Sun Sun Sun

Sunny! Not a cloud in the sky - not one, not a single one, nothing ...... for 4 days!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I quite miss the clouds! (NOT!) I would show you photos but I can´t so just sit back, close your eyes and imagine a clear blue sky........ and a gentle breeze......
Its a tough job but someone´s got to do it!!
(actually the toughest job of this week has been to find my way around this foreign keyboard!! took a while and some assistance from the front desk to find the ´@´ key! ) far too taxing so I´m going back to my sunbed - via the bar.... there´s a cocktail with my name on it I think....

Isn't that just typical?!!

I lost my bone creaser about 2 months ago.... (a proper made-from-bone bone folder, not a plastic one) and so when I went up to London yesterday for my MOT I went to Faulkner Fine Papers in Southampton Row (mmmmnnn nice shop!) and bought a new one (from the shop I bought the first one!)... I resisted the Teflon one.. at £12.00 for a small one it was quite easy to resist! :o) but hey a bone bone folder is what I wanted so thats what I bought.

And do you know what Matt found today when he went into the boot (no, the spare wheel compartment) of my car... yes everyone wins a prize! he found my original bone folder!!!!!!!!!!!

aaaaarrrrghhhhh! I'm really pleased its been found but couldn't it have been found a couple of days (months?) ago when I was looking for the bloomin' thing.. and not the day after I'd bought a new one!! lol

I didn't realise how much I used the bone folder/creaser until I lost it! (and hey, now I have 2 - you can never have too many!......)

And while I was in London I went to Blade Rubber as this shop is just around the corner from the hospital - I like to go in there as a treat for having been to the hospital (oh please - like I need an excuse to go into a craft shop!)... aaanyway they had a stand of books and magazines for sale. And there it was - Somerset Wedding 3!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! With my front cover!! Ive never seen the publication on a rack, in a shop, for sale!!!!!!!!! So of course I had to take a photo!!!!!!

I can't help it - it still makes me smile when I see the cover in print or somewhere unexpected. (I'll get over it ... eventually!)

Also Cath at Katy's Corner sent me the Stampington's Artful Blogger publication that I'd ordered(Thanks Cath!). I was going to take it away with me but I think its best not to as I'll just want to sit in front of a computer and check out all the great blogs that are featured instead of relaxing in the sun! So its going to have to stay at home - there were just too many great sites in it to resist!!

Lots going on so I'm having a short break from the blogging. Back soon.

Teaching @ Card Inspirations

Went up to Tewin, Hertforshire at the weekend to meet the new owners of Card Inspirations.
Had a good meeting and I'm going to be teaching there a couple of times before Christmas. I'm really looking forward to it.
Check the Card Inspirations site for class details, the photos below are little tasters of what I'll be doing......

357 ATCs

I'm aware that I post a lot of 'in progress' items! (its just that I have lot of things on the go at one time!)

So, just to show that I do actually finish items here are pics of the ATCs from the post earlier today.... finished! (nb. in reality they're not quite as 'green' as this photo, and the chipboard numbers are a black/gold interference mix thingymajiggy (I haven't got the ink pad here but I think its Brilliance Lightning Black)).

(I've also linked these to the 'Think Monday, Think ATC' site, the first time I've done this.)

I've had a small white ATC tin sitting in our kitchen waiting to be altered/ prettied up for about 6 months.

Here's what I did with it! (Finally)


Basic Grey papers, Got Flowers flowers (just seen at the top of the piccy), ArtGirlz mini wool balls (I love these mini versions of the balls - they make good 'berries'), and Heidi Swapp bling strips.










ATCs in progress - the piccy on the left is of a set which I like but were too 'flat' (so remain unfinished) and so i made a second set (on the right) with a bit more dimension - the image panels have since been coloured and the chipboard numbers are going to be embossed.... still in progress!
(but just wanted to show that I have been busy)

Have also been card making again but can't show those as they were a commission and haven't been sent/received yet!

Swivel card (or flip-flap)...

This card is still in progress... embellishments and bits still to be attached and an image on the reverse side.. but I thought I'd better get some creativity on here rather than random pictures of the seaside and flocked wallpaper!!

And this is a chipboard tag book (maya road) - also in progress - with a chipboard letter on each page spelling out my name and showing pics of my favourite things. Using the gorgous Scarlett's letter papers from Basic Grey, and with pictures printed off using my new favourite piece of kit - the HP Photosmart A618 photo printer. Its such a fantastic piece of kit - I love it! The colours are really true, and its so portable... Love it! I can take it to the studio, choose photos from the camera memory card (thats inserted into the printer), print them off and put them in a scrapbook there and then!

NB - the photos not really very interesting I realise but its the only one I have of the book at the moment!

This months ATC for ArtyATC - Theme of 'Dreaming'. The text on the ATC reads

'If these spirits have offended, Think but this and all is mended, That you have just slumbered here, While these visions did appear'

from a Midsummer Night's Dream by Shakespeare (it seemed quite appropriate!). And the Fairies are from PaperArtsy.

I was a bit late on the deadline for this months theme - I'm determined NOT to be next month (also because we'll be on holiday when the deadline comes round) so I'm doing them this week!

OOOOH I do like to be beside the Seaside....!

oooh I do like to live beside the seeeeeaaaaaaaa



We went for a quick walk after dinner last night and also took some photos - the paint on these boats would make great backgrounds for altered works wouldn't they... I'm reaching for my distress inks . . ...... !

Stroke the Flock! Part 2

We're going to stay in the flat for a while longer and so we're giving it a bit of a spruce up and we're tackling the lounge first - because its a quick job (allegedly!). Not much is needed - decorated a couple of years ago - but I'd like a bit more colour in there - Mainly in the recesses either side of the fireplace.

So, as I've been craving flock wallpaper for a while now (am determined to have it in the flat somewhere!) we went to the wallpaper shop - I LOVE LOOKING AT WALLPAPER BOOKS!!!!! I could have stayed there ALL afternoon! I was quite good and only took 3 books home! And narrowed it down to these.

These pictures are of the wallpaper I have fallen in love with - its a slightly pearly/frosted background and the flowers are FLOCK!! How GORGEOUS are they!! The teal/turquoise is my favourite closely followed by the brown.

But, at £90.00 a roll (ouch!) it'll have to wait until we have our new house.
(I don't mind paying that, but I can't justify paying that and then moving 3-4 months later! Its a long term wallpaper. And if we decide to sell the flat rather than keep-and-rent the decor has to be relively neutral. Not everyone will like my flock wallpaper!)

Here is a photo of another version of the paper - I LOVED this colour way but am not sure that I could live with for long. A subtle-limey green on a brown background mmmmmmmm.
Its one those papers that you either love or hate) (but how could you not love it?!).




This one is must have! Chocolate brown flock on a chocolate brown backgound! L.O.V.E I.T!!!
It would have to hang on a wall where I couldn't reach it or I would be stroking it all the time... it'd end up with little bald patches!
LUSH!
(there was another similar one - brown gloss pattern on a matt background but the brown was quite reddish, so not quite what we (ahem, I!) was after. Lush all the same - especially in black!)

Anyway - we have chosen a paper, less of a statement than the ones above (but still slightly decadent!) and I'll post photo's when its up.... which will be soon my DH assures me......

Commission:

A scrapbook of C, measures around 12x3inches, lots of pink, but toned down with chocolate brown but glitz up again with diamantes and flowers. Stored in a calico bag (with pink drawstring and trim). Pages kept quite simple and plain so not to distract from J's great pictures of C.
(This scrapbook was in the cabinet at the studio during ArtTrail).
(NB: thanks J&K!)

Front cover of a work in progress..... Using the 'cats' plate from PaperArtsy's Cat's Meow range. Its going to be a mini board book starring Fredd & Phoebe! (I'm going to include photos, when the PostOffice get their act together and deliver my post!!!!!!!!!!!!!! )(I must resist ranting about the post office! I must stop ranting about the post office. I must stop ranting about the post office. I must stop ranting about the post office. I must stop ranting about the post office. I must stop ranting about the post office. I must stop ranting about the post office. Well, actually - I must stop ranting. I must stop ranting. I must stop ranting. I must stop ranting. Happy thoughts. Happy thoughts. Happy thoughts. Happy thoughts. Happy thoughts.

Its been said that you can heat emboss using a toaster... and the other day I had to put that to the test.
I was creating away -I'd got everything ready -stamped the image, put on the embossing powder, and then I turned round to get the heat gun.. . . . . and realised it was at home! DOH! (yes I realise I should have checked it was at the studio before I started but anyway)
??? heat source, heat source... aha - the studio has a toaster! so I took the piece over to the toaster, held it over it and YES! its true you can indeed heat emboss using a toaster! (but careful - fingers get a bit hot - maybe I should have used my stick with the little clothes peg on to hold it - if only I could find it.......)
(and to clarify - should anyone need/want to try this - don't put the piece IN the toaster - hold it OVER the toaster!!)(..while its turned on...)(...you realised that though didn't you...)

So here it is - my toaster embossed tag!!

Sooooo much creativity!!

Had a fantastic day on Sunday with PaperArtsy - a day full of creativity - worked with new techniques and old ones rediscovered... and as a result I am coverted to Ranger Distress inks!!

Here (left) are the samples I've just created of the colour range I now have -I had thought they were dull and well, erm distressed.. turns out thats just because those were the colours I had!! - Old Paper, Antique Linen etc but oooooh look at the lovely vivid colours!! Just what I've wanted! and look how great they are when they're water splashed!!!!

So that's what I did at the Studio today, and these are the lovely (even though I say so myself!) technique tags I made on Sunday at PA:

This post is going to be a bit all over the place - because its been a while since I posted proper 'stuff' and so its just going to spew out! :o) you have been warned!.....

Duck and ducklings at Creasey's Farm

(You have to drive past the pond where they 'live' to get to PA which made me want to abandon the car where it was and walk the rest of the way instead of driving past and possibly squashing one!! I took this photo from the car window so you can see how close they were to the road - well you can see the road! So you get the idea!)

The ducklings were tiny -little bundles of squeeking fluff!

Leandra, Mark and their family (4 lovely children - who provided refreshments and great cake!) were great hosts, and where they live is so lovely - surrounded by fields and silence - none of the sirens and traffic we have here.
Soooo, great day- loads of ideas and a need for new materials - we each left with a bag of PA loviness to play with - here's a photo of some of it:








will post the creative results of these stamps etc as I produce them....



And now that I have moved all my home studio to Studio 12 its a lot easier to have a dedicated creative time...
Here is my 'new' space...:

Its a bit hard to photograph!
2.5x2.5 metres, a mastery of space planning!! (can never have too many shelves!!)
and its perfect - I love it!!! Its all enclosed and I can just switch off and get on with 'stuff'!
I still have some tweaking to do - got to get some blackout fabric to hang over a couple of the shelves to protect the paper from sunlight.
When I first moved in to this space I spent 10 minutes taking out all the screws and nails from the wall (from ArtTrail) and now I'm finding I'm having to put them all back to hang bits and pieces from!


Phew that seemed like a looooooong post! That's all folks!!

Long time, no post!

I've just googled myself -
- 'cos I had nothing better to do!
- 'cos every so often I like to check that if someone wanted to find me they could
- 'cos I'm recovering from hoovering the stairs which even though we have this snazzy new vacuum cleaner (which is quite agressive - so much so I feel quite sorry for the carpet) its still a pain in the whatnot of a job!

aaaaanyway I came up on an information/directory site which said 'Jo Firth-Young, a professional artist in Southend, creates very special works in paper and card.'
So I thought I had better put something more professional and creative on my blog (as currently the first big picture on the blog is that of Panda - lovely though he is, it's not quite the creative impression I want to put out there!)

So although I don't have much creative stuff to blog at the moment I have been laying the groundwork for future creativity....

I've spent most of the week moving all my art and craft equipment from my home workspace to the studio in Leigh (so we can have dining room again!) - my studio work area looks great (will have photos later)- its a mastery of space planning (or rather shelf planning!!)(can never have too many shelves can you?!)

I'm contemplating buying an electric die-cutting machine - trying to decide which one is best (the Silhouette is winning at the moment) and trying justify the cost. Anyone got any opinions please leave a comment!

I'm going to the PaperArtsy Design Team 'play day' on Sunday which am really looking forward.

Ali Edwards' site put me onto Catslife Press where they have quirky stamps and sayings and I think I may 'have' to order the crowns stamps - I think a page with Fredd (cat, just in case you are wondering) wearing a crown is called for! (oooh no- him wearing a gold German Scrap crown from PaperArtsy would be much more appropriate!)

And speaking of Fredd he's just been treated to a squirt of Catnip spray on his rug (for his pleasure but also for my entertainment!) - he has gone NUTS - sniffing every inch of it, dragging himself all over it, and then bunching it up and 'bunny'ing it (laying on his side and kicking it with his back legs) for all he's worth.... and now he has worn himself out and is fast asleep on his catnip heaven of a rug!
Bless

I'm off to the studio to get some creativity and get back in to the swing of creating 'stuff'! (Kristina Contes' kit came a couple of days ago and I'm itching to create with it....)