Springtime at TIOT!

Hi everyone! We are well into Spring now and have had some lovely days! Our new theme at Try It On Tuesday is 'Springtime'. The Design Team have been enjoying all aspects of Spring so please do take a look here.

 I have made another journal page.

I did some stencilling with greens, yellows and pinks onto a white background to give a fresh feel to the page. I added some random biz zag stamping for a little extra focus.
I stamped some Paper Artsy Lin Brown leaves(over-stamped with text)  and some Tracy Scott flowers using Oxide inks and fussy cut them. Next I stamped the Dina Wakley bird and some mottled eggs using stamps that are no longer available. I wanted to keep the yellow to the front too so used some inky paper to cut out some circles and doodled on to them!
Then it was just a small matter of layering everything up.....I arranged and re-arranged these quite a few times until I was happy!!

I do hope you will join us with your Springtime creations!

I'm putting off dealing with a mountain of washing now we are back from Paris - there will be photos are my TSFT post later!

Thanks for looking, Chris

Keeping it toned down

Another scheduled post and I am joining in at Art Journal Journey with Wendy's 'Having Fun' theme!

When I have messy hands you can guarantee I'm having fun - and this time my hands were very messy!
Adding to the fun I was using some of my favourite Lynne Perella stamps by Paper Artsy!

I stencilled and stamped over the page then toned everything down with gesso. I lightly crumpled some paper add dipped into some watery ink on my mat! Once dry I stamped the image on it! The rest was just some scraps that I stamped onto using stamps from the same set and some tiny punched book paper circles.

I would also like to join in the Neutral Zone challenge at A Vintage Journey
I just realised that I hadn't linked this while we were away!!!!

I'll be home soon with tales of Paris!

Thanks for looking, Chris

I'm going dotty!

This is a scheduled post and I am not so sure I will be able to link - but I made this tag for Moo Mania and More's 'Polka Dots' challenge!

 I added distress inks randomly over the tag then used a large dots stencil and dabbed a dampened cloth through to lift the ink.
The little girl is a Carabelle Studio stamp and is paper pieced.
I overstamped a Carabelle stamp by Azoline along the side and then onto some paper and cut out some more stars!
The TH quote seemed just perfect!

This is also part of the Instagram challenge 'everything circles'

Thanks for looking, Chris

Down on the farm..

I don't know whether I've shared this before, but as a child I spent much of my time on various farms! We lived in between two farms and my Grandparents lived a short walk away from one that we used to visit regularly too.

The new challenge at Simon Says Monday Challenge Blog is 'Down On The Farm' which reminded me of how my present hubby and I used to help out on a farm with rare breeds at weekends. We stopped when our  Grandchildren arrived.

Although there were no Highland Cattle, we often see them in fields in the Lake District, which is how this picture must have found its way to my scrap bag! 

I stencilled and stamped a background. Then, a series of Happy accidents - I added a tag that was too nice to throw away...cut out a circle of paper from my Arthur book and realised that the words fell perfectly and fitted in with the words on the tag! As I looked at the paper I had cut the circle from, the words at the top were right there at the top of the page! They didn't show up very well so I drew around them with a RED Derwent Inktense pencil (being daring with this guy around!) and to balance the page added some more around the bottom of the tag! 

I'm also joining in at Art Journal Journey again with the 'Having Fun' theme as being on the farm is so much fun!

Thanks for looking, Chris
This is another scheduled post so hoping I can link

T Stands for.....taking a stroll..

Can it really be a week gone already!!?? 
We went up to our caravan last week - it started very wet and windy and we thought we had made a big mistake! We started with quick trip into Morecambe and then spent a cosy evening listening to the rain against the window!
It was still quite windy on Friday morning so we decided to wait until after lunch to go for a bit of fresh air.
Morecambe Bay has a unique weather system and when we got to Arnside(about 9 miles away) it was warmer and I realised I could have worn a lighter coat!

We had walked along to the post office to post a letter and crossed over to see the flower beds...

 ..and the view over the viaduct.

 We walked along the beach, looking at the birds

 The sky looked quite dramatic

 We had to pick our way through the soggy parts to get up the steps by the jetty

The views from the end of the jetty are lovely...some of the houses here are B and Bs

 There were some people outside the Albion having drinks...

....and you can see one of our favourite cafes - the Wagtail in the centre of this pic...we decided to head back to the caravan this time though...

 ....so we walked along to the ramp - can you see the snow on the mountains in the distance?

 Just as I was getting into the car I spotted the two jackdaws having a drink! Now, shall I join Bleubeard and Elizabeth here with these birds...

...perhaps not!!!

I think someone might recognise this place...Jo, we will have to meet up at Barton Grange for lunch when we get back into a routine!!!

I really wanted a blueberry scone so we shared a rather large salad bun along with a coffee, hubby had his favourite...carrot cake!

The evening was spent sorting out my little journal bag - I have decided that when we go to Paris I will probably only have time for a few collage pages!

I have made a rather larger journal page for Art Journal Journey and Wendy's 'Having Fun' theme. In this case the only fun was me making this page with lots of ink and paint....the young man clearly doesn't want to be in this bright place!

I used a whole load of stencils(TIOT's theme this time)and some paint and stamps too. I drew in some large black circles and added some circles cut from scraps(I am currently playing along with Brigit Koopsen's Everything Circles Instagram challenge)

I added a TH paper doll and a snarky comment! Finally some blue ink around the edges.

I may get around to making some scheduled posts - we are pretty much organised -but if not I'll see you when I get back! 

Thanks for looking, Chrisx 

  

Spatter fun!

Hi everyone! We are back from our caravan and after church and lunch out with friends I can now post the page I made for Art Journal Journey and Wendy's 'Having Fun' theme!
Maybe I should have an alternate title - 'What a Difference Some Spatters Make!'

This is what I finished up with

Onto a stencilled flower background I added some scraps, words and a Sizzix Tim Holtz tattered Butterfly that I won from Craft Stamper Magazine challenge. I added some random brown inked stamps and left it - I wasn't really happy with it.
Oh! You want to see it?

  I had outlined the butterfly with a Stabilo-all blue pencil and a little water but couldn't work out what was missing!
Of course, this morning(quite early) I realised what it was....spatters of course, don't know why I couldn't workout out as I really do love spattering my pages!I used Vintage Photo Distress Ink.
You can also see a little bit of doodling too......aah! that's better!

While I am here I will remind you that Try It On Tuesday's challenge  - 'Use Stencil or Two' has just over another week to run.

I would like to enter at More Mixed Media Fun Anything Goes  challenge where there is an option to use yellow (which is in the background to my stencilling!)

Thanks for looking, Chris

A tag and some minis

We have spent some time at our caravan, just relaxing mainly although we went into a blowy, rainy Morecambe...to buy a walking stick! Yes, I have finally listened to hubby's suggestion, that on 'bad' days with my knee, a walking stick would help! I found that Timpson's made a fourfold one so it would be small enough to fit into my bag when I don't need it! So far I haven't!

I have sorted out my scrap bags and taken out quite a few things that I know I will never use!
I also made a tag for Tag Tuesday - Birds,Nests and Eggs

  
I had a tag with some blue textured dots that I hadn't used and it seemed just right for an egg style background.
I added some TH papers that I cut up and a piece of paper with a button pic on, that I covered with a nest! I made some feathery marks on the Dina Wakley bird using a Derwent coloursoft pencil.
I drew in some leaves and coloured them with Inktense pencils and a waterbrush which I also used to add some brown around the edge of the tag.

I have also been adding some pages to one of my mini journals - I am playing along with Birgit Koopsen's Instagram challenge 'Everything Circles'

I used some pages with backgrounds already in my little notebook, along with some doodling, scraps, stickers, handmade tape and words.

Quite typically, just as we are heading home the weather is wonderful and we are dragging our heels a bit! we will leave soon!

Thanks for looking, Chris