Full details on how to book, how to find us etc are at the bottom of this page.
Classes are usually held on Saturdays, last 2 hours (11.00am - 1.00pm) and cost £12 , unless listed differently
(eg: Sunday classes, which last 4 hours, from 11.30am - 3.30pm and are individually priced - see class descriptions for full details).
(eg: Sunday classes, which last 4 hours, from 11.30am - 3.30pm and are individually priced - see class descriptions for full details).
Saturday 4th February - Beautiful Backgrounds that Shimmer & Shine
Class Teacher: Susie Jefferson
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| Copyright Susie Jefferson |
Fabulous new backgrounds created with Twinkling H20s and Cosmic Shimmer watercolour paints for effects you wouldn’t believe were possible!
Fabulous new backgrounds created with Twinkling H20s, Cosmic Shimmer paints & Glimmer Mist sprays for effects you wouldn’t believe were possible!
● Salted speckles
● Clingfilm
● Wet-in-wet
● Direct-to-stamp
● Colouring-in for grownups
● Resist effects
● Stencils – tips and tricks
And lots more – plus a set of notes to take home.
Saturday 11th Feburary 2012
My Artistic Valentine
Class Teacher: Susie Jefferson
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| Using the Retiform technique |
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| Vintage style : shabby chic, stamping and collage |
Retiform (top pic) is a fabulous technique which looks really difficult - but is really easy to achieve, and ideal for men's cards. Using a simple masking technique and several inkpads, you'll learn how to blend and layer your own colours, combining stamped images for a completely new look.
Vintage cards are great fun: use a combination of rubber stamps and vintage images (or why not use actual photos of your sweetheart when a baby, for example?) We'll be combining stamping with collage for this section.
These cards combine a little romance and a little nostalgia for a fabulous result, and in this class you'll learn advanced layering, how to add collaged images to your artwork and lots more.
I'll supply copyright-free images for you to use - or bring your own treasures photograph if you would like. As always, there will be a comprehensive set of notes for you to take home.
Saturday 18th February - Decorative Stamping on Hard Surfaces
Class Teacher: Freyja Lee
Fashions come and go in art and craft projects. However, new materials, mini stamps, inks, sprays and pens make it well worthwhile revisiting some of the old 'crazes' with new eyes.
Dominoes and game pieces, bottle caps, glass slides and pebbles make lovely embellishments for cards, boxes and book covers - and much more.
The class will explore stamping and colouring techniques and ideas for using your mini works of art.
For newcomers a fun way to try out some of the confusing array of inks and colourants other than on paper and card.
For more experience stampers a reminder of some forgotten projects with fresh techniques, and in these days of austerity some great ideas for beautiful gifts made from basic supplies and materials.
The class will include:
- Basic stamping and colouring dominoes etc.
- Applying stamped tissue to hard surfaces.
- Decorative techniques for bottle caps .
- Interesting decorating for glass slides and pebbles.
- A work sheet to take home.
- There will be plenty of samples to show how your work can be used
Saturday 25th February - Stencils and Masks
Class Teacher: Chris McMillan
Full details to follow
Saturday 3rd March - Carve Your Own Stamps, Cut Your Own Stencils
Class Teacher: Susie Jefferson
Always wanted to make your own stamps? Why not carve them – it’s easy and fun and I’ll show you how! Never found the exact stencil you wanted? Why not make your own?
With your own stamps and stencils you’ll have the exact images you are looking for.
With your own stamps and stencils you’ll have the exact images you are looking for.
Stamps can be as simple or as detailed as you’d like – from simple shapes for borders and accents, all the way through to vintage images, doodles – whatever you want!
Stencils – these could be die-cuts, punches – or more complicated, using a craft knife, to make really elaborate designs.
As always, there will be a full set of notes to take home.
Please bring:
● Xacto knife with a new blade
● Pencil and eraser
● Xacto knife with a new blade
● Pencil and eraser
Saturday 17th March - Flora and Fauna
Class Teacher: Chris McMillan
Full details to follow
Saturday 10th March - Resist work
Class Teacher: Freyja Lee
Resist techniques using clear resist ink, embossing powder a variety of inkpads and various craft products allows us to create light images beneath dark backgrounds not possible with standard stamping and colouring. These are not new but there are many other resist techniques using a range of materials to create even more interesting and beautiful effects. Using the differing properties of inks, ink on ink resists are too good to miss and achievable even if you have never used a stamp or tried resist work before. Multi layered, ghostly images emerge mysteriously from deep within the card and over laid colours merge to make new, subtle shades. Perfect for backgrounds or panels to complement your other stamps.
The Class will include:
- Trying out several established simple techniques including Joseph's coat with rainbow ink.
- Experimenting with more advanced ink resist.
- Ideas for using your samples
- A work sheet to take home.
- Lots of samples on display for inspiration.
Saturday 24th March - Beginners
Class Teacher: Susie Jefferson
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| Copyright Susie Jefferson - as seen in Craft Stamper 2011 |
- How to ink and stamp correctly, for a perfect image every time (especially those HUGE stamps)
- How to emboss, using a heat tool
- Mounting and layering effects
- How to make a card look HAND made, not home made
- Masking and reverse masking
- Stamp positioning (how to put WHAT you want WHERE you want)
You will also take home a comprehensive hand-out, telling you how to choose the right ink for the job, plus how to care, clean and store your stamps. Also included: foolproof basic layout ideas (with a gallery of sample photographs in full colour).
Saturday 14th April - Spritz and Spray
Class Teacher: Chris McMillan
Full details to follow
Saturday 21st April - Using Parchment and Vellum
Class Teacher: Freyja Lee
A translucent and easy to stamp and colour surface make this a perfect material not just for cards but for many decorative projects. Use for overlays, windows, backgrounds or brightly coloured panels. All will add a semi-transparent air of mystery and combine beautifully with printed, self decorated or plain paper and card. There are many ways to decorate vellum and combine with other materials for new and surprising effects.
The class will include:
- Stamping on vellum
- Colouring with pearl paints, powders and inkpads.
- Making simple Christmas backgrounds and layers.
- Enhancements with peel-offs, paper punches and threads.
- Novel ways of attaching vellum to card.
- A worksheet to take home for future reference.
Saturday 28th April - Tim Holtz Style - Distress
Class Teacher: Susie Jefferson
Love the 'Tim Holtz' style, but unsure how to achieve it yourself? This class will show you how - and you'll learn the very latest techniques - fresh from the classes I took with Tim himself!
We'll play with:
- Tim Holtz - Masks
- Tim Holtz - stamps
- Distress inks
- Distress embossing powders
- Distress Crackle paint
- Distress Stickles
- Alcohol inks
- Colour Wash sprays
- GrungeBoard
So whether your style is hard-core Grunge, or a softer vintage Shabby Chic effect, we will be trying out all kinds of effects for that special "Tim" look - perfect for journalling, altered art pieces, scrapbooking, canvases and cards! As always, there will be a full set of notes to take home. Be sure to bring an apron or wear old clothing!
SUNDAY 29th April - The ART of Journaling
Journaling course Part 1 - Making an Upcycled Journal
4 hours 11.30-3.30
Class Teacher: Susie Jefferson
This fun journal will be stitched from an eclectic mix of pages chosen by YOU – a choice of vintage book pages, scrapbooking papers, plain and lined papers, watercolour paper, ledger pages - to make the journal YOU want! Journaling Part 1:
● We’ll prepare the covers
● Stitch the book together
● Construct pocket pages
● Page extensions which open right out into double-width spreads
You’ll end up with a journal all ready to go!
In Journaling Part 2, we’ll prepare the pages, decorate the backgrounds and add some embellishments. In Journaling Part 3, we’ll be adding images and lettering, finishing off those wonderful spreads.
Please bring:
● a sandwich lunch with you (tea & coffee will be provided)
● an apron or wear old clothes
● metal-edged ruler and craft knife with new blade
● pencil & eraser
● pokey tool
Please note the fee for this class is £40.00, which includes all materials including book covers.
Saturday 12th May - Big and Beautiful! Really Big Cards
Class Teacher: Susie Jefferson
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| Copyright Susie Jefferson |
Oversized cards are all the rage - so let's make some really special ones!
● Glitz, glimmer and lots of layers
● How to join card successfully to make A4 and A3 sizes
● Square cards
● Ribbon - tied and threaded
● Punch art - corners and borders
● Backgrounds
● Embellishments
● Transparencies
● Titling
● And lots lots more!
As always, a full set of notes will be provided.
SUNDAY 20th May - Tim Holtz Style - The Configuration TRAY
4 hours 11.30-3.30
Class Teacher: Susie Jefferson
A different layout to the Configuration Box, the tray is wider and with shallower niches, giving a completely new challenge in decorating and embellishing!
Whether you want to use your tray to hang on the wall to display your favourite wood-mounted rubber stamps, turn into a perpetual calendar or simply to store your favourite little ornaments, this tray is so much fun!
● I’ll show you how to prep and decorate your tray and individual compartments
● We’ll add die cut and chipboard embellishments and letters
● We’ll add scrapbooking and vintage papers
● Distress, layer, paint, emboss
● Embellish
● Add ornaments
I will bring lots of items for you to add, but do feel free to bring any special items if you’d like.
Please note the fee for this class is £45.00, which includes all materials including the tray
Please bring:
Sandwiches for your lunch (tea and coffee will be provided)
Apron (or an old shirt to protect your clothes)
Craft knife with a new blade
Sunday 27th May
The ART of Journaling
Part 2 - Preparing the Pages
4 hours 11.30-3.30
Class teacher: Susie Jefferson
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| Copyright Susie Jefferson. As seen in Craft Stamper Magazine 2011 |
Preparing the pages for journaling: how to get over the fear of The Blank White Page by adding colour - making interesting backgrounds ready to receive your artwork by using a variety of mediums including:
● Gesso & Absorbent Ground
● Acrylics & Watercolour paints
● Rubber Stamps
● Building textures
● Stencils & Sprays
● Wax resist ... and lots more...
Please note the fee for this class is £35.00, which includes all materials.
Booking preference will be given to students who took Part 1 of the course
Saturday 2nd June - Waterfalls for Scrapbooks or Cards
Class Teacher: Susie Jefferson
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| Copyright Susie Jefferson - the tab on the left is pulled, to show off all the little postcards |
These are fun, look totally amazing and can be made to fit any size of image. They make look difficult, but they aren’t - once you know the secret....
● Interactive pages or cards are so much fun!
● Waterfalls also look stunning on a scrapbook page, totally interactive, yet lay flat to allow your album or journal to close easily.
● Use any size of image, make the mechanism to fit
● Waterfalls can go horizontally OR vertically
Please bring:
Craft knife with a new blade
Pencil and eraser
SUNDAY10th June
The ART of Journaling
Part 3 - Journaling: Collage, decoration, hand lettering
4 hours 11.30-3.30
Class Teacher: Susie Jefferson
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| Copyright Susie Jefferson - as seen in Craft Stamper magazine 2011 |
Please note the fee for this class is £40.00, which includes all materials. Collage materials will be provided but please feel free to bring special items if you'd like to include these on your pages this part of the course we’ll do the artwork and finish our four prepared spreads:
● Finishing the pages: additional colour work
● Hand lettered titles and journaling
● Collage
● Tape transfers
● Gel transfers
● Over-painting images
● Drawing back INTO the image
● Grounding your images into the page
● Hand lettered titles and journaling
● Collage
● Tape transfers
● Gel transfers
● Over-painting images
● Drawing back INTO the image
● Grounding your images into the page
Please bring:
Sandwiches for your lunch (tea and coffee will be provided)
Apron or old shirt to protect your clothes
Pencil and eraser
Sandwiches for your lunch (tea and coffee will be provided)
Apron or old shirt to protect your clothes
Pencil and eraser
Saturday 23rd June - SteamPunk
Class Teacher: Susie Jefferson
Steampunk is the latest craze to hit the stamping and scrapbooking world! Inspired by films such as ‘The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen’ and ‘Wild Wild West’, Steampunk is the wonderful combination of futuristic ideas and images mixed with Victoriana!
Great for men’s cards (always difficult!) and perfect for anyone wanting something completely different in true ‘Monty Python’ style. Also great for scrapbook pages and journals.
● In this class you’ll learn what it is
● How to do it
● Use images you already have, and ‘Steampunk’ them
● Add backgrounds, borders and embellishments in true Steampunk style
Please bring:
Apron or old shirt to protect your clothes
Craft knife with new blade
Saturday 7th July - Beginners
Class Teacher: Susie Jefferson
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| Copyright Susie Jefferson - as seen in Craft Stamper 2011 |
- How to ink and stamp correctly, for a perfect image every time (especially those HUGE stamps)
- How to emboss, using a heat tool
- Mounting and layering effects
- How to make a card look HAND made, not home made
- Masking and reverse masking
- Stamp positioning (how to put WHAT you want WHERE you want)
You will also take home a comprehensive hand-out, telling you how to choose the right ink for the job, plus how to care, clean and store your stamps. Also included: foolproof basic layout ideas (with a gallery of sample photographs in full colour).
SUNDAY 8th July - Coptic Books
4 hours 11.30-3.30
Class Teacher: Susie Jefferson
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| Copyright Susie Jefferson |
Coptic books are a unique format which shows exposed stitching on the spine.
In this class, we'll make two books - a full-sized A5 journal (with handmade or scrapbooking papers for the covers) and a variation: sewn over tapes.
We'll be using 1st quality board, gorgeous papers throughout, and you'll stitch your books together with either waxed Linen thread or embroidery silks (depending on which suits YOUR book). You'll go home with two completed books. As always, there will be a set of fully illustrated notes.
Please bring:
a sandwich lunch with you (tea & coffee will be provided)
an apron or wear old clothes
metal-edged ruler and craft knife with new blade
pencil & eraser
pokey tool
Please note the fee for this class is £40.00, which includes all materials: boards, coverings, papers, waxed linen thread etc
Saturday 21st July
SLAM JOURNAL - Scrapbook Your Summer Holiday
Class Teacher: Susie Jefferson
Slam Journals are the very latest thing - a pre-prepped journal or album, so that you can slam in your memorabilia for a very quick and easy finish, as your pages are already part-way done!
TWO DIFFERENT STYLES - you’ll choose which one you want to work on. Either a quick and easy accordion fold style or a booklet style folded travel journal.
Each with pockets to:
● Store tickets, brochures, memorabilia
● Journal with stamps or handwritten journaling
● Add tags
● Embellish with photographs
● Add titling with rub-ons or chipboard letters
Prepare your little journal before you go, or save bits and pieces to journal and add when you get back. Prepared pages make for a fast and furious Slam Journal finish!
HOW TO BOOK, PRICE ETC:
- Classes are held on Saturdays, from starting at 11.00am and last for two hours (unless otherwise noted).
- Classes costs £12.00 unless otherwise noted.
- All materials are provided unless noted otherwise on the class details.
- Please pay in advance to confirm your booking.
- Space is strictly limited to 7 per class to ensure personal attention.
How to find us:
The nearest tube is Holborn (Central or Piccadilly lines).
- When you come out of Holborn tube cross over the traffic lights to Sainsburys.
- Continue walking down High Holborn (with Sainsburys on your left).
- At the traffic lights, near the Model shop, cross over.
- Continue along High Holborn past the Old Dutch Cafe till you reach the Infinity Motorcyle shop.
- Turn right at the motorcycle shop into Bury Place. You should see the BUPA building.
- Walk past the BUPA building and cross over the road, Bloomsbury Way (you should see a shop called Richer Sounds) and Blade Rubber is halfway up Bury Place on the right.
- It should only take about five minutes.
If you get lost give us a ring:
0845 873 7005.
