'Atishoo' Box and Out of my Box

This week on the AB book course I am doing was focussing on using magazine images, Well I have to be honest my heart sunk when I realised this , I just don't get them, no offence to anyone because people use them to great aplomb, but to me it still harks back to me cutting random pics out of my mums Woman's realm and sticking them in my scrapbook. I did consider for a nano-second of missing this weeks lesson, but that is not the point of doing a course AND my book is technique based so it must contain lots of different techniques. Well I tried, honest I did, but I still am not comfortable with it. But here is my page. The face made of many faces was done by using the packing tape transfer method.


The second part of the lesson was using frames, This was more 'me' I covered the page in PVA then placed some tissue over the top, which crinkled. Covered again with PVA, when dry I used alcohol inks (cos the PVA leaves a glossy surface the inks love it) The frame was made with twisted tissue paper. ..... So ok I am not happy with using mags but the leaves were cut out of a book.... mmmmm... bit contradictory of me I feel.....................

I have also had a bit of a play with some wooden blanks that we used at the last YCJ to alter. These will also be available soon to buy on our website http://www.yourcreativejourney.co.uk/ , so keep popping back to check, we have lots of different bits and pieces that will stimulate your creative juices!











I have used metal to cover these but being wooden and very well made almost any media can be used on them! Heidi has a very cool jewellry box on her blog!

Haven'y done any crafting this weekend as I just HAD to have a shopping trip with Mrs Bessie as I need a posh dress and Nicks and posh dresses are not usually seen together! So a trip to sunny kent was in order this weekend. As always I had the best weekend with the Sparkly pair, even though Mr s was forbidden from accompanying us on the shopping trip!
I have been given permission to use this photo cos even though he has his arm around another woman, the ring finger proves he is actually married LOL

Me and Mr Bessie





Mrs Bessie and Me......... all in a tree!

It's Safe to Post Now Cos She Has Opened it..

HAPPY BIRTHDAY FUCHSIA
Blimey Guv it doesn't seem 5 mins since we were sitting outside a cafe which is close to our favourite craft shop (well to be fair really the only craft shop in our neck of the woods, but it's a pretty cool place to shop nonetheless!) in May 2008 on a glorious sunny day, celebrating Fuchsia's birthday with a zero at the end...... but here we are a year later and surprise surprise Fuch has another birthday...... unfortunately as you will probably gathered by now, my mates get my tat for their birthdays... it's the penalty that they pay for knowing me !!

Fuchsia is a great cook and loves cooking for her family, so this year I have altered a napkin holder for her. ( YCJ has some great alterable stuff which will be on sale soon, well as soon as I can get the photographer aka SSO over with her camera. As you will have guessed and as she constantly points out, my photography skills leave alot to be desired! But keep an eye on our website http://www.yourcreativejourney.co.uk/ as they will be on sale soon.)

Back to Fuchsia... she is one of the nicest people you could meet and extremely talented, but I haven't nagged her yet into getting a blog up and running so you can't see her great work for yourself, but trust me she is good! She is also very patient with me cos she knows I am very slack at returning emails and that I have in possession of a few of her books she lent me an age ago!!


I am still having a bit of a polymer clay moment and a bit of a leaf moment and it seems a bit of a Paperartsy moment!
I tried so hard here to be more colourful and cheerful, once again it doesn't seem to have happened, think I am destined to be grungy and sombre in my colours!

Oh and... just before I go, I did a bit of blog hopping yesterday and came across this blog.... for all you women/mums/slightly insane mad people ...... take a look at http://slightlysouthofsanity.blogspot.com/ I was crying with laughter at this ladies blog and her very amusing anecdotes!

Yummy Grungepaper

Well I've had my first play with this lovely stuff, which is just like Grungeboard, but alot thinner, more the stiffness of thin card rather than paper but has loads of possibilities. It can be treated just the same as GB but can also be folded. punched and stitched (wondering at this point whether it can be printed on.. mmm must give that a try!) ... by punched I mean you can punch shapes out of it with your paper punches, not physically punched, though if you have had a bad day I'm it wouldn't mind a bit of battering!!

Anyway here is my first quick project, an Ipod case. It will be interesting to see how it stands up to rolling around in my handbag and alot of handling!

It has been painted, glimmermisted, stamped, put through my wizard with a cuttlebug embossing folder, and I have glued and added eyelets to the 'seam'. I did intend on sewing along the edges and tried to use a sewing machine that I borrowed from a friend, but found the bit for winding the cotton onto the bobbin was broken. she has informed me this morning that you need to use a toothpick and bit of blutack...... anyway I couldn't wait for her expert technical knowledge so used eyelets instead!

It's not a great finished project but at least I have had a play and got something to protect the new Ipod that is causing me more headaches that any crafty project.. Any Ipod experts out there??

I will have to experiment a bit more with the GP, but on first impressions it's alot of fun and has endless possibilities!

Took delivery yesterday of some love alterable stuff that we will using at Your Creative Journey later this month and will also later be selling on our website, so bookmark the site and keep popping back! There are still a few places available at our workshops if you are quick!

I can do Pretty...

But I am not comfortable doing it! I haven't made many cards for a while now, but have recently been asked to make some cards.. I should be brave enough to say no, but I'm not and then I get all stressed about it LOL. Well the brief was pink, girly and butterflies... yuk yuk yuk! Well it is a very simple card but ticks all the boxes and if you twisted my arm I would even say I quite like it! The butterflies are stamped with versamark and then brushed with Mica powders, they look effective in real life.

Back to the real Nicks now, I have been busy working on the project for YCJ and keeping up with the online Altered book course I am doing. Although I have done a couple of books in the past, this is completely different and really very interesting. Life is a bit hectic ATM and it's nice to have something that I have to do which enforces some 'me' time.

Progress so far.. the Niches in the book have been cut (using a technique which is so blooming obvious why didn't i think of it before?) and the inside cover and title page have been strengthened with the addition of paper.... but they aren't complete pages and won't end up like that eventually. As the cover to my book is cloth, i haven't had to prep that. I have some ideas on what I would like to do on the cover.. not sure if it will fit in with the course or not, we will see!

Must tell you what my fabulous mate has done... whilst on holiday she has 'found' a model of a hand which she has acquired for me to alter............ it's sad I get so excited about these things!

Altered Books and Busy Busy Busy

I have been busy honest even if I haven't been blogging, just had a weekend away at Bessie's (wasn't actually invited, I invited myself ...as you do!) but it was so good to see her and have a hug or two with Mr Bessie. There are new jobs on the horizon for my OH and I, Your Creative Journey is looming fast, my Son's headteacher seems to have volunteered me to make 50 tags to go with the flowers the kids are giving to their mums for mothers day and the blasted cats have just eaten the sausages i was defrosting for supper tonight. Apart from that life is pretty boring LOL

On the arty front, I am in the middle of preparing the stuff for YCJ, got some pretty cool projects on the go! Also halfway through a Altered book, but have come to a bit of a halt... Booker's block I think it's called!

I am also taking an online Altered Book course which started on Sunday, so I have prepped another book- first weeks lesson - and am really excited about this course. Will be totally different from the books I have done before, hope to learn alot under the expert tutelage of Elizabeth.

Here it is in it's 'just prepped' stage, some pages have been removed. I have never done this before, so it will be interesting to see what happens next!

My 7 year old son Edward rather loves Junk Modelling.... heaven forbid I throw anything away without asking him first, and if there is a world shortage of masking tape then he will be completely responsible. He made a model for his 'mate' John, when I went down to see them at the weekend, unfortunately he got rather attached to it and wouldn't let me take it and no amount of persuading would change his mind, so sorry John!! But John assures me he is happy with just a photo. I have to say it is rather smart so I can't blame him... Being an obnoxiously proud mum I am sharing it with you as well.

Right I can hear calls of 'Mum what is for tea?'

So shall I tell them I saved the sausage from the jaws of the cats or not???

Check out our website

www.yourcreativejourney.co.uk

for some pictures of the day

and details of the next workshops

and

http://dees-dabblings.blogspot.com/

was such a pleasure to meet Dee, she has added her results from the day onto her blog!

Your Creative Journey.......

.......is over this time, but the Journey is continuing!

Well if we say so ourselves it was a great day, and if you read the feedback forms filled out by our ladies and gents yesterday they had a great day as well!

It was a perfect day for crafting as it was teeming down with rain, but no-one arrived even slightly damp as the gallant Matthew escorted everyone from their cars sheltering them with his rather over sized umbrella.

All day we were looked after by Tom and Matthew who kept everybody supplied with coffee/tea and cookies (they didn't make those, some woman called Heidi baked them) and serving a lovely lunch.

Each class had a lovely hum of people creating to their hearts content, either Waxing, Silk Painting, making an mixed media clock or a Silver pendant..... if you heard a strange Gasp.... Ahhhh.... Wowwwwww noise yesterday it was when people reached the final stage of making their pendant and the odd bit of grey clay was finally transformed into a piece of silver!

Not being a duo to rest on our laurels, Heidi and I are already planning the next workshop!
Lots of bookings have already been taken, so it's just as well that the date has been booked for April 26th 2009!

Here's some piccies of the clocks that I was teaching, hopefully soon I can upload some pictures of us all in action on the day and peoples results!

http://www.yourcreativejourney.co.uk/