One swallow does not a summer make ...

... or is it a swift?

Really REALLY dislike summer so it doesn't really matter either way

Love little birdies though so guess it all balances out

Good job it is only spring then

But then I really REALLY dislike spring too

but don't get me started on all that!

This was intended to be a tryptich but it just wasn't working out

so I ditched two of the panels and have already painted them black so I can reuse them

Shame to hide the gorgeous green icing paste but I'd never want three pieces with the same background ... unless the tryptich idea had worked of course

The heart is based on a FB Live that Finnabair did not so long ago

But I have done lots of hearts in the past and they were starting to get some quite negative feedback so I didn't want to leave it just as a heart

So I added it to the wooden panel and balanced it out with a couple of smaller accents

Had a meltdown over the colours

I don't do bright colours

But guess they do make a change

And hubby did say "are you doing something bright for a change?"

Yup!

Products used :

All are Finnabair for Prima Marketing

Art Basics - Heavy White Gesso / Soft Gloss Gel / Heavy Body Gel

Art Extravagance - Icing Paste : Lucky Emerald

Stencil - Iris

Stamp Set - Wild and Free

Art Alchemy - Liquid Acrylic Paint : 

True Yellow / Tiger Orange / Carmine / Umber / Burnt Sienna

Various metal embellishments from Finnabair and Mitform Castings

Other bits & bobs :

 wooden plank / cheesecloth or gauze / paper flowers 

offcuts of patterned papers / script stamp

Our Earth

This is NOT my own idea or my own techniques

For the round piece I followed a step-by-step video tutorial

which you can find HERE

Life Stone by Olya Kravets

I fell in love with Olya's the moment I saw it but only recently (like Friday!) decided to give it a go

Loved it so much I made another version 

The round one says "Earth Plea"

The rectangular one says "Our Last Chance"

I saw the piece as the planet splitting open

and, goodness knows, our little planet sure does need some TLC right now

Something that always amazes me is a list of products never really seems to represent quite the amount of "stuff" you use in mixed media projects like these ... and these really don't use that many at all

so instead of a list this is what "stuff" actually looks like

Fragile

Making a habit lately (like for the last 15 years at least!) of almost quite liking a project only to then mess it up

So why should this one be any different?!

Kinda, sorta had an idea in my head and kinda, sorta got this down onto a canvas and was really quite pleased with it

Had the red heart made separately to attach but felt the proportions were not quite right so I tweaked it

and messed it up

But, of course, it was already stuck fast and firm to the canvas I did like and nothing was going to prise it off without wrecking the piece completely

(remember Ammonite-gate?  Already destroyed one canvas this week in order to save it so didn't fancy doing it a second time!)

Was sensible and slept on it over night

No drastic action this time!

Figured I could maybe tweak the heart further to make it more balanced 

Nothing was ever going to put it completely right

BUT ... can live with it at least now

Another Powertex project apart from the modelling paste down the far right hand side which is Finnabair's

and both stencils ... that on the right hand side and the diamonds are Finnabair's too but everything else is Powertex

Oh the dome thingies are Finn's  and the word is from one of Tim Holt's sticker books ... didn't actually have the word "fragile" so cut up two words I thought I'd never use and don't mind the chopped up, wonky effect of the word at all - wish I'd made it even more wonky actually

Was happy with the heart at this point

just placed on to check the position

If you compare the heart to the finished one above you can see where it all went wrong

Should have left it well alone at this point

Was pleased with the colouring too

Products used :

Powertex in Ivory, Red & Black

 Bister Sprays in Black & Red

Powertex Paper Decoration

Powertex 3D Flex

Powertex Easy Varnish

Powertex Colortricx Silver Powder Pigment

Powertex Colortricx Powerpearl Red Powder Pigment

Finnabair Stencils

Finnabair Modelling Paste

Finnabair 3D Gloss Gel

Finnabair Melange (the domes!)

Various scraps of gauze, cardboard and hessian

Who wants perfection anyway?!?

Totally inspired by Finnabair and her recent Polish Blog-hop I truly embraced the title of her piece

Perfection is Overrated

which you can read about and watch here

Fear not for it is sub-titled into English!

I have heard her say this many times during the workshops with her that I have been lucky enough to attend and it has really freed me up to let go images of how I think something should turn out and just go with the flow

At least that is what I tell myself 

but can rarely ever manage it

I must admit to turning to Finn for help on this one 

Had it at the point where I was really quite pleased with it

But, as usual, had to carry on tweaking and fiddling and ended up chucking it in the bin ... literally!

I took her advice on the colouring totally on board because I trust her implicitly and whilst it will never be my favourite piece I did really enjoy making it and doing something rather different for me

At least Finn saved it from the bin or the ever bulging Box of Failures!

For once I totally forgot to make a list of the products used 

Or maybe I did make a list but as I ended up hating it I chucked it out never expecting to blog this piece

Can probably make a guess at what I used all apart from the colours of spray inks so might pop back and edit this post at some point

WOYWW 520 : HAPPY 10TH ANNIVERSARY !!!

Just the most huge CoNgRaTuLaTiOnS to our much loved Head Desker, Julia, on reaching the incredible achievement of ten years of Wednesday desk sharing!!!  

Bet she hadn't a clue that here she would be having seen so many new friendships forged and old ones cemented across the world during the ten years of blog hopping.

WELL DONE dear friend for  you truly deserve all the flag waving and cheering and love heading your way today!

Will keep this short and sweet, which is just the way Julia likes it ... if you are new to the WOYWW concept then you can Read All About It here at The Stamping Ground

Thought I'd share a different  view of my desk today ...and I haven't even cleared up to make it look all organised and neat and tidy ... it is as I left it when I called it a day BUT everything has now been put away ready to start on the next project ... whenever that may be.  

Nothing of any great interest I'm afraid ... you can see a finished piece bang in the centre ... a piece I was enjoying doing and was actually quite pleased with how it was going - until I did my usual thing of wrecking it by not being able to translate what was in my head to the canvas.  Am not being hasty for at the moment it is heading for the Box of Failures or I might try prising off the bit that went wrong, but am going to live with it for a few days.

The heat gun and the hair dryer are the biggest clue to the medium I was using - Powertex again!    

On the right is my new trolley - FINALLY got round to improving the storage of all my spray inks.  Each of the three layers are almost full so quite where I am going to squeeze the rest of the Oxides when they are released is beyond me.  I have decided that as I use up each of the Perfect Pearl sprays I will not replace them so will just have to re-jiggle the layers a bit.

You can just about make out my ATC for the swap but it is disguised so not as to spoil the surprise.    

I won't be at the crop on Saturday - after much thought, lots of tears and massive disappointment I shall be with you only in spirit.  

I have made ATC's though and they are already with my very dear friends, Shaz & Doug, who are bringing them along for me and Julia is being ATC monitor so do please take one if you would like one - no swap back is necessary!

So here is wishing each and every WOYWW'er a very happy 10th anniversary!

xXx

Drastic Action !!!

Spent ages getting a really lovely Powertex Stone Art layer down on my little canvas

Was really pleased with it too - not something you hear me say very often!

So what do I do?

Go and wreck it of course

Had half an idea of where I was heading but sure did get lost along the way

Ended up with one almighty mess

So ... after many tweaks and left with the only choice of painting it all over and re-colouring (my lovely Stone Art layer is now completely obliterated by the way!) or ...

OR taking the scissors to it and trying to save the ammonites ... again, for once, I was really happy with the composition of them and having spent ages first making the clay and then making the ammonites themselves I hoped I could save them

Off to hubby in the garage with the request to "please remove the staples from the back of the canvas"

And then lots of tugging and pulling and snipping until I had the ammonites and a heap of wrecked canvas

Good job I did not sleep on it and attack it the next day because the very nature of Powertex is it dries ROCK HARD and no way would that canvas had come apart had I thought about it

Photos show the various stages of deconstruction ...

Photo on left - a lesson in how not to produce a piece of work

Photo on right - unstapled and prised from the frame

BUT - look at that frame!!!!  Was inspired the moment I saw it!!

 

Next two photos are the horrible bits cut from around the ammonites ... but, upon reflection, they might have been ok on a different project but too late - are now confined to the dustbin

 Eventually I had the ammonites just about holding together in one piece and a heap of wrecked canvas from around them

Remember the frame to which the canvas had been attached?  it sent me in a different direction to the one I had planned but what a find!

I took a small canvas board and put several Stone Art layers over it and the frame and then strengthened the back of the ammonites with strips of fabric and Powertex so it became quite a solid and strong piece

Not sure I am entirely happy with the result but something was salvaged from an utter disaster

WOYWW 519

Well it was fully my intention to join in on Whizzday each week but when your motivation and inspiration levels are zero and your desk is looking dreadfully empty there is not a lot to share

There actually is stuff on my desk today - left overs from surprises for the forthcoming 10th Anniversary Crop of this weird and wonderful blog-sharing business - an inspired thought up by our dearest and much loved Head Desker, Julia, al those years ago.  So if you want to see desks far more exciting than mine head along to The Stamping Ground and take a wander around the country, nay, the world, and see actual creative people in full flow.

So what is on my desk this bright and spring like Wednesday morning?

The clues are there!

Rubber gloves can mean only one thing (and then I forget to put them on!) - next to them two tubs of Stone Art which is another big hint.

On the far right are a few ammonites drying (collected from the beach this morning and now drying in the heat of  the conservatory ... or made yesterday with Stone Art Clay and left overnight ... you can pick whichever version you prefer but in my head they most definitely came from the beach!)

There is a small 8"x8" canvas all ready with its layer of Stone Art but inspiration is yet to strike so it will be sitting there for a good few more days, weeks, months yet I fear.

But you never know - it may well be transformed before the day is out

For those who do not have a clue what I am on about - rubber gloves + Stone Art can mean only one thing really ... Powertex!

So, aiming to keep She Who Must Be Obeyed happy I am keeping this short(ish) and sweet (hopefully)

Happy WOYWW Whizzday fellow bloggers!

xXx

PS:  See what happens when I forget the rubber gloves

The eagle-eyed of you might notice what is in the background but ... sshhh! Secrets!!!!!

WOYWW 510

Empty chairs at empty tables

(doing a LLJ here!!!)

OK so the chairs are actually occupied as I am sitting on one of them but the table is certainly emptyish

Totally lost the momentum that followed on from my truly wonderful workshops with Finnabair and have fizzled to a halt

AGAIN

All you can see on my workdesk this fine Wednesday (it is actually chucking it down but that is quite fine by me!) are two cards made yesterday and it felt like climbing Everest making them

Am very much not a card maker any more but even my love of mixed media seems to be eluding me right now

So, sorry dearest Julia - our esteemed leader and head desker over at THE STAMPING GROUND where the worldwide sharing of workdesks takes place each Wednesday - but there is not very much of anything to share again I'm afraid

Card on left is for the lady next door who has been poorly and the card on the right is for Great Nephew Henry who will be four next week

Not much else to be seen - you can just spot the pink handle of the Big Shot and the laptop and printer in the background as I have yet to print out the "Happy Birthday" for inside H's card - could stamp it, of course, but even that seems a step too far right now

H left the stand for his Rubik's Cube here last time he visited so you can see that - the black triangle on the right and that is standing on a little yellow "man" ... 3D printed by a friend in the US and very handy for all sorts of things

You might be wondering about the spanners ... the small one was intended for a canvas and the large one (which is too heavy for me to lift) just balances the board I use to craft on ... they were both daddy's and I like having them close whether I am being arty or not

Want to make a small thank you pressie for someone who was so very kind to me at Finnabair's workshop so hope to tackle that today ... really do need to figure out if all this messing about business really is still for me or if it has run its course and I should just walk away from it all - the indecision is getting to me a bit but am not going to be hasty and get rid of all my stuff just yet.  I enjoyed my Finnabair workshops so much surely that is a sign!

Happy Workdesk Wednesday'ing!!!

wishin' & hopin' ...

Felt a bit encouraged to just have a go at something ... anything ... to try and bring myself back from the brink of walking away from all this art business so just grabbed a canvas and my boxes of treasure and with a tiny scrap of an idea in my head I just had a play

Stuck to my newly discovered pale colours - but was fighting all the way not to paint it black!  

PRODUCTS USED:

Finnabair (Prima Marketing) 

Art Basics -

Heavy White Gesso / 3D Gloss Gel  / Heavy Body Gel

Art Ingredients -

Mica Powder - Lilac Opal Magic / Green Opal Magic (diluted in water)

Art Stones / Mini Art Stones

Glass Glitter - Midnight Blue / Violet

Micro Beads - Silver

Art Alchemy Acrylic Paint -

Opal Magic  : AquaRose /VioletGreen (old release)  

VioletGreen (new release)  / PinkBlue

Metallique : Ice Queen / Vintage Rose / Soft Satin / White Pearl

Metallique Wax : Old Silver / Rose Gold / White Gold / Blue Lagoon

Mint Sparkle / Heather Hills / Sweet Rose / Peacock

Old Denim / Electric Violet

Art Extravagance :

Icing Paste : Frosty Pearl

Glitter Set : Ebony & Ivory

Lindy's Stamp Gang 

Starburst Sprays - Frozen Jack Frost / Gag Me With A Spoon Gray

Glitz Spritz Sprays  - Steel Shimmer

DecoArt Media - Shimmer Mist White

My Finnabair weekend

After WEEKS and WEEKS of worrying and stressing over how I'd even get there, let alone cope, I made it to Amelia's Creative Crafts in Studley for a weekend with the wonderful Finnabiar ... the amazing lady that is Anna Dabrowska

Have done many of her classes now (20 actually!!!) but was so poorly last year, the effects of which have changed my life completely, so honestly thought I'd never see her again

Couldn't even contemplate that so as I got a bit stronger again I contacted Nikki, the owner of Amelia's, and told her of my concerns and she went out of her way to reassure me and so I booked in

Stress levels through the roof as the workshops drew ever closer - more meltdown's to both Finnabair and Nikki - but so, so wanted to get there

And get there I did!  Helped enormously over the weekend by Nikki I managed the two very long days ... but the time just flew because I was having such a wonderful time

First project was an all day class on Saturday called

"FLAMING HEART"

I very deliberately left a lot of white space because this is what I struggle with and I also chose a very different colour palette to anything I have ever done before - will certainly use similar colours again in future

Sunday morning saw us starting with

"POETRY OF PATINA"

Everyone used the same colours of Finnabair's rust paste and patina paste sets 

I bought the patina pastes when they were first launched but did not like them at all ... do now though and would like to do another project using these techniques at some point

The words under the dome in the centre of the pocket watch says

"be you, bravely"

Because I think I was this weekend!!!

Final project on Sunday afternoon was

"RUST PAINTED"

Again went with colours totally different to what I would normally choose but was disappointed at first as it was so pale compared to all the others and I feared adding the rust would just be a disaster

I even took it to Finn and asked if it was salvageable

She assured me it was 

and she was right OF COURSE!

All in all I was pleased with my projects ... not al quite as I had in my head but am happy with them none-the-less 

HUGE thanks to Finnabair herself and then to Nikki, Tracy, Holly & James of Amelia's Creative Crafts ... you made the whole weekend just a dream from start to finish and I loved every minute.