WOYWW 230 - Never Been So Clean

That sums it up.  I have been die cutting and needed to put everything away so here is my desk

and to the left

Hopefully I will have something to show you another week.  Brief or what Julia?  Visit Julia for exciting stuff and take a cuppa with you.

Artful Times Goes all Spooky

I had so many plans for my Halloween display this year but time was not on my side and so I only managed to make this sweetie box for the children to dip into when they come a calling.

I am sure most of you will recognise TH's "The Chemist" as my offering for the end of the month.  I don't have Halloween stamps, had not time to search for "Poe" downloads and so frantic thinking had to take place.  I think he does look like a mad scientist who would be making spells, especially with his green face and red eyes.

I stamped the various images with Archival Black Ink and then put some clear embossing powder on, before a leisurely sit down whilst painting with H2o's and then fussy cutting.  The box was painted with Acrylic Paint and the inside lined with some spooky purple paper.  The books are stuck on with a double foam pad and the toad is stuck on top of that, again with a sticky pad.  Images were stuck on the back and the bottle was slit so it could sit on the side.

When we went to Prague one Christmas time I just had to buy one of those witches.  Her cackle is tremendous and her eyes flash red and on and off as she kicks her feet up in the air. I haven't used her when children have called in the past but think I might if they are not tiny ones this year.  So I have made a kind of Halloween display

and now realise I have left the pumpkin out of the shot.  Ah well!  The witch is on the left, the box (fully lined) takes centre stage and then there is a black bottle which I intended to decorate that has a ram's skull on top of it.  It might get something done to it before Halloween - you never know.

Looking forward to seeing what you come up with - but ...

Dare you knock on my door?

WOYWW 229

Here we are again - me half asleep, almost midnight, and a million jobs still to do.

Had a super weekend in Gloucester - stayed in Winchcombe for the polymer clay event in Toddington - met up with some friends from previous courses and had taken two friends with me.  Here's Irene who I haven't seen for a couple of years (she is incredible with polymer)

Jana - one of the tutors

and me with Marta from Spain

But you really came on here to see my desk didn't you?  Well it is not much different from last week but this week it is from my emptying the bag rather than packing it as in last week's WOYWW.

 

You cannot see from the above picture but my Pasta Machine broke - right in the middle of the course.   Had to borrow one from Alison.  Here is a closeup of it

You can see that something is poking out of it.  Chas was fixing it (I did tell him not to) and he cut his finger rather badly.  Those blades underneath are so sharp.  Guess how I know?

Well I will leave you with a picture of something we made - not mine - one of the tutors pieces - Bargello in clay.  More pictures to come when I sort them out.

Fab-U-Lus!

WOYWW 228

This week has gone by so fast - probably because I was working at weekend.  Had the pleasure of working with Margot who makes the most amazing flowers from diecuts.  Pop along to her blog and look at them although I must say they look even better, if possible, in real life.

I am off to a Polymer Clay Workshop on Thursday with a couple of friends and meeting up with Irene who I missed last year because I didn't attend due to a prior commitment.  Should be good fun with a weekend of girly chat and excellent tutors.  Can't wait to do the class with Lindly Haunani as I admire her work so much, her sense and knowledge of colour is fantastic.  Anyway, enough of that here is my desk

 Got most things BUT ...

at this point I dropped a mallet on my foot!  Ouch!  Rubbed it and it seemed ok - until I tried to go shopping.  Still not sure after icing it, resting it and rubbing arnica cream into it but I am pretty sure it is not broken.  Hurts like hell though.

 

spreads a bit to the left

Close ups

Jewellery pliers etc top left, Perfect Pearls brushes, clay shapers, wooden tools, small tile, ruler, knife, blades in carriers (the spotted things - these are what we did with Lindly three years ago).

Light bulb (don't ask), Perfect Pearls plus equivalent, more shapers, soup spoon for burnishing, bits from three years ago for two of my friends.

Still got things to get together, noticeably my tiles, pasta machine, stiff toothbrush, jewellery findings etc.  Just hope my foot is ok in the morning (its kind of gone midnight now).  Guess I had better hit the sack and hope that Julia does not post WOYWW until I have had some sleep.  See you there?

Feeling Distressed? A Challenge for Artful Times

Well, I am certainly feeling a little distressed this morning as for some reason or another I cannot comment on the last two entries for our previous challenge.  Blogspot seems to be having a bit of an awkward moment.  Fingers crossed it clears itself soon and then I can comment on Hilde and Janny's blogs.  Since writing this I have used a different browser and find I can upload in it so I guess it is Safari that is having the problem. Thought it worth mentioning in case anyone else is having problems.

It really means using Distress Inks, Shabby Chic, Grunge or something like that.  Check the blog and you will see what Sam has written about this challenge and her delightful tag too.  Once again we are missing Cathryn who has not been able to join us for this challenge due to her not being up to it health wise.  Cathryn we wish you well, we miss you and your lovely creations.

For this challenge I made a tag

I am not into using yellow with anything I do but for some reason I have recently been drawn to it so here are my yellow poppies.  I used my Distress Inks to make the background tag which was then spritzed with water droplets to create a mottled look.  The smaller tag was put through a script embossing folder and then DI's applied to it in green and yellow.

Finally I added some green fern (the ends off a die cut so they were smaller) and fussy cut my poppies from my stamped image which was painted with DI's and a brush.  

We look forward to seeing your entries for this challenge but please please please read the rules and guidelines at the top of the Artful Times blog - so many are not fulfilling the criteria we ask for and therefore cannot be considered for the prize at the end of each month.

227 - That's WOYWW Of Course!

Before I forget - please leave your number if possible, saves a lot of messing about, especially if you have a few blogs.

Busy, busy, busy again but here is my desk as it stands this morning, or was like this when I went to bed.  Two shots of my work place

Above - where I always work

Below - where I push stuff when I have done with it

I know, it looks as if I am busy - NOT!  But I have tidied up as I could not put a pin down, it was so cluttered.  Yesterday afternoon I just gave up, caved in and tidied up - note: no dusters were involved.

So because I can't show you anything interesting here is a shot or two of our utility room - well my crafting overspill

 Bits and Bobs of Beads for Jewellery

A Double Base Unit - Polymer Clay 

Clay Oven

Some magazines I have been sorting for simply months (still not done) and my Finnabair stuff that I have not found a home for yet.  Ah, that's what I was going to do yesterday - hang my 12 x 12 page on the wall in my craft room.

On top of my Double Base Unit

Part of my Chinese collection from my trip years ago.  Plus a Palooza on the right leant against the wall, a lovely arch made by Samski for my birthday and a mirror I have been meaning to cover in clay tiles for years.

Now that has been a different look for you all - have any of you got a different look for me?  Now to head over to Julia's blog and see what the other WOYWW'ers got up to.  See you there!

Thanks to those of you who followed my Faux Metal tutes over the past three days do hope you give the various techniques a try.

Final Faux Metal Samples

Thanks for the comments on the previous two posts about the Faux Metal samples.  The idea of the sampler is that you try each one in turn and then you decide which you like the look of, which you enjoy doing and then which you are going to use on your photo frame.  For those of you in America, Michaels has frames like the one I used and in Europe you can get something similar at Ikea.  Of course you could always do a larger one using one of those big frames from Ikea like the Palooza was done with.

The first one I am showing you today was done using Mirri card/Mirror card.  Any base colour will do but I used Gold, fed it through an Embossing Folder and then dripped Alcohol Inks on.

Next is that plastic feel, greyish looking, Duck Tape.  The first one I did I was not happy with as the tape is not wide enough for the 3" x 3" base and you could see the join.  So I had a lightbulb moment and used the join as a line.

Can you guess what made the pattern?

Underneath I laid some string, first gluing the card and then placing the string in position.  Leave it to dry before putting the Duck Tape on.  Again Alcohol Inks were used for the colouring.

This was what I first did several years ago when I made a container out of matchboxes with the Girl Guides.  I must have read about it somewhere and we decorated a lid with string swirls and lines and then when it was dry used crumpled Aluminium Foil and Boot Polish. So you see where the idea was born all those years ago (many many years ago).

The final one is done with sheet metal.  For some reason it looks reversed.  The birds actually puff out and the windows sink in.  This was first stamped in Stazon, outlined with a tool (my class used a stylus from paper crafting) and then worked, in the case of the birds, from the back in a gentle circular movement until it was standing quite proud of the base.

Not sure if you can tell or not from the picture but the squiggles (again worked with the stylus tool) are worked sometimes from the front and sometimes from the back.  This gave a lovely effect with some parts standing out from the other which is indented.  Once happy with what you have done fill in the back of the birds with Polyfilla/Calk or something similar and let it harden before mounting on a piece of card.

If you go along to Ten Second Studios you will find some excellent videos on various techniques working with metal and my scant instructions above for this last tile are given in full there.

Before I leave I will just say that I also experimented with Easter Egg wrappers (foil), various sweet wrappers, Crisp packets (chips to my American friends) and found my favourites to be Total Yoghurt and the foil top off a margarine tub - the crisp packets did not work - plastic I guess.  The margarine foil gives you two different views as you get a shiny side and a matt side - take your pick!

Hope you give some of these a try - and thanks for viewing!

Faux Metal (Part 2)

Carrying on with what I used for my Sampler Board and later for my Photograph Frame - see here for the pictures - I am now going to show you another three tiles all of which use the same medium for the base

This one was produced using an Embossing Folder and colouring with Alcohol Inks.

This one was produced using a mold and rubbing with a large paper stump and then finishing off with a smaller one.  If you have a stylus type tool then you can go around the edges and tidy them up - this brings out the design even more. Again coloured with Alcohol Inks.

The last one was a square just put through a folder and coloured and then I made a metal butterfly to go on it which was die cut and coloured with Inka Gold.

and the material used on all of them was

Aluminium Take Away Cartons!

You can also use the Tomato Paste tubes which you need to cut and then wash out.  I can never be bothered with that but it was fun finding out what materials in the home I could use.  I decided to forgo the use of Soda cans when I was teaching as there can be some nasty cuts if you are not careful. 

There are still three squares to go and I will show you them tomorrow.  Hope you are going to play along and do some yourself.

As Promised - Faux metal (Part 1)

Remember my metal pieces I showed you a couple of days ago here? Well here is the first of my faux metal pieces and how to do it - three of them actually as they all use the same base.

This first one was using a die cut and Aluminium Foil with Alcohol Inks over the top.  First of all you need to diecut yourself a shape say a couple of times if using ordinary weight (300) cardstock.  Stick the diecuts together to make a bit more thickness.  Stick down on base and allow to adhere.

Then take a piece of Aluminium Foil, crumple it in your hands, unfold but do not straighten out fully.  Put glue over the entire piece of cardstock (die and base) and place Foil over gently pressing down. Using your fingers push the Foil down around the diecut shape, I also use the back of my finger nails to smooth out especially over the die cuts.  You could use a cotton wool bud or the eraser end on a pencil to push down with and help to smooth.  Colour with Alcohol Inks of choice.

This second one is done in exactly the same way as the flower but this time I painted Black Acrylic Paint all over, let it settle for a minute and then took it off with a piece of cotton wool or soft rag.  It stays in the creases and crevices formed by the die cuts.

The final one using Aluminium Foil is done in the same way but this time I used the negative from a die cut as this one below (the one above was a swirl).  The two wavy lines are die cuts used as in the previous two examples.  This may look silver but in actual fact when you see it in real life it is duller and the cracks and creases are black - what did I use?  Black Boot Polish!  Rub on, leave about five minutes and gently remove.

Well I hope you will give this a go and I would love to see your results.  I will be back another day with another reveal as to what I used in my sampler.

Bye Bye Old Tree

Well, Monday was spent looking through the window with a camera glued to my nose. Why?  Because this old Ash tree in the corner of our front garden was coming down.  Four men (one up the tree for most of the day) and hours later we were left with this

a stump

Believe it or not I took a yardstick out today to measure the width of it and it was not long enough, so a 12" ruler was placed alongside it and it measures 48".  It was a big, old, proud tree.  I will miss it being there and apparently quite a few people who passed said how sad they were to see it go.  The truth is it was rotting from the inside and a sizeable portion broke off today when I stood on it to reach across with the measure.

This was the tree

I could not believe how the young man who went up the tree worked. He was so sure footed and fast when he climbed it and he worked like crazy all day long.  He must have some strength in his body to wield a chain saw like he does.  Here is Matt going up the tree at the beginning

sawing lower limbs

the final top bit - Geronimo

all that was left

Just disappearing through the hedge

The next day they came back and began on a Sycamore in the back garden.  Again it was rotting and as they both had TPO's on them the Council had been out to give permission for them to be felled.  We now have to plant two Oak trees in their place.

Rob cut me a slice from the base of the tree so I was going to count the rings to see how old it was.  I was also going to varnish the top and wax the underside and make it into a table.  Guess what? Someone stole it before they had chance to get it in the house for me. Think I know who it was too - but proving it is a different matter.

Will I miss them?  Yes, is the answer - but not the leaves that fall in autumn (not that those two will make that much difference - we get the Beech leaves from down the Lane - and boy oh boy do we get a lot).

WOYWW 226

Have just done a two day faux metal workshop at home which was similar to the one I did at Vicky Stampers a couple of months ago. This is a corner of my room where Mo was working:

This is the sample piece which I got them to do

Can you tell which ones are the real metal and which aren't?
Can you guess what the faux ones are made of?

We used different things to colour them and a variety of things instead of the actual metal which can be expensive, especially along with the tools, if you are just trying it out for starters.

The object of the sampler above was so that they had a reminder of the different materials and finishes they could employ.  One the sampler is finished they could choose which ones they liked and wanted to repeat to decorate a photo frame like this

This normally has a photo of my friend's little girl in it but I don't like putting photos of children on the internet just in case.  Sad but true. Some of these are real metal some faux.  They don't look quite so bright irl and I really like this frame (from Michaels) so think I will be doing another.  The ones from the Swedish shop in the UK work just as well but are a little narrower so 1" squares fit perfectly.

I'll put a tute up shortly for those interested so you will need to watch out for it.  In the meantime pop along to Julia's blog and see what others have linked up to show their desks this week.  Do read Julia's own account though, she nearly always brings a smile to my face.