WOYWW #93 - Mothering Day Sunday Box Finished +

Hi all... another week, another desk to show in Julia's linky at Stamping Ground... thanks for all my lovely visitors last week. I got round many but not all as there are so amny of us now, and I did have kittens!!! Aww, yes... if you are interested they are in the post below, and I will be adding more photos in a couple of days. So, these roses have become a bit of a trade mark now, and I LOVE making them... needed more for the three new boxes below...

These are such fun to do, and you never know how much crackle you will get... I have been asked a lot about this so I am thinking of doing a tutorial...

Here is the finished box for my mum for Mothering Sunday. The front is on and I have dangled a length of chain from the top corners. There is a little Sir Tim bird and a piece which says LOVE, as well as one of his pearl charms. You will see there is a birdcage inside, which was cut with the birdcage die from shrink plastic... mum inherited a budgie from my mother-in-law when she died, and now mum has one of her own... great company she says!!! Hence those decorations..

Prima roses, just because you can, and they are very beautiful... very different from the ones I make. But they are mum's favourite flower, actually, so very appropriate.

Here is the shrink birdage... how cute is that!!! I coloured it with chalk eye ink pads and popped some little gold beads in the holes along the bottom. I also added a tiny "Made for you" charm to the link on top.

This is a beautiful rose quartz heart, and next to it is one of Sir Tim's new light bulb charms!! They really are sweet...

Inside this square box is a decorated tin, coloured with alcohol inks, and topped with the set of flowers Sir Tim gave us on the magic day workshop. Inside the tin is a little book, made from 2 sets of  Sir Tim's ticket die, stamped up with tiny flower stamps and words such as joy, love and imagine.

These letters are from the workshop day pack, stuck on to the newest double grunge sheets, painted, sanded and inked... I am loving these because you can get great effects with them. The number one is painted with white acrylic and stands for my number 1 mum, and I am her 1 child...

This little bottle is from another new set from TH... they are so useful fo fill for colour, texture or just to grunge up... I have put some sequins in this one, as mum used to sell them, and buttons, when she was first working...

Yet more mini charms here, with the reel set... there are several different sizes and I wrapped this teeny one with a bit of ribbon for colour and texture. Next to it is some of TH rose ribbon, beautiful stuff, sprayed with a mica pearl spray... so delicate and gleamy..

Here are mum's buttons I mentioned, decorating the bottom of this box. which holds a lock and key from guess who!!!?? The flower beads dangling in front are NOT from him but are from my bead stash!!

A TH corner here and a piece of an old earring of mine, hanging from a tiny vine eye...

And last but not least, aTH  tag suspended from a TH swivel clasp, and in the background some more little cogs to suggest inner workings of some kind... the others are behind  in the birdcage box... Below, I have done a last photo without the glare of the acetate front...

Well, I'm lovin it, so I hope she does... I always try to make her something she can leave out more than just the week or so for a birthday or Mothering Sunday, and this has to be the most complicated and spectacular thing yet... I think she will enjoy it. Thanks for looking and reading this far!! Have a great week

Loive and light

Frankie

xx

Stampman Challenge DT piece - Florals

This is my DT piece for the Stampman challenge for the next couple of weeks. The challenge is to make a piece using florals and thinking of Mothering Sunday. I saw this very simple card in my head and just had to create it to make it so!!! I used some stamps from Aspects of Design, by Kay Carly and the wonderful birdcage die from Master Tim... I threaded some ribbon along the bottom and it was basically finished, as per my "dream" of it!!! I just wish I could hold the camera straight!!! Oh well, you get the idea I'm sure.
Thanks for dropping by, and please leave a comment, as I love to hear what people have to say
Love and Light
Frankie
xx

My Newest Family!!!

Here is my cat a couple of days ago, fat and fed up... due any minute - I KNOW!!!! I SHOULD have had her spayed, but I had a funny year last year and kept not doing it... hence the fat belly...

So first thing this morning, between me checking at 5.20 and Freddie getting up at 5.55, this first little one put in it's appearance... Smudges was so calm and quiet, and dealt with it all SO well!! She is very young herself, but she has been practising licking a lot on Mephie recently!!!

This looks as if it might be the little grey I have always wanted!!! Freddie fell in love and has already "bagged" her I think, 'cos my daughter and her boys have their eyes on one or two of the litter... It is suckling here and she is resting, waiting for the next bit!!

Here comes the next... very black with a lovely little white face... everso like Mephie actually... but NO!!! before you accuse him!!! I had him snipped many moons ago, like a proper pet owner!!! So it isn't him!!  This little one is about 4 mins old here!!

And opps, in the next minute, the third arrives, white all over with a black head and tail... it looks quite like it's aunty.. Quite big and strong... I helped her with" him" though, because she was still dealing with the business end of the afterbirth and cord of the second... I brushed his face gently with tissue to help him from the caul and so he could breathe.... awww, I was just SO happy. I think she has eaten the first placenta, but the vet said not to if possible, so I got rid of these two for her...

So, dear readers, here is the happy family... middle firstborn, left second and right the third out. Not been any signs of any more for which I am thankful really... we can keep them al, between usl and have no problems... all's well that ends well then, and she WILL be spayed when they are old enough to be weaned, I promise!!


She has eaten and been a fabulous mommy all day, but not drunk anything yet, so that's the next concern... no drink, not enough milk!! Mephie cannot understand the smells etc , and I am afraid he might think they are mice, so he is banned at the moment, in the nicest possible way!!

I will post some more pictures in the next day or so as they grow a bit and I have someone to take the pictures while I hold them... she lets me handle them, and is very trusting. Off to the vet tomorrow for a check... Woo, I am so pleased with her, she is so sweet
Thanks for looking
Love and light and kittens
Frankie
xx

WOYWW #92 - Boxing Up!!

Here we are again, happy as can be... all good friends and ... jolly good company. I really enjoyed last week's WOYWW, and got round a fair few... for those who don't know what I mean, please go and look at the wonderful Julia's blog, Stamping Ground... she has really started something!!!

I have been box decorating this week, with some little blanks I bought around Christmas time. I have used Eco paints and white glue sandwich to crackle the surfaces. It's the easiest way to get this technique I have ever tried, and beats the dedicated crackle paints I have used...

Been making more roses too and really enjoyed painting them up to look distressed and antique... the others are Prima, but they work just as well...

With Mothering Sunday coming up, I have started on a configurations box for my mum, and this is as far as I have got today... so this is my desk this week... MUCH tidier and with enough space to put these things down to take a photo!!! Also made a couple of cards which have been sent off to son's girlfriend and her son.... working on some more jewellery, as my cleaner bought so many pieces in the last 3 weeks, that I don't have enough variety to put in the aforementioned nail shop!!!! Good one way, but rubbish in another, as  I have not got out there to advertise what I can do... think the boxes will find their way up there to the shop as well...

Hope you have a great week, and have fun with whatever you are doing... off to make more stuff now. Thanks for coming round again this week, it was lovely to see you here and do leave me a comment as I love hearing from you all...

Love and light

Frankie

xx

WOYWW #91 - Lots of Goodies!!!

 Good morning all... welcome to my desk again, especially to those of you from the link of the wonderful Julia at Stamping Ground. If you have not had a look there, do go and see how other crafters fill their work spaces!!!

As you can see, I have some wonderful new goodies to play with, following my WONDROUS day with Tim Holtz!! What a fabulous man and great teacher, and what a fabulous day we all had. If you want to see what I did, just scroll down to my last post or follow this link...

I have now got lots of new bits and pieces to play with, and must find some places to put them all...opps!!!! but best goodie of all is below - that is my new Vagabond!!! What a difference it will make to my crafting now I don't have to hurt my hands as much, winding a handle!!! My arthritis stops me from cutting chipboard and thicker stuff, so now I can cut whatever I want to!!! Tim told me I would love it and he was not wrong...

Anyway, have a great day and thanks for coming over to see me again. I am off to finish the card for my lovely grandson's birthday - an 8x8 rendition of the Carling Cup because he is a real Bluenose and was SO excited that Birmingham won on Sunday - only beaten in excitement by his mum!!!!! Pete would have been just as pleased by his team winning something, finally... Thanks for your support
Love and Light
Frankie
xx

Tim Holtz Configuration Box Day

So here it is... the money shot, as they say!!!! What a great bloke, super teacher and funny man extra-ordinaire.. so nice to have his photo taken with us all, through the day and to sign books, cards and even the configuration boxes we made... He even noticed my steampunk necklace and said it was quite something!!! How great was that...

 This was our wonderful starter kit... this Vagabond sticker is pretty rare... great stuff eh!!! Below is the whole table full of kits - large configuration boxes and the feet for them.

 Here is as far as we got before break, ie two hours or so... we fitted out each little box (bar 3)  with their papers and taped each one to its neighbours. We distressed with ink and a wonderful ancient gold mica spray, which gave everything a great shimmer as it dried. After break, we were given all the goodies to go into the box... a wonderful little calico bag, packed with stuff!!!

A birdcage, buttons, tickets, a doll, flowers, a reel, filmstrips, glass bottles and on and on.. it was very interesting and exciting... yes, that little pink thing in the middle is a toy car... so below is my finished on the day box.

I added a couple of my own pieces, such as chain and a grungepaper rose, and then put the front lid on. I intended to put the four feet on later, but changed my mind, because you would not be able to get into the box again to switch the flickery light on... yes, just above the dolly is the battery operated tea light, which looks great when it's on.

and here it is, as finished, behind it's bit of screen with an Egyptian metal piece and beads... the flickery light looks so jolly!!!

 Here are all my little boxes, one by one. This one has the small pink car in it... so sweet.

 This box has buttons, from my stash, and pen nibs from Tim's bag of goodies. The capital F was made with the new double grunge board pieces and letters, painted, sanded and distressed.

 This reel is authentic, a real  (opps, sorry!!!) one from times past... I was impressed with this.Some people had different shapes, but all were genuine cotton reels.

 The white doll is one from Tim's new stash - a bit scary but just right for the boxes. There is a new lock in there too, with a peice of measuring tape. The roses in the next box are Prima from my own stash, and the bottle has a chain and pearl from Tim. The bottle top is upside down to show the cork side, rather than the printing.

 The 65 is my age just now, made in the same way as the F... love that technique. I added a button and a resin heart, coloured with mica powders...

 Everything here was from Tim, except for the chain inside and outside the bottle, and the tiny flowers in the foreground... I LOVE the birdcage, and wish I could get my hands on some more...

 The game piece was in my bag, but the metal sun is my own.

 Love this fat little bottle with the pearls inside. Behind it is a painted oval with one of my grunge paper roses on it... so pleased that the tape picked up the "chocolat" word to add to the decoration..

 This last compartment contains a small vial, full of beads, from my home stash, and the cork is the one from the bottle where I substituted the pearl and chain tassel. The studs are brads, pressed into the double front seam of the box.

So here, then, finally, is my finished box, all decorated and done. I could not photo with the front on as there was too much glare, but I have the corners at the bottom now, and a foot on each top side, sticking out horizontally. From the resulting brackets.I have hung some thin chain and a crown... looks really good. What a fab project and how very creative Tim made us all feel... it was great to let go, and just put stuff where it went, without considering every piece like I normally would, as an anal Virgo!!!. Have another smaller box to try for myself now, and have bought two new big ones to decorate for my grandsons for Christmas... looking for papers now and small bits to put inside... Have a go at a configurations box - they are really good fun!!!
Thanks for looking
Love and light
Frankie

He even signed the back of my box!!!

and finally... two of my reprobate friends -