An A to Z of Me - Sum Up

Here's the cover of my "A to Z of Me" album, I did it near the beginning of this adventure and just added to the pretty patterned paper which was already on the album when I received it as a gift.

The album is spiral bound so I couldn't resist a few ribbons to coordinate. The back cover is just the same unaltered patterned paper.

Here are some ariel photos of the whole album. It has plain front and back covers plus 4 pages. Each page is made up of a envelope folded in a "Z" shape with pockets in either the end or a fold, all covered in patterned papers. The black card is used to create a binding on each page. A friend made the album so I don't have any instructions. The tags were all made out of plain white card.

I love my A to Z album.

Thanks again Bernice.

An A to Z of Me #26 - Zeal

Z is for Zeal.

It finally came, the last day of our A to Z Challenge. Thank you Benice for all prompts and videos and showing us your pages too. It has been wonderful. We get to sum up tomorrow and show our covers too, looking forward to that.

Today we were tasked to do some "drippage" which fortunately I had tried out on the "R" tag page previously. Today's page was somewhat more tricky as it was the inside of the back cover! So I cling-filmed and taped up the rest of the album and got to work.

My first attempt with the turquoise was more of a splodge than drippage. So I tried some more colours and ended up with a rainbow effect. As the scripture was about singing to the Lord, I added some music score stamping and some diecut notes.

My letters were all from stock and I chose different textures for each; fabric, acetate, cork and sprayed card. I sat them on little clouds of dots. Amazing how white dots add to a page (I added some to my "X" page too and it looks better now).

WOYWW #195 - A to Z Album

Thought you might like a different angle on my desk this week for WOYWW. I stuck my camera close to the shelves and pointed it outwards. And for those wondering why I am doing the desk thing, pop over to Julia's place and all will be revealed.

Been working busily on my A to Z album this week and only one more letter to go now. My "Y" is for Yes page is finished. What will I do with myself when it is over?? Dare I mention the 12 months in view creative challenge starting on 4th March. Hopefully a bit more relaxed as it will be monthly instead of daily.













I have also managed to fit in a bit of much needed scrapping this week with a Vintage Page and a National Trust property both from the Summer. Not to mention my Craft Barn Alpha Challenge page too.

An A to Z of Me #25 - Yes

Y is for Yes.

Safe to say I whimped out of putting kitchen towel through my printer today but I did line my pages with kitchen towel and sealed with pearlescent paint before adding my words, the scripture and more tattered florals!

Yes - "Tattered Florals" is the challenge set by Tim Holtz at present and I can't stop using them!! This is my 3rd project so far. First is a 6x6 board, 2nd a double 12x12 scrappage, now my penultimate page in my A to Z album.

Hope you like how I have used my flap this time. I chose the 2 differing colours as they were the same colours as the original patterned papers I covered (well I'll remember that anyway).

Last page tomorrow.

An A to Z of Me #24 - X Marks The Spot

X Marks The Spot

Not totally happy with today's page. Must have had the wrong type of bubbles!

I masked off a big central "X" and made a border with smaller ones and inked up with distress using dark colours like the video suggested. I made up my bubbles and laid them out on a tray which was big enough for my tag. Hmmmmm!!! Not much happened! I tried again after drying the first attempt. Got a few speckles round the edges but still not much, so I added some Dylusions to the bubbles and tried that. Got some blue splodges.

I must have been a bit deflated after this as the rest didn't go well either. After removing the masks from the "X"s I pondered. I glossy accented the central one, well that was OK. I coloured the edge ones in but didn't like them, then I topped with cosmic shimmer glue but that didn't go too well either.

As I said not entirely happy with today's outcome, give me the salt background anyday, I think that was my favourite so far.

TH Tattered Floral Challenge - II

I was already working on this LO when the TH Challenge was set, so I just had to add some tattered florals to it. Especially so as the subject of the photos was our visit to the National Trust property, Standen House and its beautiful gardens back in the height of our UK Summer! Yes we DID have at least one sunny day, these photos are testament to that!

Have to say that Tim's dies work just as well with the more "grunge" type projects, like in my other entry to this challenge,  as well as for the more "gentile" type projects like this one.



I cut my florals from both a patterned paper and some Kraft Co-ordinations. I embossed and sanded the latter with Swiss dots. I used a mixture of round, heart, flower and mini button brads for the flowers centers.


I used my WordPlay and Typeset dies for the wording and shadowed the former like I learnt in Tim's Christmas Tags back in 2011! Still 6 months behind in my scrapping, it will probably be March before I start on September too. Oh well, onward and upward.

A to Z of Me #23 - Words

W is for Words.

Well I have got into a right old inky mess today! Started off OK making the alphabet stamp using my WORDPLAY die and also a stencil from acetate whilst I was at it.

I guess the Dylusions sprayed background and ghosting (with newly made stencil) and alcohol inking the backs of the acetate letters in "WORDS" and all the glue has alot to do with the state of my fingers now.

But who cares when you end up with today's page done, a new stencil and TWO new stamps (I did a numbers one as well).

TH - Tattered Floral Challenge

Oh how could I resist Tim's latest Challenge.

The remit was to use the tattered floral die and layers.

Here is my 6"x6" piece using the die and incorporating various techniques from his first book.

Definitely enjoying the journey.

Alpha Challenge #04 - Hanukkah

The letter over at the Craft Barn's Alpha Challenge this time is H, and continuing with my Special Occassions theme I have done the Jewish Festival of Hanukkah. This festival usually falls around Christmas time, which is jolly handy if you ask me.
I have made the Menora candle holder the main focus and the definition for the festival is from the internet, as would you know it, neither of my two dictionaries had it!

An A to Z of Me #22 - Vision

V is for Vision

Masking tape resist today and I usually find any masking tapes too sticky so used my Ikea tape and that was mostly fine. I did the tear it in half and stick down straight edge to straight edge for the uneven edges effect.

 I used a couple of acrylic paints and my trusty Tesco Club Card (what else are they for as I shop mainly in Asda?). I like the effect the card has on the finished background, must try that again!







I really wanted to try a Vision Board but with time limited I just pulled out some magazine pictures. There are some great pictures in the radio section of Radio Times each week, I have been saving them for a while now. All the pictures I chose have faces with prominent eyes, which seemed to go with the prompt of VISION.

I did cut out all my letters today, I had all but the "S" in white but as I had to get my "Wordplay" die out for that one anyway, I just did them all in the coloured card I needed.







I handwrote the scripture on the resist lines and added a few dots too. I have taken a few photos of my page and how it sits with the other pages in the album. I like the way the lady peeks out from under the tags.
The whole spread now says "Self Vision".

Vintage Scrap Page

Tim Holtz would be proud as I got 2 great "vintage" photos. One of an old sewing maching in a room set-up in Ikea.The other of an old typewriter in a room in the National Trust Property at Standen.

I took both at the end of August last year so am 6 months behind in my scrapping now!! Far too much Art Journaling going on I fear! Although I used the technique of a stamp for a border so not all lost.

An A to Z of Me #21 - Unique

U is for Unique

Gave up trying to sleep at 4am and was poised for today's prompt at 5am and finished by 7am! Here's my desk mid-page to show you how I store my unused diecut letters.

I popped my pokey tool on the tray as this is one of my favorite tools although the pointy tweezers are probably joint top on my list now.

Nice to get my brayer out, it is seldom used but great of today's technique, which was to dollup acrylic paint on a scrunched up plastic bag and print your backing from there. I didn't use enough paint so had to do it several times!



Hope you can see that the whole double page spread now reads, "Self Image, Try Unique", how's that for luck? I finished off the tag using yesterday's technique (stamping border with parts of other stamps), to sort of tie it together in the double pocket. I used dragonflies as opposed to butterflies and handwrote my scripture, partly as my typewriter was a bit too noisy for the early hours and partly as my handwriting is unique to me.








The stamp I used on the front was a seed head flower and the back was the crown from the little girl on my "G" page. I stamped the girl as well but initially had her upside down which was quite a pain with archival ink which I quickly tried to wipe off, but had to cover in more paint and then re-stamp her!

I used my sepia glossy accents on the words and diecuts and platinum glitter all around. Journaling left for another day again, well that's me UNIQUE.

An A to Z of Me #20 - Try

T is for Try

Still feeling horrid so pleased to say I did this whilst still in my PJs! Does that count as resting up?

Another half pocket with tag today and the patterned paper is again the pearlescent kind so only permanent inks would do - of which I only have black and brown! I chose the latter and then consulted my stamp folder (yes I only have one stamp folder - a Tim Holtz one).

Chose 2 Tim Holtz stamps for my border, first his chandelier and for the back his crown. Both worked really well in part as borders. Really must do this technique more often, dare I say I like it and it involves stamping.








I tried to type out the whole scripture today but it was too long and I ran out of the coloured paper I liked so I just did the sentence with "TRY" in it. I filled the space with butterflies (they were the first I came to in my alphabetised spare diecut box!). I have left the back plain for any journaling later.

An A to Z of Me #19 - Self Image

S is for Self Image

Horrah the technique I have been waiting for. I did the cut-outs a while ago, great to see how to use them as masks rather than just to stick them down. I had patterned paper to work with, so sprayed black Dylusions around instead. So I guess opposite silhouettes in the end.

I took photos of the magazine pictures from both sides so you can see the images I used. I have since found another one of a wedding dress not unlike the ballgown one. Best to look out for them before you need them if you ask me.

Happened to have a flap page to work with so used 2 of the images I had prepared. The one in view is of a lady in a dressing gown, your normal, stay at home mum type.The one hidden under the flap is in a ball gown and I put stars around her and made it all more shiny, just the way I'd like to be!!

WOYWW #194 - PINK!

Still going strong with my "A to Z of Me" Art Journal Challenge. Was quite poorly last Wednesday so didn't do a page that day nor manage to visit anyone who didn't visit me nor leave a number, and only later in the week at that! Still have a horrid cold but I battle on...

My desk has my latest page and we have got to "R" for Responsibilities (which I have just blogged so click to have a closer look if you like) I had alot of "run-off" ink quite literally so made the tag from that too.

You'll also see my Ferrero Rochet stencil box, just the right size (for now - LOL). Oh and the other side of this page was also pink "Q" for Qualities so you can guess what colours my fingers are now!

Anyway, hope you enjoy your snoop at my desk, and if you are at all confused.com as to what WOYWW is all about, pop over to Julia's gaff where all will be explained.

An A to Z of Me #18 - Responsibilities

R is for Responsibilities

Stamping through stencils today but all my bought stencils only have small holes so I used one I made in November's Challenge, and inked and stamped through that.



 





Following the rest of the technique video I tried the dribble bit (a first for me) but think I might have overdone the amount of spraying at the top as it obliterated the stencil/stamping! It also left loads of ink on the craft mat so I did a tag as well whilst I was at it.

The scripture was mighty long today, so was the word! I didn't use any newly cut letters either, just those from my scrap packets. Oops just noticed I have't dotted my "I's", best rectify that later. In fact I usually end up adding to my pages after blogging them - it is always the way isn't it?

An A to Z of Me #17 - Qualities

Q is for Qualities

Today's technique was wax crayon resist, so I got one of my son's white wax crayons and wrote the words of "quality" (from today's quote) and then did some swirls round them and a dashed line round the border.

I painted over it all with Dylusions ink and some water. It is great when the patterns POP out so I took a photo mid-way, so you can share...

I think I just doodled from there with stencils, paint, liquid pearls and pen.

I did my usual trick of forgetting the scripture, so I just had to fit it in!

I did cut my letters out today and redid the tab circle to match. Got pink fingers now.

An A to Z of Me #16 - Possibilities

P is for Possibilities

Today we learnt how to alter a photo, with sanding, scratching and adding watercolour paint. Had to commandeer my son's dinosaur paint box as I don't have any watercolours myself (wish I'd thought of that a few days ago!)

Used a photo of last year's Mother's Day roses, and scratched today's quote in it round the edge. Couldn't find any dots for my "I's" in my diecut letters bags so used red stickles instead, but didn't need to cut any letters out specially today. Used my Dylusions stencil down the sides and more stickles to accent.

Really happy with my page today. Oh the possibilities - LOL.

An A to Z of Me #15 - Openness

O is for Openness

Never had so much fun in the kitchen. Yes that was where Bernice advised us try our technique today!

I took a little tray of stash/tools down to the kitchen and got stuck in.

Realised that despite having prised the stopper off one of my Distress Stains, that the colour wasn't intense enough. However the Dylusions worked a treat.

I even did both sides of my album tag first and they turned out cool. I did a further one on photo paper and one on smooth card. Really pleased with the results.