WOYWW? 295 - sale shopping..

Can you believe it's nearly February already??  Thanks for all your comments last week - good to see you back for some more desk snooping. As ever, Julia is hosting the best way to spend a Wednesday - here

So, the title of my post may be a bit of a give away...

The Stamp Attic has a  sale ongoing in readiness for the new CHA goodies that will (hopefully) start arriving before too long... and I kind of had to take a look!  Paper Bag Studio stamps on offer caught my eye... two large (A4) sheets reduced from £30 to £18 and a wooden stamp also reduced... not to be sniffed at.  They arrived just after last week's desk sharing...

The magazines arrived yesterday, these are on subscription also from the Stamp Attic and will keep me quiet for a while!

I forgot to take a picture of one of the other boxes of "stuff" so that will have to keep for next time... I'll let you off back to Julia's for the link up.  Have a good week.

Friends...

I got a couple of A4 sheets of Paper Bag Studio stamps from a sale at the StampAttic recently and needed to play!

However, the journal page started with some Fresco Paint I was using for a birthday card that I applied with a credit card - Evergreen, and Mint.

 I took the Prima circles stencil (one of Finn's) and originally used Lake Wanaka Fresco... but it merged too much into the background, so I put the stencil back and went over it with more Evergreen.  I wasn't particularly trying to either "bump" or line up exactly, and like how this layer has come out.

Then I took the Crafters Workshop mini Coffee Splatch stencil and some of Finn's Light Paste for Prima (love this stuff!)

I added some black gesso circles using a Stickles lid, and as I was looking at the page, thought that all the circles looked a bit like balloons; which inspired my next step, the balloons from another Paper Bag Studio plate I have had years.
The version you see here is in fact, number 2, to start with I stamped on tissue in yellow ink, but after gluing it to the page, it merged too much into the journal.  So, back to paper and a bit of fussy cutting.  The ink is Saffron archival.

 the other images are from one of the new PBS plates and stamped with Cornflower archival onto copy paper (as I didn't want it to be too thick on the page)

The text at the top, is cut off a full image (the stamped bit is cut, not the rubber stamp!) as I wanted some more words to go with it.

 I think I should have stopped then.. but I took a turquoise shimmer Deco Art media spray and dripped the ends of the spray tube onto the journal and created some drips....okaaaayyy not quite what I wanted...can't undo it though!   Stamped another one of the background images from the PBS plate randomly using Cornflower ink, over the journal.

 Finally as I'd messed it up enough, and because I was wondering whether the spray counted as "shiny stuff" for the latest Paperartsy challenge, I added some Treasure Gold in Sapphire and White Fire, round the edges of the pages and also the texture circles... but I think it's a bit too contrived as shiny stuff, so have dithered for an age about whether to link it or not...Trish's gorgeous project here champions Treasure Gold (or silver!)

I will do another "proper shiny stuff" entry soon!

Dragons Dream TIO #183 - Red - Flowers

This fortnight it's my choice of colour theme over at DragonsDream Tag it On - and I've gone for red, with flower(s)
I decided to stencil my flowers, and used the stencil I got last April when I went to VersionScrap in Paris

 I forgot to take  much in the way of step by step photos, but I stencilled Prima Light Paste with a spatula, through the stencil and let it dry.  I love this paste, its soft but reasonably thick, and spreads so well.

Once dry, I took some red Fresco paints - Cherry Red, Blood Orange (ok, so it doesn't sound red, but it's quite a dark orangey-red colour),Claret and London Bus.  Letting them dry before adding touches of the next colour to get shading on the petals.

The flower centres are Zesty Zing and the leaves, Limelight with Hyde Park over.  The background is Guacamole.

very nearly forgot to use any stamps!!  no room on the tag, so stamped two of the words from JOFY12 on scrap card and used foam pads to mount them.

A piece of red ribbon to finish.


Do come over and see what my talented team mates have conjured up.

WOYWW? 294 - more blue boxes..

Welcome back for another Wednesday tour of desks and other weird workspaces.. the place to go for all the info is here at Julia's The Stamping Ground.
Glad you all liked rummaging through the box of stamps last week... and as requested here are the other two...

 so, next to where I sit uncomfortably at the computer, are the other two large blue boxes... which as you see, provide a handy extra flat space for more stuff (stuff which is much tidier since my mini sort-out at the start of the year)  and which I see also has on it something you shouldn't be seeing till later... oh well, I can't be faffed to take the picture again!!  (wonder if any of you will guess what it is..)
Those of you who've been following me longest, will probably realise from this photo, just how much extra space there is here, down by the side of the boxes!!

anyhow, the bottom box, holds stamps. lots of stamps... I do sometimes use some of these, but not as often as the box I opened last week...
I think I will move the boxes around a bit soon...

 and the top box holds all kinds of stuff - buttons, flowers, sprays (can't remember the last time I used these ones, I bet they're all clogged up!!) the wooden box is an old one of Mum's with some of her old buttons in (my sister in law who sews, got the proper button box I think!) ... I tried to move some of the stuff so you could see more of the contents...


I did finally have some happy happy mail last week -

my Tower of London poppy!   I have no idea how they decided what order to send them out in,you would have thought, wouldn't you, that they would go in order of when people bought them... but no!! I ordered mine the first day they went on sale, and was order no 419... but still, it's here, it's beautiful and is waiting for me to decide where to display it!!

I played a game every time I went to see them in situ in London, "which one is mine" and still wonder!
anyhow, I must let you go, Julia will be telling me off for prattling on so long... Happy WOYWW!!

Scruffy bird journal page

Shortly before Christmas when I was buying (myself) Christmas presents, I added a stamp of a bird I've seen my mate Sam use and which I've wanted ever since...

This weekend, when I was busy making secret stuff (birthday cards and some tags and atcs for a swap) that I can't share yet,  I worked on a page in my little (A6) journal.  Now that's finished, and I can share that now!

 it started, as so often, with be brushing paint on the page to clean the brush so not to waste it. LOTS of colours here!!  Caramel (possibly) Cherry Red, Amethyst (I think) and Dolly mix.  stencilling with texture paste (am LOVING Finn's Light Texture Paste) all knocked back with Gesso.

A couple of spritzes of white Deco Art shimmer mister

 wasn't using the bird (it's called Feather Bird but I'm naming him Harry, I think he looks like a Harry...) on anything I've done this weekend, but really wanted to ink him up.... owing to all the texture on the page, I stamped him on tissue and tore round him - I stamped as best I could on the page, to get the little specks mainly, onto the page and glued him over the top.

I love him, he's gorgeous!!

 Couldn't decide what to do on the rest of the page, I wanted something, so used this sentiment from Tim H's classic 16 (which is also new to me) and cut the words up.

It's pitch dark of course, so have had trouble with the camera... one is with the daylight bulb

and one with the daylight bulb but the flash on the camera too...

Had fun this weekend playing - will share the rest of the makes when I can!!

WOYWW 293 (what's in the blue box?)

Hello and happy Wednesday - time for another leap round the world snooping  looking at people's workspaces for WOYWW?. Link up and check the desks here

Last week, someone asked what was in the blue box that is here at the back of my floor desk... I think I've shared it before, but if so it would have been a long time ago.

 it's one of my overflow boxes of stamps (when I ran out of the drawer units that Ikea and the home store no longer do.)...a bit of a jumble -

just to tease you a bit there are some more overflow stamps in the bottom box here and the top one has all kinds of things - flowers, buttons, bits and pieces - will maybe open this one next week!

Did a bit of crafting at the weekend, made a start on my January birthday cards (which I can't share for now)

but also had to do a sympathy card which are always so hard.  used a light texture paste (from Finnabair, for Prima - love it!!) through a stencil, and a silvery gelato and a white (rather than black) ribbon and some paper flowers from my stash.

I'll leave you to get back off to Julia's to the rest of the desks, happy Wednesday.

Fragile Papers - for Paperartsy

The new Paperartsy blog challenges launched this week, and caused lots of excitement.  The current theme is "fragile papers" and so far we' ve had gorgeous projects from Lucy, Lynne and Kate - who's journal page style I've sort of based my project on.

I rounded up some old music score (gifted from a friend), dictionary paper, a page from a copy of Shakespeare's The Tempest, and some mulberry paper.

 I got a bit excited and didn't take any pictures for a while... I started by covering the journal with a mix of white gesso and Mushroom Fresco, and tore the papers and glued them to the page.  I was partway through doing this when i thought I'd add some stencilling so used the large Art Is stencil and Irish Cream Fresco

When that was dry, I stencilled the Lin B flower in Lake Wanaka, and added just a smidge of Marlin on the edges of the petals.

 Not enough paper.... so found some white (in hindsight, not the best choice) Mulberry paper and glued it in some of the gaps - you may be able to see the fibres to guage where it is, but I did add some more stencilling (not exclusively) over the mulberry paper using the Marlin again

 and finally found some die cut letters to spell out 'fragile'  - for a minute I thought I'd have to get the die out and do another alphabet, as it took ages to find the "e" but I did in the end.. I drew round the letters with a black pen, but the nib got a bit stuck in the excess glue on the page, so it's a bit hard to see.

Entering this to the Paperartsy challenge

Dragons Dream - TIO

It's nice to be back dreaming with the Dragons again for a new year of tag challenges...We hope you all had a great Christmas and New Year and are ready to find time to join in with the challenges again.

This year, we're starting with a colour plus "x"  theme. My teamie Elizabeth is first up with Turquoise and Bling...
I decided to do something a little different this time, although obviously I've still used tags! I also went with another kind of theme of my own, that of time - what with the years galloping by and this being the start of a New Year.

I took my tiny journal (A6 size) and painted both pages with Turquoise Fresco paint. used the mini Bee on Time stencil and South Pacific Fresco in the middle of the pages.
Stamped a clock from  Paperartsy Clocks 2 plate, randomly round the stencilled clock, in Forget-me-not archival ink.

Took 3 tags (size 1, 2 and 3) and stamped the texts from the Clocks 3 plate, on two of them and using a turquoise Sharpie marker, wrote "happy new year" on the smallest. Scuffed the edges and added Gelatos to colour the tags, and stamped some little clocks from Paperartsy Ding and Dong 2 plate in black archival ink.

Tied some blue twine through the tags and stuck them to the journal, then added the bling.. Structure Glass Bead Gel, and some pearls.

Please come and see what my talented teamies have done with this theme, and we'd love to see more people joining in - you need to make a tag, and use at least one real stamp, following the theme!

WOYWW 292

Welcome back for another show and tell for WOYWW -  though there is not much to show this week, and the end of year clear out has stalled (I blame having to go back to work!) although I did take another bag of clothes to the charity shop at the weekend.

it's still tidy though, which is a plus point!  I was messing about in my small A6 journal which is still on the floor, waiting to be added to in some way. just paint so far, and some marks made with a Stickles lid and a piece of old credit card. 

I should be working on some tags and atc's I'm supposed to be doing for a swap, but they haven't got off the ground yet! Hopefully tomorrow evening I'll have a bit more energy!

So, I'll leave you to head for the next desk on the list and hopefully find something more exciting! 

a Teeny Tiny journal page..

I was expecting a new Craft Barn Challenge today, as traditionally they've been launched on a Sunday, however the new year's challenges are apparently due tomorrow. So, I should be making some January birthday cards...

But here's a journal page I've been playing with instead! Even this started as a base for something else which I can't share yet but morphed away from that...

the page is Turquoise Fresco, the stencil is the 12x12 Art Is stencil I got in one of my splurges before Christmas, and I used grunge paste which once it was dry I largely sanded back.  The stamp is one of the large flowers from Ellen Vargo and I coloured it with Portfolio pastels, heating each colour in turn before adding more.  I stamped the text (Lin Brown) on a piece of tissue and lightly painted it with Beach Hut Fresco before gluing it to the page with matte medium and blending it over the top with paint.
As the text says, Take a moment to embrace today!

Dream...

Good Morning and welcome to 2015!  You find me playing in my journal for the first time in ages - I was bored yesterday evening waiting for the firework display from the banks of the River Thames in London - which were fantastic - and so I got out some sprays..

I had some daubs of black paint on a journal page, and took the Deco Art Media sprays - a red, and a turquoise shimmer (which really does catch the light now I can see properly this morning!) and white shimmer too.

 lots of drips and runs - these media paint sprays drip so well!

Cracked open my box of Gelatos and used a red and a turquoise round the edges, blending with a barely damp paintbrush

 Stencilled Little Black Dress Fresco paint through a Crafters Workshop stencil (Mini xoxo) round the edges and spine.

Stamped two of the images from TH Winged Things II on white Smoothy card (Paperartsy) and cut them out, coloured the wings and crown with gelatos and fixed to the page.

 Outlined the stamped images with a black Sharpie pen, then added some white shimmer splatters by just flicking the end of the mister spray (now need to clear up the stray splatters...)

Determined to play more in my journal(s) again this year - this is a good start
I'm entering this to the Country View Challenge - new things - as there are lots of new things here (sprays, stencils, stamps gelatos )