Artful Times - Heavy Metal

It is ages since I worked with metal but I decided to do one of my usuals - cover a cat food box!  The cats have gone now from next door (sad face) so we no longer buy cat food but we do have one or two boxes in the garage (empty ones).

This box had been Gessoed ready to paint so I decided it might make a better surface for the metal to stick to so I went ahead and covered it with pieces - yes, I used up some left over bits rather than go into the sheets that are a tad expensive.  Afterall it was a recycle job!  Just hope Lyn or Leandra don't see it.

Long side - three embossing folders and purchased strips

other long side - mold, embossing folder and strips

two sides - both embossing folders

I mainly used my Artisan Explorer alongside my embossing folders as it gives a good image.  The two end pieces were not the usual metal but a much stronger sheet that I have had a long time.  The owl one I heated to give variety in colour.  I like that finish.

The strips you see have been in my drawer for years.  I never have used them until now and when I too them out the backing just dropped off.  I can only presume they were self adhesive at one time.  'Make Me; More than Memories' and 'Kars' are all on the packaging so I am assuming they are from my early days of teaching. 

As the Challenge was "Heavy" Metal I thought I would show you some jewellery I have made using bought pieces of embellishments which might give you some ideas on how you can use up some of those odd pieces you have.  I think the one on the left was done at CHA with Tim Holtz stuff

Just finished off the right one

Cannot find the others I have but if I do find them I will upload them at a later date.  What can you do with your heavy metal embellishments?  Great jewellery - and pull old jewellery to pieces - the two end pieces above are from old jewellery.  Just another idea for this challenge.

Pop along to Artful Times to see what the others have made and look here and the posts below it to see my faux metal class a while ago.  If you still have time this is my favourite metal piece.

WOYWW 251 (don't forget the candy)

To be in with a chance for the candy above you need to leave a comment above unless your name is already in the candy posting.  You should also be a follower.  Drawn at Easter.

Rightio - here we are again - another Wednesday.  Gosh they seem to be happening at a fair rate of knots and it is going to be summer holidays before we can say 'whizz bang'.  This is week 251 for Ms Julia of the stamping ground blogspot who I am sure had no idea when she started it would take off to this extent and run this long.  Congratulations J!!!  Go to her blog for a full explanation if you need it but in the meantime feast your eyes on this desk (which is tidy)

Yep!  I have got the Chemist out again and once more he is puce coloured.  Remember the spooky place I stayed at in Whitby?  Well, I am making a thank you card for him at last.  So that is what I was doing yesterday morning before my friends arrived.  Can you spot something new in my view?  It's always this view but things have changed because I had to add a birthday gift from a very good friend to my stamp room.

Said I had visitors yesterday - Jo and Dave came to see us and brought me my birthday present(s) - the main one was this cover for my chair

 

Isn't that wonderful?  And I have a bag to match but you are not seeing that until it is unveiled on Saturday at Port Sunny (unless Jo features it on her blog today).   Just wish I could sew like Jo!

Jo also took us to The Thai Kitchen near to where we live and we had a lovely meal accompanied by a big big glass of white wine.

 No comments about who has drunk the most wine from her glass please.

 Rightio - off to see what Julia has to say today - have a good (and safe) week.  xx

WOYWW 250 (don't forget to sign up for the give away on the post above)

If you intend signing up for the TH die can I please ask that you do it under the blog above which is solely for it as I can't be relied on to remember all the names of those who want to be included if they are in several places.  Hopefully those who wanted to sign up last week (WOYWW 249) have been mentioned in the blog blurb above.

Well Julia and all you fellow WOYWW'ers - we are at the quarter mark of a millenium.  Congratulations Julia!  That is fantastic to have so many people joining in week by week.  Well done Ma'am!

So here is what I am on about - my desk.  or my workdesk to be precise.  In my craft room there was one tidy space as I have begun the mammoth clearing up ... again.  But ... that was not meant to be for I opened a bag to find all these pages tumbling out from a book I had, made for me by a talented friend Jayne, a while ago when it was one of my birthdays.  Nope they have not been arranged for the camera, this is how they arranged themselves on the counter.

It was a magnificent book with messages and photographs Jayne had collected from my friends over in America.  There is so much work in it and it has been on display on a small table for years but once it started falling to bits I polythene bagged it and now I am going to have to do something with it.  Not saying I will get it exactly as Jayne did but when I have finished it I will show you all (my friend Lorraine is coming today so she can help me - LOL).

Because of the tidying up my dining table has become my temporary workdesk as I just wanted to play with the box maker boards I was dem'ing at weekend for a short while after dinner.  Only had time to do a couple of the candy box ones, three of the square boxes and just cut out a gift bag but not put it together as yet.  The pillow box is still waiting to be unpacked.

The purple and the two cream ones are the square boxes and the candy wrappers are at the back made from an old magazine that I had been saving because I liked the picture.  Knew it would come in handy one day - it is the perfect weight of card for these.  The one on the printed instructions is the gift bag made from scrap book paper.

I want to make lots more and decorate them for the next show I am at which is the one in Leigh (between Wigan and Bolton) the first weekend in April.  If you are not doing anything why not pop along and say "hello" - Note: free tea/coffee with pre-booked tickets.

Arful Times Challenge - Game Pieces

Today we are asking you to enter our challenge using Game Pieces.  Dominoes, Mahjong Tiles, Poker Chips, Jigsaw Pieces, Playing Cards, a Dice - all of these readily spring to mind but I bet there is someone out there who can think of something out of the ordinary and use it to make something.

Well, that is our challenge for the next two weeks on Artful Times Challenge Blog,  We look forward to seeing your entries so pop along to our blog where you will see we have grown.  Yes, we have a new member on our Design Team - a Big Big Welcome goes out to Wendy (Kirk) who has been a loyal follower since day one and has given us some lovely challenge pieces to drool over.

So there is some inspiration from Chrissie, Von and Wendy for you to look at and here is what I did:

looking from front over inwards

other side of pages

I originally made a little book using a large jigsaw piece as my cover and drawing around it to make the pages.  I wanted to get away from my usual colours (and my Distress Inks - Oh NO!) and so I went back to those old favourites - Brilliance Inks.  I used one of the trio ink pads, Aurora, which is yellow, orange and pink, thinking "hot hot" colours for summer.

Then when I found out that Wendy had made a book cover using a jigsaw piece I quickly used some children's dominoes (wooden) to make this little box to put some bits and pieces in.  It is just wooden dominoes painted with Lumiere's Paint, stamped in Stazon and then coloured with white paint.  So simple to glue together.  I have a pink one somewhere that I made years ago and it still stands and has never broken, as yet!

I have left the base so that you can see what the dominoes look like

I hope you enjoy this challenge - please can I remind you to read the Rules and Guidelines to be in with a chance of being our Winner.

WOYWW 249 - picture heavy

Just a quickie as I almost forgot to do a post before I went to bed (it's just gone midnight) as I will probably be up late in the morning now.

Here is a giveaway

and here is a quick showing of what it looks like when used

I am giving this away at Easter to one lucky follower from my 336 followers (not the Bloglovin ones as I haven't a clue how to include them).  If you are a Bloglovin follower and want to be included you can still join in by putting yourself in the old list (I think) now.  Failing that email me please.  Any new followers on the old list will also be included.  Just mention in your comment that you would like to be included in the draw.

Have been away for my birthday and so my desk is bare but here are some little figures I got whilst in Whitby ready for my Configuration Box which I have been wanting to make for simply ages.   Trouble is I have lost my 'skull with rams horns' which I could swear was sat on my other configuration box and now is NOT!

Am really looking forward to starting it but not sure when that will be so watch out for news of it.  In the meantime here are some photos from the Guest House where we stayed in Whitby.

This guy stood outside my bedroom door the whole weekend.  He tried to tempt me with sweeties everytime I went past but I stayed away - there was a coffin next to him and I did not fancy going in there.

 This bat took rather a fancy to me - it was on my bed!

Loved the Gothic mirror in the bedroom

and how about this bedside lamp?

Breakfast by candlelight in the cellar

and no trip to Whitby would be complete without a picture of

The Abbey

or the Whalebone (given by the Municipality of Anchorage Alaska)

That's it for now folks.  Will upload some more pictures and give a bit more blurb about our weekend away - including photos of "Heartbeat" country another day.  In the meantime pop over to see what our lovely Julia has to say and look out for lots of other desks and chit chat.

I'll be working on the Oyster Stamps stand at Harrogate this coming weekend.  If you are going please pop along and say "hello" to me - I would love to meet you.  I'll try to remember to wear my badge.  (See you then Joan)

WOYWW 248

Well, two days ago I decided I was going to seriously tidy my craft room.  This was after I could not find my Sharpies to take to Vicky Stampers with me to show them how to colour dominoes.  Still cannot find them and all I have sorted out are two boxes of Christmas Stamps.  So much for a "grand tidy up"!

Thought I would show you some of the dominoes I took with me to the Club:

At the back you can see an Alice bracelet I once made from dominoes and next to it is an Asian themed bracelet.  Do you remember the domino craze?  If so do you remember how suddenly those bamboo placemats became the latest thing.  We pulled them apart and stamped on them just like we had done with dominoes.  Just below that bracelet is the matching pendant I made.  To the right of that is a wine charm made with a travel domino and to the left is a large square one but I cannot remember where it came from.

Can you see another Alice themed trio?  That was a moment of madness when I used to demonstrate stamping on these game pieces.  Three dominoes joined together to make a hanging pendant with a large stamped image.  Oh how I used to love doing my doms!

But that is not my desk.  Nope!  This is my desk awaiting the magic of the clearing/cleaning fairy.  She keeps promising to come to see us but never arrives.  Wonder if she will make it before the week is out.  No chance this morning as I am having my hair cut - at last. 

Just bags dumped from Saturday, at least one has been emptied but I can't say everything has been put away, in fact it looks as if there is very little back in its hidey hole.

Ah well, maybe some other lovely crafters have been busy crafting or tidying up.  Want to see?  Pop along to Julia's place and see them all listed there.  Go on, you know you want to - grab a chair, have a cuppa and just enjoy.  Oh, and if you join in please please please put your number when you visit others, makes life so much easier to return the comment.