WOYWW #99 - I'm Cheating this week!!!!

Last Thursday I had my thumbs injected because I have arthritis, so I am not up to much crafting till they settle... they are bruising up nicely now, where the needles went in, and I am trying not to use them much, so the treatment will last me a bit longer... I usually get about 10 months relatively pain free... well, that's the theory!!! Typing takes an age, but I can manage that!!!

SO.... what to show, as I can't bear not to join in!!!! With what, some of you cry... if you don't know, it's with the wondrous Julia and Stamping Ground, so pop and have a look... and for your delectation, I have my kittens, now almost 7 weeks old, and being absolutely adorable little cats... so cute and definitely  characters... eating and using their tray, they are SO grown up... VOILA!!!!

The black and white is Milly Molly Minxy - Minxy for short... second born and first to do stuff.

The grey is Misty Morning - Misty for short (sorry he is a bit blurred occasionally but you should see him move!!!) YES!!! this is the one I thought I might not rear, as he was so puny and had such deformed back legs for a while!!!

Here he is playing with mum - Smudges... she gets quite brutal with them at times, and makes them squeal, but they are growing up so well adjusted, just like her...

In the background, you can see their "playpen" in my conservatory... it's redundant now as they can all leap straight out!!! Wow, they can go!!!

Awww, just so cute and loving... he was really enjoying this cuddle, but I was liking it even more!!!

This is Minxy with the lovely Freddie... he loves them nearly as much as me!!! They love being with him too. He has such positive, strong energy...

Both the girls settled with him here... sweet or what!!??

 And this was my Misty again... absolutley spark out after a great play fight with his sisters... What a yummy, pink nose... he does not have any black at all...

And last but not least, here is third born Cinderella Rockerfella - Cinders/Cindy for short... I belive that all cats should have an important lonnnggg name and a pet name, along with T.S.Eliot!! She is most like mum to look at, but not so much black... she is like her aunty, who lives with my daughter...

So there you have them... my yummy brood, growing up fast, and getting into everything. Hope you enjoyed seeing them... I shall be back with craft next week, as I am getting so fed up not doing any!!

Thanks for looking

Love and light

Frankie

xx

PS... in case you did not get back to see that birdie piece last week, here it is and I made top three at Simon Says Stamp and Show with it, yay!!! SO excited to do that again, such an honour!!

xx

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

More Great Fun making Stuff!!!

I have been creating another larger piece again this week, with a couple of challenges in mind... It is a wooden frame I have altered, painting and using papers, metal pieces stamping and a die cut rosette. Have been waiitng a while for the latter, so I was really glad when it came the other day... problem was, my lovely Vagabond had died and gone to vagabond heaven, so I had to wait to use the die...

Hurrah, it's replacement came on Wednesday afternoon, so I lost no time in unpacking it and adding the stickers etc... I bet I am the only person in England to have had TWO Vagabonds!!!! Twas just like the first time excitement.... tee hee!!! So what did I create, and for what?? Well here it is...

My first idea came from the newly created challenge by the lovely people at Crafty Individuals, where the theme of the month is simply square. I have used a fabulous stamp of buldings that I got from them some time ago... I stamped it on to a piece of their wonderful  paper, then again a portion of it on to a piece of stampboard. The small pictures are also from a Crafty Individuals' pad, stuck to more stampboard.

My second inspiration was from the theme at The Three Muses, which is keys. I LOVE the new papers from PaperArtsy called Thorndon Hall,  so I used the keys one as the background to my piece... slightly distressed by painting it with watered down eco acrylic to match the frame ...the rosette is made from the TH lost and found stash. My letters I left naked (oo er missus!!!) this time, just lovin the grunge paper texture for itself, for a change.

The close-up shows the rosette, which I decorated with a TH tiny door knob. Finally, the keys and locks were added and the piece was done. It is quite simple, but I really like it 'cos it's different from anything I have done before... I seem to have written that a lot recently!! I LOVE tags, as my followers know, but it is great to work in different shapes and sizes sometimes...so much more room to stuff stuff!!

Trouble is, where do you keep/display pieces like this folks??? Anyone else wondering this??? Anwsers (not on a postcard tee hee!!) welcome please. You ladies and gents with shops and stands have a ready-made outlet, but my craft room is already cluttered with my stash, hardly a place to put anything down, let alone display pieces  8"x8" etc... What do YOU do??

Well, thanks for looking today. As I write this, I am looking forward to my second real treat of the week - another workshop, this time with Liz Welch of Friendly Plastic fame!!! I am so excited about it, as I LURRVE FP but realise I need help to make my efforts smoother and more professional... who better to teach me then!!?? Watch this space for the results...

Love and light

Frankie

xx

Corr... a Fantastic Morning!!

I went on a fabulous morning course today... Drove for just short of 2 hours, to Lin Brown's shop in Olney to do a workshop with her... It started at 9.00am!! This was the (almost) finished product - very pale paint, so the photo was not too good when I got home.  I have wanted to do metal stuff and get some basic tools, so this was just up my street...

 Here are the hands of the lovely Lin, showing our group of six ladies how to begin the flower. The project originally had a coloured tree, but she gave us the option for a metal flower...

 She used the grunge flower dies from PaperArtsy to cut the shapes, then made the various marks on them. Below, she is finishing up the background metal, rubbing and embossing from a kabuki board.

 The green board has diamond shapes on it and it's the first one I fell in love with on Lin's blog on her sidebar... she develpoed a technique which she demos there, very professionally, but the US lady seems to find it all very funny!!!

 Below is the stash I came home with... some metal and tools of various types, and some other real goodies, like a birdcage!!!

 I have got quite a few really great things here, so I was delighted to look round the shop... it really truly IS an Aladin's cave and there is so much unusual, different stuff!!! Well worth a visit if you can...(or on line, of course!!!)

And finally, here is my finished piece... I made the flower when I got home and added the tree, which was supposed to be on there from the project description... The metal flower is actually stream and purple alcohol inks, but the colours are not showing up very well!!! Because my tree was SO neutral, and not coloured green etc...  I decided to add it too, as it is the colour of the metal...

I am so chuffed with the finished project, and having had a lesson in the metal work... it is easier than I thought and will be better when my hands have been injected next week!!!! Hopefully to be pain-free for a few months subsequently...

Thanks for looking and please do leave a comment
Love and Light
Frankie
xx