Artist Experiments......

This is an old post from my last blog... but feeling the want to repost it... so apologies to any of you who were following me back in February 2014.. cos here it is again........ For new followers, here is an Arty Experiment using bits and bobs and embellies (subtle direction push to That Craft Place if you need any embellie bits! :-) ) (only it wasn't that subtle was it??  Oh Well! LOL)

Soooooooooooo.. after a weekend "celebrating" something that has slipped my mind but was worth celebrating at the time.. I wanted to play, but had no idea what..... and this is what happened! ...... xxxxx

Bit of an Arty Experiment

which worked!!!   Well.. I think it did!! :-)

Hello.. sorry I have not blogged for ages, been busy and well.. busy!!  But I went to a party last weekend, and there must be something in the dishwasher chemicals my friend uses, cos I felt rather fragile the next day...  Must have been the chemicals.. can't have been the wine now can it!!!

Anyway..  I wanted to craft, but my brain was full of cotton wool and I had no inspiration at all... so I decided to play with all my new "Messy Stuff" and see what happened.....  and this did....

(long post.. hope you are comfy!!)

Right.. I took a sheet of A4 card stock, and I randomly spritzed it with misting sprays etc....

The cat helped.....

Then I randomly stamped all over it....

Then I stuck a stamped sheet of ATCs on the back.. which I wrote on AND numbered, so I couldn't cheat and not make the full set!

And cut them all out........

Then I was a Very Big and Very Brave Girlie.....  and I dived into my Crafty Stuff.. and... Shock Horror.. I Used Some of it... It was a shock to the system.. but I have now recovered!!!  Here are my 9 totally random background Artified ATCs

I am sooooooo chuffed with them......  so I made them a new ATC Book to live in  (nearly finished.. promise, but I did tell you it was a long blog!!!)

Outside cover......

Inside cover...

 Inserts.... (I have fallen totally in love with Washi Tape!!)

Assembled....

 and finally all decorated....

Phew!  You will be please to know.. thats all!   Good job I don't blog very often if they are this length!!!

Right.. off I toodles..  Got some more Arty Type stuff to do to so I can fill my new book!!!
Happy Crafting all, and if you stayed with me to the end.. Gold Star to you!!! (and please leave me a comment...  makes me feel like I have friends then! LOL! x)

Trying to remember what comes next.......

Hello Bloggers.....
been a busy few days.. school holidays and had a birthday and a trip to London, now Easter Weekend and a houseful.....   Not much "me" time occuring to play in! :-)

BUT.. I fell in love with some stamps recently.. and I had to have them.....  but having gotten them, it has been so long since I made card.. I am having a little rest and think what to do next!

I think my biggest problem playing with these was the size.. I am so used to doing BIG now, in my journal and on canvas, that little cute faces were tricky.. but I had great fun...can't beat a good colouring session!  I used Derwent Pencils (what else!) and I was trying the new Blender Pens on the coloured Pencil..... now these I really love, make blending and swooshing of colour so much fun..... then I switched back to my comfort zone, and did some one pencil shading on a couple of stamps.....  Really do enjoy this method.. and it is so easy as there is no worry over picking up the wrong pencil to add a bit and then discovering you picked up the wrong shade! (haven't we all been there!!)

So.. while I decide what to do with them now they are coloured and die cut (except the watch... yes, I know.. I forgot the watch!!) ..... here they are......

.......and.... just so you know.. the Gorjuss stamps, papers and all kinds of accessories are available from That Craft Place along with some fairly decent pencils..... OK.. they are not Derwent.. but I have heard Prisma's are Ok.... <cheesy grin>

Toodles xxxxx

Theres life in the old book yet!

Gooood Morning!  Beautiful sunny day (again).. bit shocked as it is school holidays.. I was expecting rain for two week! :-)

Following on from my last post.. I have been thinking... and I am going to start writing all the stuff down to get it out.. but you all don't and to be reading it.. and some of it may not be publishable!!   So.. I am going to be writing in a book, and arting, and letting it out!

So I needed a book....  there has been lots of chat in a group I am in, and the words Book of Shadows has popped up lots..... so I went off to have a look.... WOW, there are some stunning ones, but also at a stunning price!  Then I remembered a book I bought a few years ago at Covent Garden Market.  There was a stall there selling the most divine leather bound notebooks..... not cheap, but my friend called me over as he had a couple that were not considered sellable because the binding had broken.. so we got them for a very silly price......  Much as I loved the cover, the book itself was no good to art in because the paper was too thin.. so it sat on the shelf.. till yesterday, when I carefully cut the entire book out and just had the cover.. then using handmade papers, various parchments and just scrummy papers in all colours and weights, I played.......  I think it is now perfect to write, art and reflect....   I love it!!!  And here is a quick step by step run through........

One Beautiful Leather Bound Book.... and lots of papers......

Al the pages cut out.....

 All the scrummy papers folded into 5 signatures....... All mixed, handmade, fabric-ish, parchment etc

 See..........

 Sewn together.. (cos I found just enough waxed cord to do so) and each signature is stitched onto a canvas page which will be glued into the book....

 ...and finally all glued in place... and it still shuts! LOL  Yayyyyy

I am very happy with it....    Hope you like it

Toodles! :-) xxxxx

Doing Guilt and an Identity Crisis!

Now, there's a heading!

I am not sure if I am going to press publish or not yet.. I am just writing to get it out there... so you may or may not be reading this!

Guilt....  Guilt is a bugger... and I Do Guilt at Olympic Gold Level.....  over everything, you name it.. I Guilt it! I apologize, I try to make amends.. even if it has nish all to do with me.....   Guilt.. A killer.

When I stopped making cards, I Got Guilt, because all my friends were making cards.. I was the odd one out... I had lost all love for cardmaking, but I felt so damn Guilty, I carried on for longer than I should have, and now the love I had lost has turned to hatred, and I seriously cannot make a decent card to save my life.....  The same with ATC's.. I lost the mojo, I couldn't follow the guidelines for swaps, and I Got Guilt..... I tried unthemed ones, but they were leaning towards my Arty-Farty Muse, not cardmaking ones, and I Got Guilt that they were not good enough and I was letting the team down......

When I was finally brave enough to start Arting, scribbling, doodling, I got negative comments....  I Got Guilt..... why was I doing this, I should admit I was crap at it and go clean the kitchen or something, Who the Hell did I think I was to pretend I was a frickin' artist?  But, Luckily I (not ignored cos the comments stuck, but pushed them to one side) carried on... I now SELL my work.. so hey, Up Yours Guilt.....  I win this round!

At the moment, I am having slight Guilt, cos of my DT spot... I am Over-Trying to produce something Fab-U-Lous, and all I am doing is feeding the bin..... and the damn Guilt!

Silly things hit me too..... and it really digs in.... from clothes to music to hair colours....... I have to dump the guilt.. it is a cruel and vindictive lover, and I need a separation order!

BUT.. to get that separation.....  I have to work out, who the hell am I?  Hey I am Debs, I am a wife and a Mother and a Housewife, and an Artist ...... only I try not to do the House bit of the job description, cos I would rather be doing art (and yes.. then I Get Guilt) But who am I?

On Monday, I am going to be older than I have ever been before..... and I get a new number to label myself with...... and Get Guilt over.... I will be 47.   What does a 47 year old wife and mother do?   Does she dye her hair scarlet, pull on leggings and a funky top and not care that her hair clashes, and go out and have fun? (I hope so) Or does she do things that portray an image to the outside world of something else,  dare I say a Grown Up! (scary)

SO again... who am I?   Well.. I will tell you something... I am not me!  I am lying to myself!

I am not unhappy with my life.. not at all.....  I had an amazing childhood, I am so close to my parents it is untrue, I adore my kids, and as for my hubby... yeah.... I hate to admit it, but I need him in my life..... and I have fabulous friends.... so I am not unhappy.. I have a charmed life, its not the easiest, but I am happy......

But I am not content.. and that is the fault of no-one but myself and my pathetic inablity to stand up to the bastard that is Guilt!

On the inside, I am a flowing frocked, candle bearing Pagan-esque free spirit, a paint splattered, ink drenched Goddess, I have strong leanings towards Witchcraft....  not black magic rats and bats, white witch, herbs and candles and moonlight and meditation.......  I am a flamboyant artist, a paint thrower and smoocher,  my inner Goddess don't care what anyone else thinks... but the other side of me, is like, You What??  You daft cow.. you can't be parading around with candles at midnight in a floaty nighty-frock... WHAT would people say, It was hard enough to tell people I was studying Buddhism, Witchcraft might be a step too far! LOL .... and then Guilt joins in... and I smother myself to be acceptable to society I suppose.  OK yes.... I am fun, easy going and ready for a laugh at a moments notice.....  but there is more to me which is buried deeply, for fear of suddenly becoming unacceptable...... an outcast... I know it won't happen (well I hope not) but the fear is there.. fed by Guilt

Why am I typing all this?   Cos I can!  I am doing The Artists Way at the moment..... and it is making me think......  I have no solutions yet... but the thoughts are there and I am seeing the cracks that I have glued together to make myself feel acceptable as I think I should appear......  I think the time has come to loosen the glue a little, fight the Guilt into submission, and find myself.....  Not find myself in a Mid life crisis/Shirley Valentine kinda way and run off with the nearest young man for debauched sex and vodka sessions on a hot beach somewhere...... (although if anyone has Nate Ruess's phone number, I wouldn't say no! LOL) but find myself as in, be brave enough to slowly let bits of me emerge...... and see how it goes!  I actually feel heaps better for just typing all this out!

Now.... do I press publish or not???

If I do.. and you are still with me after all this emotional drivel.....  Gold Star... and hugs.....  Appreciated! <3 xxxx

On a much happier note to end with.. the fabby Jennibellie blogged....ME!!!!   Look! :-)    Now that goes a looooong way in the Guilt Stamp-Out Fest! :-)  Yayyyy!

pppppsssssst......
OK.. I am back... Got Guilt over the blog post after I hit publish .... what if I upset someone by typing all this out? Offend them? .... OMG... Guilt Guilt Guilt!!!
I can clarify, nobody else was involved in the making of this blog...... all the suppression and doubt has been caused by me, and me alone and my patheticness towards growing a set and pushing Guilt over a cliff is my problem and not caused by anyone else!
I WILL NOT feel guilt over this post.. because I have blamed no one but myself, and I am trying to be myself... and that shouldn't upset anyone.....right? :-) x

Well, Colour Me Happy!!!

Just Quick.........
I finally got time for a good nose about, and Guess What!   That Craft Place's Etsy shop (here) only have the Wonderful Irrepressible Fantabulous Kelly Rhodes as one of their Digi Artists!!!!
O.....................M................................Yayyyyyyyyyy!!!!!
Not going to say it too loud, cos I don't want to inflate her ego too much..... but she has to be probably my pretty much almost possibly favouritest Digi Designer... Maybe, almost! LOL   I ADORE the quirkiness of her work......
I am off to colour!
Yayyyyyyyyyy!
xxx

Pssst... there are other equally fantabulous and wonderfully talented designers there too......  But don't take my word for it.. check em out..... you will love them......  I am just so happy to have found more of Kellys designs! :-) xxxx

Happy April 1st!

Good Morning... so how many of you got tricked then?  Seen a few.. my fav is from the Essex County Fire and Rescue Service, you can see it here!


Got a few bits to blog today..... Starting with The Cupboard Trilogy Monthly Blog... this month is Friendship..... and mine is heavily taken from a lesson with the Fabulous Effy and her Book Of Days class.... (heartbreak.. it is the last week this week... ***sobbing*** .... but Good News.. I signed up for the next session! Yayyyyy!)   I loved this lesson so much, that I decided instead of doing it in my Journal, which is essentially private, I would create it on canvas instead......  the lesson topic was Soul Tribe.... which equates to Friendship perfectly, and using spray inks, acrylics and marker pens..... here it is!

Talking of the Cupboard.. a few of us ladies got together and did a "Stash Swap"   I have been very nawty and sitting on mine a while... but Inspiration hit!  Using the goodies I was sent by my Swappee... and the goodies I was send by Lisa from That Craft Place I decided to play!

This is what my Swappee sent me.....

and this is what I did!!!!

Firstly I took all the backs etc off the picture frame... then I glued some of the heavy cardboard in my pack together to double the thickness, and cut into really silly fiddley little strips, (and I mean silly and fiddly!!) which I wrapped Washi Tape around (hmmmm.... was a good idea at the time!) ..... I covered the larger of the card (cut to fit the frame) with the papers, then glued the Washi Strips into place to create a kind of Printer Tray frame.....

I gessoed and then used Artbars on the frame, and using various bits from both my swap bag and That Craft Place, I embellished it...... Using a fair amount of glue and the odd rude word! LOL
I am rather pleased with it... been a long time since I have made anything like this..... so was a nice change to get all gluely instead of inky-painty.
I will say however in hindsight..... although it was fun....  next time I have a Grand Idea like this.. I am gonna buy my printer tray from Lisa and save myself a lot of stress and bad language! LOL

And finally (last bit.. promise!)   All the scribbling/doodling/practising seems to have paid off......  LOOK...... I drew PRETTY!!!!
You have no idea how ridiculously happy she makes me... I adore her! Yayyyyy Me!!!

Right.. that is all for now... but I am sure I will be back soon.......
Happy Arty-Crafty Stuff...... xxxxx