My "effort" with Fimo.

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Well folks, here is a perfect example of why the saying, "Leave it to the experts" was invented. I would like to introduce you to my rabbit "Smudge"....you'll find out later why i gave him that name.
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Yes it's my attempt at Maddy's great Fimo Easter rabbit tutorial. The tutorial was great, even a guy like me who has the clay modelling skills of a drunk chimp....who had it's arms in a sling....could follow it with ease. I would like to add that as Maddy lives 250 miles away from me at the moment, she did not help me with this....she was cooking dinner during the whole process!
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What amazes me when i watch Maddy do her thing with Fimo, is how she keeps it so clean!? I'll let you into a little secret folks, Maddy's craft room is never going to be the kind that you'll see in these books about organised scrap rooms.
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She has the stash, she certainly has the talent, but unlike the ones that look so clinical and as though nobody ever crafts in it like in the mags, Maddy's craft room usualy looks like 50 burglars have been in.....with all their mates!!! :) It is well used and looks like it too. So how on earth she manages to keep her Fimo spotlessly clean i do not know!
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I dropped mine on the floor about ten times, accidentally dug my nails into his teeth, which by the way are rabbits teeth and not a walrus.....but i did really enjoy making this little fella.
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So a big thank you to Maddy for sharing this tutorial, i'll be passing it on to my girls....then when they look less than impressed with dads efforts they can ring Maddy and get expert advice! :)
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If i could pass on my tips that i've learnt during this project it would be....
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1. Don't drop white fimo on a carpet and expect it to come back clean.
2. Licking your finger and trying to rub off dirty marks just makes it worse.
3. Remember to use oven gloves when removing the plate from the oven. Ouch!
4. Don't put the plate straight into the fridge to cool down, it burns the plastic on your shelf.
5. Don't attempt to use Fimo at the same time as eating a chicken curry, prawn crackers and sesame seed on fried toast....it kind of counteracts all the times Maddy instructed you to wash your hands!
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Thank you to my friend Oliver who owns my local craft shop Emerald Crafts, your Fimo was put to good use as you can see! :)
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Thanks for looking....now go try one yourselves!!! :)

Fancy a wabbit for Easter?

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How great is this little fella?!!!
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I'm always blown away by my partner in crime Maddy's Fimo creations, this time she has made this fantastic Easter rabbit out of Fimo, and look at the great box that it comes in!
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His name is Herbert, and on Monday he is going to be free to win on blog candy at Maddy's blog. You can get the box that he comes in too.
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Now if you're like me and have the Fimo skills of a drunk badger, you'll be thankfull that Maddy has done a tutorial on how to make your very own simpler version of an Easter rabbit. Here is what you could make if you go and see the tutorial that's on Maddy's blog now....
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For anyone who has never done one of Maddy's tutorials before, i'd totaly recommend it. Not because i'll be a battered hubby if i don't.....but because the tutorials are so easy to follow even a monkey like me can do it! :)
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Also, if you do get stuck or need any help along the way, why not pop a question in Maddy's chat box at the side of her blog, she'll hopefully get back to you asap.
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Thanks for looking.

Fiskars 18 piece scissor set.

Hi everyone :)

Today i wanted to show you my new set of Fiskars paper scissors that i bought from Create and Craft the other day. I know most of you will have some of these scissors in your craft room, but maybe you are like me and have only ever bought the rubbish ones in the past, you know the ones that break in five minutes or don't cut properly.

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I've paid as much as £3 for a single pair of poor quality scissors in the past, yet these were a total bargain at £14.99 for 18 pairs, that includes the great perspex storage stand.

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So straight on with the scissors, here's a few pics to show you the edges that you get...

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May i just say what great quality these scissors are, they cut cleanly, the plastic handles do not feel like they are going to snap any minute. At under a pound each, this is a great addition to the craft room.

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The stand is solid and has a hinged lid that closes, ideal for keeping your scissors clean and dust free.

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When i bought these, i had my kids in mind, they will love these different edges and what with all the projects they are doing at school at the moment, they will be able to create so many different effects.

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Then again, whilst having a play with these this morning, i can see they will be great for someone like me who has limited edge punches and tools like Nestabilities. Also, with the various wonderful colours that they come in, what craft room wouldn't be brightened up with a set of these sitting on the table?

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Thanks for looking. :)

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Edit: I know this is probably obvious to you ladies out there, maybe most of you guys too, but i will have to point out something with the scissors. I was a bit miffed because the mini scallop scissors didn't give me a typical bumpy scallop edge, so Maddy pointed out that if i turn the scissors around....you get a different edge!

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So as Sarah C rightly pointed out, i actualy get 36 pairs for my money! :)

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Typical women....always right!!!

The mystery of the missing muffin!

Hi everyone :)

A little late in posting about Valentines Day, but theres a reason for that.

This year was a little different on Valentines Day, as Maddy asked me not to get anything for her because i send her goodies so often anyway. I wasn't too happy about this but said as long as she didn't get me anything either i'd go along with it.

So that was the plan, until a certain mischievous monkey said she has posted me "just a little something"! She assured me it wasn't much, it had cost less than a pound, so i waited paitently for this mystery gift to arrive.

Well a week passed and nothing, a week and a half and still nothing, so Maddy was by now planning revenge on the postal service! She explained that she had bought me a Valentines muffin as she knows how much i love chocolate muffins with icing on. She has made a lovely box for it, not too girly just simple enough to house a nice prezzy for a guy.

So the postman he brought nuffin....not even my tasty muffin! (i should've been a poet) Anyway on Friday i returned to the house to find the above box in the post...

I love opening gifts from Maddy, always something to look at and be inspired by....

I was like a kid waiting for the sweet shop to open...then low and behold, there inside was a gorgeous muffin!

The box had survived the 2 week postal journy with just a few bangs here and there, but the muffin was in perfect condition! (Apart from my fingerprint at the bottom)

I have to admit, i was starting to have doubts as to whether or not Maddy had eaten it herself, but she was true to her word and this was a pleasure to receive.

I am now off to find my friend Net who is an expert cake maker, i need advice if this will be ok to eat after two weeks! :)

Thanks Maddy xxx

See you soon! :)

Knitty Nora strikes again!

This time it's for charity though.
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You may remember me talking in the past about my lovely friend Nicki from Switzerland, she makes cushions, quilts and anything else for a childrens charity here in the UK called Kid's Company. Well being the angel she is, Nicki has been on another mission alongside her other great work, and that is to "Wrap up a kiddie", or keep a kiddie warm this winter.
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Many of the young kids that this charity helps, have little or no warm clothing, so they are after people who can knit or sew items for the kids......enter one new male knitter!!! :)
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Although i am not as fast at knitting as many here, i now have a first batch to go out to Kids Company...
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I've done 5 of the larger scarves that will be fine for the older ones there, and today i made two smaller ones for the toddlers. I will be getting these sent off tomorrow, and will start on some more this week, especially the scarves for the little ones.
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I've really enjoyed making these, knowing they will be going to kids. I hate seeing my kids cold, any kids not wrapped up in fact, so these were a pleasure to make. Good practice for me too.
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If anyone out there is interested in helping out with this, here is Nicki's website that tells you all about what she does, on there you will also find the wrap a kiddie page.
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Thanks to Nicki for her ongoing inspiration, apparently there is 24 hours in a day, but i swear a certain person upstairs must have given Nicki many more in order for her to do all she does!

Like my new white Bind It All?

Well not quite new......some of you may remember me moaning like a goodun about the "pinky" nature of my new BIA a while back.

I stored it in the window of my craft room for the summer, and the sunlight has faded the colour just about completely off! It's kind of an off white.

I'm thinking about inking it, but might just keep it as it is......it's better than girly pink anyway :)

Cool eh?

A recycled mirror, fit for two princesses.

Yes that's my hand getting in on the action! :)

Here is a really quick project i did for my girls bedroom, took just one night of drying paint, and a few minutes of adding some pretty bits to jazz it up....oh and of course a saying fit for the moment....

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This is actually the second time this mirror has been recycled. First time, a few years ago, Maddy's daughter, Sophia rescued this cane mirror from the local rubbish dump. It was bare and battered so she gave it a makeover with cans of spray paint and then covered it in fairy lights and paper ball lampshades. She gave it to my girls, who loved it had it in their room for a few years.

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However, like most stuff in a kids bedroom, it had seen better days, so recently i sanded it down to the cane again, stuck a coat or primer on it then a couple of coats of white matt emulsion paint on it. I just love how the cane looks now it's painted, simple, yet effective.

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Add a few blooms and ribbon here and there for extra femininity, and hey presto....

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Probably the quickest thing I've altered ever, not much too it really, but it will see them through a another couple of years of doing their hair and slapping on make up!

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Thanks for looking. :)

A creepy inking session!

Yes i know, slightly odd i know. :)

It's been a while since i used my beloved alcohol inks on anything, so i decided to finish a project i started a couple of months ago. An alcohol inked skull.

My inspiration, although much more attractive to look at than my mess here, was a piece of art by the artist Damien Hirst. "Cornucopia" as the art is entitled, is a group of skulls painted in many colours with gloss paint on plastic skulls...here's the exhibition piece at the British Museum...



I loved the way he took a normaly morbid item, and made it a pleasure to look at, so i thought i'd have a go with what i had in my craft room.

Well you are probably thinking, "how hard can it be to ink a skull?" Very hard as it happens! First i painted the skull white with white Stazon ink...lots of it! Then i needed to get layers of clear ultra thick embossing powder onto the skull evenly. For those of you wondering what i was doing with a skull in my house, it was a resin one i got from ebay.

Not as easy as it sounds, lots of dabbing with an embossing pad, until i realised the pad was not up to the job, so i painted embossing pad ink onto the skull. Now when you melt the powder with a heat gun on card, it's flat, on a skull however it runs everywhere. So i had to hold the skull with either my hahds or pliers (depending how hot it got), and gradually add the ink colours and extra layers of UTEE.



It's like coloured glass, and like all alcohol ink projects, i love the way the colours are unpredictable when you apply them. You just never get the same effect twice.



The whole thing took me probably took about a week in total, i kept going back and forth to it as it was a nightmare to do.



Damien Hirst's work is most definately an aquired taste, and a lot of his work i bit macabre, but Maddy says he has always been that way. It is a small world indeed, Maddy used to go round his house when she was younger, she was good friends with his sister. She says he had his artwork all over the place and he was really good. He seems to have done ok for himself anyway.

Whilst my effort may not fetch the many millions of pounds that Damien Hirst's go for, i like to think it will grace the shelves of my craft room for many years to come, and one day maybe make at least £2.50 at a car boot sale. :)



Thanks for looking, i hope you like the colours, it just goes to show that there is little you cannot ink!

And a couple more....

Wow this is addictive!!!



Once i sorted out the right needles and adjusted the width slightly, i did two more scarves yesterday, so now the girls have a couple to choose from.

I have started one with different colours, it looks better than on screen, it would make a nice mans scarf maybe.



Maddy says she has become a knitting widow, she says i came up here to help her through the cold snap we've had here in the UK, but instead ive just knitted lol. I'm sure it's not like that at all, and it's not like Maddy hasn't been sat right next to me knitting away like a mad woman as well!

I think i'll have a look around the net tonight to see what other nice wool there is, i'd like to knit the girls another scarf but with something a bit more special, funkier even. Any recommendations most welcome.

Bye for now. :)

My first ever piece of knitting!!!

Well here it is....after many attempts to get the hang of knitting, i have finally done it! For a few years now i have gone through phases of trying to master the art of knitting, just to make something for my girls really, but until now it has always got the better of me.

So this week, after much help from Maddy and her daughter Sophia, i have managed to complete a basic scarf for my youngest daughter. Using chunky wool it allowed me to get somewhere quicker with the results (thanks Sophia for that tip), and i really enjoyed it.



I need to learn to relax a bit more when i knit, i think thats why the scarf feels a bit stiff, and my needle holding technique is "interesting" to say the least, but it seems to work ok for me at the moment.

I'm looking forward to making a few more scarves for my girls, and at least now they can choose their own colours.

Thanks for looking.:)