People Photos from PPD

Got to rebake my pieces from the Polymer Weekend to make sure they are STRONG and then some of them will need a lot of sanding to get a polish on them so they won't be ready until tomorrow.  In the meantime here are some of the friends I met up with - in some cases "again" and in some, new friends.

Irene, Nina and Ciska

Having a break

Danni, Lindly, Donna, Sylvie & Alison

Me with Lindly (USA)

Me with Alison (UK)

Me with Danni

(not a good photo - don't know what went wrong)

Me with Donna (USA)

Me with Natalia

Me with Sylvie (France)

This looks as if I am drunk

and she is holding me up

The Crazy Spanish Gang

(how did Sylvie get on?)

Day 3 - Boo Hoo It is the Last Day

Day three - sessions with Lindly and Donna and then a Party in the evening.  Sadly last day though!

We kicked off with Lindly - I had not met her before and what a fantastic class it was.  Quite a lot of colour theory which I am hoping I can remember as we made some amazing stuff.  I actually produced a blade keeper (still needs lacing together) and some pendants got cut out of the clay that was left.  I will upload these tomorrow as I need to empty my bag yet because by the time I got home I was shattered and slept and slept.

This is a picture of Lindly's necklaces

The colour graduation in these is fantastic - and you do not buy clay in these colours.  You mix it.  I wish I could afford to buy one of these.

Next class was Donna's and we were making spinner rings.  Unfortunately the ovens were not baking to the correct temperatures (perhaps they had had so much use they were giving up) and we did not manage to finish ours.  Mine was about one of the only ring bases that did not break but guess what?  In the second firing it was touching the tin base and it broke.  Now it is a big repair job so you will have to wait for my photograph.

In the meantime - here are Donna's samples

The rings actually spin when you touch them - quite a clever idea.  We worked with black, white and red so I wanted to be different and did mine in red and black with white underneath.

That evening we had a party and it was hilarious.  Hilarious because Danni acted as Auctioneer and he was so funny.  I wish I had videoed some of the occasion.  Here is Danni with Sue's daughter, Lauren, acting as his assistant.

Lauren did not like the mallet banging on the table (you know, the one - two - three going - going - gone) and she would cover her ears.  But then she got hold of the mallet and it became a different story.

All in all a fantastic weekend (well, three days) so I urge you to get saving up for the next one.  Will upload more tomorrow when my bag gets emptied.

Day 2 Polymer Clay Workshop

This morning we had a workshop with Danni.  He had made these fabulous creations (they are from underneath the ocean but I cannot remember the name).  It was amazing what he did with polymer clay - these are baked in the oven (fired) and are hollow.

Look at the effect of the Translucent clay

They really are beautiful.  We had a lot of instruction on how to make various shapes and how to cut out the shapes within the structures so we did not get very far with our production.  However, the class that followed ours made some incredible pieces: 

This afternoon we had a class with Natalia, Danni's wife.  She made some organic looking pieces also.  Natalia was telling us she got the inspruiation from a felt brooch she saw in London.  Look at the bracelet we all made:

This is actually one that Natalia made, mine is waiting to be strung but is in purple and orange (it was dependent on the colour of clay we were given to work with).

She also showed us how to make these beads using the same technique

Again this is one of Natalia's samples and shows two different sizes of beads (orange ones) with some filler beads which she also showed us how to make.

These were the ones we all wanted to do

Cannot show you mine as it is still in the oven but aren't they amazing pins?

These are more of Natalia's samples.  Lots of thought provoking beads here - imagine these as focal beads in a necklace.  Now that probably explains why I have been buying clay in enormous blocks this weekend.  Roll on tomorrow to see what the two classes hold for us.

I Can Blog from the Pub

Was surprised when I returned to the Pub where we are staying that the WiFi system was up and running to here are a couple of photographs to show you what we have been doing today.

First of all we were with Sylvie and she showed us how to do this mock eggshell technique for which the Chinese people are renowned.  here are Sylvies samples - cannot show you my pieces as they need sanding and that takes a long time.  Something we don't have a lot of as we are kept busy all day long.

Not the bracelet on the left of the picture - that was something else Sylvie had done (isn't it fab!) but the brooches in the foreground show the eggshell technique.

This is a bracelet she made showing this technique

That was the morning taken care of and then we moved to Alison who did a Chrysanthemum cane with us.  I chose not to include the red in my cane but again mine is not finished (needs sanding again) but here is some of the work done by someone else.

isn't that beautiful work?

and how about these

Tomorrow we are with Danni and Natalia so watch this space - amazing stuff coming up.

Poly Play Days

Well here I am at last - met up with Irene in the Nelson & Railway (where we are staying - super place to stay) from last year.  Another lady, Hazel from Lincoln is staying there she she has joined us making it a threesome.

Got to the event on Friday morning and was surprised (and delighted) to see Ciska from The Netherlands so our little table was made up - Ciska, Irene, Hazel and Me.

That's Hazel busy at work with her back to the camera and Ciska is the one in pink talking to Irene.  Hopefully I will have some pictures of work to show another day - but you want to see the pendant and ear-rings I bought today - made by Sue.

Polymer Clay & ATC's and BLOG CANDY

I haven't blogged for almost a whole week!  Shame on me.  Got a good excuse (well to me anyway).  I have been up to my eyes, or should it be elbows, in Polymer Clay.  

I have another Polymer Weekend coming up and just had to get 40 beads made to swap.  Now, whilst I can make canes for the Millefiori Technique I cannot add them to spheres.  Tears (well almost) and tantrums later I have 40 beads BUT am not at all satisfied with them.

The green cane was lovely but I could not get it right on a bead so they turned out somewhat different to what I envisaged.  If you have ever made beads like this you will know there is more to it than meets the eye.  After covering the base shape I had to put a hole through - not good for me.  Getting it to meet up from one end to another is trauma time.  Then each bead has to be sanded - time taking.

Because I am not happy with the beads I am taking I decided to do ATC's to give out with each one - small compensation.  Forty ATC's later ...

Some have quotes on so I am entering the Lots to Do Challenge which is "quotes" this week.  Love the kiddie quotes.  There is also a quote on Tutor Alison's ATC which may qualify if the above do not - it's the Ginger Rogers one.

Tried to link the ATC's to the tutors - Alison got the Fred/Ginger one, Donna the one with horses, Danni and Natalia the nature ones, Sylvie the Art Nouveau and Lindley (who I do not know) the sunflower.

Now my friend Jo has BLOG CANDY up so follow the link and have a go.  There's also blog candy on offer on The Stampman.

In the meantime I have some blog candy up too.  

This is the first lot

The second some red rubber

plus a couple of Photo stamps

All you have to do is be a follower.  If you can, display one of the two photographs on your blog with a link to mine, or just leave a link on your blog and leave a comment below this post to be entered into the draw which will take place Sunday 11th July at noon..

Am off now as I have still loads of clay to condition - my poor hands are sore!  Have you ever conditioned Kato Clay?  It is fantastic stuff but boy oh boy does it take some conditioning.  Use a pasta machine?  Have you tried cleaning one when you have used black clay and then want to use, say, transluscent?

Will be back in a few days with pictures of my weekend, hopefully.


Later:  Chas has just found out his car will cost £1,250 to have repaired - OUCH!  Fuel pump went yesterday when he was in Manchester.  I have found out I didn't need to condition all the clay I had - it is being provided (didn't get the original email) - and guess what?  I have just broken my pasta machine.  No car (Chas has it), no pasta machine.  Great Day!  Think I will go to bed and get up again!

A Card for Jo

This is a card I made for my friend Jo for her birthday today.  It is an easel card and the image (Magenta I think) is embossed in white on the black cardstock.  I used my MS punch again for the lace across the base and put a couple of flowers for the "stop".

Hope she liked it, it is one of my all time favourite images.

Card for a Man

On one of my groups the challenge was to make a card with "pink" on it for a man.  A bit early to make a card for either of my two men so the one I was going to do for a gentleman friend is now pink.  Well, sort of - at least it was pink card when it set out.

It looks more pink than it really is IRL in the photograph so you just have to imagine the browness (is that a word?) of the parts I covered with Walnut Stain, Brushed Corduroy and Vintage Photo Distress Inks.  At last I used my Tim Holtz die!  Tried using it in the Wizard with the universal Plate and my Cricut with Grungeboard but it wouldn't go through so then used Grungepaper in my Cuttlebug (Wizard had been put away and C'bug sits on my worktop) and it cut perfectly.

Think I will enter this in Everybody-Art-Challenge which I have just found where the theme is "Things with Wings".  There's lots of scrumptious blogs to link to so guess this could become a favourite of mine.

A Humorous Card

Made this for someone on Katy's Corner for her birthday and she should have received it by now so it is safe to upload - painted with Twinkling H2o's.

I just wish I was more like Dot who can think up really appropriate words to put on her humorous cards.  I have quite a few funny sayings and stuff but never quite know when it is appropriate to use them. 

Yesterday was a lovely celebration of Audrey's life - a really good turn out, especially by the Trefoil Guild who all wore their TG scarves.  The service was lovely and it was nice to see so many old friends, some of whom did not recognise me as it has been so long since they saw me, but I could not believe it when one of my ex Ranger Guides came up to me.  What a beautiful young woman she has turned out to be - but she is 50 - eek!  It was nice to go back to Audrey's for a reception and I am sure she was looking down proudly at her son and daughter who had planned the day so perfectly.  A true "celebration" of her life.

A Very Belated Birthday Gift

Well, tomorrow I am off to my friend Audrey's funeral, but here is a little something I made today for a friend of mine who had a birthday ages ago.

She and I always make something for one another as a little gift when it is our birthdays but with the way things have been with me I never got around to making her something.  I hope she likes it:

This shows it open

It is for her to use for ATC's

Another View of the inside

I started off making pockets to fit ATC's inside but as each piece of paper only revealed four pockets I had to make three sections.  When I came to put them together this was the best way I could find so it looks a little like a star book when open.  Each page is stamped with a different butterfly and a word, or in three cases, a little verse.

The reason for it having butterflies inside?  Well, I so wanted to use this particular stamp and it had to be for the cover.  It lends itself to cutting up into a front, back and a spine.  Here it is - coloured with seven different oranges from my Twinkling H2o's

I notice Gingersnap Creations have a "Wings" theme on at the moment and as I do not like entering one item for more than one challenge (the other day I did "wings" for Lots to Do) I am entering this one in the Gingersnap Creations Chestnut Theme Challenge "Wings".

ps I am totally out of my comfort zone with oranges - quite a challenge for me plus I had not a clue when I started out what I was making - it just evolved.  Plus, after one small glass of wine with my dinner I am surprised I managed to paint between the lines LOL.

Blog Award

Am I a creative writer?  Well I do go on a bit and I used to love "creative writing" as a child - can I really remember that far back?

The love Zoe gave me this award - Thanks Zoe - and at last I have thought up one true fact and some outrageous lies.

Now I have to:

Proudly display the award - above

Tell up to six outrageous lies about yourself, and at least one outrageous truth, or switch it around and tell six outrageous truths and one outrageous lie.

1.  I am a keen jogger

2.  My new fitness dvd comes out next month

3.  In my youth I went out with someone famous in the pop industry

4.  I have three children whom I adore

5.  I like to go abroad at least once a month

6.  Unlike a lot of crafters I love to do housework

7.  I am a well known flower arranger in the north west

OK so these sound boring - but ... which is the lie and which is the truth?

Nominate seven creative writers who might be into doing this. Post links to the seven blogs you nominate and let the owners of those blogs know.

Now to seven creative writers who I admire and who I hope enjoy a bit of fun

Jo - who is an amazing woman and friend, super talented and so generous - and can chat as much as me (if not more LOL)

Alison - who is super talented and has offered me lessons with Copics

Diane - who has some amazing cards on her blog (check her Magnolia ones) and with Alison is going to teach me how to use Copics

Chris - another super talented friend who does some great workshops

Sid - someone I met on a workshop who does some amazing stuff and is a lovely guy

Dot - the best sort of friend anyone could have (and a great crafter to boot)

Carol - an extremely talented lady with some remarkable stuff on her blog

I thought this would be the hardest thing to do (find seven creative writers) but in truth I could have gone on and on.  Sorry if I have missed you off but the rules made me stop.

Trying to Find my Mojo

I think my Mojo is on holiday again - s/he keeps on going away and this week I have tried lots of crafty things and made complete messes each time.

Anyway, here is a card I made this morning - hope it is acceptable for the Lots to Do Challenge which I have missed over the past weeks.  Just never seemed to have got it right.  I have taught classes with beeswax but last week could I get something worth showing - NO!

Fairies have wings so I have used one of my favourites and made an easel card.  I used a background I already had but cannot for the life in me remember what I did.  Shame it does not show up in a scan as it really is lovely although I say it myself.  (Maybe I didn't do it LOL)

I obviously used metallic inks/powders/whatever as it is so sparkly and they could have been interference colours because they show up so well on the black.  Maybe this will be a better picture of the main image as I scanned it.

No, no better - you will just have to believe me.  The fairy is cut out and mounted with her feet stuck to the background but her body and head is on foam sticky squares and her arms are free.  Painted with Twinkling H2o's as usual - I must get to grips with Copics/Promarkers.

This afternoon we took advantage of the good weather and went to Heaton Park.  I was surprised when Chas suggested we went to look at the animals as we did this last time.  Look at this adorable Alpaca:

and the colours on this Peacock

had to smile as he kept giving us this view

but to be honest I loved the contrast of the beige feathers against the black and that lovely "spear" shape above his "bum".

He did give us a show

Loved this cockerel

Shame he was in a cage today 

he was a magnificent specimen

And what about this Chinese Duck

The lump thingie on his head makes him look as if he has his beak open but the bottom bit is his beak.  And it opens but he makes a very quiet noise.

Went down to the lake and these ducks (or are they geese - haven't a clue) were being fed by onlookers - gosh some of them were nasty.  This little white one just stood back and didn't join in the fray and I was upset that I had nothing to feed him with.

but these stole everyones hearts

took loads of pictures

last one, I promise

Hope I haven't bored you to tears.  Right, footie on now so maybe I will craft, but then again ... with all the noise my other half is making .....