My Dad

Today is Father's Day here in the UK (and I understand in other places around the world as well).  My Dad died a few years back and yes I miss the old devil everyday.

The "memory bit"

My Dad loved me very much, even if he did say to the midwife when she showed him me in my cot in the hospital, can I have that one instead. I was his first born and his only daughter and I was a tomboy, never a girly girl and he expected me to stand on my own two feet and not expect anyone else to do things for me (which means I find it really hard to accept help and people being kind today).

My Dad used to write me long letters when I was at Uni that he wrote over a number of days in the most beautiful copperplate handwriting learnt at the same primary school I went too. He'd tell me what was going on at home, what my brothers were doing, which cats were sat with him, what they'd all had for tea and what did I think to the Archers storyline this week.  

My Dad would come and pick me up from Uni early on a Saturday morning whenever I wanted to come home (I only got badly drunk on a Friday once, trying to pack suitcases on a Saturday morning with a hangover wasn't good).  We'd have to stop at the tool shop just outside Wolverhampton (where I went to Uni or Polytechnic as it was then) so he could buy another drill or socket set, he didn't need them, but tools were goodies, shiny new things to play with (umm sounds familiar, just swap tools for stamps)

My Dad used to laugh hysterically at the London Marathon every year when they used to show the poor souls who'd hit the wall and we're falling over and staggering along, he knew it was bad but he just couldn't help it.

My Dad a shy man who made a speech at my wedding in front of everyone and became every ones best friend and a disco king at the evening reception.   It took my Mum 30 minutes to walk him home from the Village Hall reception (its a 5 minutes walk max) because he walked into the hedge three times and fell off the kerb twice. He was desperate to phone me when he got in, Mum wouldn't let him and he never remembered what he wanted to say. 

My Dad was the first person I heard swear, the man that introduced me to photography, the man who'd be tutting at the state of my wheels on my car (get that brake dust washed off), the man who helped us make our vegetable garden, the man that introduced me to sitting in the living room with the curtains shut watching the cricket, the man who would wait patiently for the Grand Prix on a Sunday and then fall asleep withing the first 10 minutes, the man who would tell us to be quiet so he could watch the weather (a habit I've now developed), the man who played wrestling with me and my brothers every Saturday afternoon in the living room and nearly cracked his head open on the hearth when we'd all pinned him down to submit in Big Daddy style.

There are so many memories that I shared with my Dad, but this photo is his memory, his time doing National Service in the late 50's first in Honiton on basic training and then in Germany in REME, before he got married, before he thought about kids. A young man in the big wide world, who apparently went AWOL after missing the ferry in Harwich, refused his Sargent's strips, laughed on parade and wrote the best ever accident report his commanding officer had ever seen (even if he did drive a metal spike into a German road in order to tow a truck out of a turnip field in front of a busload of German housewives).

My Dad xx

The "art bit"

I stuck a load of scrap Kraft card that I'd embossed in folders on another piece of patterned Kraft card. A layer of Taupe Fresco paint, then Crackle Glaze and then a top layer of a pale grey Eco paint. 

Distress Inks on top of this in various Browns to catch the embossing and Glimmer mists in brown lightly misted on.  I also added a few drops of a Slate Glimmer mist to add contrast and pick up the black and white of the photo.

Stamped the clocks in Potting Shed Archival 

The photo is a photocopy that I glued on a page of text and then added layers of Fresco Matte Glaze to seal it. A thin wash of the pale gray to obscure the text top left and bottom.

This was stitched onto a piece of linen.  

Added pencil lines around  the photo and the Dad or Daddy definition.  Finally a layer of beeswax added all over and then Pebble alcohol ink in the corners. 

A spare piece of embossed card under the linen and a tag with various PaperArtsy word stamps.

Hugs

Jo

xx 

  

The day we beat TIgers

Passions, emotions, they run deep in many things and in our house and that includes rugby.

This is a long post, so if you are only interested in the how I made, then scroll down to where it says the arty bit.  Otherwise get a coffee of beverage of choice and have a read.

We are season ticket holders for Northampton Saints, so most Saturday afternoons (and Friday nights and Sunday afternoon depending on what TV wants to show) we can be found in our green gold and black high up in the South Stand groaning and cheering depending on whats going on down on the pitch.

And this night was cheering, lots of cheering, so much cheering and shouting that I ended up with no voice and tears streaming down my face at full time.

You see for a number of years Northampton Saints have consistently been in the top four, but have been the almost's, not quite getting to the top and winning the European Cup, LV Cup or the Premiership.  But this year right from the off it felt different, it felt right, it felt positive and strong and we would do it rather than could do it.

We had some blips of previous behaviour of not believing (we don't talk about Leinster at home only Leinster away) and then it came down to who would we play in the playoffs. Prayed for Quins, groaned when it was Leicester Tigers again. 

Tigers our bogey team, Tigers who've been in the last nine Premiership finals, Tigers who are clinical to the end and know how to get a win. Rivalry and foes they may be but I respect their focus, that commitment to see it through to the end, never give up, always believe, pick and drive, pick and drive.

16th May, a Friday night and the fortress (we have a lot of fans and the atmosphere is always loud and an be quite intimidating to away teams) that is Franklin's Gardens was buzzing, It might as well have been the final, so much riding on getting a win. We'd won the previous week with a massive score against Wasps, coming from behind and seeing it through to the end.  Could we do it again against the Tigers, the mighty, mighty winning Tigers?

We did, and we did it again coming from behind and winning in the final moments. I have never seen so many hulking great men, jumping up and down, screaming, shouting, hugging and crying. 12,000 jubilant fans make a lot of noise I can tell you.

 

So there you go the day we beat Tigers, the game that meant we were in the final at Twickenham (and that game is a whole other story), the game that gave us belief we could win the Amblin (we did), the game that meant that 30,000 people cheered in Northampton on Sunday 1st June to see a rugby team with a long history, parade with not one but two pieces of silverware.

The arty bit.

So for my arty followers who've ploughed through the description (well done) this is how I made this scrapbooking page.

Green card stock as a base, with varous green PaperArtsy fresci paints scraped on top.  I used a numbers stencil in a a pale green on the right hand side, not too in your face, ncie and subtle to add texture.

Using a palette knife I put Gunge Paste through  a chicken wire stencil and when it ws dry dabbed Zesty Zing added through the stencil to hightlight the trexture and a contrast colour.

The lovely PaperArtsy metal arch was stamped and embossed to resemble the fortress that is Franklins Gardens. I also used this PaperArtsy rugby players stamp on card as an accent under the photo's and above the banner which I cut from yellow card and edged in Distress Ink so it popped off the page. 

I added lots of fabric, paper strips and stitching to add to the layers and texture. Distress Ink added and water spritzed on top of it to give that water stain look. A tag with the title added top right to balance the compostion.

The photos were distressed with sandpaper to remove some of the ink and matted onto paper, the edges were distressed and edged in Distress Ink to frame them and lift them off the layering underneath.

And why these pictures? 

Well beause it was the last home game of the season, everyone was able to get on the pitch and practive kicking at goal, generally messing around, intimadating the TV crew by singing really loudly (oh when the Saints ...), waiting for the players to come out and and congratulate them (they looked knackered I have to say) and get your photo taken with your favourites soaking up the atmoshpere, not wanting to leave and break the magic of being there the day we beat the Tigers.

Hugs

Jo

xx

Purple Haze

What ifs have led to some great discoveries in the world. This was a what if for me but I don't think its going to save lives, bring global peace or even light up the craft world, but I had great fun!

I've been trying out various crackle mediums and this one is the golden one.  You have to spread it on quite thickly to gt cracks, big cracks as you can see.  It also takes a long while (overnight or longer) to dry, but I think its worth it.

The picture was also a what if, I'd wanted to print out some of my Instagram photos and for some reason the printer decided to send a sheet of paper through before the photo paper and the yellow ink cartridge was a bit iffy, so the colours weren't what I was expecting. the paper is really cheap and thin so I wondered would it work a bit like tissue paper if I stuck it down. Would it sort of melt into the background?  

It did and I like it.

The advice is to seal the crackle before you start adding any pint ans it can be a bit fragile.  So I used Matte Glaze from PaperArtsy.  I then  painted the canvas with Squid Ink and the paint really sinks into the cracks. Added some Moonlight, Pansy and Blush really lightly just to build up the layers, Going back in with Squid Ink if the cracks disappeared.  Stamped some text in Cornflower Archival then added some Glimmer Mists in purples and blues, blotting the excess and drying.

I then cut out the image, distressed the edges carefully and crumpled it up, flattened it out and then stuck down with Matte Glaze from PaperArtsy. I went over the whole canvas with that glaze and then added layers of Satin Glaze just to the image. Added a thin watered down layer of Blush over the top and then a final layer of Satin Glaze to seal that. 

Finally I used a white oil pastel round the image to frame it.  Spritzed some Antique Brass Glimmer mist which pooled and stained nicely (don't blot and leave to dry for a bit and then finish with the heat gun). Stamped some more text this time in Plum Archival.   

Hugs

Jo

xx

Snails pace

I had a couple of days off last week to make a long weekend and on Friday I crafted and finished off some started but not finished projects that had been lying around.  So I've got quite a few posts ready to go and its only Sunday so there might be some more finishing of projects and posts!

So this is the first one.

I'm really loving taking early morning snaps on Instagram (jomyhill if you want to have a look) at the moment, I love May as everything in the garden starts growing and appearing at an alarming rate, its a bit like a teenage growth spurt and you cant keep up with it!   The rose is absolutely full of buds and I'll have to start dead heading soon.  Just need my floppy straw hat, trug and secateurs and I'll feel like Vita Sackville West gently ambling through her white garden at Sissinghurst (must go back soon).  

So one morning I captured this snail gently nestled in a Valerian (they self seed like nobodies business, mostly pink, but occasionally I get a white one - bliss I can be Vita again!) 

I printed the photo on glossy photo paper, cut it out and added a layer of Rock Candy  Crackle Paint. (I have a bit of love/ hate relationship with this one in terms of getting cracks, don't think I put a thick enough layer on) and left it to dry.

I'd made the background a little while ago, I wanted to do something texture on white so used some Grunge Paste through a damask stencil and some Dreamweaver Crackle on  a 12x12 sheet of textured white card.

Took out my green palette of PaperArtsy fresco paint and started lightly adding some colour.  I wanted to keep it faded and light and lots of shadows on the Grunge Paste to add depth.  I also got out my coloured Distress Ink pads and used Evergreen Bough over the Grunge Paste (um quite liking these again, might have to have a play).Also added a little bit of stamping in Olive and Fern Green Archival.

Now for the embellishments and layering. Stitched some fabric strips down, hunted out some scraps of toning green and yellow card / paper for under the photo distressing the edges of course.  The stamps were from the Sara Naumann Eclectica range and the butterfly from Lin Brown Eclectica range.

Some flowers, washi tape, metal bits and bobs from the bag of stash, staples and some Craftworks candi finished off the layout.

So why snails pace?  Well I think I'm a really slow crafter, it can take me quite a while to think about the composition, find the right stuff to add to the composition and place it to make it look good, draw the eye, allow it to linger and slowly wander around the page. bit like a snails journey through life really!

I'm going to enter this for the June Sketch Challenge on Scrapmag 365.  Its almost the same, just a little bit of artistic licence on the photo placement!  I really like the simple composition of this sketch and may use it again as I really like all that white space top and bottom.

Hugs

Jo

xx

Molten hearts

Well this will be a short post just to show you what a I did (really Jo, that's not like you, do you think you can really be that short in your description?).

I'd been playing with the Dreamweaver crackle paste and covered a square of 7x7" card.  Love the really fine cracks it gives and the bubbling where I heated it. Added various brown PaperArtsy fresco paints lightly so as not to cover the cracks, some Archival inks in blues, some Glimmer Mists in reds and blues and finally some Treasure Gold.  Lovely shimmery distressed decayed leather look.

The base card was 11x11" plum colour, sprayed with the red, plum, blue and cold Glimmer Mists and stamped with a large text stamp in Plum Archival and Darcy's cogs which were embossed with a burgundy embossing powder.

Stitched the small card onto the big card.

Slathered some Grunge Paste which had been coloured with Squid Ink over the middle in as strip, dried it a bit and then added LOADS of Frantage and WOW embossing powders to get that thick molten metal mineral look I wanted to stamp the stamps in.  I first inked up the Darcy heart (I used both sizes) with black ink, heated a section of the powders to melt them and then stamped the stamp in it, leaving if for a bit to set and harden and moved on to the next.

Finally I painted some twinkling H2Os in a red over the hearts, it sort of sank into the hollows or sat in small splodges on top.  Wasn't what I was quite expecting, but I like it and I think it adds to the grungyness. 

Yum, yum yum!

hugs
jo
xx

Sara Naumann inspired or how many stamps can you get on a page!

Ive always loved Sara Naumann's Eclectica range from PaperArtsy and when she posted this great idea for using the stamps with photo's on the PaperArtsy blog this week I had to give it a go.

I've got quite a few of my photo's already printed, some I've altered using online programmes such as Pixlr, Instagram or Hipstamatic, they all give great filters, borders, sizes and effects.  It can be quite addictive!

 

So the instructions from Sara were really simple and you can read them and watch a great video here.  I thought about creating a book, but I'm really enjoying using my 12x12 scrapbook album for creating and storing so a 12x12 (well 11x11" so it fits in the book!) it was.

I started with the photo and the tissue paper.  Rather than stamping all the stamps in black I went with ones that I wanted to frame the photo in black and the others in Pale Ochre and Monarch Orange Archival.  In hindsight I still find the black to prominent and I wish I'd gone with my gut instinct and used Watering Can for a more softer look - I can always try again cant I!

Picking up the colours from the photo I used London Bus, Tango and then Cheesecake Fresco (in that order) paints on the soft yellow card stock.  I used an old credit card to scrap the paint onto give that shabby look. 

Using Sienna Archival Ink I added more of the Eclectica stamps.  The Sienna looks really bright when wet, but once dried it faded to this lovely soft terracotta colour.  I edged the card in Rusty Hinge Distress Stain and stuck it onto some really old paper (I love that I'm starting to use up my paper for this scrapbook) edged in Rusty Hinge. 

Stuck the central panel on with foam squares just to raise it up a bit and then around the edges I melted some WOW  Gold Satin Pearl embossing powder and some Fran tage ochre colour fragments to add a different texture and tone.

The tag was cut from spare card, inked with Rusty Hinge and Vintage Photo Distress stain and then the music stamp and  the reflections stamp added.  Some hemp string added for yet another texture.

Really pleased with how this turned out and it's definitely a technique I'll try again with more of many photo's.  I do wonder whether the middle layer of card stock needed some black stamping to mirror the stamping on the image, but I worry whether it would be too much and distract from the central panel, but at the same time it might anchor it all. We'll see I may add in later after I've lived with it a bit. 

Hugs

Jo

xx

Fish cakes

I made a card, I don't have anyone to send it to, but yes I made a card!

Actually I made a card to have a go at potato printing for the Craft Stamper, Take It Make It Challenge. 

I selected my potato, didn't have many big ones in the cupboard and this was at 6.00am, so that dictated how big my stamp would be.  I knew I wanted to do a block stamp and then a "shape" over the top.  It needed to be a simple shape so fish it was!

Carved the shapes and let them dry a bit to let the moisture and starch evaporate so they would hopefully give a cleaner less sticky stamp.

Taking some card I cut a 6x6" square and added a rough layer of Lake Wanaka and then Beach Hut PaperArtsy Fresco paint.  I stamped the ship from Hot Pick 1202 in Aquamarine Archival Ink in the middle and then second generation stamping around the edges a bit to fill in the gaps and add some texture. 

Then I took my oblong potato stamp and used it with Space Cadet Fresco paint.  Then using Ice Blue I stamped my fishes.

I needed to reduce the size of the card so it would fit on a square Kraft Card blank. 

I then distressed the edges and used Peacock Feathers and Vintage Photo Distress Ink along the edge, added some stitching to frame it and then stamped fish using WOW Primary Lagoon Embossing powder and the letters from Words Plate 2 from PaperArtsy. 

Quite quick and reasonably "clean and simple" for me!

And why fishcakes? Well, fish and potato of course!

Hugs

Jo

xx