Another page...

I've started a couple of new journals using some moleskins, the ones you can get in packs of three.  The paper is quite thin so I've been spending some almost therapeutic time gelling the pages together and then giving them a coat of gesso.  They have a soft leathery feel now which I love. I've got two journals like this now, one for general use and one I'm preparing for this years JYC.

This is the first page in the "general" journal, all ready to go with my winged girl.  I think this journal may be used for rants and out pourings so, in the main I'll only be sharing the "before" and not the afters with you.   The scan isn't great but I love the wings made from patterned paper.  I knocked them back with gesso and went over the pattern with a sakura glitter pen.  Maybe I do have a girlie side after all.

Life brings...

...for now, another page from my art journal.  I don't intend to share every single page I do with you, just the one's that aren't "private".  So far I'm not producing any private pages.    I forget where I saw this "Granny" in her pink punk outfit, but I loved her.  It also wasn't what I intended for the black & white background, but ho-hum, going with the flow again.   All I thought when I saw this image was what great attitude, which led to the phrase along side it.... " Life bring experience, experience brings attitude" (you have to read the experience twice). Gotta love a bit of attitude.

I do have some LO's to share...still trying to find them.  Odd that, but I'll be back with photo's as soon as I do.

Thanks for stopping by!

Another one ready to go...

I know I should be doing the dreaded housework, and I have been, but I have the odd ten minute escape to pop up to the spare room where my patch of creative space is, to do a little more in my journal. I now declare this page ready to be written on.  Not sure what about though yet.

Sorry the picture is a little wonky, I decided to scan it.  That meant having the scanner perched on my lap as the PC is on Chris' desk...and as he's been away working most of this week, I have my crap all over his desk...hence said scanner perched on lap.  He's due back tonight so maybe I'd better clear my stuff away so he can have his desk back.

Rosie is in nursery tomorrow so under the guise of getting Jamie a new water bottle for school, I'll be popping into Paperchase York and may happen into an art shop or something while I'm there as I've decided to do JYC this year, but you guessed it, as an art journal. Just need the journal now.... 

Got that Friday feeling...

well, almost even though it is only Wednesday.

I've finally got round to scanning the border designs for my art journal.  At the moment they are just line drawings, but please feel free to download a copy here if you think they will be useful to you in some way, be it as idea's for your own borders or to cut out and use directly in your journals. If you do - can you let me know if it worked ok as i've not done this before so it all could go terribly wrong!

I do intend to do a colour version of the designs, and have some idea's for other bits and pieces, all things I want to use.

Have fun!

All fired up…

…even though I’m shattered.  When Chris left for work just before seven yesterday  morning I got up and headed to my desk to start a new page in my art journal before the kids woke up.  I think I have been bitten by the bug after this weekend.  I found it hard to get to sleep as the ideas for pages were bouncing round in my head.

I thoroughly enjoyed the weekend and it gave me permission to do “something” with the pages I’d prepared in my journal. It could well have stayed a book full of backgrounds, not there is anything wrong with that, but that’s not what I did it for.  So far the three pages are all about me but I' don’t think that there will be a theme for the book.  I’ve already planned to create or buy a smaller book to work in and have dug out old art supplies from my college days which saves a few pennies.  Having said that I have a huge paint shopping list now…eeek.

So, quickly, here’s a page I started while at AFTH. 

And one I was working on yesterday making use of the new goodies I picked up while I was there.

And finally another quick page I did this morning. I wasn’t sure what I was going to do with this one but then the words just seemed to flow.

On top of the huge shop I did over the weekend for some things that quite honestly, I needed, I’ve been on to Amazon this morning and ordered a couple of books to help give me a bit more of a creative boost.

So there we have it, the beginnings of my art journaling story and I’m loving it. 

Pssst....

Did I mention I'm running off this weekend to do some art journaling?  Maybe?  Ah well.  I just wanted to leave a short note to let you know that I'm working on a little freebie which I hope to have ready towards the middle of next week.   I'm quite excited about it!  Until then I wish you a lovely weekend.

Will I, won’t I?

I’ve been creating some backgrounds in the journal I shared with you here.  I’m love creating them, but wonder if I will be able to bring myself to stick and scribble.

So far I have two absolute favourites.  This first one was done with studio paints.  The idea is that I use the light circles for the journaling, just one or two lines on each.  Have to say I’m not sure about covering the pages up with anything else yet though.

Next, using Altered Originals ink sprays from AFTH.  Oh I just love these.  I’ve had so much fun with them so far.  The stamps are Tim Holtz and Paper Artsy.

 

A slightly more subdued page next.  If you’re looking hard you’ll notice that that’s the alphabet and yes, it is meant to be upside down.  I haven’t posted the photo the wrong way round…LOL.

For this one I stamped on the alphabet using some sassafras stamps, then painted over it.  After that I smooched some gesso across the whole page using an old credit card. Once dry I liberally sprayed the page with granite ink and let it soak into the area’s where the gesso hadn’t covered and then wiped it off.

And a few more.  I won’t talk you through all of them, but these pages use stencils, stamps, more ink, dabbers, studio paints and gesso, and a whole lotta fun.

View Full Album

When I get brave enough I’ll come back and show you the before and after (hoping that you’ll be interested to see them!)

Little silver beads….

Last weekend I spent another day at a silver clay workshop.  This time it was making beads and findings and I learnt so many new techniques.  My sketch book is filling up fast with projects now.

So here are some of the beads I made on the day. 

First up, my favourite of the day, a small lentil bead.  I just love lentil beads, and this one is tiny at 10mm in diameter.  

This textured tube is now on a snake chain as I think it makes a wonderful focal bead at just under 30mm long.

 

Lastly, my etched pillow bead. Two brilliant techniques, although I do need to refine this one but it’s not bad for a first attempt.

As always, now all I need is time!  Bit tricky with the school holidays in full flow as I won’t be getting my usual me time each week.

Window shopping….

I just love window shopping.  Don’t mind if it’s in real life or on the internet.  If I had the space and money I’m sure our house would be crammed full to the rafters with all manner of lovely things.  Even if I have the space and money it’s not very often I do buy as I worry about the cats or the kids wrecking stuff.

Are you a Monsoon fan?  I love the place, and am hoping when we finally get round to decorating our bedroom to make sure some of their homeware range is featured.  What I didn’t know until a few minutes ago is that they have a crockery range now by Denby. Denby, I am also a fan of! Double points.

It’s a shame I don’t have room for a second set.  I’d love to serve something swanky up on that platter and I’m desperately in need of a new teapot, but a small one as I hate making tea in the cup.

Did anyone hear my purse groan....

Yesterday I managed to create a couple of background pages in the journal I showed you, but I have a desire for some extra products to help make my pages.   Enter stage left....

A set of spray inks from Art from The Heart... what I love most is that there is a graphite one! Wonder how much of the house will end up, by accident, covered in these little beauties when they arrive.

And these gorgeous stamps from Paper Artsy.  Along with a new tub of gesso and some gel medium I should be able to art journal to my hearts content...or will I?  LOL.  Nah...there will always be something else.

Getting mucky fingers….

Ahhh, who can resist Paperchase?  Not me, that’s for sure.  Yesterday I had to go in to town for some last minute birthday shopping for Jamie (he’ll be a whole 5 years old at the weekend!). Inevitably I ended up popping into Paperchase, and found this…

Boring huh?  But with oh so many possibilities. It’s an A4 (which you may have guessed) sketch book. Grey board covers and fabric bound.  Simple with a simple price tag - £5.50!  Wouldn’t this make a great Art Journal? I thought so, and as I’m off on one of Dyan’s Beginners Art Journal courses at the end of this month, I just had to.

Well, as Chris was away last night I sat up until midnight doing “something” with that cover.  I have to stress I hadn’t intended to stay up that late, I was ready to go to bed at eight o’clock, but I lost track of time once my fingers got stuck in pots of gel medium, gesso and paint, not to mention sprayed on.

Front cover ,

And the back cover….

 

 

I used 7 Gypsies patterned paper for the back cover, and cosmo cricket for the front, then smeared them with a rangers paint dabber in espresso and given them a quick spray with some “Smooch” (I think that’s what it’s called – it was in a gogo kit recently).

I then cover the edges and the spine, not that I didn’t mind the purple fabric binding, with 7 Gypsies gaffer tapes, which were then given the paint treatment to mucky them up a bit.

The front cover stamp is from Sir Tim, and the circle have been made using gesso and a glue stick lid. I then stencilled spots on using Studio paints in dash of red and sable brown.  To finish I applied some crafty individuals butterflies and words from a 7 gypsies sticker sheet.

I am in love with this book, and the feeling and smell of gel medium.

Now all I need to Chris to be away again so I can spend the evening creating some background pages!! 

Another one bites the dust…..

 

Earlier this week I got an email from Szilvi at the Scrapbook Kit Club letting myself and the other members of the design team know that they have decided to close down.  Sad isn’t it when a store closes, but there just aren’t enough hours in the day sometimes.

I’d already finished a layout for the next kit that was due out so I thought I would share it with you.   The papers in the kit screamed wedding to me and having scrapped my wedding when I first started scrapping I’ve been itching to scrap some of them again.

The papers are Websters Pages, beautiful to cut out as it’s such good quality.  I have a confession – these are the first Websters Pages I’ve had my hands on.  This could be the start of something good!
 

SBK are having a 50% off closing down sale so it may well be worth a look around to see if you can pick yourself up a bargain.

My floppy flips

A couple of weeks ago Rosie and I went shopping for some new shorts for Jamie, and being girls we also took a peep at some shoes.  Rosie only has little leather baseball type shoes and really could do with some sandals of some description.  Enter Next, and these fabulous flip flops.  As soon as she saw them she wanted them.  It’s all I can do now to stop her sleeping in them.

Summer photo's

Having been a bad blogger recently, as in I've not been posting, I've also not been reading blogs, even the one's I truely love.  So tonight whilst having a hop around I came across this...

It's basically a list of things to do that create great photo opportunities, ideal for the summer holidays. You can find a link to download the page here  at Willette Designs. I know I'll be dipping into it especially as this summer is my first "school summer holiday" and I'm worried about keeping the kids occupied and not at each others throats!  I can't be on my own, hence sharing the link with you.

Enjoy and I hope you find it useful as a parent, photographer or scrapper.

Oh the stress….

  I don’t know about you, but when I’m making something and it starts to go wrong, everything gets worse.  I mentally put myself into a place of failure and struggle to pull myself back out of it.  This is what happened to me a few days ago after trying to make this ring.  Oh the frustration!! I got there in the end, and as this is the first ring I’ve made, it’s not too bad, although it could be better. 

The stone is made from dichroic glass, with a snake of silver wrapped around it, finished with a tiny silver ball.

And here’s the band – the bane of my life!  There were moment where I wasn’t sure who was going to survive, me or it. Luckily we both did in the end.  Rings are definitely something I need to practice.

Ring number two, far less trouble than the last one.

I just love how delicate this one is with the flower balanced on top of the band and the way the leaves drape around it.

I have some more silver jewellery to share with you, but I’ll leave that for another post. 

Thanks for stopping by!