BTS: Post-creativity Clean Up

Posted on 6th January 2017 by perfectly4med

I’ve been prepping samples ready for my next TV shows (Hochanda, Mon 16th Jan, 10am/1pm/5pm), and as normal the studio looks like a creative media bomb has gone off in it. I tend not to put things away as I go when getting projects ready as I usually have two or three different samples at different stages, so everything that is to be featured on the show is out on the table to remind me what to use. It’s all at hand, and relatively organised. Consequently, and despite all the space I have, I still end up working in areas barely bigger than a sheet of A3 paper.

But, with studio guests due for my annual Come & Craft Christmas Party tomorrow, it all had to get tidied up. Just for fun, I thought I’d film it as a time lapse – 40 minutes in 40 seconds. Not too bad, particularly with Esther wanting to come in and out of the door and Charlie supervising the vacuuming at the end…

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TV: That’s Crafty! on Hochanda

Posted on 24th November 2016 by perfectly4med

I’m about to set off for the Hochanda TV studios ready for my shows at 5pm and 9pm today. The That’s Crafty! Design Team have sent in a-maz-ing samples, and I can’t wait to share them, and my demonstrations with you. In the first hour, I’ll be showing off true rust and patination effects on the new That’s Crafty! Surfaces hanging light bulbs and cogs, as well as cog upright and cog clock. In the twilight hour, I’ll be doing four quick makes featuring more of the uprights.

Don’t forget – the shows are live, and due to various reasons outside of my control, I’m sleep deprived… so have fun watching! And it’s been pointed out to me that the second show is after the watershed – will I have the nerve to misbehave?

Watch and catch up online, from wherever you are in the world, at hochanda.com. For UK viewers, Freeview 85 (you may need to retune), Sky 663 or Freesat 817.

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Show Time! – for That’s Crafty! on Hochanda

Posted on 7th October 2016 by perfectly4med

I am live on Hochanda – the home of crafts, hobbies and art – available on Sky 663, Freeview 85 or Freesat 817, and on www.hochanda.com right now. With top tips for working with That’s Crafty! Surfaces, clock stacks and dreamcatchers, I’ll also be showcasing Pentart glass paints and Express Transfer medium.

I’ll be posting mini-tutorials for each of the projects over the next week. Don’t forget to check out the fabulous That’s Crafty! blog and the design team blogs (on the That’s Crafty! blog side bar) for more inspiration and projects.

Oh, I’m on at 11am as well, or you can catch up or watch again for the next 10 days over at Hochanda’s online TV Schedule – just set the date in the drop down list for 7th October and look for my shows at 8am and 11am.

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BTS [Behind the Scenes]: Product Prep

Posted on 19th September 2016 by perfectly4med

Sometimes I go quiet on here… Regular readers will know that I’m always up to something (holidays are infrequent), and often can’t share my makes until after a ‘press embargo’ has been lifted. Happily, Hochanda seem to be less restrictive than a certain other channel I’ve done work for: keep your eyes peeled for sneaky peeks at the end of the month. Oh, and in passing, if you haven’t found the TV menu option above, that’s where you will find the latest information I have as to when I’m next on your screens.

Back to the point – I thought it would be fun to share a photo of my studio workspace as it appears right now. I’m in the middle of learning new products and prepping samples from which my show demonstrations will be developed. Whoever said that men can’t multi-task? I must be an exception as there are three different projects on the go at the moment – as I am waiting for one to dry, I’m working on the others.

Don’t worry about the naff lighting – that’s done in Photoshop so that I can hide the piles of stuff still waiting for their permanent home. So there’s glass paint, acrylic paint, crackle medium, varnishes, acrylic pieces, MDF pieces, a brayer, brushes and sponges, frost effect paint, Posca pens, scissors, a screwdriver and Gorilla glue, various polymer stamps, archival ink and not nearly enough tea. It does however support the adage that men typically do not clear up after themselves… But by tea time tomorrow, all has to be tidied away for another night of crafting with my studio guests.

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Art Journal Pages: Colour Or Black and White?

Posted on 13th June 2016 by perfectly4med

I’m busy prepping for my next shows on Hochanda, which will be introducing art journaling, on 16th June. I’ve already shown you the test pages in the journals that will be available, but here are two sneaky peek pages featuring products available to buy during the shows. There will be more sneaky peeks on Hochanda’s social media feeds during the coming week.

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TV Debut: BTS [Behind The Scenes]

Posted on 30th May 2016 by perfectly4med

It’s getting closer! My television debut is on Friday 3rd June, with live shows at 11am, 1pm and 5pm. I’m delighted to be showcasing DecoArt Media fluid acrylics and various mediums. Sneaky peaks will be up on the Hochanda Facebook page sometime in the next couple of days. It’s been a busy weekend for me as the products for the shows only arrived at The Studio on Friday morning, and promo pictures were requested about an hour later (to which I politely replied along the lines of ‘you must be joking’!). Want to know what The Studio looks like at the moment, with several concurrent projects on the go so that one is drying as I am working on the next?

That’s the sample boards done; two 12×12″ panels; ten different 3D papier mâché letters; at least ten different paint and decoupage techniques; at least ten different mediums and a heck of a lot of demo planning, cups of tea and drying time. Oh by the way, the art journal is for the next shows on Thursday 16th June…

I hope you can join me online, on Sky 663, Freeview 39 or FreeSat 817 or even catch-up up to a week after: Friday 3rd June: 11am, 1pm, 5pm.

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Art Journal Pages: Testing Potential Journals

Posted on 26th May 2016 by perfectly4med

One side effect of being the probably the first art journaling demonstrator on a UK craft TV channel is that I need to help source journals suitable for sale during the shows. This lunchtime I had unexpected happy post containing four journals for me to test. The timing’s a bit awkward – first thing this morning a delivery arrived with all the products I have to make samples with for my first show a week tomorrow… So for pure expediency, I set up a journal test bench this evening and worked my way down the three journals with the same page layout. The fourth? That one is A3 in size, and far too big to do anything in the timescale!

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Art Journaling Live On TV

Posted on 15th March 2016 by perfectly4med

After a successful screen test today, I have been asked to demonstrate art journaling on Hochanda – the Home of Craft, Hobbies and Art – available on Sky 663, Freeview 39 (6am-9pm) and Freest 817 or online at hochanda.com. I should be on a screen near you by the end of May.

It’s a very exciting opportunity, and I look forward to showing viewers how to make a blank page into a mixed media marvel, and how then to take those techniques back to card making and scrapbooking and forward to home decor and 3D pieces.

Now you know why I’ve been working so hard on my art journaling projects recently! Just a quick preview for those that haven’t yet seen my work…