Watercolour Playground Workshop

Here is my first play in the watercolour playground workshop.  Experimenting with watercolours and how to use them.  I'm not too happy with the way this has turned out as some of the colours are not to my liking.  

I wasn't sure what colours to buy so went for a little palette set which seemed to have a range of colours in it.

 But I think I would have preferred to have a purple and pink in there too.

Forgot to say the workshop is by the very talent Tammy from daisyyellow.

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Listers Gotta List

For May I've also decided to join in the Listersgottalist by the fabulous Reset Girl, Cori, and use the prompts and list that days outcome.

I'm already behind as I had to wait for my notebooks to arrive but they are here now and I'm on day 8 so only 5 days to catch up on.

Days 1 - 5 are below with day 6 just featuring a foiled background.  I'm not even sure where I got the foiling foil haha from but I love the effect it gives a page and the shine? well that would please a magpie! hahaha

I'm really enjoying doing this challenge as I can use patterned papers and embellisments that I wanted to keep because they were "too delicious" and didn't want to use them??? Is that bonkers or do you know what I mean? hahaha!  But now at least this way I can use them and see them when I look through my notebook.

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Draw Your Words Workshop

Another couple of journal pages to show this afternoon from Tammy's Draw Your Words Workshop.  This time using a dip pen and white acrylic ink.

The background blocks were painted in acrylic paint and I had to wait overnight before I could use my pen on them.  At first it was a little scratchy writing with the nib but I got used to it by the end of the page.

I love the bright colours of the acrylics against the white of the ink.  I'll definitely be using the nib again and might try it with some different colour inks but I'll have to buy them first lol.

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a grumble

Have any of you out there had trouble with Sakura pens drying out?  I've got seven pens from their Stardust and Souffle range that, with no amount of coaxing, will the ink come out of the pen!!!!!!!!!!!! Grrrrrrrrr.

It is so annoying as you can see the yellow has loads of ink inside.  I tried Googling the problem and have tried several suggestions ie heating the nibs with a hair dryer, shaking the pens whilst holding them in a vertical postion and writing with them slowly to encourage the ink to flow, all with no success. I stored the pens horizontally as was suggested when I bought them so that isn't the problem. 

So can any of you whizz brains out there give me another option to try?  If not they will end up in the bin and I won't purchase them again which is a shame as there are some beautiful colours and they give a great effect.

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Tooooo Long A Time

Wow it was back in September when  l last blogged a post.  That is way way too long ago.

I have been keeping up with my creativeness with two jumpers knitted and my 365 calendar journal a la Kate Crane is still going strong.  The main reason for not being here has been Instagram lol and a new phone.  It's just so easy to use and I can view it anywhere.  Also my desktop computer takes ages to load and it was driving me nuts haha.

Well I just signed up for a couple of great workshop run by Daisy Yellow and as I'm not on Facebook I wanted a bigger screen to view things on so hence starting the blog up again.







I'm currently enjoying Tammy's "draw your words" workshop this one is free and it has been lots of fun and I'm even doodling at work! sssh! don't tell the boss. tee hee.

Seven to show

Yesterday I was pleasantly busy making cards from the coloured images I started previously.  I recently bought some gorgeous glittery papers by Doodlebug and couldn't wait to use them.

So first up are three Christmas cards.  In the first two I used the wonderful Penny Black "Little Elf Mim" coloured in Copic Sketch markers and the sentiment is from Paper Smooches "Joyful Greetings" set.

 This image I received ages ago in a stamped image swap (I think it was from Kaz?)

 I then went a little crazy with some paint haha and splashed and sloshed it over these kraft card blanks then added the sentiment "How old?" from Papermania Mix'n'Match "Celebration".

 This background was again created using acrylic paint through some Tando stencils.  This image is again from the same image swap but from Gez I believe.

And finally a mixture of stamps here. The sentiment is from Papermania Mix'n'Match "Celebration", the frame is a Paper Artsy mini stamp and the cat inside is a Sugar Nellie Gorjuss stamp - "Purrfect Friend".

Thanks for stopping by and do please let me know what you think of my cards by leaving a comment.

Happy Sunday all.

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365 Calendar Challenge

Ooops I have been very lapse at uploading my calendar pages since June - must have been all that sunshine we had gone to my head - haha.

My June pages didn't turn out quite the way I had expected.

I had lots of strips of patterned papers left over from various projects and decided to stick them in my journal and then thought that I wouldn't be able to write over the more vibrantly coloured papers so I gave the whole double page spread a wash with gesso.  I think it has just created a messy look but heyho I took a risk and it didn't pay off.

July's entries were written in these neon coloured frames which I was quite pleased with, but here I think the title let these pages down, it's too stark and should have been in an orange or maybe a lime green or maybe on a coloured background rather than the bare pages.

So then we come to August's pages and I wanted the colours to be hot like most of the month was and I came up with this.

I still have to do the title and fill it in and I'll hopefully show you the completed page later in the week.

Thanks for taking time to visit

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Time to share

Now I know these cards have been received I can share with you my batch of cards that I created in August for birthdays throughout the summer month.

 These three variations on a "berry" theme where stamped using "Paper Smooches Fruitastic" bought from Make the Day Special one of my favourite UK shops who stock American stamps.

 

 

 This fourth card was stamped with a mixture of stamps.  The sentiment is a Unity Stamp Company Phyllis Harris Every Breath stamp and the hydrangea stamps are from Basic Grey STA1669.  This card I stamped using Adirondack Brights Ink Pads.

I then got my kraft cards out - as I haven't used them for ages and made this one.  The stamps are from the Lawn Fawn Make Lemonade set - I love the cute faces on the lemons.  The tablecloth is handcut and doodled.

 

Thank you for visiting and do leave a comment

so I can visit your blog. 

♥ Happy Sunday ♥

mouse

I read yesterday on Kim Dellow's blog that the secret to a great blog is consistency well I am trying to blog more regularly so let's see if it works.

Today I'd like to share a cat toy I made for my two cats, well really the young kitten (Cedric) as his Mum (Luna) doesn't really play with toys.

So I found on EfemeraInk's blog a post from 12.6.2011 entitled "As Quiet As ..." for making a really cute mouse.  Effie is a really talented crafter and has some beautiful posts and lots of inspiring ideas.

I decided I would try and make one so I found some scraps of material that wasn't felt (Cedric ate the last felt mouse I made) and some stuffing and I came up with this.

A piece of cord (leftover from a clothing tag) for a tail and two woollen eyes and the mouse was finished.  I'm happy to say the mouse is still in one piece but for how long?  Who knows. hahaha.

Thanks for visiting me today.

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Kew

Yesterday I spent a very enjoyable day with my daughter at Kew Gardens, London.  In all my 51 years I have never been - bad isn't it?  I never realised just how huge it is.

It took us an absolute age to get there on public transport but we had the weather with us and were determined to enjoy our day.

We specifically went to see the Plantasia exhibition at the Gardens which is all about "the life enhancing power of plants".

We climbed the Pagoda, all 253 steps and saw the healing giant below.

 

Took to the skies in the treetop walkway - it was quite windy and the walkway (mesh!!!) was swaying beneath us.  You can see the Temperate House here but it was closed due to restoration works.

  Saw some yarnbombing haha

and even evidence of some zentangling going on.

We visited the Palm House and Prince of Wales Conservatory and had a short ride on the land train "Kew Explorer" and then we ended with the Barefoot Walk where we got to feel all different kinds of textures beneath our feet - even mud! haha

We both had a great day out and would recommend Kew as a wonderful play for anyone who wants to recharge their batteries and experience the wonder of nature.

Thanks for reading and have a great Sunday. x

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Journal pages

Thought I would share two journal pages I completed over the weekend.

The first photo shows the background created with acrylic paint.  

 I never have an idea on what I'm going to do with the backgrounds so I was surprised to find that I did this.

 Inspired by a prompt on Instagram for a doodle a day #sadoodleaday which was Picasso.  I got my Caran D'Ache crayons out and went to town - this didn't take me long and was so much fun to do. 

Then over the weekend whilst watched tv I created this zentangle journal page.  This did take a while.  I had already painted the background in unwanted acrylic paint and doodled the mandala and the rest just grew from there.

 

This was the first photo I took this morning whilst still in my pyjamas - can you see mine and Luna's feet? haha

 Thanks for stopping by my blog.

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Bit of a challenge

Whilst catching up with my blog reading the other day I came across a challenge on the Tando Creative Challenge Blog that I thought would be fun to play around with.

Tando's August challenge is called Lovely Layers and the brief is to use lots of layers on your piece.  So I decided to get the acrylic paints and Distress Inks out.  I made a wonderful mess and my finger tips are still a little bit inky haha.

I had sometime ago randomly stuck numbers and other stickers to this page and that was as far as I got.  So with the help of paint, DI and lots of Tando stencils this page was produced.  I'm still on a learning curve where layers are concerned but it was fun practicing.

I also found a bag of Tando stars in my chipboard drawer and have adhered one of them to the page - can you see where?

Thanks for stopping by my blog.

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How Long?????

I can't believe that it has been three months since I last wrote on my blog!!! eek that is an awfully long time. I still keep up to date with your blogs, reading and leaving comments when I can.

Crafting has been reduced to just the evenings usually with my journal in front of the telly as I've been busy with end of year stuff at work and we have also acquired two new residents at home.The new residents have been taking up lots of my time and worry.  Sometimes it's like having two small children again rather than a cat and her kitten  haha. They weren't allowed outside for 6 weeks and that was a very stressful time whenever someone opened the door or windows.  Where are the cats???? was a constant question.

Well I suppose you want to see a photo of them?

This is Cedric and he is only 4 months old and doesn't he look like he is smiling in this photo? haha

And this is Cedric's Mum Luna and she is a 19 months old and only had the one kitten.  Sitting in a box - one of her favourite things to do.

Luna's name was chosen first as we wanted something to reflect her white coat.  But then it was time to think of a name for her kitten and we just couldn't all agree on one that we liked relating to the stars and solar system or the colour white.  So we went down the Harry Potter route and chose a name to match Luna and Cedric Diggory seemed to be the only name we could all agree on, haha we decided to drop the Diggory as it was a mouthful to call out in the garden and at the vets!

I've also been making cards as the Summer months birthdays come thick and fast and here are a few of the ones that have gone out already.

 It will soon be time to start the Christmas cards. 

I'll be back soon with some more crafting.

Bye for now.

May 365 Calendar

Hi blog readers

I've finished my pages for my May 365 Calendar a la Kate Crane.  

I was going to leave it just with the rainbow Distress Ink and a few splashes but thought that was a little boring and plain even when the patterned squares were added.

So I then went a little mad with the stamps in my stamp box and added some doodling and then added the patterned squares all from my bits and pieces box -hence the "messy squares and the hands".

 

I do like to play along with this as it only takes a few minutes each day and it is like keeping a very simple diary.

If you are reading this do leave a comment so I can visit your blog in return.

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Unusual Saturday

Now I know it is National Scrapbooking Day but I haven't got anything crafty to share with you today.  Instead I want to tell you what I got up to this morning, at 6.30 am to be precise. I finally got to have my balloon trip!  yippee, hooray, weeeeeeeeee and all the other happy words you can think of.  

It was an early start and with a cold coming on I wasn't feeling very bright. But after waiting and being disappointed for four years and 13 attempts I was not going to let anything come in the way of me taking to the skies.  

The field was covered in a heavy frost and my boots soon got very wet and icy.  

 

We helped prepare the balloon ready for flight and after a quick briefing we took to the air.  Sixteen passengers and our pilot, Gavin rose majestically into the sky and we were off.

I left my husband on the ground waving me off and very quickly he got smaller and smaller hahaha.  

It was so quiet during the flight (apart from the occasional radio transmissions and chatter from the passengers) and it didn't feel like we were moving at all.  We glided over the Hertfordshire countryside seeing the morning unfold below us whilst the wildlife scattered when then heard the burners fire up.

If you are thinking about going in a hot air balloon I would thoroughly recommend it.  I had a brilliant morning.

I would like to say a huge thank you to Gavin, our pilot, and all the ground crew at Virgin Balloons for making this a special day for me.

Thanks for stopping by my blog and if you can please leave a comment so I can return the favour and visit you.

 

Have a great bank holiday weekend.

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Weekend break

Last weekend I had a fabulous time with my family in Edinburgh.  We flew up on Friday night and came back on Sunday night.  It was a very busy couple of days but we all thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.  We were all tired yesterday but it was worth it.

Our trip was made extra special by meeting up with my good friend Janice who I haven't seen for about three years.  It was great to have a laugh and catch up with her and she was kind enough to acted as our own personal tour guide.  I managed to persuaded her to climb Scott Monument with me and my son.  No wonder our legs ached!! 

I also met this chap in Edinburgh castle but he wasn't as talkative as Janice.

If you haven't been to Edinburgh I would recommend it.  It was a lovely city to visit and I will be going back again for sure.

Thanks for visiting my blog today and leave a comment so I can return the visit to your blog.

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