Happy Hallowe'en

Samhain blessings, everyone!

Don't worry...

Bee Happy!

Inspired by Hels Sheridan's Sunday Stampers challenge to create something honey-coloured or with honeycomb as a theme,  and running in just as they shut the doors, here's my tag -

The message is very apt at the moment because we are having one of those times where things have to be replaced. Latest casualty is the washing machine - the door latch is broken (luckily, it's insured but I'll have to take a day off for the repair man!).  Husband has also broken his Kindle and misplaced his set of car keys somewhere in the house.  I'm afraid to touch anything now.

Nothing very challenging as to technique - Wild Honey distress ink sponged onto a background of Scattered Straw DI through a That Special Touch mask, bees die with a Spellbinders die, once in acetate and wings glittered, and the sentiment iin sepia archival with 99p a set alphabet stamps.  And it made me smile, so I like it.

WOYWW - 24 October

Ha, bet you weren't expecting that, were you?  Normally, on WOYWW my blog is all about papercrafts or messy painty stuff, but with a swift change of direction, this week my workdesk has been given over to jewellery-making! I've had these scrumptious Jesse James beads for a while and I've finally decided that it is time to stop admiring them and do something with them.  (Plus, I've got another two strands in red and have ordered some pink ones...) I'm thinking my son's girlfriend might like this necklace and the matching earrings...when I've finished them of course.

Normal crafting service will be resumed as soon as possible...

Twinkle, twinkle

"Twinkle, twinkle, little bat!

How I wonder what you're at!

Up above the world you fly,

Like a tea-tray in the sky."

(Lewis Carroll - Alice's Adventures in Wonderland)

The Altered Alice's challenge this month is to create something that twinkles or shines, and by happy chance Tim Holtz's tag for October uses glitter (Tim uses glitter!  Whatever next?), so it's one stone, two bats for this one.  I used a background stamp from The Artistic Stamper (Sequin Waste) as I didn't have a cobweb stamp (how did I let that happen?) but I think it works OK!

 

Hallowe'en is my favourite festival of the year.  When I was a child, the emphasis was more on Guy Fawkes night (we used to have HUGE bonfires in the village) and because legislation was a lot looser then going out at night was positively hazardous from the end of September until November 5th due to fireworks going off (usually "bangers").  It's probably just as well that we make a bigger deal of Hallowe'en now.  I've got all sorts of plans for this year..

 

Update - Honourable Mention at The Altered Alice - thank you so much!

 



Heavy Metal

I've been away from Hels Sheridan's Sunday Stampers challenges for a few weeks , busy with other projects.  This week Hels has asked us to make something with metal, and here's my interpretation!

I'm not usually this quick off the mark, but it just happened that I'd done the background for this tag - using the method that Tim Holtz demonstrated for his tag for September-intending to enter it in another challenge, and then didn't get the time to finish.   I will admit that the surface wasn't the easiest to stamp on - so I cheated and stamped the IndigoBlu stamp onto Safmat.  The roses were made using Donna Salazar Create-a-Rose Spellbinders dies made to look metallic with silver Gilder's Paste (I still love Gilder's Paste!), made some time ago, so all I had to do was stick them on.

There we are, job done!  Thansk for your visit - hope you enjoyed!

Davy Jones's Locker

Hello everyone, and thanks for visiting! I've been somewhat quiet on the blogging front of late, partly because my "real life" has been insanely busy but largely because I have been working on my final assemblage for Andy Skinner's Timeworn Techniques course.

Andy's course runs over eight weeks. At the start of the course, you get access to the "how-to" videos and it's up to you which order you try the techniques. You also get access to a private forum where you can post pictures of your efforts and Andy will critique them, offering constructive comments. The techniques are all achieved using acrylic paints plus one or two other items, and if you want to know more, invest in the course!

So here it is - my final piece.

The Dead Man's Chest!

I started with this -

and constructed the trunk, based on Laura Denison's Trunk Full of Memories pattern, adapted a bit.

And after a lot of work -

The spyglass extends and collapses like a real telescope.  Took me ages to work put how to do it!
The hasp of the fastening and the ring that holds the chains are plastic curtain rings;  the anchor and the skull are moulded from paper clay.  Apart from the chain, everything else is recycled cardboard from packaging.

The side of the chest - the octopus was moulded out of paper clay before being given the timeworn treatment!

A chest has to have treasure!  The spyglass fits into the case.  The skulls are plastic beads.

The tray comes out for more storage

The telescope case -

When I started the course, I didn't think I was going to enter a final piece (it's not compulsory)   I certainly didn't think I'd be waking up in the morning thinking "I need to make a telescope!"  or making "rum" out of clear acrylic floor wax and ink!  I've enjoyed every minute, recommend it to anyone with an interest in achieving these effects, and have signed up for the altered bottle course next month.  So I'll just have to start stockpiling wine bottles to alter...have to empty them first, though.  It's a hard job, but somebody's got to do it....

WOYWW - 10 October

Did you miss me?  I’ve been just SOOOO busy the past couple of weeks.  I’ve been making my final assemblage for Andy Skinner’s Timeworn Techniques course (can’t show you just yet but I learned so much, I amazed myself!)  It’s been a hectic time in my real life as well, so I’ve had no energy to blog or participate in blog challenges, or even to join in WOYWW.  (I did visit some blogs, though, but only to lurk – sorry, I didn’t leave many comments...)

This is my desk this week – not much going on as I have cleared the decks after finishing Andy’s stuff and haven’t decided what I’m going to do next.

 

By way of contrast, this was my desk LAST week.  What a state – and this is after I’d tidied up a bit.  Why is it that, no matter how much space I have available, I wind up working in a space six inches square and covered in glue? 

 

Hope you enjoyed your visit.  I’m off to see what you’ve all been up to lately - see you around the blogiverse!