Birthday Quiz - Linda

Hello everyone.  Linda here to wish the new Our Creative Corner a happy first birthday!  I have answered a few "interview" questions to help me share a bit about myself with you.  So here we go...

What’s the first thing you’d do if you were the opposite sex for one day?
I have absolutely no idea of how to answer this question. I guess that is because I can’t think of anything I could do as a man that I can’t do as a woman.

Which of the four seasons do you prefer and why?
I love the fall season, the harvest season when the colors are so warm and rich, the leaves are turning and falling and there is a comfortable feeling of abundance.

How much time does it take you to create one of your projects?
It generally takes me three to four hours to create a tag, a mixed media project or a card front. I create a lot of my own embellishments because that is what appeals to me. Rather than using a commercial flower, I prefer to make a hand made flower. I don’t care for stickers or pre-printed chipboard embellishments on my work. I sometimes use stitching which also takes more time. I love altering metals too.

What three things do you think of most each day?
1) my family – like most moms, the wellbeing of my children and how they are faring is always on my mind. And like most daughters in my age group, I am always thinking of my aging parents, wondering how they are and checking up on them.
2) my boutique and customers – I work my boutique 7 days a week. It is amazing how much time it takes to keep up with all the tasks required to keep it running smoothly – from packing the orders and creating all the little give way packs, to shopping and placing orders with suppliers and keeping up with the financial end of things, I work every waking minute that I can squeeze in. I briefly take time out for running my home, visiting my parents two days a week and trying to get out on my bike for a couple of hours each time a few times a week.
3) my art – what are my commitments and deadlines for the week, what am I going to create and how am I going to fit it into my busy schedule?

If you had a year off, what would you want to do?
Travel – I have always wanted to travel, but must of my life has been tied up with earning a living and raising my children. Money was always tight so big/long trips were rarely do-able. Plus my husband is a cranky traveler. He doesn’t deal well with the inevitable delays and problems that come up when traveling. I have finally nagged him enough that we are taking a couple of fairly long trips this year. We have an Alaskan cruise booked for June and are in the process of arranging a driving trip to the Finger Lakes region of New York state and then on to Nantucket for a few days in August. Taking a driving trip across the USA is still on my bucket list.

And as I was responding to this interview question, I realized that we would actually be vacationing in Key West when this interview was published.

Is there something you wish you were better at?
There are a multitude of things I wish I were better at.  I wish I was better at being a friend. I don’t have any close friends…acquaintances and casual friends, yes, but no real friends. It’s all because I don’t take time to connect. I have always been obsessed with working and with my family that I just never really developed a close friendship with anyone. It’s totally my fault because I don’t take the time to reach out and stay connected.

I hope you are enjoying our birthday bash month and learning a bit more about the talented members of our design team.  The next post up will be our Guest Designer post on the 11th.  Be sure to stop by then to see who it is and what she has made for this month's post to inspire you to participate!

With a Song in your Heart Winner and Top 3

Hello everyone, Alison here to announce the winners from my With A Song In Your Heart challenge.

Before I reveal the winners, I'd just like to say how much I loved seeing the projects created specifically for this challenge.  Sadly there were many projects which didn't qualify, having not included the song title/lyrics on their projects, but those that did get it right got it SO right... there were some truly fantastic creations to admire, as varied as the songs which inspired them.  In all honesty, I wish I could give a winners' badge to all of you that really played this challenge properly, so thank you for that.

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Firstly, let's find out who was picked by Random.org to be the winner of the prize donated by April's sponsor, Tando Creative, and that was...

#22 Shari, with this brilliant take on Soft Cell's Tainted Love.

Congratulations, Shari - please send us an email to claim your prize.

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Now to my winner... 

#14 Nikki Acton

I loved the musical message tucked in the top of this altered bottle, as well as the lovely soft chalky finish and subtle colour palette.  And if you hop over to Nikki's blog, you'll see the Message in a Bottle (by The Police, of course - what a song! what a band!) is washed up in some beautifully coloured driftwood too!

Thank you, Nikki.  Do grab your Winners Badge, and we hope you'll join us for a Top Talent feature soon.

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And now the Top Three, in no particular order...

#2 Shaerfchen's Kreative Welt a.k.a Dagmar 

This exploding box card is just so much fun.  There's such movement in the dynamic composition, and a fabulous retro feel, really capturing the spirit of the song.  And the song title on the wing of the flaming car tells you all you need to know - Viva Las Vegas (by the one and only Elvis Presley) indeed!

#31 magpieheaven a.k.a. Julie Ann

These fabulous Lynne Perrella clowns are only the inside story on this project - to find the song lyrics you need to see the front cover which asks "Are We A Pair?", a line from the haunting Send In the Clowns by Stephen Sondheim.  The detail and the storytelling in this bewitching creation are just wonderful.

#29 Lylac Sparkle Creations a.k.a. Deborah

I loved Deborah's thoughtful post about what inspired her in these lyrics from En Vogue's Don't Let Go.  The piece she created about a moment of losing control and falling in love is beautifully evocative, with those butterflies being released to flutter freely out in the world.  

Congratulations to each of you!  Please grab your Top 3 badge and we hope you'll wear it with pride.

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There's still plenty of time to play along with Linda's Love Those Leftovers challenge. Please read the challenge guidelines and our rules carefully to be in with the chance to win a prize from our generous sponsor this month, Crafty Individuals.  There'll also be some more Sponsor Spotlight projects later in the month so you can see Crafty Individuals' gorgeous products in action.

Don't forget there'll also be some more Birthday Quiz posts along shortly, so keep an eye out to find out more about each of the members of the Design Team.  

See you soon!

Alison x

Birthday Quiz - Alison

Hello all, Alison here!  I can hardly believe a whole year has gone by since Laura created the new look Our Creative Corner.  It's been so exciting to be part of the amazing journey she's taken the challenge on.

To celebrate, as you may already know, the Design Team are being put on the spot with some Birthday Quiz questions... so here we go with mine!

What was the last thing to make you feel happy?
Lots of things make me happy... learning something new, making things at my craft desk, playing and talking with my niece and nephew, the joy of getting to work with words, reading a great book, listening to magnificent music, taking a walk in the sunshine... it's ongoing.

If you had a time machine, what historical figure would you love to see in 21st century life?

Hmm... I'm not sure I'd inflict 21st century life on anyone.  I'd much rather go travelling myself and I know exactly where I'd go first: I want to go to London in about 1600 to find William Shakespeare at the height of his powers.  Since I have the privilege of working with his words on a daily basis, I would love to witness his creative process... did he stop and think about what words/sounds/rhythms he needed next, or did it all just come pouring out of him?






What one thing have you not done that you really want to do?
I would love to see the Northern Lights.

What is something you’re superstitious about?
In common with a lot of theatre people, I wouldn't say Macbeth in a theatre.  I can manage it outside, but I would refer to it as The Scottish Play if I were actually inside a theatre auditorium (as I quite often am for work).  The performance history of the play is too littered with accidents and deaths to take any chances.

I also wouldn't whistle on stage - mainly because I love the reason that "superstition" arose.  It's not mumbo-jumbo, it was purely practical.  In the 18th century, stagehands were often recruited from the ranks of sailors who had no current employment on a ship, because the mechanisms worked very similarly.  But, as on board ship, they used whistles to signal the hauling of the various ropes to shift scenery during rehearsals.  A random whistle from onstage might mean you got a random piece of scenery landing on your head - so it made sense not to whistle!


What makes you feel nostalgic?
Music does it mostly...

Which of the four seasons do you prefer and why?
I have reasons for loving all of them - Summer, the sunshine and long days of light; Autumn - the glowing colours and freshening air; Winter - bright frosty days, and cosy fires when it's grey; but in the end, if I could only have one (and how awful that would be - I love living in a climate with variation) it would probably have to be Spring... the spring flowers appearing, blossom on trees, the bright new leaf growth and blue skies, and most of all the sense of renewed energy I get once the sun reappears.




Thanks so much for dropping in today.  Be sure to keep an eye out for the next DT birthday quiz, and don't forget there are all our regular Sponsor Spotlights and Winners' Posts also going on.  May is busy here at Our Creative Corner - lucky I've got that burst of springtime energy!!  I'll be back in a couple of days to announce the winners of With A Song In Your Heart, so I hope to see you then.

Alison xx

Sponsor Spotlight Feature With Crafty Individuals

Hello everyone. Julia here for the first of our sponsor spotlight features. This month, we are generously supported by the fabulous Crafty Individuals Company. Not found this wonderful stamp company yet? Click on the image below to be transported to a crafters treasure trove!

 I absolutely love their stamps and products so it was a difficult choice to select something to use from their range. In the end I chose a new stamp and one that I already had.

The two stamps I decided to use for my spotlight: CI220 and CI342 (I've had this stamp for a while)

Two stamps, some DecoArt SoSoft fabric paints, some white fabric, a zip and some lace were put together to make this travel bag/cosmetics bag.

The first job was to cut out all the pieces I needed for the outer bag, the lining and the interlining which I added to give the bag more shape and strength. The next stage was to stamp the fabrics.

When using fabric paint (or any paint) for stamping, always brush a thin layer onto a craft sheep straight from the container. Don't thin with water.

Lightly tap your stamp several times into the paint and apply to your fabric. You may get variations in the depth of colour but I think this adds to the handmade charm of your project. Always remember to follow the instructions on the product you are using on your fabric.

This image shows clearly how the stamp will pick up the paint from a non-stick craft sheet. Any thinner and it will be insufficient to produce a good image of your stamp. Any thicker and it will clog your stamp. DON'T allow the paint to dry on your stamp! I clean mine regularly with a baby wipe when stamping large areas of substrate. This prevents paint build up.

For extra detail on the design the paint was added with a very fine brush.

To make the stripes, areas of fabric were masked with tape (masking tape) and the fabric paint was applied carefully with small pieces of cut n dry foam. Pick up the paint on the foam and then tap it off onto your craft sheet before applying to your fabric. This ensures you don't build up the paint too quickly - less is best until you have achieved the desired look! I remove the tape straight away and just run the heat tool over the painted areas for a short time to prevent the paint bleeding.

All the pieces for the outside of the bag are cut and stamped. The cream coloured fabric is curtain interlining called domette - it adds wonderful body to projects like this bag which will tend to crumple without it.

Layers tacked together ready for construction. 

The lining fabric cut and stamped ready for construction.

The stripes have been machine embroidered with an interlinked leaf design and green thread on both colours.

The outer bag and interlining pieces stitched into the bag shape.

Part the way through, I decided the bag needed some embellishment so I added some lace trim to the front and back. I'd usually do this before joining the pieces together!

A zip has been inserted in the opening on the outer bag. On the right, the lining has been pieced together ready to add to the main bag.

The lining is put into the outer bag and is hand stitched into the machining used to apply the zip.

I have great trouble stopping adding details! The little yellow 'blobs' took ages but it was such a satisfying task! Look how clear the stamp image is - including the little birds and the butterflies. Crafty Individuals stamps are made from deep red rubber which really does give a beautiful, crisp image.

Originally, I was going to paint this stamped image on TAP paper but to be honest, it's so gorgeous I don't think it needs anything but some DecoArt SoSoft Fabric Paint.

Image to show lace detail.

Lining in place on the inside of the bag. The image was stamped but not embellished further with yellow SoSoft paint.

Image to show zip detail and that wonderful crisp stamping with one of the CI 342 set and DecoArt SoSoft Fabric Paint.

I hope you enjoyed seeing how I used those wonderful Crafty Individuals stamps to create my travel/cosmetic bag. If you made it this far, thank you so much for sticking with me!!

If you want to be in with a chance of winning our generous prize from Crafty Individuals then why not check out the latest Our Creative Corner challenge here and get crafting! Don't forget that more sponsor spotlights will be shown this month by some of my very talented teamies so do pop back soon.

Birthday Quiz - Laura

Hi everyone! 

Laura here and I am so pleased to welcome you to the first post of the team's questionnaires! Here are my questions and answers - hopefully they will give you a glimpse of my life beyond my love of crafts that you have already got to know through Laurart and the OCC.


If you were a performing artist, what would you title your first album?

I did actually sing with my husband's band once. I did it because there was a song that I really wanted to sing and I wanted to see if I could get through it, in front of an audience, without collapsing in fear. Also it was my birthday party and if it is your own party then you are allowed to do these kind of crazy things!
I am a great believer in confronting your fears (certain ones at least) and trying things you have never attempted before, just to see if it is actually possible. I may not be the worlds most  fantastic singer, but I can at least say I have done it and I don't think I hurt anyone's ears!! 

I guess my first album would be called "Breaking Laws" - Not because I am a born criminal! but my friends call me Laws and if I were ever to decide to be a performing artist I would be breaking a promise I made to myself that I would NEVER do that again! Once was enough! It was fun in a very scary way and I can say I have done it, but I don't feel the need to embrace singing as a career!

Is there anything that you would refuse to do?

There aren't many things that I would refuse to do as I do believe you should give things a go (see question above!)  But I really can't bear heights at all. I can't stand on a stool step without feeling ill. Once I attempted to climb on my daughters bunk bed because she wanted me to read her a story. I thought "It's not that tall" and once I was up there my husband had to come and help me down because I couldn't move - I was so terrified (Hey! bunk beds are are higher than they look!) So while I very often force myself out of my comfort zone and see if I can accomplish new things....doing a parachute jump, bungee jumping or mountain climbing are definitely not something I can or will ever do.

Is there something you wish you were better at?

I really wish I could speak other languages. I know a little bit of French, not enough to speak it, but I can usually work out the written word if it is very basic. I know a few words of Czech thanks to my mother-in-law. I know how to swear in German thanks to a German pen pal I had once! I have always envied people who are fluent in several languages. I just don't think there is room in my small brain for more than one. I have tried, but I just can't do it. 
I also would love to be able to play an instrument. I can play 'Oh Susanna' on the piano and a tune on the recorder that I learned when I was seven...I tried to learn the guitar and flute too but on those I just about managed to learn 'Three blind mice'....Sadly I am never going to be better than that.

What is the best present you have ever received?

I have received many wonderful gifts but the one that I treasure the most was a surprise from my husband. On my 40th birthday I had a party that was attended by all my wonderful friends. In the huge garden at my mother-in-law's house my husband's band did a birthday gig for me. My best friend sang one of my favourite songs, my daughter sang too and it was wonderful. My husband had asked me what I wanted for my birthday and I said that I would really love it if he sang our song 'Amazed' by Lonestar at my birthday party gig. We both love the song so much and it means a lot to us. Sadly, he said that as much as he would love to do that for me, he couldn't - because it is such an emotional song for him that he would cry.

During the party my husband called everyone into the hall. He stood on the stairs and said he was doing a speech for my birthday. This was the first surprise - he never told me anything about planning a speech!!!

"For Laura's birthday I  thought I would write a speech"

He told everyone about my life - my childhood, the places I had lived, how we met, our life together, our journey through parenthood, and how happy I have made him. It was a speech that was full of so much love, laughter and tears. Everyone said afterwards how perfect it was...

"Oh no! Don't tell everyone about that!"

Then came the second surprise...As he finished this very beautiful speech he said....
".....I hope that this will say everything that my heart says" 
He walked over to me, took hold of my hands and he sang 'Amazed' for me.

What is your favourite painting, who is the artist and why do you love it?

 My favourite artist is Jack Vettriano - I love all his paintings and I would really struggle to pick a favourite....But I have always adored this painting -

Dance me to the end of love

I love dancing (watching it...I am a hopeless dancer) and I have always thought this painting really captures the gracefulness of dance.  I love Jack Vettriano's simplistic style. This, as well as his choice of subjects, has sadly made the art critics very cruel in their reviews of his work. However, I like what I like and I pay no attention to critics at all! I have a copy of this painting in my home and I have studied the brushstrokes in detail and I really wish I could paint that way! I really envy his style and I have never been able to achieve anything like this in any painting I have ever done. He captures light in a way I can only dream of doing.

Aside from what is (in my view) very good technical paintings, for me the beauty of Jack Vettriano's paintings are in the way the painting draws your attention in and makes you want to know what is going on. A story forms in your mind and I love that. This is especially so with many of the darker paintings he does. In this painting, there is less of that searching for the story and the beauty of it is simply in the portrayal of the qualities of light, elegance, love and dance.

What is your favourite childhood memory?

   One of my favourite memories is visiting my Grandparents who lived in Dorset. There were so many things to enjoy about visiting them that I really could write a novel here about it all. 

    We would always go to the beach and stop first at the Shell House. It was a house that had a garden covered in shells from around the world. I could spend hours there and in my eyes as a child, it seemed such a magical place. In bright sunlight it would seem to glow and sparkle and I was in awe of it all. Every shell seemed to be a priceless treasure and I loved every minute there. I was totally convinced that the wishing well actually granted wishes - because I always got the ice cream that I wished for - Of course I realised years later than an ice cream was something my family always had at the end of a day at the beach, but it never occurred to me that that was why I got one. To me it was the wishing well that had made it come true and I never wanted to wish for anything else! 

      Sadly the house has gone now, but I do still have the wonderful memories of those sunny summer days visiting the beautiful shell house. I can still see it so clearly in my mind.

Southbourne Shell House

     Thanks so much for being here to read about my life - Don't forget to check back regularly because the rest of the team will each be featured in the question spotlight during this month.  

Don't forget each comment is an entry into the mystery prize draw this month!!!! 

Hope to see you soon!

Happy Crafting!

Laura xxx

Love Those Leftovers!

Hello everyone!

     Laura here - I am quickly invading Linda's post to just let you know what is happening at Our Creative Corner this month....

    It is exactly a year ago today that I became the owner of Our Creative Corner. I must first say a huge thank you to Linda for believing in me enough to let me take over as leader of a challenge blog that had meant so much to her. I also want to thank my wonderful, talented, supportive Design Team who have never failed to amaze me with their unique creativity, their wonderful challenge ideas and their willingness to always embrace new ideas.

 As May is our 'Birthday Month' it is going to be 'Party Time' here! This month is going to be crammed with posts - make sure you don't miss any of them! We will still have all the usual OCC features, but we also have the birthday bonus of each of us being put in the spotlight ourselves where we will be answering some questions. At the end of the month we will also be featuring a showcase of some creations that caught our attention over the last year - make sure you take a peek to see if yours is there! There is also a very special announcement as well...so watch out for that!

As this is a special month for us there is an extra prize draw for a mystery gift!!!

Every time you make a comment at Our Creative Corner, on any post, your name will be entered into the prize draw and the winner will be picked by random.org and will be announced on the 8th June.

    So comment as much as you can!....There will be 16 posts this month so everyone can potentially have 16 entries each in the prize draw!!! Maximize your chances of winning by commenting on every post this month. Comments made after 31st May will not be included.

Hope you enjoy celebrating the birthday fun over here at Our Creative Corner

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Hello friends of Our Creative Corner.  Thank you for visiting us during this special birthday month.  

 We're delighted to welcome back Crafty Individuals as our challenge sponsor for this month. They will be generously donating a prize to one random winner at the close of our challenge.

Linda here as your May host bringing you a challenge to use up the leftovers that are filling up your bins and boxes.  We all have those snippets of gorgeous papers we can't part with, embellishments made that didn't quite fit the project they are meant for, papers pre-colored from blotting up every last bit of paint and stain on our craft sheets.  Into the box they go and somehow never seem to see the light of day.  So get out those boxes and bins, sort through your leftovers and give 'em some love!

This month we want you to create a project made primarily from leftovers.  Please be sure to tell us in your blog post exactly what leftovers were used.  

Let's see how our design team has loved their leftovers:

Linda

Using scraps is a quick way to make a project.  Other than the corrugated cardboard backing and the Wendy Vecchi Art Parts top and bottom, this hanging was made entirely from leftovers in less than a hour.  That's lightening fast for me and it felt great to use some rejected embellishments that didn't make it onto previous projects.

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Julia

I enjoy trying to use up the bits and pieces which I can't bear to throw away. Often, I make something for a project, it's not quite right and into the box it goes for another time! I've used some die cuts from another project, two spare flowers made moons ago, a piece of paper used to clean off my brayer and an empty chocolate (sadly!)  box to make a 'basket' for an Easter Egg Hunt. Thanks Linda for another chance at this wonderful theme.

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Astrid

I was delighted when Linda chose to run the theme of her March challenge again. Another chance to use some of these scraps we all love to collect.... I am a hoarder of papers, I love to stroke them, but it's so hard to cut into them. Well for this project, a pocket tag card, I used loads of little scraps from those occasions when I did cut into them. And my two tubs of left over embellishments got a little bit emptier too.

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Laura

This creation is made totally from scraps - even using left over Distress Paint covered card.
It just goes to show that you don't need brand new embellishments each time to make something beautiful - raid the scraps box instead and discover what you can create

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Claudia

The scraps I used on this art journal page are really "special" (and go very well with the saying I used on this page): they are mostly watch glasses labels and wrapping paper pieces from the antique watchmaker's cabinet I got for X-mas. I used them together with some scraps from magazine pages (from a German magazine from 1938) which I used on a former project. I added some stamping and my "message"  - I just love my scraps! ;)

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Jenny

With the new Frameworks dies I will NEVER be at a loss for what to do with all the scraps I can't bear to part with. In fact boxes are being filled with them as we speak! This challenge gave me the chance to use those die cut scraps with a healthy dose of inspiration from the talented duo that are Wendy Vecchi and  Anna-Karin. Let the sun shine...

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Alison

Like Astrid, I was more than happy to use up some more scraps.  Things lie around on my craft table or in boxes - leftover scraps of paper; stamped images which almost became projects but never quite made it; inky, painty mop-up scraps; experimental tags trying out new products... all of them are to be found on this hanging.  Come and find out more at Words and Pictures!

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