Heaven is a place called Newport Pagnell

So had an absolutly super dooper fab time at ArtsyCrafty weekend, got well inked up and one point my hands did a very passable impression of Shrek!


Highlights for me?

• Making new friends and meeting old ones
• Trying out new projects - big style!
• Thinking up new ideas based on the projects we did
• Might finally have found my Christmas mojo
• Mistaking my skin for dried matte medium and "peeling" it off -ouch!
• Having a huge bed to myself in the hotel
• Playing with new glazes and perfect pearls misters - lush
• Using moulds on the big shot
• Not spending "too much" dosh (I needed it all really)

Obviously can't show anything we made yet as don't want to spoil for the Warrington peeps, but this is something I didn't use!

Have fun everyone!

Teenage kicks

So my niece hit the big 16 this week - I can just about remember that age, gearing up to O Levels, alcohol had only really been sniffed at not consumed, a lot of black was worn on the body and the eyes (not much changed there then) and none of us thought George Michael liked boys as he sung his way through Club Tropicana in tight white shorts .....

So what do you get the oh so trendy 16 year old then? Well money of course - duh! She got that but I also made her a banner for her bedroom in true black / purple goth colour scheme.

Each Stampotique lady is inked in archival and then various DI's were scrubbed, rubbed and sprinkled on - you'll have to guess what colours 'cos I used so many. . Glimmer mists in dark colours wer sprayed over the top, I think mostly black cherry and twilight - again sticking to that goth vibe.

The ladies were mounted on a black card tag that had been embossed with the Sixxix snake skin looking one (you know the one) and then mounted on a purple die cut shape (Paperartsy) which had been stamped with swirls in eggplant and clear embossed and then overstamped with the same swirl (Tim Holtz) in black ink. Various ribbons, buttons and paper flowers added as well.

Each corner had a black eyelet and they were knotted together with black and purple ribbon.

Response from oh so cool 16 year old? Oh you're getting better. Humph .......

Black(ish)

Well I know it's cutting it a bit fine but I've finally managed to get my entry done for the Sunday stamper challenge.

I've had to work late most of the week and yesterday a stinking cold came along and decided to takeover my body and make me feel "rubbish" (I'm being polite). And today has been busy what with an early start as somebody who'd gone out with the lads last night and stopped over with his bro in law forgot to turn of his radio alarm, and going out to buy a new telly as bro is taking his to his new flat, and going to watch the rugby this afternoon AND only just finding my sillicon glue has meant only just finished!!!!!!!!

I'm really pleased with the black metal flowers. The bottom layer was cut with a Paperartsy die and then stamped with one of the new Paperartsy grunge flower stamps and embossed with some arctic black thick embossing powder. They have a nice gleam as you waft them under the light going from purple to green. The top layer is the smaller Paperartsy die which has then been run through and embossing folder.


The stems are florist wire covered in green tape, then wound with strips of black ripped organza and finally some thin purple florist's wire wrapped around purple wired ribbon knotted to make leaves.

The background was painted in black paint, then purple paint with a hint of gleam in it (one of the new paints from crafty notions I got from NEC quilt show) lightly painted over and then sprayed with slate glimmer mist. Bottom right and top left are terra stamped into with Paperartsy text and tape measure stamps from one their hotpicks and then painted over in peacock crafty notions paint. More slate glimmer mist and some cosmic shimmer powder stuff to add a bit more gleam and shine. Corners stamped with a flourish in black archival.

So better late than never - let's just hope Mr Blogger plays nicely tonight.

Hope you like it

It's been a mad mad week ...

We always think we are ready for the start of term and yep usually we are and it all runs smoothly. This year has been to say the least a bit manic. we've had a major move around of stock and our Customer Service area is having a revamp slap bang at the beginning of term. If this week was bad I have a sneaky feeling next week and the next and the next could be worse.

Because of all this manicness (is that a word?) I've been starting work even earlier than normal and leaving later which means I don't have much time for crafting when I get home at night, all I'm usually fit for is a bath and a glass of wine.

So here's something I dabbled with last week, a manilla tag that I painted with gesso, added various blue DI's , rubbed back to reveal a bit of gesso. Stamped with one of the Stampotique grungy girls and painted her with DI's. I might add a bit more "stuff" to her yet, but she looks pretty good at the moment. Right more number crunching, furniture moving and smiles all round and roll on sometime tonight when I might be able to finish my entry for the Sunday Stamper - it's nearly there!

Pictures are a bit dark I grant you and the dimpled background is our new rubber floor at work - get us!

Hope you like.

Old Skool

So here I am sitting in my villa at Center Parcs, wildlife is right on the doorstep, a swan has just waddled past the patio doors and yesterday I had to physically threaten a squirrel who was adamant he was coming in to help himself to my biscuits - it wasn't pleasant.

So I was limited to what I could physically cram into my stash bag which meant no big shot, metal, dies or embossing plates - just paper, distress inks, few stamps and a pritt stick.

It was like going back to basics when I first started out crafting.

I thought I'd have a play with my new Paperartsy stamps - HP 1006, not bad if I don't say so myself given my limited stash.

DI's used include: worn lipstick, spun sugar, tattered rose on the tag. Peeled paint and dusty concord on the flower and crushed olive to print sanctuary. Quite apt really because Center Parcs for me is a bit of a sanctuary especially the spa session we've got planned for the afternoon.

I had thought about nipping out and raiding the natural stuff outside - bit of bark, few leaves but it's raining and I'm scared of the swan.

Dilemma

Hubby and I are going away for the weekend for some much needed US time, a long weekend at Center Parcs, which means Starbucks coffee, pancake house, cycling, swimming and an afternoon in the spa - bliss. I need this break so much I'm even missing out on going to Ally Pally - am I ill?

The dilemma is though how much stash to take away with to facilitate play? I mean what will I want to make, what colours will inspire me, what stamps to take and can I get away with packing my bigshot???

I did sort of speculatively broach the subject with hubby and there wasn't a complete - you are joking aren't you statement or look from him, so ......

Edited - In the end I decided not to take the bigshot away for a holiday,it was a tough decision but hey let's attempt to be sensible. So instead confined myself to one bag of stash,took a bit of a while to decide and there were only a few "sighs" from hubby as he sat patiently waiting, not quite in the car but it was almost getting to that stage.

Have fun this weekend everyone especially those of you venturing to Ally Pally - -me jealous when I've got all this wildlife around me???

shabby kitty

My brother is in the process of moving into a new flat but it means he can't have his own kitties - Arthur and Polo with him, they currently lodge with my ma and pa and he has regular visiting rights.


So I thought I'd make him a little house warming pressie using my new Stampotique stamp purchased yesterday - it kept tempting me from the craft room with little chirrups of meow meow meow which I translated as come play with me.


A tag with book text pasted in and then gessod over the top. Pumice DI on the bottom which sort of slid about a bit on the gesso and pritt stick mix but it was ok. That was over stamped with a dotty stamp in pumice and prr added in rusty hinge DI. On the top half I used peeled paint, shabby shutters and mustard seed DI and spritzed on some water to get that blotchy look. I used a charcoal pencil to add a line for kitty to stand on.

Kitty was stamped in black archival and then rusty hinge DI used to make him a ginger puss. Added on a couple of prima flowers and a brad and did my usual twisty wire thing through some eyelets to make a hanging bracket. Stuck him on a piece of mount board grunged up with gold, green and ochre paint with white rubbed over the top to tone it all down.

Bro likes it, I like it, hope you like it.