Why Bristol is great for Craft

Before I start the debate, here is one of the tags that I made from scraps.  The flower is made from scraps, the suede hanger is a scrap from making my necklaces the other week and even the dyed lace is  a scrappy left over piece.

I added some of the foiling around the edge (I am so loving the foiling at the moment).  But then I discovered a black box frame and the tag fits perfectly!  What a great way to display my tags (I thought I could change them regularly).

 I also found a folding ruler in the shame shop and broke it down into pieces (using TH scissors, I must admit I use these as proper tools and so far they have not failed me).  I then dyed the ruler (which was BRIGHT white) using alcohol inks and glued them around the frame.

 I am really please with the result and have bought a few more frames and am going to decorate them as I am planning to do a Christmas stall (somewhere....have no idea yet)

So, back to the title.  Why Bristol (UK) is the best place for craft?  Well, mainly because there are SO many free museums (the new M shed, art museum etc), add to this there is ALWAYS something going on for free (or very little money) and they nearly always have an arty slant to them.

Take this weekend for example, there was the Bristol Motorcycle event in town, lots of Harley's, vespa's etc-so many photo opportunities-free.

Then there was the See no Evil event in Nelson Street.  This was a free day long event, pop up shops, bars, road closed so astro turf, flower beds and deckchairs could be laid out.  Artists from all over the world have created some stunning art on the side of the dirty grey buildings.

 They even brought out a piano and decorated it with line art.

There were so many different styles...How can people say this is not art?

Another reason Bristol is cool for craft?  The old police station has been converted into artist studios.  I came across this guy doing resin work. He has managed to capture fag butts in a jar complete with smoke and added marbles, seed beads and glitter

Then outside the police station, they decorated the wall by blasting away the dirt creating patterns, but what caught my eye was this yarn bombing!!!

And last but by no means least...the gorilla trail.  60 full size gorilla's that have been decorated have been placed around the city until 7th September.  This is brilliant, it has brought people together, locals and tourists.  I talked to SO many people over the past couple of days hunting these beauties down...they just start conversations. (the people NOT the gorilla's!)...I know Bristol was previously voted the most smiley city but I think they may now win the most chatty!

The downside?  I now have hundreds of photo's to process at home!!!

Happy crafting

Li'l Pidge

WOYWW

Fingers crossed that this works this week...blogger has not been working too well recently-the server keeps rejecting my pictures!!!!  Sorry for those who couldnt see last weeks desk and tags. 

So, What's on My Workdesk this Wednesday?! My red box of scraps is on the right of the shot-yep, still ever expanding...but at our weekly Coven craft night I only took blank tags and scraps (and some inks and a few embellishments I keep in my crop bag) and managed to make 3 tags!!  Just from scraps, I was very impressesed (one of the tags, not quite finished is in the middle of the desk)

On the right (on top of my scrap box) is my homemade stamp-a-ma-jig (no way I was paying over a tenner for one)-not tried it out yet (the wooden T square and thick plastic sheet) but it cost me nothing!  Next to that is a striped pink paper bag-in here is half a meter of freezer paper.  I love the idea of printing onto cloth but a box of freezer paper is over a tenner and if it doesnt work on my printer then thats a tenner I could have spent on crafting goodies...so half a meter will be enough to have  a play and decided if I want to invest in a box-fingers crossed my new printer likes it!!

In the middle is my tattered floral leather and suede flower I am making and some lavendar.  I picked it from the garden and once its dried I separate it out in the takeaway container (which eventually gets put through colin!!).  This bunch produced a whole zip lock bag of flowers.  The idea is that Christmas pressies this year will be handmade, elderflower cordial (already made), greengage jam (already made...but need to stop eating it!!) and homegrown lavendar hearts! (and maybe some sloe gin later in the year).

On the far left bottom is a new glue gun and clamp set my dad bought me at the weekend.  I have been using his old (over 20 years old) glue gun, but its so stiff I find it difficult with my hands and then the rubber tip broke off so now I keep burning myself!  So time for a new one.  BUT, it takes 8mm glue sticks and I cant find any that size round here, if anyone has any ideas (the make is Arrow, I'm told a very good USA make) please let me know.

So, feel free to pop over to Julias blog (there is a link over on the right) nad have a nose around desks across the globe!

Happy crafting
Li'l Pidge x

WOYWW

Good morning fellow WOYWW's (or should that be WOYWWers?). Today is the day for a good ol' nose around some desks across the globe....some tidy (not like mine), some messy (like mine!!), but all very inspirational.

So this week I have finally gotten round to making some stamps from my TH dies. I cut them from craft foam (25p a sheet in a craft sale) sticking 2 layers together. So far I have cut the on the edge Houses and the sewing Mannequin, I have only tested them on a piece of scrap so far (that's on the right) but they seems to stamp ok....I cant wait to have a proper play.

Thanks to all the ideas for what to make with my ever expanding scrap box, this tag is made only using scraps (and small ones at that).

I used some TH papers (I cant bear to throw away the smallest scrap-not only because they are so lush but so darn expensive...but worth it as the quality is fab) the smallest scrap of music paper, old pink lace that I dyed with TH re-inker to grunge it up. I added some bronze foil around the edge (SUCH a bargain at a craft fair back in the Spring, £1 a roll of foil...I use it SO much but have hardly used even 1 foot off the roll so far! (and I didn't only buy 1 roll at the time!!))

I then die cut (yep, on Colin again) a flower from scraps adding a some old buttons... the suede lacing to hang the tag is even a scrap leftover from my necklace making session!

So, with the amount of scraps I have it looks like I have LOTS of tag's to make....and with the REALLY small pieces...perhaps I should start making inchies!?!

Please pop over to Julia's blog, there is a blinkie over on the right, and have a nose around some other creative spaces.

Happy Crafting

Li'l Pidge

I cannot believe where the time has gone....my niece is a teenager!!

This is the card I made for her, its A4 in size with a printed acetate overlay to create a mock magazine cover, I inked through sequin waste and added a rub on flourish over the photo

 I decorated it with tattered floral flowers cut from grunge covered with book pages and some on my acetate with alcohol inks and tissue paper (from my earlier tutorial) adding a flocked brad in the centre and a metal contact paper covered flower coloured with alcohol inks.

I added some stamping and job done!!

I was really please with the result-especially since teenagers are notoriously difficult to buy/make for!!!

Happy crafting

Li'l Pidge

WOYWW

Another WOYWW and 2 completed cards-result!
So as you can see my scraps box on the right appears to be growing not shrinking, even though I have had a clear out and gotten rid of those scraps that I think MAY be too small to usefully use!! Any ideas?

This is the card design I finished, I added a little stickles to some of the strawberry flowers and some glossy accents to one of the stamped berries and added a wee shrinkie berry-too cute for words!

So, feel free to pop over to Julia's blog (blinkie on the right) and have a good nose around some other peoples work spaces.

Happy crafting

Li'l pidge x