WOYWW 377

Another week has gone swiftly by and I still have not got on with my crafting.  I did make a bag for my Misti however and another 'roll' for my paintbrushes, the BIG ones this time.

Oh, and I made a birthday card for a friend of mine (friend's son actually) who is a Chief Inspector in the Police.  Hope he liked the card!  Here it is

Not sure he has worn a helmet like this one for a while but I did colour the bird in his favourite (claret and blue) colours and tried to keep them throughout the whole card.

So this is my desk this morning.  As you can see I have been using up my Tim Holz fabric.

That's my new Misti bag in the foreground.  I made it padded so that if I drop it it won't break. Behind it is my roll for my large paintbrushes and my small one rolled up is to the right.  You can see my black Misti shopping bag which I got from CHA in January, to the right of it is my big clock which I am supposed to be altering ... and ... my iron.  Must be honest this is staged for you as there was nothing on my desk except the iron and I wanted to show you my sewing.

I'm off to a workshop in Manchester tomorrow and Iliana, the inventor of the Misti tool will be there and also at the show in Leigh over the weekend.  I'll be taking my Misti and my little die cutting machine from last week to Leigh and would love to see some of you if you live within striking distance.  Good opportunity to ask question of Iliana whilst she is in this country.  

Now Jan, Annie, Jo and other fabric people look at this - my favourite fabric stash.  Some is Tim Holtz, some Graphic 45 and one is all cats.  There is one piece that is very orange and is composed of squares with African animals on it.  Apart from the last one (yes, Jan I found it) I do not know what I am going to make with these fabrics.  I'm no stitcher either but as soon as Jan has moved, is settled and ready for sewing she is making me a bag for my iPad with some of the African fabric - arranged months, if not years ago.

If you are good I might show you some next week in more detail.  In the meantime I think it is time to visit our Julia and see what she has to say and then click on to the links for more deskers.  See You!

Jeudi Journal - Time Page

Oh heck - nearly forgot to post.  Was up early to do some baking as a friend is coming shortly and completely got lost in baking and cleaning.

Like a complete ninny I have just gone and taken a photograph of my two pages and turning to my computer find I had already done them. So without further ado here are my two pages - not that we had to do two, just that I did one and then thought of the other.

The first page was one of my "Weird figures" according to Chloe (see yesterday's post)

I do enjoy doing these but realise they do not appeal to everyone, so I did another

using Archie, one of my favourite characters from PaperArtsy

A bit void of colour and looking at it now I wish I had put some more colour on the already inked background, used some stencils - anything.  As it is I just used a piece of scrap (you know, the paper you put underneath your work to catch all the bits of paint, ink etc) to stamp Archie on and then cut him out - minus legs which were stamped direct to the page.  The white clock face has Glossy Accents on the numerals for a bit of texture and that is it.

Now to get on with next week's page and to make sure I blog in time. Oh dear - I really am the original dizzy blonde!

WOYWW 376

This is going to have to be a Julia "special" post - ie short.  I am up to my eyeballs in getting ready for doing a presentation later this morning.  As per usual I am at the last minute and certainly not looking my best.

Yesterday was my day out with my friend Naomi and her little girl (who is growing up so fast and maybe not so "little" these days) so I did not begin what I should have done until this morning.  Woe is me!

We went out but later came back and sat in the garden under the shade of a big umbrella.

That was not until we had had a rummage in my craft room.  Result was Chloe wanted to "draw faces like you do aunty".  So out came the paper and pencils and we spent a happy hour or so learning how to draw whimsical faces.  I dread her asking for painting sessions next time. But I tell you, she did a superb job and for a nearly nine year old her work was impressive.  Now I just need to get her using her pencil lightly.  Wish I had taken some photographs of her work.  

Sorry but this is my desk - no time to clear it from yesterday when Chloe told me in no uncertain terms she thought my art journal was "weird" apart form the cat and dog page which she liked. Animal mad!

close up showing new paints

journal page and my old faces

Well, that is it, must get my shower and up and ready.  Hope you all pop along to see Julia and follow on with some of the links (if not all ...).  Enjoy!

btw if you have time Julia's post from Monday was really informative - great idea re presents.

WELCOME to Mi Schra my newest follower - hope you find something of interest on my blog.

Three Posts in One Week!!!

Unheard of in ages.  Me doing three posts in one week.  OK so Wendy has spurred me on to doing two a week in that we have this personal challenge going on for 'Jeudi Journal' but for me to post something else is amazing.  For me to do something else and remember to take a photograph is amazing.

My niece has this adorable little boy and it is his second birthday today so I had to make him a card. Could have bought one but as I made all her birthday cakes when she was small I think the least I can do now is to make his birthday cards.  Was late making this card, well, in starting it, so it was on my mind on Wednesday when I went to bed.  Woke up around 3 am and decided I could not get back to sleep so got up and began his card.  Here is the result - although it was finished off much later in the morning.

it is an easel card so here it is open

I really struggled for an image for a little boy.  Have lots of little girl things because of Chloe (friend's little girl who is 9 now so have had lots to buy along the way) but little boys are a different thing altogether.  I thought at two he was a bit old for teddies, not old enough for the couple of boy images I have so I went down the road of 'Gnomes'.  Thought it was an opportunity for "colour" which he could maybe relate to.  Just hope mummy realises how it goes together.  I'm sure she will, she is a bright young mummy and it isn't exactly rocket science.

It took me longer to do the bunting and get it to fit than it did to do the images.  Or so it seemed by the time I was finishing the second attempt.  Me and my bright ideas.

Because the Gnomes and their gardening skills make me smile when I am looking at them I am linking this to Annie's Smiles this week.

Happy Birthday Jackson!

Jeudi Journal Challenge

Another Thursday, or should I say Jeudi?  This time the topic chosen was to do a Double Page Spread.  Last time I was down at Wendy's I stamped a couple of Dyan's characters that I hadn't got and so I have used them in my DPS for today.

Am beginning to regret having done the background pages, or so many at any rate, as I would have made the background much less intense than it is.  Perhaps a different colour too.  It was difficult for the inked images to show up.  Anyhow, here goes:

Hope I am not insulting anyone but does the bulldog not remind you a little bit of the late Warren Clarke?

WOYWW 375

Here we are, another Wednesday visit to WOYWW Queen Julia's Blog which leads us to all corners of the earth.  Try it - you might get hooked - you will certainly make lovely friends along the way.

Well, what is on my workdesk today?  Last Saturday we had the lovely Tracy Scott at our workshop at Victoria Stampers which was quite a stray away from what is normally done.  Despite not being ladies who paint I think they all enjoyed the day, certainly Tracy's infectious love of painting whimsical faces permeated throughout the room and got to us all.

Always one who never gets to the end, but I hope I am improving, my journal came home with an unfinished face in it.  On Monday I was suffering with an upset tummy, so, unlike me, I spent most of the day in bed.  Yesterday it was up and off to the doctors (for a blood test with the nurse) and then on to Ikea for the mirror we wanted - that had gone and was now discontinued!!!  Then on for Chas's wireless headphones - no longer stocked!!!

Feeling glum we came back and I fell asleep, woke up, had some poached fish and then got stuck into my journal and the face.

So here it is - do you think I am improving?  Be honest, brutal even ...

OK, she has rather a long neck, but I wanted something different and my little redhead was born with a long neck to show off her pretty pointy chin and turban.  Or so I say. Will I leave it there?  That remains to be seen, I cannot stop playing around if I am honest, and I wonder whether to put some stamping or stencilling around her. Only time will tell.

Oops!  You came for the desk ...

My paints are out of shot but you can see my lovely Prisma's that Chas bought me a couple of years ago for Christmas.  Not used nearly enough but I had coveted the box that my friend Mary had (in America) for too long so when the offer came on at Dick Blick's he made the most of it.

The pages are the ones I took from Craft Stamper when Tracy did a four part article on how to do her faces - really good for reference. Tracy has just got a set of her NEW stamps that she has designed for Stampotique and they are gorgeous.  Just look at the little character she made at one of her workshops based on George, one of her Stampotique characters.

Isn't he adorable?  You can see all of her stamps here and they can be preordered - but not until I have got mine.

See you later, I have a card to make for a two year old - and clear my desk up.

Jeudi Journal - An Insect Other Than a Butterfly

Who ever considers a butterfly as an insect anyway?  They are too beautiful to class them along with beetles and 'roaches etc.  Although some would say beetles are beautiful too - anyway, enough of that, sorry, I cannot be a beetle fan unless they are on display in a glass case.

Last week I felt a bit of a cheat with an almost completed page being used for my challenge with Wendy so here I have done a double page spread in my large journal.

The page was already painted in pink from my time down at Wendy's when we tried to use up some of my Ranger Dabbers.  I have since stencilled the leaves using the bump technique and then mixed some of the Dylusion Images which I love doing, to make different characters.  The feet of the speaker are from a magazine but everything else is stamped and painted.  Don't you just love those caterpillars at the base of page two?

Now I am off to see what Wendy has done.