Monday, Monday....

Hi everybody!

Just a quick post today, been having problems with my computer und want to get this done before it collapses again!

First, some pictures from this morning, at sunrise:

I have had another try at the FSC shabby chic challenge, I'm not sure this one is the right style either, but I like it! The owl is a LaBlanche stamp which was been stamped with archival black, embossed, and then brushed with some perfect pearls in gold and blue to give some colours to the feathers. I fussy cut it, and then mounted him on a panel of corrugated card, which had been painted and glittered. I cut away the branch he was originally sitting on, and gave him a festive one, to fit to his hat.

 

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

Sunday this and that

Hi everybody!

Here it's a grey and dismal Sunday, but I still went out for my walk through our little town and along the Rhine, and enjoyed it even if there was no sun to be seen anywhere.

I have been trying to make some Christmas cards, but am not feeling inspired in this direction just now.

This one has been made for the shabby chic challenge at FSC, and it is not quite as I would have liked it, but I tried. The edges of the background papers for the matting have been distressed and dipped in silver glitter. Note to self - it is not a good idea to use silver glitter when you are wearing black fleecy trousers....

The image has been stamped with a LaBlanche stamp using archival black and embossed with EP before being fussy cut. I left it black and white as it is a Victorian image, and contrasts well with the background. Santa is a vintage scrap, and I added some red fibres, tinsel and some silver roses for embellishments. The snow is a strip of lace.

The second card was a quick one, made with Graphics 45 paper matted onto gold. I think I will have to make more quick ones if any cards are going to leave the house this year!

 

I saw this ship on my walk today. It was really huge, much larger than most that travel up and down the Rhine. Can you see what is has loaded?

 

Here's a close up, there must be hundreds of cars on there!

 

And last but not least, my friends the gulls, who were, once again, all looking in the same direction.

 

This one evidently didn't mind posing for me:

 

Although he does look a bit indignant here!

 

Have a great day, whatever you are up to, take care, and thanks a lot for coming by!

Paper Angels

Hi you all!

Today is Paper Saturday, so I am linking up with some matchbox angel-doll decorations that I made. They can also be used as gift-boxes for small presents or vouchers.

I used the same pattern that I used for my tag on Tuesday. This time I used a vintage angel scrap for the head, and different trimmings for their skirts. The gold decorations have been made with liquid pearls. I fixed a ribbon-loop onto the back of each one so that they can be hung on a Xmas tree. I gave the dolls unmoveable joints, but they can also be jointed with small brads to make them moveable.

When I went for my walk yesterday I decided to walk in the other direction along the Rhine, a very quiet and peaceful stretch, which I enjoyed, although it was very cold and windy, even the horses were wearing their winter coats!

This little house is almost hidden in the trees:

An old pump house from the 18th century.

The next little town in sight:

An old mile stone, showing the distances in kilometers to the Dutch border, to Basel and to Rotterdam:

The sun tried to break through the clouds:

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

Colour makes everything different.

Hi everybody!
I have been playing around in my giant journal (60x44" spread) again this week. I put the journal away about 2 years back as I wasn't feeling well, and didn't want to go near it for a long time, but now I have taken it up again and am finishing off pages I started then. This one is very colourful, as I have made it for Conny's 'Mix it monthly'. She wants to see pink, blue and green, children and graphic patterns, so I have made a mixed media paint collage where all the elements have been incorporated. 'Just do it' is, I think, a message for me - to get on and finish all these unfinished pages, and brighten them up with happy colours instead of the sludgy ones they had before!
The postcard I placed in it is from Edward Hopper.

Linking also to Paint Party Friday, hosted as always, by Eva and Kristin.

On Monday we had a clear sky and saw the moon rising through the trees:

 On Tuesday it was misty and drizzled all day, taking all the colour out of the world:

Yesterday - Wednesday-  was cold but sunny, making an amazing contrast:

I wonder why the gulls always look in the same direction? Am I missing something?

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

Queens and all white for Double Tuesday

Hi everybody!

 It's Tuesday again, and that means it's time for the challenges at 

Tag Tuesday and Try it on Tuesday.

At Tag Tuesday our theme is Kings and Queens. I wanted to do Freddie Mercury as Queen, but then I had the idea for a little queen art- doll tag,  and tried it out.

The doll has been  cut out of scraps of printed paper, and fixed together with glue spots - I decided against moveable joints. The crown is a castle stamp which has the right size to double up as a crown.

Her dress has been made from a rosette which was on a notebook that someone sent me as a present some time back. The notebook has long been used up, but I kept the rosette to use again, so thanks a lot if it was from you! The golden jewels have been added with liquid pearls, and I mounted her onto a tag made of scraps which I matted together.

 

I am also entering this tag into the 'mystery' challenge at Simons Monday Blog.

Who is this mystery queen, and what is she hiding under that rosette she's holding?

Can you give her a name?

At TIOT our theme for the next 2 weeks is white on white, so I hope that lots of you will be filled with cool, white inspiration and join in, perhaps with some sparkly white Christmas stuff?

I am more partial to grunge than white on white, but I painted a piece of distressed cardboard with white gesso, added glitter, and then threw on all the white embellies I could find. The birdcage, bird and large flowers are TH diecuts, the small flowers at the bottom right have been quilled. And that heart is white, not pink, but it is made out of some reflective material that catches the light and changes colour on photos!

 

And here are some impressions from yesterday's walk:

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