An Awfully Big Art Adventure ... An Album in a Matchbox ...

Rosie and Linda's Awfully Big Art Adventure this week is to create an Album in a Matchbox .... Ih I took this quite literally and created a Photo Album of some of my favourite photographs, ranging from way back to my grandmother, through to my parents, my brothers and my children, up to today, with my grandson, Finley, the Gorgeous One. In fact, I got so carried away that there are 20 photos in all - and I could have kept going .....

I didn't use the smallest Matchbox, partly because I don't do small and partly because it wouldn't have fitted and I found one that was ideal - 8cm x 5 1/2cm x 3 1/2cm. The outside of the Matchbox is covered with a scrap of Basic Grey paper and decorated with a metal panel.The inside of the Matchbox is swooshed with acrylic paints and dabbed off with kitchen towel. The base of the Album is attached to the bottom of the Matchbox and the top page is decorated with another metal panel.The actual Album is made out of accordion folded strips of black card and if it was laid out flat it would measure a massive 39" long .....
I like scrapbooking and have done quite a few albums but I have never made anything like this before. My daughter now wants me to make one for her partner's parents for Christmas, with photographs of The Gorgeous One ....
Hope you like it ....

Wednesday Stamper - Pattern ....

The Challenge over at Wednesday Stamper this week is Pattern ....

I thought I would enter a card from my box. I'm a bit of a fan of straight geometric lines and mosaic patterns, which is why I bought the stamp - Poppy Mosaic by Judikins.....Having said that about straight lines and geometric patterns - I love the pattern of the stone bench ....

Arty Girs Challenge - Autumn ....

Arty Girlz Challenge this week is Autumn ....
Rather than enter a card or a tag this time, I thought I would enter a page from my new Soul Journal that I am working on and is one of a two page layout - representing Lost and Found. The leaves are real leaves which have been scanned (not by me, I hasten to add, but by Kathryn, who is leading the Soul Journal project).Mind you, as I'm posting this, I'm thinking Autumn on a beautiful day like today? ....

My Time To Craft - Blue ....

This week's Challenge over at My Time To Craft is Blue ..... no other colours allowed 'cept white - just Blue.

I'm invoved in an ATC swap with a small group of ladies and the current theme is the alphabet. Mine is a Paper Artsy alphabet . 'E' is for Evidence and is entirely blue - it's not even stamped in black!!! So Ideal for this week's Challenge I thought.
Excuse the dodgy photo - was experimenting with the camera in the garden this morning.

No Craft Time Today ....

Well at least not yet anyway ....

Today, apart from spending nearly three and a half hours in a well known supermarket, I have been shovelling .... The house next door to me is empty and the builders/decorators have been in there. They had ordered a full Hippo Bag of pea shingle for something or another and only used about half of it.I have no lawn in my back garden (my son took all the grass away when he was a teenager and thought he was the man of the house and laid it to gravel, "so I won't have to keep coming back to cut the grass when you're old" - charming child - lol) so I chatted the builder up last week and he said I could take what I wanted.
So today, when I went shopping, I toddled into a well known DIY supermarket in search of a wheelbarrow and would you believe it, they didn't have one, but I found this instead ....It's great - it's a big bucket on wheels, which you just pull along like a suitcase. Bargain too at £16. I wasn't that impressed that I had to buy a shovel but I only have a lady's spade and I would have been there all day. I started off also not being impressed that I was having to do this - but was dead chuffed with myself when I saw the empty Hippo Bag - lol ....
So, all I've got to do tomorrow is rake the gravel out in the back garden - providing my aching shoulders have recovered ....

Blog Candy Alert ....

Jennie, one of my SBS19 sisters and owner of The Stamp Connection and The Artistic Stamper, has had a pretty miserable time lately, with a broken arm, poor thing, but she is still in Blogland and is offering up Blog Candy ....
Apart from tempting you all, the main reason I am posting this is because the Candy happens to be a Stitchels stamp, one of a fairly new range designed by Hels Sheridan .... and it was Hels that got me here into Blogland in the first place.
So for a chance to win Candy visit Jennie and say hello; and then pop over to see Hels, she does some really cool stuff ....

An Awfully Big Art Adventure ... Shrines ....

Rosie and Linda began their very exciting Awfully Big Adventure this week, with a brand new challenge - Shrines.

Being a huge fan of Linda's work and now Rosie's too, I just had to give this a go. The ladies very kindly said that they would email instructions for a basic shrine shape to those who asked. Did I email - of course not because, as usual, I thought I knew best - lol. The end result - another very, very late night, one very ruffled lady (I feel calmer now - lol), an extremely messy and untidy craft space - again and two pieces that I'm sure are not Shrines !!!

This is the first piece. I used a German Scrap shrine from Paper Artsy and the angel is a free download from a lady called Gaby. You must visit her blog because there are loads and loads and loads of free images, as well as some really lovely collage pieces. So - first I emptied one of those large boxes of cook's matches but didn't like that, it was too deep. Then I had a go at making a shallower box (I need to work on my box making skills). I thought I liked what I had made, went and made a coffee, came back and decided I hated it, so sent it flying across the room. After a bit of pacing, I unstuck my angel in his shrine from wonky box, said I was sorry and put him on a tag, surrounded by gold Rhonna Farrer swirls.And this is the second piece - which is even less of a Shrine. My inspiration came from Linda Brown at LB Crafts, who I saw at the South Stamp Show in Worthing a couple of weeks ago. The 'Shrine' is a Vintage Photo Frame by Melissa Frances. The frame was covered in metal and decorated with Ten Seconds Studio tools. The Mother and Child image is from the Oxford Impressions plate, Soul of the Rose.Lesson Learnt - if someone wants to share instructions - take them up on their offer ...
Anyway - writing this post has made me feel even more calmer - so off to tidy up and start all over again - lol .....

I've Been Tagged ....

Well, another fist - I've been tagged by my friend Ed - cheers Ed - lol.
Here's what I have to do -

1. Link my tagger and list the rules on my blog
2. Share seven facts about myself on my blog, some random, some weird
3. Tag seven people at the end of my post by leaving their names with links to their blogs
4. Let them know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog

OK - so here goes - seven facts about myself and in no particular order -
1. I currently have blonde and red hair because my daughter's a hairdresser but I really should act my age and live with my now grey hair
2. I love Terry Wogan on Radio 2 when I drive to work in the morning but love it even more when Johnny Walker is on
3. I hate bananas, brussel sprouts and cauliflower; and will only eat swede mashed up with carrots
4. In 2005 I won a National Award for the being the best in my profession (aren't I just the show off!!!)
5. My middle name is Amelia after my paternal grandmother, great grandmother and great-great grandmother
6. I hate wearing and shopping for shoes
7. I would love to have a date with either Harrison Ford, Tommy Lee Jones, Jason Statham, Jude Law, Colin Firth or, if my luck was in, all of them - but separately of course - lol

And here are the lucky seven -

Wendie M. - one of my SBS 19 Sisters, who makes the most beautiful cards
Kate - another SBS 19 Sister and who also makes the most beautiful cards
Alison - for Mr Willow
Dawn - who always leaves such nice comments on my blog
Kath - who also leaves me nice comments
Mary - a fellow Soul Journal person
Lorraine - who does the most outstanding collage work - awesome

Saturday's Workout - Fold It ...

This week's Saturday's Workout challenge is - Fold It.....I saw this project demonstrated ages ago by Tim Holtz (on the TV I have to say - having never seen The Great One in person). The smaller one is folded from a sheet of A4 paper and the larger one a sheet of A3.

The stamps used were from the Oxford Impressions plate, The Dressmaker, and the Impressive Images plate, Sewing Notions; all decorated with sewing related embellishments.This is a really neat folding technique which gives a pocket on each page of the card/book,which can be filled with tags or messages; and the whole thing can be decorated to suit any occasion.

Hope you like it ....

A New Blog Challenge ... perhaps ...

For those of you who saw my post a few days ago of Finley William in all his bright orange glory - here he was earlier tonight - bright red. This was courtesy of red fruit and apple compote .... Perhaps there should be a new Blog Challenge - what colour will he be next week ....

Happy Birthday Arty Girlz ....

The Arty Girlz are celebrating their Birthday this week - they are one year old (oh to be that again - lol).
So Happy Birthday to them and here's a card from me ....
The image is a little cutie from Great Impressions ...

Think Monday - Think ATC ... Handwriting

The theme this week over at TMTA (my piece was created on a Wednesday and posted on a Friday) is Handwriting ....
I used a Clearly Impressed set by Julie van Oosten - Writing Set. I bought the set last year and this is its debut. When I took them out of the packet I thought blimey, these are a bit sticky but they took the ink and stamped out perfectly - love them. I'm obviously having a bit of a green thing at the moment .... hope you like it ....

Learn Something New .....

I have added a new Slideshow of an online class that I'm doing with Shimelle, called Learn Something New. The theory is that you record what you have been doing and what you have learnt every day during September. I was OK with the recording part but getting the layouts done was a different ball game but today was the first day of a three week break from work (I do have to go in for three separate days - but then I'm a hero - lol) and to get the layouts up-to-date was the first job on my To Do list.

The pages are 8" x 8" and on the back of each one is a short narrative describing 'how' the lesson learnt. I'm hoping that the largest binding rings for the Bind It All will be able to cope when it's finished.
The Slideshow goes up to yesterday, the 15th and I will up-date it in a few days time.
Oh and a special note to my friend Sue, who still hasn't got a Blog but should have, Sunday 14th is just for you - lol .....

One For Three - Multi Tasking ....

This Tag is for three of this week's Challenges ....

Tag You're It - where the theme is Monochromatic - so I chose green ....
Thank God It's Friday - where it is a free theme ....

Saturday Workout - another free theme, using your favourite technique ....

I went to the South Stamp Show down in Worthing yesterday and bought some Glimmer Mists. The first Tag was sprayed with Olive Vine, but it wasn't a huge success. So I went back to my favourite Distress Inks and sponging and building up a background with loads of stamps - Tick Tock and Checker Board by B Line Designs; Background Text - medium by A Stamp in the Hand; and Tim Holtz' Scratches. The main image is from Stampers Anonymous - can't remember the name ....

Play time with the Glimmer Mists later today ....

My Nice New Bright Red Hat ....

I thought I would combine two Challenges again - this week over at My Time to Craft the theme is Bright and Bold; and at Wednesday Stampers, the theme is Put Your Thinking Cap On.The stamp is by Inkadinkadoo, with the lady's hat boldly stamped again onto bright red card. The words are conputer generated and hopefully fall within the Wednesday Stamper Challenge....

More about Emily ....

A few days I posted a very blue Emily as part of my homework in Suzi Blu's Les Petites Dolls online class, which I am having great fun doing.

Emily has progressed to having a dress and a layered background. The background is just watered down craft acrylic paint mixed with glaze medium and large amounts of kitchen towel and baby wipes, a couple of rubber stamps (a stamp with old writing and Rhonna Farrer Flourishes) and a stencil. I didn't have any stencil paint so I used Distress Inks for the flowers, which gives a lovely delicate feel, rather than the look of being actually painted.
Can't wait for the next lesson to see what you add next ....I'm even more proud of her now.

Arty Girlz Challenge .... Home Inspiration

Over at Arty Girlz this week the Challenge theme is to create a piece inspired by something in your Home and I thought I would enter something I made for my grandson. So here is Finley's Box.....It's a papier mache suitcase, which I covered with gesso and then sponged light blue acrylic paint over, both inside and out. His name is spelt out in wooden letters, which were sponged with various bright Stazon colours, triple embossed with Amazing Glaze (which is slightly thicker than ordinary embossing powder but not as thick as UTEE) and then each one was edged with a gold Krylon pen.And finally, here is a photo of the little treasure - in all his bright orange glory ....

My Space ....

My friend, Ed and I were chatting by IM this evening and we got onto the subject of Crafting Space .... so we swapped photos of where we do our creative thing ....

I just love hers - it's sooooooooo crafty. Mine has to double up as a home office as well and I daren't show a photo of what's behind me - lol .....What's Your Space like - we dare you .......

Look What I Got ....

After a fairly rotten couple of days, I have been cheered up no end by my Blogging pal, Linda who has so very kindly given me this award ....So I would like to pass the Award on to -

Ed - my crafting pal, who is making some beautiful art
Judy - who has a wonderful collection of postcards and is always encouraging
Alison - for her lovely work and for the Willow Man
Gail - for her beautiful art and her very witty view on life
Linda - my Soul Journal, Les Petites Dolls and soon another Sarah Whitmire class pal

You are all great ....

Les Petites Dolls ...

This is a photo of my first real drawing effort in the Suzi Blu online class I'm doing. She was actually drawn (by me !!!!) onto a piece of 12" x 12" birch ply wood and then the outline is burnt using a Creative Hotmarks Tool (I always knew it would come in handy one day - lol).

The face is shaded with various watercolour and non-watercolour pencils and the background is painted with the first layer of ordinary craft acrylic paint. You're supposed to be using Stewart Gill paints but until I know whether I'm going to carry on after the class is finished, ordinary acrylic paint will do.
I have called her Emily, after my grandmother who taught me to knit and sew and who would have been dead proud of me for doing this ....

All Change ... Again ...

Such a mixed up day - so I thought I would change my Blog - again ....

Tissue Stars ....

I thought I would enter two Challenges with this piece - Saturday's Workout, where the theme for the week is Tissue or Handkerchief (first time entering this one); and Mixed Media Monday, where this week's theme is Stars ....My 'prototype' Star was decorated using a Faux Leather Background technique which I came across on Sandy's Blog. I used book board for the Star, because I didn't think that paper, or even card, would work for this. I used Tea Dye, Vintage Photo, Walnut Stain and Aged Mahogany Distress Inks and I think it's turned out a bit 'too red', but wouldn't you just love one of those big hobo bags in this colour - lol? When all the stages were completed I rubbed a gold ink pad over all the pieces, to give even more shine. The girl is a Rubber Stamp Tapestry image.

The finished texture is like a stiff fabric and the photo makes the piece look as if it is rigid , but the little stars on the jump rings give movement. Mind you practice is needed attaching the little stars, hence the small one at the top being attached by a brad - lol. I might do another one in greens for the Christmas tree....

Here's a close up of the Faux Leather effect ....I hope you like it ...

Tag You're It .... Needle and Thread

One of my all time favourite stamping themes is Sewing, so I just had to enter this week's Tag You're It Challenge, whic is Needle and Thread ...
These tags were made a long time ago and were inspired by a piece in Simply Stamping Magazine (which is sorely missed by many of us) by a lady called Lynn Simms - thank you Lynn.The stamps used are from the Oxford Impressions plate, The Dressmaker (one of my favourites), the Impressive Images plate, Sewing Notions and Tim Holtz' Vogue. Various notions were used to decorate each Tag - buttons, press studs, safety pins and plastic bobbins (which took Alcohol Ink); together with ribbons and ric rac.
The original didn't actually include any hand stitching, so I have adapted it this afternoon by adding a couple of lines of hand stitching and added some more stamped tape measures etc. to the back of the Tags, to keep them tidy.
I hope you like it ....

Wednesday Stamper - Transparent Art ...

Another new Challenge site for me is Wednesday Stamper where this week's theme is Transparent Art. I decided to do a Slide Mailer. I used to do quite a few of these, so much so that two or three years ago all my 'special' Christmas cards were Slide Mailers!!!
The Mailer is sponged all over with Versamagic Eggplant and Malted Mauve inks. The image on the front is Martha from the B Line Designs stamp range. She is stamped in royal purple Stazon. The front is completed with Rhonna Farrer Swirls V2, stamped in gold.

The inside of the Mailer is stamped with a background text stamp from A Stamp in the Hand and then another B Line Designs stamp, Hat Pins. (I am a bit annoyed with myself here because the stamp was just about a centimetre away from the surface, when the phone rang and made me jump - lol. So it's gone a bit crooked!! The ladies are images from Crafty Individuals and the slides are bound with copper tape.
I hope you like it ...

My Time to Craft - Animal Antics ....

My Time to Craft is another new Challenge site for me. This week's theme is Animal Antics. This card is from my Box (which is becoming quite depleted). The stamps are from the Jayne Nestorenko Cute Companions range with the background from the CD of the same name. I really like these mouse sets - they can be used for all sorts of things. Hope you like it ....

Two Challenges in One ...

I thought I would enter my Bird House for two Challenges this week - Mixed Media Monday which this week is Nature (and which I've not entered before); and Arty Girlz which this week is Altered. I first posted the Bird House way back when I first came to Blogland. So apologies to those who have seen it before ....

I gave it to an older friend of mine a couple of week's ago, for her birthday and she loved it ... I hope you do too ....

Think Monday - Think ATC ... Architecture

I haven't done any Challenges for ages - so I thought I would have a bit of a catch up. Once I started I was on a real roll which didn't seem to stop .....
Over at TMTA this week the theme is Architecture ....

Most of my Architectural stamps are too big for ATCs but I found these ....

This one is an Inkadinkadoo Tin Can Mail stamp, which has been coloured with a water brush and Derwent Aquatone sticks.This one is an Hero Arts Artprint stamp - 'We're Not Lost'. The background is coloured using Distress Inks and Cut 'n Dry Foam (I was trying to copy Dan's excellent video tutorial - Distress Inks 101, posted on 2nd September ... you must take a look)
Hope you like them ....

Mixed Media with Suzi Blu

As some of you may know, I recently joined an on-line course run by Suzi Blu - Les Petites Dolls (see the posting in late August). I really don't know what the matter is with me lately but everything I'm doing at the moment is taking over my life - lol - but in the nicest possible way. (I have also signed up for the latest Shimelle course - Learn Something New Every Day - but more about that another time).
Anyway Les Petites Dolls is all about drawing Dolls. I have said many, many times before that I cannot draw but as Suzi says - there is no such word as can't ..... so here are some photos of my offerings so far ....This is a Homework piece, called as you can see, Head Tilts. The object of the exercise is to draw Faces with Eyes looking in different directions and with different expressions. I think that some of these look positively alien and demonic ...Another Homework piece, Gestures. While it looks childish (which is what it is supposed to be - lol) it showed me that I know absolutely nothing about perspective, shape or form. Still onwards and upwards ....More homework practice. The lower face looks totally scary and spaced out !!!!

And more homework - using colour and shading. I have to say, I am quite proud of these ....
This is where I am up to at the moment. The object of the exercise is to draw your Doll onto birch plywood. You then burn the sketch into the wood. I have a Creative Hotmarks Tool - something I bought ages ago because I saw it on the TV and thought, as you do, 'I got to have me one of those' and then promptly only used it the once - lol. Once you have burnt your Doll you then dress her with papers and then apply loads of different types of paint and stuff. That bit will have to wait now until the weekend.
So there you have it ... what do you all think?