WHAT A WONDERFUL SURPRISE - 12 TAGS OF 2012

You just cannot have missed this, Tim is doing 12 Tags of 2012 beginning today.
What a wonderful Valentine present for all Tim followers. Of course, I just had to have a go.

Once again, I used the same as Tim if I had the stock and then 'made up' the rest. The little cupid is from some pre-cut grungeboard sheets that  I have had for years. How lucky I still had him. The heart is very special because it's one I made at a Suze Weinberg melt pot workshop. I have been so reluctant to use it but as I keep all my 'Tim' tags, this seemed the appropriate time. Still struggling with making baubles but I'm not going to give up instead I intend to master this bending wire into a ring - thing.
Now every month will be special, not just December. How lucky are we??

SUCCESS AND FAILURE

I have crafted all day today so I suppose I had better do some housework tomorrow, yak!!
Yesterday I upgraded to Internet Explorer 8 after trying to change my blog background for the second time in 2 weeks. When I switch on and log onto my blog, the new background works like a blinkie before reverting to the old one, and the instructions advised this upgrade. However, I now can't alter the size of the font, I can't copy and paste anything and I have to keep clicking to open other blogs etc. That isn't the failure bit though.........
Having been on a Suze Weinberg melting pot workshop and finally amassed a stash of UTEE, flex, etc. I am now in a wonderful position to start making embellishments and the like. Today was the day. But..... my melt pot element has given up the ghost and I've only used the thing a couple of times. I think Ranger may just receive an email.
The success bit was a weight off my shoulders. I have been thinking about another chunky book page both whilst awake and asleep!! Today saw the 'heavy metal' page finished - front and back.
yippee!!!! No pictures though. I'll save that one.

THE HAPPIEST CRAFTY WEEK

It's right, this just has to be the happiest crafty week I have ever had.

All the wonderful goodies from Tim Holtz and Ranger, a workshop with Suze Weinberg, the most amazing QVC craft day ever and my Compendium of Curiosities arrived today whilst I was at Lindsay Mason's demo in Chorley. What more could a girl ask for?????

WELL HOW ABOUT THIS

Lindsay got Tim to make this just for me. I am so honoured and excited.

Not only that, but Claudine Helmuth sent me the mini canvass and

Rachel Greig sent the flower post card.

You can see my grin all over the country, it's that big.

MY MELT POT SAMPLES

I've just been on Facebook to see what Suze Weinberg has been up to at the other workshops she was doing before the NEC show, and found out that she was only in Burnley. I wish I had looked earlier because she was working with beeswax, which is what I wanted to learn how to use in the melt pot. She did tell us however, that really you should use a removable project pan for this technique. Anyone know where I can buy one??

I hope the photo I've taken comes out clearly, - not uploaded it yet - 'cos all my piccies have been rubbish lately. Anyway, here goes:

The first thing we tackled was the small frame. We cut a picture to fit and simply poured clear UTEE into the inside of the frame. Once dry, this can be removed to use again and the embellishment can be used on any project, including a jewellery piece.

The large oval face was fun to make. For this you need a greased cookie cutter which you simply place over an image and again pour clear UTEE into the cutter. Once dry, remove the cutter and trim around the picture. I love this sample.

The shiny mis-shaped piece on the right is actually made from a CD! Heat a CD with a heat gun, stamp an image onto part of it using Archival ink or similar, then cut out a shape. Add a few drop of To Dye For to melted clear UTEE and using metal tweezers, carefully submerge the piece in the liquid. Lift horizontally and allow the excess to drip off before placing on a craft sheet to cool and set. This is gorgeous.

We then added some black UTEE to our pot. The picture of the men is trapped between 2 pieces of memory glass. We then put each side into the front edge of the liquid, dragged it forward, lifted it for a second or 2 before continuing all round. This made a fake frame. It actually looks really good too.

The larger of the frames was fun but had I taken more notice before I began (sometimes hard to watch everything at once in a workshop) I would have known to use a rubber stamp with a lot of deep detail to it. Choose one with detail, place a frame over the part you wish to capture and pour the UTEE into the frame. Allow to cool and set for few seconds before removing from the stamp. You could ink the stamp first to give a different look. We then brushed Perfect Pearls over the image and added stickles and beadazzles.

The fun bit came when we each chose from Suze's bag of trinkets, an image with which to make a mould. I first picked out a cat's head - wonder why I was drawn to that? - but then I saw a white face and immediately thought of masks with feathers and semi-precious stones etc, so I picked that. We then blended together the 2 parts of the mould and pour substances and once ready squeezed it round our trinket. This substance is similar to the stuff dentists use to make impressions. It's ready to remove if a nail print does not make an indent. Then we simply poured UTEE into the mould and waited for it to set before removing the mould which can be used over and over again. I absolutely love the face that came out and will be chuffed to use this mould again.

We then added some colours to our pot and once melted simply poured the lot onto our craft sheet and quickly placed cookie cutters into it. It dried really fast and some lovely pieces appeared. Suze gave us all a brooch fastening so that we could super glue it to the back of our favourite piece and hence we made jewellery too.

All in all a really good time was had by all, plus we got an extra hour's class. Can't wait for QVC craft day next Tuesday, when Suze, along with many others, will be demonstrating her techniques again.

MELT POT WORKSHOP

I so want to show you the things I made at Suze Weinberg's workshop yesterday, but my camera is playing up again and only taking blurred piccies. The light is no good now so I will have to wait 'til tomorrow.
The workshop was really good and I learnt such a lot from the lovely Suze. She has a busy week planned leading up to the long awaited QVC craft day next Tuesday, when she will be on air together with her colleagues from the US, but also, our very own Lindsay Mason.
I for one just can't wait for the day to come.