Announcing Lucy Edmondson as our Guest For June

We are really pleased to announce that Lucy Edmondson will be joining us for June as Our Guest on the design team.
If you are not familiar with Lucy's work have a look on her blog.
We are really looking forward to the arty treats she has to share with us this month.

Geek Chic

Top of the morning to all of you.
For my first DT piece for Happy Daze I've had a good rummage through my stamps to see what I could come up with. I've chosen to use this Geek Chic stamp plate from Artistic Outpost

I've made 2 postcards ~ all my backgrounds are handmade with inks, paints, spritzers, masks and stamps. All my black stamping is done in Archival ink ~ I find this ink to be the blackest black.

I'm so pleased to have been asked to be on the DT for Happy Daze... and I hope I inspire you with my creations!

Mandy ♥

Beeswax Beauty

I'm finding the new Suzi Blu stamps very hard to resist so for this make I just wanted to show how different the same stamp can look, if you look at my previous post Queen of Hearts you'll see I've used the same stamp but changed it a little. For this make I removed her wings, ouch, and just continued her hair to her waist.

I began by stamping the Angel of Art stamp on ordinary printer paper and then removed her her wings, I stuck the image down and then coloured in her face, neck and hands with pencils as these are the only parts that are not painted. I used string and modelling paste for the texture of her hair. The little bird is made with modelling paste as are the details of the skirt. I used a Prima Songbird stamp for the flowery details around the edge. Finally I stamped the Balloons stamp on tissue paper and then glued down so I would get it in the right place. After painting everything I then used an ordinary pencil to go over the edges and some of the details which gives the whole make a hand drawn look. I covered the whole make with beeswax and then distressed it by scratching with a knife and applying burnt umber oil paint and then rubbing off, a bit of bling adds another dimension simply embedded in the beeswax.

I used some stash and Suzi Blu Angel of Art stamp,

Paperbag Studios Balloons stamp,

  Crafters Workshop screen, 

Various paint dabbers also

Prima Songbird stamps

Wishing you a lovely, happy day, Sam xxx

'Alice' - Door Hanger by Annette Goatley

Hi, am back again with the fab Wonderland stamps by Stampendous..............oooh I just love this plate of stamps.  I also bought quite a few door hangers from Happy Daze as they make marvellous gifts.

The story goes like this............Rabbit wanted to show Alice some great new card tricks but she kept telling him she was late for her appointment with the Queen of Hearts, but would he listen.....NO he wouldn't he just kept showing off.......typical of a Rabbit.....................lol

Other Products used:  Black Gesso, Acrylic Paints, Studio Multi-medium and Watercolour paints.

Have you sent your entry in yet for this great challenge.........there is still time and we would love to see it.

Take care of yourselves and if you see a little rabbit who is holding a pack of cards just remember this post.................Hugs Annette x

Please welcome our new DT Member

We are very pleased to announce that Mandy Chilvers has joined the Happy Daze Design Team. Lots of you are probably very familiar with her work. She co- runs the Sunday Post Card Art Challenge with a friend and was recently published in the March issue of Craft Stamper.
Have a look at her blog to find out a little bit more about her and her style of work.

May Queen Tag By Moira Sutton

At a recent play day I attended we made padded canvas tags, here is one of mine in celebration of our challenge theme this month - May Queen. I have used masks - Crafters Workshop Harlequin, Pink Paislee, Mistable  Mask, and Dylusions Chequered Dots, with a range of Colour Wash Spray Inks.

The main image is Loepard Queen by Stampotique Oringinals, and the birdy comes from Prima Songbird Stamps. The dangly bead trim is just for fun!

To enter our monthy challenge and win a £15 Gift Voucher for the shop, just click here for more details.

Miranda By Paula Tidman

I'm loving these Chapel Road Art stamps. Miranda is so pretty and ideal for these new fabric clasp clam bags in the Happy Daze shop.

I started by painting the bag (which is a little bigger than the fabric purses also now stocked,) with a couple of coats of gesso which I'd tinted with a little acrylic paint to make a creamier shade. Then rather than stamping directly on the bag as it is a domed shape, I stamped Miranda onto a scrap of white cotton which was given two coats of same gesso mix I used on the bag. Alternatively you can stamp on tissue paper. The flower stamp is one from my stash. Then I coloured the stamps using my inktense pencils. I zigzag stitched round the stamps and cut out close to the stitching. Then I glued to the bag using matte medium. When dry, I sealed the whole bag with matte medium. Used my hot glue to attach some lace and and small bow from my stash.

Miranda is my "May Queen" which is the current Happy Daze Challenge. One lucky winner will be drawn at random to win a  £15 voucher and free P&P to spend in the Happy Daze shop. Maximum of 3 entries per person & you must use at least one product which can be purchased in the Happy Daze shop.

• You can enter by blogging you address to the linky widget here, 
• emailing your picture to info@happy-daze.net
• uploading your photo to their facebook page

Ice Ice Resin By Carol fox

Woo Hoo, Ice resin is now being stocked. I love all things resiny so this got a massive thumbs up from me. I know you have probably seen a very similar box to this from me before, but I wanted to see how the resin worked on a large flat surface like this, and guess what it worked a treat. It was thick enough not to run down the sides and it gave a lovely shiny durable finish to the top of it. It is so easy to mix and is not smelly at all. It sets enough to do another layer in about 12 hours and is totally dry in 24.

 I used Viva Inka Gold Paint to colour the metal Idea-ology feet.

I have used.

Wooden box
Ice Resin
Tim Holts Idea-ology
Charms
Inka Gold Paint


Dont forget the current challenge is May Queen and there is a £15.00 voucher to be won for the shop. For the challenge details click here 

On Your Bike!

This months challenge is "May Queen", I have to admit that at first I struggled with the theme then I broke it down, Brian May was the guitarist in Queen and one of their many hits was Bicycle Race, a great excuse to reach for one of my many new Suzi Blu stamps, Wheels of Freedom!

I didn't have the size and shaped of canvas that I really wanted so I used some chipboard covered with a sheet of canvas. I raided my old paper stash to make the 'hill' and basically just got busy creating lots of layers using bits of torn book pages, paper punching, oil pastels and of course the stamped main image and covered the whole lot with beeswax to add a dimension of distressed ness and glitter.

I did indeed have a little yellow bike with blue wheels as a girl, not sure about the bunches in my hair though!

I used some stash, canvas sheet and Suzi Blu Wheels of Freedom stamp

A quick reminder about the current Happy Daze Challenge which  you still have plenty of time to enter. It is "May Queen." One lucky winner will be drawn at random to win a  £15 voucher with free P&P to spend in the Happy Daze shop. Maximum of 3 entries per person & you must use at least one product which can be purchased in the Happy Daze shop.

Vintaj Patina Necklace By Moira Sutton

New In the shop this week are the Vintaj Patina by Ranger, these give some lovely affects onto metal as you can see from this necklace that Moira has made using them on Vintaj charms, Moira has used the Patina sets Rusted Hardwear and weathered Copper on her necklace. There have also been a lot of re-stocks in the vintaj range available in the shop this week as well as some lovely new additions, there is now a great selection to choose from in the shop.

Moira has used.

Ranger Patina's

Vintaj charms

Door Hanger for the Queen by Annette Goatley (nettyscraftings)

Hi, have made this Door Hanger for the Queen..............not the Queen of England but for my Mum who is very much a Queen to me.

Products used:  White Gesso, Viva Mask, Tissue Paper, Versamagic, Prima flowers, Bling, Acrylic Paint and Viva Inka Gold.
Stamps by:  Lost Coast Designs

Have ordered quite a few more of these great door hangers as they make such wonderful gifts don't you think, plus they are not expensive and when you have a large family like mine you have to count the cost.

Looking forward to seeing your interpretation of this month's challenge.
Take care of yourselves,  Annette x

Jubilee Suitcase By Carol Fox

I have used Artistic Outpost Rubber Stamp sets London Elements, London underground and the bunting from Whimsical Melange for this little suitcase.

I applied a coat of white gesso to the case first before I coloured it using Oil Pastels and then grunged it up a bit with some Black Acrylic paint applied with some cut and dry foam. I quite like the way the oil pastels have made it look all old and beaten up.

I collaged up some images onto some pieces of card that I had cut to size to fit inside the top and bottom of the case. I was intending to make them into postcards and it was only after I had stuck them down that I realised I had forgotten to stamp the post card element on them. DOH.

I glued a couple of pieces of old cut and dry foam into the base of the case so the bottom card is tilted so it can be seen better.

The bunting flags are glued onto some red scrappers floss.

Don't forget to enter the current challenge. The full details of how to enter can be seen on the post here.

' Alice ' The Altered Book - by Annette Goatley

Hi, its ages since I've altered a paperback and when my new Wonderland stamps arrived from Happy Daze my brain just buzzed with ideas and this is one of them............hope you like it.

Alice is late for her visit to the Queen of Hearts, but she doesn't look too bothered does she...........lol

Stamps by: Wonderland by Stampendous and Inkadinkado
Products used:  Gesso, Acrylic Paints,  Prima Mask, Studio Multi Medium,  Inka Gold plus Gems and Ribbon from Stash.

Take care, be seeing you soon, hugs Annette x

Crafty sew'n'sew by Julie dandy

I have had this idea in my head for a while and finally got around to putting it in to reality :D
I started with one of these fab hardboard collage frames and a papier mache torso.

I cut the torso in half and glued it on to the frame with glossy accents, then gave it a few coats of white gesso as a base.

When completely dry I covered the whole thing with pieces of a vintage sewing pattern glued down with Claudines matte medium.

When dry I painted it with a wash of Claudines studio paints in painterly pink and  sky blue mixed with traditional tan to give it a more vintage look.

I love that it has tinted the paper but you can still see the original print :D

I stamped around the edge in archival ink with these amazing BLOCKHEADS stamps

To finish I added buttons and other sewing ephemera and distress stickles.

If you haven't already go and check out all the NEW ITEMS in the shop as Moira has added some lush new lines that will defo have you parting with your pennies :D

Hugs'n'snogs,
Julie xx

The Lady Margaret By Paula Tidman

I was so pleased to see that Happy Daze are now stocking these gorgeous Chapel Road Art stamps. I love this image of Margaret she is so serene and I love this period in history it is so rich, oppulent and fascinating.

 I made two gothic arches out of some recycled card and buffed on  distress inks in Barn Door and fired brick to create the rich red background. Then I used crafters workshop harlequin template and sponged on black soot distress ink and used one of my script stamps, to complete my background. Happy Daze are also stocking Micro Glaze from Judikins and this is perfect for sealing and protecting inky backgrounds. It also protects and seals any inkjet papers or photos. I rubbed a small amount onto each arch, then buffed to a sheen.

Margaret was stamped with black archival ink onto glossy card and coloured using a selection of versamagic chalk inks and a craft nib. I rubbed on some gold leafing wax, inka gold will work too. Then I triple embossed with cosmic shimmer clear utee. I also triple embossed my cabinet card frame with utee, then stamped with an inked up swirl stamp, then rubbed on more gold wax, cosmic shimmer bright gold is a much easier alternative, but unfortunately I didn't have any to hand. I added a couple of antigue bronze corners and a metal flower, then stamped and added the sentiments. Finally attaching the two arches together with some chain. 

A quick reminder about the current Happy Daze Challenge which  you still have plenty of time to enter. It is "May Queen." One lucky winner will be drawn at random to win a  £15 voucher and free P&P to spend in the Happy Daze shop. Maximum of 3 entries per person & you must use at least one product which can be purchased in the Happy Daze shop.

• You can enter by blogging you address to the linky widget here, 
• emailing your picture to info@happy-daze.net
• uploading your photo to their facebook page

Queen of Hearts by Samantha Read

Here's another canvas decorated with a Suzi Blu stamp, I think I may be addicted to these stamps as none of my other stamps are getting inked up at the moment!

My last canvas was turned the wrong way around and was very colourful so for this piece I thought I would do the complete opposite.

I'm really enjoying this hanging on my wall, as I walk around the stars twinkle and the whole thing is quite dreamy.

I began by stamping the girl image and gluing on the canvas then adding the bits of torn paper and tucking under her skirt to make the layer. Then I covered the whole canvas with wrinkled tissue paper making it quite textured around the edges to frame the canvas. Next I 'painted' the whole thing with a really thin layer of gesso using a baby wipe to soften the text and bring it all together. I used a template for the hearts and stuck them down too. I coloured using a mixture of paint dabbers and pencil crayons and silver leafed her crown, then my favourite bits, the twinkly stars. The grey is ordinary pencil softened with a paper stump.

I used some stash and

Angel of Art by Suzi Blu

Canvas
Gesso

Paint Dabbers, cool peri and lemonade

and Silver Leaf for her crown

I do hope you like it, wishing you a happy day, Sam xxx

June Issue of craft stamper magazine

The new magazine is now available to purchase from the shop.  Two of the Happy Daze DT have projects in the magazine this month.
Paula Tidman has some lovely vintage jewellery for your to make and Carol Fox has a Jubilee project using Viva  pardo clay. and Viva Inka Gold products.
Carol Fox is also the Designer you meet and greet this month in the magazine, and one othe items used in the feature is Her Steampunk Hat which was part of a larger Design team project Last year. The original article can be seen here and the hats used are available for purchase from the shop.

Don't forget the challenge for this month is May Queen, all the details of the challenge and how to enter can be seen here on the original blog post.

Maypole Queen by Annette Goatley (nettyscraftings)

I have a load of Grand-Daughters birthdays this month so this new stamp by Suzi Blu is perfect for them, she is so pretty and am totally in love with her.

When I was a girl we always had a Maypole on the village green in May and all of us girls danced around the Maypole with its fabulous ribbons and one was chosen to be the Maypole Queen.  Sadly I was never chosen........aaaaahhhhhh.     Today am showing you an Enormous Tag or Door Hanger made from recycled items.

( 9 inches x 4 inches)

Items used:  Flat Cardboard and Corrugated Card (packaging) Acrylic Paints, Paint Dabbers, Distress Inks, Viva Inka Gold, Stickles, Gold Glitter and the rest of the bits and pieces are from stash.

Stamps used:  Suzi Blu 'Pretty Girl'

plus am showing a card using the same Suzi Blu stamp which is brilliantly easy and quick to make and we all love quick and easy cards don't we................

Look forward to seeing your take on the challenge.  Take care of yourselves, Annette x

April Showers Challenge Winner

In total there were 19 entries this month, 18 via the link on the challenge blog and one that was emailed direct to me, that I loaded onto the Facebook page so it was dated for the challenge.

So according to its date and time it goes into the draw at number 6, so everyone from the actual listed linky number of 6 on the blog moves up one number to account for this. So 6 is now 7, 7 is now 8, etc.


My Random number generator gave me number 12 as the winner and that is Sid 
If you would like to email Moira at the shop Sid she will arrange for your voucher to be sent to you.

Thank you to everyone who entered this month and don't forget the new challenge is May Queen, and all the details can be seen on the blog post.

May Challenge - May Queen

As it's the Diamond Jubilee next month for the may challenge we have a queenly theme. Think Maypole to welcome in the season of new growth, go patriotic and be Red, White and Blue, or just add a simple crown. Interpret the theme as you see it and what it means to you. But the main thing is to enjoy yourself and make something lovely to share with us for the challenge this month.

Here we have some lovely inspiration from the DT to get you  in the mood.

Stella May Queen - By Joanne Wardle
Joanne Say's " All of the stamps are by Stampotique. I stamped Stella onto a white cards and coloured with pencils. I then masked off the square and also masked of Stella with post-it notes. I coloured the background with Victorian velvet distress ink and stamped splatter long with the same ink. I also stamped hearts cubes and Daisy Daisy and coloured with pencils. I removed the masks and doodled and outline around the square.
I stamped and coloured the crown, cut our and attached to the card. I added perfect pearls to the crown and flowers, and randomly dotted stickles all over the background.
I finished with a word and some ribbon"

Queen Lulubee  - Julie Dandy

For this Julie has altered one of the torso's available from the shop. Using Artistic Outpost stamp set Serenity, paperbag stamp Little Lulu. The Main body of the torso was altered using White Gesso, tissue tape, Distress stains and stickles. For the stamping Archival Inks were used.  The wings were made with Claudine Hellmuth sticky backed canvas . It was finished with Beeswax, Inka Gold and a Tim Holtz Token.

Maypole Queen - Annette Goatley

Door hanger or enormous tag using the new Suzi Blu stamp Pretty Girl.

You can enter the challenge by uploading using the linky Widget below, if you dont have a blog you can enter via the Facebook page or by emailing your entry directly to me a waynemonster@gmail.com.

The challnge will close on the 31st May and the winner of the £15.00 voucher drawn by random number will be announced on the 2nd June. Just remember to be eligible for the prize draw you must use one item that is available to purchase from the shop. You can enter the challenge up to 3 times.