LOOK WHAT I FOUND

I found myself in a dress shop sale the other day, and of course as usual finding nothing but the usual load of old tat that nobody wanted ..... However I did find this - a bracelet on elastic for 99p! I saw the possibilities immediately and brought it home to cut up and use. Don't these pieces just cry out to be re-used and given a good home??

I LIKE LACE

NOW TRADED
This week's challenge on Wednesday Stamper was to use lace, which is right up my street! I love using it with vintage effects so had no motivation problems with this one! Pleased to report that I think my enthusiasm has come back after a short dip ....

I used Basic Grey paper for the background, and stamped over it with my trusty set of stamps from Kelly Panacci. I don't think I've made an ATC without them since I got this set! The image is from a Paper Whimsy collage sheet and the words from a Tim Holtz distressibles panel.

I actually used two layers of lace and slightly antiqued the upper layer, which seemed to work quite well. I just love pictures like this of stiff little Victorian girls sitting beautifully still ... mine never would!

QUEENLY ATC

NOW TRADED
Don't tell anyone I said so, but my inspiration might just have turned up, although it's probably taken itself off again while I wasn't looking ...

Anyway, I made my first ATC since before Christmas for this week's TMTA challenge where the theme is "queen for a day". I've been itching to use the Artchix muse on something for a while, so here she is on a backing of handwriting scrapbook paper. The little wings are a rub-on by 7 Gypsies, the tape measure is a stamp, and the lettering comes from a Tim Holtz distressibles sheet. I stuck her German scrap crown on at a jaunty angle and .... Bob's your uncle!

Now what was so hard about this that it took me a whole month to get around to, or the best part of 2 hours to actually achieve? Duh. What if she really was queen for a day, she looks as though she could think up some naughty laws to enact doesn't she?

CANVAS ART

I've been working on these this week but couldn't show you before because they are samples for our challenge over on Big Art Adventure.

Inspired by the work of Viola whose talent I so much admire, I'd meant to try working on a canvas for some time, but have only now got around to it.

I've turned both canvases around and used them as a kind of deep frame. On each of them the central photo is raised up to give a 3D effect (which doesn't photograph very well). On the smaller one (which is less than 3" square) the reverse side of the canvas was a nice natural linen look, so I left it like that and painted the canvas edges with distress crackle paint in antique linen. I've always enjoyed Viola's use of lace too, so both canvases feature it, although I think I may age the lace on the larger one a bit, it seems to look too pristine. The metal plaque on the larger canvas (about 8" x 8") is meant for a title when I can think of one!! My inspiration seems to be AWOL at the moment and I've struggled to work on these ....

DID YOU GUESS?

This is what I've been working on - so tiny it makes my eyes go crossed! This is to be part of a friend's railway layout and it's "N" scale. I got given the job of doing the church and graveyard because of my professional interest in these things ...

I quite enjoyed doing it - which is just as well because it's a big layout he's planning and he's bound to have other jobs for me! It was interesting to explore the inside of a railway modelling shop and discover all the fascinating materials you can get in there!!

WELL IT'S A BIT DIFFERENT ....

My inspiration is still missing ... where DID I put it, I know it was here somewhere!

In the meantime, until it turns up again, I'm doing a favour for a friend with this project. Can you guess what it is?

More pictures to tease you to come! Mind you, I can confess that I've never done anything quite like this before, so am feeling my way somewhat. However, this guy has been such a good friend that I want to give it my best shot. Hope I turn out to be good at it!! How did I get into this??

FROSTY

I don't usually put my scrapbook layouts on here, but that's what I've been working on lately, so it's this or nothing. My altered art inspiration seems to have temporarily deserted me (and if you see it anywhere let me know, because I can't find it).

I took these pictures of incredibly beautiful frost patters on the inside of our window ... although to be fair this is in our unheated laundry room. I was quite pleased how they came out and wanted to record them in a layout.

You can just see that I made the letters of the title frosty too - by covering them first in Glossy Accents, followed by a sprinkling of Glamour Dust.

CARD FOR A FRIEND

I'm amazed to find that a week has passed and I haven't made a thing - except this card for a friend, which uses a Crafty Individuals stamp which I watercoloured and some K & Co paper.

It's partly that I'm short of motivation, but mainly my lack of productivity has been owing to a minor revolution in my Studio. I've had quite a clear-out (though there's plenty more to do) which has made me feel positively virtuous! I had stuff in my cupboards which hasn't been touched since we moved here two and a half years ago, so I decided to donate the lot to a good cause ...

Some of it related to a hobby I once loved but no longer enjoy - yet I felt very mixed about closing the door on it. Now I feel I can, and that it's OK to say that "I don't do that any more".

I do feel a lot lighter for having had a clearout - I no longer need to feel guilty about not using it etc so I'm clearly better off without it. There's more to do but I don't think I'll be quite so reluctant to throw things away or pass them on, having taken the first step.

Free yourself! Get rid of the stuff you no longer want or use, and gain cupboard space for lots of new stash .....

MY WORD FOR THE YEAR ...

Every year I think of a word to encapsulate my approach to the months ahead - last year it was "persevere" so I was obviously feeling a bit discouraged!

Lately it has seemed to me that I have so much to be thankful for, more than I could ever ask or imagine, and truly need almost nothing I don't already have. That has to make me a very fortunate woman, because contentment is surely one of the greatest blessings of life. I never want to take that for granted but remember to give thanks constantly for everything I have .... and not hanker after things out of reach! So I made this sign for the wall above my desk, to constantly remind me ... and making a sign of your own is the challenge we've set this week over on Awfully Big Art Adventure!

Christmas Layout

I love to scrapbook my life, and in particular my two darling grand-daughters. They were part of a large family house party this year, and although I made the little book below to record that event, I wanted to make a separate layout for the album which records the girls' life.

I used yet more of my scraps to make this, still on the same red and green theme as before. I've just become a Stampin Up demonstrator, and used my SU scallop punch to good effect here - it reminded me of a Christmas wreath.

Rather than party dresses, which they might never wear again, my daughter bought the girls dressing up outfits - a Christmas pudding and an angel (chosen by them)! They nearly caused a riot when they went to the Christmas morning service at church dressed like this. Happy Days.

This is the project I've been working on for the last few days (in between making a mess with my reorganisation)!! Last year I made a double scrapbook layout of our Christmas, but this year I had more photos I wanted to use, although none of them were exactly great. My solution was to make this little book which is about 8 x 6 and I didn't have to buy anything at all, I just used up all the scraps of Christmas materials and papers I had left from previous years. I'm quite good at this thrifty thing .... I've had years of practice!!

The cover paper is Basic Grey, as are some of the inside pages, but I also used stuff from a pack of Christmas stuff I'd had for ages. Quite a few of the ribbons on the spine were recycled from Christmas itself, and the green flower charm came out of my cracker! I've just included a couple of sample pages to give you an idea.

EVEN MORE LUCKY!!

Look what my lovely friend and partner in Awfully Big Art Adventure made me for Christmas! Aren't these just adorable and wonderfully PINK (how well she knows me). Thank you Linda!

I have them both sitting here by my computer and they cheer me up whenever I look at them!

Not quite back in creative mode because I'm having a big clearout and reorganisation in my Studio - it WILL be worth it in the end (I hope) but in the meantime it's chaos in here ....

LUCKY ME!

Well look what a lucky girl I was this Christmas!! Plenty here to keep me out of mischief? I was disappointed when back in September my birthday passed with NOBODY buying me anything off my Amazon Wish List, so when it came to Christmas I pointed everybody there, and this was the result. I also got a soldering iron to go with the book on soldering, so when I've got time I'll be trying to master this new skill.

Sorry I haven't been around much - not only did we have hordes of family descend upon us for a whole week (eek!) but I followed this up with a nasty ear infection which made my face swell up. This is the first day I've really had much space to myself, and I'm LOVING it!