A Little Bird Told Me …… Card

This card measures 4.5ins x 4.5ins and is made using a white linen effect, hand cut card blank

I am not sure about this card ……. I think it’s one that I will have to revisit.  Using a felt self adhesive bird sticker I got from Michael’s in Las Vegas on my holiday of a lifetime holiday two years ago ……. I don’t know if the gingham really adds anything to the design ……. it is very less is more already  ….. but in losing the gingham and leaving the bird and the writing, I don’t think much will be lost …….. ??????

Lovely Memories ……. And My Pound Purchase From The Three Counties Showground Flea Market With Marc And Rick.

As you may have seen, if you read my monkey blog, I stayed with Marc and Rick in Worcester recently to  celebrate Marc’s birthday and to watch Eurovision together for the first time, after our mahoooosive disappointment when despite coming up with a weird convoluted story as to why I was going to be late for work one morning  ……we failed to get tickets for the real thing when tickets sold out in 20 minutes flat!On Eurovision Day there was much competition between me and Rick as to who was going to have the very comfortable, motorised armchair for the evening, in the end Rick resorted to using dirty tactics, staking his claim by laying out his towels and his bathrobe on said chair, but in the end …. I got it!!!

We had so much fun, and I have never seen or heard Marc laugh soooooo much and soooooooo loudly at the sight of me sitting on the garden bench in my dinosaur onsie, talking to three monkeys!!!  He howled, he may have even cried …… but it was a perfect, unforgettable moment!! 

One of the highlights, apart from Marc’s humungous black cherry and chocolate trifle which included some sort of alcohol in every single layer ….. including Baileys in the cream on top, which will stay with me (and my hips) forever,  was a trip to a “flea market” at the Three Counties Showground, my idea of absolute heaven ……

…….. and we got to see them filming Bargain Hunt, which was such a bonus, as I have always wanted to have a go!!!

Anyway, I said that I had £5 burning in my pocket and I wasn’t leaving until it was spent and it was only at almost the last stall that I spent just £1 of that fiver ….. on a tiny child’s garden chair ….. when the man said “You can have that for a quid” ….. my pound was out in ten seconds flat …… well ….. the chair was riddled with woodworm on not so close inspection …… but it didn’t matter as I knew exactly where the chair was going!

The chair also needed a little work at the back which Marc set about sorting for me when we got back …… with the aid of his trusty Jeweller Maker toolkit and was then duly painted green, in an effort to suffocate some of the woodworm!!!!!

The chair is now in my garden (well away from any other wood) ….. perhaps I need to sort/arrange a few more pots around it ……..but that will come…..

…… and every time I look at it, it will bring back so many memories of my lovely Bank Holiday in Worcester with Marc, Rick and The Girls!!!

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!

Thank you everyone who suggested “profitable” ways of off loading my unwanted stash …… thank you Joanold and Di especially as my memberships to “Card Craft Items for Sale” and “Crafty De-stashing” on Facebook is now pending.

I am presently “de-stashing” my two drawers of jewellery collected over the past 30 odd years. Special pieces have got  Iris, Laura and Lucy’s names on for when I eventually pop my clogs, other pieces I will keep for me and let family and friends fight over as and when the time comes,  but I have decided that it’s now time to part the ways with all the other pieces I have found in flea markets and carboots that I’ve worn and loved but no longer wear, to be honest I would rather have any money that I get for these pieces put aside ready to put towards some new bits and pieces for my eventual move than have them sat sitting in a drawer mouldering!!!

With the new avenues/links that I’ve been sent  I can now start thinking about de-stashing my crafty stuff properly too, so .....here’s another question though …. how would you start to sell a huge, under the bed box full of 12” x 12” papers?  Suggestions much appreciated!

Two Felt Bird Cards

This card measures 4.5 ins x 4.5ins and is made using a white linen effect, hand cut card blank.

This felt bird sticker came from a large pack I bought in Michaels in Las Vegas (I can still remember every minute detail of that visit, even though it is almost two years ago ….. the smells, the sounds, the joy, everything!). however (if you fancy a pack), I have now seen them in a couple of craft shops over here.

I have tried to use them on several occassions, but nothing seemed to come together properly, but, after going through my huge box of stickers I have finally been able to marry a couple of them up with these other felt stickers I got from WH Smith umpteen years ago.Now that I am being erm ….. super budget conscious, I am becoming more and more aware of how much I have spent on my crafts in the past, and their “worth”, which is why, if I really can’t think of a way to use them I am considering putting them on e-bay, especially the good stuff like K & Co., in an effort to recoup a few pennies here and there ….. to put towards my eventual move.

Using Up Odd Stickers

All these cards measure 5ins x 5ins are are made using white linen effect, hand cut card blanks.

I am still stash busting my stash of puffy stickers like billio ….. and with these four nine square cards I have managed to use up a couple of half opened packs that cost no more than £1 each, which probably came from Paperchase.

I think the top two cards would suit all sorts of occasions, or be used as notelets. The bottom two, with all the little animals, makes me think they would be suitable for the birth of a baby, especially if you didn’t want to go overboard with the obvious blue or pink!

Leaving Card – We’re Going To Miss You.

This card is A5 in size and is made by simply scoring and then folding a sheet of A4, white linen effect card in half.

I made a set of five of these leaving cards, all with a slight variation, for work before I left, in order to pay off my staffroom dues, rather than make the usual  cash donation, so as I said before, you’ll probably be seeing one of them a month for a while! As part of the making I am gradually working my way through my vast piles of adhesive alphabets, and I am still working out what I do when I am left with only consonants!

The various word “plaques” are mat and layered on vibrant matching coloured papers, but as usual  arranging  them, no matter how careful I thought I was, proved to be a nightmare getting them to fit.  One day I will get it right first time without having to resort to some frustrated trimming!

To bring the design all together I have used “overkill” adding large and medium sized, punched and layered flowers and foliage, with flat backed gems and faux stitching with strategically placed groups of three dots, drawn with a black fine liner pen.

Very over the top for me, but I think sometimes leaving cards should be over the top!

Jaunty Dinosaur Cards

This card measures 8.5 ins x 3ins and is made using a white linen effect, hand cut card blank.

Oh my life,  I’ve gone long and thin, quite a departure from my usual square cards! But, there’s method in my madness, mostly connected to my need to downsize….. i.e. I have a pile of narrow envelopes and cello bags to use up!!!

The basic design, to be honest, is the same as the jaunty square cards I featured a while ago, using monster stickers from Paperchase (every single one now used up!), plus “grrrr” and “rawr” strips made using The Duke’s trusty, battered and very ancient Dymo label maker.  He was always a little reluctant to let me use it when he was here, but now I think he would be pleased that’s it’s still being used!! 

It’s now three years since The Duke died, can you believe it?  But every time I use it, it’s a connection, I know it’s “sad”, but I always think of his fingerprints still being on it, which in a way is comforting.

Top Tip – if you are ever in Wolverhampton pop into Beatties/House of Fraser Paperchase Dept., as they often have “old” packs of stickers marked down by at least half price if not more. 

Blogging Frustrations ....... And It Aint Just Me ......

I am so unbelievably frustrated I can't tell you ...... the LiveWriter programme I use to help write this blog no longer works/is incompatible with Google!!!!!! Writing posts directly in Blogger is a notorious nightmare ..... especially inserting pictures, which is a huge part of what I do... it now takes me an absolute age ....... 

........ I don't think have the patience ......

I am now waiting for Google to come up with a "fix" - but to be honest I am not hopeful ....... it's not just me, the glitch is affecting bloggers all over the world ....... AGHHHHHHHHH!!! 

I will give it a week and then look at the option of using a new blog programme, but I fear that will only lead to more frustration when I least need it!  Bum, bum, bum, bum, bum!!!!!

http://www.hackinguniversity.in/2015/05/live-writer-not-found-error.html

Monster Cards

All these cards measure 4.75ins x 4.47ins, and are made using a white linen effect, hand cut card blank.

I am going slightly down in the size for my square cards because I have a big pile of envelopes that need/should be used up before I buy any more! I am becoming soooooo budget conscious!

The centre panel measures approximately 3.5 inches x 3.5 inches and is mat and layered on a dusty blue card.

The monster stickers, some with googly eyes are from Paperchase, they cost £1.50 for 24 mixed designs , so hopefully I can get 6 cards from one packet.

I put one monster on a 1.5ins square of Bazzill card and set them at a jaunty angle, before adding a faux stitch edging and a few dots here and there with either a white gel pen or black fine liner.

But when I had finished I thought something was missing and then remembered The Duke’s ancient Dymo label maker, with which I made strips that either said “grrrrrr” or “rawr” which were perfect for just filling in the odd gap and setting off the design.

A Present From My Brother

This is a present my brother bought back from his new unit for my mum for Mother’s Day back in March.Again, we are under no illusions that he had anything to do with it other than sit at the table and watch the staff put it together for him, but it is no less special to us. 

The heart is covered with hessian with a strip of lace wound over that, and then lace daisies added in strategic places …….. it’s a treasure that will be kept forever.

Puffy Paperchase Cat Stickers – Nine Square Card

This card measures 5ins x 5ins and is made using a white linen effect, hand cut card blank.
This card uses puffy cat stickers from Paperchase (£1 per pack), which sadly I don’t think are available any more.  I love the fact that the pack included small fish, mice and hearts that, although far too small for the average card, are just perfect for adding a bit of fun and variety to the card. The Bazzill squares are made using my X-Cut 1in scalloped edge punch inch.
A few dots here and there using a black fine liner pen help finish off the design.

Floral Border Card

This card measures approximately 21cms x 7cms and is made using a white linen effect, hand cut card blank.

I think this card is a huge, huge cheat really.  I am desperately trying to work my way through as many embellishments as I can in order to downsize and this was a quick and easy way of using most of a Papermania 3D floral border that I have had for a couple of years. ….. Hands up, all I did was cut a bit off each end to fit the card ……. no skills needed whatsoever!

I did however add the tiniest flat backed pearls in between some of the leaves to add a little extra texture and subtle bling, but that’s it, a lazy, lazy card!

I now have the two ends left of the border, so I guess I need to find an equally “lazy” way of using them up too, perhaps on a tag or as the centre on small gift card.

Really Quick Foam Daisy Card

This card measures 5ins x 5ins and is made using a hand cut white linen effect blank.

I desperately needed to stash bust a box of foam flowers that I have had forever as they were annoying me and I also needed to make a set of cards that didn’t take too long to make. 

The colours of background panel, which is set on a couple of foam pads for a little extra dimension are pretty subtle, and it was a deliberate decision to make the flowers overlap it everso slightly.  I reckon I could get about twenty made in a day, before I got bored, in varying colours, which is a pretty productive session for me!!!

A Project Returned To …..

As I have said before, I have a small box of projects, mainly jewellery,  that remain unfinished because I am not happy with them, but don’t really know where to go with them either.

This is a pendant I started to make, ages ago, when I was first experimenting with microscope slides and foil tape sent to me by Marc.  I liked the idea of the printed page background, which has seemed to discolour even more in the box, which I love, but the heart just looks too stark and I wonder if it is too obvious being placed in the middle? 

Then I found this pack of letraset rub-ons hidden away and wondered if I could do anything with them on the pendant

I wasn’t sure if they would stick to the glass, but they did ….. but I am afraid, once again it all looked to obvious, and the heart and the rub-ons just don’t seem to flow together.

And then, to add insult to injury, I decided to add some clear flat backed gems ….. and it all came crashing down again. I think it’s called trying too hard!!!!!  I know the best place now for this is the bin, but sometimes it’s hard to admit defeat, when you know the inkling of an idea is there.  It’s the heart that’s wrong, the letraset is too heavy, it’s not subtle and there’s no flow ……. I should really start it all again from scratch ….. and put it out of it’s misery!!!

Inchie Pendant Charms

Sometimes I come back to a project quite a long time after I started them, which is the case with these inchie glass pendant charms.

When I don’t know what to do with something small it usually ends up in this box put high up on one of my shelves …….

…… only to be rediscovered and explored again after a few months, perhaps years.

Originally, I had just sealed the paper backing on these glass inchies with Glossy Accents and then didn’t have a clue where to go with them from there ….. but when I found them the other day I wondered how they would look in a pendant tray,

…….it was a snug fit but I still glued them in with E6000 glue to make them extra secure and I think they work ???????I used to have a lot of inchie sheets before my last computer died (a salient tale to always remember to back things up on your computer), perhaps these small successes may have reignited my enthusiasm to look at them again.

We’re Going To Miss You Card - Leaving Card

This card is A5 in size and is made by simply scoring then folding a sheet of A4 white linen effect card in half.

I apologise, but I have made a series of five of these leaving cards. with slight variations, so you’ll probably be seeing one a month for a while! I decided that I really need to work my way through the vast pile of adhesive alphabets that  I have……. I can see that if I keep going like this, I will eventually run out of vowels ……… and what do I do then …… when I am left with a whole pile of consonants? I suppose that’s when I need to get really crafty, any suggestions?

Anyway once I had made the various word “plaques” and mat and layered them on various matching papers, I started to arrange them, oh my life, making them fit is something that ALWAYS proves to be a nightmare, no matter how tight I put the letters and mat and layering together,  I still end up trimming something off them!

To bring the design all together I have put into action my rarely used “overkill” technique, by adding punched, layered flowers and foliage, plus flat backed gems and faux stitching with strategically placed groups of three dots using a black fine liner pen.

Very over the top for me, but I think it works in an over the top type way!

Working With Ian Christopher

Early on in the year, Marc’s partner Ian asked if I would be interested in helping him at the January Furniture Show at the NEC, to do a bit of running and help “dress” some of the stands he had designed……. Well, it would have been rude to say no wouldn’t it, despite my not having a clue as to whether I could actually “dress” a stand” or not!

Let’s just say it was a HUGE learning curve!  I was nervous that I would be seen as a spare part that kept getting in the way or someone who just stood there without a clue, but I listened hard, double checking instructions if I didn’t quite understand first time and just tried my best!

I wish I had taken more photos of the emerging stands, but let’s say by the second day I was just too busy!  However, I hope I have captured the emergence of the Rowico stand (just one of four of Ian’s stands, not including the exhibition hospitality area!)

When we arrived, the stand had been built and painted, lighting in position and carpet laid (but carefully covered) all exactly to Ian’s design. All the furniture arrived in boxes, that needed unpacking and putting together …… and then putting in the correct position…….

……. all again exactly to Ian’s plan, everything and I mean everything was meticulously planned and put together.

The next morning, we arrived and the stand was beginning to take shape.  It was then my turn to wipe everything down ……

…….. and then try to place the pieces that Ian has sourced, all quite large and manly in different shades of blue and white, and in pairs or sets of three.

I “placed” them as best I could  ……

…… but believe me, it’s not as easy as the expert dressers make it look!!!

I also got to dress my first exhibition bed …….. believe me, if it took me as long to make one bed to exhibition standards at home,  I would never ever leave the bedroom!!!!  Once the stand was dressed, fresh the flowers and plants were added at the very last minute.

Ian was lucky to have “an office” at the NEC where he could store his props and where his sister Lynn and I could put together what seemed like 100’s of the Ikea occasional tables that were going to be used in the exhibition hospitality area.

……. and I faced my demons …..  by putting together a couple of Ikea lamps that I had not bought a few months earlier for myself because they looked too difficult to put together ….. as this was business, I had to put them together!!!!

I wish I had seen the hospitality area completed ….. it was going to be a spectacular Palm Court, but it was still in it’s infancy when I had to leave.

 

I learnt so much and will now look at exhibitions with a whole new eye.  And, I did so much walking, from one side of the hall to the other, finding my way through a gigantic maze, time after time, but which seemed to change each time I went through as the stands took shape. 

I got lost so many times while getting the coffee you wouldn’t believe!  At times we all got very cold (hence the coffee runs), as they don’t put the heating on until the last minute, but I wouldn’t have missed it for the world. It’s certainly not glamorous, it’s very hard work but a wonderful experience and a glimpse into a completely different world from working in a school!!!!

………And where you need to think on your feet., like when the decals don’t stick to the stand walls. You need to keep you clients happy as this is their showcase and when it all boils down to it, their livelihood, they need to sell their goods.  I am hoping that once I am a “free woman” Ian will ask me to help again ….. I just need to go into training about three months before the event.