About Me

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Hi, Welcome to my Blog. I'm an eclectic kind of crafter delving into many pots. I am just about managing to keep up my Scrapbooking Diary (usually about 6 months behind), plus any cards as required. I have a new found love of Watercolour and Bible Journaling plus recently Faith/Art Journaling too. I've challenged myself to make an art journal page a day for this my 60th year. Previously I've also dabbled in ATCs, Tags, Altered Books, Mixed Media, Décopatch, Knitting, Crochet, and Embroidery amongst other things. I live in Surrey, UK with my husband, our son has left home now. For exercise I usually play Badminton and go Ballroom and Latin Dancing. I also like walking/Geocaching and sometimes do a bit of Bouncing on my Rebounder (mini trampoline). I have been learning to play the harp for the past 10yrs. I am now officially retired. I am a born again Christian, currently worshiping at my local Vineyard Church.

Wednesday 15 May 2024

WOYWW #780 - 15th Anniversary

EDIT - Please be aware that some comments are not showing up on my blog but I'm still getting the associated emails - phew

Happy Anniversary to WOYWW, can't believe it is 15 years! I missed the first couple of years but have been here on and off since my post #145 in March 2012. 

A Mahoosive congrats to Julia and gang for keeping this all going and showing up for us all each week much appreciated. After all it keeps me sane and reminds me what day of the week it is.

Here's my craftcorner yesterday, not quite as messy as Monday but messier than usual none the less.

I have made 12 ATC's and I have had a few requests for SWAPS in addition to whosoever I get as a partner so still some going if you'd like to swap or just have one, let me know. I think my collage work has improved on last year somewhat, good to know the courses are working.

I made an extra one for me, for the purposes of testing out my hairspray as a fixative, it seems to work.... Best not to get them wet though, the black Woody is very rich.

Have just discovered the Inktense pencils react to water initially but after they dry, are permanent, must get me some of those soon.

Here's my daily journal pages from the Messy May prompts

07:moments with watercolour paints

08:rays

09:open

10:reflect with Gelli Prints form Day 3 of Nest Fest

11:curiosity with the tea cards I found in an emporium

12:uncover

12:uncover (uncovered LOL!)

13:gathering of people/cloth/botanicals - lilac flowers from a walk so I added lilac oil to the cloth - divine.

14:shadows I made mine happy and stencilled better/properly since the Nest Fest lesson on "stencils" Monday.

So my third set of lessons started Monday and I got into a right pickle. Encounters in Colour is turning out to be where my heart is, it is scripture based and the Facebook group is delightful.

I did Monday's page in a whirl of stash and my room was like a bombsite over 3 hours later!!!! I was much more organised Tuesday with the prayer cards and even repeated Monday's verse in my mini Bible. 

And I got HAPPY MAIL yesterday too. Long story but my best school mate's Mum passed a while back and I mentioned the x-stitch I loved as a child and it was passed on to me. Maybe as I have ballet in my blood it is so special to me, who knows.

And the tea cards.

What a week.

Happy 15th WOYWW Anniversary



Wednesday 8 May 2024

WOYWW #779 - May Retreats!

Desk is clear again as usual and bed set up with cloth and a piece of hard board for more space when I'm creating...

I finished off April's journal with a page recounting our lovely sunny day geocaching in Godstone last week.

I painted both the covers for April and May. The latter cover is made from an Amazon cardboard envelope so it needed disguising somewhat.

I was pondering my May journal and came across #MessyMay2024 a stroke of luck so I can follow along to their videos each day this month, just like JunkJournalJanuary. 

Here are my first 6 pages with the following prompts:-
01:prologue (introducing ourself - I used my " what you look like as a hippy facebook generated photo)

02:nourish - what nourishes me - my Faith in Jesus -  John 15:5

03:enchanted - with the dragon fantasy picture from Gecko Galz last month.

04:blooming - using the RHS May magazine envelope picture of Wisteria and filled in painting.

05:marks - amazing process video - worth signing up just to watch this one

06:backgrounds - with inks using old calendar pictures and left over bling from my May page below.

Somehow made a few birthday cards as well this week.

And did my May Bible Journaling Ministries page and my Faith Inspirations page too in my Faith Journal.

Both focused on shiny stuff, first on metallics (I used copper foil tape and Easter egg foil wrap) and the second on bling (I used my gems) Both have stickles and liquid pearls too.

I used my metal roller mark making tools on the copper tape, not used them in years!!! Plus my 2 new circle punches.

All very sparkly, just how I like it.

Nest Fest starts today! It is 2 weeks of daily focusing on particular techniques or stash. Hoping I can combine it with Messy May in my daily journal, we'll see...

Encounters in Colour starts next week! A week long online Christian Art Retreat. I will be doing mine in my Faith Journal. All content available to the end of May. Great Facebook group too, not sure how long that will remain though.

WOYWW 15th Anniversary next week too - managed to make 12 ATC's so far in 3 groups of 4 so if anyone would like to SWAP or just have one (I don't mind either way) let me know and send me your address. My email should be in my blog profile. First come first served after my SWAP partner and Julia of course.

Phew - is that it - Hope so.
Lying down in a dark room will be required soon methinks.

Happy WOYWW everyone.

Wednesday 1 May 2024

WOYWW #778 - Collage Papers Galore

So I did the freebie, lifetime access 5-day course "Collage Kickstart" last week. 

Day 1 - collecting household objects to use

Day 2 - Acrylic paints and printing with objects

Day 3 - Texture Paste on Tissue Paper. The tissue melts away when glued to a page so lots of patterns ready to go. My favourite new technique.

Day 4 - Circles and Glue resist

Day 5 - Making up a grid of collages


Then would you believe the warm up exercise for the "Encounters in Colour" retreat was making collage papers 

It had the extra bonus for me of writing scriptures out in different ways. Obviously you could write anything, like poems or prose but I really liked how the repetition of a verse helped it sit in my mind.

So to my actual desk, I bought some new wax water soluble crayons - Stabilo Woody 3in1. 

A couple of artists I follow use the black one in their are journals but I splashed out for a set of 18 with a sharpener and paint brush. 

They are much bigger than I'd expected but oh so creamy and the colour saturation is superb. You can buy them singularly or in much smaller sets though.

I got some 2 inch book rings at last so last years weekly scripture 52 cards can be stored as one.

I'm a day behind in my daily journal so here's just the last 6 days...

I entered the first one into the Gecko Gals April Steampunk Challenge

The second one (purple) has handmade doodles cut out and stuck on inspired by Lindart last week

The middle 2 have new paints I bought in the week, Orange, Purple, Gold plus my new Ultramarine mixed with yellow making a lovely green.

The bottom two use my new collage papers.

I guess that's me this week, I bit of catching up to do but mainly on track, better get a wiggle on with the ATCs though, but I do have loads of collage papers - I wonder....

Happy WOYWW Everyone.