Sunday Stampers and a Playday

Check out Hels' blog for more info on the Sunday Stampers challenge.  This week the theme is 'green'.  I've done a canvas and am rather pleased with the way it's turned out.  After doing the background, including the hearts I couldn't decide at first on a focal point, then hit on the idea of doing a felt tree - this was the 2nd attempt!  I sewed a piece of fabric on the back of the tree, stuffed it then added beads and buttons.  I've used some micro beads and puff paint for texture and painted over both as I didn't have any suitably coloured micro beads.  For the stamping (the clue is in the title - Sunday Stampers) I've used an Anna Griffin flourish and a text stamp.

On Wednesday we had a playday at a friends - Ann at Flutterby Crafter (you can Ann's on her blog)  We had a wonderful time crafting, chatting, laughing and eating.  We made a canvas with metal pieces which we embossed - we cheated with most of the embossing by using embossing folders run through the Big Shot ;-)  These were mounted onto mountboard.  We painted the the canvas board then added the metal pieces.  I made the curly hanger today which I coloured with a Marvy Metallic pen then went over with a Krylon Red Shimmer leafing pen 'cos the Marvy one was too pink.

The doll is done!

Well! nearly 2 weeks since I posted anything.  I decided to try not spending so much time on the PC for a week 'cos once I get on I spend an awful lot of time here and that's great if I have the time; which I do; and I'm enjoying it, but you know sometimes you just feel that you should be being more productive.  I've finished a doll I was working on.  As I was going to the doll group yesterday I wanted to get it done.  Speaking of the doll group I'm in the process of setting up a blog as we did originally have a website but as it's now lapsed we thought it would be easier to set up a blog.  I offered to do it as Chris who runs the group is very busy.  It was a bit of a faff though but eventually it seems the only way to do it is using another name so I invented one :-/  I didn't want to use my own account to set up another blog.  The other thing is if I log into the other blog on my PC I can't log into my own - does anyone know differently?  Not that it really matters but I wanted to become a follower of the new blog but it seems I'll have to do that through DD's PC and if I want to post anything in both blogs I'll have to login to one then out to login to the other???
 Anyway here's dolly ;-)  She has a wire armature which I've wrapped wadding then fabric strips round.  Her nose is a bit odd, but adds to the character - at least that's what I'm telling myself LOL  If you have any questions about it please ask.
She's based on dolls in Ray Slater's 'Dolls for Textile Artists' though I didn't follow the book to make her.

WOYWW - Oct 13th

 :-0 :-0 :-0 No improvement this week on my desk!  Just more stuff dumped on it.  You can see a doll-in-the-making under my journal pages and the blue thing bottom right is a weight (not sure whether it would be called a dumbbell 'cos of the shape? )  I've got a sore arm which has been sore (muscular pain) for months but the doc prescribed anti-inflammatory tablets which give me an upset stomach, he did say if it didn't improve he may send me for physio, but I'm not sure how that would help - anyone know?  Anyway thought I'd see if exercising with the weight would help.

Some of you may remember the doll chair I was making some months ago, well I finally finished it :-)  It's 14" high.  Just need to make a doll to sit on it.  Want to know more about WOYWW? then swing by Julia's to find out.  That's where I'm headed right now see if there's a brew going and a bit of cake ;-) then pop round some blogs for a snoop.

Sunday Stampers - String

To check out the Sunday Stampers challenge pop over to Hels Each Sunday Hels sets a new challenge based on song titles.  This week's song is Puppet On A String, but you only need to make something and include some string.  I cut a house out of thick card; had to coat it with gesso first then used Adirondak Wild Plum, Buttersotch and Stream inks.  I coated it with Mod Podge Gloss.  The butterfly stamp is an Anna Griffin one, stamped once onto acetate and once on paper.  I've used string for the 'smoke' and on the buttons.  Tried several things to stiffen the string for the smoke but had to resort to wrapping thin wire round to keep it's shape.

Dull day here today :-(

WOYWW - 6th October

On my workdesk today is a mess, the tidy desk didn't last long!  I've mainly been dumping stuff on it as I've been sewing. You can see my Anna Griffin Christmas stamps and a couple of recently purchased wood mounted stamps.

Not strictly on my workdesk, but this is what I've been working on this week.  After seeing nerllybird's wonderful mannequin makeover last week, it spurred me on to finish mine.  I've had it for ages but did paint it some weeks ago and made her skirt.  I also got round to making a silly sock creature; his name is Dandy Dinmont; again after having bought socks months ago to make some.  (I have posted these 2 in earlier posts).  I've also completed another sock creature and her name is Miss Knucklefunty - Dandy's new girlfriend :-)   If you'd love to see what other bloggers are creating or just a snoop round their workspace pop over to the delightful Julia's to find out more.

Sock Creature

I bought some socks months ago to make some of these after buying a book on them.  I haven't looked at the book since I first got it so my sock creature isn't based on any in the book though obviously having read it no doubt it will have influenced what I've created ;-)

Altered Artist Mannequin

I've had this mannequin for ages.  I bought it with the intention of 'altering' it.  I did paint it a few weeks ago and had an idea what I wanted to do and made the skirt, but have had various ideas for the body since. After seeing one this week on WOYWW (sorry can't remember where) it inspired me to finish mine.  I decoupaged book pages onto it using Mod Podge Gloss but then hit on the idea of wrapping her with linen thread, which I started yesterday evening but decided to go back to the paper.  I had to draw the eyes and mouth on a separate piece of paper then cut them out to stick on as the surface was too slippery to draw on.  Initially I was going to make her black boots and then shoes - perhaps out of felt - but decided to paint some shoes on :-)

Sunday Stampers - Black plus 365 Journal

The Sunday Stampers; over at Hels theme for this week (ends today) was to use black in your piece.  I've cheated slightly as I'm using a card I made at a class during the week, nevertheless I did make it albeit not specifically for SS.  I did start something else but haven't had time to finish it.  I thought I'd show it in case anyone hasn't come across this technique before.

  I've used an old table mat from Ikea but you can use funky foam. As the table mat was less flixible than funky foam I had to stand on top of the stamp to get a decent impression.  I should have explained first that you need to heat the funky foam then press your stamp into it.  You don't need to ink the stamp first but if you're unsure then ink it.  I would only recommend rubber stamps. (there is some other material which is a bit more dense and thicker than funky foam that you can use but I can't remember what it's called).  I then rubbed some metallic rub-ons into the stamped piece.

Managed to complete my September pages on time, but waited till I'd prepared the October ones before posting.  But looking at it on here I've realised the right hand page is a bit wishy washy so will do a bti more work on it.  Haven't decided on what to use for the daily entries yet.

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend.  Not too promising here today but at least it's not pouring down like yesterday ;-)