In honour of the Large Hadron Collider ....

... something a bit science-ey today

Some background first - you remember the circle journal I took part in earlier this year with a bunch of online buddies from the UKStampers forum? Well, one of the ladies taking part unfortunately never got her book back - it got lost in the post about half way through the process. It's always upsetting when that happens.

Well, the rest of us - ably led by Hazel - have finally got our butts in gear and arranged to replace the lost book. The brief: make a 3" x 5" tag, and a 3.25" x 5.75" envelope to keep the tag in, with a subject of "headwear / hats" - and send on to Hazel by the end of this month, who will bind all the envies into a book for Petra.

All well and good.

Tag cut - check. Envelope made - check. Hats.... hats???? I don't know where to start with "hats"!

I was really stumped. Until I started thinking about the LHC. And black holes (a re-watching of the Improssible Planet / Satan Pit Dr Who episodes last night all snuggled up with my lovely boyfriend might have helped....). And how Albert Einstein was often pictured with a fedora style hat.

So - I went searching for a quote.

and I found a perfect one :)


.... as one's hat keeps blowing off!"

It's actually a Woody Allen quote, but I reckon it could pass for Einstein's words of wisdom easily enough, don't you? :)

I found the classic photo of Albert on his bicycle (and imagined him furiously pedalling to try to reach the speed of light :) ) and cut him a little hat out of black felt.



I had much fun making the backgrounds for the tag and envelope.

Firstly I stamped my over-used Third Coast celestial swirls and stars using Ranger paint dabbers. Usually when I do this "starry sky" type effect I use just silver and pearl dabbers - but Petra loves colour so I used some colourful pastel paints aswell - aqua, pink sherbert and cool peri. Gorgeous colours.

Once the paint was all dry I sprayed all of the card with glimmer mists in blue, purple, patina and walnut gold. As the glimmer mists dry, the paint on the stamped images resists the colour.

I then overstamped with cool scientific stamps (from Above the Mark and Club Stamp) in bright pink and purple Stazon inks - and finally sponged purple distress ink through stencil waste in selected areas.

You can see the sparkle of the glimmer mists a little better in this close up:

Once the tag had been collaged with the image of Einstein, and his felt hat, I added "wind" swirls with white pigment ink using a Fantastix applicator. The ribbons threaded through eyelets to the left of the tag are to be used to extract the tag from its envelope, but they also carry on the whole "blowing in the wind" feel. I don't tend to add ribbons to a project just for the sake of it - so I like it if they support the narrative in some way.

Oh - and the envelope was finished off with a little wheel thing from Tim Holtz's Idea-ology range of embellishments. It is held on with a brad but the brad back is covered with a small flat magnet, which is what keeps the envelope closed.

This was fun - and I've just realised that it fits this week's Wednesday stamper theme too - which is a bonus :)

I know the new book won't be quite the same as if Petra had got her own circle journal back - but hopefully it will go some way to making up for the unfortunate disappearance of the original journal.

Needle felting is the shizz!!!

I've admired the look of needle felted bits and bobs for a while, but being a pure textile-phobe, I really didn't think it was "for me".

But in true "you have to face your fear to conquer it" style, I signed up for a fabric circle journal this week (eeeeeeeeeeeeeekk!!!) - and so I duly trotted off to Hobbycraft to buy quilting wadding and material and needles and cotton and all that alien stuff :)

While I was looking at said alien stuff, I caught sight of needle felting equipment, and I thought, "I am fearless, you don't scare me" and popped it in my basket.

And you know what? It's FAB! And not difficult at ALL!

Admittedly, my very first experiment was random, and rubbish. See circular blob:

But at that point I was really just experimenting with the mechanics of the felting needle and how the wool sticks together, etc.

The next thing I made was the heart on the canvas up there ^. It was really just another experiment - and if I made another I would use more wool, as it's rather flat - but I was pleased enough with it to want to do something with it. So I plopped it on a quick canvas with some grungeboard wings.

(standard disclaimer goes here - the flash has nobbled the colours - they go together better IRL honestly - the lines on the wings don't show up that much really - blah blah)

Then tonight I thought I would be really brave and try something 3D. The reason bravery is required is that this involves a much higher likelihood of stabbing yourself in the finger. and I did indeed do so. 4 times. ouch. ouch. ouch. ouch.

But it was worth it - because I made a little bead and I really like it.

It took a while, though, so at this rate I'll have a whole necklace by Christmas. 2010. :)

All you have to do is form some fairly rough wool woving (I used Corriedale) into a loose ball shape roughly twice the size of the required bead. And then poke it all over with a barbed felting needle until it shrinks and firms up. You can leave it at that or add more roving to make patterns, as I did with this one. (The dark green was the base bead - the light green and orange are Merino roving felted onto the surface)

I'm looking forward to making more felted pieces to use in my fabric journal.

A girl can't have too many hobbies, eh? :)

Cousin Swap

No - it's not like Wife Swap :)

I have a good online buddy in the not so united states of America called Paula who I met via the Green Pepper Press crusades. We have a ton in common, even down to grand-daddies from the same little bit of British coastline, so we decided a while ago that we are obviously long lost cousins :)

When I launched the UK Art Raffle at the beginning of August, my cousin there was a bit fed up that she was ruled out from joining in on the grounds of, well, not being anywhere near the UK basically - so we decided to do a 1 on 1 special cousin swap.

Fast forward to today, and Paula has now received her surprise parcel, so I can finally blog what I made for her :)



I had a lot of fun making this book - Paula's just like me, a teenage goth/punk/metal girl who has cruelly been trapped inside the body of a not-quite-so-teenage-any-more mum of many :) So I basically made something that I would like, and figured cousin-o-mine would therefore like it too. And my logic worked a treat.

The book was made from scratch using my Bind It All machine. I made the covers from plain chipboard - hand cut into a gothic arch shape. They were covered in black tissue paper, crumpled then roughly flattened back out and stuck down with PVA glue. Once the glue was totally dry I sponged interference paints in red and purple over the top to accentuate the texture of the wrinkled issue paper.



The end papers inside the covers were made with glimmer mists in reds and purples to complement the interference paints used on the outside of the book. They are nice and sparkly.

The gargoyle embellishments on the front and back of the book were made using Stampbord squares. This stuff is possibly the best stamping surface ever. I coloured the squares first using distress inks and glimmer mists, and then stamped the gargoyles (Third Coast) using black permanent ink. The great thing about Stampbord is how you can etch back into the clay surface - so that's what I did next, adding white highlights and some cross hatching around the gargoyles.


The pages inside the book alternate in direction, and are all cut from different papers, some handmade, some glittery, some textured - I wanted it to be really interesting, even empty.



The final touches were the words "cuz to cuz" embossed on purple metallic tape on the inside back cover, black shrink plastic embellishments stuck to the back cover (made using a sun punch), and a corset style fastening for the front of the book made by threading a purple satin ribbon through black eyelets.

I'm glad that Paula likes the book as much as I did :)

Playing with some new stamps

I got a new plate of Cherry Pie Halloween themed stamps this week, and wanted to have a quick play with them this afternoon, in between washing Bestival mud out of clothes and children.

Everyone is going crazy for the "Bandana" technique at the moment - and I think this is the closest I'll get to it, as I'm not really crazy about the all out doodles and dots thang.

I wasn't at all sure about the white pen - I thought I'd ruin the image, which looked just fine in plain black against the blended pigment ink background - but I have to admit it does work. I think the in thing to say is that it "makes the image pop" :)

The photos aren't great as I have just taken them after dark under my kitchen lights with no flash, but you get the general idea.

This really was a quick necklace to make from start to finish - maybe an hour's work in all - but I like it. I'm sure I'll be wearing it at Halloween.

The background is sunset orange, terracotta, cranberry and eggplant pigment inks (Ranger), blended with cut and dry foam onto plain white card. The owl, tree and bats were stamped with black pigment ink over the top. and then I added highlights with a white gel pen to make it look like strong moonlight was shining from the top right.

I cut the piece of card into two 1" x 3" sections (the size of a tall piece of Ranger memory glass - like a microscope slide) - the piece with the owl on became the front of the necklace, and the tree branches that extended out to the right of the owl became the back.

Then I sandwiched the stamped pieces between memory glass - clear for the front and frosted for the back - put them into a Ranger memory frame in black patina finish.

Finally I needed something to hang it from. I tried it with various silver and pewter chains, but nothing seemed quite right. So instead I got out my beading board and laid out a pattern of very dark blue seed beads and rectangular black matt glass beads, which seemed to work. A couple of dalmatian jasper beads at the center of the necklace either side of the pendant, and a nice patina'd clasp that mached the frame well, finished it all off nicely.



I am looking forward to making more necklaces with the Ranger memory frames - they are so easy to use but look so professionally finished. Maybe a square one next time....

Well, that didn't quite go to plan!

We're home early from Bestival :(

I don't like to be a quitter, but the weather made it unworkable really :(

A month's worth of rain on the first day of the festival turned the place into a total mudbath. These pics were taken in the campsite, which was one of the LEAST muddy bits!

I think we made the right decision to leave on Saturday, as I have since read that since we left the BBC Introducing stage has been closed down (and most of the bands I wanted to see - Cage The Elephant - Noah and the Whale - Pete and the Pirates etc - were on that stage). So has the Comedy Tent, and various others.

None of the children's activities were up and running - as they were all outdoors - a couple of the camping fields have had to be evacuated because of floods - all a HUGE pity as it would have been a brilliant festival if the weather had played fair.

But that's the risk you take with the British summer I guess.

My particular low point was slipping and falling face first into the mud on my way to see Pendulum on Friday night - thus ruining my last change of clean clothes on the first day! By the time I had got back to the tent and cleaned the mud out of my hair, eyelashes, nostrils and mouth (it was sooooooo naaaasty!!!!) the band were near enough finished :(

So I didn't get to see a single band that I liked, and all I have to show for a fairly huge monetary outlay is a pile of muddy washing.

Gotta see the funny side, ain't ya :)

To be fair - there were some ok bits - we all enjoyed playing in the miniature village :) Darbs proved he is king of the mazes. We caught a tiny bit of one band on the BBC stage before it was shut down who were very good and they gave Darbs an airhorn. No idea who they were though! (I had to leave after a couple of songs because it was raining so heavily poor Connor couldn't see a thing as his glasses were getting constantly rained up - need to get him some little windscreen wipers :) )

And the tent was very cozy and we were warm and dry while hiding in there. Kudos to the Tangerine Fields people for doing a great job.


Oh - and the wristbands were nice and comfy :)

I'm off to Bestival....

... to swim in the mud!

see you on Monday :)

REALLY looking forward to seeing these guys:



and these guys:



and the almighty George:



and who knows, Amy might even turn up!

I do like a hard man with a sense of humour

especially one called Darcy :)

This is our new enforcer. Terrifying, isn't he :) What do you mean, you're not scared???

lol I think he's adorable - and he has a sense of humour too - check out this quote from the Vancouver Sun about his frankly vicious looking doggies.... :

"They are to protect my wife, they're two big killers."

hee hee

"They're loving it here in Vancouver, walking up and down the streets of Yaletown meeting all the other dogs"

awwwwwwww

Alanah over at Kukla's Corner sums it up.....

"Good God… a couple of Shih Tzus and an affection for walking them around freakin’ Yaletown is the kind of double-whammy confession that would get most guys stuffed into their lockers, wearing a dress."

lol, bless

this little piece made my morning :)

We have a winner!!!!

Yay!!!!

The first UK Art Raffle winner has received her mystery parcel :) :) :)

Congratulations Pat aka Pinkfairy!!!

Please do check out the gallery - everything entered was SO good!!!

Oh and cousin o' mine? You're starting to scare me slightly with the threats of enforced doorstep tattoos :D :D :D But yes of course you can sign up using my address if you would like to play :) (and your top secret pressie went in the post yesterday...)

it's Art Raffle time again

and like the girly swot I am, I have finished my September entry already.

I've got this done SO quick, that you would ALMOST think I knew the theme ahead of time!

This month our theme is Take Flight - and if you would like to take part, please hop on over to the website and sign up - you have just under four weeks to get your piece made and sent in.

Last month's theme of Summer Sun prompted an impressive turn out of 30 entries, and all the artwork submitted was A-MAZ-ING!!!

The prize was sent to the mystery winner today - and as soon as he/she lets me know that it has arrived, I will lift the curtain on the August gallery over at the Art Raffle website, so that you can see for yourselves the amazing range of entries. I was genuinely blown away by the amount of talent there is out there.

Here's a little teaser:


Even all blurred up it looks like something you'd love to win, huh?

In a nice purty box like this?:


Well then, you'd better take part this month then :)

You got to be in it to win it!

Anyway - where was I? Ah yes - my September entry :)

This is a sun catcher type thingy - made from UTEE mixed with flex, coloured with alcohol inks, and encasing a stamped image (Tim Holtz) on clear shrink plastic.

The basic technique is the same as how I made this pendant - the only difference being I drilled the holes after the piece was set, with a little Dremel type drill - rather than using the straw.

I hung it onto some hemp string and added some copper beads.

Please ignore my dirty windows in the photos :D

Good luck to all of you who enter the raffle this month.

Happy birthday Bull!

Ryan Kesler, sweet 24 today :)



















and as if he wanted to give ME a birthday gift....follow the link for his first interview for the 2008/9 season. It's good to hear that he is, as ever, raring to go:

Kesler Arrives

I can't WAIT for the season to start!!!!!!

17 days until I get to see my Wildcats back out there. And almost 6 weeks until the Canucks are back in regular season action.

I WANT MY HOCKEYYYYYYYY!!!!

Number cruncher

I am so on a roll with these A-Z journal pages now, I'll be caught up in no time!

The trick seems to be not horrendously overcomplicating them - this was another nice, quick page.

This page - N for Numbers - celebrates my love of maths back in my school and Uni days - it was such a rush to solve a particularly troublesome equation - ahhhhh, sweet memories :)

It also touches on the fact that I am lucky enough to have carried my love of maths into my career as a statistician.

And it's no shock that I have ended up falling in love with hockey, the statistic obsessed sport :)



A quick how to.

I printed some graph paper from the internet, and aged it a little with old paper and antique linen distress inks.

The background is a Paper Artsy numbers collage, masked a little to ensure no overlaps.

The tags were dampened and crumpled and dyed with peeled paint and frayed burlap distress inks.

Each tag was topped with a little torn piece of sandpaper and a piece of 7 Gypsies number gaffer tape - and the appropriate number of small button brads.

Finally, I thought for once I would surround my journalling with the ubiquitous curly brackets - because on this page, they actually make sense :) They were cut freehand from black card.

th-th-th-that's all folks.

Until the letter O.

I got the music in me

And it's yet another A-Z journal page - that's 3 in 2 days!

And I am now officially 50% of the way through my book. Yay :)

This was a quick and easy one - all I can manage on a work night really.

I printed the band / crowd silhouette onto some textured card, sealed it with acrylic spray, and then went over it with a Versamarker pen and embossed with one layer of UTEE (because I like the bumpiness)

Then I sponged various colours of bright dye inks (Kaleidacolor, Adirondack and Stampin Up) into the "air" above the band, and using post it notes as a mask, I made spotlight beams with white pigment ink applied with cut and dry foam.

A bit of black pigment ink sponged around the outside as a vignette, and the stamped / handwritten title, finished it off.

I like how this has turned out - I can see me maybe using the same design one day for a quick teenagers' birthday card - my only regret is that the bottom Bind It All hole obliterated a cool rock hand :)

I am hoping I might even get another page done tomorrow night, fingers crossed.

Finally a bit of catch up on my A-Z Journal

I'm still behind, but now only 5 letters, not 7, and am starting to cultivate a glimmer of hope that I can catch up....

(not that I have the foggiest idea what I'm going to do for O, or for Q.... but will cross that bridge later)

K was a no brainer - this is supposed to be an A-Z of what makes me tick, after all. So K is for Kes.... my Krazy Kanuck Krush :) (ouch)

I was going for a pop art / offset print type of look on this one - but it has just ended up looking like he has kind of mutant shoulders :) Never mind, eh :)

(in reality, he has mighty fiiiiine shoulders, let me tell you :))



The second page features a beautiful photo of my mum, taken by my dad a long time ago. The original scan from my dad's photo album is below.

I used Photoshop to render the photo (extract it from its background), and sepia tone it. Then I printed the picture directly onto a sheet of cardstock that had been crumpled, tapped with distress ink pads in antique linen and tattered rose, sprayed with water and then ironed flat.

After sealing the print with an acrylic spray, I oversprayed it with a light application of Glimmer Mist in irridescent gold and then matted the page onto some paper with a houndstooth check pattern - which appealed to me for this page on my mum because she was such a snazzy dresser - always stylishly and immaculately turned out. So unlike her scruffy daughter.

The journalling for this one is on the back, a bit too personal for sharing.

Even if you have no interest in hockey....

... these video clips are interminably cute

First up - Ovi wants a wife (well did, this is quite an old clip) - any takers?? :)



....and I defy any red blooded woman (or gay man!) not to appreciate the last 30 seconds of clip two, which feature a dripping wet Alex Ovechkin wearing nothing but very tight lycra undercrackers and rather kinky boots.

I don't remember It's A Knockout ever being quite so racy - Russian TV is H-O-T :D



clips courtesy of the Tuvan Hillbilly

and it's live.....

Sorry for all the blog posts today - lots going on!

I am honoured to be involved in this project, I'm in some amazing company!

Go read over the next month (and while you are there if you are new to the Altered Page, have a look back and drool over some of Seth's artwork. His work is an absolute inspiration)

Oh oh oh, looooooooook!!!!!!

For someone who is addicted to trainers at the best of times, this is kind of like overdosing, which in itself is obviously a bad thing, but in this context it's good - endorphin overdrive - whoooooo!!!!!!!



Daps - love daps - of all the shoes on earth, love daps

My favourite CJ entry ever - love that too



On the shoes - look - on the shoes!!!!



My own unique beautiful shoes

Faint *klunk*

Oooh - fences from across the sea....

I've just got home from work to find a large (Tyvek, yay) envelope with a US postmark, with my swaps from the picket fence swap over on the In This House yahoo group....

From left to right my little fences are by Joanie (Maryland), Vicki (California) and Luna (Minnesota)

I love them all - and am going to use them as part of my Halloween decorations this year (I know the third one isn't HUGELY spooky as such, but vintage photos tend to make me think of ghosts so they all work for me.....)

I love getting nice surprises in the post, don't you?

Customised daps???? HOW cool????

Don't worry - I'm not going to order this exact pair :) I'm just playing..... but HOW cool to be able to put your own images on a shoe??? That's my little picket fence girl on the toe, and my Kes stencil on the side lol

I'm going to order some real ones once I decide what I want on them.....

Make your own here!

I don't remember saying these :)

But apparently these are my most famous quotations.....who knew I was such an expert on goats :D

Sarah Harris : Quotations

Drowned rat....

How do you like my new profile pic? lol

That's me, soaked to the skin at Legoland last weekend.

Dontcha just love the British summer? :D