Art Colours Life

It’s a new month so we are launching our August challenge over at the Creative Artiste Challenge Blog, and as always the theme is Anything Mixed Media Goes.

Today’s mixed media art journal page was inspired by happy summer sunflowers and the beautiful quote by John Lubbock “Like the sun colours flowers, art colours life” which resonated with me. I hope you like it and that you are inspired to join us over at Creative Artiste; it would be lovely to see you there!

I started by applying Snowcone, Boysenberry, Bubble Gum and Lime Faber-Castell Gelatos, scribbling them onto the page and then smudging the colours with my finger which I had wet with water. Then I used a baby wipe to remove some of the Gelato colours through two different sizes of honeycomb stencils which gave the page depth and contrast. I used the smaller of the two Honeycomb stencils to add Rose Bud and Paris Dusk Memento Inks using a blending tool. Next I stamped an abstract numbers stamp from Kaisercraft and a Solar & Lunar stamp from Finnabair using black Archival Ink and then I stencilled Ranger Texture Paste through a Reversed Honeycomb stencil from That’s Crafty.

I had fun creating the large sunflower, drawing the petals and cutting them out of some design paper. The petals were coloured using Lemon and Limencello Faber-Castell Gelatos and a Dark Sepia Faber-Castell Big Brush marker which I also used to edge the petals. The centre of the sunflower was die cut from some glossy brown card stock to which I then applied Ranger Texture Paste through the Reversed Honeycomb stencil. To finish, I added the quote which I created using an alphabet X-Cut die set with some yellow paper. Like the sunflower, the letters were highlighted using Limencello Faber-Castell gelato and edged using a Dark Sepia Faber-Castell Big Brush marker.

All you need to do is to use three different mediums on your projects to join our Anything Mixed Media Goes Challenge. For more inspiration please check out the amazing creations from my fellow Design Team members over at Creative Artiste too.

We have sunflowers in our garden this year which have flowered beautifully …

… and as you can see the bees love them (grin!).

Hoping that you’re all staying safe and well! x

Thanks for joining me today! If you have any questions or comments, I would love to hear from you.

Challenges

I’m joining the Stencilmania challenge fun over at the The Funkie Junkie Boutique Challenge Blog with the three stencils that I used on this page.

I’m pleased to join in the fun over at Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge and their Use Your Favourite Tool challenge too as I used lots of stencils which is one of my favourite tools to use on my mixed media pages.

Here is a list of all the materials used to create this art journal page:

• Faber-Castell Gelatos (Snowcone, Boysenberry, Bubble Gum, Lime, Lemon. Limoncello)
• Creative Expressions That Special Touch of Mica Masks (Honeycomb)
• Craft Sensations (Deco Stencil Set 154892)
• Tsukineko Memento Ink ( Rose Bud, Paris Dusk)
• Kaisercraft Clear Stamps (Mister Fox CS173)
• Prima Marketing Finnabair Clear Stamp (Solar & Lunar 966997)
• Ranger Archival Ink (Jet Black)
• That’s Crafty Dinky Stencil (Reversed Honeycomb)
• Ranger Texture Paste
• Design Paper and Card Stock – giveaway from local craft shop
• Faber-Castell Big Brush Artist Pitt Pen (Dark Sepia 175 B)
• Pritt Stick
• X-Cut Alphabet Die Set (Centurion D-XCU503083)
• Leon X-Large Coloured Paper Pad

Let nature be your calming breath

This month over at A Vintage Journey our challenge is Tag You’re It, which is being hosted by the lovely Amanda. Here’s what it’s all about:

“We would love to see what you create with, or on, hang tags. Your hang tags can be created from any material or be any size. We would just love to see that iconic hang shape front and centre in your design.  Just remember to create your project in one of our preferred styles: vintage, shabby, mixed media, art journaling, industrial, timeworn or steampunk”.

Creating tags for an art journal page is always fun, so, inspired by nature I designed these layered tags – I love the way they turned out (grin!).

For the main hang tag on my art journal page design, I cut out the largest tag from Kraft card stock from the Tag Collection Framelit set by Tim Holtz. Like all the tags, I coloured the inside panel of the tag using a white Faber-Castell Big Brush marker and edged it with Vintage Photo Distress Ink using a blending tool and a Cold Grey Faber-Castell Big Brush marker. I also die cut the tag-hole reinforcement using the same Framelit set from butterfly/script design paper.

To embellish this tag I cut three panels from the same Kraft card stock and then layered papers over the top of them using a glue stick. The papers included: some embossed gold napkin; some dressmaking tissue paper which I had stamped using a Finnabair stamp and some black Archival ink; and some torn pieces of the butterfly/script design paper. I layered some Field Notes ephemera from Tim Holtz over the top and added some tiny leaves; the leaves were cut using some Funky Florals Thinlets by Tim Holtz from some recycled notepaper which I had coloured with Mowed lawn, Peeled Paint and Pine Needles Distress Ink. On the top and bottom panels I added the white wording “Live simple” and “Love this life” which are rub-on transfers from Tim Holtz. The three panels were stuck to the hang tag using double-sided tape.

I followed the same process to create the other tags layering them together with the ephemera and leaves – I love the pretty dragonfly! The letters creating the “Let nature be your calming breath” wording were cut from the same green paper that I used for the leaves using an Alphanumeric Labels Thinlet set by Tim Holtz and once glued in place they were outlined using a white gel pen and a black Uni Pin marker so they stood out more.

I mounted all the tags on my page which was covered with the same embossed gold napkin, dressmaking tissue paper (stamped using a Finnabair stamp and some black Archival ink) and butterfly/script design paper that I had used on the tags. Then to finish, I splattered the whole page with some Pébéo white gesso.

I hope you are inspired to join in the Tag You’re It challenge over at A Vintage Journey too, for more inspiration you’ll find some amazing creations from my fellow Creative Guides over at A Vintage Journey, it would be lovely to see you there!

As you may know, my favourite colour is blue and this plant in particular from my garden reminded me of my page, it’s a Salvia nemorosa called “Blue Marvel” and the bees and insects love it!

My page also reminds me of a frequent visitor to our garden, a small blue butterfly called Common Blue which has proved difficult to photograph. So I was pleased when my dear friend who we walk with, shared this photo of a Large Blue which it is related to and this is one of the rarest blue butterflies in the UK.

I hope that you’re all keeping safe and well!

Thanks for joining me today! If you have any questions or comments, I would love to hear from you.

Challenges

I’m pleased to join the lovely Alison AKA Craftytrog over at Art Journal Journey and her Pockets and Tags challenge this month with the nature inspired tags on this page.

I’m also pleased to join the Use Your Favourite Tool challenge over at Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge as I wouldn’t be without my Tim Holtz Thinlets and Big Shot machine that I used to created my page.

Here is a list of all the materials used to create this art journal page:

• Kraft card stock
• Tim Holtz Sizzix Framelits (Tag Collection 658784)
• Faber-Castell Big Brush Pitt Artist Pen (White 101, Cold Grey IV 233)
• Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Vintage Photo, Mowed Lawn, Peeled Paint, Pine Needles)
• Napkin
• Style Dressmaking Pattern Tissue Paper
• Prima Marketing Finnabair Clear Stamp (Gothic Book 966966)
• Ranger Archival Ink (Jet Black)
• Butterfly/Script Design Paper – local craft shop
• Pritt Stick
• Tim Holtz idea-ology Ephemera Pack (Field Notes #TH94051)
• Tim Holtz Sizzix Thinlets (Funky Florals #2 662701, Alphanumeric Label 664177)
• Recycled Notebook Paper
• Stix2 double sided-tape
• Uniball Signo Gel Pen (White)
• Uni Pin Fine Line Marker (Black 0.1mm)
• Pébéo White Gesso

Today is full of possibilities

Over at Try it on Tuesday our new challenge for the next two weeks is Words/Numbers.

I created a world of Words and Numbers for my steampunk birds using collage paper, stencils, stamps, stickers and quote chips; I hope you’re inspired to join us too, it would be lovely to see you there!

I started by covering the page with collage paper by Tim Holtz, this one is called Typeset and has lots of words and numbers on it. Then I applied some Pébéo white gesso with my finger and left it to dry. I dragged a Tea Dye Stamp Pad over the top of the paper and spritzed the ink with water to disperse the colour. When dry I stencilled some Wheels using a Dina Wakley stencil and some Vintage Photo Distress Ink. Then I stamped some Steampunk images and some background texture from a couple of Docrafts stamp sets using Vintage Photo and Ground Espresso Archival Distress Ink.

The crowns, butterflies, strips of numbers and banners are from a Kaisercraft sticker sheet; I created some shadows around their edges using a Black Faber-Castell marker and outlined them using a black Uni Pin marker.

The birds were created using a Feathered Friends Thinlet set from Tim Holtz; they are cut from linen textured cardstock that I had coloured using Tea Dye, Ground Espresso and Vintage Photo Distress Inks. Their hats were stamped, using the Steampunk stamp set from Docrafts and black Archival Ink, onto white cardstock which I had coloured using Mowed Lawn, Forest Moss and Twisted Citron Distress Inks. I coloured the goggles on the hats using metallic gold and silver Daler-Rowney pens and used Glossy Accents to depict the glass in the lenses. To finish, I added wording with a Quote Chip from Tim Holtz which reads “Today is full of possibilities”.

I hope that you are inspired to join us too, for more inspiration my Design Teamies have created some Words/Numbers creations for you over at Try it on Tuesday, so please pop over and take a look (grin!).

As T Stands for Tuesday, I’m sharing some homebrewed beer that we’ve been bottling. As you can see we have capping machine which makes short work of capping 35 to 40 bottles (grin!). This particular beer is a wheat beer which is perfect for summer but we have both amber and dark beers too (even a Porter style one which I believe some of you would prefer) – cheers and Happy T Day!

Hoping that you’re all staying safe and well! x

Thanks for joining me today! If you have any questions or comments, I would love to hear from you.

Challenges

I’m glad I found out about Challenge Blogs, like Try it on Tuesday, as I enjoy taking part, they provide me with inspiration for my pages and are a wonderful way to meet like-minded arty people. So here are the challenges I’m joining today:

I’m pleased to join the Summer Special – ANYTHING GOES in Steampunk and Industrial mixed media challenge over at SanDee & amelie’s Steampunk Challenges.

I’m joining in Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge and their Anything Goes challenge too.

Here is a list of all the materials used to create this art journal page:

• Tim Holtz idea-ology Collage Paper (Typeset #TH94046)
• Pébéo White Gesso
• Ranger Dina Wakley Mixed Media Stencil (Wheels MDS45588)
• Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Tea Dye, Vintage Photo, Ground Espresso, Mowed Lawn, Forest Moss, Twisted Citron)
• Docrafts Creativity Essentials Clear Stamps (Steampunk DCE907125, Steampunk Background DCE907128)
• Ranger Distress Archival Ink (Vintage Photo, Ground Espresso)
• Kaisercraft Sticker Sheet (The Looking Glass SS206)
• Faber-Castell Big Brush Artist Pitt Pen (Black 199)
• Uni Pin Fine Line Marker (Black 0.1mm)
• Craft Sensations (Luxury Cardstock with Linen Texture CRO240/GE)
• Tim Holtz Sizzix Thinlets (Feathered Friends 664433)
• White cardstock
• Daler-Rowney Acrylic Paint Marker (Gold, Silver)
• Ranger Glossy Accents
• Pritt Stick
• Tim Holtz idea-ology (Quote Chips #TH93563)
• Stix2 Glue Dots

I do like to be beside the seaside

I’m so pleased and honoured to be Guest Designer over at Country View Challenges for their I do like to be beside the seaside challenge this month.

This challenge is very fitting as I live by the sea so I decided to transport this adorable bear in his homemade Hawaiian shirt to a seaside scene inspired by where I live (grin!).

I started by covering the foreground with Ranger Texture paste to create a sandy texture. When dry I coloured it with Scattered Straw, Mustard Seed and Tea Dye Distress Inks. Then I coloured the sky using Salty Ocean Distress Ink by stamping the ink pad onto an acrylic block, spritzing with water and pressing the block onto the page. Whilst the ink was wet I also added some Mermaid Lagoon Distress Ink onto an acrylic block and pressed the block lightly onto the sky background to create the cloud effect. The sun was created using Ranger Texture Paste by applying it through a Mosaic stencil from Tim Holtz. When the texture paste was dry, I coloured it with a Canary Winsor & Newton Promarker. For the sea, I drew a straight horizon using a ruler and then coloured the sea using the Salty Ocean Distress Ink; applying it like watercolour.

The sea foam was created by applying some Pébéo white gesso and then some Liquitex Glass Bead Texture Gel over the top. I used a Funky Floral Tim Holtz Thinlet set to create the grasses from some recycled note paper that I had coloured using Mowed Lawn and Pine Needles Distress Ink and a Soft Green Winsor & Newton Promarker.

I created the bear using the Theodore Thinlet set from Tim Holtz; he was cut out of some linen textured cardstock and coloured using Ground Espresso, Tea Dye, Vintage Photo and Hickory Smoke Distress Ink, a Black Faber-Castell Big Brush Marker for his nose, eyes and eyebrows and a Putty Winsor & Newton Promarker for his ears. I hand drew the shirt and then cut it out from some design paper, re-adjusting the arm so that he was holding the ice cream which is a sticker – such fun!

The wording is cut from black paper using an Alphanumeric Label Thinlet set from Tim Holtz and to finish, I added three seagulls which were die cut from white cardstock and coloured using Cold Grey and Black Faber-Castell markers.

For more inspiration please check out the amazing creations from the Design Team over at Country View Challenges – I hope that you are inspired by this month’s I do like to live beside the seaside challenge too and are able to join in the fun!

I feel very blessed to live by the sea, here is the view overlooking the sand dunes …

… and this is our beautiful beach with the pier in the background.

As my hubby will tell you it’s essential to have an ice cream whilst at the seaside and here are a couple of our favourite flavours – Double Chocolate and Sticky Toffee Pudding (grin!).

I have really enjoyed spending time with you today and I’d like to say a special thank you to Country View Challenges for giving me the opportunity to design for them!

Thanks so much! If you have any questions or comments, I would love to hear from you.

Challenges

I’m joining in Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge and their Art Journal challenge with my seaside art journal page.

I’m pleased to join the Summer challenge over at Paperbabe Stamps with my summer seaside page.

I’m also joining the Anything Goes challenge over at Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge too.

Here is a list of all the materials used to create this art journal page:

• Ranger Texture Paste
• Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Scattered Straw, Mustard Seed, Tea Dye, Salty Ocean, Mermaid Lagoon, Mowed Lawn, Pine Needles, Ground Espresso, Vintage Photo, Hickory Smoke)
• Pébéo White Gesso
• Liquitex Glass Bead Texture Gel
• Tim Holtz Stampers Anonymous Layering Stencil (Mosaic THS084)
• Winsor & Newton Promarker (Canary Y367, Soft Green  G817, Putty 0618)
• Recycled paper
• Tim Holtz Sizzix Thinlets (Funky Florals #1 662700, Theodore 664410, Alphanumeric Label 664177)
• Pritt Stick
• Craft Sensations (Luxury Linen Textured Cardstock)
• Zig Memory System 2-Way Glue (Dual Action Glue Pen)
• Faber-Castell Big Brush Marker (Black 199, Cold Grey IV 233
• Craft Sensations Design Pad (Vintage Travels CR0378/18R)
• Home Bargains Puffy Sticker Sheets (Sweet like … 14227)
• Leon X-Large Coloured Paper Pad
• White card stock
• Seagull Die Cut

Create Art/Be Brave Tag

Today over at A Vintage Journey it’s Tag Friday, there is no particular theme as it’s all about creating something you love, experimenting and having fun! I hope that you will join our tag challenge, it would be lovely to see you there!

Spending more time in my garden means that my art is being inspired by some of the beautiful flowers which are blooming at the moment, so today’s double-sided tag features purple poppies and rudbeckia.

The tag itself was made from a large Poster Card by Tim Holtz and I added some texture and colour to the edges of it by applying some Broken China Distress Embossing Glaze and then some Rusty Hinge Distress Ink. As I planned to use Faber-Castell Gelatos on both tags, I applied some white gesso to the tag first; this enhanced the colours and made it easier to apply the Gelatos. When the gesso was dry, I scribbled Kiwi and Aqua Dolce Faber-Castell Gelatos over the top smudging the colour with my finger.

Next I removed some of the Gelato colours using a baby wipe through a Halftone stencil from Tim Holtz and I used the stencil again to add some Memento Inks; I used Cottage Ivy ink for the poppy background and Paris Dusk ink for the rudbeckia background.

I stamped a document stamp and a grunge stamp from two different Tim Holtz stamp sets using black Archival Ink and then some leaf stamps from Carabelle Studios using Cottage Ivy Memento Ink for the poppy tag and London Fog Memento Ink for the rudbeckia tag. To finish the backgrounds, I added some rub-on transfers from a Specimen Remnant Rubs set by Tim Holtz.

The flowers were stamped onto some Mixed Media paper using a Stamping Platform to ensure a clear crisp finish. The stamps are from a Flower Garden stamp set by Tim Holtz and are stamped using black Archival Ink. The foliage was coloured using Sap Green Kuretake watercolour paint and highlighted using Lime Green and Forest Green Winsor & Newton Promarkers.

I had fun painting the poppy using Colbalt Violet, Black and White Kuretake watercolour paints and I coloured the edges of the petals using Amethyst Winsor & Newton Promarker. I used Lime Green and Canary Promarkers to colour the centre of the flower and a white Uniball gel pen, a black Uni Pin marker and a Cool Grey Promarker for the stamens. The flower was stuck in place using a glue stick and some glue dots and I added the “Create Art” wording which was a Quote Chip from Tim Holtz that was edged using a black Faber-Castell Big Brush marker.

The rudbeckia flower was painted using Lemon Yellow, Cadmium Scarlet, Black, White and Burnt Umber Sienna Kuretake watercolour paints and a Canary Promarker. I used a black Uni Posca paint pen and a black Uni Pin marker to add the texture to the stamens. I added the “Be Brave” wording and edged both tags using a black Faber-Castell Big Brush marker. To finish, I added an eyelet with my Crop-A-Dile machine to reinforce the hole as I’m using a book ring to secure all of my double-sided tags together as part of my Tag Journal (grin!).

For more Tag Friday inspiration, please pop over to A Vintage Journey where you’ll find some fabulous tags created by my fellow Creative Guides. I hope you are inspired to join us as I’m so looking forward to seeing your tag designs!

These purple poppies are a welcome addition to our flower bed and were totally unplanned; I think the birds must have brought them into the garden (grin!). They have been flowering non-stop since the beginning of July. I’m featuring them again as some of you had never seen them before so I thought I’d share some more information about them:

• This particular poppy is called Papaver Somniferum “Hungarian Blue” and is an heirloom variety with single flowers.
• They are gorgeous purple-violet shades with dark inner markings on each petal.
• They are easy to grow being ideal as a cut flower and the dried seed pods can also be used in flower arranging.
• They grow to a height of 90cm.

The rudbeckia has just started flowering and adds a happy vibrant yellow to our flower bed; this particular one is Rudbeckia Fulgida ”Goldsturm” and is also known as the Golden Cone Flower or Black Eyed Susan.

I hope that you are staying safe and well!

Thanks for joining me today! If you have any questions or comments, I would love to hear from you.

Challenges

I’m pleased to join the Summer challenge over at Paperbabe Stamps with my summer flower tags.

I’m joining in the fun at Country View Challenges and their Do What Makes You Happy Challenge with my flower tags as although I always find making tags a bit daunting I always enjoy making them; they also make me smile when I look at them as they are always on display in my craft room.

I’m joining in the Anything Goes challenge over at Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge too.

Here is a list of all the materials used to create this double-sided tag:     

• Tim Holtz idea-ology (Pocket Cards #TH93208)
• Tim Holtz Distress Embossing Glaze (Broken China)
• Versamark (Watermark Stamp Pad)
• Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Rusty Hinge)
• Pébéo White Gesso
• Faber-Castell Gelato (Kiwi, Aqua Dolce)
• Tim Holtz Stampers Anonymous Layering Stencil (Halftone THS144)
• Tsukineko Memento Ink (Cottage Ivy, Paris Dusk, London Fog)
• Tim Holtz Stampers Anonymous Stamp Set (Documented CMS226, Urban Tapestry CMS061, Flower Garden CMS215)
• Ranger Archival Ink (Jet Black)
• Carabelle Studios Art Stamp (Dans la nature, il y a … SA60175)
• Tim Holtz idea-ology Remnant Rubs (Specimen #TH94047)
• Daler-Rowney Mixed Media Paper
• Ranger Tonic Studios Stamping Platform
• Kuretake Gambai Watercolour Paints (Sap Green No.53, Colbalt Violet No.139, Black No.20, White No.10, Lemon Yellow No.40, Cadmium Scarlet No.31, Burnt Sienna No.46)
• Winsor & Newton Promarkers (Lime Green G178, Forest Green G356, Amethyst V626, Cool Grey 4 CG4, Canary Y367)
• Uniball Signo Gel Pen (White)
• Uni Pin Fine Line Marker (Black 0.1mm)
• Uni Posca Paint Pen (Black)
• Pritt Stick
• Stix2 Glue Dots
• Tim Holtz idea-ology (Quote Chips #TH96563)
• Faber-Castell Big Brush Pitt Artist Pen (Black 199)
• American Crafts Crop-A-Dile (Hole Punch & Eyelet Setter, Standard Eyelets – Black)

Fill the world with sunshine

I’ve always loved this quote “remember you’re the one who can fill the world with sunshine” which happens to be from a song that was sung by Snow White in the original Disney animated film “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”.

As an experiment I sprinkled Yellow, Orange and Brilliant Red Brusho Powders on the page and spritzed them with White Linen Dylusions Ink Spray and a little water. I mopped up any excess colour from the edges of the page using a piece of kitchen towel and then left the page to dry; I love how the Brushos and spray blended together to give the soft summery sherbet background. Next I stamped the quote using a Concord & 9^th Sophisticated Script stamp set with black Archival Ink, I used this ink for all the stamping on this page. I added some highlights to the quote using a white Uniball gel pen and then stamped lots of tiny butterflies using a Butterfly Peiredae stamp set from Paperbabes Stamps. Next I stamped a circular filigree sun shape from Kaisercraft around the edges of the page. Then I used a black Faber-Castell Big Brush marker to edge the page and splattered it with black and also white acrylic paint.

For the large butterflies, I used my stamping platform to stamp the butterfly wings using black Archival Ink to get a clean finish and deepen the colour; they are stamped onto the dried kitchen towel that I used to mop up the excess background colours. I cut them out and stuck them in place using double sided tape, and then I stamped the butterflies body and antennae which are from the same Paperbabes Stamps stamp set which finished the page.

If you’re interested you can find a full list of materials that I used to create this page at the end of this post.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was released in 1937 by Disney and here’s Snow White singing “A Smile and A Song” where the quote is taken from.

This quote made me think of the Snow White musical teapot which sits in our display cabinet; it’s one of my hubby’s keepsakes from 1960’s America where he lived when he was a young boy. I’m pleased to share this beautiful teapot, which plays “Hi Ho, Hi Ho…” when you pick it up, with the T Gang over at T Stands for Tuesday – Happy T Day everyone!

Hoping that you’re all staying safe and well! x

Thanks for joining me today! If you have any questions or comments, I would love to hear from you.

Challenges

I’m glad I found out about Challenge Blogs as I enjoy taking part, they provide me with inspiration for my pages and are a wonderful way to meet like-minded arty people. So here are the challenges I’m joining today:

I’m pleased to join the lovely Erika from her blog BioArtGal over at Art Journal Journey and her When It’s Hot challenge this month with the hot colours on my page.

I’m joining in Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge and their Art Journal challenge with my art journal page.

I’m also happy to be able to join the Summer challenge over at Paperbabe Stamps with the hot summer colours on this page.

Art journaling always makes me happy, so I’m entering the Do What Makes You Happy challenge over at Country View Challenges too.

Here is a list of all the materials used to create this art journal page:

• Colourcraft Brusho Colours (Yellow, Orange, Brilliant Red)
• Dylusions Ink Spray (White Linen)
• Concord & 9^th Stamp Set (Sophisticated Script 10056)
• Ranger Archival Ink (Jet Black)
• Uniball Signo gel pen (White)
• Dovecraft Essentials Alphabet Stamp Set (WDN ALPHA STMP DCV0050)
• Paperbabe Stamps Stamp Set (Butterfly Peiredae)
• Kaisercraft Cleat Stamps (Magnolia Grove CS822)
• Faber-Castell Big Brush Marker (Black 199)
• DecoArt Crafter’s Acrylic (Black, White)
• Ranger Stamping Platform
• X-Press It double-sided tape

Summer

Our new challenge for the next two weeks over at Try it on Tuesday is Summertime.

I had fun using the hot colours of summer to create my seascape page capturing a summertime sunset. I hope you’re inspired to join our Summertime challenge too, it would be lovely to see you there (grin!).

The background is layers of paint and stamping; I started by applying Cadmium Yellow, Cadmium Orange and Ultramarine Blue Liquitex acrylic paints to the page using a brayer. Then I used a texture stamp from BoBunny to transfer some of the wet paint around the page cleaning it immediately so the paint didn’t ruin the stamp. When the page was dry, I stamped the same texture BoBunny stamp and also two other texture stamps from an Urban Tapestry Tim Holtz stamp set using black Archival Ink. Then I applied some Pébéo white gesso and the Cadmium Yellow and Cadmium Orange acrylic paints again over the top using the brayer.

I created the horizon using a black Uni Pin marker pen and a ruler, blending the marker pen along the bottom edge using a wet paintbrush. Then I doodled some waves using a black Uni Pin maker and white Uniball gel pen. The seagulls and boats are drawn and cut from a dictionary page which detailed the word “sail”. I stuck them in place using a glue stick, outlined them using a black Sharpie marker and shaded them using a Cold Grey Faber-Castell Big Brush marker. To finish, I added the word “summer” which is a rub-on transfer and highlighted it using a white Uniball gel pen.

For more Summertime inspiration, there are some amazing creations from my Design Teamies over at Try it on Tuesday, so please pop over and take a look (grin!).

We are lucky enough to live right by the sea on the west coast and the sunsets are often spectacular, whether it’s simply yellow and orange …

… or maybe clouds of blues and pinks – so beautiful (grin!).

As T Stands for Tuesday, I’m sharing my cup of green tea with a custard tart. This is a pastry case filled with egg custard, sprinkled with nutmeg and baked – so very yummy (grin!). Wishing you all a Happy T Day!

I hope that you are all staying safe and well!

Thanks for joining me today! If you have any questions or comments, I would love to hear from you.

Challenges

I’m glad I found out about Challenge Blogs, like Try it on Tuesday, as I enjoy taking part, they provide me with inspiration for my pages and are a wonderful way to meet like-minded arty people. So here are the challenges I’m joining today:

I’m pleased to join the lovely Erika from her blog BioArtGal over at Art Journal Journey and her When It’s Hot challenge this month with the hot pink that I added to hot sunset page.

I’m joining in Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge and their A Day At The Beach challenge my seascape art journal page.

I’m also happy to be able to join the #123 – Photo Inspiration challenge over at Paperbabe Stamps with the colours that I included on my page.

I’m entering the Do What Makes You Happy challenge over at Country View Challenges too as walking along the beach and seeing the sunset always makes me happy.

Here is a list of all the materials used to create this art journal page:

• Liquitex Basics Artist Color (Cadmium Yellow Light Hue Cadmium Orange Hue, Ultramarine Blue )
• Ranger Mini Brayer
• BoBunny Stamps (Rough It Up #1205155)
• Tim Holtz Stampers Anonymous (Urban Tapestry CMS061)
• Ranger Archival Ink (Jet Black)
• Pébéo White Gesso
• Uni Pin Marker (Black 0.1mm)
• Oxford Pocket Dictionary
• Pritt Stick
• Sharpie Permanent Marker Fine Point (Black)
• Faber-Castell Big Brush Pitt Artist Pen (Cold Grey IV 233)
• Royal & Langnickel Rub-on Transfers (Summer Sentiments #ROY-505)
• Uniball Signo Gel Pen (White)

Always in my heart

Remembering my dear friend with much happiness, it’s hard to believe that it’s been a year since she passed away.

I started by stencilling the Shabby Harlequin patterns from Creative Expressions, first using Picked Raspberry Distress Ink and then using a mixture of Bright Aqua Blue and white acrylic paint. Then I painted the white areas around the stencilling using the aqua mixed paint too. When dry, I stamped the butterflies from Craft Sensations and outline circles from Paperbabe Stamps using Elderberry Memento Ink and the solid dots from the same Paperbabe Stamps stamp set and black Archival Ink. I added some Pébéo white gesso with my finger to push over the stamping to push the images back and add more depth to the page. Then to finish the background I splattered the page with black DecoArt acrylic paint.

I used a piece of design paper for the tags which I created using a Tag Collection Framelit from Tim Holtz. I edged them with a black Sharpie marker pen and then added some pink satin ribbon and an enamel dot to each tag, as well as a pretty purple flower and the wording “hello sweet friend” and “fly away” which are all stickers.

From the same piece of design paper, I cut out the rectangle detailing two birds and the words “you are” stamping some additional wording so it reads “you are always in my heart”; as you can see the “heart” is represented by a pink heart sticker from Kaisercraft. It is edged with a black Sharpie marker, stuck in place using a glue stick and decorated with a pretty purple flower from the sticker set. To finish, I added the “love” sticker from the same set and then I edged the page using the black Sharpie marker pen.

Happy times with dear friends; “Loss leaves a heartache no one can heal, loves leaves a memory no one can steal”.

Hoping that you are all staying safe and well! x

Thanks for joining me today! If you have any questions or comments, I would love to hear from you.

Challenges

I’m glad I found out about Challenge Blogs as I enjoy taking part, they provide me with inspiration for my pages and are a wonderful way to meet like-minded arty people. So here are the challenges I’m joining today:

I’m pleased to join the lovely Erika from her blog BioArtGal over at Art Journal Journey and her When It’s Hot challenge this month with the hot pink that I added to my page.

I’m joining in Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge and their Early Birds challenge with the birds that I included on my art journal page.

I’m also happy to be able to join the #123 – Photo Inspiration challenge over at Paperbabe Stamps with the colours that I included on my page.

I’m also pleased to join in the fun over at Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge and their For A Child challenge with the design and style of my page.

Remembering my dear friend makes me happy, so I’m entering the Do What Makes You Happy challenge over at Country View Challenges too.

Don’t forget that you still have until next Tuesday to join our Anything Mixed Media Goes over at Creative Artiste Challenge Blog too, it would be lovely to see you there!

Here is a list of all the materials used to create this art journal page:

• Creative Expressions Mini Stencil (Shabby Harlequin)
• Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Picked Raspberry)
• Liquitex Heavy Body Acrylic (Bright Aqua Blue)
• Artist Discount Acrylic Paint (White)
• Docrafts Papermania Mini Clear Stamp (Everyday Assortment PMA907003 – Butterflies)
• Paperbabe Stamps Stamp Set (Birthday Wishes)
• Tsukineko Memento Ink (Elderberry)
• Ranger Archival Ink (Jet Black)
• Pébéo White Gesso
• DecoArt Crafter’s Acrylic (Black)
• Design Paper Paper Bundle from a local craft shop
• Tim Holtz Sizzix Framelits (Tag Collection 658784)
• Sharpie Permanent Marker Fine Point (Black)
• Pink Satin Ribbon
• The Works (Pastel Enamel Dots)
• Poundland (Decorative Stickers)
• The Little Yellow Bicycle Cardstock Stickers (Fresh Verse PD-140)
• Dovecraft Essentials Alphabet Stamp Set (WDN ALPHA STMP DCVW0050)
• Kaisercraft Sticker Sheet (Say Aloha SS281)
• Pritt Stick

Happy Wishes

This page send happy wishes your way to celebrate T Stands for Tuesday’s 7^th Anniversary, where our wonderful hosts Bleubeard and Elizabeth ask us to share a drink related post each week. It’s so much fun meeting up with the T Gang each Tuesday, thanks so much to everyone for making it such a friendly and happy place – Happy T Day!

I started by painting a mixture of Cadmium Yellow and white acrylic paint onto the page. Then I stamped a Tiny Dot stamp from Kaisercraft using Dandelion and Angel Pink Memento Inks and black Archival Ink. I also dragged the Angel Pink Memento ink pad page over the page to add some more colour to the background. Next, as Bleubeard and Elizabeth love to recycle things, I cut some pink dotty strips and also fussy cut the teacup and little dog from an old birthday card. They are stuck in place using a glue stick and edged with a black Uni Pin marker, as was everything on this page.

I added some strips of pink hearts and the “there is no place I’d rather be” and “friends” wording which are from a Kaisercraft sticker sheet. The “7 today” is cut from the same birthday card using a Sizzix Thinlets and the pink flowers and fabric yellow hearts are from a couple of sticker sets. I added some dots around the edges of the page through a stencil using Ranger Texture Paste and when dry I painted them using white acrylic paint. To finish, I splattered the page with black and also white acrylic paint.

To celebrate the 7^th Anniversary at T Stands for Tuesday I’m sharing this photo can you see my mug of green tea in the background. The pink and white dot heart on the mug and this very special little lady called Ellie reminded me of my page; needless to say this photo was taken when we were looking after her for our friends earlier this year before Lockdown. We have just started walking with our dear friends and little Ellie again as the restrictions are easing here in the UK – yay!

Here she is as a puppy, such a cutie! She has grown so much in the last year and I can’t believe that she turned one last month – Happy Birthday (grin!).

Challenges

I’m pleased to join the lovely Erika from her blog BioArtGal over at Art Journal Journey and her When It’s Hot challenge this month as my July T Day celebration page.

I’m also entering the Do What Makes You Happy challenge over at Country View Challenges too as this page celebrate joining the T Gang for a cuppa which always makes me happy (grin!).

I’m happy to be able to join the #123 – Picture Inspiration challenge over at Paperbabe Stamps with the yellow and pink summer colours and teacup on my page.

I hope that you all are staying safe and well!

Thanks for joining me today! If you have any questions or comments, I would love to hear from you.

Here is a list of all the materials used to create this art journal page:

• Liquitex Basics Acrylic Color (Cadmium Yellow Light Hue)
• Art Discount Acrylic Paint (White)
• Kaisercraft Clear Stamps (Tiny Dot CS360)
• Ranger Archival Ink (Jet Black)
• Tsukineko Memento Ink (Dandelion, Angel Pink)
• Recycled Birthday Card
• Pritt Stick
• Uni Pin Fine Line Marker (Black 0.1mm)
• Sizzix Thinlets (Brush Numbers 661726)
• Wilko (A5 Stickers)
• Poundland (Decorative Stickers)
• Stencil (Dots)
• Ranger Texture Paste
• DecoArt Crafter’s Acrylic (Black)

Create your own sunshine

Over at Try it on Tuesday our new challenge for the next two weeks is Use Book Pages.

I had fun using some book pages to create the sun and flowers on this page; I hope that you are inspired to join us too, I can’t wait to see how you use your book pages!

For the background, I applied some Cerulean Blue and white acrylic paint using a paintbrush and left it to dry.

Then I used a book page from an old encyclopedia to create the sun; if you look closely you’ll see the page I chose was about the universe and details information about the sun. I drew around a circular tray to create the round body of the sun and then used a ruler to create the sun’s rays. They are cut out, coloured using Mustard Seed Distress Ink, stuck in place using a glue stick and outlined using a black Sharpie marker. The wording was created using some alphabet stickers which I outlined using a black Uni Pin marker.

For the flowers I used another page from the encyclopedia, this time about growth and I die cut the flower heads and leaves using a Tattered Floral Thinlets set from Tim Holtz. The flowers are coloured using Festive Berries and the leaves using Mowed Lawn Distress Inks which were applied using a blending tool. Next I doodled the stems using a black Uni Pin marker and white Uniball gel pen and stuck the flower heads and leaves into place. For the centre of the flowers I used the cutouts from the centre of the lettering from the alphabet stickers. I outlined them all with a black marker so they stood out more and then to finish, I splattered the page with black DecoArt acrylic paint.

For more inspiration you can see how my Design Teamies have been using book pages for their amazing creations too, so please pop over to Try it on Tuesday and take a look (grin!).

Here we are enjoying the sunshine one evening along the seafront where we live, as T Stands for Tuesday you may have noticed the bottle of water on the wall in the background – Happy T Day everyone!

Hoping that you all staying safe and well! x

Thanks for joining me today! If you have any questions or comments, I would love to hear from you.

Challenges

I’m pleased to join the lovely Erika from her blog BioArtGal over at Art Journal Journey and her When It’s Hot challenge this month my sunshine page.

I’m joining in Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge and their Play With Paint challenge with the painted background on my art journal page.

I’m also entering the Do What Makes You Happy challenge over at Country View Challenges too as sunshine always makes me happy and sometimes you just have to create your own sunshine especially with all the stormy weather we’ve been having of late (grin!).

I’m also pleased to join in the fun over at Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge and their Bright & Cheerful challenge with my happy sunshiny page.

I’m happy to be able to join the Anything Goes challenge over at Paperbabe Stamps with my page.

Here is a list of all the materials used to create this art journal page:

• Liquitex Basics Acrylic Color (Cerulean Blue)
• Artist Discount Acylic Paint (White)
• Pears Cyclopaedia 2007-2008 Edition
• Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Mustard Seed, Festive Berries, Mowed lawn)
• Pritt Stick
• Sharpie Permanent Marker Fine Point (Black)
• Aldi So Crafty (Alphabet Stickers – Multi-coloured)
• Uni Pin Fine Line Marker (Black 0.2mm, 0.8mm)
• Tim Holtz Sizzix Thinlets (Small Tattered Florals 661806)
• Uniball Signo Gel Pen (White)
• DecoArt Crafter’s Acrylic (Black)