Flower Power Canvas!

And Now For Something A Little Bit Different...

Webbing Spray!

Been playing with my webbing spray! Black lightweight cardstock, a spritz of webbing spray, and shoot gold embossing powder over, tip off excess and heat. Repeated this with raspberry dazzle embossing powder, then spritzed entire sheet lightly with a mica pigment based spray. Voila!

First Time Webbing Spray

Could be a potential background for a swap running on UKATC...

Prezzies Galore from FDF and Melt Pot Experiments!

I couldn't see my Freaky Deaky Friendie until today (mwah!) but we had a Melt Pot Party! Yeah! First though, wow, I got prezzies galore (I told her off for getting so much but she never listens - talk to the hand lol!)

Lookie at the piccie! A Mimi mini mini mini tote (sooooooooo cute), which was just the bestest surprise ever! I also got some rubber stamps that I have been dying to own! Hero Arts Create collage stamp, 2 Crafty Individuals Stamps (little girl in Paris and an Oriental lady - yes I am bonding with Oriental and my FDF is being very supportive of this lol!).

Also in my pile of prezzies there are packets of jute and co-ordinating paper covered wire, metal embellishments, metal distressed word charms, glitzy heart beads, Queen&Co. mini brads (funky-wunky ones) and my fave kind of eyelets, adonised ones! As if that wasn't enough (naughty FDF spending so much money) I also got a pack of Diddl pens which are the best Diddl pens you can get 'cos they write in different colours.

It took a fair while to open all those gifties!

My FDF bought her melt pot along for our melt pot party, and we played! FDF melted was in hers, I farted round with UTEE etc. This shows my melt pot which has clear UTEE, a sprinkle of the flex, the green and yellow UTEE Brightz and a sprinkling of white UTEE... lusherly colours, all marbling and melting into each other, with a little help from the spatula that came in my toolz set (don't rate the tweezers/spoon tool do we FDF?!)

Melting Moments...

Here's a piccie of all the bits and bobs we created between us. We tried dipping and then stamping into corrugated cardboard, which had some fab effects! We also used some molds that I had - a face, butterflies, and a flower button - we were dead chuffered at how these came out - the finished effect of poured UTEE that has set is soooooooooo smooth... like a boiled sweetie!

All Our Bits and Bobs!

We also tried dipping punched circles from an egg carton and stamping into them and that effect was molto magic. Because the stamp we used was quite intricate, the pieces look like a real sea sponge texture. Top notch! One piece we left plain 'cos it looked too pretty to stamp into!

Dipped Egg Carton Circles

A most successful Melt Pot Party! Watch this space for more from me and my Melt Pot lol! I need to give him a name... suggestions on a postcard lol! Melvin? Michael? Mickey?

Ooh, and I got another New Home ATC (from Kathleen, my crafts blog - check it out, it's on my blog list)

New Home ATC

Melt Pot In Da House (and the big 30)

Could you get a bigger 30 on a birthday card?!

Thank you sis for reminding me just how old I am now! (That said, I am still 29 if anyone asks me. Besides, I have been asked for ID *twice* in 3 weeks to buy cigarettes!!!)

It was one of the strangest birthdays I have ever had, being in new surroundings, not waking up to the aged parents singing "Happy Birthday To You" (they text me it instead lol!)

I felt "reet spoilt" with all my prezzies and cards! Mumsy bought me some flowers too!

The Window Sill of Birthday Cards (and flowers!)

Got some stonkingly stunning gifties! Some crafty people have craftily looked at my wish list here on my blog and fulfilled two of my wishes! I got the Tim Holtz DVD (his first one) *and* some Chapel Road Art Stamps...

Craft wise, I also got my much hankered after Melt Pot, UTEE, To Dye For Inks and other accessories to go with it. But most stonkingly of all, I got a cake stand! (OK, you may be thinking what on earth does she want with a cake stand and how does that fit in with being crafty - let me explain...)

A Baa-Me Chick bought one to use as decorative storage for her crafty bits and bobs, and my Freaky Deaky Friendie followed the trend. I have fancied one myself for ages, but no room for it in my previous craft space. Who bought it for me? Mumsy of course! I am using it to store all my Melt Pot stuff, and I think cake stands rock! (as long as they don't have cake in them lol!) Other crafty bits I got included an additional bead storage box that I had been dying for :)

My Prezzies (and Birthday ATCs in the background!)

Other prezzies I got included money (some of which will go on crafty stuff no doubt!), Diddl writing pad, Diddl letterset, Lush Gift set "Happy", Lush Happy Hippy shower gel, Heavenly Bodies buttercream, Care Bear top, a superbly special mouse mat, grow your own Birthday Gerbara, Mamma Mia soundtrack, lovely smellie candles and a lusherly turquoise/brown/pewter coin purse...

Mumsy pulled out all the stops with her handmade card! Laura Ashley papers/epoxy stickers and pretty prima flowers and a peridot (my birthstone) brad.

Super Duper Card from Mumsy (and Freaky Deaky Dad)

I also got some fab RAKs off crafty peeps, both cards and ATCs, check 'em out! You can't really see them properly in the piccie of my gifties, so here they are in full view! These are all made by members of the various Yahoo groups I belong to...

Hugs and the Beginnings of Delight

My folks just got back from a few days away in Dorset, and bought me back a present! A hugging salt and pepper pot - how cool?! Perfect for my new flat (and so much more attractive than my old ones - don't ask!)

Salt and Pepper Pots - Hugs

Have also finally decided on my theme for Diane's Delight, an ATC booky wooky round robin running on Goody Bag Girls. My theme is...

*drum roll* ...

"Quotes or Characters from Shakespeare"

I have this lovely scrapperdashery paper that I have been hoarding for almost a year... I have finally come to terms with the fact that it must be cut up and used for a project. I have used Twelfth Night, The Merchant of Venice and Othello. As my book travels round each of the Goody Bag Girlies, they will make an ATC to go in one of the pockets. But I am getting ahead of myself because all I have to show right now is the front cover (not finished!) but it will eventually be an accordian style book with pockets on each page.

Front of Shakespeare ATC Book (needs finishing!)

I have covered a frame in one of the papers, and inset an ATC I created which has a quote from Shakespeare around the edge (look closely!)

"To me, fair friend, you never can be old,
For as you were when first your eye I eyed,

Such seems your beauty still. "

What's Black and White and...

Q: What is black and white, white and black, black and white?
A: A zebra caught in a revolving door!!!

OK, apologies for the really poor attempt at humour there, but it was the only black and white joke I could think of right now!

Swiftly moving on, Black and White is a theme for ATC Addicts R Us this month, so I took the bull by the horns and got creating! I already had some stamped acetate images ready with this swap in mind (Crafty Individuals and some other company I cannot remember right now!)

First ATC, Flower Girl, I cut along the shaped side of the image and attached a strip of lace paper (see the texture peeking out the right hand side?) I then used diamond glaze to glue the image onto a piece of DCWV backing paper (black and white stack - sunflowers) hoping that the petals of the sunflowers look like layers of her dress... does that work?

Kind of... anyways, I inked the edges and matted and layered onto white and then black card. To embellish, I used versamark and black and white embossing powders to colorise 2 die cut flowers, and layered them up on the bottom right hand corner, attaching a pearl flower in the centre and a mini micro brad. I added a teeny weeny pearl flower to the image in her hair, and a teeny weeny fabric flower to her dress - onto this one I popped a black gem, and then to finish I attached a few more gems in the centre of the flowers on the stamped image.

Flower Girl

This next ATC, Girls Night Out, was such fun to make! I placed the image over some handmade paper and some lace - I think it looks really cool, like the lace is the top of the girls' dresses! All this needed was matting and layering and a few finishing touches. I added wire and beads down the left hand side, and a tiny star button up the top. Melikes! (I don't say that often!!!)

Girls' Night Out

Actually, melikes this next ATC too (what happened to self doubt?! Maybe it decreases the nearer you get to 30?!) I love this Pierrot image, it seemed to fit perfectly within the black and white theme. I layered it onto handmade paper, then onto black card, adding 3 brads over buttons on the image to help hold the acetate in place. I attached the word "Pierrot" using diamond glaze, and embellished with a pinwheel sequin, pearl flower and mini micro brad. The harlequin style lace down the left hand side adds a bit of texture and interest!

Pierrot

More Than Inky Layers and Flutterbies to Go

Seemed to be on a bit of a crafty roll today - rather unexpectedly I must say! :p

I had some backgrounds I had made a few weeks ago whilst dabbling with a few Bernie Berlin techniques - these particular ones are "inky layers" but now I have added to them!

I stamped images from Tanda Stamps retro plate onto acetate and attached them to the backgrounds using a few spots of diamond glaze. I also stamped out some phrases onto mountboard to add to each ATC.

"So Stylish" - added 3 eyelets and wove some fibers through, and glued on a teeny weeny metal rose embellishment.

So Stylish

"You Got Style" - added a strip of fibers down one side and a string of pearls. Glued on some tiny pearls to make a necklace, and also added a teeny weeny metal rose embellishment in her hair.

You Got Style

"Lips, Cheeks, Eyes" - wound some lilac fibers round the left hand side a couple of times to add a bit of texture. Glued on another of those fab teeny weeny rose embellishments (into her hair again!) and made a necklace on her by gluing on teeny weeny flat-backed pearls. I think this one is my fave!

Lips, Cheeks, Eyes

With my Gothic Arches all complete and good to go, I decided to turn by my lickle beaded butterfly into a pin/brooch and enclose him as an RAK for the Guest Hostess Kathleen. Hope she likes it!

I feel it is time that butterflies flew away though, I have had them on the brain, which will slip into the drain if I do any more butterfly related crafting in the not too distant future!

Oooh... a Gold Card!!! Thanks Kathleen!

I have just been given this by Kathleen (my crafts) - Thank You!!! I need to put my thinking cap on, who do I nominate? (Being Freaky Deaky and fairly new to Blogger, I don't have many blog mates yet... This could be tough!

The Rules of this award are:

1. Only 5 people allowed.
2. 4 have to be dedicated followers of your blog
3. 1 has to be someone new or recently new to your blog and live in another part of the world.
4. You must link back to whoever gave you the award.

So I nominate...

Creative Lilac Lina http://creativelilaclina.blogspot.com/

Twiggy http://theworldoftwiggypeasticks.blogspot.com/

Dawne http://dawne-abitofthisabitofthat.blogspot.com/

Hayls http://hayls76.blogspot.com/

I still need to find someone new and from overseas so hail forth peeps!

New Addition to the Penthouse!

Finally got around to bringing over a little super something special to my new flat (it has been staying back at my parents' temporarily until I was more organised this end!)

It is, well, a kind of wire/dressmaker's dummy/dress stand thingy - I have temporarily popped my Diddl plush in there, but the plan is to alter it in some way... how I am not quite sure yet, but I saw it and couldn't resist and immediately saw an altered art project in it! All those little loops/hooks at the bottom... perfect for danglies, beaded thingys, altered tags... the body looks like it wants something weaved through, hmm...

Any ideas on how to alter this?

New Treats!

Wow, went halves with my FDF on some "Wafugami" speciality papers at a bargainous price! $19.99 (that's around a tenner!) and we got 16 packs of different colour combo/designs of these gorgeous delicate papers. Each pack contained at least 12 sheets... just look at my half of the stash... all laid out... they are all double sided, and some have the most gorgeous metallic or pearlescent sheen to them... mwah!

"Beautiful exotic paper in handy 6"x6" size pieces. Great for collage, rubber stamping, scrapbooking, iris folding, cardmaking, altered arts and more! "

To top it all off, the packs each had the most fantasticly sumptuous names!

• Lime Gingham Combo
• Light Pink Gingham Combo
• Red Gingham Combo
• Light Blue Gingham combo
• Bubblegum
• Gold Metallic/Solid Combo
• Metallic Shades of Greens
• Metallic Shades of Red/Pink
• Horizon Wave Art Combo
• Summer Daze

Yummy! These papers are, for want of a better word, lusherly! But will they get used, or become part of my "look don't touch" craft stash museum? Will have to wait and see!

On a roll!

My second and final gothic arch is completed for the swap on ATC Addicts R Us.

So what did I add to this Crafty Individuals based background that I created last week with Mumsy? Well, I stamped some teeny weeny swirls in gold, attached a wire coil/ribbon to the bottom left hand corner, then, using wire, attached beads all the way around the arch (quite time consuming but defo worth it).

I used diamond glaze to accent the white butterflies on the background paper, then added 2 glittery flutterby stickers (will never forget how these came to be in my possession - they were a bonus item with one of my first orders from 3D Jean way back when). I gave both of these butterflies antennae (could resist!) Finally I added my alcohol inked metal butterfly, then, some wire coils and a sequin butterfly to take the design off the arch... I think this is my fave of the 2 Gothic Arches I have made. But I keep changing my mind (a girls' perogative!)

To Those That Dream There is no Such Place as Faraway

Ahhhhhh! There was no stopping me then. I grabbed the 4 jumbo playing cards (an extra swap currently running on UKATC) sent to me by Paula, and started creating backgrounds and generally getting all painty!

I used one of Bernie Berlin's techniques on the 2 on the left hand side, "resin fresco" - used Adirondack dabbers over randomly sprinkled and heated UTEE and a couple of brush strokes of gesso. Interesting effect, think it has to be seen in the flesh, or at least very close up, to see the real texture created using that technique.

Backgrounds for Jumbo ATC Swap

On the other 2 backgrounds (on the right hand side of the piccie above) I used watered down acrylic paints brushed on over a layer of gesso (just to prime) and then I scrunched up clingfilm and placed it over the top. When I lifted off the clingfilm, I wanted a bit more of a sheen, so a added a few drops of luna lights and repeated scrunched clingfilm part. Looks kinda marbled, pretty cool! It's amazing what you can do with Morisson's mucho cheap clingfilm!

Rather liked doing that kind of background, so whilst I was all messy, thought I would do a couple on regular sized ATCs too, for future creations!

Acrylic Paint, Luna Lights and Clingfilm

When all is said and done, a very productive day indeedy!

The Holiday is Over; 1 down 1 to go!

Hooray, hooray, it's a holi-holi-day! Done and dusted, 4 Holiday/Vacation Themed ATCs, 3 of which will go in for the ATC Addicts R Us themed swap for August. The other one... aha!

Anyways, to each ATC I chose an image from either the "funnies" or "travel" ATC paper pads, adding colour using direct to paper technique, to lift them up off the background. Also added 4 fancy corners to make each image look like a snapshot from a holiday photo album.

Got Tuna?

Attached the phrase "Got Tuna?" with mini micro brads, adding a fish charm (thank you FDF!) which I had alcohol inked. Final touch, a wavy peel off (yup, you read that right, a *peel off*!!!)...

Memories

Added an alcohol inked metal plaque - memories - and some rustic looking gold glass chips, to create the effect of a pebble beach...

Dip Your Toe In

Added a windsurfer charm which had been alcohol inked, attaching it with a brad. Another wavy line peel off (am I feeling alright?!) and this one was done!

The Gene Pool

My favourite I think - attached an alcohol inked sea conch charm using a mini micro brad, and added the phrase "The problem with the gene pool is that there is no lifeguard" - the final touch was a few of those rustic gold glass chips.

And, hip hip hooray, 1 down 1 to go - I have completed one of my gothic arches. I was drawn to them as soon as I woke up, so took advantage and got cracking with finishing one off.

So what have I added to what was once a mere background? 2 stamped images of teeny weeny flutterbies in spring pansy, coating the images with diamond glaze. I also stamped teeny weeny swirls in gold, attached a wire coil/ribbon to the bottom left hand corner, then, using wire, attached tiny lilac sequin flowers all the way round the arch so they kinda hang off - added a bit of ribbon to one of them. I bedazzled up the dark butterfly images on the backround paper using, those things I can never remember the name of... accent beads!!! I also gave both of these butterflies antennae (could resist!) Finally I added my alcohol inked metal butterfly and voila!

The Master Calls a Butterfly

We're All Going On a... Summer Holiday (Vacation!) - Uh oh... emergency glue supply required!

Last night I made a start on some backgrounds for a themed swap on ATC Addicts this month - Holidays/Vacations. I already had an idea to collage all the foreign postage stamps I had been saving up, so grabbed my glue stick and was off!

Holiday/Vacations Backgrounds (stage 1)

When I woke up this morning, I realised I couldn't really continue with these ATCs as I really, really needed a glue stick and mine had completely run out the night before. Doh! So I quickly went online to order a Tombow (best glue stick in the world... ever!) but needed something ASAP so in the interim, I popped to WHSmith and got a pink (yup, that's right, pink!) pritt stick. Turned out not to be the hottest glue in town, but hopefully my Tombow will arrive in a day or two, and besides, managed to grab the latest copy of Craft Stamper whilst Pritt Stick Shopping :)

A Pink Pritt Stick - Whatever Next?!

For those of you interested in the pritt stick, it goes on clear, dries clear etc. Anyhoo, moving on...

Over stamped postage stamp backgrounds using teal stazon and a mini postcard stamp (prima) and a gold inkpad and an ink pen stamp (argh, manufacturer of that stamp?! Elusive Images?) Then with my pinker than pink pritt stick I could glue on ripped blue mulberry paper, and then attached green netting (not sure where that came from - perhaps some fruit that was bought by Mumsy and has now been recycled into craft supplies!)

Holiday/Vacations Backgrounds (stage 2)

That was it from my crafting brain for today, I hope to get more out of it tomorrow!

An Unexpected Critique... and a Friend What is Famous!

I had an unexpected letter following an altered canvas I created for someone several months ago. I am not one to blow my own trumpet; I have added this comment to my blog so I can read it on the days when I feel like my creativity has been sucked out of me, and in the hope the one day, I will read it and believe it.

"On a personal note, I would like to thank you once again for the wonderful art work that you created for me. I have shown it to a number of people who have given very positive feedback about your work, and I wanted to feed that back to you. One person in particular referred to the collage as "fantastic art" and raved about how talented you are. I, as you know, agree, and really do encourage you to continue developing your style."

Moving swiftly on, my Bandy Wandy Friendie (the one who got me the loverly pussycat frame for housewarming giftie) has been telling me the ad she was involved in filming for Tesco (as a member of the Royal British Legion Band and Corps of Drums Romford - starring Paul Daniels!) has been showing on TV! I *still* haven't seen it, but she sent me a link to watch it online, as someone has recorded it and uploaded it!

http://www.visit4info.com/advert/TescoComparecom-Paul-Daniels-Magic-Tesco-Compare-Car-Insurance/62073

Check out the band's website here for more info:

http://www.royalbritishlegionbandromford.co.uk/index.html

Not much happening on the arty farty crafty wafty front today. Hmph. Hopefully a more productive day tomorrow - I have swaps to do!

Shower Power, Scrappy Wappy Friendie, Shopping!

Lush, I love you! I think they knew I was moving somewhere with just a shower and no bath... I swear! They have just bought out a new range of products called Emotibombs (they must know I am an emotional wee lass who desperately wants a Lusherly smelling bathroom!)

"Just when you thought that Lush had come up with every possible variation, we managed to invent yet another fascinating way to have fun in the bathroom. Mo, who invented the Bath Bomb and the Shampoo Bar, felt rather sorry for people who were missing out on the delights of a Bath Ballistic’s fragrant fizziness. People who only have showers, for example. One of the joys of a Ballistic bath is the way that they fill the bathroom with scent and if you leave the door open they’ll fill up the whole house. The beautiful, natural perfumes which are released when the water hits the bomb, change your mood as you inhale them so Mo decided that shower owners really ought to experience the same delights. Bring on the Emotibomb. Here’s what you do. Put it on the floor of your shower and as the warm water hits your Emotibomb, it fizzes up into the atmosphere, surrounding you in a cloud of fragrant steam. Everyone’s first question has been this, “But doesn’t it just go straight down the plughole?” Of course it does go down the plughole eventually, but doesn’t everything in life? While you’re in the shower, it lasts long enough to transform your daily cleaning into a magical mist."

And they do that! My Scrappy Wappy Friendie (also a self confessed shopaholic) came to see me today and took me to Lush to buy me shower gels for a flat warming gift... anyhoo... we're browsing shower gels when a Lush Lady comes up and tells us about Emotibombs, and I was sold, and I ended up with a lovely selection of bits and bobs for my shower, and a handmade new home card to boot!

Emotibombs: Up The Wooden Hill, Sex in the Shower (steady on!!!)

Shower Gel: Flying Fox

I am now not quite so miffed by the fact that I do not have a bath. And we copped some free samples of soaps, Rock Star and Extra Virgin Olive. Lusherly! Thank you Scrappy Wappy Friendie for the gifties and card.

Her shopaholic side influenced me and I ended up purchasing 2 new hooded tops (best tops to have IMHO) but they were quite a bargain at 2 for £30 in Republic. I couldn't resist... and she egged me on... besides, you can never have too many hoodies, right?

Cupcake Hoodie

Close Up of Cupcake!

Touchy Feely Hoodie

Lovely Buttons!

This hoodie had a spare button... a diamante heart... now I am faced with the dilemma - do I...

a) keep the button in my jewellery box in case I happen to lose one?

or

b) put the button straight in my craft stash?

Answers on a postcard!

My Scrappy Wappy Friendie asked me to show her how to make an embellishment using wire/beads, so I helped her to do a beaded heart, our efforts are shown below...

She can use it on a scrapbook page... once I send it to her! Cos she left it behind - doh!

You've Been Framed, Flutterbies and Domestication!

Gone all domesticated! Have done my washing and tumble dried it today. Never used a tumble drier before, it's all new to me! Thankfully both the washing machine and tumble drier survived my usage! :p

Found a lovely piccie of dear old Oscar (kitty left behind and Mumsy's and Freaky Deaky Dad's) to put in a frame sent to me from my bandy wandy friendie, along with a new home card. BTW, she gonna be famous soon! On a Tesco advert with Paul Daniels!!!

Card and Pussy Cat Framey Wamey from Bandy Wandy Friendie

Also got my beads and wire out tonight, got butterflies on the brain, so had a crack at making one from wire and beads - melikes!

Fly Away Home

Coasting!!!

Finally my finished Altered Coaster for a swap on Advanced Artist Trading Cards have been completed and sent off in the post! Backgrounds were all done using Bernie Berlin's background technique "emboss resist", then, the theme being numbers, I had to pick my fave no... 2! (no rude jokes please!)

The harlequin background on this coaster gave me a great starting point, and it was easy to choose an image for it - this one is stamped onto acetate, and I had layered 3 strips of mulberry paper underneath, to add a bit of depth to the image. I cracked open a packed of "diamond" Ranger pop outs that I have been hoarding for some time, and used B-Muse embossing powders on them, and then swiped round the edge of the coaster with versamark and used the same colour embossing powder as I had done on the pop outs. Beaded chain around my no.2 and around the diamonds, plus a few diamante stars, and this one was completed!

2 Little Angels

The next coaster was a bit tricky-wicky, as it was the first time I had used my crop-a-dile to attach organza ribbon onto a surface with eyelets. I didn't want to spoil ye olde coaster, and fortunately, after a bit of faffing, I got the effect I was after. Added some velvet ribbon too, for a bit of touchy feely-ness. The no.2 and edge of the coaster have B-Muse embossing powders on them, and the no. is attached with 4 teeny tiny "screw head" brads. I alcohol inked a round frame from The Fruit Pixie, and attached it over my chosen image with brads. A touch of bling was needed to finish off, so I applied gems, beads and wire to complete the coaster.

2 Hearts Beating as 1

This is my secone fave coaster out of the four I made. Image is crafty Individuals, a little ric rac down one side (thank you FDF for your advice!) and interlocked the image into a die cut swirl that I had embossed with, yup, you got it, B-Muse embossing powders (and the edge of the coaster too!) Alcohol inked a washer and a button, using the washer to frame my no. and the button as an embellishment. Completed my chosen phrase "2gether" (not good English I know - but I think it looks good on arty farty stuff) The finishing touch was a flower from a sheet of prima flowers sent to me as an RAK by a member of the group ATC Addicts R Us (thank you!)

2-gether

My most favourite coaster of all... really hard to part with this one, yet I didn't like it at first! How odd... Anyway, attached some vintage lace using some large eyelets, tucking my image (Crafty Individuals) underneath on one side. Added my phrase "IT TAKES" and my no. 2, and used gold trim under both the no. and the image. Used some pink gems to create a corner on the top right, attach these with wire (unusual gems these, they have 2 holes on the top). Finishing touch, attaching some musical note charms with wire, twisted this way and that.

It Takes 2 (to Tango)

If no one wants this one in the swap... I wonder if I could have my own back?!

Starting Gothic Arches (and Invasion of the Midges - Eurgh!)

Today I have been invaded by midges - eeeeewwwwwwwww! Horrible little black dots, not content with covering my windowsills, there decided to venture further onto my lounge walls *shudder* After an initial panic, I gritted my teeth, sprayed them with fly spray, then took a hot damp cloth and wiped all the walls and windowsill. Mumsy was coming over for a craft afternoon, and I hadn't prepared anything cos of the darned Invasion of the Midges.

But didn't matter, we still got crafting, both of us wanting to start on the Guest Hostess swap for ATC Addicts July/August which is Gothic Arches - Butterflies :) Both of us need to add finishing touches, but here are are works in progress...

Mumsy

She did her best to utilise all resources available here lol! Left background paper is HOTP, right background paper is DCWV. Mumsy added some paper lace, and a trim to both arches along the bottom edges. On the left one, she used some quilled butterflies (Lakeland I think) as well as some sequin flowers, butterfly, and gems. On the right one, she used a couple of K&Co. grand adhesions, more sequin flowers, butterflies and gems. I think she plans to finish them off with a bit of colour around the edge and some ribbon. I wonder if she will see I have put these up on here for all to see...?!

Freaky Deaky Crafty Chick (me!)

I, meanwhile, did my best to utilise the HOTP stamps Mumsy owns that I had asked her to bring with her! Left background paper is Crafty Individuals, right background paper is... hand on, gotta find the pad ad its not one I have used often because the papers are so lush... OK it's Tapestry by C.R. Gibson. Hmm... there is a website on the back... http://www.tapestrybycrgibson.com/

I over stamped the papers using Mumsy's stamps and gold embossing powder. Added lace trim to both arches along the bottom edges. On the left one, I have added a phrase that was printed off onto vellum, and on the right one, I have added a phrase that was printed onto paper. Inked both phrases and chopped them up into individual words so I could place them around the arches to create a frame. Alcohol inked a couple of metal butterflies (recent purchase from ebay!) but haven't stuck them down yet... not sure how mine will be finished off, but... I never let a butterfly rest on my work if I haven't made antennae from wire and beads!!!

Butterfly away from me
Seek happiness while you can
Before you’re trapped in this golden cage
Of pain and loneliness, like I am.

Tristan K. Jones

I didn't use this particular poem, but it is one I like, so I thought I would add it in here just because...

Oh, and by the way, butterflies are better than midges any day of the week!