Jeudi Journal

Anything Goes was my suggestion for a last minute topic as Wendy and I had not got together to think up any new topics - having reached the end of our exhaustive list.  This was done via email and as I did not hear back from Wendy, I can only presume her email is floating in cyber space somewhere, I did not do a page.

Then this morning I discover Wendy has done a page and is awaiting my rendition of Anything Goes. Ooer!

A quick look through my blog pages and I discover I have an already done page which has not been shown to anyone, which was my attempt at using a perfume bottle for a body, so here it is - not what I intended at all for my Anything Goes, maybe we will have to have another one:

WOYWW 404

Here we are again, visiting Julia and all her followers, or should I say meeting up with friends because that is what happens when you join in with Julia, with the usual Wednesday desk hopping, you make lots of friends, and good ones too.  

At last I have made some cards for myself - not that I cannot use the cards I did for samples for Vicky Stampers when I have done the workshop, which has changed from the first Saturday in the month to the second which means it is my birthday weekend - woe is me! Good job we had nothing planned unless you count my taking a workshop on the Sunday with one of my favourite tutors, Tracy Scott.

First of all it is my dil's birthday this coming Friday.  She and Andy do not like my cards but I persist in making them in the hopes that one day they will like one of the styles I do.  Here is the card I made for her using another figure from the Beautiful You stamp set

Have to admit it is a copy of one I saw on Pinterest but I thoroughly enjoyed using the white crayon on grey cardstock.  Note to self "must get more grey cardstock".  And I do like pink and grey together.

Another couple of cards (not copies) I made are

The first one using Kraft card and a tiny strip of corrugated card which covers up a crease in the card as I wanted to make a large square one and it was already folded for a smaller card.  Promarkers were used to provide some colour.  Oh, and the borders are even, it's just the scan that made it look like that.

This was again using the white pencil to provide a little colour and I used up two strips of the grey cardstock as in photo number one simply because I like the texture of the card and I had no more grey card. This time I tried a sunshine yellow for the mount - do you think it works ok?  That looks wonky too, but it isn't irl.

Well, you came to see my desk - here it is with a view to the left

My journal with a stencil tucked inside as I want to do something on another page where the green board is.  You can see my offcuts from the cards above just behind it and Yes, my Seth Apter piece is still waiting to be finished.  I have an idea or two as to what I want to do - need to put them into action.  To the left is my Graphic 45 Secret Garden fabric which is a ruler holder.  I have two of the Perfect Border rulers which is how I know my borders are correct and it is the scan throwing them out.  It also houses my new(ish) Tim Holtz ruler as my previous one lost all its markings.  Amsterdam paints in a bucket complete the picture.  I use those for painting the Tracy Scott faces I like to do - not done one in ages - must remedy that.

My main area in which I work.  Left are some of my stencils (Andy Sinner ones), the Kraft card I have not yet used, my Misti which I love so much and some tape in front from Lidl (as seen on someone's desk last week) plus a rubber stamp of a map waiting to be put away - but where?

So that is it folks.  Can I just ask that you put your number when you comment, makes life so much easier when returning the comment.  

Scheduled post as I am having my hair cut/trimmed and, if she has time, I fancy a bit of pale blue at the side (as per recommended by Dyan Reavley - she is a marvel at hairstyles - and incidentally we share the same birthday - date not year obviously) so we will have to wait and see what Nicky says.  See you around.

Jeudi Journal - Fish

At last we have come to the end of the topics we chose originally - but not to the end of our journals. We need to think of some more topics - anyone out there got any ideas that we have not used?

For this week we have got to include a fish or some fish.  Not feeling madly up to it because of a cold that is threatening me I dug out my stamps from Dylusions that featured fish and here is what I decided to do - on an already coloured page.

Lying in bed last night I was trying to think of a suitable comment to make on the page but nothing came forth.  This morning was just the same so there you have it folks a fishy page with no words - but do we need to put words every time on a journal page?  The answer is definitely "NO".

WOYWW 403

Another day - another dollar; another week - another WOYWW!  Gosh, time moves on so swiftly when you are having fun.

This week saw me meeting up with two of my favourite men - Andy Skinner and Seth Apter.  I was booked in to do a workshop with Seth and Andy came as a bonus when I went into the actual trade show.

So my first picture is of my desk as I had unpacked it showing you what I made with Seth -

A Window Box using his new choice of PaperArtsy paints, Buff, Mahogany, Midnight and Terracotta.  I had only booked on this one workshop as I wanted to see what the show had on offer and how it differed from cha but I got to see Andy Skinner and watch his demos.

On the other bit of my desk, the bit I work on mostly, you can see a card I am currently pondering over as to how to mount it.  This is one of the cards for Vicky Stampers next month as I am doing the workshop.  Love these stamps but am only using this one for the workshop but they do have a choice of blue or red as a scheme, or whatever other colour they want.

I don't think I am spoiling it for anyone as none of the members go on my blog.  You can see my original idea which is the red lady, reminiscent of the prints you see in the various furnishing shops around that are just black and white with a red figure in the centre. Thought I would do a blue one as well as a sample and think I will mount this differently, probably as a smaller card as I know of at least one member who prefers to send small cards.  Of course, if anyone wants to colour the whole image in it is up to them.  Other cards are being kept under wraps for the moment but I will no doubt show them to you another week.

That is it from me for now, think I am coming down with a cold which is also attacking my tummy so I am keeping warm and rested for the moment.  Please pop along to see Julia and catch up with her and the other WOYWW'ers for this week.  See you around!

Jeudi Journal - A Heart or Two

Not a clue who chose this topic but I know I asked for it to be moved to coincide with Valentine's Day so that is why it appears now two days after the event.

To begin with I used a stencil of Donna Downey's that I had seen and fallen in love with.  Now was my Gesso too runny or what, not a clue, but I know I made a bit of a mess of it.  Will have to rethink this one later but as it was another scheduled post before I went away (yes I know I have been back ages, a week really) and I really did not have time for this as my sister has been visiting from Oz.

Cut out a heart freehand in black, used a couple of Crazy Dogs and some punched hearts and the idea was born and executed.

Hope you like my rendition for St Valentine!

Hope you got some Valentine cards.  Any anonymous ones pop through your door?  Or was there just one from your sweetheart?  I left just before Valentine Day but I remember being there one year for it and I got quite a few cards from female friends over there. What a lovely way to celebrate, you don't need to miss out.

WOYWW 402 - long - sorry Julia

Guess you all want to see what I brought back from the USA?  Well, hold on to your hats 'cos here is a photo of my desk as it was when I got in last Wednesday evening after unpacking the cases:

So that looks just a jumble, right?  OK, I did think of showing you some of the bits and pieces in more detail - not all of them but some

Still a jumble?  OK here is the Andy Skinner stuff

with Andy himself looking on

Stencils were bought over here and waiting for me when I got home but we got his three new sets of stamps - wasn't getting them, or so he pretended, but on the promise of a drink at the bar from me the whole class benefitted and we got them.  Behind are the tags we did with him showing various techniques and behind them are the paints we used in his and Tracy's classes.

During one of the workshops I took with Andy and Tracy (Weinzapfell) Craig (de Souza) came in wearing a mask of Andy's face and shouting that he was "the real Andy Skinner".  There were only a few masks but I managed to get one on the promise that I would wear it at the show the next day - which I did, on the back of my head!

The Splash Booth?

Some of you may recall seeing photos of me in a "forensic scientist suit" on FB?  Well at the back are the results of the splashing about of paint that we did.  To the left (the green one) is a canvas I did with Tracy as is the one to the right.

In front are my Inktense pencils, a sticky roller and a book on journalling with some cute ribbons tucked in there that I bought from Hobby Lobby.

Did I buy any rubber stamps?  You bet I did, and I got some given by my friend Mary from her selection of SU stamps - including the 'Beautiful You' series which I fell in love with.  The butterfly is actually a die from Simon Says.

So there's my desk, both as a dump and then later cleared up and staged to show you some of the things I brought back from the "Good Old US of A".  Was I sad to leave - you bet I was. Always difficult to say 'bye' to friends and especially to Mary who has a big place in my heart.  I now have to pull myself together and remember that there are only eleven months before I am there again, God willing.

Hope Julia does not mind the desk shots, at the moment it is pretty clear in my craft room, remember my sister is with us from Australia (pictures in another post soon) and she does not craft, besides which we have so much to talk about and sleep is hitting both Karen and me.  So I will leave it there and join our leader of the pack, Julia, and see what she has been up to, throw my cap into the ring and then have a snoop about at friends blogs when Karen leaves tomorrow.  Sorry I was so late last week with comments, you do understand don't you - please say 'yes'.

Jeudi Journal - Include a Cat

Or a family in my case.

Now being brutally honest the 'P' of "Purrfect" sits on a bright orange rectangle whch was already there - why I have no idea!  Just decided to make it host the letter 'P' as I had not a clue how to cover up an obvious boo boo in the very top left corner.

A spattery background says ink was used for this, and there is a trace of a brickwork stencil having been used in some areas.   The cats themselves were coloured in with my Prismacolors over the top of Promarkers in some areas.  I do enjoy playing about with those pencils, and some of the letters sport a double line filled in with blue and green pencil.

I am rather fond of those cats and now NEED another set of stamps (Dylusions of course) to work with the cats.

Wonder what Wendy has done, I know she did not get the cats for Christmas, wonder which set she did get?

ps I am back home (yesterday) but scheduled this post just in case I was suffering the inevitable jet lag.  Plus I have a couple of medical appointments today and tomorrow.  Still, I can pop along to Wendy at the very least.