Whimsy - a card for the Paperartsy challenge

I cannot begin to think how long it's been since I made an entry for a Paperartsy challenge - but the latest theme is "Whimsy" and I just love Elena's Zinski range - when I was at Stamperama last month I just fell in love with this cute little duck.

When I saw the flower by JoFY it shouted "umbrella" (or parasol) to me... so I combined them in a card.

I coloured the images with Pitt Artist pens (over clear gesso on the flower, so I could smudge the pens a little to blend the colours) and added a little shading with a grey pen for the duck to stand on.

Entering the Paperartsy challenge here

Journal page for a challenge prompt...

this week, the small group I am in challenging ourselves,  were set "people/photos"

I have no step by step photos this week as I got carried away in my A4 journal
I had leftover paint (I think the pink was Spanish Mulberry and Bora Bora) that I had wiped in the journal, very light patches to clean off the cut and dry foam.

However, I decided to make stripes so added more of both, and then knocked them back with gesso.

 I used two of the figures from a Dina Wakley set starting from the middle and working out so they look like they're kind of dancing..


Managed to get a photo in daylight so the colour is a bit more realistic here...

the quote is a Kaisercraft stamp, I just cut it into pieces.   then I stamped a second time and cut individual words

scribbled round them with a micron pen.

finally I edged the page with Picked Raspberry and I think a little swipe of Salty Ocean,  distress oxide


quick and simple, took maybe 15 minutes

"Wings" - for a prompt

along with a few friends I am participating in a series of prompts to stir us into creativity..after a very non-creative year (for me especially)

I didn't share my first project (frames) because I didn't like it - couldn't find a decent frame -  but this week the prompt picked out of a hat was "wings"   (needless to say whilst looking for things for the wings prompt I have found LOADS of frames..... hey ho!)

I took an mdf tag (it's about 10 by 5 1/2 inches ) - in my 2018 challenge to myself to USE STUFF UP.

 I painted the tag with Fresco paints in pale blue and greens (after a layer of white gesso) blending the colours in..

 I used a (first use) stencil - by Stencil Girl (a 9x12 one)
and Decoart crackle paste.  I didn't want huge cracks (which was just as well!)

but eventually and in close up mode, they do show!

Used a couple of Lindy sprays, spritzed and dripped down the veins of the leaves.





Spent a couple of days deciding what I would do next...
hunted for various wing type images that might inspire me..

close up of the texture/sprays

such beautiful colours



after a few false starts for the wings part of the challenge, I was set...

a lot of rummaging in rarely used drawers was called for (it's very good for  me this!)

 In the end I used a Paperartsy stamp set by Emma Godfrey (never used before, would you blooming believe it!)
for the two dragonflies and a long long unused fairy (personal impressions)

I used a black sparkle embossing powder on the lower fairy and a green sparkle one on the other two. I think the base colour was distress oxide for the green one and I can't remember under other one


I needed something for them all to sit/fly amongst... I took a couple of leaf shapes (Artemio) which I painted with a variety of Fresco paints before gluing on with (hopefully) strong glue..

 Did something different on the dragonflies... I used my portfolio pastels to scribble colour on the wings, then heat set to blend/set and then used my Tim Holtz clear (dirty!) embossing ink pad and a Stardust - clear- embossing powder (by Funstamps!!  told you I was using old stuff)    for the glittery shimmer.

I did wonder if the embossing powder would stick to the pastels whilst they were still warm from the heat setting (no, is the answer!)

 the text comes from the same stamp set as the dragonflies.

am quite pleased with this... by now I will know what the next prompt is going to be...

Week 2 of ALAD/ASAW

So, France Papillon's A Layer a Day/a Spread a Week.  week 2,  prompt was Visualise...my biggest dream for 2018.

Well I didn't do too much dreaming but I did visualise the spread at the outset of the week and only deviated a little bit from my plan! 
Here are some step by step photos of the way it panned out..

 day one, cut some patterned paper into strips... (a Prima pad from my stash... 2018 is the year of use it up!) 


in hindsight (that valuable crafting tool) I would have varied the height more...

my initial inspiration was from the memory of one of France's Journal on Monday videos from I don't know when! 

 day two, stamped a Dina Wakley script in Potting Soil archival ink..

Day 3 where I thought it was going wrong... used the Melted Chocolate Dylusion spray, spritzing and dripping from the end of the tube... went a bit pinky as it dried... 

did not like it much at this stage (but France did... )
anyway, onwards to day 4, layer 4...

 Day 4, (which had been going to be day 3)
applied more strips of the same paper horizontally...

 and this is what it looks like with the flash!

day 5.... stencilling.  started out so well..

used an opaque white modelling paste (Finnabair's for Prima)   was still nice and white whilst it was wet...

but of course what I hoped wouldn't, did happen - the paste in drying picked up the colour from the drippage/sprays underneath.  and became pink....


but it's ok, there are no errors only lessons for the future...

and it seemed quite popular on the Facebook group...

 look how pink it looks!

 Day 6, apply a focal image... two, actually.

Tim Holtz paper dolls (2018 is the year of use it up... have had these months and months and these are the first ones I've used from the packet0


I sat the man on one of the horizontal paper strips to ground him, and the girls stood on the edge of the page...

 day 7, final layer... splatters.

I was always going to add splatters.

after my issue with the paste on day 5 I was wary... but have splattered black and white acrylic paint ... it's still wet so we'll see what happens..  (it seems to be going a bit pink...)

and edged the pages in Black Soot Distress Oxide.



Week 3 commences today... we'll see what happens next!

WOYWW 449 still creating

start as I mean to go on... this year I WILL make art! 
But first, it's Wednesday, so it's WOYWW  - time to share and bare all on our workspaces.  Head to Julia's for the link.

My last order from Country View's advent event came, it was photographed before being (part of it) put away... my stencils have a home, the rest doesn't! 

 a set of Tim's layering stencils, a pot of Finnabair's wax, in a pretty pinky colour; and some blueish glass glitter.   You can tell I had mixed media projects on my mind...

 some of you saw in the post just before this one (I know, I blogged a non WOYWW post!) a journal page I did last week for a Facebook challenge - so on my floor today, is the start of this week's (top left of the 3) another page in progress on the right, and another new journal that I started - because obviously having just 2 I'm working on, isn't enough...

close up of the bottom square page... I used the stencil on a birthday card and liked the effect so much had to re-create it in journal form - the stencil is 6x6 so smaller than the journal, so I started with the middle and then filled in round it.

the stamps are by Dina Wakley. 

I have another challenge - well a series of prompts - that a group of my friends are setting ourselves to get us crafting again - that needs to be commenced, so I must away!!

Catch you at a desk near you soon. 

A new challenge for the new year - France Papillon - ALAD/ASAW

You saw the start of this on my WOYWW post a few days ago.

France Papillon, that very talented artist, is hosting a journalling challenge through her  Facebook group France Papillon and Creative Butterflies (that's us,her followers!) called ALAD/ASAW - A Layer A Day, A Spread A Week... you can find more details here  on her blog

The idea is, as we are all busy, that we do a layer a day, so over the course of a week, we have a finished spread..

Week One started last week - " first page, let's set the tone"  no more guidelines... just one layer a day...

 I didn't photograph the journal I'm using on it's own but it's the smaller (A5 roughly) one at the front.

Layer one, day one, stencilled modelling paste through the Donna Downey stencil.

 Layer two, day two, Linday's stamp gang sprays - I used the Tibetan Poppy Teal as a spray, and then painted, with the end of the spray tube, Bells of Ireland Green, over the outline of the flower

 Layer three, day three, stamping (Kaisercraft diamonds) in Ranger Garden Patina , randomly, no acrylic block, avoiding the stencilled flower

 Layer four, day four - no separate photo for this - I'm not very good at this game yet !   I cut some images from a roll of quick release die paper - using it as tissue wrap  - and glued the images.


Layer five, day five, no separate photo -  stamped a Carabelle Studio alphabet plate in Watering Can archival randomly in the gaps

Layer six, day six (where I decided the spread was finished)

a tiny (size 1) tag, coloured with distress oxides in several bluey greens to match the background

stamped Just Do It and edged the tag, used some leftover fabric (actually the frayed border from a bathroom towel, nothing goes to waste here!) 



The spread for week 2 is already underway but you'll have to wait for that! 

It is SO hard to stop at one layer... hence my journalling bug having really kicked in and I now have another 3 pages (not for this challenge) on the go at once! 


I am determined that I will blog more regularly in 2018, create more art, and use up more stash (already hitting the patterned paper stash!!  Watch this space!

Blue and Ochre - Paperartsy colour challenge

The current Paperartsy challenge is, as the title suggests, a colour challenge.  What a gorgeous combination too.  You can see some fabulous DT suggestions here  and I really loved Kate Yetter's post on Friday and my dear friend Chris's altered book kicking things off on Monday7

I seem to be stuck in a journalling rut lately (nothing wrong with that!) and after a false start working on canvas I'd abandoned weeks ago I went back to a journal for my project today!

I started by glueing some strips of torn book page across the middle of the journal (it's my large A4 Seawhite one) and painting my ochre shade - I used Pumpkin Soup Fresco.  round the edges of this I blended on some Haystack

 I stencilled Midnight Fresco through my mini Tim Holtz brick wall stencil (first time out!) taking care to fade out the edges and not get it all the same solid colour..

I then glued some fibres (fab bargain from a Paperartsy sale bin at Stevenage) taking care to only use blue/ochre/beige colours



I left that drying while I went shopping (I used 3d matt gel so it needed some decent drying time)


I then mixed some Midnight Fresco into heavy white gesso and stencilled the 'art is' stencil randomly in some of the white space

I also added a bit of brick stencilling in Haystack to further blend it all in

 my focal point was going to be the lacy flowers (Noor designs, great find at Stevenage) and I happened to see across the room a pack of 7 Dots Studio papers that were bluey-yellowy in colour.
Tore a sheet into strips,
stamped some large scribbly circles (EEG15) in  Cobalt archival before placing the paper and lace

Took a black pen and wrote "live your dream" on the blank strips of paper...done

those lace flowers are so fab!

Linking up to the Paperartsy Blue and Ochre challenge here 

Paperartsy - Pink and Orange

The Paperartsy challenges started again nearly two weeks ago (last date to enter is tomorrow) with a topic of Pink and Orange and ever since I have been meaning to get something made to enter... Funnily enough, the day before the challenge opened I had started working on a journal page using one of Lin's new stencils

I have finally finished it! I loved how Wendy used the monsters for her pocket letters   and decided to incorporate them
This is what I've done

I started with painting the page with Sherbert, and stencilled Bougainvillea through the fantastic new Lin Brown stencil - deciding to use them as hanging rather than climbing flowers!

 I have no other step by step photos...
I stamped a border of Elena's flowers across the bottom of the page, and coloured them with Frescos and also some fine nibbed Stabillo felt tips

I stamped one of the flower houses on white card and coloured it in Bougainvillea and Coral, and stamped a whole heap of the bird monsters and painted them too..

 added one of Elena's flower sayings and edged it in Bougainvillea

Had a heap of fun with this, and am entering the Paperartsy challenge here 

Monster Mash

Hi there.  I have had this week off work and thought I'd be having a craft-fest but it hasn't turned out like that. After my two busy days out I kind of flopped...

I have however finished a journal page I started a while ago, and of which I really thought I had some photos of the starting point to share...but I haven't!   however, I have used some of Seth's Spellbinder dies for the Paperartsy challenge, which is, die cutting  I loved what he shared on Friday which refreshed the workshop I went on in September.  The card I used to cut, is the leftover piece of smoothy card we did our mono printing with, and I stamped on it with some of Seth's Impression Obsession stamps

The stamps on the top layer of the page are from one of Elena's fabulous new Monster sets I bought at Happy Stampers and they just had to be inked up.   Underneath are layers of paint and stencilling and texture paste, but I wasn't happy with the colours so I went over it with a thin layer of gesso.  I like it much better now.

Entering the Paperartsy die cutting challenge 

JoFY patterns

So currently Paperartsy's topic/challenge theme is "patterns"  I love to make patterns with stamps and this time used my new JoFY large flower stamps from JoFY45 which are just gorgeous.
As usual there have been some fabulous posts featuring great use of patterns - check them out.

This is what I did.

I used Sky and Ice Blue for the background, and then stamped the larger flower repeatedly over the page.  For the purples I used (searches brain as I did this days ago...)  Pansy, with touches of Plum and Wisteria. white Sharpie highlights, and Eggplant and Plum on the edges of the flower petals.

I filled in the spaces with the little flower seeds (?) and mixed Plum with Satin Glaze to colour them

 Life IS good - live it!!

entering the Paperartsy challenge here 











as a bonus, you get to see the little journal page I did with Dolly and Little Dude the new minis from JoFY... such cute little fellas!

I made the background with the numbers  mini from Jo, and used archival inks in Vivid Chartreuse and Shadow Grey, a wash of limelight and concrete, then stamped the letters mini in Leaf Green and Watering Can archival (ie. slightly darker shades) and then a watered down wash of Limelight again I think..
Stamped the flowers from JoFY46 and the charachters on scrap paper and coloured with pitt pens.