Jeudi Journal

"I don't think I want any more Adventures" is the quote from Dyan this week.  Who chose it I haven't a clue, but does it really matter?

Mine is really sparse but then I couldn't think of anything else to put on in the background.  Did wonder if palm trees grew in desert conditions.  Never having been to Egypt I have not a clue.  No doubt someone will put me right.

It had to be Travelling Travis who appeared on this page, but you might notice I have changed the legs.  I always think of Travis as being male and the actual image wears a skirt.  

In order to link in with 'Geometric Shapes' at 'Art Journal Journey' I drew some pyramids and tried colouring the faces in different shades of the same orange I used for the background.   Think I may have gone a bit heavy on the addition of some brown.  Then I added a bright orange sun to give me a circle and if you stretch your imagination you could say there are rectangles where there are words.

Off to see what Wendy has done, now what do we have lined up for next week?

WOYWW 504

Can't believe how soon another Wednesday has come around.  Time to have a nosey at some desks and see what various friends have been up to.  Follow this link to WOYWW and Miss Julia and then see the desks of crafters from all over the world.  You can have a morning of fun snooping about, honestly.

Well, thought I would treat you to one of my Junk Journal pages this morning.  This is something I started with my friend Lorraine a few weeks before Christmas but which we both have let slide of late - now a real effort is being made to play catch up and my last three entries in my blog have been solely for my Junk Journal.  Here's the latest:

I am entering this into Art Journal Journey where the theme is Geometric Shapes and I have a triangle, squares and a rectangle on this page.  I have so enjoyed doing this challenge and even though this one was hard to do because of the pain in my back I made it - a real accomplishment.  I just love that stamp I have used.

Now, my beloved has set my Vagabond up in my craft room so that I can do some die cutting electronically - saves him having to turn the handle on one of the others (ha ha).  So that plus my tiny Misti has made it a bit easier to do some crafting.

My actual crafting area, at the moment, is a trolley with some papers on and one or two other bits plus a couple of Junk Journals.

Underneath is a small paper cutter and a bag of bits and pieces whilst on top you can see one of my Junk Journals, some German Scrap, a  pack of bits from Katy's Corner, scissors and a ruler plus a folder which contains all the bits and pieces Lorraine and I gathered together to share for the purpose of making a Junk Journal each.  There's a towel on the handle of my trolley which is for one of my hourly exercises that my new physio has told me to do.  Started on Monday and am now doing more exercises each day to try to help.  She has told me to do some crafting each day too in the hopes that it will help take my mind off the pain.  So far it is a real effort but one has to push the boundaries some times.

Yesterday I had to go for my quarterly Pacemaker check and I was wishing it had been an afternoon appointment but in the afternoon it started snowing heavily - and sticking - so I was glad - we can now stay in for the remainder of the week.  

Don't the trees look lovely with snow on them?  Shot in full colour, not black and white!  This is looking to the road from our utility room door.  Thought it was a nice photo to finish off with.  See you next week!

Geometric Flowers Again

Once again I am entering a last minute page in my journal into the Art Journal Journey Challenge of Alison's which is "Geometric Shapes".  This is my Junk Journal so the page I chose to use was a black one which lent itself perfectly to my white rectangles, which had been stamped and embossed in black.  I should know whose images they are but I simply cannot remember - bet I know someone who can tell me!

I chose five of the smaller rectangles - thistle, sunflower, larkspur, daisy and purple and then I chose the words of William Blake to complete the page with a sprig of a wildflower placed kind of behind the words.  I did think of adding some punched out tiny circles to the words but decided to leave it as was.  After all the challenge did not say you had to have more than one shape for each entry - mine has six rectangles.

Wonder if I have time to do another one before the challenge closes - I am so enjoying myself and the physiotherapist has told me to introduce a little crafting into my daily routine.  Think this is going to be my junk journal of flowers.

Art Journal Journey Again

Done another page in my Junk Journal  today.  This time I used scrapbook paper to make my background starting with a piece of pink spotted paper and adding two Scalene (have I got this right?) triangles.  Then I added a diecut flower in black for contrast.  

Hadn't a clue what the flower is apart from the fact that it is a wild flower so typed out "A stroll in the Meadow" to add to the base of the flower rather than the actual name.  Next I punched five small black circles out and stuck them on one of the triangles. 

So my page has "triangles", "rectangles" where the words are, and "circles" - the black ones not the dots on the pink paper.  And why?  Well, so I can enter it into Alison's challenge on Art Journal Journey which is "Geometric Shapes".  Here it is:

Flower Pages

Found some easy journalling to where I more or less just stick paper on my journal pages to create backgrounds.  This worked just fine for Art Journal Journey theme this month, chosen by Alison, which is Geometric Shapes.  Luckily I had a page in a new journal which had been painted in blue and lime green and I just put a stencil on one edge making some geometric shapes with some white paint and a piece of sponge.

I then outlined the shapes with a black pen that went down the right hand side but left the diamond shapes, top and bottom, as they were.  Next I chose some papers which I thought would tone in although I realised that the background colour was a bit too bright for what was in my "bit envelope".  

I started off with a large rectangle in a muted green and then used a square of cream and cut it in in two because Lorraine and I have "triangle" in our list for our Junk Journal (another page done).  The reverse of the cream paper was a nice green shade and so I cut a circle from it and then a circular letter "P" for Poppy.  The final thing was to stamp a Poppy across the two triangles.

So there it is, my Geometric rendition for Art Journal Journey.  Now could I make another one before the challenge closes?

Jeudi Journal - Don't Rush Me

Once again I used Distress Oxides for my background.  This time blues and pinks.  

My friend Paul came to see me on Friday and when I mentioned the words we had to use "Don't rush me, I'm Waiting for the Last Minute" he said - "well you have lots of clocks and numbers surely" and so the idea was borne.

I then used an AALL & Create stencil to put some numbers on the background with a Purple Distress Oxide.  I stamped a clock face and using another stencil (AALL & Create) and cropping it, I put it to one side of the page.  Then I chose a figure and decided she had to be seated and so, in order to fit her on my square page I had to choose a suitable head.

It fell to the one with the flat head and I used several clock and watch images to make up her hat (or top of her head).  

As I placed the various images on the page, before gluing, both Paul and I thought it would be good to have a contrast and so, instead of my usual colouring in with Copics we decided to leave it black and white for a change.

Here it is, my journal page for this week.

WOYWW 503

Another week has gone by and we have had two lots of snow.  Well, we had it one day and then it went and yesterday it snowed again.  Today it is Wednesday and time for our weekly visit to Julia and then on via her links to the desks of our many friends on WOYWW.  Why not join us?

Not much again on my desk.  Still got the back problem and it is stopping me doing much but I am keeping up with my Thursday Journal.  I did dig out a card to give to our Postie who has hurt his leg but then I missed him and so the card remains here.  It is one I made in America with my friend Mary but I suspect it is on the lines of one made by Cath. of Inky Fingers.  Both of us were members of her card making group (well, I still am).  (the border is evenly spaced on the actual card, just not on the scan - sorry)

As for my desk, well there is not much to show which is why I decided to show you this card.  However, here is my desk - that is what we are here for isn't it:

That white box is my Copics - some of you may remember I made it from two Felix cat food boxes.  To the side are some of the phrases I stamped out for my Thursday Journal with the envelope on top for the Postie card.  An assortment of bottles and cans in my pigeon holes, my roll full of watercolour pencils and my dirty cutting mat more or less complete the picture.

Well, that is it for this week - hopefully I will have something to show you next week that is not dredged up from the past.  In the meantime, stay safe, take care and be happy.

Jeudi Journal - "By The Light (Hic) of the Silvery (Hic) Moon"

That is my title for this journal page.  The Dylusion words for this page really are "I'm extremely under Chardonnayed".  Still cannot find my words so have had to type them out.  Now where did I put them all?

The background is Tumbled Glass/Milled Lavender and Wilted Violet - Distress Inks, smooched on all over the page - guess it is DTP (direct to paper) technique.  Then I cut a circle from a piece of cardstock and popped some white Gesso through it to suggest a moon as I felt the background suggested an early morning sky.  Perfect for someone who has imbibed a little too much wine and who is  returning home from a party.

Oh dear, our party go-er has slouched, and slid down, against a (Sizzix) lamp post, not quite making it home at all ... and wait for it, she seems to have attracted a little dog who is nestling in her hat.  Strange!  Hope she makes it home before anyone sees her.

I would say she was rather OVER Chardonnayed judging by her appearance - what about you, do you agree?

Because of the circle for the moon and the rectangular windows and the two buildings to the left I think I can enter this one into Art journal Journey again.  Guess you could even loosely link her outfit too or is that taking it a bit too far?  Thanks Alison for the opportunity to link up to your Geometric Challenge again.

WOYWW 502

Did any of you see "Cold Feet" on Monday evening?  Imagine my surprise when I saw the hotel the wedding reception was being held at - Chateau Rhianfa on the Isle of Anglesey.   We stayed there in one of the Turret Rooms back in 2014 and we loved it.  I always said we would go back there and now having seen it on the tv it has made me, once more, want to go there.  Mind you I have always been a fan of Anglesey.  Anyway, I digress, you are here to see my workspace - sorry Julia.

On Monday I was due to go for my acupuncture with Dr Helen and I remembered I have wanted to give her a handmade card for a while and I knew I had one I made quite a while ago.  Here it is:

It dates back a while when my friend Dot had come to stay.  She was a "dab hand" at colouring faces using ordinary felt tip pens and she taught me how to colour Asian faces.  I have kept this card since then and never used it for anyone so thought it would be perfect for my Chinese doctor as a kind of 'thank you' for all the work she has been doing on my back.

Oops!  Digressing again.  Here, at last is my desk - with nothing of interest on it.  Just my empty glass mat.  But Shaz in Oz might recognise one of her scriptures at the back on top of my Huggies box.  The wires are leading to my computer which seems to have taken up residence in here for the time being. 

Well, that's it for this week folks - have got a physio appointment through for next Monday so am hoping for big improvements starting to happen.  In the meantime apologies if I left anyone out last week and hopefully I will be off to see Julia and all of you later today.

Jeudi Journal - Multiple Personalities?

This had me completely stumped!!  How on earth do you portray that with Dylusion figures - or any figures come to it!  I did think of a head with other heads coming out of it but then how did I get that to look right - base head would have had to be big?  In the end I looked up Dissociative Identity Disorder and Wikipedia gave me an idea.

I stamped and cut out four figures, sprayed them with Prima 'Color Bloom' to keep them bland and then chose a central figure and coloured her with Promarkers.  As she had a flat head I decided to type the words out fairly small and cut them up so they were coming from her head.

I wanted the background fairly dull so I hovered between brown and grey, finally deciding on grey with pink stencilling behind.  Because of Art Journal Journey having the Geometric Shapes theme I used a square and a circle stencil so I could enter Alison's challenge.  So here we have it my interpretation of "you would think that with all your multiple personalities at least one would be likeable".

WOYWW 501

Well, we are into the new year now and a lot of my friends are talking about tidying their craft rooms but me, well, it is all stop and there is nothing much happening.  So, I decided to show you my lovely handmade cards received for Christmas.  Beautiful handmade cards to treasure - so here is my desk with very little on it - a background made sometime in the past and a white circle ready for the next page followed by the cards:

Just put a Gesso circle on - made such a mess of the container - and my hands!  This is a moon for a future journal page with an idea I have.  Now to the Christmas cards with apologies to Julia, Queen of WOYWW for the length of this post (but it is only pictures so I am sure she won't mind):

Alexis

Chris

Cindee (Mary's eldest and lovely daughter)

Darnell (USA)

(Margaret) Glitter & Glue 

Jacqui

Janet

 June

 Liz

Jan (LLJ)

Lorraine

Lynn (love the humour here)

Sharon

Shaz

Sylvia

Thommo

(Jo) Twiglet

Wendy

(Annie) Wipso

The Woodfins (used to teach the boys)

Back in the Saddle

Not been crafting over the holiday period due to a bad back which is still troubling me but sometimes one has to just go for it.  I decided it was about time I documented my back pain in readiness for the GP appointment in two weeks time (I will have waited a month for this appointment) and so it gave me the perfect opportunity to make a calendar.

I have always wanted to do one of those "page a month" arty ones that you see and when Chris (Pearshaped) did one for the Art Journal Journey it spurred me on.  So thank you Chris.

I set about using Spray Inks, most of them either would not spray or 'blobbed' a lot but I found the Prima ones the best and so I used two of them (Glistening Waves and Deep Teal) to give me my background colour.  I cut out some rectangles, circles and triangles and put them on the card, weighted them down with coins and sprayed before carefully removing both coins and shapes with tweezers.  I then stamped some ferns and a grass type image randomly across both pages.

The removed shapes with the circles from the coins

Adding some one and a half inch squares and the letters forming "January" I had my pages finished.  I did play about a bit with the placement of the squares and decided I wanted the circle to show on the second page to fit in with the theme at Art Journal Journey.  If you look very closely you might see the triangle and one of the rectangles as well.

So there you have it, my calendar ready for documenting on and my entry for Alison's Geometric Shapes theme with Art Journal Journey.  

(Thanks must go to my other half who helped out with the die-cutting as that was a bit too much to chance for me.)

Jeudi Journal

I think this was my choice but what I had in mind when I chose the quote I have not got a clue. 

"I don't like you, you are very ugly and have no manners at all"

made me think of someone doing a rather rude 'Burp' but that is as far as I got.  Wanting to fill up my book and use pages with bits of paint already on I chose the blue page and using an AALL & Create stencil and some blue paint I covered up some of the bits of paint already on, as well as the blank bits  Did think of going with another colour but left it to the blue in the end.

As it was to be someone 'ugly' I decided to use one of the monsters and one of the boys from the same stamp sheet.  I tried out putting a different head on the boy figure and was surprised how it worked - guess he could be burping too.  But he isn't and the monster's burp is actually making him cry.  (hope this does not offend anyone)

In order to bring more interest into the page I used some of the houses and kept them in fairly neutral colours and then decided to put a mushroom in with a caterpillar crawling along the top.  Was not sure about the head of the insect so added another one which was much larger - preferred it so it stayed.

A friend had bought me some Tim Holtz wooden letters and these came in so handy for the word - they went on various parts of the page until they settled where they now are.

Guess that is it folks - hope you like it.

WOYWW 500 It's a big One for the New Year

Yes, this is the 500th edition of WOYWW and Miss Julia should be very very proud of what she has achieved.  Over the years I have made so many friends, friends who do not join in now but who still stay in touch - all thanks to Julia.

Not much has been done over Christmas and yesterday was not a day for doing anything either so here on my desk I have put my Stampotique and Zinni new stamps to show you what you can expect to see in the future.

There's also some new stamps from AALL & Create but I bought those myself from the sales so I will save those for another time to show you.  Might even get around to showing you the handmade Christmas cards I got but we will have to wait and see, depends on getting someone to scan them in for me.

Well, will leave it there for now, have a wonderful year ahead, full of friendship, good health and happiness.

Happy 2019!