Still alive!

It's been a while hasn't it. You'd think I'd fallen off the face of the Earth after my last post and such a HUGE gap between now and then but no, I haven't. I'm still about, keeping myself up to my eyeballs in glassy work and other crafty ventures. I'm as busy as ever but I wanted to get back into blogging, especially as I am venturing into some new crafts, namely hand-carved stamps and gocco printing (an affordable, compact version of screen-printing, which I have always wanted to do).


On the glassy side of things, I have just completed a commission which will find a home in a Spanish villa (very nice too!). I made a latticeware bowl and a set of matching lattice coasters in chocolate brown, orange and white. The result was a very snazzy looking set I named 'Jaffa Choc':

On the craft front, printing is the latest thing to move from the 'to do' list to the 'i do this craft' list! I thought I'd start simple with hand-carved rubber stamps and recently got my kit from the States. I think this one is going to be massively addictive. I found it real fun drawing up designs (remembering to do them in mirror-image!) and gouging out the areas I didn't want to print. I made 4 stamps in a couple of hours but I am sure if I focused solely on that and not half-watching the new series of 'Primeval' on the computer I could go faster! I'm expecting this one to turn into a bit of therapy. Carving the rubber is quite easy and the designs could quickly become real stamps. Makes a nice change for some instant crafty gratification, rather than the glassy side of things where a single piece can take hours from start to finish. So, my very first stamp was a Handmade Heaven 'HH' in a loveheart to be stamped on the backs of my new cards (more about them in a mo). I didn't want to use my HH stickers, thinking something with a proper handmade look would be much more attractive. Next was a chick. Don't know why but I suppose Easter is coming - there are Easter eggs in the shops already! Then, inspired by my arty friend Emma (check out her work at www.emmahelbrough.co.uk), I made a teeny tiny teacup which I think is my fave design so far. There was a scrap piece of rubber I couldn't face throwing away so that was swiftly turned into a little loveheart, scarcely 5mm across. Waste not, want not! It looks the business over the teacup too. Here are the first batch. Hope you like them:

And today, during a quick 15 mins I knocked up a little cupcake, which, I think you will agree, is pretty darn cute!

Next challenge is my gocco printer that came from Japan today. More about that in future posts, I hope.

So, cards. I mentioned them earlier in this post. I have had these little fused glass blobs for a while now. It was one of those things I make just because they look cool. The poor little blighters have been in a tupperware for a while now so it was time to do something with them. One day they will get tack-fused onto a base as raised polkadots but that's still on that 'to do' list. I decided while I was in the stamping mood, to try some stamped cards and use these little blobs up. The 'Fusion' and 'Bloom' ranges were born on Saturday and have already proved to be time well spent. I have sold all but one of the cards already! So much for my plan to give one to someone for their birthday. I guess I will have to make more then!

This is the 'Bloom' range - a giant line art flower with a trio of fused glass blobs forming the centre:

And this is 'Fusion', some funky shapes with a single fused glass blob in the middle. I can't decide which I like best!

I hope you're all well and are relieved to hear I am still alive and kicking and not all washed up in the floods! I will try to keep you updated on all my crafty progress but you know me, I'm a blog-neglector! S.