The Secret Garden

Good morning and happy Sunday on a beautiful sunny day. We've been back from our holidays for 2 weeks, and it seems like the sun has finally caught up - I think I must have left it on the baggage reclaim at Manchester airport ;-)
Neil has often said ('cos he likes to repeat himself) that if he took off the time he has spent waiting for me, he would still be 21. That seems a little harsh, but I am a bit of a 'last push' type of person. And to prove my point, here's my entry into the PaperArtsy 'blue and ochre' challenge, which ends today.

I started with a piece of 8x8 white board, and brayered various blue frescos. When this was dry I added Golden Sands Infusions, with lots of water and let it puddle.

At the same time I covered a piece of A4 with blue inks and the Golden Sands, added lots of water, and walked away. Normally I find it really hard to walk away, but food was on offer so....

When everything was dry I stamped my Tracy Scott flowers.

Added more Fresco's for a bit of colour, then cut them out and gave a bit of a white splatter.

I added a bit of stencilling in the background with Pumpkin Soup.

I also stencilled Secret Garden, then added my flowers.
I really enyoyed making this, it was nice just to have a play.
I'm also linking this to That's Crafty's Foliage and Flowers challenge.
So go out, enjoy the sunshine, and thanks very much for looking xx

Follow Your Heart

Good morning and happy Saturday. I'm really enjoying the 'mask' challenge over on the PaperArtsy blog, so I'm joining in again.

This was very simply made by cutting masks, then just adding Infusions around them.

Then I stamped my Darcy and Sara Naumann stamps in the white spaces, and coloured with the Infusions.

I even added some hand stitching, though to be honnest, life's too short!
This is now my first page in my new journal, and I really enjoyed making it.

I'm also entering this into the That's Crafty I Heart You challenge
Have a fun week, and thanks very much for looking x

Something Wonderful

Hello and Happy Tuesday. I've needed cheering up today, what with the Man Flu, so I've gone in search of happy.

...and I found it with Trish's gorgeous stamp.

I started with some Dina Wakley paints and Creative Expressions embossing paste in silver and gold.

I love this stamp, it's Whimsy Girl 4 and I've only had her a couple of days so I'm really pleased to get her used straight away.

I'm entering her into the That's Crafty silver and gold challenge.
Have a great week, and thanks very much for looking x 

Autumn Paint

Hello and happy Monday. Here is another of my 'out of the garage' creations. The plasterer comes tomorrow so that's another stage closer to me moving back into my craft room. I can't wait as it's getting a bit chilly in that there garage (and I keep falling over the washing powder) lol.
Autumn is well and truly here now, and this is what I've made today.

The background has been made with Dina Wakley masks and Brusho's. The stamps are by Rubber Dance and I think they are wonderful. They just stamp so crisply. 

Rubber Dance's colour challenge for October are these lovely Autumnal colours, and Craft Stamper  has an Autumn challenge too.
I'm also entering this in the That's Crafty  clean and simple challenge - still the hardest challenges in the world!
Have a very happy week, and thanks very much for looking x

Be Happy

Hello and happy Thursday. It's a really quick post from me today as we have builders in and apparently that's not a good time for me to 'sit playing on the computer' lol. My craft room (conservatory) is having a new roof, so everything has been moved out. The car has lost it's garage and my stuff is everywhere. I just need to win the lottery, buy next doors house and have myself a craft house! 

Funnily enough I had an e-mail this morning that a long lost relative wanted to give me millions of dollars, so if I just send $120.00 I can claim that! Job done ;-)

I made this with lots of PaperArtsy paints and stencils for the 'mark making' challenge. There's also credit card scrapes,  sequin waste, and stitching marks as well as stamping.
I'm entering this into the That's Crafty 'all square' challenge too.

Have a great day whatever you are doing, and thanks very much for looking x

It's A Game of Two Halves...

Good morning and happy (and sunny) Tuesday. I wanted to join in with the Indigo Blu All Things Bright and Beautiful challenge, so I made a plaque.

I do quite like this, but it's not how it was supposed to be...

I started with some crackle paint through a stencil.

Then painted with Indigo Blu paints, and yes my memory is so bad that if I don't photograph what I used I can never remember. I think my brain is just so stuffed with pop trivia from the 70's that other (less important) things dribble out lol.

I added some stencilling

and some more stencilling..

Then I dropped my nice juicy jet black Versafine straight on top of it! I didn't photograph this bit, I just whimpered in the corner for a little while.

So on to plan B - I never actually have a plan B. I painted over the black bits - sounds a bit like my baking 'I cut off the black bits'... and added more stencilling to balance it up again.

and here we are, not what I had in mind, but not in the bin either.

My crackle is still crackling after about 20 coats of paint, so I'm also entering this into the That's Crafty crackle challenge.

I hope you have a lucky day, and thanks very much for looking x

The Music Of The Night

Just a very quick post from me today as real life has got in the way again. Sorry I've been AWOL since my holidays but family always comes first. This piece just about sums up my mood at the moment lol.

All mediums are by Decoart, the stencils are Andy Skinner's, and the stamps are all by Stampendous.
I'm entering this into the That's Crafty birds of a feather, 
and also Dream in Darkness  and Love To Create anything goes challenges.
Have a great weekend, and thanks very much for looking x

Be Unique

Well I'm really enjoying my week off work (apart from going to the gym at stupid o'clock). Today I've been catching up with the PaperArtsy blog, and this week they are asking us to use resist techniques, so here's what I came up with.

There's also been some recycling going on here too. This was a project from a couple of years ago - it's been thrown into a box and generally forgotten since then.

So I painted over with gesso and white chalk paint.

Then I added blue, yellow, and pink Fresco's, and stamped and embossed images from Darcy, Lin Brown and JoFY. Then I painted over again with black gesso.

Once dry I wiped off the gesso, and luckily there was something left underneath. I added some Portfolio pastel on the bare bits, and some words.

I also added a tiny bit of silver Treasure Gold to bring out the old texture.

I'm also entering this into this months Craft Stamper MITI challenge Spring Flowers, That's Crafty All Things Bright and Beautiful, and Love to Create Anything Goes.
Thanks very much for looking x

Pretty Woman

I'm really enjoying playing with my Dylusion paints and stamps at the moment, and instead of getting ready for my holiday next week (which I really should be doing) I've been painting my nails - and fingers - and that bit up your arm when you put it down on wet paint...  Anyway this what I made.

Think I would quite like to be this lady, she has a certain style!

She's been coloured with pencils. I took far more care with her make up than I do my own lol.

I've made her for the Girls Will Be Girls challenge at That's Crafty, and also the anything goes challenge at We Love 2 Create.

Enjoy your Sunday, and thanks very much for looking xx

I Shall Wear Purple

The challenge at That's Crafty this time is Purple Passion.

 The background has been made with lots of DecoArt paints and an Andy Skinner stencil.
The lady is a Dina Wakley stamp, and I drew the hat myself woo-hoo. It's my handwriting too - now you know why I don't normally show this.
Warning is one of my favourite poems, and I really love some of the ideas. I wont be wearing purple though as I've worn it for the last 10 years as my work uniform, but I shall definitely hang around supermarkets at lunch time lol.
Hope you like it, and thanks very much for looking x