Rainy Days

 Hi everyone, yes unfortunately 'Hot Summer' days sometimes include rain, the temperatures haven't dropped, but as well as some lovely sunshine we have had some really heavy showers this week and Mr Umbrella Man is making an appearance!

You may remember me saying that my original inspiration for my Art Journal Journey theme came from Neil Diamond and his Hot August Night concert in Los Angeles. He sang many old favourites and 'Solitary Man' was one of them

Here is my 'Solitary Man' page. 

I started by using blue Distress inks on an acrylic block, which I spritzed and pressed all over my page, with a few spatters for good measure! I then used a Funky Fossils cloud stencil by adding Black Distres Ink to the stencil and spritzing before pressing onto the page. I know clouds are not blue but wanted the spattery blue to give some more colour to the page. I used Tim Holtz's Umbrella man die cut (in yellow to show that the sun was going to shine again very soon!).       I added some black pen dots for scattered showers!

Finally I am once again practicing my lettering with the title! I think I have a long way to go! 

Thanks for looking, Chris

Off to the Beach

 Hi everyone, the weather seems to have picked up a little bit and we have had some lovely evening sun. My latest page for my 'Hot Summer' theme at Art Journal Journey is still at the beach though.

I used to love visiting the beach when I was a child and then when we had our caravan near Morecambe I would love to just walk along the shoreline. 

I had a watery looking page in my square journal. I used some scraps of paper cut into squares/rectangles and joined them together - I added some stamped shells and some stamped, coloured  and fussy cut beach items too. The sentiment came from the same set. I used markers to outline the papers.

I would love to cool down at the beach on a 'Hot Summer' day but I don't think I would spend a whole day now I'm older!

I am a little behind with catching up with posts, last week was a week full of appointments and tradesmen visits and ended with a day out for our 25th Wedding Anniversary. I'll be with you soon! 

Thanks for looking, Chris                    

Going Round In Circles

Hi everyone, well two weeks have passed (so quickly!) and we are starting a new topic at Try It On Tuesday. We're 'Going Round In Circles' this time and the Design Team have used lots of circles, but of course we are happy to see whatever circles you add!

 

I started with a tiny bit of stencil mop up on my page and added more stencilled circles

I found more circles with the parasols from a magazine and added them, along with some under paper scraps, behind the Collage Soup image of the ladies enjoying their drinks. 

I wanted to add some words and then found the postcard and post mark This seemed more apt. The final thing was some washi tape with citrus fruits on to accompany the citrus fruit in the image

 

The 'Going Round In Circles' theme will run for the usual two weeks and we look forward to seeing what you make.

The Rules and Guidelines are here if you need to check.

I am also adding this to Art Journal Journey where I am hosting this month with my 'Hot Summer' theme

Thanks for looking, Chris

Sun Days

Hi everyone, I'm back with another page for my 'Hot Summer' theme at Art Journal Journey.

 It really has warmed up here in the North West of England. We are keeping cool enough inside, but after a long walk (6 miles) on Wednesday and a two mile walk yesterday I am ready for staying in and playing in my journal today.

Although I have other pages prepared I wanted to make another page after watching LaQuisha Hall's and Mary Beth Shaw's Wanderlust videos - they had some great ideas.

I used Neocolour II crayons and Paper Artsy Infusion powders on some index cards and cut them up.

I had several attempts at making a collage with them before I was happy, and then added the mounted Collage Soup image and some little extras, including some mark making to echo the dots on the girl's bikini. The quote - 'Choose to see the world in SUNSHINE' is combination of two from my box of quote stamps.

Just for fun I took another photo in the full sun coming through my craft room window.

 

The tree outside my window is giving some dappled shade at the moment.

I am really enjoying seeing your pages and I hope you are enjoying the theme. 

Thanks for looking, Chris

Happy Hot Summer(Days and Nights)

Hi everyone, I did say I may refer to Neil Diamond's legendary concert in Los Angeles so here we are - except it is also one of my memories of our holiday in France a couple of months ago. My theme at Art Journal Journey is 'Hot Summer' and the day we picked cherries was HOT!

Yes 'Cherry, Cherry' is the song, and these are the cherries we picked at our friends' house (a lot of laughter as we tried to get them off the higher branches) They had become ripe enough for the birds to start stealing them, so, after a day out we had drink and went out to the two trees.

I used a circle stencil with blue ink for the background. The girl in my page was cut from a magazine, the photos are of the cherries on the table after we brought them in and I made a heart on Printshop of part of the bowl and painted over the cherries with Paper Artsy Fresco paints. The Cherry, cherry circle was also from Printshop.

Oh! and the cherries were delicious, both fresh and in the Clafoutis my friend made!

Our friends garden with the cherry trees at the bottom. As you can see the grass was suffering

Thanks for looking, Chris

  

Summer Days

 Hi everyone, I have a page to show you for the new theme at Try It On Tuesday, 'Summer' theme. I wish I could have a day like this, at the moment I am blaming St Swithun for our bad weather! 

The Design Team are also optimistic and have some lovely Summer inspiration for you here.

I used a lovely flowery napkin for my background then added some patches of Paper Artsy tissue that I had painted on the back with PA MattTints.

The image is one from Collage Soup, which I mounted onto hot pink card and edged with black.

The quote is part stamp, part my own handwriting and is taken from some John Denver lyrics - one of those songs that often comes to mind when out in the sun.

I hope you will join us at TIOT this month - especially when the sun shines.

I am also hosting at Art Journal Journey this month with my theme of 'Hot Summer' and would love to see your journal pages if you make them. (we only accept journal pages)

Thanks for looking, Chris

Summer

 Hi, I'm here with another page for my Art Journal Journey theme 'Summer Days', I just wish we could have some sunny days back!

This page started as a mop up page to which I added a little bit of mark making.

The photos were all taken in France, our only view of the sun setting here is from the bedroom and then is over rooftops!

The top photo is of the sunset at the Gîte we stayed at near Rennes in Brittany this year.

The other two were when we took evening walks at my son's place near Limoges! They were certainly Hot Summer Nights.

Thanks for looking, Chris