My Art Journal - Between the Months Page

Yesterday I didn't feel like starting anything new, so I just played with some of my new stamps and then scribbled around, which I enjoyed no end. Usually pages like this end up chopped into inchies, or made into backgrounds for tags etc., but this time I am keeping it as part of my journal. The stamps are all from LaBlanche, with exception of the lovely tea cup, which was the freebie in this month's *Craft Stamper*, and I just love freebies- who doesn't?
The background has been distressed with TH inks and sprayed with *Juneberry wine* again - also a freebie, which is why I am using it lavishly just now. After stamping with archival black, I clear embossed some parts to give more depth and shine, and brushed on some perfect pearls, which I heat-fixed. Then I did a bit of writing and coloured some parts with glaze pens in the course of the evening, that was fun, just scribbling around as I felt like it.
I had a lot of fun playing and watching this rather surreal page develop, and will be making more as the mood takes me. there are 80 pages in the book, so I have plenty of space!
Thanks for looking, and have a nice day!

I am entering this for the *Simon Says Stamp and Show* Challenge. I have to admit that they are all new stamps (someone keeps ordering things at night when I am asleep - or is it me?)

My Art Journal 2011

I was lucky to get a copy of *Craft Stamper* sent to me last week from Petra B - once again, many thanks! - and have since been enjoying the inspiring articles, lots of which are from the lovely ladies of *Gingersnaps*
One of the many things which have landed on my ever growing *to do* list was the *Project Art Journaling* from Kate Crane. It reminded me of the giant, A3 sketch book I have had hidden in my hall closet for a couple of years.
So, yesterday I dug it out, resisted the temptation to dig further and see what else might be lurking there, and started work.
I decided to distress the pages with ink, as I recently tidied all my acryl and water paints away, and did not want to spend a day looking for them....
The title page has been distressed with TH inks in various blue tones and wild honey. I used a mask to make a border top and bottom, which I sprayed with *Juneberry wine* from My Tattered Angels. The alphas were left overs from Xmas crafting, and the background squares cut from paper printed with a snowy picture taken from my balcony.
Then I did a double page spread for January, using remnants of scrap paper from my stash. The background has been distressed with TH inks in stormy skies, faded jeans, victorian velvet, forest moss and wild honey, masked with scrolls and also sprayed with *Juneberry wine*. Then I did some random stamping with my large script stamp before sticking on the squares for the days and dates etc. Then I did more random stamping round about, using all the stamps which were flying around in the kitchen where they should not have been. To finish it off I added some hand-doodling, one of my favourite sayings from Albert Einstein, and some cut outs which were also littering my kitchen. This way I will always be able to remember how messy my kitchen was when I started my journal, although it was NOTHING compared to how messy it was afterwards. Now you won't believe this, but I did clear away the mess when I had finished - I had to make a path to the coffee-maker!
Before I went to bed I typed a preface for my journal, here is the text:

*Art is the window of the soul*
For me, creating my art is an integral part of my life, and I cannot imagine having to live without it. It helps me to maintain my mental balance and wellbeing, and together with my other great loves - music, reading and writing, makes me whole.
I have often had phases in life where I have been left alone, been sad, overworked, frustrated, ill or disappointed, but my *loves* have always offered me an escape into the realms of creativity and imagination.
I am happy if other people like the art work I make, or what I have written, but it is not essential; the process of creation is important, and if I am satisfied with what I have made, I feel good after it.
Now I have started on a new journey with this art journal for 2011. There will only be a small square to write in each day; space for a short, positive comment. My aim will to be to find the things each day for which I can be thankful, things which made the day a good day, and not to write a report of problems or catastrophes!
I discovered this giant sketch book in my *bottomless pit* - my name for the hall closet! As it is already bound, mistakes or pages which don’t turn out quite as I would like them to will have to become a part of the journey, a mirror of the imperfections of life itself. You can’t rub out your past, but you can turn over a new leaf and try to do better – or differently – the next time!
So, here’s wishing us all a good new year, with the courage to take life as it comes and make the best of it.

There are loads of pages in the book, so I will be able to use some of the other pages *between the months* to try out stamps, do some doodling, or...? Who knows? That's the fun of a journey, you don't know what's round the next corner!

So, now I had better get started on filling it in. Thanks for looking!

My Recycled / Upcycled Bit-Box

What's a Bit-Box? Good question. I recycled a corrugated cardboard box which was filled with silver night-lights. The ribbon that was round the box already got recycled in my winter door-wreath, and the box has been calling to be used for days. First I rubbed all the edges with embossing ink, and then embossed with bronze and gold powder and a touch of perfect pearls in gold and pink to give the cardboard a bit of shine. The background has been covered with a scrap of hand-made Indian paper with gold stars, which I stamped with a script stamp and a clock. Then I gathered all the bits that were flying around on my desk and stuck as many of them as I could onto / into the box - a stamped and embossed TH bird, some Prima flowers and leaves, some gold numerals, a key, some clocks, some words, a vintage picture, a cameo and a vintage fairy which I placed under a TH fragment. The copper coloured clock is also from TH, and the words from Dark Room Door.
Now you know what a Bit-Box is; I'm not sure if I really like it, but my desk definately looks better. Thanks for looking, and have a nice day/afternoon/evening as the case may be.

Stampman Special Event

There's a special event and blog hop underway on the Stampman Challenge Blog, more details here:






























One of the *musts* is to show your favourite project of 2010, how difficult, I loved so many of mine (vane, I know!) But I decided that I really liked this pic that I made for the *Gothtober* Challenge over on *Gingersnaps*. More pics from this project can be seen on my blog here.






So, folks, if you want to join in, the more the merrier - off you go to the Stampman Blog and just have fun!

Happy New Year Everybody!

Hi everybody, here's wishing you a happy and healthy 2011! Hope you all got through Christmas OK, and are ready to start into the new year tomorrow.
I have made this card for the *STAMPMAN BLOG CHALLENGE - ANYTHING GOES!*
I have been resting and reading a lot this past few days, tanking up some fresh energy ready for celebrating with my friends tomorrow. Strange to think that this is the last thing I will have made for this year!
Once again, many thanks to all those who have visited my blog, left encouraging comments and who have given me a lot of inspiration.

Happy Christmas & A Blog Award

First of all I would like to wish everybody who looks by a very merry Christmas, hopefully with some time to relax from the pre-Christmas stress, pleasant hours with family and friends, and all the best. I have been reading on many blogs about all the preparations and hard work people - mostly the ladies- have put into making this holiday memorable for their beloved families, and seen many beautiful cards and presents which have been made with phantasy and a great love of creativity, and hope that all these lovely things will be much appreciated by the recipients. Have a lovely time, and thank you all for visiting my blog and for all the encouraging comments you have left.

Secondly, I have been given a blog award by
Carole who got it from Kevin of McCrafty's Cards.


Many thanks to Carole, who for me is the Queen of hand-coloured Tilda Cards, for thinking of me. I don't really like Tilda at all (Hey, don't shout at me, all you Tilda lovers out there!), but Carole's techniques are worth taking a look, then this lady is good!
One of the conditions is to write 8 things about me, and the second one is to pass this award on to 4 other bloggers.

Hmm, what can I say without revealing too much???

1) I am not a good cook, but like eating and baking cakes and biscuits, such as shortbread, chocolate cake, Muffins, Waffles and....and....which probably explains number 2:
2) I am a little too short for my weight; well actually I am quite tall, but I do weigh a few pounds/kilos/stones/ perhaps tons too much.
3) I am NOT planning on making a diet in the new year, because I cannot afford to buy new clothes and lifting the sewing machine out of the cupboard to alter those I have would hurt my back and anyway I can't see well enough to thread the needle properly - and I could surely think of a few more excuses if necessary!
4) I like driving my little red car around, but NOT by ice and snow.
5) I love crafting, making scrapbooks, LOs, mini-books, cards, albums, tags etc.
6) I love reading books about crafting, making scrapbooks, LOs, mini-books, cards, albums, tags etc.
7) I do NOT like clearing up after I have been crafting, making scrapbooks, LOs, mini-books, cards, albums, tags etc.
8) I love reading, and spend most of the time when I am not crafting, making scrapbooks, LOs, mini-books, cards, albums, tags etc. reading everything that falls into my mostly sticky and inky fingers.

OK folks, I hope you now have a good idea what I (am) like!
I have to pass this award on to 4 other people, so I have chosen
Netty of Netty's Craftings,
Carole of Carole's Crafty Corner,
Sue of Scrapbook Susie &
Alma of Tassels, Tags and Teabags.
So Ladies, grab your award when you have time!

Lantern Waste is Everywhere - Remembering Narnia

I grew up with *The Chronicles of Narnia* from C.S.Lewis, and that magical land, where it was always winter and never Christmas, was something that impressed me very much. I used to have an old wooden wardrobe in my bedroom, too, but it had no magic door to another dimension. Snow was something we did not have much of in London, I have more memories of fog and rain, while snow was something on old fashioned Christmas cards.
I have been living in Germany since 1972, and up till now we never had a *white Christmas*, and to be quite honest, I never wanted one. The only one in the family who liked snow was my dog.
It's still a few days to go, but as we have had snow for a couple of weeks now, it looks as though the wishes in Irving Berlin's *White Christmas* song - made immortal by Bing Crosby - will be coming true for a lot of people this year.
Today it was extremely cold. I watched the sun rising, and the crows sitting in the tree waiting for me to disappear so that they could get to their *supplies* on my balcony. Later it snowed again, but it was still possible to go out for a walk along the Rhine and through our little town. Two joggers passed me on the Rhine-path, one wearing shorts and with naked feet! Well, it takes all sorts to make the world....Unfortunately I was not able to get my camera out quickly enough to get a pic of him.
The old fashioned lanterns along the path, and the snowy trees, reminded me of *Lantern Waste*, but I saw neither Lucy nor Mr Tumnus.
I did see some nice Christmas decorations again, and Santas climbing up several houses. And a snow-ball bush. And kids throwing snow-balls or being pulled along on sledges by their Mums and Dads. And had time to admire the beautiful windows and entrance to St Swidbert's Church, and the arch leading to the *Marien-Hospital*.
And after I had warmed up again at home, I watched the sun putting sparkles on the snow before setting in the west, and a few minutes later the moon rising through the trees.
Am I getting to actually like snow??
Have a nice weekend, take care, and thanks for looking in!