Starry Starry Night Paint Your Palette Pink & Blue

Hi all,

As I was typing the title I couldn't resist changing the words of a well known song....now I'm showing my age!

Introducing New Gansai Tambi Pearl Colors  

Anyway, back to the subject in hand. I had a little play with the lovely new Gansai Tambi Pearl Colors.  These are the new sister pack to the beautiful set of Starry Colors that I am already very fond of, yes, I have to say.....I love these colors (I'm spelling in the American way as that's what they are called)

I have found that adding a few drops of water into the palette first, helps to soften the paint.  You can use it at any consistency, for the BrushLettering above I made the palette thinner than when I paint on parchment. (You can even thin it with water to use with a dip pen)



Here's a sample of the Pearl Colors: 

Bottom is on black cardstock
Middle is on Black Parchment (150gsm)
Far Right is Clear Parchment (I'm using our new 230gsm parchment here but I have used the 140 & 160gsm too)

   

Here's a sample of the Original Starry Colors: 

Far Left is Clear Parchment (I'm using our new 230gsm parchment here but I have used the 140 & 160gsm too)
Middle is on Black Parchment (150gsm)
Right is on black cardstock

As quite often in my 'test' pieces I have used Butterflies....they just seem to lend themselves to blending colours and we all love Butterflies don't we!!

If you have received one of our business cards, you will already know that it has a butterfly on it, left purposely as an outline so you can use it in your crafting, so this is what I used for some of my test pieces.

Parchment doesn't like very much water very much, so go carefully, with very thin layers. Make sure your paint dries in between layers.

This was using the Pearl Scarlet, Red Gold and Champagne Gold

Here are a few more samples...I hope you can see the shine on them

You will find the palettes of Starry Colors here

All for now

Hilary xx

A Good Time Was Had By All

A week ago, we travelled to Bristol to our Annual Parchment Reunion at the Bristol Parchment Craft Exhibition.

What a lovely weekend!

Amanda our youngest came with us to support us along with her partner, Matt.  They did us proud, Amanda was a tremendous support to us all, helping at the till plus keeping an eye on Mother-In-Law who had to come with us and Matt, not even knowing anything about Parchment, let alone Crafting, took to it like a duck on water, helped us set up in record time and did a great job on the till too. We are so very lucky to have such a wonderful, supportive family and we make a brilliant team together.

Our other daughter, Kate, helped too by keeping an eye on Amanda & Matt's fur babies which was a very important job. I have to show you a picture because they are just the cutest ......

We met all our lovely friends and had a real catch up with everyone, a super exhibition and such inspiration, there were some amazing Parchment exhibits! 

Exciting news....that we will have some new pattern packs on the website soon so watch this space!

All for now

Hilary xx

Even Storm Doris Didn't stop the Show!

A little update on last weeks adventures, it's been quite a whirlwind....literally!

All set for the 'Make It' show in Farnborough, an early ferry at the crack of dawn with forecasts of storm Doris heading our way but the boat trip across the Solent was calm.... I guess you could say the calm before the storm!

We arrived nice and early for a steady set up day, an extra pair of hands with us as my back is playing up big time but we had plenty of time, or so we thought!  Let me put you in the picture, the show is held in a temporary structure that has been in place for years but it's like an enormous marquee that is made to move when the wind blows ( it's a bit like being on a boat)

The wind howled, the girders creaked and the lights swayed....no kidding.... and then the powers that be, had a conflab and decided to evacuate the building until the wind had calmed down with the instructions 'no entry until at least 3pm'. Great! Okay, let's go for a pizza! But oh no! all the restaurants are in a complex with a multi-storey car park and the entrance too low for the van so we ended up eating chips and baked beans in Tesco.

Anyway, to cut a long story short, we were back in by 5pm and out again by 10pm all set up and ready to go!

             

               ......and a few hours later........

What a fabulous show too! 

Lovely to see so many customers and friends and so many birthday wishes too....I feel very blessed.  Then I saw Mags with Dawn and Ellie, and even though she felt so poorly she'd even stayed up late to make me a birthday card. Of course, we had to take a selfie so here we all are (even though I think I look a bit the worse for wear after the previous days fiasco!) 

It was so good to see everyone.

For those of you who didn't make it to the show, for all orders over £20 we'll include a FREE Pergamano 'M' Pattern (worth £6.50) - Enter Code 'MakeIt2017'

(this applies until the weekend midnight Sunday)

Don't forget to take a look www.wightcat.com to place your order

All for now

Hilary x

Everything Happens for a Reason

What a weekend it's been! ....Well, actually what a week!

3 days in the West Country at Craft4Crafters and we saw so many friends and regulars at the show, what a great time! Thank you all for coming to see us and buying your crafting goodies.

My back finally gave in and Steve, bless him, pushed me round in a wheelchair for most of the time but we managed and we had some lovely new products that I was demonstrating and we had a complete sell out of the Gansai Tambi Starry Colours and the Wink of Stella.  Don't worry though,  as soon as they are back in stock I will let you all know, along with some brand new items too.

No time to go home, we ploughed on up to the NEC in our van for the only UK trade show of the year. We had a very important connection to make and I'm so pleased we managed to get there.

You already know Barbara Gray (Clarity Stamps) has done such a marvelous job expanding the parchment world with her Groovi Plate System, and maybe you didn't know that she now also owns Pergamano.... what a match!  So, for us as leading parchment specialists it was really important that we made a connection so we can all work together and help bring the parchment world  even closer.

What a lovely, generous lady and a such great team too, we sat together and chatted over coffee and laughed just like old friends. We are so looking forward to this venture with Barbara and her team and they have made us feel so welcome......watch this space!

We are home now, there's nothing quite like your own bed is there!

All for now

Hilary x

Parchment Lace - Design Team

Hi,

In following Wightcat Crafts pursuits to encourage and promote Parchment Craft, my latest news is that I am thrilled to be on the Design Team for the Parchment Lace Magazine.

Not only that, I have been invited to be the Resident Parchment Expert and have a Question and Answer Page in the latest magazine, so if you have any questions that you would like answered in the magazine please let me know.

Have you seen the latest issue?  It has been completely re-vamped and is looking really good.  There are some fabulous designs in this issue.

    

You also get a free grid on the cover and the card below is the project I designed with the new grid (included with the magazine)

Along with other popular publications, Wightcat Crafts stocks Parchment Lace Magazine

Please add any comments below or questions you would like answered in the magazine

Thanks and have a great weekend

Hilary x

What do you use for your Colouring?

We have a selection of colouring markers for you to choose from, and they all work brilliantly on all your card making and parchment as well

Not only that, but we sell them most of them individually so you can try a few first and then add to your collection whenever you like.

Tim Holtz - DistressMarkers

These are water based and double ended, with a brush tip one end and a fine point the other end.

Kuretake Clean Colors

There's about 80 different colours of these lovely 'Real Brush' pens. They are water based and actually have a proper paintbrush so you can blend these colours beautifully. Again sold individually so you can try just a few of these wonderful colours.

FaberCastellPolychromos Pencils

Of course, I can't do an article about colouring without mentioning one of our favourites for colouring. These Polychromos pencils are the BEST, they are artist quality oil based pencils, they blend well together and you can blend them with oil to make fabulous backgrounds as well.  Again we sell them individually so you can try a few first. We also sell them in sets.

Pergamano PergaColours

These are water based and double ended, with a bullet tip one end and a fine point the other end. They come in a box of 30 lovely colours.

Happy Crafting

Hilary x

Easy Emboss Stained Glass Templates

Thought I'd show you a few examples of the lovely Stained Glass EasyEmboss Templates from PCA. Like all the templates they are really versatile and you can infill them and just use parts of them, mixing and matching as you go.

What a great way to do your parchment!  You can find them all here on our website



So here's the Daisies template, the first picture is just how it looks when you have used the template to make your outline on your parchment paper, and the second picture is coloured using FaberCastell Polychromos pencils, some have been blended on the back with Dorso oil and then the colour has been enhanced on the front.

Here are some more examples of some of the other templates



So many different ways of using these templates

   

Here are 2 examples of the same template, completely different styles. These two butterfly cards were made by Karen from our design team. The card on the left had been infilled with traditional gridwork and the butterflies have been worked separately and layered as 3D

There are more templates available here if you make any cards from them, please send us a picture we would love to see it :)

Happy Crafting

Hilary x

Perforating Grids, Multi Grids & Siesta Grids Guide

As the title suggests, there are a few different grid variations to choose from.

Generally, if you are talking about a grid for parchment craft then you would be talking about a Straight Grid. This is a grid with holes all the way over it, all at equal distances from each other in vertical/horizontal lines.

There are 2 versions, fine and bold and they have different names depending on the brand of the grid. 

The only difference between the fine and the bold grids are the size of the holes, the needle you use should fit the hole nicely so when you pierce the parchment through the hole and make a perforation, it becomes a nice round perforation and every hole you make will be the same. So, if you were to use the bold grid then you will need a slightly thicker needle than the fine grid.

You will also see on the market the older type mesh grids, that are perfectly good to use although it’s more difficult to get uniform perforations because of the ‘movement’ in the mesh.

How to use a plain Grid

As you can see from the picture below, you can use a grid to make perforations in your parchment and also to emboss dots and it is exactly the same whichever grid you use. 

 If you have ever done cross stitch, counting across your pattern to work your stitches on open weave embroidery material, then you have a slight advantage for using grids as a counting method is used to transfer your pattern to your parchment exactly the same way as in cross stitch.  Saying that, it is not difficult and with a little practice you will be on your way.

To way to use a plain or diagonal grid place your parchment on the top of the grid and tape it down. Put your pattern to the side of your work so you can count the holes according to the pattern and perforate using a single needle tool .

In the following example the black dots (Fig 1) are perforations on the front of the parchment, (the white holes are just the background holes of the grid)

(Fig 2) shows where you would emboss with the PCA sun tool (Pergamano star tool) to make the circular embossed dots (on the back of the parchment) and then where you cut with the scissors to make the octagonal shaped holes shown in (Fig 3)

Then are also a multitude of various ‘fancy grids’ like the Pergamano multigrids and Siesta Grids. These are much simpler to use as they already have patterns and borders on them, eliminating the need for counting.

How to use a Multi Grid

Place your parchment on top of your grid and tape it down.

First of all you emboss the sections you would like to emboss and then turn the grid over leaving the parchment in place and perforate through the holes according to the pattern.

The example below is of Pergamano multigrid 21, available from Wightcat Crafts www.wightcat.com

It is a sampler made from the complete grid, made by my friend Maggie Byford, this is to show how the whole grid would look but also, to show how you can take parts of it for your own parchment work, not forgetting that you can make extra layers for a 3D look.

Extra samples below are from the girls in my classes, one of them used the grid to make segments to cover a box which looks fantastic. There are also a couple of cards to show how you can use it to make your own cards as well by adding glitz and glitter to give that extra bit of sparkle.

PCA templates

I have started using the new PCA Templates, and they are so easy to use. This sample above is using the pansies from Christine Colemans pattern pack 31 using one of my favourite colouring techniques, dry pencil colouring with  fabercastell polychromos pencils  and then I used several of the PCA templates to do the surrounding border.

I used TP3102E which is a variety of different sized ovals....this one is great to be able to emboss an oval all in one go without any glitches!

Then I used the Scrolled Rectangle border TP3117E, this is the 2 outer rounded corner rectangles with the scrolls in the middle, again it has various sizes, so you could use it in the middle of a card too if you wanted.

Then I filled in with cross hatching, again using another template, Fine Cross Hatch Diagonal, TP3151E and VOILA!! My card was finished :)  Hope you like it!

Things that make me go 'yum'

Sorry folks, this was Saturday's post from the shop that got missed.

Really, I wanted to share with you our display of new Parchment products. The first lot came in and whizzed out again for pre-orders, but there are some on the shelves now.

I don't really do parchment (well, ok, I don't do parchment at all). But the vellums and papers really caught my eye, and the stamps are also delicious. Can I say 'delicious' to describe stamps? They totally make me go 'yum'.

In other news, Hilary and Steve have recently been visiting trade shows and looking at new products. Crafting has changed a lot over the last few years, especially as the economy has tightened and everyone is feeling the pinch. I think we are all looking for the best value for our money, getting the best products we can as well as ways to stretch our crafting supplies. The good news is that there has been lots to see at the show, and I think our ranges in the shop will start reflecting some of these new trends and techniques - and always with an emphasis on value.

Speaking of shows, of course, we go to the trade shows as attendees because we're retailers. But if you are coming to Bristol or Harrogate (more details on our home page ) then we will be there complete with shop.

We spent this evening choosing colours for a new range of 12x12 cardstock. It's been a while since we updated and there are some fantastic tones out there. I am really excited to get my little hands on it for some scrapbook pages. Things that make me go 'yum', indeed!

Working on it

This is my desk, tidied.

Gran's gift this year will be the same as last year - a selection of handmade cards that she can use for any occasion. So right now I am in the midst of bright colours, birthday sentiments and lots of flowers.

Did you make any Christmas cards? I'll be honest - mine were shop bought this year. Card making is a challenge for me (which is why it's taking me so long to do these cards for Gran) and Christmas cards were not on my priority list. I think I might have to do a batch of birthday cards for myself, that way I don't have to make any more cards for another year!

In other news - Wightcat Crafts will be the main craft supplier at the Bristol Parchment Exhibition, 24 June 2012. Exciting times!

New Magazine "Making Gifts"

Making Gifts

The new magazine from the publishers of

Making Cards Magazine and Parchment Craft Magazine.

Issue 1 available now from Wightcat Crafts

Order today http://www.wightcat.com/crafts/magazines3.htm

Are Hobbies Healthy for you

Well naturally some Hobbies like Sky Diving have dangers associated with them, but even these still health advantages.

How can Hobbies help with your health?

Having hobbies can help you keep busy so you are not overeating, they can lower your blood pressure, provide a release from stress, and keep your mind and body active.

Do you want to quit smoking or drinking?, lose weight, want to feel more interested in life, a sense of accomplishment?

Then take up a Hobby.

Your hobbies will be unique to you; find things you are good at, you have always wanted to learn, or bring back something you did years ago, recapturing your youth. They can range anywhere from: crafts, games, art, music, writing, pets, gardening, and exercise.

Hobbies such as, sports, exercise, and gardening, are forms of physical activity, providing movement for the body. This movement helps to tone and stretch the muscles, balance the blood sugar, lower the blood pressure, reduce stress and rid the body of toxins. Some of these can be done out in nature; connecting with nature has been shown to have great health benefits. Activities like: hiking, camping, gardening, or even a walk in the park, are great examples.

Animals are also important to health it can be watching a Gold Fish in a bowl or training a Parrot or walking a Dog. Taking care of and bonding with them, requires learning, activity and opening yourself up to love. Animals have been known to lower blood pressure, provide laughter and to even help people with disabilities open up. Laughter has been shown to provide many health benefits, such as: lowering blood pressure, helping digestion and keeping you young.

Art and music and writing have been used for therapy; it has been shown that developing our creative side is so valuable for overall health. Singing requires one to breath deeply, bringing more oxygen into the lungs and cells of the body. Writing allows us to express our feelings and creativity. Art, allows us to de-stress and to express ourselves; all three provide a sense of accomplishment.

Hobbies are great when you are trying to quit smoking, drinking, overeating, or other bad habits. Take up new hobbies instead of the bag of chips; Start today to keep your mind and body active. The latest studies show, we can develop new pathways in our brain, so start learning new hobbies today.

So de-stress, relax, chill and exercise your brain with one of the following:

Scrapbooking, Knitting, Embroidery, Paper Folding (Origami), Parchment Craft, Rubber Stamping, Decoupage, Painting

They are all good for your Healthy wellbeing

Parchment Craft - Cutting Crosses

I've had several questions about cutting crosses in parchment so I got busy this weekend making a little video demonstration. Hope this works and gives you a better idea for cutting crosses...don't forget you can always ask for more help if needed

Don't be Square - New Flexigrids

Good News is that Parchcraft Australia are bringing our some new Flexigrids, these are circular and Oval.
If you are lucky enough to already own their Straight and Diagonal Flexigrids then you will be certain to like these as well!

The new grids are on their way to us as this email goes to press, so they should be arriving in the UK very soon. Be sure to order yours early!
http://www.wightcat.com/crafts/parchment-flexi-circle.htm
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New Parchment Craft Kits coming soon! Watch this space!
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Happy Crafting!

ATC's

The first of the ATC's for the Swap have started arriving and I have to say they are awesome!!

Here's one I've made a start on, this is a Parchment ATC.

Welcome to Wightcat Crafts

Wightcat Crafts is based in Newport, Isle of Wight, UK. We are a dedicated Craft shop specialising in Parchment Craft, 3d Decoupage, Scrapbooking, Altering and Stamping.
Our Design Team hold regular demo's and workshops, details of which will be posted here.