* that Cheeky Urchin *

snug as a bug in a rug ;)*

2010-09-27T12:05:00.000+01:00

Hello me darlins! I've missed you all but my little man is a very demanding feeder at night - aka a wee guzzler!!! Its all good though, he's an angel during the day and i manage to catch a nap here and there when i can. Yesterday, it was myself and Ben's wedding anniversary, we're 7 whole years wed! Champagne and caviar alas were not on the menu so we decided to celebrate with a romantic stroll through the woods with little Charlie and Mitzi the pooch. Thats much more 'us' anyway ;)....

I'll catch you all next nap time and hopefully, please god... the sewing machine will be back in use - I'm having withdrawal symptoms already! ;P

Love n' Hugs,

Tanya ♥

Tuesdays Child is full of grace...

2010-09-21T05:00:00.000+01:00

my little dude is one week old today!

time flies when you're changing nappies!!

Lol! ;)*

♥ happy tuesday everyone ♥

hello little one!... ;)

2010-09-17T09:43:00.001+01:00

Hello lovely people!!! My wee Charlie is here!!! Born Tuesday 14th at 6.38am (a beautiful sunrise in Dublin city), weighing 7lb 13oz and more adorable. loveable and beautiful than i ever expected!!! I went in on saturday morning and was sent home due to lack of beds - back in on saturday night and three days later he made his grand entrance. I won't go into detail but lets just say labour doesn't go down well with me! Charlie was very distressed and i had to be sent up to theatre for surgery straight after delivery. I'm now home and will be resting up with the little man as much as I can. That means I won't be online much over the next few days but i really wanted to drop in with my lovely readers and share some pics with you all! Thank you for all the wonderful words of advice and friendly banter throughout my pregnany - its been wonderful sharing with you!!!

Love n' hugs to you all! ;D

xoxoxoxo Tanya, Ben & Baby Charlie xoxoxoxo

40 weeks and how many minutes???

2010-09-10T22:18:00.001+01:00

another day, another dollar, and no wee baby yet - I'm following all your advice ladies, curry, raw pineapple, rasberry leaf tea and lots of walking! I have a feeling this child will be here soon so just trying to stay calm and relaxed. I'm getting contractions yet no real pattern emerging yet - I did get a little sign but the less we say about that the better!!! ;D

Instead, I'll leave you with some pics from todays trip up to the loughcrew cairns - mummy and mitzi were with me for company and support. The fresh air did me good, its such a magical place and always soothes my soul, its hard to believe that these ancient stones are older than the pyramids!

Thanks for all the lovely messages of support!!! Hopefully I'll have good news soon! :)

Butterflies in the belly.....

2010-09-07T12:59:00.001+01:00

...and flutterby's on the wall!

Yeah, I know they look pretty 'playschool' but i think the dimensional wings and colours will help keep the little one entertained while i change all those dirty nappies. Oh we are all so eager to meet him/her - even the teddies are getting bored waiting! ;)

a little update and some new art ;)*

2010-09-03T18:36:00.002+01:00

Hello my lovely shiny happy people! ♥

I'm so sorry for not being in contact sooner - been experiencing tonnes of practice contractions (getting really uncomfortable and lasting longer) and severe lack of sleep so have been like a nervous zombie woman this past few days! The baby is the absolute fill of me now, when i tap my belly its like a wee hard boiled egg - just call me humpty dumpty! I'm due next friday, yes its only a week away!!! Popped into hospital yesterday and all is grand with me and baba.... just counting down the days and trying to make some arty stuff to take my mind of the impending labour.

The atc above is being entered into the Etsy Ireland swap - I wonder what loveliness I'll get in exchange! ;)

Love n' big ones,

Tanya ♥

P.S Thank you for all the well wishes so far! xoxoxoxoxo

Tea Party for two! ;)*

2010-08-27T12:46:00.000+01:00

Well lads n' ladies! Can you believe it? I've got only 2 weeks left til our due date!!! I popped into the doctor's yesterday and I'm delighted to tell you all is good in the hood! Head down, heart rate strong, blood pressure normal - the main thing, my darlin' baby is healthy and growing bigger by the day! I thought i'd celebrate by having some tea and toast in the sunshine! :)*

Usually I'd make my tea in the mug (I know...sinful!) but i made myself this tea cosy and I was dying to use it for the first time. You can find the pattern details in the latest issue of Sew Hip!

I decided to veer off the original design and funk it up a bit with some lettering applique and by adding buttons and beads to the finished design. The toast was very good by the way, almost burned (just the way i like it) and slathered with marmalade. If you like your marmalade chunky and slightly bitter then i can't recommend Aldi's Grandessa brand highly enough. It's pure delicious!

My darlin' pooch, Mitzi snuck in deftly for the jammy crusts!

a couple of close-ups of the finished detail...

Lined and quilted using a vintage tablecloth - given to me by Sarah from Redpossum. She's also opened another etsy shop for clearing her stash of vintage fabric, do have a peek!! :)

AND FOR THOSE PEOPLE WHO DON'T DRINK TEA >>>>

<<< KEEP YOUR HEAD COSY INSTEAD!!! ;P

NOTE TO SELF >>>

2010-08-25T11:22:00.000+01:00

Just wanted to drop by and say thank you to everyone for the lovely comments and emails yesterday! I'm definitely feeling something happening but we'll see, maybe its just these crazy Irish nerves!!! I'm having a nice cup of tea at the mo, why don't you join me??

Love n' hugs,

Tanya ♥

Whats cookin good lookin ???

2010-08-24T15:36:00.002+01:00

Well I've been cookin' up a quilt amongst other things! The finished article is a good bit smaller than expected - its the size of a changing mat really. Anyhow, its now finished and adding a generous 'splash of colour' to our hand me down swinging crib. Hopefully, the wee one will enjoy all the various colours and patterns. Oh, and I've only 2 weeks and 3 days til my due date - eeeek! The nerves are really jangling now!

The cute corduroy snail is a gift from Gezza, my yummy mummy - you can find her crafty creations on flickr. I think I'll end up the same colour as the snail if i keep eating so many raw carrots!!! (my latest craving)

This cheeky chap is another gift from Gezza, a handmade sock monkey - the pattern came with the august issue of Sew Hip. I can't believe the size of this fella! Given the fact that he's only made out of one pair of socks. We need to give him a name - any suggestions??? ;)

And look! Its about time but I finally got round to making a bootee bag for baba's mittens hats, socks and stuff. I love the hat and matching mittens that Pat, my mum in law made - and i just had to give you a close up of the frog bootee's i picked up at the Crafty Market in Dublin.

Speaking of Dublin...

(from left to right; Fiona from Patchworkdelights, Angela from ArtySmarty,

Judith from Aboxformytreasure and Mo from Huggleknits)

Me and the girls from Etsy Ireland met up for a chit chat to discuss ideas for promoting the team in time for Christmas - one of the ideas really got us gassing! A pop up shop, now how cool would that be to have our own shopfront? There are lots of empty shops hanging around in the city (god bless the recession eh?) so I'm pretty sure we could wrangle a spot somewhere good and central. Myself and Sarah from Redpossum launched the team in July of last year and so far it is flying high! Over 180 crafty members now! Do check out the blog and all the lovely Irish etsy shops while you're at it! ;)*

Another nifty idea for team promotion presented itself in the shape of teddy bears! Mary from 'a Wish for You' (etsy shop on the way) brought in a sack load all kitted out with cute ribbons bearing (hehe don't mind the pun) our blog address. The teddies were packed off into various pockets and bags - my two ended up on the street!!! Ted 1 fancied a spin to feel the breeze in his fur and Ted 2 was gasping for a pint so I dropped him off with some friendly tourists in temple bar.

ok thats it for me... i could do with a wee pint myself (but no ofcourse i wouldn't!!!) Instead I'll leave you with this rather silly picture of me 'modelling' my upcycled summer skirt... that'll keep me cool! ;P

Enjoy the sunshine while it lasts my sweet friends! ♥

Pssst!!! I'd also like to say a mighty big thank you to Claire of the luscious HeartHandmade blog for featuring my work a few days back!!! http://hearthandmadeuk.blogspot.com/2010/08/flickr-group-fave-tanya-mac.html

Last chance to snatch!

2010-08-22T18:02:00.001+01:00

Hello my lovely people! Just popping in briefly to tell you all about the 'Last Chance to Snatch' sale at my etsy shop - you'll find lots of colourful goodies at reduced prices, including some exclusive art prints which have only been available to folks at the markets! I have so much to blog about this week (where has all the time gone???) so do tune in on tuesday for an update and a wee chat. Sure lets go the whole hog and have tea and biscuits while we're at it! Have a super spangly weekend all - you know you're worth it! ;D

Best Wishes,
Tanya ♥

Addicted already! ;)

2010-08-11T14:10:00.000+01:00

Remember this??? Well my first attempt at patchwork became this!

I padded it with quilt batting and attached it to a canvas frame to add some sunshine to the wee one's nursery area...

I'm going patchwork mad!!! Look! I've even quilted my t-shirt! So today, guess what? I'm clacking away again! This time I'm going to make an actual usable quilt... here's what I've done so far!

...its by no means perfect but I'm loving the whole process of trying something new! Many of the fabrics I've used in projects so far have been donations from friends and family so it makes them even more special to me! ;D

So whats new with you???

Tanya ♥

A quick hit n' run post!!! ;D

2010-08-07T18:03:00.000+01:00

Only 15% battery left on the laptop so I'm just going to blast you all with some recent pics!!! Have a super lovely weekend all! ;D xoxox

Pretty useful ;)*

2010-07-28T11:01:00.000+01:00

A nursery tidy for baby's rattles and soft toys! I had various felt & fabric scraps left over from other projects and decided to just make something pretty and useful. The adorable chicken came from a tea cloth that had seen better days, its definitely added a certain something! Next I'll be making a little cotton bag for socks, bootees & hats - they are oh so tiny!

Also, I found this wooden wreath thing at the bottom of my cupboard - its just crying out for upcycling. Maybe this could be the base for my hanging leaf chandelier! hmmm (lightbulbs aflashing now!)....

Pat, my mum in law arrives tomorrow from England, with pushchair, car seat, moses basket and swinging crib in tow! Thankfully, she's taking the ferry over, i just hope everything will fit!! I'll keep you posted! ;D

Love n' hugs,
Tanya ♥

An old relic gets an update! ;)

2010-07-26T15:41:00.001+01:00

I've held onto this seventies leatherette chair for years now! Daddy's a builder and also a top notch man for all things salvage. He saved this reject from a derelict house in Belfast and passed it onto me - that was in '95! Since then its been in many places... in various states of distress, including my bathroom sitting forlorn and all rejected. We've now rejigged our furniture layout and decided to give the old boy some love and a dedicated space to call his own. Its an ideal nursing chair for me and the wee one, uber comfy and it rocks smoothly back and forth on a pivoted base. The twits look very happy on it don't they?? ;)

In other news... I've been practising parenthood on these two little monsters, my darlin' cousins, Orla & Rory. We had so much fun at Grove Gardens the other day, if you ever find yourself in County Meath be sure to look it up! Our personal favourite was the very talkative Cockey the Cockatiel with a rather impressive cockney accent! ;D

Nesting... ;)

2010-07-20T13:18:00.000+01:00

Happy times! Just over 7 weeks left until the little one's due - we're so excited and working like mad to get everything ready! I'm hoping that the more i do now will make my life so much easier when baby's here. Maybe making space for baby is mentally preparing me in some way?. My mum in law will be over soon with a swinging crib that she used for Ben when he was only a wee nipper, i think we can safely call that vintage!!!

A cuddly spot for changing nappies ;)

freshly washed baby wear ;)

drawers filled with cute outfits - all washed & ironed!

Now that I'm taking a break from the craft markets and working on my etsy, I can just indulge in doing all these wee things for babby. I'm still working on the patchwork quilt, a falling leaf mobile (or should we call that a chandelier??), and a textile picture book full of animal critters. I'll keep ya's all posted of my progress!

Love n' hugs,

Tanya ♥

What a Hoot! ;D

2010-07-12T15:48:00.001+01:00

I just thought i'd show you some handmade goodies made and purchased for the little one's nursery. Let me first of all introduce you to The Twits! These cheeky little owl cushions were designed and handmade by Geraldine, my super talented mother! You can find her on Flickr. I have a feeling I'm the daydreamer twit in pink polkadots with the rather sleepy expression! Aren't they fabulous???

Next up we have some funky toadstools made by my bud Sarah from www.redpossum.etsy.com and the cute froggie amigurmi hat/handpuppet is by the talented Ying from www.Lannying.etsy.com - i also purchased matching froggie bootees and they are the cutest little things i've ever seen and so so well made! By now you'll probably notice a bit of a woodland theme goin' on here? ;)

I'll be needing a comfy and cosy zone for me & baba to nurse and what could be nicer than some homemade cushions in owl and peace prints. This trio were made by the lovely Johanne of www.matoloki.com! The daisy garland above the bed is by me...

So whats Tanya up to??.... well I'm obviously busy creating the baby but i'm working on a leaf chandalier style mobile - I'm looking out for a huge embroidery hoop at at least 10" preferably more so any shop/website suggestions are welcome! I'm also creating a funky patchwork to hang on the wall. Please bear in mind that I've never made a quilt in my life! I should have really started out with squares but i went for retro hexagons instead. Here's a little glimpse of what i've been up to;

I've still got a long, long way to go and only 8.5 weeks before baba is here! hopefully everything will just fall into place? ah we'll see... its an adventure of a lifetime and I'm just going to go with it! ;D

rhythm & rhyme

2010-07-07T14:33:00.003+01:00

Hey folks! hows it going! First of all a BIG fat 'sorry' for being so quiet of late! I've been mad busy getting ready for the little one and the baby brain has kicked in big time, I've read and reread my 'what to expect when you're expecting' book about five times now! Only 9 weeks left before my due date, so got to get myself educated about these things.....

Anyhow, i just wanted to nip in and show you my latest artwork, rhythm & rhyme - do ya like it??? It will be available for purchase at the launch night tomorrow. I'll be popping my head in to see if there's any interest and do a bit of hobnobbing. Oh and I'll probably have a mild panic attack or two on the way through the door but sure thats totally normal...right??) :P

Its an open party (super chilled and relaxed atmosphere) so if you're in dublin town tomorrow evening i hope you'll drop by. There's tonnes of really good stuff going up on those walls so don't miss out!

Wish me luck chickens! xoxo Tanya ;)

*** UPDATE ***
Over 7 Grand has been raised so far - how cool is that?? The art sale continue until Thursday 22nd July! Here follows some pics from opening night... ;D

a little love for your fridge! ;P

2010-06-03T17:47:00.000+01:00

I've been mad busy making new hairbands, garlands, greeting cards and these dinky little fella's for the crafty market this sunday. They are happy heart magnets and they work great as love tokens, and also make a nice little gift for a friend to remind them that they are loved and thought of everyday!

(That groovy handpainted dish was found in a charity shop for only 2 euro - bargain town!) :)

eeek! new art goodies!

2010-06-02T12:55:00.001+01:00

My heart was jumping when the postman arrived today with my latest delivery from Moo. As usual I got a load of minicards printed up and these colourful things - art postcards! I'm delighted with them and the brilliant print quality - its so cool to see my artwork all glossy and gorgeous. I wonder will the folks down at the crafty market like them too??? ;)*

Packaging woe sorted!

2010-05-31T09:47:00.000+01:00

I ummed and aahed about how to repackage my carnaby garlands - the key thing was to make the colours visible, pack them in such a way that they don't tangle upon opening, reinforce that they are quality handmade and easy for me to display at fairs. (I'll be decorating the wall behind me in these so at least people get to see them in action) I think i finally have it now - just as well as i have a craft fair coming up this weekend! aaah! :D

♥ wishing you a happy productive Monday! ♥

Summers Cup!....

2010-05-29T08:43:00.001+01:00

I picked up this sweet little vintage cup at a car boot sale the other week - its so pretty, really delicately decorated and super thin china which i love! If you hold it up to the light you can see right through it. Since I like my tea in big doses, i thought to myself this little cup will never get used and will end up lonely in some cupboard for fear of breaking. Instead, I decided to fill it full of flowers and use it as a vase to celebrate the arrival of summer. I picked all the wildflowers from my garden, as we have lots of wild and woolly bits to encourage our ladybugs to thrive as they protect our lovely vegetables from insect nasties!

Come to think of it, I have a poetry book by Penhaligons somewhere, called 'Summers Cup' which i must dig out - all the pages are scented and the illustrations are so gorgeous too....

Have a lovely weekend everyone and be good to the ladybugs! :)

see ya there?? ;)*

2010-05-27T16:21:00.000+01:00

I'll be bringing my usual colourful array of happy hairbands, cute magnets, whimsical greeting cards and my latest flower garlands in lots of fun colour options. 3o unique crafty stalls, good food, musical entertainment, belly dancers and cool beverages for a sunny day in Dublin. Follow the rainbow down the stairs when you get there - for that's where you'll find me! :D

its that time of the year again! ;D

2010-05-25T09:43:00.006+01:00

I spent most of yesterday sketching out for this - around 40 sketches later and I now have some idea of what I'd like to acheive! Its that whole blank canvas thing that sends my head into chaos, but once the first mark is made there'll be no stopping me and perhaps the finished piece will bear no resemblance to the original sketch at all! The hand in date is July 18th, so i need to get a serious motor on! All proceeds go to Saplings School for Autistic kids in Rathfarnham. It'll be my third year partcipating and I'd love to see ya on opening night! ;D

N.B i just dumped the 41st sketch in favour of one i did in 2 mins... ;)

Sunny Bunny and my new apron! :)

2010-05-19T13:41:00.002+01:00

So I reckon its about time that I did another bump update - thanks for the prompt ladies! I'm going to kill two birds with one stone here and show off one of my latest makes and my favourite sunny bunny tee! (as well as my plump nearly six month old bump) ;D

Well as you can probably see for yourself the apron is reversible and very handmade looking! I'm notorious for not following instructions, patterns just drive my head crazy so last time i visited the folks Mummy had a challenge tucked up her sleeve. The challenge was to create an apron entirely by following a pattern - this might seem easy to some but i was less than hopeful. The terms ruching, darts, and ladder stitch filled my wee heart with dread especially when i found out that you had to make your own bias binding. We worked together on it (for roughly six hours straight) and Mummy managed to keep my mind on the job. My mind usually danders off somewhere else mid project! Now that its finshed, I'm very proud of it and now know that I can in fact follow a pattern, I just need a bit of self belief and a hell of a lot of FOCUS! Who knew an apron could teach you so much!

If you fancy giving this apron project a go then check out the Emmeline pattern from Sew Liberated. Oh and do let me know if you give it a try! Otherwise why not drop into etsy and buy yourself one readymade - this one caught my eye this morning >> http://www.etsy.com/listing/45575964/emmeline-reversible-in-the-mood-apron

Love n' hugs,
Tanya

Mini me at Craft Cult!

2010-05-15T14:15:00.002+01:00

I really don't know what I'm doing wrong but my etsy views are currently non-existent and driving me ever so slightly barmy. I've listed, renewed, relisted, been featured in lots of treasuries, sewn garlands and hairbands til my fingers bled.... but no movement at the shop at all! What is a girl to do?

Well one thing I haven't really explored is outside advertising. Etsy is a wonderful site for all things handmade (this we know already) but they do practically no advertising. Its all very grassroots, word of mouth, customer referrals and relies heavily on the independent traders to do that type of thing. At .20c a listing there I can't really complain but I'm not prepared to sit on my hands either! Drastic times call for drastic measures....

One site i use every day is CraftCult, I checked out their advertising costs and was pleasantly surprised. I ended up taking out a week long carousel and sidebar ad with them for $36 (roughly 28 Euro) - its a decent price but lets see if it delivers some results. Wish me luck! ;)

N.B ::

The other mini me (you know that lovely little one growing in my belly) is doing great and kicking me like crazy! I still pinch myself everyday... ;D ♥

New stock just in! ;)*

2010-05-12T19:02:00.003+01:00

I'm very excited to launch my new paper garlands - named after Carnaby Street in London! Now available in a choice of lengths (5ft/10ft/15ft/20ft) and 21 yummy colours to choose from so you can have the perfect garland custom made and delivered to your door!

www.tanyamac.etsy.com

Repurpose, Reuse, Recycle - Bubble Mailers

2010-05-05T09:52:00.001+01:00

I try to avoid buying brand new bubble mailers (i.e Jiffy bags) as much as I can and recycle the old ones instead. They work every bit as well, just as secure too and all you need is some magazine pages, a sewing machine and some address labels (I made my own from waste paper). I just think its a sin to chuck away stuff that can easily be reused and people seem to love the alternative packaging - this parcel is for a lovely bride to be! ♥

N.B

I picked up that super gorgeous little pencil case at the Crafty Market last weekend - it was made by Sarah from Red Possum! The next Crafty market takes place next weekend on Sunday 16th, from 12 - 5.30 in Shebeen Chic, South Great Georges Street, Dublin.

Yummy New Stock! ♥

2010-05-03T17:38:00.001+01:00

Get a fresh new look with a Happy Hairband this May!

Super easy to wear, non slip elasticated headband,

gorgeous colourful prints for only 8 EUR/ $11 each!

I'll be uploading lots of these over the next couple of days so be sure to pop in for some cheap n' chic eye candy!.... ;D

http://www.tanyamac.etsy.com/

An exciting Commission!

2010-04-30T12:19:00.000+01:00

Earlier this year I was contacted by Vicki & Stuart who were interested in buying one of my junk patchworks They had previously seen my work at an art auction in the Bernard Shaw in Dublin (in aide of Battling Autism) - their bid didn't win the piece but they were a determined bunch and decided to get in contact!

My patchworks usually contain lots of colourful junk from my everyday but this time I decided to collaborate with my clients and use their rubbish for a change. Vicki sent me a parcel stuffed to the gills with all sorts of stuff in it, everything from train tickets, favourite song lyrics, food packaging, photos and even a crunchie wrapper!

The finished piece took a lot of time, love and patience to complete - over 160 hours in total. There's around 1,321 squares on that canvas and its pretty big too, roughly the size of a coffee table - you could eat your breakfast of it!

I was soo nervous on Wednesday evening when Vicki dropped in to collect it but luckily she loved it! Not only that but she bought me a little present for the baby - how cute are these???

Two little princesses..................

2010-04-29T12:46:00.001+01:00

Today marks the birthdays of two of my favourite girls!

My little friend Orla turns eight today! This picture was taken last weekend on her Communion day - isn't she a wee doll! I made the artwork above for her birthday card, and a big pink happy hairband with a really sparkly button! xoxox! ♥

Its also my Mitzi Moo's 3rd birthday!

I'm going to take her down to the stream now for a swim and maybe a game of ball or two! She's the sweetest pooch in the whole wide world and I love her to bits! :)

Happy Birthday Girlies! xoxoxo :)

I'm a mad busy bee...hear me buzzzz! ;)*

2010-04-28T09:22:00.001+01:00

I've been like a mad wee hatter over this past few days getting ready for the all new Crafty Market this Sunday, from 12 to 5.30. This time the Crafty will be held in Shebeen Chic a really cool little grub pub right in the centre of Dublin City - I can't think of a nicer place to spend my birthday! Maybe see you down there??? ;D

Pure ambitiousness..........;)*

2010-04-26T13:06:00.000+01:00

Ok so I found this cool tutorial for a bird mobile over at Spool and I instantly fell in love - plus I felt it was completely 'doable' for a wee beginner like me and a super handy way to use up fabric remnants. Unfortunately my hand sewing skills are nowhere near as good as my machine sewing! I've made three birds so far, but once sewn and reversed they look like plump overfed fish with funny lookin' heads! :)

Wish me luck!!! ;D

This is a letter from God......

2010-04-23T10:15:00.002+01:00

Something to chew on for the weekend - have a good one! :)

Dan le Sac and Scroobius Pip will be at Whelan's, 25 Wexford Street, Dublin 2 this Sunday at 1pm., tickets 15 euro....

Lettin' Mother nature do her thing!

2010-04-22T11:55:00.001+01:00

I recently discovered the Erosion Bundle project through the talented artist Carolyn Saxby and her inspiring blog Mixed Media Textile Art. It is a fascinating project but as simple as anything, a whole bunch of people participated from around the globe ... and here's what they did...

"The idea is simple: create an artistic bundle made from materials of their own choosing and hang, bury, submerge, or just place the bundle in the elements. This collaboration is to be with the ultimate partner…Mother Nature herself"

The bundle could contain all sorts of materials, fabric, paper, berries, and all sorts of ephemera. On January 1st all the bundles were either submerged in the earth, left hanging in trees or just put somewhere to rest in the outdoors. The bundles were opened on April 15th - the results were amazing! Just pop over to www.erosionbundles.blogspot.com for links to all the contributing artists involved...

Many thanks again to Carolyn Saxby for the use of image - and here's links to her bundle posts;

Bundle 1

Bundle 2

Bundle 3

Bundle 4

I can't wait to see her finished art projects (using bundle ingredients) in August!

Happy Earth day people! Go hug a tree or somethin' ;)

Blog Love! ♥ Zoe from Rasberry Thistle ♥

2010-04-21T10:17:00.002+01:00

Zoe over at Rasberry Thistle recently featured my happy heart garlands on her new blog! Thankyou soo much Zoe! (also check out her beautiful photographs over at flickr!)

To celebrate I'm offering my readers an exclusive 20% discount on these summer loving paper beauties - ideal for injecting a little bit of colour and whimsy into your home! Each hanging garland is roughly 5 foot tall and made entirely from recycled materials. Every garland is totally unique, machine sewn with colourful thread, trimmed with shimmering organza ribbon with a large colourful bead to complete the look. Upon checkout, please enter the discount code 'Raspberry Thistle' in the message to seller box to retrieve your exclusive discount! ;D

♥ Offer ends Sunday, May 2nd (My Birthday!) ♥

Favourite places : : Mullaghmeen Forest

2010-04-20T18:36:00.002+01:00

(More pictures available in my Irelands Eye folder)

"Mullaghmeen is an isolated area of forest rising above the farm land of north Westmeath. Mullaghmeen Forest is the largest planted beech forest in Ireland. Along with beech, within its 400 ha of forest it also has Sitka spruce, Scots pine and noble fir and a very interesting native tree collection. This is well worth a stop on the Mullaghmeen Summit Trail / Red Trail. The summit of Mullaghmeen provides magnificent views north across Lough Sheelin and into the neighbouring county of Cavan.

The forest, once an out farm belonging to a Lord Gradwell, has many examples of mans former impacts on the landscape. Following the White Trail one passes sad reminders of famine times with relic walls of famine fields. A Booley Hut, a summer grazing shelter is just off the Red Walk / Mullaghmeen Summit Trail, while the Flax Pits show that this important crop for the linen industry was once harvested and cured in this area.

The underlying Geology is Limestone Rock and in the south eastern corner more of its geology is revealed where one can see turloughs – disappearing lakes that fill and empty with no apparent in or outflow.

Come in spring for the best displays of woodland flowers notably bluebells. The area is populated with grey squirrels, jays, badgers, foxes, pheasant, rabbit & hares as well as a large selection of song birds. "

Seperated at birth???

2010-04-19T09:30:00.001+01:00

Our Taoiseach, the lovely Mr Brian Cowen

(spotted to my delight in the Sunday Times yesterday)

and

Hero of my eighties childhood, Mr Pob!!!

...and while we're on the subject of trippy childrens programmes, here's a slice of one of my other all time favourites, Button Moon! ;D

Happy Monday folks!!! Tanya xoxo

Baba's first taste of handmade gooodness! ;)*

2010-04-17T10:57:00.000+01:00

My amazingly talented Mummy and Vanessa were apparently up half the night making this amazing little pom pom blanket for my little one! I can't for the life of me work out how they made it but apparently some kind of peg board was used? I think we need mum to write a crafty tut for us all.....

In case you haven't already heard the good news, i'd say you've guessed it by now anyhow! I'm 19 weeks pregnant (yay!) and so looking forward to meeting this little prince or princess when the time comes, I'm already getting so impatient! Just look at the size of me already! :D

Have a lovely weekend everyone! ♥

they call her mellow yellow.....

2010-04-15T17:04:00.001+01:00

Spring 2010 Inspiration board

Is it the time of year or my age thats leading me into pastel territory??? I've been using a lot of buttercup yellow of late and yes.... I've even strayed into the pink kingdom. Just check out my 'She's a bit of a bunny girl' headband pictured below. I uploaded it to my etsy shop today, but the title is a bit of a mouthful! All suggestions more than welcome! :)

Ok so what is my problem with pink??? I really don't know but lots of people like it, wear it and obsess over it - especially little girls! To me its a bit 'poofy' (for want of a better expression) and dosen't inspire me at all. I can manage it in small doses and if I had to pick a shade i liked it would be a bright punchy cerise pink. I'm going through a candyfloss moment now, so I might as well enjoy the transition.

So here we are in pastel land and these are the colours that are tickling me at the moment. I'll soon be introducing a new line of floral paper garlands and other decorative baubles to my shop. I hope you like them as much as I do... for now... until i return to the bright 'in yer face' world of primary colour and neon brights!

I wonder can a girl like me enjoy the best of both???

The art of being happy...

2010-04-13T13:30:00.000+01:00

The best way for a person to have happy thoughts

is to count his blessings and not his cash.

- anonymous ;)

Black is back...

2009-06-22T13:33:00.005+01:00

I'm not really a black and white kinda girl - but when a local customer from the farmers market recently requested a black and white button moon bloom I knew it would be a challenge. I tried it out and this is what I came up with - this bloom is called 'Mono' and it is sooo dramatic! Its about 3.5" diameter and the big white pearly button is roughly 2" so it really makes an impact when worn on white and other bright colours.

I'll definitely make another in this style but perhaps I'll add white stitching for contrast and some splashes of brilliant white on the lower petals...oooh maybe stripey like a zebra!

... so here's to customers who make you think outside the box! ;)*

Button Candy

2009-06-19T15:35:00.003+01:00

I took a trip into Dublin yesterday to dig around the charity shops and stock up on some buttons at Rubanesque and the woolen mills. Aren't they gorgeous! I can't wait to use them in my next batch of bloom brooches. I got eight really gorgeous little tops, all practically new for less than a fiver each, some of them still had their original shop tags on! Oh you can't beat a bit of guilt free shopping - I highly recommend it recessionista's! ;)*

'77 Revival

2009-06-16T11:06:00.002+01:00

I woke up to find the bluest sky this morning! The suns out and the birds are doing their thing. I rummaged around looking for something light and summery to wear and there languishing at the back of the wardrobe i found 'the skirt'.

The skirt was handmade by my Granny M for Gezza circa 1977 - a year before I made my grand appearance. It hasn't been worn in at least 20 years so out it came! There is something so special, and yip, kind of sacred about something thats floated gently through the years passing from one generation to the next. It still looks as fresh as a daisy!. In my minds eye I can see Granny M carefully stitching away {she was a wonderful dressmaker in her time} and my Mum, Geraldine, careless and free prancing around the garden in her new summer skirt.... i'll take good care of it Granny ♥

♥ Tweethearts ♥

2009-06-15T15:38:00.004+01:00

Here is my latest bit of mail art - it looks like a bit like a quilt doesn't it? In fact, each square is only 1" x 1" so they are really dinkly little bits of art which we mail artists call 'inchies'. They are all heading stateside for a swap so I'll get a bunch of cool well travelled inchies in return! ;)* Peace, love n' inchies! T xox

* a WoRld WiThOuT MaRKeRs *

2009-06-12T14:52:00.003+01:00

Janie Mac - I haven't posted here in a while! Time keeps whizzing by...

The Blackrock craft fair went really well! It was great fun and my button moon blooms got a great reaction from the crowd. As did Miss Arabella, my mannequin/promo girl who came along for the ride!!! Phew, the hard work was definitely worth it and I learnt a lot along the way. It so nice to know that there are people out there who like my stuff - there's nothing better than meeting your customer face to face. I even got to meet some of my fellow team members from the Crafty Ireland etsy street team too! >>>

www.redpossum.etsy.com

Gorgeous, cute and colourful designer wear for kiddies - all handmade by Sarah. I'm hoping she will start making stuff for big girls like me, I love her eye for detail! Her work even inspired the girlies outfit in my art journal page :)*

www.weecutetreasures.etsy.com

Adorable with a capital A - go check out Carol's shop and you'll see what I mean! Very cute n' kitsch n' totally collectible! ;)*

www.mlleclorofil.etsy.com

Chloe makes the most madly whimsical Kawaii accessories I have ever seen. She is bopping around the country sightseeing at the mo but be sure to bookmark her wonderful etsy - its an experience not to be missed!

www.clodaghmolloy.etsy.com

If you have the time for a wee window shop you should pop in and see Clodagh's amazing handcrafted silver jewellery! I have a pair of her earrings and they are so lovely and beautifully crafted!

After the craft fair, Mr Mac & me had some time together work free - we organised a trip to Manchester to see Oasis play live and had an excellent weekend livin' it up for a change! If you are ever in town you must check out the Angel pub - seriously the best food {and ale according to Mr Mac} I've had in an age! bliss...

P.S My 'Sunday Morning' bloom made it to the frontpage of etsy.com! Its also features in the etsy gift guide too. I'm having a yart sale (yard + art =yart!) to celebrate - free worldwide shipping and a complimentary pair of graffiti drop earrings with every bloom sold! ;)*

www.tanyamac.etsy.com

♥ Offer ends this Sunday 14th June - Don't miss out! ♥

and the winner is....

2009-05-28T00:46:00.006+01:00

Lynda!!!

Congratulations girlie you've just won a button moon bloom!

I hope you like it :)*

xoxo

♥

♥ Its a GiVeAway! ♥

2009-05-20T11:24:00.004+01:00

As you can see I am up to my eyes in Button Moon Blooms!!! I have a craft fair next weekend - its a two day event so I'm in the middle of making lots and lots of these funky art brooches for my stall. Would you like a button moon bloom all for yourself? Well then, all you need to do is drop a comment {along with your favourite colour combo} on this post to stand a chance of winning. Easy peasy. I'll then pick a name at random from my magic bag next Wednesday 27th....Good luck bloggers!...♥

Feeling Creativ?

2009-05-07T09:07:00.004+01:00

Well I am! Darlin' Deb of Artistic Visions has given me the Kreativ blogger award! So now all I need to do is share 7 loves here and pass on the award to 7 other creative folk. Lets start with some of my loves then...

♥ 1 ♥

My husband, my Mr Mac. We're like salt and pepper, very ying and yang. He can be a bloomin' grumpy sod sometimes but I love him to bits and I wouldn't change him for all the tea in China...

♥ 2 ♥

My folks, who have always believed in me, encouraged and supported me through all the good and the bad bits of life.

♥ 3 ♥

Apple and cheese sandwiches - nuff said!

♥ 4 ♥

Riding my bicycle, one of the simplest pleasures in life especially when you're flying down big hills!

♥ 5 ♥

Car boot sales - you never know what you're gonna get!

♥ 6 ♥

Making and sharing art - it releases this big pressure valve doesn't it? I'm currently in love with journalling and I'd be lost without all my mail art friends to play with!

♥ 7 ♥

Sweet Pea - the most delicate and beautiful little flowers in the whole wide world - and that scent? aaah delicious!

And the blog award now goes to! >>>

♥ Phizzychick ♥

♥ Aileen Clarke ♥

♥ Red Possum ♥

♥ eggstudio ♥

♥ Wee Cute ♥

♥ Mixed Up ♥

♥ Purple Cat ♥

* HapPy DaYs! *

2009-05-06T16:08:00.003+01:00

I turned 31 last saturday! I'm now officially in my 'early thirties' which feels surprisingly good, like I've 'grown into myself' - if you know what I mean?? Our birthdays are all clumped together, Mitzi and Orla on Wednesday, Daddy on Thursday, Me on Saturday, Gezza this friday, Our Phil next tuesday....So I decided to take myself up north to celebrate with them all!.

On Saturday I took my wee cousins off to Tollymore forest park for a tomboy's day out where we picnicked, played football, climbed trees and lots of other fun stuff. It was lovely and sunny too!

On Sunday, Gezza, myself and Miss Orla {thats herself up above in the hot air balloon} had a really girly day out visiting the most beautiful stately home, Mount Stewart. The gardens are spectacular there and every single rhodedendron was in full bloom - I couldn't get over the colours! We finished the day off in proper style with tea and yummy tray bakes :)*

I received lots of lovely cards, emails and little gifts which really made the day extra special so a big 'thank you' to everyone who thought of me this year. My favourite present of them all came from my mum, Gezza who made me a really clever and cute tote. An awful lot of work went into making it - I love how she used my 'birdie girl' drawing as the centerpiece and the gingham flower is pure genius!

On top of all that, lucky-duck me also received the latest edition of Photoshop elements - yippeeDOO!!! Although I haven't the slightest bloomin' notion what to do with it yet! I have the 'Classroom in a book', but I'm particularly interested in the more arty farty side of PSE - like digital collage and stuff. Do you have any suggestions on how to get started with that kind of thing???

Yep I'm a clueless thirty-somethin'! ♥

Something New...

2009-04-30T16:05:00.002+01:00

Well here's another bit of postcard art from me. I created this in my greenhouse, 'hiding' from my estate agent who was viewing the house with some people at the time. It was absolutely pouring down and I didn't fancy walking Mitzi in the rain {Mitzi hates the rain with a passion}. So I got all prepared, made a nice big mug of coffee, put my mobile on silent, grabbed my sketchpad and pencils and went to work. Mitzi nestled down by the strawberry bed and had a relaxing snooze. I never knew I'd find my hiding place so inspiring! Its nice to change things up a little :)* ♥

♥ ♥ ♥ BUy My HoUsE!!! ♥ ♥ ♥

2009-04-24T18:03:00.002+01:00

Yep, I'm serious! We are selling up and moving on. Click here for more info on my sweet little semi-d :)*

Away with the birdies!

2009-04-24T12:14:00.003+01:00

This is my latest art project I've been working on - its called 'three little birds plus one' {I love that Bob Marley song!} Its painted, collaged, and machine stitched. The birds are my own doodles. The tree and branches are machine stitched in a bright magenta and I've free wheeled leaf details in an acid bright lime green {which you can't make out here but they add lots of texture to the piece} I like the random nature of it and I'm planning to make a much larger canvas made in a similar vein for my home! ♥

Everyone Loves Phoebe!...

2009-04-09T10:12:00.002+01:00

My little business Arabella & Co has been keeping me very busy over the last few months, which is blooming brilliant given the 'economic climate' we find ourselves in. I hope my little bubble won't burst though... crossing fingers, knees, toes and elbows...

One of the latest designs, Phoebe, is proving really, really popular! I've over ten designs {and more to come} but everyone loves Phoebe and Memoir {her little sister}. I'm not complaining, as each of the designs is custom made, so I can make them truly unique for each couple in colour and style. However, over the last four months, I've been making lots and lots of Phoebe's and not much else!!! Its quite a work intensive design, lots of crop, score, fold and trim with ribbon but I think the end result is definitely worth the effort :)*

I've been hibernating !!!!

2009-04-06T10:05:00.003+01:00

Hello my lovely cheeky people! How are ye? I've been a very naughty blogger and I know that, so please forgive me for the disappearing act. Life has been a madam, you know how that is don't you??? Anyways, I'm back now, fresh out of the cave, I see the sun is shining, the birds are tweeting {yeah isn't everyone?} and all is gravy... aaah Springtime... I'm feeling inspired to make lots of colourful art, like this little lady ...

So everyone, I hope you're smiling and sun is shining wherever you find yourself! Wishing you all a day of rainbows and moonbeams, I'm looking forward to catching up with you all!!! :)*

Love Weighs More than Gold!

2008-12-04T13:36:00.006Z

Can you honestly believe that there are only three weeks to Christmas!

Where did all that time go??

I've still got all my cards to write {thats after I've made them!} presents to get and the food to organise. We got our first Christmas card today, from Auntie Eileen and Uncle Len ofcourse. They are the current record holders, always first, every year. Once I see that card, I know I need to get my butt into action!

OH... bring on the big day, the smiley faces, chestnut stuffing, romantic winter walks, yummy glogg, the sparkle of candlelight, mince pies, the rustle of tinsel and all the good stuff in between. I do love Christmas, but its hard work knowing that we are all a good bit poorer this year, some have lost homes, jobs... But come on, get your happy hat on and 'sod the feckin' recession' - at least for a little while.

A little birdie told me...

2008-11-11T15:19:00.003Z

My two art buds GlitterDiane and Mophead Maggie have given me the BFF Blog award!!! It comes all superspangled with a gold loyalty card no less, good to look at and half price groceries... ok I made that up. Anyway this is very special to me, as I admire these ladies and their work very much. I'm happy to call them my BFF's - bloggin' friends forever. {They might live to regret that :P}

So now its up to me to nominate five amigo's {four old buds and one sorta new}. Here are my five choices, it was soo hard to pick just five. Ya know I love ya all! :)*

* I T s * S * N o * W * i * n G !

2008-10-29T13:47:00.005Z

Its been snowing here in my patch of Ireland since early this morning. Proper fluffy flakes too, not that withering semi snow sruff, this is the real thing! I never usually pay attention to the weather forecasts so I was just a bit surprised {yes I do live in a bubble & I'm very happy there too!} Mitzi the pooch looooves the snow.

My camera is still doing the annoying 'lights are on, but nobody's home' thing. Thus, no pictures of my lovely mitz enjoying the snowfall - just some paper snowflakes {I'm addicted}. That bloomin' camera has annoyed me though, its a fuji, and I was very good to it. It seems that there is a flaw with this particular model, and after a couple of years it just seizes up - blinking that empty green light. Poor helpless thing, lets all send little fuji well wishes :)*

Last night, I mean very late last night... well morning... actually 3 in the morning {I'm a night owl anyway} I managed to finish off another wedding stationery order. Its always good to see a project come to an end which means something else is waiting in the wings to work on.

That next project has to be my poor neglected etsy - it hasn't caught a whiff of christmas yet. Time is running out, considering I'm in Ireland and most of my customers are abroad. I've played around with a couple ideas today, rough ideas at the mo so they need some love before I can stock up those shelves. I'll keep you posted! Wherever you are enjoy your day! :)*

A good mail day...

2008-10-23T11:16:00.004+01:00

I just received this incredible envie from Oz! My bud Asta stuffed it to the gills with ephemera, stamped images and frilly bits for my art. Not to mention the coolest acid/lime green & black rolodex for my tray!!! It's great to see something in the post apart from bills for a change! Asta you really brightened my day!!! :)* xxx!

The Weekly Tut - Better late than never!!

2008-10-21T13:27:00.003+01:00

I've had the most manic few days and life in general is really holding me back from what I love best - art. What can you do? I think the tuts are a great way to claim back that art time! ;)*
***************************************************************
I'm pretty sure you have all heard of Bernie Berlin's Atc workshop - that book is a pure joy to read, lots of eye candy to salivate over too. This week, I am revisiting a favourite technique taken from the said book - Paint on Paper towel. Not such an exciting name now, but this is a really fun and random way of building colour, shimmer and texture into your project whether it be postcards, chunky pages, atcs's, rolo's - whatever!
Here's a couple of atc's I've made using the said technique....
******************************************************************
You will need,

paper Towel/Kitchen Roll - any & all types is great
Pearlescent Paints - lumiere is great
Gel Medium
Wet Glue - Elmers Glue-all is tidy stuff
Babywipes
atc/rolo/chunky blanks

To begin, pull out a couple of sheets of paper towel, I didn't have the rough grainy stuff 'a la Bernie' so I used my 'oh so fancy' two ply with circular dots. {...dots are circles Tanya}
Now apply your pearly paint using a dampened brush, if its too wet it'll break down the texture in your paper. I alternate from warm to cool shades, lay the colours over each other and they really start to sing. When covered, let them dry for a bit - a heat gun or radiator comes in handy.

Once dry, rip these up into nice chunks of shimmery goodness.

You'll probably find that 'oh so fancy' comes apart in two sheets. Not to worry - you can use both! They are equally delicious in their own way.

Now take out your atc blanks. I place a nice fat blob of glue in the lower corner so its handy {& quick} to brush on. Start to layer the towel pieces on the card in a haphazard fashion, gluing each bit as you go.
Oh look, completed blanks. But look at all those raggedy bits! Feel the love for raggedy, raggedy is good. If that rough look dosen't float your boat then simply snip them off. Its all up to you and what style you are going for.

Some Variations;

Overstamp with a darker dye ink
Sponge on pigment inks
Versamark and emboss the edges
overlay with an acetate image
whatever else you have in mind :)*

Here comes the Grrrrls...

2008-10-14T12:30:00.003+01:00

I made a batch of Candy Girls for Grrrdjules' swap over at AFA - due on the 31st October, so I'm cutting it a bit fine as they are heading to Ol' Canada. I can't wait to see the returns! :)* {Other pics on my flickr}

The 'i should really be in bed its not actually Friday' Tut!

2008-10-12T00:50:00.008+01:00

Well it is that time again, when I feel the need to get art mucky and make a total mess. Luckily, I'm in Gezza's house this weekend so I'm making quite a mess here instead. She has a beautiful new workshop to play in {see her flickr for pics! its gorgeous} I've had fun trying this one out and I'd love to hear from you if you give this one a go.

****************************************************

This is a great effect that you will be able to use in various ways for all your mail art, collage, card art... practically anything. Its basically a form of emboss resist {only better}, which gives a wonderful faux batik result. Here are a couple of atc's, 'Little Boo' and 'Ra-Ra', which I've made using this background technique....

***********************************************************************
You will need;

Large piece of off white/cream lightweight cardstock
Either Clear Embossing powder or UTEE
Versamark pad {any clear pigment ink pad is ok}
A Brayer {If you dont have one - then grab a rolling pin}
Elastic Bands or fibres
Inks; whatever you have, chalk & pigment best for this.
A couple of big swirly or geometric stamps
Newspaper to protect your work area
Babywipes

Lets begin by randomly stamping onto your cardstock in a few different colours, I like using my Kaleidocolours ink pads for this...
Wrap rubber bands or fibres {or both} around your brayer

Load uo your brayer with versamark and roll it up and down your sheet with wild abandon.

Sprinkle on the clear embossing powder and heat it up. {not too long or it will sink into your paper}

Rub in some chalk pigment inks, lots of colours - build it up in layers...

Wipe the surface with a babywipe - see what happens? :)*

Now take it and *cRuMPle* it all up - oh yeah baby!
Sweep some inks over it to add depth, the ink will seek out all the breaks in the embossing and look really cool. Overstamp if you like using a darker shade. You will also be able to make out bits of your original stamping underneath the embossed lines....

This looks amazing in blues and greens. I went for an earthy autumnal colour palette and sweeped over some metallic inks at the end. Everytime I try this technique, something new happens - thats why I love it. It really is up to you! Have a play, have a go and most of all.... get messy and have fun!!!

Oops I've been tagged!

2008-10-09T18:31:00.004+01:00

My very talented friend Inger from Norway has very cheekily tagged me, so here are 7 random facts about myself......prepare to be shocked and amazed {come on now this is gripping stuff!!} :)*

I am blind in one eye, and so is my dad - but.... dodododoooo.... its not genetic, I was born with it and Daddy's eye was blinded in a work accident. {Same eye - weird coincidence?}
If I could eat jaffa cakes all day long, I probably would.
My ugly mug once appeared in TIME europe - not a pretty picture, prepare yourselves....
I would far rather watch a stormy sea and get soaked to the skin, than sunbathe and get burnt.
If I'm feeling sad & blue, you will find me in the corner cupboard.
I really wish I had studied Art & Design instead of Sociology.
Yes, I can reveal that I am Supergirl {evidence to be provided at a later date}

So now I'm going to tag these unsuspecting bloggers....

P.S I'm away tomorrow so 'the Friday Tut' will be on Saturday instead, live from Gezza's new workshop. :)*

Junk of the Hearts...

2008-10-06T12:09:00.003+01:00

So here's one of the chunky pages I've made using the ScrapHeap technique {See last post for the tutorial}. I cut out a small window and encrusted the rim using a multitude of bits n' pieces, buttions, staples, safety pins, watch parts, microbeads, glitters, etc. etc.

I made a batch of gel medium transfer for this swap, these were my first ever attempts and I loved the look of them when laid up on old text. I've handmade the hanging charm from an old cd, its been embellished with dimensional glitter paints for more bling. This page is called Eleonor after a good friend of mine.

I've made 5 pieces in total for Glitter Diane's brilliant Bling swap. Gezza has helped me out greatly by making the other two, which are amazing! Thanx so much Gezza!

Let me know if you give this technique a try, I'd love to see your pics!

The Friday Tut >>> Scrapheap Challenge

2008-10-03T09:35:00.004+01:00

Hello Guys and Dolls, and welcome to my very first Friday Tut! Some of you will know these techniques well, and others, fingers crossed, will be new to you. I also want to learn from you in return - so comments and suggestions are very much welcome here! :)*

**************************************************************************
To start of this weeks tutorial, I've decided to cover one of my favourite background techniques ever - which I've lovingly called 'Scrapheap'. If you are a texture junkie like myself, then I've a pretty good feeling that you 'll like this...

***************************************************************************

You will need;

A large Watercolour/Thick Cardstock to use as a base

PVA Glue {Lots of it!}

Matte, Shiny & Textured Scrap Materials, such as;

masking tape, wallpaper, sweet wrappers, kitchen towel, sellotape, j-cloth, tin foil, plasterers mesh, fibres, old postage stamps, coarse/fine glitters, patterned papers/envelopes, holographic stickers, skeleton leaves, gilding flakes, food packaging, die cuts, german scrap, fabric offcuts, sequins, tissue paper, plumbers tape etc, etc, etc..... {have a plunder, I'm sure you have a stash of bits to play with}

Alcohol Inks

Damp Cloth/Baby wipes

A large protected deskspace in a well ventilated room

***************************************************************************

For this project, I decided to use three 10" by 10" pieces of watercolour board, that gives me tonnes of space to play with. Plus, we all know about the power of three, the odd is your friend.
Ok so now grab that stash of matte, shiny, and textured materials, and roughly tear into pieces. Then pop them into a bag, give it a swoosh to mix, and set aside. Where is your damp cloth/babywipes? You'll need them soon...
I like to prime my base using strips of masking tape and kitchen roll, sticking it all down sparingly with PVA. You'll be layering lots of stuff on top so don't be wasting your glue! {This provides a nice porous base for the ink to find, should there be any gaps later on}
Grab your stash bag and pluck out a handful, you should find a nice random mix of matte, shiny and textured bits. Stick these down with pva.
Keep going! Layer up until you have a lovely gaudy panel of junky scrap laid out in front of you - this won't look pretty now, we still have a little way to go....
Now, grab that cheap bottle of PVA and spread it evenly over the surface of your panel. If you have any of those lovely ultra fine glitters/gilding flakes/shimmery powders well now is the perfect time to sprinkle a bit of magic on top of that wet pva.
Leave to dry. I have absolutely no patience, so I like to do this type of thing in the evening and wake up to dry artwork. See all these amazing lustrous textures??? Now all we need is *CoLoUr*
This base love, love, loves alcohol ink. Splosh on a bit of whatever colours take your fancy, and see what happens - don't think about it, just relax and splosh, as much or as little as you like. {Is that window open?}

If you don't love alcohol ink, then there are many alternatives - dry brush with metallic acrylics, drop on pearlised watercolours, sweep your brillance inkpads and wax rub-ons over the surface. For a solid colour background, you would need to spread on some gesso and apply your choice of colour acrylics on top.

Out of the three 10" by 10" panels, I managed to get 12 amazing chunky backgrounds - and bits to spare too. This is the perfect project for anybody, I find it relaxing, inspiring and fun. I urge you to let go and get messy!

Let me know if you do! :)*

HoNEy I'M hOMe

2008-09-29T14:53:00.005+01:00

Well that was short n' sweet {like meself} - did I miss anything? I'm sure I did, I love to pop in to everyone's blogs and seeing their latest projects and ofcourse all the latest juice about this & that. I'm sure there is lots to catch up on.

So, it was every bit as wonderful as I'd hope. The North Antrim coast that is. I've never actually spent much time there, ever. That is a bit sad considering I'm a native of County Down {Its close neighbour} I can't believe I have left it this long, but it has to be said, it was such a special time for both myself and Mr Mac.

We travelled to Ballintoy Harbour, bought the sandwiches and boarded the bus to The Giants Causeway - it is unbelievably beautiful. It knocked me for six. We travelled along the coast by foot, the views from the clifftops were unreal. 5 and a half hours later we arrived back in Ballintoy and drove back to our cottage, The Blacksmiths. It was unbelievably cosy and charming, I could have lived in that house forever. Overall, it was well worth the wait.

Northern Ireland is many many things, but of all things it is beautiful. Forget the politics and the stupid tit for tat that has been going on for an age or two, this is a landscape and a people that you will never forget. So many tourists head down to Dublin or Cork, most go all the way over to west coast and miss out on the magic of the North. Visit Northern Ireland - and you won't regret it. If you need convincing pop over to my flickr for more pics from my travels.

Time Flies...

2008-09-26T10:56:00.005+01:00

I can't quite believe that on this day, at this precise time, five years ago, I was getting ready to marry my darlin' Mr Mac. It was such a crazy day - I was late for eveything... hair, makeup, oh yes and the ceremony too. Poor Fr. Des had a funeral to go to and he had to hand out the chapel key to one of the guests for lock up. Then my veil blew off outside..... aw its like a comedy when I playback everything in my head....

We are heading to the North Antrim Coast {in Northern Ireland} this evening, we've booked a cosy cottage for us two, and ofcourse Miss Mitzi as well. I've always really wanted to visit the Giants Causeway but never got round to it , so now is our time to explore. I can't wait but I've so much preparation to do, packing up my stuff, mitzi's stuff ... oh and I need to make Mr Mac a card too- aaaaahhh i forgot...

Time really does fly! I'll see you all next week with news of our adventure...

{The image above comes courtesy of Gezza xxx}

Hey hey its a beautiful day! :)*

2008-09-22T10:31:00.003+01:00

Well it is a very mad Monday - lots of wedding work, sample requests and art to finish off. I wanted to start the week by saying 'thankyou' to all who enquired about my poorly chicken. Some people might have laughed but not my buds - I think you all know by now, how much I love my girls...

To be honest, I really didn't know whether Henrietta would make it through or not. When she showed the first signs of recovery, I was just a tad hesitant to tell you all. {Never count your chickens before they're hatched - isn't that what they say?} I'm delighted to say that she has made it through the worst and is now getting back to her old tricks again, not the full 100%, but we are getting there.

To celebrate I cooked the girls their favourite treat, porridge with sultanas! As you can see they all {Henrietta included!} really enjoyed the banquet. For now I can rest easy - fingers, knees, thumbs and elbows crossed :)* Thankyou so much to everyone for their kind words and good vibes and understanding, we all really appreciate that.

So here's a big fat 'Mwah' from the girls,
xxx!! :)*

P.S I can't go without showing off our Mitzi - she has won the coolest dog collar from Lucky Fiona - click here for all the juice!

Poor wee Henrietta!

2008-09-12T09:56:00.002+01:00

My gorgeous girl is feeling ill. She hasn't been acting like her usual mad self this past few days. I've been putting it down to moulting, as in when hens go off the lay {stop producing eggs} and lose a tonne of feathers. But this is much worse, she has started puffing out her belly and making squirmy sounds like she's in awful pain. My heart breaks as I lost a hen a couple of years ago, wee Boody, who had exactly the same symptoms. I have changed my vet since then, who seems to take me and my girls a bit more seriously thank god. He has given me medication for her so fingers crossed, she'll be grand.

{This is a pic of her I took a while back when she was at her best, on my back doorstep}

Molly Blooms of Sycamore Street...

2008-09-10T23:56:00.002+01:00

This is the second in my LittleVille series. I've a build up of sketches that have been sitting around for way too long. I don't know what it is about my houses but they do tend to draw me back to childhood. I'm hoping that when I'm finally finished, LittleVille will be like a storybook full of whimsical places with colourful stories attached. I'm wondering when this house thing will dry up. I do dabble in lots of other things/mediums etc. {i.e something more serious} but my houses keep coming! I've decided not to fight it and I'm really enjoying it. Losing myself in this little topsy turvy place I've found myself building is a great stress buster! :)*

Fancy a Crumble?

2008-09-09T09:58:00.004+01:00

If you do then this is an amazingly gorgeous and utterly delicious recipe for you to try. If you are on a diet then please look away now.....

Its called Plum & Blackberry Crumble Pudding, and it is delish, seasonal and very very tasty and really easy to make. It will serve 6 regular people and maybe 8 skinny carb conscious people. I make it once {twice if lucky} every year, when the brambles are brimmimng with ripe fruit. If you are a townie please don't worry, you can try finding them in the shops or alternate the berry quantity with figs, cooking apples or rhubarb. We are going for tartiness, so don't try fruit that is too sweet otherwise this will be too cloying and heavy.

***********************************************************************************

Plum & Blackberry Crumble Pudding

For the Crumble Mixture...

5 oz. Plain Flour
2 oz. Demerara Sugar
3 oz. Good Old Fashioned Butter, cut into pieces
2 oz. Finely chopped Toasted Hazelnut

For the Juicy Filling....

1 lb 9 oz. Ripe Plums, Stoned & Quartered {Roughly 2 punnets}
9 oz. Blackberries {Get out there and enjoy picking these!}
2 oz. Golden Caster Sugar
1 tbsp. Plain Flour

*************************************************************************************

Heat the Oven to 200c or Fan 180c
Make the Crumble - mix the flour and sugar in a bowl, then rub in the butter pieces to make a fairly lumpy crumb mixture {love this bit} Stir in the Hazelnuts if you like {not essential but very nice}
Make the Filling - Mix the sugar and flour together, pop your plums and berries into an ovenproof dish and then toss gently with the sugary mix until golden and syrupy.
Level out the fruit and sprinkle your lumpy crumb on top.
Bake for 40-45 mins, you know your oven better than I so don't blame me for burnt crumble!
The Easy Bit - Dish out warm and serve with custard or vanilla ice cream. A hot cup of tea is compulsory to cut the sweet tartiness of the pud.
Enjoy :)*

{I have more step by step pics over on flickr in my yummy stuff folder for your salivation}

Suzi Blu... we love you :)*

2008-09-07T15:06:00.003+01:00

So I'm on new meds from the docs and they have been really getting the better of me this past couple of days. Gezza, my darlin' momma, decided to take the trip down south to spend the weekend with me, perhaps do a little art and maybe even a little chocolate to cheer me up, fix the cramps and brighten my mood....

So she brought down her laptop and showed me her latest Suziblu class. I don't know what it is about this Suzi girl, but she is really inspirational and seems to be such a warm, caring person. It was fun to view the lesson and see my mother so inspired to create. She has made some really cool drawings of late, using a lot of clever techniques I didn't previously know about, so I am learning from her in turn. This is her most recent, which she made on my kitchen table, while I peeked over her shoulder :)* I love it....and her....

P.s I'm really fine, just a few dodgy hormones - nothing that a few little pills can't fix :)*

R i s e & S h i n e

2008-09-05T10:46:00.003+01:00

I don't know about you, but this grey, damp, miserable weather is really making me... well miserable....

So today when I popped over to etsy, I thought I'd cheer myself up by putting together a bright and cheery treasury to wake up the happiness... this is for all the wet, miserable folks out there... enjoy :)*

See it in full at http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list_west.php?room_id=24315 and support handmade! XX

In the works...

2008-09-02T11:09:00.005+01:00

I finally got round to adding more detail to this canvas, its been looking at me for the past three weeks. I simply got to a point where I didn't know what to do next, sheer frustration I suppose?

The base took an incredible amount of time to make, a blend of textured and patterned paper strips {wallpaper, tickets, giftwrap, score sheets etc.} not forgetting waste trimmings from a recent stationery order. I like to reuse as much as I can. The rich colouring is a mix of pigment/dye inks, wax pastels and watered down acrylic put down in layers to create extra depth. Brought together in this way, it almost has the look and feel of a wood floor. Very pleasing but slightly odd.

The detail on top was completely freestyled with my sharpies, I just clicked out and kept drawing. The end result is something I didn't anticipate or expect. I like how the detail floats above yet binds with the background. I've tinted and embossed some of the details, to make it less flat but I still feel it needs more... more what though?

It might be another three weeks before I find out...

Est Journal Page - W.I.P

2008-08-27T21:55:00.006+01:00

So today I heard that the European Street Team are inviting members to create a journal page, a folded A4 sheet, first leaf 'about me', inner spread 'artwork' and the back 'my shop'. Each one will be stitched into a unique journal by Kreativlink. The finished journal will then go on sale in the EST shop to raise funds for charity. So this is what I have come up with so far....

I've gone really doodle crazy with this funky neighborhood, nestled under the stars and the Klimt inspired tree. What I really want/desperately need is an inspiring quote for the 'hill' - any suggestions people? I'd really love to hear them :)*

Favourite Finds : : 'amber falls'

2008-08-27T17:34:00.006+01:00

Here's another treasury from me, featuring some amazing talent from all over, not to mention a very good friend of mine, Miss Eggstudio! :)*

Here's the link to view and comment,
http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list_west.php?room_id=23343
Have an inspiring day!

the finished article...

2008-08-26T19:09:00.004+01:00

Today, I have learnt that I'm much better with paint than I am with wood varnish - god help us, its such a pain to get right. This is 'PatchWork' which has been mounted up with 2.5" off-white board and a 12" wooden frame. I need to make more art for these walls, but I am really happy with the way it came out - very dapper dan :)*

J a z z f l o w e r

2008-08-26T16:10:00.002+01:00

...another one of my crazy altered cd's - I'm experimenting with lots of different shapes and fun colours for christmas! This one is ideal for bling happy people - I can think of a few!

Front Page Happiness! :)*

2008-08-26T13:00:00.005+01:00

I made it to the frontpage of etsy.com!!! Thankyou Ioulia for picking my 'PatchWork' for your beautiful treasury!!! I'm going to wear a mad silly grin all day now :)*

My First Treasury...

2008-08-24T13:53:00.004+01:00

It took me a while to figure it out but I managed to snag a treasury over at Etsy. I've called it 'My Happy Heart' and it features a handful of my favourite finds. I only wish I could have picked more - it was tougher work than I thought!

I've recently been featured here and here - must make more stuff! :)*

I'm seeing StaRs....

2008-08-22T17:31:00.010+01:00

Today has been a really good 'idea day'. This little beauty is called 'nitebrite' and it has been constructed out of compact disc. I think it would be perfect for the home all year round, for hanging in the window, over a door handle or as a gift for someone special - I'll be making more of these in lots of different shades and finishes for the holiday season!

*Thankyou Gezza for the helpful brainstorming session - you little peach you!*

Just Listed...

2008-08-22T13:54:00.003+01:00

I'm already in Autumn mode and I really wanted to make something scrumptiously seasonal for my etsy.

Its called 'PatchWork' the idea evolved from the rolo that I made for Shelly - Its made from umpteen different materials including, flocked handmade papers, embossed card, wallpaper, coffee filter paper scraps which have been highlighted, distressed, painted, inked... you name it! Colour and textures galore!

There are three panels altogether - I've made an extra for my living room, I'm just waiting on the varnish to dry... I'll show you all when its ready :)*

I O U ! !

2008-08-18T16:06:00.003+01:00

Rolo's!!! Christina, Asta, Karen, Mireya and Shelly these are for you! Sorry for taking an age, I hope you'll like these! :)*

Lend Me Your Ear....

2008-08-14T13:23:00.007+01:00

After all the buzzin' around here and there, I decided to check into etsy. I love visiting the treasury which is curated by fellow sellers and is absolutely stuffed with unique items. I was busy flicking through and there I see a little yellow star - well my heart jumped.

Kraplap, a member from the Etsy European Street team selected my 'sketch' earrings for her 'Lend Me Your Ear' themed treasury! Its up for another couple of days** so theres plenty of time to check it out. Thankyou so much Kraplap!

>>> Happy Days :)* Wherever you are I hope your having a good one!

the rolling stones...

2008-08-13T17:27:00.003+01:00

We've just arrived back from England after visiting as many friends and family as we could pack into 5 days. We started out in the ferry to Wales, drove up to Cheshire, then down to Essex and London, then all the way back via Lincs to catch the ferry again. Both of us had an amazing time catching up with all of you!

Thanx go out to Pat & Simon, Paul & Louise, Gill, Alex, Megan {the jumping bean}, Linda & Paul, oh and Kerry & the girls too for putting us up and being such gorgeous hosts. It was a real pity to go home but I must admit I missed my dog, my girls and possibly my bed way too much...

Love n' hugs - T & Mr. Mac xxx :)*

Artsy Gemini is in da house!

2008-08-06T11:21:00.004+01:00

Sandy B aka Artsy Gemini, has just jumped into the world of blog. This is one of her amazing pieces that I was delighted to receive in a swap over at AFA - her work is really something.

Pop over to http://www.artsygemini.blogspot.com/ and say hello! ... I hear she has cake :)))

P o p - Summer Est Challenge

2008-08-05T11:35:00.000+01:00

I finally got around to finishing my summer project for the european etsy team challenge very late last night. I've added lots of gilded stamens and little details to add a bit more movement to the piece. I've really fallen in love with this one - I only wish I could take better photographs!

*Available to purchase at my Etsy store http://www.tanyamac.etsy.com/*

What goes up...

2008-08-03T17:22:00.001+01:00

Yesterday, myself & Mr Mac were on the lookout for some adventure. We decided to travel north to Carlingford, in the hope of climbing Slieve Foye, a stunning 589m peak in County Louth.

Mr Mac carefully packed all the info, maps etc. needed for the 'relatively straightforward' walk ahead. Ok, he's the dependable sort, you know - strong, silent, determined etc. etc. I'd trust him with my life if I had to. The weather was expected to be bright, sunny with the 'occasional' shower. He packed the waterproofs just in case.

20 mins in, we are lost, then we find our way onto the track again, then we get lost again {It later turns out the map was the size of a thumbnail and not really that useful - oh dear} back on the track and fired up with caffeine and jaffa cake we sped up the winding trail, bravely pushing upwards and onwards from the Colwyn Gap to the impressive summit of Slieve Foye.

"Now that we're here, how about some more coffee?" pants Mrs Mac

"Ok" says Mr. Mac

"I think I'll take off my boots, my wee feet are achin'" moans Mrs Mac.....

"Ok" sighs Mr. Mac

>>>(((totootooddoooooooookkkkkoooootttoooodoooo!!!!)))<<<

*roll of thunder/lightening flash/torrential rain crashes from the blackened sky onto the bewildered hikers below {including the silly one perched on the rock with no shoes on}*

We carried on wearily seeking shelter here and there, trudging and squelchin' as we go. Mitzi, the poor dog was saturated, tired (this dog is never tired) and hungry. At this stage we should have been safely making our way down the mountain track heading to the warm and cosy car.... but wait! where is the track? and how the bloomin' hell do we get back down?

* this went on for a little while, slipping and sliding occasionally on our backsides as we debated to go this way or that *

Roll on five hours (yes five more hours) of squelching, snapping, tumbling, shouting, whimpering and sniffing {still sniffin' today} we finally gain access into a forested area where we happen upon {oh joy of joys} a way marked trail bringing us back to Carlingford Town. Roll on another 2 mile trek and we are safe - I've never been so happy to see a car park in my whole life!

{To see more pics from the Mac's bogus adventure - go to the 'Irelands Eye' folder on my flickr photostream} :)

Ziggy played guitar......

2008-07-31T22:27:00.000+01:00

...but Zetti played the drums :)

My darlin' nephew Jack has his birthday coming up - so I came up with this idea for his b'day card. I'm going to add a raised embellishment for the big drum with his name on it or something? - I'll need to figure that one out.

I always make my boys birthday cards (I have 7 nephews altogether and 1 lovely niece). I've been finding it hard to make them more grown up as they hit their tweens. Kids grow too quick!

*BTW - I did use an outlined template for the drumkit, gift catalogues (like Argos) with good clear pics bright backgrounds are great for tracing outlines of fiddly things like this!*

SuMmeR {EST challenge Wk.2}

2008-07-30T23:46:00.000+01:00

After setting up my etsy shop (tanyamac.etsy.com). I decided to join the European Street Team (EST). Not only are they a really supportive and friendly bunch but they also organise a weekly challenge for its members. This weeks theme is 'Summer', hosted by Nanouke who won last weeks challenge - congratulations Nanouke!

So here is a new piece that I'm working on with this challenge in mind - It's called 'Pop'. Its a 12"x 9" canvas which has been collaged using a variety of stripped scrap material. The background is a midnight teal with a shimmery finish. The petals have been individually made, using brightly coloured tissue papers and gloss glaze. I've still got a bit of work to do before its ready :)

So Here I am... :)

2008-07-30T13:16:00.000+01:00

I didn't think I'd ever get round to writing a blog - and here I am.

So what do you wanna know people?

Some of you may know me well already - from AFA, flickr, etsy, life in general :) Ok, so most of you haven't a notion, lets see if I can make this interesting.
Here goes....

My name is Tanya, I'm Northern Irish hailing from County Down where the Mountains of Mourne sweep down to the sea (you may know the song). I'm currently living in the middle of the Ireland in the midst of lush green fields and grazing animals, cows, sheep, goats... if it likes chewin' the cud it's here in the midlands.

I'm married to a wonderful man, for nearly five years now - woo. We are 10 years together as a couple in October. He is my love. I'll have to figure out some other name for him - he dosen't want the world to know who he is. Fair enough.

My other loves are - Mitzi Doodle our beloved pooch, Susie Sussex, Henrietta Leghorn, Buddy Boo and Biddy Anne - the hens, otherwise known as 'the girls'. We eat their eggs for breakfast, tea and dinner - yum :) Their yolks are really yellow as they eat lots of good stuff besides the regular meal. Susie likes porridge, Buddy loves Orange, Henrietta adores potatoe and Biddy Anne can tuck into just about anything, We are not going to eat them.

I create bespoke wedding stationery for a living but I'm most happy creating art. Mixed media would be my favourite medium but I also like to doodle whimsical characters and crazy little houses. Maybe one of these days I'll do something constructive with them - my dream is to illustrate a childrens book one day.

*** Have I bored you off your trolley yet? Hopefully not ***

* that Cheeky Urchin *

snug as a bug in a rug ;)*

Tuesdays Child is full of grace...

hello little one!... ;)

40 weeks and how many minutes???

Butterflies in the belly.....

a little update and some new art ;)*

Tea Party for two! ;)*

NOTE TO SELF >>>

Whats cookin good lookin ???

Last chance to snatch!

Addicted already! ;)

A quick hit n' run post!!! ;D

Pretty useful ;)*

An old relic gets an update! ;)

Nesting... ;)

What a Hoot! ;D

rhythm & rhyme

a little love for your fridge! ;P

eeek! new art goodies!

Packaging woe sorted!

Summers Cup!....

see ya there?? ;)*

its that time of the year again! ;D

Sunny Bunny and my new apron! :)

Mini me at Craft Cult!

New stock just in! ;)*

Repurpose, Reuse, Recycle - Bubble Mailers

Yummy New Stock! ♥

An exciting Commission!

Two little princesses..................

I'm a mad busy bee...hear me buzzzz! ;)*

Pure ambitiousness..........;)*

This is a letter from God......

Lettin' Mother nature do her thing!

Blog Love! ♥ Zoe from Rasberry Thistle ♥

Favourite places : : Mullaghmeen Forest

Seperated at birth???

Baba's first taste of handmade gooodness! ;)*

they call her mellow yellow.....

The art of being happy...

Black is back...

Button Candy

'77 Revival

♥ Tweethearts ♥

*** a WoRld WiThOuT MaRKeRs ***

and the winner is....

♥ Its a GiVeAway! ♥

Feeling Creativ?

* HapPy DaYs! *

Something New...

♥ ♥ ♥ BUy My HoUsE!!! ♥ ♥ ♥

Away with the birdies!

Everyone Loves Phoebe!...

I've been *hibernating* !!!!

Love Weighs More than Gold!

A little birdie told me...

* I T s * S * N o * W * i * n *G ! *

A good mail day...

The Weekly Tut - Better late than never!!

Here comes the Grrrrls...

The 'i should really be in bed its not actually Friday' Tut!

Oops I've been tagged!

Junk of the Hearts...

The Friday Tut >>> *Scrapheap Challenge*

*HoNEy I'M hOMe*

Time Flies...

Hey hey its a beautiful day! :)*

Poor wee Henrietta!

Molly Blooms of Sycamore Street...

Fancy a Crumble?

Suzi Blu... we love you :)*

R i s e & S h i n e

In the works...

Est Journal Page - W.I.P

Favourite Finds : : 'amber falls'

the finished article...

J a z z f l o w e r

Front Page Happiness! :)*

My First Treasury...

* a WoRld WiThOuT MaRKeRs *

I've been hibernating !!!!

* I T s * S * N o * W * i * n G !

The Friday Tut >>> Scrapheap Challenge

HoNEy I'M hOMe

I'm seeing StaRs....

P o p - Summer Est Challenge

SuMmeR {EST challenge Wk.2}