Collage, Christmas market and cats

Hi Everybody!

Today I feel more or less normal after my birthday excesses - it won't happen again for another year! Sorry that some readers missed my photos yesterday, I am showing a lot today to make up for it! I visited Ratingen today, a neighbouring town, and had a look round the old town and Christmas market, although it was very cold, wet and windy!

For Art Journal Journey I have another collage to share. This one has been made with one of my collaged wooden hearts, mounted onto corrugated card. The heart was painted with gesso, and collaged with pieces of torn paper, printed and hand-written. Then I gave it a coat of diluted gesso before adding the rose rub-on (LaBlanche). Then I added some gilding flakes before giving it a coat of crackle varnish. The corrugated background (A4) was painted with gesso and sprinkled liberally with Frantage EP in white and gold and heat embossed. Then I collaged more paper scraps and gilding flakes before fixing the heart and some brocade ribbon. I will use this as cover for a journal.

The Christmas market and Church

A beautiful, vintage carousel:

One of the old houses:

The main entrance to the Christmas market:

And last but not least a lesson in relaxation after supper from Lucky and Lilly:

Stretch out on the floor;

Make yourself comfortable:

let your eyes close:

Sweet dreams!

Have a great day you all, take care, 

and thanks a lot for coming by!

Art Journal Journey Collage

Hi everybody!

Just a short post today, I am tired out after celebrating my birthday!

For Art Journal Journey I made another collage in my giant journal. I worked on craft paper, using a variety of paper scraps, some hand-painted,  antique linen, a Dina Wakley stenciled face trimmed with washi tape, a stamped image and some zig-zag stitching. I really enjoy making these collages just out of scraps and 'waste' bits.

That's all for today!

Have a great day, take care,

and thanks a lot for coming by!

Sunday this and that

Hi Everybody!

Today is the shortest day and the longest night of the year, but from tomorrow the days will start getting longer, and that is really something to look forward to!

Hope you are enjoying your weekend!

For Art Journal Journey I have another scrap collage. I used scraps of red, orange and gold papers - some hand-painted ones, some with gold, some cut from an old ledger, mixed with some pieces of ribbon. The background is Kraft paper, painted with gesso.

And I have another Christmas card, which I am liking to Moo Mania and More:

The image is from Gecko Galz,, the shaker was made from die cuts, and the sentiment and BG paper from my stash

Today started off quite well, but got cloudier, windier and wetter as the day progressed.

Some of today's visitors. The robin is still the boss, and the female blackbird bosses the male around!

Have a great day you all, take care,

and thanks a lot for coming by!

Art Journal Journey, Moo Mania and More

Hi Everybody!

We had a cold, wet and windy day here. I came back from my walk soaked to the skin again, and felt sorry for the poor birdies sitting in those dripping trees all day. Although it was market day, there were neither many stalls nor shoppers around.

For Art Journal Journey I have another scrap collage. The background is a recycled calendar page, painted with gesso, and with some colours added in with oil pastels. I used various pieces of hand-painted papers, a strip of linen, some hand-written pieces, ribbon, and a stamped and fussy cut fountain pen, together with a few of the flying bits and bobs from my table. At the bottom of the left hand side I used a bird die cut, and the strip of lace is perhaps the curtain in my window....

At Moo Mania the theme is 'Merry Christmas' so I am showing 2 of my Christmas cards. The background paper is from Gecko Galz, and has been gessoed round the edges, and mounted onto some blue/green card. I added a die-cut, sparkly angel and some TH houses edged with some golden Stickles.

The second card has been made with some DCWV background paper, matted with black. The music paper is from Gecko Galz, and has also been matted with a fancy cut black card. I added 2 sparkly snowflakes and a deer.

I am also linking to Simon' s Monday Challenge, anything goes.

I took these 'portraits' of Lucky and Lilly yesterday:

Grey skies, grey water, grey everything....

Hungry birds:

Raindrops galore:

Have a great day, take care, 

and thanks a lot for coming by!

Lots of this and that.

Hi Everybody!

Today has raced by! My neighbour Gabi invited me to breakfast this morning before she took her Mum home. Then she asked if I wanted to go along for the ride. So I did! Then we decided to go to Holland to do some shopping, a lot of things are much cheaper there, so we ended up in Venlo, did the shopping, ate a huge portion of chips (French Fries), looked round the town and then came back home in time for me to get ready for the Philosophy Circle in the evening, to get some new thoughts into my head. All in all a fun and busy day!

At Art Journal Journey our theme for this month is still collage. I made another page in my giant journal, using paper napkins and gesso as background. The music instruments were cut from the old Sears and Roebuck catalogue from the 1890s. I used some washi tape and stenciled the word 'music' to finish it off. I think the prices for the instruments are not valid these days!

I am also linking to Paint Party Friday, hosted by Eva and Kristin.

  

And of course I took some photos of Gabi and Maria, her Mum:

And of Gabi with Lilly:

And with Lucky:

These are Maria's geese, which have to be kept in a shed just now, as there have been cases of bird flu, and they are not allowed out, which makes them very unhappy, poor things - they miss their meadow and pond!

In the supermarket in Venlo we met Santa Claus, who was really charming:

This is the old Town Hall in Venlo:

And one of the lovely cafés:

The Christmas skating rink:

And a last look along the street before we drove home.

Here's wishing you all a great day, take care, 

and thanks a lot for coming by!