Another Brick in the Wall...

Over the past couple of days when I was having my disastrous attempt at the last journal page (I do like it more now, it has grown on me!) I used some of the spare paint on a page in my journal that i had already used as a mop-up for some more paint...

This page started out when I was trying an alternative colour scheme for this page here  and had painted some (I think) claret and beach hut - but it wasn't right, so I washed over it with watered down snowflake, mixing a reasonable red-blue kind of colour. I thought I'd taken a pic of it at this stage, but can't find it.

Anyhow, yesterday when I was messing about with the stencils for my inspired by Michelle inspired by Dina Wakley page, I added some stencils over the top. Same stencils I was using on the other page, different colourways, and this time used the bricks the right way up.

and I am loving that swirl! This was in beach hut.

some black (the reverse chickenwire is still a big favourite) and then some snowflake to knock back areas for stamping..

wasn't sure what to stamp - didn't want anything much - so went for some of my new alphabet set (Dyan Reaveley) and some writing...(mainly because it wouldn't fit all in stamps)  I was a bit of a Pink Floyd fan back in the day...

and some scribbling with black and white pens round the letters

Then I flicked some black indian ink over the page too.

As this is also a layers of stencil page, I am entering it as a second entry to the Paperartsy challenge.

Be prepared to fail - and share them!

So, yesterday Michelle shared a fabulous, Dina Wakley based journal page at Paperartsy. Her page looked gorgeous, lots of lovely stencils and bright paints - and therein I think, lies my problem....

This page is my second attempt at a version of this - the first one I even tore out of the journal...!!!

I think, second time round, I put too little white paint on after I'd done my stencilling (the first time, too much, among other problems!) I wish I'd thought about that before I went further ... ah, hindsight!!!  I think maybe I should have not attempted the drippage either...

Anyhow, I offer it up for your perusal and lessons - don't do what I did - though  in fact it looks better here on the screen than it does in the artificial light at home, so maybe tomorrow in daylight it may grow on me!  My journalling reads "this is the worst page I have ever done. I really don't like how it's come out at all' 'and I have already messed one page up so much I tore it out of the book'  I am still debating about whether to hit publish on this post, but...

(** Edit - thank you for all your encouraging comments! it is growing on me, I promise!  I will use the previous, torn out page for something - die cuts maybe! (the main issue I had with the last one was the colour I used for the paint round the hearts, it was totally wrong. I should have tried painting over the top of it!)

#TIO 137 - Dragons Dream

Welcome to another challenge from the Dragons Dream Team at Tag it On.  It is the turn of the lovely Trace this fortnight to set the challenge - she wants us to use, Green, Cogs, and Die-Cuts on our tag.  Don't forget you must also use at least one real stamp.

I sprayed my tag with Cut Grass and Fresh Lime Dylusion inks and smudged some walnut stain distress ink round the edge.  Wendy Vecchi's numbers background stamp was randomly rolled on the tag using coffee archival ink, as I didn't want great blocks of stamping.

My cogs are from Maya Road and I painted them with Hey Pesto Paperartsy Fresco paint.

The die cuts are the tattered leaves movers and shakers die by Tim Holtx, cut from Kraft Glassline that I both sprayed with the same Dylusion green inks as the tag, and also used some Hey Pesto paint.

I finished the tag with some chit-chat stickers and idea-ology and some green and white ribbons.

WOYWW 196

Can't quite believe I'm writing another WOYWW post already! I know I've blogged in between, but really, where do the weeks go?  Head over to Julia's via the link above for all the low-down and the link-up.

Today is the day after Craft Club (run by my sister-in-law and a friend of hers) locally to me (always room for more if you're nearby! ask for details...) This month we were doing decopatch. Something I've looked at, though 'yes, that's quite pretty but do I want to have a go...' Anyhow I did...and it is much more fun than I thought, and very relaxing. A fun evening indeed

I took an 'H' to do - it's not finished,  but I have brought it and some glue and the rest of the paper home to finish!

My sister-in-law Lynne. She'll kill me!!

This side's finished though...!!!







I also had some happy mail at the weekend - a few weeks ago, Julia (OUR Julia!) offered up a couple of tickets for the forthcoming Creative Stitches and Hobbycraft show at either NEC or Excel (London) and I put in for the Excel ones. Blow me down, Julia's daughter only pulled my name out of the hat - so my sister-in-law and I are off in April for a day out!


Watch this space, as they say!.
As ever, I'll visit as many of you as I can over the next few days. Thanks for stopping by.

Journal page - inspired by Michelle

This week it's Michelle's turn back at Paperartsy with some journal pages to inspire us.  Yesterday's was a beauty  I used similar bright Fresco paint colours to Michelle (I tried a different colour scheme but it didn't work how I wanted so will use that for something else!!!)

I've used Limelight, Zesty Zing, London Bus, a very little Guacamole and Brown Shed and Autumn Fire..
I've used stamps from HotPicks 1004, 1006, 1007 and 1203

 I just kept slapping on the paint!

My inks for stamping were archival in black, vermillion and saffron.

I did use the little round stamp that Michelle used because I thought it looked great - and I don't think I've ever noticed it on the plate before!!


do check out Michelle's original on the Paperartsy blog.

Crafty Boots - Something Old Something New..

.. something borrowed or something blue.  Stephanie-Emma has chosen the Crafty Boots theme for this fortnight in honour of her wedding this week. You can use any or all of the 4 elements - old, new, borrowed, blue in your entry.

I decided to make a card and some NEW Paperartsy stamps (by Jo Firth-Young) some OLD and BLUE distress inks and watercolour pencils. I couldn't find anyone to lend me anything so missed the 'borrowed' bit out!

Wishing you and Kieron all the best for a beautiful wedding and long and happy life ahead, Stephanie-Emma!

Craft Barn Alpha Challenge - M (Meadow)

Hello again and welcome back for another challenge in the altered dictionary challenge from the Craft Barn.  This fortnight, our letter is M, but there is an additional challenge as our word must start between Ma and Me....

Now, the dictionary/thesaurus I am using, is one I had bought prior to the start of this challenge and have been tearing pages out for use as backgrounds on things... and most of my Ma-Me pages seem to be missing!!  However, my eye caught the word 'meadow' and as I have several of the gorgeous Paperartsy stamps with wildflower type stamps on , I was ready to go!!

I started by sticking two pages together for some added strength, and applying a layer of gesso over the double page I was going to use.

Once that was dry, I took distress inks (mowed lawn, crushed olive, salty ocean, broken china) to colour the pages.

I then took the Paperartsy stamps and black archival ink and stamped them across the bottom of the dictionary.  I used sets HP1004, 1005, 1006, 1008 and 1009) Some of the images I stamped in Black Soot distress as my archival seems a little faint and needs re-inking... I overstamped some of the images to get a feeling of more depth of the meadow.

The birds are from Stampscapes and Tim Holtz.