All scrapped out....

... the use-it-or-lose-it book I started in October (you can read about it here) is finished.... I did it - a page a day created with bits and pieces solely from the scrap pile! (patting self on back)

The book is not going to close and that makes me happy! I like that it doesn't close and bits and pieces hang out of the sides... books like this make me interested to see what is inside...

& speaking of whats inside here are the further 19+ pages I created during the month...

I like stenciling across the page, over both all the attached layers (scrap paper on left, printed paper on right) it blends everything together.

These are the masks and placement pieces used in a workshop on this day... background is created with black pen, Faber Castell Polychromos pencils and Stabillo CarbOthello pencils.

I don't often use photos of myself but this one on right is OK because I'm pretty much bleached out because of the instant camera print... (and I like my new shorter hair!)... this page is one of the main reasons the book isn't closing! The zipper flower in the middle that I made from a metal/cotton zipper is quite dimensional - I was tempted to remove it and replace with something flatter but the page wasn't as nice without it.... who says a book should close anyway! ;o)

My birthday - I see these numbers around a lot! Strange... nice coincidence... 'twenty-two, ten' gets called out a lot in our house lol

Day after my birthday - still 'celebrating'!! :o)

Taking three small die cuts and attaching them together so they are one big die cut.

This flower is created using a flower from JOFY37, and 5 leaves (JOFY12) stamped onto pink paper - love how stamping them onto a different coloured paper can change their purpose so easily.

Couldn't resist adding this to the book (to preserve it!) on top of waste gelli print paper and whats not to love about that bobble trim!!

I used loads of bits and pieces in this book - but obviously not enough as there was still loads left at the end of the month - most of which has been thrown in the bin....

I really enjoyed doing this and I hope its inspired you to make use of all those bits you're hoarding 'just in case'.


By the way...  Have I mentioned that I'm teaching online? I probably have because I'm very excited to be teaching on Wanderlust 2017 !  

This is a years worth of fabulous mixed-media and art journaling classes from myself and 25 other teachers.   You can book your seat at the amazingly low Early Bird price now to make sure that you are ready for a fun adventure and a huge learning experience in the next year. 

Click on the above Wanderlust image to go and book your place!
This is going to be a wonderful year of inspiration and learning.
I can’t wait to meet you all in the classroom!

x

Boo! Happy Halloween!

Halloween starring Dolly and Little Dude..... as you've never seen them before..

These tags all started off as little doodles onto Dolly and Little Dude (JM52 JM53) seeing how easy it would be to turn them into other characters... it was a lot of fun!  made me chuckle as I changed them into their Halloween costumes... mwaaahhhaaahhaaa...  I was just playing around, just doodling (thats why the colouring isn't as dark/complicated as usual) but once they were all fancied up I couldn't stop creating......

So here's Little Dude dressed as Count Dracula...

Dolly has come as Elphaba from Wicked - this would definitely be my Halloween costume of choice!

And finally, especially for Walking Dead fans out there.... here is Zombie Dolly!!

These were so much fun to make - if you've turned Dolly and Little Dude in to other little characters I'd love to see them!

x

Demo day!!....

... just a quick reminder that I'll be over at the lovely Birds in the Barn, Marks Tey, tomorrow...  where I'll be getting inky & painty with Gelli Plates, Fresco Finish paints, PaperArtsy stamps and stencils...

Really looking forward to visiting the shop again - its been a while - I hope you can join me!


x

ACP:2 Black + S

This month's colour is Black, and as we all know Black goes with everything! and so for that reason my first project this month is a colour free-for-all -  anything/everything goes - literally!

Each day this month I have spent 15 minutes working on a project  - just a...

• no hassle
• mind clearing
• getting in the mood to create
• clearing the workroom
• using up the scraps

... sort of project... and it fits in nicely with first letter of this month: the letter S, because S stands for scraps,  scrapbooking, sewing... oh and stenciling & stamping!

When I make a project I always cut extras ('just in case') and keep the left over bits and pieces,these end up gathering in a box or clear file... well enough is enough.  I am being ruthless and firm with myself : STOP SAVING THE SCRAPS (ooh look at all the lovely Ss in that sentence)

Now you might think the pile (imagine I'm saying 'the pile' in a deep scary voice with echo lol to give it gravitas) doesn't look too bad - but remember its a PILE there's plenty of bits and pieces under what you can see - and for size perspective - the cards you can see in the top right hand corner measure 6x4inches.

My project/plan is to make a card every day in October, and extras if I'm in the mood... I didn't set myself any rules or guidelines (why make things hard for yourself) (not even deciding on landscape or portrait! big step for me! lol) except that:

• Every card must use at least one piece out of the scrap box/from the pile...
• Nothing new can be bought and used - whatever used must be IN my workroom.

Simple!  I love the challenge of this - making (hopefully) something special out of scraps... and adapting items so they can be used (such as die cutting letters or shapes from the random bits of card that are in the pile..)

Oh, and anything left over at the end of the month will be thrown away.

Here are the cards so far:

I love the little monsters Elena has designed for PaperArtsy (you can find them at www.paperartsy.co.uk), and having used them on my nephew's birthday card I couldn't resist adding one on this page.

The die cut apple above has been in the pile for aaaaages - looks great on this page!  On the right is a ghost print cut from one of the underpapers on my desk - definitely too nice to throw away!

Bit of a motivational page here - and for some reason I seem to have quite a few of these cupcakes in the pile.

Love this page - I wanted to use bubble wrap on a page which has been used to gelli print - always great colour blends left behind so thats what I put on the reverse (on right)

Photos printed out on polaroid style film - I really like the dinky little prints..

A very funny evening watching Nina Conti, the ventriloquist, at the Cliffs Pavilion - really clever too... an evening that was so funny you have tears running down your face.

These shoes are stamps from JOFY43, the 'boy' plate - works really well to illustrate how much walking we did that day!

 There had to be tags and book text in there somewhere!

I wrote on this page but it wasn't important (so I don't mind that it is barely visible) - I wanted the embellishments to be the focus.... it doesn't always need to be about the words..

From the photos above you can see the pages are all bound on BIG book rings... They are in a book I created from a book cover I had in my room - yes I really did have an old book cover stashed under the desk just waiting for the perfect project! (you can see how long I've had it because my name is written on it - my maiden name - I've been married 11 years!)

 I think I had originally used it for altered book techniques.. and removed the pages at some point...

I punched some holes in, made sure the book rings and pages fitted and painted it all over - front and back- with black gesso - LUSH!

Went 'old school' and dug out the hammer and eyelet tools.. which were sadly not man enough to go through the book covers...  This book rin and book cover is a binding method I've used before and like very much (you can see another project HERE) and I found it on Julie Kirk's blog (HERE).

I needed to bring out the big guns! I don't use the Crop-a-dile Big Bite very often but I am very glad I have it- so easy to punch through the book covers and set the eyelets.

Here's the cover in-progress - using a card that I'd painted way back at the start of the project - I thought it would look great on the cover and reflects the contents.  The only number you can still see on the ruler running along the bottom is '22' which made me smile - as that's my birthday! Coincidences like that make me smile!

The cover a little bit further along:  I embossed the tips of the seedhead (WOW, silver sparkle), bubble wrap printed randomly, drew around the edges in grey pencils, added spots of Mermaid to break up the Chalk bubble wrap print.... all glue down but it was still missing 'something'....

I added a title and date and it is finished.

15 days to go....
(and just in case you were wondering - I've used 72 pieces from the pile)


Thanks for stopping by.

x

Ho Ho Ho...

... getting ready for my class on Christmas workshop on Saturday at That's Crafty... because the class booked up Laura has released a few extra places, so contact the shop if you fancy joining us for a day of festive fun creating the niche box below...

... and for those of you who are booked on to the course - thank you and I look forward to seeing you on Saturday - please bring the following items with you:
wide flat paint brush (you'll only need 1), detail paint brushes (similar to those in photo below), detail/ fine scissors, pencil, ruler...

(don't worry if you don't have the above - we'll have spares for you to use in class)

HO HO HO!!

Its all about....

..... Seedheads, Gelli prints, masks and stencils for my project tonight over on the PaperArtsy blog... Click on the photo below to go take a look.

Thanks for stopping by

Alphabet Colour Project:2 October's colour is...

.. BLACK ..

Oh black, you glamorous little beauty!...  you are my colour for October....

I like the colour black A LOT!  I have a black cat, a black car, a big portion of my wardrobe is black (covers a multitude of sins and goes with everything!)... so I'm really looking forward to this month.

May was the last month I looked at the Alphabet Colour Project which is not what I had planned (and believe me behind the scenes this is all planned out!) but life took over.. during the missing months of June, July, August & September there was a holiday, a new stamp release, and some quite serious medical treatment: I have Multiple Sclerosis and in August I underwent relatively new treatment for the condition- 5 days of infusions of the drug Lemtrada which will hopefully halt, but not cure, the condition (its the first treatment I have received for MS in the 19 years since diagnosis).... the treatment was quite debilitating so it wiped out August, September was spent catching up... which finds us here is October!
OCTOBER! Seems ridiculous to be October already! lol

aaaaanyhoo - I could go back and bring the colours and alphabet into October, starting where I would've in June... but I have decided to go with October as I already planned it...

Black is joined by the letters S & T - lots of ideas on the lists that I'm excited to think about.

I have a Pinterest board HERE of all things black....here's a couple of my favourite images:

(image: pinterest/ultralinx)

and who wouldn't want a black squirrel in their garden!? That is a gorgeous little rodent!:

(image: pinterest/arkinspace)

I'm off to think about the colour black, and the letters S and T - if any of you lovely visitors can think of any techniques or equipment to add to the lists please drop it in a comment and I'll add it to the list!

Thanks for stopping by

Jo

PaperArtsy: New Product release....

..... over on the PaperArtsy blog tonight... and you are going to love it!! Seriously.
I was lucky to be a 'wingman' on this release and I adore the stamps!

Here's a taster of what you will find over on the BLOG:

Go and take a look - you will not be disappointed.

x