Life Book 2015 - The Beginning

Hello everyone and hope you are all ready and looking forward to the weekend.

 

So this week saw me re-join Life Book 2015. However when I saw the first lesson I was already wanting to run away from it: I can't draw faces-never mind paint one!!!!! over and over in my head.

 

My word for this year is "Believe" and with that I thought you must at least try and what is the worse that can happen- It doesn't work!

 

So two days later I have kept to my word and believed that I can do it and here we are: My Beacon Of Light.

Have to admit - surprised myself but yes I can!!!! and I love her!

 

Ok we have room for improvement but I'm not looking for perfection but only to learn and grow!

 

Thanks for stopping by today and see you all later

x catherine

Continuing life Book week 5- Part 2

 

hello everyone. We have had quite a few snow flurries here today-hope the weather isn't too bad where you are.

 

So following on from yesterdays post and Life Book week 5- this is the other part to this weeks lesson.

 

Here is my Dream Catcher to go with my Affirmation Feather. The background is Dylusions Sprays and I used a die for the feathers cut from some background piece I had made.

 

 

See you all later and thanks for stopping by

x catherine

Hello again to life Book 2015

 

Hello everyone and hope your all having a good week so far.

 

Well yesterday I decided I was going to join Life Book again this year. I have only missed a few so should be able to catch up throughout time!

 

This week saw a bonus lesson along with the main one and I really thought I would like a try at it. It is an affirmation Feather.

 

I am really pleased with this and more so because I am using some stash that has been rather neglected in my room. Since wondering into the mixed media side my pens sadly became alone.

This piece saw me using my Aqua markers(Letraset) for the feather and was able to blend them nicely with the water brush. I had forgotton what nice effects you could get with these pens. Now they are back on my desk!!

 

I am joining in with:

Passion For Promarkers challenge #281-Garden life

 

Thanks for visiting today and see you all later

x catherine

 

Be Strong

Hello everyone and here's to the start of another week.

This weeks Journal 52 prompt was - Silhouettes. I am a very big fan of using stencils in my work and knew exactly the stencil I wanted to use for this one. I love Dina Wakleys silhouettes along with these Dylusions leaves.

I love using bright colours in my pages but love the way they pop more for me when I add black. It seems to make the colours jump of the page .
The use of the white pen joins it all together again.

I am joining in with:
Make My Monday challenge - Bright and Cheery colours

Hope you all have good plans for this week. Thanks for stopping by and see you all later

x catherine

Canvas hanging hearts

 

Hello everyone and hope you have all had a good weekend.

 

I must say hello to all my new followers and I am so glad you have joined me here on my blog and will enjoy your visits here. thank you so much for following.

 

I recently attended a workshop with Dyan Reaveley making canvas hearts using Dylusions inks and stamps. I think I may have a major addiction to these now!!!

 

I made some more on a vintage theme using Distress paints and colourwash sprays. I used some different words and flower stamps and cut them separately adding them on with more stitching. There are some pearl beads and some big pearl buttons along with some crocheted brown lace for embellishments.

 

 

I am joining in with challenges:

Allsorts challenge week 295-Lace and Pearls 

Try It On Tuesdays challenge - add some fabric(canvas)

Creative Inspirations challenge #297- Pretty Pearls



Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge-have a heart

Thanks so much for stopping by today and see you all soon

x catherine

Bird Song

Hello everyone and here's to the end of the week. hope you all have some good plans for the weekend ahead.
I have been trying to replenish my card box up as I have a few birthdays coming up next month. So a little time to myself has been in order!!

This card uses the fabulous stamps by Dina Wakley(Scribbly Birds) and they are beautiful images.
I have created a random background with acrylic paints using wintry colours as I see all the birds outside from my craft room and at the moment they are nestling in SNOW!! However they are still chirping merrily to themselves!

I am joining in with challenges:
Simon says Stamp Monday challenge - Winter Stamping(colours)
Crafts 4 Eternity challenge R#210- numbers
Fussy and Fancy Friday challenge #131- Things With Wings
Crafting for All seasons challenge #94-Things With Wings

Thanks for stopping by today and see you all again later

x catherine

Dragons Dream Tag It On Challenge#183

 

Hello everyone.

 

It is time for a new challenge over at Dragons Dream Tag It On challenge this week.

 

Helen has chosen:

 

RED and FLOWER(S)

 

I have created a painted background in red and stencilled over the top with some crackle paste and a brick style stencil. It gives the flowers something to rest upon in the background.

 

The flowers were stamped onto painted card and cut out separately.

 

The quote was stamped in red archival and cut separately into individual words.

We would love for you to come and join us in our challenge. here is the link:

 

Dragons Dream Tag It On Challenge#183-red and Flower(s)

 

See you all later

x catherine





Journalling Workshop

 

 

Hello everyone and here's to the start of another new week.

Yesterday I attended a regular Art journaling class with Kate Crane at Art From the Heart here in Harrogate.

Each month the class meet and kate teaches us different ideas for Art Journalling. This month we were doing collage pages. these are the two that I managed to do.

Lots of painty backgrounds and fabulous images

 

Thanks for visiting today and see you all later

x Catherine 

Journal 52-week3- Conversation starters

 

Hello everyone and hope you all have good plans for the weekend ahead.

 

We are onto week 3 of Journal 52 and the prompt is

"Conversation Starters"

Earlier on this week we played an online quiz about which character you would be in Alice in Wonderland. This automatically starts a conversation so I was prompted to make my piece this week about that.

I have used an image from Hidden Vintage Studios(Mischief Circus)- Down the Rabbit Hole.

 

So: "Who Would You be In Wonderland?"

 

See you again soon

x catherine

 

Documented Life Project - week 2

 

Hello everyone.

 

We are now on the second week of The Documented Life Project. This week we were prompted to use Gesso and the prompt was:

 

"The beginning is always today" - Mary Shelley.

 

I went with my usual background style and thought of this girl blowing all different days of the week from the horn to signify it doesn't matter when just begin whatever it is you want to.

 

 

Thanks for stopping by and I really appreciate all the comments.

 

x catherine

Journal 52- Week 2

Hello everyone and hope you all having a good weekend.

We are now on week 2 - journal 52 and this weeks prompt is "Just Be...." lots of scope for interpretation this week and I just knew what I was going to do with this one.
The image is from tumblefish Studios.

See you later

x catherine

Birthday Calendar

 

 

Hello again everyone. Please scroll down for my post earlier today.

It's a new year and over at the Stampotique Designers Challenge Blog the theme is New Years resolutions. Now I don't make resolutions as such and instead make suggestions to try and improve things for myself!!
I have made this Birthday calendar so I can keep up with everyone's birthday(as last year I have to admit to forgetting a few!!!)
I used a pennant shape and covered it in canvas so I had a surface for painting onto. I used some stencils and added this fabulous Stampotique image. This was perfect for holding onto the calendar.

I added some wire for a hanger and will now be able to hang it above my desk so I cn circle the dates each month and be ready with cards!!!

I am entering this into challenges:
Stampotique Designers challenge -SDC177- New Years resolutions

See you later

x catherine

CMLI challenge-Orange/Blue

 

 

Hello everyone and nearly the end of the week already!

 

I have been working on this card for a challenge CMLI group.

 

I chose to use the colour pairs Orange/Blue. I was inspired by an article in a Craft Stamper magazine (Sept 2013 by Paula Whittaker)for this layout and technique with brayering Distress paint for the initial background colour. The background I created myself with stencils and stamps and the flowers(Stamps from Woodware) have been stamped onto a background of mine which had been scanned and printed out. I have added some Inktense colouring pencils for more depth.

The greeting is from a free cover stamp also from Craft Stamper magazine.

 

There is a new challenge starting over at the Craft Stamper magazine blog and this month is "Take a Stamp" so I am going to enter my card:

 

Craft Stamper -Take It make It Challenge - Jan 2015

 

See you later

x catherine

New design Team member- Dragons Dream Tag It On

Hello again everyone. Please scroll down for my first post today WOYWDW#292

So today I have a some surprise news to share with you all. I have become the newest member of the Dragons Dream Tag It On challenge Design team. I am really pleased to be joining all the members in this challenge.

For our first challenge this year we have:

TURQUOISE and BLING

For my tag I have painted a background and used my favourite stencil. I have used a stamped image from a Dina Wakley stamp set which are having their first outing for me and I love stamped images of birds. For my bling I have added some cosmic shimmer embossing powder around the edges of the tag and a fine line of glitter.

Here is the link for the challenge (Dragons Dream Tag It On challenge)and we would love you to come along and join in with us.

I am joining in with challenges:
Try It On Tuesday challenge -My Favourite Things.(Painted backgrounds, Stencils and Bird stamps)
Simon Wednesday challenge - something new( my new stamp set by Dina Wakley Birds)
My Time to Craft challenge -All Things new (new stamp set)

See you all later

x catherine

WOYWDW #292

Hello everyone and hope your having a good week so far. Getting back to normal is the name of the game for me this week.

So it time for WOYWDW over at Julia's blog and a time for us all to share our workspace and crafting.

So here is my desk this morning:

I am starting a new journal page and this is how all my journal pages start in their "raw form". I do not worry at this stage anymore about how it looks(or believe me this would end up in the bin!!!) because there is plenty of room to work on this and bring it too exactly what I want.Looking forward to seeing what your all up to.
WOYWDW #292

Thanks for stopping by and please pop back later on for another post from me today where I have a surprise to share with you all.

x catherine

12 tags 2015 - January

 

Hello everyone. Hope your all well.

 

So a new year and another new year of Tags. The 12 tags of 2015 have now started over at Tim Holtz blog and this is the tag for January.

 

I have used grungeboard letters and numbers and coloured using Distress paints and Distress stains.

 

Here is the link where I have entered my tag this month:

Tim Holtz blog- 12 tags 2015

 

Thanks for visiting.

x catherine

The Documented Life project - week 1

 

Hello  everyone. So I am now trying to get back to some sort of routine and all the Christmas decorations are down and packed away.

 

So another New year and another new start to the Documented Life Project.

 

I set myself this message for this year as I experienced some parts in life last year which I do not wish to experience again. A very big part to my confidence will be in this message for me and very personal to me. I wanted to capture this message in a journal piece and stamped out the words..

 

I am entering this into challenges:

Simon Monday challenge - Make new friends but keep the old(New paints/old book text)

Make My Monday challenge - New beginnings

 

Thanks for stopping by

x catherine

Journalling to Cards?

 

Hello everyone and we are now getting back to normal in my house from all the festivities .Happy new Year to all of you.

 

Many of my followers will know that more of my crafting is now done in journaling and I just love making backgrounds using my Gelli Plate. I have amassed quite a few of these and have been wondering if I could use them in a little card making also.

 

So here is my first attempt using my own backgrounds on a card. I think layering with black helps tp pop the designs out.

 

I have used this weeks sketch from Sketch Saturday challenge as it gives you some nice scope to play around with.

 

I am entering my card into the following challenges:

Sketch Saturday challenge #342- sketch

Crafty Catz challenge #260- Anything Goes

 

Thanks for stopping by

x catherine

2015 Onward-journal 52 week 1

 

Hello everyone and a Happy new year to all of you. Wishing you all the best.

 

So I now start a new year with Journal 52 and the first prompt for the week 1 is "Pathways".

 

I am not really one for making new year resolutions and instead set myself some goals to work towards. I have chosen stepping stones as my pathway for this year as each one will represent one of those goals.

 

So here I am to another year of blogging and continuing friendships.

 

Thanks for stopping by today and see you all later

x catherine