First Christmas Share for 2019

This is the card for my Dad.

I can't take full credit for it as,

it was made using die cuts from

a book I purchased from The Works.

They look very similar to Studio Light.

 I created the dual star feature

on the back to write my greeting.

 

The inside design is copied

from a Studio Light Kit,

that I saw a picture of online.

I have no idea how it actually looks

but I created what I saw, with a slight change.

I had to work out all measurements myself,

to get the panels to open & close.

I covered the whole card so it wouldn't be

open behind the folded panels.

This is a picture of the card I saw.

I followed the link from Pinterest.

As you can see, it appears to be just a double sided

patterned piece of card.

I wanted mine to have the element of surprise.

Dad is a huge fan of the Goldfinches

& Robins, that feed in both our gardens,

so all these birds were perfect.

The other two pictures are more

close ups of all the details.

I had so much fun with this.

I bought the book last year to use

for making hanging clear baubles,

which i forgot to photograph!

 

Dina Wakley - Show Us Your Media Gratitude

Challenge Month Three 

 

Grateful for Friendship

 

The page had scraps of Papermania tissue & gesso,

left over from another project.

First I added Tangerine, Lemon & Lime Scribble sticks,

then created a slight ghost background

using DWM Pebble Heart.

I then stuck down the woman,

from DWM Vintage & Sketches collage paper.

I added Lime paint above

her head & then before it was totally dry,

I went in with Fuchsia paint sponged through the

largest heart on the stencil.

I added Lapis to her top & a little gesso

mixed with Fuchsia for her face.

I drew around all the blocks that

make up the heart & added words in a random few.

I then journaled around the outside of the heart.

It says;

I am grateful for the friendships I have.

We do not live in one another's pockets, 

but we always know each other is there,

when they are needed.

Life is busy & people need to live their lives,

but knowing your friend is there,

to offer love, laughter, support,

a shoulder to cry on or

a text conversation to reminisce.

The bold words are the ones written

within the blocks of the heart.

Fuchsia, Lapis & Lime paint is all

Dina Wakley Media Heavy Body. 

I am really late this month, nearly missed

uploading to the challenge.

My world has been Christmas Cards for 

the past 4 weeks. They are all done.

Just two gifts to complete.

Another Birthday

On Sunday, (24th) it was also the

birthday of Bill, a family friend & our neighbour.

This year he got this one!

 Inside

The card began life as a left over mixed media background.

I had been running with a few ideas &

this one was patterned tissue, texture paste,

with Tim Holtz Gothic stencil & Dylusions spray inks

in Chocolate & Espresso.

To make into a card, I just added two tags

stamped using Creative Stamping issue 70.

The tags were covered with brown paper, 

left from a grocery bag. 

I added Inka Gold brown/gold to the texture

& then Turquoise to make it vintage looking.

Kate's Birthday

Here is a mixed media card

made for the birthday girl.

It began as a random background

which i added die cuts & beads.

To finish it I added

a hand-cast resin cherub.

Tim Holtz mixed media die cut & swirl.

Square frame I created from hand stamped paper.

Tag created from same paper.

Silver micro beads.

Background made from torn book text,

gesso, Distress Inks (regular)

in Seedless Preserves & Dusty Concord.

Cherub made with resin & mold.

Key Chain

I am very busy creating my 2019

Christmas cards & have little to share.

However I do have this mixed

media piece I made.

There are two others & two birthdays coming up. 

 I saw this made by a very talented lady on YouTube.

She is Russian & as I can't work out

how to spell her name in Russian on here,

I figured it would make sense to link you to

her video & YouTube channel.

Here is my attempt.

I made this to house my window key.

It sticks out & prevents my vertical blind

from opening & closing smoothly.

I used odds & ends from my die cut bits box.

A grunge board key. Buttons,

Sticky back pearls.

Stenciling with molding paste.

Gold paint. Black Gesso & Inka Gold

 

Doll Girl

This page had been used to clean

up from a card I made. So it had

chalk & gesso stamping on it.

Then I made another card & scraped

the remaining texture paste on here,

randomly through

Tim Holtz Dot Fade stencil.

I wanted to keep lots of white space so

to colout the page I added

Picked Raspberry & Salty Ocean

& applied using the acetate smooshing 

technique, allowing a little mixing between.

Once full dry I added gesso over some of the 

coloured texture paste.

 

I added my focal image, "Doll Girl" to two 

small torn washi tape strips.

I can't remember where I got her.

She came in a mixed pack, is quite thick 

chipboard & it was over 8 years ago!

I just knew I would find a use for her & when

I saw these words from Lisa's Altered Art,

"Her doll always agreed with her"

I knew they were perfect.

I seleceted Tim Holtz clipping stickers

"few words passed between them"

because I thought they fitted well too!

 

 

Welcome to the street card.

This is just a really quick card,

that I made last week to welcome

a new neighbour into the street.

She has bought our friend Fran's house.

It seems weird seeing lights on

as Fran passed away in July.

Here's what I made.

 Quite simple in design.

Die cuts from Sheena Douglass Mockingbird hill

set - potted conifers & fence.

Door & decorations - First Edition,

which is actually a Christmas Door set 

complete with wreath etc.

Inside I added a simple word

along with a tree & because I know she has a cat,

I added a stamped cat too!

These were from a free set 

Simply Cards & Papercraft issue 175.

 

Happy Birthday, Donna

Today is the birthday of my dear friend, Donna.

I like to add an element of surprise as you will 

see from the pictures below!

 

On the front we have a delightful Autumn die

cut frame by Yvonne's Creations.

This was available as a square or rectangle.

I figured I make more square cards.

Quote was a free stamp set with

Creative Stamping issue 60.

 

Below are two pictures of the surprise.

A Pop up feature!

Pink Ink Designs Giraffe.

Aperture die cut with XCut Build 

A Scene - Jungle,

which includes the parrot, frog & monkey.

 

 This is a view looking down,

so you can see the dimension.

All coloured with copic markers,

except the glasses, which was

Rose metallic paint.

 

The birthday greeting was also a free one. 

Happy Birthday, honey!

I hope you have a fabulous day.

Day of The Dead

or Dia De Los Muertos...

A Mexican Celebration of the dead.

31st October -2nd November. 

Not to be confused with Halloween.

This is a time when they honour all the 

loved ones that have passed away.

As I created Enid's Tombstone,

I decided on a Day of the Dead journal page.

I had such fun with this page.

First I stamped on the background,

using chicken wire & gothic text.

Then I stamped my skull - Sheena Douglass

I began adding Scribble Sticks 

in Lime & Tangerine.

Once dry. I added Lime & Orange Dylusions paint

to get drips. Then Black Marble Dylusions

to get dramatic drips.

To colour my skull I began with

Septh Apter/PaperArtsy Buff

chalk paint, then decided it needed

to be just a tad whiter.

I stamped the eyes & flowers on 

my handmade washi & paint paper.

I die cut a hat twice, once in grey, once

in black using an XCut die.

Added detail with Black & White Posca pens,

before the final detail of white splashes &

Tim Holtz Alphanumeric Label die letters. 

I'm really happy with this page.

 

Get Well Card

A neighbour recently had a nasty

accident, when he was knocked off

his bicycle, leaving him with a broken shoulder,

broken rib & a lot of pain.

I made this card to let him know

we were thinking of him 

& wishing him a speedy recovery.

Front is made using Tim Holtz Distress Marker,

smooshed with acetate in Salty Ocean,

then the same using a gold & turquoise Woody.

I love how the blues blended in the middle

& how the sky looks so natural.

I bet I couldn't do that again!

Stamps are Stampin' Up Wetlands

(previously loved set) & the sentiment 

was from a free set.

I continued the design over to the inside,

stamping the Canada Goose. The grasses 

are actually a brush stroke stamp by

Marianne Design called Eline's Brush.

The sentiment again was free. 

 

Tombstone of Enid Trot

Warning!

Photo heavy post!!

Enid Trot spent her adult life, cultivating herbs,

creating lotions & potions, to heal people.

Her Grandmother taught her which plants

to select from the woods & how to help

with childbirth in the small village, where she lived.

One day, the local vicar heard about Enid,

scared it was magic & witchcraft, he alerted the

witch-finder Matthew Hopkins, to her crimes. 

On discovering this, the villagers told Enid. 

So petrified of being taken, was Enid, that she died 

that very night of fright.

Villagers now, visit her grave & place roses down.

They turn black & the stories say, it is Enid's anger,

because she had no time to teach 

all her ways to a new apprentice. 

Here is Enid's Tombstone.

 Words made using Tim Holtz Alphanumerical

dies "Label". I did online searches

of graves to see most writing is engraved.

So added words on top would look wrong.

I also noticed no matter how old the grave,

they were never totally overgrown.

So I have kept this quite clear & focused more

on creating realistic crumbling stonework.

Tim Holtz Garden Greens Ivy,

coloured with paints & Copic markers.

 Mulberry paper roses (purple) painted black,

using black gesso. Sprayed with Dylusions

Slate Grey in hard to reach spots.

Pot was made with Air Drying Clay (Aldi)

I was pleased with how it turned out!!

Papermania Charm (Madam Payraud) 

Image from a selection by Prima/Finnabair

Ranger Crackle Accents

Broomstick made from Jute & skewer,

YouTube video by Maive Ferrando.

This is how it began.

A That's Crafty! Surfaces MDF Upright Arch 

(5 in a pk £10.99)

I added brown paper first, wrinkled to give

some texture. (Jack's bag for bakery goods)

Then I added a first layer of Golden Pumice Gel.

This shows the first lot of colour.

Paint by PaperArtsy in Koala / Truffle

Steel Grey / Taupe / Stone /  Zucchini

plus Winter Green 

Wedding Anniversary Card

for my sister, Tracy & hubby, Martin.

Another clean & simple design.

Frame is Altenew Geo Frames,

embossed with WOW Fine Detail Gold 

Flower is Altenew Floral Art,

stamped in Moon Rock,

Rose Quartz & Purple Wine Altenew Crisp Inks. 

"For You" free with Creative Stamping 74,

embossed in the same gold powder.

Interesting Spider!

Now you never thought you'd hear me say that!!

Yes! A Spider!

I am not entirely sure, but having done some digging,

I believe this to be a Male 4 Spot Orb Weaver. 

It states they are hard to idenitify! 

This funky little dude was sat on a wall

over at my Dad's house & to be honest

I thought it was a pebble.

Then it moved. So we popped him on the windowsill

so I could get some piccies!!

I think he's kinda cute!

for a spider 😲😲

Those markings are amazing.

I think it is male because they reportedly have

a sort of leaf shape on their abdomen.

Seriously, I thought that was their back!!! 

He thinks he is a crab & is very good at throwing himself

off walls & playing dead!

Again, another funk dude I have never seen

in my life, nor heard of!

 

Dina Wakley - Show Us Your Media Gratitude.

Be Grateful for Obstacles

This is the second prompt of a year long challenge.

You have to use at least one item of

Dina Wakley Media art supplies.

I don't have masses, but I will need to get creative!

Here is my entry.

Look at all the scrummy colour!!!

I began by putting down some patterned tissue

by Papermania, which features images from

the Madame Payraud collection.

It is mostly hidden except the bird, which I drew 

to make it look a little different.

I scrapped Dylusions paint over some white

gesso using a spatula in the colours;

 Postbox Red, Squeezed Orange

& Lemon Zest. I used a free Dina Wakley stencil

that came in SCP Magazine issue186.

It was fabulous as it came with four mini sets of

stamps & stencils from Dylusions / Letter It,

Wendy Vecchi & Dina Wakley.

I used the Dina Wakley Stencil & Mask

set by TCW Sally & Carly.

for my focal point, positioning her over the bird.

I added white scribble stick to soften the colour

inside the silhouette & Stabilo All in black

to outline her.

I die cut some Tim Holtz Garden Greenery & used

them as stencils to add Dylusions Vibrant Turquoise

to the silhouette & around my page.

I then added one of the die cuts on the page.

Using my black & white posca pens,

I highlighted the block stenciling as they represent obstacles.

Words, a mix of Tim Holtz & my brother label maker.

 

My theory behind this page is,

while I lost my job through redundancy,

it gave me chance to slow down the pace of life & appreciate

just what I do have.

I got time to enjoy the garden, see the wildlife,

spend time with my neighbour, who has now passed away

& plan for the future. So while this has been a massive

obstacle, I have found gratitude in dealing with the fall out!

 

 

I've got a new journal!

I hand made this from Watercolour, Bristol & Kraft

cardstock folded into single signatures & then

coptic bound them together.

Here is my second entry, pages 2 & 3.

(The first is an Art Angel, page 4, from the 

creativity & wellness summit, which is not yet complete)

To kick off this journal in style,

I went bold!

 I wanted white space, bold colour & bold imagery.

I got all I wanted.

Materials;

Dylusions paint;-

Squeezed Orange / Postbox Red

Lemon Zest / Fresh Lime / Black Marble

Dina Wakley Media - Weird is Good 

Book text & gauze.

My background is stenicled using

Dylusions Dyalog Stencil It!

Posca paint pen highlights.

The images were stamped on old

encyclopedia pages & coloured with paint.

I added dots to the backgrounds & hats

for that additional quirky feel.

Finished it up with splats from the posca pens

& words from the stamp set.

In the rear of my dad's car, i found 

a first aid kit from 2005!

The gauze was painted with Black Marble 

& stuck behind each image.

This was so much fun!!

The final entry

in my mini junk journal!

(not the last page, this is page 27)

my title for this one is Just be how you feel.

Again, I had fun with colour, except this time

I did not cover it up!

I had no idea where this was going beyond

the colours, stenciling & words.

Materials;

Dylusions paint:

Bubblegum Pink/ Lemon Zest

Postbox Red / fresh Lime 

Tim Holtz - Paper Doll

Crafty Individuals tree stamp

Tim Holtz Chit Chat

Stenicl - Dylusions Dyalog - Doodle It 

Memory Box Flower die & Butterfly.

To start I added paint, wipe some away

the applied more paint directly over where I had removed.

I stamped Donna Downey word stamps several times.

Then I hit my "bits box".

A box full of die cut pieces from other projects.

I found some torn map, text, a small frame,

the butterfly which I painted & the flowers

which were already die cut & coloured.

I also found the paper lock from the TH Bigz die.

I like how you can see "be" in the keyhole.

My thoughts for this were, simply, be

what you feel. People are good at telling you to 

"be brave", "be strong", be this, be that.

Yes you should try to be all these things, but sometimes,

just sometimes, allow yourself to be what you want.

If you feel sad, be sad! If you feel vulnerable, be it.

Only by embracing how we feel, can we accept it,

work through it & move on. 

The summit taught me a lot!

 

Home

Another entry in my near full, junk journal.

I was feeling the need for bold colour

& having looked through Pinterest,

I found Andrea Ockey Parr's video on

creating Washi tape & Paint paper.

This looked fun & if nothing came 

of a journal page, at least I would

have something pretty.

Having been watching the Willowing Arts

Creativity & wellness summit, I took

time out to just play. Having paint all over my fingers

was therapeutic & I took 

pleasure in the process. 

 

However, I chickened out!

I thought my colours were too bright

& brayered gesso over the top!!

Once I had cut up some of my paper

into a house & fence, I thought I would use

Dylusions Spray to give some oomph.

That also backfired.

So I brought out the big guns..

my oil pastels & posca paint pens in

black & white.

I am far happier with the results.

In view of all the sadness surrounding

the street & my 1st anniversary of being

made redundant,

I had great fun with this colour.

So much so that I decided I needed more brightness!

The next page I share will be the final piece

in this handmade junk journal.

The piece after will be in my brand new,

 coptic bound, hand made journal. 😀

 Page painted with black gesso.

White heavy gesso stenciled using

City Grid - TCW

Words - Tim Holtz

& Lisa's Altered Art.

House - my own drawing.

 

Junk Journal Page

Dedicated to my next door neighbour, Rose.

Rose sadly passed away on 22nd September,

just two days after we laid another of

our neighbour's, Frank,  to rest.

Three neighbours' gone, 

all within 10 weeks of each other.  

Although her name was Rosemary, I only

ever called her Rose.

She was a fabulous neighbour &

a good friend to me. I miss her very much.

Still doesn't feel real.

Our kitchen windows face each other across

the drive & I expect to see her

every time I go into the kitchen.

As this post goes live,

we shall be heading to her funeral.

I had to take two photos of this page,

as it was difficult to capture.

The page began life as a business

envelope & I added acetate to the window,

to protect the real dried roses inside.

 

 Neither image is great as the shine

reflecting off the window is impossible to

remove to get a picture at all.

 I simply painted the page

Dylusions Post Box Red & added Prima

stamping in Black Archival ink.

I added French script stamping.

Backed the flowers (Lakeland Limited)

using paper painted with black gesso.

Added a Tim Holtz word phrase

& Lisa's Altered Art.

To add a little more I used gold foil.