When do you give up?

So you start a project and it's going really well and then you hit a wall and you look at it and you think:

• I don't whether I like this
• I don't know if this is going to work

What do you do?

• Carry on
• Put to one side and do something else
• Throw it away

Can't decide - humph!

jo

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Oak leaves

I have been itching (not literally but you know what I mean) to blog this but as it was a present for a friend at work and I know Sarah does occasionally look at my blog I couldn't show you until she'd seen it.

I bought the Paperartsy oak dies at THAT event in February and I knew I wanted to us them to make a wreath, Sarah's birthday seemed an ideal opportunity to test the idea as she loves nature (a quick look in Brewers Dictionary of phrase and fable tell us that the oak was sacred to the druids so even more appropriate for Sarah)

I painted a square canvas with lots of green and blue and then  thin washes of white ove the top. I then added some some perfect pearl powders over a text stamp and used an old credit card to put some lines of paint on as well to give it the usual texture look.  Around the edge (which you can't really see, but trust me it is there)  I put some tissue tape and rubbed over some green and blue distress ink.

Then down to cutting the leaves, I selected some card in shades of browns and greens and started cutting, it was quite theraputic cranking that old machine (no vagabond for me - yet)  and I ended up with lots of them! 

Some I stamped with the corresponding stamps, some I inked with distress inks - but they still looked a bit "flat" So out came the embossing folders!  Yes that worked,so I added some more distress inks to empahaise the raised bits

I cut out a ring of corrugated card to act as the base and then started gluing the leaves down with the trusty hot glue gun, started with the large ones first and then moved on to the middle ones and finally the small ones.  When it was dry I sprayed some antique gold at a great height to lightly dust the leaves and then glued to the canvas.

Finally a raffia bow to complete, I ummed and aahed about adding a button in the middle of the bow, but in the end decided not to and I think it was he right decision

I think it was fair to say Sarah was chuffed with it and I really enjoyed making - want to make one for myself now!

jo
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Late ....AGAIN

Good morning blog world! It's another sunny if very windy day here in the county of squires and spires (we have lots of churches and lots of gentry, hardly any National Trust as the families have enough money not to have to sell them off).  My dear hubby is still in bed nursing sleeping off the effects of too much sun yesterday at the rugby.  Yes we won resoundingly well and are in the finals which will be in Cardiff in about 3 weeks time.

Right enough blithering about rugby and back to crafting.

So last week's Sunday Stamper challenge was wings and I had every intention of taking part, I'd got an idea formed but first of all I needed to complete the other project I'd got on the go based on the big piece of art I created last weekend, this time it was going to be blue.

Big blue ended up in the bin on Friday.

I just couldn't get it right it had layers and layers of paint on it and it was virtually rigid when I peeled it off the craft sheet. It was hard to "chuck" it away but the right decision.

So back to wings.  I really wanted to make a naughty angel with one of the Stampotique grungy girls and some Tim effect rusty wings.  I'd got an old frame knocking around painted white. so I thought I'd use some of my new stash purchases - fresco paints. So slapped some London night on over the white and then used some of the crackle glaze with guacamole over the top. Um not a great success no crackling, bound to be operative fault as everybody else has had roaring success (possibly not a thick enough layer).  So instead rubbed this all back. most of the green came off apart from a few streaks and it went back to the original white undercoat - I liked it and I think the fresco paints helped a lot.

Stamped Missy in black and embossed her, then inked her with some DIs (mustard seed and marmalade - yuck what an awful edible combination but great colour wise) using the old craft mat and water technique. Carefully cut her out and put her to one side. then started on the wings using Tim's techniques, didn't use grunge paper but a quite thin card which burnt at the edges a bit quite liked) and curled nicely.  Added in a bit of brick red with the antique photo DI.

Embossed the metal background and put some London night over the top and made a tag for Missy to sit on, usual thing, paint, ink stamping, distress edges, ribbon and some tiny staples.  Put it all together with hot glue gun. 

Another recent purchase was the ATC die, so cut one from grunge board and stuck an ATC sized piece from Crowded Attic.  I hadn't realised that the further back you go in the stack the smaller the pieces just right for ATC's - the man's a genius or I am an idiot - what do you think?  Rubbed it back to get that nice edge and then stamped another piece of spare card with the phrase.  Then to complete added in the ha ha ha down the side of the frame.

So Missy is too late for the challenge - but hey she did say she wasn't a good angel, so whatever!

Have  good day wherever you are.

jo
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Oh when the ...

Hi,  Just a quick postie his morning to say I have made something but time has run away from me (AGAIN) so I can't blog it just yet.

Why?  well we are off to Milton Keynes to watch Northampton Saints (rugby) beat (see the optimism here) Perpignan in the Heineken Cup semi finals.

Big question is though - long sleeve or short sleeve?????

Byee (overexcited, let's hope there isn't tears before bedtime)!

jo
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