Workshop

This is one of the projects I will be taking with me to America shortly.  Originally I did this with Pat (Chezzie) at one of our workshops at Victoria Stampers and I thought it would be nice to show to my friends when I next go to visit.  I will be doing a one day workshop over there so I asked Chezzie if it would be ok for me to do what she had shown me.

I had stamped these images (the ones on white cardstock) when I was last over there so based my project around them.  As you can see it is a kind of box affair with a lid top and bottom to hold it closed and when you open it there are four little box bases in which to put things - ideal for a little gift with stamping goodies (brads, eyelets, charms etc) inside.  I was going to put lids on the boxes but thought it would take them too long to do this but maybe those who work faster can put lids on theirs.

This view shows the front where the box opens (side to left of photograph)

This shows the other sides

And the final one shows the box open with the little box bases - each one has a red insert in the bottom.  I did think of another variation on this but as I have to prep for a workshop over here I have not had time to work on it as yet.

The idea of the workshop in America came about because I took two "never ending cards" over for my friends so I will be doing one of those as well.  At the moment it is just the mechanics of it that has been done because I want to use their stamps.  Similarly I have done a couple of fancy folded ones as well for those amongst them who are quick.

Ah well, now to my prep for my workshop at Paddy's which is coming up.  At least this snow is making me stay in and work.

Snow - AGAIN

Got up early this morning to find it had been snowing in the night and before too long it was coming down thick and fast.  Reckon we have another 1" - 2" here.  A Police Van was trying to go up the road at the side of our house and he ended up taking it very slowly backing down to level ground.  So far no cars have been able to negotiate it.  What angers me is that people have emptied the grit box for their drives and now there is none for us to grit the road.  It doesn't cost much to buy a bag from B&Q - ah well, they will be stuck in now.

Grumble over!

I have made two cards this morning, one I won't be uploading because it was a Sympathy card for a friend who lost her dad very suddenly the day after her birthday (the day before New Year's Eve).  Liz, I am thinking of you.

The other is a birthday card for a friend who is 21 again on Tuesday.  Last night she rang me and her twin grandsons sang to me.  They are both trying for the Cathedral choir at the moment and they sang like little angels.  I've never heard them sing before - it was magical and I was so touched by the thought.  Anyway, as they are a very musical family what else could I choose for the theme for her card?  Here it is. painted with 16 different shades of brown Twinkling H2O's and with an Alcohol Ink background for the instrument.  Hope she likes it.

Happy New Year

Well, midnight has come and gone and now we are beginning a new year - 2010.  My greatest wish is for peace and harmony and I will leave you with some words that my friend Sue sent me:

We will open the book.  

Its pages are blank.  

We are going to put words on them ourselves.  

The book is called Opportunity and its first 

chapter is New Year's Day.  

~Edith Lovejoy Pierce

Happy Crafting - stay creative in 2010

Thank you all so much for making blogging such a pleasure, your comments and the fact that so many of you have become followers of my blog has meant more than you will ever know.

Grunge Bracelet

Yesterday my friend, Jo, and her lovely husband, Dave, came over for the day.  We were originally going to visit the famous Bury Market but it was a shocking day so Jo brought some of her crafting projects to do and we disappeared into my craft room.

Jo had made some Grungeboard bracelets way back and I had never done one so I set to and with her guidance produced this

Now all I need is some new Grungeboard and I can make lots of them for my friends.

Variation

Made a birthday card for a friend the other day and used the techniques Tim Holtz had used on one of his Christmas Tags (number 5 I think).  This was one of my favourite tags so I just had to try it out again but in a non-Christmas way.

I used plain circle Fragments over clock images.  First of all I coloured my tag with Broken China, Faded
Jeans and Weathered Wood Distress Inks.  Then I stamped the flourish with a Gold Dabber and swiped Black Archival Ink over a script stamp.  (I echoed the flourish on the actual card, again just swiping rather than tapping ink on the stamp).

Next I inked some cream cardstock with Walnut Stain, Brushed Corduroy and Aged Mahogany Distress Ink and stamped three clock faces with Archival Black.  The clock faces were then put behind Fragments with Glossy Accents and stuck on the tag.  The words were produced with my Dymo and I stuck some Gold German Scrap on the top and bottom.  A piece of black ribbon was attached to the tag and the card was assembled.

Hope she likes it.

The Stampman Awards Event

Having taken part in the Blog Candy Hop with The Stampman I then decided to look at my favourite project of the year.  Not easy!

I think I have enjoyed my Journalling most of all even though I have not done any of late (but then my trip to America, flu and Christmas took care of that) but on looking back at what I have done I found it difficult to choose which page was my favourite.

I love the San Francisco one on the 25th August and the one with the opening door the day before.  Then there was the Paris one on the 22nd July and the first one I did with Sarah on the 19th.  Each one brought different feelings but I decided to re-post my Alice one.  This was an entry for a Blade Rubber competition.  A last minute thing because Susie mentioned at the time that she only had two entries.  The theme was "Where I spent my Summer Holidays" so Llandudno sprang to mind with Happy Valley and all the Alice carvings.  I did a page of "Alice" images - I so love Alice in Wonderland images - finding the writing in a circular motion took ages - probably several attempts if I remember rightly.

Anyway, it came in second place, beaten by one vote at the end.  Sadly I could not contact my friends to drum up support as I was away in America at the time but then that would have been cheating afterall.

Here it is:

A lot of work but a favourite page of mine.  Haven't got a clue how to add the award to my sidebar so here it is

Banner Uploaded

Forgot to upload my Banner which I made over the past few weeks on the RSS Challenge.  Made another pennant to make it five in total.  I was a bit stuck as to what to put on it without the guidance of Isa for a list of ingredients and then decided I would use this "Peace" image as that would be my most wished for thing of all.

It looked a bit bland so I searched through my stamps for something to give it more colour and found the dove - perfect - the bird used to symbolise Peace.

Circle and Scallop Circle cut out with my Nestabilities, both images embossed in gold, tiny stars on the bottom and it was ready.  I had managed to get some cord in the Ginger colour so that was just right for my banner and I began attaching them to it.  Then I made some gold bows to go between (think it took me as long to make those fiddly little bows as it did to do the last pennant).

Anyway, here it is, over one of the doorways.

Not perfect spacing between each but I did not have time to try to get it just right - next year it will be - and who knows - maybe more pennants.