WOYWW #782 - ATCs

On my desk from last week's 2 ATCs I have added 3 more, from Mary Anne, Helen and Angela (Felix). Our post doesn't come till gone noon these days which I'm only just getting used to. Thanks guys I love them, I get so excited receiving snail mail.

My actual SWAP partner is in the US so I could be waiting a good while yet for hers....

There's 7 days of my May journal following Messy May still, loving the variety of techniques and things I haven't tried before. I copy so much then branch out..

Days 23 & 24 really stoked me, both have a pocket one with a tag the other with a zine (which was a handout I decorated).

I rewatched Encounters in Colour taking notes and saving links.

I made a pocket in my notebook using something from each of the lessons.

I did an extra journal page for the May Scavenger Hunt Challenge on the Gud Karma Creative Studios Facebook group. 

It had to include; Childhood Memory, Oval, Leaf, Elastic, Pocket, Yarn, Sunshine, Alphabet.

I used some of the duplicate Tea Cards I purchased a few weeks back.

Just realised my memory was half a century old! Oh my. Been having loads of good childhood memories coming to mind lately. Popping up before I loose it completely as the short term memory is certainly not what it used to be.

The British Wildlife on the cards had memories all of their own.

I got some new clothes too. Ever bright colours, I bit like Jan's fabric on her sewing table!

Dyed my hair too, it was a bit challenging with the carpal tunnel getting ever worse (roll on 27th June for my injection and hope it does the trick) My finger tips keep splitting too, my hands are in a right state one way or another.

Purple fingers

Wrist Brace

Wrapped fingers

Happy WOYWW Everyone

WOYWW #781 - Reprieve

So I hadn't intended to do a blog post this week as WOYWW had essentially disbanded. I'd finally got around to sending my ATC Swaps and I received my first 2. Many thanks to Jo-Twiglet and my surprise ATC from Wipso-Annie.

 I emailed my SWAP partners and I got the hint that WOYWW hadn't completely hit the dust. After being devastated with the news last week, as it was like losing a friend, I'm now back in the saddle wondering where we go from here and when the take over will be, but oh so glad this isn't the end after all.

So for me - I finished my week long retreat and here are the last 5 pages. I joined the Facebook group Express Your Artsy Soul  as the leader's (Casey Turner) work really inspired me (middle page)

I finished the 12 day Nest Fest and the day's lesson which really got me was on Acrylic paints, so I copied the page adding my bits to it.

I also plodded along with Messy May which as it says on the tin is daily throughout May. I loved the work from the day 15 botanical prompt, making my own hand drawn stencil/mask from acetate. A bit like Helen's stamp and mask which I have been drooling over lately.

Here's the past 6 days of Messy May. The last page was really from Casey's Facebook Monday prompt of using Lime Green but it seemed to fit the Bold of Messy May so I combined them.

If that wasn't all I turned up my new light loose trousers for geocaching walks. Big advantage of being so short is just enough fabric left over to make patch pockets - horrah. Awkward to sew on ready made trousers but they will do the trick. 

Added a loop tag to tie stuff on too in the field, my left hand Carpal Tunnel is really bad so I can't hold my phone for long now. Good news is I have an appointment for 27th June for my first steroid injection. Praying that will alleviate the symptoms.

After posting my overseas ATCs today I hit the local charity and stationary shops and came home with these.

Music score, dress pattern, plasterboard joint tape, wooden trinkets and 3 new paint colours, the red is neon whoop whoop.

I have created a PDF of my hand drawn/painted flowers/foliage and thought I could share this here as a thank you for all the friendships over the years. Feel free to download and use if you wish.

The new location is linked below - Whoop Whoop

V

Happy WOYWW Everyone.

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

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.

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.

Gecko Galz - April Steampunk Challenge

I've been seeing Gecko Gals images in a friend's blog for quite some time now and this one grabbed my attention. I finally got around to using it in my daily journal last night and remembered it was for a challenge so thought - why not....

#777 - Freebie Taster Courses

The freebie/taster courses just keep on popping up. 

I have signed up to the Christian "Encounters in Colour" Art Journaling Retreat May 13th-19th hosted by Jenna Burne Art Journaling. It has an associated Facebook group.

Also the Nest Fest a 12-day virtual event 8th-19th May hosted by Roben-Marie Smith 

And the latest is a Collage Kickstart with Catherine Raines which is a 5 day lifetime access course, it's on my PC screen here.  Whoop Whoop 🤸‍♀️🤸‍♀️. It also has a facebook group...

Go me. 'Twill keep me busy in my craftcorner....

I finished the last taster course, but not that happy with the end results, it was a bit like the host's previous taster on colour, obviously not my cup of tea overall but I did like the floral/foliage drawing warm up on day 1.

Daily journaling continues...

I think I need a colour mix up/combo shift... don't realise till you see them together how they are a lot alike.

I did cool colours yesterday...

 ...and warm ones today.

If anyone would like to offer some colour combos that would be great.

Monday I popped to Ikea (if that is ever possible) just for the paintbrushes as I love them for acrylics and glue, so needed some to watercolour only. I got the rest of the stuff from Hobbycraft. The only impulse buy were the wooden eggs but at 50p I couldn't go wrong really.

This week's scrapbook page is of our tree trimming back in October last year. We will have so much more light this year, I hope it isn't too hot this Summer, I'm already struggling at night even with my windows open.

Oh and I had to do a factory reset on my mobile phone Friday as it kept freezing. Still finding stuff which needs sorting out. Oh my life!

Happy WOYWW Everyone.

WOYWW #776 - Happy

SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) light bulb (old fashioned fluorescent tube) arrived last week but sadly there was something else wrong with my light so it didn't work. We pondered buying a new light but at £100's, not a great prospect. 

Then hubby said he could try to fix it with new LED bulbs which he could fit into the inner plate, for only £20. He did and we're up and running again.

I had spent a few evening crafting in the semi darkness which was really doing my head in, so I am really pleased to have my light back. whoop whoop. Hubby sure is nifty with DIY. My craftcorner is really dark even in the sunshine so I use it all of the time, and I'm not one to lug stuff downstairs to craft either, so happy bunny now.

Here's my daily journaling.

Saturday I did my Faith Inspirations page following the video and then my journal page on the back of that...

Sunday was our church for everyone service, or as I like to think of it, crafting at church week.  We made clouds with fairy lights and raindrops and pondered things which helped us have peace in all the chaos of life.

My Sunday journal page was off the back of this so I was pondering the message all afternoon as well. 

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Philippians 4:8

Monday I started another free art course called Flower Flow Taster Week. I did one by Laly Mille last September. I really enjoyed the first day's play..

We gessoed various papers, drew rough flowers with a "black" water soluble pencil and then used matt medium with our fingers to activate the pencil marks and smudge it.

The only pencil I had which worked well was brown, but I'm going with that, a sort of sepia vibe. Charcoal was OK though.

I used some pieces for yesterdays journal page.

Oh and that wasn't enough I did a couple of scrapbook pages for last October too. The start of picking up the 10 "X" Marks the Spot puzzle caches hubby had been working on for some time (got the last one last week as it happens).

Happy WOYWW Everyone.