Goodbye 2011...

and HELLO 2012 :D

Hope you have all had an amazing Christmas and that you are celebrating in style the arrival of the new year :D

I am having a quiet one with my pooches, until my lovely hubby gets back home from work at 11pm to see in the new year with me :D

All the best to you all,
Hugs'n'snogs,
Julie xx

This week I was inspired by T!ms 12 days of Christmas day 4 tag but made it in to a Santa stop here door hanger.

I started by covering my wooden door hanger with Pink Paislee Santas list patterned paper.
I inked it with and then splattered and spritzed on water to give a nice mottled grungey look.

I used Viva decor Inka Gold on the wooden edges which I found easiest to apply with a semi dry baby wipe.

Th ruffle on the bottom is made with pleated tissue tape - I put a piece of double sided tape on to the base first then pleated the tape along it.

My lace was coloured by putting distress stain on to my nonstick craft sheet, adding a little water to soften the colour and squishing the lace in to it until I was happy with the coverage.
I glued it down with Claudine's matte medium.

I ran a piece of acetate through my big shot with the TH snowflake border embossing folder and cut around the snowflakes.
I attached this with a little DST along the edge that would be hidden by my embellishments.

My snowman and snowflakes were cut from grunge board then painted with pearl acrylic paint dabber.
I coated the snowman with Rock Candy crackle glaze and left it to dry thoroughly , when dry I highlighted the cracks with distress inks.
I added the snowflakes with glossy accents and added buttons to the centres.
I tied some scraps of ribbon and fabric round his neck for a scarf and dangled some buttons strung together with jump rings from it, then attached him to the hanger with foam tape to add some dimension.

My little sign was hand written on to the back of an journalling ticket and pinned on with a memo pin

The last thing I did was smear on lashings of Rock Candy distress stickles to give it a lovely sparkly frosty feel.

Have fun,
hugs'n'snogs,
Julie xx

Time for Tea??

I have just uploaded this really cute Alice themed ear wire in to my Folksy shop HERE

So if you fancy something a little bit different for that special Alice fan in your life why not stop by and get them a treat :D

I have lots of other pretty ear wires in my shop and have just listed some beaded ones without earrings which including postage are only £10!!!

Dare to be different?
Go on, you know you want too :D

hugs'n'snogs,
Julie xx

Naughty or nice???

The challenge this month over at Happy Daze blog is all to do with Christmas. Anything you have made to give as a gift, to wrap your gift in or label your gift.

This will also tie in very nicely with Tim's 12 days of christmas tags, so if you are planning to follow Tim and do the tags this year do check out the shop for many of the must have items you will need. If you do take part in his tag challenge please share them will us by uploading via the linky at the bottom of the POST.

I made a really sweet Nughty or Nice Santa Pin made using Lisa Pavelka Resin Pink Paislee Father Christmas around the world Paper a gold bail like this one corked Vials Christmas muse tokens platinum stickles
I covered the domino in the Around the world paper, add stickles to the edges then covered it in the Lisa Pavelka resin, set for 10 minutes in your UV lamp box, add the bail to the back and there it is a lovely altered domino ready for hanging. Add various beads to a length of chain using jump rings and attach the muse token to the bottom. In the little corked vial add your naughty and nice list and hang this from a length of beaded chain. Hang them along the pin in the order shown, or mix them around it's up to you. A fab pin to brighten up your christmas.

Don't forget to hop on over to the HAPPY DAZE blog to check out the other DT's fabby creations to inspire your Christmas crafting :D

Are you taking part in Tims 12 tags of Christmas?? I had planned to, but haven't even got one done yet!!! :-O

Don't forget to visit the SHOP for all your essentials :D

Hugs'n'snogs,
Julie xx

Edited to add - this is now on sale in my Folksy shop HERE if anybody is interested :D

Santas Christmas treat chest for Happy Daze

Well I really need to kick start my Christmas mojo in to gear as I am so disorganised with only being back from my hols less than two weeks!!
I thought I would share this cute idea for an alternative advent calendar which could be decorated to suit all ages.

I have made mine in to a vintage shabby chic style and plan on filling it with little chocolate treats, candy canes and promise tickets - eg. make mince pies, watch a Christmas movie etc...

I used a papier mache chest and covered it with two sheets of Pink Paislee Santas list 12x12 paper.

I started by painting all the edges inside and out with green acrylic paint so that any expose areas wouldn't be left brown.
When dry I painted the edge that is trimmed with red acrylic paint and left to dry again.

I cut the papers roughly to size and then used my nail to give score the paper in to the edges of the box to give me a cutting guide. The boxes aren't exact measurement wise, so make sure your paper is cut to fit the widest points so that you can cut them back to size.I distressed my edges with an emery board and then inked with Broken China distress ink pad then glued them in to place with Glossy Accents - I like to swirl it on then spread it out with my finger so that it reaches all the edges. I like GA for sticking paper on to objects as it grabs and dries quickly.

On the inside of the lid I added a distressed hole in the paper before adhering to the box and stuck a small piece of contrasting patterned paper on to the back to add to the shabby look.

I covered it inside and out and when finished strengthened the hinged section with tissue tape which I also inked with the broken china.

I glued on a piece of vintage lace using Claudine's matte medium - now I have a little tip when using this - make sure you clean the edge of the jar before you put the lid back on. If you don't (like I hadn't) and then don't use it for a while you will have BIG problems getting the lid off!

I also used the medium to stick the charms and prima flower on, as already mentioned its a really good strong glue LOL :D

I embossed some of the pieces with TH alterations embossing folders which I distressed and inked.

My splash of colour on the project is my lovely broken china distress stickles and the distress stain I used on the Adage ticket.

I used some letter stickers I have had for ages on the front of the box and gave them a little bit of dimension with the Glossy Accents. The promise tickets would be a great idea to keep the kids occupied over the Christmas period with ideas like make paper chains, make gingerbread, write a letter to Santa etc...

If you were making it for a crafter you could make little parcels or envelopes and fill them with little embellies - ideaology trinkets would be fabby for anybody taking part in T!ms 12 tags of Christmas. Moira sells fabby taster packs of these too so it needn't cost a fortune.

Or how about filling it with chocolate coins?

If you get cracking you will just have time to make it before the 1st of December :D

Hugs'n'snogs,
Julie xx

Christmas is coming!!!!

It's definitely sneaking up on us now isn't it??
If you are thinking about your Chrimbo prezzies now please come and check out my jewellery for sale at my Folksy shop Vintage Me :D

Or visit me on FACEBOOK to keep up to date with whats new

Hugs'n'snogs,
Julie xx

Death bangle for Happy Daze

Can't find the perfect jewellery to go with your halloween costume? or do you want something just a little bit different to everybody else's??

Then pick up some of these amazing wooden bangles from Moira at just £3.55 for a set of three!!! :D

They have a lovely smooth surface so are very easy to colour.
I coloured mine by rubbing on Viva decor inka gold and polishing it up.

I then stamped white tissue paper with images from these fabby Pink Paislee Phantom stamps .

I glued them on with Claudine Hellmuth matte medium being careful not to get any on the front of the image as I wanted to tint the images with distress Spiced Marmalade ink pad.

I lightly spritzed patches of the bangle with Cosmic shimmer mist - just a little warning though, the pigment is very strong in these and stains very easily.....I have very purple hands right now!!!

I glued on some little patches of grey lace with the matte medium then when dry smeared on some distress stickles in Spiced Marmalade and Chipped Sapphire.

When everything was dry I sponged on more matte medium to seal everything in place.

You could make bangles to match all your outfits with these very affordable bangles :D
Now for some close ups....


Hugs'n'spooky snogs,
Julie xx

Hocus Pocus earwire for HappyDaze

hi everyone, this week I am sharing a cute little piece of jewellery for Halloween or just for anybody with a secret dark side ;-)

It features the brand spanking new Pink Paislee Phantom clear stamps :D

They are super cool and not strictly for Halloween with the cute little cameos and bird cage.
I stamped them on to shrink plastic using a black promarker as I found archival ink too wet, particularly with clear stamps.

I added lots of beads, chains and a cute little vial coloured with red alcohol ink.

These are my latest addiction and if you want to know more about how to create your own visit Amelia Lunes Etsy shop HERE to purchase a tutorial.

Here's a few more pics for you with a little bit more detail :D

Hugs'n'snogs,
Julie xx

Been a little bit busy....

....due to a reclassification of "handmade" on Folksy!!

Quite a few of the items are now not deemed to be handmade so rather than deleting the items and losing my fees I have made some new bits and pieces and altered the listings.

I have moved the "naughty" items over to a new shop HERE on DaWanda to give that a try if anybody would like to pay me a visit :D

And just in case you don't want to visit there but are on facebook I have a new page HERE, so please come and "like" me :D

Wanna see what I have been up to???
here ya go :D


Hugs'n'snogs,
Julie xx

Dreamy butterfly tin for Happy Daze

Well, I was already to share a cute altered domino necklace with you this week until I checked the blog and spotted that Moira and Carol had already beaten me to jewellery pieces!!! LOL

But never mind, it spurred me on to finish this sweet little tin instead :D

It started life as one of these plain little silver coloured hinged lid tins.

I covered the lid with Tim Holtz tissue tape in a random pattern to create a collaged effect. I used alcohol inks sponged on to the tape to colour it, then used a fine brush to add colour to the butterfly.

When it was completely dry I gave it a couple of coats of Lisa Pavelka resin - this is the stage that it has sat on my table for for about a month, not the resins fault as it was cured, I just couldn't decide where it was going next!!!

So I set it in front of me last night and stared it out for a while.

Then I had a look in my cupboard, then stared some more!

Then it hit me like a lightening bolt and I reached for my jewellery making boxes and hunted out the perfect metal leaf charms and lush lucite flower beads (I'm not sure what lucite is but they do look like plastic to me haha :D)

I added some pearls, buttons , lace and some teeny alphas and bobs your uncle - one sweet little tin that would be great to give a tiny gift in or just as a gift on its own .

Pop on over to Happy Daze to see most of the products I used on this project.

Check back tomorrow and I will show you the cute necklace you can see on here along with a few others :D

Hugs'n'snogs,

Julie xx

I have just finished this necklace and listed it on Folksy HERE - if you are interested don't dally because I might change my mind and keep it LOL :D

Hugs'n'snogs.
Julie xx

Edited to add OMG its sold already!!!

well I tried!!!!

I spent Saturday at a local craft fair trying to sell my jewellery and a few altered items, it didn't go that well LOL
I just made the price of my table with 50p to spare!!!
But how cute does my table look - even with a wonky table cloth!!!
Well I don't plan on being beaten as I did have a lot of interest in my items so have started listing my pieces in my folksy shop HERE :D

So stop by and treat yourself or let your pals know where I am :D

Hugs'n'snogs,
Julie xx

Pretty Lucite rings

I have been getting ready for a craft show I will be having a stall at next weekend and found some fabby little sieve rings in my local craft shop.
I already had the flower beads so thought why not put the two together :D
I love them so much though I'm not sure I can part with them LOL :D

I also made some cute little scrabble tile rings - you could defo have some fun with these :D - my niece suggested LOVE - HATE LOL :D



Hugs'n'snogs,
Julie xx

P.S. I have added some to my folksy shop HERE

From Paris with love....

I begged Moira at the trade show in February to buy these cute little bags and it took some convincing let me tell you LOL :D

I have been meaning to do something with it for ages but it has been playing hide and seek with me for a while, but I finally caught it :D

I used Claudine Hellmuth studio paints watered down in a mini mister to colour the bag to start with as it was very white!!

I stamped Artistic Outpost Paris Exposition stamps and Glitz stamp on to tissue paper with Archival ink and tore around the images before gluing them down with Claudines multi matte medium.

I built up the colour with different colours of the watered down paint drying in between each colour. The amazing thing about these paints is they are waterproof when dry.
I applied some of the archival ink with a sponge to distress the edges a bit then gave it two generous coats of the matte medium.

When dry I added distress stickles randomly with my finger then when dry glued on the lace with the matte medium (its not completely dry in the pic sorry!!!)

I added a Zazi flower and madrigal flower which I only had in white, so I spritzed it with the pink paint :D

I'm really pleased with the finished bag and will definitely be using it :D

Moira has some fab offers on the site at the moment so head on over to grab yours :D

Hugs'n'snogs,
Julie xx

Beach hut basking for Happy Daze

The current challenge at Happy Daze is "oh I do like to be beside the seaside..." and what do you find beside the seaside??? Colourful beach huts so I decided to get a little bit creative with one of these cute mini birdhouses, Artistic Outpost "Beyond the sea" stamps and some Tim Holtz ideaology :D

I removed the dowel perch and then cut pieces of lightly striped pattern paper, stamped them with coffee archival ink and distressed them with a combo of Frayed Burlap and Fired Brick distress ink pads.

I glued a TH metal corner to the top of the house and the glued the paper in place with a little bit of glossy accents covering the holes, its fabby for glueing paper to this kind of project as it dries quickly.

I made the door by taking a lollipop stick that came with some rub-ons and cut it to the height I wanted with my TH scissors I then cut the three pieces length ways to make it look like old wood.
I coloured them with TH Broken China distress stain and when dry glued them to a smaller piece of paper.
When dry I glued them to the front of the house and coloured the base of the bird house with wild honey distress stain.
I didn't have any sand so I added some distress embossing powders (unmelted) inside my bottle before tying it to the house with garden twine.
To complete the project I added more seaside themed charms and Timmy embellies :D

The houses are so cute and could be used for so much more than just a cute birdhouse - I'm thinking little new home gifts, gingerbread houses, or something cute and Alice themed :D

Here's a few more pics of my ickle beach house :D

If you want to be in with a chance of winning a £15 voucher with free P&P in our August "Oh I do like to be beside the Seaside" challenge you can enter in one of 3 ways:

• Blog your entry and use the Linky widget in the Blog post HERE
• Load to the Happy Daze Facebook Page
• Sent a pic by email to info@happy-daze.net

Closing date is midnight 31 August.

Thanks for looking,
Hugs'n'snogs,
Julie xx

Happy Daze Dangly things challenge

This is my piece for the current dangly things challenge, if you want to be in with a chance of winning a £15 voucher with free P&P visit the blog post HERE


I used the fabby Lisa Pavelka resin to create my piece which is sooooooo clever!!!
It sets in 20 minutes with a UV light so makes it perfect for layered projects like this one.
If I had used normal two part resin it would have taken me days to make this piece and would have stunk the whole house out - this is odour free :D

Visit Lisa's website HERE to see some amazing video demoes on how to use her brilliant product.

I used a clear acrylic shape as a base (I think TH fragments would work well too which I must try) and added Prima Reflections rub-ons on each layer to create a 3D effect and beadazzles and glitter to the layer on the back.

I used a connector similar to this one set in the resin at the back of the piece above as a bail and a proper bail like this one on the example below.

You can add in extra embellies before you set the resin like I have done above without glue and they set solid.
The little flower over hanging the edge was supported with a little blob of plasticine while it was cured.

Moira has a fabby selection of jewellery finding and charms HERE if you want to create your own little wearable masterpieces




Hugs'n'snogs,
Julie xx

Check it out.............

A little bit of digi blog candy going on at the very cool Octopode Factory blog HERE to celebrate the launch of the new Friday Challenge blog HERE :D

Hugs'ngentle snogs (coz I'm still not recovered!!)
J xx

Apologies...............

.............for my absence :-(

Firstly I went to see Take That on the 7th of June and just couldn't even think about crafting after that..............I was just still too excited LOL :D
I will share some pics with you at some point I promise!!!

Then secondly I went for an op on my throat earlier this week and it has wiped me out :-(
I have never felt pain like this and can't wait for it to go away again!!
I have had my tonsils removed, the sides at the back of my mouth trimmed and an dangley-bit-ectomy (the uvula I think its called!!!)

I have loads of projects in my head but don't have the patience or energy to even start them right now.

Hopefully things will start to settle down soon so that I can at least stay awake long enough to play :D

Hugs'n'air kisses this week - to delicate for snogs sorry!!!
Julie xx

Dolly Mixture

Moira's current Happy Daze facebook challenge is "Dollies" and here's my take on it :D

The base is a Russian doll money box I picked up in a local bargain store and have been planning on altering for some time - this is the smallest of a set of three.

The main image is a Scrolls Work stamp (which I love!!!) stamped and embossed on to tissue paper.
The doll was gessoed and then painted with acrylic paint then randomly stamped with two scroll type stamps from the Artistic Outpost Birds of a feather plate.

When everything was dry I glued on the stamped image with a glue stick then coated everything with multi matte medium.
I also glued on my embellies with this including the cute shrink plastic heart from a crafty individuals stamp :D
when everything was dry I gave it a quick spritz with cosmic shimmer mist.
Pop on over to the HAPPY DAZE facebook page for details on how you could win a £15 voucher for the shop :D

I am also going to add this to the Crafty Individuals blog challenge - Vintage with a heart.

Hugs'n'snogs,
Julie xx

Moiras got a new pad.............

and its not an inkpad!!!!
Go and visit her gorjuss new blog HERE and see her stunning work, AND a change of some amazing blog candy!!!

Hugs'n'snogs,
Julie xx

Drum roll please.....................

.............dededededededededededededee......LOL you get the idea huh????

I'm so happy :D
I entered my White rabbit house using the fabby Indigo Blu stamps I bought at PS in to the Altered Alice challenge and got an honourable mention :D

I have also spotted THESE fabulous hand made flowers with instructions over on the lets get Shabby blog so I'm sending my hubby out later for some crepe paper :D

If my attempts turn out well I will share them LOL :D

Hugs'n'snogs,
Julie xx