52Q week 4

So the prompt for this week reads 'When I look into my eyes, I see...' and here are my tags. This was a very thought provoking question and very cleverly worded imo...it made me think!

Mixed Media Monday

This weeks challenge was to create art that represents your country. I decided to go for the red telephone box which has been a familiar site in this country for around 75 years! They used to be everywhere but of course they are not used as much these days since most people have home telephones and mobile phones. A lot of our telephone boxes are being scrapped these days and in fact my brother actually bought one once and had it in his back garden for years. They are part of our heritage really and its kind of sad that they will prob be phased out at some stage. I think they are like our red double decker buses...very representative of the UK.

tfl

52Q wk 3

This weeks question is 'Do you believe in fairies?'. I always believe in the mystical and magical...in fact I still believe in Father Xmas after I saw his sleigh going across the sky when I was about 6! So - yes, I believe in fairies...do you?

Mixed Media Monday

This weeks theme is to use primary and secondary colours. I do like using bright colours so I used this as an opportunity to do a page in my journal which I am making much more of an effort with this year. Tfl

Mixed Media Monday

The theme this week at MMM is friendship and I used this challenge to do the first page in my altered book. I have never attempted this before but have to say that having started the book, I will certainly finish it. The book - selected short stories by Guy de Maupassant - has been hanging around my craft area for a year or more and everytime I have paint left on my brush or sponge I have used it up on its pages which meant of course that when I finally decided to work in it, I already had several pages already started on which to continue.

Hope you like it!

52Q week 2

My tag in answer to Em's question 'Am I afraid of change?'


I am not afraid of change...I dont always like change but its challenging and stretches me often to do things that I would not otherwise have done so I don't think change is bad...it just pushes me out of my comfort zone.On another note, I feel excited that UK Scrappers are having a cyber crop...I love participating and get quite carried away...often not sleeping for more than 48 hours. Of course this is always easier if my hubby is away which is not going to be the case this year. I wonder if I can get him to do all the chores and all the cooking over that weekend? hmmmm

Crusade 27 - Shape up!

Not in the physical sense...phewwww!

Michelle Wards latest crusade is to shape up...take a shape and run with it!

I made up my mind right at the start of this crusade to keep my shape simple and so finally decided on the heart! The first thing I did was to use some leftover lino and cut my own heart. Initially I cut one 'lobe' larger than the other and (of course) I forgot about the fact that when stamping everything is opposite so of course my large lobe was on the wrong side. I ended up cutting it down more so in the end my heart shape had two fairly equally sized lobes. I then stamped with it on a brown mailing envelope. Something I had seen done in several art books but had never tried. I loved the way this came out. It has an almost poster like quality

Next I took some wax rubbings of my heart as well as of rubber stamps and painted with watercolour. Another technique that Michelle told us about last year whereby the wax resists the paint. This also gives an awesome effect and I have got so much better at it now that I am not trying to make it perfect! I also used my paper punch on this page and then found such a wonderful title for it when looking through my cuttings box. My cuttings box is something I started a while ago, just cutting out titles and pictures from magazines and throwing them into a box. Its great that we can make art without it costing too much money. I am so up for recycling whenever possible. The only thing that stops me is space! I have so many lovely boxes that I intend to do something with and I'm afraid to say I am stockpiling them :lol: Anyway, here is that page...

Next I used some modelling paste pushed through a stencil and then painted with some Stewart Gill paint that I had leftover from another project. This would be great with a bigger stencil as this one was a bit small. The page just had glimmer mist as a base. A bit more stamping and the page was done.

This next page was a bit of freestyle...I havn't been doing arty stuff for very long and sometimes I think I put too much thought into it but I am starting to find that I just go with the flow occasionally and get something done without thinking. These pages are starting to come together in a way that appeals to me and this next page was one of those. I don't even know what I did cos I just 'rolled with it'. I just love these heart shaped doillies...I bought them a while ago and always knew they would come in handy.

more next post

Crusade 27

For this next page, I used a packing tape transfer as well as various hearts. I am fairly sure this page is not yet finished so I will add to it later but wanted to get it uploaded before I go back to work tomorrow.

And finally, I had the idea of actually cutting my page in a heart shape! I just roughly watercolour crayons to add some colour so you can see the shape of the page. I will journal it at some time in the future.

Another great challenge Michelle!

tfl

Mixed Media Monday

This is my first attempt at a challenge with this group. I have watched from afar and been struck by the talent out there but this year I decided 'I will not procrastinate' so here is my attempt at their Moon challenge...

It really didn't photograph so well but I think you get the idea! Hopefully I will get better with practise :lol:

52Q

I have decided to do Emily Falconbridges 52Q challenge http://embers.typepad.com/e/

Its always a huge commitment to begin anything like this as I discovered when I did her Deck of Me challenge two years ago and I dont like to commit to things unless I know I can get them done. What decided me was that this project can be kept quite small and of course it can be kept simple on the weeks when time is difficult to find. I threw together this card in just a few minutes and thats a big bonus in anything like this because its crucial to keep up. I know that if I get more than a couple of weeks behind then it will become a chore and if its a chore, its not enjoyable and art should be enjoyable. Anyway, the journalling on the back involves many of the things I put in my resolution post just a few days ago so I havnt repeated it here. I intend to have different size tags which I will bind together with the BIA at the end. tfl.

Blasted Flu Bug!

I have been completely floored by this bug for the last 4 days but I swear I will get dressed today...maybe!

I am feeling a little better though cos I have managed to upload this xmas layout completed with photos from 2007 and of course that lovely little tag that I bought from g. It looks good here doesn't it? I did manage to be a little creative though...when I carried forward g's little red circles of glitter over my page! You can tell I was coming down with something cos I let g do all the work :lol: I still love it though!

Goodies in the post!

Just look what the postie brought me today...wonderful goodies from my pal g in Canada.

First of all there is the little vintage xmas decoration which is exquisite. I won this in a giveaway that g did just before xmas and I just love vintage/antique stuff so its just perfect for me. Also here are the six tags of xmas that she did and I just could not resist buying together with a xmas kit she put together. This little package just ooozes vintage...not only are there decorations (sadly my candle got a little bit damaged en-route), but also beads, stickers, music sheets and poems and pics from vintage books. I just love this! At the moment I am still in the 'looking' phase but I am definately going to create something with this little kit. Thanks g!

And since our xmas days are almost over I thought I would put up a little pic of my tree which is still looking pretty good! I am just savouring my last few days with it.
Thats it for now...

Top Hat Pick!!!

Imagine my surprise to log on today and find this

http://michelleward.typepad.com/how_cool_is_that/2009/01/crusade-no-26-winner.html

Thank-you so much Michelle! I am so honoured to have been picked for this months top hat! Michelle first came to my notice as a participant in 'True Colors' my absolute favourite book (http://www.amazon.com/True-Colors-Palette-Collaborative-Journals/dp/0971729638/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top).

If anyone is even contemplating this book...go for it! I have had it a year and it is still a constant companion of mine...so much so that the pages are beginning to come out from the binding.

I find Michelles work so inspirational and have been following along with the crusades for quite a while. For anyone wanting a monthly challenge with a difference do follow the link on the side panel and have a go. Its so nice to be able to dip in and out and as you can see I even managed three this month!

Thank-you again Michelle! It was such a lovely surprise :)

1st January 2009

Wow! Where did that last year go? Can't believe we are in 2009!

One of my new year resolutions is to be a better blogger... I am generally useless at it!

Other resolutions include the usual...lose weight, get more fit, be a nicer person but I also want to be a better blogger, do more art journalling and find more time to tinker with my camera. And I need to take my camera with me when I go anywhere. How on earth am I ever going to get good photos if I dont even have the camera with me? I would also like to master photoshop and finish the zillion projects I have stored in the recesses of my brain! And I would like to finish my second OU degree. I started another one cos I got bored and now I find there are not enough hours in the day to do all the things I want to do. I really dont have the time to work!

If I sit here long enough I am sure I will come up with a whole lot more things I want to do too! So what are your aims for the year? Do tell?