My finished Goldwork piece

 

Not the best photo but I think you can see the finished item Okay. I still have to stretch and mount it so that it can be framed. I really enjoyed doing this and it refreshed my memory as it has some time since I was taught at the Royal School of Needlework at Hampton Court Palace. Next I am going to do a Silk Shading piece to refresh those skills as well.

Surviving Covid 19 Restrictions

I hope that all my friends and followers are well both physically and mentally and that this pandemic has not had too much effect on your lives.

What a strange time we are living in, fighting a war on a virus we know little about with no ammunition to fight it with. For the first time since I moved away from there I am thankful that I no longer live in London, or any other big town when I think about it. In fact, we moved from King's Lynn to a quiet village just as the Lockdown happened. So although we have not had time to make friends locally we are in an isolated position where we can live a near normal life. Being disabled and with a husband who is over 70, we are able to get a weekly slot for our supermarket shopping to be delivered and we are very grateful for the privilege.

For Christmas my husband had bought me an online Goldwork class from the Royal School of Needlework. I did not start it immediately because I knew we were moving and I wanted to keep it until we were settled and I could give the work my full attention. I have been working on it on and off for the past 4 weeks and this is my progress thus far.

I will post a photo of the finished piece as soon as it is done. I know I have done Goldork before but I thought that this would be a nice little refresher class and it has indeed re-fired my enthusiasm for the technique and embroidery as a whole.

Create Art

This is a piece I have created for Liza's Design Team. Although it may look quite simple there was actually quite a lot that went into it. Unfortunately, I can not get a good picture of the finished item. When we moved my mini photo studio got packed away and I have not found it yet. I hope by breaking down the processes you will be able to see the work that went into this.

I started with a 5 x 7 canvas board, I don't often use this type of base so it was a challenge to me to begin with. Although they are supposed to be gesso primed I always give my canvases a coat of my gesso anyway so that was my first step.

I had no idea of what I was going to do when I started this project but I thought I would do things a little differently than I usually do. I opened up my draw of acrylic paints and pulled out three colours I liked together. A lime green, a turquoise and an aqua. I just added them to the canvas and blended them together. I thought the colours looked a bit flat so I sprayed a clear sparkle on top just to lighten it.

My next step was to add some texture to the background, normally I do this first and add the colour afterwards. I used the stencil that Liza sent me in my DT box but I did not have a stencil paste or texture paste in a colour I thought worked with the background paint. So I used some of the paste and gold mica from my DT box and mixed them to make a gold stencil paste.

Next I decided to use the chipboard piece. I considered painting it but then remembered the gold leaf we had been sent. I used size to adhere the gold leaf to the chip board. Once it is dry you can use a dry brush to remove the excess gold leaf and bring out the detail. Remember to brush off the excess into a container so you can use it in another project.

As the project was taking on a steampunk look I picked out some metal pieces from the DT box. The large butterfly I covered with 2 coats of green wax to give it a bit of a patina. I lifted the top set of wings to give it dimension and added the light bulb charm to the centre to represent the body. I then added the clock to the bottom of the piece to balance it. I decided that somethings needed help to stand out from the background so I added a black outline around the chipboard piece and the clock.

Lastly I added the words 'Create Art'. I painted them with the turquoise paint and highlighted with gold paint. Sorry this picture is not very good but it shows the wording better than the top photo. So as you see, even a small canvas can have a lot of steps to complete it but it is worth it in the end.

Altered Artists Palette

I have been honored by the owner of Liza's Craft Shop and made a member of her Mixed Media Design Team. I have found a love for the free spirit of Mixed Media technique which I did not think I would as I am not keen on getting messy.

This Altered Artists Palette is the first official piece I have produced for her using some products from her Face Book shop. The palette itself has texture on it created by using modelling paste through a stencil I received in Liza's first Mixed Media box.

I created the ombre effect by using 3 colours of Tattered Angels Ink Spray, those and the angel charm and word were again from the Mixed Media box. The frame and straws were from my stash.

Once the palette was finished it just seemed to me that it needed something else and by accident I laid it down on a canvas I was working on and I was inspired by the effect. So I pulled out a canvas, added background texture and coloured and added the palette to it. Now I am happy with the piece and I am satisfied that it is complete.

Dreamer

Here is my latest piece of Mixed Media work. This canvas is influenced by the artist Finnabair whose work I love but this is the first time I have tried the style.

The design is made up of many layers, some of which are hardly seen in the finished product but they all add to the final effect.

The first layer consists of rows of flat lace glued to the canvas to give a textured background. On top of that chip board letters and shapes are glued to give a base on which to put the photograph

The photo is added next and when it came to choosing a photo I did not want to use a photo of myself the way Finnabair uses photo's of herself in her work. Instead I printed out a suitable vintage photo from a collection I have.

Once the photo was in place I built up trinkets around it. I used all sorts of bits and pieces, clock parts, buttons, paper flowers, metal shapes, sea shells, bits of broken jewellery etc.

Once I was happy with the composition I used blue, turquoise, verdigris and pearl spray paints. Building up the colour in layers until I was happy with the effect.

It was a lot of work but well worth while.

Altered Bottle

         

                                                                       
This started life as a boring brown beer bottle, it is my first attempt at an altered bottle and I am very pleased with it.

I started my covering the while thing in black gesso, I gave it two coats to ensure the glass was properly covered. Next I used a mix of spray inks to colour the bottle. I used the blue first and then the other colours over that, I then added a coat of clear crackle to get the aged effect I was after. Finally, once the crackle had done it's thing, I used a metallic wax in places to give some accents.

When it came to decorating the bottle I first applied a piece of blue sparkled net. It is difficult to see in the main  picture but can be seen a bit better in the close up below. I topped this with a variety of mulberry paper flowers, beads, a glass spray and some gold wire.

Evermore

I wanted to share with you a canvas I made with some of the contents from my May Craft Box. I am so pleased with these boxes, the contents is such good value and excellent quality.

I used an 8x8 canvas and started by stenciling the heart and the floral designs with paste. I then layered up the colour, added the tissue and spritzed with iridescent. I then added the embellishments, flowers and word.

New Craft Trolly

I have been gathering a lot of mixed media supplies and I decided it was time to get something to store them all together in. You probably think I am mad but I bought a big metal tool chest, the type usually seen in garage repair shops. When I bought it it looked like this but without the decals (They come separate so you can put them on or not as you wish)

  But, a couple of cans of spray paint and some stencils later and it looked like this

I am really pleased with how it turned out. It has 5 draws, a compartment under the lid and a large compartment at the bottom that I am putting baskets in to hold my taller bottles. Now I can have all my paints and mixed media supplies right on hand when I am working and I don't have to keep running back and forth to get things.

PaperArtsy Canvas

A couple of weeks ago I was lucky enough to get the last place on a workshop by Emma Godfrey from PaperArtsy, put on by the lovely ladies at Craftylicious. We made a set of cards in the morning and the canvas above was what we did in the afternoon session.

Emma really gives you the confidence to use colour in layers and to keep building up the layers until you are happy with the result. One of the things I loved about the workshop was that although we were all given the same basic supplies and instructions every canvas produced was so different from all the others. I learnt some new techniques and picked up a couple of tips so all in all it was a good day.

Sea Theme Canvas

I have had my 'Craft Box' for a couple of weeks now and have been playing with the contents. As I said, everything in the box is excellent quality and there is so much of it that it took me a while to settle on a design for my main project. However I finally settled on a plan and came up with this.

I really enjoyed making this, I am finding mixed media a lot easier than I thought I would. Previously I have always made pieces that are more constrained and I did not know how I would handle the free flow of mixed media work. However I need not have worried because as soon as I had started tearing and sticking paper and slapping on 'Grunge paste' I started to relax and enjoy the process. In fact the problem I had was knowing when to stop, it is so easy to keep adding layers of colour and texture.

Craft Box

I was reading my March issue of 'Craft Stamper' a few weeks back when I came across the advert for 'Craft Box' and I thought ''what a lovely idea, I need to investigate this further.'' The idea is that once a month, for a set price , you receive a box containing 15 craft products, all based on a theme. The products can be used for scrapbooking, card making, mixed media or anything else you can think of. You can buy a single box, a continuing subscription or a 3 or 6 month subscription, the boxes are reasonably priced so I treated myself to a three month subscription. I have just received my first box, Aprils, which has a sea theme and I must say I am very impressed. All the products are of excellent quality and there is more than sufficient to do two or three projects. The lady who owns the company, Anna, also does video craft sessions giving you ideas on how to use the contents of your box. The one shown below is an example of her work. At the bottom of this post I have also added a link to her webpage where you can get more information if you would like it. I am going to delve into the box and come up with my own project and hope to post that here soon.

                                
                                       Project using the April Craft Box by Anna

Craft Box

My Latest Purchase

My friend has opened up a craft shop and I was passing near there today so I dropped in to say hello and she had just taken delivery of a shipment of these ...

and of course I just had to have one.

For anyone who does not know what it is, this is We R Memory Makers Newest toy tool. What it does is cuts and/or seals photo pages so that you can add flaps for your photo's and pockets to keep all those precious bits and pieces safe. For card makers you can make embellishments and shaker cards with it like this...

Thank you to Tracy Kymona for the example.

I have not had time to play with it yet as I have a commission I need to finish first but boy is that giving me incentive to get my project done at soon as I can...lol

If you would like to know more about the fuse there are some good videos on You Tube, I will post some projects using it just as soon as I can.

Blog New Look

I would like to thank Sharon at Plumrose Lane for helping me makeover my blog. It looks so much better now, something I am happy for everyone to see. Sharon has the loveliest graphic designs for blogs and her prices are very reasonable. She will even install it all for you if you do not feel brave enough to tackle all those code changes yourself. I am very happy with the way my blog looks for now but I think I may invest in one of her seasonal themed bundles for Christmas. Why don't you do yourself a favour and go along to her webpage and have a look at what she has on offer. you won't regret it. I know I don't. Thank you again Sharon.

Moonflower Sakura Maiden

I have recently discovered Moonflower Digistamps created by the artist Andreia Silva. Here I have used one of her Oriental images 'Sakura Maiden' and I have coloured her with pencils which is a change from my usual Promarkers. The gold paper she is mounted on is from my stash and the backing paper is from the DCWV Mariposa stack. The flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts, the stamp had flowers drawn at the bottom but I removed them and replaced them with these Mulberry paper ones. The butterfly and tag are also from my stash.

I now have a new computer with the photo manipulation program I like loaded on it and my camera has a new battery and is now working so I have no excuse for not keeping up my blog from now on. I just hope that there are people out there in blog land that will like my work because that is what makes this all worthwhile.

Valentines

I am getting back into the swing of things now and I thought I would share one of the Valentine cards I made. I apologise for the poor photograph but my computer crashed so I had to get a new one and I have not set up my photo publishing programs on it yet.

So back to the card: All the elements are from the Stampin Up range, For the base I have used Smokey Slate card and the banners are cut with 3 sizes of the Banners dies from 'Stacked With Love' Designer Series Paper Stack paper. The hearts are from Cherry Cobbler card and Red Glimmer Paper using the Sweetheart punch. The word 'Love' is cut from gold foil paper with a die from the 'Éxpressions' Thinlits set

I have a couple more Valentines cards that I plan to share with you over the next couple of days, I hope you enjoy them.

Brodie

Today we had to say goodbye to our dear dog Brodie after 5 happy years as part of our Family.

Brodie came to us from the Dogs Trust and had been a stray so we don't know exactly how old he was when we got him but their Vet put him at 10years old. So that would make him about 15, a very old boy for an English Springer Spaniel but it is still very hard when you lose them. He was not in a very healthy condition when the Dogs Trust took him in and the Vet had to remove one of his kidneys and a lot of his teeth. He was also understandably underweight, even when he came home with us he still had weight to gain but it did not take him long to come up to a healthy weight. After that we had to watch that he did not get overweight.

Brodie loved his toys and his newest one was always his favourite. He was the best natured dog I have ever known. He loved people, especially children. When we lived in Mildenhall we were near a school and on occasion I had to drag him away when he joined in with a class having a sports lesson on the playing field. He had also tried to join in a Cricket match one time which was not thought funny by the players. He was friendly with other dogs he met on his walks and was gentle with and accepting of our other pets.

 Our Maine Coon cat Oscar loved Brodie and would sleep with him and wash him. Brodie loved us all but he loved his Daddy most of all. When we first had him he would get up in my Husbands lap, which was funny because he was not a small dog. We will all miss Brodie very much, he was a good companion. We don't know what his life was like before he came to us but we are only glad that we were able to make his last few years happy and comfortable.

Happy New Year and New Year Resolutions

Happy New Year everyone. It was my New Year resolution to make the effort to restart my Blog and keep it going but my plans have been foiled from the very start. Instead of enjoying the first day of 2015 I spent the day nursing my sick Gambian Pouched Rat but despite all my efforts he died in my arms last night.

He was the last of my rats and so for the first time in about twelve and years we do not have any pet rats. It is such a strange feeling not having to feed and secure the rats for the night.  Rats make wonderful pets and I will miss them.

So here I am, a day late, writing the first post of 2015 and I will try to post on a more regular basis for the rest of the year.

Christmas Card Club

Can you believe it's October already!!! Well, as it is the 1st Thursday of the month that means that it is Christmas Card Club night in the Stoke Ferry Village Hall.

If you don't know what that is I will explain it for you. During each two hour class you will make eight Christmas cards, two each of four designs. You will take your cards home with their matching envelopes so you can write them out and keep them safe ready to be posted the first week of December. So much easier than having to do them all at one time.

If you would like to join in  the fun, all I ask is that you let me know you are coming before the class date so that I have enough kits prepared for everyone

I'm Back

I can't believe it has been a year since I posted on here!

So where have I been. Well, the biggest thing is that we moved house. Although we moved to a smaller house I now have a Craft Room which is wonderful, or it will be once I get everything unpacked and put away. It is so nice having everything in the same room. I have to get some blinds for the windows in there, I will need blinds bigger than generally available so that means having them custom made. Why does everything always have to cost the most possible...lol

I have been busy crafting as well, which is what keeps me from going mad from boredom and daytime TV! I have started selling what I make at craft fairs, I don't earn a lot but I do it for the social side as much as anything.

Well. I am going to leave it there but will post on a  more regular basis from now on.

A Little Off Topic

I was watching the news last night when a report came on about the proposed Badger cull. The reporter announced that by killing 70% of ALL Badgers, Bovine TB could be reduced by just 16% over 4 years! I had to back the program up and play it again to check what I had heard I was so stunned. How can killing an animal, who we should remember is a protected animal (Protection of Badgers Act 1992) to near extinction for so little benefit be logical. 

When the Government wanted to control TB in humans it introduced the BCG injection. The TB vaccine for cattle has proven to be between 56% and 68% effective but it cant be used because of existing EU legislation! Madness in my opion, utter madness.

I have provided the following links so that you can see for yourself the facts and figures and then please sign the petition.

Protection of badger Act 1992
The Badger Trust
defra.gov.uk/bovine-tb-vaccination
League Against Cruel Sports

*Important. If you do nothing else, Please sign this e-petition