Black and white

The stamping group I belong to has an annual Deco Book swap and have just started the Deco for this year.
We don't circulate the book (problems with 'lost in the post' in the past) but make two pages in our group member's theme and post them out.

This month's partner's theme is Black and White so I used my new Lynne Perrella stamps and my marker pens to do the border.

 

More LP stamps on this one and I used the serigraph technique, not done this for a long time but enjoyed it, apart from the mucky fingers it left me with.  Looks more brown than black and white - must be my camera as it is grey.

It's Friday so it's back to the cleaning now, if I whizz round with the duster and dust around rather than under things I may get time for a play this afternoon....whizzing it is then.

Don't forget I have blog candy on offer -  see post here.

Have good weekend everyone.

What's on Your Workspace Wednesday 142

Wednesday again and spring is on the way as are longer days and better light, and my crocus (croci??), not to mention all the other WOYWWers desks to have a nosy at over at Julia's Stamping Ground.

So lots to be happy about and lots of different things on the go this week for me - so what's new there - journalling, paper engineering, knitting and prep work for my altered book with Elizabeth of Bluebeard and Elizabeth fame.  Enough words, here's the photo.

Top left is my blog candy win from Neet in the Tim Holtz signed bag, a whole heap of goodies to play with and a very generous give-away.  (As an aside see my side-bar for details of my blog candy give-away, or the previous post). Top right is the inside of the suitcase I made a few weeks ago - lid finished, more or less, on Sunday and I started the mini album for inside.

Here's a closer look.

Moving round clockwise, next is my book ready for the altering class, it only cost me 50p at the charity shop.  Seems a shame to alter it but I struggled finding a book with stitched signatures.  Plan to start removing the pages tomorrow so keep you fingers crossed I don't fluff it or I will be in big doo doo.

Next round is my current knitting.  Jozarty sent me the pattern for her scarf/shawls and I bought the yarn on Monday and dived straight in.  Then disaster struck and the end fell off my needle (why does that sound a bit rude?). Trusty Tim Holtz rode to the rescue with his glossy accents and my button box to make this repair.

Love the colours but I think the yarn I bought is a bit thicker than the one Jo uses - still will keep me nice and warm if the weather turns cooler.

The other knitting on my desk is a baby shawl I made for a forum friend.  It's done in a chenille yarn and the pattern is only three rows so it knitted up quite quickly.  All done now and wrapped ready for a trip to the Post Office today.

Last on is a new page in my art journal. I swirled three colours of acrylics round with my fingers and blotted with kitchen roll before adding touches of the blue and blotting.  When I finished it reminded me of some stones I collected from the beach on Jersey some 25 years ago.

Here's the page...

and here's the stone...

Anyway, enough of me rabbiting on for today by the time you read this I will be journeying around the world's craft desks - managed to get round to everyone last week and left comments on over half of the blogs. lets see if I can do the same this week.

Happy WOYWW to everyone and thanks Julia for your stunning idea of a desk hop.

Blog Candy

Since I started this blog last June I have had so much fun and 'met' so many lovely people who are happy to share their skills and art.  Not only that I found out about blog candy, a new concept to me, and, have been lucky on more than one occasion and enjoyed the thrill of receiving craft goodies through the post.

So it's my turn now.  

It isn't to celebrate an anniversary or a certain number of followers, it's just for the fun of it.  So if you would like to be in with a chance to win please leave a comment and I would love it if you became a follower as well.   

In your comment let me know if you are an existing follower or if you left me a comment on my blog on last Wednesday's WOYWW post as an extra chance applies to both, so if you comment on this post, are already a follower and commented last Wednesday you will get three chances.

I have some other bits and pieces so they may well find their way into the candy pile so if gets too big I may split into two lots. 

Blog candy closes 1st March.

Good luck everyone.

Different styles

Lots of people have their own, distinctive style and you can spot a piece of art by them straight away.  Afraid I'm still looking for mine as if there is such a thing as a butterfly with a very low boredom threshold that's me.  I flit from one thing to another, not that there is anything wrong with that, if we don't try we don't learn, but it does mean I have an enormous pile of craft stuff.  Nothing wrong with that either - if you have the space to go with it - note to self: get a bigger house.

Yesterday I played with two completely different styles.  The first was on a birthday card for my sister (next Monday).  I am terrible at making cards to 'order' and will do anything rather than sit down and 'make a card for....', would much rather play, see what happens and then find a person it suits.

Anyway, I made myself sit down, decide on a stamp and colours and then, like Topsy, it grew - into this.

It's in the 'pretty' style using a Time To Stamp image I bought years ago at my first visit to the Happy Stampers show at Port Sunlight.  The Paris word, pearls and Eiffel Tour are from a cheap charm necklace from Primark.

Totally different now as I set to work on the panel I coloured using my Portfolios.  Had blended the background and stamped, then stopped to decide what was next.  Used a Paperartsy Mini and marker pens before deciding I didn't like her spooky green face so added a separately stamped and coloured (again Portfolios) panel to the centre.
Here's the before .....

and the after.........

She looks a little healthier on this.

No playing today - Friday is cleaning day, the washer is on and Sorrel and I are just our for our morning walk. well I walk and she runs round like a whirling dervish, fills my heart with joy to watch her.

Have a good weekend everyone, hope the snow stays away.

Whats on Your Workspace - 141

Whats on my workspace - lots of new goodies, which I'm sharing with you via the wonderful  Julia of Stamping World.

Bit of a spend last week including some truly beautiful Portfolio Oil Pastels from PaperArtsy and a Lynne Perrella stamp plate.  I also bought some Fresco acrylic paints (tucked away for play on a later date) and yesterday added some Posca markers for my journalling.

 These new oil pastels are great, lovely creamy texture and they blend with water so kill two birds with one stone - not that I would kill any birds, I love my little feathered friends.

Playtime yesterday afternoon and I used the horizontal strip stamp to make a bookmark colouring over the stamped image with the pastels - nice and vibrant aren't they?

My favourite colours of inks were blended on this panel, zapped with the heat gun and overstamped.  I used the new Posca marker to add white highlights - not sure what I'm doing with this yet but it needs something round the edges.

Last buy this week was this great mug.  Went to Hobbycraft with a friend yesterday afternoon (for the pens), spotted this and couldn't resist - will take it to my craft club at the next meeting in 2 weeks.  Would have preferred one saying 'I'd rather be getting my fingers inky, playing with my stamps and altering art' but they didn't have a mug that big.

I managed to get round a good proportion of the desks last week but I couldn't make it to the end - must try harder and hope to visit more of your desks this week.

Happy WOYWW everybody.

Panic valentine

After agreeing last year that we wouldn't do the whole 'Valentine' thing this year Mr B came home from work yesterday with a paper bag that looked suspiciously like one from a card shop, then admitted he had forgotten we weren't buying cards this year.  The look of surprise on his face when I said I hadn't made, or even bought one for him sent me scurrying off to my craft stash.

I don't have many stamps suitable for valentines and time was of the essence (as they say) so it was down to a House Mouse stamp, a few Promarkers, an oval aperture card blank from way back when in my Pergamano days and a few hearts.  I only had pink roses so thanks to my trusty mica sprays they, and my fingers, ended up a rich dark red.  Only had to add a bit of red velvet ribbon (Paperchase) and away we went.

It only took half an hour or so and I was pleased with the end result.  Totally different from my journal page but then I don't think Mr B would have appreciated an arty-farty card.

Happy Valentine's Day everyone, let's appreciated those we love.

Arty Hearts - journal page

Playday yesterday so I took the opportunity of looking for challenges and plumped (I just love some words) for the latest Craft Barn Art Journal challenge which is hearts - and what you love/like.
Got our my ,very, new Portfolio oil pastels (the are water soluble - how do they do that?), a couple of old favourites from my stamp stash, few paints, stencils, krylon pen and a couple of sheets of paper to make my own heart and wing stencils.

This is the result.

This is only my third journal page and the composition is not quite there but I loved. loved doing it, and that's the whole point, isn't it?

Background sprayed with dilute Fresco Finish paints, then I added the oil pastels before zapping with the heat gun to embed them - I like the blended black round the edges.  Cut out a heart and sprayed through then added more deep red oil pastel which I blended with my fingers.  More spray through sequin waste, Krylon on the hearts, stamped and Bob's your uncle, and mucky (and very red)  are your fingers.  Just finished before the weekly Tesco trip and I'm sure the checkout woman thought I was a mass murderer, at least I didn't have glitter in my hair, that would have thrown her.

So that is my entry for my first journal challenge, and probably the nearest I will get to making a valentine card for Mr B this year - just going to show him the page and give him a kiss instead.