Dance Like no one is watching !!

Hello All ...

Well I have managed to get some paint into my new journals .... This is the 6"x6" one .... I have also done a background in the mini journal, but as yet I have not touched the 8"x8" .... I am building up to that one ....

I have used Kate's babywipe technique, then built it up with finger painting .... I have used watercolours again, I do have acrylic paint, but it is not semi translucent so I am not sure how well it will blend ... I have used various meshes and bottle tops for the background. ..... the ballerina is a quick cutz die, I have used some old scrap paper which I have inked with distress ink antique linen and walnut stain ..... The scrap paper at the bottom of the page has also been overstamped with a kanban music score stamp. The sentiment is a combo of stickers and stamps.

I have really enjoyed playing ..... i am loving this form of art ... Its like when i enjoyed painting when I was little when it was just a matter of sloshing it over the page and getting your fingers in there ...... and making all kinds of a mess .... rather than art at school where everything had to be within the confine of the "RULES" ..... and by the end of it I thought I was no good .... I still have a lot to learn and master but I am enjoying the process ..... you never know I may even take up drawing again ...

thanks for popping by, and having a look and putting up with all my waffle!!
Hugs Juls

I've been shopping !!!!!

Hello All,

I am back from my week with the inlaws, it was a lovely relaxing week, we didn't do much, went out for coffee, went for a little walk, e.c.t. e.c.t ....... I did do a little craft shopping, but my purchases are different from normal, normally some stamps and paper pads will have sneaked their way into my basket, this time I can tell I am definitely in an art journaling page ..... I saw these lovely sketch pads in various sizes which I thought would make great journals ... also I loved the fact they were square! ...... I got a small paintbrush for fine detail .... and some various mesh's as I thought they would be fab for paint effects ..... also I finally got a tim holtz shadow box, I have been wanting to try one for ages, but I have not got round to it, also I really don't have a clue what I am doing .... I guess I will just play and see what happens.

When I got home the Kate Crane art journaling DVD that I ordered arrived, so after I had unpacked, put a wash on e.c.t I sat down last night and watched it, its fab I have learnt so much!!! and I am desperate to get started! however I must make cards today, I have booked a table at the Strathpeffer community centre in September, its the first time I have attempted anything like this, so I am quite nervous .... but I guess first I need stock to sell !! ...... maybe I will do a little journaling this evening.

I am shockingly behind in commenting, I managed to pop in occasionally while I was away .... so it may take me a little while to catch up, but I will get round to you all eventually!

Take care
Hugs Juls

Simply Sassy Spotlight

Hello All,

I am sooooooooooo excited to have been asked to feature in the Simply Sassy spotlight!!!! In fact it all feels rather surreal! I am such a HUGE fan of Simply Sassy stamps.

I decided to make something using " Tammy" as I have had her in my collection for a while now, but as yet I have not inked her up yet ... SHOCKING!!! I have coloured her with copics, and then inked round her with "distress ink - tumbled glass" The snowflakes are "WRMK" stamps and I have stamped and embossed, using a white embossing powder..... I have used 2 types of glitter to give added sparkle and dimension to the snow.... Then I added some ribbon, some punched snowflakes and a little bling.

I made this quite a few weeks ago, looking at it again I am not too sure if I still like it, but there is not much I can do about it now .... I have a few more photo's to give you a closer look:




Finally I made a little necklace, using a Tim Holtz faceted gem, and this little blue bead that I bought when I was in Torquay in March.

I am on my hols at the mo, so I am quite behind in my commenting. I do have Internet access so I am able to pop into blogland now and again to try my best to catch up with you all ..... I am sure I will be popping into quite a few craft shops, so I am sure I will be getting lots of lovely new goodies to play with!!!

Thanks for looking
Hugs Juls

Sassy Notes

Hello All,

A quick post from me today, as I really should be packing as I am heading off to my in laws for a week, and as yet I have not done any packing .... nor the ironing which I must do first .... also I have a couple of wedding cards to make, ready to drop off to the hairdressers tomorrow!!

This is a book I have made for myself, and I have had immense fun making it, I have used 2 of my fav Sassy images ... I have coloured with copics ... I have put some glossy accents over " Winking students" glasses, and a little on the apple, and I also sprinkled glitter into the apple ..... I have used some Safmat for the wording on my book .... not the most exciting use of safmat, but hopefully I will have more time to play when I get home ......... as you can see I have gone a tad mad with the ribbons, and created a bookmark and added a little shrinkie.

This is my entry for:

Simon Says - Anything Goes
Polkadoodles - Safmat and Letratac

As Always thanks so much for looking .... hopefully If I get a little time later this evening, I can start playing catch up in blogland.

Hugs Juls

Welcome Home

Hello All,

This is a card that I have made for a friend of mine who has just got home from hospital, she had a stroke and has been in hospital for 9 months, and got home on Monday ... Its to a new home as she needed to be in sheltered housing, as she will need carers and also needs a house that is suitable for a wheelchair.

This image is from the "Polkadoodles - A double sprinkle of Kraft" I have coloured the image with my copics ... used a bit of paper from my scrap pile and did some faux stitching ...... the fence detail and the little flowers have been done using a "Kanban" stamp ..... I actually added these on later, as I ended up getting lipstick on my card, and had to work out a way of covering it up!! LOL!!!

This is my entry for:

Sir Stampalot - Anything Goes
By The Cute and Girly - Things with Wings
Cupcake - ( challenge 124 - something new)
My Time to Craft - Bird watcher
Charizma Cardz - All about Flowers
Allsorts - Free and Easy

Once again Thanks for looking
Hugs Juls

Snail Mail

Hello All,

I was doing a little blog hopping this morning, and came across Kim Dellow's post here Something about it just really spoke to me and I just LOVE it, So I have borrowed Kim's idea. I have checked with her that she is happy for me to share this with you all .... so THANK YOU KIM!!!!

I have just used a little watercolour paint ...... these gorgeous little images are actually from a kiddy's stamp set that I bought eons ago, but I never really used as they didn't stamp that well, they are red rubber, and you were meant to put it into this little handle, but the edges always caught, and it was not easy to get even pressure ... it was in the pre acrylic stamps & Blocks being available, I really wanted a snail image, so I dug them out, and using an acrylic block work just fine. I have coloured with copics ... and added a little stickles, some gems for the anteni, and the sentiment is using some peel off letters.

This is my entry for:

cupcake cards - single layer cards
Papertake weekly - anything goes
Oldie but a Goodie - anything goes
Allsorts - Free and Easy
Quirky Crafts - No background papers


As always thanks so much for looking
Hugs Juls

The Folk Of The Faraway Tree ....

Hello All,

The plan today was to make a card to show you, however I had a friend over today and we opted for art journaling! ..... so its another art journal page from me today.

This time its based on a childhood book .... This was the first book that I read the whole thing in one night .... so I always think of it with some fondness. ... I went into the loft and looked them out, now I could not bear to tear a page from my precious book, so I took a photocopy ... I stuck that in, painted over with gesso, and then used water colours again. The tree, moonface, and my little bookworm are all hand drawn ... the little pink flowers and the dandelion heads are "Kanban" stamps, the sunflower and butterflies are " Marij Rahder - Suzy 2" .... I have written my connection with the book on some scrap paper and stuck that down .... and the title of the book has been done with some alphabet stamps that I have.

Once again
Thanks for looking
Hugs Juls

The Kathryn Wheel Challenge - July

Hello All,

As you can tell, with the last few posts, I have got right back into the whole art journaling thing again .... another thing I really wanted to get back to was joining in the Kathryn Wheel challenge for a 365 day journal, I was so enjoying it at the beginning of the year, and I got up to about half way through March ... that's when I found out I was expecting, I was so ill I wasn't able to craft much, but I had taken a little note of things so I could fill it out when I felt more up to it ...... then I just could not fill in the squares that expressed my joy and excitement .... when I new that some rows later I would be filling out the pain involved in loosing my baby ..... before I knew it 3 months have past ..... I don't know that I will ever be able to go back and fill in that gap ..... can you have a 365 day journal with 3 and a half months missing? - who knows .....

Anyway, here is July's page .... I have created the frame from a whole load of scrap paper ( I have to say I like the results and I have ideas wirring around in my head of how this could translate in a card.) I got the idea from my "journal Bliss by violette" book, again I have used my "Lorali" stamps .... I really am into the sewing theme at the mo....

Thats all for me today,
Thanks for looking
Hugs Juls

Continued.....

Hello All,

I have become rather obsessed with My art journal at the mo (Hope you don't mind seeing something different from me ...... I always have been a bit of a mixed bag when it comes to style)

I have used the "Kanban" fancy edge stamp, "Lorali" for the flowers, and "HOTP" for the polkadots. I have used watercolours again and also "memento - Bahama blue" ..... I was quite nervous about this one and I am not sure how it works, I didn't have any stamps with the kind of images that I wanted so I have had to do all my own doodling, and I really don't feel confident with that ..... who would have guessed I actually took art at school!!! again all the background journaling just tells the story ...

Art page,

My grandfather painted, and so did my mum a little, and my grandmother on my dad's side did a little painting, but the main artist in the family was my uncle, I spent many a school holiday getting him to teach me to draw ... there was times we even had art lessons on the beach. I also took art at school, I have always felt rather average, and have never had natural flare ....

Papercrafting

For as long as I can remember I have coloured in and played with glitter glue, the real love of paper crafting started about 7 years ago, as I had attempted to make a few cards to save money using old wrapping paper and wet glue, then mum bought me a few bits and pieces, and the obsession with craft began!

Once again thanks for looking
Hugs Juls

My Crafty Heritage

Hi All,

I am back already with my next journaling pages ... now I have got started I have lots of ideas in my head ... I am still going with the theme of how my obsession with craft began ... because it is a continuation of the first page I have stuck with the same background colours ... again I have used watercolours ... My "Kanban - Lace" stamp and some more "Lorali" stamps .... these pages turned out busier than I had first thought they would be ...you know when it was just an idea in my head, but I have to say I do quite like the results.

The first page

"My Crafty Heritage" - mentions the fact my great grandmother made handmade teddy's for a living. My grandmother was a beautiful seamstress and did tailoring too. My mum made all her own clothes and then taught us to sew ... in fact her engagement present to me was a sewing machine.

The 2nd page

Just lists some of my hobby's, I have talked a little and then listed my greatest achievement. so for sewing I was taught by my mum, worked in a fabric shop, and greatest achievement, making the bridesmaid dresses for my wedding. cross stitch, was my first obsession my greatest achievement is doing a B&W cross stitch of a photo from my grandparents wedding, as a pressie for their 50th wedding anniversary, and finally knitting, I have done a little but it has never become an obsession, greatest achievement, a mohair cardigan with crochet edging.

I am supposed to be making cards today, but I was a little distracted with this, so I suppose I better head off now and actually get something done.

Thanks for looking
Hugs Juls