Creative JumpStart Day 15

 Hello All!

Carolyn Dube's lesson was on Day 15 of CJS. I love Carolyn's use of colour, this was right up my street.

I'm linking this page to Erika's Favourite Things theme at Art Journal Journey.

Before I go, here's a card I was commissioned to make by a neighbour. I used papers and flowers from an Anna Griffin kit that I bought long ago.

Thanks for popping by my blog.

Alison xox

Art Journal Calendar - August 2020

Hi Everyone!

I'm a day late with my August art journal calendar spread, in fact I only found time to create it today. As you can see, I've already filled out 2 days.

I used a 5x3" Gelli Plate with Dina Wakley heavy body acrylic and home-made mark-making tools, to make a bright background. The little tags were cut from a previously made gel print, then the details were made with a fine black Posca paint pen. I used PaperArtsy stencils for the title.

I'm linking my spread to my theme Pockets and Tags at Art Journal Journey.

Thanks for dropping by,

Alison xx

AJJ - When It's Hot

Hi Everyone! I have another page to share for Erika's When It's Hot theme at Art Journal Journey. For some reason, new Blogger's linking isn't working, so here's the link to the challenge (hopefully!): https://art-journal-journey.blogspot.com/2020/07/when-its-hot.html

I don't know about you, but when it's hot I don't particularly want to move or do anything, although the lady on my page looks like she is dancing, or maybe she's lying flat out on the ground!

Thanks for popping by,

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

AJJ - In the Air/Sky

Evening friends. I'm back today with another entry for Erika's In the Air/Sky theme at Art Journal Journey.

I first lay down some collage, including pieces of London A-Z and round teabags. Then I stencilled clouds with my hand-cut stencil from yesterday, and birds & abstract trees with Dina Wakley stencils.

Wishing you a happy and creative week,

Alison xox

Everything Circles 6 & 7

Happy Sunday Everyone!

Here are a couple more circle pages for Birgit's Instagram challenge.

Day 6 - a little collage of tags I had left over from a Gel Plate play. I used a Carabelle Studio stamp, and added doodles with a white Posca paint pen. The tags are stapled to a canvas page in my DWM journal.

Day 7 - On a watercolour paper page, on a background of turquoise and lime DWM acrylic, I used some different items to create circle designs...

Below you can see the 'tools' that I used, a plastic aida circle, a pencil end, Lego, a wooden drawer knob, and plastic tubes. I hand-wrote CIRCLE FUN, and I'm entering this page in Wendy's 'Having Fun' theme at Art Journal Journey.

Hope you're having a creative day too,

Alison xox

Everything Circles - Days 4 & 5

Hi Everyone. I have a couple more art journal pages to share for the Everything Circles challenge on Instagram. I'm using my Dina Wakley journal.

Here's Day 4, on watercolour paper...

And here's Day 5, on canvas...

The round teabags have crocheted black circles with wooden buttons attached.

Thanks for dropping by,

Alison xox

A Surprise, My Art Journal Calendar, & A New Instagram Challenge

Hi Everyone!

It was Mothering Sunday here in the UK at the weekend, and I had a huge surprise last Thursday. Hubby announced that we were heading up to the Peak District for a hiking weekend. He'd hoped that we could meet up with our kids as it was Mothering Sunday, but unfortunately they were both busy.

But, as we arrived at the cottage, our daughter hung out of the upstairs window, shouting 'Surprise!!!' She called me inside, and presented me with these gorgeous designer boots she'd bought in Spain. They fit perfectly!

We then walked down to the village pub for some dinner, and our son was there to greet us, holding out a beautiful bouquet of roses for me.

I can't tell you how blessed I felt! We spent a wonderful weekend, hiking in the sunshine.

After spending yesterday cleaning out the guinea piggy and catching up with washing, I finally found time today, to create my April art journal calendar. As I used a PaperArtsy stencil for the journaling flowers, I'm sharing my pages at Try It On Tuesday's 'Use A Stencil or Two' challenge.

And Birgit Koopsen is hosting an Instagram challenge called Everything Circles, asking us to create circle themed art for every day in April. My April calendar pages are for Day 3, and here are pages for Days 1 & 2...

The next page has a window cut to see the previous page through...

I have been suffering a bit with a creative block lately, so I'm hoping this challenge will bump me out of it!

Thanks for visiting,

Alison xox

Everything Is Possible

Hello Everyone! I have an art journal page to share with you today, for Erika's Vintage or Modern Challenge at Art Journal Journey. I think it passes as a modern page. Mixed media and a modern lady from a magazine.

There was already some leftover turquoise paint on the kraft page. I applied white gesso using my plastic cross-stitch circle, then glued some used teabag papers and their labels on, creating some lovely creased texture. 

I scraped on some metallic Gilt Dina Wakley heavy acrylic, used black Bombay India Ink dropper to sketch a circle and add splatters, then lifted my journal to create drips. 

I scribbled down some of my thoughts with a white Posca paint pen, and added white splatters. The lady was cut from a magazine page, adhered and outlined, then I finished with a Tim Holtz quote sticker.

It was good to get back to my journal again today, the best medicine! I'm still waiting to get medication sorted for my recently diagnosed condition. Hopefully it will happen soon! I have an appointment mid-December.

Wishing you all a happy, artful day,

Alison xox

Be Brave, Stay Strong!

Good morning everyone! 

I needed to make some art today, to let some feelings out. I've been having some health problems, and today I'm hoping to find out what's wrong. Hopefully it's something minor that's easily treated. It's scary not knowing, as I'm sure you can imagine. Anyway, enough of the doom and gloom, I rather like this page that emerged.

I hope that it's modern enough to enter Erika's Vintage or Modern Challenge at Art Journal Journey.

To anyone else in the same position as me, be brave and stay strong, and trust in God to get you through whatever the outcome.

Alison xox

AJJ - Vintage or Modern

Hello Everyone! I'm happy to report that my dentist appointment went well, and I came home and created a page for Erika's Vintage or Modern Challenge at Art Journal Journey. It's halfway through November and my first page for the challenge! Life has been getting in the way somewhat!

I started off with a modern background, using scraps of underpaper, some of my favourite Dina Wakley paint colours, Cheddar, Ruby & Turquoise, and a bit of DecoArt Crackle Paste that didn't show up very well. I also used my plastic cross-stitch aida to add paint. I found a vintage image with an amusing quote - 'What do you think I do all day? Sit around the house?' Of course not! - hahaha!

I hope you've all had a lovely creative day!

Thanks for visiting,

Alison xox

365 Somethings Week 45 & A Journal Page

Good Evening Everyone! I'm here tonight with my 365 Somethings Week 45 Teabag Art. These were inspired by the beautiful Autumn trees, which still have leaves on them mid-November.

I painted my teabags with Cheddar and Ruby Dina Wakley Heavy Body Acrylic, then stencilled leaf patterns with Gilt DW Acrylic. I stamped the PaperArtsy leaves onto gessoed music page, cut them out and glued them to the teabags. I wrote 'leaf' a few times with a black gel pen, then inked the edges with black archival ink.

I decorated another teabag, and used it on a journal page. I haven't had a lot of time for art journaling lately, it felt good to make this page.

Music page, tea-dyed gauze, corrugated card, my teabag art, and a Tim Holtz phrase sticker, and I couldn't resist a few watery paint splashes.

I have the dentist in the morning, but I hope to make some more art tomorrow. I've missed it!

Wishing you all a great evening,

Alison xox

AJJ - Recycle & Collage

Hi Everyone!

Having spent the morning getting a quote for solar panels for our roof, something we've wanted to do for a while, I found time this afternoon to cut up a magazine and make this page for my Recycle & Collage challenge at Art Journal Journey.

Just noticed that the woman's sweater says 'why have there been no great female artists?'! Off to find the page I cut it from to see what that's all about!

Hope you're all having a good day!

We put a deposit down on the solar panels BTW.

Alison xox

Ally Pally Craft Show April 2018, and Collage at Art Journal Journey

Hi Everyone!

It's been a busy few days. I've been adding lots of new shawls to my Etsy Shop CraftytrogsYarnArt for a start. Then on Saturday I went up to London, to the Alexandra Palace Craft Show. It may be the last time I'll go, as it was my favourite shop PaperArtsy's last time there. Such a pity, as it's a lovely opportunity to meet up with other PA fans who are good friends of mine.

Here are my purchases. Not a lot, but I stocked up on journaling pens, succumbed to one of Seth Apter's pots of Baked Texture EPs (Patina Oxide if you're interested), a couple of bargain wooden box sets, paints, re-inker, and Tim Holtz Paper Dolls.

I met the lovely Tracy Evans, who I've known in Blogland forever. She was demonstrating on the Aall and Create stand with her new stamps, and doing some impromptu make & takes. She very kindly gave me a few rusty nails, pictured above, and here is my version of her lovely artwork. I just adore her stamps, and this combination of Dina Wakley paint colours, Cheddar, Fuchsia and Turquoise!

And, I finally found time yesterday to create another page in my art journal for my Recycle & Collage challenge over at Art Journal Journey.

Hope you're all having a great week,

Alison xox

Art Journal Journey - Spring

Hi Everyone!

I have an art journal page to share today for Rosie's Spring Challenge at Art Journal Journey. Today's theme for Birgit's Gelli Print Challenge was Crayon Resist, so I've used that technique on my page. The flowers, sun and birds were created with wax crayons, then I used a small round gelli plate and turquoise acrylic paint to colour the whole page. Then I scraped the paint away from the wax to reveal the wax colours. Cool isn't it? 

Here are some more wax resist pieces...

For the pieces below, I made wax rubbings with stencils, before applying the paint.

If you're on Instagram, there are some amazing challenge examples to be seen, using the hashtag birgitkoopsengelprintingchallenge.

Happy Monday to you all,

Alison x

February Art Marks Love - Day 24 - Build

Hello Everyone! More snow overnight, so a perfect day to stay in and create.

The word for today is 'Build'. I loved this prompt, because I love to build layers on a page! This could be my favourite!

It started with a book page that had circles cut from it, that was lying around on my desk. Added a teabag, and paint with my fingers. Then a few marks, scrapes of paint, the word, white paint stamped with Lego, and more marks to finish.

Keep warm, and have a wonderful Wednesday,

Alison x

February Art Marks Challenge Day Seven

Hi Everyone! Today's word was Create, and I think that speaks for itself. This one's all doodles and drips.

I off back to my crochet, and to continue binge-watching Grey's Anatomy.

Hope you're having a great weekend,

Alison x

February Art Marks - Day Six - Envision

Hi Everyone!

This dismal day needed some bright colours, so I created a little patchwork effect page for Art Marks Day Six. I envision a year filled with art and crochet, and lots of country walks, and quality time spent with friends and family. As I painted some blue hearts, I'm linking this page to Try It On Tuesday's Love is in the air Challenge.

So happy to have sold another scarf from my Etsy shop too! That's my third this year. Better crack on and make some more!

Have a fab weekend 

Alison x

T is for Tortoise

Hi Everyone!

I'm sharing another page for Rae's Artmarks Challenge tonight. It features a pair of tortoises just like my little pets Josie and Olive. I've had them nearly two years, since they were tiny, and they're such great little characters. I've no idea of their sex, but I have an inkling that Olive may be an Oliver, as she/he is the smaller of the two, which is an indication apparently.

The word for today's page is 'Leap'. Today I took the leap of going to the cinema by myself. It was the Silver Screen cinema for age 55 plus, only £3 with a cuppa and a biscuit too. The film I saw was Goodbye Christopher Robin, a lovely film about A. A. Milne and his family, and his writing of the Winnie The Pooh books.

The tortoise stamp by Stampotique, was stamped twice onto tissue, then adhered to my page with matte medium. I used an Inkadinkado collage stamp on the background, with various acrylic paints.

I just love those Daniel Torrente tortoises, aren't they adorable?!

Linking my page up to Rike's Animals A-Z Challenge at Art Journal Journey. As I have some hearts on my page too, I'm also linking up to Stampotique's challenge 291 - Hearts.

Hope you all had a creative day too.

Alison x

Happy Chats

Hi Everyone!

Isn't it amazing that we can communicate with our loved ones wherever they may be on the planet?! Today we had a lovely chat with our daughter Beth, who's currently in Hong Kong. It warmed our hearts!

I created another art journal page for Chris' challenge '101 Ways to Keep Warm', over at Art Journal Journey.

The blue background design was printed from a carved rubber stamp that Beth made at school. She found it when she was having a clear out before she went off on her travels, and asked if I wanted it. I love how the design shows through my painted mug. I cut a teabag to fit the top of the mug, to represent my tea.

Wishing you all a wonderful week,

Alison x