Happy Days

Recently a good friend very kindly gave us a Food Dehydrator that she no longer uses so I thought I would create a page to remember this kindness and also the lovely apples we have been drying and eating – Happy Days!

I started by applying Parchment Liquitex acrylic paint and white gesso using a sponge through a mosaic stencil from the Tim Holtz idea-ology collection. The round mosaic pattern reminded me of the trays in the dehydrator machine. Then I used some different stamps to add more detail to the background which included a blossom stamp from Stampendous using black Archival Ink, a foliage stamp from Kaisercraft using Shabby Shutters Distress Ink, and also a stitched flower stamp from Urban Stamps using Old Paper Distress Ink. Then I ripped three pieces of wallpaper; I really like the apple blossom design to remember the apples that we dried. They are edged, like all the paper pieces, using a Cold Grey Big Brush Faber-Castell marker and stuck in place using Liquitex matte gel medium. Then I added some pieces of spotted and flower design pink fabric washi tape to the wallpaper pieces to add some interest and colour. The apple is fussy cut from a magazine and is backed with recycled card; I layered it onto the page with a small piece of wallpaper and some worded stickers from Kaisercraft, which read “Happy Days” and “Grateful” as I am grateful for my friend’s kindness. They are stuck in place using a glue stick and outlined with a black Uni Pin marker, and I added a shadow at the base of the apple using Cold Grey and Black Faber-Castell Big Brush markers which I smudged with my finger. Next I used a stitched circle die set and my Big Shot machine to cut circles from a Kilner Jar label and stuck them to the page using a glue stick and also some double-sided foam tape; this is relevant as I bought a larger Kilner Jar, as the one pictured below was a bit too small, to store my dried apples in. Then to finish, I added some white Hessian flowers which matched the wallpaper design beautifully.

On our first attempt of using the dehydrator we made the most amazing dried apples; you need to slice them thinly and pop them into some water with lemon juice in to stop them going brown. We then used a tea towel to remove any excess water, placed them on the drying racks and sprinkled them with cinnamon and dried them in the dyhydrator.

After 8 hours of drying they were ready and we stored them in a Kilner Jar to eat as and when needed. They are very moreish and have an intense apple flavour – yum!

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 Bleubeard & Elizabeth from Altered Book Lover, who is hosting the Count your blessings challenge over at Art Journal Journey as I feel very blessed to have received such kindness and have such lovely treats to eat.

As this page is a happy memory of summer, I’m also joining the Summertime challenge over at Moo Mania & More.

I’m also joining the lovely Wen and her Simply Neutrals Tuesday party over at Apple Apricot with my neutral coloured page.

I’m pleased to join the Sketch challenge over at Paperbabe Stamps; I used the sketch to position my apple and sentiments (grin!).

I’m joining in the fun over at Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge and their Back to School challenge with my apple inspired page; synonymous with an apple for the teacher or for me a snack in my school bag.

Happy Days is also a song, do you remember it? I use to love watching the TV show when I was growing up too (grin!). You still have time to join the Inspired by a song challenge at Try it on Tuesday 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:

• Liquitex Artist Color Acrylic (Parchment)
• Pébéo White Gesso
• Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Old Paper, Frayed Burlap)
• Ranger Archival Ink (Jet Black)
• Faber-Castell Big Brush Pitt artist pen (Cold Grey IV 233, Black 199)
• Uni Pin Fine Line marker (Black 0.2mm)
• Tim Holtz Layering Stencil (Mosaic THS084)
• Stampendous! Cling Rubber Stamp (Blossom Spray CRP136)
• Kaisercraft clear stamp (Magnolia Grove CS822)
• Docrafts Papermania Urban Stamps Craft Collections (5×5” Pastels PMA907223)
• The Works Cutting Dies (Stitched Circles)
• Wallpaper sample
• Old Magazine
• Recycled card
• Kaisercraft Sticker Sheet (Fiesta! SS284)
• Kilner Jar Label Insert
• The Works (Fabric Tape)
• Craft Corner (Jute Shapes U-83162)
• Liquitex Matte Gel Medium
• Pritt Stick

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St. Thomas

With the Jazz & Blues Festival held in Blackpool last month and also the Inspired by a song theme over at Try it on Tuesday, I have found myself reminiscing about some of my favourite songs of late.

When it comes to music, I have quite an eclectic taste and always listen to music whilst crafting so I created a page which reminds me of a song called St. Thomas; it is an instrumental piece of music and has a Caribbean tropical vibe which influenced my page.

I started by covering the page in Raw Sienna Rowney Georgian Water Colour paint using a baby wipe and once dry, I stencilled leaves using Tea Dye Distress Ink and also a trellis pattern using Vintage Photo Distress Ink; I was thinking of sand on tropical shores when I chose this colour palette. Then I covered the page with some Pébéo white gesso using my finger to give a sun-bleached look. Next I applied some sheet music washi tape to the page which depicts the instrumental music and also some colourful polka dot paper washi tape to depict the happiness of the music and tropical vibe. I grouped different colours of washi tape together which were orange, purple and pink and also yellow, green and blue; they are layered on top of each other and then finished with a piece of the sheet music washi tape on the very top. I outlined them using a black Uni Pin marker and a white Uniball pen to make them stand out more from the background. The tropical flowers are fussy cut from a wallpaper sample and stuck in place using Liquitex matte gel medium; once dry I added more detail using the black Uni Pin marker and white Uniball pen and also threaded some bright pink stamens, which I threaded through the page securing them on the back with tape, to give their centres a 3D look. I added some pink metallic stickers with tropical leaves, palm trees and flamingos on them and outlined them with the black marker, white gel pen and then an orange, purple or dark green Uni Posca paint pen. I stamped two butterflies using a Graphic 45 stamp set by Hampton Art and black Archival Ink and then I added some white cardboard letters to spell out the title of the song which I decorated with dots using orange, purple, pink, yellow, light green and light blue Uni Posca paint pens to match the colourful washi tapes I had used.

I love the St. Thomas music, this is the Jazz version and although you may not recognise the name, when you hear the music you will probably know the song (grin!).

I have to say I love this steel drum (or steel pan) version more, it fills me with happiness when I hear it and makes me want to dance (grin!). I particularly like this version by Joseph Peck and play it on loop all the time! I have to say a big shout out and THANK YOU to my lovely friend Bleubeard & Elizabeth who introduced me to this fabulous musician and often mentions him on her blog. I love steel drum/steel pan, so quickly fell in love with his amazing music too (double grin!).

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 Bleubeard & Elizabeth from Altered Book Lover, who is hosting the Count your blessings challenge over at Art Journal Journey. My page celebrates music and it is a blessing to have blog friends like Bleubeard & Elizabeth who kindly introduced me to this amazing musician!

What could be better than tropical shores on a summer day so I’m joining in the fun over at Moo Mania and More and their theme is Summertime challenge too.

I’m joining Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge and their Tape It Up challenge with the sheet music and colourful paper washi tapes that I used on my art journal page.

I’m also pleased to be able to join the Sun, Sea and Sand challenge over at Country View Challenges with my tropical vibe art journal page.

Don’t forget there is well cover a week to join our Inspired by a song 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:

• Rowney Georgian Water Colour (Raw Sienna)
• Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Tea Dye, Vintage Photo)
• Pébéo White Gesso
• Uni Pin Fine Line marker (Black 0.2mm & 0.5mm)
• Uniball Signo gel pen (White)
• Ranger Archival Ink (Jet Black)
• Uni Posca Paint Pen (Orange, Purple, Dark Green, Pink, Yellow, Light Green, Light Blue)
• Craft Sensations (Deco Stencil Set 77106)
• Dutch Doobadoo Dutch Mask Art A5 (Vintage)
• Hampton Art Graphic 45 cling mounted rubber stamps (Tropical Travelogue ICO135)
• Wallpaper sample
• Hobbycraft Decorative Tape (Assorted Black & White 5971471007)
• The Works The Craft Place (Spotted Paper Tapes)
• Craft Sensations (Paper Flowers CRO344/R)
• The Range (Craft Stickers CR1243)
• Hobbycraft (Alphabet Cardboard Stickers)
• Liquitex Matte Gel Medium
• Masking tape

Wedding Card

Today I’m sharing the wedding card that I made for our dear friends who got married last Saturday – I hope you like it!

I started by creating a square card using white cardstock which has a glossy finish on one side, then I cut a square piece of Daler Rowney Mixed Media paper that was slightly smaller so it left a 5mm (3/16”) border when placed on top of the card. Next I stamped some tree branches from a Kaisercraft stamp set and also two lovebirds in a birdcage using a VersaMark Watermark stamp pad. I covered them with white Stampendous embossing powder, shook off the excess powder onto a piece of scrap paper and also tapped the paper to make sure any stray powder was removed. Then I used a heat gun to melt the embossing powder by sweeping the gun over the stamped images, taking care not to direct the heat in one area for too long until the embossing powder melted to a glossy finish and became smooth and dimensional. Next I applied three different Distress Inks using a blending tool to give an ombré look, which emphasised the melted embossing powder beautifully. The ink colours I used were Chipped Sapphire at the top of the card, Salty Ocean in the middle and Peacock Feathers at the bottom; I blended the colours together so one colour merged with the next. I then flicked some water onto the paper using my fingers to re-activate the ink then dabbed with a piece of kitchen towel to leave a mottled effect – I love the dreamy look this created. I edged the paper with the Chipped Sapphire Distress Ink using a blending tool and stuck it onto the card using double-sided tape. To finish, I added the sentiment topper and lots of tiny pearls to the tree branches.

For their wedding present we gifted them some money towards their honeymoon, so I created a little card wallet using a card and envelope from the Docrafts Papermania Capsule Collection which I stamped using black Archival Ink; the stamps I used for the outside were an alphabet stamp from Dovecraft, a scroll stamp from Penny Black and a heart stamp from Hallmark Cards.

For the inside I used the same scroll and heart stamps and some Destination and Travel stamps from Royal & Langnickel – such fun!

Challenges

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

I’m pleased to join Fashionable Stamping Challenges and their Use inks anyway you want challenge as I enjoyed using my Distress Inks with the stamped white embossing to create this card.

As I created an ombré effect with my blue inks, I’m also pleased to in the fun over at Stamps and Stencils and their Ombré challenge.

With the sparkly look I created using the Distress Ink background, white embossing and pearls, I’m also pleased to join Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge and their Add A Little Sparkle challenge.

Over at the That’s Crafty! Challenge Blog, their challenge is Close to Nature so I’m happy to join them with the pretty branches and bird detail on my card.

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 wedding card:

• Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Chipped Sapphire, Salty Ocean, Peacock Feathers)
• Uniball Signo gel pen (White)
• Tsukineko VersaMark (Watermark Stamp Pad)
• Stampendous Embossing Powder (Detail White Opaque)
• Kaisercraft Clear Stamp (Magnolia Grove CS822)
• Dovecraft Clear Stamps (Birdcage DCCS015)
• White cardstock
• Daler Rowney Mixed Media paper
• Card Topper
• Home Bargains Special Occasion (Mini Decorative Stickers 22740)
• Stix 2 double-sided tape
• The Range double-sided foam tape

You are my …

We attended our friend’s wedding this weekend and what an amazing time we had! The venue was perfect and the bride and groom looked stunning and it was wonderful to spend time with some of my dearest friends too. So I created a page to celebrate this magical day with one of my favourite quotes by E. E Cummings which reads

“You are my sun, my moon and all of my stars”.

Don’t forget that there is still another week to join the Add a Quote challenge over at Try it on Tuesday, it would be lovely to see you there!

I chose a blue and white colour palette to match the wedding invitation that we received; stamping Chipped Sapphire and Salty Ocean Distress ink pads onto the CD, spritzing with water and pressing the CD onto the page to leave an imprint. I did this several times to build up the intensity of the colour until I was happy. Next I used a star stencil to apply the two Distress Inks, again using a blending tool and then covered them with a thin layer of white gesso to dull the colour and push the star design into the background. I used black Archival Ink and the Chipped Sapphire Distress Ink to add a planet and star constellation stamp from a stamp set called Stargazer by Kaisercraft, layering the images to add more depth and interest. Then I drew around the CD using a black Uni Pin marker outlining the CD imprints and added a sun stamp from the same stamp set using the Chipped Sapphire ink again. Next I added some silver circles and stars which are outline stickers and outlined them all using a black Uni Pin marker, which took quite a while (grin!). The quote by E.E. Cummings is also from the same Stargazer stamp set and is stamped onto some blue design paper using black Archival Ink. I cut it out and edged it with one of the silver outline stickers and stuck it in place using double-sided foam tape. To finish, I added some clear jewel gems in varying sizes to the silver circle and stars to add a little sparkle.

The venue was so pretty with the old barn buildings and pretty gardens! I even cried a tear at the ceremony as it was so beautiful with the vows they had prepared especially for each other and with the fabulous violinists playing romantic music and also the personalised readings – it was truly amazing!

You could tell the bride had planned the wedding well, as there were so many thoughtful details that we discovered throughout the day including sweets “Take a little, eat a lot, enjoy these treats, we tied the knot” …

… flip flops “Here’s a little treat for your dancing feet” and blankets “To have and to hold incase you are cold”.

We decided to enjoy the day and company rather than take too many photos, but as T Stands for Tuesday is celebrating its 5th Anniversary here’s a fun photo of someone’s red wine (grin!). There was quite a drink selection on offer – iced water, gin and elderflower tonic (my choice – yum!), beers (hubby’s choice – yum!), champagne and a selection of white, rosé and red wines. We were also served tea and coffee if you would prefer –  Happy 5th Anniversary T Day wishes!

Maybe you will join me in a little dance around the fountain too (grin!) …

… and in case you are wondering here is my sun, my moon and all of my stars; we had such a wonderful time!

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 Chris from Pearshapedcrafting, who is hosting the Arts for Art’s Sake challenge over at Art Journal Journey as I had fun using my new Kaisercraft stamp set and also experimenting by using the CD as a stamp.

Inspired by my dearest friends, I’m also joining the Get Sentimental challenge over at A Vintage Journey with my Art Journaling and Mixed Media Style page.

I’m also pleased to join Fashionable Stamping Challenges and their Use inks anyway you want challenge as I used inks and stamping to create this art journal page.

With the silver accents and sparkly gems, I’m also pleased to join Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge and their Add A Little Sparkle challenge.

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:

• Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Chipped Sapphire, Salty Ocean)
• Pébéo White Gesso
• Ranger Archival Ink (Jet Black)
• Uni Pin Fine Line marker (Black 0.2mm)
• CD – old
• Creative Stencils Craft Essentials (Stars MAOB0004)
• Kaisercraft clear stamp (Stargazer CS327)
• Poundland Design Pad (Pure Frozen CRO701/16P4)
• Starform Outline Stickers (Silver Circles 1144)
• Crelando Relief Sticker Set (12 Sheets IAN289011)
• The Works (Jewel Stickers)
• The Range double-sided foam tape

Friendship

I’m so excited to be seeing some of my dearest friends this month so this page is inspired by spending happy summer days with friends!

I started by applying Begonia, Jasmine and Aquamarine Spectrum Aqua Markers to create a summery coloured background; I did this by scribbling them onto an acrylic block, spritzing with water, pressing the block and dripping the ink onto the page and then spritzing the page with some more water. I love the way the colours blended to give a dreamy look. Thinking of summer roses and sunshine, next I stencilled a rose image using Old Paper Distress Ink with a blending tool and then I stamped a pretty circular stamp from Kaisercraft using Rich Cocoa Memento Ink. I added some flower stickers to the top and bottom edge of the page which are from a Secret Garden sticker set by Kaisercraft. The pretty lady is from a card topper set by Create & Craft, which is die cut into two pieces making a frame and a central panel; I stuck the frame onto the page using double-sided tape and the central panel using double-sided foam tape to add some dimension. Then I added some of the Kaisercraft flower stickers again around the sides of the frame. The sentiments and butterflies are also by Kaisercraft from a sticker set called Fly Free. I outlined the sentiments with a white Uniball gel pen and they read “A beautiful friendship”, “Good friends are like stars”, “Friends are the sunshine of life” and “Friendship”. To finish, I added some tiny pearls to the bow on the lady’s dress and also to the flower stickers.

I chose this pretty lady image for my page as this year I have also made some Birthday cards for my friends using this topper; mounting the images onto some card, adding some pearl embellishments and stamping the “Birthday Wishes” sentiment.

Roses also feature on my page as they remind me of summer and when my friends come to stay; they always bring roses with them – I love these ones, they are such a beautiful colour!

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 Chris from Pearshapedcrafting, who is hosting the Arts for Art’s Sake challenge over at Art Journal Journey as I had fun using my Spectrum Aqua Markers (I haven’t used them in a while) and new Kaisercraft goodies.

Inspired by my dearest friends, I’m also joining the Get Sentimental challenge over at A Vintage Journey with my Mixed Media and Art Journaling Style page.

With the butterflies I added to my page I’m also joining in the fun at Moo Mania and More for their theme Butterflies.

As there is nothing better than spending time with friends on a summer’s day, so I’m joining Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge and their Summer Fun! challenge with my summery art journal page.

I’m also pleased to join the July Link Party #41 over at Cropstop Blog with my art journal page as I included some products from companies that they carry in their store.

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:

• Spectrum Aqua Artist Marker (Begonia, Jasmine, Aquamarine)
• Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Old Paper)
• Tsukeniko Memento Ink (Rich Cocoa)
• Uniball Signo gel pen (White)
• Craft Sensations (Deco Stencil Set 154892)
• Kaisercraft Clear Stamp (Magnolia Grove CS822)
• Kaisercraft Sticker Set (Secret Garden SS283, Fly Free SS289)
• Create & Craft (Birthday Celebrations Paper Craft Topper)
• Home Bargains Special Occasion (Mini Decorative Stickers 22740)
• Stix 2 double-sided tape
• The Range double-sided foam tape

Time is …

Our new challenge over at Try it on Tuesday is Add a Quote, and this time we are looking for your creations to include a quote rather than a sentiment. You’ll also find lots of wonderful inspiration from my fellow Design Team over at Try it on Tuesday.

Today my art journal page was inspired by the quote “Time is the most valuable thing one can spend”; it’s by Theophrastus who was an ancient Greek philosopher and pupil of Aristotle.

The quote inspired my clock background which is created using a new Kaisercraft stamp called Tic Toc and Ground Espresso Distress Ink. Next I fussy cut three rulers from a design paper sheet by American Crafts and stuck them to the page using a UHU Stic; they are outlined and distressed, like all of the paper elements, using a Dark Sepia Faber-Castell Big Brush marker, a Baked Earth Derwent Inktense pencil, a black Uni Pin marker and a white Uniball gel pen. I added patches of the Baked Earth Derwent Inktense pencil to the edges and background of the page, applying water over the top using a paintbrush to blend the colour. I also added some drips of Antique Linen Distress Ink by stamping the pad on an acrylic block and spritzing with water so it dripped onto the page; I love the distressed look that resulted as the inks merged together. Then I edged the page with a Sanguine and Dark Sepia Big Brush Marker. The satchel/briefcase, pocket watch and pen are rub-on transfers from Royal & Langnickel which I defined with a black Uni Pin marker so they stood out from the background more. The “Dream” butterfly ticket, chair and two flower pictures are all stickers and the different metal frames are fussy cut from a die cut topper set and stuck in place using a UHU Stic.

I added a wooden die cut decoration which says “memories” and for the quote, I cut a piece of white card and added the wording which is a rub-on transfer. Then I distressed the white card using the Antique Linen Distress Ink and mounted it onto a frame which I had die cut from some recycled paper and edged with brushed Corduroy Distress Ink. It is stuck in place using double-sided tape and edged with black Glitterations border stickers. To finish, I splattered the page with white and also black DecoArt acrylic paint using a paintbrush.

As T Stands for Tuesday I’m sharing an unexpected treat that I had whilst having my hair cut and coloured last week, a yummy piece of chocolate cake lovingly made by my hairdresser served with a glass of cold water – it was so rich and delicious!

Wishing you all a Happy T Day!

I know some of the T Gang requested to see some photos of the flower beds in my garden that I have been sorting out and replanting this year – if you are interested you’ll find some photos on my previous post here (grin!) – enjoy!

Challenges

I’m glad I found out about Challenge Blogs, 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 Chris from Pearshapedcrafting, who is hosting the Arts for Art’s Sake challenge over at Art Journal Journey as I had fun creating the distressed look and using my new craft supplies.

With the distressed look and feel of my page I’m joining the  Distress It! challenge over at The Artistic Stamper too.

I’m also joining the Get Sentimental challenge over at A Vintage Journey with my quote inspired page which I created in their Mixed Media and Vintage Styles.

I’m also pleased to join in the fun over at Paperbabe Stamps and their Photo Inspiration challenge as I enjoyed incorporating the lovely colour palette for my design.

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:

• Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Ground Espresso, Antique Linen)
• Derwent Inktense Pencil (Baked Earth 1800)
• Faber-Castell Big Brush Pitt artist pen (Sanguine 188 B, Dark Sepia 175 B)
• Uni Pin Fine Line marker (Black 0.3mm, 0.8mm)
• Uniball Signo gel pen (White)
• DecoArt Crafter’s Acrylic (White, Black)
• Kaisercraft clear stamp (Tic Toc CS796)
• Spellbinders Die Cut System (Marvellous Squares 1122)
• Brown Paper – recycled from an old notebook
• White card – Docrafts Papermania Mini Cards & Stamp Set (Capsule Geometric Krafts PMA105308)
• Royal & Langnickel Create A Collage Rub-on Transfers (Men’s Accessories #ROY-853)
• DécoTime (3D Stickers 54742)
• Craftime Colour Connection Stickers (Enchanted Brown ACO155E)
• Docrafts A5 Die Cut Toppers & Sentiments (Mr. Smith’s Workshop PMA157261)
• The Works The Crafts Place (Wooden Decorations)
• Colorbok Rub-ons (Memories Made Easy)
• Docrafts Papermania Glitterations (Black Borders ANT8181015)
• UHU Stic
• Stix 2 double-sided tape

Thank you so much

As you may know we enjoy walking and often walk with our friends and their dog, Chase. Last weekend we were lucky enough to look after Chase while our friends were away – she is such a lovely companion and a joy to be around!

As a thank you we received a gorgeous metal mushroom ornament for our garden which inspired my page (grin!).

I started by applying Brushed Corduroy, Ground Espresso and Frayed Burlap Distress Ink using a blending tool and then spritzing the page with water to activate the ink so it blended more. I also added splatters to the page by stamping the same inks onto an acrylic block and diluting with water, then using a paintbrush to flick the ink onto the page. Then I applied Pébéo modelling paste through a honeycomb Dinky Stencil from That’s Crafty! using a palette knife and left it to dry overnight. Next I stamped some green leaves from a Crafter’s Companion stamp set using Cottage Ivy and Pistachio Memento Ink; as the green was too bright I covered them with Pébéo white gesso and then used the honeycomb stencil again to apply Brushed Corduroy Distress Ink over the top. Next I used some Kaisercraft clear stamps to add more detail to the background, this included: a Script stamp using black Archival Ink; a flower stamp using Rich Cocoa Memento Ink; and a foliage stamp using Peeled Paint Distress Ink. The mushrooms are fussy cut from an old Nature Book that I bought from a charity shop (thrift store); I only chose ones which can be found in gardens in the UK. They are stuck into place using a UHU Stic and I added more detail using a black Uni Pin marker and white Uniball gel pen as well as some shadows using a Topaz Spectrum Aqua Marker. I added the words “how lovely” from a Kaisercraft sticker sheet which I outlined with a black Uni Pin marker and also some pretty paper flowers. To finish, I added the “Thank you so much” tag which I edged with Brushed Corduroy Distress Ink; this tag came attached to the metal mushrooms that we were gifted (grin!).

You may remember Chase from a previous post; here she is sitting in my friend’s garden.

This is the metal mushroom ornament, isn’t it amazing! I love the rusty look and it was the perfect gift because as you may know my goal is to sort out and replant our flower beds this year – this so thoughtful, thank you!

Some of you have expressed a wish to see my flower beds, this is what they look like at the moment. The plants are all new including two apple trees which have replaced some huge shrubs that filled the borders.

I’m aiming for a cottage garden look and to be honest I’m not much of a gardener so it’s been a big learning curve for me, which I love! You can see our beautiful walls and all the flowers which make me smile. We have also seen an increase of butterflies and bees in our garden already so we have their seal of approval too (grin!).

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 Chris from Pearshapedcrafting, who is hosting the Arts for Art’s Sake challenge over at Art Journal Journey.

With the distressed look and feel of my page I’m joining in the fun over at The Artistic Stamper where their challenge is Distress It!

I’m joining the Get Sentimental challenge over at A Vintage Journey with my Mixed Media Style “Thank you so much” page.

I’m also joining the lovely Wen and her Simply Neutrals Tuesday party over at Apple Apricot with my neutral coloured page.

As this page was inspired by the beautiful mushroom ornament in my garden, I’m also pleased to be able to join the In The Summer Garden challenge over at Country View Challenges.

Over at the That’s Crafty! Challenge Blog, their challenge is Close to Nature so I’m happy to join them with my mushroom art journal page.

I’m also pleased to join the Allsorts Challenge Blog and their In my Garden challenge as this page is inspired by metal mushrooms that you can find in my garden.

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:

• Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Brushed Corduroy, Ground Espresso, Frayed Burlap, Peeled Paint)
• Tsukineko Memento Ink (Rich Cocoa, Cottage Ivy, Pistachio)
• Pébéo White Gesso
• Ranger Archival Ink (Jet Black)
• Uni Pin Fine Line marker (Black 0.2mm)
• Uniball Signo gel pen (White)
• Spectrum Aqua Artist Marker (Topaz)
• That’s Crafty! Dinky Stamps (Reverse Honeycomb TC031)
• Kaisercraft clear stamp (Script CS752, Magnolia Grove CS822)
• Crafter’s Companion Signature Collection by Sara Davies (Rustling Leaves S-AUT-ST-RUS)
• The Illustrated Book of Nature
• Kaisercraft Sticker Set (Secret Garden SS283)
• Gift Tag
• UHU Stic
• Stix 2 Mini Craft Dots