WOYWW 441 My Hat

Here we are again, another Wednesday, and sharing it with all the WOYWW'ers out there, and, of course, our instigator Ms Julia, here.

Last week I told you all about my hat I was wearing on Saturday - well, here it is - the full version - lots of pictures, sorry.

close-up of feathers etc

front

necklace & bracelet

bottle & bulb side

Not wanting to wear the hat all day long both Saturday and Sunday (plus Friday night) I made myself an alternative which was a head band with dominoes on (coloured with Oxides and die-cut letters stuck on) and then some silk flowers.  As you can see it was for Remembrance Weekend.  Unfortunately I left it on my worktable at home but this is it

 it looks good when worn

If you want to see some pictures from my weekend showing me dressed up in my hat you need to look at my blog yesterday.  It also has pictures of the two projects we did, one with Andy Skinner and one with Antonis Tzanidakis.  Loved every minute of the weekend.

Now to my desk.  I am making some more samples for my demo on Sunday at Leigh which will be in the Greyhound Hotel on the East Lancs.  I will be showing some different techniques with the Distress Oxides and hope that I manage to get some interest in purchasing them.

That's it folks - (not a lot of writing Julia)

WOYWW 440

Once again we are here to celebrate another Wednesday with Ms Julia and her faithful band of followers showing our desks whether in a state of utter chaos or tidiness - and maybe sharing a project or two.  Do feel free to join us here.

My desk this week has yet another UFO on it, this time from a workshop I attended on Saturday at AftH with Sandra as the tutor.  Sandra does lovely handwriting in her Journals and she was going to show us how to do something similar.  It was good - she took me out of my comfort zone and made me write BIG.

Here is a peek at the work we did:

And the reason it has not been worked on this week, apart from the fact that I have been spending time with my other half is that I am going away at weekend to the Mixology Retreat with Andy Skinner (my fave Mr Rust/Skull/Steampunk/You Name It Man) and I have been adding some more touches to my hat.  Sorry I am not showing you anything but one side - there is a story - I wanted to add some bullets but have not been successful in finding any, replica ones of course, and so I decided to make some from polymer clay.  Not showing you!  If you will pardon the terminology they look like golden 'willies'.  Even had Shaz on the lookout for me - thanks Shaz and Doug, still no joy.

So I have added a bit of glass.

Two bulbs and a glass bottle

I will take some photos of it next week to share with you but don't want it to be on the internet until after Saturday.  It does have rather a long feather on the other side but I stick that in at the last minute as I fear it might get bent.

Well, that is it, I will go and nurse my poor fingers that suffered with the awl putting the brads in the leather band.  Might even be on the sewing machine later ... but what will I make?

See you soon.

And Now it is a Big Girl's Birthday

Happy Birthday Sam!  Hope you find lots and lots to spend your money on at The Dome.

Before I left for my holiday Sam told me she was going to The Dome which, unfortunately, is scheduled for the same time as the Lincoln Show by Sincerely Yours.  I know which one I would have chosen and Sam would have visited that one too had I been going.

Still a week in Cleethorpes is just pipped to the post by my holiday in Cyprus - I have so missed the sunshine, yet again, with our miserable summer.  Didn't schedule this post to have a whinge about the weather so here is my card for Sam.

A large Kraft card

Knowing Sam likes Kraft card I thought I would use that for the backdrop to my birthday card to her this year, and knowing she likes Stampotique I just had to use one of their images.  A third thing she likes is Steampunk, hence the mask I have used and finally we all know she just loves anything and all things "Green".  Think she also likes Distress Inks so I used a few of my greens on here.

Sorry about the image Sam, it just made me think of you so I gave it blonde hair - thought of you earlier in the year when you had a "peg leg" encased in pot.  You don't look a bit like her, honest.

Now I had better run and duck and maybe not open my emails in case she is giving me a blasting.

Happy Birthday Sam.

More Lovelies Received

Mr Mojo is being forced back to here because of birthdays that are coming up but I will finish off with some more good wishes I received - these are all scheduled posts to give me chance to maybe make something myself.

Here are two tags that Sam sent to me - I got an envelope of goodies from Sam didn't I?

Sam knows I love Paris and I think she pulled out the stops with this one.  I love those two additional pieces she mounted - think I might NEED them myself.

Just check out the wobbly clock face at the top - I just love this charm!  Such a shame the chain holding the three cogs/wheels kept moving on the scanner bed but I think you get the picture.  Obviously a favourite theme of mine and what a lot of thought went into this one.

A Bit More Punk

Just a quick post today - I have been messing about with tags recently and thought I would show you this completed one which I did the other day.

It was actually a week or so ago that I cut the tag from some mountboard and messed about throwing UTEE on in Gold, Bronze and Silver and stamping into it whilst it was still warm.  I love doing that. The thicker you get it and the better the impression - love when it really oozes up between the lines of the stamp.  Went a bit OTT in some areas but I really enjoyed messing, it was pure fun.  Then I went over it with my new black Dabber and rubbed most of it off but it kind of dulled the shine down and sunk in between the grooves.

Then I got this Twiddley Bitz scroll that has been hanging around my workdesk since forever and dabbed some black on that as well.  A few cogs, some bits of old watch, a clock face (Sir Tim type) a pen nib (Chas's dad used to be a signwriter and so I have a few) and a button with the shank sawn off and the tag is complete.

Not 100% sure what I think of it - it is so dark.  Ah well - I will upload it and let you see it.

Time

Well, if you have come here from Artful Times you will have realised that I completely forgot about this piece and was working busily on another one.  Stressed?  Me?  No, just all my fingers in different pies at the one time.

We decided (Von, Sam and Moi) that we would take it in turns to decide on a theme.  Think I had it in my head that I had gone first so was happily not doing my "Time" piece when I got a nudge and promptly got it done.

It worked two ways actually as I had the Spellbinders Jewel Goddess die from Tracey at Oyster Stamps as a kind of challenge to see what I could make from it.  Not seen what the other DT Members of Oyster Stamps have done with it yet but it should be interesting.  I've actually had several pieces in the pipeline, ie inside my head, and some on the board in various stages of undress.  Time to share one of them with you.

I cut out the largest size on a piece of lightweight greyboard using my Grand Calibur, painted it with Toad Hall Fresco Paint and then cut out the smaller one and painted that with Honeydew and then Guacamole. The board did not need embossing as the pattern was well imprinted on account of the board being fairly thick.  Please do NOT try this at home, you will invalidate the warranty on your machine if you try to put something through which is too thick unless you have a very lightweight greyboard.  (I also tried cutting some of these shapes on mountboard but there was no way I would risk my machine with such a hard board as that - I ended up using cereal packets for my other pieces, [which are still not finished] and sticking two of them together - you might be better off doing that.  I have found that greyboard comes in different weights, just as cardstock does and I did have a very lightweight piece).  I then sanded lightly to take off some of the top colour on the smaller one.

Next I used the Spellbinders Sprightly Sprockets to make some of the elements to use on my figure.  These were made with core card and lightly sanded to continue with the distressed look.  A top hat (printed from the internet) ... and then what?

I made a tag from mountboard, coloured it with various "brown" dies from my Distress Inks, a little stamping on the tag, piece of bandage coloured with my Distress Inks through the hole at the top and Voila! There was my "Time Lady" - apparently there was one way back in the Doctor Who series - do you remember her?

So there you see my 14" high tag my piece for the Design Team on Artful Times.  I do hope if you just came here to begin with you go and check out what Sam and Von have done for this challenge - and I hope you join in.  Doesn't have to be anything in particular, apart from sticking with the Time theme, Von has done a card and Sam a postcard.

See you another day with yet another of my Jewel Goddess pieces. xx

Steampunk Song - you must follow this link

Just been on my friend, Sam's blog, and she has this Steampunk Song on it.  It is brilliant - from You Tube and absolutely fab.

Follow this link to Sam's blog and be sure to leave her a comment for showing it to you.

 http://sam21ski.blogspot.com/2011/12/call-it-steampunk-video.html

Cheers!

Steampunk It Is

Following on with the Free Theme on JFF this week it is my choice and I chose Steampunk.  I should think by now that most of you will have seen lots of it about and have some ideas on what you can produce.   I have quite a few things on my blog that are Steampunk related and my passion with this began when Sarah did a workshop at Paddy's many many moons ago.

Sarah did lots of research and came up with this taken from Wikipedia

"Steapunk is a subgenre of fantasy and speculative fiction that came into prominence in the 1980's and early 90's.  The term denotes works set in an era or world where STEAM POWER is still widely used. Usually the 19th Century, and often set in Victoria era England - but with prominent elements of either science fiction or fantasy, such as fictional technological inventions like those found in the works of HG Wells and Jules Verne."

For my entry this week I decided to make a few tags, not normal sized ones but teeny weeny ones that fit into a matchbox.  Well, not that teeny weeny but still small.

This view shows the matchbox open with the tags inside.  I coloured the wrapping on the box with Rusty Hinge and Walnut Stain and then used Black Soot on the edges to give it a grungy look.

This next view shows the inside cover - as you can see I used some metal which was double embossed to provide the inside cover.  The tags all have part or whole images on them (my Steampunk stamps are quite large) and they hold together with a brad.

The final photograph shows the front of the matchbox - you can see that the drawer has a brad in it to make a handle so you can pull it open to access the tags.  All the tags have a word on the back of them that I think fits in with the theme "Steampunk".

It's a normal tiny sized matchbox (Jo asked in comments below)

Hope this has given you an insight into what you can do and that you enter into the Challenge - afterall it is Just for Fun!

Steampunk Album

I decided to upload my Steampunk Album via Video as I thought it would be better for you all to see.  Not sure now I have viewed it so may add some photographs.  At least I am talking you through it but a  little annoyed as my head has got on the film and I didn't want to be on at all - not in the state I am in tonight!!!

Anyway, here it is

Think I had better get some photos taken as well and then you can see it better - sorry about that - afraid Chas will not be taking over from David Lean!

Sorry about all that folks - hope you get the picture with both still and movie!

Just For Fun - Shaping Up

"Shaping Up" is the theme Von chose for this month and this week we are looking at Circles.

I thought of using some circular beer mats to make a book but didn't have the time to decorate lots of pages, so then I thought of a wall hanging using CD's - no, did that not long ago (well one cd anyway).  Next thought was a round card but I had had one on only a week or so ago - dilemma.  Then the lightbulb went on and I used my new Grand Calibur to make a large circle from mountboard.

Out came my Vagabond and I cut some gears - now where was that cork?  Couldn't find it - not to worry (guess what, found it a few days too late).  I love Steampunk but rarely do it so set off stamping some of my Steampunk collection on the main circle.  Then I stuck some gears on and finally some letters.

Here it is:

I used Distress Inks to colour the background (Tea Dye and Vintage Photo), my letters were cut from a Spellbinders Die and my gears were cut out of Grungeboard.  I used either Crackle Paint or Distress Ink Powders on my gears and that is it.  My DT entry for this week at Just for Fun.

Hope you can join us at Just for Fun this week and have just that - "Fun" in creating something circular.  Wonder what shape it will be next week?

Final M&T

I don't think we will get chance to do more than the three Make & Takes I had planned but I will have some more in my bag just in case.  Sorry, for those not following, I am talking about the Vicky Stampers Christmas Party next Saturday (hope I can make it - it has just started snowing here).

There is also a Christmas Hat making event on.  This was an original idea from Paul which Jo took and extended into what it is now.  Basically we all have had to pick a theme for our hat and we are now in groups of four.  Each persons hat will go around to everyone in the group for them to add something to it.  What they will look like in the end is nobody's guess!  Should be fun.  Hopefully I will be able to upload some of the photos next week.

As well as that we have the annual present giving - we each buy something not more than £5, wrap it up and we all get given a gift.  Anyway, this is the final M&T I have prepared.

A small atc holder from one sheet of paper (12" x 12"):

Two samples closed

One open with the ATC's

Hope they all get to make each of them - even if only to get the idea of how to do it.

Just One Quick One

Been to Vicky Stampers today - making backgrounds and turning them into a paperbag book (well some did, I got two pages done - too busy nattering).  More another day on that one - but it was a fab workshop led by Ann.

Anyway, up early this morning, couldn't sleep beyond 5.30 am (doh) so made another card for tomorrow for my friend Ali.  Not sure what she will make of them all but I did give it a go for her.

Just plain white cardstock, image stamped and embossed, mounted on black diamond and a tissue flower.  All stamps are (guess?) Paperartsy.  The blue bits are the cardstock I stood up in order to photograph the card.

That's it for now, off to bed - early start tomorrow and need to be alert, bright eyed and bushy tailed.

WOYWW 69

That time of the week again - the lovely Julia, over on The Stamping Ground, will be encouraging us all to show what is on our desks again.  Trouble is that mine is so small an area (why do I have so much stuff?) that it seems to be the same view each week.  Stood back a bit today though and got a bigger view.  All those containers stacked up contain my mounted stamps.  The brown ones hold some ribbons, lace, cord etc.

I've made another card for my friend using some Paperartsy stamps, those red, black and cream boxes are some of the ones I store some of my um's in and three of them belong to Paperartsy stamps.  If we go in closer I can show you one or two things:

This is my new Distress Ink Box (the proper silver one), courtesy of my friend Jayne, she is a love.  Behind it is my index system (that clear domed lid) where I write my supplies down in pencil on the cards and where I have put them.  Saves lots of time when I want something and don't want to go through all the drawers, boxes etc to find it - just because I cannot remember.  The clear flat box, straining itself, is where I store my new Distress Ink colours.  This is handy because I store the foam squares on the top and the whole thing fits just beneath the counter.  I looked for another one but never found  one the right depth.  Now, thanks to Jayne, I can stop looking.

To the right of this picture is my favourite alphabet set (Hero Arts) and then my heat gun stand.  This was made for me a few years ago by 'Ronnie' who has since passed away and although I have always loved it it now means so much more to me than a wooden stand.  In the window sill is my spinner (really a wine thing - courtesy of Jayne again), my tiny button container, my misters and my bird that still is not finished.  You can see I have put my box made on the Elements weekend in the sill as well.

Remember me saying, the other day, that I had let rip - well, it was to cover this mask.  Mo did a class at Victoria Stampers and I had this as an extra so finally got it finished - well almost.  Still got to decorate it but at least it is now covered in the papers.  Here's a closeup.  You can see the false eyelashes waiting to go on it but I also want some "bling" and haven't decided on a colour yet.  I never got to see the one Olive made at the Club but I do know she was going to put false eyelashes on it.  I believe it was fantastic!

 My last picture of my desk is actually to the right of it, on the wall. Jayne gave me some clear boxes which stack on top of one another - ideal for my flowers so a re-hash of the stamp room was called for which is why it looks quite tidy in the other photographs.

Well, that's it for today folks.  Now to go and snoop around to see what others have on their desks.  But ... before you go I will just show you the card I was making

Cuttlebug folder background, various Distress inks sponged on.  Tim Holtz die-cut cogs sponged with Brilliance Copper and then Distress Inks.  Alphabet, Hero Arts, black embossed letters, black and smudges around edges and stuck on in relief.  Main image embossed on textured cardstock to give a Grungey look, Glossy Accents on dial above head, car restamped and added and Grungeboard wing done in Crackle Paint and gone over with Brilliance Copper.  The whole thing is mounted on black, copper and then black main card.

I tried to keep within the rule of three's for once when making this card.

Go 3-Dimensional (Which One to Use)

Over on Gingersnap Creations there is another Challenge - "Go 3-Dimensional" so whilst I was doing my beads yesterday (which could have also been entered for this challenge) I made some other pieces.

I have always liked the mold for this head and the head-dress with the additional little pieces and thought it about time I made a pendant with it.

First of all I made the face with skin tone polymer clay and then I used black for the head-dress and the two 'dangly' bits.  When I had fired them all I coloured the head-dress with Perfect Pearls in a mixture of blue/green/lilac and added some gold.  Then I drew on the features with permanent markers.

Here she is - mounted on a card stamped with Non Sequitur images, ready for me to give to one of my friends who happens to like this kind of thing.  She can easily remove the pendant as it is only stuck on with a foam buddy.

Steampunk

This is my (dismal) attempt at a Steampunk pendant - maybe I could cover the holes and use it on the cover of my Steampunk Journal.  First of all I rolled a flat piece of clay through my pasta machine, fired it and then coloured with Alcohol Inks.  Stamped on it using Stazon with a Paperartsy stamp and stuck on some of those bits from the various watches I had been dismantling.  Now I wish I had made it chunkier but maybe next time - or maybe I should try Steampunk on a domino.

My final photograph shows some bits and pieces I made using up my clay that I had conditioned (like 25 times through the pasta machine).  The heads are for a project which is "work in progress" and has been in my head and on my desk for ages.  Big project - need to get my head going and get it finished.

The African head is a pendant, along with the two smaller ones for ear-rings, that I am sending to a friend in America.  She is always making bits and pieces for me and I need to return the favour.

So one of the top two (Steampunk or Card with Head)  is my entry for the Gingersnap Challenge.  Not sure which one but I will only put one in thumbnails and they can see my attempts at 3D (hope this counts as there is no papercrafting).

Phineas (Steampunk)

First of all may I say "welcome" to my new followers.  It is lovely to see so many people bookmarking my blog.  Thank you all, new and old, for becoming followers.

A couple of posts ago I showed you the beginnings of my Steampunk Journal I did with Sarah.  Well I have been busy undoing old watches to collect some cogs and wheels and now need to visit some charity shops for alarm clocks for larger pieces.  In the meantime I have been on the computer looking for pictures I can use in my journal.

What to do with them until I decide where they are going was my dilemma.  If I put them just in a cupboard I will not remember where they are so I set to and decorated a Project we had done with the talented Gill at Vicky Stampers.  We had made this 'kind of concertina file' with envelopes and, because I 'yacked' a lot, I did not get mine decorated.  Decided it was my prototype and didn't need decorating.  Well, suddenly yesterday the light went on and I thought of decorating it to hold my cuttings.

Here it is (and Phineas had to be featured again)

this is it closed

First of all I changed the colour using my Distress Inks in various shades of brown - so many I cannot remember what I really did use.  Love my Distress inks.  I wanted to make it stay closed as the top kept open showing the base of the envelopes so I hit upon the idea of using a couple of Grungeboard hinges.  Painted them and the lock and key with Dabbers and attached them with TH brads.  The lock has a magnet underneath it so that the flap closes as well.

This is it open

At the very top of the triangular piece is a watch cog which allows the magnet to hold it fast.  You actually turn the whole wallet over to get to the inside of the envelopes.  I won't bore you with a picture of them but if you go to my friend Jo's blog you can see how she decorated hers and her inside shot shows the lovely tags she made (mine has only images inside remember).

I haven't decorated the back, am going to make a pocket on the back of it to hold my little Steampunk Journal.  That's another project in itself and not worth showing anyway as it probably won't be decorated.

Heard from Jennie at The Artistic Stamper, that she has tracked down the stamp of Phineas and his 'mate' so I have just sent for them and now I can have Phineas and the other guy whenever I want them.  She might have more if you are interested.

Steampunk Journal

At the end of July I took a workshop with Sarah A when we did a Steampunk Journal.  This was not any ordinary journal - we actually made our own book from an old (unloved and destined for the tip) book.  Thanks Sarah, it was a great idea.

Sarah A was on the workshop (confused?  It was a different Sarah A) and eleven days later she put up her lovely work that she had done.  Shame on me - mine was still the same - but I had been thinking about it - getting nowhere - but thinking about it.

The other two people on the workshop were Sue and Cynthia and today Cynthia called round and showed me her progression.  That was the spur I needed and so here is what I have done to date:

This is my first page.  You can hardly see it but it was already stamped with a "This book belongs to ...." and so in scrawly writing I wrote "Phineas Pinchbeck".  That's Phineas on the right.  I love that stamp, I covet it, and my friend Mo has it.  I do wish I could track him down.  I WANT THAT STAMP!  And his friend!

Do you like the fingerprints?  I thought that would make the book look even more old and dirty.

 The second page begins the story of Phineas and his journey.  Originally I stamped lots of travel things on but thought it was too crowded so when my friend Mary sent Chas a birthday card with this train on I decided to steal it (only done that tonight) and block out some of my stamping.  This shows that Phineas is going to travel on various modes of transport when he begins his journey.

On the opposite side there is a torn vellum page with a couple of things stamped on and you can see that the next page has more things on but they are muted with the overlay of vellum.

The third set of pages has some torn out text on which I found by accident but thought it appropriate for he and his lady love saying goodbye as he set off.  You might just about read them (or click on it to expand the picture in another window)

On the right hand side is a small set of pages.  This has been run through the Cuttlebug with the ruler and then inked over.  You can just see the inside right hand page peeking out which has a map of London - showing the road from Paddington to Islington.  The left inside page, which you cannot see, has some luggage stamped on it but I won't upload that one.

That is more or less it.  I have one or two things on other pages but they are not completed as yet and I need to think carefully about my story.

It's been great fun, is going to be even more fun and I am really looking forward to getting to grips with those cogs and wheels and all things Steampunk.

I just wish someone would make a die with small cogs and wheels as I like the look and feel of texture and raised images.