About Me

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Hi, Welcome to my Blog. I'm an eclectic kind of crafter delving into many pots. I am just about managing to keep up my Scrapbooking Diary (usually about 6 months behind), plus any cards as required. I have a new found love of Watercolour and Bible Journaling plus recently Faith/Art Journaling too. I've challenged myself to make an art journal page a day for this my 60th year. Previously I've also dabbled in ATCs, Tags, Altered Books, Mixed Media, Décopatch, Knitting, Crochet, and Embroidery amongst other things. I live in Surrey, UK with my husband, our son has left home now. For exercise I usually play Badminton and go Ballroom and Latin Dancing. I also like walking/Geocaching and sometimes do a bit of Bouncing on my Rebounder (mini trampoline). I have been learning to play the harp for the past 10yrs. I am now officially retired. I am a born again Christian, currently worshiping at my local Vineyard Church.

Wednesday 30 April 2014

WOYWW #256 - More Kitchen Chemistry

My Kitchen Chemistry course takes up my time at the beginning of the week, so any crafting seems to be resigned to the weekend at the moment, when I finally did my April Timmy Tag, HERE.





Desk has my experiment photos ready to be put in my notebook. Isn't it great how you can take photos and print them off almost instantly these days. Quite a difference to when I was in school.

The magazine freebie stamps I got last week went to finish off my journal page and were used for a scrappage too. HERE

Also I received my giveaway journal from Claire, love it.

So yes this is the weekly, "show your desk to all" and have a blog hop around the world looking at what everyone else has been doing hosted by the lovely Julia at WOYWW.

Sunday 27 April 2014

Psalms 24/27/29

Having become a little behind on my Psalm journaling I have combined the last 3.

I read them all and chose the theme which seemed to run through all of them.

That of the Glory of God and also His Temple or House.

I depicted his Glory with a golden background and the sun's rays; His house or Temple with a brick stamp.

Magazine Freebie Stamps

Simply Cards and Papercraft have a great set of Indigo Blu Stamps as their free gift this month. Even for me a professed non-stamper!










I had to have a play and used them to finish off my journal inside cover.















I also used them on a scrappage, now that is very unusual for me! I am doing a page a year for a family 8x8 album, and last year we went on our church weekend to Ashburnham. We had been to the same place 10 years previously so we took a photo on the same steps. Some big changes there!

Saturday 26 April 2014

Timmy Tag 2014 - #04

Yet again I have pondered Timmy's Tag for most of the month!

I had quite a few of the supplies but was missing the feature Trellis die. I pondered "sharing" the idea of using the Weathered Clock instead but on going through my dies the Fanciful Flight butterfly begged to be used instead.

I really like the idea of replacing the cut out spaces with other different materials like the mirror metal, cork and covered grunge board. I filled all of my spaces in the butterfly wings.

I also like the effect of the distress ink over distress paint.

This is my first "proper" tag this year although I have used each month's techniques on other smaller tags in a journal and also a page in my DLP.

Wednesday 23 April 2014

WOYWW #255 - Kitchen Chemistry

Looks like I have managed a few things this week, still coughing though.

Firstly my Craft Barn challenge page on "Truth".

Secondly I finished off the inside covers of my round robin art journal. Could really do with a quote for the last one though. A lady and a swan?




Thirdly is my DLP and Craft Club challenge using a favourite product incorporation the packaging.


Oh and my Journal 52 recycling and animal page too.

The page is done in my DLP which is getting mighty chunky now and we are only 1/4 of the way through the year!



Last, but not least, is my little notebook where I am jotting down notes as I am doing an on-line Chemistry course. The courses are free to do and run by various universities in the UK under the name of FutureLearn. This one is called Kitchen Chemistry and you can have a whole lot of fun with a container with a little vinegar at the bottom and by adding half a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda!

Happy WOYWW everyone.

Tuesday 22 April 2014

Craft Club Challenge

For this year's challenge at Ashtead Craft Club we are to decorate at least 10 A4 sheets from a number of prompts.

One of the "people's choice" options was to "pay homage to our favourite product, incorporating the packaging."

The DLP week 16 prompt was to "add a cardboard food box in a creative way".

I think this piece has ticked both boxes. My favourite chocolate came in Easter Egg form so I had a box to work with, well it just snowballed from there. YUM!

Added bonus is that I love purple.

Monday 21 April 2014

Round Robin Art Journal Finished

For the past 18 months or so from Autumn 2012 I have been involved in an art journal round robin with 7 lovely ladies. This month marks the end of the 3rd round of monthly adding pages to each journal and posting on.

All the journals were hand made by the lovely Dawn.




I have now updated my cover and completed both inside covers, but what I could really do with is a suitable quote for the inside back cover of the lady and the swan, any suggestions appreciated.

Saturday 19 April 2014

Q&L #07 - Truth

God certainly works in mysterious ways. Long before I became a Christian I was well into astrology and one book I had quoted some scriptures, strangely. I say strangely as astrology and Christianity don't mix and I have since disposed of all such books. However the quote still remains with me to this day. I can't find a Bible translation with the exact words I recall but the sentiment endures.

John 8:32 "Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." (NIV)


Radio Times came up trumps for me again as I sourced the picture from their radio section for Good Friday. I used the picture's colours, some paint, crackle stamping plus gold lettering and edging. Simple but it depicts the season of Easter just right for me. Jesus died for our sins. I guess the facing page in my journal is now set to be the JOY of the risen King for Easter Sunday. Hallelujah!

Oh I nearly forgot, the prompt for this page was The Craft Barn's current Q&L words of "Change or Truth".

Wednesday 16 April 2014

WOYWW #254 - Quirky Bird

Not been up to much this past week as the cold I got has been rather nasty, still coughing but back to doing things again instead of being laid up in bed!

I posted my tags for a cause on Monday. There is also another DLP page of the Journal52 prompt of "A day in the life of me"


On Monday I had another craft club at my house too. There were 6 people and me which made it quite cosyin my dining room! We made "Quirky Bird" and egg cards.


Come join in the mega WOYWW blog hop hosted by the lovely Julia over at the Stamping Ground.

Monday 14 April 2014

Crafting for a Cause

The J52 week 10 prompt was chosen for the UKPC SWAP this month. Creating for a cause.

I went a UKPC member's idea of creating as part of friendship and sharing our crafting with others.

I used my new Timmy stencil for the first time along with his spritzer tool. I'm in love with all things speckled at the moment! I also used the new stamps I got as a freebie in a magazine recently, quite enjoyed using them which is unusual for me! I added a few diecut flowers and bling and all done.




As is the custom on our group, if a member signed up for that month's SWAP is unable to do their SWAP for some reason, we call on the SWAP fairy to step in.

Fortunately a remit was given to the SWAP fairy so all she had to do was wave her magic fairy glitter wand and hey presto all done.

The cause was Breast Cancer Awareness and the SWAP fairy used a cell stencil, apt but deep, with some glitter paste and the required pink ribbon to finish off.




Wednesday 9 April 2014

WOYWW #253 - More Psalms

Well the Easter boxes are still on my desk this week, so not much has changed.











I have done a couple of  pages in my DLP, and a couple of psalms in my journal.



There is also my SWAP for UKPC hiding, could do with posting it though! But that's it! Been bombarded by 2 weeks of female stuff and now a horrid cold, oh woe is me! For potentially more productive desks pop over to Julia's place.

Monday 7 April 2014

Psalms 22 & 23

Isn't it great when you do one challenge and find you have inadvertently done another one in the process. This is exactly what I seem to have done whilst doing my latest Psalm pages. They are both monochromatic so fulfill the DLP week 15 prompt as such.

For Psalm 22 I had the "eureka" moment when I realised that Jesus used the words of this King David's psalm whilst he was on the cross. So this just had to be a page of the cross. I used scraps of brown patterned papers as a background patchworked together and joined with pen stitching. My new Timmy spritzer just had to be used too.

For Psalm 23 I just thought of the green of the pastures with God as our shepherd. I used my new Timmy Latticework stencil and then 3 types of speckledness on top.
1) New speckled stamp
2) Timmy Spritzer
3) Water

Wednesday 2 April 2014

WOYWW #252 - Easter Preparations

Happy WOYWW everyone, come join in the mega blog hop over at Julia's.

I got some new sentiment dies of "Easter" and "Anniversary" and, a bit belated, I got the Timmy lattice stencil and the spritzer thingy but haven't had a chance for a play yet.


I had my second harp lesson this week and made up a journal page of my first song.


Ashtead Craft Club last week was all about Easter and so the boxes and bags we made are still on my desk.



For the DLP prompt of "get someone to draw something and you finish it off". I spent most of Mother's Day trying to get my son to draw something but to no avail so I passed the paper to my husband and he drew a bicycle. I duly finished it off. Bit overboard with my new speckle stamp!


Oh and for those following my garden through the seasons, here's the Magnolia in full bloom, much more timely this year. The Wisteria (in the foreground) is awash with buds too, it will surely have a good show this year.