WW #39 - LIFE'S A BEACH

I live near famous beaches and this week's challenge at Wicked Wednesday ATC is 'Life's a Beach'.
This could have been me as a little girl on Blackpool beach, glasses and all -

There were plenty of beach huts years ago but not now. However, they are being re-introduced in St. Annes on the Sea at a price of around £40,000!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Think I'll stick to these little beauties which are some of my lovely friend Lindsay Mason's designs.
The base is mount board covered in mopped up ink from a previous project - don't waste ink on my craft sheet if I can help it. I used some sahara Terra which is gritty just like sand to make the beach and a couple of sand pies. The girl is an acrylic stamp from my stash which I coloured and cut out - wait for this - 'fussy'. I laughed so much when I read that bit on the little tutorial I did for Just some Lines this week. Jenn wrote it in because it means 'close to the lines'. I'm having that as my special word from now on. I also stamped, coloured and 'fussy' cut the beach huts, drew a couple of flags on the sand pies, stuck a few tiny shells at the bottom and 'Bob's your uncle' another challenge card done.
Great fun this.

WOYWW # 161

Nearly didn't join in this week. I got up about 6.20am but my neck has been so sore that I couldn't sit at my computer, especially without my lenses in as I have to lean forward to be able to see the screen, so I went back to bed. Anyway, I've joined in for almost every woyww so it would be wrong to let our leader, Julia down for something like a 'pain in the neck' - not my DH either this time!!LOL
Here is my desk then, it's very exciting - NOT.

Can you tell my neck is sore?? The only thing on my work surface is a lonely little butterfly left over from a tag I made the other day. However, my prize came from Ranger - the summer distress inks, but as I had already bought a set I have put these on Ebay. My heat gun sits in it's place, not plugged in. I never leave any electrical tool either plugged in or switched on if the socket has a switch. I reckon that's why so many go wrong, power surges and all that. Actually, it's really because I am scared of electricity after getting a shock off my grandad's table lamp when I was about 4 years old.
Well, we have another beautiful rainy day here in the NW of England!!!!!! I'm sure my feet are turning into flippers, and my DH wants to go out. He'll have to drive as I can't turn my head, be round to some of yours later though. Bye.

A LITTLE FUN TUTORIAL BY ---- ME, FOR JUST SOME LINES

I was honoured to be asked by Jenn to write a few tutorials for her blog Just Some Lines. If you click the link below you will be whizzed off to see what I did.
http://justsomelinesblog.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/blended-spritz-and-flick-tutorial-by.html

but here is a photo of the finished card.

A big thank you to Jenn for asking me because I had fun.

12 TAGS OF 2012 - JULY

Tim certainly set a challenge today. Not the actual techniques to achieve this month's tag, but where to find my air can!!!!!
In the end I had to resort to using a straw and nearly blowing my brains out apart from almost choking.....However, on the second attempt I managed to make a 'reasonable' background . Obviously July 4th is very special in the US but the colours, red, white and blue have also been special for us in the UK. I therefore decided to go patriotic myself and came up with this interpretation for the July tag -

The flag is one given to me by the olympic torch procession, so glad I kept it.
Thanks for another bit of fun Tim.

SUNDAY STAMPER WK 210 - SILVER

I saw the challenge over at Sunday Stampers and the gorgeous tag that Hels had made and immediately fell in love with the colour combination., so much so that I just spent the whole day in my little craft room having fun.

I began by making some roses. I used the beige papers from the Vintage Shabby stash and coloured them with wild honey DI. I know how to make these little beauties because I've been to a Hels workshop and been shown properly.... haha.

Out came a bit more stash -

My project started to take shape -

I made a couple of butterflies -

and made acetate wings dabbed with silver acrylic and added a twisted silver bugle bead to each for their body.

I sprayed the roses with perfect pearls to make them glimmer and then put everything together -

This is how it turned out - a little bird in a silver cage.
Off to enter it into the challenge now but it's going with me to Devon so, Sylvia,  this is made with love for you....