Planning, Painting and Packing

Hi Everyone!  I've been a bit quiet on here of late as I have been busy planning and preparing for for a number of upcoming events including the Unruly PaperArts Retreat, Packing to move house next week.  In between I have been spending some time in my studio playing with paint.  I have been enjoying creating on large canvases and large mixed media paper sheets and over the past weekend I had the opportunity to join a number of other highly creative ladies to play with paint, pastels and other mediums sharing ideas and techniques.

My latest work in progress

Here's a look at a couple of my recent creations including some from the weekend.

Butterflies in the Garden (Mixed Media)

In the Woods on a Rainy Day

Lighthouse Beach Close Up (Pan Pastels)

Waterlillies (Acrylic)

Clowning Around
 (ATC Traded for recent Art Athon at ATC's for All)

Halloween Mona
created for Mona Lisa Outtakes ATC Swap

Our theme this month over at Unruly PaperArts is called Chip off the Old Block and it is exploring the wonderful ways you can dress up and use chipboard and some other specialty papers in your work, so be sure to pop over and take a look.

Some Recent ATC Makes

Today I am sharing some non Christmas Themed ATC's that I recently swapped and traded on ATC's for All.

Back in October I mentioned I was in a PAT Themed Swap where each of the five participants picks a theme that the others are to create for.  I had shared two of the themes (Buddah and Vintage Halloween) but hadn't shared the others.

They were Breakfast Foods and Exotic Fruits.

I also participated in the Halloween ATHON and made two Poe inspired cards.  Here's a look at one of those I traded.

If you are looking for a little Christmas Inspiration I have a post over on the Unruly PaperArts blog today entitled Table Treats.

A Christmas Tag

I delivered my finished mini book order today and they were thrilled.......I wasn't however because I forget to take some photos..............doh! A last minute idea of adding some beautiful images from the Graphic 45 Secret Garden and Botanical Tea Papers along with one from Fab Scraps which I purchased yesterday whilst visiting Time to Create had me creating right up to the last minute.  I had my camera out ready but then got side tracked as you do.

Oh well, it has definitely inspired me to make one for myself at a later date but for now I am still creating for the swaps I have signed up for.  One of them being a Christmas Tag Swap.  Inspired by a couple of current Challenge Themes, I revisited some I made last year by creating a similar background using Distress Stains and stamped text. Today's tag is however layered a little differently and uses a different stamp for my main image.

I love the effect achieved by dotting the Distress Stains across my background.  The Christmas Text (Darkroom Door) stamp was stamped with Memento Luxe Ink - Color Rhubarb Stalk, the edges inked with Red Archival Ink, and the ornament image (Unity Stamp Co) was stamped with Jet Black Staz On and Colored with Memento Markers - Love Letter, Pistachio and Peanut Brittle.  The torn paper was some left over from another project and the decorative strips are from Bazzill.

I am linking the above tag up to the following challenges:-

Craft Room Challenge - Make Your Own Background
Vandicrafts.com Artistry Challenge #13 - Fashion Your Background
Inky Chicks Challenge #40 - Christmas
Oldie but a Goodie Challenge - Christmas (Old Stash Item Used - Bazzill Decorative Strips)



Here's a look at the one's from last year using a similar background and idea.

Thanks for stopping by today!

Vintage Christmas ATC's

My apologies as I am still a bit slack with my posting and commenting since my return from holidays.  I have been working on a special order/project as a retirement gift, it's a mini book with tags, each tag is for decorated on the front and blank on the back allowing each person to write a special message.  The book itself is also decorated and has special quotes.    I will share more about this once it's completed and it has been given to the recipient however today I do have some more small pieces of art to share by way of some Vintage Christmas ATC's I have made for a swap over at ATC's for All.

My backgrounds were created simply by tearing a mix of papers into pieces and sticking them down to create a patchwork effect.  I then added color to them using Bundled Sage and Tumbled Glass Distress Inks.

Next I used my Darkroom Door Polka Dot and French Text Stamps with Archival Ink in Green and Blue and randomly stamped these patterns onto the background before adding my collage images which are a mix of images from some free collage sheets and some from Altered Pages.

I added some further details with stamping using Black Staz on such as the Holly Leaves and Sentiments, color was added to my stamping with Memento Markers and Big Brush Stamper Pens.

To finish I added some faux stitching and edged them all with Gold Delicata Ink.  I have signed up for another 3 Christmas Type Swaps and hopefully these will all get me in the Christmas Spirit.

APC Week 3 plus a few other cards

Hi Everyone!  I have had a very lazy week since our return from overseas, reading and the odd bit of crafting here and there.

I am still nowhere caught up with the Altered Playing Card Challenge but here are my cards for week 3.

I am trying to follow at least the background techniques shown by Claudine each week.

The first card uses Alcohol Inks.  I only own three colors so used these with a little blending solution to create the background.  I then stamped some leaves and my sentiment onto the background with Black Staz On.  Coloring my leaves with a Memento Marker.  Before adding some butterflies that had been stamped on white paper and colored with distress ink and finished with a few rhinestonesbh.

My second APC has been colored with Mustard Seed, Rusty Hinge and a touch of Aged Maghony Distress Ink all blended with a baby wipe.  I also added a sand texture to this with a touch of sepia ink.  I then used this same color in archival ink to stamp my sentiment before adding my stamped leaf which was fussy cut and colored before outlining with a white gel pen.

All the stamps I used on these cards were from Unity Stamp Co.

Also this week I have made a start on my swap cards for a PAT (Pick a Theme Swap) over at ATC's for All.  For these types of swaps each participant (5 in a group) picks a theme they would like a card to be made for.  Everyone makes one card for each participant in line with the chosen theme and then sends them to the host who then sends them out.  This type of swap is great if you are collecting particular themed cards as you end up with four cards to add to your collection.

Here are the first two.  I am playing in the Mixed Media/Collage Catergory, the first card theme was Buddah's and the second was Vintage Halloween.

The buddah image is one I have in my stash as I love buddah's myself and have a great collection of them.  The background is a gelli print with some black stamping (a flourish) down one side.  I then took a selection of off cuts from my G45 Birdsong Papers and layered these before adding my buddah and some Cherry Blossoms cut from another collage image.  The Geisha Stamp Image was from a collage sheet by Joanna Grant and I edged one side with a touch of Gold Leaf (I think this is what is causing my camera to put a fuzzy blur down the side of the buddah).

For my Vintage Halloween Card I used this delightful collage image from an Altered Pages Collage Sheet and layered once again some G45 papers (Steampunk Spells) over a black painted background.

What's on Your Workdesk Wednesday #240

Hello Fellow Deskers and Crafty Friends, if this is your very first visit of the New Year to my blog than a Very Happy 2014 to you.

I hope you have found that the start of the year has recharged your creative mojo and you are finding or making time to craft.  It certainly has mine.  I think its because I always find some new crafting workshops etc to play along with.  For 2014 my plans are to play along with Journal 52 aswell as Tim's 12 Tags of 2014, I have completed the first project for both of these and have also been kept busy catching up on a number of swaps I am participating in over at AFA including hosting one plus my DT committments.  My year has got off to a flying start creative wise.

I do have a photo of my desk, (if you are asking why, then head here to our hostess Julia's Blog).  At present it is the tidiest part of my workspace, as the floor, my other desk that I am sitting at to type this and all surfaces in the room are literally covered in stuff.....given the variety of projects I have been working on.

So on my desk is my small Dylusions Journal I am using for Journal52 and its open to where I have just stuck in a print of an ATC I made for a swap.  The ATC was actually inspired by the first prompt of Journal 52 which was 'Up, Up and Away'.  You can tell by what is littering my desk what supplies I have been using.

Here are a couple of my creations I have been working on this week inspired by this Journal Prompt.

Above is my first take on the Week 1 Prompt.  Gesso, Distress Stain and Spray Ink Background with Stamping, Tria Markers, Watercolor Pencils, Doodling and Washi Tape.  I have written down some of my goals for 2014 in the clouds with a White Gel Pen after taking this photo.

And this is the ATC I made inspired by the prompt and that I took the print of for my journal. My background is one of my own hand painted, stenciled and stamped papers I made and  finished with a few collage images and some text.

It's late Wednesday Evening here as seen by my desk photo so I had better be off to have a shower and get to bed as it's a early start for me most mornings.    I will start visiting desks around the globe tomorrow. Thanks for stopping by and a Happy WOYWW to you all.

A Few Small Makes

Hi Everyone, I hope you are well this Sunday.  We survived the past two days in the forties and although the temperature today was a little cooler the humidity was a killer.  Rain has been threatening but never seems to arrive.

I managed to find a few hours today to play so went diving through some vintage images on a CD of them I purchased some years ago and printed off some.  Here's a few ATC's I made today using the vintage images and some of my handmade backgrounds.

I am entering this second ATC into the current Challenge at the Three Muses - which is Color Me Happy, create Art that makes you Happy.  Playing with my Splash Inks on my Gelli Plate and then using the backgrounds to make ATC's all makes me Happy.

The backgrounds for the first two are Gelli Prints, the third is simply a scrap I used to blot up excess spray inks when using them last.  I am going post these to the Athon currently happening at AFA and see if someone is interested in a trade.

I have a few more on the go for swaps which I will share a bit later in the week, but for now that's all folks.

Day 2 - Five Days of Flashbacks

Welcome back to Day 2 of Five Days of Flashbacks showcasing my crafting throughout 2013.

In March I used up some of my Gelli Prints that I had been madly printing throughout February to make ATC's playing along with the Postage Stamp-Athon early in the month and an Art-Athon over the St Patricks Day Weekend.at ATC's for All.

It would appear March was the month for ATC Making.  This one was using some of my new Australian Animal Stamps from Darkroom Door.

Cards were more in favor in April and I kick started the month with a fun male oriented card for the sketch at Cards in Envy

I used a canvas backwards to create a fun shadow box with my French Country Papers from Graphic 45 for my rooster mad sister whilst playing along with the Altered Pages Challenge.

I hopped as part of the team for the Robin's Nest with my Daisy Days Card.

  

In May I was back to making lots of ATC's participating in a number of ATC Swaps including one called Down by the Sea and a Bee themed one!

I made a Shoe themed banner for the Shoe Challenge at Altered Pages.

And I had a go at carving my own stamps while at a Class at Time to Create and over on the Design Memory Craft Blog I learned a great technique for using Vellum with Gelatos.  This had me almost falling back in love with Vellum.

These flashbacks certainly confirm that my style varies a lot doesn't it?  Thanks so much for stopping by today.

If you would like to see more of my assortment of art throughout 2013, pop back tomorrow for Day 3 of my Five Days of Flashbacks where I will be showcasing some of my work from June, July and August.

Day 1 - Five Days of Flashbacks

Hi Everyone!  I hope you all had a fabulous Christmas day with family and friends sharing lots of joy and laughter.

I certainly had a lovely day with the family which ended with a few hours in the pool.  And thought I would share my favorite shot of the day which gives you an idea of the relaxed way we celebrate Christmas here in the heat of Summer which is our family tradition.  Green and Red took centre stage.

This is a picture of my Mum and Dad about to start on the their prawn cocktail entree.  With warm days a cold lunch outdoors is the only way to celebrate Christmas.  Luckily the flies were visiting their relatives elsewhere.

Anyhow to round out the year, I thought I would over the next five days leading to New Years Eve share some flashbacks that made up my year of crafting.

Ending 2012 and kickstarting my crafting for 2013 I played along with the Art-athon over at ATC's for All and hopefully will get a chance to play along again this year.

I set my three words and goals for 2013.  I started the year well, but it all went a bit astray as the year draws to a close.

The start of February saw me join the Design Team for a New Challenge Site - Cards in Envy.  Here is a look at the first card I made for their very first sketch.

I was having lots of fun playing with my New Gelli Plate and Splash Inks in February too.  I also got on a roll with my participation of Life Book 2013.

In among all that play we celebrated my hubby's birthday and got away for a few days at the beach.

Well that's a wrap of January and February, thanks for stopping by and I do hope you will join me again tomorrow for another day of flashbacks as I revisit March, April and May.