Jeudi Journal

 Talk about spooky!  I began this page in my square journal first looking for a clean page to use.  Most of the pages had some pencil work on them and I thought about erasing the pencil out but then I came upon a clean page altogether.  Great!  Now what should I have for my background colour?  Orange, Purple immediately sprang to mind but I would be stamping in black and using orange certainly for my pumpkins.  Taking inspiration from Elizabeth's page I decided to use Iced Spruce as it was a kind of grey colour.   Imagine my surprise when I found that there were white marks appearing underneath my  plain colour!  I looked closely at the page, ran my fingers over it but could not find anything that was causing this.  Definitely a Halloween page.

"Bella and her friend Hermione decided to dress the house in readiness for Halloween.  And so they decided to go to a pumpkin patch and buy some pumpkins.  It would be fun carving faces into them, something they had never done before.  So off they set but not before Hermione donned her witches hat.  She had been a witch in a production at school and so she loved to wear the lime green hat with it's purple bands going around it.

Bella was a bit annoyed, Hermione always had to take centre stage in whatever they did.  Well, she would find a broomstick or something when they got to the pumpkin patch.  Did they sell broomsticks as well?

The two girls made their way to the Patch but to Bella's annoyance they did not sell anything to do with Halloween, only pumpkins.  So she looked around and found a corner with a few pumpkins in and she managed to get up on top of one of them, balancing so precariously in her high heeled shoes.

"Look at me, I'm the Queen of the Castle" she shouted. "Coffee in one hand, confidence in the other" and with that she promptly fell off.  

"I don't know about Queen of the castle" said Hermione, "and where you get your coffee from I have no idea but I will say one thing, you do have bags of confidence."

WOYWW 852

 WOW it's October and it seems to be going dark sooner than ever yet the clocks don't go back until the end of the month.  It's also WOYWW and the link is here at Sarah's craft shed.

We went to Preston last week as I had an appointment with the chiropractor,  a journey which takes us past three reservoirs.  It's been worrying to see how low they had all got over the summer and all this dry weather.  Even on days when we got a bit of rain it did not make any difference.  Thankfully the heavy showers we have had of late made a tiny bit of difference.  The top two reservoirs were still vey low but it was heartening to see the bottom one had risen.  Made me wonder if they feed into one another, the bottom one receiving most of the drips from the top two.

Today I had been dripping too.  Sometimes this oedema can leak if I get a scratch or something and I had caught my leg last night with a finger nail.  I put a plaster on to stop it from bleeding but today I suddenly noticed my trousers felt a bit wet and sure enough I've been leaking. 

Fortunately there is no water near my desk at the moment.  I am so behind with my swaps and need to play catch up quickly.  Not finished my September swaps as yet but here is my progress to date.

This shows a couple of stamped pieces that now need painting with water to mix the colours and bring the colours out.  These are to be used on my latest purchase cards, along with stamps that are my latest purchase.  Hopefully next week I can show you the completed cards along with the blue one at the top which just needs mounting and popping into my neighbours letterbox as a Get Well Card following his operation for a new knee.

Well, it's late and I must get this ready for tomorrow so I'll leave it there for now before saying the devastating fire at Julias hubbies business hit us all last week.  We may be a small community but it hit us a when we saw the photos of what had happened.  Our hearts go out to the Dunnit family.  Julia, Bart we love you so much.

Jeudi Journal - Watch this

For today's journal page I used Distress Oxides as my background, remembering Leandra's rule of three which she taught us in the early days.  And so I used Mustard Seed, Wild Honey and Ripe Persimmon as my three Oxides, the latter through Dylusions stencil DYS34261.  I felt a touch of Autumn coming on.

The quote we had to work with was "You think that's bad, watch this" and that had to marry up with Mia's theme at Art Journal Journey "Make Your Own Background"

"Billy was 14 and just discovering a love of 'girls'.  Lira was a pretty young girl in his class and Billy thought she was the love of his life.  She was brave, she was beautiful and she was clever.  What more could he want in a girlfriend?  'Brave"?  Well, how many other girls had their hair that beautiful shade of purple  in his class - none!  'Beautiful'?  You only had to look at her eyes to see into her soul.  'Clever'? Well, that could not be denied, she was in the top sets for most subjects at school

Billy discovered she had a love of all things spooky and so he told her about this old house just on the edge of town which was supposed to be haunted.  Lira wanted to go and so the two of them set off with Billy's younger brother and his friend in tow.  

On the way Lira told them a spooky tale which made their backs tingle and the hair on their arms stand up straight.  As they got to the house Billy asked if Lira was sure she wanted to go in.  She definitely did but the other to were not quite so sure.  

"Your story was scary" he said "But you think that's bad, watch this" and he opened the door which creaked ominously and a bird flew past them making for the open door.  The two young boys screamed and rushed outside.   

"Billy, I don't think we will come in, we'll wait for you here" said  his younger brother.

And so it was just Billy and Lira who went into the house.  Cobwebs hung from the pieces of wood that hung down where the ceiling had fallen in, adding up to the atmosphere.  It was dark with only bits of light from holes in the structure of the old building for them to see where they were going.  Everywhere creaked and moaned, the old house was falling down, it had had enough of trying to stay upright.

All of a sudden a bat flew past them and Billy jumped, grabbing Lyra's arm, and then they both noticed a pile of rags in the corner.  It moved,   Billy grabbed Lira's arm even tighter, someone was there.  The pile of rags became a person.  A tall man stood there but the two of them did not wait to see who or what he was.  They ran for the open door, shouting to the two younger boys "run, run" and the four of them ran as fast as they could away from the old house.

When they. stopped running and dropped down on the grass Lira admitted that the visit to the old house had surpassed any story she might know and Billy had been right when he said "You think that's bad, watch this."

WOYWW 851

Another week has flown by and we are back visiting Sarah's Craft Shed to meet up with friends and see their desks as what they are like.   Mine is tidy this week and all I have to show you are some new stamps - the new Curiosities Bundle just happened to fall into my basket on the net.

Originally I chose a selection but then saw what Jo Rice had done with the paint splats and I just wanted that stamp so I cancelled  my order, got a refund and then ordered the whole Bundle.

Halloween

Yes, the time has come for witches to be seen on my desk and it looks like a few ravens will be hanging around this time.  I love the two young witches and can see they will feature a lot in my crafting this October..  This is the perfect collection to put with the witches from last year.  Remember them?  I thought they were lovely and referred to them as the 'sexy witches' because of their slim figures.  Now I will have cats, bats and ravens featuring in my makes.

Maybe I should get them out of their packets and start using them - October is almost upon us!

Jeudi Journal - How Old

 My handmade background for Mia's challenge at Art Journal Journey is a mixture of Distress Oxides Peacock Feathers and Cracked Pistachio over my page in my small square journal.  Then Mermaid Lagoon DO was put through Dylusions' stencil DYS34230 which I think is called something like Diamonds in the Rough.   Next it was Cracked Pistachio again but with the pad used 'direct to paper' to obliterate some of the starkness of the diamonds.  Finally a few water splats to bring out the true nature of Distress Oxides.

To complete the page it was a few question marks, hand drawn, to emphasise the quote and then it was one of the Dinky Dolls from Dyan coloured with Promarkers and the quote itself.

"How Old Do I Have to be Before I Have Any Idea What's Going On" is Dyan's quote we are working with today.  Although my page does illustrate the quote with the question marks dotted around the background Wendy and I make up  stories that are are enjoyed by so many and although some times we have to really scratch at the old grey matter to come up with a story we do so for our readers.  Here is today's story from me, Wendy's is here -

"Polly was thirteen. That age that does not seem to fit in anywhere.  Too young to be with the bigger girls and too old for the childish things younger ones get up to.  That is why she tended to talk to her little Dalmatian more than anyone.  Spot had been her friend and confidant for two years  now and she did not know what it would be like without him by her side.

There had been a lot of whispering at home and the family, mum, dad and teenage sister, tended to go quiet whenever Polly came into the room.  She knew there was something wrong and it worried her.  Magda, a girl at school, had been through a tough time with the break up of her parents and so Polly began to worry about mum and dad, but why would Deena, her older sister, be party to it?  She had asked her older sister but got no real answer as to what was happening.  It was question question question as far as she was concerned.  And no answers!

"How old do I have to be before I have any idea what's going on?" she asked of Spot.  Of course he couldn't answer but he did look up at her with his soulful eyes and wagged his tail.  "Oh Spot, if only you could talk". She bent down and hugged Spot, she really did love him.  "Guess we had better go back home and see if they still have some secret."

And so the two of them made their way home.  On opening the door Polly  was surprised to see the three of them, mum, dad and Deena, all stood there waiting for her.

"Surprise, Surprise" they shouted in unison and mum came forward and waved a ticket in front of Polly.  "We are going to Disneyland, you are going to Disneyland.  It's your birthday in two days time and you, Deena and Me, we are off to Disneyland in Paris for three days.  Oh please say you love it, your present I mean."

Polly just stood there, "but why is dad not going too?" she asked.

"I have a lot of work to do at the office and besides who would be here to look after Spot for you?" dad replied.

"There's nothing wrong then?" queried Polly.  "I mean you and mum, you are ok." and it all came tumbling out, the worry she had had that mum and dad were going to split.  Tears spilled down her face and both mum and dad went over to their youngest daughter and put their arms around her.

"Of course not, why on earth would you think that?"

And so Polly began to tell them about Magda at school and how she had felt they were keeping a secret from her but now she realised what the secret had been.  She bent down and picked Spot up holding him close to her face and whispering to him "Guess there are some advantages to being too young to knowing what is going on."

And off she skipped, ticket in one hand and arms around Spot.  She really must bring Spot a lovely present back from Disneyland."

WOYWW 850

It's another week gone by and I have done very little in crafting.  In other words I have done nothing new except my journal on a Thursday. If you want to see what I did you just have to scroll down a bit and you can read my story and look at my picture to illustrate it.  Each week I  plan, in my head, what I am going to do but then it never happens. 

So, this week my desk just has some blue toppers on it.  They are all old pieces of art work and I am going to make them into a set of six cards to leave somewhere for someone to find.  It's up to them whether they keep them, put them back where they picked them up from or pass them on to someone else.  I am going to try to make them more or less the same size so it will be easier for fixing them in envelopes.

Now should I make a box to keep them all in or is there some other way that will look ok?  In the past when I have left a handmade book I have either wrapped it up like a present or put it in a box.  But I don't feel cards can be treated in the same way.

I may be a bit late commenting today as I have an ultrasound appointment at cardiology late morning.  Wonder what that is going to throw up?  My chest infection seems to be on its way out too so things might be taking a turn for the better after two lots of antibiotics.  Sorry for the whinge.

Anyway, this is what is available on my desk today.  Old work but hopefully of use to someone when I get them mounted up.  Hopefully when I get to Sarah's Craft Shed I will find others who have got some brill work up.  See you there shortly.

Jeudi Journal - Entertained

Wendy and I decided to challenge one another to something to keep us stamping weekly resulting in journal page.  A story evolved but it is not part of the original ruling/plan, therefore not necessary.

The Current Quote: "No one will ever be entertained by us, as us"

Rules: Link to Art Journal Journey's theme (currently Mia's "Make your own background") plus Dyan Reaveley quote and her Dylusion figures.

I used Liquitex Acrylic Paints in 'light blue permanent' and 'bright aqua green' as my base, mixing the two together and left it to dry overnight.  Next day I decided to do a technique but then didn't think it would work on a painted background but I went ahead and gave it a try.  I haven't used my Perfect Pearls or my Pearlex for a long time and have a drawer full of different makes. Will it work on an acrylic painted background?  In for as penny.  It did - but only faintly, still I think a black background is best for this technique.  I used an Art from the Heart stamp and a Dina Wakley one, afterall she is best friends with Dyan.  Sketched Layered Fronds - and it will get used again, I love them.  They were coloured with Pearlex Duo Green Yellow and Pearlex True Blue, the Dylusion border was coloured with Peearl Ex Perfect Gold.

"Esmé. Ella, Ernie and Edward had spent a cosy afternoon, as usual on the first Saturday of the month, in "Cora's Cosy Cafe".  It was usual for the group to meet up for about an hour, or two if it wasn't too busy, and Cora was a friend of Edwards anyway so tended not to bother the group having this meet up.  Edward was a comedian and the three girls were storytellers, all passionate about making each other laugh and think.  (In case you are wondering Ernestine hated her name and so she was known as Ernie)

This afternoon they found themselves in a lively debate about the funniest moments in their lives again.  Each of the friends shared a hilarious anecdote and the conversation got funnier and funnier. 

As the laughter reached its peak, Esmé said "You know no one will ever be entertained by us, as us"  They all agreed, realising that their unique brand of humour was truly one of a kind.

An elderly gent sat nearby reached out and touched Esmé on the arm "I don't know about that love", he said, "I come in here every Saturday and try to get a table close to you for me and the wife.  It's good proper entertainment listening to you about your stories, and that young man should be on the stage."

"Yes," his wife chipped in "we wish you were here every Saturday, we love listening to you."

Edward thanked them on behalf of the other three and he and Ella got up and took their leave both having appointments to attend.  Esmé and Ernie stayed a few more minutes making plans for the evening and made their way to the door smiling at the elderly couple as they passed them.

Once outside Ernie said "well, that's been a bit different to the usual monthly meet up."

Esmé agreed and both girls went on their way with a lighter step than they had gone in with."

You can just about see the decoration behind the two figures.  Guess it needed a darker background to show up the PearlEx.  Maybe I should have left it to a border of some kind done on black card.  Or know more about darkening the colour on my scanning as it shows up on the actual journal.