Favourite Things...

...I have been having a few conversations over the past few weeks about "styles"... you know... like "what is YOUR style?" Or, "that is just YOUR style" Well, I asked myself "what actually IS my style?" I have come to conclusion that I haven't really got one... I am more of a "habit" kind of person. I do like to have my little routines, I have habits but more than anything, I have favourites. I am talking about my whole life here too, not just the arty crafty stuff. I have favourite people, favourite foods, favourite socks, favourite songs... the usual, you know, most of us can admit that we all have favourites. I tend to go through "phases" of doing stuff... I will make tags for a few months, then do cards, then ATC's, altered art... you know what I mean? Well, I admit... I am a bit bored with just doing tags all the time... plus, I have so many here that I am running out of room... so I need to do some more 3d things for myself....


In my arty crafty stuff, my favourites are, above all else, flowers. I have been told a few times that I rarely make something without bunging a flower on it. Well, that is totes-true! Because I LOVE flowers. I love to make something and add a little floral embellishment... be is a big old blousy rose or a little resin bloom, I am not fussy... so long as it is flower. Another favourite thing is the good old fashioned heart. They work their way into my stuff quite regularly too... usually a die cut or on the end of a pin... or a stamp. This one today is a hand drawn and cut out one. And of course, another favourite, albeit a new one, is that paper blocking technique... along with the layering stuff onto card or canvas and then painting over the top.



So, I thinks to meself the other night, I will combine all my favourites and have a play. Which is exactly what I did. I started out by cutting up some snips of BG Capella paper (6 x 6 pad, perfect size) and then popped them onto one of those cheapy IKEA frames that are now discontinued... how rude!!! Fancy discontinuing them!!! I was gutted to go alllllll the way to IKEA just for more frames to find they had NONE. I was right about to throw myself on the floor and have a paddy.... thank goodness I realised that I am in my 40's and throwing myself on the floor would make me look like a nutter lol Anyways... where was I? Ah yesh, the frames. Well, I happened to rummage and find a pack of them in the teeting tower of alterable stuff. So, the papers were blocked onto the frame and then swished over with a babywipe dipped into Traditional Tan paint (THE best paint, see another fave!) Once dried, it had a good coat of Ranger Glue & Seal to... yep, you guessed... seal it!



Next came the heart. I drew half a heart, cut it out and then used it as a template. I am cack at drawing symmetrical things... so the half template works perfectly. That was on plain old cardstock. I then layered up some die cut bits and bobs and some masking tape (which is now hidden lol) and then used Cut & Dry to add Juniper and Cloudy Blue Dabbers to the heart. I then blended some Espresso Dabber mixed with Trad Tan paint to add some browny shading to the top and edges of the heart. Of course, the Stabilo All pencil made an appearance and that did the shading for me on the heart and on the frame too. I cut some card to fit behind the heart and made the edges lighter, lightly tracing where the heart would be and making this a bit darker so it looked like a shadow. Finally, my favourite bit, the flowers... Prima's and paper roses... coloured with a few drops of Bundled Sage reinker in a Mini Mister of water. The addition of stamping onto Masking Tape and a smidge of gold embossing to finish it off.


And there you have it... a few of my favourite things. I am really enjoying doing more 3d arty stuff at the moment - I am not saying I shalln't be doing tags, cos you know me, a creature of habit and all that... Anyways, I have taken up enough of your time for one day, so I shall loves ya and leaves and say thanks for looking... ooh and a new Sunday Stamper theme tomorrow too! TTFN

Hels x