Spring Swap

Back in about April or May I set up a swap on Zuzu's Forum called the Spring Swap for people to have a go at a technique that was new to them. Well it is now November and I finally got round to doing mine. Having been on a workshop in May I wanted to use the Ten Second Studio metal embossing but then did not pick up a tool or a piece of metal till last week and struggled to remember what to do, watched the online videos by Cheryl and Megan of TSS and laughed a lot and learned a lot but was still in a pickle as I only had one mould which was not right for the project so in the end I got out a Cuttlebug embossing folder, some alcohol inks and acrylic shapes and this is the result. . Anyway that got me back into it and since then a notebook was made for the DH birthday yesterday and a picture frame is half done. It made me decide I was definitely going to start stocking it in the shop, lovely stuff to work with. Anyway Carol has received it now so it's safe to blog it. I may now have to go and lie down in a dark room having actually blogged a piece of work for the first time in months.

Blog Candy Alert

Over at the Happy Daze Design Team Blog there is a gorgeous scrapbook layout and class by Ruth Phillips and some lovely Blog Candy too. You can find it here

Happy Daze Gets a Design Team

I am so excited, I have been able to bribe and threaten 9 wonderfully talented and creative people into forming a Design Team for the Happy Daze shop. There is a new Design Team blog which gives lots of information about these amazing women, you can visit it here. And look out there next week for some Blog Candy to be announced.

Smile

OK I have no real excuse for not blogging other than being really busy not only getting the online shop up fully stocked and expanded but also opening a small bricks and mortar one too. Any way this is not my card it is made by the very talented Mel using one of the Stampotique stamps "Smile" from the Happy Daze Shop. Isn't he just gorgeous!

Blog Candy Giveaway Stamps by Elusive Images

Four new A5 plates of stamps featuring birds are being given away over on the Elusive Images Blog. These lovely plates retail at £14.99 and be in stock in the Happy Daze Shop shortly.

International Charm Day Giveaway

As part of International Charm Day Anne of Bulles Doree is having a beautiful giveaway of two gorgeous tiny bottle charms, be sure and visit her here . It ends Wednesday, 29 April, 10pm French time.

For more information on International Charm Day 29 April visit here.

Mixed Media Monday - Easter

I have 2 pieces this week to enter. The top one is a little bird house made for a friend using a Retro Cafe Art collage sheet. The second was a gold tin the outside is bright and glitzy with alcohol inks, fusible film and embossing powder inspired by the bright shiny foil wrappers of Easter eggs and inside the little assemblage represents Spring wit the birds returning from their migration we hear bird song again i nthe morning and evenining, birds are making nests and the garden is coming alive with colour.

Sunday Postcard Art - Easter

Here is my offering for this week's challenge. I have gone for lots of bright colour this is partly seeing the colours in my garden as Spring arrives and partly the brightly coloured chocolate Eggs which are everywhere. Happy Easter everyone.

Wood Shape Swap

This crown and bird wood shapes were for a swap on the Altered Gypsies forum. The crown has been covered in paper and stamping while the bird has paint and crackle medium on one side and texture paste over a glimmer screen with paints including an interference paint and gold leaf on the other.

Sunday Postcard Art - Swan LAke

Fatma has chosen Swan Lake over at SPA this week and here is my offering, love that image courtesy of Google!

Altered Object Swap

I realised I had not yet blogged this little item made for a swap on Zuzu's Forum. The challenge was to alter "something" so this started life as a child's wooden pencil case. And yes those flappers I am so find of are making an appearance again! In these pics the top and base look different coours but they werent't bothere a mix of H2Os and various Stewart Gill paint.,

Five Crowns

I realise I haven't blogged in an age. I have been a bit busy so not done any challenges but have been doing swaps. These are five pieces I did on Crowns for a swap on the Altered Gypsy Forum.

The first is a little booklet I have used tissue transfer for the flowers and collage.

The second is collage over stamping covered by acetate which has been treated with alcohol inks and blending solution

The third is gesso and distress ink background with a Heidi Swapp mask and collage. I liked this background so much I scanned it and have used it printed on a couple of bithday cards too.

The fourth is a wooden domino

The fifth is an altered oversized playing card.

All great fun to make and my first swap on this forum.

Happy Daze Shop

I discovered today that my online shop had developed an error showing items out of stock when they were in fact in stock. It has been fixed and my sincere apologies to anyone who has been trying to make purchases.

One World One Heart

I received this lovely card from Nancy Donaldson who as well as giving away 5 pieces of gorgeous jewellery in her draw sent out 150 postcards to blog visitors. Thank you Nancy it is lovely and I am really touched to receive it.

My OWOH draw has taken place and the 3 winners are :

Linda Vincent
Jann
Alexandra Knittel

This has been such a fabulous opportunity to see wonderful blogs and fabulous work, there has not been nearly enough time to visit them all properly yet, just a sneaky peek, so I will be taking more time to visit at leisure now.

My great thanks to all who entered the draw, to everyone who took part and also to Lisa who must work 24 hours a day while this is on, but what a fantastic event it is.

Here's to next year and many more

Blog Candy at the Elusive Images Design Team Blog

Two new plates of stamps are being offered over at the Elusive Images Design Team blog, these new plates will be launched on Create and craft this week.

Mixed Media Monday - Romance

My sister is mother to two teenage boys and has always felt she has missed out on being able to be girlie with a daughter. At Christmas I made very girly pink things for her son's girlfriends so now, for Valentine I have made a pink girly thing for her. It is a 3 inch Ready-To-Go!® Blank Board cube painted pink and stamped with a variety of stamps , largely from Elusive Images, and decorated with images from Inka and my own stash of postcards. I love working with cubes as you get 6 sides to play with ror decorating. The dangly bits were in my stash and I have no idea where they came from!

Gothic Arches - Hearts

The background fro my arch is gesso swiped over card with direct to paper distress inks and over inking top and bottom of 2 Tim Holtz masks. The image was free courtesy of Lisa Vollrath. The wire heart, which has made scanning this arch difficult as it is is 3D is one I had left over from my own wedding a couple of years ago, it is a heart bead wrapped in wire.

Sunday Postcard Art - Chairs

This is my take on this week's theme of chairs. My background is made using a favourite technique of gesso swiped over card and then direct to paper using distress inks. Over this are layers of stamping . The image was googled but I knew it was perfect for me as soon as I saw it, I love the wet Sunday afternoon Victorian parlour game feel it has.

One World One Heart Giveaway

COMMENTS ARE NOW CLOSED THANK YOU

One World, One Heart, hosted by Lisa Swifka, has launched again and this is my first time taking part. If you want to know more about One World One Heart click on the link above to visit the main site and see who else is participating and offering wonderful art and blog candy to their visitors.

I am giving away three little packages each containing candy from my shop and a little piece of my work, just a comment on this post for a chance to win one and if you don't have a blog, make sure to leave your email in your comment. The winner will be drawn on February 12

No 1



A Ready to Go Blank Board Arch Book for journalling / altering
Wooden bird house
3 glass vials with cork stoppers
Brooch made from a wooden domino.

No2



Ready to Go Blank Board Shadow Box 7 x 5 inches
Wooden pencil box
Set of 3 acrylic stars
Brooch made from a wooden domino.

No3


Ready to Go Blank Board Daisy Book for journalling / altering
Set of 2 wood blocks
Set of 3 acrylic arrows
A 5 x 7 inch canvas board collage



Thank you for visiting.

Valentine Countdown Blog Candy

Lisa Vollrath is once again offering a wonderful free download every day till Valentines Day, click here

Sunday Postcard Art - Circles

I made this for a friend's birthday. The background is gesso and distress inks and the circles are from a Heidi Swap mask. The little boy is Lisa's Altered Art.

One Powerful Hour - Cubes

The delightful Caroline over at One Powerful Hour asked me to be be guest host this week so I chose the theme Cubes. I love having six sides to decorate, whether I have them hanging or sitting on a shelf. The main photos show the cube I made for a swap on Zuzu's forum for National Foof Day on 2 February. It is made from a 3 inch blank board cube, painted with Lumiere Pearl Turquoise paint with an overcoat of Stewart Gill Glitterati in Copper. The images are from a sheet available for download free from Digital Collage Sheets The edges of each facet have been triple embossed in bronze UTEE, the hanger is beads strung on ribbon and the dangler is made from a bead and tassel both in my stash. The ribbon hanger and dangler are attached with screw in eyelets as even though the cube is hollow the board is very sturdy.


This cube was sprayed with glimmer inks and stamped and embossed


This is distress ink and stamping



This is various red acrylic paints, the music and images transfers.

Lot's To Do - Frames

This is made from a blankboard shadow box from the Happy Daze shop which I made a couple of months back but I think it suits the theme. The box has been inked and the stamps are from the Elusive Images Peacock range.

Gothic Arches - Winter Sports

My arch is made using a variety of ink sprays over wallpaper to get this crumpled look.

Sunday Postcard Art - Cats

I pondered on some cute kitties but the dark heart within me drew me eventually to Cat Woman, that wild and lithe creature of the night, a prowler of back alleys, with claws sharpened on the bones of men. My back ground is gesso with distress ink and one of the TH masks.

Wednesday Stamper - Lace

The lace and buttons on this little 6 x 4 inch fairy cake post card give her a soft look over a background of acrylic paint stamped with gesso.

Graphicus Challenge - Plum and Gold

This card and brooch are two entries for the Graphicus Challenge which for January is Plum with Gold and/or Clelebration.

The card is looking a bit lop sided but that is because the brad in the flower means it won't lay flat to scan it is all perfectgly straight honest! The stamp is from the Fleurs et Parfum de Paris plate now on sale at £6.99 stamped in purple Versafine ink and painted with Glimmer ink in Gold. The backing paper is Artylicious. It relates to Celebration in that receiving a card at any time is a little celbtation in itself.


The brooch has been painted with Lumiere Grape paint, the stamp is from the Delightful Damask plate, also on sale at £6.66, and stamped in gold encore ink, the edges are gold Krylon pen, the image transfer is from my own collection. This relates to Celebration in taht it is one of the itmes I made for the One World One Heart event.

Blank Board Challenge Prize

I have been lucky enough to win the first C&T Publishing Papercraft Challenge - Blank Board and my fabulous prize of lots of wonderful crafty arty books arrived today. The next challenge will be announced next week and the theme will be paper hearts for Valentine's day so check it here

Gothic Arches - Gypsies

For me the word Gypsy conjures up visions of music and dancing, of old men sat around camp fires playing guitars and violins, the sound of a woman singing of loss and pain or of the pleasures and vitality of life, couples dancing and laughing.

Sunday Postcard Art - Turquoise

The very talented Sandy has set us the challenge to use turquoise. This is a colour that Sandy often uses to amazing effect in her work. I too am very fond of turquoise as you can see from my blog colours, and this week, planning a summer holiday, I was reminded of the turquoise waters of the Blue Grotto on Sicily and this prompted a mermaid theme. The background is twinkling H2Os with ink spray and Stewart Gill Alchemy paint, unfortunately the shimmer does not show that well in the scan. Her fishy tail is Starburst Stains embossed in silver.

Blog Candy at Inkaland

I won some wonderful stamps and collage sheets over at Inkaland. Inka has a Blog Candy draw every Monday so give it a go.

Blog Candy

Maker of lovely jewellery Paper Jewels has blog candy on offer over at her website