Sneaky Peek revealed

The circle journal I had completed a double page in has now been returned so I can show the pages in full.  The tango dancers stamp is from Art Journey as it the Precious Moments.  As I said when I posted the sneaky peek the dark areas are transfer foil and is not black as it shows here.

What's going on with Blogger anyone know?  I clicked on a pic on someone else's blog that I've been visiting for a few years and got a message saying the site was unsafe and now when I clicked on my own pic to enlarge it the same message occurred :-/ Anyone else experienced this?

Sunday Stampers - Buttons

Over at Hels the theme for the Sunday Stampers challenge this week is 'Buttons'.  I've done another canvas board, but am not too happy with it, I think it's the colours I'm not sure about.  The strips at the top lefthand corner are Tyvek.  This is good material if you like texture as it can be heated with an iron (and baking parchment or greasproof paper) or a heatgun to distort it.  I painted it with a mix of acrylic paints as I kept going over it when I wasn't happy with the colour.  The bird stamp and grungy looking dots are Tim Holtz stamps.

Mouse pincushion and a sneaky peek

At the doll group yesterday (we meet monthly in York) we had a choice of making either a mouse pincushion or one with a row of owls.  I made the mouse and here she is.

I've also done a double page in Ann's circle journal but just showing a sneaky peek till it's been returned to her.  The journal is 5.75x8.25 inches.  This bit is roughly 1.5x3.5 inches.  The dark bit is actually transfer foil but the shine doesn't show here.

I said a few days ago that I'd put comment moderation on as I'd had quite a few adverts and some strange comments.  I say strange 'cos when you read them they seem to be proper sentences but don't make any sense at all - anyone else had those and can anyone explain them.  I was very surprised to notice just how many spam comments there were in the spam folder - I never knew where the spam was before I'd never noticed it and when I read some there were several variations on the nonsense ones, same vein similar sentiments if you will but different words.  Can anyone tell me how some of these work though as 'cos some seem to be just advertising but buried in old posts.  Why put them in old posts?  If they were viruses surely they'd infect your PC once they've posted them not just when you publish them :-/

Sunday Stampers Week 137 - How Does it Feel

This is my entry for the Sunday Stampers - pop over to Hels place for more info.  This week's theme is 'Texture' or 'Feelings' or both.  As is my wont I have used gel medium again with stencils for texture.  The central image was made using a brass stencil.  I tried stamping the sentiment 3 times on the canvas without success so stamped onto tissue paper.  After painting with acrylic paints I felt the paints looked dull so added 2 coats of Mod Podge gloss and a little mica powder over the stencilled areas to add a sheen :-)

Pay It Forward

I promise something handmade to the FIRST 5 people who leave a comment here. However, to be eligible, you must repost this status, offering something handmade to 5 other people. The rules are that it must be handmade (or homemade) by you and it must be sent to your 5 people some time in 2011. Ready, set, GO
See Donna's post from 16th January for info regarding this.
remember you have to do it too - so I shall check before I make and if you have not paid it forward I shall move to the next person in the list that has commented.

Will be posting my Sunday Stampers entry for this later or tomorrow if you want to pop back ;-)

Canvas board, awards and clarinet

This is another one of those small canvas boards I got from The Works.  A different look for this one.  I've used the Tim H cage and bird die with Claudine Hellmuths' sticky back canvas but for this particualr project I think I would've preferred a thicker canvas or thick card. Again I've used a Crafters' Workshop stencil with gel medium to create some texture.

Now onto awards.  I've been very remiss as the delightful Lyn, aka Spyder, gave me an award - One Lovely Blog - quite some time ago (November actually) but I'm only now just acknowledging it - publicly anyway 'cos I have already thanked Lyn for this; however I don't feel toooo bad as Lyn herself confessed to being rubbish when it comes to awards.  With this particular award I'm supposed to pass it on to "15x2" according to Lyn which seems a bit strange but who am I to question that!  Not sure I'll have 30 people to pass it on to :-/  But I'll come back to that.






The other one is from the equally delightful Donna, aka Doings of Doone - Stylish Blogger Award.  This one is to be passed onto 4 others and I have to list 8 things about myself that you do not know.  Not sure I have 8 interesting things you may like to hear but I'll try

I'm passing this award onto
Pat
Hels
Maddy
Kate
8 things about me.
1. I've just taken up the clarinet (had a few lessons about 10 years ago but for less than a year)
2. I taught line dancing for 4 years
3. I also taught keep fit for a short time
4. This http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4GuqnXIn60 is one of my all time fave songs I absolutely love it. (this version as opposed to The Cranberries version) If you listen it may tell you a bit more about the real me; do you think?  I especially love the instrumental bit after the first few bars of  lyrics.
5. I'm leaving my body to medical science - to the University of Liverpool to be exact (apparently there's a shortage of cadavres for doctors to practice on)
6. I used to have a little kind of 'pendant' on the end of my uvula (the dangly bit at the back of the throat) but it disappeared after a visit to the dentist some years ago - must have had an extremely strong suction thingy.  It was only attached by a very thin piece of 'membrane'? so didn't bleed or anything.  THIS IT TRUE!
7. My first crush was Pernell Roberts from Bonanza http://ponderosascenery.homestead.com/files/castbios/adam.html
8. I've never been first in anything in my life (though I was nearly the first person to get 100% in a first aid course when I was a Civil Servant, but nearly is not good enough! Think I got about 97% or summat like that)

My clarinet

Sunday Stampers 136 - Diamonds

Finally have an entry for the Sunday Stampers challenge over at Hels This is a belated Christmas present for someone.  I've used a 5x7" canvas board - 6 for £1.99 at The Works.  Firstly used gel medium with a Crafters Workshop stencil at the top of the board and also used the gel with some plastic mesh in a couple of places.  I then painted using Eco-Friendly (by EcoGreen Crafts) Peony with a little bit of Eco-Friendly Waterfall.  I love the colour of these paints :-)  The heart is made from Grungepaper, embossed with thick embossing powders and stamped into. Then stamped the background with a variety of stamps added a little strip of Sinamay wrapped some linen thread round and added the buttons. the 'diamonds' for the SS theme this week are at the top of the board; part of the stencil. I made the hanger out of wire that's a bit thinner than wire coat-hangers.
(Sinamay is the stiff fabric used in hat making.  It's very stiff but can be moulded into shape when wet. You can also get it in a variety of colours)

365 Journal - January pages finally!

I'm joining in again this year :-)  I've had the Jan pages done for a while but only got round to doing the daily squares yesterday and put the month and year on today.  As it's rather late in the day now the picture is rubbish so I'm going to re-do it tomorrow, but just wanted to get it posted now.  Also showing completed Dec pages.  If you want to know what it's all about pop over to Kate's blog :-)

I've used Eco Friendly paints by Eco-Green Crafts for the background.  If you want to know about anything I've used on them please ask.

I've re-done the pic for Jan pages and they look slightly better now :-)

Happy New Year :-) / Pat's doll revealed

Happy New Year!  Thank you for the good wishes that have been left.  If I don't pop round for a visit today I will in the next few days :-)

The doll has been long made, but the recipient, Pat, was away for Christmas. So here she is in all her glory.

Not my usual type of doll, but Pat is soooo into grunge and loves the Stampotique stamps by Jill Penney & Daniel Torrente, so I made the doll in a similar style.  And though it's not my usual style I do like her myself :-)  the fabric is some that I had mono-printed some time ago at the doll group I go to in York.