A Piece for Grungy Monday #4

This week chez Linda at Studio L3, it is GM again and she has asked us to go for texture fades and distress, using Sir Tim's inspiration from the Christmas tags here...

I used the clock and crown one and a usual sized tag, with it's end poking out as demonstrated!! Well, they can't touch you for it!!! Anyway, I went for a different idea to see if it worked , and mostly it did... will definitely do it again...

 I swiped clear embossing ink over the texture fade then embossed in the Vagabond... Then, with 3 different embossing powders - white, silver and pewter - I highlighted different sections of the dry embossing...

 This picture, above shows the great, grungy look I got when I distress inked all over with vintage photo... those birds sure do look in a pickle - no!!! sorry I mean distressed!!!

Truth be known, I would have preferred less powder on the debossed bits, so I must swipe EVEN more carefully next time (I was QUITE careful, THIS time actually, second go...!!) But the effect, in real life, is really pleasing, anyway.

 This photo shows well the contrast between the metallic and white powders, and where the brown ink is seeping through...

So there it is, Grungy Wednesday afternoon... err sorry, Monday!!! Only a little late... Thanks for looking
Love and light
Frankie
xx

That Bird Piece

On my WOYWW desk, I showed you some of the makings of the piece for this week's DragonsDream Tag It On challenge, which went live a few minutes ago (as I write, that is!!!) It is also to be entered into Simon Says Stamp and Show ... a Lord of Tim Holtz technique. Well, there are a few here but the featured one is down the off-centre... the letters mounted on his new, thicker grungeboard  punched pieces, painted, sanded and distressed. I also want to enter it into Hels Sheridan's Sunday Stampers special 150th challenge, which is "All you need is Love". So where is this piece then??? Ta da...

 I started with one of my new 8"x8" frames, and distressed it using eco paint/pva sandwich in copper and pistachio - a fab combination... These frames are empty, and I wanted a printers' tray look, so I cut some strips from thick card and stuck them where I wanted them - enough space for a TH size tag and the rest...

I covered the background with a piece of Thorndon Hall, and a scrap of TH lost and found... Some time ago, I bought some Stamp in the Hand stamps from Stamp Addicts, in one of their fabuloso sales and I dug them out for this project. There is a cute ickle birdy nest as well as bird stamps, but I only used the wren, as it happens. The sentiment, which is stamped on to the tag is a list of birds, and one of them is a chickadee. Now that won't mean diddly squat to you, but my daddy used to call me that, and I thought it was a made-up pet name all these years... now I know it is an ickle bird!! Awww (oh shut up , Gaywood and get on with the tale of the piece..!!)

Many of you will know I am just besotted with this TH birdcage die, and here it is again, in different livery this time... I used a couple of TH eps and a couple of Moonglow gold ones... the little bird is the smaller die cut one from the TH movers and shapers set. A keyhole and tiny lock make the cage look as if it has a door, I think. The button and swivel clasp are also TH. The wool is from my stash, and is a perfect colour and texture for the piece...

I LOVE, LOVE this letter technique (well Hels wanted us to do stuff we LOVE, eh!!?) and had great fun making the letters look distressed, using vintage photo and victorian velvet inks... I also sprayed with a fast-becoming-fave perfect pearl mist, in forever violet colour, which gives the black letters a wonderfully burnished glow...

And here is that lovely birdy... with his nest... As I said, I stamped the nest from the set, then decoupaged a bit of it, to give it dimension, but as I was popping the letters from their backing, I noticed that some of the "holes" (if you see what I mean!!??) were egg-shaped!! So I painted and sprayed them, for the birdy to hatch!!! As for him, he is covered in the same eps as the cage, and then stamped, whilst hot, using the hair of the dreamy lady on Judikins Klim Ladies cube - another fave of mine... I think I have too many of those faves!!!

A grungy rosette completes the decs, stamped in the middle and embossed to stand proud and look like a pebble (cos I don't have any of them...) A TH wing, and a key finish off this project, which was such fun to make... Thanks for looking, and coming back (those of you who actually DID come back!!! tee hee)

I have a couple of other things on the go, so off to play with them, and post at least one of them later...

Love and light

Frankie

xx

WOYWW #98 - A Sneaky Preview

Well, it's a lorra, lorra lorra better this week... I actually have room to do stuff!!! It's not exactly a first, but it IS unusual!!! I am working on a special piece for my new-look challenge blog, DragonsDream, and several other challenges this week... I am having fun with it, and I can show it off later on today... so here is my desk this week - if you are wondering why I am showing it at all, please zoom off on this magical carpet to see Julia's blog, Stamping Ground, to spy on all the other WOYWWiggers - guaranteed fun and inspiration.

 See, I said there was a teency bit of space to work... you will recognise the caged bird, and I have some embossing powders out, ready to cover it...

These are some of the stamps I used for my project ... they were a special offer from Stamp Addicts quite some time ago, and I finally rememered to use them...

 I have inked up and put a coat or two of UTEE on the cage...

 This is the finished thing, having used four different powders, two of TH and two from the Stampman ..

I love this little bird, he is so colourful and textured... he is also part of my project... hope you like it when it's on show, later.. Thanks for looking and I shall hope to see you soon on your own blog and desk, chez Julia...
Love and light
Frankie
xx
PS that piece is now on show  here as a newer post
xx

Wow What a Weekend!!!!

Now, I have to warn you, this one has a lot of photos, but I hope you will enjoy it and find some new stuff about me!!! Tee hee... you get to see me on a horse ... YES !!!!!!!!!!!! I know but it's true... so here we go, get a cuppa and have a laugh!!!

Saturday - a course on Friendly Plastic, run by the expert, Liz Welch...

Well, here is the lovely Liz having the first laugh!! She is such a super lady and so generous with her ideas and methods. She has so much experience with friendly plastic and just wanted us to play as much as possible... Thanks, Liz, I thoroughly enjoyed myself.

 This is the lace technique but modified to make it look like knitting... Liz was making a heart here...

 Adding a ribbon of heated friendly plastic and making those beautiful little flowers I asked her to show...

 Almost finished, Liz was cutting off the edges here.... oh I am loving those little flowers. I DID make some, but my ribbon was much stiffer than hers, and the flowers need a lot more work!!!! - in the sense of trying again, not working the FP, 'cos that's my problem apparently... now who would have EVER guessed I would work and re-work and get fussy about it!!!??? tee hee!!! Moi?????

 So these are my bits... one cover and the beginnings of the second cover for the little book of secrets. There is a "knitted" heart with that stiff ribbon and those flowers that need more practise!!! There is also a cylindrical bead made with the fab proper tubing, and a tiny bit of embedding in plastic from pellets. Looking forward to finishing the book. Will show it when it's done...

 These are my partners in crime. A small but select band, and we had such a great day together. Left to right is Zoe (zoechaos), Sam (sam21ski), Mary (no blog as yet), Liz (rarelizzie) and little old me... I will show the others' pieces when the post is not so long, and the book is done!!

 Well, that was Saturday... now on to Sunday, another day, another dollar, as they say... Here I am - YEY it really is cool little ole me on a hoss!!!!! We were the oldies of the group, me being 65 and the horse being 26!!! he is lovely, mostly!!! He stands over 16hands 3, just a bit taller than Jade, Freddie's mare. And just look at that blue sky... who would believe we are in England in April??? As we rode outside, the church bells were ringing too - very poetical!!!

 So, second lesson, riding out to the outdoor school, without a groom or Freddie or anyone to grab me if I go wrong!!!!! And closely followed by my daughter!!! Yes, SHE is now riding, after being scared of horses most of her life, because one bit her when she was on a school outing, yonks ago!! I think we truly look the part eh???

Well, Miranda did more trotting aagain this week and she actually lead the group round the school on her horse, but I was a bit less confident, and my trotting left a GREAT deal to be desired, lol!!!! We had a different teacher this week, and I am not sure she understood just what I am feeling being so close to falling off and damaging my 2 metals hips and 1 metal knee!!!!!!!! Tis all in my head, but I shall overcome it eventually!!!

 And here is the bloke who is resonsible for this miraculous change in Miranda and me - my hero and hubby, Freddie. He is a real horseman and is enjoying his first proper outing with the lovely and adorable Jade, the mare he has on loan. Note to self... don't keep looking up at him quite so adoringly!!! tee hee!! He will get ideas above his station!!! This picture was taken after their first ever round together, yesterday afternoon (Sunday) at a show.

 Jumping so beautifully... she really is a talented horse, and knows her stuff... she trusts Fred and they were unlucky to get the last bar off, and not get a clear round on their second go!!

 I love this photo of them both. Jade is so gentle and lovely, Miranda and I love her a lot, and Freddie is quite besotted with her if truth be told!!! Lol... the horse, that is, not Miranda - but she does make a great groom for him, cos my hands arn't up to all the stuff Jade needs...

 Another beautiful jump, Jade... well done horse and rider. Freddie was so pleased with the day, and even the horse box behaved really well now it has had it's clutch seen to!!!

Coming out of the ring, after the third round, where she did not put a foot wrong, but he put her at a fence awkwardly and she refused the first time, but jumped it (90cms) with oodles of room to spare, the second time of asking... they need to practise more now, and I can see we will have some clears before the summer is out. It WAS a lovely day weather-wise for Miranda's and my first day at a show with Freddie and Jade... my daughter makes a great groom, as I said... but we are not yet convinced it will be so great in the wet!! Lol...

Thanks for getting this far... hope you enjoyed it, and I shall be back with some more challenges shortly... BTW, I asked for a DT on DragonsDream, and I have now chosen so watch out for an announcement over there this Wednesday, after I have told them they are mine!!!!! Tee hee...
Love and light
Frankie
xx