My bunnies - meet the family...

Okay. So. I have 5 adult rabbits. I have been heard to say they are my daughter's rabbits, but I have to confess, they are mine! One is a blacky grey colour...a sweetie, as they all are. He's neutered and lives with the other neuter who is the largest...a cross breed albino with upright ears. The other smaller albino is oar eared ( one up one down). He is the stud rabbit. Such a lovely inquisitive dim wit. The tortoishell female mini lop is occasionally his girlfriend but his more glamourous wife is the black and white lion-head who he has babies with once or twice a year.

Bind it all demos on you tube

This demo (above) is much better than the dreadful CD that comes with the bind-it-all machine. I laughed so much at it, I didn't learn a thing! I treated myself to the bind it all gadget this week and just need a bit of practice before I work on actual projects...like this one which I love....

ANAGRAMS

If you have some time to waste, this site is fun...
http://www.wordplays.com/fcgi-bin/anagrams.pl

This swap is to be made into a book with other atc's on the subject of Flower Fairies....

Oysters, They make you...er...think!

Check out my Slide Show!

Sparkling Paper Tissue Background FREE tutorial

Sometimes I just can't resist those cheap pots of glitter glue in the kids section of my local craft store. For a couple of pounds you get a massive bottle, and the colours are great! Here's how to use it to advantage with tissue paper and colour wash....

What you need to get this vibrant background paper for collage or atc's is...

Water colour paper - one large sheet

One sheet Coloured tissue paper, larger than the paper

Household bleach

Ranger Adirondack Spray Color Wash, 2 colour or more

Glitter Glue (cheap / kids quality is fine)

Gold Embossing Powder

Large stiff paint brush, nothing special

Heat gun

Scissors

This background sheet is bold and vibrant and VERY sparkly! The technique is great for fantasy themes and gives colour, variety and textured. Shown here in 'hot' shades but works well in greens and blue for a 'sea' quality or how about using purples and black for a gothic look! The whole thing should take about 20mins. Work in a well ventilated area and use gloves when using bleach.

Here we go...

DIRECTIONS - Scruch up your tissue paper. Put a little bleach onto your work surface and dab your scrunched tissue into it. Leave to dry.

Flatten out and spray on your colour wash randomly.

Whilst that's drying, put a few large dollops of glitter glue onto your sheet of watercolour paper and distribute with a brush.

Smooth out the tissue and adhere, rouching it to fit the sheet to give a textured surface. Pat it down. If the tissue rips in places thats fine. To these areas add thick glitter glue. If you want to add more colour wash in some areas you can. Just build your page up till you are happy.

Finally, while still wet, shake on some gold embossing powder randomly ( any metallic shade will do). Heat with the gun till the powder lightens.

Leave the page to dry flat overnight and cut the sheet with scissors to atc size.

You might not want to use the edges as these aren't always great with this technique.

The end result really will have the WOW factor! Thanks for looking. Leave me your comments!

Bank Holiday Monday

P***ing with rain and blowing a gale.

Commotion downstairs!

I was awoken early this morning by some mild banging noises. I thought at first it was the window cleaner, but 5.45 am is a little early, even for him! I am expecting my husband to travel down from London this morning but the doors were locked and the key was in the door...there is no way he could get in. Neither was it my daughter clattering about downstairs. She was fast asleep in bed.

Time to invesigate...

Putting on my dressing gown I tiptoed downstairs. The lounge door was closed. I couldn't hear anything but I knew whatever or whoever it was was behind that door. With a deep breathe I opened it - suddenly there was a commotion from behind the curtains in the bay window. I thought my heart was going to leap out of my chest with fright. Was it a burglar trying to make a quick exit though the window?

To my stunned amazement it was a darkly coloured bird! A panicking starling, to be precise.

When I first saw him I thought my stuffed crow had come to life!!!

With all windows and doors secure, this bird must have fallen down the chimney. He hadn't been there long as there was no mess. With a swift opening of the window he was gone. How strange and funny. That bird and I shared the same emotions for one moment - joy and relief!

Wine label atc's

Shabby chic backgrounds FREE tutorial

I'm really into ephemera at the moment. But there comes a time when you think 'Right, now I really have to do something with all this stuff! So I made some grungy atc backgrounds, which I hope you will like.

OK. So this is what you need to make shabby chic backgrounds like those pictured...

1 large sheet of watercolour paper

Glue / seal ( I used Royal Coat Decoupage glue but Modge Pot is similar)

Old ephemera ( letters, envelopes, tickets, invoices, receipts, book pages - try flea markets, e bay your attic or antique sales for supplies)

Brush for glue and paint

White gesso

Twinkling H2o's

Scissors.

1. Tear you ephemera up. Yeah I know it's painful, but to create you have to destroy! You want pieces roughly 3x2" all shapes.

2. Take your paper and start gluing down the assorted pieces so no white background shows, overlapping randomly if you want to. Mix the pieces up so you get a good assortment on the page. Make sure all the edges are sealed down (better than I did!).

3. Now take your gesso and a stiff dry brush and put a covering of gesso over the page. It will mute the colours and give a key to anything else you may want to add later. It gives a lovely distressed shabby chic look. If you want, you can add a touch of acryllic paint in a neutral colour but I have used plain white. Don't make it too thick, you want a veil effect.

4. That dries really quickly so now you can add a wash of twinkling H20's - here I used 2 shades but feel free to add more if you wish.

5. You're nearly done. All you have to do is cut to 2.5 x 3.5 inch size. Watercolour paper is firm enough for a good atc base but soft enough to cut with scissors. I use wallpaper scissors for quickness.

You can use rubber stamps over the top, ink the edges, use more wash in other colours if you want, collage on top..whatever, whatever. (P.S. I went on to use a wash of strong coffee around the edges of mine so they looked even older and more finished.)

Et voila! These are just a a great base for whatever else you want to do. These took maybe 20 mins from start to finish. It's fun too - child's play! Now you have a supply of chic handmade background cards to work on your vintage themed cards.

Here's what I used some of them for - a swap themed on vintage corsets...

There's a new swap on Advanced Artist Trading Cards for a 3/3 Altered Post card swap.

Here I used the printed photo sides of post cards to create a collage / assemblage to give a very whacky look.

On the first one, I tinted the post card with coloured chalks, used Stazon ink in black for the 'paid' rubber stamp. The greenery was enhanced with Byzantia in 2 shades plus glitter glue. A vintage image was inserted at the top window. A computer generated label was applied. The gold boots are from a magazine, mounted on card. An antique brass finding is glued to the top, Stazon inks the edge and mica covers the window and wording.

This card, below, started life as a sepia post card of the grave of Edith Cavill. First I added the crows and boy - sketches from an old children's book. Boarders are coffee stained manilla paper, and another old postcard. Then I layered lace, printed paper, trimming, button, metalwork, tissue no. 15, washer, typewriter key, wording from old post card, brads, and wording. Colours are chalks, Byzantia, Stazon.

Wartime London is the theme for this card, below. It's four post cards fused together to make a story. I used the same products as above but added gold embossing powder around the edge.

Lederhosen

This is how husband and I looked on Saturday night in our lederhosen !

art-e-zine

When I was starting out in mixed media / atc's / altered cabinet cards etc. I read everything I could on the net and one of my dearest ports of call was art-e-zine - an online magazine for, well, arty people. I found it a real inspiration. I never in a million years figured my work would be on there...but take a look at this.......

http://www.art-e-zine.co.uk/sharon.html

I am thrilled. Thanks so much to Gillian Allen for asking me to be on there.

Suzi Blu

Strange but true - this is just one of the videos on you tube by this eccentric artist
YouTube - Mixed Media With Suzi Blu: Byzantia and LuLu gets a haircut

Gargoyles

I'm sending off some -themed cards for the swap on my site...Here's what I did....the background is tissue paper died and microwaved with inks to give a mottled effect...then there is some distressed/inked foil, fine glitter, a greek bank note gargoyle image and handmade paper to give texture...

ARM AT 10 WEEKS

Scroll to Thurs, 10th April entry to see pic of scar at 10 weeks and update.

MY STUFFED CROW

Have I mentioned how I'm mad about crows, rooks and ravens? I put a lovley pic on here ages ago I think of a stuffed crow. Now I have my own stuffed crow - a car boot find. I had to flutter my eyelashes a bit to get this for £20 and he is a little ragged I hope you like him. Luanne from the artist trading card site says I am out of control - I think am just...

out of con-crow-l !!

Anyway, by co-incidence this handsome devil will go well with the collection of plumes shown on yesterday.

Birthdays, Brids wings and Triptych Card

It's my birthday today. It's lovely to have lots of calls, texts and e mails wishing you well. I had some body oils from my two daughters, and money from family. And I gave myself a little pressie from Saturday's car bootie - a collection of bird plumes from Edwardian hats. SOOOO thrilled with them. They are immaculate. Not sure what to do with them mind you! And today I received a triptych card from Alison Brandist...it's beautiful! Photos below

More free images for you today - 50's Americana !

Ok guys, am I good to you or what!

Scroll down to see some of the 90+ images I have put on CD - these are all of USA folk from the 1950's - geeky guys, cowboys, freckle faced kids, cute babies with birthday cakes, groups...the list is endless! This collection is fascinating - black and white snapshots and portraits you can use for your craft work - angel policy!

The CD is £4.99 plus postage to your country. These are genuine photos from my collection and won't be seen anywhere else.

Leave me a message!

Free images below and more on CD for you!

Hi everyone. If you like my free images below, you may be interested in the CD I have made of 120 plus images of vintage people...Victorians, Edwardians, Flappers ...ladies, gents, groups, weddings, brides, babies, children...take a look here.....

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=170217799335&ssPageName=STRK:MESE:IT&ih=007


There's a buy now price so you can have it as soon as possible.

New FREE images - just scroll down

I felt it was time to share some of my wonderful images with you, so scroll down to capture some free vintage images you won't see anywhere else! If you want 120+ of great vintage images of women, children, babies, men, women and groups including weddings search on the Dressing-2-Kill site on e bay.