An Autumn Journal

Hi Everybody!

I made this journal as part of my guest DT work for Gecko Galz, but didn't get round to showing it till now.

The papers used for the covers, inside and out,  the tag pockets and the little illustrations in between are all from Gecko Galz collage sheets. I used cardboard from an old painting pad for the covers, and distressed the edges, after gluing on the papers, with DI in wild honey, rusty screw and Inka gold. I tied the book together with ribbons, as I noticed after I had punched the holes, that I didn't have wires in the right size. This is a great alternative, as it gives a much softer finish and the book always opens flat. I have just shown a few of the pages here, so as not to make the post too long.

 

I am linking to Artful times - Autumnal Colours

On my walk through the park I discovered lots of mushrooms /toadstools.

This is the biggest puffball I have seen there till now,  much larger than a football!

I think they are edible, but I left it there!

And there were lots of ink-caps in various stages of growth and decay:

I love the view from above, it looks like an UFO!

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

Double Tuesday again - Halloween is coming nearer.

Hi everybody!

Today it's time for a new theme at Tag Tuesday, and a new challenge at Try it on Tuesday.

At Tag Tuesday our theme this week is 'Tattered and torn'. Somehow, it turned out as another Halloween tag, what a surprise! The background  image is from Gecko Galz, and has been mounted onto some of the pretty card that Donna sent me last week. The die-cut was a gift from Diane, who cut it with her Zing.

The crow has been fussy cut and given an eye made with green stickles. The grey hairs were in my stash - perhaps one of my visiting witches left them here - and the scrap of material has been blacked with DI.

 

The altered bottle is a decoration I made last year.

I am also linking to Tagalong Challenge - 'Something wicked this way comes'

At Try it on Tuesday  the theme is textures.  You have 2 weeks to join in the challenge. The challenges this month  are being sponsored by Smeared Ink.  They are offering a prize of 10$ to spend in their online store. 

The box used here is a recycled corrugated cardboard box which once had candles in it. I painted it black, and added some Inka Gold to liven it up. The background paper is from Gecko Galz. The die-cuts were once again made by Diane - thanks! The rest is from my stash

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

Patchwork

Hi everybody!

Over at So Artful challenge the theme this month is 'patchwork quilt'. This made me think of the lovely scraps that Donna sent me from Mexico some time back. As it is October, I sorted out scraps suitable for the 'Day of the Dead', and made them into a journal cover, which should keep my journal nice and warm this winter.... I used some iron-on vlies to fix them to a sheet of cardboard, and then sewed them, more or less, with the machine. I needed more time to thread the needle than to sew it, I cannot see where to put the thread, but I got it done in the end! The stitches do not look even, but I have learnt to accept my limitations when sewing, and am calling it 'Witch stitch'! When it was done, I went round the edge with another line of stitching, and fixed it to a plain journal cover with DS tape. The witchy accessories have been cut from fun-foam using a Sizzix die.

I love the bright colours of the Mexican cloth, and how those skellies seem to be having a fun time.

 

Somebody dropped in to have a look:

 

I think she's glad to have company!

I am also linking to: Crafty Calendar Challenge, Halloween
and  Crazy 4Challenges, Halloween

That's all for today, have a good one, take care, and thanks a lot for coming by!

More she-art

Hi everybody!

Thanks for all your good wishes, I am slowly feeling better, but still need a bit of time to be 'back to normal'.

One of the great things about Autumn and Winter are the wonderful early morning skies I can see from my balcony, and this photo, taken on Thursday, about an hour before sunrise, makes it worth being awake early. I know I take a lot of sky photos, but it is just so lovely....

 

At AJJ the theme this month is she-art, and my journal pages give perhaps a rather tongue-in-cheek interpretation of the theme. The background has been painted with acrylics, and I used my new stamps and some of the die-cuts from Donna,  and just had fun. The witchy perfume bottles were sent to me by Diane, and the fashion accessories are from my stash. My black fine-liner was on its last legs, so sorry for the scratchy lettering. I am also linking to Manon's Paper Saturdays.

Thanks for coming by, take care, and have a great day!

Autumn Lady

Hi you all!

I have not been feeling good this week, but have tried to do a bit of crafting here and there.

At AJJ there is a new challenge, 'She Art'. This canvas is one I started in August 2012, and which I have managed to finish....The collaged lady has been cut from a pattern I got from LaBlanche, using different papers, mostly from Seven Gypsies. The background has been painted with acrylics, and partly heat dried to make the paint bubble and give some texture. I am also linking to PPF, hosted, as always, by  Eva and Kristin.

It reminded me of this quote from Sarah Addison Allen:

“She looked like autumn, when leaves turned and fruit ripened.”

This photo was taken this morning, an hour before sunrise. I didn't have a chance to adjust the camera, so it's rather blurry, but I thought it was so pretty with the sliver of moon at the top and the colours of the sky.

And just for fun, another poem from Robert Frost:

“GATHERING LEAVES
Spades take up leaves
No better than spoons,
And bags full of leaves
Are light as balloons.
I make a great noise
Of rustling all day
Like rabbit and deer
Running away.
But the mountains I raise
Elude my embrace,
Flowing over my arms
And into my face.
I may load and unload
Again and again
Till I fill the whole shed,
And what have I then?
Next to nothing for weight,
And since they grew duller
From contact with earth,
Next to nothing for color.
Next to nothing for use.
But a crop is a crop,
And who's to say where
The harvest shall stop?”

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

Tag Tuesday and more happy mail

Hi everybody!

Just a quick post today, I have an infection, and need to get plenty of rest for a few days.

I got this wonderful postcard from Chrissie, who has been spending a week at Skegness, where I often spent weekends when I was studying near there. It looks just the same as always, and brought back some fond memories of meeting dates at the clock-tower! Thanks Chrissie!

This postcard is a painting which Alex made, and she sent me a copy for my 'arty kitchen'- it is really beautiful. Thanks a lot Alex!

And here is my tag for Tag Tuesday, where the theme this week is beads, buttons and bows.

I used some of the paper and embellies I got from Donna, and some beads which were in my parcel from Debbie recently. The ribbon for the bow is from Really Reasonable Ribbon, part of a win I had, and the skull, from Donna, is a button. 

Have a good day, take care, and thanks a lot for visiting!

Happy Mail

Hi everybody!

We have had some pleasant, Autumn weather the past few days - cold nights (bed-sock cold), frost and mist in the morning, and perfect weather for walking during the day.

I love the sky in the early morning just before sunrise, it looked like it had been freshly washed.

 

And these guys were really friendly and came over to the fence to say hello.

 

And on Saturday, when I went down to my mail-box, I found a giant parcel from Donna in it, all the way from Mexico. Thaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaank you! She seems somehow to know that I like Halloween! I wonder what my neighbours thought of all my squeaking and screaming as these lovely things came out of the parcel one by one?

Halloween stamps - yummy!

 

loads of Halloween papers, one lovelier than the other....

 

A wall hanging made by Miz Donna personally, which is already hanging in my arty kitchen....

(love those pumpkins, especially the bad tempered looking ones!)

 

Lots of creative scraps - delicious!

 

And I couldn't stop grinning and squeaking when I saw these spiders and skulls with wobbly eyes - just fantastic!

 

And some large postcards . these will make wonderful covers for mini-books!

 

Lots of gorgeous stamps to play with!

 

A packet full of die cuts waiting to be used, and the 'wastes', which I love to use as templates.

Cards printed with Donna's wonderful paintings:

 

And a packet of mixed pieces for collage.

Now, this parcel made me very happy, and I am looking forward to playing with it, so I'll sign off now and get to work!

Thanks again Donna, you are sooooooo kind!

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