Bread and Journaling

Hello Folks!

I'm a day late to Elizabeth's Tea Day Party. A friend had an emergency, and I stepped in to help. But I'd already taken a photo of my oat bread loaf, fresh from the oven, and my cup of peppermint & liquorice tea.

Today, I created an art journal page for the final day of Erika's New Year/New Adventures challenge at Art Journal Journey.

Finger painting, printing with lids, lego and Fresco Finish Paint, book page scraps, a teabag, and Tim Holtz Remnant Rubs. Finished with some scribble journaling.

I'm also linking up to That's Crafty's Feeling Blue Challenge.

Wishing you a belated Happy T-Day!

Alison x

Art Adventures

Hello Everyone!

I went on another adventure in my art journal this morning. Really happy with the result.

Linking my page to Erika's New Year/New Adventures challenge at Art Journal Journey.

Off to have another cup of tea in the name of art!

Happy Monday!

Alison x

365 Somethings 2018 - Week 4

Hello Everyone.

This week I thought I'd try using some Tim Holtz Remnant Rubs on my teabags. They worked perfectly.

Hope you've had a creative weekend,

Alison x

Be An Adventurer...

...Look Beyond What You See

Another art journal page for Erika's New Year/New Adventures Challenge at Art Journal Journey.

My page already had a background on it, made during a Gelli Plate session. I added book page and paper lace collage, a teabag, some PaperArtsy Infusions Ink Powders, a stamped PaperArtsy art doll, letter stickers and a few paint pen marks.

Happy Friday!

Alison x

A Bunch of Male Cards

Hello Everyone!

This time of year I have one male birthday after another, so I decided to get ahead and make a bunch of cards. I chose some male themed Crafty Individual's stamps and a PaperArtsy stamp, a few previously made backgrounds, and got going. Here they all are...

As I have used icy colours on some of my cards, I'm linking up to Try It On Tuesday's Fire & Ice Challenge.

I hope you've had a creative day too,

Alison x

365 Somethings 2018 - Week Three

Hello Everyone!

We've been a week now without heating and hot water, but we're managing thanks to the loans of a few electric heaters from dear friends and family. The new boiler is due to be installed on Wednesday, so not long to wait now. And, after the low temperatures over the weekend, today it's a bit warmer, currently 9 degs C. Also, it's good news on the job front, my husband's job is safe for a bit longer. I also sold another crochet scarf on Etsy. Which reminds me, I must put a link to my shop here!

I ventured into my cold studio today, taking one of the heaters with me, and altered another seven teabags for week three of the 365 Somethings challenge.

I began by colouring each teabag, using PaperArtsy Infusions, then stamped with Tracey Scott stamps and Snowflake Fresco Finish Paint, also by PaperArtsy. I adhered some painted and punched out book page circles, added some number stickers, then flicked some black Bombay India Ink and Golden Iridescent Bronze paint over the teabags to finish.

As teabags are one of my favourite things to use in my art, I'm sharing these over at Try It On Tuesday.

Thanks for visiting,

Alison x

Birthday and Valentine's Day Cards

Hello Everyone! I'm shivering as I write this, as we still have no heating and hot water. Our boiler has been officially declared dead and unsafe, so Hubby is busy getting quotes for a new one. Brrr!!!

I tried to warm up yesterday, by making a few commissioned cards(didn't work, but it took my mind off it!)

A birthday card, using Craftwork Cards and DCWV products...

Valentine's card, made with stamps Artistic Stamper and Tim Holtz stamps, and Dylusions paint (mostly)

and two cards made with Dylusion paint, and stamps by Dina Wakley and PaperArtsy.

Linking my cards to The Artistic Stamper Challenge - Anything Goes

Hope you are warm and having a good week, 

Alison x

Crazy Life Adventures

Hi Everyone!

Yesterday was a crazy day. First we learned that Carillion, the company my husband works for, went into liquidation. 😟  Then some great and exciting news, as I sold my first item, a crochet scarf, on Etsy. 😃  Then I discovered we had no heating or hot water when I went to wash my paintbrushes, as the boiler had packed up! 😨  At least it was fixable! Not sure what's going to happen with Graham's job, we're playing the waiting game!

Thank goodness I have art to take my mind off things. I used my art prompt cards to make this page.

I'm linking my page to the Art Journal Journey January Challenge,  New Year, New Adventures, and The Altered Booklover's Happy T-Day, as I used teabags. Might be resorting to some alcohol in my tea to warm me up, if the boiler doesn't get fixed today!

Hope you're having a good week so far,

Alison x

A New Journal

Hi Everyone! Thanks for the lovely comments on my embossed teabags!

Today, I started off a new art journal with a double page spread. 

I brayered various Fresco paints for the background, added some tissue tape and teabags, then used Bombay India Ink and paint pens to add flower details. 

Linking up to Erika's New Year, New Adventures Challenge at Art Journal Journey.

Wishing you all a wonderful week,

Alison x

365 Somethings 2018 - Week Two

Hello Folks! Thank you for all the nice comments on yesterday's journal page.

I have another seven teabags to share with you today, for week two of the 365 Somethings challenge.

On these teabags, I used a set of PaperArtsy Everything Art stamps with a variety of embossing powders, some of which hadn't seen the light of day for a few years. Naturally, the opaque ones worked best. I tried taking photos of the bags held up to the light, but couldn't get any decent shots. It was fun to experiment, and I love all the results. The Lapis Jade, Aged Copper and Metal Magic are favourites. 

And, just in case you're interested, here's my finished journal from yesterday. 

Hope you're having a creative Saturday too,

Alison x

And So The Adventure Ends?

Hi Everyone! 

Thanks for all your lovely comments on my cards and ugly page yesterday. The page looks better to me today! Grin!!

Onto the next and final page in my 7x5in journal. 

I started in this journal last Summer, with Rae Missigman's Artmarks challenge, and it was a turning point for me, in that my pages became a lot more free and abstract. I love looking back in it. So this final page started like so many, with some collage and gesso. I used the book page I tore circles from yesterday.

Next, I added some colour with Vibrant Turquoise and Tangerine Dream Dylusions Paint.

I used some pieces of table protector, bubble wrap and plastic mesh to print.

And I had to add a teabag of course! I finished with a Tim Holtz quote and handwrote 'end' with DecoArt Media burnt umber paint. This was a little too fluid, so I decided to let it drip. Love it!

The adventure is not really ending, as I have another journal ready to take up where this one finished. So a new adventure is starting. 

I'm linking to the following challenges...

Art Journal Journey - New Year, New Adventures

That's Crafty! - Feeling Blue

and

Altered Book Lover Elizabeth's T Stands For Tuesday - a bit late on that one! Lol! But I used a teabag.

Happy Friday!

Alison xx

Two Cards and An Ugly Page

Hello Folks. It's been another dark and gloomy day, and raining so I couldn't escape from the noisy decorator! I did make a journal page, although I think it turned out a bit ugly. It started off ok, some collaged scraps of book pages, and a layer of red Dylusions paint.

I painted over with turquoise, and sketched some circles, revealing the red paint beneath.

Then I got carried away, adding book page circles, doodling, splatters, drips and quotes. It was getting dark, and I was disillusioned, so the drips were still wet when I took the final photo.

Not all arty adventures turn out as you'd like! Nevertheless, I'm linking my page to Art Journal Journey.

I have some male birthdays coming up, so here are a couple of cards I made too, using a mini hexagon Gel Press Plate and PaperArtsy stamps. I was inspired by Cat Kerr's video on YouTube.

Until next time...

Alison x

My Favourite Kind of Adventure

Hi Everyone!

Did you miss me yesterday?  My dear Hubby is prepping our concrete dining room floor to put down some wooden flooring (it's been just concrete since we extended our bungalow a few years/decades ago!). Anyway, the banging and sanding drove me out of the house to a local deer park which was nice, but I didn't get time to make some art. 

I couldn't leave it another day, so I put on some loud music to drown him out, and had an arty adventure.

Of course, I'm linking my page to Art Journal Journey's New Year, New Adventures challenge, but also to Try It On Tuesday's 'My Favourite Things' challenge. As you probably know, collaging teabags is one of my favourite things, and I do love my paint, stamps, drips and splatters, and art journaling.

Time for a spot of lunch now, and as it's a bright and sunny day, I'm off for a countryside walk after. Might try and persuade Hubby to take a break and join me. 

Happy Wednesday,

Alison x

Another Art Journal Adventure

Hello Everyone! 

This page was another adventure for Erika's challenge at Art Journal Journey.

First a layer of white acrylic paint, then an old book page, then an opened out teabag adhered over that. I fancied some crackles, so I used DecoArt's 2 part crackle glaze. The cracks are too fine to be visible though! I added some a wash of raw umber water mixable oil paint, hoping to highlight the cracks (to no avail!), then some turquoise paint drips, then glued on part of a Gelli print. I used a brown pencil to outline the flower, then cut circles from a printed teabag and glued them on. A phrase came to my mind, 'Starting a page can be an adventure if you don't have a plan', so I wrote it around the flower with a white gel pen. I finished with some raw umber and white splatters.

It's a very gloomy January day here, and I think this reflected in today's page!

Happy creating!

Alison x

Art Journal Journey - New Year, New Adventure

Hello Friends! Here's another page for Erika's challenge on Art Journal Journey.

The background was an undersheet which was too beautiful to throw away, as were the papers that two of the hearts were cut from. I used a charcoal pencil to add shading, a white paint pen to add splatters, and a white gel pen to write a quote found on Pinterest. 'Spend your life with people who make even going to the grocery store an adventure'. I couldn't make out who the quote was by unfortunately.

Hope you're having a great weekend,

Alison x

Project 365 Somethings in 2018

Hello Friends!

Something a little different today. I spotted the Project 365 Somethings in 2018 challenge on Tammy Garcia's blog today. She's running it alongside Hanna Andersson. And I thought 'why not?' The idea is to think of a theme or type of project and create 365 pieces in the year. You don't have to make a piece every day, I've decided I'll probably make 7 items once a week if I can, therefore 52 little series of artworks. And I decided on using teabags as a base, as I want to explore different ways to use them.

For week one, I've used some collage.

I took 7 of the teabags I decorated this week, added torn book text from an old book 'The Turquoise' by Anya Seton, a hand cut heart from a Gelli-printed paper, and words cut from a single page from 'The Return of the King' by Tolkein. 

I really hope I can keep this up, as it's a huge commitment. We'll see!

Let me know if you decide to take up the challenge too.

Wishing you a creative weekend,

Alison x

Take Time Out

Hello Folks!

Here's another page for Erika's New Year, New Adventures Challenge at Art Journal Journey. 

Taking time out has never been a problem for me, but painting with string was a new thing! I learned that you need to put plenty of paint on the string. The blue paint lines are just about visible, as I was playing with my card prompts again, and more layers went on top. Here are the 10 prompts I used...

You can see the string printing a little better in the close-up photo.

Happy Friday!

Alison x

Art Journal Page - Adventure or Tea?

Hello Everyone!

For today's art journal page, I found a fab quote from Alice In Wonderland. I hope you can read my wobbly writing, that I did with paint through a thin nozzle. 

Before I made my page, I used Dylusions paint and a variety of packaging and textured items to decorate some teabag papers. 

Here are the results...

For my page, I first created a background with white paint, then applied Calypso Teal with my finger. I stamped the Postbox Red dots with an Artifacts stamp, adhered the teabag, then added various marks with my finger, the end of a paintbrush, and paint pens. After I'd written the quote, I finished with some splatters and a doodled border. Then I realised the teabag needed outlining, so I used a charcoal pencil, and smudged it with my finger.

I'm entering my page for Erika's New Year, New Adventures Challenge at Art Journal Journey, and also for The Artistic Stamper's Anything Goes Challenge.

Time for a cup of tea and a spot of crochet now, and a nice film to drown out the horrible windy weather!

Alison x