End of another year

It's the end of my third year joining in the 365 Art Calendar Journal, run by the most talented mixed media artist, Kate Crane.  Here are my November and December pages which I haven't blogged before...

Just noticed that I forgot to put December on the page, doh! You'll have to look very closely to see the Christmas tree down the right hand side, although I think you can see the 'lights'

On to a new year and a new journal, this time I've hand made the journal, following the idea and instructions from Christine, and this has been done with my Gelli plate and Golden acrylic paints.

This is my 4th year and I'd decided not to bother in 2013 but at the last minute changed my mind and I'll go for another year.

Christmas Journaling with Kate

Had a fabulous day on Wednesday Christmas journaling with Kate Crane at AFTH.  Managed to finished two pages and had a fabulous day as well.  Kate is such a good teacher and her classes are so relaxed, if you get a chance to go to one of her classes I promise you'll have a wonderful time.

This one is done in my Dylusions journal

and this one in my old ledger

We used Dylusion inks and a mixture of Dylusion and Stampotique stamps.  Just realised you can see how I get ink all over, it's even on the envelope in the journal, ha ha.

Get Well Soon

My daughter-in-law is very ill at the moment, is off work and cannot get out of bed and is having to be looked after.  She's in a lot of pain so thought I'd make her a get well card to try to cheer her up a bit.

The background is created with DI's in what is still my favourite combo of broken china, spiced marmalade and mustard seed, with walnut stain around the edges.  The seed heads are made from card, coloured with the same DI's then the white one (can't remember it's name) swooshed over the top.  They are then cut out with a Memory Box die.  It's the first time I've used one of these dies and it's taken a few attempts to get the sandwich right, but I do love this one.

Another birthday card!

This card is made in exactly the same way as my last post but using different colours of DI's.  The recipient has now got it and she loves it, that's what counts.

Can't decide which I like the best, different colours give a totally different effect.

Birthday Card

This is a birthday card I've made for my Aunt using the Studio 490 flower stencil.

Background is created with DI's, put texture paste through stencil and dried with a heat gun, this makes it fluff up a little.  Coloured flower with distress markers, stamped a text stamp onto flower and leaves, then sprayed a bit of water over it all, this helps blend the markers.  Used another stencil to put the DI through to make the lines on the side, then put bits here and there of metallic distress stains.  Bit of stitching around the edge.  I love the way this has turned out, so made another couple in different colours.  I must thank Wendy Vecchi for the inspiration.

Well, the roast lamb is calling, just need to pop in the Yorkshire puddings...yum

Birthday Card Dina style

It was our Ladies Who Lunch Play Day last week and we did a Dina Wakley project and I turned mine into a 40th birthday card for my son

Front

Back

It folds up into a little concertina book. I thoroughly enjoyed doing this, lots of Dylusion inks, stencils and some of Dina's stamps. My son love it, but then again he does tend to like everything I do, perhaps he's a bit biased, no I'm sure he's not, lol.

October already

Here's my finished September page for the 365 Art Journal Calendar

and here's October, already done, gosh don't know what's come over me to be ready on time, lol.

If you're wondering what I'm talking about, pop over to Kate's blog to see some really great artwork.

September Play Day

Not been doing much recently, very busy with life plus my creativity seems to have deserted me.  This is what I did at the last Ladies Who Lunch (and we went to the pub again!!!).

A few of us went to the Happy Stampers Show earlier in the year and Jennie of The Artistic Stamper had decorated some frames with her new house stamps.  We bought them, then had to use them of course. 

On time for once...

I think this is the first time I've finished a page on time and managed to post it.  So here's my August page for the 365 Art Calendar hosted by the talented Kate Crane

Haven't even started September yet and I'm off down to Essex to see my grandchildren.  My eldest starts a new school on Wednesday and it's her birthday on Sunday so it will be brilliant to see them again.

Summer Distress Pads

I've had to make a few birthday cards this week, plus I've also managed a few Christmas cards and it's only August.

ATC

All the backgrounds are done with the summer distress inks.

It's so humid here this afternoon, just been out with the dog and got wet through, lol.

A little late with August calendar page

I know I'm a little late posting this but been very busy

I decided to go with the Olympics theme and of course there could only be one image to use and that is of Jessica Ennis who also comes from Sheffield.  I need to overstamp her with GOLD.  As usual Dylusion ink sprays through Dylusion stencils for the background.

I must say that I have thoroughly enjoyed every minute of the Olympics, even watched the cycling and rowing, everything was so enthralling and I would like to say a big thank you to everyone who took part, whatever part they played in making London 2012 an unforgettable and marvellous experience.

Pop over to Kate's blog to see what it's all about.

A couple of journal pages

I've been quite productive on the journal page scene, here are a couple of recent ones...

Dy's ghosting technique and T!m's new stamps

T!m's new stamps

The first page is sprayed with Dylusions inks and the second one is Dylusions inks painted with a brush.  I just love his new stamps but didn't think I would until I used them at AFTH, then of course had to buy some, but limited myself to 3 sets.

I've been busy this week what with buying a new sewing machine, and then having to take it back the next day because of a fault, and in its place buying a more expensive one, well you have to don't you.

Yesterday I had such a lovely, relaxing day with two very good friends Pat and Sandy and Pat cooked us such a fantastic lunch that both Sandy and I had 'food coma' in the afternoon, we just couldn't move, lol.

Craft or go to the pub?

It was our monthly Play Day today and because of holidays and illness there were only 4 of us at the start of the day....so the first decision was shall we go to the pub at lunchtime or carry on with the project.  Now this pub is famous for its pies

Clare tucking into hers (I had the same as Clare - we had chips as well)

Margaret didn't have chips, she went for the healthy option of two small potatoes

Now the pig amongst us was Chris, although to be fair she did ask if it was a large pie (don't know who that man is who sneaked into this piccy) but Chris was trying to stop me taking this photo

As you can see the piece on her very large dinner plate is only half of it.  I have to say that she didn't eat all the pastry, Clare finished it off for her!

Oh nearly forgot to say, that Clare, Chris and I had home made bilberry pie and ice cream, well it would have been rude not to.  Margaret just couldn't eat anything else.

Anyway the project was to alter an apron, here are the usual suspects...

They look as though they're lined up to be shot and all I said was 'say sex'???????????? Leave you to make up your mind what the smirks mean. The aprons are still a WIP of course.

Off to ARTH tomorrow for art journaling, really looking forward to it.

A couple of journal pages

Here are two journal pages I've done recently, the first one is based round the image which is from Deviant Scrap

I bought the large butterfly and text stamp from Christy Tomlinson and then didn't know what to do with it, so did a journal page

The sun has gone into hiding here, still warm, but dull.  Hope you've got better weather.

Phew it's hot!!!!

Well at long last the sun is out and it's hot, hot, hot here in Deepcar.  We've got our two grandchildren here for the week and we met some relatives for a pub lunch then they  went swimming, loved the wave machine and the water flume, but boy was it hot and humid in the place.  They're both sat quietly, one reading a book, the other playing games on the iPad, so took this chance to do this post.

It's a page I did last week in my old ledger, I should be dieting and I was feeling guilty for not sticking to it.....oh well, maybe next week.

Golden paints and Dylusion inks, image I think is from Tumble Fish Studio.

Little Gift

Went for lunch to Sandy Poppins yesterday and I decided to make her a little gift.  It is a notebook and I got the idea from here, but mine is completely different

The front and back are made by spraying Dylusion inks through stencils onto good quality paper, I used 4 different colours, the insides are made out of some journal paper I think from Prima.  Stamped using T!m Holtz, made a dangly thingy out of a stamped elephant onto shrink plastic and a muse token.

We had a lovely day and Sandy cooked a fantastic lunch.  We even managed a trip to Ikea!

Journaling

Last Friday was the regular art journaling day at AFTH, I managed to almost finish two pages and then did a bit a home, as usual Dy was full of inspiration

Everything used on these pages are by Dyusions except the border on the second one.  The border I had done I didn't like so just used some paper from stash.  If you look closely I also used some liquid pearls and stickles.  Wonderful to rediscover them again, I'm using them on everything, lol.

365 (6) Art Calendar

It's that time of month again, and I'm still managing to keep up, here's my July page

and below is June completed

If you're wondering what I'm talking about, pop over here to take a peek at other fabulous calendars.

A lovely day with a friend

Had a lovely day yesterday with my friend Sandy Poppins.  Sandra and Andy have just moved into their new vicarage and I went to see her yesterday.  This is the new home card I made for them

Background coloured with the new summer DI pads, the houses I drew onto an old house lease dated 1817, then sprayed with the new DI re-inkers, bit of doodling etc.

This is the gift I took, an Ikea mirror, altered with Ver-day, if you look closely you can see some leaves, I took a Dylusions stencil and put texture paste through it, when I'd given it the Ver-day treatment, I used metal rub-ons to highlight the leaves.  Added 3 of the buttons I'd altered and edged the mirror in Stewart Gill Byzantia turquoise ink.

It's really muggy here, very dark, just wish the thunderstorm would come soon because the dog is driving me mad, he hates thunder and can sense it's on it's way and he's wandering up and down.

Playing with Ver-day

Yesterday  a friend of mine, Moira came for a playday.  She has got Ver-day in stock and we wanted to have a play.

Here are some samples (warning, photo overload)

This was a gift from Clare which I've given the treatment to, isn't it fab.

Plastic buttons

Old pen nibs and a chrome watch winder

This went from the above to

this!

A small brass bike charm

A small wooden box, which still needs some additions

We had a brilliant day, and I'm hooked on this stuff, I also altered some old lace, but decided there were enough photos on this blog, lol.

Another birthday card

It was my brother-in-laws birthday this week and my husband likes very plain stuff, not lots going on etc, so I had to make a quite simple card or else I was in trouble...

Anyway my BIL loved it, so that's all that matters.

Have a good weekend

Journal Page

Did a couple of journal pages over the weekend.  I'd had some devastating news, which made me feel very down and the best way to cope is to journal.

I used some of the techniques learnt with the fabulous Dina Wakley.  The background had been done around 2 years ago so didn't really have much to do to it.

Tweetie birds and flowers

It was our monthly Ladies Who Lunch Play Day last week and the project was organised by Christine (who is now sunning herself on a Greek Island - not that I'm in any way envious you understand), which was to make these gorgeous birds inspired by an article in Cloth Paper Scissors by Ann Ellis.

I loved making these and am going to make some more.  I decided to make some flowers from canvas

I sprayed the canvas with Dylusion ink sprays and added some buttons and used Viva pearl pens to put on some pearls in different colours.  I padded the flowers before sewing them together.  Think I'll make some out of fabric next.

Here are the birds and some of the flowers together.