Skype Cook-out...

...tis me, oh bitten one, I have fair dragged myself here today - actually, the bites are a bit better but I am still feeling a bit ikky but nowhere near as bad as I was yesterday. Anyways, last week, when I was still well (yep, milking it again lol) Ellen and I had a nice impromptu Skypey sesh... and we did another little recipe. Whilst I do love and "I Challenge Thee" I actually prefer the recipes, mainly because we can both use our cunning wiles and pick out our fave *in the moment* techniques and stuff. Ellen's AMAZING creation is HERE.... seriously, that gal certainly knows how to make some gooooorgeous art... oooh, and while you are there, have a little scroll on down her blog, yesterday and the day before (ok, would have been easier to type Monday) Ellen has show her MAHOOSIVE Art Parts project, oh my word indeedily... you need to see it!!! Anyways, here's the recipe (and because I am late posting, I nicked this off Ellen so I didn't need to type it out, well, I am on my death bed after all lol):

- Art Parts Dimensional Sign frame
- Art Part scallop trim as a shelf
- Black and white (or neutral) patterned paper
- All black and white + 1 colour if desired
- Resin flower
- Bottle caps (3 minimum)
- Vintage bottle
- Idea-ology facet with patterned paper on back
- Black paint / gesso in center of frame
- Hand-written message written with white Sharpie pen (to look like a chalkboard)
- Hand-doodled border
- Other embellishments of choice


So. Black Gesso. Can you believe that I don't own any? Nope, not a smidge. I am rectifying that at the weekend for deffo. I used Pitch Black Dabber for the blackboard bit. And yep, it covers it perfectly and it a matte finish too. Time for me to be owning up to my, erm, mistakes. So, we are sitting there, with main Art Part in front of us and a little ding went off in my brain and I saw a "black board" sitting there. SO, I says to Ellen "and handwritten words...." What on Earth!!! I hate my writing... almost as much as I hate green peppers, which is very lots. Anyways, I have said it now, I could see Ellen gleaming with a grin cos she loves adding writing to stuff. Well, I decided that I am no longer going to be dictated to by my finicky side and embraced the writing bit. And I embraced the doodled bit too... until I hated it so much, I painted right over the top of it again... whooops! I did re-doodle and because it was tooooo white, I used my Stabilo All to just knock the whiteness back a bit.



The papers used are my fave of the moment Almanac by Prima - looove the tones and blush colours in these. I added little snippets from the paper pad into the bottle caps and then filled them with Glossy Accents. When I went to visit Ellen last year, we went to a fab Antique Mart in Chesapeake Bay (I needed a whole week there!) and I picked up some tiddly glass bottles... so after saving it for over a year, what better project to put it on eh? I added some twine and a bit of paper to it and then popped some fancy pins into it. Two of them... to signify the two of us. The stars were a pressie from Ellen... the large resin bloom is a Studio 490 Embellish Your Art piece (loooove those) and I added some black Distress Marker to the raised bit to add some definition. The finishing touch is the mini peg with the reminder to Skype on Sunday at 1400 - which is our usual time to sit and have a natter. Oh and the sentiment? It is actually taken from a Stampotique stamp - an anonymous phrase but very apt all the same. And get this... Ellen came up with the fabbest idea, bung magnets on the back so it can sit on the fridge! So I did that too (such a copy cat)


Right, I shall away, I am knee deep in sample making - actually, it is just as well I have lots to do because I think otherwise I would be spending the day in bed, moaning and whinging and generally feeling sorry for myself. Now, is it me or... are there more nasty bites out there this year? I know I usually get the odd bite and last year that horrid spider bite caused me some bother but I know I am not the only one who has been suffering... I reckon it is all this horrible wet weather, drives the little beasties inside and onto my skin. Anyways... I have waffled again... I shall go now... thanks for looking... TTFN!

Hels x