Foam stamps and catfish!

Here's a round-up of what I got up to yesterday in regard to all things crafty. I made a few more stamps for use when gell printing. They're simple shapes, inspired by watching Elizabeth StHilaire on YouTube and her Botanicals foam stamps that represent stylized versions of poppy seed heads, leaves and flowers.

I used Hobbycraft adhesive backed craft foam and leftover pieces of plastic to stick them to. Plus a hole punch to add the dots. The resulting prints aren't sophisticated, but I'm happy with them. They add a natural look to a background, and you could paint or draw more finely detailed images over and around them.

I also decided to make a - well, what do I call it? It's a single sheet of cardstock folded into three. In a Megan Quinlan video she refered to such a folded card as a book, so maybe it is a mini-book? I'd previously made a little collage in a journal, with the wording 'Keep Our Oceans Plastic Free'.

I particularly liked the dark blue gell print that formed a couple of the waves, so yesterday dug out the gell plate and tried recreating that. But of course I couldn't! One of the joys of gell printing is that you never get exactly the same results twice. However, that's also one of the frustrations. Maybe the best way around that in future is to scan favourite prints and keep them digitally so future copies can be made. Anyway, I made a stack of blue themed gell prints and set about cutting and pasting them.

Below is the outer side laid flat.

The cardstock is folded so the waves overlap at the front.

Inside I stenciled and stamped, then - added a catfish! Because ... just because. Sometimes you need a little whimsy in your life to brighten up your day.

I rather like the idea of making a stuffed toy in the shape of my catfish. Time to burrow around for suitable green material. I'm seeing shimmery metallics and sequins, what do you think?

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Sari scraps, PVA, a couple of books and a necklace

I'm typing this as snow's falling, and has been steadily all day. It's not settling to any great extent, though I bet by tomorrow morning the paths will be slippery with ice. Which always makes me paranoid about falling over and at the very least looking undignified, but at worst breaking a bone or twisting an ankle. Oh well, it's ideal weather to stay inside and craft, isn't it? I finally got around to listing packs of sari scraps on Etsy this morning. I only made up six bundles as I've no clue whether they'll sell or if I've set a reasonable enough price point. Time will tell. This is a link to the listing, if you're interested. This vaguely pink fabric isn't from one of my Etsy packs. It's from a bit of experimenting I was doing yesterday. I'd seen a post on Instagram showing how a DIY version of batik could be done without using hot wax. The Instagrammer used PVA instead, and I wanted to try this out....

Abstractuary ... no, I hadn't heard of it either

Goodbye January, the month that feels like it's stretched out to be extra-long, the month we have to plough through to get to February and real signs of Spring. You may know, if you've wandered by this blog before, that I'm beavering away at Ann Wood's 100 day stitchbook challenge. That's still going strong. Three pages done and I've started page four. But I've also stumbled across another monthly challenge, and this one originated with Tori Chatfield, a.k.a. Kool Kooky Kreatures. You can find her on YouTube and Facebook, and she runs something called Abstractuary. Tori's produced a list of prompts for each day in February, and the idea is that you produce something arty or crafty based on those prompts. You can stitch or paint or collage or use whatever kind of materials you want. I won't commit to following these prompts every single day of Feb, but I'm certainly going to use several of them. Tori's also produced a Pinterest...

In praise of wool

Just a quick post today. I'm offering you a short but peaceful break from the overwhelmingness (is that a word?) of Christmas. By now you've probably eaten your bodyweight in sweets//roast potatoes/pigs in blankets/cake/After Eights ... whatever your festive indulgences are. You're under-exericsed, over-stimulated, feeling broke and possibly guilty about an argument with a relative or friend you've never entirely got on with. So, here's something to take your mind off all that. I've two videos to refresh and revive, and they both concern wool. Interesting fact. Well, I found it interesting. About 1% - yup, one per cent - of the world's textiles are made of wool. Out of curiosity, I also googled how much is made of cotton. That's higher, but it's only about 24% and that's heading downward instead of up. Synthetic fibres are the bulk of all textile manufacture. Anyway, back to woolly wonders. My firs...

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