GC84- snow pine and mahogany

Just a short post today as I still need to tidy up a bit before my weekend visitor comes. I made this little present box in CD-size to house a mini album I'm making for a friend. The rose has been stamped with TH aged mahogany and a no name dark green, because my TH pine is still pining away under one of the many - as yet unsorted - piles of Xmas bits and bobs that are still lurking around. Then it was clear embossed before water colouring it with some ink and adding a bit of glitter. It has been cut out, decoupaged and matted onto paper scraps in white, wine red and dark green, and I have fixed a green ribbon under the paper so that the ends can be tied at the back. Added three dark red roses - thanks Netty! and that was it. It was, as always, fun to make it, but now I have to start my final clear up....Have a nice weekend, and take care! Thanks for looking in!

2 Tags and a LO, freezing rain and icy roads....

As I dragged myself out of bed an hour ago I heard on the radio that the rain which started in the night has fallen onto the icy roads and caused *Blitz* ice, and that it would be better not to drive if it's not necessary. So, I have changed my plans and will get the shopping this afternoon now, and hope that by then the ice will be washed away. In the meantime, I have time for a bit of crafting, blogging and I should find time for a little h*******k, don't even like to write that nasty word!
It is unfortunately necessary though, as I have a weekend visitor.
Yesterday I made 2 tags for an extra challenge in the Gingersnaps group, it's a recipe challenge for 2011 - 2 stamps - 0 diecuts - 1 ribbon - 1 piece of bling, so the tags have been made to this recipe. The backgrounds have been distressed with TH inks onto recycled card cut from my old calendar. Had to resist the temptation to stick more onto them, recipe is recipe, but it was fun to do.






The LO is a 12x12" print of a photo that I took from my balcony while the big snow was here. Printed a caption on it, used a few left over Xmas decorations and some ancient rub ons, which took ages to stick as they seem to have dried out.
It is a very simple LO, no stamping, no serious work,just for fun and just the expression of a heartfelt wish for warmth, sunshine, green leaves and flowers!
Thanks for looking and have a nice day!

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.