MEME Love!

ARRGGH! I've been tagged...three times! I will have to do each one seperately over a period of time! I need to think/do some interesting things to be able to complete them :P

The first tag is from the gorgeous Jen AKA Numpty from www.numpty.etsy.com and here are the rules as she sent them to me:



The "facts about you/middle name" meme:

The Rules:
1. If you are tagged, add a new post. Add these rules to that post.
2. Using the individual letters of your middle name, list one word and provide the relating fact. These facts must be relevant to you. If you don't have a middle name, then pick a name you would like to be called.
3. Once you've finished your post, tag one person for each letter of your middle name to play and share the meme-love!



The first problem is.......I don't have a middle name :) Think my parents hated theres so much they decided not to inflict them on us kids :) I am quite pleased I don't have one so, have never thought of what I would like to be called????

So, the name I've decided to use is the one I was very nearly called by my parents instead of Alison.........They were going to call me Kirsty!



Kids....I want one :) We are currently trying to get preggers.

Intelligent....I'm sure I was once! At high school they all thought I was bright and clever and believed I would do well in exams etc. Which I did but, over time my brain seems to have died somewhat!

Red.....as in I go this colour a hell of alot! Often in the late afternoons (No it is not 'the time of life') my cheeks flush up and I begin to resemble Bradley Branning from eastenders with my pasty face and blotchy red cheeks........its such a bad look for anyone to have.

Slimming World......I joined 8 weeks ago and have just lost over a stone in weight :) Wan't to loose about another 6lbs anymore and I worry I will look ill! Its the only diet I've ever been on in my life and think I eat more now than I did before :) I also, discovered the zip on my favourite jeans was not broken I was just so tubby I was pushing the zip down all on my big bellied own! Good news....They are now too big :)

Tango....not the dance the soft drink! I once took part in a radio competition to make a mock advert for the soft drink :) Not sure if anyone remembers the ones that used to start 'Hellooooooooo Tony' in a Geordie accent well, we had to re-record them doing the accents and stuff! The advert was played on our local radio station (Radio city 96.7fm if your interested) never bloody heard it :( and guess what we won?????? A whole £1 and three free cans of the soft drink.....we had to go into Liverpool to pick up the prize so, the £1 was spent on my bus fare!

Yellow.....a colour I cannot wear! It makes me look ill being a bit ginger it plays havoc with my colouring and gives me a jaundiced appearance.


Off to find some tag victims of my own :)

Cosmic

This week I have been concentrating on my art work again. I wanted to paint a piece that was different from my usual heavy lines and sharp angles. I have always loved the work of Kandinsky and was looking through some of his paintings for inspiration.
So, I decided my starting point would be the circle. Although, it didn't take long for my angular style to show itself again!

The circles were in a neat diagonal line and the background was filling up with lines..... This next photo shows the painting after I had filled in the circles and added a more detailed background.


I was still not completely happy with it at this stage and decided it needed something to soften the backround and to tie it in with the dominating circles! So, I took everything outside loaded my brush with paint and flicked it all over the canvas......Should have taken a photo of this! Just hope none of the neighbours where looking! Finally after much flicking of paint and much mess......The finished piece:


It is now available in my etsy store......Cosmos Original Acrylic Painting

Another busy day

I had another busy afternoon today spent crafting. I've been making more cards for a set I'm going to call 'flowers and friendship' I must be feeling mushy!

I bought some new funky papers a couple of weeks ago and only got them out yesterday to play with. They seem to be quite girly for me and rather pink:


So, the theme of the cards had to be girly and pink too! I've only made three so far and can't decide how many to have in a pack? Possibly four I think! On them they have nice sentiments like 'You make me smile' and 'Have a lovely day' making them suitable for general use or birthdays!

Anyway here's my work in progress for the Crafting 365 ~ Day 6

Long time no blog!

I can't believe it's been eight whole weeks since I updated my blog! I have really fallen behind. apologies :P Things seem to have been quite hectic at my end and I have only just had time to start 'creating' again!

Where to start? Might as well just introduce my latest projects!

Fellow etsy seller Lupin has recently started a new flickr group called 'Crafting 365' through which some crafty folks are keeping a photo diary of their work for a year! Basically we post one photo showing what we were working on that day :)

Well, I am off to a good start so far.....only on day 5 though! Here are some of my shots so, far:



Crafting 365 ~ Day one

This is my latest project. An original acrylic painting on canvas board.

One thing I noticed is how tidy I am when I paint! Only a little bit missed the canvas :D



Crafting 365 ~ Day Two

1 canvas panel, 7 colours of acrylic paint and seven hours later..........This is the result.

'City Lights' Original acrylic painting.



Crafting 365 ~ Day four

Uploading a day late as could not get near the laptop yesterday evening!

I spent my crafting time cutting out some decoupage fairies :D



Its a really great way to make sure you keep up with what you should be doing and also to see what everyone else is busy creating. Enables you to get an insight into other techniques and styles you are not familiar with. It certainly satisfies the nosey parker inside :)

Etsy have started an amazing competition to create advertising posters for the site. They are giving people the opportunity to showcase their favourite items with the chance of it being selected to be a poster.

They are using the treasury to do this, a place where people select 9 items (3 reserves) from other sellers shops to display their favourite items, inspirations, things they admire, love, want, etc....It is a great way to find new shops and sellers. You can take a look here....Treasury.

Also, people like myself who are always to slow to nab a treasury we can create our own poster list! Hooray.....

Anyway, I spent a couple of hours searching through items I love, styles and themes and came up with my poster. I have tried to use items from different categories art, paper goods, glass, jewellery, clothing, home wares, etc . The overall look was inspired by my love of primary colours and artists like Kandinsky. Hope you like it.....

To view all the other poster entries check out the flickr site! There are so many beautiful entries......

Swapsies!

I have been taking part in some swaps recently on Etsy with some of the fantabulous Artisans on there.

AlisClair and I recently exchanged ATC’s (artists trading cards) I sent her an abstract painting from my city scape range and in return I received this:

It is a beautiful textile piece in the most delicious shades of pink and purple. The ATC is titled 'Little Flower' and features an amazing amount of detail and delicate needlework.

I am so envious of her talents! I wish I had studied textiles more at college....Hmmm, maybe I should give it a go?

I also swapped items with the wonderful ArtyAllsorts. In exchange for a Geisha art print, I received this beautiful print of a Tulip after the rain.

The photograph is simply stunning , the colours are lovely and the tiny drops of rain have been captured glistening in the sun perfectly. I am going to be decorating soon and think Artys photographic prints would look perfect in our bedroom. I will be back for more to fill the walls.

Finally, I felt guilty for swapping all these items for presents for myself so, when Lovealittle and Myself exchanged pieces I decided to get something for my sister ‘LizzyCub’. As a trainee primary school teacher I thought this would be a nice, thoughtful and practical gift which she would be able to use in school. How amazing is this..

From the photos you simply cannot understand how cool this piece is! I have been playing with him for days now and my sister will be lucky to even see him let alone own him.

I've been really busy painting in the last couple of weeks. Thanks to the rain there has been not much else to do!

I've started a series of paintings inspired by the changing seasons. When all four are completed I intend to create notecards and prints from them.

Here's what I've created so far:


Just spring to make now......

Fairytales

This month the UK Etsy Challenge subject was simply 'Fairytales' and my imagination went wild! Then I thought realistically about what I could and couldn't manage!

I drew inspiration from my favourite stories as a child and recalled how I used to copy the illustrations from the books.....pencil drawings it had to be! I originally chose four fairytales 'Cinderella' (my fave film used to be 'The Slipper and the Rose' with Richard Chamberlain and Gemma Craven!) 'Alladin', 'Snow White' and saving the best until last 'The Princess and the Pea'....

I wanted to create something which suggested a darker and even more mundane side to 'fairytales'. So, heavy pencil drawings lent themselves well to this and made a refreshing change to my usual bright cheery images and notecards.

The first images I drew were the mirror from 'Snow White' and the lamp from 'Aladdin' as small ACEO's (artists cards which measure a tiny 2 1/2" x 3 1/2")


I was really pleased with them until I started on the other illustrations!

The next pieces I drew were inspired by 'Cinderella' and I actually like raggy Cinders best and actually imagine living in the kitchens with a nice open fire, fresh veg and mice for pets to be quite nice actually! Hence the reason for my rather unglamorous take on 'Cinderella'


The next illustration is my favourite and really the only one I could choose when thinking of 'The Princess and the Pea' A favourite as a child the imagery has stayed with me and it's such a fantastic tale!



These inital illustrations have since become prints and a set of notecards to form my entries into the challenge. Here are the finished articles.....


My challenge entries have been submitted to the Flickr group along with all the others and voting for peoples favourites will be opened at the end of the month! I'll be sure to blog about the winners and display there work too!

Swap

I blogged recently about the great UK Etsy swap and what wonderful items I received. Well, my swap partner has received her goodies and so, I can now share what I sent!

My swap partner was Greygoat the talented maker of fabulous undies! Her likes were as follows:

Likes: black, white, red, grey, retro stuff, stationery, atomic power (got to throw that in there!!), kimono, bold graphic prints, anything to do with typefaces or letters etc, anything shoes/clothes related is usually a winner.

So, here are the items I made for her based on these:

The Geisha is my favourite and is actually an original painting, I was really pleased with the way it turned out. So much in fact I have started selling cards with prints of a similar painting in my shop.

Must also advise a visit to Greygoats shop for some lovely pants or accessories.

The Talented Nonsuch

My Dilema............Favourite dress ruined by the evil moth!
My brief................Save my favourite dress from the bin.
My Hero................Nonsuch


I recently took my favorite dress of all time out to wear and to my absloute horror found small holes in it! After much deliberating and consultation with a wise lady (my mum :D) I found the small holes were created by the devils spawn........i.e. the moth! (technically I think it's the moths eggs but, it's too yacky to think about)

Well, what's a girl to do? Throw away the dress and spend the next ten years trying to find one I like just as much? Or, turn to the talented folk of Etsy for help? No contest..........

I knew immediately who could save the day. Having admired her work for quite some time I e-mailed and asked if the lovely Nonsuch could custom make me my very own doodle. Not a problem she said and within just a few days she worked miracles and created me a lovely brooch (or, doodle in Non speak :D) to save my dress from life in a landfill!




Nonsuch is one talented lady and lots of different treasures can be found in her shop! So pay her a visit when your next after a treat for yourself or a present for a friend.

Etsy Swap Joy

Two posts in one day, I must be ill!

Anyway, I recently took part in the second UK Etsy Swap. This basically works like secret santa, we are given a fellow Etsy seller to create an item for based on their likes and dislikes.

I received my lovely parcel today from the amazing artisan Sneddonia and she made me two beautiful gifts. Firstly this pretty necklace which features an cute wire and bead heart. The beads are green.....my favourite colour :D



and secondly this Suncatcher featuring lovely blue beads. It is gorgeous and the colours match my living room perfectly which, considering she has never seen my house is amazing.


I haven't posted my swap parcel yet! I intend to do this tomorrow and when it's been received safe and sound I will post photos of the items I have sent. I am a bit worried just incase they do not like the items I have made for them :P Quite scary......

A huge thank you must also go to the wonderful lady Askey who spent hours arranging this swap, pairing us up and chasing people for replies and addressess (yes, I forgot to provide an address..........stupid!)

Stupid me

I need to check my blog more often.....I've been neglecting it again! I recently changed the settings to moderate comments and never checked back....D'oh!

Well, about 15 days ago I was tagged by the lovely Bunny and only found out today :P
Now need to reveal 7 things about me! This may take a while so be patient! I am trying to think of smonething wonderfully witty and funny.......trust me you'll be disappointed.

Treasury Talent

I was just minding my own business browsing through the treasury when I spotted the title 'Industrial Chic II' and I new it was for me!

The list has been compiled by fellow Etsian Passementerie who obviously has a really good eye for talent and striking images. It's the best treasury I've seen for quiet a while and deserves to hold the coveted front page spot, which sadly it does not (at the moment anyway) So, instead I thought I'd highlight it's beauty and the talent of the clever artists on Etsy here.

The artists are here listed in order of the items above..........

lake, MollyBurkett, found
pleasebloom, jewelryfool, jlsphotoworks
ohannamarie, found, opaque
gdesign, loopityloopglam, deedledumpling

New image!

I've decided my shop is far too pink and girly!

I decided a while ago not to just stock cards and have been slowly adding art work to my shop. So, I need a new image! I have spent the whole morning playing with designs, styles, colours, etc and have finally settled on something more balanced. It reflects my style better than the old banner and as I am so crap on computers I am really pleased with the outcome......



and while I'm at it may as well change my avatar!

All systems go.........

Sundays are usually for relaxing, chilling out, lazing around the house. Well, except for yesterday! I had a fantastic day and a rather productive one. I spent the whole day making new cards for my etsy shop........Here's a shot of my chaos I make when I work.....


And most importantly the results are shown here:

There is more but, I'll save them for another time! Now, just need to resist temptation to list them all in one go in my shop..........

Tick Tock

Tick Tock, originally uploaded by alicub.

This is my latest treasury featuring the work of many talented Etsians and their interpretations and different uses for clocks.

The artists featured are Imagine Studios, Timothy Adam Designs, Oppulent Oddities, Roger J Porter, Art and Ghosts, The Eclectic Studio, Geek Gear, Talula, Artsy, The Hands of Fatima, Abhayah, The Domino Effect

Change of direction

I've been filling my shop more recently with art work, which is a slight change in direction for myself! I am contemplating changing the name of my Etsy store from Alicub Cards to something else.......haven't decided what though! Comment here if you've any suggestions otherwise it will end up being something really creative like..........Alicub Cards & Art!

These are the art works I've listed so far

10 things about me

I must thank SakuraFubukiDesigns for 'tagging' me! I have not yet tagged anyone else to complete there '10 things about me' list. So, if you wanna be tagged comment and let me know!

Ok! Where to begin? I have actually found this really difficult! I want to be all witty and interesting but sadly I am not . Although, I do tend to waffle a bit.....Sorry.

Anyway here are 10 things you probably don't know about me........


1 I once had an unexplained limp for about six weeks! Aged about six I started limping, numerous trips to the doctors and hospital but no-one could explain it. My parents thought I was faking it and spied on me at to catch me out.....little did they realise how good an actress I was. One day, I got bored and stopped :D

2 I had shingles as a child aged about seven. They hurt like hell! Very uncommon amongst youngsters as associated with stress! (little bit of a worrier was I) I vividly recall being taken into school by my Mum to pick up some work to do at home and the teacher making me lift up my blouse (and vest of course!) to show the whole class my scabby back!!!!!! I still blush thinking about it.


3 I am a fussy eater! The only meat I eat is chicken (only hot)and bacon (got to be burnt to a crisp) I don't like boiled veg only steamed, I hate fish, I don't like sauce.......I could go on. I do however love cheese! Nothing fancy just a nice mature cheddar :D I have had cheese sandwiches (no margarine thanks) for lunch nearly everyday of my life..............



4 The love of cheese may also explain fact no. 4. I have odd dreams. The most memorable being just recently.......

I dreamt I was really tired whilst trying to feed a gold fish. You know the sort of tired when you just can't keep your eyes open. My head was resting on the edge of the goldfish bowl as it was simply to heavy to move. The fish decided to bite down hard on my nose, huge razor sharp teeth sunk deep into the flesh and all I could do was lye there. I managed to lift my arm and grab the goldfish either side of his mouth but, didn't have the energy to squeeze his clamped jaw open! So, I spent the rest of the dream with a fish attached to my nose!



5 I met my husband Paul at work. Went on a date and one month later we moved in together! On our three month anniversary he proposed with a Haribo jelly ring ( I still have it all hard and covered in fluff)
6 The first present Paul ever bought me was a Zorbing experience! It's basically a huge inflatable Hamster wheel, they strap you in and push you down a hill.............Never felt so ill in all my life! It took about two days for my brain to stop rattling around but, at least I didn't vomit............Paul kept that for himself :D



7 I am currently addicted to Guitar Heroes on the Xbox 360 at which I am poo! But please note the look of shear concentration on my face!!!!



8 I have still not decided what I want to do when I grow up! Perhaps librarian or florist. Or, maybe even a lorry driver like long distance Clara!


9 I love films! We have a DVD library of about 400 films................I like horror, comedy, thriller, allsorts! My real faves though are Marilyn Monroe films especially 'Gentlemen Prefer Blondes' I love it...................

10 Last but not least but, definitely most embarrassing! I still bite my nails. Nothing wrong with that you think? Well there is when it's your feet too :D