Count Down to the Port Sunlight Show

Jo Capper-Sandon

We are getting very excited about our first Happy Stampers North West Stamp Festival next weekend. It will begreat fun. We will havelots of stamps and some other great bits and pieces and non stop demos from Jo Capper -Sandon, using stamps she has designed for Stampotique Originals, and Joanne Wardle. To get us in the mood here are a few samples by Jo Capper-Sandon, Joanne Wardle and Gillian Simson using stamps from Stampotique Originals .


Jo Capper-Sandon

Decorated White Texture Tile by Gillian Simson using Adirondack Colour Wash Sprays in Denim and Sailboat Blue spritzed in chosen areas of tile, blotting off excess with Kitchen Roll, remaining areas of the tile coloured with Distress Stains in Antique Linen & Vintage Photo.


Joanne Wardle

Joanne Wardle

Black and White Challenge

Over on the Happy Daze Facebook the new challenge is "Black and White". Make whatever you like - card, layout, altered item, canvas, jewellery etc, but only use the colours black and white, use at least one product which can be purchased from the Happy Daze shop and maximum of 3 entries per person. As usual one winner will be drawn at randon to win a £15 Gift Voucher to spend in the shop, the closing date is midnight on Sunday 15th May.

This case started life as one of our Papier Mache boxes and has been decorated with Delish Designs Peppercorn paper, the flowers are made with lace and Ten Second Studio metal and Peppercorn brads, the lid has been painted with black dabber paint then crackled with Viva Croco crackle paint in white.

A Winning Day

We have a winner for our Easter Egg Blog Candy - Jo Willis - congratulations, a Gift Voucher for £25 will be on it's way to you.

As today is a rather special day for a royal couple here is our greeting card made by Joanne Wardle. In the run up to my own wedding, like most brides, I was very focussed on the day, my lovely husband though reminded me that while he was looking forward to the wedding it was just one day and for him he was most looking forward to our marriage, our being together for life, I know what a sweetie! So while we wish William and Kate a happy Wedding Day, perhaps more importantly we wish them a truly happy marriage.

A Distressed Caddy and Easter Egg Blog Candy

When Gillian received a set of the Papier Mache Chest Boxes she knew instantly that the smallest of the two would be perfect for storing her Distress stains.

The chest has been stained with Distress Inks in Vintage Photo and Walnut Stain), Distress Stain in Vintage Photo, spritzed here and there with Perfect Pearl Mists in Heirloom Gold and Perfect Pearl.

Gillian used Ideaology Salvage Stickers and elements from the Lost and Found, as well as Seasonal and Crowded Attic Paper Stashes form the Tim Holtz Paperie range to decorate the entire chest.

Areas of the chest have been highlighted with Metallic Rub On Paste Kit 2. The flower was made using Grungepaper
At the end Gillian spotted a couple of strips from the Kraft Resist Paper Stash from the Tim Holtz Paperie range on her desk and a light bulb moment happened, and she thought they would be kind of cool to try and create a faux corrugated effect to add some dimension to the front of the box. She inked with distress Stain in vintage Photo to`create the trim also and to decorate the box just above the metal clasp closure.

So here's the Easter Egg bit, anyone who leaves a comment on this post will go into a draw to win a craft style Easter Egg in the not very egg shaped form of a £25 Gift Voucher to spend in the Happy Daze shop. If you also post a link to this page on your own blog, you get another chance to win! Closing date is midnight on Thursday 28 April, so only a few days to do it in!

Have a happy, sunny and crafty Easter Moira and the Team

Made With Wood

Our new Facebook Challenge is "Made With Wood" and Gillian Simson has got us started with this cheerful summery Arch. Gillian inked the arch with Jenni Bowlin Lemon Drops ink and Mustard Seed distress ink and added spritzes of Butterscotch Colour Wash Spray. The stamps are from Stampotique Originals designed by Jo Capper-Sandon and the arch is completed with a few spritzes of Perfect Pearls Mist in Perfect Pearl.

In our Facebook challenges any type of artwork is eligible - card, altered object, mixed media piece, layout, fabric work etc. Just upload to the Facebook wall a piece of your work based on the theme "Made With Wood" which just means it could be made from wood or have some wood on it or in it, and or use at least one item that can be bought from the Happy Daze shop. Closing date is midnight Sunday 1 May, maximum of 3 entries per person, and again one entry will be drawn at random to win a £15 Gift Voucher to spend in the shop. Looking forward to seeing your art work.

Congratulations to Samantha Read who won the £15 Gify Voucher in our draw for "The Great Outdoors" theme.

You can leave your hat on............

The sun is out, the sky is blue and all of a sudden it is Hat season, what with Ladies Day at the races, Easter Bonnets, Royal wedding and not so Royal weddings. Well back in February at the Trade Show a few of us got talking about getting a new hat and this is where our twistwd minds took us. Each hat started life as one of our Mini Top Hats, and then sort of altered and shifted into these creations you see.



"The Bluebird of Happiness" was crafted by Moira Sutton, it started white and went blue with a few spritzes of Cosmic Shimmer Mists, then a Mini Bird House, a nest with eggs, a couple of birds made with Cosmic Shimmer Ultra Thick Embossing Crystals, a Hat Pin, a "few" feathers, a bit of lace and a glue gun later hey presto!


"Matilda's Travelling Hat" has been created by Carol Fox, turn the key, pop on your goggles and you off to your choosen destination, with the map and tickets tucked in the hat band your hat will get you there safely. With its stylish hat pin and colourful peacock feathers you will always be a hit.


Meanwhile Jo Capper-Sandon has a "Bee in Her Bonnet" with this gorgeous creation which features several of the stamps Jo has designed for Stampotique Originals - Big Bee, Medium Bee with little Bee on the Side, Leaf and Hexagon and Claudine Hellmuth paint. It's great how the wings of Big Bee stick up above the top of the hat, it gives real movement to the piece.




And Julie Dandy has been as "Mad as a Hatter" with this charming Alice inspired piece.
So what about you - need a new hat? feel inspired? Go on don't keep it under your hat, give it a go.

The Great Outdoors

Over on the Happy Daze Facebook challenge the winner of our "In a Vintage Style" challenge was Anika Knittel, congratulations. The new theme is "The Great Outdoors". Helen Chilton has started us off with this altered box -

Stamps used: Artistic Outpost: Keeper; Country Life; Home; The Outpost; Bluebird Other Materials: Adirondack paint dabbers:Lettuce; Stream; Aqua; Willow Distress inkpads: Shabby Shutters; Tumbled Glass; Scattered Straw StazOn inkpad: Jet Black Inka Gold: Yellow Green Copper metal Helen says - "I decided to make my box into a scene, so it’s no good for keeping things in, but fun to open! I’ve picked out stamps from the Artistic Outpost range, stamps to build up the backgrounds and for the central images. I’ve always loved the weather vane from the Home plate and decided to just use a part of it to fit the box. The backgrounds inside the box are stamped onto painted squares of paper and then just slotted in.Making little scenes like this is always great fun."

In our Facebook challenges any type of artwork is eligible - card, altered object, mixed media piece, layout, fabric work etc. Just use at least one item that can be bought from the Happy Daze shop in the work and post a pic on the Facebook wall , maximum 3 entries per person. Closing date is midnight Sunday 17 April and again one entry will be drawn at random to win a £15 Gift Voucher to spend in the shop. Looking forward to seeing your art work.