JO FIRTH-YOUNG

20 February 2009

Tim + Ten Seconds Studio

If you're a fan of Tim Holtz and/or Ten Seconds Studio then take a look at this video . They're talking/demo'ing about the new alcohol ink pens that Ranger are bringing out along with 24, yes TWENTY FOUR! new alcohol ink colours! mmmmm nice
Anyway, video is amusing - and informative - so take a look....

Been doing lots of this n that this week after coming home from the trade show last weekend really inspired by all the new stuff I saw (may post some pics soon...).

So.. piccy on left is using a Sugar Nellie stamp on metal with misc media, and I thought the stamp (the girl) worked really well with the PaperArtsy stamp (I call it bubbles- proper name squiggly mini 15) on the base card (really versatile stamp - great for backgrounds).
This was inspired by Leandra's appearance on TacoTuesday - watch it here

I made this little panel (slightly smaller than a postcard) to 'see if it works'! Its something I do a lot - try something out just to see if it works - to get the question out of my head - freeing space up for other 'stuff'.

Its using the new Versamark Dazzle ink pad. After talking to Sarah S I had to try the ink pad! The sample was using that ink pad, stazon and acrylics - really pleased with how the inks worked with each other - the contrasts.. very subtle... You'll have to come to a courses at Card Inspirations to find out more!

Work in progress...

This is something that I've been playing with in my sketchbook - one of the new images by Leanne Ellis for Sugar Nellie Stamps. The images have a slight etherealness to them('etherealness' - is that even a word?! maybe it should be ethereality - maybe I should just go and get the dictionary and stop making words up! lol)

Aaaanyway - Its a work in progress and one of what i'm sure will be many variations of using this stamp.

NB - have checked the dictionary - etherealness is NOT a real word - ethereality is though - so lets go with that one!!

Valentine ....

If I had made my lovely hubby a valentine card on time it would have looked like this.

To see more head on over to the blog at Banana Frog where it will soon be 'Project of the Day'.

Love you M!

This is a page I made quickly in my sketchbook to use a pic' I took of Tim Holtz demo'ing at a trade show on Sunday and the demo piece he was creating.
The page was created using Banana Frog stamps (Pharmacy alphabet dots from Shimelle's Backgrounds) and glimmer mists - creating a resist technique. Sometimes I have to get an idea down on paper to clear it out of my head - but I'll be using this tech nique again me thinks!
Images on Tim's demo sample are from his CHA 09 new stamps - v nice!!

Definitely not white!

Keeping to my aim of not using any white card blanks this is what I bought at PaperBox the other day... how's this for coloured card blanks.... bright enough for you!?

Second Lease of Life

This card was created as part of an article for Craft Stamper magazine, but it wasn't used in the final piece so I thought I'd show it here. The other pieces were published in the February issue if you'd like to see them.
These photo's that I've taken don't really show up what the card is actually like - the front page of the card is acetate. This means that when the card is standing up the butterfly almost looks like its suspended in the air...... (hopefully!)

Little and often.. or twice in one day! I need to pace my blogging...

In Southend we have a shop that sells end of line jewellery - cheap - and I mean cheap! I go in there every-so-often to see what I can find. I buy necklaces etc some that I might wear but mainly ones that I have no intention of wearing - I just want them for the great little embellishments - especially at the moment with the current trend of charm necklaces -I bring them home to dismantle them and make something else out of them.
I bought this bracelet the other day (I liked shapes- thought they had potential) and collaged it with some pieces of my favourite Basic Grey papers from the Scarlett's letter range (this way I can keep the lovely paper forever!). To give you an idea of size the rectangle panels are 4.5cm high.
You can see what it was like before I customised it from the inside - sorry I forgot to photograph ready for some 'before and after' shots. doh! I was too excited and inspired to stop and take photos! lol

Its not quite finished - got to seal the surface with diamond glaze/resin, and in the photo you see those little circles on the right hand panel of the bracelet- don't you think they are just crying out for mini gems?

I've just bought a good book on jewellery and paper (thanks Leandra for having it on her table) and there are some good ideas in there. Inspiring eye-candy, and for more paper based jewellery (among other things!) head on over to Etsy.

a bit of this and that...

As my blog header says 'a little bit of this, a little bit of that...' and thats what I feel I've been doing for the past few weeks!
I'd really like to get back into the studio (rather than work a bit from home and a bit from the studio) but is so bloody cold I just can't! I'm a wuss and I like to be warm! lol

So since I last blogged:
I've enrolled on a machine embroidery refresher course. I love using my sewing machine - I just wish I had the space to have it out all the time - if I could then I would use it more. Love sewing on paper and felt (and fabric of course)
... and a course on learning to crochet - this could be quite an addictive hobby - suprisingly relaxing (but that may be because nothings gone wrong yet! lol)

I've probably said this before but I really like sewing, working with fabric - it slightly more forgiving than paper(?) and to sit and sew is really relaxing - for me its a bit back to roots as I sewed before I got hooked by paper and stamping. Now I like to combine them all!

So with that said here are a couple of very simple little fabric books* that I've rustled up in the last couple of days - They're to hold my sewing needles because I've lost the wooden one that my Dad turned for me. I can't find it anywhere. Humph! I've also got a great needle book that I bought from the Etsy shop BigFish but I needed another (and the BigFish one is too cute to use too much!)

(* little pink book measures around 3 x 2.5 inches)

The book on left is just a quick play item I created just to see if I could (I think its going to be another book where I just do little trails in) - I'd received my new Banana Frog stamps and HAD to use them on something asap and as fabric has my attention at the moment I used them in the book. These are the new 'its all about.... circles' stamps. I'll use them more at a later date but as soon as I saw them I knew they cried out for embellishments to be added to the circles. NICE!!

The other little book is using felt with a piece of lush mini pom-pom braiding that I've just bought - how cute is that!!! and a lovely little crochet flower (again from Etsy!) (hopefully I'll be able to make those 'soon') and a little bit of one of my favourite fabrics - Ikea's Paisley. Such a shame they stopped making that design. And how fab are those flower head pins! They're flat so are great for using with machine embroidery.

Too much loveliness! I think this is why I'm doing a little bit of this and that - its because I've got too much stuff to choose from at the moment - I just don't know where to start! lol

Banana Frog. Its all about...

It's all about...' is the name of their new stamps. And here they are - 8 great new sets and I can't wait to get my hands on them to play with... I'm really liking the sets called flourishes, scallops, circles, elegance and stars... oh, hold on... thats pretty much all of them isn't it?! lol
Arriving in shops soon - or head over to Banana Frog for a closer look...