Well its a New Year....

... so that means NEW STAMPS!!  For the next 7 days over on the PaperArtsy blog there will be new releases - how awesome is that!!.. so many fabulous new products it will make your head spin!... and I'm up first.


I'm really excited to share these stamps with you - its my most varied release to date and I think (I hope) there is something for everyone.

Visit the PaperArtsy Blog HERE where you can see lots of lovely samples made with my new stamps by my group of talented wingmen.

I designed 2 little ladies - the one on JOFY41 has her eyes closed and I imagine has her face to the sun, while her friend on JOFY42 in her boots looks ready for anything!
See that little happy little character on the JOFY42? that's a Critter. Some of you may recognise the name from a page on my blog - funny/cute little fabric creations I made that were 'not quite right' - well I'd wanted to create a stamp of one...  PaperArtsy have a Critter - you may have seen him on the PA stand at shows - he's called PAMM (PaperArtsyMiniMascot), recently I made him a girlfriend... and a stamp was a natural progression!
Now everyone can have a critter.

 

Its a jolly little critter.. I could resist replacing its button eyes with googly eyes:

Here is a great video that PaperArtsy made detailing all the stamps:

On the blog is a card featuring one of my robots - LOVE these little 'bots!! Details of how I created the card can be found there...

The large nuts on the card are die cuts.. but I don't have a die for nuts and so I improvised:

I die cut a hexagon out of silver card, then cut a smaller circle inside the hexagon - a nut!  Bazinga!

So, a new year and new stamps I was inspired to create a book. I've been thinking about positive phrases to focus my thinking, aims and approach to life (the universe and everything! lol).. so I put some of these phrases into this 'little book of Mantras' using Fresco Finish paints and a little (9x9cm) upcycled book that I rediscovered (unearthed) while clearing out my workroom (I had a serious  (ruthless - with myself and 'stuff') clearout - it felt soooo good!)
I wanted this to be a simple book.. playing with new stamps (JOFY41 &JOFY42), creating an inspirational set of pages - really a 'just for me' sort of project.
I'll leave you to 'play spot the new stamps' :o)

I bought several books in a charity shop..

Dinky little board books... removed the printed layer of each spread - peel them off (very theraputic! lol)... and paint!

I covered each spread in a different type of printeed book pages, and allowed them to dry.

Here are the covers.  I painted them in Teresa Green and Dusty Teal Fresco Finish paint.., a book page circle, strip of washi tape and the year die cut from kraft card... and a 'go to' stamp image.

The first spread features is my word for the year... 

... using letters that I found during the 'great clear up'!..

I'm always a little nervous about writing on pages - its the little voices in my head saying 'what if its not perfect'.. 'what if its not straight' ... then I have a stern word with myself (does it matter if its not perfect?!!), take a deep breath & draw lines in pencil, write the words in pencil and then write over them in pen... I made a feature of the lines to link the words across to the photo (taken from an old nature encyclopedia I bought in a charity shop).. stamped a loopy border a few times and 'shaded' using a charcoal pencil (gotta love those!)

I like this phrase.. when I'm having a testing day I often say this to myself.. Slate and Chalk created the background, prints of small bubble wrap and stamps of flowers.. words were stamped onto book text that had been painted with diluted Dusty Teal.

This alphabet, from JOFY21, is great to use - nice and blocky, easy to read - and more importantly - easy to cut out!

This phrase resonates with me too - for those days when MS Fatigue makes a visit... Created with washes of Dusty Teal and Slate and stamped images with book text.

So thats my little book - featuring several new stamps and favourite paint colours... I hope its inspired you to take a second look at board books, and to use my new stamps.. available now from your local PaperArtsy stockist.

Keep an eye on the PaperArtsy blog all this week where there will be more exciting things happening..

I'd like to introduce you to a new friend...

... in my first blog post for PaperArtsy over on the blog which I'm very excited about. .. please pop over and take a look  - not just at my project but at all the other great and inspiring projects that are on there.

This is the little friend in question - please pop over and say 'hello' - I think she's going to be a fun addition to the PaperArtsy family!

x

Oh dear!.....

... while I was trawling through many many photos looking for projects I had a niggling thought that I was missing/forgetting something... and this morning it came to me:

PAMM (PaperArtsyMiniMascot).. sits on a shelf at PAHQ keeping an eye on the elfs, and sometimes he's let out to go to the craft shows where he sits on the PA racks.

Smart little chap - I should really make him a litte JOFY friend soon....

Its not that I've been overly busy... just a bit here and a bit there and lots of things going on in all areas... that why I've not been here so please excuse the absence..

So what has the 'here and there' been all about?

Well we've moved into our new house and we're still unpacking boxes - well, to be honest with you I'm not unpacking them as much as moving them about from one room to another! lol (they're currently in the 3rd bedroom where I can close the door and ignore them for a bit longer :o)  )
The house keeps throwing up interesting findings - under most of the floor coverings is a layer of newspaper (insulation 1960s stylee?) which is normal but in the bedroom was so exciting as the newspaper print had transferred onto the wood!!!! (insert excited squeal here)  I wanted to varnish over it and keep it, but sadly I was out-voted... its a snapshot of August 1960! lol  very cool!

A lovely weeked was had by all that went to the Craft Barn's extravaganza a couple of weekends ago - I really enjoy being part of these weekends.. this time I was flexing my die-cutting, bunting making, fabric cutting craftiness.. thanks to everyone who stopped by and said hello- it was nice to put faces to some of the twitter peeps I've met :o)

 I combined Sizzix dies with Spellbinder dies to create this line of bunting - these are great dies (and I can't wait to combine them with the latest PaperArtsy dies - more about those later).

The card above uses Sizzix Mover & Shapers dies - love!!

This simple calico bunny makes me smile - The Craft Barn sells plain Calico animals and shapes (by Rico Designs) and so I made a 'critter' version with it. cute.

OK, onto the newPaperArtsy stamps I mentioned - 5 fabulous haberdashery sets, here's just one of them:

I love all of them - but this one especially as that's my sewing machine! :o)  Mr PA took photos of it and turned it in to a stamp - how cool is that!  Go over to the PaperArtsy site to see the others - they are really lovely....

The Olympic Torch came through our town because Hadleigh is the venue for the Mountain Bike events(and it came through Southend because of the dive centre etc).

It was really quite exciting - the whole Torch Relay has been so well planned and organised.. great to see it (briefly! lol definitely worth standing in the drizzle.)

I think that's enough for now - I'll leave you with some more fabulous flowers - not mine - these were planted (by the council) in beds on the local cliffs - so beautiful and they were so fragrant, and the orange/pink ones were stunning...

Take care.

Oops and sorted!

Doh! on Wednesday my desk was all about the Critters (who are multiplying as we speak) and suggested that if people liked them then maybe they'd like to 'follow' them.... which would've been made much easier if I'd put a follow button on the site - which I hadn't! DOH!  (PS Doone - you weren't being 'blind' there wasn't a button invisible, hidden or other!)
Sorry about that, but its now sorted and the Critters have a button over on their site (to go see click on Critters photo on right).....
Please follow if you'd like too, ... but not too closely as they may scare easily and please don't feed them especially after midnight - if you've seen Gremlins then you know why! lol

Here's another addition - I'm not sure about its face - bit small for the body? Not quite right? but then thats part of the Critters' charm isn't it?! 

Another addition to CritterVille..

..please go and check it out - make it welcome over on the Critter Blog

Little Critters

Have you seen my critters? Click on the happy little face on the right hand side and meet the ever growing family... (the fabric one..not mine lol)