Painted Meadow

Hello there!
Last May I was exceptionally lucky to have a day painting with Jo Sheppard as a special birthday treat from a dear friend who is also venturing into the world of mixed media. We spent the morning splashing, flicking and smooching paint around and in the afternoon we turned our hands to a landscape using some of the techniques we'd been trying out.

 

This is where I got to by the end of the day...

 

And after adding a few details this is where I've decided to stop! The colours in the final photo are much truer to the original.

Just need to think of what to paint next...too many ideas, too little time!

Thank you for stopping by. Hope you have a lovely weekend. Big craft show at Ally Pally tomorrow, I'm sure something will take my fancy!

Whale of a Time

Hello
A return to a magazine stamp set, this time from Papercraft Essentials. I stamped the image twice and decoupaged the clouds, whale and foreground waves. The background is Distress Ink through a stencil.

Hope you have a whale of a day. Thank you for stopping by xx

Materials used:

Papercraft Essentials issue 160

Clarity stencil: clouds

Distress Ink: weathered wood

Archival Ink: jet black

foam pads

watercolour pencils

Someone Special

Hello
A quick make using stamps I picked up in France on holiday last year. It's taken me a whole year to open the packet and made me resolve to not buy anything new until I have used what is already in my stash at least once...let's see how long that lasts!

The birds are coloured with watercolour pencil and the hearts are decoupaged from Distress Oxide mop up papers.

Thank you for taking the time to stop by xx

Materials used:

Aladine: clear oiseaux

Dovecraft clear stamp: someone special

Archival ink: jet black

watercolour pencil

Distres Oxide ink

Adventures in Mixed Media

Hello there
Recently I've been thinking about why I love crafting and what direction I want to go in next. While I loved being on a design team it did mean that the precious little time I have for crafting was mostly taken up with someone else's agenda. With The Craft Barn closing down I've decided not to rush into another DT but to spend some time experimenting and having fun.

So here goes...my first fully fledged mixed media canvas...I think it's finished but not committed myself to sealing it just yet!

It started with swirling texture into a thick layer of gesso before building up the tree with die cuts, wooden shapes, masking tape and texture pastes. Then lots of layers of paint before I added a light gold border so the underpainting still shows through.

Lots of messy fun. Although the new me is crafting for my enjoyment, I'm always looking to improve, so your thoughts and comments are always welcome.

Have a lovely day xxx

Relax and Enjoy

Hello there
The last card (for now) using the Creative Stamping issue 57 stamps. This has been a fun set to work with and I'm sure I'll be coming back to it in time. The background was one of my own Distress Oxide mop up papers but I'm afraid my shocking photography skill doesn't show up the greens and yellows very well!

Thank you for taking a look xxx

Materials used:

Creative Stamping issue 57

Distress Oxides

Archival ink

Promarkers

No prob-lllama

Hello
A warm welcome and thank you for stopping by my blog. Here's another quick make using the stamps from Creative Stamping 57. The background paper is from the packaging that came with a set of GiogioCraft stencils, with a little extra shading in yellow around the llama and to ground the feet.

Hope you have a lovely day xx

Materials used:

Creative Stamping issue 57

GiogioCraft background paper

Distress Oxides

Archival ink

watercolour pencil

white gel pen

Age is irr-elephant!

Hello
It's been much easier to do a bit of crafting since the weather has cooled down where I am.

I'm sure I've mentioned before that my lovely husband is very generous and frequently buys me magazines that he thinks I'll like. My next few posts are all using the stamp set from Creative Stamping issue 57. It's a really versatile set and I can see myself coming back to it in the future.

First up...

The background started with a mop-up paper using stencils and Distress Oxide ink spritzed with water. The elephants were stamped and masked off, some shading and the sentiment added. Quick and easy. Thank you for stopping by xx

Materials used:

Creative Stamping issue 57

GiogioCraft stencil: art deco glass, zen leaves

Distress Oxides

Archival ink

Promarkers

Off you go!

Hello again!
After a bit of a break from crafting I'm slowly getting myself back into it, starting with small projects and cardmaking. Here's a card I didn't post from earlier in the year using the stamps from Creative Stamping magazine issue 54.

The background and circle are actually one layer with the illusion of depth but the car itself is mounted on foam squares.

Thank you for stopping by for a look xx

Materials used:

Creative Stamping issue 54

Creative Expressions stencil: star turn

Clarity stencil: framer shape circle

Distress Oxides

Archival ink

Promarkers

Shoreditch Street Art Walk

Hello there
Yesterday we had a great day out in London's Shoreditch area looking at the amazing street art to be found on every corner. I'm inspired by the bright, bold colours and the amazing talent and imagination. A lot of street art also makes a social comment and of course it's free for everyone to enjoy. We followed an itinerary I found online, but it's very hard to stay on course as there's something around every corner and street art is forever evolving so something new can pop up over night.

I photographed over 160 works and would have taken more if it hadn't been such a damp day. Here are a few of my favourites.

 

 

 

 

                     

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For a great, cheap, day out, you can't beat a wander around the streets of Shoreditch enjoying the independent retailers, food outlets and free art!