Jeudi Journal

Well, I have totally lost track of who has chosen what but I suspect this is a Wendy page as she is into her birds.  I know next week is as I am finding that one difficult to think of what to do.

Well, the theme was "Birds" and the colours Blue and Green again, we both are teal freaks and I think this combo crops up because of that, so this is what I came up with

Using Dylusional paints I did a background of London Blue and then used an iCraft stencil of some brickwork (not advertising but these stencils are really good value and very good quality) and then I used a Dylusional leaf stencil at the top with Cut Grass Green and Adirondack Pool to do a little random stamping.  The figures are all Dyan's coloured in with Promarkers.

Hope you enjoy.  Now off to see Wendy's.

WOYWW 476

Wednesday, time for the great big blog hop started a long long time ago by Ms Julia Dunnitt of WOYWW so pop along here and join in - you just need to show your desk - as it is today - messy or clean - anything goes!

Last week I showed you the start of a tea bag book I was making - forgot to take a photograph of the finished side (done 10 teabags - need to do another 8) - and yesterday I made a birth congratulations card with a teabag as the topper.

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This is my desk as it stands - the aftermath of a workshop on Saturday at Victoria Stampers.   Sheila was our tutor last Saturday and she showed us how to make these cd boxes.  Yours truly got hooked and could not make just one but made two - one for a friend who is in hospital - but then I had to make two more when I got home and now have two more on the go.

Such a shame that the poly bag got in front of the seascape box - and there are another two teabags that I am hoping to decorate later today - oh and Julia, there's my little deck chair at last!  Of the boxes the green paper is a sheet of A4 I painted and decorated, kinda like a Masterboard.  When I was looking for some paper for the Kraft box I found some Graphic 45, not like the lots of cogs and wheels I was thinking about, but I quite like it and enjoyed doing it.

Well, I should have more to show you next week as I am off up to Stockton at weekend, doing a workshop with Autour de Mwa - first time with this popular guy so should be exciting.  Not a clue what we are doing - shame I am only doing the Saturday and not the whole weekend.  Still, will be nice to spend the day with my friend again.

See you next week.

Jeudi Journal

Well guess what?  Today's Journal is set in Paris and the colours are pink and turquoise.  Not sure I like the colours together, wonder who chose them?  I blame Wendy as she is turquoise/teal crazy.

We have two members of the canine family today on a jaunt to Paris.  Apologies first of all for my sketch of the Eiffel Tower but it is just symbolic and not supposed to be a sketch as such - you can tell what it is can't you?  Secondly, for my use of the French language - not sure this would pass muster by those of you who are French speaking or who have taught French in a school (having lived there also - you know who you are lol)

Anyway the two dogs are sat at the bottom of the Eiffel Tower with the 'not so British' bulldog boasting and the other little guy betting him a euro.  Not much of a bet, a euro, but then where do dogs carry cash (come to think of it how many wear either galoshes or slippers - or have buttons for eyes?).

For the background I began by using a page that had some purple paint on with some white dots in the top right corner and covered it all over in Bubblegum Pink.  Then I used a 12 x 12 stencil of circles still with the same colour of paint.  Next I drew the curved border and painted it with white Gesso to allow the turquoise paint to sit on it in its true colour (Vibrant Turquoise) and then did some doodling in the border.

Off to see Wendy and her page ...

WOYWW 475

Wonderful, the fires are under control.  The firefighters and locals all worked hard with diggers and made a deep trench all around the moorland area that was on fire and filled it with water.  It is now contained and they can concentrate on putting the peat out at last.  I believe the firefighters from London, Wales, etc have now returned home.

Much easier sleeping now without the smell of the smoke permeating the bedroom and making me cough and wake with a very dry, hoarse throat.  I feel normal, well as normal as I can get, now.

My desk today

Teabags!  My new favourite stamping medium.  Went to a workshop with Kate Crane (I have been stalking her - three workshops in eight days) in Burnley and this is what we were doing - painting on teabags.  Not easy when you are not tea drinkers at home so in readiness I had collected all the teabags I could at two previous workshops.

On my desk you can see at the left some magazine pages and a new journal with some scissors and a pencil case full of black pens.  That was a workshop I went to on Sunday with Dyan Reavley but I am saving that for another time.  At the back are some of my watercolour tins and a concertina book that is going to hold my teabags when they are all finished.  In front is a large paintbrush for Gesso, some teabags waiting to be prepped and a long one with a fish on, unfinished.  

Here are the finished ones stuck on pages in my concertina book.

I need eighteen in total so I guess I had better stop 'wittering' and get on.  See you all over at Ms Julia's where we meet on a Wednesday ready for our giant blog hop around one another's desks.  See you!

Jeudi Journal

Holidays and Blue and Green are the order of the day with this journal page.  Blue and Green nice and refreshing after all this heat of the past few weeks but I hope it is not going to be rainy for anyone on holiday.

This time I painted the page with Cut Grass and used the Lush Lime to make chevrons down one side and then introduced a little London Blue with the same stencil on the opposite side.  A bit of stamping in green and it was time for the figures to be put on.  

It was Travelling Travis that I used as she (or is it a he?) is made up of suitcases so sounds like a holiday type person and then I used one of my little monster boys and the sausage dog.  These two have not got away yet, they are now on the way to the airport and "oops" Brutus the dog appears to be going with them.  Not so as he is now being sent back home, presumably with his tail between his legs.

WOYWW 474

Another week, another Wednesday and sadly hill fires breaking out in the NW (sorry don't know of others in the country) and there is some talk of the Winter Hill ones as being 'deliberate'.  Prayers for the wonderful firefighters who are toiling in this heat plus the heat from the fire and the smoke.  Also for all the wildlife that must have been affected (deer, foxes, rabbits; birds such as hawks, kestrels, kingfishers not to mention all the species of plants and insects) and for Rivington's "Lost Gardens" where the Rivington Heritage Trust members are working to fell trees to provide a break from the fire.  (Was told that this is the place where there are hares that turn white (for camouflage) in winter snow - a rare thing to happen.)

For once I want us to have a few days of the solid northern rain we are so used to - it will help put out the fires and give those involved a rest from their toils although I should imagine there will be a lot of work still to be done when it is all over.

Last week I think I told you I had made a couple of cards.  Well, they have now been received and so I can show you them - the theme was Fun and Friendship - the B&W one I thought very appropriate for the receiver but the other was just for fun

Sunday saw me sitting at a table all day and doing my bit demonstrating various products at the Leigh Show.  It went quiet for the last 45 minutes and so I asked Margot to show me how she makes 'silk' flowers.  Tracey (the boss) was having none of it and she soon had me sat down with my own set of flowers watching step by step as Margot made one - and I did!!!  Thanks Margot, thanks Tracey.  Needless to say I came away with a big hole in my earnings but enough 'silk' to make some more flowers.  Now where did I put all those stamens from my cake icing days?

Football seems to have taken over at our house and I have taken myself off to my craft room to have a play.  Hope you are taking advantage of it if you are not footie fans (I can get excited like I did on Monday at some of the silly pretend "fouls" I saw, yukky acting) and enjoying your crafting.  In the meantime pop along to see what Julia has on offer and then follow some of her 'linkers' and see what they are doing.

Happy 4th July to all our American friends!

Jeudi Journal

Grey and Orange - and ... Elephant!!!  Obviously Wendy who has lots of Indian styled stamps and things chose this one.  Me?  Oh Em Gee!  Thinking cap!!

Found this teeny stamp of an elephant but hardly big enough for a Dylusion girl to ride so what to do with it?  Am sure I heard a song with something to do with Elephants flying - ah that is it, Dumbo!  Now how can I make this elephant look as if it is flying - with those big ears it doesn't need wings.

Did a couple of Dylusion figures, changed the heads and legs on bodies to make new ones and decided that they could be contemplating flying elephants, wondered if I could find one on Google?  Yes, much more suitable so the page is done.  Words changed a bit and ready for uploading.

Can't wait to see Wendy's.