I'm travelling into a new way of working, a new country, a new language, and a new hobby which I'm passionate about. Come with me for some of the journey...

Friday, 6 March 2026

So much going on! ArtsyCrafts Retreat and YouTube Update

Hello all, what with one thing and another (CreativeWorld international craft trade fair in Frankfurt, launching new stamps and stencils, filming for online courses, plus another big secret I can't even tell you about yet!), I've been neglecting the blog again. 

Here's just a quick update on the treats available over on the Words and Pictures YouTube channel, in case you've missed them... some of them including some playtime with the newest stamps and stencils released last month. 

Click on any of the links to go and enjoy the fun!

We had a very rusty January - watch some of the episodes in the full Rusty Patina Playtime playlist, and you'll see what I mean.  Here are a couple of highlights.



Using tags and ephemera elements created during the season to give the fabulous Tim Holtz moth a place to take off from.

Rusty Playtime 2

Using Grit Paste and various colour mediums to create rusty and coppery patinas on diecuts by Seth Apter and Tim Holtz for Sizzix.

Watercolour Berries

Creating a watercolour effect with Distress Ink stamping of my new PaperArtsy berries from EAB54 Twisted Branches and EAB56 Berry Branches - an addictive technique, this one!

Bubbly Women

These curly-headed women are a new element in the Words and Pictures stamp world, but I've been doodling them for years in the margins of my playscripts. Time to take centre stage...



There's even been time for a little bit of wintery watercolouring (some of it including my PaperArtsy stamps)...

And there are so so so many more since I last caught up here!  Hop over to the channel and explore - and I hope you'll enjoy all the inspiration.

Oh, and by the way - there are just a few places left on my PaperArtsy ArtsyCrafts retreat this June, in the glorious French countryside. If you're curious, these links will help with anything you need to know.


Listen to Leandra and me discussing the retreat here...


For information packs click here...


For booking details click here... 


For a brief little introduction to the whole thing, click here...

Thanks so much, as ever, for your company on this creative journey - it wouldn't be the same without you.  Have a great weekend, everyone!

It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end.
Ursula le Guin

Change is the end result of all true learning.
Leo Bascaglia