What is the bravest thing you have done and what do I see in the mirror.

The last two Wanderlust themes have been inter-connected. What is the bravest thing  you have done and what do you see you see when you look in the mirror.

So the bravest thing I have done is let go of the past. It was weighing me down. I feel so much better without the regrets, fears, anxiety, wishing to change what cant and failures. I cant change it but I can learn and move on.

So on to what I see in the mirror. It has always fascinated me that I see the opposite in the mirror than what others see. That probably is true as I hide myself from some. I have wanted to create a stencil of myself since seeing it it in Dina Wakley's book art journal courage. What I see in the the mirror is a strong creative girl. Who loves life and is happy to be herself. However not sure that is what others see though. A Mum, wife or work colleague? So I took a picture of myself and altered through photoshop using threshold. I saved and printed onto card.

I then cut out the black bits to make a stencil. I used both sides to make my images. One I show as internal and within my head, and the other free.

I then just wrote....

Hope you like

Antique Suzani

This canvas has been inspired by Antique Suzani who does the most amazing embroidery (you should google it) and Kasia from Everything Art. It is a square canvas with paper, paints and inks.

still life

This is my attempt at still life since school as helped by an excellent lesson via Wanderlust with Teresa McFayden. I have always steered clear of still life as I am not an accurate in drawing and painting. However  she explained what to do over 3 videos and it was really inspiring. This is my jug of brushes and some hearts. Hope you like. I am so enjoying this course, there is just so much to learn and fun to be had doing it.

Marrakesh

I have joined an excellent on line class called Wanderlust. This is proving to be just what I need. So many ideas and challenges. This post encompasses 2 classes and one challenge.

Kate Crane taught us how to make a travel journel. This was fun especially as I knew I would use it for Marrakech. The journal was all painted and decorated before going so writing and pictures could be added as I went along. I also bought my self an instant camera so I could capture the moment. The result is great and I have already recorded memories.

In the next class Kasia showed what art stuff to pack when going away. I just feel I need everything which is not practicle on any level, I would a packing case! So I packed water colours, water brush and spritzer, pencils and a few journal pens. I created 3 watercolours and I am well chuffed. Who would have thought it ...me paint.

The January challenge for a load of decoart goodies was a journal page following Kasia's rule and on 'Sometimes what you are most afraid of doing is the very thing that sets you free'. In a square I was taking a picture of a snake charmer and before I knew it a snake was placed around my neck. Eek, I hate snakes. I did deem it a good subject for this challenge though. So here it is.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

What I really want is...

What I really want is..

This the prompt for the Wanderlust journal this week. With focus on travel journals I was thinking how excellent to take a photo and immediately be able to stick into a journal. So what I really want and now have is an instant camera. The first picture I forgot to take the lens cap off but the second one was good. It is one of the cats, Spook. He is looking disgusted at the weather and debating how urgently he needs to wee.

Kasia gave an excellent tuturial on composition this week. I tried but failed a little. I think my photo was too big for the journal page. #wanderlustclass

I choose the bright colours to imitate the polaroid box.

Hope you like.

My 1st week of Wanderlust.

I have joined an online journal and mixed media course called Wanderlust.

This week we started our Wanderlust journal, Kasia asked us to think of a word that describes you at this moment in time. Tired describes me to a T. I hate winter especially when raining as much as it has. Cold frosty mornings are good but we have none of them in the UK at the moment. Leaving for work in the dark and returning in the dark is not my idea of fun. Today I did leave work at 2pm so had a lovely afternoon crafting. Forget housework it will still be there tomorrow!

So brand new journal used especially for this project. I used the word tired and then all different words that can mean the same. The pictures of flowers are bleeding hearts which mocks my whinging. I love the stamp of the girl..is she hopeful, wistful, dreaming or tired.

Hope you like.

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.

June: Dragonflies and lavender.

It has been a very busy and at times traumatic month so only posting this just in time. I painted the background using acrylic paints and stencils. The border was made using my new indigo blue stamps. For the lavender I used inktense watercolours. The dragonfly was made with a mixture of inktense and pastels. Sorry this is just a short blog. Will try better next month.

Fionax

Travel

This weeks craft barn challenge is travel. It my is my Dads birthday this week and he use to sail an enterprise called Mad Moggy no E12929 every weekend. He probably still would if he could. So it is fitting that his birthday card has a boat on it.

A cople of months ago I learnt how to iris fold at the Tuesday craft club. One of the designs in Dawns book was a boat an I knew then it would be perfect for Dad. I needed to make a background thouhg so out came the inks and stencils and a sea and sunny sky was made...well sort of.

Hope you like.

Night and Day

When on holiday recently we looked across the bay and saw what looked liked a giant owl with glowing yellow eyes. In the day we could not make out the shape at all and assumed it was how the beach lift there was lit. But what if it wasn't. What is night shows the true image...

So the craft barn gave a challenge night and day and this gave me an oportunity to explore. I started with 2 tags and grunge pasted a skull on each. I gesso'd one black and one white. On the day one I painted it pale blue and added rocks and a red and white lighthouse. On the night one I added a black lighthouse and highlighted the skull.

I then decided to make a journalling page out of it all. No white space - sorry Dina  I forgot about that but I did ground my lines. I hope this fits in okay with the day and night challenge.

Craft Barn Callendar: magenta and flowers.

This month is magenta and flowers. This threw me a little, what colour is magenta..pink, mauve, redy purple and also I am not good with flowers. But hay hoy thats why it is a challenge.

I started with an idea by Anna-Karen Evaldsson from May edition of craft stamper. I used grunge paste through a flower stencel, using just the flower bits and not the leaves. Anna-Karen then used water colours and stamps. I used stronger water colour background using my ink tense pencils and blocks but went for stronger colour and more flicking. Less is suppose to be more..pah! I added colour to the petals so the flowers stood out and used distress ink put on with cotton buds and smudged. Oh and a butterfly stamp in an ink that would blur when wet. Lastly I added some silvery/lilac guilding wax to bring out the texture of the flowers. For the month I stamped straight over the picture. I had to go over with a pen as ink didnt show as strong as I wanted.

Hope you like, I think I have a magenta...just.

Edgar Allan Poe

Well I have had fun with this. I watch a programme called The Following which is about a serial killer called Joe Carroll and he is obcessed with Poe. A friend suggested I made something in tribute to them both. I have to say I do like doing dark things from time to time.

I started with an mdf tryptic. I took of the hinges and painted the whole lot in black gesso. This was to be my canvas. I then built up layers using texture paste, stencils, stamps and heat embossing. The images of Poe are from the computer, the lighthouse a die cut and a picture of a victorian lady to represent Annabel Lee. Around the edges I used thick black lace with a little deep red lace. This I went over with ultra thick embossing powder and stampendous aged black embosing enamel. Never done this on ribbon but the effect is excellent and it was great fun to do. Finaĺly some metal embellishments and son red roses. Hope you like.

Quintessentially English

I went to Cromer at Easter and nothing is more English than the traditional seaside and pier. Cromer is a lovely place and being a beautiful sunny day lots of people were on the pier and beach and some of the beach huts were open. I have chosen the beach huts as my project as I love them so much and is my dream to own one prefrable on the the North Norfolk Coast.

I used a JOFY beach hut stamp and then painted them with water colour paints. This will be made into a birthday card for some one special.