Thursday 16 June 2011

So who would you recommend?

Hi everyone,

I like blogs, they are a fab invention (I know when they work) because they allow me to see other people fantastic art work, get ideas and inspiration and read little snippets about their lives, what makes them happy and what makes them sad.

I do follow a LOT of blogs ranging from crafting, sewing, interior design (great for colour ideas), food and the odd work related one as well.

But as I was blog hopping the other day, posting and reading comments I thought which blogs would my virtual friends recommend I go and visit?????

So bloggy pals, your challenge if you wish to accept  - who would you recommend? Leave me a message and I'll go and check them out.

This is my recommendation, Lovely Clusters by Rachel, beautiful photographs with superb colour combination suggestions  http://lovelyclusters.blogspot.com/ - enjoy!

jo
xx

Sunday 12 June 2011

So this blogging lark is about staying in touch - right?

I know, I know, I know, I am a bad blogger but I have been manic at work and most evenings I can be found on the sofa snoring and drooling by about 8pm.  (Sometimes my husband leaves me there sometimes he attempts to wake me up and suggest I go to bed).

Plus my mojo appears to have gone into hibernation for most of that time as well, so projects I was working on just wouldn't come together and sat on my desk forlornly looking at me every time I poked my head round the door and stared at them.

But last weekend it popped back to say hi and gave me the necessary light bulb moment to finish something.

Ages ago I made an A4 canvas that now hangs my living room on one side of a large frame of some black and white photos of ironwork.  It all looked great if somewhat lopsided, it needed a partner on the other side to balance up the composition. So I started painting and stamping an A4 canvas in similar colours (stone, reds, rusts and brown). That fab papillon stamp was used with some distress embossing powder to add some butterflies and text.

I distressed some handmade paper, sewed round the edges and stuck that down. I wanted add even more layers so cut some ATC's painted and stamped them, I really liked but they didn't go with the background canvas - um stumped.

As I said I'd got various projects on the go in the craft room that individually weren't quite working, but then the aha light bulb moment happened and I though what if I take the picture frame from that project and put it with the canvas A4 frame from this project??????
Yes colours worked. It had already been painted in PaperArtsy fresco paints and crackled (finally getting the hang of this) so I added some tissue tape around the edges and stamped a small PaperArtsy script stamp in my favourite mushroom over the top.

The flowers are Tim Holtz tattered flowers and I used my glue gun to give some height between the layers. the stems I made from florists wire wrapped in tissue tape and some expresso colourwash wiped over then to ages.  Leaves were made with some fab brown gingham checked ribbon. 

With the last bit of 12x12 paper I'd made the flowers from, I distressed the edges and concertina folded it up and stuck across the frame to hide the bottom of the stems. The label was made from a Tim Holtz die just to further hide the stems and balance out the flowers at the top.
So it now hangs in place in the living room and balances out the composition.

Right the best of the sun seems to have disappeared already and it's only 9.00am, so I am forced to retire to my craft room and play with new goodies from LB Crafts ands make a birthday present for a friend.

Have fun everyone.

jo
xx