Thankful and Cosy this Autumn

I always count my blessing this time of year and having fallen in love with the wording “Let’s get cosy, autumn has arrived”, I was inspired to create this thankful art journal page – I hope you like it!

I started by creating lots of panels for the page which I edged with a Dark Sepia Big Brush marker and Frayed Burlap Distress Ink. The panels included: some bark and tree-ring cardstock from Docrafts; some copper leaf images with the “Cosy Autumn” wording from Craft Sensations; a cinnamon stick and baking image from a Die Cut Book; and some brown strips of lace. The paper elements were stuck down using double-sided tape and the lace using Liquitex matte gel medium. When arranged, I stencilled the herringbone design using a mixed media stencil from Paperbabe Stamps with Brushed Corduroy and Frayed Burlap Distress Ink fading the stencil pattern where the birds were to be placed.

For the leaves I used a Fall Foliage Thinlits set from Tim Holtz, they are cut from some kitchen roll that I had used to mop up some excess Brushos with. I lined them up using a glue stick onto a piece of bark cardstock from Docrafts.

I added a pair of birds sitting on an autumn branch which I fussy cut from an old nature book; the birds are Long-Tailed Tits which we sometimes see on our woodland walks. Once stuck in place using a glue stick, I extended the branches using an ordinary pencil and a Bark Derwent Intense pencil. The yellow borders, “thank you” and “love” wording and also the lace doily shapes are all stickers from Kaisercraft. Then to finish, I added the pretty cream lace flowers.

The wording and page reminded me of my new slippers which are so warm and cosy (grin!).

I hope that you are staying thankful and cosy this autumn too, keep well and stay safe! x

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:

• Docrafts Papermania Die Cut & Paper Pack (Festive Fauna)
• Craft Sensations (Creative Paper Collection CR0458/GE)
• The Works Die Cut Book (Winter Feelings)
• Faber-Castell Big Brush Pitt artist pen (Dark Sepia 175 B)
• Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Frayed Burlap, Brushed Corduroy)
• X-Press It! double-sided tape
• Brown lace
• Liquitex Matte Gel Medium
• Paperbabe Stamps Mixed Media Stencil (Herringbone)
• Recycled kitchen towel used to mop up Brushos
• Tim Holtz Sizzix Thinlits (Fall Foliage 660955)
• Pritt Stick
• Old Nature Book
• Derwent Inktense Pencil (Bark 2000)
• Staedler Pencil
• Kaisercraft Sticker Sheet (Golden Grove SS343, Bombay Sunset SS339)
• The Works (Lace Flower Stickers)

Challenges I’m pleased to join the lovely Wendy K over at Art Journal Journey and her Birds challenge this month with the birds that I included on this page. I’m so pleased to be able join the #131 – Picture Inspiration challenge over at Paperbabe Stamps as my page is inspired by the panel of images, rows of leaves, bird, lace, knitted pieces, baked goods and autumnal colours. I’m joining in the fun over at Country View Challenges and their Anything But A Card challenge with my thankful autumnal art journal page. I’m also pleased to join the LTSCB #139 – Anything Goes over at Love To Scrap Challenge Blog with thankful and cosy autumn page too. I’m also joining in the Thanks/Thanksgiving challenge over at Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge with my thankful art journal page.

Peek a Boo!

Today I’m celebrating autumn and Halloween over at A Vintage Journey with a double-sided tag featuring the Arthur Thinlits from Tim Holtz, as you can see my ghostly owl is having fun playing Peek a Boo!

I used some Tim Holtz Poster Card to create my double-sided tag and added a metal eyelet to reinforce the hole using a Crop-A-Dile punch. My plan was to create the owl peeking out of the hollow of the tree and then appearing to say “boo!” so both sides of the tag were created in the same way except for the owl of course (grin!).

First I applied some white gesso to the backgrounds and then to form the hollow of the tree for my owl to hide in I stuck an oval piece of Tim Holtz Halloween Collage Paper onto the tag using matte gel medium. I coloured the collage paper black using a Faber-Castell Big Brush marker and then edged it with Ranger Texture paste to give it a 3D look. When Dry, I coloured the texture paste with Dark Sepia and Black Faber-Castell markers and defined the inside edges of the hollow using a white UniBall gel pen to add depth. Next I created a wood effect using Vintage Photo Distress Ink and matte gel medium by dragging the ink pad vertically over the background and then applying matte gel medium vertically over the top. When dry, I added more detail to the woodgrain using the Dark Sepia and Sanguine Big Brush markers and a black Uni Pin marker smudging the inks with my finger.

Next I die cut some ivy leaves from black paper using a Garden Greens Thinlits set from Tim Holtz. They are stuck in place using matte gel medium and when dry I edged the leaves with the white gel pen to give them more definition; I like the spooky look.

The autumnal leaves were created using another Tim Holtz Thinlits set called Fall Foliage; they were cut from some white paper that I coloured using Yellow, Sandstone, Orange, Brilliant Red, Moss Green and Dark Brown Colourcraft Brushos.

For the owls and branches, I used the Arthur Thinlits die set; cutting the owl pieces from different coloured papers, edging them with some Black Soot Distress Ink using a blending tool and then piecing them altogether. For the “Peek A …” owl, I cut out the eyes and stuck them in place and edged them with some collage paper so they looked like the owl was peeking out of the hollow.

As you can see the naughty owl jumped out of the hollow onto the branch to say “Boo!”. Once the owl was pieced together, I coloured the small feather detail using the white gel pen or a pencil. To finish, I added the wording which I die cut from orange paper using a Sizzix Thinlit alphabet die set.

Please pop over to A Vintage Journey where you’ll find some fabulous tags created by my fellow Creative Guides too and don’t forget there is still another week to join our Numbers challenge too.

I recently bought these cute owls from the supermarket when I was food shopping, I thought that they’d make a lovely addition to my autumnal and winter displays – aren’t they adorable!

Of course, I based the design of the ghostly white owl that is on my tag on this one although he is more cute than grumpy (grin!).

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.

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

• Tim Holtz idea-ology (Pocket Cards #TH93208)
• Pébéo White Gesso
• Tim Holtz idea-ology Collage Paper (Halloween #TH93727)
• Liquitex Matte Gel Medium
• Faber-Castell Big Brush Marker (Black 199, Dark Sepia 175 B, Sanguine 233 B)
• Ranger Texture Paste
• Uniball Signo Gel Pen (White)
• Uni Pin Fine Line Marker (Black 0.1mm)
• Leon X-Large Coloured Paper (Black, Orange, Light Blue, Dark Blue, Beige)
• Tim Holtz Sizzix Thinlits (Garden Green 661206, Fall Foilage 660955, Arthur 664730)
• Recycled white paper
• Colourcraft Brusho Colours (Yellow, Sandstone, Orange, Brilliant Red, Moss Green, Dark Brown)
• Craft Sensations (Luxury Cardstock with Linen Texture CR0240/GE)
• Stix2 Glue Dots
• Recycled grey and lined paper from old diary
• Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Black Soot)
• Spectrum Aqua Marker (Topaz)
• Pritt Stick
• Sizzix Thinlits Die Set by Sophie Guilar (Doodle Alphabet & Numbers #663408)
• American Crafts We R Memory Keepers (Crop-A-Dile and Standard Eyelets 41582-4)

Challenges I’m so pleased to join in the fun over at Tag Tuesday and their All Hallow’s Eve challenge with my ghostly owl tag – Boo! I’m joining in the fun over at Country View Challenges and their Halloween challenge with my Peek-a-Boo owl tags. I’m also pleased to join the LTSCB #138 – Fall Back over at Love To Scrap Challenge Blog with my Halloween tag. I’m so pleased to be able to join in the Anything Goes over at Paperbabe Stamps with my fun double-sided tag. I’m also joining the Anything Goes challenge over at Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge with my tag too.

Fall into Autumn

Hello Everyone, I’m so pleased and honoured to be Guest Designer today for the Fall Foilage challenge over at The Funkie Junkie Boutique Challenge Blog.

Jennie is hosting this challenge which is described as “According to most search engines the Fall season has officially begun so we should be starting to see the emergence of all those beautiful Autumnal colours, unless Mother Nature throws us a curve ball! Let’s celebrate them anyway by creating a vintage or shabby chic project in traditional Fall shades that includes some form of foliage”.

This Fall Foliage challenge was perfect as I love the leaves and colours of autumn so my page was inspired by our woodland walks that we enjoy this time of year. As I also wanted to combine both the American and UK names for this season, I added the saying “Fall into Autumn”.

The woodland background was created using some fun techniques with Colourcraft Brusho powders; the colours I used were Yellow, Sandstone, Orange, Brilliant Red, Moss Green and Dark Brown. First I sprinkled the Brusho powders over the left-hand side and bottom of the page, spritzed them with water and then watched the magic as the colours exploded on the page. I used a piece of kitchen paper towel to mop up any excess colour and then I applied more of the Brushos until I achieved the finish I was after. Next I splattered the page with the Brushos that I had diluted with water and then using Liquitex matte gel medium I stuck the coloured kitchen towel (which I had just used to mop up the excess colour) over the top. As you can see the kitchen towel also had some black acrylic paint on it and it added the most gorgeous texture for my woodland setting.

The fungi images were from a Field Notes Ephemera Pack from Tim Holtz; I stuck them to the page with glue dots and then covered their bases with small pieces of the coloured kitchen towel so they blended into the foreground. Then I added some twiggy brown grasses which were die cut using a Funky Florals Thinlit set by Tim Holtz from some cardstock that I coloured with Vintage Photo Distress Ink.

The branches and leaves were cut from different autumnal coloured design papers using a Fall Foliage Thinlit set by Tim Holtz. I edged some of the leaves using a Dark Sepia Faber-Castell Big Brush marker and then arranged them onto the page so it looked like the leaves were falling from the tree branches to the woodland floor. To finish, I added the “Fall into Autumn” wording which was die cut from the same design papers as the leaves using a Docrafts alphabet die set.

I love the yellows, browns and coppers colours of the autumnal leaves …

… and this time of year we see lots of fungi on our woodland walks so I thought I’d capture them on my page (grin!).

Both me and my hubby love this time of year and it happens to be our 32^nd wedding anniversary today. We are normally on holiday but as you probably guessed we are happily staying at home this year instead, so I’m sharing a photo of us when we travelled to Maine in America that was taken on our anniversary a few years ago – wishing you a very happy anniversary my darling hubby, love you (grin!).

Thanks so much to The Funkie Junkie Boutique Challenge Blog  for having me as Guest Designer! I hope that you are inspired by the Fall Foilage challenge too and are able to join in the fun!

Stay safe and keep 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 it The Funkie Junkie Boutique Challenge Blog , 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 so pleased to join the LTSCB #138 – Fall Back over at Love To Scrap Challenge Blog with my Fall into Autumn art journal page too.

I’m happy to join in the fun over at the Mix It Up Challenge Blog with the Brusho techniques I used.

Over at Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge their challenge is Dry Embossing, so I’m pleased to join them with the embossed linen textured cardstock that I used on this page.

I’m also joining in the fun over at Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge and their Make It Sparkle challenge with the sparkle from the metallic cardstock I used for the yellow leaves on my art journal page.

Don’t forget that you still have time to join the Autumn Colours challenge over at Try it on Tuesday too; it would be lovely to see you there!

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

• Colourcraft Brusho Colours (Yellow, Sandstone, Orange, Brilliant Red, Moss Green, Dark Brown)
• Kitchen Paper Towel used to mop up Brushos
• Liquitex Matte Gel Medium
• Poundland Design Pad (Changing Seasons CR0701/16PL1)
• Metallic Linen Embossed Textured Cardstock – Paper Bundle
• Tim Holtz Sizzix Thinlits (Fall Foliage 660995)
• Tim Holtz idea-ology (Ephemera Set – Field Notes #TH94051)
• Stix 2 glue dots
• Docrafts X-Cut A5 Die Set (Folk Alphabet XCU503286)

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

Heat of Summer

Today I am sharing a page that I created especially to join in with the fun themes over at some of my favourite challenge blogs. This includes using a ballpoint pen to create the grids on my page, dividing the page so it has a distinct panel along the bottom, some splashes and splatters and celebrating summer with the hot colours and wording – I hope you like it!

I love the contrast between the black and white and the sunny summer colours (grin!).

I started by drawing the grid patterns on the page using a black ballpoint pen and a ruler which was fun and took quite a bit of time (grin!).

Then I stamped the central leaf, the numbers and letters using my new Postal Mix stamp set from Woodware Craft Collection and black Archival Ink. Next I coloured the bottom of the page with some hot summer colours using Yellow, Lemon, Orange and Rose Red Brusho powders. I did this by sprinkling the Brushos onto the page and spritzing with water; it always amazes me how magically the powders burst with colour when water is added (grin!). When dry, I splattered the page with black DecoArt acrylic paint.

I stamped the leaf three more leaves onto some white cardstock using my Ranger Stamp Platform, this helps get a clear crisp image as you can re-stamp over and over again until you get the ink intensity that you want. Then I fussy cut them out and stuck one of them over the stamped image and then arranged the other two leaves around it. I used rub-on transfers for all the summer related wording which includes “summer”, “hot”, “sun”, “easy”, “June”, “July” and “August”. To finish, I added two small black butterflies and drew on some antennae with a UniPin marker. 

The colours on this page reminds me of a lovely lily that we have flowering in our garden – it certainly is a spectacular sight (grin!).

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 pleased to join the Positively Pensive challenge over at the The Funkie Junkie Boutique Challenge Blog with the grid designs that I drew on this page.

I’m joining in Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge and their Sprays and Splatters challenge with the splashes of Brushos and paint on my art journal page.

I’m also happy to be able to join the #121 – Sketch challenge over at Paperbabe Stamps with my page design; the bottom panel of colour and leaves match the sketch.

With the hot summer colours and wording, I’m also pleased to join in the fun over at Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge and their Summer Fun challenge too.

Don’t forget that you still have time to join our Anything Mixed Media Goes challenge this month 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:

• Bic Ballpoint Pen (Black)
• Woodware Craft Collection Clear Magic Singles (Postal Mix FRS781)
• Ranger Archival Ink (Jet Black)
• Colourcraft Brusho Crystal Colours (Yellow, Lemon, Orange, Rose Red)
• DecoArt Crafter’s Acrylic (Black)
• White Cardstock
• Zig Memory System 2-way Glue (Dual Action Glue Pen)
• Royal & Langnickel Rub-on Transfers (Summer Sentiment #ROY-505)
• Poundland (Mini Embellishments)
• UniPin Fine Line Marker Pen (Black 0.05mm)

Paris

Today I chose to travel back to Paris whilst Art Journaling for the new challenge that is being hosted by the lovely Alison over at A Vintage Journey which is:

We’re all getting older.

It has nothing to do with your age, it’s all about making things look older; here’s what the challenge is about:

“Time for weathering and distressing, or some ageing and antiquing. Make a project using techniques for making the new look old, whether that’s paper projects, altered art or mixed media. Just remember to ensure that you create in one of our preferred styles of vintage, shabby, mixed media, art journaling, industrial, timeworn or steampunk”.

I created a worn and distressed Art Journal page of Paris making the collaged papers look old.

To start, I ripped pieces of book pages about France which came from an old encyclopaedia and also pieces from a sample of Paris themed wallpaper. Then I collaged them onto the page using matte gel medium.

Once dry, I distressed the collage papers by staining them using Ground Espresso and Brushed Corduroy Distress Inks. I did this by stamping the ink pads onto an acrylic block, spritzing with some water and pressing/dripping the ink onto the page and also by painting diluted ink along the edges of each of the collaged papers. To add to the worn grungy look, I also lightly sprinkled the page with some Dark Brown Brusho powder, spritzed it with water to activate the colour and dried it with my heat gun. Next I added some white gesso using a baby wipe and when dry, I edged the collaged pieces using a Dark Sepia Faber-Castell Big Brush marker smudging the ink with my finger.

I stamped a series of Paris related stamps using black Archival ink; the stamps included some little round “T” postage mark stamps from Prima Marketing and also a birdcage, bee, “Paris”, filigree branch and two crowns by Graphic 45 from Hampton Art. I then splattered the whole page with black DecoArt acrylic paint using a paintbrush.

I die cut some flower shapes and a round disc from dark brown and blue patterned papers using some Spellbinders dies and my Big Shot machine. Then I used two rectangular pieces of the same patterned papers which I distressed using scissors, the Brushed Corduroy Distress Ink and the Dark Sepia Big Brush marker. I cut out an oval picture of the Eiffel Tower from the wallpaper sample and backed it with white card. Then I layered them all onto the page using double-sided tape and added some pearl gem stickers along the edge of the patterned paper.

To finish, I added a butterfly sticker from Tim Holtz and some pretty pale blue silk roses which are stuck in place using Glossy Accents.

If you want to join in the fun why not create a weathered, distressed or age effect too and share it with us at A Vintage Journey, it would be lovely to see you there!

For more Inspiration, please pop over to see the amazing creations from my fellow Creative Guides over at A Vintage Journey too.

It seems like many years have passed since we visited Paris, so I guess I must be getting older but hopefully not as worn and distressed as my page (grin!).

This is one of the yummy patisseries that we went to – can you guess which cake I chose from the lovely display here?

My favourite is always the strawberry tarts, they are so delicious and I only had one, I promise … well I only had one everyday for the week we were there (double grin!).

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 Art Journal Journey where I’m hosting the Something New challenge this month as I took “new” papers and distressed them to make them look old. Also smooshing the Distress Inks directly onto the neutral collaged papers to make them look old was “new” to me and I’m so glad it worked; it was so much fun making them worn and grungy (grin!).

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

• Paris wallpaper sample
• Book pages from old encyclopaedia
• Liquitex Matte Gel Medium
• Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Brushed Corduroy, Ground Espresso)
• Colourcraft Brusho (Dark Brown)
• Faber-Castell Big Brush Pitt artist pen (Dark Sepia 175 B)
• Pébéo White Gesso
• Hampton Art 7 Gypsies (Birdsong ICO151)
• Prima Marketing Clear Stamps (Rossi Belle 587499)
• Ranger Archival Ink (Jet Black)
• Spellbinders Die Cut – Unknown
• The Works Paperstack (Vintage Experience CRO239/TW6)
• X-Press It! double-sided tape
• Tim Holtz idea-ology Salvage Stickers (Crowded Attic #TH92898)
• The Works (Craft Flowers)
• Ranger Glossy Accents
• Poundworld (Pearl Embellishments)

Colours of Autumn

Our new challenge for the next two weeks at Try it on Tuesday is Colours of Autumn.

I love the autumn season, so created an art journal page using a new technique with clear embossing powder; my autumnal colours are Brushos but you could use the same technique with any autumnal coloured inks, paints, infusions etc; to find out how it all came together please see below.

I started by sprinkling Yellow, Lemon, Yellow Ochre, Orange, Terracotta, Rose Red, Scarlett, Sandstone, Dark Brown and Moss Green Brusho powders onto my page then spritzing with water and leaving it to dry. Once dry, I sprinkled water droplets onto the page and removed them using some kitchen towel to give a mottled effect. I stamped the “wishing you a beautiful autumn season” wording using a Sophisticated Script stamp set from Concord & 9^th and black Archival Ink and highlighted the letters using a white Uniball gel pen.

Then for my new technique, I stamped the leaves, which are from a Tim Holtz stamp set, to surround the wording; they are stamped using Versamark Watermark Ink and then covered with clear embossing powder, which I heated with my heat gun. Because it’s clear and has been applied over a coloured background, it lets the colours show through and protects them while you add more colour to the area. I used a blending tool to add some Vintage Photo and Ground Espresso Distress Ink around the edge of the page and over the leaves so they stood out more. To finish I splattered the page with Ground Espresso Distress Ink and added some gems to add some sparkle.

I hope you will join in our Colours of Autumn fun too and for more inspiration please pop over to Try it on Tuesday and check out the amazing creations from my Design Teamies!

Lately I have been reminiscing about our trip to Maine, America as we were staying with friends at their Lake House in October last year and …

… as Kathy from Hummingbird Woodland Studio recently posted about her lake house and making Biscuits and Gravy, she reminded me of a breakfast that we had at Biscuits & Company. It’s a very popular place to eat with the locals so we reserved a table one Sunday morning.

This place serves American biscuits which are more like a savoury scone here in the UK with a firm browned crust and a soft, crumbly interior.

I chose from the normal menu and had biscuits and sausage gravy, so yummy!

My hubby had biscuits with the vegan mushroom gravy. We also had an egg on top which was optional and if you prefer they also have a gluten free biscuit too (grin!).

My friend chose from the brunch menu and had Biscuits Benedict which tasted yummy, yes she was kind enough to let me try some (double grin!); this was Country-Style biscuits with over-easy eggs and a choice of classic ham with a hollandaise sauce or creamy kale with a white wine sauce, she also had a side order of home fries.

As T Stands for Tuesday you may have already noticed my green tea in the photos, but there was also coffee, orange juice or even water from this fabulous water fountain – Happy T Day everyone!

Challenges

I’m pleased to join the lovely Eileen of The Artful Crafter and her Dreams or Wishes challenge over at Art Journal Journey with the so very grateful wishes on my page.

I’m pleased to join in the fun over at Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge and their Fall/Autumn Colors challenge too.

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:

• Colourcraft Brushos (Yellow, Lemon, Yellow Ochre, Orange, Terracotta, Rose Red, Scarlet, Sandstone, Dark Brown, Moss Green)
• Concord and 9^th Clear Stamp Set (Sophisticated Script)
• Ranger Archival Ink (Jet Black)
• Uniball Gel Pen (White)
• Tim Holtz Stampers Anonymous (Falling Leaves CMS097)
• Tsukineko Versamark (Watermark Ink)
• Tsukineko Versamark Emboss (Watermark Pen)
• Wow! Embossing Powder (Clear Gloss Ultra High)
• Docrafts Papermania Heat Tool
• Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Vintage Photo, Ground Espresso)
• Hobbycraft Gem Stones (Rose)

Beer & Ale

I created another masculine page for our It’s a Man’s World challenge over at Try it on Tuesday where there is still another week to join in the fun, it would be lovely to see you there!

This time my page celebrates Beer & Ale using some vintage images from old magazines and a background that I had created sometime ago to experiment whilst trying out a new technique using Brushos – such fun!

For the background, I stamped a Steampunk Background stamp from Docrafts onto the page using a Versamark Watermark stamp pad and then I sprinkled Sandstone, Dark Brown, Terracotta and Yellow Ochre Colourcraft Brusho Powders over the top and used a paintbrush to brush the powder over the stamp images so that it clung to the Watermark Ink. Then I then spritzed the page with water a few times and watched the Brusho colours burst to life; if you want the stamping to be more defined spritz lightly with water – such a fun technique! Next I fussy cut some vintage brewery and beer images from some old magazines, stuck them in place using a glue stick and outlined them with a black Uni Pin Marker. The “2/11” plaque, letters for the “beer” and “ale” wording and large button are all Salvage Stickers from Tim Holtz. Next I added the cogs and gears which are wooden chipboard pieces from Boozybear using Ranger Glossy Accents and to finish, the words “collect beautiful moments” which are Small Talk stickers from Tim Holtz.

As you probably know by now, me and hubby like our beer and I thought Bleubeard and Elizabeth over at T Stands for Tuesday may like the story of how this beer came to be called Old Tom. It’s brewed at Robinsons Brewery in Stockport, Cheshire and it’s almost as old as the brewery itself. It’s a dangerous 8.5% ABV, that’s why I only have a taster in my glass (grin!). This beer was born in 1899, when Tom, the old brewery cat, was sketched into immortality by the head brewer. It is rich and warming, and has a distinctive deep port wine finish, with bitter hops balanced by the heady aromas of dark fruit – cheers and Happy T Day!

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 Halle of Halle’s Hobbies and her Words to live by challenge over at Art Journal Journey with the words “collect beautiful moments”.

Over at Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge, their theme is Transport It, so I’m pleased to join in the fun as you can see in the images that the beers on my page are being transported by men, locomotives, horse and carts.

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

• Tsukineko Versamark (Watermark Stamp Pad)
• Colourcraft Brusho Colours (Sandstone, Dark Brown, Terracotta, Yellow Ochre)
• Docrafts Creativity Essentials A5 clear stamp set (Steampunk Background DCE907128)
• Old Magazines
• Uni Pin Fine Line Marker (Black 0.2mm)
• Tim Holtz idea-ology Salvage Stickers (Crowded Attic #TH93898)
• Boozybear Chipboard Pieces (Cogs andGears)
• Tim Holtz idea-ology Stickers (Small Talk # TH93193)
• Ranger Glossy Accents
• Pritt Stick

Books

My art journal page was inspired by books, things with wings and some of my favourite quotes about books. I had in mind creating an aged and old look design for this page and also had fun trying out some old and new techniques too!

I started by using one of my favoured techniques to create the wood grain effect background by sprinkling Sandstone, Terracotta, Yellow Ochre and Dark Brown Colourcraft Brusho powders onto the page and applying Liquitex matte gel medium over the top using a paintbrush. The gel medium was watered-down so it was easier to apply and I ensured that I dragged the paintbrush horizontally across the page to create the wood grain; I left it to dry overnight. The book spines are fussy cut from wallpaper and are stuck into place using the matte gel medium. All the book spines were white originally so I coloured them with Cold Grey, Dark Sepia and Sanguine Faber-Castell Big Brush Markers, smudging the ink with my finger, to give them an old and worn look. Then I added detail to the spines and outlined them using a black Uni Pin marker and a black Faber-Castell Big Brush marker to add shadows around and under the books. The butterflies and moths are Crowded Attic Salvage Stickers and the three white blocks of wording are Small Talk Stickers, both from the Tim Holtz idea-ology collection. I chose wording that I thought related to books, they read “be amazed”, “live, create, tell the story” and “stay curious”.

I had fun making the small booklet, a first for me (grin!). I cut some old diary pages to size, stamped script on them using a Kaisercraft stamp and black Archival Ink, aged them around the edges using Old Paper Distress Ink and a blending tool, folded the paper in half and then bound them together using thick thread down the centre. I stuck a cover on the front of the booklet which was fussy cut from a Kaisercraft glossy paper, it reads “Once upon a time…”. The booklet is stuck onto the page using double sided tape.

I stuck two of the inside pages together to make them more sturdy so I could add some of my favourite book quotes along with some embellishments. The quotes are stamped using an alphabet stamp from Dovecraft and black Archival Ink and I coloured the letters using Fawn, Boulder and Topaz Spectrum Aqua markers. The first quote reads “Between the pages of a book is a wonderful place to be” and I added an Anthology die cut shape from Kaisercraft which reads “ Today’s Story”.

The second quote is by Neil Gaiman and reads “A book is a dream you hold in your hand”. I used the same Kaisercraft glossy paper to fussy cut the word “dream” which I folded so that the booklet closes, and stuck in place using a UHU Stic.

The third quote reads “Books give a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and life to everything” and I added a little butterfly to the bottom right-hand corner.

This page reminds me of Blackpool Central Library, which I have featured before in a previous post, that dates back to 1911 and was built in the Edwardian Baroque style.

The entrance is spectacular with the staircases running either side of the domed roof.

It is such a beautiful airy space and …

… the butterflies and “Once upon a time…” on my page remind me of two of the amazing stained glass windows that can be found in the library too (grin!).

Challenges

I’m pleased to join the lovely Erika from the blog BioArtGal  and her In the Sky/In the Air challenge over at Art Journal Journey with the butterflies and moths that I included on this page.

Over at A Vintage Journey, the theme is Book It! and I’m very pleased to be able to join this challenge too with my Book inspired art journal page, I had so much fun creating the book spines and small book for this Mixed Media style art journal page.

With the butterflies and moths I added to the page, this is also a reminder that you still have until next Tuesday to join our Things with Wings Challenge over at Try it on Tuesday too, it would be lovely to see you there!

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:

• Colourcraft Brushos (Sandstone, Terracotta, Yellow Ochre, Dark Brown)
• Faber-Castell Big Brush Pitt artist pen (Cold Grey IV 233, Dark Sepia 175 B, Sanguine 188 B, Black 199)
• Uni Pin Fine Line marker (Black 0.1mm)
• Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Old Paper)
• Ranger Archival Ink (Jet Black)
• Spectrum Aqua Markers (Fawn, Boulder, Topaz)
• Kaisercraft clear stamp (Script CS752)
• Dovecraft Essentials Alphabet Stamp Set (WDN ALPHA STMP DCVW0050)
• Wallpaper sample
• Recycled paper from diary
• Tim Holtz idea-ology Salvage Stickers (Crowded Attic #TH92898)
• Tim Holtz idea-ology Stickers (Small Talk #TH93193)
• Kaisercraft Collectables (Anthology CT938)
• Kaisercraft Sticker Sheet (Fly Free SS289)
• Liquitex Matte Gel Medium
• UHU Stic
• Stix2 double-sided tape

Creativity

It’s time for a new challenge over at Try it on Tuesday, so for the next two weeks our challenge is Powder your …

 We are asking that you use powders on your creations; these could be Embossing, Mica, Infusions, Perfect Pearls, Brusho, paint powder or even just images of powders. Please remember to note on your post what ‘powder’ you have used.

There are some amazing creations from my Design Teamies too, please pop over to our blog to check them out. I can’t wait to see how you use powders on your creations too!

I had so much fun using both Brusho and embossing powders to create all the elements on my industrial style art journal page.

I started by using a new technique for the background by stamping a steampunk stamp from Docrafts onto my page using a Versamark Watermark stamp pad. Then I sprinkled Sandstone, Dark Brown, Terracotta and Yellow Ochre Colourcraft Brusho Powders onto the page and used a soft paintbrush to lightly brush the powder over the stamping so the Watermark ink was covered with the Brusho powders.

I then spritzed the page lightly with water a few times and watched the background colours burst to life until the stamping was defined but not totally lost by adding too much water – such a fun technique!

The light bulbs and cogs/gears are Boozybear chipboard pieces which I covered using the Versamark Watermark ink and then some Gold Shellac and Black Papermania embossing powder. I heated the pieces with my heat gun until the embossing powder melted and became glossy and dimensional. For the light bulb backgrounds, I added some Yellow and Yellow Ochre Brusho Powders to a sheet of white paper and spritzed with water. When dry I drew around the light bulbs shapes and cut these shapes out of the paper.

I stuck the yellow backgrounds behind each of the embossed light bulbs using a Zig Memory System glue pen and stuck them and the cogs onto the page using glossy accents. The panel of words is a Tim Holtz Pocket card which I edged using the Versamark ink and embossing powders; it reads “Creativity is seeing things everyone else has seen, and thinking what no one else has ever thought”. I also covered three metal brads with the Gold Shellac and Black embossing powders and added them to the panel to give it more of an industrial look, which finished the page.

As T Stands for Tuesday and to continue the industrial look of my page I’m sharing a photo of me and hubby at the Banded Brewing Tap Room in Biddeford, Maine when we were on holiday last year – Happy T Day!

We had the “Flight of 4 Tasters” and the beers we tried were Oktoberfest, Veridian, Wheat ‘N’ Potatoes and Greenwarden – cheers!

Challenges 

I’m pleased to be able to join the lovely Rike from rike’s art and her The Colour Yellow challenge over at Art Journal Journey with my yellow lightbulbs.

Over at Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge, their theme is Things with Wheels, so I’m pleased to join in the fun with the cogs and gears, that make wheels go round, which I added to my page.

I’m also joining in the Anything Goes – Steampunk/Industrial fun over at Sandee & amilie’s Steampunk Challenge with my industrial style page.

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:

• Tsukineko Versamerk (Watermark Stamp Pad)
• Colourcraft Brusho Colours (Sandstone, Dark Brown, Terracotta, Yellow Ochre, Yellow)
• Docrafts Creativity Essentials A5 clear stamp set (Steampunk Background DCE907128)
• Papermania Embossing Powder (Gold Shellac, Black)
• Boozybear Chipboard Pieces (Light Bulbs, Cogs & Gears)
• Tim Holtz idea-ology (Pocket Cards #TH93208)
• Craft Sensations (Brads CRO550/A)
• Zig Memory System 2 Way Glue (Dual Action Glue Pen)
• Ranger Glossy Accents