Love all the days jar for Happy Daze

The Happy Daze current monthly challenge is, inspired by the Olympic rings, so I thought I would alter a cute round glass jar I picked up in Matalan for just £2!!

I used this amazing Paperbag Studios stamp on to kraft cardstock with black archival ink.
The sentiment reads "May you love... all the days of your life" - I stamped the first part on to a scrap of Tilda fabric, then glued it over the stamped image and highlighted with a TH fragment.
I used Picket Fence distress stain and distress marker to grunge it up a little and highlight areas, then added distress stickles and glossy accents to highlight the words.

The lace was stained with a spritz of distress reinker in a mister with water and the TH foliage was coloured with TH distress embossing powders.and I added a small piece of tissue tape coloured with distress stain.

The lid of the jar was coloured with Viva decor Inka gold, alchol inks in willow, pink sherbert and snowcap mixative, then splodged with distress stickles, I then added some fabric, buttons and a Philosophy tag.

I then added some lace and an TH adage ticket to the base in a memo pin.

The lace around the top was also coloured with the distress reinker and distress stickled.
I added some fabric and buttons in to the bottom of the jar, glue a piece of lace to the back of the jar, then added the stamped image.

Pretty cute huh :D
Hugs'n'snogs,
Julie xx                                                                                                                 

Ikea goodies :D

Oh my ~ how lush are these bottles my lovely hubby got me from Ikea :D
Just needed to share there pwittiness :D

hugs'n'snogs,
Julie xx

Sweet dreams are made of this.... **pic heavy post!!

I finally finished my Victoriana/shabby chic dream catcher and I'm sooooo in love with it:D
I used bits and pieces from all over including ebay, Happy Daze, my local craft shop Crafty Workshop (where I bought the beautiful Tilda fabrics I used through out the project :D The moon face is from Graphics Fairy.
I used a lot of Claudines sticky back canvas, and multi matte medium throughout this project, and lots of beads, buttons and objects I have gathered over time :D
Ok, I will just show you the pics...

I think I might have sweet dreams tonight :D

Hugs'n'snogs,
Julie xx

Dream a little dream..... for Happy Daze

I have been thinking about this project for a while and it is still on going , so keep watching this space :D
I am using vintage doileys and embroidery hoops to create a pretty, shabby chic, vintage style dream catcher to hang over my bed.
As theis months theme at the Happy Daze blog challenge is Circling the World (olympic ring inspired ;-) ) I thought I would get  it under way :D

The largest frame is 12" and has a doiley stretched over it and buttons sewn on.
The embroidered one is made from tilda fabrics, which are soooooo lush!!! I taped the fabric on to copy paper with masking tape then put it through my printer, then backstiched over the printed words :D

My project section for Happy Daze uses a vintage doiley that had a fabric circle in the centre which had a little hole in. Ir was pretty before, but i love it now :D
I coloured the frame with Inka gold, then stretched the doiley over the frame.
I used Claudines matte medium to stiffen the outer edge.

 I found this gorgeous rose image on the internet and printed it on to Claudines sticky backed canvas. I cut it out, scruffed up the edges with my TH distresser,  inked around the edges with broken china distress ink and added some distress stickles.
I used buttons, press studs,ribbon, lace and  pins to embellish the main part of the frame.

The crystal dangles were edged with inka gold after sticking a section of a vintage sewing pattern to the back with the multi medium.
My other dangles were made with wooden spools spritzed with TH distress re-inker in a mini mister, wrapped in ribbon and fabric scraps, along with buttons and feathers.
I will share more pics when the whole project is complete, but here are a few close ups to keep you going :D

The Olympics are making feel very patriotic, so proud to be British and Gooooo Team GB :D
Make sure you enter this months challenge to be in with a chance of winning to - a £15 voucher.... thats pure gold to me :D


 Hugs'n'snogs,
Julie xx

Dora the Dragonfly finds her home

I thought I would give a quick update of Dora in her new Home :D

I have attached her to the lace canopy over my bed by tying her on with small pieces of wire.

I love her so much she may have a few more friends soon :D

Hug''n'snogs,
Julie xx

Frozen Dragonfly for Happy Daze

Well there isn't long left to enter the June Happy Daze challenge so if you want to be in with a chance of winning a £15 gift voucher upload your JUNE BUGS HERE!!!

I decided to try a little bit of assemblage for this cutie dragonfly piece featuring THESE fab wooden spools and the large TH FRACTURED DOLL which is a repro frozen charlotte doll, which is why I called this piece frozen dragonfly :D

I started by selecting graduating sized buttons in various vintage colours (big -or bug surprise LOL!!!), a few beads and some art wire.

I cut a long piece of wire and folded it in half then threaded on my beads, buttons and spools giving the wire an occasional twist to make the shape more flexible.

The ends of the wire made the anttenea by twisting around a pokey tool and adding beads to the ends.

I made the wings by threading the art wire through a cheap lace doiley I bought on ebay, in wing shapes then cutting roughly around the outer edge.
I left enough spare wire to wrap around the main spool so that the wings were secure.
I then wrapped more wire round the fractured doll and added ribbon and lace to the spools.

I coloured the wings by dabbing on versamark ink randomly then used  FRANTAGE embossing powders over the top of it, I heated it gently as the doiley was made of nylon and I didn't want to burn it.

I added a few embellies including more buttons and some ideaology and to finish off I spritzed the whole piece with a spray made from distress re-inker in victorian velvet, then added a splodge or two of distress stickles in bundled sage.

 Here's a few more piccies :D

This is going to look so pretty in my bedroom :D

Hugs'n'snogs,
Julie xx

The girl with a Pearl for Happy Daze

As soon as I saw this stamp set I had to have it!!!
I love the painting by Vermeer.

I started by colouring the wooden box with distress stain in broken china, when dry I painted on Picket fence crackle paint.

I stamped  my image on to tissue paper with coffee archival ink and adhered it to the box with a glue stick

I tinted the image with distress markers scribbled on to my craft mat, spritzed, then painted on with a brush to give a nice soft colour. 

I glued on some scraps of lace with glossy accents. then inked the bottom right corner with versamark ink to create a sticky surface for my frantage embossing powders.
They are designed to be heated from below so you need to start with a thin layer and add more while its still hot to build up the layers on a 3d item like this.

If you aren't happy with the areas covered with the embossing powder, brush off before heating.
Because I used a small inkpad I found I had a lot of harsh lines, so softened them this way.

I worked my way around the sides of the box and highlighted areas on the top of the box with the gold powder - I love the way it beads when you heat it slightly or on areas like the lace - you could brush away the extra powder to have a more beaded effect.

To finish off I added distress stickles and added a philosophy tag  embellished with seam binding coloured with the left over distress marker spritzed stain from earlier.

Here's a few more pics for you....

Hugs'n'snogs,
Julie xx

Crafty sew'n'sew for Happy Daze

I have had this idea in my head for a while and finally got around to putting it in to reality :D
I started with one of these fab hardboard collage frames and a papier mache torso.

I cut the torso in half and glued it on to the frame with glossy accents, then gave it a few coats of white gesso as a base.

When completely dry I covered the whole thing with pieces of a vintage sewing pattern glued down with Claudines matte medium.

When dry I painted it with a wash of Claudines studio paints in painterly pink and  sky blue mixed with traditional tan to give it a more vintage look.

I love that it has tinted the paper but you can still see the original print :D

I stamped around the edge in archival ink with these amazing BLOCKHEADS stamps

To finish I added buttons and other sewing ephemera and distress stickles.

If you haven't already go and check out all the NEW ITEMS in the shop as Moira has added some lush new lines that will defo have you parting with your pennies :D

Hugs'n'snogs,
Julie xx

Queen Lulubee for Happy Daze

As it's the Diamond Jubilee next month for the May Happy Daze challenge we have a queenly theme. Think Maypole to welcome in the season of new growth, go patriotic and be Red, White and Blue, or just add a simple crown. Interpret the theme as you see it and what it means to you. But the main thing is to enjoy yourself and make something lovely to share with us for the challenge this month.

You can enter the challenge by uploading using the linky Widget on the main post HERE, if you dont have a blog you can enter via the Facebook page or by emailing your entry directly to Carol at waynemonster@gmail.com.

The challenge will close on the 31st May, and the winner of the £15.00 voucher drawn by random number will be announced on the 2nd June. Just remember to be eligible for the prize draw you must use one item that is available to purchase from the shop. You can enter the challenge up to 3 times.

For my piecd I used one of these fabby papier mache torsos as my base, which I painted in white gesso.
I wrapped stripes of TH tissue tape around the body in a bee like fashion and then coloured it all with wild honey distress stain.
When it was dry I randonmly stamped all over the body with Artistic Outpost Serenity stamps in coffee archival ink.

I hand cut a pair of wings from a chipboard sheet from some packaging and covered both sides with TH Kraft resist paper.
I coloured it with an assortment of distress stains on top of picket fence distress stain, making sure I pollished off the excess on the resist parts.

The base for the torso I picked up in a charity shop for £1 and was a silver coloured vase - I think it may be called a pick??? It has a little gridded top (which I have just decided would look pretty cool on the back of the head LOL) to stand the flowers in.

I coloured it with alcohol inks in  stream and latte alcohol along with snow cap mixative sponged on with a cosmetic sponge. I did the same with the lid of an olive jar for the head, then rubbed on lightly some inka gold in copper to give them a verdigris effect.
Its glued on with glossy accents.

I cut a circle of Claudines sticky backed canvas and stamped PaperBag studios Little Lulu in black archival ink on to it.
I coloured the canvas with distress stains, spritzed with water to lighten a little, then stuck it to the inside of the lid.
the crown was cut from chipboard with a TH die, coloured with inka gold and distress stickles and flat back pearls glued on.

I heated some beeswax in my meltpot and covered all of the pieces with it including drips in to the lid and the base.

 I smeared on distress stickles in rock candy and broken china on the body and the wings

I used furniture tacks to attach the wings and the head and added buttons, twine and some metal embellies including TH token.

  She is pretty tall in real life because of the base, but I think she is pretty cool :D
Head on over to the Happy Daze blog to see what some of the other DT members have created to share with you :D

Hugs'n'snogs,
Julie