Jeudi Journal - Act Your Age

 This week the theme we are working to over at Art Journal Journey with Elizabeth and Bleubeard is "Recycle, reuse, repurpose". The Snarky comment I have to use with Wendy is from Tim Holtz again and is "age".  

The background was done with various inks and some bits of torn pages from both an atlas and from a very old book.  It went from yellow and pink to red and then to orange with a bit of toning down with white acrylic paint.  Eventually I got spraying and we ended up with what you see.   Again I have used my cut off bits of cardstock to stamp my figures on so this is a good challenge for me as my stash is going down nicely.

"Even though she was now seventeen Laila loved to play with her two younger brothers, Eric and George.  They were having so much fun with the dog, Rufus, and a cricket ball that she simply had to join in.

Both boys thought it rather funny that their big sister should play outside in the park with them.  They tittered to one another as they made fun of her wondering what on earth she would do if one of her "fancy friends" happened to walk by.

Eric, the younger and chubbier one of the two boys, thought that even Rufus the dog looked bemused at the antics of Laila.  You see, Laila was a pretty girl, always way ahead with fashion.  She had a regular manicure and the hairstylist at the local salon was always ready with some up and coming style for her.  So you see, although playing in the garden at home was the norm, to behave like this for Laila seemed a little strange and out of character.

On the other hand 'she could see no good reason to act her age' as where she was.  After all, if one of her friends wondered why she was playing cricket, or even just playing with her two younger brothers in the park she would tell them that exercise like that helped her keep her trim figure and besides which, the boys kept her young at heart and she loved them."

WOYWW 723

 What a mixed Easter we had.  Good Friday the weather was beautiful, warm and sunny.  Saturday was very much the same, lovely and warm, at last we are having a lovely Spring day and it is leading us into Summer.  Or so I thought!  Woke up Sunday morning to sunshine so a quick breakfast and off we set for a walk.

Thank goodness we had put our coats in the car, it was a very cold wind that greeted us as we walked down the promenade.  How I wished I had taken a woolly hat with me, my poor ears were so cold.  My hands frozen.  So the day out, the picnic lunch all appeared to be needing putting on hold.  So much for a day at the seaside.

Easter Monday was a wash out in more ways than one, as it rained on and off and so it became a day for crafting.  Well, the afternoon did and so, to my desk which was the table.  Yes, we weren't at home so my supplies were all packed up and they travelled with me.  A lovely day getting my ATC's done.  Here we are before I show you anything I don't want you to see yet:

Tuesday evening brought terrible storms.  A bit scary at times with high winds and a rocking caravan.  Well, maybe not rocking like a rocking chair but certainly it got caught in the gusts.  That and a very poor internet reception did not make for ease in blogging but I've managed this far and so I'll leave it there for now and do some editing when I get home after lunch.

In the meantime I will do my best to link up with the other WOYWW'ers and join in the search to see what others have done.  See you over at WOYWW.

Jeudi Journal - All Together

This week the Tim Holtz Snarky Comment is "I've got it all together but I forgot where I put it" and I really wanted to change one or two of the words but have stuck with what Sir Tim said.  My story is a bit long but you know me, once I get going I could write a novel.  I really could not make it any shorter as I do like to set the scene.  So sit back, have a cuppa and let me know what you think.

This month at Art Journal Journey it is Elizabeth and Bleubeard who have chosen the challenge theme for the month - Recycle,  Reuse, Repurpose - and for my journal page I have used two figures stamped and cut from some left over scraps of paper.  That is why I have chosen small figures for my page this time.  I have also used some images from Janet Klein which I had stamped and cut out previously for a card but not used and similarly I used some presents, balloons and a hat left over from a previous card making session with Tim Holtz and his Crazy Birds.  It is good to get your stash of things down in this way.  Thanks Elizabeth and Bleubeard.  Now to my story:

Sandy was the perfect sister, aunty, cousin, best friend.  She always put herself out for everyone around her and sadly, she got put on.  Not that she noticed, she just thought that if a job needed doing, as who wanted it doing they only had to ask and she would go out of her way to accommodate them.

Her older sister was a prime example, always relying on Sandy to do the odd baby sitting job at the drop of a hat, or in her case, at the press of the buttons on her cell phone.  She would just ring Sandy and expect her to come running.  Didn't matter if Sandy was already going out, her social life mattered more than Sandy's.  After all, Sandy was single and had all the time in the world whereas she was stuck at home all day with two little ones and a house to run so if a girl friend rang she needed to go out, she deserved it.

Her best friend, Laurie, was just as bad.  They had always done everything together but suddenly Laurie's cousin had moved to the area and now Sandy was left out of a lot of things, that was until the cousin couldn't make it to go somewhere and then Sandy was expected to fill the gap - and she did, time after time.

Things, however, came to a head one day.  Her sister had wanted a party for her twins.  Now Peter and Petra were adorable, Sandy loved them to bits and would do anything for them so the prospect of helping her sister organise a party was just perfect.  She had even enlisted the help of Laurie who was always top of the class when it came to Art and so seemed to be the best person to have on board.

Laurie had been asked to make a banner with drawings of tiny woodland creatures on it, the twins would love it.  Her sister, Kate, the mother of the twins, was making a birthday cake and some fancy cupcakes and half the neighbourhood had been invited.  Every time the phone rang it was Kate telling Sandy there were at least another two children attending the party.

Sandy had spent an age doing shopping for various bits of party food that would delight the children and she had booked a children's entertainer for part of the afternoon.  Party games were organised, it was all going  smoothly, maybe too smoothly.

The phone started ringing and it was Kate on the other end, "can you pick a birthday cake up on your way to ours?" she asked, "I've had a total disaster with this one and it simply will not do so it's in the bin."  "Oh, and do you know of any other entertainers, I've just heard that the one you booked has had an accident and broken his leg.  You will sort something out won't you.  Bye, must dash, lots to do."

"Brring, Brring", the phone started ringing again.  This time it was Laurie, "Sorry, the banner won't do, next door's dog came and ran off with it when it was drying on the back lawn and I haven't time to do anything else, besides which my cousin has come over and she needs to talk.  Sorry." and she put the phone down.

Poor Sandy just stood there.  She still needed to put some food in the oven to bake, the jellies were in the pantry cooling, there were soft drinks to buy yet, and some sweets for the party bags which still needed putting together and now she had to go and find a birthday cake suitable for the twins.  What else?  The party games and, oh yes, the entertainer.  Where on earth would she find one at this late hour?  Where was that book of contacts, including clowns and magicians?  Where did she put the party games?

Poor Sandy sat down on the stool in the kitchen and began to cry.  "I've got it all together, but I forgot where I put it" she cried.  Everything had suddenly gone wrong.  The twins' party was turning into a disaster and it was her fault.

Just then the door opened and mum walked in.  "What on earth is the matter" she asked,  "come here, it can't be that bad surely, let's see what we can do to dry those tears first of all."  And with that mum, as always, went and put her arms around her youngest daughter and dried her tears.  

Mum's always sort things out don't they!

WOYWW 722

 Glorious sunshine but a tad chilly out of the sun.  Tuesday I was at the chiropractor in Preston and it felt lovely as we drove along with the sunshine warming me up, beautiful to get out at the other end and feel the sun on my face, but oh, how chilly when I turned the corner and found myself in the shade.  Not quite bikini weather yet, not in the UK anyway.  (and not that you will see me in one anyhow, not at my age and with my extra bits.)

Well, once again my desk is clear of crafting, simply because I had to act as Chair and Secretary at the AGM on Saturday.  I was foolish, I realise now I should have asked for a volunteer from the floor to take the Minutes as I have spent the best of two days typing them up from my rough notes and getting friends to check them.  There were other things needed amending too so it wasn't just Minutes.

We had a lovely class after the meeting though and I started a card which I completed and sent off yesterday to my niece for her little one who is five today.  I have no idea what the latest trend is, these youngsters change their minds so quickly so he ended up with a cowboy card.  Here it is

There is a pocket on the back with his name on and some money inside.  Of course mummy will have to buy him a book with it, he loves reading.

I have another of these cards almost finished but I want to put some sunflowers on the front and I have no idea what I have done with them since I made them.  Bet they turn up too late to include in this blog post.  I need to get a birthday card made for a friend too so I must get on.

Happy Easter to you all, have a lovely long weekend and I do hope the sun shines for all of you.

Lavinia meets AJJ

 Two of my workshops where I produced a scene have now been added to my Lavinia Journal.  As you can see it is a ring binder, it's actually quite cute in that it folds and holds with a hidden magnet and inside the folded bit there is a paintbrush.  Quite handy if you take your watercolours away with you and produce direct into the journal.

This is Bayleaf Cottage which I stamped and painted with my Inktense Pencils.  As you can see I stuck it onto one of the pages of my Journal and then added some more of the flora spilling onto the actual journal page.  Now I am wondering whether or not I should have added some of the leaf creeper coming down from the top onto the Journal page as well.  This was a workshop with Jo Rice at our local stamp club.

The second one is from a workshop I did with Jo Rice and I so enjoyed looking at how to create perspective and how to paint that stone wall.  I just love that stone and so enjoyed the colouring of it that I incorporate a stone wall in my work whenever I can.  Needless to say I extended it onto the actual Journal page.

Love that bridge too and although you cannot see on here there are some sparkly bits in the water to give the appearance of it running.

I should have entered these into Valerie's challenge at Art Journal Journey earlier this month but time just ran away with me.  Better late than never so here I am on the very last day of March.  Hope you enjoy them.

Jeudi Journal - A Scene

 "It was a funny kind of day when Simone went into town to do a little shopping for her mother.  The sun had been out all morning and suddenly, when she ventured out, a cloud had come and obscured the sun.  Thankfully she had got a long sleeved light sweater on.  She decided to make the best of the situation and walk briskly to keep herself warm.

As she walked through the shopping precinct she noticed her friend Katy who happened to be with her younger brother, Kelvin.  Katy was a lovely young girl who always tried to help her mother out by taking one of the younger children off her hands so that her mum could get on with the things that needed doing at home.  Unfortunately, today she had drawn the short straw and Kelvin was, as usual, playing up.

He was definitely the naughtiest of the whole family.  His brother Nathan was a lovely child, as was his twin, Naomi.  Despite her young years and still being at school herself Katy did her best to help out in the home as mum struggled to bring the four children up on her own since her husband had died in an accident at work.  

Kelvin was howling his eyes out, stamping his feet on the ground - and making an absolute show of himself - and poor Katy too.  People were beginning to stare at the pair and Simone did not know what to do.  Should she ignore them or go over?  She was tempted to cause a scene.  But it wasn't fair on Katy if she did, but oh, that boy, he needed a good shake of the shoulders to stop him crying and screaming like that.

Simone was so glad she was an only child and did not have to put up with siblings who behaved in the street in that manner.  But then maybe it was easier to manage with one child than with four.  She'd ask her own mother when she got home if there was anything they could do to help the Leigh family.  She liked Katy and hated to see her humiliated like that in the street."

To begin with I put three colours of Oxides on the page, scraping them lightly whilst holding the pad at an angle of 45 degrees. I forgot which colours I had used so using an old stencil and Broken China Distress Ink I lightly daubed some colour through words and arrows randomly all over the page.  I then stuck my three figures on and did the quote at the top.

The snarky comment, or quote, is again from Tim Holtz' book and is "She was tempted to cause a scene".  I discovered I am fast running out of characters so had to do some stamping before I could begin today's page.  Guess that will mean a couple of evenings fussy cutting so I can be ready for another week. 

Have a lovely weekend everyone, and don't get caught out on Saturday which is the day the theme will change at Art Journal Journey.  I must try to get another one in for Valerie before the end of the month.

WOYWW 721

 It's late Tuesday night as I write this and "I am having a mare".  It has been one of those days when there is so much to do and time just flies by and you feel like you are walking in a bowl of treacle.  As how fast you think you are thinking, as how fast you think your fingers are flying on the old keyboard you don't seem to be getting very far.  And there are loads of little red dots under words that you have mis-typed.  How come an ex typing teacher gets lots of typos?  Yes, I taught typing at evening classes once of a day.  If my students saw the work I have produced they would not believe it and I would have my knuckles rapped, not that I did that to them, but it did happen to me in my younger days.

My desk is full of typing as I have been busy doing reports for the upcoming AGM at our club.  I've had to do a report for another of the officers as well as my own as I just heard she is not coming.  There are last minute alterations to the notes on my agenda and my head is a bit fried.  All in a day's work for a retiree.

So now it is out with the cardstock and inks in readiness to make a couple of birthday cards.  Still have not made one for the little one that I mentioned the other week, poor Theo keeps going on the back burner, only because I want to do something special that I haven't done before for him.  So no cards to show you and doubtful they will be done before morning.  But, not to worry, I have something lovely to show you.

I had a Twiddlemitt made by the lovely Jo for my friend who has gone into dementia care.  I could not believe it when this huge parcel dropped through my letterbox and I saw what was inside it.  Jo had incorporated so many of the things I told her my friend might remember and talk about.  I told you she was the person who first introduced me to papercrafting and we had met at cake icing so cakes became  a focal point and ... well ... here you are - as you can see in this first photo there are cakes, centrepiece is a lovely wedding cake and the ones to the left look so much like my raspberry buns and I am sure the one on the right is a Victoria Sponge.  Isn't that a pretty tablecloth they are sitting on?  And what about the bunting at the top just below the rainbow?

The next photo shows you the number 66 hidden beneath the bunting.  That is her favourite way of describing me as I used to live by the M66.  I specifically asked for that to go on - thanks Jo.

Now here is a bicycle from when she used to go around to school's doing the cycling proficiency scheme with the kiddies.  She loved that little job along with her being a member of the Scout movement and working with the Cubs.  Just below the bicycle you can see a stream with a little bridge over it.  When her husband reached a special 'zero' birthday he had a party and his big present was a little wooden bridge which ran over a stream they had made in their garden.  They were excellent gardeners, something she carried on as long as she was able to.  So that is for her to remember her husband with.

As you can see, at the back it is a profusion of flowers, grass she can run through her fingers and poppies she can furl and unfurl, tiny bushes to feel and some lovely twiddly bits at the bottom.  Of course the inside is worked on as well and there is a pom pom for her to play with, a huge button and a gorgeous soft chenille tail like piece for her to stroke.

I am so thrilled with this and cannot wait to go and see her and give it to her.  I have to wait until the family say it is ok to go and have been told that as soon as they go and find she is ok I will be one of the first to be notified.  Up to now she has had no outside visitors, not even family.  I just hope and pray she will still know me but if she doesn't it won't make any difference, I can still go as someone who cares about her and can chat to her about the various bits on her Twiddlemit.  All thanks to Jo who I know thanks to WOYWW.  What a wonderful thing Julia did all those years ago when she first set it up.  Cheers!