Netty's Craftings

Fly me to the Moon..........

2012-03-05T11:44:00.000Z

Happy Monday.........Effie is back with the Gothic Arches challenge and this time its ' Flown the Nest '.

This Arch is not strictly Gothic shaped so hope its acceptable. Here is the little person after she was released.....

and here she is before.................aaaahhhhh

Stamps and products used: Art Journey, Paper Artsy. Distress Inks and Flowersoft..........the Cage was taken from a bag of cheeses which rather amused me, but then am easily amused..............

Hope you will keep a look out for the Gothic Arches and even better make one yourself......just click the title and it will take you to the challenge blog.

Have a great day.........the sun is out but the winds are very gusty.......so hold onto your hats. Thanks for popping in and take care of yourselves. Hugs Annette x

Happy Moments with Colour

2012-03-04T17:19:00.001Z

Happy Sunday, we have had some dreadful weather today, rain, rain and more rain...........so a colouring I went.... to cheer myself up.

First I tackled the Tim Holtz tag for the month of March........first created the mosiac butterflies which didn't turn out brilliantly although great fun to do...........then embossed the tag..........mmmmmm, oooh I need some colour as its so dull and grey outside.........so from there on end the tag took a life of its own...........and turned out nothing like Tim's......... but would fit in nicely for the Pan Pastel challenge this week.

Stamps used: Rogue Redhead Designs and a freebie stamp from Craft Stamper
Other Products: Craft Concepts Embossing Folder, Distress Inks by Tim Holtz, Papermania Chipboard, Cat from Hobbycraft and silk flowers from Home Bargains. 3D clear gloss, Marabu Metallic Liner, and The Ultimate Glu.

The Cake Ladies card were freebies from Freubles Freebies and the background is alcohol inked; plus two ribbons, thought this made a fun card.

Thank you for popping in and hope you all have a great week with your arts and crafts. Be seeing you shortly. Have to watch Dancing on Ice first. Take care, hugs Annette x

Paint Party Friday - Works in Progress !

2012-03-02T08:03:00.002Z

Hi, its Paint Party Friday again..........it comes around so quickly. Hosted by those great gals Kristin and Eva and supported by loads of fabulous artists, from beginners to professionals. As you know I am in the beginner status and am having the greatest adventures playing around with the brushes and paints. Both of these paintings are Works in Progress.

' On the Beach ' is painted in watercolours.............mmmmm no room for mistakes with this medium, so to be honest I find it very tough going. But am determined to finish it even if it ends up in the rubbish bin with the others.......

Now what the heck is this I hear you say...............have no idea.............just wanted to play with the acrylics.....and this is how its turning out. Still loads and loads to do on it and heaven only knows how it will end up.............lol

Thank you for popping in; supporting and giving me such great encouragement to keep going, its very much appreciated. Wishing you a smashing weekend. Take care and will be seeing you all later as have to schedule this post as off to the nurse in the morning to get my hands dressed.........yep am wearing the latest fashion in white cotton fingerless gloves...........a very cool look............lol Hugs Annette x

Canvas and Lace

2012-02-28T19:38:00.002Z

Hi, how are you doing? The weather is definitely warmer and its great to get out and about more isn't it......
Just heard today I have won a sheet called Vintage Pierrot from the Altered Paper.......brill., thank you Jean.

Am showing today another pouch with a matching card which will be going to a lovely blogging friend of mine who has a birthday shortly. Just hope she likes them.

Just got to add Happy Birthday..........

Also I wanted to mention on here that Canvas Paper - as bought in pads from The Works are perfect for printing on and are a fraction of the cost of the speciality ones and if you are like me and have to save the pennies its perfect. The images - printed on canvas is a free download from Cemerony, thank you.

Have you entered Gingersnaps Two Colours Challenge yet............thought this would fit OK for that.
Take care of yourselves and thank you for popping in. Have some catching up to do on your blogs so will see you soon. Hugs Annette x

Paint Party Friday.............woo hoo

2012-02-24T07:57:00.000Z

Hi, feel a bit ashamed of myself because have had just loads of fun playing around this week..........nah am not a bit ashamed.................lol Its Paint Party Friday time again...........woo hoo

This painting is done in acrylics on a piece of packaging (M & S Flower box - terrific for painting on) underlayered with a sheet of music...........know you can't see it but the painting just took on a life of its own so every note is hidden............its not quite finished, just got to take out those yellow blobs quarter way from the bottom, add some shadows and even the colour out a bit in the surrounding areas..........then its done.........

Do these shoes make my feet look Big?

This week like quite a few people have been playing with Scribbler........wow this is so addictive and such huge fun. http://www.zefrank.com/scribbler/scribblertoo/ you have got to try this

We told you to be home by 9 pm young lady !!

Am scheduling this post as have to pop to town in the morning because I bought myself a new mobile phone, you know the slidey sort .........will it work properly for me.............no, of course it won't..... so am off to change it for an easier one. To tell you the truth I was slipping and sliding all over the place and getting nowhere fast...........sounds a bit like life doesn't it...............lol

Thank you for popping in and supporting me will catch up with you shortly. Enjoy the weekend and take care of yourselves. Hugs Annette x

One of those Moments..............

2012-02-22T05:04:00.000Z

Hi, at the moment there are quite a few challenges around on creating your own backgrounds........which got me thinking and I had one of those moments when everything fell into place - this doesn't happen very often...........................

I used up a couple of scrap pieces to create this card. For the background I used a piece of diecut cardstock and then stamped it with acrylic paint (Aqua) then used distress inks, layered it twice onto the orange cardstock. Fussy cut the ladies and stamped the words.

Products used: RLB cardstock, wrapping paper from Past Times (ladies), Paint Dabber, Distress Inks.
Stamps by: BL Designs and Scrolls Work Stamps.

Thought the effect was quite nice and it was so much fun playing around. Am entering this card into the Rogue Redhead Designs challenge - use a Stamped Background.

Hope you are all having a fun and a creative week. Take care of yourselves, Hugs Annette x

Smitten with Tatty Button........

2012-02-20T10:52:00.001Z

Happy Monday............have had this Tatty Button stamp for quite some time and haven't used her, so methinks its no good you sitting there in your shiny packet, out you come young lady.................

Products used: Gloss Card, Embossing Folder, Alcohol Inks, left over Paint Squishings for the Hearts, Promarkers, Stazon Ink, pearls and the Stamps are by Creative Expressions, Rogue Redheads and Hero Arts.

Products used: Crafty Individual Paper, Teardrop Stones, Die cut Wings (Tim Holtz), Embossing Folder, Whisper Pens and the Stamps are by Creative Expressions and TJ Designs.

Am feeling pretty pleased with myself as am building up a little stock of hand-made cards as I usually end up buying them. Now I just have to sort out this Mr Linky thingy........Thank you for popping in and visiting me and hope you all have a happy day. Take care, hugs Annette x

Paint Party Friday - Very Nearly Finished......!!!!!

2012-02-17T03:00:00.006Z

Hi, Its Paint Party Friday time again hosted by Kristin and Eva. My painting is very nearly finished, just have some more layers of oil pastels to do and gold paint will be added to the chair, the rest is in the detail.

' All are but parts of one stupendous whole,
Whose body nature is , and God the soul ' by Alexander Pope.

( The Banners were made from some left over Paint Squishings. If you tap the picture with your cursor it should enlarge it and be able to see it clearer )

Am typing this in the very early hours of Friday morning as fell asleep on the sofa and have only just woken up. Will link this up with the fab artists over at the Party later as had better get into my bed and try and get some more sleep..........yawn yawn.

Thank you for supporting me through my adventures into Art and will be back later on today to support you and all your terrific creations. Take care of yourselves and have a great weekend. Hugs Annette x

PS.....if its possible can you turn your word verification off as the style they are using now is nearly impossible to read. It has taken me at least 3 attempts to understand them, on others have just had to give up. So am sorry if you haven't had a comment from me.

Wonderful You.....

2012-02-15T19:32:00.001Z

Hi, haven't been around much in the day as have been working on some future DT pieces which I hope you will like, plus some more hospital appointments.

This card I created using the Just Sayin' and Floriculture plate by Rogue Redhead Designs and the sentiment is by Scrolls Work Stamps, with a little acrylic painting thrown in.

If you tap the picture with your cursor it shows up much clearer and larger.

Hope you are all having a great week and having fun with your craftings. Thank you very much for your support and taking the time to visit me. Take care, hugs Annette x

My Winged Girl - for Happy Daze

2012-02-12T10:30:00.006Z

Happy Sunday everyone. At Happy Daze we are asking for you to show us something you love making, a technique you love to use etc. Don't forget the great prize again this month.

Have Altered a Beermat and made a Card to go with it as a gift. Its quite a while since have played with Beermats. You can use so many great techniques and I LOVE altering them.

If you would like to see how they were made just tap the title post and it will wing you over to Happy Daze and of course all comments are especially welcome...........

There is always welcome at the Happy Daze page on Facebook so why not join us...........

Thank you for all your great support and hope you are having a lovely Sunday. Will catch up with you all later as am visiting family today. Take care, hugs Annette x

A Gift and a Card for Mothers Day

2012-02-09T20:45:00.001Z

Hi, am missing Paint Party Friday this week as still have loads of work to do on my painting. But wanted to show you a couple of pieces I created for my Mother who is 87 years of age this year for Mothers Day.

Front

Back

Inner

I found the tutorial/video for making this Pouch at Linda's blog http://liveartnow.blogspot.com/2012/02/no-sew-pouch-using-fabri-tac-glue.html Linda said it would prove to be addictive and it certainly is, already have plans for the next one. Thank you Linda for sharing. Linda's Pouches are to die for. Methinks mine needs a little refining, still not too bad for a first attempt and a quick sweep with the iron should smarten it up a bit.

To go with the pouch, created this card from one of my earlier paintings. The papers and pink spotted ribbon are from Papermania. The colours showing in the photograph are not correct as its really chocolate and pinks, not sure why it is showing burgandy............any ideas?

Thank you for popping in. Will be back on Sunday showing my DT creations for Happy Daze. Have a wonderful weekend and stay warm. Hugs Annette x

PS.........if you click the title post it should take you straight to Linda's tutorial and you will also see her beautiful pouches.

Just Sayin' Sorry ..............

2012-02-08T10:00:00.004Z

Hi, Gingersnaps this month are being very kindly sponsored by Rogue Redhead Designs and I was lucky enough to be sent this whimsical plate of stamps Just Sayin', such a hoot. This week we are asking you to use Masking Tape in your project, which as every crafter knows is invaluable to us. There are so many ways you can use it. Just pop over to Gingersnap Creations and you will see what the rest of the talented team have created.

This plate of stamps is so funny that I had to go with the real humour of them. Can you imagine the family lining up to say sorry, even the cats.............she doesn't look best pleased does she.........lol

First masked the watercolour paper, then brayered over it with a Big and Juicy Pad. After stamping out the characters I then fussy cut them and adhered them into the scene. Coloured with Promarkers.

Hope it amuses you as had such fun creating this comic scene. Looking forward to seeing your masking tape projects. Take care of yourselves, keep warm and will be seeing you soon. Hugs Annette x

Words of Wisdom - well sort of !!!

2012-02-05T07:26:00.001Z

Hi, the Gingersnaps Challenge is Words of Wisdom.........cannot really say what you are about to read are words of wisdom, but they are nice thoughts...........

For my DT pieces used the Rogue Redheads Floriculture Plate (Rogue Redheads are our kind Sponsors this month) and used one of the beautiful flowers on all three cards plus the same Green Stazon Ink and pearls.

All very clean and simple. I shall certainly be experimenting more with the entire plate as its pretty fab.
Hope you are all having a lovely weekend and keeping warm as its very cold here in Northamptonshire.
Take care and thank you for popping in. Hugs Annette x

Paint Party Friday WIP and Stampotique's Challenge

2012-02-03T08:26:00.002Z

Hi, its Paint Party Friday time again; as you know this is my favourite party. Have been very busy all week as you can tell from all the designs on my blog this week, plus all the mundane jobs us housewives have to do.......lol

Am showing closeups of my Work in Progress of 3 Chagall paintings put into one and my interpretation of them, as it wouldn't be so much fun if it was a straight copy would it.

To be honest I think am being very brave showing closeups especially with only 50% of the work done on it.....either that or very stupid......... but its too large for me to get a clear picture on my camera. The next time you see it will be complete.......hopefully.........

Would also like to show my Stampotique entry which is an Altered Door Stop.......Whatever possessed her? .... I know its bizarre and it certainly was a challenge to do but such a lot of fun .............lol

Am off to the Paint Party now and to visit all your fab blogs. Thanking you again for your great support and wishing everyone a fun and crafty weekend, hugs Annette x

Happy Daze's February Challenge

2012-02-02T09:00:00.001Z

Hi, Happy Daze has a new challenge for February and I was fortunate enough to be asked to start the month off....woo hoo. The Challenge is ' Love - a Technique you Love to Use '...........and if you are anything like me you love loads of techniques.........

If you would like to see how this was achieved, all the details are on the Happy Daze Blog, see my sidebar..... plus more details about the challenge and the fab prize. How can you resist..........

Hope you are all keeping warm as its bitter cold. Thanking you for popping in and supporting me, hope to see you over at Happy Daze. Hugs Annette x

Love is in the Air

2012-02-01T09:50:00.002Z

Hi, at Fashionable Stamping
( http://fashionablestampingchallenges.cottagecrafts.ie/ ) they are asking us to create something for a man on Valentines Day. To be honest after all these years we don't send each other Valentine cards, we go out for dinner instead and my husband always buys me flowers, but out of the goodness of my heart have made him this one..............lol

Stamps by: Scrolls Work and Lost Cost Design (available at Happy Daze), Other products used: Alcohol Inks, cellophane, Distress Inks, Whisper pens, ribbon flower and brass charms.

Would also like to enter this card into Snazzy's Love/Romance Challenge.......http://snazzysdesignteamblog.blogspot.com/

Hope you like the card and that you are having a smashing week. Thank you for popping in and your terrific support. Take care, hugs Annette x

Trying Something New at Happy Daze

2012-01-29T09:00:00.000Z

Hi, hope you are all having a great weekend. ' Trying Something New ' in January for the Happy Daze Challenge is nearly over so if you haven't submitted something this month there is not a lot of time left........ there is a 15 pound voucher for the winner and it could have your name on it.............woo hoo.

For my DT piece thought I would try altering a Torso. Am showing you the back of it here but if you want to see the rest and how it was created the details are over on the Happy Daze Blog (see my sidebar) and of course comments are greatly appreciated. Hope to see you there.

Am so excited with my new stamp its by Lost Coast Designs and purchased it from Happy Daze, methinks they will sell out quite quickly. The lovely papers were given to me by lovely Laura Liddle and the the beautiful flowers by a lovely lady called Ann Clark - thank you so much ladies.

Thank you for popping in and for your great support. Take care, hugs Annette x

Work in Progress and an Experiment

2012-01-27T06:38:00.000Z

Hi its Party Party Friday time again..........woo hoo. Its a great place to visit and I love seeing all the different styles of artwork and the fabulous artists. Thank you once again to Eva and Kristin for being such fab hosts and making this one of the most enjoyable places to visit.

This is a work in progress as you can see, started it about 2 weeks ago but haven't had a lot of free time to work on it, except for yesterday morning when this photo was taken. Worked on it some more in the afternoon, but the light wasn't good enough to take a more up to date photo. I have thrown together 3 different Chagall ideas and added my own to the mix. Have to say am thoroughly enjoying working on it as each time new ideas come to mind..........who knows how it will end up..............but will show you when its finished.

This piece of spare canvas sheet is an experiment of Acrylics and Glimmer Mist and wanted to show you the differences in different lights, pretty neat methinks.........

Hope to see you all at the party and wishing you a terrific artsy craftsy weekend. Thank you again for supporting me in my ventures into art. Take care, hugs Annette x

Altering a Diary with a Canvas Sheet

2012-01-26T08:35:00.000Z

Hi, on the Gingersnap Creations Blog today I have a tutorial on how to transform a 50p diary with a canvas sheet, hope you will pop over and have a look. (see my sidebar)

Here is sneak peak.

The weather is not at all nice this morning, hubby is going to Keep Fit and I shall have some painting time....woo hoo. Take care and hope you enjoy your day. Hugs Annette x

Eastern Promise.......!

2012-01-23T11:00:00.002Z

Happy Monday morning to you.............hope you had a lovely weekend.

Gingersnap Creations GC135 Random Redhead have a challenge which asks us to grab a snatch of our favourite paper and use it. Well I didn't grab it, but went looking for it, at last I found it, only had it for about 2 years and had only used a scrap of it so had loads left; enough to make a whole card back and front....whoopee.

Some of you may recognise these pieces as think it was old before I even bought it...........lol Its definitely been a month of using our scraps hasn't it...............

Thank you for popping in and hope you have a smashing week, take care, hugs Annette x

Vellum Galore

2012-01-20T00:58:00.001Z

Hi, after discovering I have a load of vellum freebie papers from magazines, thought it was time they got used. Found this beautiful butterfly sheet and of course had to use it for the Fashionable Stamping Challenge which is Butterflies or Bugs. Its quite similar to the card below as they were both from the same magazine.

Materials used: Stamp by Lost Coast Design, Clear Embossing Powder, 1 sheet of freebie vellum, sparkly ribbon (left over from Christmas) Stickles, Pearl Brad and Stars. This time I used flower punches to make the flower. I hope you like it as know its not my normal style but fancied trying something different.

I would also like to enter this stamped card into Lets Ink It Up challenge 'Anything Goes' http://letsinkitup.blogspot.com/

Said I would let you know how I got on at the hospital Thursday after seeing the specialist, yet again.......well no news am afraid except they want to do further tests. To tell you the truth am totally fed up with it all, its been going on forever, just want to be cured or treated at least............OK moan over................am now putting a big smile on my face............

Hope you all have a great week and thank you for supporting and caring about me. Hugs Annette x

The Rogues are Using Vellum

2012-01-18T10:00:00.002Z

Hi, Rogue Redhead Designs this month have asked us to use vellum in our craftings..........I have saved loads of this stuff which was given away free in a Crafting Magazine, but have never used it..........so Rogue Redhead really gave me a kick up the you know where to use it !!

Products used: Free Papers and Patterned Vellum, Tim Holtz Flower Die, Pearl Brads, Pearls and Martha Stewart Lace Punch. Stamp: Rogue Redhead Floriculture Plate.

I would also like to enter this card for Bunny Zoe's Crafts Challenge which is this photo inspiration, beautiful isn't it........
http://bunnyzoescrafts.blogspot.com/2012/01/challenge-20-picture-inspiration.html

Hope you are all doing well, I had, which I hope, will be my final CT Scan yesterday and am seeing the specialist on Thursday to get the results. Will let you know how I get on. Hope you all have a great creative week and will see you all soon. Thank you for popping in and take care of yourselves, hugs Annette x

' Grace in Simplicity '

2012-01-15T10:30:00.001Z

Hi, I have another Happy Daze DT piece to show you........woo hoo I hear you cry............lol
Have never altered a Wooden Arch before so it fits in with the theme this month ' Try something New '

If you would like to see how I made it and why its called ' Grace in Simplicity ' please pop over to the Happy Daze Blog and all will be revealed............ (see my sidebar)............yep I need your support again please over at Happy Daze...............am getting quite good at this grovelling lark............lol

Hope you are all having a lovely Sunday. Take care and thank you for your wonderful support. Hugs Annette xx

A Mish Mash for Paint Party Friday

2012-01-13T06:25:00.000Z

Hi, its Paint Party Friday where loads of artists, whether beginners like me right up to professional artists who sell their work, all meet to chat about each others art. So if you love art come right in and join the party.

Valerie Jael Tups very kindly gave me 2 triangle blank canvases, have never worked this shape before so it was definitely a challenge.

They are both Works in Progress, using the ghosting technique Nicks demonstrated at Gingersnaps this week, although I missed out some of the process as I have plans for these canvases, not sure what.....but am sure it will come to me............lol

This is as far as I've got with the sketch on a large canvas from last Friday, not very far I know, but am umming and aaahing about the colours to use..............yes am a great ummer and aaaher. Its based on a few of Chagalls paintings rolled into one..........." who said this would be easy" ............." wrong"............lol

Thank you for popping in and supporting my adventures into art. Have a great weekend, take care, hugs Annette x

Gingersnaps says show us some Ribbon !

2012-01-11T10:12:00.011Z

Hi, the Gingersnaps Challenge this week asks us to use Ribbon in our project. I have completed all my DT projects this month for Gingersnaps but couldn't resist this challenge especially as I have just acquired a flower maker free from a magazine.

Products used: Crafty Individuals Paper, 3d Clear Gloss, Whisper Pens, Paint Dabber and Ribbon.
Stamps by: Stampotique and my new stamps from Rogue Redhead Designs.

This tag is going to a very dear blogging friend of mine Donna Vere who has recently had a stroke.
Take care of yourselves and thank you for popping in. Hugs Annette x

Mixed Media - ' Dance '

2012-01-09T10:00:00.002Z

Hi, have been longing to show you my Mixed Media Piece - 'Dance' made for Happy Daze.

The stamp is by Lost Coast Designs (available at Happy Daze) the background has been triple embossed plus Viva Croco Bronze added. The left hand dancer has been stamped and embossed and the multicoloured dancers were stamped on the back of an old tissue box, cut out and placed.

Hope you will join in the challenge this month, all details can be found on my sidebar; click it and it will take you to Happy Daze.

I love the whole effect of this piece. Hope you like it as well.

Take care and have a good week, Hugs Annette x

Paint Party Friday and almost ready...............

2012-01-06T09:27:00.002Z

Hi, haven't been able to go to the party the last few weeks but today am showing a page from my sketchbook done in watercolour pencils and glitter in the Mucha style.

and this is a canvas which am in the middle of sketching, its a combination of Chagalls paintings with my own twist. Am trying to be a bit more adventerous. Looking forward to seeing how this develops, it could take some time as am not the fastest painter on the planet.

I visited the Consultant yesterday and he is pretty sure its not Lung Cancer, which is a huge relief but still have to have a few more tests yet to establish what is wrong with me. Am feeling a little stronger each day and in less pain so thats all good stuff.

Hope you all have a great weekend and the strong winds and rain subside. Thank you for popping in and supporting my latest adventures. Take care, hugs Annette xx

Welcome to My World

2012-01-04T10:15:00.001Z

Hi, today sees the first challenge of the New Year with Gingersnaps. We are lucky enough to have as our sponsor Stampotique who are offering a $30 voucher to the winner.........woo hoo........ This week we ask you to use A Set or a Line of Stamps. For further inspiration please visit Gingersnaps (see my sidebar) where the rest of the Gingers and Visiting Artists have come up with some fabulous examples.

I have to admit to going a bit wild with my DT piece, but sometimes you just have to don't you..............lol The background was created with acrylic paints swooshed about with Baby Wipes then with my fingers swooshed some glitter to help create the cosmos. Stamps used are all from Stampotique (details are on Gingersnaps Blog).

As we are all about using scraps etc this month I have had these Pyramid cards ages and very rarely use them so have done some very simple stamping and glittering.

Stampotique stamps used are: Walk, Bird Legs, and Cake Plant.

Hoping you will join in with us and show us your own unique style and don't forget the $30 prize voucher.....
Take care and thank you for popping in. Hugs Annette xx

Are You a Twinchie?

2012-01-01T17:02:00.000Z

Hi, am feeling a lot better today the antibiotics and painkillers seem to be working. Thank you for all your wonderful messages they cheered me up so much.

Gingersnaps have a Twinchie Art Exchange..........never heard of these before but as my one and only New Years Resolution was to try and create new things - Twinchies fitted the bill for this month.
All details regarding the Twinchie Art Exchange is on the Gingersnaps Blog (see my sidebar)

My Twinchies have been made from Scraps of Cardstock, net, lace, ribbon and material plus other odds and ends. The beautiful pictures were part of a prize I won last year from Martina of Martinas Stempel-Gewerkel Blog; thank you very much Martina.

Hope you will soon be swopping with me. Wishing that your first day of the New Year has been a good one.

Take care and will be visiting you all shortly as its so nice to be back with all my good friends. Hugs Annette x

Happy New Year

2011-12-30T12:42:00.000Z

Hi, sorry not been around but have been ill since Christmas Day. Just returned from the doctors and he has diagnosed Bronchial Pneumonia and given me some Anti Biotics...........no wonder I have felt like the pits....... Have an appointment with a Lung Specialist next Thursday so hopefully he will provide some answers. Apart from this I am fine................lol

Want to wish you all a Very Happy New Year and to say take care of yourselves. Will hopefully be back blogging soon. Hugs Annette xx

Childs Play at Happy Daze

2011-12-20T08:39:00.001Z

Hi, thank you for popping in especially at this really busy time of the year.

' Childs Play ' is my latest project for Happy Daze.

You can see how I altered this childs brick and what products were used over at the Happy Daze Blog..... http://happydazedesignteam.blogspot.com//. (see my sidebar) and some close ups. I would appreciate it very much if you would support me in my new design post by leaving comments there. Yep am grovelling....... I have no shame.......................lol

We would love to see you all taking part in this month's challenge. Moira is very generous with her prizes and it would be a shame to disappoint her wouldn't it............the rest of the Design Team have created some beautiful things to give you inspiration.

Take care and will see you all again before Christmas, Hugs Annette x

A Fussy Merry Christmas Card

2011-12-19T10:27:00.000Z

Hi, well this is it the countdown to Christmas and we are all rushing around trying to get everything done ready for the big day and beyond.

The last thing I needed was to make another Christmas card but my youngest daughter happened to notice a beautiful Christmas card sent to me from a blogging friend and said " ooh I really love that ".........and of course it is so not my style of cardmaking. But being a dutiful mother, sigh sigh I made one that captured the essence of the card she loved.

Just hope she likes it.

Take care of yourselves and wrap up warmly. Catch up with you all shortly. Hugs Annette x

The Gingers are Waxing !!

2011-12-16T09:47:00.001Z

Hi, this weeks challenge over at Gingersnap Creations is to use wax whichever way you like. As I still haven't unpacked my Melt Pot, its been a year now.........hanging my head in shame.........I decided to alter a candle.

I went for the really easy option and used Papermania's Candle Transfers, I've had these about a year also.....

I used our sponsors Penny Wise Arts iridescent beads which I popped in a plastic bag and dripped Gold Alcohol ink onto them, gave them a good shake, let them dry and glued them on the candle.

The time it took to turn a plain white candle into what you see was about 15 minutes........told you it was easy peasy. The other Gingers have created some stunning pieces which are far more elaborate, so if you would love some more inspiration for this great challenge pop over to the Gingersnaps Blog.

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend. Wendy and I are taking my Mother for lunch on Saturday, I just hope she wears both her deaf aids this time..........sigh sigh...........because it can be quite disturbing for the other diners..........lol Take care of yourselves, Hugs Annette x

Happy Tuesday - am Pringling............!!

2011-12-13T11:47:00.000Z

Hi, first I apologise for not blogging very much over the last few days, but like everyone else its a busy time of the year. Plus I have been backwards and forwards again to the hospital. One of my results has at last come through. The Consultant thought I had COPD, but it turns out its Bronchiectasis, so thats OK. Hoping to get my latest Catscan results on Friday and then thats me finished until the New Year............whoopeeeeee. Plus have got hooked on the game 'Gardens of Time'.........naughty naughty..............lol

Pringle Hill Studio products have been used on all three of these tags, I so love Terri Khars designs.

I hope you all nearly ready for Christmas and have a great week. Thank you for popping in, will be round to see you all later. Take care, hugs Annette xx

" Starry Starry Night " at Gingersnap Creations

2011-12-07T09:12:00.005Z

Hi, at Gingersnap Creations its a new month with a brand new challenge, the theme for the month is Holiday Lights and we are being kindly sponsored by Penny Wise Arts. This week its " Starry Night".

This is an Altered Wooden Glass fronted Shrine, not done one of these before. Painted Black Gesso onto the frame and then rubbed Inca Gold along the edges and buffed. Other pieces added are 3 small wooden stars and some metal words and corners which were alcohol inked in gold.

The background of the picture is one of my Acrylic Squishings, stamped the trumpeting Angel from Inkadinkado (totally a favourite Christmas stamp of mine, as if you hadn't guessed......lol) used heavy black glitter for the main bodywork. Then sprinkled iridescent micro beads (kindly donated by Penny Wise Arts) onto the picture. Popped the glass back in to protect it from the dust.............. I know I shouldn't say it but I really love how this has turned out. The beads catch the light beautifully and appear to change colour from different angles.

If you are stuck for inspiration then pop over to Gingersnaps and see what the rest of the Design Team have created (see sidebar) This is such a brilliant time of the year with the Christmas Tree and all the pretty lights, Christmas carols being sung........ooooh it just makes you smile.

I also would like to submit this to Paint Party Friday as didn't want to miss another week.

Thank you for popping in and take care of yourselves. Will be visiting you all shortly, just have to feed the Christmas cake with Brandy and get the cards off to the Post Office. Hugs Annette x

A Teesha Moore Christmas

2011-12-03T09:00:00.003Z

Hi, thank you for all your congratulations re joining the Happy Daze Design Team. I am so lucky having your great support. For my first pieces this month I have created a small Canvas and a large Tag, both are Gifts.
You can see them in more detail and how they were created on the Happy Daze Blog - see my sidebar.
I would greatly appreciate your support if you went and visited Happy Daze and left me your comments, especially as its my first assignment.........am grovelling here if you hadn't noticed...........lol

Happy Daze Challenge this month is Gifts, Cards and Tags and all they ask is that you use materials that can be purchased from their shop and the prize is a 15 pound voucher, p&p free........terrific. Looking forward to seeing your great creations.
Thank you for popping in and take care of yourselves, will be visiting you all later. Hugs Annette x

Thats it am Done!! Plus some Happy News to share

2011-11-30T12:17:00.003Z

Hi, Hopefully I've finished all the Christmas cards and tags for this year..........but there is always one or two which have been missed, it happens every ........year. Does this happen to you as well?

These pieces have been glittered, stamped, inked and embossed. The dress has been Red Tinsel embossed and was a bit disappointed that it appears to be more pink than red. Again I have made many more, all similar to these. Stamps are by Inkadinkado.

Just put up the tree and the lights don't work............hmmmmm we have only had them 17 years and no matter how many bulbs we have replaced they still won't work. So its a trip to town tomorrow as today am having a massive baking session.

" I would like to share some great news with you, at least it is for me........lol. Moira of Happy Daze has invited me to be on her Design Team.........woo hoo. "

Hope your day is going well and the sun is out. Thank you for popping in and will be visiting you all shortly in between taking things out of the oven and putting them in. Take care, hugs Annette x

Its all a Fabrication.................!!

2011-11-28T12:29:00.003Z

Hi, like the rest of you I have been trying hard to get my Christmas cards done, but am so easily distracted to create other things...........

This is a large card decorated mainly in fabric made from a bag of Christmas material scraps. The tag is card, painted in black gesso then stamped in white and edged with gold paint and a fabric heart. Stamp by Inkadinkado, the rest are bits and pieces from my stash. Have made 4 similar cards out of this bag of material scraps and have some left over, so it was a good buy for one pound wasn't it !

We've hung the winter curtains this weekend and bought the Christmas tree and decorations down from the attic and looking at some of these decorations they have definitely seen better days..... A major sort out is in order methinks...........lol

Thank you for popping in and hope you all have a great week. Take care, hugs Annette xx

PPF - Pandora and Robbie........

2011-11-25T09:30:00.016Z

Hi, have scheduled this as have to go to the Opticians early to pick up my new glasses, but will be back later.

I think I have finished Pandora now...........hmmmm......still not sure but have hung it up anyway. The conversation last week at Paint Party Friday went along the lines of whether we varnished our pictures or not......To be honest I cover mine with Modge Podge Gloss, its cheap and does the job and as they are for my amusement only, I don't think it really matters, does it?

Hope you can see the small changes that have been made, the parts that look like sludge on the top part of her dress is really gold paint, but it refuses to be photographed, such a nuisance as the gold reflects beautifully.

.........also must thank Victoria Pettella who is a fabulous artist. Victoria gave me lots of terrific tips with this painting and am most grateful. Her blog is called The Dreaming Palette and her paintings are fantastic. http://studiovictoria.blogspot.com

This little Christmas Robin is called Robbie who is not really very happy............aaaaaaahhhhh - guess what his mother knitted him for Christmas...........yep a bobble hat, whereas he really wanted a Red Sparkly Hat to match his new boots........... a page from my Sketch book, done with Watercolour Pencils, white gel pen and Stickles.

Have never drawn a bird before so another first for me.................may well be my last............lol

Will come and visit you all when I get back later in the day. Meanwhile I hope you visit the fab artists over at the Paint Party. Have a terrific weekend especially my American friends as its their Thanksgiving and take care of yourselves, Hugs Annette xx

Ho Ho Ho its another Christmas Card Done......woo hoo

2011-11-23T09:56:00.001Z

Hi, actually I have made a few of these Christmas Cards as they are lovely and simple to make.

Using Black Card, Red and Silver Mirror Board, Ribbon from Papermania, Red Stickles and am sure I downloaded the picture from Dezina World a couple of years ago, but not sure............yep it was from June, thank you June, so love this picture.

Its a quick post from me this morning as am off again Christmas Shopping. My cold is not so bad today thank goodness and thank you so much for all your sympathy. Have a great day whatever you are doing and will catch up with you all later. Hugs Annette xx

Acrylic Squishings for Christmas !

2011-11-21T21:04:00.002Z

Hi, hope everyone had a great weekend. Unfortunately I have a shocking cold.........so will definitely take all the sympathy you can offer..............lol

Acrylic Squishings is the background for one of my latest Christmas cards and the stamp is by Inkadinkado. The card is an A4 size sheet of black shiny card folded in half, the squishings are mounted on gold mirror card and added some stickles for a touch of glitter.

Wanted to keep it plain for maximum effect, the greetings are inside - 'Merry Christmas' embossed in white.
Hope you like it. Will be back again about midweek with another Christmas card. Thank you for popping in and take care of yourselves, Hugs Annette xx

Pandora ! WIP

2011-11-18T10:02:00.002Z

Hi, its been a busy week trying to get some Christmas present shopping done and not with huge success......am sure I have shrunk with all this walking..........

Anyways its Paint Party Friday again and thought I would show you how am getting on with Pandora.............still loads and loads to do on it yet.........but I think it will be finished in time for Christmas...............(fingers crossed)

Plus this is a little sketch from my sketch book; it looks nothing like the person its supposed to be, still you can't get it right all the time can you.............lol

Hope you all have a great weekend. Will be back this evening to view all your craftings and to see the smashing artists over at the Paint Party. Take care, Hugs Annette x

Confessions of a 'Lady'...........

2011-11-13T19:19:00.002Z

Hi, I started to make a Large Corrugated Tag for Dragons Dream Tag it On, where the subject is 'Romance' based on 'Letters to Juliet' ............hmmmmmmm better explain my thinking on this.......Juliet the girl in the centre of the tag is clutching her handbag and doesn't want you to see whats inside..................

and can you blame her..................the letters inside the handbag are confessions written to her from her mother, plus a few pictures..........to say this was a shock to poor Juliet is an understatement.........lol

Then the Large Tag sort of developed into a Calendar.........now how did that happen!!!!!
Stamps are by Paper Artsy.
Sorry about the poor quality of the above picture, not sure why this happened..........if I can get a better shot before this is posted to one of my dear blogging friends in the States I will.

Hope you all had a great weekend......mine was spent cooking meals for the week and painting, hubby did the washing and the cleaning so we are all set up for next week when its Christmas Shopping time.
Take care and thanks for popping by, Hugs Annette x

PS....... A few have asked what those secret confessions were......if you look at the bottom right of the tag....her mother was a lady of the night.............need I say any more........lol x

Pandora's Box WIP and Myrtle is finished.......woo hoo

2011-11-11T10:14:00.000Z

Hi, I overslept again this morning, must be my hibernating time.........is it the same for you?
Friday is Paint Party Friday hosted by Eva and Kristin and its where we get to see a terrific variety of artists works. Loving this group of artists who inspire and support each other, what more can you ask for.....

Pandora's Box is in its Second stage, first layers of paint are on and she is becoming a bit of a beauty.....ooh I wish I looked like her first thing in the morning..........or anytime of the day come to think of it..........lol Will hopefully be working on her over the weekend as there is a long way to go yet and would love to finish her by Christmas.......

Myrtle is complete............woo hoo and she is now hanging up in our Flat and of course the more I see her like this the more I want to add to her..........but am resisting at the moment........

Time to get out of my PJ's, showered and dressed as we have shopping to do.......... will be back later to see all your fab work. Thank you for your wonderful support; blogging friends are simply the best. Take care and enjoy the weeked, Hugs Annette x

Mary had a Little Lamb or Two............

2011-11-09T12:28:00.003Z

Hi, Gingersnaps theme this month is Down on the Farm and this week we were asked to use Raffia as its the Supply Challenge..........
I have to tell you I made loads of things with Raffia but somehow they managed to look pretty awful so for my DT piece I created a Rustic Hanging and Inked the Raffia for the hanging part.........

Products used: Freebie picture by Bumble Buttons, loving this picture........Various Paints, FlowerSoft soaked in alcohol ink, Crackle Paint, Plumbers Mesh and Corrugated card (recycled) sorry don't know who made the stamps.........

This card shows the flower I created partly with Raffia, not great is it.......still never mind.........lol
Products used: Embossing Folder, freebie backing paper, Gold Stickles, 3D Gloss on the Owl which is by Inkadinkado and coloured with Promarkers.

I would like to enter 'Mary had a Little Lamb or Two' for the Sir Stampalot Challenge this month.

The main thing with Gingersnaps is you create to have fun, so hopefully we will see you over there. The rest of the DT and Guest Artists have come up with some fab ideas........... Am off to have lunch with my girlfriends now and hope to see you later. Take care, Hugs Annette xx

My First Christmas Card for 2011

2011-11-07T15:27:00.001Z

Hi, a little while ago I won a Tim Holtz paper stack from Wanda, which was terrific as I most definitely cannot afford to buy one. So have used a piece of this double sided paper to make a Christmas card.

Well thats one card made and if I get the time will make some more. Hope you all had a lovely Firework weekend and have a great week. Will be back later in the week with my DT piece for Gingersnaps and showing the progress thats been made with Pandora's Box (Large Canvas) on Friday at Paint Party.

Have you done any of your Christmas Present Shopping yet? We haven't, so have got to set aside a couple of days to get some of it done and I hate drudging around the shops, so may take the easy way out and buy a lot of it online. Take care and will catch up with you all later, Hugs Annette x

Works in Progress for Paint Party Friday

2011-11-04T09:02:00.002Z

Hi, having missed Paint Party Friday for a couple of weeks and not wanting to miss another one I am showing works in progress.

This is a canvas measuring 16 x 17 the biggest yet have attempted. I only started the drawing of it yesterday and am already having problems with the hands, so they most definitely have to be changed, the little finger looks as if its fractured...........lol It's Pandora's Box and will be done in acrylics.

Not sure if you remember Myrtle but I have been reworking this and adding extra colours, but its still not finished. Am beginning to think I have more unfinished paintings than finished ones...................

Thank you Kristin and Eva for being such great hosts of the party. Am so looking forward to seeing everyones contribution to this great Art Party. Wishing you all a terrific weekend, Hugs Annette xx

Curly and Wurly Strut their stuff down on the Farm!!!

2011-11-02T13:47:00.000Z

Hi, Gingersnaps Challenge this month is 'On The Farm' and the focus this week is on Seeds and Beads. To see what the rest of the DT have come up with visit Gingersnap Creations (see my sidebar)

I mean't to buy a Scarecrow stamp ages ago, but never got around to it, but I did have a Rooster stamp by Inkadinkado. So my DT piece is a mixture of drawing, painting and stamping. Plus micra beads and sesame seeds.

'' Curly and Wurly are identical twin Roosters who love to strut their stuff all over the Farm much to the amusement of Sally Scarecrow................. ''

Hope you will join with us in this fun challenge as their is a great prize kindly donated from Rogue Redhead Designs. Wishing you a very happy week with lots of crafting fun. Take care, Hugs Annette xx

Thank You

2011-10-31T18:33:00.000Z

Hi, just wanted to say Thank You for all the wonderful birthday cards and presents you sent me, it is so very kind of you and I was over the moon to receive them.

Have had a wonderful weekend and a brilliant day today, but am totally whacked out now, this is one of the penalties of getting old...................lol

Will be getting around to seeing all your wonderful work over the next couple days..................what have I been making..........not a lot...........am being very lazy at the moment.
Take care and have a great week, hugs Annette xx

Don't Bite the Hand that Feeds You !

2011-10-26T20:13:00.000+01:00

Hi, The Gingersnaps Challenge this week is to use Black and Greys........following on the Horror theme this month, but for my DT piece I cheated a bit and used a touch of blood as well.........oooh naughty naughty........

Pretty gruesome am sure you will agree .............lol

We went to Cambridge today, primarily to visit The Fitzwilliam Museum which has loads of artifacts plus an enormous Art Gallery; then we called in at Waterstones, this bookshop has 4 floors, its enormous plus a huge Art section. Needless to say I bought some fabulous art books..........but meanie, that's my husband won't let me have them until my birthday.......and to think this man loves me.................methinks he should be careful as I wasn't born on Halloween for nothing................lol

Hoping you will join us over on the Darkside at Gingersnaps this month. If you click my sidebar it will take you directly to Gingersnap Creations and you will see some wonderful inspirational pieces and you can enter yours, unless of course you are a scaredy cat............

Off to look at all your blogs after I've watched 'Midsummer Murders'.......Thank you for visiting me and hope you were not too scared by my Hand................ Have a great week and take care. Hugs Annette xx

Altered Domino Brooches and your Help Please?

2011-10-24T16:59:00.000+01:00

Hi, first and very importantly I received a present of a Tim Holtz mask in the post over the weekend from The Creative Goddess who lives in Yuba City, California, but I don't know who she is and would obviously love to thank her. Does anyone know The Creative Goddess.......I've tried Googling her but all I get is a professional artist and it doesn't say where she lives. So if you can assist me I would be very grateful..............

I had some fun over the weekend using my free Craft Stamper Magazine stamp and The Mona Lisa stamp by LCD, and altered a couple of dominos into brooches, thought they would make fun stocking fillers for Christmas.............no I haven't made any Christmas cards yet, naughty naughty, but am just not in the mood......lol
Have a great week and thank you for popping in, take care, hugs Annette xx

Hiya its Paint Party Friday

2011-10-21T08:23:00.006+01:00

Hi, since returning from holiday this week, I haven't done very much painting or crafting, but would like to bring to the party 3 pieces - all different.............

This is a Mixed Media piece on a Canvas sheet from a Canvas Pad.......it was started before I went away and its now finished apart from some words.......Just not sure which quote I should use........so any suggestions will be very welcome please.

This is a sketch I did of Mario whom I met whilst on holiday in Portugal, he is a guitarist, he did quite a bit of posing before he played his guitar and its the first time I have sketched anyone live before and let me tell you its pretty scary to sketch surreptitously.........my nerves were all ajar.........lol

This card is for the Happy Daze Challenge this month, its my attempt at Surrealism using 4 Stamps, although this isn't a requirement for the challenge as the theme is either Halloween or Christmas, but hopefully it will fit the bill however loosely................

Have so missed my blogging friends over at Paint Party Friday and their wonderful artwork and am looking forward to seeing all their inspirational pieces. Thank you for supporting me in my artistic attempts, its very much appreciated. Take care and have a lovely weekend, hugs Annette xx

PS, Nearly forgot to say that Craft Stamper Magazine - November Edition published my Fairy Bottletop....so thrilled

Murders in the Rue Morgue..................E. A. Poe

2011-10-19T12:54:00.000+01:00

Hi, am back from Portugal where it has been very hot and now I'm freezing cold in Wellingborough, UK........brrrrrrrrrr. Had a terrific holiday thanks and met some smashing people.

Gingersnap Creations are focussing on the Raven this week, so couldn't miss the opportunity to show you Isadora, if you look hard you will be able to see the Raven................aaaah, poor Isadora she is waiting for her lover Henri and of course he never turned up.............such a rotter.............the medallion she is holding was a token of Henri's love. As Poe says ''Believe only half of what you See and nothing that you Hear''

Here is a list of the products used to make this project: Skeleton from QD (99p) Watercolour Crayons, Beads, Pin, Black Nail Varnish, Black Acrylic Paint, Denim and Cranberry Alcohol Inks, Air Dry Clay, Tim Holtz Embossing Folder, Kitchen Foil and Chipboard.

I hope to get around to see all your blogs this week as have missed seeing your wonderful creations. Thank you for popping in and take care, hugs Annette xx

Gingersnaps are getting the Horrors

2011-10-05T17:17:00.000+01:00

Hi, Gingersnap Creations theme this month is Horror Stories.................ghosties or maybe a bit macarbre.
For my DT piece am showing you an altered Mills and Boon paperback, both the cover and the inside reflect the renowned storyteller Edgar Allan Poe

The cover was painted in Black Gesso which I swooshed and coloured after I had cut the shape out of the cover plus through about 25 pages so the contents would sit well. The corners were made from aluminium tape and then embossed, also used Stazon and alcohol inks.

After gluing all the pages down I used the Black Gesso again, then collaged the rest. Not sure but I think the Fan was a freebie from Dezina World, but if you know different, please let me know. To finish it all off I brushed Studio Multi-Medium Matte to protect it.

The words on the cover read: An Enigma, 1848 and the inside reads: " All that we See or Seem is but a Dream within a Dream ". Words by E A Poe.

Now I have to admit I haven't yet completed the back of the book..........oooh slap hands, but will get that done shortly as it will stand up alongside the rest of my Halloween bits and pieces. So if you feel a Horror Story coming on why not join in the fun with us at Gingersnap Creations.............and don't forget to visit us as there are some amazing DT pieces.

Thank you for popping in and hope you all have a smashing creative week. Am away for 10 days so will have a lot of catching up to do when I get back. My Catscan appointment arrived and yep its for when we are away, but managed to get another one......not sure if I should be pleased or not..........lol
Take care, Hugs Annette x

MOJO ?

2011-10-03T16:52:00.002+01:00

Hiya, pleased to say that my wireless modem has dried out, with the help of a hairdryer and is now working........phew......how lucky can you get!!!!
Since I started arts and crafts which isn't that long ago I have heard so many people say they have lost their Mojo, or they have found it again...........I have to plead ignorance on not knowing what Mojo mean't, so thought it was about time I looked it up........Mojo means: Charm or Spell or more commonly used, Sex Appeal or Talent.............

So with this new knowledge I created a tag which hopefully has a magical influence on the person its being sent to.............mind you if they have lost their sex appeal not sure if this is the right tag for them........lol

Then attached it to a card. The tag will just peel off, so two for one........
Products used: Fun Fairies by Pringle Hill Studio (which I won, woo hoo, many thanks to Terri Kahrs), Stamps by Kanban, Cart-us and Kelly Panacci. Other Products: Gesso, Watercolours and a Big and Juicy Pad. Stones and Glitter from Stash.

Thank you for popping by and wishing you all a great week. Take care, hugs Annette x

Hi, is anyone else having problems leaving comments on some blogs and do you know how to get round it. Its so annoying when you want to tell them how you love their beautiful work and nothing happens.......

Woo Hoo its Paint Party Friday

2011-09-30T07:59:00.001+01:00

Hi, its Paint Party Friday again, one of my favourite days of the week. The party is hosted by the lovely Kristin and Eva. The best bit is I get to see lots of lovely artwork from beginners like myself to professionals, so its a total feast for the eyes.

When I first started Art Classes, last year, it was my aim to produce something half decent to use on cards, tags etc., because I just cannot afford to buy all of those lovely stamps to play with. So have taken the plunge and used a glossy copy of one of my portraits on a card which is going to a blogging friend. Its not quite finished yet as the greeting has to be added. Just hope she likes it.

This is where I had got to with this particular acrylic painting last week..............and

now I am nearly finished, just a bit of touching up here and there with some highlights to be added. Still not sure about that mauve dress..........so any suggestions would be gratefully received.

Hope you have all been enjoying this wonderful weather we are having in the UK. Am not sure if I will get much free time to paint this coming week as know its going to be a busy one, with one thing and another. Just hope the hospital doesn't decide to do my Catscan before we go on holiday at the end of the week, but I guess thats hoping too much..........lol

Thank you for popping in and giving me your wonderful support. Take care of yourselves and have fun creating. Hugs Annette x

PS Just came back to tell you since I posted this I spilt a whole cup of hot coffee over my wireless modem, am hoping it will dry out.......thank goodness I held onto my old modem, it may not be wireless but at least it works............thought I was going to be off line so am very relieved I'm not........xx

' One for the Boys ' - A Small Demo

2011-09-28T09:00:00.004+01:00

Hi, as some of you may know I run an Altered Art Group for the over 60's and some of the ladies have physical problems due to old age. The eldest member is 90 and she has a wicked sense of humour. We all agreed that presents for men are not the easiest to make and the ladies wanted to make something small, so this is what I came up with.........

I had bought quite a few of these Mirror Picture Holder Magnets from The Range when they had a sale.
The magnet is on the back and the picture of your choice just slips behind it.

This is what I used to alter it.................plus a picture from a Crafty Individuals Pad and a Rubber Stamp which I coated with Black Paint Dabber.

Then just added a Silver Crown which was dabbed with the Gold Alcohol Ink and Black Stones. So its easy peasy and fun to alter and takes no time at all.

The Mirror is made of Acrylic so it won't shatter if its dropped and the pink you can see is the reflection of my fingers when I took the photograph as the mirror still shines through the inks.
Am happy to say the ladies thoroughly enjoyed altering these mirror frames.

I had hoped to get this posted yesterday but blogger just wouldn't load the pictures. Thank you for calling in and hope you like this simple and cheap way to alter something. Take care and will see you soon. Hugs Annette xx

Work in Progress and another LIM Card

2011-09-23T13:12:00.000+01:00

Hi, hope you are all having a good Friday and looking forward to the weekend.

First I would like to show you another Less Is More Card and hope the girls have achieved their goal of 1,000 entries. Products used are: Pringle Hill Studios, Molly Blooms and a Bottle Top. I apologise about the photograph but these tall/narrow cards are the very devil to photograph. It may look better if you can enlarge it by clicking it..............

I have been busy doing lots of bits and pieces (mostly half finished........sob sob) and am not getting very far with this painting as I could not make up my mind how to do it, so rather than bore you to death with the details am showing you it in a block of 4 from the beginning to how it is at present.

Am hoping to get this complete before Monday, I just need to knuckle down to it as I keep flitting about from one thing to another................Paint Party Friday is a great blog to visit where there are some very accomplished artists and I love viewing their work.

Take care of yourselves and thank you for your wonderful support. Hugs Annette xx

The Three Muses and Less is More Challenges

2011-09-21T16:11:00.000+01:00

Hi, today I am entering two separate challenges. First the Three Muses; the subject Indybev chose is Doorways, mine is a Portal where the famous Frida can be seen. Later on I shall hang black beads from the bottom and turn it into a hanging, but at the moment I haven't got the bead fringe I need, sob sob......

and secondly this card is for the Less is More Challenge, where Mandi and Chrissie are trying to get one thousand entries. Goodness knows how the girls are going to comment on this amount of CAS cards....phew, they are obviously made of stern stuff................

Hope you are all having a good week. Today I bought my euros ready for our holiday in Portugal which is in a couple of weeks and am looking forward to this very much. Thank you for popping in and take care of yourselves. Hugs Annette x

'Kissing Cousins' - Gingersnap Creations

2011-09-18T17:43:00.001+01:00

Hi, Gingersnaps have a challenge called 'Gal Pals' based on the September Friendship theme, so I created 'Kissing Cousins' an Altered Silver Coaster just to see if I could, so really its a personal challenge.

Products used: Gesso, Paste, Metallic Rub On, Inka Gold, various beads and Varnish. The picture was Googled.

Thought you might like to see it before it was altered.

Am not sure whether to make it into a hanging or a magnet yet, but either way it will hopefully make a nice present for someone. Hope you have had a smashing weekend and you have a great week. Thank you for popping in and will be visiting you all shortly. Hugs Annette x

I'M LATE I'M LATE FOR A VERY IMPORTANT DATE - PPF!

2011-09-16T18:15:00.000+01:00

Hi, first huge apologies for not posting anything this week apart from the Scarecrows, but its been so busy here at home like you would never believe. Consequently am late for Paint Party Friday and its going to take me all weekend and beyond to catch up with all your blogs, but I will get there I promise.

Today everything am showing are Works in Progress as I have just been playing with my paints and experimenting.

This is my second ACEO and as you can see its not quite finished.

This is an experiment of freestyle painting on a Beer Mat..........

and this is a page from my Art Journal.........the heads need more work doing to them and am not sure what else will happen on this page.

Wishing you all a smashing weekend. Mine is going to be spent Baking and catching up with chores plus laying loads of conkers I collected to keep the spiders out of the home as I hate spiders. Take care and promise I will be visiting you all soon. Hugs Annette x

Harpole Scarecrow Festival - Pictures

2011-09-12T09:26:00.001+01:00

Hi, thought you might like to see a few pictures of the Harpole Scarecrow Festival that we went to on Saturday. The money raised goes to help the village community. Various villagers opened up their front gardens to sell drinks and cakes and everyone who went appeared to be having a great time, with lots of oooh's and aaah's at the scarecrows.

Terrific fun arn't they. I took loads more pictures as all the scarecrows were terrific. I especially loved Toad of Toad Hall in his car. The car was made out of cardboard, so clever.

We have two of our nephews visiting us today on a flying visit from Scotland which will be great and I will catch up with all your blogs tonight. Hope you enjoyed seeing the scarecrows. Take care, Hugs Annette x

' Taking the Plunge' with Paint Party Friday

2011-09-09T09:00:00.002+01:00

Hi, hope you have all had a great week and are looking forward to the weekend. If the weather stays nice we are off to the Harpole Scarecrow Festival, which is a brilliant event, the entire village takes part and all the money raised is given back to the Community for various projects and causes.

Its Paint Party Friday again kindly hosted by Kristin and Eva, its a party to show your artwork and a chance to see a wonderful array of paintings by some terrific artists, plus beginners like me. A very friendly and great support group.

This painting is very nearly finished. I found a picture in a magazine and wanted to try and paint it in my own style, have painted it in acrylics.

Am also showing my first ACEO (Art Cards, Editions and Originals), this is also painted in Acrylics and would like to paint some more of these showing the different seasons. Although to paint on something so small was quite difficult to do, well it was for me.........lol

Thank you for visiting me and giving such great support, I very much appreciate it. Will be back this evening to visit your wonderful work. Take care, hugs Annette x

The September Challenge at Happy Daze

2011-09-06T14:05:00.002+01:00

Hi, The Happy Daze challenge this month is called 'Little Black Dress' the team describe it to mean that stamp/technique/etc that you cannot live without.........................! Well to tell you the truth I found it very difficult to choose just one..........well who wouldn't......... so am cheating a bit.

An Altered Box, sorry there is no before picture, but it was originally painted pink with white stencilling. I was in a pink phase at the time........hard to believe I know...........lol
Products Used: Gesso, Claudine Hellmuth Studio multi-medium, Black Acrylic Paint, Inka Copper and Gold, Viva Croco Crackling...............the shine isn't showing up in the photo's, but its there, trust me.......!

Stamps Used: Inkadinkado and Lavinia Stamps. The Child Angel is a freebie from Free Image Tuesday

The things I couldn't be without are my Paints and Stamps. If you would like to join in the challenge, the details are over at Happy Daze Blog (see my sidebar) All the Products used are available at Happy Daze, but I don't think the stamps are................

Hope your weather is better than ours, as its very gusty winds and rain.........not nice my friends. Have a great day and take care of yourselves, Hugs Annette x

Woo Hoo, Its Paint Party Friday again......

2011-09-02T09:38:00.003+01:00

Hi, have you had a week when everything you have touched has gone wrong.........well thats what my week has been like. My paint and paintbrushes are totally working against me, am sure I heard them talking to each other and saying ''Oh No Not Her Again''...............what with this to put up with plus my creative Muse has cleared off I am not a happy bunny......................so am afraid my pieces today are not up to much plus they are still Works in Progress, or whatever the opposite of progress is because am not getting very far.......

Myrtle needs a little tweaking and then shells and beads will be added plus other bits and bobs

This ballet scene has caused me problems from the beginning so am putting it away until it can be sorted out, maybe next month if the paints want to play with me..............who can tell.

Oooh I sound such a moaner which is not like me at all. But on the positive side I bought my first Easel yesterday and I love it. The wood is so gorgeous. So please girls at the Party I need wine and more wine to drown my sorrows..............lol

Hope you all have a terrific weekend and enjoy the sunshine. Thank you for popping in and supporting me even when I have a bad week as your comments are bound to cheer me up. Take care, Hugs Annette x

WELCOME TO ZETTI TOWN

2011-08-28T00:53:00.000+01:00

Hi, "WELCOME TO ZETTI TOWN" this my final piece as August Guest Designer for Moira at Happy Daze and I want to thank Moira and her Designers for their great support.

The Background was created with Acrylic Squishings. Stamps by Teesha Moore and are available at Happy Daze. Stamped the buildings twice onto card that had been brayered with the Big and Juicy Ink Pad. The arms and legs were stamped with Archival Ink. Cut them all out and created Zetti Town, such fun and hope you like it.

As I didn't get any of my intended paintings finished this week am submitting this piece into Paint Party Friday, in the hope they don't mind, as don't want to miss this terrific party. Will catch up with you all very soon.

Have a great day, Hugs Annette x

Update on the Brayer and Thank you very much for all your great advice

2011-08-27T10:45:00.002+01:00

Previously posted

Hi, I was lucky enough to win a 10 Pound Voucher from The Craft Barn re a question on the Brayer. Would like to use it to buy another Brayer, as after close examination of my old one I noticed a raised seam in it which of course affects the results.
The choice at The Craft Barn online shop is between a Speedball and a Ranger mini Brayer. The width isn't really that important to me but the smoothness of the brayer and no raised seams are.
If you have a brayer, would you recommend it and do you have a favourite?
I would very much appreciate your views and experiences.
Have a great weekend and take care, hugs Annette x

The Update
WOW THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR ADVICE - THE SPEEDBALL WINS am off to order one now
Thank you my friends for helping me out. Annette xx

The Yahoo Group of Gingersnaps get Magnetised..........

2011-08-24T10:37:00.001+01:00

Hi, first I want to apologise for not visiting you all as much as usual only since Saturday until today it has been one round of birthday celebrations for Martins 70th. Will catch up with you all very soon.

The Yahoo Group of Gingersnaps latest swop of 4 for 4 are to be magnetised, ie Fridge Magnets, with Encouraging Words. Minimum size 2 x 2 up to a Maximum 4 x 4 and all to be unique.

I made 4 Magnet Envelopes and filled them with pictures and the Encouraging Words are hidden inside the envelopes. If you haven't signed up yet for this great swop the due date is September 1st. All details on the Gingersnaps Creations Blog.

Thank you for popping in and hope you are all having a happy day, take care, Hugs Annette x

The Dragon wants to see a Childs Play Tag

2011-08-21T14:04:00.000+01:00

Hi, The DragonsDream have chosen the subject this week - Childs Play and this is the tag I am submitting....
This is all about poor little Betsy being the Dunce at school............aaaaah.

Stamps by: PaperArtsy, Molly Blooms, BL Designs, Scrolls Work and Crafty Individuals

Hoping that the tag will be OK for Crafty Individuals and Gingersnaps Challenges also.

We had a great day yesterday, the lads had organised a marquee and barbecue to celebrate Martin's 70th birthday in Wicksteed Park and I wanted to share with you my favourite photograph of the day. Needless to say this is after some of the grandchildren had decorated him....... Am not telling him I am blogging this in fear that he will never nag me again................lol

Thank you for popping in and sharing my fun. Catch up with you all soon, take care, hugs Annette x

Finished Marianne at long last ready for Paint Party Friday

2011-08-19T11:44:00.001+01:00

Woo Hoo its Paint Party Friday hosted by Kristin and Eva the generous talented duo..........
I have at last completed Marianne, phew and am showing you a close up of her profile so you can have a better look and hopefully see the gold paint which has been added.

My homework from Art Class is a picture of Ballerinas which has been done on acrylic paper as am not at all confident in doing this painting. Thought I would show the preliminary sketch, as you can see, not great and found it hard to get all the placements correct.

This is the second part, laying some of the colours down as a base.

Heaven only knows when I shall get time to do some more to this as its my husbands 70th birthday next week and celebrations start on Saturday and go on until Wednesday this coming week. At least he will have a great time, bless him.

Have to go to town now and buy his birthday card...........shame on me..........lol, but will be back to see all your terrific artwork and creations later. Have a great weekend and take care, hugs Annette xx

PS: Looking at the comments below about the birthday card and me buying one. Had better explain why. He is not keen on my cardmaking as he says they are not normal...............so there you have it........am I upset by this.........not a jot...............that man has no taste..............lol

'' Dancing in the Dark '' and '' Freedom of the Dance ''

2011-08-16T10:44:00.002+01:00

Hi, 'Dancing in the Dark' was created by painting on Photocard with Acrylics, which was an interesting experiment and I like the effect its given.

Stamped the Ballerina twice, used Distress Inks on one, the other was stamped in Archival Black and painted with Glossy Accents which is attached to the background with foam pads.

The Ballerina Stamp made by Lost Coast Designs is available at Happy Daze along with many of the other products used to make up this piece.

I love this stamp so had to make another one which am calling 'Freedom of the Dance'..........

This time I used a Watercolour Postcard and painted an outdoor scene in Watercolours, a much softer effect than the dramatic 'Dancing in the Dark'. Then I got to thinking, as you do, this stamp would be perfect on Christmas Cards, Tags and of course Altered art..........but had better stop as my brain is working overtime..............lol Oh if only there were more hours in a day.............

Both these pieces are part of my GD spot this month for Happy Daze. Hope you like them...!

Hope you are having a great week and take care, Hugs Annette x

DOES MY NEW HAT MAKE ME LOOK FAT? Hmmph Silly Question.....lol

2011-08-13T17:46:00.000+01:00

Hi. This is my Second Guest Design piece for Happy Daze this month and am following Mr Carrot on his travels around the coastline. The current theme this month at Happy Daze is ''I do like to be beside the Seaside''!

This time I smeared a Big and Juicy Felt Pad on my craft mat and squirted it with water, then laid my photocard over it and pressed lightly down.......Great effect don't you think.......... while this was drying stamped out this Oh so Vain Girl and Mr Carrot plus his new Hat then coloured them with watercolour paints.

Glued it down onto one of my black journal pages after raising it all with foam squares. So a really nice easy project but I think it looks quite effective...........Mr Carrot is so cheeky you never know what he will get up to or say next do you..................but methinks he will be banned from the seaside don't you........lol

Products used: Big and Juicy (Vibrant Primary), Black Stickles and the Ultimate Glu.
Stamps by: Lost Coast Designs, Stampotique and Scrolls Work.
All available at Happy Daze.

Don't forget to enter this challenge as there is a whopping 15 pound voucher to be won, just tap my sidebar and you can find out all the details and if you would like to leave a comment while you are there that would be lovely.

Hope you are having a great weekend, take care, hugs Annette x

Woo Hoo am Painting again....................

2011-08-12T12:17:00.002+01:00

Hi, am so pleased to be able to paint again, the coughing is dying down which enables me to get my paints out for Paint Party Friday. Now am on the 3rd stage of Marianne, hope you will not be bored seeing her yet again.

I have more or less finished the background, just a little touching up here and there. Have shaped the face a little and rectified some errors, painted a little more texture in the hair and added gold acrylic paint to the braiding and armbands, but still a bit more work needed on these parts.

My last art class homework had to be done in Watercolours, and I really struggle with this medium. The picture given me to do turned out nothing like the original. So rather than show you in its rawness, thought I would have some fun and turn it into a box................Then

of course I had some fun with painting on Corrugated card and turned that into a box as well........great fun....but awful I know.............lol

Methinks this cat box would be OK for June's (Dezina World) fun Friday.........

Today is supposed to be my Baking day and haven't even started yet, but am going to have a coffee first then bake like a trojan............Will catch up with you all later and my fellow Paint Party Friday friends to see what everyones created. Take care and have a great weekend, Hugs Annette x

GINGERSNAPS PLAYS WITH BABYWIPES..............

2011-08-10T20:48:00.001+01:00

Hi, we all use those wonderful Babywipes for cleaning our stamps and mopping up messes as well as getting the dust off furniture etc. I've mopped up Distress Inks off my Craft Mat for this piece and diecut them to make this flower then added it to one of my Art Journal pages.

To see how else you can use Babywipes in your artwork visit Gingersnap Creations where the rest of the DT have come up with some great examples.

Gingersnaps Yahoo Group are having a new swop and its Magnets this time, so am busy putting mine together at the moment and will show them when completed, for more info visit Gingersnap Creations.

I hope you have had a good day. My cough is easing up now thank goodness and hopefully will be able to get on with some painting. Take care, will see you all soon, Hugs Annette x

Summer of Color - Show and Tell

2011-08-09T01:27:00.000+01:00

Hi, Kristin gave us a fabulous challenge with The Summer of Color and I met some fabulous creative people along the way, seen some wonderful art and made some new friends. The Colors were Blue, Green, Pink, Yellow, Brown, Red, Purple and Orange and I was lucky enough to win the Brown Challenge. This week its Show and Tell which is a round up of all our works for the challenge.

We were given a great badge to celebrate, so have included it in my collage. Thank you everyone for all your great support and a special thank you to Kristin for all her hard work.

Hope you all have a great week, Take care, Annette x

Gingersnap calls for Babes and Tots........

2011-08-07T13:51:00.002+01:00

Hi, Gingersnap Creations are asking us to take our childhood moments and put them into our Art. I found this a bit tricky as apart from cards and boxes I couldn't think of much else. But the rest of the DT came up with some amazing examples so do pop over and have a look.

This card reminds me of happy times spent in the kitchen with my Mum making cakes and sweets. I sent this to Flora aged 5, my grand-daughter as she also loves cooking in the kitchen with her Mum.

The Handbag box I made quite a while ago. All little girls love handbags and quite often went off with their mother's one under their arm.............lol

Products used: Papermania handbag box template, Jesse Edwards Cardstock, Stickles and Watercolours.
Stamps by: Fariycake Frolics, Anitas Stamps and Gorjuss Girls

Looking forward to seeing your entries. Have a great day, I am now off to cook the dinner albeit its rather late and will be back later to view all your lovely craftyness. Take care, hugs Annette x

Work in Progress for Paint Party Friday

2011-08-05T11:30:00.000+01:00

Hi,
Have worked a little more on Marianne, but still have loads to do. Unfortunately my cough is still wracking away despite all the antibiotics. Coughing so much does interfere with painting as you can imagine............... but didn't want to miss another Paint Party Friday run by the lovely Kristin and Eva and all the other wonderful contributors so am showing this Work in Progress.

The painting is worked in Acrylics on Canvas, but as you can see there is loads to do on it.

I have to go out this morning but will be back later in the day to catch up on all your fab work. Wishing you a wonderful weekend and hope the sun shines for us all. Thank you for all your great support. Take care, hugs Annette x

MR CARROT GOES ON VACATION with HAPPY DAZE

2011-08-03T19:01:00.000+01:00

I am lucky enough to be the Guest Designer for the month of August for Happy Daze.
The challenge is ''I do Like to be beside the Seaside''........great fun.

So here we have ''Mr Carrot goes on Vacation'', but he doesn't like to go alone so he asked Mr Octopus to go with him, well he would wouldn't he...........lol

This is how I created the Hanging. First I alcohol inked a sheet of photocard, then while that was drying I did the same with the bottletop. Then I used Stampotique stamps for the images, coloured and then cut them out.

Other products used: Acrylic paints, Glossy Accents, Sepia Accents, The Ultimate Glu, Micra Beads (which are like Bedazzles) Pink Shells and

Corrugated and Black Card.

I hope you like it and pop over to the Happy Daze Challenge Blog (see my sidebar) and join in. You can also enter this challenge on their Facebook page. All the stamps used and Ranger Products are obtainable from the Happy Daze online shop.

Can't wait to see what you create for the challenge and did I mention there is a Whopping 15 Pound Voucher for the lucky winner.......... full details on the the Happy Daze Blog (see my sidebar)

Have a Happy Week and take care, Hugs Annette x

SUMMER OF COLOUR - Shades of Orange

2011-08-01T08:46:00.005+01:00

Hi, sorry have not been around much but this cough and cold just seems to want to hang on and to be honest I am sleeping a lot at the moment as am worn out with it, but hopefully it will get better soon.

This week the lovely Kristin has chosen Shades of Orange for our Summer of Colour and the Bonus part this week is to incorporate a Poem or a Quote.

This Painting is worked in Acrylics. The Quote has been incorporated using my free digi programme as would like to use this painting in other ways, plus its not really finished yet....... I hope you like it as it cheered me up no end.

There will be some fabulous pieces created for the Summer of Colour and if you would like to see them just tap my Summer of Colour sidebar. This is our last Summer of Colour and all of us who took part will definitely miss it. Thank you Kristin for doing this and for all your hard work and support.

Thank you for all your good wishes and your support, hope to get around to everyone very soon. Have a great week and take care, Hugs Annette x

WINNERS OF THE BOTTLE TOP SISTERS.......

2011-07-28T19:54:00.000+01:00

Hi, thank you all so much for wanting to give a new home to the Bottletop Sisters. Would love to send you all one, but 62 are a heck of a lot bottletops to make...........lol

TOPSY goes to CAROLYN
MOPSY goes to MANDY
POPSY goes to SHE

If you would Email me your Addresses I will pop them in the Post.

Why am I still here you ask, well we had to cancel the holiday in the Cotswolds as we both went down with terrible coughs and colds and today we are feeling a lot better. So hopefully we will be able to get to the Cotswolds sometime soon. Hopefully the sneezing will stop and then at least I will be able to paint and craft.

Wishing you all a great week and weekend and thank you for joining in my giveaway. Hugs Annette x

Topsy, Mopsy and Popsy (Give Away) join in with The Summer of Colour

2011-07-25T08:16:00.003+01:00

Hi, its Monday and the Summer of Colour and this week Kristin has chosen Shades of Purple with a little shine...........so without further ado am introducing you to the Bottle Top Sisters.

Topsy is a very wild child, in fact quite an extrovert. Mopsy copies her big sister Topsy but likes pretty things and she is wearing a little sparkly butterfly in her hair. Dear little Popsy is the quiet one and the youngest of the three, always neat and tidy and is forever clearing up after her sisters.............

Hope you like the girls as am giving them away, its about time they went out into the World and made their mark. So if you would like one of them just leave your name below and which one you would like. When I get back from holiday will post them out to you. If there are more than three of you that want them I will pop your names in a hat and get my husband to make the draw if thats OK.......

Have a great week and hope to see you in The Summer of Colour. Hugs Annette x

PAINT PARTY FRIDAY...................

2011-07-22T08:50:00.000+01:00

Hi, I first want to thank Eva and Kristin for hosting Paint Party Friday and all the wonderful artist's works I get to see, who give me so much support and encouragement, thank you so very much.
Today I have Two Works in Progress and One Completed and much detested painting The Harvest.........which I will show you last, coward that I am.............lol

This an Acrylic Painting of a lady am calling Marianne which I started yesterday, but still have a lot of work to do on her as you can see.

This is as far as I've got with my large canvas in Acrylics, again a lot of work left to do on it.

Here last of all is the Acrylic Painting of The Harvest which is my long overdue Art Homework piece. I listened to all your advice and acted on it. I have to admit it looks better than it did, but am still not at all keen on it. My Art Teacher liked it, but then its more her sort of picture than mine. Still its all part of the learning process isn't it.........sob sob.

Unfortunately I will not be able to take part next week as we are away from mid-week in the Cotswolds, I hope the weather improves as its not been at all nice this week. Thank you all so very much for supporting me in this Art Adventure and will hopefully see you all on Monday for Summer of Colour as I think I have made something that will make you smile........ Take care and have a great weekend, Hugs Annette x

Am Singing....Trains and Boats and Planes....with Gingersnaps

2011-07-20T20:13:00.001+01:00

Hi, do you remember that song Trains and Boats and Planes by Burt Bacharach? Well thats our Steampunk Theme this week at Gingersnap Creations, very kindly sponsored by Dezinaworld.

My DT piece is a Tag Card which has a Strut at the back, I love this design as it makes a good alternative to the normal card. I used my X Cut Crimper to get the ribbed effect on the Manilla Tag and then mounted it on Glossy Black Card, then added the Strut. The Flying Man was stamped a couple of times then mounted on foam pads.
Stamps by: Paper Artsy, Tim Holtz and Scrolls Work. Inks used: Archival and Distress Inks.

Am also showing this Birthday Card I made for a friend so you can see that Steampunk can also be bright and cheeful. Stamps by: Scrolls Work, Darkroom Door and a Freebie, coloured with Whisper Pens.

I would like to enter the TagCard to Dragons Dream which is Look to the Skies this week.

There are all sorts of Steampunk styles created by the rest of the DT at Gingersnap Creations, some have used Dezinaworld products with fab results. If you need some inspiration its well worth popping over and having a look. Am so looking forward to seeing your fab designs, but am off now to do a bit of hammering, why is that you cry..........ha ha......tis a secret......... Take care and have a fun week, Hugs Annette x

My Second Piece for the Summer of Red!!

2011-07-18T08:55:00.005+01:00

Hi, had already done one piece for the Summer of Red on Saturday (the post below) but then I had a whacky idea in my head on Sunday to paint this postcard. Have I gone bonkers................who can tell......... and am I worried.......no not a jot.....lol. My first thought was to call it Three Heads are Better than One. What would you call it...........apart from rubbish......lol
Ah well, we all need to play don't we........oops nearly forgot to say they are NOT ears but arms.......from the men inside..........hmmmmm, definitely an Alien..............

Hope you all have a fun week and am looking forward to seeing all your fab creations. Take care, hugs Annette x

PS: Have just found out from Julie I've won the Colour of Brown...........woo hoo

Summer of Colour - Red and Dragons Dream Tag it On

2011-07-16T12:49:00.002+01:00

Hi, wow we are having loads of rain at the moment and its brilliant for the garden as its been so dry here.
Am early for Summer of Colour which next week is Red but on time for Dragons Dream Tag it On which is Project Tim Holtz. http://dragon-dragonsdream.blogspot.com/

Products used: Red and Orange Acrylic paint for the House edged with Black Paint Dabber.
Haunted House and Umbrella Man diecuts and a Tim Holtz embossing folder with Distress Inks plus a Sizzix diecut for the backing and three small red buttons.
Stamps by: Scrolls Work and Inkadinkado
Not sure if you can see the girl at the lower window, but she's there........

As usual I had great fun making this Large Tag and everything used has been Recycled, so am pleased about that. Hope you manage to have a lovely crafting weekend. Thank you for popping by and for your terrific support. Take care, Hugs Annette x

Paint Party Friday and Work in Progress

2011-07-15T17:34:00.000+01:00

Hi, its Paint Party Friday and am falling way behind in my Artwork as have been very busy with so much other stuff, like having 12 birthday cards to make this month and a new home card........thats what happens when you have a large family like mine..........plus we are going away the end of this month so these all had to be made.........sob sob.

My first offering is a Pastiche of a painting I did a little while ago, in the style of Chagall in Watercolours.

This is as far as I have got with my large canvas and there is loads and loads still to do on it and some adjustments, so reckon this won't be finished for quite some time yet. So far it has been drawn in Charcoal, Texture Pasted in areas and some Acrylics. Am so looking forward to seeing everyones artwork at the Paint Party.

Am late in posting today as we have been in Market Harborough all day, the weather was beautiful and managed to get some Art books while we were there, the most interesting of the books is called Symbolistic Art, wow what an eye opener that is.......... Hope you have all had a great day and thank you so much for supporting me through my Adventure into Art. Take care and will catch up with you all very soon, have a great weekend. Hugs Annette x

Gingersnaps Gets Into Gear......

2011-07-13T11:18:00.001+01:00

Hi, still following the Steampunk theme at Gingersnaps we are getting our Cogs and Watches into Gear......at this point I have to say I don't possess any of these metal items, so did the best with what I've got.

First is the Thinking Man..........thats odd you say.........lol, but when you ask someone a question and parts of their face twitch a bit while they are thinking of an answer; we always used to say I can see the wheels turning..............Ok so its a bit deep, but I am that kind of woman, weird...............

TeePee Cards are all over Blogland at the moment and this is mine using the Gingersnaps theme.

Products Used:
Stamps by BLine
Creative Expressions Embossing Folder
Inks: Big and Juicy, Stazon and Distress Inks
Clear Embossing Powder

Looking forward to seeing all your wonderful creations and don't forget to pop over to Gingersnaps and see what the rest of the DT created for your inspiration.

Have a great day and will be over to visit you all later on as have loads of cooking and baking to do today. Take care and thank you for popping in, hugs Annette x

Summer of Colour is Brown !

2011-07-11T17:17:00.000+01:00

Hi, Kristin the terrific lady who runs the Summer of Colour challenges this week has chosen Brown and for an added bonus if you zip it up with another colour you get two shots at the challenge.

This is a page from my Art Journal I was feeling in a very brownish mood and needed a Sanctuary to tuck myself away from the world. Gradually I began to feel more at peace with myself and as my dark thoughts turned to lighter ones some very strange and exotic flowers started to grow. I dare not fully open my eyes in case they vanished and their beautiful perfume went with them............................

There are some wonderful and diverse art projects over at Summer of Colour this week, so many fab artists and creators.

Today a new and exciting Blog has begun, its called Artsee Bloggers. A place of Inspiration and Creativity (see my sidebar), well worth a visit and you can join in now thanks to the fab artist Geri Centonze.

Hope you all have had a great day and the sun is shining where you are. Take care, hugs Annette x

Less Is More Challenge

2011-07-10T20:09:00.000+01:00

Hi, over at Less is More Challenge this week the girls are asking for a One Layer Card with minimal embellishments and Something with Legs, seen or unseen................so I have chosen Unseen, but we know she has legs don't we........this birthday card is for one of my daughter-in-laws who is quite a Fashionata.

The main stamp is by BLine Designs and the greeting stamp is Anita's. Just added two little stones for the earrings. Just hope she likes it.

There are already hundreds of entries so have a lot of catching up to do. Will be catching up with you all later after I've watched Pop Star to Opera Star, its the final tonight........woo hoo. Take care and enjoy your evening and have a great day tomorrow. Hugs Annette x

Paint Party Friday

2011-07-08T22:25:00.000+01:00

Hi, its Paint Party Friday again, woo hoo.............sorry am late with this but I fell asleep for 3 hours, can you believe it, out like a light............

I am showing this painting much against my better judgement as its awful, just cannot get my head around it. It is part of one of my Art Class Homework assignments and after this its going in my bad paintings file. Yes I keep all my Homework Art good or bad, but in separate files, mad I know...........lol

To keep me sane have started on an old 12 x 16 inch canvas in acrylics, so far I have charcoaled the outlines and then painted it all over with gesso, this is going to be a much larger version of one of my art journal pages I showed a little while ago, except it will have some colour rather than black and white. So although you cannot see a lot in this photo, hopefully by this time next week you will see how its going.

Am off now to check in on all the other artists at the Paint Party and will be visiting you all over the weekend.
Thanking you again for all your support and kindness. Have a great weekend and take care, Hugs Annette x

Creative Expressions Calling Card Challenge

2011-07-08T12:07:00.001+01:00

Hi, Creative Expressions are seeking a DT. The well known company is based at Kettering, which is not far from me in Wellingborough. The remit is that you produce a Calling Card which must have some rubberstamping on it and an ATC in the project. The rest of the requirements you can read if you follow this link http://www.creative-expressions.uk.com/jobs/designteam.php

I am submitting this ATC as would love this to be my Calling Card because it shows my love of colour and design. The background is silver cardstock which has been dry embossed, then sandpapered, plus smeared with black paint dabber. All colourings of the Stamps have been done with Whisper pens, then cut out and layered ontop of the main image and added Black Stickles. Unfortunately I cannot remember who made the main stamped image as all details were thrown away quite some time ago so if anyone knows I would be grateful, then I can amend these details........other stamps used are by Technique Tuesday and TJ Designs.

So what would your Calling Card look like, would it reflect your personality? Sounds huge fun doesn't it. So why not follow the link to Creative Expressions and have a go.

Will be back later for Paint Party Friday. Hope your day is going well and thank you for your huge support and wish me luck please as would love to be a part of the DT. Hugs Annette x

Gingersnaps goes Travelling..............

2011-07-06T09:28:00.001+01:00

Hi, today at Gingersnap Creations we have a brand new theme for July, Steampunk...........we are sponsored by the fabulous Dezina World which am sure a huge amount of you already know. This week its 'On The Road', you may well ask where is my road........well I'm On The Road in Outer Space......just a personal fantasy of mine.........lol

No stamping from me this time, just digi work from my little freebie programme Photoscape. Am saving the inks for later. There is an abundance of inspiration from the rest of the DT so please go and have a look and lets see what fantastic creations you come up with.

Am off now to Art Class to get my latest paintings criticized, hells bells.....then we are taking my Mother to lunch as its her birthday, she's 86 today.....woo hoo. Will be back tonight to view all your lovely creations. Thank you for popping in and wish you all a happy day. Take care, hugs Annette x

Yellow is The Summer of Colour

2011-07-04T10:29:00.013+01:00

Hi, the Colour of Summer is Yellow. My offering is a large Postcard. The background was made by blowing alcohol inks through a straw on photo card, edged with Paint Dabbers. The ticket stamp is a freebie from Craft Stamper Magazine and the fairy was generously supplied by Astrid, http://astridsartisticefforts.blogspot.com/ thank you Astrid, then painted the wings and covered in gloss.

I would also like to enter this into The Stampman Challenge which is Alcohol Inks.

Off now to see all the fab entries for this popular challenge. Thank you for popping in, have a great day and take care. Hugs Annette x

Less Is More - Shades of Blue - 'You Light Up My Life'

2011-07-03T01:26:00.000+01:00

Hi, the girls Mandi and Chrissie of Less Is More this week have asked for Shades of Blue so this is my entry. Have to admit to being a bit stuck in knowing which image to choose, but in the end decided to go with one of my new stamps bought from Happy Daze.

The stamp is made by Lost Coast Designs and was stamped with a Big and Juicy Pad in shades of Blue.
Thank you for popping in, have loads of catching up with visiting blogs to do, so will see you all later. Am off to bed now as its rather late. Take care and have a lovely Sunday. Hugs Annette x

Paint Party Friday and Dragons Dream Tag it On

2011-07-01T08:45:00.003+01:00

Hi, its Friday.....so that means Paint Party........yeaaaaa........... I have nearly completed Picasso's 'Girl with a Dove', just a bit of touching up here and there to do and then its ready for my Art Tutor on Wednesday. Will have to work on The Harvester over the weekend and try and get that finished as well.............fingers crossed.

There are loads of fabulous artists at the Paint Party and its always such a joy to see their wonderful work.

At long last I have been able to join in with one of the challenges at Dragons Dream Tag it On. This week its Seaside. There are some fab examples from the DT. This tag has been painted with acrylics and texture paste, perfect pearls, Stickles and added some Shells. The stamps are by Scrolls Work and Crafty Individuals; stamped with Archival ink and Big and Juicy. The tag will be going on my Mother's birthday present next week along with this Pyramid Card which uses all Crafty Individual Stamps. Just hope she likes them. Mum is 86 on Wednesday and a beautiful jewellery maker and designer, yep I am a very proud daughter.

Thank you for visiting me and have a lovely weekend, take care, Hugs Annette x

Show us the Colour of Your Money - The Shoe Queen !

2011-06-29T09:00:00.003+01:00

Hi, Gingersnaps Challenge - Colour of Money was a challenge I definitely wanted to do, but with a little twist....

I used a Bank Note Serviette as the main image and pasted it onto scrap white card and mounted it on recycled packaging (Quaker Oats) after I had distressed it with distress inks. Stamped a Queen's head by B Line Designs and added some rub-ons. First time I've used rub-ons and these were very old ones and took one heck of a lot rubbing..........then faux stitching around the outside and cream raffia . I am quite pleased with the results as its a bit different and was fun to make.

I would also like to enter this tag/bookmark into Simon Says Stamp and Show Challenge which is Show a Word !
Am off to lunch with one of my daughter's today which will be great as we love a good natter. Take care and thank you for popping in. Hugs Annette x

Colour of Summer is Pink.........and the winner of my Blog Birthday Candy

2011-06-28T08:00:00.003+01:00

Hi, The Colour of Summer (see my sidebar) this week is Pink, using this colour is not my favourite choice but thats what challenges are all about arn't they..........and to top it all its Yellow next week sob sob, so will be challenged again......lol

This lady is definitely Pink Challenged, she has just had her hair dyed and is not best pleased with the result as she wanted the same pink as her pet Flamingo and to make matters worse she tried to bleach it out with disasterous results as you can see. This has been done over a large book page with Black Pen and Acrylics with a digi Flamingo, you may have to enlarge it to see the book print in the face.

There are already some fabulous pieces of art in Pink and so inspiring, so if you get the chance to pop over and have a look you will be thrilled.

PLUS

I am so happy to announce the Winner of my Mystery Birthday Blog Candy.............ta da ......its Cheryl of Cheryl's Creative Cards. If you could email me Cheryl with your address I will post it out to you this week. Thank you everyone who took part, it was so much fun pulling a name out of the huge hat and wish I could give everyone a prize.

Thank you for popping in and for your great support, take care and will be visiting you all very soon, Hugs Annette x

Less Is More - Sketch

2011-06-26T21:11:00.000+01:00

Hi, Less is More have set a Sketch this week. Cripes I thought, have never followed a sketch ever, in fact have avoided them like the plague...... Now I know why, this took me ages and ages as honestly hadn't a clue how to present my idea. After the bits and pieces got accidentaly thrown on the floor in a tantrum I suddenly saw the light................lol

Stamps are by Joanna Sheen. Inks used Stazon - Timber Brown and Olive Green, Versafine - Vintage Sepia. The flowers were stamped on Gloss Card, cut out and mounted with foam pads.
Because I didn't allow enough drying time the brown smudged into pink, but kind of thought that was a happy accident...... But now I have a question, where do I put the greeting as haven't got a clue?
Unfortunately in the photograph the colours look a bit black.

There are some amazing examples from Mandi and Chrissie and some equally amazing entries.
Hope you all have had a great day today in the sunshine. Thank you for popping in, take care, Annette x

Paint Party Friday - Works in Progress

2011-06-24T08:37:00.004+01:00

Hi, first must apologise for not being able to get around to visit all your lovely creations. Have not been feeling up to scratch, so to speak. It also looks a bit difficult for the early part of next week as have hospital appointments which rather tire me out and then I tend to sleep quite a bit after these. So am apologising in advance.

Today am showing at Paint Party Friday (see my sidebar) two Works in Progress; these are my homework pieces from Art Class. As you can see they are both at very early stages and looking a bit rough..........hopefully I will be able to bring them together. I was given two postcards to copy, one by Pablo Picasso and the other by Peter Hansen, simples then for a beginner....I don't think.............lol still will try my best.

Hope you all have a great weekend and the weather improves. Thank you for supporting me in my adventure into the arts and for being there for me. Take care, hugs Annette x

SUMMER OF COLOUR - Week 2, Colour it Green

2011-06-20T13:09:00.002+01:00

Hi, The Summer of Colour (see my sidebar) is Green this week. Not an easy colour to work with, although it should be as we are surrounded by green in the countryside.

My piece for the challenge is made up of Acrylic Squishings (for the background), various green acrylic paints for the grass, stamped twice the tree (from Crafty Individuals) and then Copper embossed. The birds are digis as cannot draw birds yet......well I can but you really really wouldn't want to see them..........lol

Am off to view some more terrific Summer of Colour entries and to see all your other wonderful craftings. Thank you for popping by and hope you all have a lovely day and are enjoying the sunshine. Take care, Annette x

PS...................This evening I also added this Postcard which is for the Yahoo Happy Daze Challenge. Sorry about the late addition to this post. The background again is one of my Acrylic Squishings and the Stamp is made by Lost Coast Designs. Hope you like it. xx