Taking a parcel to the post....

Good morning everybody! It's a lovely, warm and sunny day here, and I've just been watching a whole swarm of coal tits chasing a magpie away. I suppose that bird was getting too close to a nest.... They all seemed to be shouting at each other, and although the magpie is much bigger, it was sheer outnumbered.
Yesterday I took my parcel to the post. The lady in the post never looks happy, but this time she looked thunderstruck. I gave her the parcel.
She asked *What's that?*
I said *A small packet*
*You've DEFACED the whole front of it!*
*It's not defaced, it's art. I like it!*
*I don't. Where I am supposed to stick the stamps?*
*There's room at the top and all round.*
*If I had anything to say, I would forbid it!*(Swatting the stamps on like she was trying to kill a cockroach)
Thank God she doesn't have the power to decide!
What a miserable woman!
In the afternoon I visited my friend for her little birthday party, where we had lots of different cakes and coffee and enjoyed good company for a couple of hours. Emily the dog was there, too - with B, and after checking us all out and lots of tail wagging, positioned herself under the table chewed her leather bone and was happy. If anyone mentioned her name, she thumped her tail on the floor, so she was evidently keeping up with our chit-chat,too!
This is the mirror which I made on Sunday for Inge's birthday, didn't want to show pics of it before she had got it. It's a *less is more* mirror, she doesn't like too much decoration, and as she plays the piano and is very musical, I made it black and white like music sheets:

The frame was covered in strips of music paper - printed from Lindsay's Stamp Stuff - and strips of my old magazines, painted with gesso and decorated with TH's musical tissue tape, and stamped with some music notes and a head of Mozart, which I covered with glossy accents to make it stand out.
Yesterday evening I NEEDED to do some crafting, so that I didn't get withdrawal symptoms. And I needed some exercise after eating all that cake!
I altered another little picture frame. This time using gold structure paste, which I heat dried till it bubbled and burnt, and then toned down a bit with Stazon *timber brown*. I polished the sides of the frame with inka gold. I made a flower from gold metal using TH's *tattered florals*. Some of the petals were embossed using a Kohinoor paper stump, and I distressed them all with Stazon again. After curling and layering the petals, I fixed them together with a brad and hot glued them to the frame. For the picture inside I distressed a ceramic card using TH inks in gradient colours, stamped a setting sun with colour box and the houses and balloon with archival black. The row of houses wasn't long enough for the card, so I did some doodling right and left, and added to it. Then I wrote a quote along the left side, from a song we used to sing when I went to school: *Golden gleams the western sky, where the sun is sinking*. And I am entering this frame and picture into Hel's *Sunday Stampers* Challenge, which is *Golden slumbers* this week.

Well, enough for today. Tomorrow I will put up some pictures of my arty kitchen. Thanks a lot for looking, and have a great day, whatever you are up to. And take care!

New Challenges on Gingersnaps

The main theme this month at Gingersnaps is the Orient, which gives us scope for lots of ideas, images and colours. The Chestnut Theme challenge GC97 starts today with the theme *Geishas*. This is my interpretation of the theme:

This is a mixed media piece using collage and stamping. The geometric forms are from Hein design, the bush from LaBlanche. The flower is from Prima.
This was not the only card I tried with this theme, here are my first attempts, with which I was not really satisfied:

Here again I have made a mixed media piece with collage, stamping, and a feeble try at origami for the flowers. The image was from my stash. The tiger stamp was a bargain from EBAY, manufacturer unknown!

Here I have used an Image from *Geisha Gallery* and flowers from my stash.










And yesterday I found time to complete my GC94 - Office supplies Challenge. I had an empty chocolate box (thanks, they were DELICIOUS!!) which I covered with mod podge and strips of antique magazines, parts of print outs with writing on them, stamped script etc - a good way to use up left overs that sometimes get binned. I gave it a coat of diluted white gesso when it was finished, and then filled it with diverse ancient pens, ink cartridges, paper clips, a tape measure, scissors, a pencil, a pencil sharpener and a mini stapler which never worked. And of course, a mini telephone, which is off the hook, so as not to disturb the workers - *Please hold the line!* I fixed them all with the hot glue gun. No blisters this time, B has lent me her one, which is bigger, and much more difficult to burn yourself with, as it also has a great stander which is really stable - woohoo! Anyway, the result was another shadow box for my arty kitchen wall. When the wall is full I will expand into the hall!

And I got a parcel ready for posting, and made a pretty label for the front of it. I wonder how it will look when the post has finished with it? But life and art are journeys, and the transport here is a part of that journey....

So, that's all for now. Thanks for looking, thanks for all the lovely comments, which are very much appreciated, have a great day and take care!

Sich regen bringt Segen

Good morning you all from not-so-sunny Rhineland. I had a good sleep, I fell asleep over my *Craft Stamper* Magazine. Must have switched the light off some time in the night, but apart from that, I suppose I slept soundly, for which I am very thankful. The birds are still busy singing, and building their nests. Yesterday I went for a walk in the woods with Emily, my friend's dog, and enjoyed it very much. The green of the leaves looks so new and tender, just great.

I even saw some violets peeping out from under the dead leaves from last year.

And lots of trees in the gardens on the way to the woods which were in bloom.

Emily, the doggie who accompanied me, was not so keen on sitting still to have her photo taken:

I was starving by the time I got home, so I delved into my fridge and made myself some sandwiches with some of the (hopefully!)edible bits and bobs I found there, and then got down to doing some crafting.
I altered another picture frame, but this time I tried something new.

I used the aluminium tape I bought at the discounter recently and embossed the strips with a TH Texture fade folder. Then I stuck them directly onto the frame, just piecing them together. When it was finished, I neatened up the back with some strips of smooth tape and distressed the front with archival black. As the pattern is patchwork, you don't notice where it is joined together. Then I made some flowers. I used the aluminium seals which are in a lot of boxes with dry goods, they already had an embossed pattern on them, so just cut them with TH's tattered florals. After distressing with archival black again, I alternated the flowers with some prima ones in black, fixed them together with brads and got these lovely flowers.

Then I made a little collage to go into the frame, and like the overall effect.

I am entering the frame into three challenges:
Simon Says- stamp and show anything but a card;

The Stampman - anything Tim and

Just for Fun
Anything you fancy.


And in the evening, while I was watching TV, I made another little mixed media card, with distressing, stamping, gold foiling, rub-ons and a scrap angel. This is for a swap. I really enjoyed making it, fitting all those strange images together and watching it evolve - that, for me, is always the best part.

OK. That was enough for today! Thanks for looking, thanks even more for the nice comments you leave and for all the nice people I have got to know through blogging, and have a great day!
P.S. Forgot to say; the saying *Sich regen bringt Segen* means something like *Getting moving brings rewards*

Good morning you all. Yesterday the weather turned cooler and rainy again, but it's doing nature good, and the trees have turned green almost over night.

It's so good to see lush green again and flowers everywhere. Perhaps we need winter so we can appreciate how good it is when everything bursts into life again.
Yesterday my friend B came with her little doggy Emily, We had a great day crafting - well, Emily watched - and got really messy with lots of mod-podge and paper and gesso. It's fun working in company, and even more fun with some nice food in between sessions....
I got 2 picture frames and a mirror altered. One of the frames is for a swap I am doing, so I can't show it yet, (Donna, I have to keep you curious!) but this is the other one. I made a little collage to go in it, and kept the theme more or less musical. I am entering this into Try it on Tuesday's altered frame challenge as second entry, if that is allowed. The challenge there is sponsored by *The Craft Barn*

The altered mirror is for a friend whose birthday is on Wednesday, so I'm not showing that today, either.
But I did make 2 cards for the *Less is mMore* - touch of red challenge. The red background to the card with the lady is not part of the card, I just placed it on a red chair!

Well, my weekend was great with so much crafty time, good company and good food, and I hope your weekend was just as good. I know that Jan got a new granddaughter, so here's wishing her and her family, and especially the new earth citizen all the best.
Thanks, too, to all the people who take the time to stop by here, and leave such encouraging comments. Have a great day you all!

Art Journal April and a Shadow Box

Hi you all, another nice day weather-wise here, hope you are also enjoying some sunshine.
I was busy again yesterday, and got 2 projects finished – my art journal for April and a shadow box.
The backgrounds of the art journal pages have been painted with water colours this time, which was then stamped after drying. I did it all a bit differently, used a stamped frame from Hein design for the days instead of paper squares, and also wrote the title and week days by hand. The stamped images have all been coloured in using water colours and a fine black ink pen. I very much enjoyed doing this rather child like picture, and am entering my pages into *Paint Party Friday* and Kathryn Wheel Blog

I took pictures while I was working this time. The first one shows the colour wash of blues, red and green on the pages, and then the consecutive build up of different layers of stamping and colouring.

The shadow box is a recycled salt and pepper set box. I covered it with paper strips and mod-podge, and then painted it with pink metallic structure paste, to which I added some gold glass glitter while the paint was still tacky. I wanted to do something really spring like while the sun is shining here. I filled the box with lots of flowers in pink and white, and used a hot glue gun to fix them in place. The head has been made in a mould and polished with inka gold. I hung a bird cage in front of the head and left the bird to sing on the roof.

I am entering the shadow box into the *Alter it monthly*challenge with the theme spring, which can be interpreted as the season or as a coiled spring.
Both pieces were, as usual, great fun to make. Thanks for looking, and have a great day!

Sunshine, Daisies and an altered Mirror

Good morning to you all. We have great weather here today, warm and sunny, and you can almost watch the leaves growing bigger and greener from minute to minute. Spring is just lovely!
I woke up early after having a nasty dream that the whole room was buzzing with bees and wasps, and wanted to look for an insect spray, but it was just a dream, although a nasty one. Now I am sitting on my balcony, enjoying the sunshine and the song of the birds, and drinking a large latte, so I feel good.
Yesterday I altered one of the mirrors that I bought at IKEA. I am entering it into the *Try it on Tuesday* Challenge, which is to alter a frame. The challenge there is being sponsored by *The Craft Barn*

The frame has been painted with gesso & covered with strips of ancient magazines. After it was dry I added some TH Tissue Tape and stamped some motives with archival black on it. Then I added some Prima flowers and a butterfly with the heat gun. And I didn't burn myself this time, wonders will never cease! I was planning on making a present of the mirror, but I like it, so i have decided to put it onto the wall in my arty kitchen. Errr, this does not mean that I ususally only give away things I don't like! I think I had better not say anything more on this topic!
And yesterday I made a card, which I am entering into the *Sunday Stampers* over at Hels' lovely blog, and into the April challenge on Daring Cardmakers, which is Daisies and sweet peas as flowers of the month. The only peas I have are the green variety, deep-frozen, so I decided to stick to daisies.

Hels' challenge was to use texture fades or dry embossing, so I used my dotty folder, which I am going dotty over, to make the background. I distressed the edges with some spun sugar, and then cut some daisies out of white paper. Hels has also put a great tutorial on her blog about dipping flowers into molten Utee to give them a face lift, which I decided to try. Mine turned out to be a tiny, tiny bit different. In fact, at first they looked awful. I used tweezers to hold them into the melting pan, but the tweezers kept untweezing themselves and letting go of the flowers. Then the tweezers fell into the melting pot, and I had to dig them out with a spatula....Well, several blisters, stuck-together-with-utee-fingers and swear words later, I had managed half a dozen reasonable daisies, into which I stuck some mini lilac daisies. And one of them has found its way onto the card, together with a die cut fence from TH's alterations. I stuck the fence on so that it curves forwards. The sentiment is really original, I think the fight with the tweezers and the blisters addled my brains. And then I stuck a butterfly onto it, which I don't like, but the glue was dry and it refused to budge! Here it is:

Okay, enough said for today, except to wish you all a happy weekend. Take care of yourselves, and thanks for looking!

IKEA, Vintage Images to download, and good news!

Good morning you all! First of all, the image is not a photo of my friend and me getting ready to go to IKEA!
Now the good news: This month I will be playing at Gingersnaps as a Visiting Artist, hope I manage to do the themes justice. The focus will be on the orient this month, so watch out there for lots of great ideas from the DT!
Here the sun is trying to force its way though the clouds again, still looking a bit watery, but the birds are singing with all their might and it looks like it will be a nice day, which means I will be able to take a good walk along the Rhine again. The hedgerows and trees are all turning green, the cherry trees, magnolias and forsythe bushes are all blossoming, so it looks really pretty. We had a great day out at IKEA yesterday. It's about half an hour's drive from here, the journey was uneventful, and we enjoyed looking at all their stuff. I bought 2 or 3 (or 4 or 5 or 6? - maths was never my strong subject! -)frames to alter and paint, and a few mirrors to alter, as they make nice presents. It's my friend's birthday next week, and she chose some storage jars and tins for her kitchen, which I paid for as a present for her. And there were quite a few little things in the basket by the time we got to the checkout, pity my memory is sooooooo bad today or I would tell you what!
After the checkout I found the giant rolls of packing paper - lovely stuff for crafting! - and I packed it very carefully. I even used my jacket to wrap up the wrapping paper so that the rain didn't touch it, how's that for crazy? Then we strengthened ourselves with coke and Daim before heading for the car. On the way back home our road led us past a Turkish take-away,(What a coincidence!) so we bought ourselves kebabs from the lovely people there. It's just a small snack-bar, but with a wonderful service, they are always so friendly, and make you feel like you are really someone special. And the food is good!!
So, all in all a great day, and goodies to gloat over in the evening.

Some people asked about the images I used yesterday on my LO. So here they are, and a few more, please feel free to download and use them. Enjoy!

Thanks for looking and have a great day!