Just for Fun - Anything Goes

Well, we have come to the end of Zoe's month of choices and now we have an "Anything Goes" week which pleased me no end as I have been wanting to have a go at a certain something for simply ages.

I first saw decorated spoons on the ever talented Sarah's blog and really wanted to do some but you know how it goes, this cropped up - and then that - and before I knew, I had forgotten about them.  Each time I thought of doing some, something else got in the way.  Last year when auntie died she had lots of old spoons in the drawer and as they were loose and not really suitable for the charity shop I brought them home.  At last I have got around to decorating them - well two of them.

Sarah had directed me to Kelli Perkins site and there I found a tutorial but realised I could not drill my spoons as they were stainless steel.  Bother!  Still, I wanted to do them so hit on the idea of using some strong magnets - and they worked.  Took more than one attempt at finding a decent glue to hold them (those magnets are so strong) but now they sit proudly on my freezer door.

Ok - waffled long enough - here they are:

I am rubbish at finding quotes

Love how the Alcohol Ink works on the spoons

I have had this butterfly stamp for simply years

Love these roses

All you need to do is colour your spoon all over with Alcohol Inks, let it dry and whilst it is doing so get stamping on thin paper.  Add your stamped images and then embellish with ribbons, beads, whatever takes your fancy.  It is so girly and so therapeutic I might just have to go and do some more.

Do you think this should go under the heading "altered art"?

Hope you join us at Just for Fun this week and I am so looking forward to seeing what you all come up with.  We should get lots of ideas from one another and this is where we can let our imagination run riot.  Check out what the other DT members have come up with - awesome stuff on there!

WOYWW 95

I cannot believe it is Wednesday again and I have done so little crafting.  Thanks to all of you who popped by last week and thanks to those who left me a comment - I love comments.  Not a clue what I have been doing with my time but I know it is not crafting.  Look at my workdesk!

To the left you can see the beads that I blogged last week - there is another set in the oven though.  Then there is a Bandana Technique which I did with Robin Beam years ago at CHA (taken out to show someone) and the beginning of a 50th Wedding Anniversary card for a friend (late!).

Here is the Bandana Technique Tag in closeup

In the front of my desk you can see some calendar pages.  This was a gift to me from my friend Cathy in America.  It's out because I am going to bind the pages together.  If you enlarge the page you will see my sorry excuse for a Tim Holtz ruler - most of the grid has come off - going to have to buy another one.

Anyway, TC as I affectionately call her, had this calendar made for me by her friend Susie Reneau.  This is the 32nd Calendar Susie has produced and she has had over 60 one-woman shows and many joint showings.  She has produced more than 250 post card designs, lots of wedding invitations .... a few book illustrations and record covers and over 800 silk-screen prints.  You can Google her and find out lots more about her life as an artist.

I thought I would share the first three months with you - must fill them in

Little pockets with tag in

These cards were in the envelope at the top of the page - it's all the little touches that make this so special.

I'll try to remember to upload a month at a time (before I write on it) so you can see what it looks like.

That's all for this week folks.  If you want to see more desks, some clutter, some tidiness and get some downright good tips why not pop over to Ms Dunnit's blog and follow the links there for a "reet good ole snoop".  See you next week - once more at the Stamping Ground.

A Walk and a Card

On Tuesday of this last week it was so beautiful that we decided to go for a walk around the Lake in a local park - well it is a short ride away.  What a lovely day it was - and what a lot we saw.  Sadly didn't take the camera but on Thursday we went for a walk just down the road from us.  Only lived here 12 years and never explored this walk before.

Again it was a beautiful day, like the end of May rather than March.  I really enjoyed the quiet stroll along the river bank, nice and flat so good for me to do.  Then I spied some bullrushes - BIG ONES.  Not sure what the "fluff" is all about, no doubt someone will tell me - is it what they shed, is it what they pick up from the wind, or does it mean they are going, going, gone!

These were a bit further along on the other side of the riverbank.

Not sure what these were - maybe celandines?

But these are pussy willow (I think)

Anyhow - today I finished off a card I have been making these past few days.  My lovely friend Dot sent me a card for my birthday (yes, I know, I have not uploaded them yet) and I wanted to copy the way it was so sent off for the template and here is mine (Dot's will be coming to a screen near you soon)

I don't do cute!

Just For Fun

This week Zoe was asking for you to use your stamps in a different way.  What a puzzler!  I have never ever stamped direct with bleach before, have stamped and then used bleach to take out the colour in some parts but never made a stamp pad with bleach.  In for a penny and all that ...

I was a bit wary of using a "good" or should I say "favourite" stamp so I chose this birdcage one.  It is red rubber, I guess polymer would not do for this technique, so it was a question of getting a stamp pad made with bleach instead of ink.  I first of all folded some kitchen roll up to make a kind of pad - put it on a plate and poured some bleach on it.  Then I carefully picked it up and turned it over so that the whole thing became saturated but not too wet.  (I only had thick bleach, suppose the thin stuff would work as well and would pour better onto the wad of paper.)

I then used a nylon paintbrush which is what I use when bleaching areas out and tried it on the corner of a couple of pieces of cardstock.  Mmm..... bleaches ok so let's go for it.

The first one turned out like this:

ok but not that brilliant

the second one was similar
Both in the bin!

Didn't want to use black but ...

Yes!

Now to wash my stamp quickly

Then a piece of cardstock I had left over from some Distressing caught my eye - would that work?  A dab with the paintbrush and yes, it worked.

Another stamp.  It had been fine with the other, perhaps one of my butterfly stamps as I have lots.  By this time I was in the mood for experimenting and I overstamped the bleached images with Adirondack Bottle.

A bit more experimentation, whilst the Bottle ink was on the stamp I tapped it in the bleach and it gave me the second butterfly top left - not sure about this - might need a bit more playing around with.  BTW it is pretty INSTANT on the Distress Inked background.

Did another, just using bleach and turned two of my pieces into cards - hope you like and you give this a try - very cost effective.  DO WASH YOUR STAMP ASAP WHEN YOU HAVE USED IT.  I am not going to be afraid of using any of my stamps to do this technique now. Thanks JFF for encouraging me to do it.

Have you something you haven't done before?  Join us at Just for Fun this week.  Look forward to seeing you there.

WOYWW 94

Can't believe it is a week since I posted my workdesk.  Doesn't time fly when you are enjoying yourself?

Sorry I did not get around to posting about weekend but the truth is I started with hayfever on the way up to Harrogate on the Saturday and have been streaming ever since.  Not felt like doing much at all since I got back as it always strikes me with flu-like symptoms.  Meant to take some photographs, especially of my mate Barbara who is a whizz with the MS punches and works so hard.  Yet she is always bright and cheerful with a lovely manner with the customers - a real treasure - and with me!

Anyway, the show was good, I had sold all 30 Grand Calibur machines by 2.20 on the Saturday and that included the one I had put away for myself.  I didn't have to let it go but I did and the lady who took it was actually celebrating her 50th the next day so I wrote "Happy Birthday" on her box next to where my name was.

Next day was Cuttlebug, version 2 day and before long we had sold out of those too.  I just plodded on cutting away and hoping I was selling dies.  Actually Oyster Stamps had such great deals on that I am sure the stuff would have flown off the shelves anyway.  Now I am waiting for my Grand Calibur (yes, I succumbed - payment in kind) to arrive by courier and then I can get cutting some big big shapes out.

I love doing handmade books so that is my main reason for purchasing this machine.  Bought four dies as well (could not miss out on the offer they had) and last night I began cutting the largest shape in two of them out, along with a couple of other dies I have had for a while.

I then stamped the images (new stamps from Lily of the Valley) and one from Aunty Mary for my birthday.

Now I just have to colour them

Hopefully I will get them started later today but no promises.  Now to find out what others have been doing and what state they are showing their desks in.  

What am I talking about?  Well thanks to Ms Dunnit over on The Stamping Ground the world has gone crazy and people show their work areas in various states of busy-ness.  Pop over to see what I am on about - but get a cuppa before you do as you will be there ages - nearly 180 desks to view last week!

More Clay and Away Today

Before I forget - I have been meaning to put this at the top of my blog for ages and every time I blog I forget.

Jude has some fabulous blog candy on offer - I have had it in my sidebar for some time now but have kept forgetting to mention it on here.  Here is another picture:

A bit scrummy what!

You have until the end of March to join in

Now, if you can stay on this page rather than rushing off to Jude's I will show you some of the pendants I did yesterday with the Mokume Gane.

Think the purple velvet has changed the colour of these in the photograph.  Most are going to be pendants but there are a couple of pairs of ear-rings in there.  The ones in the last vertical row did not have a layer of Mokume Gane put over them but were left in the raw state.  The backs of all the pendants are similar to this last row.

Didn't realise the hole for my jump ring looks skewiff, won't show when it is put in and added to a chain or whatever it ends up on.  Can you see how the translucent has gone milky in parts and clear in others?

A couple of other shapes

Now I have to sand them to give them a shine but this is going to be a problem as I have been diagnosed with COPD and most of you will realise that this is a breathing problem.  Not sure what I am going to do as yet as I obviously do not want the dust, especially from gold leaf, to go on my chest.  I might have to get Chas to give them a light sanding (ooer, can I trust him?) and then use a glaze over the top.    Anyway, I know I showed you yesterday but here are some views of the unbaked clay which I used to cover these.

Interesting?

Hopefully will blog tomorrow and might even have some pictures from Harrogate to show you.

Polymer Clay

Well, today I have been playing creating with clay again.  Have you seen the advert in my sidebar for Elements II?   Once again I am doing the polymer clay element and this time Paddy came up with the idea of my doing Mokume Gane (pronounced mah-ku-may gone-ay) - sorry I don't know where the accents are on this keyboard - should be an acute accent over both "e's" at the end of each word.

It is often translated as "wood grain metal" and the technique dates back to the 17th century when it was discovered by Denbei Shoami, a sword maker.  Look it up in Google and you will see some fabulous jewellery using precious metals.  Expensive - you have been warned!

It is a good technique for beginners in polymer clay to experiment with and there are various methods of achieving a pleasing effect.  Paddy wants me to do the "indented" method and to use "translucent" clay and "gold leaf".  These first pieces use seven different colours of Pardo PC including black and translucent (the reason being that we can bake it in a domestic oven as it does not contain phthlates):

I was a bit bothered about giving too much away but saw, on Paddy's blog, that she had taken photos of her work and included much more than I was going to so now here is the same amount as she has shown.  Can't get into trouble can I?  You will see I have made some beads inside metal caps, done some round ones, some heart shaped buttons, a tiny pendant and a square piece which I am not going to tell you what it is for.  Likewise the cone shape?  What on earth can it be?  All will be revealed at some other time.

Then I wanted to make some more, try for a different look, and so I used some of my own Fimo clay in different colours - six this time but again including black and translucent.  This time I was a bit more discerning about where I cut my slices and what bits I used.

The gold leaf has shown up more this time and the translucent clay has gone clear in some places.  This time four rectangles (bet you can guess now what they are for), no bell caps on beads just round ones, but tiny buttons, and again, that mysterious cone.

 

this is it raw

Now baked

(as a ceramicist I still want to say "fired")

You can see how the gold leaf has shown through the translucent clay in parts but remained milky in others.  Now I am waiting for some more to come out of the oven as I made quite a bit with my own clay and have cut out some pendants.  Perhaps I will show you these tomorrow - well, schedule these tonight as I will be at Harrogate tomorrow (Hello Lisa and Sue (thanks for becoming a follower Sue) - and friends from Vicky Stampers who I know are coming).

Hope you liked my little showing of polymer clay.  Have I time to make up some more - no - must get ready for Harrogate as it is an early get up in the morning.

Just for Fun - New Format to You

For my piece on this Challenge I have used an Origami Book as taught to me by Caz at Vicky Stampers at the beginning of the month. When I first saw the photographs of what we were going to make I thought I had already done this but when I saw it in the flesh it was something quite different.

This is the whole book opened out.  I chose different scrapbook papers (8 x 8) for each of my pages and then, because it was not double sided I coloured the white side with Victorian Velvet Distress ink.

I used Cranberry Adirondack Ink to stamp my images.  If you look at the two outer triangles they are part of the pages and I just used a selection of small Asian stamps I had to create interest on these sections.

The tags are slotted in behind the two triangles (shown as solid colour which is actually the colour of the paper used) and again are stamped with Cranberry on Victorian Velvet tags.

These are the tags in a bit more detail.  of course, yours truly does not listen and I ended up with more pages than I was supposed to have and so I had to make some more tags when I got home.

A dozen tags - phew!

Hope you like my offering for this week's challenge - it was a format new to me and I am hoping to do another one - this time in black and white - the book is made - just need to get my tags done.  Sorry I am not giving instructions on how to make but it is Caz's book and not mine - maybe she will put them on her blog - shall I ask her?

Some great techniques this last week, girls you really pulled out the stops and I now have a list of things I want to try out - thanks so much for joining us and thanks for the great ideas.

Why don't you pop over to Just for Fun and join in the Challenge. There are some great themes coming up and I promise to visit each and every one of you who enters (and not always at the last minute, honest).

WOYWW 93

What a lovely Doctor my friend Margaret saw yesterday.  He was so nice and 'patient' (can't think of the word I want), he explained everything to us, took time to listen, answered all questions and it seemed as if he had all day to deal with her.  Hopefully now she can get the treatment she needs to help her regain her life and begin crafting again.

Anyway, here is my desk this morning.  Began cutting card up last night but was tired and so I stopped.

Not really my desk - my chair!

On Sunday, at the show, I had to cut some A3 card down a little to feed it through the Grand Calibur with the die jutting out (to make a scalloped card) so I decided to bring the card home and cut it on the cutter in readiness for next weekend and the Harrogate show (do say hello - Oyster Stamps stand - if you are going).  You can just see one of the scalloped cards on the desk along with some of the bits I have cut off.

This is my desk

a bit contrived looking

Yes, that is a Vagabond you are looking at.  Love it - can't wait to have a whole day to play with it - got lots of ideas in my head and a new die from my friend Jayne on Sunday.  But what is that lurking behind it - YES - it is the Grand Calibur.  No, I have not bought one, yet, but Tracey let me bring it home to play with.  Guess what? I forgot to bring some dies!  Doh!  Still I can cut out some things with my other Spellbinders - just not Grande ones.

That's my favourite (and probably one of my first) cutters and my brilliant stamping mat to the other side.  You might just sneak a peek at the corner of the packets of charms I bought from Ali-Crafts on Sunday and there's a blue pamphlet which is an old (64th) CHA programme which I want to show Jo so she can see how big it used to be compared with the one she saw this year.

To the right you can just about see my ATG gun which has given me endless grief recently, so much so that I almost "pitched it" across the room the other day.  I just keep snapping the tapes or they run wrong and even though I religiously follow the instructions on You Tube I mustn't be getting it right.

So no crafting today, just cutting card ready for Harrogate.  Sorry if I disappoint all you followers of the incredible Ms Dunnit with my lack of crafting - for those who do not know what I am talking about I suggest you pop over to The Stamping Ground and follow some of the links (after reading what Julia has to say - she'll probably give you a laugh, she has the knack).  You can wile away an hour or so - good excuse for a cuppa.  Enjoy!

Super Show

Yesterday the show was really busy.  When the crowds came in the stall was under seige and I could not sit down as there was simply no room for a chair.  I was demonstrating the Grand Calibur, mainly showing people how to cut a scalloped card using one of the Grand Nestability Dies and it was not long before I sold my first Grand Calibur.  I had to fight my way back to my side of the table which I had left it to put the name of the lady on the first one underneath the table.

This little beauty was flying off the shelves (we sold out and had to take orders) but Tracey assures me there will be plenty of stock for Harrogate which is a two day show next weekend.  Anybody going to Harrogate?  Do stop and say hello - I will be with the Grand Calibur on Oyster Stamps.

When I got home it was to sad news.  My old friend Kath had died that morning, her daughter, Sheila had rung to let me know.  Now Kath was the mother of my best friend Kay who died some years ago having undergone surgery for breast cancer which simply spread throughout her body in the end.  I made a promise to Kay that I would always visit her mum and I have kept that promise, at first visiting her weekly, but then as Kath began to suffer with dementia I am afraid my visits went to fortnightly and then to monthly this last year.

Kath was a lovely old lady who used to keep us enthralled by the stories of her life in Virginia Waters many many years ago.  She met lots of  famous people down there, and worked in the post office at Windsor for some time.  Kath would have been 97 next Sunday, 20th March, and a few years ago I was convinced she would be getting her telegram from the Queen.  When I saw her last week she was poorly,, but comfortable clean and obviously well cared for by the staff at Burrswood House, but I did secretly hope she would make her birthday.

I have made this card for her daughter, Sheila and family.  I am not putting "with Sympathy" on it as it somehow does not seem right.  Kath had a good life, and a long one and so I just want the family to know that I am thinking of them so that is what I will put inside the card.

It is an Elusive Images rubber stamp which Dot sent me for my birthday.  I stamped it in black and put clear embossing powder over and then I masked the outside of the image and coloured inside with Distress Inks.

Whilst I was in my room I decided to catalogue my new fairy stamps (not sure they are fairies when I look at them - am sure I was told they are) so in the process I made a couple more quick cards.

There is a small tulip stamp which I thought went well with this one and so I added some direct to the card peeking out from the main image.  Am wondering if this is a bit bare.

For this one I used up two images and as there was no stamp related to either I used this corner of ivy which I think is rather nice.

Well, off to the hospital with a friend tomorrow so must get to bed as I have to be up bright and early.  Will take myself a book to read whilst she is being seen to - hope we are not there too long but hope they diagnose what is wrong with her so she can get some proper treatment.

Probably back on Wednesday for the WOYWW and most likely my desk will be a bit of a mess.

Anyone Going to Leigh Tomorrow?

I have been a bit remiss with my crafting since my birthday - maybe I was overwhelmed by the fabulous array of handmade cards I received.  I must try to do a video of all of them and upload it here so you can see.  But ... not until they have been up at least a week as I am enjoying seeing them day by day.

After dinner I decided I should try to get one or two cards made as I have some birthdays coming up that I need to acknowledge and what better way to do them than by using some of the lovely stamps I got from my friend Lorraine.  They stamp a dream.

I hadn't realised they were all fairy stamps until Jayne pointed it out to me but almost every fairy image has a smaller stamp that can be used with it - this is the only one that doesn't but I used these butterflies which I already had,.

This has both the flowers and the dragonflies

Love this with the border of flowers

And this one has a largish corner to use

These are only four of the fairies and there are lots more to come - I can see I am going to enjoy using these.

I also got some stamps from Dot and from Aunty Mary (pet name) which I need to put on EZ Mount and then get using.  So you see I have lots to be doing in the coming weeks.  Then there are some balloons from my friend Mary in America which can be used on a celebration card which I must do - pity I missed Mardi Gras on Tuesday.

Well, wondered if anyone is going to the Sincerely Yours Show at Leigh tomorrow.  It is a super little show and if you buy your tickets in advance you get free tea or coffee all day (I think).  Usually it is well attended and a very busy popular show and yours truly will be working on the Oyster Stamps stand - probably using the Cuttlebug or maybe the Grand Calibur.  Please pop by and say "hello" if you are going - would love to meet up with you.

Tracey says there will be Martha Stewart new Punch All Over the Page and other new punches,

The Martha Stewart Scoring Board (I love mine - would not be without it)

New range of Spellbinders Dies for 2011

Tim Holtz NEW Distress Stains

NEW La Blanche Stamps

Demonstrations of the new Cuttlebug Version 2, The Grand Calibur and the Pazzles Inspiration

PLUS Demonstrations of the Martha Stewart Punches and La Blanche Stamps.

Can you afford to miss it if you live in the area?  Hopefully see you there!

Just for Fun - New Technique

When I saw what I had to produce for the Just for Fun challenge I did kind of take a step back as I love techniques and was wondering what I could do, if I was being honest, and then I thought about Soot Stamping!  Never done it, shied away from it - so now was the time.

There are some gorgeous samples done by the Design Team and I just want to have a play at them all as soon as I can.  Anyway, back to Soot Stamping.

All the instructions said to use Glossy cardstock, hold a lit candle underneath letting the flame touch the cardstock.  They also all warned that it is easy for the edges of the cardstock to catch fire so the best thing was to do it over a sink.

Well, three or four attempts later and not one had caught fire.  The reason for three or four attempts is that although they turned out fine (I was secretly rather pleased with the results) I had problems when spraying with a fixative.  The first two went a bit "spotty" and so ended in the bin.  With the next two I just went for it and sprayed direct on the cardstock and stood with fingers and legs crossed.  Here is my card:

I quite like the misty quality, although it should be a card I upload around November time, and I felt the Alcohol Inked background paper gave it a lift and echoed autumnal colours too.  Ok, it's Spring!  I am just a wee bit early.

Hope you like my second piece of work since joining the JFF DT - I am having a great time and exploring new avenues.  See you next week!

ps  after several queries I realise I had not put any instructions up - all you do is (over the sink so you are near water and a receptacle to drop it in should it catch fire - remember mine did not) light a candle, taper kind is best not a fat display type one, and allow the flame to touch the cardstock, moving it about so it blackens the cardstock.  When happy with it blow out candle and carefully put sooty card down and then stamp on it with a plain, uninked rubber stamp.  Careful when you lift it off - any mark will show.  Then apply fixative to stop it rubbing off.  I first misted over it and that didn't work for me so the second time I sprayed directly on to the card - that was better.  Check when it is dry that it won't come off - if necessary give it a second coat.


Just wash your stamp in water - I used a toothbrush on mine.

WOYWW

Just a quickie as I am mega busy and out part of the day today - life is one long series of medical visits at the moment but I am sneaking in a visit to the hairdressers first thing this morning as I am sick sick sick of my hair - having it lobbed off!

So what is on my desk?

I have not been blogging since weekend because I have been busy trying to rehash my stamping room as I need room to store my VAGABOND when it comes.  I got rid of one of the holders in the window sill and all the other "gubbins" and now a lot of my Ranger stuff is there - more to hand!  All you can see on my desk is a card for a friend who has a birthday the same day as mine and a sneak peek at what I am doing at Elements this year.  

Here's the card anyhow:

Another view of my craft room:

Got some rails up for my punches - they were really getting out of hand and the oversized ones you can see top right took up a full drawer which now can house something else.  My tins with my unmounted stamps in are now only two high and therefore easier to access.  Don't know if you can see it if you click on the picture but the bottle cap stuck on the tin has a photograph of me when I was about 6 or 7.  Long time ago!

Yesterday morning I was up at 5.30 (can't be jet lag yet, surely) and sorting out my scrapbook papers.  I never use the nice ones which were in a box in a cupboard and so I now have them in the Costco bag and its contents are in a box.  They will be so much easier to get to now and maybe I will not put them back but use them.

Well, that's it for now folks, do hop over to Julia's blog and see what she has to offer this week, usually a good tale is told by our Ms Dunnit.  Then there are all the other blogs who link up and show you what is on their workdesks, some tidy and some downright busy!  Many a handy hint can be picked up too so don't delay - get there today!