Calendar journal pages

As I don't intend doing anything but chill this evening I have filled in my last journal square for June and I have my new page ready!

 I used an AALL and Create stencil for the background and added some Woodware stems and flowers. The Paper Artsy Scrapcosy butterflies were stamped onto some brushoed papers and cut out - everything had a sprinkling of gold paint...Oh and is that a gold star I see on the 1st...wonder what that's about?!!!!

Here is June completed - I added some doodled dots during the month!

So, will I see you tomorrow? I do hope so!

Thanks for looking, Chris

Thursday This and That!

Hi everyone, we are having another sunny day so it's windows and doors open trying to get a bit of air flowing! 

I have some odd bits and pieces that if I don't post now I'm in danger of missing the challenges I made them for!

I'll start with a Christmas card! I was sure I would keep up with the ABC Christmas Challenge but time passed just too quickly for me!
The challenge has already reached L for Love and M for Mice.
I have a Mouse card to show you using a fun House Mouse image from Stampendous.

I also have a Gemini Tag for Tag Tuesday!

I had tag that I didn't care for and it had sat unloved for a while - I added more colour and some dots and spots and stamped, cut and coloured JOFY Lovebirds.
I added some stamped sewing for them to sit on and found some Tim Holtz words - I am a little happier with it now!

I also have another 'Inspired By' journal page for Gill's theme at Art Journal Journey.

It is my A6 journal and is inspired by the new book I found on the charity bookshelf at the RSPB at the weekend(we were there for the Art Trail but stopped for a coffee!)It is about birds of India so some of them are very colourful. This blackbird is on what was a quite boring mop up page until I added some book text and a photocopy of an old journal page from way back that I found in a bit of a clear out!  I added more Tim Holtz words.



Thanks for looking, Chris

Just playing and being inspired!

Hello everybody! 
In between working in the garden at our caravan and preparing for our bedroom to be painted I found time to play in my journal so I have another page for Gill's theme - 'Inspired by' at Art Journal Journey

Hubby and I attend a gym (usually once a week)and each time we go we are given wrist bands in different colours each time (there is obviously a rotation system as we are now getting repeats of colours!) 
I was inspired by these bright colours to save them them until I had enough to fill a page in one of my large journals - not knowing what I was going to do!

I found this image in a magazine and I made a start. Wristbands were cut up and stuck down, the photo was mounted onto some scrap paper and part of a map and I used some AALL and create stamps along with a Visible Image quote.
I don't think I'll ever have legs like the model but I am getting better at walking faster without being out of breath! 

Thanks for looking, Chris

T Stands for - taking a break

Hi everyone, we went off for a break last week - we couldn't even wait for the weekend - we needed that break so much!

We went to our caravan and pottered in the garden, did a bit more painting, had a few walks and found that the Silverdale Art and Craft trail was on, so on Saturday we went across to Arnside for lunch and a wander!

I have admired the work of an artist called Jan Huntley-Peace for a few years now - I now own one of her beautiful ceramic brooches!
Hubby had pointed out her bird brooches and I was just looking but just a little way past the birds were some very eye catching brooches - in fact they had eyes on them - there were four and I had almost made my mind up when Jan pointed out some more on a window sill.
Now, I don't usually like lone eyes in art whether in pairs or singly but this brooch has come home with me (still in it's box)and I absolutely adore it - you will have to see if my journal pages are influenced! 

We stopped off for a coffee at Beetham Garden Centre on the way back to the caravan, so it is here I will join Bleubeard and Elizabeth for T Stands For Tuesday.

Hubby had a Hot Chocolate and I had an Americano.

The garden at the caravan is looking OK still....

 These two plants were buried in the hedge and are thriving now!

 The bees are going to love this....

 ...and the mint that I have let run wild as there were so many bees on it last year.

I was inspired to make a journal page with a tissue handkerchief and some stamped and cut flowers, I put them onto a Brusho background  and added just a few more flowers and some text - and a quote that sort of summed it up!

This is of course for Art Journal Journey and Gill's 'Inspired By' theme.

On our way home we drove through Morecambe where the noisy Kite Festival was taking place. We got to see lots of kites though!

Here is one of the bird sculptures that Morecambe is famous for!

We have come back refreshed but we are still busy and the garden problems here continue to be a problem. Hubby is out watering at the moment and someone from management has been gardening all day - it will get sorted soon we hope!

Thanks for looking, Chris

Things with Wings at TIOT

Hello there! We have a new theme at Try It On Tuesday starting this week - Things with Wings.
The Design Team have some wonderful winged creatures for you so please do take a look!

I have made a journal page!
I just had a need to get a little bit messy, so onto a gessoed page went Distress crayons, dampened and blend with my finger and sprays.

I also added little bit of stamping too.

A little stencilling and some more text stamping and I cut three circles from a dotty scrap on my desk,(I lined my punch up to get identical circles) which I doodled onto with white pen 
Next I painted a Dina Wakley scribbly bird - using my plastic lid palette.

I wanted my quote to show up so I stamped it onto paper, tore it out  and inked the edges.

Our 'Winged Things' challenge is open for two weeks and I am looking forward to seeing which winged creatures you will choose!

I am entering in Gill's 'Inspired By' theme at Art Journal Journey as this page was inspired by seeing the birds in our bird box the other week. When we went back last week more birds are nesting now (either that or it's a second brood)

Thanks for looking, I'll be along later with my TSFT post! Chris

Simon Says 'Coffee anyone?'

Hi everyone, this is sadly my last time in the spotlight here at Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge! 

The brilliant Design Team have been most welcoming and I thank you all for inviting me to join you!
Once again the team have such inspiring projects to show you,

I have enjoyed myself so much each week creating alongside them!

So, this week the theme is Food and Drink - Oh yes!

We have one of those coffee pod machines - we don't use it that much - one cappuccino or latte a day is enough(so we tell ourselves!)the rest of the time it's either instant or cafetiere coffee!

I have had this fancy empty tissue box for a while and I realised that it would hold enough pods for a few days instead of getting the boxes out every time.

I started by using my Gelli plate to make a cover for the rather garish box! I used the Tim Holtz - Splatters Layering stencil and Paper Artsy Fresco paints, making sure I didn't go over the edges with my brayer and create a line

Next I cut an oval from a piece of Tim Holtz's Lost and Found paper pad and added different inks and paints(got carried away and totally forgotten what!)and stamped my Stampendous House Mouse Coffee Break stamp

I stamped some berries and leaves using another House Mouse stamp from way back but there are others here with elements that can be stamped separately!

I coloured them with Tim Holtz Distress markers that I scribbled onto an acrylic block and picked up with my Pentel Aqua brush
I had partially coloured the mouse image in the same way using a Brushed Corduroy marker.

Next I had an idea for the back of the box - I found a little die in the Tim Holtz Sizzix Funky Floral 3 set that I could use to make a coffee plant - cutting out in both green and red card, so out came my Sizzix Big Shot. I stuck on the berries with Cosmic Shimmer Acrylic glue - it has a fine nozzle for sticking smaller items and really does stick well.

 Was it fiddly?......Oh yes!! I am so pleased with the result though once I had added some Uni ball signo white pen

I cut out some Tim Holtz Sizzix Vintage Market letters and positioned them at the top of the box

I started with the middle letters so that I could space them centrally. You can also see how my gelli print turned out as I lost the photos I took!
All that remained was to build up the 'plant'....

...and assemble the bits on the other side.

I added a bit of fancy cut paper around the top!

Coffee anyone? 
A little reminder about the challenge prize - there is a very generous Gift voucher to spend in the SSS store...

....and you may also get chosen to be in the spotlight at Simon Says Monday Challenge too!

Here is a quick link to some of the items I have used but I have also added them as I have gone along
GelliArts gel plate
Paper Artsy fresco paints
Tim Holtz layeringstencil
House Mouse stamp
Tim Holtz Sizzix Funky Floral 3 thinlet dies
Sizzix Big Shot 

I am entering  the House Mouse269 - Anything Goes - Option Back to School! It's really an 'anything goes' but as an ex teacher I can tell you - coffee is really important!


Thanks for looking, Chris

Having fun!

Another page, this time I was inspired by something that came through the post - an envelope!
This little flamingo image made me smile! I think it was advertising currency exchange.

Gill's theme at Art Journal Journey is 'Inspired By' and is certainly inspiring lots of folk! 

I just used a load of different inks, stamps, bits and pieces etc as a background!

Thanks for looking, Chris

Green Inspiration..

Really..it is green!!

Earlier this week we decided to take some things to the charity shop(again) and have a little walk - we went past the houses and came to one of my favourite places to walk locally - we usually walk from the other end so we got an entirely different view of it!

 Some of the plants were really tall!

 The lower path is quite overgrown

 Despite being so close to the motorway the birds were singing all around!

 Nettles may have a sting but they also have delicate little flowers

 Almost to the road..

 ...and I turned round to take this - men are digging up the top end near the road  - I hope we still have Bluebells next year !

I was inspired to make a quick page - it started with the base you can see of some paint mop up through stencil - over this I stuck some torn GREEN paper, which is showing as yellow here - we were expecting rain as I took the photo and now it is in full pelt down mode!

I used my favourite Carabelle Studio leaves by Brigit Koopsen and added some dotty/spotty stamps using different greens. The quote I used is from a set that was possibly a freebie - I stamped the leaves a couple more times! One of the quickest pages I have made for a while but so relaxing!!

I am joining Gill at Art Journal Journey where she has chosen the fantastic theme - 'Inspired by'!

Thanks so much for looking, I may be absent for a little while.....we'll see, Chris