In the teens…….

Only Eighteen Days to go to HugBinders – gulp its looming fast, so I thought I better get my A in G and get a prize made for the raffle – we have so many gorgeous prizes donated already it was a bit  daunting!

 Really had no idea what to do, so I just went to my secret stash of ‘stuff I will do something with one day’ closed my eyes and grabbed something – the first thing I laid my hands on was this fabby little box…..

Perfect!

Still no idea of what I was going to do with it, I grabbed some paint, rifled through another pile of secret stash of ‘things that can be used on projects involving the ‘stuff I will do something with one day’ stash’
As often happens my hand went towards my most favourite colour from the Eco Green range of paint - Green Patina.
Fancied  a play with some metal, which I haven't done for a while – tragedy I was nearly out of silver aluminium - how did that happen?? I hate running out of stuff! I did have enough to cover the sides of the box – so all was alright with the world.

Then as you can see I filled it with a bit of this and a bit of that and the end result is a bit of Nicks Tat (hey I'm a poet and didn't know it)


Right, off now to do the exciting things in life like get a new tyre for the car!

Not a Domino in sight (or Triomino!)

I am known for changing my mind, and I know only this morning I was planning to alter some Triomino pieces for an Altered Game Piece swap... but that was because

a) we weren't allowed to alter domino's - why? cos that's what Trish the Host said, and if you host a swap then you make the rules

b) because I couldn't find the Da Vinci games pieces that I really wanted to use.
but then, I found the Da Vinci bits I really wanted to use

Da Vinci Game pieces? Ever heard of them? Nope didn't think you had! A few years ago during the height of The Dan Brown 'Da Vinci Code' mania, I found a game of the same name in a bargain bucket and purchased it as a stocking filler for D.H.  Well we soon found out why it was it the bargain bucket, it's probably the most boring game in the whole wide gaming world and actually 'bargain' could be stretching a point, unless of course they fall into the hands of someone who rather likes altering things and sees them as (potentially) very cute little 'shrines'

As always I had - not a clue - what I was going to do with them when I managed to grab a bit of me time tonight, but I came across these three lovely - albeit bloomin miserable looking - ladies who fitted beautifully inside the pieces.

I randomly tore a page out of an old book I use for text pages and challenged my self to find some apt text to make a mini collage inside each one. Each one as had a few layers of UTEE which gives the glassy look

All three ladies are I am sure unrecognised Angels, even if they do look like three miserable old buggers, so they all have stamped and embossed wings.

Off to have a think about another challenge - take a look over at Gingersnap Creations - Metallics... yum!

Thanks for stopping by and leaving comments, I really do appreciate it xxx

All Present, Delivered and Correct....

Well maybe not correct, but pressie has been delivered to Katherine T.

Another altered box, which was just a plain pine jewellery box to begin with.

Katherine gave me some model magic so I wanted to have a play with that, and it ended up on her birthday present.

I rolled it very thinly, stamped into it and folded it, tweaked it, painted it.

This sits on a layer of painted and heated Tyvek.

I made a mould of a Gargoyle fridge magnet and used the model magic in that... its a very details and in parts undercut mould, and it came out much better than the ones I have tried to make with oven baked polymer clays.

Inside there is a removable tray. There is a working clock inside one of the compartments, the face of the clock is embossed metal, which i just doodled on. The bottom of the other compartments are filled with UTEE, coloured with Mica powders.

The lower tray has been lined with metal from Tomato Puree tubes... I love the colour of these and usually flatten them in my Wizard, but have left them creased here and covered them with clear UTEE and a few micro beads.

I have just noticed that some of these photos were taken whist the outside was matt black.. I have since sprayed it with a green mica spray.  The sides are metal, wire, beads, embossing powder and some fab felt like stuff that you can heat and it melts... oh I am so sad getting excited about such stuff!

Another Day.. Another Challenge...

I was invited to join in with the Tuesday Taggers by the talented Clarky J when it first started a few months ago and never quite got round to it, although I do pop by every week to see what they are up to. Well the challenge yesterday set by Avril really caught my eye and stirred my Mojo, so in-between doing a bit of housework, freezer filling and ironing, I kept popping into the craft room and had a play. I finally finished it late last night in semi darkness so I was quite pleased when I woke this morning to find I did quite like the colours!

At the last Ally Pally, I dropped by (as always cos it is the highlight of the show) the LBcrafts stand and watched Lin playing with Metal, Ferro and Terra Paints. Generously she has repeated the technique on her blog, so hop over and take a look. So here is my version of her tag, and entry for the Tuesday Taggers Challenge which was simply a Bird on a Tag.
The Bird (any twitchers out there who can tell me what species it is, I am guessing its not an Owl!) was a die-cut which has been randomly covered with various colours of UTEE and embossing powders.
Not sure if it is a water bird but it is now because I had an odd urge to add a couple of Bull-rushes made from some odd flocky sheets I had (why I bought them I don't know but everything has a use eventually) and wire.  I stamped the words Take Flight into some gold Metal Magic... it hasn't worked terribly well, but it does look better in real life than it does on here

Now the next question is should I take part in the WOYDW - What's On Your Desk Wednesday which I came across via Jennie of The Artistic Stamper fame.... It's not good..... it is rather shameful.... be prepared for a dreadful sight...

... oh, I don't know if I can

....... I can't help it I have tried and I cannot work neatly

..... Deep Breath here goes

Told you it was bad.... full of stuff from my last few projects...

My MIL bought me a Fridge magnet for Christmas which says 'A Tidy House is the Sign of a Wasted Life'

Well rest assured that the rest of my house is clean and tidy (apart from No1 DD's room, but we wont go there, in fact no one dares to go there) but when it comes to my desk... well you can see for yourself!

I think I better go and have a tidy up, don't you?

While I am gone I dare you to join in WOYDW!!

Finally Finished!!

Bittersweet moment, the AB I have been doing for an online Altered Book Course is finally finished.... well almost just a few tweaks here and there which may or may not happen.

I have really enjoyed the fact that doing a course does focus you and 'makes' you sit down and meet the 'deadlines' I have other projects half finished, which will get done one day but really I do work better to a deadline... usually someones birthday!

Anyway here it is... on the final pages we finished the niches that we cut at the very beginning. Now obviously when I cut the niches I knew what I was going to put in them as they are a very specific size and shape... well that was ages ago and now I have forgotten! But as the book has changed course many times then I;m sure that what ever it was wouldn't look right now anyway. The final page now signifies the end, and the words to Frankie's 'My Way' seem to me to be very apt! The Skeleton inside a Tic Tac box inside the biggest niche was not done by me but was sent to me by the very talented Trudy on the DC forum. Instead of sitting on my kitchen window sill it is now living in my book and will be admired and treasure now for many years, along with a few of my most favourite ATC's sent to me by other people which also reside here.

The Cover is decorated with my two most favourite mediums, polymer clay and metal, and as you can tell from the spine, my book has finally got a name 'Class 101' the name of yahoo group which runs alongside the AB Blog.

I'm a bit sad now it's all over.... now what to do??

Thank you to Elizabeth who ran the course, sure it has been a hard slog for her but it has been a very enjoyable few months for me!

One last thing..... it was said at the beginning of the course not to expect the book to close properly ever again.... well thats definately not going to happen with my book is it !

'Atishoo' Box and Out of my Box

This week on the AB book course I am doing was focussing on using magazine images, Well I have to be honest my heart sunk when I realised this , I just don't get them, no offence to anyone because people use them to great aplomb, but to me it still harks back to me cutting random pics out of my mums Woman's realm and sticking them in my scrapbook. I did consider for a nano-second of missing this weeks lesson, but that is not the point of doing a course AND my book is technique based so it must contain lots of different techniques. Well I tried, honest I did, but I still am not comfortable with it. But here is my page. The face made of many faces was done by using the packing tape transfer method.


The second part of the lesson was using frames, This was more 'me' I covered the page in PVA then placed some tissue over the top, which crinkled. Covered again with PVA, when dry I used alcohol inks (cos the PVA leaves a glossy surface the inks love it) The frame was made with twisted tissue paper. ..... So ok I am not happy with using mags but the leaves were cut out of a book.... mmmmm... bit contradictory of me I feel.....................

I have also had a bit of a play with some wooden blanks that we used at the last YCJ to alter. These will also be available soon to buy on our website http://www.yourcreativejourney.co.uk/ , so keep popping back to check, we have lots of different bits and pieces that will stimulate your creative juices!











I have used metal to cover these but being wooden and very well made almost any media can be used on them! Heidi has a very cool jewellry box on her blog!

Haven'y done any crafting this weekend as I just HAD to have a shopping trip with Mrs Bessie as I need a posh dress and Nicks and posh dresses are not usually seen together! So a trip to sunny kent was in order this weekend. As always I had the best weekend with the Sparkly pair, even though Mr s was forbidden from accompanying us on the shopping trip!
I have been given permission to use this photo cos even though he has his arm around another woman, the ring finger proves he is actually married LOL

Me and Mr Bessie





Mrs Bessie and Me......... all in a tree!

Bottle tops and more on my book! Oh and a question....

Well the British Summer has been and gone, back to socks and woollies and my snug craftroom, the nice thing about the British weather is that when it isn't good you have no guilty feelings about creating, so I have done a couple of things this week (well 2 and a half, but more about the half later!)

The very talented Tish challenged us on the DC forum to alter a bottle top... the beer kind! Mmmmm they were supposed to be charms, but since when have I done exactly as I was told and mine have turned into magnets! The nice thing about magnets on BT's is though that you don't have to glue them on as the magnet sticks to them as well, so it the recipient wants a charm they can remove the magnet and use that on something else. Having said this these magnets are so strong you have to prise them off !!

Oh look........... yet more clay! And a bit of grunge paper!

This week has been a free week on the Altered Book course I am doing, to allow people to catch up although you could do a spread if you wished to. I have done a two page spread using the clay leaves that I put through the pasta machine (post below) and inspired by Ingrid's button edges I have edged the pages as well with some grunge paper which extends further than the rest of the pages (as do the buttons) I really like this look, although it would counteract the effect if you did it on two many pages. A simple idea to edge you pages, but I wouldn't have thought of it so thanks Ingrid for your inspiration!

Not sure if you can see from the picture but I have found a few words on the pages and painted around them, making up my own 'quote' but this involved reading the book... mmmmm it's actually quite interesting, maybe I shouldn't have started altering it !!!

Now... My S.I.L. has come up with a brilliant fundraising idea for the Norfolk Deaf Association for whom she works, but it involves altering something................ can anyone can guess what it is?, I bet noone will ever ever guess.... Will post a piccy when it's complete , probably early next week!

Twice In One Day!!

Well the plan for today was to do a bit of washing... went to laundry basket to find it had magically been filled overnight I was sure it was empty yesterday! - SHOCK........... Kids had tidied their Bedrooms. HORROR..... This resulted in a load more washing!

Plan 2; Do the Ironing. Well that hasn't happened.

Plan 3; Attempt some altered bottletop charms for a challenge I am taking part in. Well I tried, honest I did, I flattened, I removed plastic bits, I made holes, I ran out of inspiration.

OK onto Plan 4; Prepare food for tonight's dinner... forgot to take meat out of freezer last night... that's OK , Lentil Roast prepared instead, that will keep meat hating DD happy.

Plan 5; Continue with the Altered Abacus I started at the beginning of the year.... yeah sommat has gone OK cos it went to plan (well almost) and is now finished. Not bad, I planned on it taking most of the year as I wanted to do it bit by bit as and when I had time and inspiration to do another bit. It's June tomorrow and it's finished and I am happy with it so all is well in Nicks world.

It doesn't really take much to make me happy... take a look at these two beauties! Playing around with a pasta machine, some clay and some leaves. Heidi uses alot of leaves with her silver work and silver clay, so I thought I'd have a play with my polymer clay. Just ran the leaves through the pasta machine along with the clay and then highlighted the clay with some mica pigments. As they are so thin they will go into my altered book as they are only the thickness of a stiff card. One uses a rose leaf from a rose OH brought in from the garden for me, and the other is a lily leaf and some gypsophilia that came in a bouquet recently sent to me from Mrs Bessie.... cool eh??? they look groovy and are a bit of personal memorabilia, well I'm happy LOL!!

Made from a Milkshake Powder box. Gessoed (is there such a word?) and then painted with Acryic paints. Then randomly stamped with stazon, triple embossed with Debi Moores Metal Magic. Decorated with a UTEE 'Sun' which I made from a mould I took from a plastic sun keyring from a Christmas cracker. The tiles spell 'TIME' and are from an Art Mould alphabet. The metal around the bottom and top right corner is from a tomato puree tube, it is a lovely colour, I washed it in the dishwasher which tarnished it... a very happy accident!
I am a terrible hoarder, but it can come in useful. The Chain is a belt which came on a skirt I had. The 'oblong' on the side is from another belt I picked up from a school jumble sale.. keep your eyes open and view everything you see with altered art in mind....... thats my motto!