Playing with lino...

I desperately wanted to make some stamps for several projects, and I can't find gel packs for making stamps at a reasonable price anymore, so needed an alternative.

I've lino cut before but it hurts my hands now so wanted something a bit easier to cut. A friend suggested "Easy carve" so I had a look online. My regular art shop actually had some small circles in, which saved me time and postage..woohoo! - once I decide on a project I NEED to get on with it!
So I spent yesterday cutting out symbols in the circular lino. It is almost rubbery and it is very difficult to get pencil or pen to draw on it, so accuracy with design can be a problem... even Sharpies didn't work!

Despite that, and working virtually freehand, I managed to get close enough to what I wanted... well, these things are supposed to be "irregular and personal" aren't they? If they were precision cut I may as well have bought them...

So here they are, my first 10.... I have more to do, and you can buy it in a sheet so I can get some bigger designs cut too, which will help for my calendar for next year.

Even with the drawing issue, they were quite nice to work with, and alot easier to carve than tradition hessian lino, so I would recommend them.

I've just tested them out on my Valentine ATC envelopes and they print ok too, if you use a brayer rather than an acrylic block (like normal rubber stamps)

The one thing I didn't think of though, doh!, was reversal... so my 2012 stamp is only good for embossing.... and with my new Bigshot I'm putting it to good use already- they emboss beautifully too. These little gems will be doing alot of work in the near future.

xx

Aquarius bead block for BJP 2012

Well, I finally buckled down to beading my first block for the Bead Journal Project this year. I'd designed my wall hanging earlier, but not begun designing the beaded elements...

Once I got going it didn't take long to come up with a set of designs which I thought would be blocky enough to work in beads... but I'm sad to say my first attempt looked awful, no definition and with all the bling there was just not enough contrast between object and background. So I had to retry, this is the second attempt (the 1st attempt is over on my BJP-2012 page )

Aquarius second attempt

 I used delicas, bugles, hex, teardrops and huge seedbeads on felt. I'm still not happy with this- I thought the design might have worked better, so I'm looking at redesigning all 12- or only beading a section of it, but having seen some of the entrants on BJP already I'd feel lazy if it wasn't fairly well covered in beads rather than silks. Best get my thinking cap on before the end of February when I'll need to post my Feb effort on the BJP 2012 Blogsite

Valentine's Day is on it's way...early!

I know, it's over 2 weeks away, but with post taking a fair while between countries, we have to make these things early....

 a couple of weeks ago we badgered Marilyn, bless her for agreeing, into hosting her first swap - My Valentine ATC's . She's doing a great job and alot of us have joined in. I wasn't sure quite what I was going to do...felt, plastic, paint, foil..... 

I decided today to use watercolour paper and my watercolour pencils, I hardly use them so it was a good reason to get them back out. After creating a background I got my inks, stamps and stencils out and had a play with no preconceived ideas. I had offcuts of organza in a box with cut out hearts, so I used that too. Once dried I added a tiny bit of doodling on a few... and here they are.... all ready to go.

Now I just need to decide who gets which card and post them off... hopefully in time for the big day!

Fun with Botany

I've just finished photographing my swaps for Palma's Botanical matchbox swap ... I wasn't sure whether to do some of my botanical painting, or mix it up a bit... but as it is a completely new experience for me I went with the mixing it up a bit!!

I used this template  for the matchbox... and googled matchboxes to get some ideas as to how they are usually decorated...

I wanted to do something really funky as well, and as I'm not really vintage or steampunky I don't have much in the way of suitable embellishments for those styles. I did think a pop-up box would be fun though, and as I'm not allowed to send natural materials to Oz I felt a fake tree was in order!! I know how you love trees Mel!

I cut my boxes, little base inserts, found some pen springs, and dug into my wire and crystal collection.... the results being 3 little landscapes, complete with river, flowers and overhanging tree... wish I could find a small enough fairy to pop in there too...

Blues

Golds

Greens

These are for Mel, Dawna and Susan, but I'm not going to say who's is who's... that'll have to be the suprise! xx