Return to journalling

It's been a while and what can I say? Life just got in the way. The best thing about being a teacher (not always) is the holidays and after 4 weeks at my favourite place in the world - Camusdarach beach - I am refreshed and revived.

I began by swiping a liberal layer of broken china and wild honey distress stains over the pages and blending them where they met. I then used one of my favourite Paper Artsy Stamps to create an image and border around the page. I found a random art deco stamp and using picket fence distress stain stamped it randomly over the blue. I then added some titan buff acrylic paint with my finger and a wipe over the wild honey.

I have also created the background for another page. I swiped barn door  and then picket fence distress stains on a page and then randomly dotted the picket fence around the page. I then chucked faded jeans embossing powder onto the page and shook it off and then embossed what was left.

 I found some butterflies and dragonfly outlines that were the left overs from diecutting for a scrap book page and used these as stencils with dylusions inks - burnt orange and fuschia and  granite spray,  that I had hardly used (most of my other favourite colours have run out and need replacing).

I stamped a Jo Capper Sandon starfish from Craft Stamper randomly over the blue and then more distress stains in pine needles and peeled paint in swirls and then brushed on another layer of broken china. I really like the effects on this page but want to think about what goes next.

It's lovely to be back blogging and I am looking forward to catching up on all the blogs and people I have been neglecting over the last few months. Be warned I have been busy sewing several quilts, and photographing them, and I will post them soon. Can you also tell that I have been experimenting with Pic Monkey?

ATCs - Faces

I created these for a Swap on UK Stampers and the theme was faces. The first one is called Tightly sprung and uses Lady  from Octopode. I added cogs, wheels and springs from a bargain book called "Workbench Ephermera". Some of the pages are vellum and let me have layers of detail. I also used a piece of the wood paper as a background. The stamps were coloured with ink and watercolours.

I gessoed the background and added layers of inks. The face is Dylusions Dependable Dotty which was masked before stamping with Paper Artsy ledge stamp. Scrabble letters and title added and watercoloured.

I stamped a flower head from Paper Artsy Hot Picks HOXT02 numerous times on scrap paper. I also stamped it directly onto the inked background. I coloured all the faces using dylusion inks and cut out and added to the effect. I then overstamped using the complete stamp. If you look hard you can make out various faces.

This is a continuation of the idea of faceless numbers. I created a reverse mask and stamped ruler stamp from Paper Artsy into head space. On an acetate I traced the Dylusion head shape and filled it with alcohol inks. I then journalled on the actetate using black and white pens about the power of faces and stuck the acetate to the inky background.

Art Journal Page

 These pages have a simple sprayed ink background and my new stamps from Paper Artsy, Hot Picks HP1109. I used Dylusions burnt orange and blue sky for the background and added some extra colour to images using jade green.

I highlighted parts of the images and completed my journalling using a sakura white gelly roll pen.

 It was a horrible cold wet day which inspired the journalling.

Journalling into the New Year

Have had a wonderful time so far with family and friends and lots of partying and visitors but today my craft room morphed back from spare room to craft room and I had time to play. I have fallen behind in the weekly challenge at UK Stampers but I am determined to finish. Here are three of my pages. The first page reflects on my patience or lack of it depending on the circumstances. The background was built up in layers of paint and gesso. The figure is from a range of dylusion stamps stamped directly and indirectly onto the page.

I wanted it to turned around to reflect the two sides of me. The page was all green and calm to begin with and then I used fired brick distress ink to show my angrier side.

The next page is about Horoscopes and Astrology - my star sign is Aquarius so I chose a watery them and one of my favourite Stampotique stamps.

New Year Resolution - buy some daylight bulbs so I can take more accurate photos and check colours. I used Dylusion inks and wild honey distress stains to build up a watery feel using torn paper for waves. I also stenciled some stars on. I don't believe in horoscopes but always read them if I see them.

The last one is monochromatic using Dawn Bibby stamps - she was the person that got me into crafting and even if it is not really my style now the stamps still work. This page is all about wisdom and wise old owl sayings...

 I had to  include one from Winnie the Pooh as my dad always read me these stories and I always think of that owl when I think of Owls.

Have a fabulous and merry new year and I hope 2012 brings crafty fun and inky mess to a space near you.

Back to happy bright colours with a tag

This is much more back in my happy colour zone. My current favourite spiced marmalade and worn lipstick created the background with a water spritzed swirl. I used the fabulous Dependable Dolly Stamp from Dylusions whichI stamped onto the tag and another version onto dictionary pages which I cut out and coloured with distress inks. I then added crackle accents to the hat, tie,wings and legs and pieced them onto the tag. I painted the coat with a mix of distress ink and white acrylic paint and dabbed the face with some white acrylic paint. I found the heart in my bits and bobs box. Don't you just love that bird under her hat? I think this tag will end up on a journal page or on a card but at the moment she is hanging on my inspiration board.