Ho Ho Ho....

 I hope you all had a wonderful festive period, with 4 trips to different family homes on Christmas day alone I am really looking forward to some time at home (not to relax....but to craft, I am having withdrawal symptoms!).

One of my recent makes was this delightful deer I made out of felt.

 On the back I embroidered "Ethan 1st Christmas 2011", why I hear you cry?  No, it wasn't some random thought, this was made especially for my new nephew (only 4 months old and cute as a button) to be hung on their tree.

 Isn't he a bonnie lad, only 4 months old but already with a little personality!

My next make was this folder I made for my Nan in New Zealand.  I have no idea what to buy a 87 yr old for Christmas so I decided to make her a folder and a dozen mixed cards.....I even included a 'with sympathy' card (well I wanted to cover all occasions!).

 The final make is the Christmas card I made for my hubby.  I used my stampotique stamp, stamping him on a vintage page and colouring him with inks.  I added a party hat and some stickles for a little festive bling!  I coloured the background with stains and painted some sequin waste with picket fence stains and used this to transfer the print to the page.

I finally added a strip of music score to the bottom and added a Ho, Ho, Ho-I think he's sweet!

I took this final photo in my new photo light box that my parents bought me for Christmas-no more shadowy photos or having to wait until I am at home during daylight to take the shots (once I have sussed the proper way of using it!!).

Happy Crafting

Li'l pidge x

A couple more tags

 Finally I have had a few minutes to myself and managed to make the next 2 of Tim Holtz tags (I am SOOOO behind on these!)

 Yet again I didnt have a lot of the supplies, so instead of kraft paper I used some normal TH papers, I stamped a greeting on the right and embossed it with clear embossing to help it resist the distress stain, I stamped a holly leaf of the top left and coloured it as TH did.

 The deer is only card distressed and the bell was silver but I coloured it with butterscotch alcohol ink.

 

On the next tag I stamped the background (no felt so I couldnt make my own coloured ink pad like TH) inking different parts of the stamp with different colours (using dew drops as they have a great narrow point to them so it makes them great to colour in detail).  I distressed the edges of the tag adding some foliage and furry red berries, adding some more coloured bells suspended on wire.

I am loving the tags and the way it makes you think differently about your stash....finding the time to make them however is a different matter all together!

Now, off to dust, wrap some pressies and maybe some ironing...all before bed!!!!


Happy crafting
Li'l pidge

WOYWW

Its a simple question I have for you.....How come I have an entire computer desk to craft on (yes it is a small computer table from a swedish store....but its still a table) yet I only appear to have a space the size of a postage stamp (and I mean a bog standard stamp,not one of those fancy larger Chrimbo ones you get this time of year!!) to craft on?!?!?! 



So, after following Tim Holtz 12 tags of Christmas (which is now finished but you can find all of them, and previous years on his blog, www.timholtz.typepad.com) I have finally managed to start on mine, so here is my first one of twelve.

I dont have much TH products (honest, I dont!!) so had to make it using none of the actual products he used!!  I didn't have a snowflake enbossing folder, any of the dies (I cut the banner from music paper and the pine cones are real!) and I used a left over Christmas message instead of his Noel.

But all in all I was really pleased how it turned out, I like to be inspired by TH (lets be honest its not difficult) but his products can be  a tad on the pricey side here in the UK so I tend to use his ideas as a starting point-a good example is the ribbon, his, whilst lovely is a few quid over here so I used really cheap ribbon from the fabric shop which was only a few pennies a meter-not the same, but I think it works.

If you fancy a legal snoop around some very creative workspaces then please pop over to Julia's blog (link over on the right) for WOYWW (What's on your Workdesk Wednesday).

I have a day off so intend to squirrel myself away in the craft room and get very inky and messy-its better than medicine!!

Happy Crafting

Li'l Pidge

A quick raven card

Just a quick post, this is a birthday card I made for my goth friend Nigel (and honourary Crafting Coven member-he's actually the hubby of coven member Becky, but as a stone mason he is surely a master crafter?!).

I couldn't resist the octopode stamp and the skulls from bombshell stamps (both NEC purchases).  I thought the purple was a perfect goth colour. As its now past his birthday I can finally post this make (hope he like it).

Happy crafting
Lil pidge x

WOYWW

Let's be upfront and honest, this isn't my desk and the photo wasn't taken today!!!!  The desk is my entire dining room table (fully extended-so it seats 8) and it was taken on Saturday-does that make me a bad person?

The reason is, I had my 2 nieces over for a days crafting on Saturday, we made cards and gift tags and got very inky and a little covered in glitter glue!!!!  This is the disaster zone afterwards.....I bet you can guess how long it took me to take it all back upstairs to my craft room-but oh what fun we had!

It's always lovely being able to share your crafting with others (it can be a lonely existence when you craft) and even more so when its with family!

On a sad note, Sarah Lawrence died suddenly last Friday. A fellow WOYWWer.  Our thoughts are with her family and friends.

So, if you fancy a nose around some desks them please pop over the Julia's blog (link over on then right).
Happy Crafting

Li'l pidge x

ooh...a market

Only a quick post...the other night I took my hubby to his gig in Bath (he plays bass in a couple of bands) and whilst he sound checked I decided to have a nose around the Christmas market in Bath.  Wow...SO pretty...its held in the street surrounding the abbey and there are about 140 wooden huts selling food, crafts and local products (and the inevitable imported tat!!)

I was SO impressed with myself as I spent NOTHING!!!!  The gig was free, parking was not too bad and a couple juices at the pub...so a lovely cheap night out-the first one I have had for SO long-and the bands were great also.

If you get the chance to pop into Bath then its worth it before the market goes (some time next week I think-google it...there is a dedicated website!).

Anyway...a quick post....off for an early night as I am exhausted.
Happy Crafting
Li'l Pidge x

Some new techniques

I have made a few cards recently trying out different techniques.  This is stamped using 2 ink colours onto fabric and mounted onto some card which I sanded back around the edges.  Not sure how to attach the fabric without it showing through so decided to use brads.

 I'm loving the stamping onto fabric, its so tactile and adds another dimension to your card making.

Now, my first love for many years is photography, I loved transforming my bathroom into a dark room (complete with a red light...goodness knows what my neighbours thought I was doing!!) but after the initial flush of success with digital I found I was getting bored.  So, after flicking through my dad's camera magazines I noticed someone creating scenes with every day objects and 00 gauge railway 'people' (had to use '' around the word people....they're not real are they.....I mean, they don't wait until my back is turned and play around with my crafting stash do they?  They'd better not....my hubby knows what happens when I find him ferreting in there looking for a pair of scissors!!).

So this is my first attempt.  The 00 gauge construction workers have been placed on some black kale (tastier than it sounds...honest!!!). A nice different male card I think, do you?

Next, this is a card I made for my Dad's birthday.  The frame is a copy of a medium format negative, the background paper is a downloaded from some clip art I found.  I couldn't find any vellum (I wanted to somehow 'dull down' the background) so I used the backing sheet from some rub-ons I had and mounted a clip art of a retro camera.

So, a few different techniques...I need to decided on one as I have my 2 lovely nieces over at the weekend for a crafting day...not sure whether to do some altered art or Christmas cards (get them to make mine.....oh, now that is a good idea!!).

Thanks for stopping by and happy crafting

Li'l Pidge x

Woyww

It's Wednesday again!!!  Today on my workdesk...yep, finally I have relented.....but only just!

Yep, you see correctly....don't adjust your glasses....I have made a Christmas card!!  I hope you were sitting down whilst I made this announcement! 

Now, it is only one and it because my family in New Zealand have already have their pressies (thankyou Uncle Murray for upping your baggage allowance and taking them back!!) and last posting is 5th December so I need to get it in the post!!



 I love the TH deer, a big thanks to fellow Coven member Becky who lent it to me (a great benefit of a crafting group is the sharing of expensive shash!!)-its SO cute.

 I used some free 'Minds Eye' papers I got with a magazine, adding stickles glitter to the trees (leaving one plain for contrast) and then glittered around the edge of the deer.

Any hoo, just a quick post....need to crack on....if you fancy a nose around Julia's blog and see lots of other crafty desks around the globe there is a link on the right, and if you keep getting directed to a christian holiday website instead of mine....what a cheek!!!  Hijacking my blog address....you can't trust anyone these days can you?!?!

Happy Crafting
li'l pidge

WOYWW

Another Wednesday....I am not sure if this is an age thing....but I am sure that the weeks didn't whoosh past this fast as a child! So this week I have been making yoyo brooches, it wasn't until I looked at my very small basket of them that I realised they were nearly all the same colour family, so I thought I'd better make some Christmassy ones...and what could be more festive than black and white skulls with a red accent?!!

 

Only a quick post as my warming morning cuppa is calling....the first frost of the year here is the South West of England...brrrr.....I am wishing I had set my heating to come on.....so job number 1 is resetting the boiler timer!!!

If you fancy a legal nose around desks across the globe pop over to Julia's blog (blinkie on the right).
Happy crafting

Li'l Pidge x

WOYWW

Oh my, Wednesday again?!!?  Another week closer to 'you know what'!  I still haven't made any Christmas cards yet either-I just cant bear to bring myself to make them...it makes Winter seem too real and its only Autumn!

So, what's on my workdesk this week then?  Well, I have been playing with my journal again but this time using my new stamps and distress stains.

 I painted the page with distress stains and used my new dylusion stamps and a stampotique one (such a cute character).  I added inky circles made with a spray lid and colour round them and the pocket watches with oil pastels.

I don't know if there is a right or wrong way to do this, but I am just having a go (not got any workshops down in the south west of the UK that I know of, they all seem to be up north!  HEY, if any of you run workshops then the west of England are crying out for some...).

I am pleased with the results, and its a quick and very cheap way to experiment with techniques with the added bonus of getting some things off your chest!

So, if you'd like a nose around some other desks please pop over to Julia's blog (WOYWW link is on the right).

Happy Crafting

Li'l Pidge xx

Vodka and Lavender...now there's and odd mix

Now, things haven't taken a turn for the worse.....a couple of days away from the office has not turned me to drink....this is my latest creation!

After a fab holiday in Majorca last month I became hooked on the local hooch called Tunel.  Now this green alcoholic digestive was delicious so I thought I would have a go at making some.

I have filled the bottles with fennel stalks and greenery and in a few weeks time I plan to add some sugar.....I have no recipe and not much clue....I'll let you know how I get on!

In order to make the most of my day off I made lots of lavender hearts filled with stuffing and a generous handful of dried lavender from my garden.  They are meant to be quick to make, but this little lot took me the best part of the day!  I didn't realise I was THAT slow on the machine!!

They are so sweet though, and I added a ribbon loop to hang them with a vintage button and a lovely piece of 'I love handmade' ribbon stitched on the back.

These are going to be included on the Christmas craft stall the coven are doing in December, and if they don't sell.....well pressies for family and friends and the rest will get put to use in my wardrobe!

I have also picked some sloe's this weekend, so I am off to start the sloe gin (I don't have a problem...honest!!).

Happy crafting

Li'l Pidge xx

Lest we forget.....a calendar

I am REALLY enjoying my 2 days off....I promised myself no housework (now, those of you that know me will understand that this is very difficult (lol)...) but just crafting.....

Yesterday I spent ALL day making my Nan's Christmas pressie....now I cant show it yet (I doubt at 87 she reads this but I don't like to assume)...but I hope she will like it.  I have to be REALLY organised as I have family in both the USA and NZ so I cant do a 16:00 Christmas Eve dash to buy all my pressies like some do!!

So, in a bid to clear out older stash I finally altered this calendar...



I coloured it with inks, distressing and sponging through some sequin waste adding some foil on the edges and sprinkling water to create a little more interest.

 I stamped Tempus Fugit (time flies) and embossed on the bottom and added a stamped pocket watch onto a tomato puree tube which I added some grunge wings to and covered the watch face with sepia glossy accents.

 I glued on a press stud and a Tim Holtz metal book corner.  Then to decorate the back I embossed another piece of tomato puree tube with a TSS mould, adding some black acrylic and sanding back.  I added a couple of chipboard cogs, a couple of which I added some glossy accents to add a bit more dimension.

I know its nearly the end of the year...but thankfully its a perpetual calendar so its not a lost cause!


I made lots more but its now dark so I need to wait until its light to get some decent shots (I'll blog them later).

One thing I have made recently is some air force inspired cards...since its 11/11/11 I thought it may be appropriate to share them.

I know a lot of forces personnel (my childhood home town used to have a RAF base) and I always think of those around now.

Lest we forget....

Li'l Pidge x

WOYWW

Another Wednesday closer to Christmas and still no cards or gifts made!  Only a very quick post as I have not been home from work long and its already bed time!

So, Whats on my work desk this Wednesday then?  Well, I have stamped up some of my new stamps (after spending ALL Saturday evening mounting them) all ready to colour and I have made some fabric brooches.  These are made from a selection of fabrics and vintage buttons-all ready for a Vintage Fair in Bath in December (the Crafting Coven are doing a stall).

On the left are a few more pieces of fabric I have stamped and distressed and the ribbon under my scissors is some lovely red and white ribbon with 'I love handmade' written all along it.  I thought I would make some stuffed lavender hearts and add some ribbon as a feature tag.

Anyhoo....only a short post, if you'd like a sneaky peak at over 100 desks across the globe then pop over to Julia's blog (link on the right) for a good ole nose around!

Lucky me...I have 2 days leave owing I am taking....so hopefully I will get some serious Christmas crafting this week...watch this space!

Happy crafting

li'l pidge x

NEC haul

Back from the NEC...a great couple of days with the girls from the Crafting Coven (our weekly craft group).  So, does this photo of my stash represent my shopping list?  Well......yes, its not far off....there may be one or two additional items that MAY have crept into my basket!

Obviously, the 3 large MDF bird house money boxes at the back were not on my list, nor the paperartsy pen nibs or their mini glass bottles!  But the stamps were on my list (but not the wooden ones...but they were 6 for £5 so such a bargain!) as were the colour wash sprays (going to try them on fabric) and the stains (for paper obviously). 

I met some lovely people, especially the Artful Splodger team....I ended up going back 3 times and buying Dyan Reaveley  stamps and Octopode stamps ( and I met the lovely Octopode designer...such fab stamps).

So, I had the joy last night, sat in front of the TV with a double of The Big Bang Theory (I love that show) and then NCSI mounting all my new stamps onto kling-on....it takes ages but it does give a really good impression when stamping.

Now I just have the problem of where to store it all...

Happy crafting
Li'l Pidge

WOYWW

Wednesday?  Again?  Surely not!!  Yep, its another week closer to the dreaded C word.....and another legal snoop around desks from all over the world over on Julia's WOYWW blog.  But I have made my first Christmas 'thing', admittedly its only a tag (made with one of the mini fir cones I picked up on a recent walk).

The only other item on my desk (apart from the tons of scraps and stash I haven't cleared away!!) is my list for tomorrow NEC!!!!! Come back next week to see whether I stuck to it!!!!

Happy crafting
Li'l pidge (who is a tad excited about going to the NEC with the crafting Coven!!)

Using up the stash...part 2

Hello, if you are in the UK then I hope you enjoyed your extra hour crafting (or the extra duvet time)!

In an attempt to trying using up my stash I have been stamping on fabric (inspired by the card Karen sent me for the WOYWW anniversary PIF).  This is stamped with stayz-on and I have added a little yellow the bee with some permanent markers, I aged it with my distress inks and frayed the edges a little them spritzed the lot with my perfect pearls spray in heirloom gold.

I attached it to some torn patterned vellum and used brads to attach it to some pretty blossom paper.

I stamped these the same way (using my new Tim Holtz stamps-these are the first ones I have bought as they are usually SO expensive, but Craft Obsessions had a good deal on them so I couldn't resist!), after aging with DI I then dropped some reinker and blotted it , finishing with my perfect pearls spray again to bring it all together (I love the way the ink moves when you spray it).

 I mounted the whole lot onto some of Tim's papers (I do like his paper stacks) and added a vinyl butterfly onto some old plastic packaging waste and bent the wings up to add some dimension.

I still can't bring myself to think about Christmas....maybe my trip to the NEC show will spark me off (or make me SO fed up of looking at Christmas stash that I may loose the will and buy my Christmas pressies this year!!!).  If any of you are going tot he NEC, I hope you have a fab time, and dont forget I am still taking bets on how different my haul will look from the shopping list I have!!!!

A big welcome to Marjo my new follower who also takes part WOYWW-Hello!

Happy Crafting
Li'l Pidge x

WOYWW

My first WOYWW for a while (see previous post for the many excuses I came up with!!).  I have missed you guys and gals...the week just wasn't the same without the excuse to behave in the nosiest (is that even a word!!) manner and hop around desks across the globe.  If you are wondering what I am blathering about now, hop over to julia's desk (WOYWW blinkie on the right>).

So, on my desk this week is a new journal page.  Now this is a new thing for me, I have only completed 1 page before...but it seems like a good way to experiment so what that hell?

I have stuck a page from an up cycled book and gesso'd over it....its like watching paint dry!!But at least it gives me time to think about what to do to the page next.

Also on the desk are my new oil pastels (well, pre loved but new to me) and some fabric I have been stamping up and colouring.  I don't know about you, but I buy stash..sometimes it is too pretty to use and you just want to look at it and touch it (I know, it sounds perverse and a bit fetishistic-but I cant be the only one, surely?!), other times its SO useful you run out and wish you'd bought the entire stock...but often (though not as often as I used to, I think I am getting either more discerning or maybe just fussy!) the stash stays in the drawer...or sometimes even in the paper bag you brought it home in......sitting there.....unloved.....unwanted..... so you pass it onto a fellow crafter you may have a use for it....then bugger me......you find a project it would work perfectly on and I have to go out and buy it again!!!!!  But not this year....I have a list....(I know I had a list in March when I went....but having never been before I was unrealistic and hadn't realised all the lovely goodies I had problems sourcing in the past would all be under one roof!!).....and I  am running a book as to how many items over and above my list I will purchase......ladies and gentlemen...place your bets!

Happy crafting
Li'l pidge x

I'm back

I cannot believe its been almost a month since my last post...so much has happened: first we went on holiday to Porta Pollenca (Majorca), clear blue sky and sea....wonderful.  Then I was away with work and working, working, working......all work and no play makes me a very tired and cranky wife!!

So, I decided enough was enough and crack on with the crafting (what with the coven outing to the NEC craft show coming up I thought I'd best experiment with the goodies I bought last time in case I love them and need to buy some more!!) and try different things for me.

So, first up is an altered canvas.  I printed a photo I took of Exeter cathedral onto calico that I ironed onto freezer paper!  Now, I am LOVING this stuff.  Its from the states and is made to wrap food for the freezer, but you can iron fabric onto it and it become slightly adhesive and 'grabs' the fabric, then you simply feed it through the printer as though it was paper!!  Hey presto, printed fabric.  All that money I have spent on special fabrics and even thinking of buying digital grounding to 'key' fabric and all I ever needed was some freezer paper (if you have any other uses for this please let me know....I am a convert)!

Then I distressed it with some DI, I outlined some parts with a black micron pen and darkened some areas with oil pastels (these are new to me, thanks to Coven Jill for passing on some of her pre loved ones) then I used multi medium to glue it to the canvas.

I cut out the door (a horrible modern door with no entry signs on it,so not in keeping with the rest of the building) and used some old text and a picture of a knights visor, stamping over with DI.

 I then used some metal contact paper (metal sticky backed paper about 2" deep from the hardware store, I think its used for joining pipes) which I embossed by hand with a Ten Second Studio mould and coloured it with my new Snow Cap alcohol ink mixed with some other colours (see, I am trying to use SO much of my stash!) finishing it with a dyed style stone. 

Next (thanks to hubby for allowing me a WHOLE weekend to play...I am happy and VERY inky) I decided to get out the pelmet vilene I carted back from the NEC in March but still haven't used and made a postcard with it.  I dyed some plain fabric, sprinkling it with salt to remove some of the dye then stitched it to the vilene to make it nice and sturdy to do some free machine embroidery. I added sheer fabrics, stitching and burning back with the heat gun, added some foils, dyed scrim, wool and silk fibres. 

 I then made a wee fish by sandwiching some mini sequins between angelina fibres and ironing them to make fabric, then I encased it in dissolvable fabric, stitching the fish design then washing it to dissolve the fabric leaving the shimmering fish.

I made some wire spirals and added sequins to represent seaweed.  Finishing it off with a nice piece of clean calico for the back and stitching all around in metallic threads.

So, a couple of new things from me, a bit experimental (I think I will try the canvas again as I enjoyed making that) I just need to practise a bit more and think of ways of incorporating the techniques into cards and tags also (one question...when you have made all this stuff what do you do with it?  Its starting to fill up my craft room....and I need to space for more new stash!!).

Happy Crafting

Li'l Pidge x

A couple of girly cards

Now, those of you who know me will know I am not a girly girl.  Yes I may wear a dress sometimes but usually teamed with crocs/wellies/trainers or at least one muddy knee!!  But I was determined to crack on with another donation so made some girly cards to sell in the office (I tend to make at least 3 of each design to sell for charity)-and it worked.  I have just made another £50 donation, this time to SENSE the deaf/blind charity-so a big thanks to everyone at work.



Even though it's not usually my thing I must admit I love this little fairy, she is TOO cute (thanks to Becky for lending me the stamp).

Anyway, just a quick post as its late and my bed is calling.....can you hear it?

Happy Crafting

Li'l pidge x

WOYWW

Hello WOYWWers!  I had a few problems leaving comments on some blogs last week as the comment form only seems to give google/aim...etc and doesn't default to the BLOGGER form or give you the option to include your URL, so sorry if you didn't get a returning comment from me..I did try!

So, this week on my desk....well I have just finished making a wedding card for the lad who works for me (you never know, he may read this so I wont post it until after his wedding in Oct) hence the spellbinders pearlescent waste (by waste, I mean more stash for my scrap box!).  Also, my collection of tomato paste tubes for metal embossing is coming along nicely...just need to make something with them all now!!



This is the birthday card for one of the Craft Coven members (Happy Birthday Tracey) you may have had a sneak of in a previous post. I made a book of spells card, embossing the front with a distressed mesh finish, adding some foiling, a witches potion embellishment, torn holographic paper then I made a creepy embellishment, a spells tag, flower and a TH pin.

 The central embellishment started out as a plastic white key hole plate!  White-honest!!  By the time I added thick black acrylic paint, metal rub on waxes and then some lovely thick matt medium gel it was totally grunged!  I then added a couple brown metal brads and stuck a wobbly eye in the middle staring out at you!!

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

Happy Crafting

li'l pidge x

A couple of cards

Not much crafting this weekend as my brother is home from Ecuador for a few days before he heads back for another 12 months away (he works here: http://gviphoenix.blogspot.com/) I miss him terribly but its such a worthwhile cause.  I did manage to get some colouring done (promarkers and stamped images are a great thing to chuck in a bag and do some impromptu crafting!)

I love this little sock monkey stamp-so sweet. I matted and layered it, mounted it on a card and added a sentiment with some distressing around the edge.

This card I made a couple if weeks ago for a friend who is also a Terry Pratchett fan (as am I).  The blind rat stamp is from the Discworld shop in Dorset) and I used some TH papers which I distressed, inked through some sequin waste and added some ink splatters.

A stamped spider in the bottom left, four black card candy's and some raffia finished off the card.

Happy Crafting and good luck bro!

Li'l Pidge