The Singing Ringing Tree

As you may remember, I was surprised that I had never featured The Singing Ringing Tree before on one of my posts. We visited this sculpture a couple of years ago for my birthday, so it inspired this page – I hope you like it (grin!).

I started by adding the image of The Singing Ringing Tree, which was from an old magazine, using a glue stick; it was edged with a Cold Grey Faber-Castell Big Brush marker. I coloured the white areas of the page by stamping a Steampunk Background stamp and the “Explore, Discover, Journey” wording using Hickory Smoke Distress Archival Ink and adding some Hickory Smoke and Salty Ocean Distress Ink. The letters were die cut using Alphanumeric Bold Thinlits set by Tim Holtz and were cut from some silver corrugated cardstock. I covered the letters using Silver Grey lustre wax and black Faber-Castell Big Brush marker to give it a grungy metallic appearance. Before sticking them in place I added some Pébéo white gesso over the stamped areas to push the colour back and then I stuck the letters down using Liquitex matte gel medium. I outlined the right-hand side of the letters using a black Uni Pin marker so they stood out more and then to finish, I added three metal music notes using Ranger Glossy Accents.

Reminded of our visit, I also found some of our photos to share with you (grin!). The singing ringing tree is located a little way from the road so we parked and then walked to the sculpture; Panopticon means “structure providing a comprehensive view”.

It was a short trek to The Singing Ringing Tree which is a wind powered sound sculpture resembling a tree and set in the landscape of the Pennine Hill range overlooking Burnley in Lancashire.

This 3-metre (10 ft) tall sculpture was designed by architects Mike Tonkin and Anna Liu of Tonkin Liu and has amazing views across the Pennine Moors.

It comprises of galvanised steel pipes; some are structural and others are cut across their width to produce sound by harnessing the energy of the wind.

It was a windy day when we visited so we got to hear the haunting sounds of The Singing Ringing Tree, if you are interested to hear the sounds and see more of the view please check out this video.

As T Stands for Tuesday, I’m sharing a photo that you may remember of me with my cup of green tea and a Chorley cake which was actually bought the same day that we visited this sculpture – Happy T Day!

You can find out more about Chorley Cakes which are a sweet treat here in Lancashire on my previous post Use Your Scraps; the title of this post also reminded me to wish Elizabeth a very Happy bEARTHday for later this week!

I hope that you’re staying safe and well. 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:

• Old magazine image
• Pritt Stick
• Faber-Castell Big Brush Pitt artist pen (Cold Grey IV 233, Black 199)
• Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Hickory Smoke, Salty Ocean)
• Docrafts Creativity Essentials A5 Clear Stamps (Steampunk Background DCE907128)
• Royal & Langnickel Clear Choice Stamps (Traveller MIN-CCS103)
• Ranger Distress Archival Ink (Hickory Smoke)
• Pébéo White Gesso
• Tim Holtz Sizzix Thinlits Die Set (Alphanumeric Bold 665205)
• Wilkos (Corrugated Cardstock – Silver)
• Craf-T Products Lustre Rub-ons (Color Kit #4 – Silver Grey)
• Liquitex Matte Gel Medium
• Uni Pin Fine Line Marker (Black 0.1mm)
• The Works (Metal Musical Notes)
• Ranger Glossy Accents

Challenges I’m pleased to be able to join the following challenges today which are: Art Journal Journey where the theme is Inspired By in honour of Eileen from The Artful Crafter’s Blog who picked the theme and was supposed to host this month but sadly passed away shortly after her heart surgery last month – she is greatly missed! I’m so pleased to be able to remember her by joining AJJ with my page which was inspired by The Singing Ringing Tree. Paperbabe Stamps Challenge #142 – Anything Goes with my page. LTCCB#57 – April Anything Goes over at Love to Craft Challenge Blog with my Singing Ringing Tree mixed media page.

Make a Rainbow

Our new challenge over at Try it on Tuesday for the next 2 weeks is Make a Rainbow.

For my art journal page, I created a rainbow coloured background of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet with matching die cut flowers. I hope that you are inspired to join our challenge too; it would be lovely to see you there!

For the rainbow background, I painted Kuretake Watercolour paints in the vertical panels onto the page. I did this by applying water to the page first and then adding Red, Cadmium Scarlet, Lemon Yellow, Sap Green Light, Ultramarine, Indigo and Cobalt Violet watercolour paint over the top. Then I splattered the page using white and also black acrylic paint and when dry, I applied some Pébéo white gesso using a brayer to push back the bright rainbow colours into the background more. The different flowers were die cut using three sets of Wildflower Thinlits from Tim Holtz; they were cut from coloured papers and also white cardstock. I layered the coloured and white flower die cuts together so they were slightly off centre and then I arranged them onto the page using a Zig glue pen. The letters for the “rainbow” wording were created the same way using a Docrafts Alphabet die cut set which finished the page.

For more inspiration please pop over to Try it on Tuesday and take a look you at the wonderful Make a Rainbow creations from our Guest Designer and my Design Teamies too (grin!).

It’s always magical seeing rainbows and whilst creating this page it reminded me of this one; taken through my craft room window last year.

As T Stands for Tuesday I’m saying a big welcome to the T Gang and sharing my cuppa with one of my yummy birthday cupcakes that I made (it’s a sponge cake filled with vanilla buttercream and jam then topped with the icing) – wishing you a very Happy T Day!

Hope that you’re all 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 the materials that were used to create this art journal page:

• Kuretake Gansai Tambi Japanese Watercolour Paint set (Red, Cadmium Scarlet, Lemon Yellow, Sap Green Light, Ultramarine, Indigo, Cobalt Violet)
• Art Discount Acrylic Paint (White)
• DecoArt Crafter’s Acrylic (Black)
• Pébéo White Gesso
• Ranger Brayer (Small Roller)
• Tim Holtz Sizzix Thinlits (Wildflowers #1 66190, Wildflower # 2 661808, Wildflower Stems #3 665221)
• Leon X-Large Coloured Paper Pad
• White Cardstock
• Zig Memory System 2-way Glue Pen – Chisel Tip
• Docrafts X-Cut A5 Die Cut Set (Folk Alphabet)

Challenges As well as Try it on Tuesday, I’m pleased to be able to join the following challenges today which are: Art Journal Journey where the theme is Inspired By in honour of Eileen from The Artful Crafter’s Blog who picked the theme and was supposed to host this month but sadly passed away shortly after her heart surgery last month – she is greatly missed! I’m so pleased to be able to remember her by joining AJJ with my pages this month which was inspired by rainbow wishes (grin!). MIUCB#48 – Anything Goes + optional No Stamping challenge over at Mix It Up Challenge Blog with my rainbow page which contains no stamping. Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog and their Not a Card challenge with my rainbow art journal page.

Birds & Bees

Today I’m over at Country View Challenges where I’m sharing a mixed media page for this month’s The Birds and The Bees challenge.

 I created this spring scene using lots of new crafting goodies, including a Sizzix Floral Layers Thinlits for the blossom and a Pink Ink Designs Beehive Buzz stamp and die set for the bees. I also used my new Tim Holtz Typewriter Embossing Folder for the wording which was on my birthday list thanks to the lovely Tracey who used it on one of her journal covers – thank you for the inspiration!

Like the birds in my garden, the birds and bees on my page are enjoying spring with the blue skies and pretty blossoms.

I started by covering the background with Speckled Egg and Twisted Citron Distress Paint using a Brayer and then some white gesso. When dry, I added the birds and sheet music which were from some Aviary Collage Paper by Tim Holtz and were stuck in place using a glue stick.

Next I coloured some mixed media paper for the die cut flowers and leaves; for the blossoms I used Abandoned Coral Distress Ink Spray and White Linen Dylusions Ink Spray, for the stamens Fossilized Amber Distress Ink and for the leaves Mowed Lawn and Forest Moss Distress Ink. I cut them out using the Sizzix Floral Layers Thinlits set, layered the die cut pieces together, edged them with Vintage Photo Distress Ink and arranged them onto the page using gel medium.

I stamped the bees onto the page and also onto some mixed media paper using black Archival Ink and the Beehive Buzz set from Pink Ink Designs. They were coloured using Fossilized Amber and Vintage Photo Distress Inks, die cut using the Beehive Buzz dies and then stuck in place using glue dots.

The wording was created using the Typewriter Embossing Folder from Tim Holtz. I embossed the letters onto some card and cut them out to make small panels. Then I coloured the card around each of the letters using a Dark Sepia Faber-Castell marker and stuck them in place using glue dots which finished the page.

I hope that you are enjoying The Birds and The Bees challenge over at Country View Challenges too; it would be lovely to see you there! Don’t forget that when you link to this challenge that Birds and/or Bees need to be the main focus of your design in order to have a chance to win a £20 voucher to use on the Country View Crafts website (grin!).

With the sunny days we’ve been having it’s becoming very busy on the beachfront, so we have been mindful to walk more in land; this has allowed us to appreciate all the pretty spring blossoms in people’s gardens – Happy Spring everyone!

Hoping 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.

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

• 664359 -Sizzix Thinlits Die Set 10PK – Floral Layers
• Pink Ink Designs – Stamp & Die Set – A Cut Above – Beehive Buzz
• 664760 – Sizzix Texture Fades Embossing Folder – Typewriter By Tim Holtz
• Ranger – Tim Holtz® -Distress Paint – Speckled Egg
• Ranger Tim Holtz® Distress Paint Dabber – Twisted Citron
• Ranger Dylusions Ink Sprays – White Linen
• Ranger Tim Holtz® Distress Ink Pad – Fossilized Amber
• Ranger Tim Holtz® Distress Ink Pad – Mowed Lawn
• Ranger Tim Holtz® Distress Ink Pad – Forest Moss
• 660200 Sizzix Big Shot Machine Only (White & Gray)
• Ranger Archival Ink Pad, Jet Black – 90mm X 62mm
• Tim Holtz Distress Ink Spray (Abandoned Coral)
• Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Vintage Photo)
• Tim Holtz idea-ology Collage Paper (Aviary #TH93706)
• Faber-Castell Big Brush Pitt artist pen (Dark Sepia )
• Pébéo White Gesso
• Pritt Stick
• Mixed Media Paper
• Stix2 glue dots
• Liquitex Matte Gel Medium

Challenges I’m pleased to be able to join the following challenges today which are: Art Journal Journey where the theme is Inspired By in honour of Eileen from The Artful Crafter’s Blog who picked the theme and was supposed to host this month but sadly passed away shortly after her heart surgery last month – she is greatly missed! I’m so pleased to be able to remember her by joining AJJ with my page which was inspired by springtime birds and bees. LTSCB#144 – Spring Forward challenge over at Love to Scrap Challenge Blog with my springtime page. Paperbabe Stamps Challenge #141 – Anything Goes with my birds and bees page. Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog and their Layer It challenge with the layers of colour, collage paper and die cuts on this page. Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge Blog and their Anything Goes challenge with my art journal page too.

Happy Easter

I just couldn’t resist using my new sunburst stencil which was an early birthday present. As my birthday happens to coincide with Easter weekend this year, I used it to create a page to wish you all a Happy Easter!

I started by applying some Mustard Seed Distress Ink through the Slimline Sunburst stencil from Marianne Designs with a blending tool.

As it was a slimline stencil, I then extended the sunburst design across the page using a ruler and some paper to mask out the sunrays. I used a pretty Easter Treat bag to create my Easter scene by cutting out the bunny in the flower pot, another bunny face and a couple of Easter eggs and making some extra grass spikes. I outlined the bunny in the flower pot using a Cold Grey Faber-Castell marker, and then layered the other bunny face over the top so that it was slightly off centre, which made it stand out more from the background. I added some pretty white and yellow ribbon to the flower pot and then I layered all the card elements onto the page using a glue stick and some double-sided tape. The “Happy Easter” wording was created using some alphabet stickers and I added a ribbon bow and single flower to the flower pot which finished the page.

Here’s the Easter Treat Basket that I used to create this page (grin!).

I love this Marianne Designs stencil! It has two gorgeous A4 slimline sunburst designs as well as a foreground and a cloud mask. It’s such a fabulous birthday present – thank you very much dear hubby (grin!).

As it’s Easter soon, my hubby also treated me to this giant chocolate bunny; it’s huge as you can see from the regular sized mug placed by it – wishing you a Happy Easter!

Hope that you’re all 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 the materials that were used to create this art journal page:

• Marianne Designs Craft Stencil A4 (Slimline Sunburst PS8080)
• Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Mustard Seed)
• Aldi (Easter Treat Basket, Alphabet Stickers)
• Faber-Castell Big Brush Pitt artist pen (Cold Grey IV 233)
• Pritt Stick
• X-Press It! double-sided tape
• Craft Sensations (Satin Bow and Ribbon Set CRO280/R)
• Flower embellishment (unknown) and leftover die cut leaf (Tim Holtz Sizzix Thinlits Funky Florals #2 660721, white cardstock coloured with Mowed lawn Distress Ink)

Challenges I’m pleased to be able to join the following challenges today, they are: The lovely Sheila’s Single Flower challenge over at Art Journal Journey with the single flower that I added to the flower pot on my page. Paperbabe Stamps Challenge #140 – Anything Goes with my Happy Easter page. Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge Blog and their Spring/Easter Mood Board challenge as the colours, bunny and eggs that I included on my page match the mood board. LTCCB #56 – March Anything Goes challenge over at Love To Craft Challenge Blog with my Easter page. Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog and their Whatever the Weather challenge with the sunburst I added to my page. Don’t forget that you still have a couple of days left to join our Use a Stencil or Two challenge over at Try it on Tuesday too!

Oh, what a beautiful day

Inspired by the warm, sunny days we’ve been enjoying lately, I created this sunshiny page to say “Oh, what a beautiful day!”

This page was created in my mini chipboard art journal using some leftovers, recycling and lots of washi tapes which I don’t seem to use that often.

I started by covering the background with pieces of blue and green washi tapes to create the blue sunshiny sky and green grassy foreground. When it was completely covered, I applied a thin layer of Liquitex matte gel medium to hold all the washi tapes in place and left it to dry.

To mute the background colours, I applied some white gesso over the top using a brayer and when dry, I differentiated between the sky and foreground using a black Faber-Castell marker which I smudged with my finger. Next I drew and cut the flower pieces from some sheet music and stuck them into place, like all the paper elements, using Liquitex matte gel medium. The centre of the flower was created using a couple of beads which were recycled from an old necklace and stuck in place using Ranger Glossy Accents. The hearts were leftovers; they were created using a Falling Hearts Thinlits set from Tim Holtz and some cardstock that was coloured using Fired Brick and Picked Raspberry Distress Ink. The wording was a sticker from Kaisercraft and all the paper elements were outlined using a black Uni Pin marker. To finish, I stamped the circles using some recycled cardboard tubes and white DecoArt acrylic paint.

I’m really enjoying creating these smaller journal pages and I love that these chipboard pages are made from recycled paper too. The chipboard makes the pages very sturdy so they stand up beautifully making them easy to display. As T Stands for Tuesday, here’s my drink of cranberry juice mixed with water that I enjoyed whilst crafting – Happy T Day everyone!  

Hoping that you’re all 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 the materials that were used to create this art journal page:

• Docrafts Papermania Bare Basics  Chipboard Album (Square 15x15cm)
• Assorted blue and green washi tapes
• Liquitex Matte Gel Medium
• Pébéo white gesso
• Faber-Castell Big Brush Marker (Black 199)
• Sheet Music
• Recycled old necklace
• Ranger Glossy Accents
• Leftover hearts (Tim Holtz Sizzix Thinlits Set – Falling Hearts 664415, White cardstock, Distress Ink – Fired Brick, Picked Raspberry)
• Kaisercraft Sticker Sheet (Golden Grove SS343)
• Uni Pin Fine Line Marker (Black 0.1mm)
• DecoArt Crafter’s Acrylic Paint (White)
• Recycled cardboard tubes

Challenges I’m pleased to be able to join the following challenges today, they are: The lovely Sheila’s Single Flower challenge over at Art Journal Journey with the single flower that I created for my mini page (15x15cm). Paperbabe Stamps Challenge #140 – Anything Goes with my mini art journal page. LTSCB #143 – Anything Goes challenge over at Love To Scrap Challenge Blog with my washi tape stamped page. Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog and their Whatever the Weather challenge with my beautiful day page.

Enjoy the journey

Today I’m over at Country View Challenges where I’m sharing this mini art journal page as my second project for this month’s Silhouettes challenge.

I’m enjoying my new creative journey at Country View Challenges and this page is to celebrate and thank you for all your support and kind comments last month (grin!). I used lots of Tim Holtz products to create this page including the new Wildflower Stems #3 Thinlits set for the delicate flower silhouettes.

 I started by covering the chipboard background with a couple of coats of white gesso and then I created the circles by applying Ranger Crackle Texture Paste through a stencil from a Sun and Moons Template & Stencil set, and then left it to dry overnight. Next I used the corresponding templates and applied Fossilized Amber Distress Ink around the circles and then some Hickory Smoke Distress Ink using a blending tool. To fix the background colours I painted some clear gesso over the top of the inks. When dry, I edged the page using a black Faber-Castell marker smudging the ink with my finger and then I splattered the page using DecoArt black acrylic paint. To continue the grungy look, I applied some Specimen rub-on transfers from Tim Holtz over the background and then I splattered the page with DecoArt white acrylic paint.

The silhouette flowers were die cut using Wildflower Stems #3 Thinlits set from some textured polka dot paper from Tim Holtz. I coloured them using a black Faber-Castell marker and then I stuck them in place using gel medium.

To finish, I added the wording which was a Quote Chip from Tim Holtz. 

I hope that you are enjoying our Silhouettes challenge over at Country View Challenges too; it would be lovely to see you there, and if you do join us then you may have a chance to win a £20 voucher to use on the Country View Crafts website too (grin!).

This is the view from our house; it was taken when the moon was particularly low in the sky and it reminded me of my page (grin!).

I’m also joining the T Gang over at T Stands for Tuesday with my cuppa which I’m enjoying a Coffee Renoir; this is choux pastry filled with pastry cream and whipped cream, and covered in coffee icing – so yummy!

Hoping 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.

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

• 665221 – Sizzix Thinlits Die Set 5PK – Wildflower Stems #3 By Tim Holtz
• 659765 Sizzix Big Shot Starter Kit (White & Gray)
• Ranger Texture Paste Opaque Crackle 3.9 Fl Oz (116 Ml)
• Ranger Tim Holtz® Distress Ink Pad – Fossilized Amber
• TH94047 Tim Holtz® Idea-Ology™ – Remnant Rubs Specimen
• Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Hickory Smoke)
• Circle Masks alternative for Suns and Moon Template & Stencil Set
• Docrafts Papermania (Mini Chipboard Album 15x15cm)
• Pébéo White and Clear Gesso
• Faber-Castell Big Brush Pitt artist pen (Black 199)
• DecoArt Acrylic (Black, White)
• Tim Holtz idea-ology (Quote Chips #TH93563)
• Liquitex Matte Gel Medium

Challenges I’m pleased to be able to join the Beautiful Blossoms challenge over at Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge with all my silhouette flowers page. I’m joining the Anything Goes challenge over at The Funkie Junkie Boutique Blog with my vintage silhouette page. I’m also joining the Art Journal challenge over at Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge too with my mini art journal page. I’m also joining the Mix It Up Challenge Blog and their MIUCB #47 – Anything Goes + Inlaid Die Cut challenge with the background techniques I used to create this page.

Spread your wings

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

I used a fun technique using a Watermark Stamp Pad to create some of the flowers on my background which gave a lovely depth to my mixed media page; I hope you like it too (grin!).  

I stamped a Floral Silhouette stamp from Penny Black onto the background of the page using Versamark Watermark ink and then I dried it using a heat gun (the heat fixed the ink and achieved better watermark images). I applied some Abandoned Coral Distress Stain and also some Vintage Photo, Ground Espresso and Black Soot Distress Archival Inks over the top, gradually building up the colour using a blending tool so the watermark flower images appeared; they are the lightest flowers on the background. Then I stamped more of the flowers using the Penny Black stamp again and the Vintage Photo and Ground Espresso inks.

The pink flowers were die cut using Wildflower Stems #1 Thinlits by Tim Holtz from some design paper and then arranged onto the page using Liquitex matte gel medium. I used a journal card from Kaisercraft for the wording which reads “Until you spread your wings you’ll never know how far you’ll fly!”. The top and bottom of the card was embellished using two strips of silver metal beading.

To finish, I added the pretty butterfly sticker and some silver wire to trail behind it.

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. I hope you are inspired to join us; it would be lovely to see you there!

I seem to be drawn to pink at the moment, I even decorated my friend’s birthday cake with pink and white feather icing; this is a Victoria sponge filled with buttercream and strawberry jam. As we are still in lockdown here, I thought this would be a nice surprise to wish her a happy birthday (grin!).

I hope 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.

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

• Tsukineko Versamark (Watermark Stamp Pad)
• Penny Black Clear Stamp Set (Floral Silhouette 30-563)
• Tim Holtz Distress Archival Ink (Vintage Photo, Ground Espresso, Black Soot)
• Tim Holtz Distress Stain (Abandoned Coral)
• The Works (Design Block)
• Tm Holtz Sizzix Thinlits (Wildflower Stems #1 664163)
• Liquitex Matte Gel Medium
• Kaisercraft Captured Moments (Life’s Treasures CM108)
• Mark Richards Metal Bead Stickers (Silver Metals #1981)
• X-Press It! double-sided tape
• Home Bargains You & Me Stickers (Beautiful Butterflies 22742)
• Silver wire
• Ranger Glossy Accents

Challenges I’m pleased to be able to join the Beautiful Blossoms challenge over at Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge with all the beautiful stamped and die cut flowers on my page. I’m joining the Anything Goes challenge over at The Funkie Junkie Boutique Blog with my vintage shabby chic flower page. I’m also joining the Art Journal challenge over at Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge too with my art journal page. I’m happy to join Paperbabe Stamps and their #138 – Anything Goes challenge with my page too. I’m also joining the Mix It Up Challenge Blog and their MIUCB #47 – Anything Goes + Inlaid Die Cut challenge with the fun technique I used to create the background using the Watermark Stamp Pad.

Say it with Flowers

Over at Try it on Tuesday our challenge for the next 2 weeks is Say it with flowers.

We would love to see what your flowers are saying on your projects, my page is celebrating receiving flowers and saying “remember this feeling”. I hope that you are inspired to join our challenge too; it would be lovely to see you there!

I started by applying some Speckled Egg and Antique Linen Distress Ink to the page by stamping the ink pad onto an acrylic block, spritzing with water and pressing the block onto the page. Then I stamped a Beau Collage stamp from Crafter’s Companion using the Antique Linen ink and used a Moroccan stencil by Creative Expressions as a stamp to apply some Speckled Egg ink. I die cut some flowery paper using an Organic Thinlits set from Tim Holtz and arranged them around the corners of the page along with a single hydrangea from a Floral die cut set. They were stuck in place using some Liquitex matte gel medium and when dry, I painted some shadows around these pieces using the Speckled Egg ink. The square flower image was recycled from an advertising postcard; it was edged with a Cold Grey Faber-Castell Big Brush marker and stuck to the page using double-sided tape. To finish, I added the wording “remember this feeling” which was a sticker from Kaisercraft and some mini pearl gems.  

For more inspiration please pop over to Try it on Tuesday and take a look you at the wonderful Say it with flowers creations from my Design Teamies too (grin!).

I love to receive flowers; it always makes me feel happy and loved (grin!).

Of course the way to my hubby’s heart is with cake (double grin!); today he’s enjoying this iced finger filled with cream for his elevenses and as T Stands for Tuesday, I’m sharing his cup of Ceylon tea too and wishing you a very Happy T Day!

Hope that you’re all 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 the materials that were used to create this art journal page:

• Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Speckled Egg, Antique Linen)
• Crafter’s Companion Parisian Collection Clear Stamp (Beau Collage)
• Creative Expressions That Special Touch of Mica Masks (Moroccan)
• K & Company Die Cut Cardstock by Susan Winget (Floral)
• Paper – Simply Cards & Papercraft Magazine Issue 193
• Tim Holtz Sizzix Thinlits (Organic 664153)
• Liquitex Matte Gel Medium
• Flower Advertising Postcard
• Faber-Castell Big Brush Pitt artist pen (Cold Grey IV 233)
• X-Press It! double-sided tape
• Kaisercraft Sticker Sheet (Secret Garden SS283)
• Home Bargains Special Occasion (Mini Decoration Stickers 22740)

Challenges I’m pleased to join the Mostly Neutrals challenge over at The Funkie Junkie Boutique Blog with my mostly neutral coloured flower page; I hope the grey blue works ok to join your challenge. I’m joining the Art Journal challenge over at Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge too with me Say it with flowers art journal page. I’m happy to join Paperbabe Stamps and their #138 – Anything Goes challenge with my Say it with flowers journal page too. I’m also pleased to join the Anything Goes challenge over at Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge with my flower art journal page. I’m also joining the fun over at the Love to Scrap Challenge Blog and their LTSCB #143 – Anything Goes challenge with my page too.

Moon River Silhouettes

It’s a new month which means we have a new challenge at Country View Challenges for March which is Silhouettes.

We would like to see silhouettes as the main focus of your projects for this challenge, which this month is being hosted by the lovely Rachel.

I had so much fun playing around with Tim Holtz products to create my silhouettes page; I hope you like it!

The moon provided a beautiful backdrop silhouetting the trees and the Darling Deer family by the river; it reminded me of my Grandad’s favourite song “Moon River” (grin!).

I started this page by placing and marking out the scene in pencil. This allowed me to apply white gesso to the whole page, ensuring I used horizontal brushstrokes across the sky and the river section which created the texture of clouds in the night sky and the water effect. The gesso acted as a resist and also made it easier to apply and blend the Distress Inks that were used to colour this page.

I used a circle of paper for the moon template and once in place I blended Peacock Feathers, Mermaid Lagoon and Chipped Sapphire Distress Inks across the sky, keeping the lightest colour around the moon so it looked like it was glowing. I mirrored the colours over the water section and then I removed a circle of ink using a baby wipe to create the moon’s reflection; the gesso retained some of the ink colour to give the watery look and feel. For the land, I applied Forest Moss Distress Ink using a blending tool and then some Ground Espresso Distress Ink to edges of the riverbank. I also added some texture along the riverbabk using an Urban Arts stamp from Tim Holtz and the Ground Espresso ink. The same stamp was used to add the texture to the moon too, this time using Hickory Smoke and Black Soot Distress Ink. I used a black fine line marker to add some grass to the land, the horizon and some ripples across the water which I also detailed using a white gel pen.

The silhouette deer, trees and shrubs were cut from some recycled black card using Tim Holtz Thinlits die sets; the deer family using a Darling Deer Thinlits set, the trees using a Woodlands set and the shrubs using a Funky Florals #1 set. The wording was created using a Doodle Alphabet & Numbers Sizzix Thinlits set and all the silhouettes were stuck in place using matte gel medium.

For more inspiration please see the wonderful Silhouettes creations from my fellow Design Team members over at Country View Challenges.

I hope you are inspired to join us too, if you do, you’ll also have a chance to win a £20 voucher to use on the Country View Crafts (grin!).

This page reminded me of my Grandad, his favourite song was Moon River by Andy Williams.

I bought this lamp to remember my Grandad by, the year he passed away. I call it my Moon River lamp and every night when I turn it on, I’m reminded of him and I normally find myself singing the song too (grin!).

Hoping 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.

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

• 664968 – Sizzix Thinlits Die Set 4PK – Darling Deer By Tim Holtz
• 659765 Sizzix Big Shot Starter Kit (White & Gray)
• Ranger Tim Holtz® Distress Ink Pad – Peacock Feathers
• Ranger Tim Holtz® Distress Ink Pad – Mermaid Lagoon
• Ranger Tim Holtz® Distress Ink Pad – Forest Moss
• Ranger Tim Holtz® Distress Ink Pad – Black Soot
• Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Chipped Sapphire, Ground Espresso, Hickory Smoke)
• Sizzix Thinlits Die Set (Woodlands 660978 by Tim Holtz, Funky Florals #1 662700 by Tim Holtz, Doodle Alphabet & Numbers 663408 by Sophie Guilar)
• Pébéo White Gesso
• Tim Holtz Stampers Anonymous (Urban Tapestry CMS061)
• Uni Pin Fine Line Marker (Black 0.05mm)
• Uniball Signo Gel Pen (White)
• Recycled black card packaging
• Liquitex Matte Gel Medium

Challenges I’m pleased to join the Anything But A Card challenge over at Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge with my art journal page. I’m happy to join Paperbabe Stamps and their #138 – Anything Goes challenge with my silhouettes journal page too. I’m also pleased to join the Anything Goes challenge over at Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge with my Just Breathe art journal page.

Sweet & Cute

Using up leftovers is one of my crafting goals this year, so I used lots of leftover papers and die cuts on this page to create homes for these sweet and cute critters (grin!).

Don’t forget that there is still another week to join our Oh So Cute challenge over at Try it on Tuesday; we are so looking forward to seeing your cute creations!

I started by covering the background with some colourful leftovers papers that have been sitting on my craft desk since Christmas – eek! They were stuck in place, like all the paper elements, using a glue stick. As the papers were quite brightly coloured, I applied some Pébéo white gesso over the top using a brayer.

When dry, I added strips of bunting washi tape that my sister had kindly gifted me. The wording and stars were stickers from Craft Sensations and I outlined them all using a black Uni Pin marker so they stood out more.

Next I raided my stash of leftover die cuts and created little scenes with them for those cute critters which were foam stickers.

This malt loaf may not be cute but it is sweet (grin!). I bought it as a treat, when I was food shopping for my mum and dad, from our local bakery and it was so very yummy!

If you aren’t familiar with malt loaf, it’s a type of sweet leavened bread made with malt extract which originated in Scotland in the United Kingdom. It has a chewy sticky texture, and often contains fruits such as raisins. It’s usually eaten sliced and spread with butter.

We enjoyed it (sliced with butter) for our elevenses and as T Stands for Tuesday I’m sharing it today with my cuppa – Happy T Day!

Hope that you’re all 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 the materials that were used to create this art journal page:

• Docrafts Ultimate Die Cut & Paper Pack (Folk Christmas PMA160933)
• Pritt Stick
• Pébéo White Gesso
• Bunting Washi Tape
• Craft Sensation (Creative paper Collection CRO458/GE)
• Uni Pin Fine Line Marker (Black 0.1mm)
• Leftover die cut pieces – Tim Holtz Sizzix Thinlits (Fall Foliage 66955, Garden Greens 661206, Holiday Greens 658759, Funky Florals #1 662700), Papers (Tim Holtz idea-ology Paper Stash – Halloween #TH93712, Paper Bundle from local craft shop – green heart paper and metallic linen textured cardstock, Recycled Notepad Paper, White cardstock), Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Mowed Lawn, Peeled Paint, Twisted Citron, Scattered Straw, Rusty Hinge)
• Hobby World Foam Craft Stickers (Forest Friends)

Challenges I’m pleased to join the lovely Valerie over at Art Journal Journey and her Heavy Metal challenge this month with the metallic linen textured papers that were used for some of the leaves surrounding the cute hedgehog. I’m pleased to join the Anything But A Card challenge over at Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge with my art journal page. I’m happy to join Paperbabe Stamps and their #138 – Anything Goes challenge with my art journal page too. I’m also pleased to join the Favourite Technique challenge over at Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge, as collage, using white gesso to push back the background colour and die cutting are some of my favourite techniques. I’m also joining in the fun over at Mix It Up Challenge Blog and their #46 – Anything Goes + Fancy Fold challenge with my art journal page; the different techniques I used to create this page included collage, using white gesso to push back the background colour and die cutting.