Laura Rumble - Crafter

Here is my smile for this week.  As I haven't managed to get outside at all this month, these are my 'inside' daffs.  I can just about see some 'outside' daffs if I stick my head out the upstairs window! Linking up at Annie's

I've been trying some Found Poetry.  Explained as simply as possible - random words cut from any printed source put together in a different order. I thought this would be really hard and something that I wouldn't enjoy at all... However, it is amazingly freeing, amusing and just so much fun! I'm doing it for a swap... details here .  It is the brainchild of the rather wonderful Jessica Brogan , and in return for your 12 cards, you will receive 12 cards from all over the world in many different styles and designs and colours and some new friends.  Join us, won't you?

It's Rudolph Day ! This month I have two Kanban kit cards.  They are rockers. I decided that they were cute but I really don't enjoy making things the way a kit tells me to do.  I much prefer to do my own thing! I'm hoping the cards other 'Rudolpher's' have made are much more inspiring! Thanks for stopping by

Yes please!! I love rainbows and I love butterflies.  This is my latest canvas... I used crafters acrylics, modelling paste and pearlescent medium.  The butterfly mask/stencil is by Finnabair, and is definitely one of my favourites. I'd like to enter this in to: Country View Challenges - Painty Artists Play Room My Craft Creations Craft My Life All Crafts Challenge I'd love to hear what you think... Thanks for stopping by

This layout is inspired by two challenges.  First up is Studio Challenges' NO PHOTO challenge.  And secondly my colour palette came from The Craft Garden's design seeds picture. The list of things I want to do seems to grow forever longer.  The whole Thirty before 30 thing has been on my mind for a while but with the M.E/C.F.S being so bad it is incredibly difficult. There are so many things I could put on a list as things I want to do/achieve/experience that with my health the way it is are currently impossible.  As part of my coming to terms with the M.E. seemingly being here for, well, it's 14 years so far and no signs of it going yet, I decided to go ahead with a 30 but making sure they are all achievable with my level of health. Others may look at my list and think it's rubbish, I may look at their list and say if only!  However I'm doing this for me, and these thirty things are exciting and achievable for me.  I'm also giv...

I know most of us Smilers love rainbows... here are some rainbow stripes :)  My pet crocheter (Mum) is two thirds of the way through making this for me.  I wish you could feel it... it's cotton and is so lovely! Linking at Friday Smiles

So my DT piece for todays Crafty Ribbons challenge is a layout.  I was looking at all sorts of sketches and mood boards and in the end I followed Scrap Around The World 's mood board. I took my inspiration form the metallic gold triangles on the pink pots in the bottom right corner.  I took my colours from the top left corner - gold, deep pink, dark teal, egg yolk - and I also used the chevron pattern.  I tried to get an ombre effect with the misting in the background but it wasn't terribly successful.  (I like it but it is not obviously ombre.)   I cut my fibre ribbon in to chevron/zigzags.  I also used some teal stained book pages. Lots of gold misting behind. I pulled out some triangular buttons ( or these! ), covered them with tombow multi glue and waited until it had turned sticky.  Then I covered them with gold leaf. I also covered the top of my foam letters with gold leaf.  I left the sides black which highl...

The difference being that it is made of pencils! These four colouring pencils were a freebie and as soon as I saw them I knew I wanted to do something out of the ordinary with them.  I pulled out matching 3mm satin ribbon and set to work trying to tie them together.  After lots of frustration I pulled out the glue gel and stuck them together!  When the gel had dried I added my ribbon and tied them in to bows. Then this square of pencils sat on my desk for a week or more.  I just wasn't sure how to make it in to something...  I couldn't add it to scrapbook page as it is too dimensional.  I couldn't incorporate it in to a mini album as it wouldn't withstand much bashing around.  There were two options left; a wreath - just a bit of quirky colour for the sake of it or a picture frame - finding a way to put a back on and getting it to stand by itself and adding a photo.  As of yet I've not managed to find a way of making it stand,...

Get any flowers for Valentine's Day?  Add a lovely bow to the vase to finish it off nicely!!  This ribbon is from Crafty Ribbons and can be found here ...

My pet crocheter has been a busy bee...  These are for my brother and sister-in-law who have just had a baby.  See, there's a Daddy one, a Mummy one and a baby one!  :) Sharing at Annie's Friday Smiles :)

And now for the desky post!  (second post today... what's going on?!) Happy WOYWW !  Here is my desk as it was left yesterday with today's post (jewellery findings) plonked on top.  I have been making samples this week but I can't share any as the products are yet to be released.  Baby wipes, gesso, buttons, KO thread, hedgehog paperclips, off cuts.  Oh yes, there's a sneak of the floppy disk album that got pushed aside for the sample-making.  Really could do with some tidying and structure rather than the semi circle of stuff around the cutting mat.  It won't happen today as I will be mostly looking at desks ! Happy Wednesday!!

Here is a small mixed media canvas I've made. It is just seven centimetres square, so really rather mini! I played around with gesso, washi tape, water soluble art bars, matte medium and watercolour pencils on the background. I added three shaped buttons with a needle and thread. It was crying out for a word or two.  I don't really do words very well!  I looked at the rub ons that I had and decided 'wish' was the best fit.  I used my posca paint pen to highlight the rub on and then pushed it back in to the canvas by smearing the tiniest bit of gesso of the top. I'm really pleased with how it's turned out :) Thanks for stopping by Laura

Just wrapped a couple of birthday presents... Just brown paper as we didn't have any patterned paper that wasn't girly... Jazzed up with red birthday ribbons from Crafty Ribbons. You can find the skinny words here , the wide words here and the awesome candles here . Thanks for stopping by :)

Billy Budgie is moulting... Friday Smiles over at Annie 's is a place to share anything that has made us smile this week...

First challenge of the year is up at Crafty Ribbons Challenges today.  We are refreshed from our January break and are continuing on with our weekly challenges.  I have a mini album to share with you for our first challenge back... I felt I was missing out! I had never had a macaron.   Macaroons I was familiar with… coconut-y goodness, but the almond based biscuit-meringue macarons had passed me by.   This HAD to change.   It did.  And I made it into a mini album… I went through my collected tags, added a few kraft blanks, and a couple of pearlescent peach die cut tags.   These would make up the pages of the album.   I covered most of them with card stock – yellow waffle, peach flowers from the cake box from the deli, and hounds-tooth pattern from Fancypants Happy Go Lucky. I had some puffy stickers from Claire’s accessories that I wanted to form the main embellishments for the album and I collected some similar coloured bits...