Encaustic wax canvas and an introduction...

Hi all... no I haven't morphed into a different person... I still look like her maj (royally waving at you like yesterday...lol) but I know you are going to wonder why this lovely lady is on my blog....

Well before I stepped down from my post as Fiskars Ambassador I had the pleasure of interviewing the lovely Joanne Sanderson who is one talented lady. However because she was poorly back then she kindly finished the interview for me last week and I forwarded it to the new girls over at Fiskarettes to feature on the blog. Joanne creates the most wonderful cross stitch designs and is also a published papercrafter and Author of some fab craft books.

So I just wanted to let you know that you can read our interview here on the Fiskarettes blog. See some more of Joanne's designs on her website and pick up lots of hints and tips on her blog... I'm sure she would be happy if you paid her a visit :)

Now my crafty offering today is an Encaustic wax painting done on canvas... I just adore painting with wax although I really don't spend as much time doing it as I would like to lately. I keep dipping my fingers into many craft pies but can't settle on any one thing... I just keep hopping from one craft to another depending on how the mood takes me. Next on the list of want to do's is some more sewing because I've neglected that too and I do enjoy it when I get started :) Anyway Linda and Rosie's big arch adventure challenge this week is sewing so it's a great excuse to get stuck in. Hopefully I will be able to show you what I came up with tomorrow.

Have a great evening everyone

See you soon

hugs

Chris xx

Up for a giggle...don't spit your coffee over your keyboard

Okay I wasn't going to share this with you... cos I'm shy Mary Ellen I'm shy...rofl BUT as I decided to share it on the Fiskarettes blog I thought it only fair to put it on my own blog too. Chriss has been daring me to do it for ages so now she has to put hers on her blog as well (are you listening Chriss...lol) Although she is better dressed than I am ;-)

Somehow I managed to end up with proper Nanna legs AND shoes... says a lot about my papercutting doesn't it. Bet you LOVE my natty handbag and gloves though don't ya...don't ya... you know you want some too right!!! I've got bling so that's all I really care about and In DG eyes I'm the Queen of the Nanna's so I had to have a crown :D

I'm entering this for the Artygirlz blue and orange combo challenge... in for a penny in for a pound... may as well let everyone see it and let the world laugh at my expense.... Laughter is good for the soul so they say :D

Ok Ok get up off of your knees and wipe your eyes.... I dare you all to make one of your own... it's not easy to make yourself look beautiful with paper clothes unless you are a good paper cutter... go on... go on... it will be good for you to share. Come back and let me know if you do one so I can come look :D

Hugs

Chris xx

Fairy fridge magnet

Still in my altering phase and trying to create new things I decided to make myself a fridge magnet. Something pretty to look at with a sentiment to remind me when I am being forgetful (which is often...lol) that I should try to be more patient with myself. Don't know how many times I've gone to put a pan in the fridge or put the milk in a cupboard!! Concentration is the key... only more oft than not my head is in the clouds with thoughts of what I want to create next or full of the necessary little details of doing the shopping list and paying the bills uuuurgh ;-)
The main image and those gorgeous wings and crown came from Scrapz and though they are only small they definately add a bit of glamour don't you think.

I love butterflies so just had to add one, more German scrap... I love using this and it is so cheap that I can afford to use it lots...whooohooo

The base is made from folded ribbon (oooh aren't I getting good... think my addiction to hoarding it is declining...lol) placed on top of folded strips of vellum, another of my must have products in my craft box but underused lately. The words are cut from a sentiment strip also available from Scrapz... just finishing my little magnet off nicely....

and here is the completed thing... not a great photo as I managed to miss the bottom off..lol but you get the idea.

Hope you are having a fab day :)

Catch ya later

hugs

Chris xx

I believe in Fairies.....

I do... I do... I do....lol Well someone's been looking after me cos after a good night and most of the morning sleeping I now feel ready to take on almost anything... and on top of that I'm in a fabulously good mood which isn't too common for me. I'm beginning to think I'm a manic depressive...lol I'm either down in the dumps or on so much of a high I could swing from the chandaliers (well if I had some that is) Cor that would be a sight for sore eyes...believe me!!!
Anyway I did these cards a while ago and forgot to share them with you so I thought since I'm once again in the fairy mood these cards are just the ticket today :) The stamps were designed by our blogging pal Sharon and you can visit her blog here or get some of her stamps for yourself here. Hey just noticed I used some ribbon....oooooooer strike me down with a feather...lol The paper on the first one is from one of June's digital freebies at Cens loft. Sorry can't remember which one but she always has lots of fab digital papers that you can download and print off to use in your paper crafts. She is also starting to do pdf downloads for those of you who want an easy way to get some great designs for yourself.

The papers I used on these two cards are from Marieke Vermeulen... I love Marieke's designs because they are just soooo colourful... she has got a great sale on printables in her Etsy shop right now so pop over there and see some eye candy for yourself, you won't be sorry and if you'd like to see some of her fab projects go visit her blog too :D
Hope you are all having a fun day... I'm off to blog hop now and catch up with you all. Thanks for all your good wishes while I've been poorly sick... you guys rock!!
See you soon :D
hugs
Chris xx

Boo bag - Gothic Arch challenge and Papergirls sneak peak

Ooooooh a long post tonight because the best laid plans this week have gone astray. I had intended to get round to visit everyone's blogs but well luck hasn't been on my side since my last post. I spent the day with my crafty friend Chriss on Thursday crafting through her birthday and having lots of laughs along the way, most of Friday was spent getting ready to go visit my sister for a couple of days but then hey ho I got a bug!! It must have been a super big bug cos it totally knocked me for six..... I think this one had pit boots on the amount of thudding it did with my tummy :-0 So no visiting or blogging for me as I have spent the last couple of days either in the little girls room or in bed!! (ooooh maybe a little too much information ok but you get my drift...lol) Thankfully I am now starting to feel much better so I will be visiting you all very soon but in the meantime here is a bit of eye candy for you to peek at :)

Halloween won't be long in coming now and while I don't really bother with it myself my DG loves it as most kids do... so I have a few things that I have made for him, to share with you over the next couple of weeks.

Once again I have been playing at making flowers albeit different ones this time, was gonna use ribbon b u t I just couldn't bend my arm up my back for this one... maybe soon I will overcome my horror of cutting it into tiny pieces.. I'm working on it ;-)

All of the cutie images I used to create my little Boo Bag are from Cens Loft I love them lots and you can get them as a free download in either digital form or as printables for those of you who like to be hands on. I indulged in a little bit of doodling too on my gift bag and filled it with sweeties... quickly before I was tempted to stuff my face with them...lol

My next piece was for last weeks Gothic Arch challenge (Haute Couture) which I didn't get posted in time but since it was finished I wanted to share it with you anyway. I love girly things and Black and White and I think the two go so well together... classy and elegant. I love the glamour of old films and the beautiful way the filmstars used to dress, I could soooo see myself in the era of those movies... glammed up and partying with a glass of bubbly in my hand, diamonds dripping from my earlobes with a figure to die for.... shame I have to come back down to earth and deal with reality ain't it ...lol

I used to wear killer heels... through summer, rain and snowstorms... nothing less than 4" heals would do... and pencil skirts ooooooh I had them in every colour imaginable BUT that was before my toes began to throb at the sight of a pair of pointy toes and my hips began to gain a wobble all of their own ;-) aaaaaw the distress that causes me...lol

Oh well guess we can't have it all... I'm happy and loved and relatively healthy (now I've kicked that big bug into touch... I hope) so I think my cup runneth over... what say you :)
Now for a sneak peek of something else I have made.... to see the whole thing you have to pop over to The Papergirls blog where you will find a pic of the whole thing :)

Okay before I hit the sheets running I have to ask you this.... Does anyone else adore Dawn Porter? She is just the most adventurous funniest gal on the box right now... she is up for anything and I just finished watching her do a programme on Seriously Dirty Dancing... oh boy what a treat. Not only cos I love the film Dirty Dancing (though not nearly as much as DD who has seen it in excess of 200 times since it was first released) but because Dawn Porter had me howling with her antics and sheer enthusiasm all the way through. She recreated the last dance of the movie with a dance instructor and did brilliantly, I must add that the highlight for me was seeing her do one of the "dirty dances" in a pink ballerina fat suit... I don't think I have gut bustingly laughed like I just did in many a month.... absolutely out of this world...fantabulous it was!!

That's my lot for tonight... I will be back tomorrow with some more creative goodies and doing some blog hopping too... I'm off to bury my head in a soft squishy pillow and wrap myself snugly in my winter weight quilt hopefully to dream nice dreams and wake up feeling on top of the world...lol

See you soon :D

hugs

Chris xx

Linda and Rosie's awfully big art adventure challenges

Okay everyone hold on to your hats cos this is a Loooooooong post...lol After a few hiccups and problems with my camera I have finally managed to upload the creations I have made for Rosie and Linda's last three Art adventure challenges and I have to say I have had heaps of fun with these and been taken well out of my comfort zone :)

In reverse order challenge 4 was to alter an empty beans can :) I wasn't sure where I was going to go with this but because I found one of those plastic can saver lids in my kitchen draw I decided to use that to decorate the top by adding one of my paper flowers. I already had this made up so the papers were an easy choice.

I added a chipboard embellishment to the front as I intend to use it to save little pieces of paper with little memories written on them to help me with my scrapbooking. How often do you wish you had written something down to jog your memory... well this is going to be my way from now on :)

This is the top of the flower looking down so that you can see the vellum middle and the seed beads... I am loving these at the moment attached with 3d gloss. Sorry the photos are a bit pants at the moment I am working on it I promise :)

Challenge no 3 was to create an ATC altered doll... now I really had fun with this one... meet Acrobatic Amy...lol I wanted to do something different so out came my sketch pad and colouring pens and with the addition of a few other bits and pieces she was ready to join the circus...lol

She wanted to be a girly girl... but all glammed up too so I gave her some flowers in her hair and some girly jewellery bits to adorn her arms... she was well chuffed I tell you... she kept looking up at me and smiling her approval. One thing that she insisted on was legs that would go right up to her neck... you know the sort of legs we all would give our high teeth for...lol Well I couldn't let her down could I....

and just to make sure she felt completely comfortable I let her wear her lovely colourful tights for when she would be indulging in her acrobatic feats...

Well the girl was so impressed she immediately launched into her acrobatics to let me know how blissfully happy she was and oh boy what a show... she's so flexible... what a gal.... hope you enjoyed the show....rofl

Okay last but not least Challenge no 2 was to create an album in a matchbox.... now this one for me was a tad difficult... not because of the challenge... I will try anything once but just the sheer size of it. The problem is I have got man fingers... honestly my hands are massive, so fiddly little things sometimes cause me heaps of problems. I did get there in the end though and was quite elated at the fact that I managed something half decent :)

The images were all rub-ons (sorry can't remember who by) and I went for a theme of Ladies accessories. I haven't fastened the tiny album together yet just so you could see the pages as some I did 3d. I actually for once did some major stamping to make the paper to cover my box and pages with ... because my friend Chriss gave me a special gift (thanks Chriss x) of two gorgeous stamps and I just had to play with them.

I used German scrap to add a bit of bling to the front which I got from Scrapz and then lined my box before decorating my tiny pages :)

Wow!! that was a long 'un ... need to get my breath back now...lol I will be looking forward to this weeks challenge and if you want to get yourself thinking out of the box and try out something different then pop over to Rosie and Linda's challenge blog yourself and join in with the fun.

See you soon... happy crafting :)

hugs

Chris xx

Artygirlz challenge #55... Clipart or free images

I'm still in experiment mode so using images from Cen's Loft decades freebies I decided to alter this postcard that my friend Chriss gave me a while back, for this weeks Artygirlz challenge. The postcard was fab as it only had the stamped image in the corner to begin with... so plenty of room for artistic licence :) I printed out and stuck down the images before adding the lines and writing... which started out matter of fact and ended up rhyming...lol Brain overload I think.

It reads :-
I make the decisions about the cooking.
I do the washing .. the cleaning
iron the clothes
make the beds and put the clothes away...
I mop the floors, wash the dishes and feed the cat
I make the windows sparkle and shine
and mow the lawn in summertime
I bath the kids and make it fun
my work it seems is never done.
I pay the bills and keep up with the news
but when it comes to my shoes
I just can't seem to choose !!

Hope you like it...lol... have a great day :)
hugs Chris xx

Papergirls altered envelope challenge.

The winner has been announced for the altered envelope challenge over at The Papergirls blog and Femmy is a really worthwhile winner. Pop over to the Papergirls blog and check out the winning entry and the other girls' creations there are some amazing ones!! The next challenge is to alter an old cd, adding words from a magazine and I am really looking forward to that one. Anyone can take part so if you are up for a bit of altering then get your entry in too :)

This was my altered envelope entry... did you guess...lol
The images are all stamps from Crafty individuals except the lady on the phone (nabbed from a magazine) and the telephone and wire which I drew and cut out. So different from what I usually do but I am enjoying experimenting at the moment.
Just a quickie for today as I am off to take DG home... had a lovely weekend but am shattered, don't know how I got through raising DD sometimes lol
Have a great evening
hugs
Chris xx

Altered notebook

Well I had intended to show you something completely different today but my camera isn't playing!! One of my minor gripes today.... first one being parking.... aaaaaargh. I take DG once a fortnight to pay his pocket money into the bank (see I can be a serious Nanna sometimes...trying to convince him that saving IS a good thing)... so this takes me all of FIVE minutes to go in and make a deposit with him. I always have my £1.20 'daylight robbery cash' for parking money ready but today having NO extra change I was hopping about like a mad frog when I realized it had gone up to £1.40 !! So rather than risk a £20 fine for not displaying my ticket and only having a tenner I had to drive out of the car park to go in hunt for change. Stopped at a shop to be told I would have to spend something so they could open the till to give me some change!! So a packet of chewing gum later I returned to park the car... only for the parking meter to swallow my first pound without registering... so now my parking cost me £2.40 cos there was no-one around to give me a refund... though I bet if I had left the car in a bay and gone change hunting, there would have been a trillion parking attendants there with their little book of tickets ready to slap one on my windscreen...bah!! Next trip was to Tesco who have refurbished their store but forgot to change the signs.... as if it wasn't hard enough to find anything now, goes down the signposted aisle to pick up some soup... and yes you've guessed it no soup...lol So I thought no way am I going to wander round here for an hour for the sake of a tin of Heinz... no matter how delish it is, so I asked an assistant where to find it. The answer.... "oh didn't you know it's up by the crisps now"? Well Hello... yes of course I know that which is why I have a trolley load of soup cans!! and on top of that I'm wandering round like a headless chicken...lol
Some days home seems so undervalued but boy was I pleased to come back through my own front door and put all of the little annoyances behind me... well apart from blurting them out on my blog to you that is...lol
Anyway this is a notebook I covered a few weeks ago... and forgot to show you... (a Tesco's one no less...lol) I wanted to play flower making again and it is kinda taking over my life right now... haven't got much to put them on but can't stop putting them together :)
The papers and twill ribbon are from Cosmo Cricket ' Haunted' kit and I just adore this paper especially...

I just think the distressed edges are totally scrummy. Colours in the photos look a wee bit different but I assure you it IS all the same book.

This is the completed thing... the cheap as chips notebook also had an elastic wrap to keep it closed which I think finishes it off nicely and which I have to say inspired my use of paper and embellishments too.

Hope you like it... and forgive me for waffling so much... a girls just gotta do what a girls gotta do and it was just one of those days :) I'm a happy bunny now though and it's almost time for X Factor so I am off to watch a little bit of telly for a change.

Hope you are all having a great weekend.

hugs

Chris xx

Let's go paint the walls... digi layout

A little while ago the living room needed a face lift so out came the paint cans and this is what happened...lol

If you don't want a mess... or a bit of fun... then don't let the kids loose with the paintbrush :) DG is always eager to "help" and I was a bit unsure but he did a grand job, when we had almost finished he said "Nanna I've got paint on my face" but then it ended up on his t-shirt, hands and trousers (accidentally on purpose...lol) Thank goodness for play clothes!! He was kept amused for hours so I think I may let him help next time too.

I had a play at painting on my own with my wacom tablet for this layout and must say I probably had as much fun doing this as DG had while getting messed up... but best bit is I don't have to wash away my paint... took us ages to get it off DG. Though this could have been helped by the fact that he has an aversion to soap and water. Does that ever go away with boys I wonder...lol