WHAT'S ON MY HOLIDAY WORKDESK WEDNESDAY AND GIVEAWAYS GALORE!!!!!!!!!

Goede morgen!
As they say over here in the land where cheese, tulips and clogs are plenty. As is the watery stuff from above... Holland holiday greetings from Ede to you all! I am suffering from major crafty withdrawal symptoms but am holding on to the conviction that the creative soul will benefit and thank me later... Taking things very easy as hubby is sadly laid up with a back injury, and I'm finding much solace in the Craftorij. A truly fantabulous craft shop around the corner. You name it, they've got it, I've stroked it and doth covet it all. The haul so far...A fine display of loveliness indeed.

Yes, yet more envelopes. I have another design idea for you for this month's My Mojo Monthly that is just itching to get out! Glad to say there are three great entries for Augusts MMM already. Really hope to see a few more of you join in soon!
ONTO THE GIVEAWAYS!!!

When I'm here I always notice the abundance of colour and prettiness - despite the daily torrential rain I must add). The Dutch are not afraid of their bright tones. You'll often see a banker in a vibrant pink shirt and elderly gents sporting their yellow sweaters! I cannot resist picking up some of these joyful shades and goodies, yet I know it will just end up on the "Hmm, we'll see" shelf along with all the previous frenzies. So I thought I'd share it with you. I'm really very grateful to all the support from my followers and visitors alike, and I just luuuurve to give pressies! So I've put together TWO portions of Dutch Delights just for you!

A cheerful bag just perfect for some tools, a notebook, fabby fabrics and two stamp sets. As you can see they are slightly different... Which one would YOU like to get your crafty mitts on? Number one Flowery or number two Dotty? Leave a comment (& your email/blog), I'll put you all in a hat and pick two winners next week.  MY FOLLOWERS GET TWO TICKETS THROWN IN!

Glad to say that my crafty friend Franka is coming up tomorrow to join in more retail therapy and some crafty antics. She is also kindly bringing some arty kit to help me survive the week! God bless her! That's the low-down from the low-down lands (the Netherlands - get it???)

Thanks for calling by! Do join in the desk-hopping fun at Julia's and show us what ya got...Doei, tot ziens, dag!!!!
Sarah.

Flowers with Attitude at Simon Says...

Monday Morning Greetings,
Sarah here (live from my Holland holiday home) with new creative musings for both you and Simon Says Stamp & Show, where it's all about Mr. T's techniques. I immediately dived into my Grungestuff goodies with a mission to prove Flowers can have attitude with my double layered Grungeboard cuff!

I love the versatility of  Grungepaper and Grungeboard. Strong yet flexible with an ability to take on colour and texture. So therefore an ideal substrate for some wearable art methinks! I started out by cutting a strip of Grungepaper with deckle scissors, inked it up with Brushed Corduroy and then embossed it with the Victoria folder. I emphasized the detail with more ink and a touch of Black Soot.

I cut a second wider strip of Grunge board and used a good dose of Rusty Hinge ink. I embossed it again but had a struggle to get a lot of texture which actually ended up looking just fine and a great contrast with the more detailed strip! I also ran a line of machine stitching along one edge and joined both strips together with four brass eyelets and some Glossy Accents.

The Tattered Florals flower is cut from Grunge paper. Firstly I inked it up with Brushed Corduroy, painted on Paper Artsy crackle medium and then applied a mix of white and tan paints from Claudine's Studio Line. I added a bit more Distress inks to the petal tips and stamped some script with a Wendy Vecchi stamp. Forgot to say the inside is painted with fabby Claudine's Traditional Tan paint for protection and the whole thing sealed with her Matt Medium.
The flower is finished off with an Idea-ology centre and an antique upholstery stud. You can just see the hitch fastener on the right which which is used to close the cuff. The cuff needed something extra to balance out the design and give it a it more oomph, so I salvaged a chain and tassel from an old necklace. I threaded it through the eyelets so it hangs in a curve and voilà! A tad more attitude!

 Here is a close-up of the flower where you can see the subtle crackles and colouring. I love the flower but also like the way the brown tones and metal keep it edgy. So there you go a serious piece of arm candy for Big Girls! Would you fancy showing it off this summer???

There are lots more fabulous Tim techniques from my talented DT friends on the Simon Says blog. I really hope you'll join in the challenge and share your arty makes! There's a $50 prize and the elite Top Three Tiara out there!

I hope you like the cuff and feel inspired to create your own. I'd love to hear from you so feel free to drop me a line.
Thanks as always for taking the time to be here. Enjoy your week...!

Sarah.

Tagging from the Flatlands...

Friday Grungy Greetings from the lower regions or...Hi from Holland! Enjoying a lazy and surreal craft-free evening on the sofa with hubby in our holiday house. Spent all morning in a fabulous craft shop where I could actually reach out and touch things and then all afternoon shopping. Before hot-footing it over here I managed to to squeeze in a Grungy Monday tag and then whisked off with just the photos. This week we venture into vellum...

Vellum? Methinks. What, all that foggy looking, crinkly sounding stuff I bought so many years ago? Yeah, that's it. So I delve into the archives of my rookie shopping days to find 43 shades of translucency. Oh my giddy aunt, I even found one with a Disney princess on it. Must have been a freebie...

I've had this set of Artistic Outpost stamps for a while and really wanted to see them in action. So this seemed like an ideal moment seeing as vellum turns a bit oldy worldy with a bit of Distress ink. I decided to emboss rather than stamp the vellum for some extra texture and contrast seeing as the stamps are quite detailed. The chaps are stamped onto a gessoed book page, stamped again, cut out and layered up with the vellum and a stamped mica scrap.

The background tag had been inked up with lots of Rusty Hinge, Brushed Corduroy and Black Soot, given a splash and stamped with more A.O. images and a Wendy Vecchi ledger stamp. Added a memo pin, holding a little French, finishing off with brass eyelets and gold thread. Good old vintage tones and inky stamping still feels good to me. Glad I managed to sneak him in as I'm off duty next week. I will admire from far...!

Just to let you know, the August My Mojo Monthly feature is up with an Inspiration Challenge, Giveaway and fab interview with Kim Dellow. I hope you'll call by and also share some of your arty creations!




That's me all done for tonight...thanks very much for calling by...see you very soon in Blogland.
Sarah.

What's on your Workdesk Wednesday?

Well, a Glossy Accents bottle doing his best snowman impression and the remains of my sanity...

I have probably said it a million times this week but my life is ruled by my desk at the mo. I'm off on my hols in Holland tomorrow, so this past week has been mega intense on the fingers and Mojo getting all my projects and DT work done. Just onto some final details and can now see the faint sight of land in the distance. Phew indeed. But still loving it all big time...

And...hooray! August's My Mojo Monthly is up!!! Inspiration, projects, a challenge, a giveaway and a great interview with Kim Dellow. I've chosen a Muse & Use it theme and the photo on the left is a detail from my envelope art idea. Do come and visit and join the journey and be nice to your Mojo this summer!

Here is a dusky shot of a card made last night in between DT shifts. I'm still on board with the fun at EWV. Manic timing but couldn't resist. Really falling for Wendy Vecchi pretties! Whilst sweating and puffing hubby says, "You don't have to do everything you know."
"But me woman. She craft," I retort.

Stripes, polka dots, flowery stuff and a pit-stop in the card making zone. Always a fine place to linger.

So that's me done for Wednesday. Hop over to funsome Julia's to join in with the desk stalking and feel free to join in whatever you're up too. I'll be hopping in and out during my hols. Wishing you all the week you need.
Hope to see you at My Mojo Monthly (such a subtle hint),

Farewell my lovelies,

Sarah.

My Mojo Monthly August - Muse & Use it!

SEE THE NEW MY MOJO MONTHLY THEME HERE...
INSPIRATION GALORE!

Hello and welcome to another My Mojo Monthly! A place for inspiration, you and your art. Firstly, thank you for being here and all the tremendous support and enthusiasm. It's just brilliant to have so many people calling by, joining the inspiration challenge and sharing their art. Are you ready for another Mojo pick-me-up? Great because creativity is an action and I've got lots for you to read, see and try. Remember I'm here all month - take your time! Whatever your creative passion, I hope to get you thinking, discovering, sharing and enjoying!

FIVE QUESTIONS TO MY FEATURED ARTIST...

I love listening to artists I admire and I’m very proud to introduce My Featured Artist Kim Dellow. 

I discovered Kim's amazing work through a fab flower tutorial and I really love her eclectic and unique style.

Creative, colourful, textured imagery - it's all happening when Kim is around!

I'm so glad Kim was willing to share some of her thoughts and art with us.

Read on and enjoy...

Who is Kim Dellow in five words?
Inquisitive. Imaginative. Messy. Divergent. Flawed.

Where are you right now as an artist?
Very much at the beginning of my journey! I'm feeling my way inch by inch! I am very new to the field of creative work and have been reading around the subject; it gives me heart to know that just as with anything else, creative work actually comes down to putting in the work and having the drive to do it. 

A lot of us, I know always believed this. Feel that you need to have some amazing talent. Of course it will help if you do have an inclination to the work, but take any of your favourite artists/crafters and know that they started somewhere and they can produce beautiful pieces of work seemingly effortlessly because they have put in the hours and worked hard to get where they are. You learn a lot by absorbing the work that has gone before and it takes time to develop your own voice. I have not found my own voice yet, I hope that one day I can look at the piece I have just finished and be able to say this is who I am.

Which of your creations is closest to your heart?
Usually whatever I am working, I usually go through a few love/hate cycles on my latest projects! Perhaps one of my favourite completed makes at the moment is my poppy made from sweet wrappers. 

I love stitching and paper together and I love manipulating unusual materials, turning them into things you would not expect.

Where do you find inspiration when feeling Mojoless?
Tough one! I would like to say that I spend the first few minutes of everyday working in my journal and I do that from time to time. 

This is an action I really want to make into a habit. I'm working on it. But another thing I like to do is return to my books, read about other artists experiences, there is a comfort in numbers and knowing that you are not alone!

You are going back-packing in the Himalayas for a year and may only take 3 crafting items. Which - and why?

A sketch book, a good pencil, a travel watercolour set (is that a cheat?). I would really love to learn how to draw. I think this would make me do it. The surroundings would be too beautiful not to! If I could sneak in some fabric, thread and a needle... I would love to learn some local embroidery skills as well!
See Kim in Septembers Craft Stamper and Papercraft Essentials UK. Her blog can be found here. Do take a look!

Back at HQ...
Thanks so much Kim! That was a honest and great encouragement to us all. This month I have a bit of a "Muse & Use it!" theme going on. I want to encourage you to be personally inspired not overwhelmed by the creativity out there and see the potential in everyday materials to create usable, touchable and original art. How many of us spend hours creating precious work which ends up in the cupboard? You become attached to your creations, worry they'll be mistreated, caress your last favourite paper, can't sell it (How much? Do you know how long that took me?) But you want to share and give too. So I added my own twist to basic ideas and created three good to go projects with envelopes. 

This is a journal made from envelopes for a young girl. Now I love making those mega gatefold, quadruple layered, 90 page, rear parking albums as much as anybody. But in all honesty both my ethos and time tells me a teenager needs a revamped version. I can put this together in an afternoon, I'm happy to let it go, even if it will be tossed around the bedroom! Use it! The cover is just two large envelopes stuck together. The front is painted with gesso, stencilled with Distress ink, decorated with sewing scraps and paper flowers inspired by Kim's fab tutorial.

On the inside I've used a selection of envelopes just folded or glued on to one another, all layered up in a fun way, stitching them into place. I cut the envelope bottoms off to create a pocket at both ends. I have lined the inside of the flaps for a bit of contrast but further more it's a blank canvas for youthful doodling and girly secrets. Might last 6 months but used and hopefully well-loved! Just thinking... you could also make a very colourful grown-up version too!

The flowers are made from scrap DP and book pages with trimmed upholstery studs for centres. All the machine sewing is decorative. It's all held together with red line tape so you can easily skip the sewing or add fake stitches with a pokey tool and pen. I picked up all the odd envelopes very cheaply from various shops for under £2! Stationers, corner shops, post offices, supermarkets - envelopes galore...if you paint or cover them then just reuse old ones!

Here is card made from a large office envelope. I placed a vintage image behind the window which slightly faded the photo adding to the vintage appeal. Isn't she just stunning? But it would be even more wonderful if it was your own mum for example! I trimmed the envelope to get the right proportions and then stitched,  but again tape and faux stitching would work too...

Minimal decoration as she is the star. A lace scrap, crochet trim and buttons, finished off with a single stamp. I'm a vintage lover and could look at her all day. Just thinking... you could do a really modern version with other images and official envelopes - especially when they have PRIVATE printed at the side! How fun would that be? Looking forward to seeing what you put in them...

Here's a five minute job. The blue spotty paper is the inside of another envelope. I stamped onto it and placed it inside an office envelope. I removed the cellophane window panel this time and again trimmed the card edges. A Wendy Vecchi butterfly, a bit of corner stitching all set onto a card base. Job done!  You can of course use these ideas in many other projects. A hanging, mini book cover, would be just fab in an Art Journal.

Muse Moment...

My dance background, especially choreography, has taught me that good composition is a partnership between substance and skill. Basically the what and why, and the how. It's not how much you know but how you use it that counts. Whether it's a simple or complex project.  If you can only play three chords on the guitar, you can make beautiful music if you choose the right song.
It is so easy to want to impress and put all you know and feel into one piece. Take some quality time to look at your own work and reflect on that of others too. You'll find the pieces that resonate with you are those that are balanced, sincere and creative. A hundred brilliant techniques on one canvas can be impressive but soulless. An overload of badly stamped images all fighting for your attention mean you miss their beauty. Your techniques should support your work not carry it. My stumbling block is wanting to cram in too much. Impressing not personalising. No matter how good they seem, some ideas just need to sit for a while. Everyday I'm learning to come back to myself. To trust my convictions, dare to mess up, make it mine and embrace what I do know...

Challenge, Nice Stuff and Info...

So that's me done. Phew! Where are you at, what moved you this week, what's your take on these ideas...? Which thoughts and creations would you like to share? Remember My Mojo Monthly is about the why and the what! Dare to share your art and inspiration!

I'll be checking in regularly to take a look at your work. Huge congratulations to July's winner Elizabeth for her wonderful anniversary creation. This months Giveaway is a fabulous set of stamps from 7 Gypsies and next month we'll be talking to Jo Firth-Young!

So now it's over to you...!!!


A few guidelines on submitting your work:

- In the spirit of MMM please write a few lines in your post about your creativity and why you want to share your work.
- You are very welcome to share challenge pieces- just tell me a bit about your inspiration.
- Please link directly to your post and not your blog so I can find you.
- Please add a link in your post to My Mojo Monthly - thanks!
- Feel free to take the MMM button for your blog - please do!
- Multiple challenge photos without description will be removed.

I had great fun doing this and really hope you can find something to play with. I'd love to hear back from you and look forward to seeing you and your Mojo in action!

Are you still here? Off you go...there's art to me made!
Sarah.

Just Tagging Along...

Hello,
Looks like a Monday again! Bit of a corny title I know, but I couldn't bring myself to use a festive one quite yet as I'm about to flit off on my summer hols. So tags it is at Simon Says Stamp & Show. Always an enjoyable theme because you can create a whole work of art on one simple card. Tags are also great for trying out new things and that's just what I did with my new Season's Silhouette stamps from Mr. Holtz.

 I have an eclectic style and decided to combine both a vintage and modern look on my tag. The large word stamp makes an excellent background so I embossed it with clear powder repeating the stamping to cover the entire tag. Then I applied Peeled Paint, Fired Brick and a touch of Black Soot Distress Inks. A quick wipe with kitchen paper brings the letters back to full effect. Then onto some simple but bold embellishing.

I'm not a huge die-cut person and I'm always looking for ways to re-invent my stash and give you all some new ideas too.  So I thought I could combine two Cages to make a Christmas cage bauble! Just a little snip work and all was done. I inked it up and applied Rock Candy paint for a vintage look. It hangs on a chain scrap and Mr. Birdy is embossed in pearl powder for some sheen and has a little screw eye!

 I die-cut some flowers from Crinoline (thanks to my DT mate Linda C.) which has been coloured with the same Distress Stains as the inks. I also wanted to stick with a limited colour pallet and added just a metal Idea-ology centre plus a few brads on the cage.

 Finished off with a dyed tie, copper thread, white parcel string and a washer over the hole. Golly Christmas antics already. I am pleased I tried this out. I'd like to do one in blues and white too. Maybe you can try it out for me. Do let me know...

I'd love to see you join in the challenge. You could be the lucky winner of this fab voucher - or even stand in the spotlight with the Top Three tiara! Head over to the our blog to see more amazing creations from the 'just so wonderful' Design Team! With that, I'll also sign off.

Thank you for calling by - always love to share my work.
Looking forward to your tags!

Sarah.

Doing a spot of Weekending...

Good Morning,
I have yet to go to bed as it is now the wee hours of Saturday...life as normal in Blogdom. I am about to start a marathon all weekend crafting session so as to be a reasonably sane woman before my hols next week. DT work and project commitments tug at my sleeve... Absolutely adore designing for Simon Says but I really wanted to create something "off duty" and not miss Grungy Monday. Indulge in the pleasures of Rock Candy tricks here!

I painted a tag with Paper Artsy Snowflake paint, roughly blending Pumice Stone ink over the top when dry. Then I painted the whole tag with Rock Candy Distress paint swooshing the ink as I went. I was apparently a bit of a stingy spreader and had to do a second coat to get a decent crackle. You need to gloop... Now I see why there's a big pot on the market.

I then used a mix of Brushed Corduroy, Black Soot and more Pumice Stone inks to bring out the texture and tones. I wanted the look of old painted wood. I dived into my Wendy Art Parts and inked up the leafy flourish and layered it with the heart which has been inked up with Fired brick and Black Soot. I gave it a rough crackle effect with Paper Artsy crackle followed by Claudine Hellmuth Tan paint. Just playing with the monotone shades...

It needed a bit of contrast and more interest so I choose a touch of white with some gessoed chicken wire and a fabric scrap. The tag edges have been well distressed and inked and the Idea-ology helped balance things out. Always liking a touch of metal...

 You can see the Rock Candy effect better on these pics and also the twine which I bound around the heart. It just needed a hefty dose of Glossy Accents and half an hour lying under my Crop-a-Dile to get it all stuck down.  There's a lot of dimension going on so it is pretty hard to photograph, especially at midnight when it's just too dark.

After all that I am still very happy I made some time to play and now I feel ready for the big stuff...
I hope you like the monochrome tones. Thanks for being here, do drop me a line and let me know what you think. See you soon,

Sarah