It's January - But Only Just

The fabulous Darcy has a fun challenge running on her blog to alter a calendar. Each month we have to alter a page but still keep some of the original showing, and this month we also need to use crackling and book pages.
Here's mine 

This is how it started out, it's really glossy, so I masked the two butterflies and gave the rest a good coat of gesso.

Added paint and lots of stenciling - I had to stand on a chair under the light to take this one lol.

Crackling - check, though it just looks shiny in the picture it is actually crackly IRL.

Original still showing - check - I used Pebeo making fluid to cover the butterflies and it stood up really well to all the paint then just rubbed off. I'm well pleased with this!

Book Pages - check. Darcy's butterflies are stamped on painted book pages, and so is the sentiment at the top.
I've really enjoyed this, but I must make sure that I've not gunked up February's page as I now need to get started on that.
Hope you like it, and thanks very much for looking x

Keep Calm!

This week at Stampotique Towers it's Corrie's turn to choose the theme, and she has gone for a painted background. I do love paints so I really enjoyed this, thank you Corrie x

Lots of paints, stamps, stencils, and Portfolio pastels.

Here you can see 
Barcode Text 2
Mesh

Keep Calm
Memo Page
Splattered Mug

In the background there are
Romantic Text and
my old favourite Vintage Script

So front cover now done on both sides, I just need something to put in lol. Is it just me or is anyone else struggling to get going again after Christmas? It doesn't help that I keep stopping to watch it snow lol.
I hope you join in, and get sploshing the paint about!
Enjoy your day, and thanks very much for looking x

Another Confession for Country View Crafts

Hi, I'm back with my second piece for Country View Crafts. The challenge is to use something new - well obviously I couldn't cheat could I, that would be BAD so I did the decent thing and bought something. OK, maybe more than one thing, but it was only because I had to - I didn't enjoy it at all! Are you convinced ? nah I didn't think so....

This is the second page in my new album and again I've used my new Dina Wakley paints and stamps.

I must admit I was rubbish at taking photographs, but in my defense it was dark, and I was enjoying myself. 
I started by stenciling some gesso through the Dina Mask and Stencil Leaves, then painting over with 
Lemon, Tangerine, and Lime paints.
I then added the birds from the Birds in Flight stencil, and the text and leaves from  Stampington stamps.

I splattered on some watered down white paint to tie it all together, then I did something pretty amazing for me - hand sewing. I die cut one of Tim's Garden Greens leaves, and two hearts out of felt. I sewed the leaf over the gesso, and stuffed the hearts with cotton wool and stuck down.

I stamped the bird and the sentiment from the Scribbly Birds plate and coloured in with Portfolio pastels, and added a little felt heart.

Here's my first 2 pages together taken in the snow!
There's still time to join in with our challenge, so break out your new stash and get creating. I can't wait to see what you come up with.
Thanks very much for looking and enjoy your day x

I'm Late, I'm Late, I'm Late...

The challenge at That's Crafty is Tick Tock, and as my coffee cup now stands on a boring coaster 'cos my Christmas ones have gone away, I decided to make another.

The stamps are both by Stampotique Rabbit, and Timeless, and I've used Decoart paints.
The sentiment pretty much sums up my life :-)
Hope you're all enjoying the snow, and thanks very much for looking x

Happy Birdie Two Ewes

The lovely Kathi is the hostess this week at Stampotique so blame her, 'nuff said..... :-)
e.e. cummings said, "The most wasted of all days is one without laughter." Puns and word play always make me smile. Really good puns make me laugh. Create a project that makes YOU smile, then share it with us! As always, have fun with this challenge!

I started with a watercolour pencil background which I did like but it's a bit 'in your face', so as velum is back in fashion (I've still got some from the time before last when it was back in fashion) I gave it an overcoat

Time to add the punny bits so

Happy (Happy Birthday)

Birdy (Cocoa Bird)

2 Ewes (Sheep Monster)
and more googly eyes than you can shake a stick at :-)
As I said, blame Kathi.
This was such fun to make - the more I enjoy making something the brighter my colours are so this is a bit of a giveaway - I only hope my Dad likes it on his birthday, but as I get my sense of humour from him, I'm sure he will.
I hope you will join in with our challenge and show us what makes you laugh.

I'm also entering this into the PanPastel challenge which is Happy Birthday.

Thanks very much for looking x

A Splash Of Colour for Stampotique

Over at Stampotique Kaz Boughton is our hostess and she would like to see some bright colours. This sounds good to me, I would settle just for some daylight, it's been very grey here this week.
This is the inside of my new journal cover.

I started with a PanPastel background.

Then added some stenciling.

At this point I stopped taking photographs lol. 

So after lots of stamping and stenciling we have

stamping  and stitching.

Alpha letters in journal squares.

This was one of those pieces that kept on growing, so I've used lots of stamps.

Altered Alpha

Calendar Squares Cube

Abstract Foliage

Splattered Mug

French Journal Page

Mesh

Romantic Text

Daniel's Hearts
This was fun to make Kaz, so thanks very much for the challenge.
I hope you like it, and enjoy your weekend. x

Fragile Papers For Paper Artsy

The challenge this fortnight at PaperArtsy is to use fragile papers - well we all have lots of paper don't we, so this is mine.

I started with an 8x8 piece of grayboard, and put some Grunge paste through various Paper Artsy stencils. I then sloshed on some Fresco Paints.

Added some stamping from various sets

The flowers are made with old book pages, and tissue paper that's been painted in Fresco's.

The GP stenciling has been rubbed over with Treasure Gold, and I've edged it all with TH tissue tape.
This was a real fun challenge, it took ages to make but that's cos I was enjoying myself, and I'm sticking to my resolution of only making what I enjoy. I go to work to pay the bills (mainly crafting ones) and I just craft for fun

I'm also entering it into the challenge at The Mirror Crack'd which is to use stencils, and the Craft Stamper  Take a Stamp challenge.
Hope you like it, and thanks very much for looking x

Have Fun!

Good morning, and happy Wednesday, it's time for the first Stampotique challenge of 2015, and Claudine has chosen New Years Resolutions. Here's what she says 
Most of us always create a new Years Resolution at the beginning of the new year. For 2015 try your hand at making something with your new years resolution in mind.

This covers two of my resolutions, one is to have fun in my crafting,( I always have fun when I'm playing with Stampotique) and the other is to be a bit (lot) more organised. So I'm now a card in advance rather than playing catch up 2 hours before I need to put one in the post.

The background is PanPastel which has been pounced through a stencil.
Twinkie, Romek, and Miguel Has A Gift have been coloured with Prisma Pencils, and Happy Birthday has been stamped directly onto the card (always a scary bit).

I've used stickers to spell out my 'Have Fun'
I've used Happy Birthday again on the inside 

Yup it's got an insert and it's in an envelope all ready to go lol.

Please join in with our challenge and show us your New Year resolutions.

I'm also entering this into the challenge over at PanPastels, which is Clean and Simple. For me this is very clean, look at all the scary white space lol.
Hope you like it, and thanks very much for looking x

Happy New Year - Original Uh

Well that was 2014 then, where DID it go to! Never mind though, as one year ends another begins and this one's going to be a good one, I can feel it in my acrylics. The first challenge this year over at Country View Crafts is to use something new. Luckily Neil never reads my blog, so I can confess to my purchases of the Dina Wakley stamps and paints knowing that he will never know (apart from the fact that he's seen all my parcels arriving lol)

 I love the idea of journaling, but I always mess up on page 2 or 3, so I've bought an 8 x 6 album that I can stick my 7x5's in. I don't make many cards so most of my 'stuff' just ends up kicking around in boxes. At least this way it'll stay nice, and I'll be able to see how I (hopefully) improve.

So I started by gessoing my card, then painting with Dina Wakley's Sky, Turquoise, and Lemon paints, then going around the edges in Blackberry Violet.
Now it was time for some stencilling. I used my Portfolio pastels which work beautifully on the acrylics. I've used Mosaic Swirl and Plastic Canvas. All this was done under cover of darkness, so I'm afraid the pictures are pretty rubbish.

Be Strong has been stencilled in with a good old Sharpie pen using the You Can stencil. I've also used one of Dina's old Stampington stamps for the text.

My gal was stamped onto a size 8 manila tag and coloured with Portfolio's.
She's from the Face In The Crowd plate and I was dreading colouring her, but I quite like her in the pastels. In fact I got quite into the colours - she wears far more make up than I do lol.
She was then cut out and sewn into place.

A few days after this was done it snowed, and we had a lovely bright day, so it was nice to be able to photgraph it in daylight. In fact the snow is still here, but it's very crunchy now.
I hope Santa brought you something new for Christmas, and you join in with our challenge - and if you bought it yourself your secret's safe with me.
Thanks very much for looking, and a very Happy and healthy New Year x