NCFE Level 1 Award in Creative Craft using

 Art and Design week 1.

This started with a leaflet through the door listing free classes at the local College (within walking distance) and for once they were on an evening so I could maybe attend.

There were two options that appealed Art and Crafts and Beginners sewing. Of course they were both on at the same time.

As the Arts and Crafts was only four weeks that sounded worth giving it a go.

So registered and students pass around my neck (with the usual delightful  ID photograph) I entered the class.

Eleven of us all together, ten women and one man, three cans of shaving foam and lots of bottles of colouring. (not counting the teacher)

Our first task to decorate card with a marble effect using shaving foam..I won't go into details there are lots of videos on You Tube you can watch. Indeed we watched a few at the start of the class.

So foam on plate, colour dotted on foam and swirled about, card popped on and let the magic begin?

Looks like an unsuccessful cooking experiment, this is the second and smaller of the two sizes of card being decorated.

 I chose three pearlescent colours and on doing the large piece of card first realised it was perhaps more subtle than I had intended. Even more so than in the picture as the sheen does not show up.

So I added a few drops of dark blue for the little piece.

Hmm still rather delicate.. then as there was still colour and foam I "dipped one side of the folded piece of card we had been given as well (oh rebel me)

Folded card, large piece and small piece.

Then we had  a drying break...in more ways than one...although much less drying time than those videos recommended but still it was enough.

No vending machines or other option for getting a drink...I was not thirsty till the thought of a drink was put into my mind ah well will know for next week.

Back in the class and it was time to stick the big card to the folded card (flat) and the little card to the big card with thick double sided tape.

Now this should have been the penultimate picture for the evening as the teacher had brought along a selection of small bows and stick on gems for embellishment. However as the bows went if I liked the colour  I did not like the shape and given just how subdued my marbling turned out the gems were to bold.

(Oh the dipped card will be the back so I can put a hand made by stamp on, in the back of my mind I recall having a stamp)

So the card is obviously not finished. Next week the teacher is bringing mottos of salutations to use on the card. One of the students offered to bring in peel offs and then we will have to add a verse to the inside.

So of course I am mentally Deborasing what I can do to the front of the card. What things I can take in for me to use (oh stash busting) I have all sorts of thoughts.  A dragon might look good in that subtle sky?  A firm one  is to have some coloured paper as an inner for the card. If I can decide what sort of card it is going to be then I can prepare a verse and have it in ready. 

This little accredited course is we were advised based on a portfolio expected to be a card and a gift (we get to try something I have not tried since I was about seven for that and I may be able to take stash from home for that also.

So things learned from this week:

Have the container for the foam as big as the biggest piece you intend to "dip" having it smaller is more difficult and messy.

Three cans of shaving foam is not enough for 11 people who just watched a You Tube demonstration.

You can use less shaving foam than they show you in a You Tube demonstration.

You need more kitchen roll than you think you do..a lot more.

Shaving foam makes me sneeze (it has to be the ordinary foam no moisturising bits and not gel).

This method drives my parsimonious side crazy (even when all of the things we were using were free to me as the course is free), I would need to be doing quite a few , starting subtle and adding colour as I went. And I can see me still colouring card once the foam had become one uniform shade whether I wanted any that colour or not. So this may be the first and last time I try this.  Unless the sisters at church want a try at some point and I can just imagine how many many plates of foam would be calling out to me to dip just one more bit of card and use up those supplies!.

I am not keen on starting something when I don't have the end product in mind. Now I am fine with changing as I got (you may have noticed) but making a card that is for a whatever occasion...makes those design decisions challenging for me. So I better have made a decision on that by next week. Also there was the suggestion that the card and the gift should be for the same intention.

Chatting with new people who all have some crafting interest or skill was fun. 

What you dislike about your piece is what someone else will like about it still applies one of the other ladies had much bolder marbling in similar shades (she did not use the shimmery stuff which finished of lighter) and I liked her bold one and she my subtle. Now had we spotted that sooner maybe we could have swapped little cards and had something interesting happen. Maybe that would not have been allowed now I think of it as we did sign a sheet to go with the accreditation that it would be all our own work!

Have they met crafters? Hmm I forgot that bit when I happily drew hearts for the two ladies I was sitting with who wanted that shape from their small bits of card and did not feel confident creating the shape to cut out. Shhh we wont tell anyone about that.

Between now and then I have a wedding record book to work on.