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

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. "

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?

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

Go Girl!!! Tummy Rub!!!

Wow, today I received a very special ATC - my Freaky Deaky Friendie's top notch niece wanted to make me summat for my new flat, and bearing in mind she is just 11, what an awesome ATC she has created for me! Not only that, but it is the first one she has ever made too :D

Go Girl In Your New Home

I feel privileged to be the recipient of her first artist trading card, and not only that, I know the time and thought that went into making (corners!!!) I had a sneaky feeling I was going to get a lickle summat, so I had made an ATC to give to my FDF's niece to say thanks muchly! Couldn't resist adding some beads and wire!

My FDF had made me the bestest new home card too! Getting quite a collection now :)

Ooh, crafty individuals backing paper and flutterbies :)

Oh... and the other day my pinky winky friendie shared with me the most gorgeous piccies of her doggy woggy, I just have to put one up on my blog to show the world how cute Matilda is! Her latest trick is "tummy rub" - all you have to do is call out those two words and she rolls on her back ready to have her tummy tickled! I want a doggy woggy!

Hands off my bag!!!

I Got New Home Cards! (and... a new TV!!!)

Blimy, I hit the jackpot today! I had 2 cards delivered by Mr Postie, and 3 by hand!

L to R - J, M&J, Mumsy, Tams and Auntie C & Uncle M.

My fave card is from Mumsy, she is crafty wafty, and made me a stonkingly stylish card :)

Also today, Freaky Deaky Dad had a day off work so he popped in to check out my shower (only seems to have one setting currently - bloody freezing!!!) then we went off to get some bits I needed, including Lush shower gel, the new one, called Yummy Yummy Yummy (wonder if that is a take off from the Abba song Money Money Money..? I saw Mamma Mia the movie the other week, it was ace!)

Well, *I* thought we were going to look at freeview boxes and check out TVs that I cannot afford to see what would be a fair price for me to get something second hand. You see, ye olde Samsung TV has decided it will be pink, very pink, on all channels, and all videos and DVDs I watch, and this means it's broken (waaaaaah!) Yes, pink is one of my favourite colours, but it doesn't mean I want to watch pink TV!

Anyway, Freaky Deaky Dad marched me to John Lewis and low and behold out came the credit card (it rarely sees the light of day lol!) and there he was buying me a fab TV, 19" widescreen, Electronic Programming Guide, and... wait for it... Freeview! :D

Perfect timing... I am all tuned in ready for Crafting for Christmas tomorrow on QVC!!!

New Address Cards and My Bunny Wabbit

I felt uber creative this evening (and I couldn't sleep) so I made a set of new address cards to send to various relatives. Kept them simple - stamped backgrounds (on the left hand side ones I have used Prima stamps, on the right hand side ones Crafty Individuals) Matted and layered onto 2 further pieces of card picking out colours from the skeleton leaves used on the front. I have had those kicking around for a good couple of years, not really knowing what to do with them, so took this opportunity to break open the packet and use them! Stamped "new address" onto vellum and attached over with lickle flower brads. Very therapeutic!

New Address Cards

I may have had to leave (not so) little Oscar behind with my parents, but I have a new pet (well, ish!) A bunny wabbit - I have named him Robbie) keeps coming out early morning and early evening to chomp at the grass outside my lounge window. Today, however, he actually was out during the day (maybe because it was so hot?) and he lounged around on the grass for a few hours under some little bushes...

Robbie the Rabbit

He's not dead, just sleepy... aaaahhhhhhh!

I'm here!

Yesterday I moved into my new place - gulp! At the risk of sounding like I am giving an "Oscar winning thank you performance" I must say ta very muchly to Mumsy and Freaky Deaky Dad, who helped me move most of my stuff, not to mention helping me to spring clean from top to bottom and shift furniture around - rewarded them with a Chinese takeaway!

Now, here's a question for you...

Q: What is the most important part of Freaky Deaky Crafty Chick's home?
A: Craft Space!!!

Here is the "before picture" - taken first thing this morning... oh the jumble!

Then along came my fairy godmother in the shape of my Freaky Deaky Crafty Friendie, and with her magic wand and my fairy dust (plus rather a lot of shuffling things around and re-jigging me bits and bobs) we turned an area of my lounge into this...

Ta da!!!

And do you know what? My FDCF bought me a giftie, well she bought it over here, but she actually created it herself - wow! I was sooooooo chuffered; not only had she taken the time to make me an stonking altered canvas, but she even wrote the words herself - I think I shall start calling her my Uber Talented Freaky Deaky Crafty Friendie!

"A time to craft, a time to play, A time to art your heart away,

A time to get messy, and time to have fun, a time to art until you are done,

New techniques, new tools to use, experiment with them, use your creative muse..."

After receiving such a wonderful gift, and a craft space ready to rumble, how could I resist having a play?! So I made a start on an altered coaster swap for Advanced Artist Trading. Using a technique from Bernie Berlin's book, I created resist backgrounds using acrylic paints, paint dabbers, clear heat embossing with rubber stamps, more paint (dry brushed on) and then applied a hot iron...

For some reason, I didn't get quite the right effect on the top R coaster, and the bottom R one was naughty and some of the actual chipboard of the coaster came off after ironing (iron too hot?). That said, the ones on the left hand side I am well chuffed with :)

Theme for the swap is numbers, so to include my favourite or a significant no. on each coaster. So what's the magic no.? That'd be telling!

Nail Varnish High and Somewhere to Be :)

Backtracking - 4th July 2008

OMG! I am high because of the nail varnish backgrounds I have been making today, or because of the news I received?! I have been offered a flat!!! Totally unexpected, completely out of the blue, but after the initial shock, I had a feeling of comfort in the knowledge that soon, I will have "somewhere to be"...

Enough about that though, onto important stuff like getting crafty! Purely experimentally, I dropped a few blobs of 2 or 3 different colours of nail varnish onto card, placed another piece of card on top, squished and smooshed them together (very technical terms lol!), the result being a kind of marbled effect!

But my goodness did it reek of nail varnish - bleurgh! Rather too much so I had to consign these backgrounds to another room in the house whilst they dried and the smell eased off!!!

Oooh... I got a flat I got a flat I got a flat!!!

*bump back down to earth*

Yikes, I don't have hardly anything to furnish a flat... I shall have to perhaps camp out on the living room floor with my craft stuff and that's it! Anyone who wishes to make a donation to the "Furnish Jo's Flat" fund, please get in touch!!! :p