Jeudi Journal - Increasing in Value

"I'm not Getting Older, I'm Increasing in Value" is Wendy's quote for this week. Didn't find this one easy but in the end I used Jenny Joseph's wonderful poem "Warning" - perhaps better known as "When I am Old, I Shall Wear Purple".

In my search for the words, yes I wrote it out around the outside of the blog page, I came across a super blog by James Milson.  I loved the pictures he used to illustrate the poem and the information about Jenny Joseph.  I had not realised she passed twelve months ago last January.  Well worth a look at him!  But don't stop there!!  Give this blog a try, please.

I went on to read about Dandelions (see the side of his blog - "Featured and Favorited Posts) and then got a little curious about 'Little Red Bear' so clicked on the link.  Love the story - I can see I like his style of writing and will be reading much more as time goes on, both of, his favourite posts, and stories of Little Bear and the family.

Anyway, my Jeudi Journal.  I decided for some reason to make the background brown, starting off with an orange and going on to use brown and somewhere I must have decided on green?  As so often happens I wanted to do some stencil work and it fell to my 'Diamonds in the Rough' - a firm favourite of mine. Jenny Joseph's poem came after I decided to use a figure I rarely take out, aptly called "Sunday Best" and so I hastily began scribbling the words all around the edge of my page.  I did not intend to do it all but somehow it happened.  Maybe I was enjoying reading it too much and got carried away.

Another figure was needed and this time I decided to use the boy.  He was going to have a stick in his hand and some railings (die cut) behind him but when I got down to reading the poem I realised there was a bit too much to be included if I was going down the route of including things from the poem.

So here it is - my page for today:

Today is a special day for me, it would have been my mum's birthday so, tradition says I have to have some flowers for her.  Miss you mum. xx

The Crop is Nigh - 521 WOYWW

Super excited The Crop is almost here.  If you are not going I don't think it is too late to change your mind and roll up.  I have about 30 ATC's ready and waiting, still need to make my SW cake, pack my clothes and decide what to take to do.  I will take all kinds of things and then spend my time just nattering, I know I will, but hey ho you have to put the pretence on don't you!

My desk has been littered with my lace teabags again as I have put some together with hooks and eyes but the others I still cannot work out how to make them into a book.  Maybe I should take those with me to the crop and get some advice from all the talented ladies (and men) who will be there.  I did a video yesterday showing my teabags here - all off the cuff, no prep or anything so take it as it comes.  It's ages since I did a video so I had completely forgotten how to upload one - thank goodness I have a man who works these things out for me.

My desk today is as it was yesterday when I actually took the photograph.  I was starting to do a Journal page.

The stencil on the left is the one I used, but in actual fact you would not know I had used the faces in random places all over the page.  It is an Andy Skinner stencil as is the one you can see in my file.  Underneath the file is my tiny Misti and some stamps and blank atc's - just in case I need more than I have made.  To the left of the Misti is a green waste bin Jo (Pritchard) once made me and then my cut down wine bottle case containing all manner of things - pens, pencils, scissors, stencil brushes, droppers, pokey tools, dental thingies - all kinds of things I use on a day to day crafting session.  Next is a kitchen roll, then the big silver thing which is my A4 Gelli Plate and behind that is a whole host of things.

Going up a layer, so to speak, we have a book we once made as a group (we all made a page and Cath (our group mom) put them all together to remember a friend who had died).  You can just about see the tips of various scissors, mainly deckle ones which I confess never get used.  Then there's a thermometer hanging with a couple of distressers and some more tub containers with, again all manner of things inside.  Next you come to my Carousel - we won't go there but will jump to my Distress Ink Pads and Monkey and two Koalas both from Shaz in Oz.  There is the Australian flag there too but you can't see it  Perhaps another time I should do a shot of the window and all that rests on the sill.

Well, will leave it there as this is getting L O N G and for some reason my photo has jumped to the side and my writing is not justified as I like it and I swear I never touched a single button - must get it sorted.  See you Saturday if you are going to the Crop, otherwise see you next Wednesday via cyber-space.

(done, now fully justified as I like it, Phew! Just hope the video link works)

Jeudi Journal - Overnight

"I didn't get to be this fabulous overnight" is this week's quote from Dyan chosen by Wendy again.  One which I thought of fairly easily, as far as the figure was concerned, well, thought of two figures and decided on this one in the end, but had no idea what to do as the background.  Again it is a background done with Distress Inks, simply because that is easiest for me to use at the moment,  A bit of stencilling (again DI's) and some stamping at the base

In the end I decided she could be outdoors, lounging in the garden showing off her fabulous long legs and spotty tights.  Her friend is not as glamorous as she is with rather a large head for her body but no doubt amused at the little caterpillar who is looking at the glam girl.  I adore that caterpillar and just had to use it - thankfully the spectacled figure, on the right, was pointing to something so why not use the caterpillar?

Because of Erika's challenge on Art Journal Journey I decided to add some little butterflies, bees and bug type flies in the sky - the theme is "In the Sky/In the Air".  I haven't been able to enter as much as I would have liked to owing to my being busy with my teabag workshop which is thankfully now over, so grasped the opportunity with this challenge page.

The other idea I had was to use the body-suit figure with tights and high heels on but it would have been more or less the same with another figure alongside and a similar background - a bit more obvious I thought for the quote.  Most times I find it difficult to think up a scene to match a quote but that is part of the challenge - makes a change when you are stuck between two.

Can't think what to do for next week but am ok with the week after - well, in my head that is - just got to execute it!  That is if I remember what I thought of!

WOYWW 520 - 10th Anniversary

All hail Miss Julia - she is responsible for bringing so many people together from around the world - some staying for ten years - what an achievement that is!  I think it was July 2010 when I first joined in, a year late, and I try not to miss a single Wednesday - hope I haven't!  I do know I have made lots of friends around the globe as a result and I have met up with several of them, both here in the UK and then mainly in America, but also dear Shaz in Oz whom I met a few years ago when she came to stay in Manchester.  Some of them no longer join in and I miss them but often they pop back for a visit or I see them at CHA and friendships are renewed once more.  Its like being part of a Big Family when you start playing at WOYWW.

Well, this week has seen the lace put away, the workshop is over and tidied up but I will take some photos and show you all what I actually did.  I just needed a break - and to do some atc's for the 'Crop and Swop' (I know the latter is really spelt with an "a").  So my desk this week is different than it has been.  If you are going to The Crop on the 1st June I will be taking around 25 - 30 atc's for swapping.  Can't wait, it is so exciting!

On my glass mat are some blank atc's waiting to be made for the Crop.  To the left is my teeny tiny Misti and left again my big box of Dylusion figure stamps.  To the right of my glass mat you can see some figures that I have been quietly colouring in whilst sat in my comfy chair and beyond them some stamps still waiting to be put away from Port Sunny.

Behind is an assortment of bottles, don't ask, and on top some old work that hasn't got a place to be displayed so just sits idly on top of the boxes.  An assortment of ink pads and then my Adirondacks are next along the line, then a swap which was in honour of someone in one of the groups I am in, and some scissors (which never get used),  Below - the shiny tin is my large Gelli plate and there's all sorts of stuff behind it and then my kitchen rolls.

Well that's it for this week.  I will have some spare atc's if anyone wants to swap and they are not going to the Crop.  Just give me a shout and I will put one away for you.

Happy Anniversary!

Jeudi Journal - Succeed

"If At First you Don't Succeed - Give Up" is Wendy's choice this week for our Jeudi Journal.  This one really had me stumped!  If only there was a figure that had hands up in the air, or clutching at face ...

Thankfully I had a page already done, not a clue what I used - I suspect Distress Inks and that looks like an Andy Skinner stencil or two.  As it turned out the page was busy so I did not need to do any more to the background.

On Saturday I was talking to my friend Cath and she came up with a suggestion of ripping half a page and sticking it back - giving up because whatever I was doing didn't work.  That was great but when it came to execution I was stuck - again!

I had had an idea earlier in the week, something to do with fish and an under water scene but my addled brain stopped working and I could not, for the life in me, remember what I had thought of doing.

So come Monday I got to thinking, merging ideas, and came up with this

ok, so it needs some explanation!

The top corner shows our little caterpillar day dreaming about becoming a beautiful butterfly and he is wishing with all his might that this will be him.  The bottom corner is when he realises his wish has not come true and he is still a little old caterpillar.

Now you and I know he will eventually turn into a beautiful butterfly but he just needs to be a little more patient.  Now what is on the cards next week?

WOYWW 519

I have been meaning to mention "Spam" for a few weeks now but last week I had NINE spam comments on my WOYWW blogpost.  Is anyone else getting a lot of late?  I don't even know what they are trying to achieve - the wording is not offensive, not asking me to click on a link or anything.

Anyway, here we are - back to WOYWW and the baring of desks for another week.  As my desk has not changed - again - actually I sent three birthday cards out on Saturday but I forgot to scan them - I am showing you the stamps I bought at Happy Stampers on Saturday.  Yeah!  I made it and that means if I did that then I am going to be at the Crop!!

Here are a couple of photos of what I bought:

and close ups

nowhere near as much as usual.

It was good to see some WOYWW'ers and the first persons I saw were Doug and Shaz, closely followed by Heather, then Sarah and much later I bumped into Chris.  Hope I haven't missed anyone.  My memory is so bad at the moment - put it down to old age.

Well, I will leave it there, short and sweet for me.  Not long to go now before the Crop so I had better get on with the ATC's - see you next week, maybe a sneak peek will be on the cards.

Jeudi Journal - Over the Hill

Is that how you feel some times - like you are 'over the hill".

My Journal page lady does not feel that at all - or does she?  That is the question.  She is actually saying she will never be over the hill because she is too tired to climb it.  I think we all feel like that at times.  Too tired to do anything.

For the background I again used Distress Inks, but this time in greens at the base of the page and blues at the top.  I began using the pads direct to paper but then filled in gaps with the blender tool.  As you can see, at the top, I used some lilac to give the appearance of a nicer evening.

Originally I was just putting some leaves down the side and a little across the top but then I decided to use the rest of the stencil and do the light rays coming from the top left hand corner.  Whilst I was looking for my stencil I found the one for the hills from Inkylicious and thought that would be perfect.  It also had a circle cut out so I just used a babywipe to lift the ink from the page to pretend to be the moon.

Although I struggle with most of the quotes I found I really enjoyed this one because I knew where I was going with it.  Will next weeks fall into the same pattern?

Erika, over at Art Journal Journey, has chosen "In the air" as her topic for this month challenge.  Well, my lady is out in the fresh air so I think it should count for inclusion.  I hope so and that my hills and moon help with the topic theme.

WOYWW 518 and Art Journal Journey

Another week closer to the crop - for details check WOYWW here.  Not too late to join us either.

Once again my desk is full of lace, still messing about with the teabags.  The idea I had does not seem to be working and I am back to square one.  I think the back pain has a lot to do with it and I cannot spend too long without a break, also I don't work as quickly as I normally would in order to try out different ways of putting them together.  Production is slow.  Only a week to go, oh heck!

There is something different I can show you which I did almost a week ago.  I like entering a challenge now and then and have been entering one in particular on a fairly regular basis.  I always do two sheets of A4 card and stick little squares on so that I can do some journalling.  Unfortunately this is my 'pain journal' which makes sure I do enter up daily (well almost, might miss one or two and have to play catch up) what my day has been like.  

This month the topic is "In the Air"/"In the Sky" and was set by the lovely Erika at Art Journal Journey.  So mine has to do with birds and has a bird nest on it, plus feathers in the background which are mostly covered up by the squares - but I did enjoy colouring them in with my Inktense pencils.

Jeudi Journal

This week the Dylusion quote is Cancel "My Subscription I Don't Need Your Issues" and I hadn't a clue how to portray this at all.

To begin with I created a background with some lilac/purple DI's and then used a square stencil to create some interest.  I wanted to use another AAL & Create stamp on the background and so I chose to use some brushes and a ring binder spine (I think that is what it is).  Just felt that those two images were probably the most appropriate from my collection for 'subscription' and 'issues'.

Btw:  the words around the figure on the right are "A bit of this", "A bit of that", "A bit of the other", "As I said" and "You know what" - to give the illusion of "Issues".

I really enjoyed creating the figure on the right which some of you may recognise usually has a telephone on his head and another one between his feet.  I thought the short trousers, or long shorts, looked quite trendy, especially with those long socks and the boots.

This is what I enjoy most about doing my Journal on a Thursday - creating different figures from the rubber stamps I already have.  Saying that, I was thinking I needed something new to use, and on going through my stash I discovered that one set I thought was only on my wish list was actually in my box.  That cut me down from ordering.  Saved a bit of money there!  Now I have checked my database is up to date I shouldn't be duplicating my Dylusion stuff.

In the Sky or In the Air

That is the title of the challenge on Art Journal Journey set by the lovely Erika for this month.

I always seem to do my pain journal pages for the first thing in this challenge and so this morning I set to and thought about "birds", seeking out my bird stamps.  First of all I sprayed two sheets of cardstock because it was the quickest way I could think of to create a background and then I got stamping.

Spent a nice time sitting in my high backed chair with my Promarkers and my Derwent Inktense Pencils colouring in the images.  I always seem to do two images per page with them in opposite corners for my main images and then do some smaller bits scattered around the page which is going to be covered in squares for my journalling anyhow.

I went along with 'feathers' and had a lovely time using the pencils to colour them and create some nice blending - shame you can only see bits.  Perhaps I need to think out my strategy before next month.

So here it is - my "In the Sky" page for Erika at Art Journal Journey.

WOYWW 517 - the First Day of May

Another week closer to the Crop and the Anniversary.  Just need to get my thinking cap on and start making something.  Perhaps a Masterboard is in order and I can take it from there.  What on earth am I on about?  Well, go here and see all about it - Julia can explain it much better than I can.

Still not doing much crafting.  I am managing to keep up with my Journal challenge that I do with a friend of mine on a Thursday and doing prep for my workshop (fingers crossed I can get through it on the day) but that is about all.  I have lots of Dylusion figures all ready cut out and some are coloured so Thursdays is just a question of making a background and finding a figure or two to add to it.  This is the start of one of my backgrounds

To the left you can see my folder which contains most of my A4 stencils and then there is my flip journal which is the one I am using at the moment.  I used three Distress Inks direct to paper and then put a stencil on the top left and the whole of the opposite side in yet another shade of blue.

At the back you can see one of my "cubby holes" that houses the tall bottles of various things that aren't used that often.  It is as well I don't buy as much these days as I used to - I have bought things in the past that I no longer remember what to use them for.  Anyone else done that?

This is the blue card from last week - not a clue what year I did it but i do remember it was at CHA:

Well, I will leave it there, short for Julia and see you all next week for another WOYWW.