Winter Weeds

The few winter weeds I was tidying away from the front garden yesterday miraculously filled 3 bin bags!.....How I really don't know. Perhaps that is why the front border now does actually look tidy!!!!!!

Tag You're It! Challenge #47

When I saw the theme "Diamonds are a girls best friend" for TYI this week on Kath's blog I just had to pay a visit.......not because I love bling........as anyone who has looked at my pieces can see (Er..... that would be the people I can count on one hand right?)...........but because I love old musicals and this song sung by Marilyn Monroe in "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" is a great bit of movie bling and very iconic. I used the first line from the song "The French are glad to die for love". By the way I can't get the darn song out of my head at the moment so thanks for that as well TYI!!!!!!! :)))

Here is my entry for TYI, absolutely adored making it even if I had to force the bling issue a bit.

Thanks for looking. Off to tidy a few winter weeds from the front garden and mow the lawn! Yes it really must be done!!!! Hope you have an Arty week.

New Beginnings - Mojo Monday

I was doing a spot of browsing the other day (Monday to be precise), and came across the Mojo Monday challenge site. Can't imagine why I have never noticed this before but something about the sketch appealed and as I wanted to make a card for my Brother-in-Law I thought I would give it a go.

His wife died (DH's sister) from cancer a few years ago now which left him heartbroken at the time. However life goes on and he eventually met a lovely lady and has just sold his flat and moved in with her. So that is why the title New Beginnings. Moving to a new home, a new town, new beginnings. I hope they both like the card although I have to admit I was veering on the masculine side with the colours etc.

Mojo Monday will be on my visit list now, even if I don't actually get the time to join in every week. Thanks for the inspiration!

Chip 'n Dale!

Hands up those of you who are expecting to see something a little risque having looked at the title?

.........................

Shame on you!

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I came home for lunch today and saw what I though was a squirrel on my fence and had to have a double take when I saw that it was actually a

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CHIPMONK!!!!!!

Yes........that really is a chipmonk on my fence, ............... in Devon...................this lunchtime............ 27th Feb 2009.

No......... I couldn't believe it either. A chipmonk in Devon, well, well, well.

A Bit of a Quandary over Cyber Shops

I am in a bit of a quandary.........do I post things here that I have made that other people might like to buy or not? You see I really, really must try to earn more money somehow............. Can I make it clear that I am not moaning here, it is just the way things have panned out in this life........ It seems that a lot of people have been affected by the credit crunch, but let me tell you, it hit here over 5 years ago when my husband became ill! I won't go into the details (he would not be comfortable with me doing that) but suffice to say it is becoming increasingly difficult to sustain the basics of being on this earth!!!!!!

So, I have set up a virtual store with one of the online shops - possibly not one of the best times in the history of the world to be trying to sell anything but have to give it a go. LOL:)

Just to warn you that there will be a "go look at my shop" link on my side bar appearing, and anything I post that is available to buy will only have a subtle label attached to the post "available to buy". I promise not to write links like "go buy it here" within my posts or use marketing speak. That way it will be your own choice to hit the link button in the side bar or not.......If I feel comfortable with this approach I am hoping others will feel the same.

Arty best wishes

Mardi Gras

The carnival is happening all over Europe but what do we do here? Toss a few pancakes in the air! They must think we are stark raving bonkers!!!
Anyway, just thought I'd leave this link to Elusive Images blog where you can see work using some new stamps they have coming out relating to Mardi Gras. If you love the carnival too I'm sure you will like these.

Who Lives in a House Like This? Graphicus Challenge

Once again the inspiration came from the monthly challenge that you can enter here at the Graphicus Blog. The theme this month was Home and the colour prompts were Brick & Teal. I combined the theme and colour on this as the brick was in keeping with the home idea, wasn't sure about the teal at first though until I started to see the result.
I had been meaning to make something with the Glimmer Screens ever since I was lucky enough to win some in the Christmas blog candy giveaway last year - but you know how it is - life gets in the way and before you know it, that must have item is languishing in a box of stuff you have forgotten to label and never sees the light of day for months!!! I had presumed I would eventually end up using them as screens/masks for paint effects but as soon as I saw the monthly prompt the idea of using them as a template for a fancy roof popped in my brain.
So this is the result "Who Lives in a House Like This?". Why I do of course! Although only in my dreams LOL:)) There are little somethings on the 8 embellished squares that are relevant to me, not forgetting some other bits and pieces, that outline what I'm interested in. "The clues are there" as Lloyd used to say!

If any one's interested here is a brief "how I did it"
Ingredients

Glimmer Screens
Adirondack Ink- Cranberry & Stream
Adirondack Acrylics - Cranberry
Alcohol Inks - Espresso, Raisin & Pesto
Archival Ink- Jet Black
Distress Ink Pads - Tattered Rose.
Stamp & Stuff Embossing Powder - Disco Black & Clear
Stamps - Small mesh square free from Craft Stamper Magazine, line of dots free from Cards & Papercraft Magazine (I think) although I cut both of them up as I have never used them as is!!!
Making Memories - metal letters
Metal cat charm, Key, Florists wire (own stash)
Paper for window panes- Basic Grey
Chipboard (some recycled packaging!)
(1) Traced the glimmer screens outline (middle size) onto chipboard and cut out using a combination of craft knife & scissors. I found that cutting around the outline with the craft knife first and then using the scissors was a lot less effort. Inked it up using stream around the edges and a touch of cranberry in the centre. Then traced the smallest glimmer screen onto textured card and cut out and inked with cranberry. Added a stamped heart using the acrylic and acrylic dots around edges and spritzed it with an ink that had some mica in it (can't remember what, did it ages ago!). I liked the way the colours look slightly different due to the different base card/chipboard colour.
(2) Cut out a rectangle and inked it up using cranberry around the edges and a touch of stream in the centre. Stamped the small mesh stamp randomly up the sides to give a brick impression. Added the dots because I felt like it!
(3) Photocopied a dictionary definition of home, printed out and coloured with stream and added the 8 embellished squares.

(4) Cut out a larger downstairs window and used the glimmer screen to give a decorative top to it and stamped each window pane with one letter repeatedly from the word HEART. Added a punched out heart from a left over bit from this project to the last pane.
(5) Designed a word block in my Serif programme using different languages for the word home, words that describe a home and words that mean a place to live but do not necessarily mean HOME! Printed out and inked with cranberry. Layered this onto a piece of the dictionary paper inked with the stream. Added a circular embossed motif left over from this project.

(6) Alcohol inked the metal letters HOME and the cat charm. Decided not to ink the key as I liked the rusty aged patina it already had, shame to spoil it. LOL:)))

Arty best wishes to all

Edit: DH informs me it was actually David Frost who used to say the clues are there!! Hey Ho.

Canadian ATC's

The ATC swaps with Isabelle Norris arrived today. They are even more glorious in the flesh! I will have to find someway to display them as it would be a shame to file them away. You can see Isabelle's here and mine here.
After spending the majority of last year painting, decorating and generally upgrading the bathroom & kitchen we have still not got round to replacing any pictures on the walls and I know I have lots of empty frames tucked away (probably in the loft) that are still waiting for just the right thing to put in them!

Lisa Vollrath Valentine Gifts

Lisa is giving away some images everyday till Valentines Day here. It is link ware so you have to make your own link on your blog to the site to comply with the download terms.

ATC's To Canada

Dropped DH in town during my lunch hour to post the ATC's to Canada so they are on their way Isabelle! Just think of all that distance they will be travelling, makes the mind boggle.

Managed to come up with a design for the backs to write all the details on. It still needs a bit of a tweek as I did not leave much room for the title!
Arty best wishes to all

ATC Trio a la Isabelle Norris

At last I have finished my group of three ATC's for the potential swap with Isabelle Norris. It would be the first time I have ever swapped something if she chooses these! It is sort of using the same technique she showed on day 2 of her great tutorials this week,except I don't have any grungeboard!!! I decided to use Adirondack inks instead of the distress inks which gave the pieces a different look although I have to admit I couldn't stop myself getting some frayed burlap distress on them too!

The embossing was done with disco black by Stamp & Stuff and I used cranberry, butterscotch and stream as my chosen 3 colours of ink. I wanted to have some images that covered the entire square as the buildings did in Isabelle's but quite frankly with my paltry stash it was a bit of struggle! In the end I had to stamp the circular image (Anna Griffin) and the butterfly images (sorry don't know make), mask them and stamp over them with a text stamp from Paperartsy that I got with my subscription to Craft Stamper to achieve a similar result.

The background stamps on the ATC's were two words and a watch from a Royal & Langnickel set (they might have been cheap but now they don't stick by themselves and most of them have hardened & turned an opaque white colour) and a damask stamp from Paperartsy.

I added a metal embellishment with a butterfly on (QVC ages ago) and a black jewel to the centre of the middle image, a few stamped and punched circular bits, a rub on sentiment and a flower fixed with a brad. Am really pleased with the way this turned out even if it is a little brighter than I am comfortable with and found out that it is as simple to make 3 ATC's as it is one, so thank you for the inspiration Isabelle!

P.S. The colours in the last picture are more like the real thing!

Gecko Harlequin Freebie

If you liked my "Leaving Napoli" artwork perhaps you might like the gecko background used in it. It is sized at 12x12 inch or 30cmx30cm @ 300 d.p.i. as a JPEG in a zipped file. Just click on the image and it will take you to the download area. Just remember to read the terms before doing so. Hope you enjoy using it and if you do please leave a comment or link to anything you create.

Leaving Napoli - Artarazzi Challenge 8

The image to use this week at Artarazzi is a pre-raphalite painting by John Waterhouse. I love these types of image and just had to have a go. I decided she looked like she was deep in thought about a decision she had made and "Leaving Napoli" popped in my head and the rest all followed. Why the winning numbers for the lottery can't pop into my head just as easily is beyond me!!

I extracted her from the background and layed her down on a digital bed (well I think it looks like she is in bed anyway) using a free image paper from this set at Two Peas in a Pod by Rhonna Farrer that I cut up a bit. The Sunburst picture on the wall behind her was a freebie but I don't have a clue exactly where you might find it, acquired back in the days when blogging did not exist and also did not think anyone would ever be looking at this stuff either! Everything else is my own.

Quick Man

Another man card here for work. A fairly quick one (hence the title, just a thought but is there such a thing LOL:)))). I can safely post this as even though his birthday is not till Saturday he does not know this blog exists.

Took a map image and reduced it to two different sizes. Thoroughly inked both with distress inks, making the smaller one slightly lighter and layered both onto matt gold mirri card. Covered C6 size base card with some manly-ish paper from a K & Co scrap pad to go (Maison) and edged all around with a gold marker pen. Fixed map images to base card and added a left over circular motif from this project. and a greetings label made in my Serif programme. Added a left over stamped watch image from this project and a key image from a QVC kit way back.

Ah well it will soon be Saturday, visit to hairdresser for a cut, go and spend Body Shop & M&S gift vouchers from Christmas, get a few food items for next week. Such excitement! How will I contain myself?

Arty best wishes.

It's all about Whiskers!

This is the first time I have entered anything at This Thursday, it's all about....... and only the second thing I have made since Boxing Day! The "dreaded lurgy" got me good and after working all day the only thing I felt like doing was collapsing on the sofa and watching TV!!

I thought I was getting better last Friday but had to cancel going out to celebrate a friends birthday at the last minute as I felt dizzy and could not get warm then, when I did start to warm up, I was burning hot!!!! Anyway, I do feel a bit more like actually doing something creative.

The theme is Whiskers and although I could not find a stamped image to use this card seemed to fit the brief in the end. I used a craft punch I have had for ages of a cat (but hardly used). I tried to make it a bit abstract by forming lots of them into a circle (took a bit of manoeuvring). I cut a circle from red card and put this in the centre and threaded some fluffy fibres through to resemble whiskers. Then I layered this onto a piece of card that I had used a corner punch/embosser on (wish I had nestabilities, but then I would need a Wizard or a Cuttlebug or something and that is out of the question). I think layering this onto the piece of red card made a good substitute effect. I used some silicon glue to attach a punched out heart in the centre.

The background paper was a freebie from Scrapbook Inspirations by S.E.I., the cats were also cut from the same paper and I used the offcuts from the corner punching to add to the corners of the main card. I created the sentiment cartouche in my Serif graphics programme, printed it and cut out and then edged with a gold marker. I attached this with some jeweled brads through the ribbon (again a freebie from the same magazine) and onto the card.

Artarazzi Challenge 4 - Marilyn Monroe

Another Door?

Here is my effort for the digital challenge at Artarazzi this week. Why can you look at something one week and it conveys something to you and yet another time it says something totally different? Anyway, this thought popped in my head when I looked at Marilyn this time "If she had opened a different door where would it have led her?" and that thought led to this. The image of MM was chopped in half as was the door and joined together with a bit of a transparency overlay. I then cut out half of her lips and added them to the door side of the image. The white scroll at the top and the quote were a freebie from Digital Scrapbook Place, it says "Each child is like a butterfly in the wind. Some can fly higher than the others, but each one flies the best it can. Why compare one against the other? Each one is different, each one is special, each one is beautiful." Author unknown. I added the words "Another DOOR?" to the side of her face in Argor Brush Script font.

At least doing this has taken my mind off my sinus pain this afternoon, that or the sudafed has kicked in LOL:)

New Year Blues

I am feeling fed up and uncreative! The dreaded lurgy meant we missed out on a New Year party, we were in bed by 10.30! I can't remember the last time I was not up and at 'em at midnight on New Years Eve. Not feeling any better today really and not looking forward to trying to get to work on Friday, although perhaps if I don't keel over I can get through for one day!! DH has got it worse, but then his general health does not help, Heaven only knows what he would be like if he did not have the flu jab? (He is back in bed as I type)

On a brighter note, I got to watch the New Years Day concert from Vienna conducted by Daniel Barenboim on ORF (an Austrian TV Channel) in its full two and a half hour splendour this morning. Never like to miss this and it was a treat to see it all and not have to listen to the first half on the radio and switch to watch the last half that is usually shown on BBC 1, although I believe they are going to transmit the full concert later tonight for the first time on BBC 2. Am going to enter the draw for 2010 tickets at Wiener Philharmoniker . I might hit lucky you never know and a long held dream would come true.

Looking on the bright side at least I have not gained weight over Christmas/New Year!!

Well my Festive spirit seems to have departed and it certainly was not an Arty one, hope yours was more creative and fun. Here is to a healthy New Year!!!!!!!

12 Tags of Christmas Present

This was my win on Tim's 12 tags of Christmas givaway this year. I am so lucky to have these and will be making something as soon as I can although for the past 3 days I have been suffering with the dreaded cold bug and not done much at all. The posts in the past few days had all been set up before and I only had to crawl to the computer to post them!!! So much for having some free time to craft. The best laid plans?

Christmas Traditions

I love to go out to a local spot where there are lots of berry laden bushes. I have a great time cutting a big bunch of greenery and red berry delights and making them into a Christmas bouquet for the front of our house. I find it easier than faffing about with a circular wreath! I went last Sunday and made this to hang at the front of our house. The holly and the ivy were both from my back garden but unfortunately my holly never has any berries! Hopefully the bouquet will last into the New Year and up to 12th night.

Arty best wishes

Arty Girlz Challenge # 66 Home Art

12 Days of Christmas

Thought I would post this as my entry to the challenge this week at Arty Girlz. Can't begin to pretend I just made it but I love it and it has been appearing every year at Christmas for about 7 years. The panels were a piece of quilting material that I cut out and folded around a stiff cardboard base layer. They were padded out with quilting wadding and glued. Each panel was attached to the next with a strip of gold sparkly ribbon and the whole thing hangs from a wooden rod with decorative wooden beads on each end.