DragonsDream - TIO #160 - G - Birds

The delightful Gabrielle has chosen this fortnight's theme for DragonsDream - TIO - your tag should includes Birds and something beginning with G... I chose Garden.  I also forgot to take any photos until the tag was nearly finished... got a bit carried away!

 I added Fresco paint diagonally across the tag with a dry brush, I used tinned peas, Hey Pesto and Limelight, wiping with a babywipe to blend/remove.  At this stage I hadn't got my G for garden set in my head... when I decided on garden I knew I needed some blue sky colour, so used Lake Wanaka (there is a Sky paint, but it was too blue!) Added that, wiped it back with a baby wipe again.

Stamped the Tim grasses at the bottom (from Spring Sprung) in Fern Green archival, and the Stampscapes tree at the top,  The flower is by Rubber Stampede from their wildflower collection, I used Dusty Concord  and Mowed Lawn distress inks for that.

Edged the tag with Walnut stain distress and made the banner (Lin Brown for Paperartsy)

 now on to the Birds theme... well bird singular in my case!  Took a little bird on a branch by Artemio, painted it brown (chocolate pudding) and then mixed some French Roast with Grunge Paste, and added that over the bird. Patted the bird with my palette knife to create the look of feathers and let it dry.

Painted the leaves with a mixture of Tinned Peas, highlighting with Hey Pesto and Hyde Park.

Once the Grunge Paste was fully dry, brushed some Treasure Gold over the body using a soft brush, to create some shine and definition on the feathers

Having finished all my photos and indeed the post, I realise I should have added something to highlight his eye - I'll go and do that, you'll have to imagine it for now, ha ha!!

WOYWW 245 - after the (latest) stash spend...

Hello, Happy WOYWW (hosted by the lovely Julia "weird but effective" Dunnit (just read her post before today's WOYWW) .... some of you saw the post on Sunday (below this one, if you want a proper snoop!) after I got back from the lovely Stamperama show at Stevenage... and the rather large pile of new goodies....

 most of which are still on my craft mat because I haven't had time to do much with them yet - stamps at the bottom, that need mounting on EZ mount - a job I hate but will do, eventually!

the "Paperartsy" box is full - there are a few other bits in this box too which now need finding a new home for, as there isn't room for the new ones!

I have had a little play with some of the new stamps, but can't share yet partly because they are on cards for my SIL and my niece's birthdays next week, and partly because they are new Paperartsy stamps which although they were at the show, haven't officially been released yet (they will be, on their blog later this week) so they're kinda under wraps!
Secret new products too.... oh boy!! Right up my street...

So that's all I have for you today, hope you enjoyed!  Have a great week - stay safe from whatever form of extreme weather is being a nuisance in your neck of the woods, as everywhere seems to be suffering from hot, cold, snow, wind, rain or a combination of all of them!

Stamperama - Paperartsy Does it Again...

So, I hurried off in the dark to catch my train to Stevenage for this fab  little stamp show - I love it - and a longed for #PATwit meet up... there is a growing bunch of us on twitter who have met up and meet up often, and more who were going today who I hadn't yet met....

So I took my "posh" camera not the little one that is convenient for the craft shows (and boy, does my neck know the difference!) and a list of new things I wanted to buy.... after a bit of a kerfuffle with the train and breakfast on the way I met Lin and we hurried inside as soon as they opened the door...

 Darcy ready to go, and Leandra showing Lin some of the new "sekkrit" stuff...

 No close ups until later in the week when all the stuff's been released on the PA blog... you'll have to do with these long shots!

though you may see some if you enlarge the photos. shhhhh!!!

 lush-ness all around!

Leandra and Darcy demo'ing away

 some great samples from Lin Brown

 the PAtwits - L to R Hazel, Deborah, Julie Ann, Jo, Lin and Alison.  Great to meet Hazel, Deborah and Julie Ann for the first time, and Jo, Lin and Alison again..

 Later, I met Alison Bomber - who doesn't tweet due to lack of time (like WE have time, lol, but you'll know her blog through her Guest Designer slots for Paperartsy if nowhere else.. She makes GREAT art. in the middle is Cazz - without her trade-mark hat! and Lin again

 back to the demo's.

 and shopping...

 Darcy working hard again

 more lushness!

 Leandra here, making a great background

 for this fab piece of art with one of the new Lynne Perella stamps. ...
and I guess you want to see if I bought anything....

 stash pic 1....










two.....


have to keep some of this hidden till Leandra reveals all later in the week..

and 3

Sorry there are so many, but these are for Sam who couldn't go...  you said take lots, Sam!!

a Play Day - with Lin Brown stamps

Having a chill-out day today ahead of the fun at Stevenage and the Stamperama show tomorrow... I had some leftover ink in my journal :

 this is Spanish Mulberry, Lake Wanaka and Little Black Dress, then a light wash of watered down Antarctic

 added some tissue wrap with matte medium

 and then some of Lin's flowers from ELB04 - love these solid designs, because they show up over the quite busy background.
I used Spanish Mulberry paint for the paler pink flowers, and Watering Can, Cornflower Blue and Magenta Hue archival inks.

 stamped one of Lin's new flower sentiments on white card, and edged it with some Spanish Mulberry left on a bit of cut and dry foam

then took the sentiment from the Paperartsy Ink and the Dog Petals 6 plate and cut it into individual words,

had fun doing this one! Thanks Lin for some great stamps....

CAS - journal page - Joanne Wardle for Paperartsy

Joanne  was back guesting for Paperartsy with a CAS card (clean and simple) using Paperartsy mini's and the new Lin Brown word set.  I was lucky enough to be one of the random winners last week and chose one of these new sets as my prize, and it was sent speedy speedy by Leandra (thanks!) for me to play with...

I decided to use the same idea but in a journal - this is my little Moleskine notebook journal, not my normal one - it's very slightly smaller.... I painted the paper white first with Snowflake Fresco and followed Joanne's method as shown in the post here 

 I used a different mini flower and added some little vines trailing down my brick walls
- took away some of the distress ink with a wet
paint brush to allow the vines to show up more.

Entering the Paperartsy challenge here   I probably won't get time to try any of the other GD projects from this week as I am out on Sunday to Stamperama at Stevenage, meeting many of my blog/twitter buddies for some serious stash-buying!  Hope to see you there...

WOYWW - February Craft Club table..

Hello, and happy Wednesday (or possibly not depending on where you are and when you visit..) Time for another desk fest courtesy of Julia's Stamping-Ground

Tuesday night, being the first Tuesday in the month, was craft club - and journalling month!  I took a little bag full of stuff - it weighed a ton taking it on the bus... do you think I had enough?

 the ruck sack was full to the brim, and the pizza box held some stencils and my scrap book pages as the girls wanted to see them in the flesh.

Eagle eyed peeps may spot a set of stamps on the box too - a random blog prize from Paperartsy after one of their challenges (one of my scrapbook pages) last week - can't wait to try these!

 spread out well at club... ha ha!! more space than I'm used to though..  and I introduced my sister in law to the joys of grunge paste - she loves it!   I was lucky too as she gave me a lift home - very grateful as it was pouring with rain and very windy by the time we left!

and this was the page I created. - although I have added some black circles to it since, and obviously didn't take another picture!

Hope you all have a wonderful Wednesday, I'll let you catch up with more desks now.

Another SB page - my favourite place...

Well, that didn't take long did it - one Scrap Book page and I'm hooked.... to be honest, these photos that I am about to share here, I've longed to do something with ever since I took them in 2008! You may recognise it as it's the photo I use to link to my photography blog..

So this is another page inspired by Pam for Paperartsy - though much less fussy and busy, you'll see why

 It was a cold, crisp sunny November morning - I had my zoom lens at it's maximum extension to bring the fountain close - and the sun was shining on the water droplets.
I am ridiculously proud of these photos and have tried ever since to recapture them.


I spent ages finding the right colour paper from my stash - again it's the back of one of Tim Holtz's paper stacks, and is a kind of bluey-green watery colour.

 I wanted a flourish die, or stencil but didn't have one so in the end I used the mini paisley swirl stencil and used part of it in the corners, rotating the stencil in each corner.  I used Lake Wanaka Fresco paint.

the sentiment is from Penny Black and says "Within your heart, keep one, still, secret spot where dreams may go" and for me, that's here at Kew, by the Palm House lake.

I added some dragonflies (Hero Arts) in Cornflower Blue archival ink and some watery blue dew drops at the corner of the sentiment.
I know I haven't been doing this SB thing long, but I don't think it needs more... !

Linking this at the Paperartsy challenge again and also at the Pan Pastels challenge where the theme is "anything goes, or use a stencil" - well i've done both!