She who seeks shall find....

Hiding things in books is a great idea if you don't need to find them again, or if you at least write down which book you have used. As I have a few thousand books here, it is sometimes rather difficult.... But then I found the right book, *Charles Darwin's Origin of the Species*, and there were the four leafed clovers. I don't know who pressed them or put them in there, but I was happy to have found them again.
My tag has been made from some scrap card, covered with part of a page from *Webster's Dictionary* - an extremely large and heavy volume. I chose the page where *clover* was. I distressed the paper with forest moss DI, and added an image transfer of a clover plant, before affixing the four leaved clovers and a ribbon, which I also found in the cutlery drawer(?!).

I also found the frontispiece from a very ancient book, which had been placed in Darwin's pages for safe keeping, by whom I do not know. But it really is a little treasure, from 1627, which makes it almost 400 years old - amazing! If you would like to copy it for your own use you are very welcome.

And this is another found piece, discovered at the Rhine some weeks back, a little stone which has a three cornered form and looks like an owl. Well, I think it does!

My journaling prompt for yesterday was *time*. I scanned two old documents I have to make the backgrounds for the pages, and faded them before printing. The verse I have used is one of my faves; it's part of Isaac Watt's hymn, *Oh God, our help in ages past*, a paraphrase of Psalm 90. The picture on the bottom of the left page shows the statue of Isaac Watts in Abney Park Cemetery in Stoke Newington, London. I included it because I like the way the greenery is growing up the plinth of his statue - time does not stand still, as King Canute - a Danish King who ruled in England, too, in the 11th century noticed - *Time and Tide wait for no man*.
Apart from that I have used some TH templates to sponge the clock and cog images, and added some image transfers, a bee and a butterfly, insects with wings - time flies.

So, that was all for today. Have a good day you all, and thanks for visiting!

From the Heart and Tag Tuesday

Okay, I'll start with Tag Tuesday. We are supposed to be making tags with something we found. At the weekend I found some pressed 4-leafed clovers in an old book, and planned to make a tag with them. BUT - I have forgotten in which book they are....I will start searching seriously, and hope to get that tag made later!

I picked a journal prompt from my tin today, and saw *From the heart* - eeeeeeeeek! Not really my cup of tea. But I remembered that nice quote from *The little Prince* about only seeing rightly with the heart, and that was the inspiration for my pages:

The little prince has been coloured by hand and then cut out, and stuck on to form a pocket, so that I can put some *from-the-heart-journaling* into it, and keep it for my heart.... The background has been made with Adirondack colour wash and stickles, with some little planets and stars stuck on. My finger will probably be blue for some days. The sparkle was, unfortunately, not easy to photograph.


Have a good day you all. I need to do some dreaded H*******K today, so I'd better start before I forget it again. Thanks for visiting!

Frida Kahlo Journal Pages

Hi everybody. The weekend is over and we are once again at the start of a new week - hope it will be a good one. We had strange weather yesterday. It got really warm and muggy, and then in the afternoon the clouds started building up, and then we had a heavenly fire work display, with thunder, lightning and torrential rain. But the air felt good when it was over.

I pulled another prompt out of my tin yesterday, and got *Frida Kahlo*, an artist whom I very much admire - for her fight against her badly injured body, for the wonderful, expressive paintings she made, for her heartbreak with her husband, Diego Rivera, and for the marvellous art journal she kept. For my journal pages I have used scans of 2 pages from her journal as background for mine. I have added an image transfer of 'The broken column', and some of her quotes. This is the first time I have made journal pages without writing anything myself; I thought it was better just to share her thoughts and writing. I have added some stamping, a title, and a winged heart made of painted tin, sent from Mexico; Mexican folk-art seemed fitting.

Here are the front and back cover pictures from her Diary; I have the German edition, but it is available in English, too, and is a must-read for those who love journaling.

And last but not least, my DT piece for 'The Cheerful Stamp Pad'. The theme is running this time just for one week, and is a colour challenge - black, white and a dash of yellow. I have made a card featuring TH's old jalopy die-cut. The windows and trim have been made with music paper, and the car has been mounted onto some yellow and white patterned BG paper with foam squares, with yellow and white flowers for wheels. It should have a *Bon Voyage* sentiment, but the box with the sentiments seems to have gone on holiday....

Have a good day you all, take care and thanks for coming by!

Journal and Goodies in the Post

This week the postman brought me some goodies instead of the usual bills and ads. I love getting happy mail - don't we all - so want to show you what arrived.
The first package was from Jeanie, who sent me some *royal* creations, which pleased me very much, as there is nothing to commemorate the Queen's diamond jubilee in the shops here, as well as some matching ribbon, three beautiful little water-colour ATCs and some mixed embellies, all of which will be very useful in my day to day crafting.
Here you can see the lovely tag - which has both sides decorated, in its pretty pocket, and all the other pretties:

The second package came from Sue the Iron, who sent me a huge goody bag which backing papers, rub-ons, transparencies, metall flowers and embellies, skeleton leaves, quotes, puzzle pieces, rubber stamps (not on the picture as I am mounting them!) with angels and flying creatures, and a beautiful tag and card.

I was really overwhelmed by all the goodies I received from Jeanie and Sue, and am always surprised how generous and kind the blogger family is. Especially just now, where I have been feeling so down,your kindness did me good. Thanks a bunch!

And I started work on my new journal, this time I have a tin with prompts, and the first one I pulled was fashion:

I made the background using pages from one of my old magazines, painted with gesso, and then doodled, collaged, scribbled etc. I have already made some alterations; I have edged the *fashion* script with red, which sets it off better.

Have a good Sunday, take care, and thanks for dropping in!

PPF and Jason In Ghana

It's Friday again, so time for Paint Party Friday, hosted as always by Eva and Kristin, and Darcy's Postcard Challenge week 20, where our participants have to visit a west African country this week. Darcy, what about sending them somewhere normal, like Brighton or Blackpool or Berlin?? Anyway, Jason is off to Ghana....

After arriving back home from Bulgaria, Thelma was not really happy to see that Jason and Shannon had got so friendly. And although they both deny that there is more going on than just being friends, nobody believes them, least of all Thelma, who keeps a watchful eye on her beloved daughter.
They are still looking for a new flat and shop for Jason, but nothing that Thelma and Cissie find is right for him, and in the meantime, Shannon has taken to spending more and more time with Jason, ‘To help the boy in the shop....’
One afternoon, Jason, Shannon, Thelma and Cissie are enjoying their usual cream cake tea, swapping the newest news of hatches, matches and dispatches when Jason says, ‘I’ve got something to tell ya!’ Thelma thinks it might be something about Shannon, and nearly chokes on her tea, but is very relieved when Jason says that he is planning to go to visit an old school-friend, who is getting married. ‘Where does he live now?’ asks Cissie. ‘Well, 'e lives in Brixton, but 'e’s getting married in Accra, where ‘is parents came from. ‘E’s the one wiv the shop selling second hand jazz records, makes a fortune wiv ‘is old vinyl!’ says Jason. ‘Problem is, I ain’t got enough money to take Shannon, and she’s pretty cut up about it!’ ‘Where is Accra?’ both ladies ask simultaneously. ‘Isn’t it in South London somewhere?’ asks Cissie. Jason grins, and says, ‘Nah! It’s in Africa, in Ghana.’ Cissie and Thelma can’t stop shouting. ‘You must be mad!’ ‘I would never let my Shannon go there, there are pirates and terrorists everywhere!’ ‘Just send ‘em a nice present and be done with it!’ ‘Jason!’ please!’
But, as usual, Jason does not listen. Shannon is furious that her Mum won’t give her the money to go with him, and after tiring themselves out with eating cream-cakes and shouting at each other, they all go to the fish-and-chip shop for supper to recuperate. Sharon decides to knit Jason a pullover on her knitting-machine, and tells him he is not to take it off all the time he is there, except perhaps for the wedding, and he is not to look at any girls there. Cissie and Thelma are speechless. Then Thelma whispers to Cissie, ‘Bloody hell, I think they’re getting serious....’ And everybody in the shop starts to laugh.

After a long flight Jason arrives in Accra, and is surprised that it is a modern town, full of large buildings, noisy roads and crowded with people, in fact, not much different to London, as far as Jason can see.

(The first two pictures show the town of Accra, the third one is the sport stadium there. All three photos are from Wikipedia Commons)

His mate’s family live outside the town in a big, modern bungalow, with air-conditioning and IKEA furniture. Jason can’t believe it. He had envisaged Africa to be rather different…. The wedding ceremony goes on for several days, with partying day and night, which Jason just loves. The family give Jason some African masks, statues and printed cotton material to take home for his family.

When Jason arrives back at Heathrow, Shannon is waiting for him, and he realises how pretty she is, and how much he has missed her....

This is the postcard he sends Cissie. He sends the same one to Shannon, but puts it in an envelope, seals it, and writes ‘Private and VERY confidential, Thelma keep out!’ on it. I wonder what he wrote on it? Thelma was NOT amused....

The postcard features a mask, painted with tempera colours more than 20 years back. Jason is wearing Shannon's new pullover, and has grown a little beard. He thinks it will distract from his still rather swollen face. And he still has those red marks on his throat....

For Paint Party Friday I have made a large, mixed-media canvas. I have painted it with acyrlics, using templates from crafter's work shop for the small squares, numbers and writing. It's something a bit different to usual, I think it's good to try something new once in a while....

The quote is from Al Capp, rather thought provoking, but perhaps not to be taken quite seriously.

Here's wishing you all a good weekend, have fun, take care and thanks for looking!

Thursday and even more grunge....

Hi everybody. We had a cold and frosty day here yesterday, and when I set off to go to the doc's it bucketed down hail stones. It was so loud I thought they would come through the roof of the car! In south Germany they even had snow! But the weather-men have promised better weather from today on; i sure hope they are right!

The five postcards here are the ones I made for the swap on Inspiration Avenue, they must have reached their destinations by now.

I showed the *backsides* last week already. I have had a lot of fun messing around with ephemera and mod-podge and ink this past couple of weeks, I think I will be soon doing some more.... I am linking to *Simon Says Stamp and Show* where anything goes this week.

Have a good day you all, take care, and thanks for looking in!

Wednesday and more Grunge....

Hi everybody. Today I want to share two more grungy postcards that I made.

And the *backsides*

They should have been made with gel image transfers, but it was late at night, and I pasted the wrong side, so they just ended up with vintage images as they were....I think I should stop doing things that need a bit of brain when it's soooo late. But I still like them. I am entering the birdy one into the birds challenge at *Artful Times*. The quote on the rose card is from Umberto Eco's *The Name of the Rose*.

Tomorrow I will share the pics of the cards I sent off for the postcard exchange, they should have arrived at their destinations by now. I know that one has arrived, so let's hope the others have, too.

Have a good day you all. Take care, and thanks for dropping in!