Experiments in Grunge (Paste!)

I am loving playing in my journals and having the chance to do two versions of a page gives me a real opportunity to experiment and play. These pages are a result of me playing with Grunge Paste and then using Portfolio oil pastels to highlight the circles. Much fun had!

Stupid things

I found the quote on this page on the internet and it seemed to speak to me! Wonder why?! I started by putting pieces of torn book paper on the page and then painting over them. The page is very textural but that's hard to photograph! The purple is Eggplant - it's a really lovely colour and goes really well with Beach Hut... Hope you like my pages!

Inspired by Sam

I found a few minutes to 'play' yesterday and wanted to join in again with the current PaperArtsy challenge which is to be inspired by one of the week's designers. I was inspired by Sam's post because the colours are amazing! I don't have any Ellen Vargo stamps so left the background pretty plain (I intend to add the stamped background when I inevitably get them!) but used the idea of a Lynne Perrella image between to pediment die cuts which I cut from Crunchy Paper. Thank you Sam for the inspiration!

No more adventures

This page in my small Moleskin journal makes me chuckle! Hope it makes you chuckle too!

Being fabulous

This page from my Small Moleskin journal has a wall made using Wendy Vecchi's stencil topped with some wash tape for my classmates to sit on! I found the image on Deviant Scrap and it seemed very appropriate with the Dylusions phrase!

Bloomin' Marvellous!

So, it's my turn to choose the theme over at Dragons Dream Tag It On for the alphabet challenge and I was stumped as I had too many ideas so I deferred to my son, Tom, who chose the letter B and the element Flower (as well as the obligatory stamp and tag). 

Hmmmm.... B and flower.... Hmmmm... Then it came to me! I wanted to create a sort of 'specimen in an old notebook' feel and the rest came together thanks to Wendy Vecchi stamps and Clearly for Art!

So, how will you interpret my Tom's theme this time? I can't wait to see!

Scribbly Birds

I love these new Scribbly Bird stamps from Dina Wakley and these pages in my Small Moleskin journal were really fun to make! The birds were stamped on to the page and then again on card, coloured with Portfolio oil pastels and cut out. 

... Always with Reckless Abandon

Gosh! It's Monday again! How quickly the weeks go by!!! Last Monday I shared the first page in my small Moleskin journal and said how much I am enjoying using Portfolio pastels; this time I thought I'd share a page I made using them for the heart and background. I have never really used them for drawing before (I know, I know! It's what they're for!) and loved the effects they created. The heart is a Wendy Vecchi stencil (as are the stripes and the swirl stamps). 
In the UK today is a Bank Holiday - so if you have the day off today, I hope you have a fabulous day; if you're working then I hope it goes by quickly!

44 is just a number!

Today is my birthday! I guess from the title I can't try and pretend to be 21 again! I really don't mind being a year older - and I certainly don't mind being 44 - it just means I'm another year wiser! 

This is a quick journal page I made to document my new age and record how I feel about it - I left a gap beneath the picture for my thoughts! The cake was a surprise the children bought me on Thursday evening after work as that's when the celebration weekend began!

#iloveyou

It's my turn again over at Country View Crafts and I am answering the question I get asked the most! Why not pop over and see what it is?!

To do list

Oh, I am loving playing with my new Lynne Perrella stamps and couldn't help making a new journal page. I love the idea of this lady on wheels (I used a version of her here). 

There are lots of PaperArtsy paints and stamps on the page and the numbers for the list are from a little mini stamp that I cut up. Strictly speaking I have done the second one several times but I'm hopeful that it might happen again this year, though we have no plans...!

Thank you for popping by - I'm back to work today as David's on Easter holiday duty for a couple of days! I hope I haven't forgotten what to do when I get there!

#wonderful

Country View Craft Challenges are using the theme of 'New Beginning' this month. For my first project this month I used JoFy stamps but for my second I used the new Dylusion stamps which are a little wilder! I hope you are joining in with us this month as we love to see your fabulous projects!

New things!

I had a wonderful time at Ally Pally on Saturday meeting lots of friends and making new ones! It really is my annual treat (as I can never make the September one). I spent a small fortune at the PaperArtsy stand - encouraged by Helen and Julie Ann! New stamp sets included some of the new Lynne Perrella sets and I just HAD to get them inky! These tags are the result of me playing!

It is just fantastic to have my mojo back - I am loving playing with my paints and stamps! The yellow on this tag is Yellow Submarine - how did I manage before I had it?!!!

In the beginning

It's Monday and I thought I'd share another page in one of my journals - this one is the first page in my small Moleskin journal. I love the Stampotique hearts - they are coloured with Portfolio pastels - a rediscovered pleasure that I'm using a lot! Thanks for popping by, hope you have a great week!

11 Months on...

Today I'm off to Ally Pally for a little overdue retail therapy - if you're there please do say hello!
Yesterday marked 11 months since I fell off my bike and did all that damage to my elbow. I wanted to mark the day and so let loose with paints and stencils and this is what I made. The journaling says:

I can now see the light at the end of this long tunnel! The second operation seems to be a success though there's a lot of physio-type work to do. I know that I will get a liveable use from my arm - I suspect I might get discomfort forever but that's ok... well, ok-ish! I am so lucky to have had my family's support - it made all the difference.

Imagination Rules The World

The lovely Julie Ann is the Guest Designer this week with PaperArtsy and it seemed too tempting not to play along. Julie Ann used Lynne Perrella stamps and warm palette of colours and I used these to make a second journal page (the first is here). I have absolutely loved playing along with a challenge for the first time in y-o-n-k-s and think I should really get back into the habit!

Less is more

Well, it's the Easter holidays and I have finally ventured into my Studio to road test this version of my elbow! I found that, since my accident, I have shied away from paint (it's been too tricky, and painful, to use!) and I have decided that I have to be brave and break out the paints again! The lovely Julie Ann is the Guest Designer this week with PaperArtsy and it seemed like the perfect opportunity to play along. 

Julie Ann used Lynne Perrella stamps, Grunge Paste and warm palette of colours and I used these to make a journal page. I added a little Portfolio oil pastels on top of the Grunge Paste to give additional colour.

I can't remember the last time I entered a challenge. It was really good to have something to focus on and I really enjoyed it! I enjoyed it so much I made two entries so another post is coming along - you have been warned!

No spots allowed!

It's been a fortnight (where does the time go?!) and it's time for another Dragons Dream Tag It On alphabet challenge! This time my incredibly talented teamie, May, chose the the letter S and the colour blue. All you need to do to join in is to incorporate those elements on a tag and at least one stamp. 

I chose to use stripes and used some Wendy Vecchi stencils with Distress Inks and created three flowers with button centres. There are stripes at the top and bottom of the tag as well as for the flowers themselves. I lightly inked the label and sprayed water through the stripy stencil so even that was stripy! The blue I used was Broken China - think this is my 'go to' blue! Bit like Vintage Photo is my 'go to' brown!

We hope you'll join us this fortnight!

New Beginning

This month's theme at Country View Craft Challenges is 'New Beginnings' and I chose Spring. New Beginnings con jours up lots and lots of ideas; babies, birthdays, weddings, new job, new home etc but for me I think about my garden trying to spring into life!

The flowers (by JoFy for PaperArtsy) were stamped again on a separate piece of card and coloured with Dylusion inks and then I added water so they 'bled' creating lighter shades in the inner circles. The butterfly was coloured the opposite way! I then cut them out and added them to the tag.

We do hope you'll join us this month and show us your 'New Beginning'!