Jeudi Journal - Still Solo

Wendy is still having problems with the computer connection at her new home so once again I am grateful to Aimslee for her 'Anything Goes' theme at Art Journal Journey and once again I am using a page from my Lavinia Journal.

I do hope she gets sorted by next week or we could be "up creek without paddle" in that I don't have that many journal pages in my Lavinia Journal and what I have may not fit in with the theme.  As it is October next week when we meet up again I am using one of my pages that is very autumnal.

It is already feeling like autumn and time to get the woolies out and put the summer clothes away.  Yesterday I watched leaves falling on our back lawn and thought of days of 'leaf picking' were drawing ever closer.  The house down the road from ours has lots of beech trees and unfortunately we get all of their leaves blowing into our garden.  So it's not just our own but theirs as well that we end up raking.

Well, it looks as if someone is having a visitor as Tilly is knocking on the blue door.

"It was around 4 pm, the sky was just starting to darken and the enchanted wood was quite busy for a Thursday.  Tilly had decided to call on her good friend Tango who lived in the second Pumpkin House by the old tree where the Wallace family lived.  Mrs Wallace was just scurrying along to the shops as fast as her little hog feet would take her and Kernal the fox was keeping his eye on something high up in the trees.

Suddenly a little voice could be heard "Hello"said someone a little nervously.  "I don't mean to be nosey or anything like that but I think Tango went out earlier.  She usually leaves the lamp lit for when she gets back if she goes out in the early evening light."

Tilly turned and she saw a little hare standing there, ears pointing down.

"I think she said she was going out to buy a birthday present for someone."

"Oh, thank you very much" said Tilly, "I don't think I've had the pleasure."

"I'm Pippin" the little hare replied, "I live underground, just behind that tree.  Tango is a good friend of mine and I heard her going out when I was clearing out my garden ready for Autumn.  We exchanged pleasantries so that is how I know where she was going."

"Well, I was just coming around to tell her, well, to remind her, that it was Moo's birthday tomorrow and to remind her to go and get a present for the party we have been invited to."

"Ooh, how exciting" said Pippin.  "I love a good party."

"Right, then why don't you come along.  I am sure Moo wouldn't mind me bringing someone."

"That would be lovely but I am sorry I can't come along with you.  You see my twin sister lives with me and we always, but always, do everything together."

Just then Tilly noticed another little hare standing just beyond the pathway.

"I am sure Moo could fit another two in at her party" said Tilly, "She loves to be surrounded by lots of woodland friends and always says 'the more the merrier' so please, the two of you come along."

"What about me?" came a loud voice from the left.  It was Kernal the friendly fox.  He acted as a kind of policeman in the woods, making sure all the tiny animals were safe and sound.

"Oh dear" thought Tilly, "this is getting to be a big party, I do hope Moo can cope with us all."

And I hope that next month here at AJJ the theme is one that my post that is sitting here waiting to be published can be adapted to.  I had my post ready at the beginning of the month and it was so easy with 'Anything Goes' but I don't remember anything about it so guess I had better go and check, or maybe leave it until the 1st October.

WOYWW 799

 Yippee Doodle Doo!  One week and we are at 800in the biggest blog hop I know about that is now being cared for by Sarah, so let's visit her and see if she has something planned for us all.

Well, I've been doing another big page for my friend Jayne to turn into another of those tumblers for me, well, not for me but for my better half.  It had to be Lavinia stamps so he chose ... owls.  This one I did on my first run but I wanted to do another for me and so I decided to go with the Ocean - so far two goes and still not happy.  I might end up with a Halloween one if this next trial does not go well.

So what have I got to show you? Oh, I made a Halloween bookmark - two sides - the main side is purple and the red side is just because it didn't look right left white.

and the other side - both use the new witches from Lavinia which Leesa calls "good witches" - I call them "sexy witches" as they are so pretty compared to the one which came out last year.

My friend Jayne, you know, the one who turned my artwork into a tumbler, she did a swap and made an extra one of each so she could give one to me - her theme was "Fairy Tales".  See if you can guess them.

I can only think this has scanned a bit 'hazy'  because the shoe was decoupaged as were the buttons and the bobbin of thread.  Both these pieces are beautifully made, Jayne is good as what she turns her hand to.

So that's it from me this week.  Next week maybe another tumbler or maybe some Christmas stuff as I have a workshop coming up and it's based around Christmas.  See you then.

Oops - forgot my desk photo.  Helen will suss out what is happening.

Jeudi Journal - Still Flying Solo

 Had a message from Wendy, she is still without internet and so unable to join in with us at Art Journal Journey at the moment so I am still flying solo and using my Lavinia Journal to upload to Aimslee's blog challenge.  I hope she is soon back with us as I don't have much to show you and am ever so lucky that Aimslee chose 'Anything Goes' for her theme.

Just hope the next theme is fairly easy to do on my own if that is the case but for now I am uploading a Steampunk page from my journal.  These are mostly done on a piece of cardstock and stuck into my journal so that I am sure the inks and paints will work as I want them to on the medium.  Sometimes I have tried to do something on the actual page to link it in but this is usually a bit of stencilling or stamping.

This one shows up how pure white the cardstock was and how different my journal pages are.  If I had not cropped the photo you would have seen the torn edge on the right of the actual page.  These little mice are perhaps the most used of my Lavinia stamps.  They come in handy for all kinds of things - and cover up little smudges you might make on a card or page in your journal.

Just so you don't miss out on a story - it's only going to be a quick one I just cannot write them the same as I can with the Dylusion figures - here goes:

"It was getting late that evening when everyone in the house had gone to bed.  Everyone except the little 'meeces' who lived behind the skirting board in Mr Brown's study.  Suddenly there was a noise, a kind of whirring as if some machinery had started to work.  Was it the huge clock that Mr Brown treasured so much that resided behind his desk?  Or was it the lift that he used to move up the five floors to the bedroom, which he used when he had been working late, at the top of the house?  No, the clock was still working and the lift was at the top of the house as he had used it that evening.

Suddenly, in the far left corner of the study a cog rolled across the floor, then another and another.

"What on earth are you playing at Moo?" came a little squeaky voice.  "You really are naughty at times."

"Having a good old play with these 'ere cogs" was the answer "about time you let your hair down Minni" said Moo as he rolled yet another cog out from behind the skirting board.  

Minni and Moo were the two youngest of the mice living in the big old house and were often quite mischievous, especially Moo.  

Moo climbed up on the desk and onto a pile of books that Mr Brown had been reading earlier that evening.  

"Look at me Minni" he called, as he balanced on a cog on top of the books with Mr Brown's racing goggles held high in his tiny paws.  "I'm dancing and my partner has the largest eyes you ever did see."

Minni was not amused and she shouted to him to get down.  "Remember we must not let anyone know we have been here.  You know what Mamma Mouse told you, if we get seen or it is suspected that we exist the family will probably get a big big cat!!!  And that will be curtains for us all."

At that Moo climbed down, being careful to put the goggles exactly where he had found them and to dust off the books where his four little paws had been.  Just then he saw a fancy hat.  It wasn't the one Mr Brown wore every day but one which he tended to only wear on special occasions.  Quickly Moo scrambled up the laces that decorated the front and stood there balancing a sign on two wheels.  Ooh, this was fun.

"Where are you?" shouted Minni, "come here, Mamma will be ever so angry if we stay out too long."  She began looking for her naughty twin brother but he was nowhere to be found,  What had he done now ... and where on earth was he?  Then she saw the hat.  "No, he wouldn't" she thought to herself.  She picked the hat up carefully by the brim and looked underneath but all she saw was a spider who immediately spun a line to escape from her.  "Are you in there" she shouted, frightening herself by the echo that came from within.

All of a sudden there was a huge 'bump' and Moo sat on the floor by the side of the hat rubbing his head.  She had tipped the hat so much that Moo had slid off the top and fallen right on his head on the hard desk.

"Serves you right" said Minni, "now come home or we will both be in trouble."  And with that the two little 'meeces' scurried through the tiny hole that they could just about squeeze through.

"Wonder what Mamma is cooking" said Minni.  Moo couldn't care less, his head hurt so much."

798 WOYWW

 Another beautiful week in the north of England, so making the most of it by being out and about.  Guess who forgot about her blog in the excitement of the "old currant bun"?  Here we are closer and closer to that big number with a double zero.  What an auspicious number for a blog hop.  Wonder what Sarah has planned?

Well, I have been busy again doing a bit of crafting - this was for a swap and probably not yet received but as the person does not come on here it is ok to show you.  The topic was "Countryside" 

and the other was a bookmark

But you came here hoping to see my tumbler.  Well, Jayne could not get it to work whilst I was there so I have not yet got it but she did fix it when I left and here is a little video of it that she sent to me

I hope this works

You came here really to see my desk so here it is

I think it is fairly explanatory so I will leave it there and see you next week with a bit of luck.  Take care.

Jeuidi Journal - Secret

 I was going to call this "Owl be Seeing You" but decided it was to corny even for me.  Still waiting for Wendy to get herself sorted, poor Wendy is up to her eyeballs in things at the moment, especially in her craft room I imagine (I have been in her craftroom in the past so know how much work there will be).  Saying that I think I should make a start on tidying mine out and maybe getting rid of the stuff I no longer use.  Heaven help us if we decide to move!  So here we are with a page for Aimslee's challenge at Art Journal Journey.

Anyway, today is another page in my Lavinia Journal.  As you can no doubt tell I have done the main picture on card and stuck it in my journal page - this was after realising the rag paper did not work quite the same as card, and also a bit of nerves in case I did something wrong and made a mess of a page.  The kind of mess that could not be salvaged!  I did actually chop down the piece of card as it was too tall for the book so it got a chopping everywhere.

All stamps are from Lavinia and inks are Elements (for the background) and Versafine Claire for the stamping.  I tried to carry on the stamping on the page and was quite chuffed with the dandelions on the left and right which I matched up pretty close.  I also did some stencilling on the actual page.  Because I had a few comments last week from people missing a story I tried to make one for this, not as easy in coming to me as the Dylusion ones but I did try.

"Gus had met a lady owl on a dating app.  It wasn't always easy for owls to meet up and Gus had decided it was about time he had a girl friend.  He hoped it would lead to them being together for ever and ever and he was secretly hoping for lots of little owlets in time.  

The lady owl he had met was called Blondie and she was the most beautiful owl he had ever seen.  They had seemed to get on great that evening high in the old oak.  They talked about where they had been, about their families and about the other creatures and the fairies that lived in the wood.  Gus thought she had seemed as interested in him as he was in her and so he had asked her out on a second date.

That morning he preened himself to perfection and even gave his best green waistcoat a brush and decided to wear that, after all it complimented his eyes, or so he had been told.  Then he took himself off to the entrance to the Secret Garden where he had asked her to meet him.  

It was a beautiful garden with the prettiest of flowers providing a lush undergrowth and there were lots of pretty bushes and trees where they could sit and continue with their second date.  It was something new for Gus and he was so excited.  To make sure she saw him he decided to sit and wait on the notice board for the garden and so he sat there puffing his feather up and looking quite the part.

And that is where we have to leave the story, but I can tell. you it had a happy ending and lots of little owlets now frequent the Secret Garden where mum and dad finally exchanged their vows."

WOYWW 797

Feast or Famine - it's like waiting for the bus, it either never comes or you get several at once.  What am I talking about?  Me and my WOYWW pages!  I go for a while (sometimes a good long while) with nothing to really show you and then I have lots.  Today I have lots. 

Last Saturday morning I did an online workshop with Jo Rice in which we were once again using up scraps of cardstock but this time with a Christmas theme.  This was to hopefully get us in the mood for making some Christmas cards with the emphasis on 'batch' card making.  Not too sure I will be making that many with the price of postage going up yet again - ok as far as I know it is only first class but I wouldn't be too sure about second.  I feel it too might go up or be abandoned altogether.  Anyway I think the cost of sending a card/letter is getting ridiculous.  Shame as I like making and sending cards.

Here are my Christmas cards made last Saturday morning

This one I turned into an everyday card

It is still just a topper as it was just me messing about trying an idea of mine.  It should have been baubles hanging from the top for Christmas but I ended up with autumn (ie there are no leaves on the trees).

I had seen this other card on the internet by Leesa and so I contacted her to find where her instructions were and this is what I ended with.  It's kind of 3D, in that it is a Z card and the front has a strip at the base that stands away from the main card when you open it.  Hope you can see what I mean.  I am now making it again but using the proper toadstools this time as I could not find them previously.

This is looking down on it so you see what it looks like - how it bends

There was a lot to it so my desk was covered in bits of card but the worktop behind me held lots of stuff which I decided was more interesting to show you.  (The little green thing, left, is the Cricut character which I once got at CHA and he sits on one of my ink pad cubby holes.)

My polka dot pencil case contains Posca pens, gel pens, and some pastel crayons, then my box is holding the stamps I am using, WOW embossing powder behind, then Masking Fluid, various ink pads, behind them are the tins with my bees, my butterflies and my numbers inside, my spray bottle, my heating pad (foil covered old place mat) with an acrylic block on it and a baby wipe, scissors, brushes, water pot, blending tools, my tower of blending sponges.  Phew!  See you over at Sarah's Craft Shed.

Later today I am taking my picture over to my friend to have it transferred to a drink tumbler.  Hope it works and I can finally show you next week.

Jeudi Journal a Day Late - Woodland

 Because of Wendy being up to her eyeballs in stuff I decided that if she did not upload yesterday then I wouldn't either.  We can upload as usual together some time soon.

Luckily Aimslee chose 'Anything Goes' for her theme at Art Journal Journey this month and so it meant I could use a page in a different journal and one which I haven't uploaded before.  I am giving you a page in my Lavinia Journal where I use only Lavinia stamps.

This was an online class I did with Jo Rice and was all about perspective.  The first one I did was on a sheet of card but as I wanted to practice I did it again in my journal.  Unfortunately the colours (Pan Pastels) came out much brighter (and brasher) on the rag paper of the journal than on the cardstock used for the original one and you can hardly see the moon in the top right hand corner.  I found that the ink (I used Elements Dark Denim on the edges) also did not move quite as well as it did on cardstock.

So not only did I learn about perspective but I also learned that materials react differently to the types of card/paper we use.  

No story this week, it's rather a quiet morning in the woods today.