Free Parchment Craft Pattern 'Flowers and Lace'

Here is the new free pattern. I recently broke my arm so I probably haven't finished the card as elaborately as I would have liked. If you download any of my patterns please feel free to change any parts you wish or make improvements, and send them to me and I will put them in a gallery. Click here for free pattern and instructions.

The Art of Painting by Gerti Hofman, A Book Review

In the Art of Painting Gerti Hofman has provided step by step instructions for painting with Pergamano Pintura paint, Pinta Perla, Tinta ink, felt pens and coloured pencils. This is a large book (80 pages) with instructions for 21 beautiful card designs.

Although the main focus of the book is painting there are some essential instructions for lace making but if you need to know more about lace making technique other books have more detail.

Each pattern focuses on a different painting technique: Dresden flowers techniques, Perga Liners dry and wet techniques, Brazilian technique and tip, tip, tip are some of them; so if you want to practise a particular technique it is easy to choose a pattern that will challenge you.

As well as being a useful addition to a Parchment Craft collection this is an essential guide and reference for painting there are many useful tips and information on how to correct problems in painting.

Free Parchment Craft Pattern 'Lotus Flower and Bamboo Border'

Lotus Flower and Bamboo border. If you would like a copy of my design and instructions, click here.

Passion for Cards by Mieke Sprenger

Mieke Sprenger's new book Passion for cards is a collection of card patterns for every occasion. There are religious cards, for example, sympathy and first communion, everyday cards such as get well soon, graduation, driving test and moving house plus Valentines and Mother's day, altogether 24 patterns for almost any occasion. These patterns are aimed at a beginner to parchment craft, the pictures are beautiful and the instructions are really clear and well thought out, though as there are no 'in depth' technique pages if you were absolutely,brand new to this craft you would need a techniques book as well. This is the English version of the book and it is totally English except for the actual words on the cards. I would have liked an alphabet pattern in the back of the book so that I could do English versions of the words, although I expect most people have got one of these stashed away in their collection.

Parchment Craft DVD - Finishing Touches by Christine Coleman

Finishing Touches is volume 5 in the series of DVDs from Christine Coleman. There are loads of tips for getting good results. A lot of different techniques are covered: tracing with a white pencil, advanced embossing, monochrome painting, burnishing with polychromos pencils, making an oversized envelope from A4 and making a picture frame, also how to emboss a rose with shaders and lots more. The embossing projects that you make can be paired with the frame to make beautiful pictures. Approximately 2 hours and 20 minutes long.

Parchment Craft - The Techniques Volume 6 - Working with Grids

Volume six in this Pergamano series concentrates on instructions for using the Pergamano Easy-Grids Regular and Fine Mesh and the Grid Diagonal which is an aluminium grid A4 size. As in the other books in this useful series, this book assumes you have read the preceding books and know those techniques. If you want to learn how to use the mesh grids and the arrow tool, triangle tools and diamond tools and also perforate and emboss using the diagonal grid, this book is the one for you. There are about 9 projects (which I think are all outstanding) and you learn the techniques and tips as you work through the projects.

My Precious Collection by Gail Sydenham

Gail Sydenham's new parchment craft book of designs is available from February. This 48 page book contains 21 beautiful designs, mainly for cards but there is a box design. There is something for everyone, the designs are of flowers, butterflies, cats, dogs and some beautiful birds. I love drawing birds and I was really pleased to see designs with a greenfinch, meadow pipit, sparrow hawk and a yellow wren in this book. The book is aimed at varying levels of experience, some of the designs use multi-grids but as the grid work patterns are included in the back of the book it is probably not essential to rush out and buy the multi-grid if you already own a straight grid. I am going to try the Orange Dahlia pattern, what a fabulous book! I can't wait to get started.