Hone your scrapbooking skills

Hone your scrapbooking skills

Scrapbooking is one of the most popular paper crafting pastimes, and Colouricious have lots of wonderful ideas and videos to show you how the creative use of block printing can take your scrapbooking to the next level.

Not only do we have lots of videos showing you how you can use lovely block printed sheets to enhance your scrapbooks and the images you put in them, but we also have a video from Linda and Just Scrapbooking showing you how you can make a scrapbook as well! It is well worth watching.

We have a section in our online store for scrapbookers which has loads of different things that you can use to enhance your scrapbooks. We have some lovely stencils, blocks and trimmings that would all be perfect for a scrapbooker. Why not go and take a look.

Click on the image below to be taken to the scrapbook section of our online store.

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Spring is in the air!

There is definitely a feeling that spring is in the air in the UK and we were delighted to get a lovely range of butterflies and dragonflies from our wood carvers.They are beautifully intricate and would look fantastic on any block printing project. You can check them out in our Latest Arrivals section or you can click on the images of some of the sets we are highlighting below.

Butterfly Trio

Bug Ball

The BIrds and The Bees

Butterfly Quintet

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Come with us to India

When you read this newsletter, we will be on our last few days of our Textile Treasure Hunt in India. It has been a truly wonderful tour and if you have been following us on Facebook, you will have seen some of the wonderful scenery, sights and fantastic stitching techniques that we have all seen. I know I am very passionate about our trips to India, but everybody that comes with us has such a fantastic time and they all say how truly enlightening and spiritual India is.

Our trips to India do get fully booked quickly. We have organised trips to Jaipur and they are now almost all fully booked until September 2017. (There are a few reservations left in our January trip, but you need to move quickly to grab the space.)

If you want to go to India before 2017, then we do have some spaces on our trip to Rajasthan in November. Like all our trips to India, this will be a full-on tour of the sights and experiences of this wonderful North Western region of India. We will get to see lots of village crafting and of course, the world famous Pushkar Camel Fair.

If you would like to join us on our trip to Rajasthan, or any of the tours and holidays that we organise, then head over to the holiday section of our website where you will find the holiday booking form where you can reserve your place. We would love for you to join us.

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Win £1,000!

We are getting lots of entries for our super competition. Last year we offered a space on one of our trips to India and we are doing the same this year, but also giving the winner the option to win £1,000 in cash if they want. All you have to do, is head over to our website and purchase any of our competition sets. Not only will you get the lovely blocks or silk printing kit, but you will also be entered into the competition. One entry for every competition set you purchase.

Good Luck!

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Sharing is Caring

If you feel that Colouricious has inspired you with new, varied and interesting textile art ideas, please share us with your friends. We can only grow through personal recommendation, and if you were to help “spread the Colouricious love” we would be so grateful. We love to think of all our creative friends around the world holding Colouricious hands!

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Learn, Create, Be Happy!

kind regards

Jamie Malden
Colouricious

Hone your scrapbooking skills

Creative Free Machine Embroidery with Gina Ferrari - Download

Running Time:   60 minutes

Featured Artist:   Gina Ferrari

Machine Embroidery

Create your own textiles using your sewing machine for free machine embroidery

AboutGallery

Textile artist Gina Ferrari is passionate about design, textiles and fabric and how free machine embroidery can bring all of them together. Have you always wanted to use embroidery to embellish your textile art? Gina teaches you about understanding the embroidery machine, needles, threads and fabrics you can use for machine embroidery projects.

Gradually build up your knowledge as you go through this textile art DVD and you can go from a beginner to confident with your sewing or embroidery machine. Start with basic embroidery stitches and even at the beginning use these sewing techniques in your beginner embroidery projects and arts and crafts.

Chapter 1 – Sewing machines for beginners

Back to basics, a perfect guide to learn how to sew with an embroidery machine. Proper care and use of your machine is very important in any of your embroidery projects.

Chapter 2 – Embroidery stitches for beginners

Practice makes perfect, learn some basic embroidery stitches and have a go yourself! Gina starts with running stitch and how to set up your embroidery machine.

Chapter 3 – Running stitch

Try some easy sewing projects with basic embroidery stitches in this chapter. You can get some great tips to make a fantastic tea cosy!

Chapter 4 – Beginner sewing projects with an easy embroidery stitch

There are plenty more beginner sewing project ideas for you to try, this time make your own card and learn about the surprising surfaces you can incorporate into your embroidery designs.

Chapter 5 – Further basic embroidery stitches

Sewing techniques can be difficult to master but Gina will teach you four easy rules to follow to create beautiful vermicelli stitch with your free machine embroidery skills.

Chapter 6 – Bobbin embroidery stitches – whip stitch

A new kind of needlework is introduced to you in this chapter – whip stitch! Use your embroidery machine for an exciting technique. Gina provides advice in case your thread snaps.

Chapter 7 – Bobbin embroidery stitches – moss stitch and feather stitch

Learn how beginner sewing techniques can transform your work with moss stitch and feather stitch. Add texture to your textile design with these embroidery stitches.

Chapter 8- Bobbin embroidery stitches – cable stitch

A back to front free machine embroidery technique Gina will teach you all about and explain how she used it in her machine embroidery projects.

Chapter 9 – Basic embroidery stitches, the zigzag.

Another important free machine embroidery stitch is the zigzag stitch.  Learn how to make a sampler to see all the patterns you can create with these basic embroidery stitches!

Chapter 10 – Machine embroidery projects ideas

Gina talks through her favourite pieces of textile art and embroidery techniques. She shows how you can use the sewing techniques for your own machine embroidery projects.

Creative Free Machine Embroidery with Gina Ferrari - Download

Inspired Textile Landscapes

Inspired Textile Landscapes with Gilda Baron

Inspired Textile Landscapes

Add Decoupage and Papercraft to your skill sets

Try Decoupage and Papercraft

Decoupage and Papercrafting is an ideal way to use your block printed paper to create some wonderful projects. Colouricious is always keen to show you different ways to get the most out of your collection of wooden printing blocks and decoupage or papercrafting is the perfect way to do this. We have several excellent videos on how to use your block printed paper on many different projects including making some delightful pieces of jewellery.

Click on the picture below to see all our videos on Decoupage and Papercrafting.

The Colouricious Inspired Block Printing DVD is the perfect accompaniment for learning about how to block print and papercrafting. The DVD has loads of wonderful ideas showing you how to block print creatively and use your block printed material in many different ways. If you are interested in purchasing this DVD, then click on the DVD below to be taken to our online store.

Click on the video below to be taken to our online store.

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As we have been telling you for the last couple of newsletters, we have been taking delivery of lots of wonderful new wooden block sets. However, the blocks that arrived last week really did blow us away!

When we opened up the boxes this is what we found:

Indian Butterfly Family

Indian Elephant Family

Elephant Mini Christmas Set

Elephant Mini Summer Kit

Peacock Poppy Deluxe Set

Not only are all these sets really beautiful and intricately carved, but they are supplied in delightful hand made and decorated boxes with lovely string ties. These sets are really fantastic and we are really pleased that our carvers have put these sets together for us.

If you would like to buy any of these sets, then click on the image to be taken straight to our website.

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Good Morning Vietnam

If you join us in November this year, you will be able to shout out the headline to this part of our newsletter just like Robin Williams did in the famous film.

We are heading off to Vietnam on 11th November for a 15 day tour of this truly wonderful country. This holiday will appeal to those who wish to experience many of the different aspects of Vietnam. Amongst many other things, we will be visiting the Hmong Hill tribes in remote parts of the country, touching on the history of the Vietnam war, stay at an eco lodge to relax and see the vast diversity of a tropical forest, not forgetting the constant photographic opportunities of this very colourful country. Textiles of course will be a significant feature of our holiday, however this tour is designed to be a wonderful balance of his and hers interests!

The Hmong people are thought to have originated from the Yangtze River in China and moved to Vietnam after the Ming Dynasty. Whilst the Hmong range geographically across China, Burma, Laos, Vietnam, and Thailand, they are easily distinguishable as they have retained their own language, customs, and way of life, sans frontiers. There are many sub-groups including the black Hmong who wear clothes dyed with indigo with embroidered embellishments on their sleeves and leg wraps as well as the flower Hmong who are renowned for their brightly coloured embroidery and beaded fringe. We will be visiting both these groups in Sapa.

If you are interested in joining us on this fantastic tour, then head over to our website and reserve your place. We already have a number of people who have signed up and places are limited we will be staying in eco lodges that are committed to balance the ecological requirements of the country with the number of visitors it takes. We would love for you to join us.

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Be in it to win it!

Our competition is in full swing and we have already had lots of entries from people keen to win either a trip with us to India or £1,000 cash. Click on the video above to see last years winner Anny, tell you all about her experience as the winner. If you want to enter this years competition, head over to our website and make your purchase.

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Learn, Create, Be Happy!

kind regards

Jamie Malden
Colouricious

Add Decoupage and Papercraft to your skill sets

Dreamweaver Metal Stencil LL532 Christmas Trees

Dreamweaver Metal Stencil LL532 Christmas Trees

Poppy Peacock Deluxe Set Wood Stamps

Poppy Peacock

Poppy Peacock Deluxe Set Wood Stamps – set of 32 fabulous wooden printing blocks for block printing both onto fabric and paper. You can enjoy your stamping with endless variety of combinations for quilt fabric, embroidery, art journals and stamping projects

The stunning peacock (in the bottom left hand corner of this box) measures 10 cm wide and 6cm high (4 inches wide and 2 inches high). There is a wonderful selection of poppy heads, flowers, feathers and foliage – all ready and waiting for you to block print your own designs with these Poppy Peacock Deluxe Set Wood Stamps

Poppy Peacock Deluxe Set Wood Stamps

Elephant Mini Christmas set

elephant christmas craft set – the biggest tree measures 6 cm high and 4 cm wide. (2.5 inches high and 1.5 inches wide)

 

Elephant Mini Christmas set

Elephant - mini summer set

this set of wooden printing blocks is presented in a hand made box measuring 9 cm x 9 cm (3.5 x 3.5 inches). The mummy elephant measures 6 cm wide and 4 cm high. The tiny weeny baby elephant is 3 cm wide and 1.5 cm high!

 

Elephant - mini summer set

Inspired Velvet DVD with Angie Hughes

Inspired Velvet DVD with Angie Hughes

Experiment with Thread Painting

Experiment with Thread Painting

Thread Painting is a special way to adorn and embellish you textile craft project. In effect, you are “painting on” images and designs onto your project. There are no set rules, just let your imagination go and “thread paint” away! Just treat your threads as paints and you will have a wonderful time adding that final unique touch to every project you make.

Whilst thread painting may look a challenge, it really isn’t. There are no special skills required and best of all no special sewing machine or any other tools are needed. Set your sewing machine up and get started. We have lots of wonderful videos showing you how to get started with Thread Painting. Go over to our website to watch them to understand more.

Click on the picture below to see all our videos on how to Thread Paint.

Lucy Garvin from Canada is a talented self-taught artist whose curiosity and passion forsewing, embellishing and anything fabric or fibre related, has led her to explore almost every technique worked with a threaded needle, both hand and machine. Lucy shares her passion for hand and machine embellishment techniques through teaching.

The Colouricious Creative Free Machine Embroidery DVD also has some fantastic ideas to help you learn thread painting and Gina Ferrari is as passionate as Lucy Garvin about this technique. You can buy this DVD by clicking on the image below and you will be taken to learn more about Creative Machine Embroidery. Thread painting is also called Free Motion Stitching and Free Machine Embroidery.

We have cloned a small number of this popular DVD which we have put on sale to coincide with this newsletter. If you are interested in getting one of these videos, then please click on the image below.

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Our carvers in India have been hugely busy in the last few months and we have now received a number of deliveries from them with their work. Our Latest Arrivals section is awash with loads of new beautiful sets of blocks ranging from Celtic designs to beautiful Butterflies. We have also some delightful stencils and some very useful large holdall bags that would be perfect for all of your crafting materials and goodies.

Mull of Kintyre

Butterfly Quartet

Swirl Stencil

Shoulder Bag – Blue Dabu

We are working frantically to get all of the new stock online and more new stock is arriving every week. It is always worth keeping an eye on our Latest Arrivals page as every new item will always appear here as well as in its normal category.

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Win with the Colouricious Competition

As well as getting new stock for our latest arrivals section, we have also been adding new sets of blocks and other items for our fantastic competition for you to win either a trip to India on one of our lovely holidays or £1,000 cash.

You can now choose Henny Penny, a fantastic box cram packed full of lovely wooden blocks, perfect for all sorts of crafting projects.

We have also put together a beautiful Silk Printing kit. We have put everything you will need into this set that will enable to get started in the wonderful craft as soon as you receive the pack.

For the more adventurous of you, we have also put together a mystery box. We will accumulate blocks we have in stock to a value of £75 of our website and they will be in the mystery box for £50!

Whichever box you choose, you will get an entry into the competition and be in with a chance to win this super prize.

Henny Penny

Bumper Silk Painting Kit

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Come with us to Rajasthan

We are off to Rajasthan at the end of October again this year. It is a really popular trip and everybody that has gone had really enjoyed themselves. The trip includes lots of great sights and accommodation, as well as the world famous Pushkar Camel Fair. We have spoken about this fair in several occasions, so I won’t go into this again, but suffice it to say words really can’t do the fair justice and it has to be seen to be believed.

I think it is fair to say that everybody that goes to Rajasthan has a trip of a lifetime and I think Linda sums the trip up so nicely in the lovely testimonial she sent to us after her trip with us:

“Dear Jamie and the whole team, just wanted to take a few moments to say thank you the holiday was more than I could have imagined in every way the hotels the transport the visits to cities and villages the range of textiles we saw, and those that we had the opportunity to try our hand at. I was speechless from day one (not true I had a lot to say) the sights the sounds and smells and nor forgetting the company of the group all of whom shared a common interest . Oh dear, it was all amazing and also life changing in so many ways, thank you all for your superb organisation and sharing your love of textiles and India … I will be back ” Linda

If you would like to join us in October in Rajasthan, then head over to our website where you can reserve your place using our online booking form.

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Learn, Create, Be Happy!

kind regards

Jamie Malden
Colouricious

Experiment with Thread Painting