WOYWW143!

Good Morning fellow WOYWW-ers! (and just as good morning to those that don't play, of course!)
If you have no clue as to what I'm on about, hop on over to Julias Blog and have a look at all the hundreds (yes really!) of crafty workspaces that are being shared today! Take a peek or play along, its great fun...
My desk this week.... it's the aftermath of a painty session....

I had finished a magazine project using colours out of my normal comfort zone....namely browns and creams with a smidge of pink thrown in. Actually found I really loved the combo, so carried on with the paint after the project was done to make things for me!! This is the mess afterwards....trial stampings, dirty sponges and all! What did I create? This........

Thought the dots looked a bit rain-like, so out came a stamp I haven't used before, this lady is a KatzelKraft image. Have to admit to altering it a bit..the original image has a big gap in the umbrella handle, so got out my fineline pen and joined up the ends! Do you do that? draw in extra bits to suit yourselves?!!

I also put a teeny point on the top of the brolly......!
Changing the subject..... Last week you may remember I showed you some jewellery sets I made for my friend to choose from? Well, true to form, the 'overwhelm the customer then they'll buy more than they originally wanted' selling psychology worked......she chose two sets! The black and also the dragonfly one which I think was most popular with you lot! Thank you for all of the lovely comments about the jewellery, much appreciated!
OK, busy busy.......lots of desks to go look at!
love Trish xx

Workshop Sat 3/3/12

Bit late posting the sample for next Saturdays class......but I'm up to my ears in deadlines.....not to mention the back to back classes this past weekend! Great fun, but can't deny I was in dire need of a sit down by Sunday evening!
This coming weekend its notionally a workshop to play with DMC Memory Thread. Fab stuff, feels like cord, but the flexibility and staying power of wire. Loads of good colours too! My problem came when I started planning in detail and realised that to accomplish the projects I had in mind, it would take up metres and metres of the stuff, so would work out waaaay too expensive for a workshop!! So, the class is now more regular wire and less memory thread! This is one of the things we're creating....

(Which also qualifies for my 'no paint this week' challenge I've set myself!!)
The turquoise petals are the memory thread! Inky background, tissue tape border, then the wire flower!

The centre is one of my new favourite things...... my boss at the craft shop ordered what were supposed to be wooden buttons, but when they came they had no holes. Bit useless as buttons frankly, but FABULOUS as centres for flowers if you cover them in text paper and tinted Glossy Accents!
We'll be making something else too......but until I've finished and posted two mag projects, I'm not even thinking about the other sample!!
love Trish xx

Mothers Day 'Non-Card'....for Calico Crafts

Another week, another DT project from me over at CALICO CRAFTS !!!
And another sneak peek because I'm mean like that...you'll need to pop over to the DT blog to see the whole thing!

I've made an accordian tag panel, with acetate and, of course, lots of lovely painty layers! Perfect for your Mum for Mothers Day, and to display all year round.
As usual, I've done a very thorough step by step for you, so you can see how it was all done.
Why not go and take a look?!
Love Trish xx

WOYWW142!

Good morning all those out there in WOYWW land!!! For those who don't know, that's Whats On Your Workdesk Wednesday.....a marathon bloghop organised by the fabulous Julia over at The Stamping Ground . Post a link to what's happening on your creative space this morning...then go and visit the hundreds of others who have done the same thing! Great way to pass a few hours, taking a peek into lots of crafty spaces!
So..without further ado, my desk this week....

My jewellery desk, as I'm deep into panic-production -line mode! The necklace half made is part of a set I'm making for a friend. She wants a pressie for her Mother in Laws birthday....the brief was not too chunky, not 'bonkers' colours (booooooooo!) and something that will go with anything. I've made three sets, and she can choose which she wants.....which do you think? The set that the unfinished necklace will be part of....

Or..... a more neutral coloured set........

Or..... more brown and crystal-y with a dragonfly.....

Have to say all are a little too subtle for me personally, but of course the customer is always right! I'm taking them all round this afternoon (when the necklace is done!), so will find out then!
Until then....I'm off to look at all the fabulous creative mess out there!!
Love Trish xx

Look no paint!

A challenge to myself..... no paint for a whole week!
Cheating slightly in that I'm now up to my ears in jewellery stock making, so will have less time than normal for the messy side of things! However, I've started as I mean to go on.....

Spray ink background, purple and turquoise that have gone a very deep shade of blue that I wasn't really expecting when mixed together! Sprayed over a mask as you can see, then the mask was flipped over and used to print in sections. Regular ink (VersaMagic) used to stamp the dots/lines etc. The wooden star was covered with text paper then sprayed with the same inks...the colours have stayed a bit more true to how I thought they should be!

As I like to do, I've added a figure and some text....... I LOVE this lady, sadly available no more so I can't use her in published work. Which means that whenever I can, I like to give her an outing!
The word was done with a Dymo...and I have NO idea why the 'r' has jumped..... looks a little rude, don't know why!!

Stay tuned for more non-painty ideas this week!
love Trish xxxxx

Beads And Beyond Magazine- March Issue!

is out now!

 My project this month is all about feathers....1920s inspired feathered necklaces to be precise! For the main project I scaled down a flapper head-dress type thing and made it into a short necklace..... and for the variation I made this....

A long pendant... I cut the feathers to size (not a plan..the phrase 'spitting feathers' was very apt..they go EVERYWHERE!), then glued them together at the top. Lots of wire with crystals wrapped around to hide the glue, then attached to a large silver ring. Long ball chain to complete. Closeup of the crystals....

(and thats not glue you can see..its a feather bent in on itself! Bad pic, sorry!)
Have a look at the Beads and Beyond Magazine Website for more details!
love Trish xx

CR84FN48- Colour challenge time!

I do love these colour challenges (and not just because I made the top three with the last one.... woo!!)
I really like having a colour palette to play with that might not be something I'd go for by choice! Now with this one, those that know me might think its so up my street its silly. I mean, green and purple? together? oh yes...bring it on! But hang on......grey too? Now here is another shade I rarely use. So, its another challenge! Fabulous!
Here is what I made....

Very much a typical Trish creation! Painty background, stamped figure and an odd phrase! Lots of texture on this piece....

and the figure is a first time outing for one of some new stamps that just arrived! This one is an Art Journey image. Love the moodiness, she looks so grumpy!

To join in the fun, why not pop over to the CR84FN challenge blog and have a look at all the creations! So much variation in styles and interpretations of this theme, its fab!

Love Trish xx

Simon Says Stamp Challenge...Anything Goes!

Seems an age since I did a canvas...which is very odd as they're my usual 'what to make? a canvas!' medium of choice!
So...a canvas it is....but an out of my comfort zone colour combo...yes, still struggling with orange! Last time, Leandra suggested I team it with turquoise, so I have!

Nice chunky box canvas, which means the sides are a good size to play with too!
The feet are painted wooden beads, and the image is Stampotique. Just love her!

Loads and loads of painted layers, it's a difficult decision when to stop!!

I'm entering this into the Simon Says Stamp and Show challenge....a bit late but there's still time!! Have a look HERE to get all of the details, and to see some fabulous art! Last time I looked there were over 200 entries, so maybe make a cup of tea before you start!!
Love Trish xx

WOYWW141

Happy Day-After-Valentines-Day to you all!!!!
Its that time again, the marathon Wednesday blog hop that is Whats On Your Workdesk Wednesday!
Today will be interesting to see where I end up in the list...I wonder how many other Mums out there took the chance of a half term lie in, so are posting much later than normal!!!
My desk today....

Another painty mess going on! its actually the start of a colour challenge piece, hopefully will get done by the weekend and then posted, if anyone wants to pop back to see!
Something struck me, looking at the photo. So many of my 'essential-can't-create-without-them' items are in the pic its silly! There's paint, heat gun, glue gun, brayers (only three out today though!), spatulas for scraping paint onto surfaces, sponges, sanding paper, stamps, black VersaMagic ink, medium..........all of which I reckon I use every single time I create! And lets not forget...Choccy Biscuits!!!! Much needed for when I need to take a step back to look at something and decide what to do next. A HobNob always helps!!!!
Why not hop over to Julias place to see all the other creative spaces!
love Trish x

A Little Extra- for Calico Crafts

Just a sneaky peek of an additional DT project I've done for Calico Crafts !!
No particular theme, just something I was playing around with!

To see the whole thing, why not pop over to the Calico Crafts Blog and take a look!
love Trish xxxxx

Crafty Individuals challenge....Spring!

And boy WAS it a challenge.....pastel colours? me? girly flowers?
That is exactly what a challenge is all about though, and in the end I had a blast making my 'thing'.....
I say 'thing' because I'm not sure what to call this! Maybe stick to the literal, so.....introducing 'Flowers on Springs'!!!

The hearts from plate CI-342 were stamped multiple times onto painted cardstock and acetate, then cut out and assembled as flowers.

  I covered a base with text paper, then painted a background using the same colours. Both flowers and base were sprayed and splatted with silver Krylon. I then made some coils from wire to hold the flowers up, which is when I discovered that coils as long as these won't hold up anything as heavy as stamped cardstock...........!! Plan B, paint some bamboo skewers silver and use them as support inside the coils! Plenty of hot glue to adhere the coils to the base, and then add some butterflies (CI-333) to hide the glue!

Its actually quite sturdy, despite the coils looking like they're going to bend at any minute!
Why not pop over to the Crafty Individuals Blog to see what everyone else made of the theme?
Love Trish xx

Love is In The Air.....For Calico Crafts

Here is a sneaky peek of my latest Design Team project for Calico Crafts!

This is a 'lying down' shot... it's an assemblage that stands up really! To check out what it looks like in its entireity, and to see all the step by step photos on how I made it, why not hop over to the CALICO CRAFTS BLOG !!!!
Have a fabulous Monday....
Love Trish xxx

Bubbles!!!

I made this tag for a challenge, then got sick and missed the deadline to post it! Still, thought I'd show you as I rather like it!

The tag was painted (surprise surprise!) in shades of blue and purple, then over stamped/printed to give some interest. The bubble circles are simple punched out text paper pieces. They weren't going to have black splats on them, but my fineliner decided to throw up all over one of them! And the weird thing is, once there was one splat, I wanted another and I had a devil of a job trying to get the pen to replicate the mess! Will definitely stick to splat stamps in future rather than the real thing!

The text is done using my trusty Dymo. One day I may share about my Dymo obsession...... I have rather a lot of vintage models, including the holy grail of vintage dymos, a 1630 with a script wheel! (Overshare already...now you all think I'm strange!!!!)

This text was done with a new model though, love the font!!
Love Trish xxxxxxx

WOYWW140!!

Its Wednesday.......so its the marathon blog hop that is Whats On Your Workdesk Wednesday!
Pop on over to Julias place to get all the info on how to join in, and to start your many many hours of nosy-ness, looking at other peoples workdesks! Its a wonderful way to spend the day!
My desk today is back to the messy side...... this is the aftermath of an inking session!

 This all came about as a bit of a reaction to all the excited squealing going on in blogland just now, squealing at all of the new products coming out of the winter CHA show. Now, don't get me wrong, I love new stash as much as the next person, and some stuff looks very interesting indeed (!!), but I just thought it might actually be a plan to use more stuff I ALREADY have before planning any more spending!
So.....with that in mind I decided to start with inks. Inks that haven't been out of their drawer for months. My intention was just to play with the colours, and to see where that led....hence all the streaks of colour you can see on the paper I use under all my work! The result.....? Oh my are those inks colourful! Fabulous! So, what made those streaks? The squares I used for this......

Very Very simple.Smooth cardstock swiped with the ink pads, then overstamped with a background design. Punched out squares, then stuck to a white card blank. See what I mean about the colour?! Will DEFINITELY be using these lots from now on!
Last weeks felt necklace didn't get any further......working on a ribbon flower one instead now......BUT I do have a nice beady pic to show you!

 Lots of nearly finished Shambhala bracelets. (That spelling is intentional....law suits are being bandied about all over the place if you use the 'other' spelling......as the word I used is a Buddhist word meaning 'pure land', no way can it be copyrighted!) They all need the ends trimmed and glued, that will get done in one big job lot! Bright and cheerful!


Thanks for looking....
Love Trish xxxxxx

CR84FN47- Colour challenge time!

Another colour challenge over at The CR84FN blog.........and more pastel tones for me to get to grips with!
I made a mini canvas......

Pink, pale blue and red were the given colours to use.....I've added black and white as neutrals.
Paint as my background, stamped and printed to give texture. Little chap is a Cats Life Press image, stamped onto card and cut out before adding to the canvas!

 I really enjoyed this, love that little face!!!!!
Love Trish xx

Simple Neon Valentine....

Simple for me anyway, and frankly I'm not sure.....too much clear space!
Anyway, this links in to the Penny Black Saturday Challenge
The challenge this week is to look at the card shown on the blog, and use it as inspiration. I've taken the format of one colour above and below a dividing line, and also used the colours on the original card.

Paint background, stamped harlequins and stars then a cut out stamped heart.
Easy peasy!

 Penny Black Stamps used: 2690H love Medley, 3881H Sparkle, 1987M Harlequin Background....and I also cut the 'love' word from the classic 'dance like no one is watching' stamp!
Love Trish x

Rustic Valentine.... For Calico Crafts

Bit late posting this today......been ever so slightly poorly in the night so only just surfacing now :(
Anyway......why not hop over to The Calico Crafts Blog  to have a little look at a valentines card i've created.... Here's a little peek, more info and all the details on how to make it are over on the Calico Crafts blog post!!!

Love Trish xx

WOYWW 139!

That time of the week again folks! The mammoth blog hop around the crafty desks of the world!!!
Hop on over to out hostess with the mostess Julia and join in the fun!
My desk this week is my jewellery desk.......

I have been asked to design for a textile jewellery book, so I'm in the process of trying out a few ideas. The felt heart/bead combo will probably end up strung onto olive (or teal, not sure yet) ribbon! Everything else on there is a jumble from other projects and designs I'm working on. I have a selling event looming so I'm trying to build up a bit of stock.....cue arty pic of a load of this weeks bracelet designs..

As you can see, whether its arty stuff or jewellery, colour is my 'thing' !! Don't do subtle, not really!
My jewellery desk is in my studio along with everything else...here it is in relation to the stamp wall I showed you last week....

See the felt hearts etc in the foreground?! For those that wondered about my unmounted stamp collection...yes its much bigger than the mounteds! All the pink file folders you see under the counter each represent a stamp company...each is very full and they carry on out of sight to the right! Clear stamps, not so many.They live in the wicker basket you can see on top of the file folders. Last week, you may remember the blue discs I was turning into my workshop sample? Well, it ended up like this....

Inspired by all those spool designs you see out there, but all cut by me rather that using lots of pre done product. Whilst the ready made stuff is fab, when you're designing for a workshop cost comes into play big time. No point in charging the earth for the class to include expensive kit if you can make it yourself. In my experience the lower the class cost, the more students you attract! Die cut circles, and the tube is a cardboard tube that is normally used to pack fireworks in! yes really! if you search for 'pyro tubes' on Ebay, you'll see what I mean. Cheap as anything and do exactly the same job!
This workshop is scheduled for Saturday 18th February, there are still spaces available!!!
Phew, long post this week! Off to peruse all the desks now......
Love Trish xxxx







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