Midnight Reverie

Recently I went for a drink and meal with my ex-husband.  He told me about The Night Circus and said that as soon as he started reading it he thought of me and knew I would love it.  I decided to pick it up from WHSmith's on the way to work one morning - unusual for me as I usually only buy books second-hand.  I fell in love with it instantly.  It was so magical.

Imagine my surprise when a week later my favourite place on the web, Deviant Scrap, released the Midnight Reverie collaborations based on this wonderful book.

I instantly bought a handful of the kits (enough to get the freebie too) and prepared to create.  I didn't get time until tonight ...

You can see Celia and Marco here - not quite seeing the grey man - virtually see-through - creating their world and manipulating them through the game.

Poppet and Widget - the red-haired twins born on the inaugural night of the Cirque de Reve - invite you to join in the fun. 

Please click on the photos for the full credits.

Three Muses Challenge - Steampunk

The word makes me so annoyed ... don't ask why ... it's a culmination of bad experiences and other things ... however I love the steampunk look.  So seeing this challenge did make me internally scream however I really wanted to play around with a couple of new kits I'd bought from Deviantscrap so I thought I'd put aside my prejudices and have a go at Steampunking up Benedict Cumberbatch.


Credits: Rucola and Mr Whiskers

Letting Go ..

 

365.1

I'm hoping that I can create a digital collage a day for my digital art journal.  This is day one created entirely from Crowabout Studio B's kits over at Deviant Scrap.

I've had a week off work this week as it's been half term. I didn't have anything planned for the week however now it's Friday and the guilt is setting in that I haven't done anything productive.  Our studio still needs sorting, there's washing to be done, the bedroom needs a spring clean ... and I've spent a lot of the week slobbing on the sofa, doing bits and pieces for my Etsy shop and to be honest, sleeping.  I've been sleeping A LOT.

What annoys me is that I'm making myself feel guilty!  WHY?  I've worked my ass off this school year and I need this break - especially seeings as I'm doing two weeks of summer school as well.

So this is me, just letting it go, letting the guilt fly away and enjoying my last couple of days of peace and quiet.

Crowabout Challenge, zetti me and furry additions

Nancy's collage sheets have always inspired me to try out different things.  Today was no different. Here is my collage based on this week's sheet:

Click on image to see credits

Later today we should be welcoming two more furry residents to our household.  We are adopting two rescue cats tomorrow and here they are:

Yes, these do look like 'Wanted' photographs for cats - they look properly narked don't they?  Poor things are about 18 months old and were found in a dustbin in Peckham.  They've been with the rescue centre for a couple of months and are still really shy.
We know it's going to take time and patience to draw them out of their shells but hopefully they are going to enjoy life with us.  We've already set out their area in our living room as they'll be living in just the one room for a week or so until they gain their confidence in us.  Currently they are named Brooke and Bonnie.  I don't think they're going to stay with those names.  Our current favourites are:
Bandersnatch Cumberband (after Benedict Cumberbatch spell-checks)
Phillomena Daggart (after a name we discovered in Nunhead Cemetery - Philander Daggart)
However - these names might just be too pretentious and crap.  We shall see.  I don't think we'll name them until they've lived with us for a while.
Hopefully I can post some photos of them tomorrow in our home - unless they spend the whole time hidden under the sofa!

Edit: Some time later!
I still can't sleep so I've been up making these horrid little digital zetti dolls of myself:

This was the first one and I look very moody although I do like it!  It's very me! ha ha: 

 

 Then I did this one where I look a bit, well, special in the head!:  

 And finally I did this one, which isn't really zetti but it's a 'doll' of me - that's NOTHING like me:  

 Go to Tumble Fish Studios blog for more details on how to zetti yourself :)

My first free digital collage kit :)

I've been writing letters again.  My spate of creating my own writing paper has encouraged me to start writing letters - and sending post-cards.  I signed up for Postcrossing and received my first post-card from Germany yesterday.  A lovely vintage style Peacock:

 

Advertising a store that the sender said is now defunct.

I also arrived home from a particularly shitty day at work last week to a surprise - someone had written to me from Flickr and wanted to swap mail art with me.  I promptly sent off a letter, a few sheets of my writing paper and this envelope to her:


I really enjoyed making the envelope but I think coupled with my writing paper it was a bit 'sensory overload'!  But I definitely think I might start making more envelopes and writing paper.  Perhaps even give-away some sets.

Click on image to read credits.

 Anyway - as always - let me know what you think?  Should I create my own writing paper and envelope sets?  Would someone like to try them out for me if I made a set of 3 sheets and envelopes?  I'll send it to you for free and you can let me know what needs changing or whether 'the girl done good' :)

If you want me to send you a set please email me at: fidgetrainbowtree@gmail.com

Finally - I've made a mini-digital collage kit that you can download for free from here. It's a set of postage marks, stamps and bits and bobs.  Usual TOU apply - enjoy.

Screenland Beauties

 

Here's a new collage created using some wonderfully hot screen beauties.  You can find them all here on my Flickr account.  Enjoy playing.  Share your creations if you do any!

Credits:

pictures on wall and woman's head - Screenland magazine from my collection (see Flickr to use)
crazy, crown, heart, star and border - Tumble Fish Studio at Deviant Scrap
Body and legs - Crowabout StudioB at Deviant Scrap
Background - Beth Rimmer at Deviant Scrap

Three Muses Challenge - Bathing Beauties

 

Bathing Beauty and seaside background: Rubyblossom on Flickr
Everything else from Tumble Fish Studio at Deviant Scrap

How nice was it to finally be able to sit down this evening and do some collages?  Since being back at work on Monday after the flu and Easter hols it's been craziness.  It always is this time of year if you teach Year 11s (or indeed post-16) as you're trying to get all their coursework in because the lazy little *&^£&^Q@ haven't bothered doing it all year.  I'm trying not to panic but I need it all in by next Friday and they're still not turning up to extra sessions.  Anyway - I won't whinge or moan - if I was honest it was the way I was at school.  I always have been a lastminute.com person.

Other than that I'm still not completely over my flu.  I have swollen glands in my neck and very full of cold.  It sucks.

Sorry I'm really moany at the moment so I'm going to shut up now.

Take A Word Challenge - Skinny 3" x 5"

The Take A Word Challenge this week was to create a 'skinny' collage. 

I found this quote in my book of quotes (a book I collect quotes in!) and I decided to use this because it spoke to me about the idea of wanting to be 'skinny' (in an oblique way) and also in the 'skinny' size.



 
Credits:
Girl and glasses: Tumble Fish Studio - Lowbrow
Border: Various from Tumble Fish Studio and Crowabout StudioB
Green Star: Metal Momma - Holliewood Studios
Brushes - from my collection

Three Muses Challenge - Steampunk

OH HOW I HATE THAT WORD!  This was a hard one for me.  I have a love/hate relationship with Steampunk.  I love the look, the feel etc. but there are various reasons that I hate it. I won't go into it because I'll probably offend someone but I will be content with my love/hate relationship.  Therefore doing this challenge definitely was that for me!  I don't think I've done a particularly great job but it's ok.

Credits:

Building: Goldenthrush
Gears: RedHeadStock, NieblaStocks - all at DeviantArt
Glasses: iKink
Woman: Tumble Fish Studio - Freestyle
Frame: Beth Rimmer - Diary Declassified
Overlay: Altered Emporium - I'm With The Band

So it's been a while ...

... and I've been missing playing with paper ephemera, creating a mess and sharing sharing sharing.

I've unfortunately been knocked down with the worst flu bug I've ever had in my life.  The first four/ five days were spent with a fever, hallucinating, weak, feeble and sweating to the point where I dreamed I was drowning.  Thankfully the severity of that has passed and I'm now simply exhausted and full of mucus (tmi?).  The enforced sick leave has left me feeling very stressed and depressed - which was thankfully relieved by one website yesterday ... DEVIANT SCRAP RETURNED MY SANITY!

Last year I'd downloaded a couple of kits from there; unfortunately I lost them when a hard drive had a bit of a hissy fit - thankfully the wonderful Hollie returned the keys to me so I could use the kits again.  On top of that my bank balance groaned (they're really not expensive at all!) as I bought more and more kits.  I just found my creative juices over-flowing and my mind was kept from stress and the big-D!

I've been creating journal layouts to build on - here are a few:

 You can see the whole set here on Flickr - with the links to the kits used.

I've also started to do some writing paper - I can never find writing paper that I like so this seemed to be the solution:

For details about the kits used go to the Flickr set here. 

Enjoy!