Pallete to Card

For anyone who saw my WOYWW post you may recall in amongst the waffle and ramblings (and ranting) that I mentioned using polystyrene pizza bases as paint palletes. Well, when they are loaded down with gorgeous colour and no longer recognisable as a pizza base... I chop them up.

Here's a couple of birthday cards I made. I know, this is getting to be a habit! People will stop giving me their addresses at this rate.

I have a new model today, Lucy. She was in the only sunny spot in the house and wasn't about to give it up for a couple of cards.

I'm not moving...

She'll go away in a minute...

Look, can't a girl get some sleep around here?

*sigh*

Zzzzzzzzzzz...

So, all I did was cut shapes from the pizza bases using my craft knife and a candle tin as a guide. Paint the edges with bronze paint and Glossy Accented the front. I really love the colours and the people I gave them to didn't seem to horrified at my attempts so am a happy bunny.

Thanks for stopping by!

Rocking My World Friday...

So, What's Rocking My World Friday... on Monday!

A box of deliciousness arriving in the post. Mmm paint. Was getting very, very low and so ordered some more... haven't bought any in absolutely ages so this was a real treat. The colours are just lovely.

My sister giving me the heads up about one of my favourite ever childhood films being on Amazon at just over £3!! When I went to browse, there was LOADS of my favourite old films at that price so two fell into my basket completely by accident. Much groaning and muttering from Craig when they arrived but I can't wait to watch them.


I can now rectify the terrible misdeed I have done to my children in that they have never heard of Danny Kaye!! Gasp! Either that or, if you listen to Craig, I am going to inflict more of my tat onto them - either way they are in for a fun, fun, fun education in film!

A certain bonkers person phoning me up just as I'd got in the bath. Then, because I took the call and was splashing away merrily and she then heard Ruby come in and proclaim she was going to the loo... well, this was her apparent reaction...

Teehee! Thanks for the laugh on a day when I really didn't think I would Gaily.

The same day Craigy had already taken me out to lunch so we could raise a glass to my Mum. It had been the anniversary of her going. Once again I thought I'd handle it better than I did - strangely it was the day before that got me all emotional, I wasn't so bad on the actual day. But thank you both for being the people you are!

Saturday - should this technically be the coming Rocking Friday? Ah well, it's going in here. Saturday I went to Pickleberry Papercrafts for a workshop with Jane Dean who was brilliant and very, very funny. I spent the whole day making something I really love and not only that... I finally met The Bristol Girls. This is a group of girls I chat to on UKScrappers. One of them, Debbie, was in the original group of girls who took me under their wing when I first started getting back into crafting. That was 4 years ago so it was amazing to properly meet her and the other girls. They've been so supportive through a lot of highs and lows, they may not realise how much but it was fabulous finally meeting them face to face. And blimey I love their accents. I was chuffed to bits when they announced they were coming to Kent to celebrate Jayne's birthday.

L-R: Debbie, me, Jayne, Cheryl, Lynne & Joy

This is my version of the box we made - you can see Jane's version that it's based on here.


Look what I rescued - the wetwipes I used, aren't the colours gorgeous? Comes to something when wetwipes rock your world doesn't it?

Then afterwards we went for a wander around Whitstable and had a yummy curry. Really delish.

On Sunday, Craig, the girls and I went to a charity BBQ at the fishing club he goes to. Hottest day of the year. Heat and I generally don't get on but I was able to duck into the shade quite a lot and it was a really lovely day. Devvie held an owl and Ruby even stroked it.

By the sound of it quite a bit was raised for the cancer charity too - they do such a great job every year and it's a lovely day out.

I have to say though, the best part of the day was the bloke with the owl asking Devvie if me, her and Ruby were sisters! Hahahaha! That's the second time in a year she's been asked if me and her are sisters, last time was at Ally Pally. She is not impressed. Teehee! Craig wonders if it means she looks really old or I look really young - I know which I prefer.

Oh yes, thank you also for all your lovely words on my  rant on Wednesday. We really are not happy to stay now, we can't get bollards put up as it's the only access to the firm out back. There is CCTV already out front - it was actually the reason I took this house, there is a whacking great camera on a pole directly opposite my front door.

Things are in motion. You wouldn't believe how much has happened since Wednesday - the truck hitting our house seems almost serendipitous now. I'll keep you updated.

So what Rocked your week this week? Why not pop along to Virginia's and play along? You'd be amazed at what good things you can find in a week that you really thought was pants.

Thank you as always for stopping by.

What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday

Hello, hello, hello. Not done this for a while have I? So that means lots of pictures - I'd click away now if you're in a hurry...
Still here? Good. Have you got a cuppa? Piece of cake? Okay - then we'll begin...

During an afternoon I head to the dungeon...

On the floor is where I dry my canvases and do messy, splatty stuff. That box has some of my paints in. I love the swivel chair - Craig's Mum gave it to me a while back. It's brilliant, I zoom up and down that room on it. The dark brown chair is rubbish and hurts my back so now it's just used to dump stuff on.
My desk - there's Craig through the window, scoffing the lunch his wonderful girlfriend made him, not suspecting he's about to star in my WOYWW at all.
As you can see my monster needs liposuction on his backside... don't we all eh? He'll have to wait.
Close up, because if you're anything like me you want a little rummage. My new Kaiser Colour paints arrived this week. Oh how I love them - was running real low! The round thing is a polystyrene pizza base. I use them as paint pallets - when they are loaded up with layers and layers of colour they then get chopped up to make pretty, grungy things! Just started on that one so it'll be a while before it's pretty. There's a cup of tea under there somewhere too...

Turn around if you will, and there's my sewing machine...
Closer up and this is me laughingly trying to sew Number 2 Monster's latest Brownie badge to her sash. I say laughingly as it took me a good 10 minutes just to do that... and it was her home skills badge! Ahaha! I never know if you are meant to sew those things on by machine or hand or what.
The grey stuff is some stamps Number 1 Monster wants cut out and Ezmounted. The uber cool skully bag you can see is a Lunch Lady Jan creation that goes everywhere with me and that I love to bits. It's perfect for lugging my stuff to and fro each day and is like the tardis inside! So much fits in there!
So that's my desks today. I hope you enjoyed your visit, I can't promise to get around everyone else but I'll do my best and will definitely stop by all the desks that stop by here, just drop me a comment so I know.

If you haven't played along before and want to open up your creative space to a bunch of nosey parkers like me, be sure to link up with Julia, our leader extraordinaire :)

... ... ... ... ...

The following is a rant and purely for me to let off steam so that it doesn't seep into my Rocking Friday post...

We've lived in this house for nine years. For that nine years the lorries that reverse down the tiny alleyway next to us, to get to the steel fabricators behind us, have been reversing straight into our living room wall. Our landlord comes round and patches up the bumps and scrapes... and so it goes on.
Not one apology from the drivers. Not one. The couple of times I have gone out and politely asked for their details, to pass onto my landlord, I've been met with a gob full of abuse. I'd like to know how they would feel if I drove to their house and just kept reversing into the walls and then driving off.
Anyway. Today we get home to this. (You can see where the landlord has previously patched.) The wall has been hit so hard it's actually moved the wall.


Our living room wall... it's like this floor to ceiling.

I'm fuming. Positively steaming. Again no apology, not even a note through the door. I'm now thinking that one more big whack... well, I don't even want to think about it. And what if one of the girls is sitting there?
Landlord is coming round to inspect tomorrow. Bloke from the firm out the back tried to deny all knowledge.

Did I mention I am absolutely livid here?

I can't see any other option but to move now. And that really, really *insert several rude words here* me off. We are in a prime location here. A large green with park opposite the house. Library, train station, community centre and free carpark all opposite the house. School 5 minute walk away. My dad is a 5 minute walk away. We have a great landlord...

And we have literally been driven out.

What do we do though? We are going to ask our landlord tomorrow if he has any other properties empty at the moment... but what if he doesn't? We don't have money to buy or to place a large deposit. We have pets which most private landlords don't want.
Gaaaaargh! We can't stay though. I keep looking at the wall and looking at the girls. Makes me feel sick just thinking about it.
Anyway, just had to get that off my chest. Thanks for stopping by and letting me rant and rage, lovely people.

Ciao for now x

Mum

Miss you every day. More than words can say. Love you Mum x x x

Way Back When...

Bit of nostalgia for you today. A while ago Cameron posted about some old art work she had found from when she was younger. I have a small folder of stuff, kept through the years and to be honest I only started saving it when Mum showed teenage me a handful of drawings she had done when she was younger. I wished I could have seen more... So that got me saving the odd picture or two of my own and now my girls are the same, telling me I should have kept more...

So Cameron, here's a little peek inside the folder.

These first few are from the early 90's I would have been around 13 - 15. I loved animals but especially cats, both big and small - still do actually :)

This next one, I still vividly remember doing. Sat on my sisters bed while she too was drawing. Surrounded by those girls annuals - Diana, Jackie, Mandy - remember those? I loved the hand drawn comic strip stories as opposed to the photo ones and would often try and copy the art. This one always struck me and I became slightly obsessed with the woman in the story, well not the story, just that particular square of art in the story...

...often recreating her in some form or another... this is the only recreation I have left as I would bin them or give them away...

Ah the obsessive teenage Cam.

I also loved to draw cartoons. Just used make them up for the most part... bog standard cheap as chips biro and £1 shop felt tip pens.... whatever paper I could find.

What an innocent teenager I was - I didn't know the 'other' connotation of the name on the cat. My friends had great fun guffawing at that and going to great lengths to explain it. I was horrified ! Must have liked her though as I kept her.

I would also have great fun cartoonising people. Mainly myself and my sister. This is her...


I did a whole series of these and she nicked all but this one which I kept as it was the first one. I was surprised to find out not long ago that she still has them and intends to frame them in her computer room - I never told her but that gave me a real Ready Brek glow :)

I would also copy the cartoons from newspapers and comics, adding my own sub-captions... remember Count Duckula?

"That's all I have to say!"

I can remember Mum buying packs of those jotters you get in school and the I would just fill them up with biro and felt tip drawings of cartoons... why did I never keep them eh?

I stopped drawing in my late teens/early 20's. A long story but suffice to say I let someone else define me. Bad move. And that, as well as many other reasons, was one of the darkest periods in my life. My Mum often asked me why I stopped and at the time I just couldn't tell her. In 2004, I would have been 27 , she got me going with her to an evening art class. Under the guise of keeping her company - crafty mare. These were from those classes and I have such happy memories attached of that time spent with her...

I started dabbling a little bit, not a lot and had very little confidence in myself still. In 2007 I started crafting again, kicked off by a scrapbook class that my friend took me to on my 30th birthday. I haven't looked back creatively since. It was like a kung-fu kick to a door somewhere in my head and all this stuff came pouring out.

We lost my Mum in June that year and I so wish she could have seen me enjoying this side of things again. Even selling some of my work. She was such a creative woman herself though she would never admit it. Always cooking or knitting - the gardening displays she did and knowing what to put where and how to revive dead plants (that I just assumed were meant to be that attractive shade of brown when I bought them...) I really think she started it all when she took me to that night class, little did she know.

Or maybe she did.

So there you go - a little peek back in time. Thank you as always for stopping by :)

Rocking My World Friday...

...ON FRIDAY!

In fact I even accidentally posted yesterday... on THURSDAY! I know! I shall wait a moment while you compose yourselves after that shock.

I've been away not just from Blogland but for the most part from the whole internet for a few days. I can't even tell you what I've been doing - not because it's top secret or anything... I just don't know. Feel like two weeks have just zipped by there and I blinked and missed them. No arting, no crafting, not even much reading really... maybe I was abducted by aliens and had a good probing! Who knows?

So a couple of weeks of Rocking catch up. Hmm.

Well, I'm still grinning as I think about this one. We got Craig the Family Guy Monopoly set for his birthday and he, Devvie and I sat down one night to play it. Let me just tell you I wiped the floor with their arses. At one point they were laughing at my merrily buying properties and building my little streets and mansions while they stockpiled their cash...

...not laughing so much when they decided to take a stay or two in my properties. Oh no sirree. They even ended up joining forces and I still trashed them. They are baaaaad losers but I am an even worse winner! Should I even be admitting how much glee I got from forcing my own daughter into bankruptcy and denying all pleas for a deal, a loan, leniency... all accompanied with (quite over the top) sobs and wringing of hands? Hell yes! They shouldn't laugh at mama! Oh no sirree! There has been much whispering in corners, I have noticed. I suspect a rematch is on the cards. MWAHAHAHAHAR! Bring it on lahooohoohoosers!

*Ahem!*

Next up is managing to convince that same teen that a 10pm bedtime during the week is more than acceptable. Especially when you have exams next day. For a couple of years now she's been heading off to bed at the same time as Craig and I... in fact I've sometimes been going up before the pair of them. For the past week or so she's been heading up at 10... with only minimal grumbling. The change is astounding... no more zombie Devvie of a morning and no yelling for half hour before she rises from her pit. She's up, dressed and downstairs on first call. And almost coherent! Plus... less arguments between her and Pheebs - I swear it's connected! It's brilliant!

This also means that Craig and I get a couple of hours each evening to be a couple rather than parents or work colleagues. It's made such a difference to us too. We've spent every night curled up on the sofa, cuddling and catching up on Season 2 of True Blood.

In fact... it's been so successful he only went and ordered season 3 yesterday! Woohoo! At this rate we may actually get to watch all those other DVDs we have that are still in their cellophane wrapper! Haven't watched loads because Devvie is squeamish!

  Next up is lovely mail. Don't you love it when you get gorgeous things arrive that aren't bills through the door?

First was my PIF from Jo. Click through to her blog to see better pictures. Isn't it gorgeous? It's a bag bling thing... I'm thinking of hanging it off my green pen/pencil holdall. So much to sit and look at. I really must get my PIF's finished and posted - am glad we have till the end of the year!

Underneath the PIF is some sectioned 12x12 page protectors from Sarah. She sent me these after seeing my last Rocking post. How lovely is that? They are perfect for what I wanted to do and have convinced me to get some more albums. Going to start doing a yearly book of 12x12 scrapbook pages interspersed with these type of pages to hold things like the school Star of the Week awards and the cover of the box of fudge Ruby won for her tiara. I've already started filling these pockets. I'll share when I get going properly. Thank you again Sarah, they're brilliant!

I also won a book this week from Graeme's blog. You should really check him out if you like books. He holds regular giveaways both UK and international, I've won twice with him. He reviews a right old mixture from comic books to fantasy to horror. Anyway - I won this one. A horror that his review assures me will leave me looking over my shoulder long after I finish it. I shall let you know what I think *g*

I am a bit behind on my blog reading and hadn't seen Graeme's post announcing the winners. I was literally hand down toilet scrubbing away when the postie knocked so this really brightened that day for me.

Next is the pair of blackbirds that have been visiting our yard. We think it's a dad and child. Goodness knows what they find out there as we only have two tiny troughs but they keep coming back. I've started leaving some bits out for them and keep trying to get a photo but when they see movement they shoot off. Their antics are so funny to watch. We've just been standing at the window making up the father/son dialogue you can almost see passing between them.

Other things to make me happy this week are lovely enquiring emails from people wondering where I was - thank you :) Loving how a 3 year old embraces the rain rather than complaining - jumping through puddles and dancing. Our stupid dog Cooper and his overly dramatic presenting of his backside or ear to people and freezing on the spot till said body part is scratched. Honestly, freezes like a statue and just has this look as if to say "I'm waiting?" Almost a whole week has passed without Phoebe doing some kind of injury to herself... we still had ripped school trousers and stained clothes, holes in her shoes... but no injuries! Woohoo! And a visit to Hastings to see Craig's parents which is always lovely.

How have you been? Why not stop by Virginia's and play along? Thank you as always for stopping by :)

Gauche Alchemy Design Team Call

Exciting news is afoot. Gauche Alchemy has put a call out for new design team members. I've been on their team for nearly a year and can honestly say it's been a blast!

GA don't pigeon hole their designers - they want you no matter what you create whether you work with paper, paint, fabric, canvas, clay... do you think you could rock their found object/vintage awesomeness? Have you got a bit of snarkiness in your soul? Give it a shot! I didn't think for one second I had a chance but I applied anyway! And the crazy fools took me on - why should you be any different?

Blatantly nicked from the GA post.

Head on over to the Gauche Alchemy blog for all the details. Deadline for entries is July 5th 2011. Good luck everyone :D

Thanks for stopping by!

Rocking My World Friday...

...look if I did it on Friday you would all die of shock and I don't want that on my conscience.

Happy Friday (actually, Saturday) everyone!

First of all - My Rocking week was kicked off by you lot last week. I almost didn't post my last Rocking Friday and so very nearly pulled it many times. Thank you for all your comments and emails, I'm so glad I did write it in the end and you really all just blew me away. There was serious sniffles this side of the screen I can tell you. Thank you. Again.

Much more positive this week.

Lots of talking still with Craig, who also happened to hit the dizzying heights of 30 on his birthday this week. Yes he's my toyboy, 4 years younger. Lots of positive action and thinking this week. Lots of plans put into place too. I can't really share the biggest one yet but, if it happens - I definitely will. Other stuff like his encouraging me to start scrapbooking again, ordering some canvases to get me painting... keeping the kids busy so I could get the Gauche Alchemy newsletter out... it all adds up and all the encouragement is so appreciated. Love you Craig! (Yeah - he lurks on here!)

Charity shop book bounty! Look what I found today - one for me and one for my Dad! Woohoo! Both hardbacks!



Phoebe, after spotting handmade journals on Pinterest, setting to work with scraps of cards, cardboard envelopes, masking tape and paper...

Her room was tidy when she started!

I'm not allowed to show you her journal till she's done the cover nicely. But I'm just loving the enthusiasm. In fact Pinterest has inspired all of us this week. just loving it - I've found so much inspiration on there from journals to art dolls, found loads of scrapbook pages I love the style of - check my post below if you wonder at what I'm rambling with there... I love these the look and style of  Project Life. You can't buy the 'official' albums or protectors here in the UK yet so I am going to have a bash at doing my own version. This is what I was talking about - this is what I was seeing in my head! Including everything in the pages - the girls pictures, the stories of our life... I'm so inspired!

Even Craig has been agreeing when I shove ideas under his nose about what to do in the house (courtesy of Pinterest) he's sort of agreed to a wall or almost a wall of bookshelves in our living room! I can't tell you how excited that makes me - we have one diddy book shelf on our landing that we all share at the moment - there is a teensy (huge) amount of overspill onto the floor! Books are such a big thing in our house.

Next up...

If you've got kids you know where I'm coming from here. Oh the stains, the wrecked clothes... I've tried everything from the most expensive of stain removers to the cheapest. Let me tell you this - TV adverts lie!

Ruby stained one of her nicest dresses with baked beans while we were out today so on a whim we stopped off at the 99p shop and this is what they had in stock. Didn't expect much really, expected to consign another nice item to the ever growing rough play pile...

Brilliant. Just brilliant. Do you see a stain in the background fabric above? It was covered from neck to hem! You can see it faintly, if you take it into the daylight and scrutinise it up close. You really have to know the stain is there to see it! I'm so impressed - am going back to stock up!

What else? Lets see... reading stories to Ruby at bedtime, sunshine and warm breezes, cuddles on the sofa, my dying flytrap coming back to life after a massive pruning, making full use of our Port Lympne passport with another day out yesterday, a tall icy glass of lemonade and lime in a pub garden, barbecued veggie burgers... oh, Devvie my teenage eldest standing up for Phoebe her arch nemesis 10 year old sister in a disagreement... history was written that day! Stopped a looming row in it's tracks as we all, Phoebe included, were stunned into shocked silence! ... Oh so many good things to think back on this week.

Thank you again for coming back each week and for any comments you might leave... How was has your week been? Why not drop by Virginia's and play along?

Scrapbooking

Hi all,

I'm becoming very aware that my memory is atrocious and getting worse. So with that in mind and the fact that I have zillions of photos not getting looked at on my hard drive... I've decided to try scrapbooking again. Document my photos before I forget what they are showing.

I became quite disenchanted with scrapbooking, I never could find my style. After the initial excitement at discovering all the cool products out there I quickly realised that my trying to emulate people who cram billions of pounds worth of product onto a page (OK, slight exaggeration there, but you know what I mean) was not the way to go for me. Pretty to look at on screen but I had no clue how to store them and I didn't like my own pages like that, they just didn't ring true.

Plus I'm a cheapskate.

So looking back through the one solitary album that I did fill in the short time I scrapbooked - over a year ago now, I've picked out the few that I do actually like...

Looking at them makes me realise that although in other arty crafty areas I'm all about the grunge and throwing everything within reach at something and hoping it sticks... and then gluing and painting some more... perhaps in scrapbooking I'm all about the pictures and maybe trying to concentrate on the story.

Keeping it simple.

So my challenge to myself is this:
Actually start scrapbooking, which means physically printing or ordering some photos.
Use only the stash I already have which should appease the skinflint in me. What embellishments I don't have will be made, won or swapped.
Journal - don't think about if it sounds cheesy or not to anyone but me - sharing on here is simply that, sharing. Really - the pages are for us here in this house, why do I worry what other people might think? No, I don't know either.

Thanks for stopping by and reading my ponderings  :)