King Richard Competiton: The Good, The Bad and The Right Darn Ugly

The comments on Day 6 of the King Richard Competition are now closed, I’ll be drawing the last name and congratulating the winner shortly.

I’d also like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has participated!

It’s you (yes, YOU!) who makes it fun, so thank you for helping me celebrate Armitage Day!

As I’ve written in previous post, not everything (nothing more like…) has gone according to plan.

I had two types of jewellery: some that sealed the image with a cabochon and some that were covered in resin.

Let me tell you, both proved to be tricky!

Let me illustrate what “things going horribly wrong” looks like.

Step right up, ladies and gentlemen, so see the horror of:

The man spouting brown blobs!

Oh this one was a disappointment!

It all looked relatively good the day I made it, perhaps a few smudges that I insist aren’t a mistake, but give it an antique look.

Imagine my horror when a brown blob appeared centre of the image!

Oh, but that’s antiqued peanuts in comparison to:

Richard caught in a whirlpool!

Only the barrel is missing…

OK, this one may have been my fault.

After applying the resin, it dried all ripple and I though it a good solution to salvage the piece was too…. drumroll… pour more resin on it.

FYI, NOT the way to go…

I shall hang on to these and scare children come Halloween!

Not one piece of jewellery has really turned out perfect, but I really do hope the competition winners focus on the fact that it’s the thought that counts, my heart was in the right place etc.

Anyway, if you’d like to give this a go (and I am sooooo not giving up on making the perfect piece of jewellery, so look out resin, here I come!), here’s a great guide on how to apply the cabochon (with more success than me).

I’ve spent more of the post writing about what not to do, but let me tell you about someone who gets her projects right every freakin’ time!

Some of you make know Jen from Cake Wrecks, possibly one of the funniest websites around, but she laso has a site called Epbot which caters for her geeky, nerdy steampunky interests.

Last year she wowed us all with her Lady Vadore costume.

This year she has unveiled her White Rabbit project just in time for a ComicCon cosplay.

The whole costume is hand-made and Jen talks her readers through the process as you try to pick your jaw off the floor!

I literally spend hours reading through her posts and green with envy at her skills.

Anyway, thanks again to all who came out and played!

As always, you were so much fun.

I hope the next post will be on The Forsyte Saga, because that is loooong overdue!

King Richard Vegas Competition Day 6

It’s Day 6 of the King Richard Vegas Competition, and it will also be the last day.

Unfortunately, due to technical and RL issues, I’ve had to cut the competition a day short, but I just wanted to say a huge thank you to all of you who have played along, retweeted, and supported it.

I’ve loved reading comments, you are just a highly amusing bunch 😉

Let’s just say I owe you a competition day and I won’t forget it!

I have drawn the name of the winner of Day 5’s competition.

Congratulations and I’ll be getting in touch shortly 🙂

The competition may be winding down, but here’s the last item up for grabs:

A John Thornton ring

The size is adjustable and will fit anyon

Here’s the thing:

The new Ben Rayner photos have cause quite a stir within our fandom, especially this one:

OK, so it’s not the most flattering look for Richard, but when taking into account that winter lasted 6 months here this year and there was still snow about in the second week of April, I think he looks snug and warm.

Is there room for improvement?

Sure, I think he should start shedding layer until I tell him to stop 😉

The question is:

What look/item of clothing/ fashion style would you absolutely loathe to see Richard in?

I CANNOT stand cowboy boots.

Hate them with a passion, especially on men.

Comments close tomorrow at 12 GMT when I will be announcing the last winner of this year’s Amitage Day competition!

Good Luck!

King Richard Vegas Competition Day 5

Congrats to the winner of Day 4 of the King Richard Competition.

I shall be getting in touch with you shortly 🙂

Just wanted to take a moment to express how much I’m enjoying reading all your comments 🙂

I don’t respond to competition comments because I don’t want to be accused of favouritism, but you’re all making me giggle.

This is Day FIVE of the King Richard Vegas Competition!

Up for grabs today is:

A Richard pendant you can keep close to your heart.

This could be handy as the real one seems to be elusive and reluctant to go anywhere near our hearts, or any other part of our anatomy!

And I don’t mean in the metaphorical sense- he’s always lodged there 😉

Here’s the thing:

The news that Richard may be in London got me breaking into song!

Forget Fergie Ferg, it’s Agzy Agz!

He just really makes “My London Bridge wanna go down!” (whatever the heck that means…).

The question is:

Which line of a song best describes how Richard makes you feel?

I’ll just leave this right here for inspiration…

Comments will close at 12 GMT tomorrow when I will announce the winner and Day 6 competition will be out!

Good Luck!

King Richard Vegas Competition Day 4

Things are going from bad to worse with the prizes and on top of that my toner is dead as a dodo or as Richard’s chances of playing Batman.

I may have to rethink some prize ideas but, as always, I’ll just wait till the very last moment to make the decision.

Nothing like procrastination to get the blood pumping!

I really can’t wait to share the pieces of jewellery that has gone Oh so very wrong! with you.

It is really a sight to see!

I think I should hang on to them and hand them out as gifts on Halloween because it really is the Night of the Living Dead in handmade stuff 😉

Welcome to King Richard Week Vegas Competition Day 4

I can’t believe we’re half way there!

Congrats to all the winners so far and I hope the rest of you “beat the odds, against the odds”.

I have drawn the name of the winner of Day 3.

I will be contacting you shortly.

To read about the rules of the KRA Week Competition, please go HERE.

Up for grabs today is…

An RA brooch

Lemon used to stabilise the brooch while it dries not included, but severely limits photo options 😉

Here’s the thing:

We all know that Richard likes to supplement his income with the odd  voiceover in ads.

Don’t get me wrong, anything that features RA’s velvety voice (actually, anything at all!) get’s the seal of approval from my ears… and other parts of me.

The question for today is:

The advertisement for which product should feature a Richard Armitage voiceover? 

What product would benefit from Richard’s voice?

I’ve always dreamt of celebs providing the voice for the GPS navigation in the car.

Can you imagine Richard whispering: “Take the next left”.

I’d end up just driving around in circles all day, taking wrong turns just so Richard scorns me!

Comments close tomorrow at 12 GMT.

King Richard Vegas Competition Day 3

Oh, it’s all going horribly wrong!

Turns out craftwork is not my cup of tea and the jewellery that seemed OK when I made it started displaying ugly traits when it dried the next day.

It’s like my little country cottage has turned into the Little Shop of Horrors 😦

Me. No. Likey!

Let’s just say that with the prizes, the term “It’s the thought that counts” fits perfectly.

I’ll still try to make a few new ones for the other competition days, but if that fails (a huge brown blob in the middle of Richard’s face is NOT an option), I shall quickly have to think of something else.

Just one of those days…

On the plus-side, I was crying with laughter reading the answers you had for the previous competition questions 🙂

Welcome to King Richard Week Vegas Competition Day 3

Comments for Day 2 are closed and I have drawn the name of the winner.

Congrats and I will be getting in touch shortly!

This is the Third day of the competition, and there’s a chance to win an Armitage goodie every day for the next 4 days!

To read about the rules, please go HERE.

Up for grabs today is…

A less than perfect RA brooch

In order to get your hands on a brooch with stroppy acting-out resin, please leave your ideas in comments.

Here’s the thing:

Richard has (allegedly) found his new digs in New York.

It would only be polite to offer him a Howdy Neighbour!

The question for today is:

What housewarming gift would you give Richard?

I’d go for a potted plant.

With all his travelling it would only be fair for me to offer to water it when he’s out of town 🙂

Please leave your ideas in comments!

Comments close at 12 GMT tomorrow.

Luck be a lady tonight!

King Richard Vegas Competition Day 2

Welcome to King Richard Week Vegas Competition Day 2

I really enjoyed reading comments from the previous day, proving that this bunch is hilarious and creative 🙂

Congrats to the winner of yesterday’s competition, I will be getting in touch shortly.

This is the SECOND day of the competition, and there’s a chance to win an Armitage goodie every day for the next 7 days!

To read about the rules, please go HERE.

Up for grabs today is…

A John Thornton pendant

Here’s the thing.

The bats out of the cave and we know that there won’t be any Armibat.

I for one think Richard has the qualities to portray the batwonder, and the choice of Ben Affleck… No baby, no….

No matter, there are more capes, tights and masks RA could squeeze into.

The question for today is:

What superhero would Richard be and what super powers would he possess?

Feel free to make up your own superhero.

I’d love to see him be Thunderthighs!

The superhero who crushes his enemies by squeezing them between his firm muscular thighs 🙂

Please leave your ideas for made-up superheroes in comments.

Good Luck!!!

Comments close tomorrow at 12 GMT when the next prize is up for grabs and I announce the winner of Day 2.

Comments are now closed!

King Richard Week Vegas Competition Day 1

Happy Armitage Day!!!!

I’ll mostly be celebrating on Twitter and Tumblr with my Armitage peeps, so I hope you’ll come and join us.

Bring the confetti, balloons and valium for when things get rowdy, which they will because it is Armitage Day after all!

Welcome to King Richard Week Competition Vegas Style Day 1

This is the FIRST day of the competition, and there’s a chance to win an Armitage goodie every day for the next 7 days!

To read about the rules, please go HERE.

Up for grabs today is…

A John Thornton brooch

The image was taken from RANet and is an original hand-cut silhouette portrait by Kathryn Flocken, which I antiqued a tad to suit the brooch.

The pics are pants and I really should get some photography tips from Guylty 😉

Magzy gave it a two thumbs up (actually she said “It’s so pretty, why are you giving it away?”).

She just doesn’t understand Armitage Day!

Remember that to enter the competition, and get your beautifully manicured paws on this goodie, all you need to do is answer the following question in comments, keep your fingers crossed and hope Lady Luck is in your favour!

I will ship to the winner wherever he/she may be.

Here’s the thing.

We all know what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas!

You can go the Britney route and get hitched (and have the marriage annulled) in a matter of a few short hours.

You can go the Prince Harry route, strip naked and shoot some pool.

You can pull a Hangover and just black out.

The question for today is:

If Richard went to Vegas, what naughty tomfoolery would he get up to?

Please leave your suggestions in comments and be as creative as you can!

Day 1 of the competition closes tomorrow at 12 GMT, and I will proceed to draw a winner from all the entries (multiple comments are OK).

Good Luck!!!

Day 1 of the competition is done and comments are now closed!

Congrats, I’ll be getting in touch shortly!

Armitage Day Competition starts TOMORROW!

As many of you may remember, Thursday is Armitage Day, the day when RA fans celebrate the event when the world got that little bit better 🙂

Last year I celebrated Armitage Day with a 7 day competition counting down to the event.

On Armitage Day I literally had to put myself in time out because I just went a bit… crazy, but I digress.

As I’ve been tanning my carcass by the Polish seaside in the run-up to the blessed event, and I DID promise you a little something something commemorating Richard turning 42, I’ve decided to switch my annual RA competition to coincide with King Richard Week.

Oh, and did I mention we’re doing it Vegas style?

Richard III isn’t the only king Richard could play 😉

Here’s how we play:

Starting Thursday, 12pm GMT, you ( yes, YOU!) will have the chance to get your hands on a one-of-a-kind Richard Armitage related goodie each and every day for the next 7 days.

Horrid as I am, and in keeping with tradition, I’m not going to tell you what the goodies are, they will be revealed to you each day.

Let’s just say they won’t be the same as last year, and I’m no Oprah, so don’t expect me to give away cars…

At 12pm GMT on each of the 7 days I will post and the item up for grabs will be revealed.

These are all one-of-a-kind, so there won’t be any exchanges for other items, and No, you can’t get cash instead

I will ask a question connected with who the hell knows what.

You leave your answers in the comments section, remembering to sign in with a valid email address and/or twitter account.

At exactly 12pm GMT the next day, as another post is out, I close comments, write all the names from comments on pieces of paper, throw them in a box, and my lucky hand will draw ONE name from the box.

This is the winner of the day!

You may ask why you have to answer the question asked in the post if all the names go into the box.

Well, let’s just say I want you to sing for your supper

Plus, I love to read your comments!

I will be contacting the lucky winners, so make sure I have the means to do that!

If by the 28th I can’t get in touch with someone, I will pull out another name from the list from that day.

You are more than welcome to enter your name on multiple days, although the winner will be eliminated from the other draws.

I hope to see you all here tomorrow, 12pm GMT!

Good Luck!

My Nearest and Dearest are Dwarven’ Awesome, and here’s why…

I’d like to start by thanking everyone for their birthday wishes 🙂

I don’t really like to make a BIG fuss around the day, with one exception.

My nearest do not apply and the bigger the fuss the better 🙂

On Armitage Day I shared with you the cake my sister designed for me the previous year, which you can see here.

This year I asked that the calories count be kept low because I have a pair of Hobbit jeans I’s like to squeeze into soon.

I did love the cake from last year and just when I though that was the coolest birthday surprise ever, my family proved me wrong.

This year I got 5 postcards.

OK, it wasn’t only 5 postcards, but for dramatic effect let’s stick to the concept of:

For my birthday I got 5 postcards, one from each member of my immediate family.

And let me tell you, these are the best postcards ever.

Let me explain:

The first card was from my mom.

Well, hello there Captain Armitage.

I salute you!

I feel safer already knowing you’re in the cockpit…

The back of the postcard said, in rhyme:

Translation: My dear, We’re sending you on a long journey, and a flight above Amsterdam. Avoid temptation and don’t inhale any of that Amsterdam ‘mist’.

Prepare your passport and boarding pass, as Captain Richard will fly you out.

Kisses Mom

What I adore about this is that the street name is: On the Way to London St. and the postal code of the address is actually the one for the Warsaw Airport 🙂

The next postcard was from my dad.

That’s one hotel I wouldn’t mind checking into 🙂

Can I ask for extra towels?

On the flip side:

Translation: My dear, it would be nice, if walking around London was pleasant for you, so  we booked a hotel close to the centre for you.

You’ll feel comfortable there like in biblical heaven.

Overlooking your comfort, and this is no joke, is the dedicated concierge Richard.

Kisses Dad.

The next card is from my Sister Dearest.

Now, you can see why this card is close to my heart.

I’m on constant diets and and looking forward to eating Fish&chips almost as much as seeing The Hobbit!

On the back:

I will never let you down Magzy, nor will I let Cook Richard down, therefore Miss Piggy from Piggleton (love it!) promises to stuff her porker face at the local chippy just for you two 🙂

The next card is from my BFF and I just cracked up when I saw Monet as a Beefeater!

I think they may suspect I have a tad of a crush on Richard Armitage, because Max goes on to say:

I’m in the process of getting my name and address legally changed to the one featured on this postcard 🙂

I think it suits me very well!

This is the last card:

It would seem I’m going on and Unexpected Journey of my very own 🙂

Five wonderful postcards that make me suspicious that they may be on to me and have an inkling that I’m a bit partial to Richard Armitage.

I really do wonder what gave it away?

Anyway, it would seem that my dearest are sticking me on board a plane heading towards London via Amsterdam (no promises about the mist though, when in Rome…), I’ll be staying in a beautiful stylish boutique hotel in the centre and Ill get a chance to see The Hobbit 2 weeks before it opens in my country.

BEST. BIRTHDAY. PRESSIE. EVER!

Awaiting Richard’s 2012 Birthday Message to Fans

It’s one of those morning, where I really didn’t know what to write about.

I usually jot ideas on a piece of paper, and every morning a topic pops up, which I end up elaborating on.

Often the final product has little to do with the initial idea, but that’s what makes blogging fun.

Today is not the day to pull something from the ol’ list, so I’ll just write about what’s been on my mind since Armitage day.

Am I the only one who really just can’t freakin’ wait for Richard’s Birthday message to fans?

I haven’t noticed any chatter about, but I doubt it’s not crossed your mind.

If you don’t know what I’m on about, or if you simply want to read the messages from previous years, please go to Richard Armitage Online.

Ever since Armitage Day I’ve woken up, switched on my laptop, and I’ve been going through RA blogs in hopes of finding that posts are littered with a thorough analysis of a new RA message.

Last year we were lucky to receive one on the 25th of August.

If you’re new to the fandom, let me just write a few words about the thrill of learning Richard has once again connected with his fans, and has been gracious enough to send us a kind word or two.

The best word to describe the thrill is electric.

Reading it is like being struck by Armitage lightening, but in oppose to the real thing, this one is immensely pleasant.

You’re hands start shaking, body temperature rises, you start hyperventilating a bit, and you’re mesmerized.

To quote Edward Cullen:

“[it’s] like my personal brand of heroin” 

The thought had occurred to me that it’s awfully presumptuous to automatically assume one is coming.

I’m sure he’s busy on the set of Black Sky, what with all the hugging of fans 😉

The man is under no obligation to do anything of the sort, but deep in my heart I believe he understands how much it means to the Armitage fandom.

But if it doesn’t, I don’t think I’ll be the only one who feels like this…

What do you think?

Can we be expecting a post-Birthday message from  Richard Armitage in 2012?

Update: The pic up top is a treat from @todd_garner and shows Richard on the set of Black Sky.

Garner also tweeted another pic:

The guy is handsome, and I’m thankful he shoots all the risky scenes, so our precious doesn’t have to, but, if I’m honest, he’s no Richard 😉

Anyway, thank you Mr Garner, and keep those tasty RA snacks coming, as we all have one heck of an appetite!