Weekend Post - new challenge at More Mixed Media

 Hi Everybody!

I was not planning on posting over the weekend, but then I remembered that every month on the 5th we start a new challenge at More Mixed Media. As always, our challenges are  anything mixed media goes, with an optional colour which this time is brown - Autumn is coming nearer! You have 4 weeks to join our challenge and there are prizes to win, so hope to see YOU there.
I have made an A3 mixed media piece in my large journal, and was happy to start using autumn colours. I made a textured background using the method shown in my post yesterday , and splattered it with my brown, home made ink.  I printed the face onto a book page but somehow turned it upside down! I added lots of textural spots round the face using a gold structure paste. The autumn leaves were added with pieces of a paper napkin and some doodling. And if you're wondering what the chess figures are doing there, well, they just happened to be flying around on my messy table!
I am also linking to Jo's texture challenge at AJJ

Somebody's toes photo-bombed the picture:

And a few pics from my walks this week:

I was happy we had some rain:

I love seeing the hops:

Down by the lake:

I had the feeling this was looking at me:

I love these rusty gates:

Have a great weekend, take care,

and thanks a lot for coming by!

Paint Party Friday

 Hi Everybody!

This was a busy week, and has gone by very quickly, and it's Friday already. Although I always look forward to the weekend, this week I am really planning 2 lazy days to relax and take some me time.

Today I am sharing another A3 mixed media piece. I am linking to Paint Party Friday and to AJJ, where Jo's challenge is texture. 'Live' was die cut and collaged. I used sparkly netting to cover some of the circles to add extra texture. The birds and men were stenciled. The background was textured with paint, and as I have been asked how I do this, I have a simple tutorial after the pictures of the page:

I always work on A3 pages (Approx. 12" x 17").

I start off by putting a dollop of white gesso in the middle - about a tablespoonful:

Then I add 2 or 3 spots of colour:

I use a large, hard-rubber brayer (bought in 1974, it was good quality!)

I spread the paint with the brayer, first of all in all directions, trying not to squash paint over the edges:

Then I try to get the lines vertical:

The brayer gets cleaned on a sheet of paper, which gives me more ready made backgrounds or paper to use for die-cuts etc:

To increase the texture more you can dry it with a heat gun, going in close to make the paint bubble and blister:

This adds interest to the texture:

This is a very quick and easy way of texturing paper without having to use expensive extras, and I need about 5 minutes from start to finish, not including drying time. If I'm not heat drying it I paint a background before I go to bed and it's ready to work on when I get up.

I love the evenings when the birds gather in 'their' tree. There are lots of trees outside I don't know what makes them all use this one as their hang-out:

The evening sun colours the white feathers of the magpie yellow:

I like to watch the sunrise, too:

By my walk yesterday the clouds were very beautiful:

Princess Maxima  was chugging by:

Yes, some people call them weeds. I call them beautiful:

Apples growing over the wall:

Happy ducks in the stream next to the house:

Have a great day, take care,

and thanks a lot for coming by!