Postcard swap

Well not only have I stuck my head up above ground, and rejoined the two arty crafty forums I enjoy, I have also taken another step and joined in the Post Card swap on UK Stampers

It really is such a friendly forum, and a number of members are designers for well known magazines in the UK and USA - as well as lots of suppliers.

Everyone is generous with their knowledge and help and support, and there is so much inspiration on the forum and it caters for all craft related hobbies - as well as stamping, collage, altered art, polymer clay, beadmaking, metal work - so many talented people on there and so many blogs too.

Soooooooooooo  after a long absence, I decided to jump in feet first and join in the monthly Postcard swap
What is even better - the postage is just the price of a postcard - so not expensive at all!  This month didn't have a theme, which suited me to start off with.

Joanne kindly offered some magazines on the forum, so I took her up on her offer and used one of the free stamps that were still attached to each of the magazines.

This first attempt at a postcard was inspired by the snow covered fields around the village where I live and the 'Mad March Hares' who do not care about the weather.

 

This looks rather pale on here but it is more colourful in real life.

I painted and stamped it straight onto the postcard which was a bit of a risk (understatement) and was quite pleased with my first attempt.  But in hindsight, I think that it would look better if the hares and the trees had been stamped in brown.  (The black marks in the sky are off the scanner screen and do not appear on the card)  I got lots of nice comments when I posted it on the forum, and some really good tips and advice on a better way to attempt the post card.  i.e. create your art work on a postcard size piece of card or watercolour paper if you are painting some of it - then glue it to the postcard - Eureka why didn't I think of that - so less risky!

So taking all the 'tips' on board I had another go today - it was far too cold and wet to go out so it filled a few hours for me - and avoided the dusting and ironing nicely!

Again this one is better in real life than the one dimensional and harsh scan.

The background is painted on thick watercolour textured paper, in soft hues of pale blue and lavender, so not these harsh colours at all.  The big butterflies were stamped onto painted smooth watercolour paper, cut out and collaged onto the card with finer details drawn on in pen.
The 'half a heart' is collaged on too, and it's not white - it's smooth water colour paper painted in the same pastel colours as the background but watered down.

I've been advised that I need to find a way to seal these as they need to be sent 'naked' as postcards, which I hadn't realised as I was going to pop each one in it's own envelope, but write on the actual postcard and attach a vintage stamp!  I painted them with watercolours so I can quite understand that if they get wet they will be ruined.

I'm on a learnng curve - so it's good to find out these things

Back at last

It's been a long time coming, but at last I feel like crafting again, and joining in on the couple of arty crafty forums I belong too.

The first thing I tried was creating a postcard - for a monthly swap.

It really was like trying to learn how to stamp and paint again.  I was quite pleased with my effort at the time - but with hindsight, there is a lot of room for improvement so I won't show it on here.

I also decided to join in a decorated beer mat swap.

As I haven't joined in for so very long, I took my theme from one of my favourite Jo Capper Sandon's sentiment stamps - which is 'Even Silence Speaks'.  I have it on display all the time and read it every day.

So, although the stamp does not appear on the front of the beer mat - it is stamped on the back

The stamp for this image I have had for years - but don't remember the manufacturer.

The lady looks so sad and thoughtful.

The butterfly is symbolic - said to be sent by a loved who's passed to cheer you up!

I have coloured the lady with pastels - it's a bit hard to see her pale pink face in the photo, and she has brimming eyes and tears running down  her face.

The butterfly I painted, and glossed too.

My 'take' on "Even Silence Speaks"

Banana and date loaf cake

Ingredients

• 125g (4oz) butter
• 180g (6oz) dark brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1tsp vanilla essence
• 1tsp (5ml) ground cinnamon
• pinch of salt
• 4 medium bananas
• 250g (8oz) plain flour
• 1tsp baking powder
• ¾tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 3tbsp warm milk
• 125g (4oz) walnuts

Method

Preheat the oven to Gas 4, 180°C, fan 160°C.
Butter a 1kg (2lb) loaf tin.
Cream the butter and sugar until smooth and then whisk in the mashed bananas.
Add the eggs. vanilla, cinnamon and a pinch of salt and whisk well.
Sieve the flour and baking powder and add to the mix, and beat until smooth.
Mix the bicarbonate of soda into the milk and stir into the mix. Toss the walnuts in a little flour before adding to the mixture to prevent them from sinking.
Scrape the mixture into the tin and bake for about 50 minutes, until it is crusty on the top and a skewer poked into the middle comes out clean. Cool in the tin, and then turn out onto a cooling rack.

Add caption

When cool slice into 12, butter if you wish, and enjoy - it's delish!

Snowed in........

No crafting or anything so show you sadly - but thought you might like to see the photos of our garden - we're snowed in.  If you click on Daisy's photo on the right in the side bar it will take you right there.

It's eerily quiet in our lane - now a soul ventured out - or in - not a single car or sign of life!

Teeny Weeny bird beads

I was looking through my old  Great British Bird book and took a fancy to these birds.

Top left - a thrush, Top right - a pincet duck

Bottom left - a seagull and bottom right a wren.

They have holes from top to bottom - but I think that I have made them a bit too small!

But I had so much fun experimenting with some white 'leftover' bits of polymer clay.

Painted with water colours and sealed with Rennaisance wax which gives them a lovely sheen

In the deep midwinter at Happy Daze

Wow - I've just scraped in by the skin of my teeth for this months challenge over on Happy Daze

Had a very busy month with hospital appointments for dear Mr Lottie - so not much time to get to grips with December's theme - but I've done it!!!!!

I absolutely adore Jo Capper Sandon's stamps for Stampotique don't you?

This 'tiny owl' stamp sits on my shelf right in front of me above my computer.

 He always looks decidedly 'grumpy' to me in a cute way - and why shouldn't he,  he has been rather neglected of late.

I stamped him into polymer clay, and once baked, I painted him with water colours and tried to make the shape look like a thick slice of wood.

(You can buy Jo's Stampotique range of joyous stamps from Happy Daze of course!)

 Then on the reverse, I stamped him onto the baked clay, and then give little owl something to look grumpy about in the deep midwinter

 

 He looks especially cold in 'real life' as the snowy branch he is destined to sit on in cold days has a thick layer of snow, and both sides of the pendant have been preserved with Renaiisance Wax which give a really cold glistening shine to the  deep midwinter owl, but a lovely warm shiny glow to the autumn owl.

I am looking forward to see what the Happy Daze designers have in store for the January challenge.

Last night if December tonight  so I'll take this opportunity to wish you all a very healthy, and happy new year.

What to do with a bit of wire and an hour of time

Hmmmm

Mr Lottie can't go out on his own at the moment, so I went with him to another bowls match last night - in the freezing fog, through dark twisty country lanes.  Last week I took a thick book to read - but this week I took a book - plus 'emergency distractions'.  It's just as well I did.  Watching men playing bowls is just marginally more interesting than watching paint dry! 


I tried imaging them as the  Chippendales but it was just too difficult with men aged from their 70's to 80's - even though my dear husband did look rather similar to the chap on the far right of the photo on the link when he was in his prime!

The book I dashed to the village library to get yesterday afternoon wasn't much of a distraction either - especially as the chaps did like to stop and have a natter inbetween bowling - must be a bit boring even for them?  Or maybe it was because I was the only woman there. One cheeky old man even asked me if I was reading "50 Shades of Grey"  - I told him to wash his mouth with soap - and that was I reading a murder mystery!

Luckily I took a box with some jewellery tools, wire, and beads to have a go at making a bird's nest.

It takes 5 feet of wire for each nest, and three beads, and a lot of patience!

 Each nest is slightly smaller than the tiny English one penny!

They took an hour each to make.  The one is this photo is five to six times the size of the actual nest I made!

 I didn't have egg shaped beads only these tiny little pearls.  

I am not sure if I like the woven loop on this one - I might chop it off - I'll wait and see what it looks like on a chain or ribbon first.  You wouldn't believe that the background is a white sheet of paper would you - goodness knows why it turns blue when photographed

Mr L says that they don't look like birds eggs because they are shiny and need painting - he's not quite got the concept of imagination and jewellery.

Oh, I nearly forgot - I am sure that you are all on the edge of your seats to know how the bowls match went.

Hmm.  I wasn't the most favourite 'lady' as my mobile phone rang during the matches.  It never rings as it's only for emergency.  It's very very loud as I have a hearing loss and it's made especially for that.

40 grey heads swivelled towards me as I rummaged in my bag, grabbed my phone and dashed out!  It was my eldest son phoning as he'd been phoning home and there wasn't any answer and he was worried about MrL as one of us is always at home.  Bless him.  I did make him giggle when he asked why I was whispering and told him where I was and what happened!  

Mr L's team wasn't faring very well, the other team had some lucky breaks apparently so there were crossed arms and glum faces as he bowled the last wood (He's the Skip). to my end of the green.

And he worked a miracle - he whacked the others woods out of the way and got 5 points which won the game.  I forgot where I was, and did an involuntary impersonations of Andy Murray's mum at the Olympics.  I shook both clenched fists, jumped out of my seat, punched the air and shouted "Yessssss - Atta boy "  'That's my man!!!" And jumped up and down!!!   

I think that the man who asked me if I was reading "50 Shades of Grey" might have thought that I had been after all.  I got a few frowns and a lot of smiles and the very reserved players were rather shocked that the sedate game of bowls had an excited cheer leader at the end.   After the shaking of hands all round - there were big smiles from the winners, and Mr L - who's a bit deaf bless him - said, "Did you say anything when I bowled the winning shot?"   "Just a bit"  I replied - and told him on the way home of that and all the converastions  the old boys had had with me whilst waiting their turns to bowl.  From the techicalities of the match, to wives hobbies, crochet, childrens and grandchildrens hobbies and careers, the phone interluide, and my rather  over exuberant  out pouring of joy of my conquering hero.  His next match, God willing, is at the end of January, and they'll all have forgetten me by then!

I'll not posting until after the weekend - hope you all have a good one