Poppies

Quite a coincidence that today I made a card from an image of a Poppy, one that I designed some time ago for Stampattack. Later I noticed the theme of the new challenge on the Stampman Fortnightly Challenge is "Poppys" and so I thought I'd submit it as an entry. I usually make cards specially for challenges but I thought this one just had to be entered as I haven't participated in any challenges for ages so maybe this is a nudge in the right direction! 

Pop over and take a look at the Stampman  as it is such a worthwhile project this time, chosen by Janet, to raise funds for the British Legion and there are already some excellent submissions by their design team.

The poppy image was stamped then masked so I could stamp the Asian script over as a background. I then sprayed glimmer mists around the edges. After painting the poppy with H2O twinklers I glazed the petals with Glossy Accents and added some accent beads to the centre. Sorry the photo is a bit distorted but it didn't scan too well so I took a wonky photograph!!!.

WOYWW ONE HUNDRED!!!!

Thanks to everyone who left comments last week to my scheduled post and huge apologies that I didn't get back to very many of you but I had escaped to Devon for the week, (as you'll see from yesterday's post,) where we had a wonderful warm and sunny, picturesque, interesting, last minute holiday. We were facing the Bristol Channel on the top of a 500 foot rock and phone and internet access was zilch. Not really a bad thing as we all get too used to the ties of mobiles and computers but I did miss being in touch with the outside world!!!

Not too much on my desk today but as a result you can see plenty of strawberries...... the piece of card in the foreground I found amongst old bits and bobs from my textile study days of many moons ago and is a technique using woodchip wallpaper. It looks so interesting and so I left it out as I might just try to remember how I did it.

Here's the reason I haven't done much paper crafting since I returned home... I'm fervently clicking the needles to finish yet another hat and I'm in the middle of a cardigan too ... all for my little grandees. Mind you, I'm going dotty sewing spots on the hat and wonder why I ever thought it would be a good idea!

 I had another trip to Primani (aka Primark) yesterday with my friend Jayne during a good day mooching around our city centre shops. Two more bargain finds here... the top 4 rows are the result of pulling apart a £1 bracelet and the bottom chain with charms was another bracelet which cost £1.50. I struck gold as there are over 50 mini coins.

If you enjoyed snooping round my desk then there are many more to be found over at Julia's Stamping Ground Blog, where, every week, the crafters of the world admit all they've been up to and the status quo of where they do it. 

 

Devon to Calcutta!

Calcutta West Bengal..... Queson City......... Dublin......... Maribov Brezovica.......Blackpool....... Szeged......  Sheffield.......Moradabad Uttar Pradesh.... just a few of the amazing locations on the live feed list I recently installed on my side bar. I really find it fascinating plotting these places on the world map and I am honoured to know that people from all over the globe take time to visit me! Thank you one and all!

 Last week DH and I took a jaunt to Devon, over 200 miles away from home, and we enjoyed a wonderful break in exquisitely beautiful countryside, with the luck of such warm sunny weather that we didn't wear a jacket all week.

This is the magnificent view from our hotel window, in the glow of the evening sun, looking over the Bristol Channel from Lynton, North Devon.

All the steep tiny streets were decked out for the Royal Wedding. Note the mural with red deer on the left wall.

The Art Nouveau Town Hall

Ever seen a cinema like this one!!

We walked down the steep cliff side path to Lynmouth but were thankful to ride back up on this funicular railway.

We visited the Valley of the Rocks and were able to walk so close to the many wild goats. We also saw red deer and wild ponies when we toured all over Exmoor... Lorna Doone country!
An extra special horse was spied in Lynton Village... this pic is for Elizabeth as I really think she'd love to own this rocking horse in the window below!

Lynmouth at the bottom of the funicular

 Wonder who made these on Lynmouth beach? Stuck together with Glossy Accents... no! ...all free standing!

Dunster with the castle in the background

A first quick glimpse of the royal bride at Sedgemoor services on our way home. It was hilarious to hear all the ribald comments about the varied outfits and wacky hats, as each guest arrived, but when the bride first appeared there was a gasp of admiration from the crowd (which completely packed the entrance to the services), followed by applause and cheers. I had been quite happy to miss it all with being on holiday but I was soon swept along with the fervour, pomp and circumstance of it all and thoroughly enjoyed watching the evening's highlights when I arrived home. It made me proud to be English!

WOYWW & Foxy Visitor!

I've been so much more creative this week since I decided to cancel all my future commitments that I could cancel without letting anyone down. It was hard to say "No" but now I can do as I wish with no worries, no deadlines and can just indulge in my own crafty pleasures. I feel far more like crafting. My apologies to those I have cancelled but I hope you'll understand that sometimes it is just necessary to take stock and cut back.

Not many strawberries to be seen today as I've taken quite a close up shot of my desk  to divulge to the world for this week's WOYWW. If you are a serial snooper then you'll find lots more to spy on over at Julia's Stamping Ground blog every Wednesday.

I've been to Primani (aka Primark) again and you can see the  faux ivory rose bracelet I paid a couple of quid for and I'm playing around painting them with Alcohol Inks. They would make great knobs/handles for boxes, don't you think? At the side there is a necklace dripping with fabulous charms just waiting to be pulled apart to use on altered art. 

There's a project in hand using TH dress form die cuts... I'm loving this but you'll have to wait to see it!

This closer view below shows what a great mix is on the necklace for just £3. 

Our Foxy Visitor!
The Apple tree is in all it's glory and the garden's looking good...... but......

....but...........

In all the 35 years we have lived here in the this urban environment we have never ever had such a visitor to our garden as this....

It looked a bit mangy poor thing but whilst I feel sorry for it, I'd rather not have it around. Don't leave your fleas here Foxy and no more open doors to the garden in the warm weather whilst it lurks around here!

DH rapped on the window to chase it and it just sat staring at us so I went for my camera and it was still waiting for it's photo shoot when I returned! My neighbour told me that it lay sunning itself on her back lawn for half an hour.

Smooching About!

I've been playing around experimenting with Smooch Pearlescent Accents as quite a few people mentioned that they had never heard of these fab paints and others had bought them but didn't know what to do with them. 

Smooch Paints are made by Clearsnap, (who are better known for Color Box ink pads) and are available in 33  "to die" for colours. They come in bottles which look just like nail polish and are useful just to paint on a variety of surfaces and they will layer really well.

Here's a card I made from one of my marbled pieces of card. BTW that's not dust but the excess crystal glitter which came off the flowers!!! So don't be talking about me!!

This is the original card I marbled then I stamped a few swirls over it in similar colours.

Before starting to use Smooches they need to be shaken really well and to help keep the pearlescent effect, whilst in use, I stand them upside down in a block of Oasis flower arranging foam which is wrapped in paper because I don't like the feel of it.

Just a note; I tried my friend Jayne's Silkies paints and whilst they are beautiful pearlescent colours they did not marble on water at all as the paint sinks to the bottom of the dish.

 I originally tried Smooches at a workshop at CHA in America and loved them but found difficulty finding them in England. The Craft Barn is one of the few places stocking Smooches and the price is good too!

You'll see more of my mini book if you look back to my Feb 15th post.

Marbling with Smooches

Use 2 or 3 selected colours and dip each brush into, just, below the surface of a container of water. (Pre cut your card so a smaller dish can be used to fit the card, thus saving on paint.) 

The colour will radiate by skooting across the water into an ever increasing circle or swirl of colour. 

Change the water frequently, after 2 or 3 cards marbled.

TIP: Sometimes the colours cannot be easily seen on the surface of the water so use a light coloured container or place a piece of heavy card in the base of the water container as a contrast. 

Plastic mushroom trays are ideal to use for your water.

After dipping the brush, of one colour, several times into the water, repeat the process with 1 or 2 more colours. These can be dipped into the centre of the other coloured circles or around them..... just experiment for different results. Colours of the Smooch paints react differently, some stay in circles and some spread all over the place so it really is trial and error.

Here you'll see the purple spread into a swirl whilst the yellow formed almost perfect circles of colour.

When enough colour has been added, swirl the tip of the brush gently over the surface to disperse the paints and create a marbled effect. 

The less you swirl the less complex the finished marbling will look.

Lay card on top of the marbled paints just for a second or two to pick up the colour.

You will create lovely marbled background effects just like these.

Below.... only 2 colours were used.

Below, the blue paint stayed in small dots so I gently swept the brush through to create quirky heart shapes.

The pink and green paints stayed in circle shapes

I hope you have fun if you try this but if you have any queries, or even tips for me, just email me. 

Just a memory......

I spotted some Dicentra in the garden and it reminded me that when my DDs were little we used to call them "Lady in a bath tub" so I just had to pick a couple of flowers and look at the ladies! Memories! Anyone else ever do this?

If you pull the pink petals apart, there she is in all her glory!

Thanks to Sam who reminded me that they are also called Bleeding Hearts, inspired by the drop coming out of the heart shape as they hang.

Happy Easter

Every Day is a holiday, now we're retired, but to those who get time off work public holidays have so much more value. Time to rest, time to catch up with family and friends or time to go places. We can do this any day now so why do I never have time?

Whatever you are doing, have a Happy Easter!

I set up a live feed yesterday and it has proved so interesting locating all the welcome people who have kindly popped into my blog. 

This morning, someone from Botosani visited, so I had to look up where on this Earth Botosani is to be found... thought it might be Africa, well it sounded African...but it's Romania ...

so Hello Romania!!! Thanks for visiting.

They looked at my Easter post from last year and thus reminded me of these Card Eggs I made and my other Easter decorations, so I'm cheating and posting the pics again as my Easter Greeting. 

The egg decorations are very simply made from decorated card ovals, stitched together, then opened out.

The decorated cones hold mini eggs and a marbled egg is popped on top!

WOYWW 98 & Baxter Bear

Woosh and wizz, brrrrrr and plop... that's a week going by!... and here we are with another WOYWW, the day so many crafters admit to the triumphs and failings of their workdesks. All inspired by our amazing muse, Mrs Dunnit... aka our Julia of Stamping Ground blog who leads us astray into the path of exposing our weaknesses. Join in or just call in to see the mayhem but in the meanwhile here's mine.....

I'm in the process of making a 4th birthday card for my oldest grandee to be ready for May. The new stamps I bought last week at Crafty Carole's in Oswaldtwistle Mills for the amazing price of 8 block mounted stamps for £5... yes! £1 each or amazingly 8 for £5!! Yeah! a bargain, just up my street.

Below, at the back, you'll see there are some bigger Asian block mounted stamps amongst my bargain stash. 

I'm using Smooshes to colour the images and I like the way they work. The desk is reasonably tidy by my standards of just how many strawberries are still on view! Well I did tidy a bit of space ready for Carole's (of Stampattack) visit tomorrow when we'll play and plan just what we are doing and demming for the Port Sunlight Show in May and we'll make some samples from our new stamps. 

You can just see the two little Sleepy Heads in the quilted bed above which is the ATC size of my new design for Stampattack.

The roses are a gift from my lovely friend and neighbour, Margaret, as a kind gesture in return for making her an outfit to attend a mock up of a Kate & Wills wedding. She has a good sense of fun so we rigged her out as a Lucky Sweep! Don't know about other countries but, it is an old English tradition for a chimney sweep to attend weddings, give the couple a horseshoe for luck and also to kiss the bride. 

My hot glue gun helped make a great sweep's brush from a cane and the fibres of an old wicker blind. She has a row of bottle top " war medals" on ribbons and I made a top hat with a tiny bird nesting in it and she'll have a sooty face! 

I'm hoping for a photo tomorrow.

I've been busy again  making more hats for the little one in Germany and even for Baxter Bear... with slots for his ears! 

This is the, well loved, original Baxter who really is jaded now, as you can see, but we are so lucky to have his dopelganger ready to stand in. 

A well earned rest for a dear friend!

Padgate Crafty Collective

Stop Press... my friend has just told me that the Birchwood QVC outlet shop near Warrington, has several Vagabonds in stock for £113 ....  less 25% discount so that's down to approx £85 !!!(and pensioners get an extra 15% discount Mondays only) They'll go quickly so go now and grab a granny for the extra discount!
What a bargain for anyone in travelling distance... but guess who purchased one full price only last week....yup! little ole MOI !!! UGH!


Another wonderful fun, therapeutic, happy Sunday was enjoyed by about 25 crafters at Padgate Community Centre (near Warrington). We missed a few of our regulars, especially Neet who is in hospital. Hope she gets well soon and makes it next time. Welcome to the new people who joined us and I hope they all come again.

 As usual there was such a variety of craft skills going on............

This is a great technique using masking tape, shown to us by Lynne at an earlier meeting, and Sharon and Carmel decided to have another go with excellent results. 

We meet every month and do just whatever crafts we want and whilst there are no formal tutors we often share skills, as Lynne did here.

Enid finished off her fabulous art doll

Beautiful beadwork from Olive's friend... Sorry I have forgotten her name but will add it soon.

 The bracelet on the bottom will be MINE when it's completed by Mo. The beads are the most gorgeous iridescent purple and I fell in love with it.

Tiny exquisite flowers made by Mandy

Pretty bouquet by Grandma (who's really called Vera)

 A new member Hazel and her teenage daughter Ellie joined us with a basket of monkey parts.... Hazel made great sock monkeys and Ellie painted a Manga character on a canvas bag.

Gill and Josie made some lovely cards with some fab techniques and backgrounds.

 Lorraine perfecting her excellent Promarker skills

 Vix and her friend Sarah joined us for the first time and made fabulous cards.

Tracey had her first but perfectly stunning attempt at Pergamano Parchment craft.

 Olive is mad on skulls and these three will end up on a fascinator as Olive is now developing her millinery skills.

 Jen's arty shopping bag before it's painted.

Jayne, aka DIZZY, painted an apron with lots of bling... here it is half completed.

I started painting and stamping a series of aprons ready for gifts... 

I also started making this beaded safety pin bracelet but I think my beads are too big. Mo started her's with seed beads which allow the pins to lie closer to each other but I found the seed beads too fiddly.

I apologise that I can't find the original site to give credit for this bracelet idea.

We had a yummy lunch, made by Jayne and helped by Mandy, of baked potatoes with a choice of fillings, and continuous tea, coffee, cakes, chockies and bickies. Lots of nattering and laughs too, but we really did miss our lovely Neet who had to go and get herself into Hotel Hospital. Her ears must have been burning as she was talked about so much...so once again...get well Neet!