Textured grid-blocks...lightbulb moment :D

 Do you ever have moments where you think......why didn't I think of that sooner???

Well I found some acrylic tearing templates I bought years and years ago and thought they could work as diffusers with my texture plates???

I still haven't tried them yet because I suddenly had a light bulb moment!!
I thought about using my grid-blocks - I have some of the collage and word type texture fades and had the idea of just using a single word or item from the folder!!

But then also discovered it was quite nice to just emboss random sections.
The embossing only happens around the area the grid-block is placed.

These are my first attempts and defo not perfect  but have possibilities ;-)

I taped the blocks in place and used my base plate and a cutting plate on top of the embossing folder - this way you can place the block wherever you want :D

Here's some piccis of my experimenting....

I think there are more possibilities here, I just need to do a bit more exploration :D

These aren't my normal choice of colours as you know, but I thought they would stand out well in my photos :D

Hugs'n'snogs,

Julie xx
Just a quick edit to add, after watching a tv demo on a similar vein they used the cutting plate at the bottom then the folder and the block on top  which gave a much crisper outline. I will try that next time ;-)

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

Repurposing anyone???

How fabby are Janettes creations on THIS POST????
I'm loving the house keys :D

I am having issues with my next videos from Stitches as they are too long for youtube - so if anybody has any suggestions let me know because I really want to share them with you all :-(
Oh well - here are some pics from Stitches to keep you happy for now :D





And thats just the Sizzix booth!!!!! more to follow ........maybe a few pics of T!m and his new products if anybody wants to see them???

Hugs'n'snogs,
Julie xx