The Play Date Cafe challenge...3 years on!

I know it's such a cliche, but really, where does the time go?  Three years ago I was never going back to teaching (!) and now here I am, happily teaching in a local special school and enjoying every minute of it!  Today I've been invited to be an Alumni guest over at The Play Date Cafe.

There are big celebrations going on over there, from Oct 18-22, with other design team members returning to join in the fun as special guests.  With daily prizes from a variety of sponsors, and additional giveaways for becoming a follower and displaying the brand new badges it really is a party!

The PDCC has always been a unique challenge for two reasons:

1) they encourage you as a player to 'interpret the colours' as YOU see them

2) they welcome pretty much ANY type of project, from cards to layouts, knitting, crochet and sewing, mixed media and even cupcakes!

I just love that you can join in whatever you're in the mood for making or have the appropriate colour resources for.

After an initial panic (!) I decided to see what I had materials wise in these three colours and eventually settled on some felt.  I considered making some toadstools but then realised that my favourite flowers of all time, hydrangeas, come in all these shades so I set too with a bit of stitchery...

Inspired by Julia Jowett's intricate needlework I used some ribbon for part of the petals then added tiny cross stitch, creating hints of decaying petals.  French knots and tiny beads decorate the centre and there's more on the blue tag.

I knew when I made the felted tag that I was partly chickening out from combining these colours in a painted project and it was kind of bugging me that I'd not really risen to the challenge!  So yesterday I set too and made a card, using lots of white space between the strong colours.

I'm particularly happy with this as I used my 'Faded Jeans' distress marker to colour directly onto a text stamp, meaning I could create texture to the centre of the flower and made a stem.  I've had my markers for a while but hadn't really used them.

I'd love for you to join me in congratulating The Play Date Cafe by playing along and sharing your support by saying hello when you pop over for a visit.  This challenge has a  very special place in my heart (sorry, corny but true) and it would mean a lot if you joined in.

WOYWW 175: some inky tags and a bit of shopping

I've not been doing much moodling lately so I tiredly sprayed up some tags the other night.  They were a little dark so, after tidying my desk (!) I slapped some paint etc on them.

So my desk, unveiled today for Julia Dunnit's 175th 'What's on your Workdesk? Wednesday', is scattered with a few tags and my sketchbook [I'm trying my best to do some work for Jane Davies' Extreme Composition workshop].

I added some transparent fluid acrylic to this tag which really lifted it, before adding a black acrylic paint/india ink flower.

And to this one I painted and stamped some squares, added some strips of tissue tape and a 'Chloe Stem' that was lying around my table!

On another table in my house are some of my purchases from The Great Northern Contemporary Craft Fair.    I'd love a few of these butterflies up my wall but only had the funds for the one.  Check out what Anna Collette Hunt did with thousands of these and other insects at Nottingham Castle here

Cheryl Ewing's piece was almost too nicely packaged to even open! [don't you just love brown paper packages tied up with string ?  ;)]

Inside, another piece for my hallway...

I mentioned Julia Jowett's wonderful work in my last post, and ended up spending more than I intended at her stand!  But it's just sooooooo gorgeous!!! (and I don't usually 'do' birds!!!)

(love the printing on the above felt, might need to try that at some point!)

A new bathroom is on the list of DIY jobs at the minute so when I saw 'Harriet' by Kate Lulham I knew she had to come home and live there!  She's so quirky she really makes me smile.

And finally, a fabulous felt 'stone' forming a fun pin cushion by the very talented Lindsey Tyson :)  Her nuno felting is to die for but these pebbles were more in my price range.

Thanks for looking!  I'm off to blog hop a few desks myself :)

the Great Northern Contemporary Craft Fair 2012

I had all good intentions to keep making and blogging whilst back at work but I've just been sooooooooo tired!    Today though, my daughter, niece and I took a trip into Manchester to the great northern contemporary craft fair, a veritable feast of gorgeousness!

I AdOrE fifites designs so these modern takes were a purchase must!  (I also LoVe toadstools!)  It took me ages to choose which pieces to have but eventually went for the toadstool mug and plate, the leaf jug and the green bowl and dinner plate.  I'll certainly be adding to the collection of pottery by Sarah Heaton.  The grey pieces are gorgeous too...

There's so much to see at this show.  These paper birds were delightful..

..this wooden pendulum clock a masterpiece, and mesmerising to watch...

...and this ceramic work by Claire Baker is such fun!  (Check out that 'cup handle' made from a spoon!)

Liz Cooksey's beautiful textiles are tiny and intricate and just stunning!  I love how they look like miniature quilts..

... and they're such a contrast to Holly Levell's equally amazing textile pieces which re-create retro food and sweets!

I made a number of purchases (oops!), which I'll share tomorrow, some of which came from the very talented Julia Jowett who, it turns out, recently joined Unit Twelve, a favourite gallery of mine :)  Isn't this wire work stunning?

... and the girl's dress in the above piccie is all hand embroidered!  I'm DeFiNiTeLY signing up for her workshop in February 2012 :)

There's sooooooo much to see at this show, and I didn't get pics of everything I loved, but we did have a fantastic day, and snapped some pics of some of the fabulous Manchester architecture on the way back to the tram :)