TH #04 - April Tag

Part of my haul of stash yesterday from The Craft Barn was my first handful of Distress Paints - Yippee. Shame the Metallics haven't made it over the pond yet though, but Neil (one of the demonstrators there) suggested I try the stains instead, which I did along with some Perfect Pearls too.

Not sure I selected the right colours of paint nor have got the hang of it really but I muddled through adding layers to my tag. Went to use the Wild Honey for another tag and low and behold the top hadn't been on properly and loads of the runny paint came flooding out! I mopped it up using a sponge (wanted to save as much as I could) so used this with my new honeycomb stencil over my base tag.

Of course, especially as I don't have a dragonfly stamp and as I had made a honeycomb background, I thought a couple of bees would be just the ticket. Couldn't get my Archival ink to dry on my acetate packaging so had to re-stamp with Staz-On, now that worked a treat. Oh I do love the cutting out of the wings in acetate and shaping them and even the staple to fix them to the tag.

I used my new Kaisercraft ribbon and crackle stamps. Been after the latter for some time and it is cool. I added various metal pieces all with some Distress Paint applied, love how this keeps its colour and drys on metal too. Yep - despite the "adventure" I had with my first outing with Distress paints the tag has turned out OK.

The Craft Barn Re-Opening

The Craft Barn has moved closer to me. I don't know whether to jump for joy as I can get there more easily or not, for the sake of my bank balance! LOL.

Anyway, got there earlyish and parked right outside! Guess which car is mine?

It was fairly busy to start with and the demos were cool.
However, when I finally thought I best stop popping stuff in my basket the queues were ENORMOUS! and rather confusing to say the least.


I did manage to get my "B" & "J" for decopatching next craft group though - despite them being on a rather high shelf!

Super shop love it to pieces. Happy Day.

Wood & Glass

My son got a "make your own" wooden model of a drum kit (he plays the drums btw) for Christmas. He did start making it eventually but got quite dejected as it was very fiddly and difficult to construct, let alone the instructions were just plans of the pieces with numbers on the joints! I got sick of seeing it and tried to get him to finish it today but he didn't join me so I did it all in the end. Quite enjoyed it really, gluing and sticking is just my thing.


It now had pride of place on his window sill with a dinosaur he made some years ago.

 

 

 

Also finished off my mosaic coaster today, by gluing some felt on the back.

 

Not sure I'll bother doing mosaics again, not really my thing. But if I did I wouldn't just stick the cut tiles with PVA as it really needed some sort of thicker glue to enable you to make the pieces level. My grout says it is the adhesive too, so that would have been the thing to use really. Forgot to mention the central tile got turned somehow on its way home but I preferred it that way and left it diagonal.

 

So definitely crafting of a different kind for me today.

WOYWW #200 - New Craft Group

My desk Tuesday evening before I went along to a new craft group. Blank coasters for the mosaic we'd be doing and a scrap page to stick down in between times.

Also my long awaited prize from my Timmy Tag win back in January. Adore the little locket album.

There's also my April page for the 12 Months in View Challenge and the remains of paint which I have sploshed on my April page in my zine. I even made the raindrop stamp!

To the back is my Good Friday page in my Round Robin Journal. Oh and my Easter Matchbox. The tag seems to be one I keep adding to, it was around last week too. Oh and if you really want to see my garden this month, have a look HERE.

Anyway here's my mosaic with real glass tiles, something I had never done before. My hubby has already fashioned me with some grout to finish it off tomorrow when it is dry.










Here's the page I stuck down too. When our son was presented with his Scout Gold Award by the Deputy Lord Lieutenant back in November 2012.

Had a nice time at the group and finally met up with Helen - hurrah!


Aarrhh forgot to mention where to get your WOYWW fix and more information as to what it is all about. Check out Julia's pad.

12 Months in View - April Garden

Here's my garden this month, don't be deceived by the sunshine as it is still very cold out there!










I have trimmed the right hand border (on the one fine warmish day in March!) and there is a new addition down the end of the garden.

Yes a birdbath, acquired from my Aunt's garden as her house/garden were all being cleared as she has gone to live with my Mum and her house has been sold.

12 Months in View - April Border

Using today's prompt, from 12 Months in View, of Lime Green, Lemon Yellow and Bluebell Blue, I have added a border on the left of my Calendar.

Was wondering what quote to use then remembered we had all the Spring months on a download.

12 Months in View - April Calendar

Got my April Calendar page ready last night. I made my first stamp using the lino tiles and cutters I had for Christmas! I made a raindrop shape for April Showers. I realise that I can make the stamps just the right size for my journal to fit all the dates in this way.

The background is Cloudy Blue paint dabber with Salty Ocean ink around the edges. The raindrops are stamped with Ultramarine Staz-On. The Month name I made up of spare diecut letters I had saved.

I'm leaving the edges for the flower of the month and other arty challenges.

Alpha Challenge #07 - Remembrance

The letter of the fortnight over at the Craft Barn for their Alpha  Challenge is "R".

I had to search through the year's special days to find an appropriate one and finally in November, there was Remembrance Sunday. It is kind of relevant to today being Easter Sunday as we remember that Christ rose from the dead, thereby conquering death and enabling us to have eternal life in Him.

My page is a remake of the salt technique and stencilling I did in a journal challenge as I just like this combination so much. Works really well for sympathy cards too.

Baptism

We are having some "full immersion" Baptisms at church this evening. Here is the card I made for my friend's 16yr old daughter who is being Baptised.

I used the shaving foam technique with Dylusion sprays to create the backing card so it looked like water. The caterpillar and butterfly to signify new life in Jesus.

What a wonderful day to be Baptised on Easter Sunday and the date is cool too 31.3.13.

Easter Sunday

A while back for a swap I was tasked to decorate a little matchbox on the theme of Easter. Just had to make one to keep too.

Happy Easter.

Good Friday

Always wondered what I could do with the strip banners on the Radio Times magazine for special days. Well this Good Friday's one got me doing a Journal page added to which there was also a painting in the same magazine (yes the Radio section always seems to have interesting pictures).

Maundy Thursday

At our Maundy Thursday Service our Assistant Pastor made a very provocative demonstration for us. The red paint was added to the drawing of the Crown of Thorns and Hands and allowed to drip down the page. It was very moving and indicative of what Jesus went through for us.

WOYWW #199 - Family

Gosh despite the snow still lying on the ground and the freezing temperatures, it is quite bright this morning. Here's my desk, I've been doing a bit of scrapping. The 8x8 layouts are for my Family Album where I do a page or two each year of the photos of our family since our son was born 14 years ago. It is amazing looking through it and seeing how he has grown and my hair going grey! Right now our son is 10cm taller than me and 10cm shorter than his Dad.

Anyway this peek of my desk is for the delights of WOYWW, so go and have a peek at a myriad of other desks over at Julia's Place.

12 Months in View - Talitha cumi

The Palm Sunday Challenge on 12 months in View is to take a Bible verse and the search out images to show its meaning for us.

Having just read "Cross Roads" by the author of "The Shack" Wm Paul Young, the words "Talitha cumi" caught my attention and I just had to look it up.

I found it came from the Bible Verse Mark 5:41 where Jesus raises a little girl from the dead. He says to her "Talitha cumi" which means "little girl, arise".

So my images are of the Bible scene and also of a woman rising up in freedom.

WOYWW #198 - Tinsel Glitter

Hi all you WOYWWers and welcome to my messy desk! Just had a run in with some tinsel glitter, which I got in a prize, and it will take an awful lot to get me to get it out again I can tell you! Give me Stickles anyday!

You can see my pink tinsel glitter bunny after a liberal dose of extra firm hairspray in the middle of my desk! Just part of my Timmy Tag this month which I have just got round to. I have combined it with the Ranger colour palette challenge too.

And at last my Big Pink ATG - couldn't resist the offer Julia pointed us to so got one back in January and it never seemed to be on my desk for WOYWW but today it was. Horrah!

TH #03 - March Tag

No never again! Tinsel glitter gets everywhere! I got a pot of pink tinsel glitter in a prize and have been meaning to cover a Timmy bunny with it for this month's Timmy Tag and today I did it and YES it got everywhere!

I'm NOT a messy crafter. I HAVE to clean up as I go but I suspect I'll be finding bits of this glitter for weeks. Give me Stickles any day! Bunny then had a liberal dose of extra firm hairspray hopefully this will save any shedding!

Anyway (after the clean up operation!) I got on with the rest of the tag. I was rather taken by Ranger's colour palette this month so I have combined the two, just in the mood for a pretty pastel tag.

The backing tag is cut from the packing card of an embossing folder - glad I saved that one. I cut my banner with deckle edge scissiors. The tree was an after thought (a diecut form a friend sitting on my desk just asking to be used!) and I had to jiggle around to get it under the frame!

I had an accident with one of my flower petals as I was rather enthusiastic moulding it and one tore off. I stuck it back on and used my favourite product of the moment LIQUID PEARLS to hide the tear! Oh and I had a change of heart for the wording so Happy Easter became Easter Bunny.

Phew two challenges in one.

Alpha Challenge #06 - Palm Sunday

The letter of the fortnight over at The Craft Barn Alpha Challenge is "P". At first my mind went a complete blank in the "Special Day" department which is my theme for this challenge. Then I realised they set the challenge on St Patrick's Day!

There was no Patrick in  my dictionary but there was the Jewish festival of Passover but then next Sunday just happens to be the Christian Palm Sunday when Jesus made his triumphal entry into Jerusalem.

So Palm Sunday it was. I had another go at the multiple stencil technique as in my last post but this time I didn't use any newspaper nor the gesso. I guess one of those (probably the latter) served to mute the colours a lot as this page ended up quite vibrant. I also did a similar page for an Art Journal Round Robin I am doing at the same time (shhhh don't tell Dawn!)

So there we are - Palm Sunday.

12 Months in View - Hearts

Oops forgot to check the 12 Months in View website yesterday and low and behold I had TWO challenges outstanding! Yesterday Stencilled Newspaper and today St Patrick's Day and hearts. I only had one page left in my March section of my journal so I combined the two.


Still can't understand why newspaper was used in the former as I could have just done it straight in my journal really. We don't have newspapers so I had to use the freebie one we get and most pages were coloured so it was a job to find a plain black and white one! Ended up with a sofa advert!

Here are a couple of photos on the way to my page.


The second challenge was to use hearts to make a shamrock. Yes - this has always been a great way to make shamrocks. I added all my off-cuts of sticky ribbons a bit of doodling and the quote from St Partick. Happy with my page today.

12 Months in View - Bookmark

Today we get to think about children's books and are tasked to make a bookmark. Our inspiration is the Miffy books by Dick Bruna.

I made a simple bookmark on the lines of the book illustrations with a picture of Miffy in her most Spring-like dress.

Is is actually sunny today and the sky is blue despite it being very cold still. The snow on my car has nearly all gone! Yes we had yet another "flurry" last night!

At least my Miffy bookmark is sunny and Spring-like!

WOYWW #197 - 12 Months - Tag

Well hello again all you WOYWWers and welcome to my desk. Pop over to Julia's place for even more crafty desks to peruse.

The 12 Months in View Challenge has got off to a great start. We have had lots of varied challenges so far. We are taking a monthly photo and doing a calendar page, journal entries, collage, a little "zine" (standing up at the back of the shot) and the latest is to make a tag out of bits and bobs.






So hence my desk with the bits and bobs and here's the finished altered "Cotton Traders" tag.

Couldn't resist another photo of my back garden as now it is covered in a blanket of snow AGAIN! And I thought Spring was here - silly me!

What a difference a day makes!

12 Months in View - Daffs

I was looking for my photo of lambs and found loads of other photos which hadn't made my scrapbooks whilst I was at it.

Then, when I found my lamb picture I realised it was taken in May so yes still Spring but definitely not March!


So I made a photo collage of past daffodil photos and the one thing we haven't mentioned yet - Catkins.

For good measure, here is my lamb photo! Quite big ones methinks, perhaps I'll be sculking off to fields nearby to get some piccys of really baby ones in the near future.

12 Months in View - Spring

So much for doing things in order, I just remembered I hadn't done a title page for the season in my 12 months in view journal, so I did that today.

Then I made my "zine" on the same lines as Bernice's as I liked hers so much. I have put washi tape on the open sides and have done my March page.

12 Months in View - March

I have decided to take on the "12 Months in View" Challenge this year which starts with Spring and therefore March!

They have all different sorts of challenges and the first was to take a photo from a specific place and to carry on doing so each month for the full 12 months. I took one of my back garden from my craftcorner, and have even marked the window so I get the camera in the same spot next month - LOL.

The next was to start up an Art Journal Calendar. Been meaning to join in this activity for a while but I hadn't even decided on what journal to use/buy yet! Decided to just use what I have already got, a little spiral bound journal about 8"x 5" as it has thicker pages in it. Quite a challenge to get all the days in but I managed it.

The next challenge was to draw/colour a daffodil as it the flower of the month. I decided to combine that with the calendar page. I have added a few quotes and a scripture verse.

Last year I did an altered book and guess what - yep the theme was seasons - so here's a reminder of what I did last year.