Spring has sprung...journal page

Spring may have sprung...but what happened to the Summer..?  Huh?  Did i blink and miss it!!! 

Personally, spring is my favourite time of year, i love that its bright and everything is bursting into life...its the most affirming time of year for me...everywhere you look there is something to make to me feel hopeful and happy.  I love that my garden fills with birds and leaves start bursting out...not to mention the huge clematis flowers that are the first thing to bloom in our yard, so it seemed a fitting thing to document in my journal.

I'm still working on trying every style and medium going in my journalling to see what suits me best, but this combination of Neocolour II's and lots of doodling is certainly my favourite at the moment.  Of course it would have all worked better if i'd used the right kind of paper so it didn't warp with all the water i added...but i don't really mind that in my journal...i'm just playing...there is no need for perfection here...that only makes me nervous!  And speaking of perfection...i really need to work on drawing birds!! lol

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)

Bubbly Scrumptious update...tote~ally Colorwashed!

hi all,

i do hope you'll pop over the Bubbly Scrumptious and check out today's colorwash project...here's a sneak peak :0) and here is the link!

this would make a super project to keep the children out of trouble during the holidays...go on...you know they'd love to! ;0)

trying again...and a bit of jewellery...

still very much a novice jewellery maker...i've been experimenting with creating a floating necklace this week...i love glass beads and chunky ones at that...and i'm a big fan of long necklaces {mainly because i've got such a big, fat neck!!} both of these things mean that a necklace can get pretty heavy, but by using crimp beads to separate the beads and float them along the tiger tail wire...i can have the look i want, with the beads i want...without weighing myself down! Rah! ;)



if anyone has any tips on photographing long thin jewellery...i'd be super grateful if you'd share them!!

i'm loving playing with beads and wire atm...and i'm working on a chain maille charm bracelet which i hope to share later in the week...so if you like that kind of thing too...watch this space...

and finally...here is a photo of my journal page from Thursday...see how much more subtle and vibrant it is than the scanned image? :0)

30 minute Thursdays!

Welcome back to the 30 minute Thursday spot...where i share something i've created in...well...you can guess how long i give myself, right? ;) i encourage you to join in too and leave me a link in the comments to your 30 minute projects too :)

This week i got to thinking about how daunting a brand new journal can be...how intimidating some people find all those pristine blank pages...so i thought i'd share my way to deal with *first page fear*...i tend to make the first page a sort of mission statement for the journal...a promise and a challenge to myself about what i want to create within the journal...and that is exactly what i've done here...

the fear is dealt with also by restricting the materials i can use...in this case only what is out on my desk...and it all has to be done and dusted in less time than it takes to make dinner :)

i'd love to see if this strategy works for you...to help you get started...because once the first page is done...its so exciting to fill all the other pages and doesn't seem so oddly scary...another theory i have...is that all journal pages do not have to be beautiful!! this might seem a bit radical...but i don't want to censor the pages that don't quite hang together...or don't quite work out...there is something to be learned from these pages...often more than the ones where you've stayed in your comfort zone and made *a pretty picture*...am i right here?


Apologies for the properly poor quality of today's photo...i opted to scan my page...i won't be doing that again unless its raining...{which is a shame because its a lot less effort than dragging myself, my camera and my crafty delights downstairs into the garden and back again...but hey ho!}

ok, happy journalling...do share your mission statement pages...and see you soon!

ps the journalling on this page reads:

*which way now?*
it may not be an easy journey and it will not always be a pretty path we follow...but this journal and i will travel through techniques and ideas together...hopefully arriving at a destination where i feel i've found *my style*...but then again...we'll probably just have found our flow!

i promised you a face...

...and here it is...my first ever attempt at painting a face...and an angel at that!! obviously...i'm hoping practice will make perfect...so i'll be painting lots more faces in the near future to see if i can get them how i like them :) if anyone has any tips...especi ally on doing a nose head~on so to speak...please leave them for me in the comments to help me on my journey! thanks

so why did i attempt an angel...i mean...they are not exactly my normal style are they?...well the answer is...ROSIE!! she and her hubby...*my two favourite vicars*...have just moved house...and i thought it seemed appropriate to send them an angel to watch over them as they settle into thier new home and Church...hope she likes it!

the arty owl painting...

...be warned...this is probably the most bonkers one i've done so far...but bonkers works for me! ;) when i started this canvas...it was half an hour before tea...and i had a stinking headache...but i thought i just might feel better if i created something to distract myself...and this is what emerged! its rough and quick and my attempt at being a little *free~er*...i'm not totally convinced i like it...but oddly his Nibs keeps putting it up on the wall every time i take it down...so i have to assume he loves it as much as he says he does :) my favourite areas of the picture are the leaves, which i cut roughly from pp scraps and painted with Dylusions mica spray... ...i also love this floral section which is a large BG rubon over which i've painted , doodles and then added a Prima paper flower which i've also painted with mica paint...its properly bursting with colour and life...just what i needed!

even if the results aren't perfect...i think its really good to push yourself our of your comfort zone every know and then...and i'm really working on being less of a perfectionist...why don't you have a go? set yourself a deadline of half an hour...and see what you can do! :)

less is not more...

...when it comes to blogging, huh? i've been neglecting you all of late...but don't be fooled it means i haven't been busy in the craftroom...quite the opposite in fact! i'll try to get as many of my latest creations up here for you during the week so you can see exactly what i've been up to...from grungey metalwork to dainty tiaras...i've been doing it all this last month or two!! :)

as you know...i've been taking the She Art course with Christy and sadly its over now...but i've really gotten the bug for painting now...and decided to create some paintings for my lounge with uplifting or meaningful quotes to inspire us...here is the first of them...my *happy* painting :)

this girl lives in a properly shiny happy World...all pearly with mica sprays and she even has glitter in her hair...she is me on a good day...only with a waist! ;)

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 2

so its week 2 of Christy's She Art Workshop...and the challenge this week was to tackle creating background scenes...all i'll say is...i had a go!!! lol


i was delighted with my decision to add a large balloon...and i think the pp worked really well with paint for the trees...

i struggled big time with the sky...and i still don't like it...but i really do like how the clouds turned out after had the idea to smoosh them with Liquid Applique :) realy fluffy clouds!

perspective has never been my strongest point...but i tried to create a flower meadow disappearing off into the distance...i tried!

my favourite bit of this canvas has to be the girl...i love how she turned out...and the fact that my mum even recognised her!!! :)

i'm still not sure about where to go with the faces on these girls...last week, no face...this week a basic face...next week i might go wild and paint a whole face...who knows??