WOYWW 741 (early)

 Time already for another WOYWW -  and indeed Julia has published early as she's off out and about early doors on Wednesday.. I stopped by for the link to find it's already Wednesday in Dunnit-land...

I have splurged again this week.... can't resist a stencil, and when they are designed for Stencil Girl by Seth Apter... well... what's a girl to do..

I'll make it a big photo so you can see nicely!   lots of Seth magic, mark-making favourites...

oh, and one of Alison Bomber's Paperartsy stamps launched a couple of weeks ago fell in too...

first off I played with the Dogwood Blossom stencil (not, you'll realise, one of Seth's!!) 

I had to search out a large enough piece of paper to get the whole image in... found a pad of newsprint paper gathering dust over yonder by the radiator.... perfick!

I used a make-up sponge (Primark specials) and 3 shades of Distress Oxide, including, topically given Julia used it last week, the pale Spun Sugar, attempting some shading with Kitsch Flamingo and Picked Raspberry.  and a splodge or two of Seedless Preserves which is a more purpley ink.

Had to trim it quite hard to fit it onto a journal page.

I intend to stencil some more of the flowers and layer them over the background.    eventually!

then it was time for Seth.... I used a variety of Versafine Clair inks  this time and several of his stencils but it's not progressed since this stage....

still it was a fun hour on Sunday morning...

Here's the link for Kew on Saturday  

the Broad Walk has huge drifts of echinacea and rudbeckia and i love them...

we've had some cracking sunsets the last few evenings too, though i can't see a lot of it from my bedroom window --  too built up, but

Sunday

Monday

Tuesday  - loved the way the rays shone through the cloud

ok that's me done,  Happy WOYWW and I'll see you soon - 

thanks for dropping by!  

WOYWW 646

 Welcome back deskers,  it's Wednesday again and time for another WOYWW  - Julia's is the place to join in at the Stamping-Ground 

the goodies I was waiting for last week, arrived, of course on Wednesday - but had to wait till this week for their starring role.   New stencils,  because of course, there are never too  many stencils!

the two on the left are in a series called "soulful scribbles"  and the other is a cityscape - you can see I had a play of the middle strip (you can't tell form the photo that the top and bottom edges of the stencil also has a city skyline border  (I haven't tried them yet)

 This week, I have more goodies on order - one will arrive today again,  and one is a pre-order of the new Distress colour launched on Saturday  - did you see it?  a really dark purple.  I wasn't going to get it -   but then looked again and hey ho before you know it, they pop into my basket!

I also had a play in one of my Dina Wakley journals, on the canvas page - gloss spray through the lattice stencil (obviously loses it's gloss on fabric, but the sage colour is gorgeous)  

it was a fun page to play at.

You may have seen some of the photos from Kew last weekend - I unexpectedly got wet as I wasn't aware it might rain!

but in the gallery out of the rain - a stunning new exhibition  (click the link for the Kew website details about this ) -  see the blog for more photos  (Kew) 

close up  - one of 17500 steel, etched , painted flowers based on Victorian botanical drawings

and from the other side they are brightly coloured!

Beautiful,  but I prefer the other side!  

I can't wait to go and look again this weekend  

there was plenty more colour in the gardens but you'll have to check the blog or I'll get in trouble with Head Girl!  

I'll be round to catch your creative spaces soon - happy WOYWW!  

WOYWW 596

 Welcome to November... Desk day....  WOYWW  head for the Stamping-Ground and Julia will dish the dirt explain all.

No enabling today as I still haven't ordered my crackle paste I forgot to buy last week..

I did have a chance to have a bit of a play with a couple of the stencils though

I added some more of the flourish stencil to the journal page

and some stamping in the background

I took my ideas from a You-Tube video from Niamh Baly who uses a lot of Dina Wakley products and I love her work.

then I stencilled the "pretty as a peacock" girl on a sheet of Dina Wakley collage tissue (the one with the white words - this is from an old pack)

I used wilted violet and peacock feathers (obviously!) distress oxides

I absolutely LOVE they way this stencil comes out (Imay have to buy the bigger size too)

I very carefully stuck it to the journal page so as not to smudge the inks

quite fortuitously the tissue shows the word "perfect" in the middle of the girl's neck... not that it is a perfect page, but not bad for random placement of the stencil!  

I have some finishing off to do, but am really pleased with this page so far.

I'll be late visiting this week as I have a Dr's appointment at lunchtime so have to get back to Sutton from work and then back to work after the appointment so won't have time to do any visits then.  

Nearly forgot -  last week's Kew pics -   where I met an old friend.. 

and got quite wet!

Kew will be staying open during the new lockdown, but as we are only meant to be using transport for essential travel, not sure I will be able to keep going (though it is essential to my mental wellbeing to visit Kew so...)  

WOYWW 595

Time to assemble and report for desk duty once more.. Julia is waiting at the Stamping-Ground for us.. 

I had a little play with the crackling campfire ink pad over  some strips of collage tissue

over the tissue, I added a layer of gesso and then added some texture paste through the stencil of the faces. (stencil and tissue by Dina Wakley)

I did add some crackle paste before the faces but it's not crackled hence adding the faces.  I tried another pot of crackle paste... that had dried up....

I used the crackling campfire and picked raspberry distress oxides, spritzed with water and blotted.   Neet is right, she commented last week to say what a strong colour that orange is!  It's ok blotted off though. 

at that point I stopped,  will add more to it at some stage

Just before I went to bed on Sunday I put in an order with Stampers Grove for some more stencils (ok, so I have an addiction!)  having watched a lot of you tube videos on Sunday when I kept seeing stencils I liked... some of which I found available and some I haven't yet tracked down..

Anyhow, 10pm order submitted,  came home from work Tuesday to find...

the service from the Stampers Grove is really excellent!

and we all know, given how fast the weeks go, it will soon be the weekend and i may have time to play!

I was meant to be buying a new pot of crackle paste!!

No doubt that order will go in soon...

which just leaves me to leave you the link for Kew last Saturday - cloudy but wow the colours, I do urge you to check them out! 

Looking forward to your desks - no doubt you've all been busy making Christmas cards!  

A Journal Page...

Well here's a to-do!  I've blogged, and it's not Wednesday...

I had intended to do some Powertex play over Easter but (of course)  it hasn't happened...
I have played in my journal though.

I don't have any pictures of the first few steps as it wasn't in my head to blog the process.

I scribbled on the page with  a couple of blue and green Neocolour II crayons and smudged it with clear gesso.

I stencilled in black gesso (Donna Downey scribbly text)

I tore some music paper (came from a WOYWW crop from Jan - thanks Jan!) 

 I dribbled some distress oxide re-inkers from the top and bottom of the pages. 

boy do they take an age to dry!

Stencilled the Donna Downey poppies in blue paint (Paperartsy, China I think)

sponged roughly, a lime green flourescent paint in the centres (we're not going for realism here)
as they didn't stand out enough. 

 doodled...

 added some white heavy gesso stencilling with the same script stencil as I started with.


my heavy gesso has gone very thick so it gives lovely texture

 kept doodling

After several hours the drips were still wet to the touch, the colour was coming off, so I very carefully sealed them with clear gesso so I will be able to shut the book and it not all smudge.


Really like this page!

WOYWW 507...

It's time to welcome you to my crafty space for another Wednesday's WOYWW  only there isn't very much going on... so this is a bit of a staged post today.

I was wondering what to share with you today (and if I am brave enough in a minute I will share something really scary)

I've had a  new stencil sat on top of some new stamps waiting to be inked (I don't usually put my new Paperartsy stamps away in the boxes until I've used them)

Whilst I summon up the courage to share the picture of shame..   I took the stencil out and tested it out

I started on the piece of patterned paper under the journal to start with, but it was too patterned to show off the stencil

so I grabbed a matte spray (by That's Crafty) in aqua, and opened the journal.  If I had been thinking I'd have used a double page so I could have 'reverse printed' the image rather than wipe off the stencil.

I quite like the aqua spray though!


ok  am I brave enough..   You've seen pictures of my craft space (living room, don't forget) which is - er... full...

here is the "overflow"  (dining room or second bedroom depending on your needs... don't even go there!)

it's become a bit of a dumping ground (I wonder what the window cleaners think when they come..  I only think this on the day - today-  when they do come - they've just collected their money) (writing this Tuesday night as usual)

the table - that IS a table there, top centre... is full of books that won't fit in bookcases - apart from the front edge which has piles of craft stuff...   bear in mind all that craft stuff on the floor was once in the living room .... I do intend to go through the stuff in here... I might even read the pile of magazines (bottom centre) - they are craft magazines, mostly Stampington ones - I don't buy normal magazines.
So, the overflow room of shame... my shame..   Do you dare show yours?  Head to Julia's for the details

Shall we finish with something pretty to make us feel happy?
from Kew (here) on Saturday

there was a huge display of crocuses, they were stunning.

WOYWW 486

Welcome to another week of desks... Julia is hosting, as always - catch the link here 
I'll be late this week getting to your desks - and linking too, as I am off work for a week and taking an early trip to Kew today so unless Julia is really early, I will miss when the post goes live and have to catch up later.

but, you're here for a desk.. not that I have one of course; still working on the floor.

 the stencils I was waiting for last week arrived, and have been tested already... should have included the results... hang on I'll see if I can find them


(more stencils you say... yes. . what of it.... there can never be too many stencils) 

aerial shot of the tatty rug and my France Papillon journal (page doesn't really fit the theme but it's another one finished...)

here's the test of the harlequin stencil.  was only playing so it's not meant to be fabulous.



Anyhow, I will visit your desks when I can,
catch up later! 

WOYWW 464 - more stencils??!

Once again, we find ourselves at Wednesday.  Julia is gathering the troops as ever at The Stamping Ground 
We are approaching the 9th anniversary and our annual ATC swap, not that I've done anything about that yet!  Perhaps I'll get time at the weekend, the weather is forecast damp so I'll probably be at home.

Anyway, desk time...

 I was watching You Tube on Saturday morning in bed before I went to Kew Gardens (amazing photos here if you're interested!)
and saw some gorgeous stencils which then fell into my shopping basket (along with some Dina Wakley collage tissue sheets that I've had my eye on for a while) 
They arrived in time to star on this week's desk, how kind was that!

 this week's theme for the Facebook France Papillon challenge is "friends" and I am workingat this at present.

base layer was paint brayered on a sheet of 12x12 tissue and glued to the journal and trimmed. I used about 6 or 7 different colours, blues and greens and some yellow.

the hearts are all stamps - the little white ones in paint, are France's own design, and the others are Dina Wakley and I used archival ink in Cobalt and Thistle (love that colour!)

We've had some amazing sunsets the last few nights (well not tonight - writing this Tuesday - it's been dull and grey and turning a bit drizzly) this was from a few nights ago.


Looking forward to seeing what you've all been up to this week - Happy WOYWW !

"Stencils" for a prompt

the latest prompt for my little group was stencils... so I have "one or two" ...... I decided to use several, some old loved ones, and a new one.

 I started with a page in my square journal which I love but which is so hard to photograph (I'll have to crop more!)


I had already wiped the leftover paint (butter, from one of Seth's new Paperartsy sets) on the background then stencilled (new, Sara Naumnann's stencil) with Venice Blue, and in some of the gaps Glacier Ice

Added some Donna Downey stencils -  alphabet in Butter and Glacier Ice, some small dots in Butter and then the big circles - first gesso'd, then added Blue Lagoon and some more small dots

 I drew round the big circles in pencil through the stencil and added some stamping - a Kaisercraft italic script; in watering can archival  and two JoFy Mini (firework?) stamps in cobalt and French ultramarine  archival inks and used a pen to fill in the centres of the bigger fireworks

I re-outlined the circles in a blue micron pen
and erased the pencil lines

I had a ball with this page and could have gone on for ages!

France Papillon - ALAD/ASAW - week 4, Emotions in Shapes

Facebook group challenge - France Papillon and Creative Butterflies group - ALAD/ASAW (a layer a day/a spread a week) -Emotions in Shapes...

Found this a hard prompt to get started with.. but everyone loves circles so I used circles again..
Took lots of daily pictures of each stage, but all by artificial light or flash, so bear with me!

 my page was pre-gesso'd, and I added distress oxides in Fossilized Amber, Twisted Citron and Salty Ocean... the Fossilized Amber didn't show up as much as I wanted, so added some Wild Honey over the top. smooshed and blended them with water a bit...
When it was dry, I carefully (with a silicone brush) added clear gesso to seal it. That is the extra texture you can see in the colours)

Day 2, the first circles - a fantastic stencil by Stencil Girl (well part of a stencil (I wish they'd put the names on the packets, I don't know what this is called)  anyway, I used Deco Art crackle paste and let it do it's thing


(another never used before stencil!)





GORGEOUS crackles!

 Day 3 was more stamping - using the same colour distress oxides and a Dina Wakley stamp (I love this stamp)

if you click on the picture you will see some of the Honey/Citron stamping

Day 4 was some doodling - I could see faces in the crackle shapes so I decided to emphasise them (especially the one top left) 

Day 5, more circles, another stencil.  This is a That's Crafty Dinky stencil.  First, I used Paperartsy Fresco paint in Bora Bora ( a gorgeous blue/green) and when that dried, "bumped" the stencil - moved it just a fraction off centre to the original position and stencilled Snowflake Fresco.

 you get a great shadow.

it's ages since I used this technique

Day 6, more stamping, a Paperartsy JoFY Mini stamp - little circles and a criss-cross hatch design that mimics the shapes in the crackle and the other circles.





Doodled over them with a couple of Stabilo felt pens

close up of the doodles








Final layer - day 7, today
I had to decide on a title, and I needed words on my page..

Much searching of stamps in my (large) collection... until I used one that was staring me in the face from a Dina Wakley set.


Art Is Life,
Stop Thinking, Just Create. 

Edged the page in Black Soot distress oxide
Looking forward to the next prompt tomorrow..