Tuesday, 15 September 2020

Use your scraps

Hi Everybody!

Today we are starting a new challenge at TIOT - use your scraps. I don't think I need to explain much here, scraps are scraps! Projects of all formats, 'real' and digital are welcome, and you have 2 weeks to join us. Hope to see you there!

I made an A3 mixed media page. The background was painted and textured. I used a picture I recently printed out too small for another project, and placed it on an L-shaped scrap of gold netting. The leaves were left over from a book cover I made, and the gold dots fussy cut from a paper bag. The ribbon was also a left over piece from a Christmas present. I used a stencil to create the dots with gold structure paste. The sentiment was written by hand. I am also linking to Jo's texture challenge at Art Journal Journey






The moon showed itself early this morning at the same time as the sun was rising:




On Saturday I walked along the Rhine:




I saw lots of groups of young people walking to their meeting point for the Rhine clean up. Today I read in the newspaper that people had been collecting all along the Rhine, from the source to the sea, and picked up a total of 380 tons of garbage. Kudos to all who joined in!





Then I walked through the fields to the next village. I always love the wayside shrines:


I looked down from the bridge onto an almost empty motorway:


I saw birds in the fields:



And I enjoyed this sunflower garden, where you can pick flowers and put the money in a tin:







The text in the middle says 'Only  flowers that have been paid for bring joy'!


These 2 crows seemed to be having a conversation:



Have a great day, take care,
and thanks a lot for coming by!

74 comments:

  1. lOVE LOVE!! I adore sunflowers - they are the earth's happiest flowers! That crow does look like he has a lot to say, LOL What a great new blog look! That's a groovy cart! And such a great art work with the scraps - one of my favorite things to use in crafting! Liebe Gruss!

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  2. Ha ha the crows here do the same!! Great new header and wonderful art work, love the saying, how true is that! Did you take home a sunflower? Such happy flowers.

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    1. Thanks! I did indeed take some flowers home, they are so pretty! Have a great day!

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  3. Good Morning Val! Hope you slept well. Love your new journal page, so pretty, you used those scraps with a fabulous result. Great photos, too. Love the talking crows, and the gorgeous flowers! We're taking mum home again today, but she's been happy here this time. Look after yourself! Hugs, Sarah

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    1. Thanks Sarah. Have a good and safe day. Glad your Mum enjoyed her visit, give her a hug from me!

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  4. Beautiful post, lovely arty work and gorgeous pics, love the sunflowers. xx

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  5. I was going to say what a lovely sunset, especially the first one, and then I saw your sunflowers! They are my most favourite flower of all, and my heart is going pitter pat seeing your photos. They've made my day, Thank You!
    I also love the sentiment on your art, it's so very true indeed.
    Hugs, Deb

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    1. Thanks Deb! Sunflowers are my all time faves, and it was great to see that field of blooms stretching into the distance. Have a wonderful day!

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  6. A lovely post to read and see the beautiful photos from your walk. Those sun flowers looked beautiful
    Its a fantastic journal page using the scraps for TioT's and super stencil texture which adds to the look and is great for Jo's theme at AJJ. You chose lovely quotes to add to the page as well.
    Stay safe.
    Yvonne xx

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    1. Thanks Yvonne! Great to see you around again. I love playing with scraps, as you know, and I always have fun with them. Have a wonderful day, stay well and safe!

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  7. Beautiful sunflowers! Just saw the food truck in your header and we have one like that in town, too. Love that old Citroen van!

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  8. Thanks Laurie, it's a very true quote!

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  9. That is a gorgeous page Valerie. I like the gold touches. The netting and the dots add some great texture. And that is so true about friends. Nice sunflower photos. And I don't think we've seen the highway views before. Or at least I haven't. Thanks for sharing at AJJ. And loving your scraps! Happy Tuesday. Hugs-Erika

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    1. Thanks Erika. I used a lot of gold lately, it was starting to dry out and had to go! The motorway was so empty, I had to take a pic! Have a great day!

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  10. Good morning Valerie: This must be the week to use up scraps (which I am sure you have in abundance) because Miriam has been gathering all the scraps and offcuts in her sewing room and has embarked on a quilt creation venture involving literally hundreds of tiny bits of fabric all pieced together. It is all coming along very agreeably I must say, but I think the process is a manifestation of her inner masochistic traits! I have concluded that from time to time, if she had an assistant, they would get into a scrap, let alone use the scraps! I know you will find it hard to believe but I heard her swear a few times under her breath and even more shamefully out loud! The sunflowers in your post are wonderful. I hope that people respect the sign and pay fairly and honestly for what they take. A little honesty goes a long way in furnishing the glue that binds society. As for the crows, they were having a pleasant chat no doubt, having had the good sense to avoid a scrap, being content to look for scraps to eat. Maybe they would even share. I am not sending you scraps of hugs, but great big fat, all enveloping, Covid-flaunting ones. Enjoy them all. David xo

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    1. Hi David. Just got back from my weekly shop with my neighbour, and in an hour I have an appt at the dentist's. It's very hard to throw away scraps, and then we have to justify our hoarding tendencies by making something with them. I swear a lot, too, in various languages- I sometimes wonder if Alexa listens in! Most people do seem to pay for their flowers. It's a lovely tradition with these trust places and I hope people don't abuse at. At some of the farms they have homemade jam, veggies, eggs etc and you help yourself and put the money in a box on the door. It's good that some people still have faith in their fellow men, it's not always easy these days! Thanks for all the big hugs, I'm sending some big fat ones back your way! Have a wonderful day, stay safe!

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  11. Absolutely brilliant art journal spread Valerie! LOVE that background of dots!!!! Have a super week! ((HUGS)) Helen

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  12. Wonderful page! The texture is fabulous and you used your scraps so beautifully too 😁. I so enjoyed walking by the Rhine too - perfect! Thanks so much for playing along at Art Journal Journey and wishing you a great new week! Hugs, Jo x

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  13. I love your new journal page, beautiful words too. That moon shot is awesome and love taking walks with you. The sunflowers are gorgeous! Have a happy Tuesday :)

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    1. Thanks Martha. I just happened to Look up and saw that beautiful crescent moon, so pretty. You have a great day, too!

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  14. Hi Valerie oh wow your mixed media page is awesome and those words so spot on,well done my friend. Oh i love the photos especially the one of the part moon,just so beautiful,well done to the people that picked up all that rubish,hope you are safe and well my friend xx

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    1. Thanks Sheryl! The words are so true. I was lucky to get that shot of the moon, it looked so magical! And yes, the families and groups who gathered that rubbish deserve VERY big praise. Have a great day, stay safe!

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  15. Hi Val, it's Bill! Lovely art and photos my friend!

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    1. Hi Bill, great to see you again, have a great week!

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  16. Beautiful textured page from scraps! How do they keep the squirrels away from that sunflower field? Great job on the trash cleanup.

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    1. I have no Idea, I guess they eat their fill! The clean up went really well.

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  17. And I love the closeup on the coffee cart!

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  18. So much to love in this post. The quote, the moon pic, the sky pics, the flowers, and the talking crows. Thanks for sharing.

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    1. Thanks CJ, the moon shot made me happy! Have a great day!

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  19. Love this post-your art and the art from the previous post too. Your photos bring me joy. Thank you!

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    1. Thanks Debra, so glad you like the photos.I love taking them! Enjoy your day!

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  20. What a beautiful idea to grow a sunflower garden and let people pick and pay as they please.

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    1. Thanks. I love to get my flowers from these trust places. Have a great day!

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  21. Really lovely pages with lots of lovely textures. Looks like you have great weather.

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    1. It's really hot Just now, 34°! Have a great week!

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  22. You made a gorgeous page with your scraps. I love the hat you created for your girl. hugs, teresa

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    1. Thanks Teresa, you are the only one who realised it's a hat! Have a great week!

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  23. Oh my gosh that sunflower field is gorgeous.
    Something I wonder about, where does the garbage go that's collected from the ocean?
    Wonderful piece, lovely texturing and sentiment.
    Hugs

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  24. Twoje prace mnie zachwyciły są piękne. Podoba mi się ten ogród pełen słoneczników i zabawny napis. to prawda tylko zapłacone kwiaty przynoszą szczęście:) Miłego wieczoru:)

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  25. Thanks Lucyna, much appreciated. I hope all people stick to the rules and pay honestly for their flowers! Have a good and safe week!

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  26. Wow what a fabulous project, and to think that it's made from scraps. Well done to the litter pickers, I thought it was only the UK who had such a litter problem. Those sunflowers look absolutely gorgeous, it must be amazing to see a field full of them. Take care and have a very happy week, Sue xx

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    1. Thanks Sue, glad you like it. The clean troup did wonders. Litter bugs are everywhere!

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  27. A great page Valerie and the scraps you used added lovely textures. Lovely photos from your walk, the sunflower field looks fabulous and how lovely that you can pick and buy the sunflowers. Well don to the clean up volunteers, it's shocking how much litter is dropped.
    Have a good evening.
    Avril xx

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    1. Thanks Avril it is indeed shocking. I don't understand why they can't take their litter with them. Have a great week!

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  28. Stunning page Valerie, I love the gold embossing paste and that beautiful photo! Gorgeous sunrise and what a cute new blog header. Take care of yourself.
    Hugs, Tammy

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  29. Fabulous pages Valerie, lovely trxtures

    Joan x

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  30. a beautiful piece of art using your scraps Valerie- and your photos are GORGEOUS!

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  31. No hay que tirar material, puede servir para ser protagonista de otro trabajo, me gusta como has integrado la foto.

    Maravilloso paseo...me encanta el sol entre los árboles y los girasoles... tengo también girasoles en mí blog.

    BESOS

    BESOS...

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    1. Muchas greacias Maria José. Los girasoles son siempre hermosos. Que tengas un Dia muy bueno!

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  32. A wonderful page Valerie, and great photos! xx

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  33. Wonderful pictures of your walks! I love that field where you pay in a tin! How fun is that!!! Great that people were doing clean up - it is important in our throw away world.

    Wonderful use of scraps too - you do the most amazing things with paper, pictures, and texture. I love you tied everything together!

    Wonderful post as always!

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    1. Thanks so much Nancy! Have a wonderful day, hugs!

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  34. I thought I had commented already here then something reminded me that I had indeed read your post but then a phone call took me away from the computer! I love this page Valerie, texture and scraps - and such a wonderful quote and image! I wish we had a pick your own flowers here! Love the photos! Hugs, Chrisx

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  35. You do beautiful things with scraps! Oh Valerie, how I would love to see those sunflowers in person. They are magnificent!

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  36. I adore your lady's "crown" of scraps, and of course, I adore the texture you created from the texture paste and the netting. I did the exact same thing with my women who are friends. Only MY problem was, the printer printed the women too dark. Their faces were OK, but their clothes were dark masses. I used the scrap just like you did yours. Nothing goes to waste, does it? And you are on a gold kick, too, I see. Thanks for sharing this beautiful scrappy gold journal page with us at Art Journal Journey using Jo's theme.

    Beautiful sunflowers. We are known as the sunflower state, out state flower, so of course, I loved seeing these photos. But of course, my favorites today were the rusty arch at the castle and the roadside shrine.

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    1. That should read OUR state flower, not OUT state flower. DUH. I need coffee, I guess.

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    2. Thanks Elizabeth. No, nothing goes to waste, I hate throwing things away.. I have really been on a gold kick, my gold paste was drying out, so I mixed it with some floetrol to thin it down, but then it needs using up PDQ, hence lots of gold. And there are more gold bits you haven't yet seen! I think you will be writing comments in your sleep tonight!

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  37. Yay found this post at last, not sure if my mouse is misbehaving (probably a biscuit crumb under the panel hee hee!!) but my page keeps scrolling.. LOve this page another one oozing with texture and used elements, I could create pages like this all day long if free time was kinder to me. Gotta use up every scrap, it's amazing what we can do with things. Beautiful art.. thanks you for the inspiration Hugs Tracey xx

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    1. Thanks Tracey. One good thing about having nobody and being retired is that you can always do what you want....Have a great day!

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