paper, paint, craft stash & grandchildren! equals?

"Nanny I want to make a Witches Hat!" was the request when middle granddaughter and her sister came to visit this afternoon!   Well I made one out of copy paper and it was rubbish - then had a brain wave - thinking out of the box with paint fusion!  - sheet of newspaper, made into a large cone and  painted with black acrylic paint mixed with some watered down pva glue.  (I got that messy job - thank goodness for the wipe clean craft sheet).  This was put into the greenhouse for about 10 minutes to dry in the sun.   It stiffened it up beautifully - a bit like papier-mache!  Youngest granddaughter's hat was a bit simpler to make - just a couple of sheets of A4 taped together (although will confess couldn't remember how to make one at first so had to google it!)

They then raided my craft stash to decorate them!  (Ribbons, jewels, flowers, butterflies - including some of my best butterflies! )So apart from my painting the finished products are all their own work.

The finished hats

Front to the witches hat

 Back of the witches hat

Close up of the youngest's hat

2 yr old granddaughter showing off her finished hat

 5 year old showing off her hat - she said sun was in her eyes - thus the face, and it was also a tad windy!



Easter, Visitors & More ...

I have had the most lovely Easter.  My forum pal/cyber daughter and her husband came to visit arriving the Wednesday before Easter and have gone back today - gosh it is quiet here!  We haven't done a lot really, except perhaps eat, drink and laugh! (and when it comes to the drink - mainly tea!)

Anyway I can now get around to adding my Easter Cards and few other bits.

Easter Cards which were made in a rush the night before the visitors arrived - kept them fairly simply a quick oval punch for the egg, run through my new heart-embossing ribbler, a few bits of ribbon, bows, flowers from stash and a bit of embossing on the card with the hougie board.

  

The first picture is my pal Sassie's first attempt at Paint Fusion,  the second is a picture of the plaques that I painted complete with ribbons, that I turned into some Easter pressies.

 

Easter Sunday tea - eaten quite late in the garden as we were still full up from Easter Lunch (Roast Lamb and all the trimmings followed by Xmas Pud!)   I had made a Simnel Cake - first one I have made for years (complete with the marzipan layer in the middle) and some quick cup cakes - I ran out of time to do posh decoration!  final picture is my pal and her husband relaxing after our Easter tea!

 

 

Today the family joined us for a Chinese Banquet at one of the local restaurants - apart from one other couple we were the only customers in at lunch time!   We had personal service (although as regular customers we always do have good service!)   A few pics of some of the family and our pals at the restaurant - including one of youngest granddaughter asking for more!)

 

Paint Fusion Party!

We couldn't go to Ally Pally today as family were feeling slightly under par - so we held a "Paint Fusion Party"  in the back garden this afternoon.  Here are some of the things we got up to:  My daughter came armed with the pots and I provided the rest.   This was her first time at "Fusion", but it was my granddaughter's second session!

My Artwork:

Burgundy Poppies - forgot to stamp the leaves so they are free-hand free-style!

First attempt at Daisies

Second attempt at Daisies, but First attempt on a pot!

First attempt at a Barge-painting style - the stamp outline didn't take - so basically free-hand!

Daughter Dawn's Artwork

First attempt at Paint Fusion

she then got bold and decided to work on a pot - this is the start of the berries

berries half completed

berries completed

first attempt at leaves

first attempt at blossoms - I told her to overstamp the centre - but forgot to tell her to wipeoff the petal bits before stamping!  oops! The big blossom she did completely free-hand!

Her final masterpiece a crackle finish on a pot to sit in her conservatory painted to match her decor - I painted the Daisy on it for her.  (Gather I have got to add some more around the pot for her!)

Close up of the Daisy I painted on Dawn's pot.

9 Year old Granddaughter's Artwork

concentrating on painting the Daisy

The finished Daisy

We had a fab time - hope you enjoyed looking at our projects.

Flowers & Leaves

I treated myself to the Marianne Designs Creatables - Flower and Leaves - LR0156 from the shop with the wobbly shelves during the week, and couldn't wait to play.  I grabbed a piece of dark green paper to see what the shapes looked like when die cut, and liked the effect so much that I turned it into a card for my Goddaughter.

DL pearl cardstock, Dark green leather effect paper, mounted on silver mirri.  Die cut flower and leaves from more white pearlised card, finished with a diamante centre, and a white greeting and a couple more diamantes - simples, but I love the simplicity!

A blast from the past!

I went to the theatre tonight to see "Spirit of the Dance" with my daughter and her family.  My granddaughter didn't know what she was going to see and you should have seen her face when the dancers came on - it was an apt treat as she has just passed her Bronze Ballet, Tap and Street Dance Exams with Distintion, Honours and Highly Commended in that order.

My hands ached from clapping and my feet ached from tapping - but the highlight of the evening was bumping into my bestest friend from school as we came out - talk about a chance meeting - I was literally standing next to her as we prepared to leave the foyer!  I haven't seen her in well over 20 years although we keep in touch with Christmas cards - I now have her email addy.  The last photo we had taken together was the last day of school in 1960! 

Anyway here is the photo my daughter took tonight!   Can you see I am thrilled to see her!   We always were the long and the short of it - and I have shrunk! (and was actually wearing heels last night! - so have shrunk more than she has!)

Paint Fusion - Poppies

As it was such a gorgeous day - I sat outside this afternoon and prepared 3 wooden discs with crackle finish.

I then decided to attempt some poppies for the first time!

First attempt - red poppies on a crackle background of blue with green and ivory mix of paint over the top.  I wasn't too happy with the finish of the poppies, so having got a better result with the blue ones, went back to this and did a little bit of high-lighting to give the flowers more definition - definitely an improvement on the original painting.  Maybe we will make a painter of me yet!

2nd attempt - decided to do some blue poppies (which I secretly love - have tried to grow them. but without success, although my red ones do very well and I do love them as well).  Background on this one again crackled, but with ivory with a dash of red mix over blue.

I was more confident painting this one.  I used two shades of blue and white.   I really must treat myself to the proper paints - although I am getting better at mixing enough of the colours to do a whole project.

I am quite chuffed with the result really - especially this blue one, as I have always wanted to paint, but never been any good - just need some practise with placing the leaves now!

Chocolate and Cream

Chocolate and cream seems to be my favourite colour scheme this year.  Most of the elements, including the card, came from a Craftwork Cards Goodybag purchased at Farnborough, plus some lovely chocolate ribbon that was around a pressie for OH at Christmas, which has found its way into my stash!  Craft candi centre was from my stash.

The pearlised flowers and the scalloped frame were diecuts in the goodybag, and although you can't see it I have used some of the pretty chocolate paper behind the flower.  I ran the frame through a new purchase yesterday, which I bought half-price in a little craft shop at a local tearooms.  It is a bit like the crinkle rollers you buy - only it has impressed hearts - think this may become a favourite tool, and quicker than getting the cuttlebug out!

If I knew how to enter a card I would enter this for a less is more challenge!

A Lovely Weekend and Paint Fusion!

I have had a lovely weekend - on Saturday we went to bbq and tea to celebrate my youngest granddaughter's 2nd Birthday, which is today.   This morning all the family went out for another mini Birthday Celebration and Mothering Sunday treat for Brunch at Wiston Tearooms, a lovely little place with ducks and animals, etc for the children to feed, and a small craft shop too (yes I did have a spend some housemouse wooden stamps at half price and some punches at half price too!).   I received a JS voucher from my daughter, and a charm from my son for my Pandora bracelet, and a studio photo of the three granddaughters from them both!

My son and family then went off to late lunch to celebrate his daughter's birthday with grandma and family, and then apparently were going on the canal for a cream tea!  However, I had the pleasure of my eldest granddaughter (aged 9) for the aftenoon and we got messy playing Paint Fusion!  so perfick sort of day really.

more piccies of the mini IgglePiggle & Upsy Daisy Cakes on the family heirloom!

The birthday girl blowing out the candle on the Peppa Pig cake her mum made for her

and now for the Paint Fusion Playing:

 Granddaughters first attemp at crackle finish

Her first attempt at Paint Fusion on two colour paint background

She then decided to do some freehand painting!



and then she decided to do the Butterfly - but she just painted the outline normally - and not with two colours on the brush, then overstamped it with one of the Wow embossing powders- clear silver highlight.  Also on two colours background.

and here are my efforts! (don't laugh)!

crackle background and the butterfly overstamped with Nice Ice Blue  WOW embossing glitter - erm yes perhaps Butterflies are not my forte!

Seems I am a leaves a flower painter!  This one was better - centres overstamped and embossed with clear gold highlight  WOW powder.

Iggle Piggle Cakes & Card

It is my youngest granddaughter's second birthday on Sunday.  She is adores Iggle Piggle.  My daughter-in-law wanted to make her main cake - so I offered to make some fairy cakes, knowing that they are all the rage now.   Must confess I don't "DO" fairy cakes as a rule - apart from adding a bit of water icing or turning them into butterflies!  However, at a recent sugarcraft show - everything was fairy cakes, so I treated myself to some cutters (the large cakes) and also a head mould, which I used for the little cakes.  Hopefully the children will think they look like Iggle Piggle and Upsy Daisy! 

The large cup cakes were iced with  Burgundy M&B Paste with a Regalice flower added and a few pink sugar sprinkles.  The mini cakes were iced with Karen Davies sugarpaste - vanilla flavour for Iggle Piggle and Marshmallow flavour for Upsy Daisy.

as you will see these compliment the card I have made for her

The card was created using some Daisy and Dandelion images and put together in MCS.  Iggle Piggle, present and the two cup cakes on the right were decoupaged.   You can't really see it from the picture, but quite a bit of Sakura glitter and clear glaze pens were used on the image.  The sentiment was added to the picture in Craft Artist Platinum.  Just updated this photo as decided to add some flowers to compliment the cakes!