Jeudi Journal

This week the Dylusion quote is Cancel "My Subscription I Don't Need Your Issues" and I hadn't a clue how to portray this at all.

To begin with I created a background with some lilac/purple DI's and then used a square stencil to create some interest.  I wanted to use another AAL & Create stamp on the background and so I chose to use some brushes and a ring binder spine (I think that is what it is).  Just felt that those two images were probably the most appropriate from my collection for 'subscription' and 'issues'.

Btw:  the words around the figure on the right are "A bit of this", "A bit of that", "A bit of the other", "As I said" and "You know what" - to give the illusion of "Issues".

I really enjoyed creating the figure on the right which some of you may recognise usually has a telephone on his head and another one between his feet.  I thought the short trousers, or long shorts, looked quite trendy, especially with those long socks and the boots.

This is what I enjoy most about doing my Journal on a Thursday - creating different figures from the rubber stamps I already have.  Saying that, I was thinking I needed something new to use, and on going through my stash I discovered that one set I thought was only on my wish list was actually in my box.  That cut me down from ordering.  Saved a bit of money there!  Now I have checked my database is up to date I shouldn't be duplicating my Dylusion stuff.

In the Sky or In the Air

That is the title of the challenge on Art Journal Journey set by the lovely Erika for this month.

I always seem to do my pain journal pages for the first thing in this challenge and so this morning I set to and thought about "birds", seeking out my bird stamps.  First of all I sprayed two sheets of cardstock because it was the quickest way I could think of to create a background and then I got stamping.

Spent a nice time sitting in my high backed chair with my Promarkers and my Derwent Inktense Pencils colouring in the images.  I always seem to do two images per page with them in opposite corners for my main images and then do some smaller bits scattered around the page which is going to be covered in squares for my journalling anyhow.

I went along with 'feathers' and had a lovely time using the pencils to colour them and create some nice blending - shame you can only see bits.  Perhaps I need to think out my strategy before next month.

So here it is - my "In the Sky" page for Erika at Art Journal Journey.

WOYWW 517 - the First Day of May

Another week closer to the Crop and the Anniversary.  Just need to get my thinking cap on and start making something.  Perhaps a Masterboard is in order and I can take it from there.  What on earth am I on about?  Well, go here and see all about it - Julia can explain it much better than I can.

Still not doing much crafting.  I am managing to keep up with my Journal challenge that I do with a friend of mine on a Thursday and doing prep for my workshop (fingers crossed I can get through it on the day) but that is about all.  I have lots of Dylusion figures all ready cut out and some are coloured so Thursdays is just a question of making a background and finding a figure or two to add to it.  This is the start of one of my backgrounds

To the left you can see my folder which contains most of my A4 stencils and then there is my flip journal which is the one I am using at the moment.  I used three Distress Inks direct to paper and then put a stencil on the top left and the whole of the opposite side in yet another shade of blue.

At the back you can see one of my "cubby holes" that houses the tall bottles of various things that aren't used that often.  It is as well I don't buy as much these days as I used to - I have bought things in the past that I no longer remember what to use them for.  Anyone else done that?

This is the blue card from last week - not a clue what year I did it but i do remember it was at CHA:

Well, I will leave it there, short for Julia and see you all next week for another WOYWW.

Jeudi Journal - Look Both Ways ...

"Look both ways before crossing a woman" was Wendy's choice for this week.

Now I have a confession to make.  I forgot it was Thursday!  Woke up at 4.30 am and sat in bed for a couple of hours sorting photos out on my tablet, or trying to.  Then I got up as I had to go for a blood test first thing and it was then I realised it was Thursday - and no journal done!!  

Luckily I had a background of sorts ready, it had set off as bright orange (if memory serves me right it was several DI's in oranges just swiped across the page) with some green pushed through a stencil randomly.  As usual I was not happy with it and so I swiped some Gesso across the whole lot to tone it down a bit.  Then it got left - waiting for Thursday ...

Before I went to the surgery I stamped some of AAL & Create's eyes and fingerprints on the page and scribbled the words "Left" and "Right" on a couple of times.  

When I got back I decided to go with the cat and dog again - he is always in the dog house!  She has an attitude with that stance of hers and so, along with a pair of legs for her which look as if she is about to kick him, the page was done.  Apart from another pair of eyes which I found in my Dylusion batch of ready cut out shapes that is.

So here you have it - almost lunch time but done despite a great deal of pain again today.  Boo Hoo!  Thank goodness for Chas who has helped out with the scanning and reaching things for me.  Even though my back is hurting I did have fun finishing this off and so I am entering it into Wendy's choice at Art Journal Journey - which is 'Having Fun'.

WOYWW 516

Another week, another WOYWW, anther week closer to the Crop.  Who's going?

My desk is a bit of a mess today, left like this from yesterday when I decided to have another go at my teabag workshop prep.  Finished another painted book but sorry, cannot show it you until nearer the time - just in case ...

Hope it doesn't make you seasick - it is a bit of an unusual angle.  Lace first of all, followed by a teabag book - well, it will have teabags in it later; then there are an assortment of tiny envelopes containing bits of ephemera I might use on some of my teabags; plus various teabags themselves (turmeric dyed ones, fruit tea ones, nicely stained ones and round ones).  At the top end of my counter you can see my encaustic iron and a tea towel that I have been using to provide a padded surface for ironing the teabags on.  Just in shot is a card I made in a coiuple of inutes.  It was something I brought back from CHA a couple of years ago and I tore two edges and stuck it on a piece of navy blue card and then on a blue one.  It will come in for something in the future when I don't have a card ready for an occasion.  

Hasn't it been gorgeous weather over the Easter break?  Hope you all got time out in the sunshine.  I actually made a card at weekend but forgot to scan it as I was in a hurry to get it in the post.  Sad to say it was a sympathy card as one of our friends lost their son.  It has been a most upsetting time and I have shed quite a few tears here and there.

On a brighter note here is a corner of our garden filled with forget-me-nots.  Quite appropriate under the circumstances.

Well, that is it for this week - not long now before we have the Crop.  I guess we are doing ATC's to swap - perhaps I will do round ones for a change, especially as I was doing them to take to Nijerk this year and then was unable to go.  Read all about it here and then sign up - it would be lovely to meet you all.

Just a note:  some of you read it wrongly last week - it is the GP Surgery that I have problems with, not the hospital.  Our hospital is pretty quick with responses to requests for appointments. It is not unusual to have to wait seven weeks for an appointment with a doctor at the surgery, even if the GP has requested it or a hospital test has shown up that a GP consultation is needed.

Jeudi Journal - Talking About

Wendy has chosen the themes and today it is "I'm pretty Sure You Don't Know What You're Talking About But Please Continue".

Again it is a brayer mop up page but at last, a change from greens, it is in oranges.  I tried putting some paint through a square stencil in orange but they hardly show up so I used some yellow which you can see if you look closely.  Then I used some stamps with an orange ink  to add more interest and also some bottle caps but this time in brown ink.  Oh, and my obligatory AAL & Create stamps which are words and the bunting across the top.

I am trying to portray the largest of the ladies uttering the quote whilst ignoring the other two just 'yakking' in the background with some of the AAL & Create words and some hand-written ones too.  

At the beginning I used the book landscape and chopped a bit from the bigger persons head to make it fit and then I tried it portrait style and ended up keeping it that way.  The smaller two figures are supposed to be standing a bit further back, hence them being smaller.

WOYWW 515

It's Wednesday again, time for bloggers to bare their desks and join in the longest running blog hunt in ages.  It is in its tenth year!  Why not join in - and even come along to the Crop, this year held in June - details on here.

Well, this is my desk for this Wednesday.

As you can see I have my journal out with a background page awaiting either more work and figures or just figures, depending on how I feel later on today.  To the right are some teabags that have been prepped in readiness for more work being done on them.  Another book maybe?  I could spend my whole day doing teabags, I am enjoying them so much.  I have one book of 19 teabags and a couple of cards ready but so much is inside my head

So leaving it there - that means Julia will be chuffed as she likes to keep it brief.  Maybe I will have a card to show you next time, about time you had something complete to look at - I did have two over this last week that I made but as usual, I did them last minute and forgot to scan them in.

Healthwise - my back is getting much better and I have managed to cut the medication down a little.  Each step is a step nearer to getting back to normal.  Trouble is getting an appointment with the GP is a bit of a nightmare.  Could not get one with my GP so settled for the Muskoskeletal guy and that is 43 days after the spinal x-ray.  Anyone else have this kind of problem?  Or is it just the north again?