Metal Stamps

Just a quickie!  At the local car boot sale on Sunday I found this little tub of assorted metal stamps looking very sad, manky and rusty but after a bit of a spruce up with a wire brush they're all great bar one.  ;o)  Particularly like the arrow shaped one, looking forward to whacking that into a piece of metal or three!

Cycling in the sunshine

It was a beautiful morning today so I pedalled off on my bike to enjoy the autumnal sun and fill my creative well. ;o) Come with me....

Petit Four Pendants

I've been having a play with Petit Four tins in the studio after I picked up three dozen at a car boot sale recently. I love their shape and thought they would be good for some simple metal pendants. I started off bending some in various ways using my trusty vice. This is a pendant made from two of them plus a copper sheet bead and copper wire:


I then settled down to getting some aggression out by beating the living daylights out of some of them! I attached them to a choker wire, no other additions:


More exploration is in the pipeline!

FenVAC Open Studios

Tomorrow sees the start of the Fenland Visual Arts Collective Open Studios event. I am sharing Rob's studio in Chatteris and exhibiting a variety of my artwork; assemblage, mixed media canvases and jewellery. Rob is exhibiting a wide range of his excellent framed prints and there are two more studios in Chatteris to enjoy as well. Everyone is more than welcome to come along!

The big studio re-jig is finally complete! And I have photos to prove it! LOL It's been several weeks in the doing, much longer than I had planned due to a variety of circumstances - none of which, you'll be pleased to hear, I'm going bore you with! I have a really great opportunity coming up that I need to make the most of and it's been stressing me out not being able to work towards it with the studio in such a state of flux so it's a great relief to have it done. I've rediscovered plenty of artistic enthusiasm amongst the physical detritus I've been sorting through and I'm ready to go, go, go! ;o) So, down to business....the before and after shots...

Before...

and after...

This is my new little office area, something I haven't had in my studio until now but it's definitely been needed!

Before...

and after...

The base cupboard here was badly underused where it was previously, pretty inaccessible due to mountains of crap in front of it and since I rarely ever wanted anything out of it most of it's contents has dispensed with. It now houses my metal stores.

Before...

and after...

The larder cupboard has shifted over a bit and is more accessible than it was. This is my tools and materials (like paint, pencils, mediums etc) cupboard.

Before...

and after...

and an extra pic of the desk itself...

My desk area was constantly overstuffed with everything imaginable! I've settled for just having some essentials in the box tray and nothing else on there so that I have some decent working space. I was tending to work in about six square inches previously! ;oD

Before...

and after...

and an extra shot looking straight on

This larder cupboard replaced the green cupboard and is crammed with all manner of work materials. The filing cabinets and map chest work much better in this alcove. The little trolley moves about and acts as an extra work surface when I need it.

Before...

and after...

Not much change here, just tidier and less clutter hanging on the back of the door!

And just an extra shot, from a different angle, of my little office area.


That concludes your guided tour for today! Now tell me how amazed you all are! LOL