Jeudi Journal - Opinion

Here we are, another Dylusion Journal page again, a bit of brayering for the background.   Brayering the background is an easy way of using left over paint from another project just get it up from the mat and roll away.  Not a skill of mine I am afraid but this one turned out better than most and remained rather subtle.  If you look very closely you can see there are some white Gesso circles over the top of the brayering.  I drew two wobbly lines around the edges of the page and stamped some flowers (and a little ladybird) on the base along with a couple of bits of washi tape.

This week the quote from the Dylusions one is "of course your opinion matters, just not to me" and my story goes:

"Marie and Maryanne were two sisters who normally got along fine.  This particular day they had gone out for a walk in the countryside, it was a lovely Sunday and on the way back from church they decided to go by the river and through the meadows on their way home.  Maryanne had worn her new hat which was very stylish and gave her the height she needed to keep up with big sister Marie who always wore high heeled shoes and had her hair spiked,  adding inches to her height.  She hated being the smaller of the two.

They found themselves chatting about some of the ladies in the congregation and what they were wearing.  Not many got dressed up for church these days but the girls had been brought up to make an effort when attending.  Not that their mother would have altogether approved of either outfit - trousers on the one daughter and spikey hair on the other.  "Oh dear," she would have thought, "what is the world coming to?"  It was as well that the girls had left home and lived together in a flat in town.

Some of the girls came under scrutiny but Mrs Bouquet came under fire immediately with the two girls because of the airs and graces she always put on and the silly hats she wore, which prompted Maryanne to tell Marie that she thought she should make a bit more effort on a Sunday for church and possibly wear a hat instead of spiking her hair all the time.  Not a good move Maryanne.  Marie loved her hair like that and she paid quite handsomely to have it cut and coloured so that she could have it in this style.  "And what about that monstrosity you have on" said Marie,  "Your hat looks like one of Mrs Bouquet's cast offs".

Maryanne was very happy with her new hat, it was in shades of pink which she felt was a colour that set her complexion off, the lady in the shop had complimented her when she bought it for her friend's wedding last month and she had said how not many could carry off a piece like that but that Maryanne could.  "To be honest with you" said Marie, "it looks a bit too small for you, sitting perched like that on the centre of your head".  "I wanted to tell you when you first brought it home for Sylvie's wedding". "Well, why didn't you?" asked Maryanne.  "You mean to tell me you let me think I looked nice at the wedding and all the time you were laughing behind my back".   "No", said Marie, "I didn't want to upset you, you were so excited about the hat and it was the perfect colour with the dress you were wearing."  "I just thought today it looked a bit small, maybe it's your hair."

"Oh well," said Maryanne, "I am not bothered what you think about my hat, I am not that keen on your spikey hair to be honest."  "So does my opinion not matter any more?" asked Marie, to which Maryanne replied "Of course it matters, just not to me."  And with that the two girls walked along the river in total silence as they made their way back home."

I know it is a bit of a long shot but I am entering this page into Art Journal Journey where the lovely Alison has set the theme at 'Summer Countryside'.  I hope the pink, blue and yellow of the background makes you think of sumertime and the flowers and little insect adds to the overall effect.

WOYWW 631

Another week, another Wednesday, another WOYWW - where is time going?  We will be seeing "C" stuff in the shops before long.  And what about the Boris announcement?  Mixed feelings up and down the country I am sure but I must say I am not happy about all of the decisions he has made.  Well, this is not a political platform so I will get on with showing you my desk - that is not a desk.

Not been at home again, but going home later today, so my desk has been a bed really, or the bare bones of one -  slats - without the mattress.

Last week you saw the big box on my desk that I was just popping stuff in that I wanted to take away with me, well, that is it at the far left.  it normally has my Promarkers in and there is an A4 folder full of stencils, another full of Janet Klein figures and one or two other bits but you can't see anything for the carr-all that I use on the table in the kitchen when away.

Then there is a nappy box (yes, I still have those, bought for crafting not for nappy stuff) which is full of all kinds of crafting things - scissors, duster, brushes, glue, tape, etc.   You can see my little Cuttlebug in front, it never gets used at home so I brought it here.  

The next nappy box has all my ink pads in it plus some Brushos/Ken Oliver ones.  It's basically all things that create colour.

In front are my Twinkling H2O's and my watercolour pencils on top.  As well as that there is a cardboard box on the other bed with a lot of cardstock and cutting boards, etc in - just general stuff.  In the kitchen are some stamps, my Promarkers, a couple of dies and my Journals.

Nothing I have done to show you because I haven't done much.  It's been a bit of a non-productive time but I did manage to buy some new stamps yesterday on the internet.  This is a card I made and brought up with me for a friend's birthday.  I don't think she comes on here so it's ok to show you and then I will take my leave and get started on a card for a club member's 80th birthday.

See you next week.

Jeudi Journal - Bossy

 For today's page we have the quote "I am not bossy, I just know what you should not be doing"  and today we are visiting the household once more where Mrs Cat is annoyed somewhat with her husband Mr Dog.  The one saving grace is that the children are all away at summer camp so have no idea that everywhere is filled with Mum shouting at Dad.

It was a silly argument that the two of them had this morning.  Dad had been up for promotion at work and he had been granted an interview.  Luckily with the children being away at summer camp the two of them had spent the past two evenings going through his interview techniques.  Mum had been a great help, having worked as secretary to the recruitment officer at work.  She had typed enough letters and helped screen applications to have some sense of what was required and what not.  They had the interview questions and answers down to a tee, or so they thought.

Come the morning of the interview Mum was outside doing her usual weeding in the garden when out walked Dad.  "What on earth are you wearing?" she asked, as she looked at him.  "Thought I had better get dressed up and make a good impression" was the reply.  Mum started laughing, and that was like a red rag to a bull, Dad dug his heels in demanding to know what was wrong with his outfit.

"Well, for a start off you don't turn up in a bow tie, and that waistcoat is totally unnecessary, and what is that orange spotty thing you have on top?"    "You've got spots, stripes and checks all in the one outfit and that is a complete 'no no' for an interview.  You look like you are going down to the local club for a game of snooker".

Dad looked chastened." And that is where we are going to leave it.  Did Dad go indoors and get changed, and did he get the promotion?  

I wonder.

Erika suggested I could still link this to AJJ where the theme is 'Summer Countryside' as chosen by the lovely  Alison of Words and Pictures.  So on her suggestion, because mum is dressed nice and summery and there are leaves growing up the side, the two of them must be "having words" in the garden.

So I am linking this up to Art Journal Journey once more.  Thanks Erika.

WOYWW 630

If anyone wants a loan or some viagra just get in touch - I have between 80 and 150 adverts a day for them.  Yes!  Still being haunted by Bots.  Just no idea how to stop them and they are a problem as you have to sift through them to make sure you are not deleting any 'real' comments along with them.  This has gone on for over a month now and it is so tedious.  Anyway, enough of that - what's been happening, what have I been doing?  Here are four atc's I made when I was away

Sorry you have to turn your head to view one of them

But you came here to see my desk so here it is - messed up a bit but by the end of the day it will be cleared up again:

Starting left - my journal with a couple of pages started - brayering and a bit of stencil work.  My travel case with the skull on in 3D, then a black folder where I keep images I plan on using for something I am doing in August and the striped bag behind contains my Dylusion Sayings.  There's a big box on my desk and that has lots of bits in ready for my next trip away.  I just drop things in as and when I feel like it.  At the moment there are some stencils (Aall & Create ones), plus their washi tapes and my flesh Promarkers.

If you look closely you can see a card with a circle spotlight on it - that is from Jan and it is really lovely to see how she has adapted her skill with watercolours to so many different looks.  Well done Jan!

Right, that is it for this week - a bit shorter than usual but an upset tummy is keeping me from wittering on so I'll say Toodle Pip!  Have a good week, a lovely weekend and keep crafting (ideal time for me whilst football is on).

Jeudi Journal - Cuppa?

Well, the quote for today was an easy one if you took it literally.  It concerned a cuppa which is traditionally quite an English thing.  Everyone associates a cup of tea with the English yet there is one here who never ever drinks it.  It's not my cup of tea!  On my journal page this week you can see a cup and saucer but - oh dear, it is empty.

"Three friends have all met up for an afternoon in the sunshine at Lotta's house.  Lotta was the eldest and also the bossiest of the three girls.  Of the other two, Simone and Sarah, Sarah was the baby in the group as well as the tiniest.  Not that she could not hold her own in an argument, she certainly could.  Simone tended to be the peacemaker in the trio.  She hated confrontation.

As usual the topic of conversation centred around make up, hairstyles and fashion.  Simone had chosen to wear her latest purchase, a lovely dress in shades of blue and yellow and she had bought some tiny yellow ankle boots to wear with it.  The other two admired it and said how it looked good on the slim Simone but Lotta felt that she should have had her hair in a different colour, "lilac does not work with that dress somehow" was her rude remark.

Little Sarah was a bit 'put out' and thought Lotta was being rude, "perhaps in one of her moods", she thought. "I hope she does not start passing comment on my hair because I don't want to start colouring it like the other two".  Just then Lotta made a remark about what Sarah was wearing too.  "Don't you think it's about time you stopped wearing those skirts with the straps over the shoulders", she said, "they are the kind of skirts little girls of six and seven wear, not teenagers like you."

Despite being hurt by the comment Sarah answered back and the conversation became a bit heated between the two of them ending with Sarah in tears.  

Ever the one to try to settle arguments Simone stepped in and told Sarah to calm down, "Lotta did not mean it like that", she said, "and you could always cut the straps off and wear it just as a skirt."  

"Then it would look worse than ever" was Lotta's reply to that one.  Sarah, tears now streaming cried out "You just don't care do you?"  To which Lotta answered "This is my cup of care, oh look it's empty" as she lifted her cup of lemon tea and peered inside it".

I know I have given Lotta a very big cup of lemon tea but it rather emphasises the saying doesn't it.

I am entering this into Art Journal Journey where the lovely Mia chose 'butterflies' as the topic for this month.  I decided to add a couple of butterflies flitting about and decorated the cup with them to pretty it up a bit.  Why not join in with this challenge, you have until the end of this month.

I messed up last week and got this post and the one I did mixed up so Wendy and I were out of sync.  Now I am back with my posts in order I hope I get it correct next week.

WOYWW 629

Another week has flown by and we are here again baring our workdesks to the world via Ms Julia who had the bright idea for this friendship growing group on the internet.  Who doesn't mind showing off their desk when it is covered in new gear, or old stuff they want to know something about, or show off a piece of their work that they are particularly proud of.  Of course you might want to hide your light under a bush but whatever the reason I can recommend WOYWW for a good old snoop about and it's the ideal place for making new friends.

My desk, this week, is slightly different to past desks and I cannot show you anything I have done because most of my time has been spent sitting on the patio reading or snoozing in the sunshine.  I did however, make this card for my cousin, who was 91 yesterday, before I left home.  I was his little bridesmaid when he married Audrey whom, I remember, I adored.  When playing with my friends I was always 'Audrey' - bet I drove the courting couple mad as I was always with them when they were at aunties.  Anyway, I decided on Laurel and Hardy for my card.

and who doesn't like a bit of Marilyn.

I love those figures of Janet Klein's and Charlie Chaplin is a favourite of mine too but I decided to use a bit of glamour on the tv rather than put a third guy on the card. Hope Ken likes it.

As I said I have not done much in the way of crafting.  Did finish off a journal page the other evening which went out on Monday and did a bit of fussy cutting Monday evening whilst we had the football on.  Afraid the football is going to dominate what we do a bit but that suits me fine as I can craft when it is on and not feel guilty that I am stopping him from doing something else.  We have a small tv in the bedroom here so he has offered to watch the match in there.  Bless!

This is my desk for today - just a fraction of the stuff I brought with me to keep me quiet whilst away from home.

Apart from the bowl of fruit you can see my Promarkers, my lap tray (tiny one), cut out figures from Janet Klein, journal, lino type tablecloth for when I craft on the table, and my bag of goodies.  That contains a cutter, craft mat, water brushes, mini misters, glue, embossing paste, sponges, pens, paint brushes, stencil brushes, Distress tools, make up brushes (the ones we use for Distress Inks), masking tape, baby wipes, old towels, ink pads, acrylic blocks, pencil case that has loads of tools in and loads of stamps.

An overhead view of the bag shows you just how much there is in this bag.  It's just handy to carry to the table or outside, wherever I want to craft.

I have two of the old nappy boxes full of stuff plus a big cardboard box in the small bedroom so I shouldn't be stuck for anything - or should I?  I left my folder of Aall & Create stencils at home and now cannot get on with my journal pages which I intended to do.  Rang the house-sitter and they apparently were left in the utility room.  Sob sob!

Well, better leave it there but before I go look at this bush (or is it a tree?) which is growing behind us at the edge of the wood

That's what we see when looking through the kitchen window

and if you look closely you might see the visitor we had the other day.  It was Chas who spotted him and he stayed there ages, munching at something.  He's just to the right of the thickest bar:

Toodle Pip!  Stay safe and well.

Art Journal Journey - Eternal

A bit of a change from the usual Dylusion entry for Art Journal Journey and the challenge set by Mia  which is Butterflies.  This is a stamp from PaperArtsy, designed by my friend Tracy Scott.  Tracy is a very talented artist whom I first met when I attended one of her workshops at Dyan's shop, Art from the Heart.  

The background was an old one on this page, done many moons ago when I was trying to improve my brayering technique.  I did not know what to use on this background and so I set to with these two sets of stamps from PaperArtsy.

I used my watercolour pencils (Inktense) to colour the images sticking to blues and greens. with orange, the complimentary colour to blue, as contrast.  Inktense pencils are made by Derwent which originated in Keswick in the Lake District.  The first pencil factory opened in 1832 in Keswick.  The second and current factory was started in the 1920's and completed in the 1950's.  It closed in 2007 when the owners moved it 30 miles away to Workington.

• Graphite was first discovered in the Borrowdale Valley in the mid 1500's.
• Keswick first recorded entry making pencils by Banks, Foster & Co
• The Cumberland Pencil Company was established in 1916
• The Derwent brand was established in 1938, named after Derwent Water, a lake on the edge of Keswick where the factory was founded.

Most of us understand the grading of pencils - B being 'Black' and H 'Hard',  with HB being between the two - but did you know there are 9 grades each way - 1-9 B and 1-9 HB?  And did you know that the casing of the pencils made by Derwent are from Californian Cedars.

The information regarding Derwent Pencils is most interesting and you can read more about them at 

https://inews.co.uk/news/long-reads/the-uks-oldest-only-pencil-factory-demand-quality-colour-255906

Whilst I am writing this post I am actually sitting about 30 miles south of Keswick which houses the Derwent pencil Museum - a lovely place to visit.  Here is my Journal page: