Wednesday, March 30, 2011

woyww...missing in action!

whoops, seem to have been missing in action this past few days! I have an excuse, and next week you will find out why!! love to keep everyone guessing! In the meantime , here is my desk, which hasn't changed much, still fairly messy, with a few new bits on it... am loving the new Tim Tape dispensers, and his new tape, especially the ones with the butterflies :)) . Time to create anything.. no! , hopefully might find a minute or two one early morning, except my body clock now wakes me up at 5.45am instead of 4.45 am, so guess that is a good thing.. isn't it? Love that the night's are lighter too....


Have a great What's on Your Workdesk day.. hoping to find a minute to get round to yours :))
and for those of you who haven't a clue what on earth I am blabbering on about have a look at the Queen of desks blog to find out
Happy Woywwing!

Saturday, March 26, 2011

The sun has got his hat on...

hip, hip, hooray! Finally, it seems like the earth has warmed up, and the days are longer and lighter, and I can make art in daylight and not artificial light! This is a sneak peek of what I made early this morning before starting proper work! All the details of how I made it are on the Creative Team blog here!

Have a great Saturday and may the sun shine!

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Random!

Last night while it was still light ( at six o'clock! !!) I grabbed a stamp and then another one, then another, then another... are you getting the picture? lol. I wanted to try out the new Glassine paper envelopes from Mr Holtz, and just grabbed a few stamps that were lying about on my desk. I used my trusty Black Archival inkpad and just randomly stamped them on the front of the envelope! Stamps are The Artistic Stamper ball bottle and Travel, Butterfliy and Head from Karantha, eye from Wendy Vecchi, Leaves from Claudine, and words and label from Tim Holtz. The pen nib is from the new Idea-ology..love these as they have flt backs, so you can glue them. The tag was cut from the new Idea-ology Crowded Attic paper stash, and the ribbon is from some gorgeous vintage French ribbon that will be at Ally Pally :)).
It is a very random set of stampings, and probably needs more added, but for now here it is!

Have a very creative day!
Hugs

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Woyww....change of scenery

This week, I thought it would be fun, and different to show one of my workshops from the weekend, actually both of them! I mean technically they are my desks, in a different place, and at a different time, but still a workdesk! So here are rather a lot of pictures of a very large desk with lots of busy creative artists! We made a alcohol ink book the first day, and a configurations box the next, and it was great fun with lots of chocolate, copious amounts of tea, and biscuits!
so neat and tidy, then this happened...lol
and then this...
and then the end results were stunning


 How fabulous is this splatter alcohol ink work :)), and how creative are these boxes?


Here is my box...


I had a great weekend at It's Crafting Time, and a big thank you goes out to all the girls who came and were creative! Gorgeous work!
If you haven't the foggiest what on earth I am waffling on about, pop over to the lucsious Julia, Queen of desks, and find out! It is great to be nosy!!
Happy Woywwing!!

Saturday, March 19, 2011

A fond farewell

Today is my last post for Gingersnap Creations, and in my travels, I found some wonderful elements just perfect for adding to a piece of art!.
For my last post for the wonderful, creative Gingersnap Creations have a little hop, skip and jump over to here, and have a look at what I created for them!

I am off to Cambridge this weekend for a weekend of workshops, so will be back Monday with photos, if I remember my camera and the batteries don't run out!!
Have a creative weekend!

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

woyww...before and after

As you can see, I have tidied up, a bit! I did it in honour of What's on your Workdesk hosted by the Queen of Desks- Julia :)))) In reality all I did was throw it all in a box so you can see how tidy I can be!  Now I can't find anything! Actually sometimes I do need to tidy up, and get rid of the scrappy bits of paper, and empty bottles, half chewed chocolate bars ( who can craft without them?) and create a bigger space to work in than 6"!! So you have a before the tidy up, taken before it is dark...

and then after ...lol does it look any different? new mug.. acquired at Stitches, WIP, still lots of mini bottles! and a clean workmat!

Today's post is short and sharp, and please forgive me if I don't visit you as I have rather a heavy week, workwise. I did manage a few last week, and am very guilty of not having time to visit:(( but I love joining in woyww, so if you have never been on this travelator of crafty desks, then it is a must! Pop over to Julia's for a look see.
Have a creatively arty day!

Monday, March 14, 2011

Combination Technique-Colorwash, Archival & Perfect Pearls

Don't you love it when you get to discover something that in theory shouldn't work, but in practice turns out fantastic! This happened on Saturday while playing with stuff in my workshop. I always get to play! lol One of the fun things while taking a class...
I really don't remember how it happened, but most probably was a mistake, and I have tried this several ways, and it comes out beautifully. Now in theory, working with a permanent, waterproof ink like Black Archival, that dries fast, you shouldn't be able to add anything like Perfect Pearls to the surface after it has dried. That's exactly what I thought, but I had sprayed the surface with Ranger's Color Wash first, and there's the rub, or in this case, Perfect Pearls! I have discovered that if you can dust Perfect pearls powder , onto a stamped image even after it has dried!! Now I know you can do this with other wet type inks, don't get me wrong, but I almost always use Black Archival in everything I stamp ( old habits die hard!).

The trick is to have the Color Wash underneath your stamped image, so will it work with other permanent inks? yes it does! This tag is with the new butterfly from Crafty Notions, Color Wash, Black Archival and the saying which comes from one of Tim's new stamp sets.

 If you are careful you can colour up each letter, and it doesn't stick to the Colorwash! Please excuse the photos as the Perfect Pearls is very hard to photograph, as it reflects the light. I have lots of ideas for this technique, and my mind is spinning with them....off to try them.....
Be Creative!

It's the Last call! Compendium of Curiosities...

or is it? Over on Linda's blog Studio L3, it is the final day and final call for her wonderful challenge, Compendium of Curiosities, and page 67 is the page for those of you who have the book, and I spent most of the afternoon creating another sewing piece... seems to be the theme this week! lol
This piece is in honour of Linda, who I openly admire for keeping the challenge going, and for arranging such wonderful prizes each week!
Thank you Linda for a great challenge... here is my piece for the final curtain!

I will be looking forward to what comes next :))
Have a creative day!

Sunday, March 13, 2011

Come sewing with me!

Yesterday I did an very intimate workshop with Kate, Rosemary and Caroline, and everybody worked very hard using lots of great products and learning to sew!! lol

Actually this workshop involved no sewing, just threading, and over on The Artistic Stamper Creative Team, I given a few of the techniques of the workshop. Thank you girls for a fab day, I was thoroughly exhausted when I got home! Next month we have a wax class which will be just as fun, and if you would like to come along click here to be transported for all the details.
Have a Great Sunday and don't forget to pop over to The Creative Team too!

Saturday, March 12, 2011

Saturday Morning stamping!

I am always up early every morning, and now the mornings are coming into Spring, I love it! I can work without artificial light, and my desk is getting tidier each day ( now don't hold your breath!..it isn't THAT tidy! lol)  This morning before I set off for my class , I thought I would just have a little play with a new set of stamps from Crafty Notions now online in the shop. 
I took a Ranger ATC, distress inked it , splattered it with sprinkles of water, stamped it in Black Archival, and added mini chain with Claudine's multi medium matte. ...try before you buy with a mini bottle of it :)) made a mess gluing it ( serves me right for trying to make ART before I am fully awake!) , and it doesn't show! Love it!

Have a peek at these new stamps.. think you will love them! I do!
Have a creative Saturday..off now to get ready for my class...
 

Wednesday, March 09, 2011

woyww..nothing much changes!

It's the middle of the week again, and very early in the morning, and this time the birds are singing, there is a nip in the air, and it is almost LIGHT! yea! Spring is almost here! Today is Wednesday, if you didn't know, and What's On Your Desk day, hosted by Mrs Dunnit, Queen of desks round the world! Here is my desk with the normal 1" space to work in, and a few new goodies on there to give me inspiration ( not that it always works!),

and for those of you who wonder, the space underneath is just as messy! Time for a Spring clean, I think!

I am of for a nosy round everyone's tidier desks
Have a Happy Wednesday!

Tuesday, March 08, 2011

Patchwork Mania

This is just a sneak peek of my workshop on Saturday which has places still on it. If you have never used Ranger's Color Wash, then this is your opportunity to have a play, and for those of you who don't sew, never fear this is a no sewing involved workshop!! 
To book call Kate on 01795 597757 or book online here.

Monday, March 07, 2011

Mother Nature!

Over on Hel's blog the Sunday Stamper theme is Nature. I did like the theme of the butterflies, so have blatantly borrowed Hel's idea of using butterflies on my tag.  I stamped the butterflies with a Perfect medium ink pad, and dusted over the new Perfect Pearls colours, given to me at a workshop last month.. such gorgeous colours, and they will be in the shop soon!
The "butterfly " is a great little false one I fund in my stash draws, and he fitted perfectly! The little swirls are a great stamp from a set called Nature is Art designed by Mrs Sheridan herself, so appropriate for a great challenge set by her!

It is always a pleasure to join in this challenge :))
Have a creative day

Sunday, March 06, 2011

Fragmented mistake!

It is not often that I will ever admit publicly to creating a piece that is not quite up to scratch, and then blogging it for all the world to see!!!!! I know we all blog pieces that perhaps we don't like or have blogged just because..., but yesterday piece for Linda's Compendium of Curiosities, just didn't ring right to me, and overnight I decided to remake it! I loved the concept of using a watch face instead of a fragment, but I hurried it, and the watch glass was bevelled, so this time I found a flat one in my stash, and set about remaking it. I made it the same, using Distress Stains and Distress inks for the background, but this time stamped the girl in Black Archival. I destroyed the other tag in the making re-using all the elements, and boy am I glad I did.. this is so much better, or is it?!lol

So go on admit to me , if you could would you remake anything you have made, or do you hide it away in the hope when you next see it, it will look good?
Have a very Creative Day!
Hugs

Saturday, March 05, 2011

Collaging my way...

with a challenge! Over on Linda's blog, the Compendium of Curiosities challenge is almost at an end...*sad face *, but there is still time to join in, and this week it is page 63's turn! I have to say i started this out as something completely different, and I wanted to use the round fragments, but couldn't find mine, so have improvised with a glass watch face! The background is Distress stains (due in very very soon), and the stamp is a collage one from The Artistic Stamper, which I also used with stains...oh be still my beating heart.. you are going to love these!! Just adore the new wings from Idea-ology, and of course the Alphaparts which are self adhesive.. so no messy gluey fingers here!

Thank you Linda for the opportunity to get inspired, and if you feel like a bit of inspiration popover to her studio for a play!

Just a quickie...

to let you know we have restocks of some of Tim's new stamps, and now have in stock Claudine's new biggie stamps in both foam and clear!
I have a busy weekend doing ....not much... first weekend off for a while, so I am lazing and doing the dreaded housework!! On the other hand I may just get out my stamps and inks.. that's a much better idea!
Have a fun and creative weekend


Wednesday, March 02, 2011

woyww..a different perspective!

oh My! it is almost 192 hours or 8 days since I last blogged! I didn't even do last week's What's on your Workdesk! Why? I thought I would take a break, but in truth, I just haven't had anything to show you.. no artwork, no exciting photos of where I have been, nothing, de nada! But I am back for today to show you my desk from the weekend at Make it Show. Not strictly the rules of play set by the Delectable Julia over at Stamping Ground, but one of my desk nevertheless! I even had a famous visitor to my desk, and I missed her!!!! I was out to lunch, I believe! lol . Julia, I am so disappointed I missed you :((( next time, hopefully!
Here are some pictures from Farnborough, and a few samples before I gave them away!





Have a great woyww day!