A good day spent with friends

Four of like minded friends have started to meet up on a Friday to have a day crafting and last week we decided to make the 'Tiles in a Frame' along the lines that Jean Hardy had done in Craft Stamper.  This is my take on it...

The only piece of material we had was the Collections Elements chipboard tiles in a frame, we didn't have any foam board or thick card but Lynne never throws anything away and came up with some packaging she had kept.

Made the frame out of the said card, cutting an aperture in the middle, covered it in Terra, stamped with text and flourish stamps whilst still wet, once dry painted it in Dylusion aqua acrylic paint and brushed over lightly with pumpkin chalk ink.  The tile frame was painted with broken china ink stain, then covered with distress crackle paint.  The tiles were covered with papers from T!m's paper stash, then I added various ephemera.  I'm into shrink plastic at the moment, so some of the elements are stamped then shrunk.  The flower is tattered floral onto grunge paper and covered with dictionary page, then coloured with china distress stain.  The butterfly from Wendy Vecchi is stamped onto grunge paper, coloured with broken china and vintage photo, then I stamped the same butterfly onto heat parts, heated and shaped and popped on top. Edge the whole lot with Inka Gold.

The delicious lunch was provided by Pat who made home made soup and fruit salad, fantastic food and a brilliant day.  Thanks friends.

Just noticed that I have appeared as a follower on my own blog????  What's that all about???  I certainly haven't put myself as a follower, has this happened to anyone else, and does anyone know how I can take it off?

Ladies Who Lunch Club

It was our monthly meeting of the 'Ladies Who Do Lunch' club the other day and Sandy Poppins was the hostess.  She showed us how to make this gorgeous little 'Book of Friendship Quotes'

Everything we used on this was by Dylusions, ink sprays, stamps etc.  Sandra provided all the quotes, she has some fabulous ones.  One of the tags I've had to cover up because I've given this to my daughter-in-law and had already written on it.  I just love the dinkieness (is there such a word) and all made out of one piece of paper..so cool.

Sandra made some delicious soup and a divine chocolate, rum and raisin cheesecake and Jill brought along some tiffin.  I tell you, this food malarky is getting ridiculous, we're all eating so much, it's got to stop, but then again when someone has gone to so much trouble and it tastes so good, what's a girl to do?  We all had a great day, as usual and can't wait for the next one.

Well, it's now 04:00, so think I'll mosey off up to bed and try to get some sleep.

Wax Lyrical

Over the last two Fridays, myself and 3 friends have met to play.  We saw the fabulous beeswax canvas that Hels had in the Craft Stamper, so decided to go along those lines.  When we got to Lynne's, who was hosting the day, she had bought some very large canvases,we nearly died, they were so big, we didn't know how we would fill it...but we did.

Coloured the whole canvas in trad tan, then applied some Kaisercolour in sea breeze and some Inka Gold in rose, stamped onto tissue paper using Paperartsy and T!m's stamps.  Added various pieces of old watch parts, the whole canvas is edged in old gold by Inka Gold.  If you've not tried this stuff, I urge you to, it's brilliant and can be found here

We had a thoroughly enjoyable two days, and it did take us two days because of all the chatter and laughter that went on, and thank you Lynne, Jill and Pat for the gorgeous food.  We've been eating so much fattening food that we've decided to limit the lunches now to soup, roll and yoghurt...wonder how long that will last?

Stylish Blog Award

I've been given this award by the very talented Helen, I'm thrilled to little mint balls, don't you thinks it's wonderful when blogging friends think of you?

Thanks Helen, I'm honoured.  Pop over here to look at her awesome work.

The rules are that I have to tell you some unusual things about myself and then pass it on to eight other people.

Well haven't much of interest to pass on about myself, but here goes...

I once had dinner with Mike Jagger and Brian Jones (deceased) of the Rolling Stones, yes, that's true.

Went to see the Beatles at Sheffield City Hall, and in those days you could sit on the stage, at the back, with the artists.  Well can you guess what happened when they came on stage, yes, I ran straight up to Paul McCartney and put my arms around him and wasn't going to let go.  The security men got me off eventually, but they just sent me back to my seat, how cool is that, eh.

I used, emphasise the word 'used' to be very good at sports.  Represented the school at sprinting, played squash, badminton, did trampolining and was very good at table tennis.  Now those of you who know me now will be saying 'never, don't believe that', but it's true.  Now all I'm good for is being a couch potato.

4 years ago, when I was many stones lighter, signed up to trek to Machu Picchu in Peru, did all the training all the fund raising, in fact raised over £7,000 and then the week before we were due to go, the Cancer Research UK doctor phoned me and said I couldn't go because I'd got asthma and they wouldn't risk taking me because of the altitude.  Why he couldn't have told me that before I did all the training I'll never know.

Right that's enough about me, now to the other bloggers and in no particular order they are...

Pat
Sandra
Lynne
Sue
Jo
Jill
Kate
Chris

Hope you're all having a good weekend, snowing in North Sheffield.

Sewing and crafting

Decided to get my sewing machine out today to have a play.  I've made a lavender bag heart for a friend, which I hope she'll like.

This is the first one I've ever made, so still need some practice.

I also made an ATC along the heart and valentine theme, with a little silk fabric heart and some stitching.

Hope you're all having a great weekend.

Crafting with friends

Spent a lovely day on Monday crafting with three friends, we had decided to do something with canvas board and corrugated cardboard, everyone's ended up being different, this is mine...

As usual took photo late afternoon, so colours not too good, and some of the embellishments don't show up too well.  The houses are cut free hand out of corrugated cardboard, papers are from Lost and Found stack and Paperartsy Thorndon Hall, trees are one of T!m's dies, out of TSS metal in copper and silver, the metal frame in the middle has been altered with acrylic paint, the number is UTEE in white, then swiped over with black acrylic, butterfly is Wendy Vecchi, stamped onto grunge paper, stamped again onto Heat Parts, and heated up and shaped, fence I've done the peeled paint technique and attached with T!m's tiny attacher, the little red heart is one I made from UTEE.  The canvas is painted in trad tan with some script stamped on, then pool and gold acrylic paint.  I've just got to decide now whether to put a chain or wire through the top to hang it up with.

January 365 Art Calendar finished!!!!!

Managed to keep up with the 365 Art Journal Calendar, hosted by the incredibly talented Kate Crane.  There are some deliberate mistakes, see if you can spot them :)).

Background is Dylusion spray inks (no acrylic paint on this one) sprayed through a snowflake template, couple of Stampotique stamps, bit of this and a bit of that etc. etc.

Not too well today, started my chemo treatment yesterday teatime, left the hospital very late, feels like I've got flu, medical terms used were "You'll have a shitty day tomorrow and a half shitty day on Wednesday", that's alright then.  Go back next Monday for some more of the same.  Still as long as it get my illness under control, will put up with it.