Recycled Shower Gel Bottle

Over on the Happy Daze blog today I have decorated an old Miracle shower gel bottle using a set of perfume bottle label stamps by Lost Coast Designs. 

This is what the empty bottle started out like:-

The challenge over on Happy Daze this month is to recycle - such a great time of the year to recycle I always think, with all those pretty bits of fancy packaging left over from Christmas. Do join us, as you could win a great prize!

 

Crafty Individuals' Mixed Media Canvas Board

I have Petra to thank for this canvas as she came round for a crafting session and kindly brought lots of brand new goodies for me to play with - Ferro, Puff Paint, Treasure Gold, and Liquid Gold - and gave me a huge piece of Tim Holtz Melange Tissue Wrap. I am a big fan of the tissue wrap but I hadn't come across the Melange which has gorgeous butterflies and other imagery on it. I wanted something to slap it onto straight away that would give me scope to try out the other products as well so I grabbed a really large canvas board, which is bigger than A4 in size and completely covered it. Petra recommended mixing the puff paint with the ferro and I applied it through a new distressed harlequin stencil I recently got from Happy Daze, although I think I will use a greater proportion of puff paint next time so it is more dimensional. The whole thing was really experimental as I've not really used any of these products before. I then painted the diamonds with the Liquid Gold and blended the Treasure Gold in two colours over the top. It has an amazing sheen and shimmer but I hadn't known it would just go in the gaps and the Liquid Gold would resist it - as I say, experimental!

That was before Christmas and at that stage I didn't know where I was going with it next! So I picked it up a couple of days ago and added a couple of images from Crafty Individuals' 'People and Places' and used another of the images as an image transfer on a Poundland coaster. I used CI 347 which is the row of Butterflies and added some pearls to them. I applied some modelling paste around the edge of the images and smeared some bead gel in places over the canvas. I chose Distress Ink colours to go with the colours in the CI images and sponged them over the whole canvas and the bead gel. Finally I sponged black ink around the edges.

Thank you so much Petra for all the goodies to make this!

Happy New Year!

 

Happy New Year!


I hadn't intended to blog today but I notice a few of you have blogged favourite pieces you have made in 2012 in your New Year postings, and it makes for some wonderful eye candy! So I thought before I went to bed I would have a little look back over my blog. What an uncreative year it was for me! I can't say it was completely because of practical hurdles. Once we were settled in our temporary accommodation I quickly got some crafting bits around me, helped by my very kind friends, but I couldn't get myself into the right frame of mind. I really loved the normality of having people over to craft again and thank you so much those of you who came over as it meant so much that you didn't abandon me. But all I really did was have a crafting dabble and a chat as my head was full of building problems and decisions and dealing with the insurance company and worry and there didn't seem to be space for any creative thought. So really nothing clever was made in the whole of 2012. So instead of showing you anything very artistic, I thought I would show you when I think I might have got my sense of humour back:-



As Zoe quipped, they were going to a Black Tie and Tails party!

Looking forward to being much more creative in 2013 - hope it's a good one for you all!

Happy Christmas and a Happy New Year!

I am writing this on Christmas Eve at my lovely in-laws to wish you all a very happy Christmas Day and a Happy New Year. I hope you will have everything that you wish for!

This time of year makes me very reflective. What a strange year is has been for Col and me! I would never have thought last Christmas that just a month later we would have nearly lost our home. As a result of that, the rest of the year took a completely unexpected course and we finally returned to our house at the end of August. There is still a long way to go in terms of the Contents claim with our insurers and the house is still rather minimalist, but we are so happy to be back. Apart from the darkest time, in the week after it happened, when it was like a waking nightmare, it has mainly been at worst anxiety and upheaval. Last week when my Mum had a fall and cut her head which required stitches, the worry and distress was a thousand times worse than anything to do with our flood. I guess what I want to say is, I hope all of you are with your loved ones this Christmas. For those of you who have lost someone special this year, my heart goes out to you, and I know that the year I have had is nothing compared to that loss. It has also been a tremendously hard year financially for many of us, and there are not so many presents waiting under the tree in many homes.

I have had some wonderful kindness from my crafting friends over the past year and it has meant so much: thank you! A disaster makes you realize what tremendous goodness and thoughtfulness there is in people. Hope you have a day full of warmth, love, hugs, and full tummies tomorrow. Thank you for your friendship.

A Sleigh Ride Together with You

Over on the Happy Daze blog today I have this little canvas using the Artistic Outpost Sleigh Ride stamp set. There is still time to enter the Winter Wonderland challenge with a chance to win a £15 gift voucher so hop on over to the blog!

I am entering this into the Artistic Outpost December Referral Programme which is Anything Goes.
You can buy Artistic Outpost stamps from Happy Daze if you are in the UK or direct from Artistic Outpost if you are in the US.

Choosing the Christmas Tree

Over on the Happy Daze blog today I have made a Christmas card using the Artistic Outpost Sleigh Ride set depicting two little girls choosing their Christmas tree in a wintry forest. Dear Petra was here as consultant when I was finishing this off and she suggested I go into the garden to take the photo. Now I am what I call an indoor cat and don't believe in going outside unless it is really necessary. Colin is in and out all the time like a fidler's elbow, walking leaves into the house. It was good advice anyway, and the photo on Happy Daze is amidst a fir tree, but I also rather liked this lichen covered wooden bench which is full of character. Petra and I had a lovely day together and she also kindly gave me the snowflake charm, which was the perfect finishing touch.

I am entering this card into the Artistic Outpost December referral programme which is Anything Goes. You can buy their stamps direct from them if you are in the US, or from Happy Daze if you are in the UK.

Think and Wonder Little Girl in a Frame

Over on Happy Daze blog today I have made this little frame using the Artistic Outpost Think and Wonder plate. I love this little girl image! For the frame I used tissue tape and Inka Gold in various colours.

I am entering this into the Artistic Outpost Referral Challenge for December which is anything goes. If you are in the US you can get their stamps directly from them, and if you are in the UK you can get them from Happy Daze.