Scrap Around the World EPIC event!

Hi all

So do you remember me posting at the beginning of the month about the Scrap Around the World EPIC event? Well today is the turn of the uber talented Scrap365 DT to play along and I am lucky enough to be in there too!

 

Scrap Around the World is an amazing challenge blog they release a mood board to work with every month, you get to play along and you get to be chosen for the wall of fame and let me tell you there is inspiration by the bucket load over there from the lovely Helen Tilbury's design team and from the international blog visitors that share their work ... if you haven't checked it out please do and you're not too late to play along with the EPIC event, lots of amazing goodies up for grabs from some amazing sponsors!!

This is the mood board for the EPIC event

 

Please pop over to Scrap Around the World to see all the layouts from the sponsors so far and please pop on over to the Scrap365 blog to see what our DT has done .... gorgeous work that's what!!! BUT before you go here's my offering with some close ups

 

My lovely niece on her 17th birthday. I guess the reference to 'celebrate' on the mood board inspired me to choose this photo as I received the board just after her birthday. I love the fresh colours of the mood board with the turquoise and pink and decided to leave a lot of white space to keep the airy light feel I got from seeing it.

 

The balloons made me think of flying away so I decided to splat the colour onto the page instead of making it too heavy. I used a slightly watered acrylic paint to do this and kept the splats quite thick to add texture. If you have a go at this clear your work space and even take your page outside to splat it if you can, no matter how careful you are the paint gets everywhere LOL Once the paint was completely dry I applied gilding flake glue along the edges of the runs, using my finger to spread it and then used gilding flakes to add the gold like there is at the bottom of the balloons on the mood board

 

I picked out the pinks and turquoises from the mood board with flowers, dew drops and liquid pearls...

 

... as well as with ribbons, lace and twine for added texture

 

To me the doyley added that last bit of birthday tea party feel inspired by the photo of the macaroons.

 

and lastly the typeset on the mood board inspired me to add some of my own handwriting in different colours and styles

 

I hope you like my take on the mood board, I really had fun creating it! Please go and check out all the many, many different interpretations of it on Scrap365 and ultimately on the Scrap Around the World blog, you will be inspired just by the sheer amount of different takes on it let alone by the beautiful work produced! I look forward to seeing your interpretation!!!

 

Thanks for popping by, I hope you're well and happy. I'll be back soon with some stuff ... not sure what yet but lots in the pipeline :) and will definitely be back next Tuesday with my step by step tutorial for my little birdie project in this months Scrap 365 magazine ... have you got yours yet?

 

Until soon, as ever,

Happy Crafting!

Love

MJM x

A Floral gallivant .... the results!

Hi all

Last weekend I told you I was off to Chatsworth House with my mum for a Floral gallivant to attend Florabundance and that I would be back with the results of my first serious floral workshop well here we go!

We had the most amazing time, it was my first trip to Chatsworth House and it won't be my last, it really is an amazing place and the staff looked after us so well. Florabundance happens once a year here and it is all created by the uber talented Jonathan Moseley international flower demonstrator and star of the recent allotment challenge on BBC2 among other things. Every room we went in or corridor we walked down held floral beauty all influenced this year by the art collection at Chatsworth. I have managed to reduce the 200 plus photos down and then put those in to collages so I don't drown you in photos but I have to share a flavour of the trip with you and also say if you can get to go next year ... do it!

 

There really was flowers to spot everywhere from huge arrangements to gorgeous fire places to incidental flowers along the way! There was a breath taking installation in the entrance too but my photos don't really do it justice so I haven't included them, it was a 'you just had to be there' moment!

 

This was a take your breath away moment in the chapel with a Damien Hirst sculpture of St Bartholomew in the centre and the floral arrangements reflecting the story.

 

and another one..... just a small table setting!!!

 

The Sculpture room was a sight to behold .... I have never seen so many roses in one place and they looked so rich with their colour against the white sculptures... just beautiful!

 

But my favourite thing had to be this room filled with silver beech. It stopped me in my tracks as I walked in. Again its difficult to get the same effect in photos but it was an amazing installation and I think it spoke to the theatre designer in me with the way it filled the space so dramatically with the beautiful trees dripping with amaryllis.

 

After enjoying the delights of the house we got to see the man himself work his flower magic with an amazing demonstration. The stage was full of glorious colour and Jonathan made it look so effortless

 

And to round that day off I was lucky enough to win one of the fabulous arrangements to bring home! Me and mum stayed at the Devonshire Arms in Baslow and I can highly recommend it .... the food was amazing!

 

So with a good breakfast inside us we were back off to Chatsworth for Workshop day ... eek! I was scared to death I have to say, I love flowers and seeing what talented people like Jonathan do with them but flowers don't always love me LOL but Jonathan was very patient and a great teacher and we had a blast!

 

The room was full of boxes of flowers that came at us thick and fast once we got going, hence the lack of pics ;) But what a joy to spend a day surrounded by colour, fragrance, my mum and even 3 more of the Guisborough flower club possee. We also had an amazing lunch as part of the day and got to walk away with 2 arrangements each ... are you ready for my results?

 

This was the first one and was based around a technique involving embroidery with flowers. The base is a glass bowl covered in textures with wool and flowers and then the top is a floral arrangement, I had great fun with the glue gun for the base and was thrilled I actually did the arrangement!

 

The second was based around the Dutch floral paintings in the house and is an amazing riot of colour all set in a hollowed out cabbage! ... Genius!

 

I was really rather pleased with my efforts and maybe think I could get the hang of this amazing craft if I had the time in my life to let another creative venture in!! So I guess I will keep going to the dems to be inspired (and I do get a lot of inspiration for my projects from watching flower dems!) and dabble here and there ;)

 

So that's our trip to Chatsworth .... if you get the chance to go, do visit and also if you get the chance to ever see Jonathan demonstrate or even attend one of his workshops do!!!

 

Thanks for popping by so I can share my adventures with you, I'll be back really soon with the Scrap365 part of the EPIC event with Scrap Around the world. In the meantime I hope you are well and happy and until soon, as ever,

Happy Crafting!

Love

MJM x

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



It's Epic!!!

Hi all

No excuses, no begging forgiveness for my absence and all that I know I just need to get my blogging backside in gear LOL and this month is gonna be EPIC! in more ways than one!!

First up is this

EPIC ANNIVERSARY EVENT COMPETITION AT SCRAP AROUND THE WORLD

 



That link will take you to the uber inspirational challenge blog Scrap Around the World where the lovely Helen Tilbury will share instructions on how you can play along and get your mitts on some AMAZING crafty prizes! Scrap 365 magazine has been invited along to join in the celebrations and I was lucky enough to go along and play

 

 

Click the badge and it will take you to the Scrap Around the World blog .... be prepared though your jaw will drop when you see the amazing work on there ... it is a challenge blog and then some with inspiration by the bucket load!!

 

 

The challenges on the blog every month come from mood boards, here's the one that we had as a starting point

 

 

There are already layouts up on the blog from the SATW design team and there are many, many more to come from the teams that are guesting this month as part of the celebrations so you need to check out the Scrap Around the World blog regularly starting from the 11th May for the rest of the month to see the many diverse interpretations of the mood board .... I know it will inspire me! Scrap365 magazine team are up on the 20th May so I will share my effort ;) And don't forget to check out the prize list and read about all the amazing companies involved in this EPIC event!

 

 

And talking of inspiration before you go have you got yours?

 

 

Out today!!!! Available in WHSmith, craft stores and of course on the website. Summery inspiration to chase away the grey sky and showers and a little project

 

 

By yours truly that I can't wait for you to see in its entirety .... but you'll have to buy the mag ;) Oh and there will be a tutorial going on line to see how I created it on the 25th May so go grab a copy and enjoy .... this too is EPIC ;)

 

Ok I am loving and leaving you .... what else is epic? well I may be here a few times in the coming weeks, maybe it will kick start my blogging mojo? who knows funnier things happen at sea!

 

Until soon I hope you are all well and happy and as ever

Happy Crafting

Love

MJM x