Gelli Plate and lino printing....

Last week I went into the craft den without planning what I was going to do but just to play!  I wanted to see where my mood took me and it took me to my Gelli Plate....

I used my stencils and acrylic paint with my Gelli plate.  I wrote a post introducing the Gelli plate last year and you can see the technique I use here.

My recent heat embossing post inspired me to incorporate this technique using a butterfly stamp and clear embossing powder.  I stamped the butterflies and heat embossed them on to the card before using the Gelli plate, this meant the embossed images act as a resist and show through.

I was now getting giddy with excitement and couldn't stop myself from adding pearlescent texture paste over the top through a spotty stencil.  At first I realised I had got carried away but this image does show off the colour of the copper, metallic acrylic paint I used.

Although I think I like it now.

My next attempt worked better.

I embossed the flowers with clear embossing powder again and used different stencils.  This time I also spritzed the paint on the Gelli plate with water which gave it a watercolour effect.

Once I had done a few prints I started to look around the craft den for inspiration and the Lino starter kit from the Handmade Fair was looking at me, perfect!

As I was so keen to get cutting, I cheated a little and stamped the image of the butterfly instead of drawing it. The butterfly was part of a set I also bought from the Handmade Fair so it was a good excuse to also use my new stamps.  

I mainly used the stamp to help me with the outline and used the different nibs to cut my own design on the wings.

The background is a print from the Gelli Plate.

What do you think? 

The gelli plate is fun and simple to use and you see results immediately. There are lots of different techniques and materials I could try with my gelli plate and I can't wait to give them a go.

fizzi~fun~friday.....

When I had a fun day out of the craft den with Laura I mentioned in my post how our chat inspired this new feature for my blog, fizzi~fun~friday!

What is it?

Laura and I were chatting about how we have so many crafty ideas we want to try out. I have lots of techniques I want to learn and I want to grow my creativity so I don't get stuck in a rut, this is for my personal enjoyment as well as hopefully inspiring the range I sell.

So the plan is every other week on a Friday, I will take the day to experiment with new techniques and crafts, as well as revisiting old favourites that I always complain I never have the time to do.

On the list for fizzi~fun~friday (so far!).....

• Lino printing - inspired by the Handmade Fair, I can't wait to use my starter kit.
• Calligraphy - I have a set from years ago and a book to get me started.
• Machine embroidery - I did this a lot at art college and university but I haven't done anything for years.
• Shrink plastic jewellery - Using shrink plastic is so much fun and I have wanted to use this technique in jewellery making for a while.  Hopefully I'll make some gifts for Christmas.
• Mixed media art - I want to start an art journal and experiment with my art materials I already have.
• Using polymer clay to make my own embellishments
• I want an excuse to use up my stash of paper, card, fabric and yarn.
• Jewellery making/wirework
• Take part in more Sunday Stampers.

When does it start?

I guess my day out at the Handmade Fair was my first, but today you will find me in the craft den making a start on my list. Whilst writing this I still hadn't decided what to do first so I will see where the mood takes me but I will be posting photos on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook and using the hashtag #fizzifunfriday.  

I'll publish blog posts for every fizzi~fun~friday the following Friday, so I hope you will enjoy my first post next week!

Found this perfect print on Etsy here by SunshineGraphix.

fizzi~jayne x

The Handmade Fair....

A couple of weeks ago I went to the Handmade Fair, you may remember I went last year and loved it so much I booked my ticket as soon as they became available.

Last year it was in the grounds of Hampton Court Palace, however this year it was across the road instead. I was a little disappointed as I am a big Tudor history geek but I caught a glimpse of the Palace and anyway, it wasn't a history day out it was a fun crafty day out!

The Super Theatre with moody dark clouds. There were showers during the day but it didn't dampen my fun.

Kirstie Allsopp is the founder of the event and Kirstie and her team have kept the crafty festival feel that I loved last year.  There are different tents for shopping, workshops, a Super Theatre and lots of yummy food stalls which made it really hard to decide what to have for lunch!

The two shopping villages were full of inspiration by talented artists and creative small businesses. There were also stalls selling craft supplies too, however there did not seem to be as many of my favourite paper and general craft stalls but still enough for me to be tempted and spend money!

The obligatory shopping haul photos....

What I enjoy most about this event is the workshops, it's a great way to try out a new craft. When I bought my ticket I booked a Grand Make workshop, Super Theatre session and a Skills workshop. There is a lot of choice over a wide range of crafts. 

Grand Make workshop - Wirework with Lucy Elisabeth

First up was a wirework workshop and I made this hanging heart which can be used as a photo holder.  I might need a bit of practice but it was easier with Lucy's tips than any attempt I have made before at home.

Lucy also had a stand in one of the shopping villages and her work is amazing.

Super Theatre -  Calligraphy with Chiara Perano

The Super Theatre sessions are hosted by Kirstie and are a chance to hear from top experts on various topics.  This year I opted to find out more about calligraphy.

Chiara taught Kirstie the art of Calligraphy whilst sharing her tips.  Kirstie said she always attends these sessions as a complete novice so we really see her learn.  The Super Theatre sessions aren't interactive workshops so I may have not had a chance to practice myself but I came away with lots of tips to practice.

I have a calligraphy set which I used to make my handwriting neater for my wedding invitations and have not touched it since.  Calligraphy is a skill I want to develop and I recently bought a book to learn more so I was pleased there was an opportunity to get some tips from Chiara.

Skills workshop - Lino Printing with Zeena Shah

I was so looking forward to this.  I missed out on it last year due to timings and there being so much to choose from. 

Cutting the lino is very therapeutic.   I tried a star design first but I may have got carried away with the cutting as it didn't look like a star by the time I finished! 

I had more success with a simple heart and made a repeat pattern for this card.

I had a lot of fun with this, so I bought a starter kit! I love stamping and I can see the potential of creating my own designs to stamp with using lino.

I had time to fit in another workshop so I opted for a papercraft one with Craft Asylum.  It may not be a new skill but I was in the mood for some papercraft and making a bird house looked like fun.

I was surprised that I managed to get this home safely I still have the template and I think I could tweak it so I could use it to put sweets and treats in as gifts for stocking fillers at Christmas.

Whilst at the fair I was so pleased I got to meet one of my #CraftBlogClub buddies, Hannah from Crafternoon Cabaret.   Hannah had a busy weekend as she was running her Crafternoon Cabaret workshops in the VIP tent over the 3 day event so it was so lovely we had a chance to meet in person and catch up over a glass of Prosecco.

After the fair, I met up with hubby so he could treat me to dinner and whilst walking to Borough Market we found the "Performer" by Adam Frank, an installation under Southwark Railway Bridge.  It's on from 5pm until 11pm everyday and as you walk under it sets off a sensor which starts an applause. The more you move the louder the applause gets.  You can watch a video of it here but here is a photo of my acting the fool....

fizzi~jayne x

A day out of the craft den....

I had a fun filled day out of the craft den the other week when I met up with Laura from Bugs and Fishes.

It's always nice to catch up with Laura, we met in London to start the day at the House of Illustration to see the Ladybird by Design exhibition celebrating 100 years of the classic Ladybird books. The exhibition features the original illustrations of the classic Ladybird books.  This took me back to my childhood, although their golden years were 1950s -1970s they were still popular in the UK when I was growing up in the 80s.

I recognised books that I had as a child. Due to the period they were published, the books showed a very traditional and stereotypical view of Britain at this time and very different to modern life now. The artwork was amazing and it was interesting to see how they manufactured the books when there were still paper shortages after the Second World War.

This museum is relatively new only opening last year. If you have the chance to go before this exhibition finishes on 27th September 2015 it's well worth a visit.

I treated myself to some bits from the shop.  I love these Tupperware boxes to keep bits and bobs in. They will look so cute in the craft den

I also bought some postcards too, to add to my collection.

The museum is on Granary Square where there is a cool water fountain known as the Granary Squirt.  

This was a nice place to sit and have lunch.  The water feature was mesmerising and there is an App where you can control the formation, how cool is that?! I wish I had downloaded the app and played, I intend to go back at some point when the nights draw in to see them lit up in the dark so maybe I'll have a go then.

The plan for the rest of the day was to take a walking tour around the Kings Cross area which is currently going through an exciting redevelopment project, but the weather was too wet. So instead we headed towards a building to stay dry that was advertising a cafe and gallery. What we found was Kings Place which looks like an office building, and part of it is for the Observer and Guardian newspapers.  We did not expect to find a huge building with a lovely cafe, where we ate cake, three art galleries which are commercial but are free to look around and that's not all, it has restaurants and a concert hall too for music events.  It opened to the public in 2008 and we had no idea it was there.

It backs on to the canal and we could see the London Canal Museum which was perfect for our next stop as it was still raining.

As we walked round dodging the puddles, we came across this feature on a building, random enough for me to take a picture.

The London Canal Museum was interesting with lots of narrowboat folk art which is very fashionable at the moment in craft.

The rain stopped long enough for us to go outside to look at the boats that were moored up

I'm not sure how long this bike had been there or if it had just been parked amongst the weeds.

The building was home to an ice store in the Victorian era when we imported ice from Norway, you would have thought the UK was cold enough to make our own, but apparently not! Carlo Gatti was the entrepreneur behind the business that imported ice in this building and was credited with making ice cream available to the general public. There was a history on the trade which was eye opening, did you know that ice cream was originally sold in glass cones and they were not washed between uses? yuck!  

Once we left the London Canal Museum we wandered back towards Granary Square and visited a book shop on a barge....

I know, cool right?! This is a great second hand book shop on a barge, with so many books! I loved the quirkiness but I did feel a little queasy being on the water.

On the way back to the train station we came across lots of signs with quotes (and you know I love a quote) on a retail unit not yet let....

They made the buildings not yet in use look pretty instead of sad and empty.

Having a day out and chatting with Laura has inspired me with some great ideas. One of which is a new feature coming soon ~ fizzi fun friday!

fizzi~jayne x