You Are Loved

Hi Everyone!

Here's another 5 minute plus page for my Pockets & Tags theme at Art Journal Journey. I have to admit that the tag and hearts were added after the time was up, but those 5 minutes do go exceedingly fast! ;-)

There's still a few days left to join in with the AJJ challenge :-)

Thanks for dropping by,

Alison xox

AJJ - When It's Hot

Hi Everyone!

I made a page for Erika's When It's Hot theme at Art Journal Journey. 

I don't like too much sun, so when it's hot I either stay indoors, or I find some cool shade. Those inky circles and drips are meant to represent trees, and I used an old credit card to create the long grass 😄

Thanks for dropping by,

Alison xox

AJJ - A Stitch in Time

Hello lovely followers.

I had some messy time today, creating a page for Halle's A Stitch in Time theme at Art Journal Journey.

I made a collage background with teabags, a separated paper doily, and paper lace.

The stitched orange pieces were cut from the top of a bag of guinea pig dried herbs and grasses. I couldn't resist keeping it for Halle's theme!

I swiped some Seaglass PaperArtsy Fresco acrylic over it all, then sketched the flowers with my black Bombay ink dropper, adding some splashes of ink too.

I used a Prima France Papillon stamp for the clock faces, stamped onto an orange painted scrap.

Hope you get some arty time today also!

Thanks for visiting,

Alison xox

30 Days of Mixed Media with Ana - Days 24-30

Hi Everyone. I'm back today with my final week of entries for Ana Bondu's challenge on Instagram.

I missed out day 23, which was Transfers, as my effort didn't work at all, and I didn't think it was worth the stress to attempt again.

Day 24 - Metal. I covered a piece of card with sticky back foil, then embossed it and used Stazon inks to colour it.

Day 25 - Misti (Stamping Platform). This was quite complicated. I started with a piece of card coloured with Distress inks, then placed it in position on my stamping platform. I had to do the flowers individually, stamping, bleaching out colour with bleach, colouring with Posca paint pens, then re-stamping. Then I stamped the smaller flower in the centre of the large one, painted with white pen, re-coloured with red and orange, then re-stamped the small flower. After doing all the flowers, I flicked some water onto the card to create the bleached splatters. Told you it was complicated, but well worth the effort I think. I'm so pleased I eventually bought the stamping platform, as I've used it quite a lot to get well-stamped images.

Day 26 - Alcohol Ink. Sticky back foil on card again, embossed, then drips of alcohol ink added. Yummy!

Day 27 - Foliage. I love using leaves on my Gelli Plate!

Don't waste the paint on the leaves...

I also used black ink to draw some foliage on a gel-printed tag.

Day 28 - Pigment Ink. Distress oxide inks, Carabelle Studio stamps. I clear embossed the leafy sprig, in order to use the green oxide ink to watercolour.

Day 29 - Fabric. I used ribbons.

Day 30 - Mica. I sponged white tacky glue through a stencil on the black card, then brushed with perfect pearls mica powder. The stamped butterfly and quote were coloured by mixing mica powder into some water to create a watery paint.

That's it for now. I hope to find another challenge once my wrist is fully healed. I'll still be doing my little daily collages though.

Have a happy weekend,

Alison xox

Joy

Happy Easter Saturday Everyone!

There's still some joy to be had, despite all the doom and gloom. Sitting in my garden every morning, listening to the birds almost drowning out the distant motorway traffic, brings me a lot of joy.

And a new technique to me, using a pipette to mix water into acrylic paint, then dropping it from a height to create splatters, gave me a lot of joy. Here's another page for Valerie's Geometric Shapes theme at Art Journal Journey.

I've only one more blank page left in my Dina Wakley art journal, and you can see how the ink dripped down that steep slope. Lol!

Wishing you joy,

Alison xox

Hope

Hi Everyone! It doesn't feel like there's a lot of hope at the moment, but we mustn't give up. We will come out of the other side of this!

Eileen's Green theme at Art Journal Journey will be ending tomorrow, so I thought I'd create a final page in my journal. I used a hessian page, and cut some scallops on the edge, then gathered some collage materials.

Who knew that Bombay India Ink would crackle on top of Mod Podge?! I hope you can see this in the photo below.

And here's a final close up of my doodling and message.

Thanks for visiting and keep safe,

Alison xox

Soothe Me Art Journaling - Bonus Prompt

Happy new week everyone!

On this beautiful and sunny Spring day, I have my final page for Kasia's Soothe Me Art Journaling to share with you. This is the Day 8 bonus prompt, using a technique with black ink. I first painted a background with red, pink, orange and yellow Fresco acrylic paint, scraping the paint on with a store card.

You add a blob of black ink, place a piece of paper or cloth on top to spread the blob out. Let it dry a little, then add some water and blot up ink with a clean cloth or kitchen towel. I found this quite addictive, although it takes a bit of practise. The first time I let the ink dry too much.

I finished my page with some white Posca paint pen dots and some journaling.

I'm linking my page to Mia and Ana's Craftlandia Challenge.

Keep smiling and washing your hands!

Love & blessings,

Alison xox

Soothe Me Art Journaling Day Seven

Happy Mothering Sunday to all those mothers in the UK. 

It's a strange one this year, as we are all self-isolating, but I had lovely video chats with my children and my mum and dad, so I don't feel I missed out too much. And Hubby is cooking us a nice roast dinner, so I'm looking forward to that.

I've been making art, and I have my day 7 page for Soothe Me Art Journaling to share with you. The prompt was to work on a dark background.

The challenge only lasted 7 days, but there was a bonus 8th prompt which I'll be doing tomorrow.

Love and blessings,

Alison xox

Art Soothes The Soul

Hi Everyone!

I have an art journal page to share today, that I'm linking to Eileen's 'Green' theme at Art Journal Journey. The page started with various green inks, before I added lots of other media.

Kasia from Everything Art is running a week long challenge on Facebook and Instagram, with prompts to soothe our souls. It's called Soothe Me Art Journaling. The challenge started last friday, but I only spotted it yesterday, so I'm a few days behind. This is my page for day one.

I hope you're all managing to keep calm and carry on creating.

Alison xox

February 2020 Art Journal Calendar

Hi Everyone! I hope you've all had a lovely weekend. It's been quite a busy one here. A nice woodland walk to have a cuppa with some friends on Saturday, then cleaning out my guinea piggies. Church this morning, then time for some art this afternoon. 

I finally got time to make my February art journal calendar spread, and I'm linking it to Elizabeth & Bleubeard's Hearts theme at Art Journal Journey.

I collaged some torn book and music pages, then scraped some gesso over the top.

The hearts were all hand cut from gel prints. I used my glass dip pen and Bombay India ink to write the title, and also a Mr Darcy quote from the film Pride and Prejudice, not actually in Jane Austen's novel.

And finally, here's my January calendar all filled out. It hasn't been a great month, lots of ailments, including a stye which still hasn't cleared up after 3 1/2 weeks! Hopefully February will be better.

Thanks for dropping by,

Alison xox

Sounds

Happy Friday Everyone!

'Sounds' is today's prompt over at Kasia's Advent Calendar Challenge. I could have mentioned the sound of my guinea pigs munching and squeaking in my art room, but I wrote the first three lines of Coldplay's new single, as I love the song, and I find the lyrics very poignant and appropriate for the times.

As you may have spotted, three round teabags made it onto my page.

A bit of finger painting too, with turquoise and green Fresco acrylic.

Some white gesso to pull it together, then writing, outlines and splatters with my glass dip pen and black india ink. I let the ink drip too, and it looks like the flowers have stems.

I'm linking my page to Yvonne's Words & Numbers theme at Art Journal Journey.

Alison xxx

Shadow

Hi Everyone!

This was something I've never tried before. For day 17 of Kasia's Advent Calendar, we were asked to trace a shadow of something held over our journal page. I used a piece of fir tree.

After tracing and highlighting with black india ink, I added a red heart, and red & white splatters. I also wrote a poem by Angie Weiland-Crosbie around the edge.

'And there I marvelled at the forest's trees;

my soul rooted to its deep verdant sea.

I could no more leave it,

than it could walk from me.'

I shall link up again to Yvonne's theme at Art Journal Journey.

Alison xox

Kasia's Advent Calendar Challenge - Day Three

Hi Everyone!

Here's my art journal page for Day Three of Kasia's Advent Calendar Challenge. The prompt was 'Allow'. I'm going to allow myself not to get stressed, to enjoy the peace of Christmas, and to have time for some winter walks. 

I'm linking my page to Yvonne's Words & Numbers theme at Art Journal Journey.

Here's a photo I took of yesterday's sunrise. It was so beautiful!

Thanks for visiting,

Alison xx

AJJ - We're All Going Around In Circles

Hi Everyone!

I'm squeezing in another page for Chris' We're All/Going theme at Art Journal Journey.

I prepped a canvas page in my Dina Wakley journal with a book page, some Seaglass Fresco Acrylic and bubble wrap printing with London Bus Fresco Acrylic. Then I grabbed some Gel Plate prints, cutting out circles, adhering, and adding scribble writing with my glass dip pen and india ink. I painted red hearts, outlined with black pen, and finished with splatters of ink.

Thanks for visiting,

Alison xox

AJJ - We're All...Loving Teabag Texture

Happy Friday Everyone!

Thank you all for your kind thoughts in comments on my last post. Stupid consultant's right hand doesn't know what his left hand is doing, and basically he didn't look at my records before writing! Grrrrrrr!

Anyway, I'm feeling better today, and I created another page for Chris' 'We're All/Going' theme at Art Journal Journey. It's titled 'We're all loving teabag texture', and of course there's lots of lovely used teabag papers involved.

Hope you all have a wonderful and creative weekend,

Alison xox

AJJ - We're All Going...For A Ride

Happy Friday Everyone!

Here's another page for Chris' We're All/Going theme at Art Journal Journey, with some more of my Hubby's train tickets.

My arty friend Kim Dellow, who regularly inspires us with her fabulous YouTube videos, has challenged us to use primary colours HERE. I used them in the background for the above page, but I also made another page with them playing a starring role, and I'll share that with you tomorrow.

Alison xox

Butterflies are Flowers

Hello Friends.

I have another page to share with you, that I made for Erika's In the Air/Sky theme at Art Journal Journey.

Lots of teabag texture, three net teapig bags with butterflies, and a butterfly girl on a sparrow's back. A larger butterfly girl, then scrapes of Seaglass Fresco Finish acrylic, and a blotchy hand-written quote by Robert Frost.

Hope you're having a good week,

Alison xox

Fly High...Fly Free

Hi Everyone!

Here's another art journal page for Erika's In The Air/Sky theme at Art Journal Journey.

Teabag collage background, Seaglass & Snowflake Fresco acrylic, little bird sketched on a painted book page with brown india ink. Added collage for balance.

Happy Thursday,

Alison xox

Art Journal Journey - Having Fun

Happy Sunday Everyone! Hope you're all having a good weekend. It's turned chilly here again. I can't believe I was in shorts last weekend! I'm back in woolly jumpers.

As we're nearing the end of Birgit Koopsen's Everything Circles challenge over on Instagram, I have three more entries to share with you.

Day 26 - not a journal page this time, but some gel prints I made, using hand-cut circles as masks, and Dylusions acrylic paint.

I also now have some beautiful painted circles to use on a page...

Day 27 - This journal page has a few layers. After adding the turquoise drips, I decided to brighten it up with some contrasting yellow acrylic, and then the pink joined in, and I outlined the circles with black Bombay India ink, and added scribbly writing! A very fun page for Wendy's Having Fun theme at Art Journal Journey.

Day 28 - Heading away from the bright acrylic paint, today I used up some collage scraps that I had on my desk.

Two more days to go!

Thanks for dropping by my blog,

Alison xox

Everything Circles - Days 15 & 16

Hi Everyone. Hope you're all having a good week.

We're over halfway through the April Everything Circles Instagram Challenge now, and here are my latest pages.

Day 15 - I printed some circles with a small round gel plate, then some colourful stencilling. Then I drew circles with my black Bombay ink dropper, lifting my journal to create drips. I filled in the background around the circles with orange acrylic, added dots of black ink with my finger, drew white circles inside them, then added a quote sticker on a piece of painted masking tape. Finished with white paint splashes.

Day 16 - A background of teabags, Seaglass fresco acrylic applied with a palette knife, then the fun part...dried paint from my paint pots that I've saved for ages, glued in a circle and randomly dotted on the page. I'm linking this page to Wendy's Having Fun theme at Art Journal Journey, because it really made me smile.

Thanks for dropping by my blog,

Alison xox