WOYWW and My Weekend

Good Morning All,

I am typing away at the crack of dawn as I don't want to miss WOYWW. Although I might pay the price for this ungodly hour tomorrow afternoon at work when the keyboard appears to levitate...Been trying to grab some time at my table today but no time to finish anything today...so things look like this.

Well, as told, last weekend I was off to the Artsy Crafty Weekend. And a chock-a-block full two days it was indeed. Had a great time Lin, Leandra and the whole team were absolutely fabulous as usual. Can't show too much quite yet as it is happening all over again this weekend  - so not going to spoil it for the eager students... But I can show you a few sneaky bits just for starters.

Flowers at the ready after much snipping, inking, and blinging...
I love workshops but I am no speed bunny and also a self-confessed tweakaholic, so I still have some finishing up to do on my main project which I hope to show next time.

Just need to remember it is all about learning and the perfecting can happen at home! I really loved my colour choices for the weekend which you can just see a bit of.

So here we are in full swing - making a huge mess it must be said. Glad I wasn't on hoovering duty. Hats off to the supporting team who kept us safe, sane and sober..

Here is just a teeny weeny peak of one of the smaller projects...I actually managed to finish this one completely so that is a small miracle in itself. It was a great mix of techniques and creativity and I definitely recommend the weekend.
Even if you are a seasoned pro it is really good to just be in such a big group and have the chance to try out lots of new ideas and also colour schemes you might not pick yourself.

I also called in at LB crafts the day before - just for a look. Well, I stumbled across a bit of heaven on Earth there in Olney. If I lived a bit closer, I might have re-mortgaged by now...  

So, a little bit of this and that today - hope to share more soon. Really need to head off to the lad of nod now...x Sarah

                      

What's on your Workdesk Wednesday and The Three Muses

Dearest Papery, Arty, Inky, Painty, Stampy, Knit Folk,

The weekend had but fluttered her eyelashes and she is gone...and we arrive at the very lovely mid-week blogaround again. Well - I will jump straight in...and show the goods. For any rookies - head over to Julia's to see what this big nosey around is. As you can the desk is in full swing with bits of this, that and the other, and all the rest. Doing a lot of dabbling in between work on my course. I suppose you could say I am at Collage Collage (well, it works when you say it out loud...)

 Working on different backgrounds, compositions and techniques in the form of ATCs at the mo. Still adore the beauty of being able to do so much with so little. Here is a young lady who is also my offering for the Wings Challenge over at The Three Muses. Used torn papers, DI inks and gesso for the background. Added collaged images, copper-dabbed scrap metal corner and finished off with the lace, text and gold thread.

The second one uses colour shading techniques with pastel chalks. The original image was black and white. It is not my usual style but it was a challenge to try something different and create the final piece. I love vintage but this has more of a French rustic feel. Quite pleased with the tones though and rather enjoyed sitting there just colouring, smudging and doodling away...

Big hooray too as this weekend I am off to the Artsy Crafty weekend from LB crafts and Paper Artsy. Really looking forward to another fabulous and crazily intensive time there. Already invested in my own nail brush and soap! Got loads and loads to do before then including the housework and two Christmas cakes...and I really need to get some sleep (seem to be somehow welded to my crafting desk during the early hours... ) so I probably won't be blogging until I'm back. Hope to have some nice shots and stories to share soon.
So, loving you and leaving you for this week. Many thanks to all my visitors last week - glad to have you here! Enjoy yourselves - wherever and in whatever takes your fancy ...

Sarah

Tag Tuesday (Kard Krazy)

It's a fact...I'm totally obsessed with triple tags and seeing as Kard Krazy have a tag challenge with moons going on, I just had to join in...!

This is a card I made to celebrate the birth of my friends daughter - Yentl. What a glorious name...for a little gem. She just had to sit in the moon!


Greetings Sarah.

Imagine red...Collage Coterie and Sunday Stampers.

Here I am again. Truly head over heels in love with paper and ink. Can't imagine life without it. Captivated by endless images, thoughts, colours and textures..but that is very alright with me. Just sharing two ATCs today. I have made a start on the course from Mary Green and I am already revelling in the delights of collage - but still coming back time and time again to rubber stamping. Call me old-fashioned...it is my thing! I have called this one 'Imagine red...'. What do you imagine when you think of red? Warmth, intensity, passion, anger? She is joining in with Sunday Stampers again at Hel's place.

She also has a twin who is a little more subtle and restrained.
I really do like gesso. You can create so many effects and moods with it.
I especially like the tones of a faded antique white which go so well with the little girl. Don't need too many details here - let the image just be...
It is funny and a little bit strange when you put them next to each other and have them both staring back at you!
Love them both.

À bientôt.

Wednesday Stamper and The Three Muses...

Never one to miss out on a chance to share my papery passions...I am joining in with two different Challenges with one piece of work.
Over at The Wednesday Stamper, it is all about the face, whilst at the Three Muses Challenge it is a vintage theme, so how could I resist? I think that this week they must of both thought of me!
There are of course many ways to interpret vintage. I really adore the flea-market, days-gone-by feel, but also the retro vintage al la 50's. Mmmmmmmm. So many wonderful golden years to choose from...
 Well, I will go for one of my favourites - a triple tag.

  Here I have used gesso and distress inks to age the tags. I have then built up the layers by stamping some script, the faces and aged a torn image of a little girl. I have then added some paper scraps, more stamping and also embossed with mixtures of antique gold and brown tones. Gold paint was used on the edges, and a stamped mica fragment was attached to the left tag with glass brads.
To finish off I used ribbons and gold thread and joined the three tags together with wire to allow the card to stand up and remain flexible. It can stand in a curved or concertina form.Hope you enjoy this little offering. Already seen some great things on both challenges - do take a look - or come and join in. Look forward to seeing everyone's ideas and work.

What's on your work desk (floor and heart) Wednesday???

Fine Wednesday greetings to everyone - for here we are again. Golly, at this rate we might be on the Turkey sandwiches next week...

Whilst taking the usual Tuesday pictures of the dishevelled craft den for Julia's WOYWD, my husband said, "I think you should all take a picture of the floor sometime...look at it." Indeed... but I do do my best to salvage any snippets and goodies from the aftermath each night. Amazing what you find down there. For once I am willing to embrace the chaos as a sign of some intensive creative goings-on... Good to just get right into the thick of it and indulge. As you can see lots on the go. My first Christmas offering hiding under a bag on the right...having fun with it - never done big numbers - but sometimes things need time and thought to flourish, so letting it breathe for a while.

A mini baby-boom has descended upon family and friends here, so I felt inspired to make something celebrating the little wonders to be. Returning to my love of vintage and mini-art again.These are a bit bigger than inchies, but still I adore spending hours working with a tiny area (really Julia - it can be wonderful!)

I painted and aged a canvas and then added a doily as background before putting it all together with various ribbons and vintage buttons. The camera (well, me) had a hard time picking up the true the colours. Hope you can get an impression. I am also very pleased with the hanger. Quite a robust addition to the canvas but they suit each other perfectly - just enough metal to stop too much cuteness creeping in!
Again, tweaked until the small hours...but I am pretty fussy about composition (that'll be my dancers side there) - there has to be a certain balance which just can just suddenly fall into place.
  

Here is a close-up of the flower.The blue flowery backgrounds were made by transferring printed paper onto sticky-back canvas to create a linen/fabric look.
Famous dance quote," It is not about adding more, it is when there is nothing more that needs to be taken away..."

 Last week I was having a little inner conflict with my own short-comings and aspirations. I had decided to re-invest in my own instincts. Thank you for all the lovely words. Good to hear. And just then - an extra wink from Above - I discover I had made the Top Three at Simon Says with the following. A truly amazing little big moment for me, I have to say. Did you see my blinkie?!?

So one happy lady here. Hey, it can be good to be me. So, on that encouraging note - I wish you all farewell and I hope you can pick up a little of my feeling good glimmer dust. Thanks a lot for dropping by last week and today. Looking forward to seeing everyone again. I'm on my way...

Sarah x

Still time for theme Thursday...

Theme Thursday still has two days to go, so here I am. Better late than never...It is a Red and black thing going on - just can't get enough of that colour combo!!! It can be anything it feels like....

Here is a card I made for a friend built around three tags with the simple words Live, Laugh, Love

Here is another one made for Valentine's Day this year (no not for my love - it was bought by a stranger, so it hopefully brought a glow to someones cheek!) Feeling a bit whimsical and romantic here, but hey - red and black...

And the ever delightful all-in-one artiness that is an ATC. I have showed this one a while ago because it was shown in Craft Stamper magazine - but the simplicity still works... and I do still love all my little ones, even if they have flown the nest. So just embracing the chance to share with other slightly eccentric, but oh so enthusiastic, paper nuts like me...enjoy yourselves...

That was my first time here. When the inky powers that be let me play, I hope to return again soo.

Sarah.

A Peppering of Purple...

Hello all and lovely!

Just a few purple (ish) tones and hues...Joining in with Wednesday Stamper with just a few simple cards. Hoping less is more! It's not always the easiest colour in the world as the wrong tone can somtimes look a bit twee.

Used a page from an book of poetry here as the words were just so lovely - they had to be read...


And here I have used an old dictionary page and circled the word succeed.
Just ink, lace and paper - and there you go...

Anyway, just wanted a quick artistic fluttering before the week starts. Got a number of different projects on the go  - so late nights and tweaking bouts are on the horizon.

Hope you all had a great weekend - and wishing you a non-Monday feeling Monday!

Sarah

A new path...

Well, the joys of the Claudine Hellmuth course are at an end...I can of course always pop back, learnt loads and I loved it - but I am also ready for more - oodles more! Seeing as I find it hard to get to all the classes I'd love to do, I am going to treat - and commit - myself to another online course. As many of you know I adore vintage, so I have found a wonderful course by Mary Green to indulge in... I am going to be beavering away with Collage Coterie course from the absolutely sublime Greenpaper.
I am late signing in so I will have missed the live experience but I am quite happy pottering away on my own...and I can't wait to start. More discovery, hidden gems and joy! Already in awe of the images, papers, tones and stories just waiting to be transformed!

At the mo - I am having a sneaky peak whilst in the office at work. Sigh...can I take a month off for artistic research??? It would be soooo good for the soul...

Whats on your Workdesk Wednesday...and Sunday Stampers.

Going to start by mentioning that I'm not going to mention how amazingly quick the week has careered by yet again...

Hello everyone and hello Wednesday. Time for the weekly nosey round, gossip (got any???) and virtual meander through blogland. Welcome to my work-desk and for any bewildered new folk calling by...pop in at Julia's at Stamping Ground to find out what this Wednesday wonder is. Last week I visited almost everyone! Will do my best again - thanks to all for popping over to me.

 As you can see my desk seems to have acquired a few siblings. Saturday I was at The Artisan Show having a mooch and rummage. I was about to say that I was a wee bit disappointed but looking at my desk, you wouldn't know! I sadly didn't make the Ally Pally Show this year and I think I was in the mood for a full-on exhibition. Artisan was a lot smaller and also for beads and jewellery so maybe just a bit different than anticipated. On saying that - it was nice to have time, space and oxygen to totter around - and get to see things without hiking over twenty hobby trolleys...There were of course some super-duper stands and a few of my faves. Made a bee-line for Artist Trading Post, Crafty Individuals and Paper Artsy. They were all so lovely, lovely, and thrice lovely...

Workshops were all full, but at the end of the afternoon I was reeled into the Paper Artsy Make and Take and enjoyed a quick splurge of craftiness making a brooch. Three cheers for Jo Firth Young for being a Die-hard Demo Diva and providing a lift to my day (she may still be asking you for a pound...) I added the button at home instead of Stickles - because I just can't seem to agree with the stuff. Maybe it's just me and glitter...The green one, Forest moss methinks, just reminded me of a dollop of Mint Sauce on my Sunday Lamb...sorry folks.

And here is a little piece to end with. I am entering it into the Sunday Stampers Challenge over at Hel's...the theme is string! It started out as an ATC - which is I suppose it still is - although I could be arrested by the ATC squad for going large with the envelope. It might look like a tag but it is actually a little brown wages envelope that cost about 50p for a huge pack. Decided to go for some vibrant colours this week with alcohol inks, Stazon inks and CH paints. Something not too girly (see - still recovering from Sticklehitus). Used some eyelets, an old curtain ring and staples to boy it up a bit...and a wee bit of typing on a scrap of linen...

That is my low-down on life at the moment. Enjoyed having some quality time creating this week and also entered some challenges (see previous blog) Although sometimes there is just so much around, so many new trends, so much to see and learn - and so much amazing talent and art around, it can all be a bit daunting. Know that feeling??? Well, I am going to just breathe deeply, stay true to myself and my own passions and convictions...I want to enjoy, discover, share, savour and create!


Have a great week and look forward to seeing you all.

Sarah x

Simon Says and The Artistic Stamper Challenges...I'll have a dabble!

A very good evening to one and all!

Long day away at The Artisan Show. Acquired a bag of goodies - which is upstairs awaiting to be unpacked and given a home! It was a fairly small fair but I was very glad to enjoy some space to meander around and savour all on offer. More another day...and onto the main jist of tonight's blog...

I have spent a lot of time this week making a hanging which I am going to enter into two challenges as it does fit the bill for both. The first being Simon Says Stamp and Show (Your Distressed/Sanded Projects!) and also the new October challenge from The Artistic Stamper Creative Team Blog which is Layers. The inspiration for my piece is the uber-fabulous Mad Men TV drama series. Have you seen those outfits??? It oozes with retro glamour but also highlights the tough fight the women of that time faced as they tried to break free from the typical "little housewife at home" mold...So I thought these stamps would be just the thing...

 I started by stamping and embossing Tim's lovely lady on an old 1950's magazine page (you can even see the original date!). Tinted using CH studio line paints. I layered it up with two layers of vintage lace and some crumpled brown dress pattern paper - using Vintage Photo DI on the paper edges. I embossed, sanded and inked some grunge paper for the blue background (Stormy sky) and added some stitching and sanded eyelets. I attached the two layers to each other by using head pins. I distressed the edges and set it on a board which I collaged, sanded and inked (vintage photo and fired brick). Then added some extra stamping, sanded sewing ephemera and gingham ribbon detail.  I added some more layering and detail by stamping the text onto a painted and sanded wooden block.

The glasses were stamped and embossed onto blue card and then cut-out. To finish off I used some gold thread and vintage buttons. The hanger is an old tape measure  - also sanded and inked to help it blend in better with the rest - with a little fragment held in a memo pin. Sanded and edged the whole background board again to finish!

I really enjoyed making this and I am very pleased with the end result...don't you just love it when a plan comes together!

Why not have a go yourself! Go on...Head on over to the blogs to read and see lots more (see links above).

Enjoy your Sunday, be inspired and see you all soon,


Love Me xxx