Wanderlust

This year I am starting on an exciting journey called Wanderlust. I hope learn new things, meet new people and have the most amazing fun.

December means trees and gold and silver of course.

I made this page from all sorts of bits and pieces I had kept over the year. The off cuts of paper and ribbons that might just come in useful. I havent been on my blog much recently and hope to remedy this in the new year. I thougt I would refect on what has beena bit of a roller coaster of a year through each month.

January: Never a good month for me so snow drops wer a good theme. Hope that spring is round the corner.

February: I am not a slushy valentine person so did my on take on it. Also Farnborough craft show.

March: Spring is here, excellent. Plus a long weekend with my friend Vicky and Dina Wakeley. I got shingles just before but did not spoil the fun. Then an excellent Holiday with the Husband.

April: We made the decision to move house. The husbands job is under threat so down sizing and mortgage free is the way to go. Also I started a level 5 management course which is both scary and exciting.

May: I work in a doctors surgery and on the 6th one of the GP's died unexpectedly at the grand age of 46. On the Monday evening we said goodbye on our wayout and at 6am on Tuesday I had a phone call to say he had died during the night. This was an aweful time. I had to phone patients to cancel their appointments and explain that the doctor had died. On the first day I probably phoned about 50. It was hard to deal with the patients emotions while keeping mine in check. It was hard to be pink and flowers this month.

June: Dragon flies and lavender this month. I love lavender! Also learnt about brushos at the craft barn. I love them.

July: The house is sold yay. And more brushos at the craft barn. Finding work, course work and crafting hard to juggle. Craft wise doing the bare minimum.

August: Had enough of sweet and pretty and went for scary and gothic. My favourite. Holiday to Salzburg where we did all things sound of music. The city is beautiful I would reconmend it to all.

September: A course in Cornwall with Vicky and the talented Linda Knight. Marvellous!

October: Work and the course taking over everything. Only just get calender page done. We have been told our move is immenent so have packed up craft room and decluttered house garage etc.

November: Latest assignment is stress in the work place. Pah I have 2 people off with stress and working all hours. Makes for an interesting assignment if only I had time. Have you ever been so tired that you could just sit and cry? Also chain collapsed so delay on moving and husband has been given notice of redundancy. On a high note went with Vicky, Ann and Jenny to the nec craft show and signed up for Wanderlust 2016. A year long course in mixed media. Also new doctors have started at so patients are now happier as we have appointments!

December: It has been a long year. Some good and some not so good. It is always lovely to meet up and celebrate with family with good food and wine. So here is to the next. We have just chosen another house so fingers crossed. Onwards and upwards as they say.

Sorry if this has been a ramble but it is good to share so I am told. Happy Christmas and a Wonderful New Year.

Grey and Owl for November

Hi, just got in by the skin of my teeth. Hope you like.

Orange and Pumkins. It has to be halloween!

The calender challenge this month is orange and pumpkins. No one does halloween as well as graphic 45 paper. So I got all my off cuts and put them together to make what I hope you agree is a good page.

September is leaves and the colour brown.

I just love Autumn, the smells, colours and promise of new beginnings. I think it has to do with starting a new year at school with a new uniform and stationary. I always thought right! This year I will do better, stop my day dreaming, get more confidence, do my homework and keep my things looking nice. This lasted at most till October. Day dreaming was more fun than reallity back then. I still love new stationary though.
I drew my leaves on book paper and cut them out and coloured each on with a differnt wash. The back ground was made using dylusion sprays through stencils made by the cut out leaves. I used a thin layer of gesso to lighten where the leaves go. It then dawned on me I need to fit in a calendar. I stamped over the picture and embossed. Think it works just. Finally I used inktense darken the edge of the leaves and aquarable to partition off the leaves.

Hope you like.

August: pink and butterflies

After dragon flies and beach huts I feel the need for something less cutesy. There is alot of butterfly pictures about including butterflies as hair or as peoples wings.. This is a take on that but with a scary girl picture. Other than the girl the rest of images come from a bag of paper bits I bought in a little shop in Walsingham Norfolk. It cost all of £2 and I still have lots left. I stained the background and butterfly by using acrylic ink and then sprayed with water. I scanned the calender into the computer and enlarged to superimpose the month of August. Finally I edged in black soot.

Hope you like. I am quite pleased with the result.

July is turquoise and beach huts.

Hi

I really enjoyed making the July calender page. I love summer, the sea and beach huts. Recently I took park in a brusho course at the Craft Barn and it is such fun and not too messy. I must remember less is more when it comes to shaking out the powder.

I used water coloure pressed card and sprinkled torquoise and lemon brushos on and spritzed with water to make the back ground. Next on seperate water colour card I clear stamped and heat embossed in black the beach huts. I again colured these using the brushos. After they were dry I cut them out and stuck them on the page. Finally I put on the calendar and added a little ditty about beach huts by Ann Perrin.

Hope you like.