EDITED with DINA news

Holy Moly, where the frikk did this week go..???

I would like to tell you that I am all organised, packed and ready to go. I'd like to but unfortunately I can't, lol..!!!!

I,ve got 14 hours to pack all my demoing supplies, pack my "oh my giddy aunts you can tell shes British" outfits, make sure the VAT return gets returned, completely blitz the Studio ready to walk straight back into next Friday, finish a magazine article, finish my samples for the CHA Booth, go buy Nobby's nuts for the Ranger lads, get some money changed to dollars, find passport, make myself look gorge for The Babe, finish Tim's promised Art Journal, get my laptop fixed, write the email for next weeks Art Journalers, take a load of stuff back to Matalan, eat, drink, Riverdance and what else..??? I,m sure theres something else..?????

Ah yes .... Sleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep..!!!!

laters xx

EDIT....

those of you who were lucky enough to get into Dina Wakeley's portrait class, at mine on Sun 8 th of August you need to pay special attention to these instructions on her BLOG

If you're taking my "painted portraits" class in the UK or Spain...


I love this class, and we're going to have tons of fun! I've taught this class a couple of times & have occasionally had frustrated students because they didn't bring pictures that are easy to work with. The success you'll have in this class hinges on the types of pictures you bring. I've decided to be much more emphatic about what you need...so, please make sure you bring:

**3 to 6 large portraits of you (or whoever you want to paint). For best success, the portrait should:

•Fill the WHOLE page. Enlarge the portrait so it fills an entire page. Seriously, the bigger the better.

•Be of just the face (or shoulders up). It's okay if some of the hair gets cut off, just get the face as big as you can.

•Be printed on a laser printer or be copied on a toner-based copy machine. Ink jet prints will smear. B&W or color is fine.

•If you can print it on cardstock, even better...if not, plain paper will work. Don't be alarmed if your picture looks pixelated when you print it...it will be just fine for this class.

If you don't have a way to get your pictures printed, I am happy to print them on my laser printer & bring them. You just need to email me your pictures BY THIS WEEKEND......
 
So you heard the girl......
 
Enjoy xx

Yayy I can let the cat out of its bag....

I am flying to Chicago on Sunday, very early, flights at 7am, got to be at airport about 4.30 am..!!! The Babe's eyes glazed over and he nearly keeled over at the thought of getting up that early on a day off, lol..!!!

So why am I headed overseas this time..?? Yup, you got it its CHA time. And once again I am working my little  (well maybe not so little at the moment,lol) ass off on the Ranger booth. Very nearly didn't make it as, for some reason the airline cancelled the flights..!! Patti spent hours trying to book me another flight, that preferably cost them less than if they bought the whole plane, and eventually found one. For the price they've paid for it I should be sat upfront with the captain, lol. He who must be obeyed (as if..!!!) took one look at the bill he was presented with and said just one thing...

"You'd better be f**king worth it, monkey..!!!"

Monkey  is a bit of a inhouse joke between us and Tim, but basically it means I have to jump through hoops and be on my bestest ever behaviour. Narr not a frikkin chance, lmao. Dy will be Dy, no matter what..!!! I do try to behave and appear professional at all times (oh ok well some times ), but it never seems to last. I get all passionate about the products and go into giddy kipper mode quicker than you can say "OMG she's completely barking". This usually happens about the time I havent realised that He who must be obeyed, or The Quiet one who must be obeyed, are stood right behind me, lol. Still I think it's always nice to have at least one nutter on the stand at showtime, don't you...??

Anyhow, enough fannying around, what you all want to know is what am I demoing..??? What fantabulous must have product have they released now..??? Heres a clue...

Yup you've guessed it...

Summer 201
Perfect Pearls™ Mists


• 12 dazzling Perfect Pearls Mist shades

• Coordinates with Perfect Pearls Powders used wet or dry

• Available in 2 oz. bottle with fine mist sprayer

• Built-in binder

• Non-toxic and Acid-free


How cool do these look...???

12 yes, I said-- TWELVE--  colours of pearl powder mixed with binders into shimmer sprays. Heres what the press release says about them.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

By popular request, the palette of Perfect Pearls Powders is now available in a fine mist spray! Perfect Pearls Mists expand your paper crafting possibilities—spray a little for a subtle look or a lot for more intense shimmer.

Developed with a built-in binder in a water-based formula, Perfect Pearls Mists adhere to paper, wood, fabric, and more. Use for background papers, with stamps, stencils, masks or as an overall finishing touch on a handmade card or scrapbook layout.

Perfect Pearls Mists can be used to create unique patterns by varying sweeping coverage to make lines, arcs, swirls and more. Create layers of glimmer by spraying multiple colors over a project for striking results.

The mists are available in 12 pearlescent colors that coordinate with our popular Perfect Pearls Powders:

• Interference Red

• Forever Red

• Sunflower Sparkle

• Kiwi

• Forever Green

• Turquoise

• Forever Blue

• Blue Smoke

• Forever Violet

• Perfect Pearl

• Heirloom Gold

• Perfect Copper

Perfect Pearls Mists complement the entire line of Perfect Pearls products which includes Perfect Pearls, Perfect Medium, Perfect Pens and Perfect Fabric Medium.

Visit us at CHA Summer, Booth #431 for more information, Signature Designer demonstrations, Make It Take Its and new project ideas. Perfect Pearls Mists are available in September.

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Woop de frikkin woop.....12 colours of pure shimmer, no dyes , no inks, just pearly shimmers,no mixing it yourself its ready to go with special binders to ensure it sticks to practically everything it touches.
So what marvelously, thrilling and exciting tricks will I be demoing with it..???

Ha ha you'll have to wait and see won't you..??

Oooh not nice, I know, but don,t worry , as soon as I get back I will spill all the beans for you. And you never know, if I happen to fly home with one set clutched into my grubby little mitts, then I may even show you, lol.

So, of course it's a frikkin madhouse here at the moment, samples strewn left right and centre, panic cos I havent even thought about what to pack, and I,m talking art journaling stuff not what to wear, lmao. It will probably all be done last minute on Friday, as usual.

Friday..??? But you're not flying till Sunday..??? Yup, well spotted there, I am having another weekend off (well half a weekend), thats two this year, bejeebuz, what the frikk's going on.. But that does mean I am officially unavailable from Friday lunch.  You can riing me but that doesn't necessarily mean I will answer, lol.

And due to a very large cock up in dates, I don't get back until 5 the following Friday...Doesn't sound too bad , does it..? Till you realise that I start teaching 2 hrs later when the weekend journal workshop starts..!! Yup, I bust my ass in Chicago, I fly home, via outer Mongolia and every surrounding country ( not really just seems that way), land, catch a train, and arrive at The Studio, ready to teach the whole weekend through. Jet lag..??? Hmm have't really got the time for it have I..???

How come you don't think these things through..??? said The Babe.

Cos that would be the sensible thing to do, and I,m not really known for that now, am I,,???

If you are visiting the show, come say hello at stand 431
.I'll be the one covered from head to foot, in ink and shimmer, I will be talking nonstop in my broad Yorkshire accent that you all can't understand, and I will be hopping excitedly from one foot to the other... Don't be scared, just smile and nod every now and again, to fool me into thinking you know what I,m on about,..!!! lmao

Enjoy xx

Just when you thought it was safe...!!!!

Awhile ago when I was in my favourite antique shop, I came across this beaut pair of porcelain hands. They were originally attatched to a wheel that dipped in and out of the solution to make rubber gloves.  How coool is that..??? when the solution dried, the gloves were peeled off ready to use. Well, I just fell in love with them, as you do, lol. But I was already splashing out a tidy sum on a 1914 vintage union jack and a Victorian metal hat box....so couldnt quite justify them at the time. I told, design team member, Kate Crane, about them, cos I thought they were right up her street. But she too couldn,t quite justify all that money. Well the other day I got an email from a practically hysterical Kate...it was her birthday and her gorgeous hubby had secretly bought them for her. Awwwwwwww.!!

Now don't get me wrong , I am absolutely gutted that they are not in my grubby little mitts, but I know she will treasure them equally as much as I would, and I wish them well in their new home..

Here's a journal page she made about them. Preparing the background and collage elements.

Same page with journaling added

Pop on over to her blog to see more of her fantastic work.

Todays workshop was absolutely fabby. We were making clutch purses out of really strong canvas pieces, which we decorated with a combination of paint, ink sprays, doodling.....We also lined them fully with pieces of the stunning My Minds Eye fabric.

Heres 3 of the ladies bags

And the insides

Three more

and three more.....

And heres mine. I have loads of these bags and so this time I thought I would do just a fairly neutral colour scheme.

I lined it with a bit of tattoo flash fabric

added a fabric flower

Big eyelets and suede thonging...perfect...and easy to boot.

you can see all the doodling in this one...

I seem to have got all the ladies hooked, and they are all planning to make tons to match their outfits, l,mao.

Ok on to more CHA news, just look at this launch from Ranger Ink, if you havent checked out their blog, get yourself over there. This will be my ideal accessory..you've seen how clarted up I can get, without even trying, and thios promises to remove it all for you...What more could a girl ask for..???

Well, ok, maybe I could just ask for something else..?? lol

Like the new (yes I said NEEEEEEEEEEEWWWWWWWWWWWWW) collection from the one and only Orla Kiely..goddammit, theres a lot of lady love flying round..

So Babe, if you're looking, any of these will be fine, lmao

Yup I am on Orla heaven, lol.

Enjoy xx

step by step by step by step by step.....

Here we go again. Another, painty, inky, stampy, sticky, doodly Art Journal page, and as promised here it is in step by step's. This is in my large Moleskine notebook, and the double spread is approx 11 x 17 in..

First I glued an old journal page to the left hand side. Yes it is meant to be stuck on upside down.!! well thats my story and  I,m sticking to it..!!!

I then babywiped Butterscotch Adirondack dabber over the pages.

I laid a Crafters workshop template over one corner and sprayed through with Altered Originals spray ink in Granite.

Removed the template and blotted with kitchen towel

I flipped the template over and pressewd the negative image onto another journal page.

I then sprayed the Granite ink through a negative piece of Grunge board

And blotted with kitchen paper.

I mixed Granite ink, Blonde Moments sugar lilac pearl pigment and water into our mister and shook straight away to allow the pearls to emulsify in. I then sprayed quite heavy blobs and tipped the book up to let it run.

As it dries you can see the lilac pearl shimmering away. Fabby contrasts

I then applied my usual, never quite matching the underneath, style of doodling with a black pen.

Then adding surface gesso. First adding rings with a plastic pot.

and then the Dyan wiggle with a splodger.

When the gesso had dried, I slightly oversprayed it with the pearly ink solution.

All the image were from my download sheets, and I turned them into black and white before printing. After cutting them all out I started arranging them on the page.

I stamped the Stampotique girls head onto white card with black Archival ink.

When happy with all the elements I stuck everything down with Claudine Hellmuth multi medium.

Looking good so far.!!!

Nothing is finished in my world till its " framed ",, so a doodled border was called for.

This is my favourite little stamp of Tim's.

You always need a crow with a pointy hat, it's the law..!!!

and a quote...this one came from the magazine I was flicking through.

So there we are...left page

right page...

And a partridge in a pear tree...well nearly, lmao...

Soooooooo, what are you waiting for, grab your inks, pri nt your downloads, forget the housework and come linger in my little world..!!! You never know the voices might like you.., lmao

Enjoy xx