Jeudi Journal - Feel Fabulous

"If it doesn't make you feel fabulous, don't do it, don't buy it, don't keep it" is my next quote from Dyan's Dylusion Range.  An already done background made with Distress Inks in Broken China proved to be a bit on the patchy side guess it was just one I started ages ago.  So I decided to go over it with some Mustard Seed to turn the blue into a green.  Ugh!

In an attempt to cover the yellow and the green up I used Salty Ocean and put it all over - revealing some stencilling underneath!!!  This had not been apparent before so I have no idea where it came from but I looked through my stencils and used it in bits all over the page.

I wanted to use the figure with the stockings on and elbow length gloves and so I tried various heads to go with it eventually settling for one without any hair so that I could go to town with the hat/head dress.  This time I used leaves but coloured them in in purple and orange building it as high as I could due to the page restriction.  

I so wanted to put a skull in her hand and so that meant that she could only have one ear ring as I chose the cherries this time and didn't want it to become too crowded.  

The final touch?  Her stockings had to be something like American Tan and so they got a rather strong flesh coloured Promarker on them and ... a bit of black pen made them have a patterned lacy top - well they do provide the final touch of 'fabulous' don't they?

No polka-dots, stripes or plaid as this had been done a couple of weeks ago in readiness for our challenge but I did think that with a bit of luck I could squeeze in with that background being a 'pattern' even though it is quite subtle.  Wonder if Erika over at Art Journal Journey would mind.  Hope the moderators, Elizabeth and Susi think it is ok.

Maybe we could even count the stripes on the leaves?

WOYWW 538

"Another Day Another Dollar - Another Week Another WOYWW.  September is almost through and it will be Christmas before we know it, the days are going just that bit too fast for me.  Did a card the other day for a Mingle I was in and put it in the envelope without taking a scan of it to show you.  However I was up in the night for an hour or so and began using some of the Laurel Burch cats I had already coloured in to make some cards I wanted to post out to say thank you for some flowers I had had sent.  

Starting left we have a postcard from the lovely Tracey Easson which is covering a package she sent to me with a little project for me to do whilst my back is bothering me (to take my mind off things).  Won't show you until it is finished.

Then we have the Laurel Burch cards I made at the back plus some of the cats waiting to be put on more cards - plus a mountain of butterflies.  Oops, I can see a very dirty water jar there extreme right, how remiss of me.  The kitchen roll is one I used to use when I was doing a background in my journal, I used it to roll over the whole page taking some of the ink/paint off to help it dry more quickly.  The kitchen roll usually turns out good too - for backgrounds!  It's there for when I start doing backgrounds again.

Just my usual stash of things that are always there in the little cubby holes ready for when I need to use them.   One of the canisters/containers must have leaked as I found a 'crusty' little mess on my desk a while ago - still don't know which one it was.  The shiny thing behind the two cards is my tin for my Gelli Plate.  I didn't even think to move it before I took the photo but when I came to crop them i saw my reflection in it.  Good job I got to crop the photo and therefore mostly remove it.

Well, that is it for this week folks.  Hope you all had a good week and there is another ahead.

Health Update:

Hate to tempt fate and all that but I really do think the chiropractor is helping.  I went out on a 'jaunt' last Thursday and apart from a couple of twinges which we soon sorted out with a bit of massage and a hot water bottle (yes we travel everywhere with a hot water bottle and large flask of hot water) I had a relatively pain free day.  Friday was a mixed day, but not as bad as it has been.  Then the weekend was much the same as Thursday, this time very little pain both days until early evening but again quickly sorted.  Monday was a different story - had another of my awful days spent mainly in the chair with a hot water bottle and the occasional ice pack.  Occasional because I needed the hot water bottle most of the time.

Yesterday was an ice/heat/rest kind of day but not as bad as it has been.  I expect I will get days where I am in pain but at least I am having some life now and then. Sorry about this folks but I feel a bit like sticking two fingers up to the national health people who told me it could not be cured, that chiropractors and the such like were a waste of money.  Glad I believed in the power of prayer and the intervention that He was sending me.  Thanks for the prayers folks, means a lot.

Just Scraping One in for Erika

Here is another entry for Erika's challenge over on Art Journal Journey.  I took a photo of this one and almost forgot to post it.  Seeing the date reminded me I needed to get another in the post quickly.  Again it is one of my magazine collages done Dyan style.

Once more it is a mop up brayer type background with some numbers stencilled over and then white pen added to accent them a little.  Do you think it would pass for a plaid as I did brayer one way and then the other?  I then put a border around the edges with black ink just to bring in the circle element for the challenge.  

She definitely has polka dots on the sleeves of her top and you can see I have drawn some checks on her waistcoat, not really plaid I know, but there are stripes beneath the waistcoat which again have been drawn on with white pen.

Hoping this counts towards Erika's challenge on Art Journal Journey - will leave it there and get it linked.  See you soon.

Jeudi Journal - Please Come Again

This week the quote is not as nice as it sounds because I have only shown half of it in the title.  It finishes with "when you can't stay so long".

Against an autumnal orange and gold background (Distress Inks)I have two figures, one has a dog and is seeing the other one out.  I know it is that way because the other person has a coat on, not just because I created the page.  Mind you if I went visiting someone I think I would be glad to leave when I saw that they were wearing a tree branch in their hair. Shame because the little dog is rather cute with his heart shaped patch.  All figures coloured, as usual, with Promarkers.

Nothing much to say about this journal page other than it fits in well with the criteria required over at Art Journal Journey this month where Erika has asked for polka-dots, stripes, plaids and patterns (one or a mixture).  Plenty of the criteria going on here - we have some polka-dots in the background and some large ones on tree ladies apparel - the other person has a striped bow at the neck and plenty of pattern in the jacket, under garment and trousers.  Not to mention some polka-dots on the sleeve of the jacket.

Wonder what Wendy has for us this week?

WOYWW 537

Not much to show on the desk again this week.  Did mean to show you a t-shirt I have been painting but cannot find the photograph taken earlier.  Still, that will do next week maybe.  In the meantime this is my desk, with a couple of Journal Pages on it:

I want to enter into the challenge on Art Journal Journey (with our very own Elizabeth (and Bleubeard) at the helm alongside Susi).  The challenge is to use polka-dots, stripes, plaid, pattern or any one of these, not necessarily all of them.

Here's a complete view of my Journal which is done with magazine collage on a painty background.

The background was left over brayer paint and then I put some numbers on with a deeper ink colour through a stencil, outlined in white Posca pen.  Then I stamped some circles (polka-dots?) with Sepia ink and attached my bird.  Apparently he haunts Art from the heart so if you go up there one dark night you might see him flitting about and collecting leaves in readiness for his new home build.

Health Update:

Went to pain management clinic and they have given me some websites to look at prior to enrolling me on the group study (which I did not want) in October.  Sounds as if they really do believe this pain will stay with me for ever.  

Tried to come off the codeine myself - terrible symptoms.  The worse is the restless legs and so I am having very little sleep.  Will be up early in the morning or maybe I will fall asleep - time will tell. Still, there are those who are a lot worse off than me.

More Stripes, Polka-Dots and Patterns

Another entry for Erika's challenge on Art Journal Journey.  Very similar to the last one with the Teesha Moore type border and the figure cut from various parts of magazines in the centre on a brayered background.  I am not good with a brayer and these pages were covered rather quickly so the border covers up most of the background and it doesn't remind me of what I cannot do.

This time I have a rather quirky lady in the centre of my page, again sitting on a brayered background.  Actually it is a "clean off background" just like the previous one where I have literally pounced the brayer over the page when I have been brayering something else.  Hence all the white bits.  She reminds me of Sue Pollard from  'Hi De Hi' fame.  Do you like her hair which was done with a white pen?  The top of her body is a handbag, the skirt is a hat and I drew a cobweb effect on for a veil.  She has a pair of rather shapely polka-dot legs hasn't she - well tights I suppose.  She must have her arms tucked inside her top as you cannot see them (did I forget them - only I know the truth?)

Again most of the criteria set by Erika has been covered, I just missed out on the tartan again, but you can see patterns and stripes and more dots in the frame.  Will I do another one?  We will have to wait and see, I certainly have enjoyed supporting Erika and Art Journal Journey with these collages.  Why do I enjoy quirky stuff so much?

Stripes, Polka Dots and Patterns

I wanted to do another journal page entry for Art Journal Journey and so I thought of using some magazine collaging for a change from my usual Dylusion figures.  In this case the figure, to fit in with the criteria is wearing a top that is striped.  Erika has asked for either polka-dots, stripes, plaids or patterns and if you look there are polka-dots and patterns forming the frame around the journal page.  You don't have to include them all so I only included what I could find.

This was done in the style of Teesha Moore by cutting various patterns from a magazine to provide the frame for the central figure who is sitting on a brayered background.

Not too unlike my Dylusion figures this one is made up from various bit of magazine pictures.  The head is separate from the body and the bow in her hair is actually from a perfume bottle.  Her skirt is a handbag which I thought could be used in this way.  I love the pattern on her fishnet tights and the way her shoes lace up provide us with yet another pattern.  I doubt very much I could walk in anything with a heel that height these days.  What about you?

Now I have the 'bug' for doing more of these so watch out, Erika I will be back.

Just realised I have cut the border off from the base of the page.  When I saw it as a thumbnail prior to publishing I didn't realise it was my page.  Oops!

Jeudi Journal - Ugh

Another pre-stamped page to begin with.  It was simply a border and the centre was filled with buildings.  "Ugh People!!" is the quote which lent itself, imo, to a dog and figures of "people".  So my page got filled up with the tiny figures I once bought for my Dylusion Dyary.  The buildings were coloured with Arteza pens as before but you can hardly see them for the amount of figures I have used. After all, it is people and not buildings that are in the quote.

I would have liked to include a male figure in the line up but apart from using a magazine one as I once did I had no male heads in the Dylusion stamps (call out to Dyan maybe).  So I found my skeleton heads with top hats on.  Cutting a beret from one of the figures I replaced it with a lot of fiddling about, but the mouth and glasses rather give it away as being feminine.

Perhaps with a bit of afterthought I would have put the figures lower down on the page and let some of the buildings show through.

Lucky for me the border had dots all around it and bigger circles (or part circles) so it can be entered into Art Journal Journey for Erika's challenge this month.  What luck!

WOYWW 536

Well, here we are again - another Wednesday - another WOYWW - these weeks are simply flying by.  It will be Christmas before we know it - hush - we have Halloween before that - but as I don't make Halloween cards to send out it doesn't quite matter as much.  I do like a good old Halloween display though.

Not been doing much crafting.  I do have a little project on the go but it is like walking in glue with it as I have only been able to do a tiny bit at once, I need to be in my craft room to do it.  Not too far off finishing but then it is only a tiny project.  Can't show you as yet, it wouldn't be worth it for what little there is of it so you will just have to wait.

I can, however show you two cards that I missed putting on here when I first did them, waiting for the recipients to get them.  Both were for "Mingle challenges" on one of my favourite internet groups.  The first one was to make something that was black and white with a hint of colour.  For this I chose to use white embossing powder on a black background.

The words are a bit squiffy aren't they, they were done in black with clear embossing powder over the top and the touch of colour was on the stems of the stylised flowers - you can just about see the pale green.

My second card was another of my Laurel Burch purchases.  Bought to make a card for my 'horse mad' little friend who has a birthday coming up.  Hope she likes it as she is only 12 and may not understand Spirit Horses and why I have coloured them as I have.  Anyway, the one I am showing you today was for a "Rainbow" swap and I coloured the horses in various shades of the colours of the rainbow.

Richard Of York Gave Battle In Vain - gives you the colours of the rainbow - red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet.  That's how I remember them.

So that is it for this week, no desk as such hope I am forgiven, but here is a

health update:

Last week I told you I had a window of 'no pain' on the Monday.  Well, it happened again on Saturday and I had a good day with less tablets than usual, same on Sunday so I was getting quite hopeful.  But then on Monday it started off well but soon the pain was back. Tuesday not good either but it is back to the chiropractor on Friday and then on Tuesday next I will be having my first session with Pain Management.  No doubt I will report honestly on the latter.  See you next week!

Are You Still Talking? Jeudi Journal

The latest challenge for Wendy and myself is the quote "Are You Still Talking" from Dyan of Dylusion fame.  

I forgot to write this post up and did it a couple of weeks ago so I 'think' I used Distress Inks for the background.  It was just a fairly plain background in yellows and oranges, see I am using those bright sunny colours again whilst I can, with some text stamped very faintly which could hardly be seen on a scan so I added some more dots in Sepia so I could enter it into Art Journal Journey where Erika has asked for Polka Dots amongst other patterns.  I could have left it, and in many ways wish i had, as the figures all feature polka dots on their clothing.

I chose two figures of a similar size who are saying "are you still talking?" and a larger figure who has "blah blah blah" going all around her head.  This says she is 'rabbiting on' and the other two are being a tad sarcastic.

This was a reasonably easy one to do but again those figures would have done for many other sayings if you think about it.

WOYWW 535

Cor blimey, it's September already and here we are with Ms Julia again and her WOYWW blog hop.  Pop along to find out what I am on about.  To explain it a bit more here is my desk, photo taken yesterday in readiness for the hoppity hop hop.

Yes, rather set up.  It was Shaz mentioning those ColorBox tools (see the RH pot) last week.  Those are mine.  The pot is a can I made years ago when on a CHA workshop.  It was using Lumiere paints and we painted the can first of all, then stuck some sand like stuff on to give it a bit of texture, a picture and some plastic buttons.  I still remember it well.  It is finished off with a piece of string tied around the top for a handle

Couldn't show you that one without showing you my funny faces.  This was one I made with my friend, Liz Welch a few years ago on one of our weeks away crafting.  It was not long after she had done a Nolitex exhibition where she made this HUGE pocket watch and covered it in faces for numerals.  Well, she had me putting some gauze type fabric on a can, wrinkling it up and then painting it. It must have had some kind of stiffener in it before I coloured and draped it on.  Next was to make those little faces with paper clay.  Each one had to have a different expression so it was good fun making eyes, noses and ears in different ways.  Wish I could find a photograph of her pocket watch, it really was something rather special.  She had it on a wall in a spare bedroom later and I was thrilled one weekend to be sleeping in the bed by the side of it.  Hard to believe she is no longer with us.  Such a talented lady.

Well, this is turning into a lot of chit cat and, as it is Tuesday evening when I am writing this, I am falling asleep.  Think I dropped off twice already!  Just before I leave you, remember the little guy I asked you to identify a short while ago?  Well here he is and as you can see he is a hand held fan - perfect for the hot sunny days we had.  He came, originally, filled with sweets.  Think he can go away until next year now though.  Don't you?

Health Update:

Nothing to report really.  My chiropractor is on holiday as I mentioned last week so no treatment until the 13th.  Bad weekend but then Monday brought about three hours of 'no pain'.  I was beginning to think something had moved in my back and it was over.  No such luck and yesterday was a bad day again.  Ah well, Rome was not built in a day.  And there's a lot worse than me out there.  I keep reminding myself - I have 'hope' and I have 'faith'.