Tuesday 31 March 2009

Hannah's Pink CJ- Queen of He-ART-s



Here is another entry for our UK Stampers' 'Colours' CJ. This is Hannah's lovely little pink book, and for once I decided to stamp directly onto the page, as the page colour was so delicious! I love pink, but don't use it in my work as much as I used to, despite having lots of yummy paper in that colour. Must remember to use it more often...

Colour: Dee Greunig Blending Blox (again!), Distress Ink, Glimmer Mist, Sharpies, Stickles, Versafine, Stazon
Stamps: Elusive Images (small 'art'), Limited Edition, unknown 'A-R-T' signing stamps, Tim Holtz (Grunge Alpha)
Other: Playing card, border punch/fancy scissors (used to create paper lace), cardstock-weight vellum for corner, Ranger Crackle Accents (used on A-R-T)

Friday 27 March 2009

Lots-to-do Challenge- Wire-wrapped Heart Pendant


This piece came about thanks to the influence of Sam and Nicky, who are both very talented in the melt pot department! Sam does brilliant things with UTEE using silicone ice-cube moulds, as does Nicky. Nicky does great wire-wrapped items (and now has a Folksy shop if you want to buy her jewelry). I had poured the black and gold heart recently, when I did my bottlecap piece, but had not thought of how to use it. Then when Sam set the wire challenge at the Lots-to-do blog, I thought this might be a good project. The wire is florist's and beading wire, and I covered the back in Glossy Accents to stop the wire from sliding off and make it more comfortable to wear. The pendant is 4cm long- about the same size as would come from a certain heart-shaped ice-cube tray I have! Thanks to Sainsburys, too!
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Thursday 26 March 2009

Mother's Day



Before I start describing the top card, I just want to say that it wasn't that colour! My Mum loves coloured card, and so I used a soft turquoise card as the base. I have tried to get the colour back using various editing tools, and it wasn't happening, so I am sorry, you will have to imagine the real colour.

Anyway, this is the card and stampbord brooch I gave to my Mum for Mother's day. I used my new Elusive Images plate, which I absolutely love- expect to see a lot more using it as it is really versatile.

Colour: Card: Distress Ink, Whispers Dye Ink, Versafine (used on acetate then embossed), aurora ep, Sakura glaze and Stardust pens, Stickles; Brooch: Dee Greunig Blending Blox, Whispers Dye Ink, Stickles, Sakura Stardust Pens, Stazon, Opals UTEE, silver Paint Dabber
Stamps: All Elusive Images
Other: transparency, shrink plastic, wire, brooch back, blue card, Stampbord, butterfly charm.



I also wanted to share with you my own Mother's day card, made by my little budding artist. Inside it says 'Remember when you do my washing that I love you'. Bless! I couldn't eat the cookie as I am gluten intolerant, but my little boy was more than happy to eat it for me :)

Wednesday 25 March 2009

Pat's Paper Bead Swap- A Bit of a Funny Story

This is the last of the Feb swaps, and I meant to post this picture last week! I think my blogging is destined to be like my washing- sometimes I do a load a day, then I don't do any for a few days which means I am back to frantic load-a-day again! Pat hosted this swap, and I happily put my name down for it as I have enjoyed making these paper and UTEE beads in the past. Little did I know how frustrating it would be to make 20 all at once! Now, you have to understand, I was the only one who had problems, so I think it is just me! And the resulting beads are pretty, so it was worth it really :)

Here is a quick tutorial if you want to have a go yourself:

1. This is the easy bit. Prepare an A4 piece of paper by colouring, stamping, whatever you like. Decide how long you want your beads to be and cut into long triangles, making the widest side the length you have decided on. Mine are 1.5cm, and I used my trimmer and just cut them quickly into the triangles. NOTE: Make 5 more than you want to end up with, just in case.
2. Find a bamboo skewer and, starting with the wide end of your triangle, wrap your paper tightly around until it looks like a bead shape, using a dab of glue every so often to keep the tension. Pull tight every so often, then start again as the whole thing unwinds. Undo every time it goes out of shape. Make as many beads as your nerves allow, then leave the project alone while you have a cup of tea. Go back to it when your patience has returned and finish all 25.
3. Put your melt pot on, and fill it with clear UTEE- admire the clarity then add flex to stop the beads from shattering when knocked. Note that the beautiful clear mixture has now gone yellow. Apply Versamark/glycerine to the end of your skewer and add your first bead near the end. Dip in the hot UTEE and then quickly rotate like a glas blower to make sure the UTEE sets in an even shape. Re-dip when you realise that you have a huge lump on one side. Repeat the twirling and set aside to cool (you can have two skewers on the go at once to save hanging around).
4. Using scissors, cut of the excess UTEE at each end of the bead so that you can slide the finished bead off. Admire how pretty it is. Go to your second skewer to do the same and realise that this skewer is wood, not bamboo, and therefore rough enough that your bead is completely stuck. Go and hunt for another bamboo skewer in the kitchen drawers. Oh well, you still have 4 spare beads and this won't happen again!
5. Do a few more perfect beads. You must be getting the hang of this! Then do exactly as you have been doing, pull the bead off the skewer, and watch it unwind from the inside, leaving you with a UTEE shell. Oh well, you still have 3 spare beads. Carry on, repeating this cycle until you have one short of your required total, and no more paper beads to dip. Desperately try to cut one more bead from the paper you coloured- phew, just! Dip your final bead, take it off the skewer, and go and have a big gin and tonic to calm your nerves.
6. Put the beads in a glass dish, and admire them. Knock them on the floor (must be the g and t!) and scrabble around to pick them all up. Then go and put them somewhere really, really safe so that you can photograph them and send them off.

When I look back on my bead-making experience, I have to laugh as it just shows how kack-handed I can be! I think I will stick to making just one or two at a time next time... and there will be a next time as it is the perfect way to get a bead to match your project. Good luck if you give this a try!

Monday 16 March 2009

Lots to do challenge- Masks



I made these little tags to send off with the swaps- I don't normally blog these little RAKs, but this week the challenge on Lots To Do is 'masks'. I bought a Tim Holtz mask a while ago, but hadn't got around to using it. Tags are a brilliant way to experiment, so I got out that mask and away I went! I haven't entered a challenge for ages, but since this one came along at just the right time, I am entering.

Colour: Glimmer Mists, Distress Inks, Versafine (red and black), gilt wax
Stamps: All Elusive Images (the damask design is actually the corner flourish from the new Butterfly Daisy Collage plate)
Other: Mountboard shapes cut with Sizzix (thanks, Tasha!), Tim Holtz flourish mask, Prima flowers, gem shapes from Hobbycraft.

Sunday 15 March 2009

Bottlecap swap- a few of my favourite things...




I really got carried away making this little piece for the February altered art swap on UK Stampers. Good job too; the standard was really high, as ever, so I would have been embarrassed if I hadn't gone that extra mile! I used all of my favourite techniques and products :)

Colour: Alcohol inks, Stickles, Distress Inks, Versafine, Sakura clear stardust pen, Opals UTEE in black and gold, Perfect Pearls
Stamps: Cherry Pie
Other: Two bottlecaps (flattened with a hammer and a block of wood), sheer ribbon, adhesive metal tape, Cuttlebug and embossing folder, buttons, Krafty Lady art mould, Melt Pot, Papermania adhesive gem

(If you can read the words, they are from Twelfth Night- another of my favourite things!)

Thursday 12 March 2009

Stampbord brooch swap


Sid is hosting a Stampbord brooch swap at UK Stampers, and I was hit by inspiration for this one! I had been using my melt pot for another piece I have made (yes, for yet another swap!) and to use up the excess UTEE I poured it into some of my Krafty Lady Art Moulds. I loved the heart so much that it inspired the rest of the piece.

Colour: Dee Greunig Blending Blox (green), Stazon, Versafine, Gilt wax, Opals UTEE
Stamp: Hero Arts script
Other: Small Puffy Heart art mould, Grungeboard wings, Cuttlebug script embossing folder, Aurora Fusible Film, Stampbord, brooch pin, Pinflair glue gel

The colour of this is changeable, as I started with the Blending Blox before gluing and ironing on torn strips of Fantasy film. The wings were bent and glued on with a supporting blob of the Pinflair glue gel- my new favourite glue!

Tuesday 10 March 2009

Next photos- Domino Jewelry



This was for yet another swap- it's rare at the moment that I do anything which isn't for a swap! I really enjoyed making these, and think I will make some more at some point.

Colour: Domino 1- Sharpies, Stazon, Clear UTEE, Moonglow ep, Stickles (on heart charm) Domino 2- Stazon, Gold and copper ep
Stamp: Rubbadubado
Other: Plastic dominoes, ribbon (on back, not shown), florist's wire (to make loops for necklace), waxed linen thread (for dangle on brooch), jewelry findings, Glossy Accents

Monday 9 March 2009

February Inchies- Oriental

You may realise this week that I have downloaded the contents of my camera, and am now trying to blog it all! This is my inchie swap for this month, and Sid gave us the theme of Oriental. Recently, I have been rifling through my scraps drawers before I start any new project, and this time I found a scrap of background paper that I made for my first Bind-it-all project in July 2007. It's nice to recycle :)

Colour: Nick Bantock inks, Perfect Pearls, Versafine, Versamagic (stamped into clay)
Stamps: Paperartsy (Buddha), Non Sequitur (chop)
Other: Das air-dry clay, red embroidery thread, black card

Sunday 8 March 2009

February ATCs- Friends



I love to try variations on a theme for my 3 for 3 swap ATCs each month, and this month I was playing with Versamark resist, Blending Blox and brayering, and metal embossed in the Cuttlebug. I am also trying to use up old stash! The Papermania flowers were bought the year they came out, and I have given them a new look by embossing and shaping them. Expect to see more of the same- they came in a big pack! Now I just need to find a new look for my enormous box of metal-rimmed tags...

Colour: Distress Inks, Dee Greunig's Blending Blox, Whispers back ink, Stazon, Paint Dabber, Sakura glaze pen, black fineline pen
Stamps: Kathy Davies (flower), Crafty Individuals (words and flourish)
Other: Drinks can metal, Papermania metal flowers, seed beads, glossy card

Tuesday 3 March 2009

CJ page for Gail

This is my attempt at humour for Gail's CJ, and I think it gets the point across, although I'm not too convinced about my execution! Her stamp is the shoes, which just made me think about the Wizard of Oz (plus those funny radio and TV ads featuring the Wicked Witch of the West and her best friend, Vicky, have inspired me). I coloured over the image with my watercolour crayons again- I love the texture they add (I was channelling tornado!). I hope Gail likes it.

Colour: Watercolour crayons, Stickles (on shoes), Stazon, Distress Inks
Stamp: Mad Rat?
Other: Image of old house, acetate