In Snazzys Studio this week

Good morning from a very wet and windy Wiltshire, definitely a day for crafting in a cosy corner!

What are you making at the moment? I'm busy putting the finishing touches to a canvas project for next Saturday's workshop which I am really pleased with, and also have a neat project ready for this Wednesday's workshop too. It's a little gift box containing four coordinating greetings cards with envelopes using the new JOFY minis, ideal to give to non card making friends to use as post Christmas thank you cards or alternatively why not stamp a selection of greetings with foam pads ready on the back to be added when needed.

This week's Stop By & Stamp on Tuesday morning is faux reflections using Ranger's Perfect Pearls....

...and Thursdays Technique Tutorial is on Triple Layer Embossing.

Both feature one of my all time favourite stamps from Inkadinkado which I have had for at least ten years and which is still in their current catalogue.

Before I go just a reminder that we currently have a 2013 Snazzys DT call over on the DT blog, closing date if you are interested is 27 October.

There is a lot going on in the background at Snazzys at the moment and I will be back later in the week to share some more news both here and on the DT blog

Take care and stay dry & cosy

Val xx

In Snazzys Studio this week.......

Hello, just a quick update on what's on in the Studio this week.

Tuesday's Stop By & Stamp session is all about slider cards.....

 

...I have used Kaisercraft's new Subway Art stamps for this sample and kept it very crisp in black and white. Of course you might choose to use completely different stamps and colour combinations in yours but we have lots to choose from in the workshop. So, if you fancy a go at making slider cards then drop in (no need to book) between 10am and 1pm on Tuesday, kettle and coffee pot will be on - that's included in the £5 session price too!

 

Wednesday morning's workshop is fully booked and will be full of sparkle with the first of the new season Christmas cards to be made. If you missed out on this one there will be another with more new projects and ideas later in the month, and also on the October workshop timetable which will be out later this week. 

 

Thursday's Technique Tutorial is designed to help you perfect your embossing technique.

 

 

This sample is made with the fab WOW embossing powders and stamps from Hero Arts. Again this is just the 'for instance' and as this is a drop in session there is no need to book, just pop along between 10am and 1pm and join in, Again the session price is all inclusive at £5.

 

Hope to see you in the studio soon xx

 

 

 

Moving on.....

Retirement comes along at some point for everyone and products are no different really.

We continually review all the products we have in store, and with the latest exciting releases always just on the horizon, we often have to make some tough decisions about which product lines need to move on over to make way for all the newest ranges.

We currently have 25% off all our Darkroom Door stamps as sadly we will no longer be stocking this brand. This was a real toughie as I love all the beautiful detail in these stamps but it is time for something new. We do still have one or two designs in the iconic tins which are no longer available, online over at http://snazzysstore.com/.

Replacing Darkroom Door on our walls (and in our online store) we are proud to hang stamps from a home grown UK designer and manufacturer, the wonderful Chocolate Baroque which we will be adding to our stand at all Artstamps shows in future too. Thank you Glenda and Adrian.

In our new entryway photo above you may also catch a glimpse of the amazing JOFY stamps both the 2013 Spring Collection and the new Summer release designed by Jo Firth Young for Paperartsy, again in the UK, and now gracing our walls and online store. Much more to come from them as we gradually introduce the PaperArtsy range of products!

You may remember earlier this year we introduced the new Ranger Distress Paints, which I didn't want to like but.....

Focus on Distress Paints Workshop Sample Wednesday 24 July



...with my addiction to backgrounds they are absolutely here to stay and we will be adding the remaining colours just as soon as Ranger release them.

 

The downside is that the Headmaster said to make room for them I had to agree to let another paint range go so... 

 

.....bargain!

 

The other lines of product which we will be retiring are from Cosmic Shimmer.

 

We have stocked the full range of Cosmic Shimmer Embossing Powders - Aurora, Blaze, Lustre, Precious Metal, Ultra Thick Embossing Crystals, Sparkles etc - since we first opened, adding new colours and finishes as they were released. Similarly the Cosmic Shimmer Misters have been a fixture on our shelves for more years than I want to think about and we simply feel it is time for something new. So, stock up on these now.....

 

...... they won't last long at these prices and when they are gone, they are gone!

 

We have all the new Dylusions Ink Spray colours in stock so that makes 18 amazing colours all together.

 

We have held the price of these at £4.35 since they were first released by Ranger but with the current exchange rate and increased shipping costs we have had to increase the price to £4.75. We are holding the price of the stamps at £19.95 however and have the new ones in stock.

 

Monster Mash is my favourite...

 

..and I couldn't resist a little play with them - more details of this project coming over on my blog (http://inkyexploits.blogspot.com/) at the weekend so do stop by there too! 

 

I think that covers things for today, more news on new lines in store, the launch of our Monthly Challenge and some other interesting developments in Snazzys Studio early next week so do stop by then and catch up with all the gossip.

 

Thanks for stopping by xx

 

 

 

 

 

 

Guest Workshops with THE Hels Sheridan

Last weekend we were fortunate to have the 'amazeballs' Hels Sheridan as a guest in Snazzys Studio. We all had a fantastic weekend, demonstrated by the ladies who booked for her next weekend with us even though we don't yet know what she will be sharing! Of course we do know that much fun will be had and loud laughter will be heard along the way. Think we'll pass on the exploding heatgun trick though ;0)

This time around she taught two workshops, Saturday's was called Melt Pan Magic....

 

.....and this was her beautiful workshop sample - I sooo wish you could see and feel all the wonderful texture in this piece.

 

Hels covered techniques with paint, stamping on tissue, layering on with beeswax, faux porcelain roses, moulds from Mold n Pour and custom embellishments with UTEE and Clearly for Art. So many very useful hints and tips along the way. All the ladies made beautiful canvases .....

 

 

 

 

 

On Sunday Hels shared her Paperblocked Canvas techniques which may have little influences from other artists she admires, but it is absolutely 'Hels' in the whole, everything she creates is just so recognisably her. I'm not going to share her workshop sample though, as only those here on the day got a sneeky peek of what will be her next DT project with Snazzys new Anna Dabrowska DT kit, the rest of you will just have to wait until later this month over on the DT blog.

 

Just to whet your appetite, here are some of the completed works of art from Sunday's workshop

 

 

 

 

 

These were so much better IRL than they appear here in my dodgy photos. The metallic look of the spritzed flowers was stunning, and Hels' tips and advice on doing this removed the fear of spraying with black ink for everyone.

 

Hels will be back at Snazzys on 1 & 2 June so if you fancy joining in with the learning and laughter next time, watch this space for details of the workshops on offer then.

 

I'll leave you with the new Snazzys DT kit for March from the very talented Anna Dabrowska's (aka Finnabair) debut collection with Prima, Sunrise Sunset - our DT have used two of her collections, Dreamer & Wonderland from 7 Dots Studio in the past and created wonderful pieces. This time round will be no exception I'm sure.

 

 

 

Do pop over to the DT blog and checkout the team's latest makes with this new kit and if you take the time to leave a comment, (the teamies do appreciate it), you could win the A4 Sunrise, Sunset paper pad.

 

Also, a little bird tells me there will be a challenge this month where you can win one of these.

 

 

Lots to look forward to!

 

Thanks for visiting, back soon with details and images of April's workshops in the studio xx

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

What kind of workshops do we teach at Snazzys? (Part One)

At the end of my last post I promised to blog all the projects I taught in January in Snazzys Studio so you can decide for yourselves what I teach at Snazzys. Now, what could be simpler? Lay each set of workshop projects out on the desk, snap a piccie of each, pop on the blog. So far so good.........not!

We can't find the recharging cable for either of our cameras and no one knows what could have happened to them, certainly not the teens & teen + children who borrowed them :0(

So, here is Part 1 with all the cardmaking projects, piccies taken with a not so great phone camera.

Then, when the new cable from Mr Amazon turns up in a couple of days, I will blog Part 2 with all the non cardmaking projects.

 

These cards are from the morning workshop on Saturday 12 January, Clean & Simple cards made with papers from the Teresa Collins Tell Your Story collection. Everyone has remnants (or more....) from paper pads which make very economical and easy cards as they are already co-ordinated for you. Speedy & simples!

 

 

These are the samples from the Focus on Pan Pastels workshop in the afternoon of Saturday 12 January where we were creating backgrounds with Pan Pastels using stamps, masks, stencils and texture paste. All stamped with some of my favourite Tim Holtz stamps. These projects were also the basis of a Custom Class on Monday 4 February for a group of ladies who couldn't get booked on the original date.

 

 

 

 

These samples are some of the projects from another custom workshop I taught on Monday 14 January for a group of ladies who wanted a taster using Distress Inks. We also created our own stencils using the Tim Holtz Blueprint Autumn Leaves to give a hand coloured effect in rich autumnal shades of Distress Inks.

 

 

On Wenesday 16 January I used Chocolate Baroques wonderful Tangled Garden plate in a Take One Stamp workshop to make some fresh & striking cards cutting our own custom apertures and with a bit of shrink plastic thrown in. Love these stamps!

 

Now, before I go, a word about custom workshops. If you are a group of four or more, we are happy to put together a custom workshop, at a time to suit you and your friends. It may be you spot a project taught previously, or a whole workshop you missed, or you simply want a workshop with a focus on products or techniques you want to work with. If so, just email or call us, and we can create a custom class just for you, at your venue or ours - and you can use snazzy Workshop Vouches to pay for Custom Workshops too and save 20%!.

 

Back soon xx