A First....

...guess what???  I have just completed my very first commission!  Oh yesh indeedily.  A few months ago, lovely Joanne spotted a piece on my blog and asked if I would make her something similar... and she was commissioning me!  Get that!  A commission... am still grinning like a loon about it now!  Anyways... I have just handed my finished effort to Joanne... and I think it is safe to say that she likes it. (either that or she deserves an Oscar rofl)

Anyways, the base is an 8" square canvas, this is a shallow edge one, I would prefer a deeper one (ooherrrmissus) but for the life of me I can't find any unless I want to buy a box of 193 and pay through the schnozzle for 'em.  So, this here shallow edge canvas was painted with acrylic paints... a mix of Decoart and Dabbers, all applied with Cut & Dry foam so I could get some nice blending going on.  I painted the edges with Black Dabber (I have to say, I lurves Dabber's because they are matt when dry... I no like that they are in ickle bottles though... I always want bigger ones ...another oooerrr, but I am sure you know what I mean *snort*)   

As I have been heavily influenced by the artist genius that is Ania Dabrowska (click her name to be whizzed off to her blog on the back of a Prima Flower) it is time to admit that I have turned into a bit of a squirrel.  I have always been a bit of a hoarder (as my wardrobe, loft, garage, Room of Stash, shed, dining room... you get the picture... will confirm) and when I saw these new Prima embellies, I started my latest craze... hoarding bits and bobs that will go really well onto canvases and big projects.  The Prima lightbulbs are a fantastic idea... and they are really substantial too.  Oh and the Prima Gears too... mahooosive ones and ickle ones alike.  Check out Sam Poole's Creative Studio's for deets on these babies.

Whilst at Ally Pally last Saturday I did a spot of speed stash-shopping... literally 5 mins from the end I dashed to Paper Artsy (always a fave shop) and did one of those highspeed, gasping for breath dashes around the new Artemio embellishment range... those ickle studs on the canvas are actually brads, I just chopped their legs off!  And the metal butterfly is from Graphic 45... I am lurrrving those... wishing I had got two packs of them now too!  The flowers are again from my stash of paper flowers... I added to it recently, visiting Wild Orchid Crafts and nabbing some new paper roses and some plain white blooms, as well as the cute brass dragonflies.  The metal leaves are new from Creative Expressions (and you can get these in Sam's store too)  Finally, the words... the Imagine is an Artistic Stamper word, gotta be my fave ever word stamp, I love the grunginess of it... and the wooden "remember" is another Prima embellishment.  I guess all in all I wanted to make this piece a bit special... well, being as it is for a very special lady, I wanted to add a bit of lurve into it too... so a lot of my fave things are included on it.  Now I just need to figure out how to add some Studio 490 into the mix and I will be complete!

Anyways... I shall away... I am in my hotel room in Preston... scheduling this post because I am fair pooped.  I had a bit of a journey down here... setting off with plenty, plenty time to get to Inspirations to drop all my kit off and then have a moozie about the shop.  Best laid plans and all that.  There was an accident on the M6 - I was hoping it would be clear by the time I got to the site... nope, there was another accident in the accident bit so it meant the motorway was closed.  A quick (handsfree, Blue & Me) call to Grim asking which exit should I take to avoid the closure... and onwards I goes.  Until the exit I needed and there was a Police car there, closing the slip road.  Another accident had happened there!  I finally made it to Inspirations about 5.15pm so it literally was a quick hello, drop off the stuff, back in the car and onto the hotel.  Where I made a complete burk of myself.  So, I needs to use the facilities.  And the bathroom light won't work.  Grrr.. weeing in the dark is not the best fun right?  Anyways, I decides to pop the telly on to get the radio (tis freeview jobbywotsits) and I had a "no signal" thingy show up.  So, off I sets to reception to ask if I could get a light fixed and a telly that works.  The lovely lass on reception was most apologetic and offered to move my room... nope, I just unpacked, can't be bothered with all that... so she offers me free internet... I just paid for it.. and then she offered me a free breakfast.  Thank you very much, don't mind if I do.  And then she said "you did put your door key card into the slot on the wall?"  Errrm... "nope"  *I had the grace to blush*  She tells me that to get the power and lights in the room you need to insert card into said slot.  "Oh and btw" she says... "is the aeriel in the back of the telly?"   Turns out the aeriel wasn't in the back of the telly and yes, key card in slot on wall means I can wee with the lights on rofl   With that delightful image I shall say... thanks for looking... if you are in Preston today please do pop in to Inspirations and say hi, I will be the one with the red face and inky paws!  TTFN!

Hels x