are you a sketcher..?

sorry gang...no stamp carving post today...i haven't had a good moment to photograph...so i'll be back with the faux woodcuts after my next chemo...watch this space!

what i can share today is a little sneaky peek of another online class i've started...it has to be said that drawing/sketching is not a skill i was gifted with at birth...but i'm working on improving what i can do and here are a couple of sneaky peeks at my first attempts from the Art of Wild Abandonment class that i'm taking over at Scarlet Lime with Christy and Junelle:

whats so fun about this class so far {and i've only just started...so anything could happen!} is that it assumes no prior knowledge or skill and we just jump in and have a go which is totally up my street and its a really laid back, no pressure environment too :0)

if you want to join in...you'll need some form of watercolours, NeoColour II and a water colour pallette would be fine so far...but i think we're adding new products each week i think...so i'll keep you posted as how expensive it gets!! 

anyway, here are the sneaks from the first sketching lesson...making radishes into as many different things as you can...and a bunch of goofy owls on a tree branch!

hope you like them...and i'll see you again when my chemo head clears...

a little bit of She Art...

do come on over to the Its A Creative World blog and see my post all about She Art today...just click here :0)

She Art week 3

the third week's challenge on Christy's fun she art course...was to create a self~portrait she art girl...and i decided to do one featuring me and the hubby...bet you didn't know i was married to Paul Weller, eh? ;) actually...i think he's aiming for Dave Grohl...but he's just too blonde!! lol


i used layers and layers of mica sprays, **i love Dyan** :) and alot of gold acrylic paint...this large blob here is to cover up some stamping i did but hated!! lol so as usual...its a learning curve...as you'll see i'm experimenting with different levels of distressing/painting/etc to see which i prefer...which do you prefer? {last week i did alot less...}



i guess i'm also still finding my *style* for these paintings...and this one turned out a bit like a scrapbook page...but its a very forgiving format...and i really like it...hope you do too...and i hope you've all signed up for the next course??? ;)

*She* Art...week one

Hi all...please be gentle with me...i had my Birthday party last night...and i'm a little delicate today ;)

It was a real shame i didn't have much time to play this week, as i've enrolled on the *She* Art Workshop with the lovely Christy Tomlinson...check it out here if you don't know about it :) Here are my Week 1 canvases...portraits of 2 of my favourite people!



this one is an old friend of mine...and a proper hippy chicky...just like me :)

this second one is a new friend...but one i'm hoping will become an old friend in due course...

what do you think? i know neither of them is by any means perfect...but its only week 1...so i've got time to perfect my techniques!

one thing i must say though...this is the first time i've used the Dylusions mica sprays, by the lovely Dyan at Art from the Heart...and all i can say is *wow wow wow*...i love these!!!! just look at that beautiful pearly lime green...i only have 3 of them...but clearly i need them all now!

Dyan if you're reading this...can i have a discount for raving about them, please!! ;)

just one last word before i go...how do you all feel about faceless girls?? i am getting used to them...and i did them this week because that was part of the project...but would you like them more with faces do you think?

another tree...

...actually its the same tree stamp...but this time i've used it to make a quick card...


the embossed card is distressed with tim's lovely inks and stamped with stamps by Autumn Leaves {the swirls}, Scarlet Lime {the scalloped border} and PaperArtsy {the wording...which is double stamped in 2 colours...on the screen it looks out of focus...but trust me...its totally legible irl!!}

a little bit of doodling, a touch of spritzing...a few gems, some glitter and a scrap of ribbon later...done!
;0)

Saturday's class...

Here it is, the class LO I did for saturday's crop. For some reason, unknown to me, I'm unable to upload the sketch or the template I created for the tag...so if you want to recreate this, you'll have to work that out for yourself I'm afraid!! Fortunately, its all fairly simple! :)

I've used Addison pp's, cut out shapes an layered them. I've added lots of doodling in a white pen and dots of Liquid Pearls. I've also used a large bloom folded in half to *crown* the larger photo, some word stickers, a journalling tag by K&Co. and a few gems. I hope you like it! It was so cool to see everybodies different versions at the crop...and they were all fab!! You girls are all so talented {apart from Ruth; she's rubbish ;p }.

This other LO is the one I did at the crop. Photos of my red hair...which has gone again now...if you didn't catch it...here it is immortalised for all time!! lol Mostly I've used Scarlet Lime goodies here, Katy's scissors to distress the green paper, and some chipboard shapes I snaffled from Rosie. Thanks guys!! xxx

Warning!! This post may induce migraine!! ;p

Ok, so there is no other way to say than this...

THE LATEST SCARLET LIME KIT IS SERIOUSLY BRIGHT!!!

and although these are not colours or patterns i would have chosen for myself I figured i'd have a go and that there was no point fighting them...so here is my LO embracing the intensity of the kit!

DH thinks its the worst page I've ever done...and although its not really something i'd like to do all the time...i kinda like it! what do you think? leave me a comment and let me know!!

On the plus side, it should amuse my Mum, as its really a reference to her and comments she used to make to quite often when i was a difficult teenager...*me?*...hard to imagine, right? ;)

one i love, and one i don't

a little share of what i've been up to this week...one LO i love...and another i'm not so keen on...i'll leave you to work out which one is which! ;)

This one is made almost entirely from the latest Scarlet Lime kit {with only the addition of some white cardstock, glitter, gems and a journalling pen}. Its {almost} my whole family celebrating Granny's 90th birthday a monster achievement and an amazing lady. Love you Gran xxx

This one is made from a sheet of Paper Adventures cardstock and some left overs from 3 previous Scarlet Lime kits. Its my very shy hubby, while we were on our honeymoon...hiding in amongst some leafy foliage to avoid the camera! He should know that if you marry a scrapper...you're gonna get snapped, right? well he knows now!! lol

Rising to the challenge...

I'm not normally one for challenges. For no real reason, other than i like to do my own thing, in my own time...but over on UKS those of us who get the Scarlet Lime kit have decided to set a challenge amongst ourselves each month to get us using the kit...instead of just stroking it!

Audrey set this challenge with the following image as inspiration: And here is my take on it, made entirely from the kit and some Primsacolour pencils. I must say i really enjoyed doing this one, i love to make my own embellishments and i really ought to do it more often!!

Also using the kit contents, i thought i'd share this LO of me and my friend Wendy on a night out in Manchester. As you can see, i've always had a rather individual sense of *fashion*...

Righteho, now that i've totally humiliated myself...i think i'll go and hide under a rock!! ;)

one man and his duck...

Using this month's Scarlet Lime kit, a Rhonna Farrer acetate, Thickers and some felt flowers from Lakeland and a length of ribbon...a cute LO all about my FIL and his co-worker!

Note to self: Whats with all the straight lines? This seems to be becoming an obsession...*get over it*!!!

how cute am i? lol

I'm not sure if it's me...or the Scarlet Lime kit...but I just love the laid-back happy vibe going on in this LO! The photos are me, in the garden aged 1...picking daisies...something I still like to do now!! I've added K&Co daisies, a huge bloom, and the chipboard letters. I also added the *wherever you are planted* letter stickers which I've coloured with a Slick Writer. I stamped on the chipboard letters in Stazon, using one the cute spotty border stamp in this months' kit. Love the stamps you get with this kit :)

And for today's mission: a birthday card for my Mum...

a little life lesson...

...wherever you are, whatever you're doing...*enjoy it all*

I'm guessing you recognise my sister by now. She has such a wonderful approach to life...most of my best lessons come from her. You always know how to make the most of any situation,hon and...you sure do!

Its mainly from a couple of Scarlet Lime kits, with added BG and cardstock. The chipboard letters are from QVC, *where would I be without you* lol

What do you think? Its my attempt at quicker scrapping...trying to limit what I use and be a bit *less is more...* but is it?? Maybe more IS more!! :)

Someone else who seems to think more is more atm...is Rosie...here is the link to her third blog!!! i don't know when she's going to have any time for crafting!! This blog is dedicated to Stampin Up product and ideas.

One for the girls...and one for the boy...

Here are the pages I did at the crop yesterday...one of my girlfriends at at scrap retreat...

.. and one of my dear husband in hog heaven!

Both pages started off with this month's Scarlet Lime kit, but as usual i had to add in a few bits of my own...and on the girls' LO...i think i've mixed about 7 different manufactures in with the kit!!! I really enjoyed doing this one!!! :)

I'd love to hear what you think..? Or if you've done a LO or anything using this kit...post me a link so i can see your creations too :)

how yummy is this..?

check out this super cute way to display your tag art!!

http://www.scarletlime.com/October08PK.html

its just beautiful!
:)

postal pizza :)

i know i'm not alone in just loving getting those pizza boxes in the post...so after a hugely long abstainence...i've subscribed to a new kit club...its called the Scarlet Lime...and i had soooo much fun with this first month's kit. The papers are great and i love all the little bits, like the black mesh, the cute badges, and the pre-stamped tag, not to mention the fabulous cordroy-like alphabet!

This is the first LO i created, all about how i used to be an *outdoors/healthy type person*, i.e. life before ME...

Its pretty much made from the kit, i just added a little of ribbon, some spotty die cut foam arrows, the red label holder, the chipboard flower, the eyelets...and made my own *peak* out of cardstock. It sounds like loads now i write it all down...but it didn't feel like much at the time!!

I'm betting you'd all like a hat like that, huh? lol

My second LO is not a great photo, but its of a really important occassion, and i really think these photos are crucial to be scrapped. Its us with my sister and her hubby {aka our bestest buddies} at the family meal to celebrate our engagement. Its rare to get a photo of the 4 of us, as usually several of us are behind camera lenses...so i thought i'd use it to record, not just how grateful i am to have Dave, but also to have these guys too. :)

Again its almost all from the kit, but i added a chipboard circle {covered with the kit pp} and a couple of Prima flowers, cut a heart shape from more of the spotty foam that i'm loving atm, and used my Notch tool to cut a scalloped border. I really like the effect of the textured letters on the same coloured pp...its quite subtle for me, eh? ;)

Being as we're so broke now, after the wedding and all, i'm really hoping this kit will turn out to be a good investment...and who knows...maybe i'll love it as much as i used to the Trinkets, Trash and Treasure kits...oh how i miss your wonderful kits Tamara...an explosion of inspiration and enthusiasm in every box!!