Crowe ..