New ATCs

Just a quick post from me.
A few ATCs to show.
Lots to do today so must not get distracted on the pc.
LOL.
Have a great Sunday.

Liebster Blog Award

I have been nominated for the Liebster Blog Award by Fuschia. Thank You!!

"Liebster is a German word, meaning dearest or beloved, but it can also mean favorite."

The Liebster Award is given to smaller bloggers who have 200 or less followers in the hope it will bring them new followers and friends. The tradition is that it is then passed on to five other blogs to help them too. If you want to accept the award the steps are:

1. Link back to the persons blog who gave you the award and thank them.
2. Post the award on your blog.
3. Give the award to five fellow bloggers who inspire you.
4. Leave a comment on their blogs to let them know.

After some consideration I am nominating the following blogs which have amused, intrigued, amazed and delighted me (sometimes all at once). I  do hope you will find time to pop over and say hi - perhaps even become a follower yourself.  In no particular order they are:

-    Artyjen
-    The Tin Goat
-    BlogThis!
-    The Rusty Cage
-    Wendy's Craft Journal

Thanks for looking!!



 

What's on Your Workdesk? Wednesday # 140

So, just exactly where was I working?
And how many pairs of scissors
does one girl need?

Oh dear.

What a mess!!

ALL my desks were fine and dandy until I got a call to make an emergency card. I recently did a commission for a 'shoe' card (here).

Great idea, use the guillotine as a
storage shelf. Ah, another pair of
 scissors. You can never have too
 many pairs of scissors.

Someone else saw it and asked if I could make another one - first catch, it needed to be there for Thursday, so meant making and posting out on the same day.

Second catch - it was for a guy!!

I'm saying nothing.

Good job I've got another one
(guillotine I mean)

But this is what happens when I'm in a rush and my crazy takes over. So this is my workdesk this Wednesday. The thing I was working on before I got the call is buried. It will stay like this until Friday now, think I'll just shut the door.....

Why am I telling you this? Well, it's all down to Julia of Stamping Ground who hosts this weekly blog hop known as WOYWW. Hop over first to Julia's to read what's what and find out how to join in.  
Oh, here's the card:- 

Do you think he'll like it LOL? (I actually like it better than the original. And it took me half as long to make. Perhaps I do work better under pressure. Or to unusual briefs.(!?!))

P.S. February Art Draw is open.
Have you entered? If not, why not?
Go on, you know you want to!!HAPPY WOYWW.


February Art Draw - it's Luvverly!!

If I do say so myself. Not often I'm tempted to keep my giveaways and fob you off with something else but am quite pleased with the way this turned out ...... but I'll stick to the original plan, especially as I already gave you a sneak preview before I went away.

My original inspiration came from two projects in February's Craft Stamper Magazine - 'Their Hearts Connected' by Louise Crosbie (AKA Zuzu) and 'A Splash of Paint' by Trish Latimer. The minute I saw them I knew I wanted to make something similar and get very painty and inky!! I had already decided to do something romantic with hearts using my canvases - it is February after all - and originally tried a red, and then a red and purple colourway (you may remember the red canvases from waaaaaay back).


Somehow it ended up too harsh looking so I softened it with gesso, some pink and added a touch of turquoise and I like it much better.

I really like using canvases 'backwards' for the possibilities they give as a kind of shadow box and I had two hanging about waiting for a project. The only trouble was they are quite small - about 7 x 10 cms - so finding teeny tiny things to go inside was a bit of a challenge. For the main message on the front which I wanted to be clear I stamped on to tissue first and then adhered with gel medium - I always find this works really well.

I did wonder at one point if I
had over mixed my metaphors so to speak as I seemed to have some funky paint effects going on and then went all vintage with a cherub and some tiny paper roses - but I decided  the colours held it all together.






And at last a use for one of those little corked bottles!! Bought them a year ago and they have been languishing in my stash ever since. Filled it with tiny silver stars as I couldn't find any tiny hearts in my stash.





Anyhow, enough of my waffling. If you would like to enter the Art Draw then leave a comment on this post before 9.00 pm on Saturday 25th February.

International players are very welcome. It always seems a bit cheeky to say this as I am not very good at any of this technical linking stuff but I would be very happy for you to link from your own blogs  - the more the merrier.

Finally, as I have been catching up in Blogland I have noticed there are a lot of challenges out there to do with Valentine's, hearts, romance..... there's definitely something in the air. So I'm linking this project to Snazzy's Design Team Blog Challenge # 1, Love/Romance. There are prizes!!! I've also linked in to the Link Party at Cindy Adkins' blog if you would like to join in as well. It also fits the theme for a new9ish) challenge blog  that I have come across - 'art with no boundaries'

January giveaway winner....

is Ann B of Anne's Stamp Pad. Anne is a new follower to my blog which is really nice (and gives all you regulars a break from getting more of my old tat LOL).  Ann, I have left you a message so I hope you get back to me soon.

I am also very grateful to all my new followers and have done my best to contact you about a RAK but I do need to remind you that err... I need an address to send it!! I think I've got in touch with everyone except for Becky Thwaite - for some reason Becky when I try to contact you from your profile Blogger will only let me sign up to become a member of my own site.  I'm not even going to try and work that one out! So Becky if you see this perhaps you'll contact me. That goes for anyone else who thinks they became a follower since 15th January to help me get over 150 but hasn't heard from me. I have done my best to find you all but blogger has a very inconsistent way of recording some of this stuff!!

Well I guess we need a picture, but as I have been having a short break in the Canaries there's nothing new crafty to show you. So here's what I was looking at Friday morning.....

and here's the view out of my window today. I know which one I prefer!! (But I did miss my craft room).

 
Have a good Sunday all, I am just putting the finishing touches to the February Art Draw so don't forget to check back this week.

I'm still waiting......

to crash through that 150 followers mark :0(.  Obviously my 'goodies' aren't enough to tempt you, we shall have to do better!! I also haven't heard from my two new followers - I have tried to contact you but sorry ladies, if you don't get your addies to me somehow I won't be able to send you anything!!

I shall  be offline for several days, but the January giveaway will continue through to the 4th Feb as advertised - you just won't see your comments until I can get back on to approve them. So do join in, leave a comment on this post, or on the original here, and I'll put you in the draw.

We are also waiting with great anticipation for a final date for the new  creative blog celebration being organised by Lisa Swifka of A Whimsical Bohemian. I know Lisa has had a few teething problems with this new venture but it is sure to be awesome. The event will be called 'Our World Our Art' and will be 'an International Blogwide Celebration of the Arts and its Artisans' to quote the lady herself.

To find out more click on the picture or pop over to A Whimsical Bohemian. The likely date for the event is March, which will of course be upon us in next to no time. If  you have an artistic passion you might even want to sign up yourself!!

I won't personally be taking part this year but I shall definitely be taking a look round once it starts. I'll keep you posted when I know more.

What's on Your Workdesk, Wednesday #138

Another week has whizzed by. Hardly needs saying does it? Had a great day today (it's Tuesday as I am writing this, well technically Wednesday as it is well after midnight, but I digress..) did HW, shopping, mum visiting, made two cards for men (just the hardest!!) ordered some prints using machine in store (a first) and bought and set up a digital photoframe. Feeling very productive, especially as I have had a really fun splodgy messy session at my desk as well.

I offered to send a RAK to a 'newbie' ATC trader but it's hardly worth just making one is it so there are four WIP here in various stages of completion. This is what I call messy, arty farty, faffing about crafting, using layers, stamps, gels and paints. It's real fun. I'm really loving the way the fairy one in the middle is coming along. Need to let them all dry off properly before I do any more to them though.

While I've been waiting for these to dry (and vice versa) I have been busy getting NEXT month's giveaway prepared. I am determined to get ahead of myself. Here's a sneaky preview. The little hearts are covered in crackle glaze that is drying. They were also covered in stamped words but they seem, ahem, to have come a bit adrift. It's probably a lesson in using the right inks or setting it but as I can't remember which ink pad I used and I thought I did blast them with the heat gun, it's obviously not a lesson I am going to get top marks in. Hopefully it will all come out in the wash, one of those 'happy accidents'.

OK you must know by now why I'm rambling on about what's on my desk this Wednesday. No? Well, it's all down to Julia of Stamping Ground who hosts this weekly blog hop known as WOYWW. Hop over first to Julia's to read what's what and find out how to join in. It's easy, so go forth, nose about, leave a comment, make a friend. But I should get yourself a beverage and use the facilities. It may take you a while.