Just a quickie post - March Craft Stamper

Just a quick post:

Another lovely edition of Craft Stamper landed on the doormat this morning - & gave me an extra suprise as one of the photo's along the bottom (on left) is of one of my projects :o) 
The big picture is a project by Linda Elbourne using lots of PaperArtsy stamps- nice..

Go and get yourself a copy - its a cracking edition!
Thats all for today - back to The Project tomorrow.

Take care

ACP Week 4: Grey + D = Die Cutting

Week 4 of my Alphabet Colour Project, and is brought to you by the letter D and the colours grey and green.  I don't think I use a lot of green which might explain why, when going through the stash, I found a lot of green - lots there that I like! 
Look how nice they look together! Quite a calming colour combo.

D = Die cutting machines

 ... and not just the 'cutting' side of die-cutting more what else can be done with these very useful machines - which is why my first projects is this cute little altered birdhouse - one of my favourite pieces that I've made.

The roof of the house is covered in metal that has been run through the die cut machine (Big Shot) inside an embossing folder - I chose to pain the debossed side because the paint settles inside the impression - giving a limewashed effect - I really like this - lovely and aged.

Thanks for popping by - hope you're as inspired by grey and green as I am! I'm off to get painty... (though obviously I won't be wearing my new apron - thats for clean crafts lol)

Take care

ACP Week 3, part 4: Crowns

My last post featured my 'Queen' apron - which by the way is still pristine :o)   The crown was die cut from a square of denim... the waste of which got me thinking - it was still a perfect complete negative of the crown and so, not liking to see things go to waste....

I've used it to embellish a bag - love this muchly - very happy with how it turned out - and it makes me smile as the check fabric is one of hubby's old shirts (he loves a check shirt!)- he's well 'trained' not to throw out his old shirts and jeans- I have a plan that one day I'll make a quilt or something out of all his checked shirts.. (its on the list in my head of 'projects that I'll get around to eventually')

The motif is bondaweb'd and then machine stitched to the bag - working around the edges and adding some colour - and of course adding some buttons.

Its a really simple bag that'll come in useful for carrying books, magazines or craft stash!

This is the last of the crown projects - tomorrow it'll be something beginning with D and another colour to go with Grey...

Hope you're all well, thanks for popping by.

ACP Week 3, part 3: Queen of my Craftroom!

I am the Queen of my Craftroom!  Obviously this is said with my tongue firmly in my cheek - its not as if I sit at my desk wearing a crown or anything! But if I can't be Queen in here where can I be??

I may have stopped short of wearing an actual crown but I have made myself an apron with a crown motif...
I've kept the design quite plain so that it is practical...  it looks very clean doesn't it - can't see it staying that way for long! lol (though at the moment I really don't want to get paint or anything on it - maybe this could be my sewing apron...) 

The crown is a die cut (sizzix) - I really like using dies with materials other than paper & card.  The die went through this denim really cleanly.  Love it.

Workshops at Imagine That

I'm going to be teaching the workshops below at Imagine That in Upminster.  A few places left so if you like the idea of a creative painty day call the shop on 01708 641198. 
I look forward to seeing you.

Clearly for Cards

Thursday, 26 January 2012, 14:00-16:30

Wednesday, 15 February 2012, 14:00-16:30

Getting Fancy with Fresco Finishes

Thursday, 26 January 2012, 10:00-13:00

Wednesday, 15 February 2012, 10:00-13:00

ACP Week 3, part 2: Crowned!

I'd been looking for a skull stamp for a while and when I saw this skull image on a set of PaperArtsy stamps it was love at first sight - I love it - its a great skull.

I knew straight away I would be putting all kind of hats & headwear on that shiny smooth head!

When I was looking for something the otherday I found a box full of chipboard crowns! *happyclapping*
I knew of a lovely skull that would very splendid in one of those!!  So I put the skull and a crown together (well it is crown week!) and I created this:

That lovely mottled silver is created with the Stampendous 'Frantage' aged silver embossing powder.  Several layers of that with a stamp (PaperArtsy) pressed in for texture.

The tag is a bit of a PaperArts fest - Tag, Fresco Finish Paints, HotPick stamp (Halloween 01), Crafters Workshop stencils (brocade, harlequin), & the small image on crown is from Crowns & Castles 7.  All available from PaperArtsy who are having a sale at the moment - pop over and grab some lovely goodies.

Thanks for popping by!

ACP Week 3: Grey + C = Crowns

Its Week 3 of my Alphabet Colour Project, and is brought to you by the letter C and the colours Grey and Blue.
oh! I do love a bit of grey & bue - whether its a duck egg, powder or teal they all seem to look great with grey!

C = Crowns

I'm starting the week with a card (hhhmmm there's a pattern forming here...), the stamped image in the centre is letterpressed rather than stamped...

I like the impressed image that letterpressing creates - has such a traditional feel to it. Love muchly!  Well worth the time it takes to create the effect (don't get me wrong it doesn't take hours longer, just a bit longer to set up, position, print, clean up etc etc etc)

I hope you like today's project - if the design or colour combo has inspired you please leave a link to your blog in comments & I'll pop by and have a snoop at your creation :o)

Thanks for popping by!

Craft Stamper February Issue

Craft Stamper has published some lovely issues over the last 12 months, this month's (on sale now) is no exception.

I have an article inside this issue... I created something useful... I hope it inspires you.

The publishers of Craft Stamper (Traplet) have a new magazine: Scrap365 - its a really nice magazine - I like it alot - nice modern layout and articles.  Get a copy - you won't regret it.

And one last thing - both Craft Stamper and Scrap365 are available digitally - how cool is that! go to http://www.pocketmags.com/ for all the details.

ACP Week 2, Part 3: one last grey & pink post...

There wasn't any grey with the pink in yesterday's post I thought I'd make up for it with this additional post:

One of my favourite items in our home is my vintage mannequin (I'm sure it's featured on here before now)... it's a bit more shabby than chic but thats what I love about it. 
It stands in a corner of our bedroom, and items gradually get pinned on to it (for want of somewhere else to put them ie the flowers shown in the photo), & recently I've been using it to display clothes that were going on ebay... the pink top shown in the picture is one item I couldn't bear to part with so never made it to ebay (but it didn't make it back to the wardrobe either lol), then a while later I hung a cardigan on the mannequin so it wouldn't get creased...
and look at the lovely colour combo that was created! Serendipity! love it when that happens!

OK, enough of the grey & pink - onto other colours later on today...

ACP Week 2, part 2: can you ever have too much bunting?!

NO, you can never have too much bunting! & bunting doesn't have to be mean lines of triangular pennants:

This is a trial bunting line I've just made for a shop valentine window display - oh yes: christmas is over & Valentine's Day is just around the corner..... just saying! lol (next it'll be Easter!)(I'd lay money on some of the supermarkets having easter produce in already!)
The bunting needed to be a big'n'bold(ish) as it will be seen from a distance - so no fine detail - but I couldn't resist some book text!... but it still looks dainty doesn't it - I think this is because the hearts are hanging at different points on the shape, the colours & the spacing... (if all the hearts had be sewn across the tops it would look too regimented, don't you think?)

All sewn onto string for hanging..  not only does this bunting make me happy but it makes me come over all romantic!  :o)

Today I deviated from the grey theme (I was multitasking)(unless we count the book text as dark grey?) - back to the strict(ish) plan tomorrow when grey will be back with a different accompanying colour and theme.

Enjoy the rest of the weekend.

x

ACP Week 2: Grey + B = Bunting

There were so many crafting options to choose from beginning with the letter B including bottles, birds, bleach, buttons (of course! lol), bottles tops - but on this run of the alphabet this is my choice.

B = Bunting

I think I've mentioned several times (at least lol) how much I like (love!) bunting - it makes me smile - its such a happy joyful decoration - village fetes, christmas,etc etc etc... I have several projects lined up this week featuring bunting...

I teamed grey with pinks for todays project- pink and grey seems (to me) such an 80s colour combo but like everything else 80s its seems to be making a bit of a comeback....

Today's projects are nice, cute, & simple cards. 

Stamps are Purple Onion & papers are Basic Grey (6x6 Bittersweet) & card is from the stash.

I hope you like today's projects - if the design or colour combo has inspired you please leave a link to your blog in comments & I'll pop by and have a snoop at your creation :o)

Thanks for popping by!

Jo

Prepping for classes!

I have a workroom at home where all my creative 'stuff' can be shut away from the rest of the home and I can be as messy as I like (which is good as I live with a very neat person! lol)(and the cats can't get to all the bits and pieces that cats would find interesting... )

My one of the presents my lovely hubby bought me for christmas was a TV for the workroom - I'd explained to him I would get more done if I had TV in the room as I wouldn't need to stop work to watch a fave tv programme.... & so far its worked - I'm on a roll baby!! lol  The tv also has freeview so I can listen to the radio when I work which I haven't been able to do recently as the reception here is more than a little bit rubbish! and its got a dvd player so I can watch MGM musicals to my hearts content while working (& sing/howl along too obviously lol!)  I'm feeling quite spoiled :o)
And seriously: I am getting more work done! Love it.

In the next few months I'll be teaching classes, some of which will feature PaperArtsy's Fresco Finish Paints - LOVE these paints! 
Please come and join me - the more the merrier - dates will be added to the side of the blog in the next few days.

Pictures on this post are of some of the 'playing-with-the-product' samples that are piling up at the side of the desk!

The above photo is of some tags that I was playing with the new translucent paints - love how they change the colour of the base paint, and the image is visible through the paint.

Right I'm off back to the painting table - lots of prep to do - hhhm I think can hear 7bridesfor7brothers calling me....

ACP Week 1: Grey + A = Aperture

The letter of this week is A, & I'll admit it is skidding in on the last day but that's because I was busy posting all the introductions to the project I've started - next week: less talk, more projects :o)

Throughout  the year I'll by putting the main colour together with other colours - and grey has been a nice colour to start with - I like grey a lot - and colours seem to go with it really easily.... today's project uses grey with yellow.

A = Aperture

Today's project is quick'n'easy!  This is a card design I've used before (taught it as part of a class) and I really like it - simple but effective (and using 3 types of paper its a great stash-buster!) - I like that the aperture becomes a window: I covered the aperture with acetate - makes a great space for mounting something - this time a fabric flower that I added a sparkly button to the centre of (more of those later in the month)... The die used to cut the aperture has to be one of my favourite Spellbinder dies - Labels 1.

The funny little mannequin  to the side is a Lego piece - I came across it on Ebay and couldn't resist it - it just makes me smile - I have dressforms/mannequins in several sizes - life size all the way down to Lego size - got it all covered! lol

Aaaaanyhoo back to the project.... if the design or colour combo has inspired you please leave a link to your blog in comments & I'll pop by and have a snoop at your creation :o)  

Thanks for popping by!

Jo

Alphabet & Colour Project Part 1: January's colour is.....

GREY..GREY..GREY..GREY..GREY..GREY

My BIG Blog Project

I decided that this year I'd be a bit more proactive with my blog - a bit more organised about how I blog - no more of this 'I can't believe its been soooo long since I last blogged' nonsense.

I have set myself a 'project'... something that will challenge, inspire & prompt me to:
a. blog on a regular basis
b. create something on a regular basis
c. attack and use the mountain of stash that is in my workroom! (oh yes, the stash pile has been upgraded to 'mountain')

So after lots of thinking and planning (trying to keep it SMART: specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely)...
I have settled on using the alphabet to prompt a theme every week; find something to do with crafting for every letter of the alphabet - all 26 of them (no skipping X & Y & Z!) which ties in very nicely with the 52 weeks of the year! (love it when things like that happen!) -the alphabet will be repeated twice in the year. 
Also, each month will be allocated a colour that will predominant through the month while working with all the prompts of the alphabet!
Not making this easy for myself am I! lol
(& you are all following this aren't you... lol)

And so is born the Alphabet & Colour Project (ACP) - not the snappiest of titles I know but it does what it says on the tin!

The plan is each month I will create a moodboard of the chosen colour (I love making moodboards! lol), and then (Sesame Street stylee):
January will be brought to you by the colour GREY and by the letters A, B, C, D
February will be brought to you by the colour RED and by the letters E, F, G, H
etc etc etc
Posting approximately 2-3 projects a week - some big, some small....
Simples! I'm really excited - can't wait to get going!

Now I've shared this plan with you all I have to stick with it don't I - lol - I'm excited - come hell, high water or (hopefully) moving house I will do my best to complete the project!

Wish me luck! lol
and if I inspire anyone along the way (which I hope I do) thats a Brucie Bonus! :o)

New Year... New Look

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

The year is up and running and its going to be an exciting one here in the UK - among other things there's the small matter of the Olympics!! oh yes!!
I'm actually properly excited about the coming year- its going to be a good one - and its a leap year - I like leap years for several reasons but especially because one of my Grandads was born on Feb 29th!   :o)

This is just a quick post to wish you all best for the new year... I'll be back later in the week - I have a few things to sort out which I'm excited about - I'll tell you more in the next post.

Have you noticed anything new about my little corner of the WWW? I've given it a snazzy new look for the new year - hope you like it as much as I do!

Jo