It's a cracker....

Happy Friday folks...

Thought I'd share with you another one of Joanne's amazing creations.. (can you tell I am filling as I haven't made anything recently myself??!!)

This is one she did with her ladies during their party week here at Pinnacles... Little mini parchment crackers...

Although personally, I think they look like little Quality Streets (other brands of Christmas sweets available!)....
Either way, another masterpiece!!!
Have a great day folks and thanks for checking us out.
See you soon.
Andy.

Soooo been waiting for this one.....

Hi Folks... If there's one Christmas card I look forward to receiving each year, then it has to be Joanne's (Sister).... Why!?

Cos blooming ek! the time, effort, love and patience she must put into everyone of her Parchment creations

just astounds me every time I see one...

She's even made a little one for Hollister... Forget Baubles, AMAZEBALLS is more apt me thinks!........

Right, more reducing for me today.. I have a reducing gun, and I'm not afraid to use it!!!
Have a great day folks and thanks for checking us out.
See you soon.
Andy.

Wedding Invites & Venetian Masks!!

Hi Blogland. I really don't know where this week has gone... I do recall posting on Tuesday, and yet Friday is now here and where has the time gone in between?? Ho Hum!!
The reason time has flown is mainly because I have been concentrating on getting some Wedding Invitations finished for a couple. They came and saw me last December and I said I would put some samples together for them. They came back in January and we agreed on the final design which I started on straight away. Well, with over 200 invites, and RSVP's to do you don't want to leave it to the last minute now do you.
With one thing and another they have only just come back to me with the final wording for the invites and RSVP's, in both English and Italian I might add!!And here they are...They have an unusual theme of Tea for their wedding. I didn't want to appear rude so I never asked why. Although I would have asked eventually! I just assumed that the Bride to be may work for a Tea company or be tea total or something like that. Anyway, now I have the wording it all makes sense. They are having an Afternoon Tea after their Ceremony instead of a traditional Wedding Breakfast, and therefore that was why they went with this theme.Oh and the Bride is tea total and works for a tea company and her surname is Tetley... Na, not really!!So with all the English and Italian invites done and ready for them to collect I will make a start on the Table Plan, Post Box, Menu's, Place Names and Favours.. Ooooohh I need a cuppa now!!!
So, seeing as I don't have a project as such to share with you today I have borrowed one of Super Sis' (Joanne) amazing projects...She amazes me in all that she does with her parchment craft. And this is no exception. Although it looks perhaps impossible to do to the untrained eye, myself included, she assures me that the project is quite simple and doesn't take too long... Yeah, whatever!!I think you'll agree... SPECTACULAR!!!
Right, I'm off to boil the kettle for that cuppa.
Thanks for checking us out..
See you soon.
@ndy.

Amazing!!!!

Hi Everyone. Today I wanted to share with you something a little bit different.
Hopefully most of you will know that here at Pinnacle Crafts we try to offer you an eclectic range of techniques to use in your crafting projects. You will find everything from Cuttlebug to Cricut, from Card Making to Scrapbooking, from Peel Offs to Shaving Foam.., OK, we don't actually sell Shaving Foam but we have shown you how to use it.Well today's offering is one of Joanne's, dare I say it!! Yes I dare! "MASTERPIECES" using Parchment...
Joanne is our qualified Pergamano and Parchcraft Australia (PCA) tutor. She also happens to be my (older) Sister, and when you have someone with as much artistic talent to look up to, it's bound to rub off somewhere.. That's me looking up to her that is, not t'other way around... yeah, yeah I can make a Cricut work,but this!!! mmm I think not..
The detail in all of her Parchment work is beyond words...Check out the Butterfly on the front of the shoe, all hand drawn and embossed..as is the detail on the side of the shoe...Now most people would struggle with making a bow out of ribbon!, but Parchment!! Awesome!
Joanne has another one of her all day workshops tomorrow, and it's testament to her amazing work that it is another sell out!! Enjoy ladies...
Thanks for checking us out.
See you soon.
Andy.

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!!

Hi Everyone, OK well we may not have the real thing! good thing too considering the chaos we had earlier this year when it did snow.. But today we bring you the next best thing!!
It's rare that any of our projects over lap, but today you have the combined efforts of both myself and Joanne in this project.. To be honest more Joanne than me...She had prepared this amazing Snowflake for her Parchment lesson on Saturday and I wanted to show it off to it's best.. If you remember back to her last piece of work, the background card I used to take to photograph really enhanced all the work Joanne had put into the lantern..
I'd been playing with a few pieces of card and eventually found the right piece and then let my Cricut machine work it's magic!!I cut out a Background image at 8" from the Storybook Cartridge (Frame Accent, Shift & #7).. I've used this cut before and love it.I then cut out a square, again at 8" and put the 2 pieces together.Now, Joanne had made her Snowflake in both White & Blue Parchment and simply laying them on top of each other and then onto the cut out card stock produced what I consider to be one amazing snowflake scene, it even makes me feel cold looking at it!! Here are a few close ups so you can see all of the detailed work that has gone into this project..

I know she loves doing her Parchment work and I hope you enjoy viewing them, or if it has inspired you to perhaps give it a go? Joanne holds lessons in this amazing technique.. So if you are planning on starting a new hobby in the New Year take a look at our lessons and see what we have got planned for you in 2010.
Thanks for checking us out

See you soon.
Pinnacles..

Time...

or lack of it I guess!... Hey Blogland, sorry for the lack of posting recently, what with one thing or another teaching, demonstrating, designing, updating the website, and trying to have some kind of social life time has eluded me yet again..
However, now that I have caught up with myself I have decided that today's project will be by someone else..
Now, you know fully well we don't get others to do our job for us, so it is in fact one of Joanne's amazing Parchment creations.. How she finds the time to do this I will never know, perhaps she slips into a third dimension where time slows down and you get more done.. I think I need to find this third dimension... anyone else???
So here it is in all it's glory, with a few close ups for you to really appreciate the work which has gone into this project. I think you'll agree, amazing.
This is the project for Joanne's Parchment lesson on Sunday 25th October.. So for those who are booked on the lesson, ENJOY!!!..
Oh, and for those wondering about the background, it's available in the shop.. I think it works brilliantly with Joanne's project or is it my photography is getting better!!!? Nah, it's definitely Jo's project and backing card doing all the work here!!
Have a great day & thanks for checking us out..
See you soon.
Pinnacles..

Autumn has arrived and I'm pleased!!!

Hey Blogland... Has it really been a week since my last post??!!! That's shameful!! So apologies given and accepted, on with the post...
This week I'm sure I saw the arrival of Autumn, then a little bit of late Summer and then back to Autumn again. Don't you just love the British weather?? You know you wouldn't have it any other way.........
Any hoo, September is here and it is Birthday's all round... The shop had hers or is it his?? just over a week ago, then came my Dad's, Mum's is next, then it's eerrrmmm MINE!! and then my Nan's, all within 2 weeks of each other. So Happy Birthday to all those other September Babies out there... I know Joanne (Sis) dreads this Month (Birthday wise).. so to keep her sweet I'd thought I'd share with you one of her beautiful Parchment creations.. I've said it before and I'll say it again, what she can't do with a bit of parchment really isn't worth doing...

This is for her Parchment workshop on Saturday..
Now for a few close ups...

and even closer so that you can see all the work which has gone into this project.. I think you'll agree.. Stunning!!!

Now, not only has she produced the above project for her workshop, but as some of her class would prefer to do the project just embossing as opposed to colouring Joanne has also produced this... and a close up..
So have a good time on your workshop to those who are in on Saturday, you're spoilt for choice I think...
Thanks for checking us out.. See you soon.
Pinnacles..

Happy Birthday Reene

Hi Everyone, Today is a very dear friends Birthday. She is as fanatical about her Cricut as I am.. and makes some truly amazing cards. I don't know about you but I find it almost impossible to make a card for a fellow crafter. I almost challenge myself to create something beyond belief which gives me a headache!!! Anyhoo as she loves her Cricut as much as me, I thought I would give her just that, in the way of a Cricut card, Literally!! I have a cart called Store Front. It has lots of ProvoCraft symbols on it, including a Cricut Machine, CuttleBug and Cricut image. I used chalks to make the blue background and embossed each line to look like a different cart.. The words on each cart are just peel off letters. Hope you like, although today more importantly I hope she likes.. Happy Birthday Reene... have a great day...
Oh also, there is a play on words here, her family are keen Cricketer's (the sport) so the term Cricut and Cricket works on 2 levels here... I hope...!
And here is Joanne's card for Reene...

What is there left to be said but WOW,WOW,WOW. So much work and effort has been put into this, well I was going to say card but work of art would be more appropriate I think...

This week in our lessons we are doing Quilling. (Quilling, or paper filigree, is the art of rolling and gluing thin strips of paper into different shapes to create decorative designs).
It's not something I can do but Pauline, who has the patience of a saint, is a dab hand at it..

Thanks for checking us out.

From Sweden to Italy

We are taking you on a whirl wind tour of Europe aren't we.. Why? Because we can..
We had an absolutely fantastic day yesterday.. It was the first day of Club Members Weekend and the shop was busy from the get go with club members eager to get their hands on all of our goodies.. The best part of the day for me was the return of 2 wonderful people to Pinnacle Crafts. As I mentioned yesterday, Kristina came all the way from Sweden and spent the whole day with us and with the arrival of Lyn capped the day off.. She has not been well at all and bravely made her way up to see us all. We are all VERY PROUD of you Lyn and now the worst is over... onward and upward matey..
Anyway, today we are off to Italy.

As you may be aware, Joanne completed her final exams this year and is now a qualified Pergamano and PCA (Parchcraft Australia) tutor.. She has a lesson next Sunday 02nd August, god where has July gone!!? and this is what she will be teaching.
The lesson is aimed at Intermediate to Advance Parchment Crafters, So if you are looking for a crafting challenge why not book yourself in for the lesson?
The Columbine also known as (Columbina and Columbino) is a half mask often highly decorated with gold, silver, crystals and feathers. It was held up to the face by a baton or tied with ribbon as with most other venetian masks.
Joanne never fails to impress with her Parchment skills, and yes every single strand has been cut out by hand.. Impressive Non??
Ciao for now...

It's all about Dad...

Hi Everyone, Father's Day has been and gone for sometime now and now I have managed to prize my Dad's Father's Day cards from him, well not so much prize as take and replace before he notices.... I'd like to share them with you.
As many of you know Joanne has an AMAZING talent with Parchment craft, if fact for those that don't know her she is a qualified Pergamano and PCA (Parchcraft Australia tutor).

This was her card for Dad.. Now, when I saw it I just stared and stared at it.It just amazes me how such stunning effects can be achieved with this technique, a true art I think you'll agree? Don't forget you can always see Joanne's beautiful work here or in the shop. Or why not try one of Joanne's Parchment classes...?

This was Pauline's card to Dad, she obviously doesn't need to send a card to her Husband on Father's Day, but any opportunity to give a card can make someones day I think...
The card opens in the middle and is stamped in the windows with all his tools etc. We also did this one in a lesson a while back and everyone loved the great idea...

And this was my effort. For those that know me you know any chance to roll up my sleeves and get the inks out and I'm there! For those that don't know me, I am Andy and I like ink, there I said it...! Phew that feels better... Anyhoo.. I used Cosmic Shimmer Mist's for this card.. Random colours were sprayed onto glossy White card stock... They dry pretty much instantly so can be worked on straight away. Once coloured and dry I ran a piece of card stock through the Cuttlebug using the Distress Stripes (Bark) Embossing folder.
The other piece of card stock (which I had used different colours on) was cut and embossed with the Maple Leaf Cuttlebug Combo Die. The letters were also Cuttlebug, Red Tag Sale..

Hope you like the cards and thanks for checking us out...