A page with Purpose..

This is page 17 of my art journal inspired by 52 Pages for 2011, and I am really enjoying the freedom to create whatever I want for this "self imposed" challenge. Darcy comes up with the most tantalising words to inspire us, and this weeks was no exception :D

PURPOSE , does your life have purpose? Do you plan meticulously, with an attainable goal? Or do you meander through life just hoping for the best?

Honey bees are fantastic creatures. We associate them with warm, lazy summer days, just drifting from flower to flower, humming softly to themselves....

yet there lives are hectic and extremely organised, with one soul purpose. Survival!

I do what I can to help them, planting my garden with appropriate flowers and feeding them honey when the weather "chucks a wobbly".

I see myself as one of these little fighters, living my life running here and there, tending to the swarm(family, and anyone else who needs me at any given moment in time), doing my little waggledance to instruct them on what I hope is the best path for them to take :D

The "honeycomb" background is what you get if you peel the outer paper layer from the little duvets they put in chocolate boxes to protect the choccies :DXXX

Alone in the Dark

Not the best pic, but all your missing is the plain white card base :)

I made this card using the resist embossing technique. I stamped my image with Versamark onto white card, and then heat embossed with clear powder. Then I built up the dark moody background with blue, brown and black ink. When happy with the intensity, I just buffed up the image with a dry cloth.
I matted onto holographic card, and added a bit of sparkle with Stardust Stickles.

The image is from Stamp It Crazy's Halloween collection (HAL7)

I would like to enter this card for the following challenges;

Stamp It Crazy Challenge# Anything goes

Flutter By Wednesday#151 Anything Goes

HDH Macabre Mondays#86 Alone In The Dark(use black/ dark background)

Stamping Vacation's Have you tried? challenge# Ribbon over Lace border

Stampman Challenge#21 Resist technique

:D XXX

Recycled Ribbon Box

Sorry, Loads of pics with this one, but I had to share this wonderful find with you!

Whilst trudging around a car boot sale I found this beautiful "hat box" for just £4!! It measures 12x12x8 inches. Hubby said "what do you need that thing for?" Men....

I NEED it to keep my ribbons in Derr!

I have tried to keep them in tidy packets, but I never used them. Soooo, I emptied them all out int the box and can rummage to my hearts content :D

Then I thought "I should personalise it a bit". Inspired by this weeks Try It On Tuesday Challenge# A bit of Up-cycling!, I added a few fabric Roses to the lid (this will stop me piling things on top)


Then I painted and inked some Tim Holtz Grunge paper letters, and glued them to the box front(so I remember what's in the box)

Only a little alteration required but I'm happy with the result :D

Enjoy :D XXX

Cards for Special Ladies !!

This week at Creative Cowgirls we are challenging you to make cards for "Mothers"We have already had mother's day here in england, so my card is a reminder that mums are entitled to special days anytime they want :D (yep! I'm a mum :D)

I have used an image from Prairie Fairy called "the Urge", and decided that she didn't look like she was putting up to much resistance lol.

Our sponsor this week is the fantastic Roberta aka The Prairie Fairy :), and she is graciously giving 4 images to the winner, and 1 each to the Top3

As an extra special prize to celebrate Mother's Day, the fabulous Crafty Ribbons have donated this stunning "Easter Blooms" selection

So let's see your Mother's Day/Spring offerings!!

:D XXX

Challenges I am entering are;

Tuesday Throwdown#45 Polka Dots

A Spoonful Of Sugar#148 Let's Celebrate

Stamping Vacation Name that Card Challenge# Live in Laughter

ABC Challenge# S is for Sparkle (her hair and robe are stickled)

Delicious Doodles Challenge#22 Anything Goes

Just a quicky :D

Got my new Anna Griffin Spring card making kit Thursday(anniversary pressie), and this is the 1st of many cards I will be making with it for my own stash.

The paper flowers and raffia I already had :D

I Luuuuuurrrrrve Anna Griffin's style :X Mwah!

I would like to enter this card for the following challenges;

Moving Along With The Times#95 Recycle (rafia from bed frame packaging)

Stamping Vacation Lots of Paper challenge#Circles + Squares(pattern on foiled paper)

Creative Card Crew# Recycle Something( rafia +paper flowers re-used from an old home decor project)

Truly Scrumptious#55 Vintage

Those were the days!!!

Wasn't going to blog this card as it was made for our wedding anniversary earlier this week, but the image is just to cute not to share!!

She is called Rose Red, and is from the new Tiddly Inks range of Gothic Pin-Ups, and since HDH Mac Monday's challenge was "Gothic Pin-Ups" I just had to enter :)

I coloured her outfit as my fav outfit when I first met hubby(1982). My boot heels were stiletto, and I didn't have any tattoos yet, but the rest is pretty much spot on :D Those were the days....sigh!

Challenges I am entering are;

HDH Macabre Mondays#85 Gothic Pin-Up

Cute Card Thursday#161 No Text (the writing is message inside)

A Spoon Full of Sugar#148 Let's Celebrate

Crafty Ann's Challenge#39 Fancy Folds

Page 16 Nearby

This weeks word for 52 pages 20011 is "NEARBY": What do you "need" to have close to you?

This was an easy one for me. Every where I go (and I have moved house loads due to hubby's work) I build a green space. If there is no soil to plant in, I build raised beds, and fill large pots with any trees and plants I can get my hands on. At one time I was known as the PLF(Plant Liberating Fairy), as I would "acquire" unwanted plants from derelict gardens and skips :). Buckets would be sunk into the available ground to make mini waterholes, and frog spawn collected from the nearest available source(garden ponds NOT natural spawning areas).

Within weeks the local wildlife will find you if you welcome them. Though the house we now live in is quite small, and in the middle of a sprawling city, it has a large back garden. YIPEE!!

I have planted lots of trees, 3 waterholes + a bigger pond full of tadpoles that were actually spawned here, seating areas and veggie patch and more..

Hate housework, Love gardening so "See me smiling :D"

The jam jar and pine tree stamps are by Stamp It Crazy. Grass and dancing lady Clarity stamps(I think)

Look what I won!!!

I won a stunning prize from Flutter By Wednesdays this week, and couldn't wait to share it with you. These little beauties are the New Fairy Collection from Anita Be Stampin

I've started colouring them, and will be adding bling n sparkle. I don't know how to watermark so I've wrapped a piece of ribbon across the images(cos apparently there are naughty people who might like my colouring so much they would steal the images:( )

hope you can still see how beautiful these little ladies are!

And I also won the 500 followers goodie bag from Glitterbabe, so a big THANK YOU to Stef. Can't wait to see whats in it :D

OH HAPPY DAY :D XXX

Last 2 catch-up pages!!

I'VE CAUGHT UP!!! YAY ME!!!

Admittedly the products I use are much faster drying than some of the stuff the others are using, and I don't go out to work so I have more time, but to be honest I think it's because my imagination needed a really good blowout :D

Page 6 Crush: brief but intense infatuation. I struggled a bit with this one, until I decided to make a page about my "secret love". Woooooooo.... I hear you gasp :)

Now nothing has ever come of this "crush", and many of my hubbies work colleagues now about it and tease the poor chap at every opportunity(crush victim, not hubby). In fact, every time hubby meets him(through work), he stares him straight in the eyes, smiles and says "Gina sends her love".

I liken "Him" to Sir Lancelot, with hubby in the role of King Arthur, but instead of Guinevere I play the role of The Lady of Shalot(I was sitting at my window sewing when I used to see him afar). It all makes sense if you read the poem by Alfred Lord Tennyson.

The Lady image is"Star Flower Girl" from A Day for Daises, I wasn't going to use any digi images in this journal, but she was so perfect for this page.

Page 13 FOOLED: Darcy asked what is your fav joke!!!! Very dangerous ground haha! So I picked one that held memories of a great night out, much drinking and silliness. This joke won the evening, as well as getting us thrown out of the pub for being too noisy(those were the days...)

I used Darcy's "heat a babywipe til it screams" method to produce the pink lumpy thing :D

Sigh! Oh for those simple days.... when really(and I mean REALLY!!) bad jokes made you spit your cinzano out hahahaaa!

Enjoy XXX

Splish Splash Splosh!!

This weeks "word of inspiration" from Darcy at Art and Sole is "PUDDLES", defined as small pools of any kind of liquid.......

Weeeeell.... zombie mush is a "kind" of liquid, and while explaining to Amy the virtues of Steampunk, this just popped into my head(helped by the fact that HDH Macabre Mondays challenge#84 is "Zombie Apocalypse")

I thought " why should the zombies win?" I come from the old-fashioned stock that believes "if life gives you zombies, make zombie slushies ! "

What kind of puddles do you like to jump in?

:D XX

Bunnies, Eggs n Bling

I am spending a lot of time making journal pages at the moment, but found time today for a touch of "cute" :D

This card was made using my Crafters Companion Peter Rabbit stamps, and some gorgeous egg peel-off stickers that I've been hoarding for years.

I stuck the stickers onto some holograghic card, and coloured the flopsey bunnies so it kooks like they are eating chocolate :D Dp from Brenda Pinnocks Sucerie collection and ribbon from Cosmo Cricket.

I made this card for the following challenges;

Let's Ink It Up#12 Easter(no digi's)

Spoon Full of Sugar#147 All creatures great and small

Wednesday Stamper# Rabbits and Eggs

Fab n Funky# 68All spotty and dotty

ABC challlenge S is for Sugar n spice(plenty of those around easter)

Creative Belli challenge#115 Eggs n Bunnies(and old embellies, egg peel-offs)

Flutter By Wednesdays#150 Pastels(+butterflyfairy/angel)

enjoy:D XXX

EVEN more pages

Here are the even numbered pages that go between yesterdays odd numbers :D

Page 8 WATERWORKS, easy one really my dads funeral last year. The script around the clouds is what he told hubby while we weren't listening :)

Page 10 COSY, I know, I spelt it american style, but what the heck Cosy is Cozy no matter how it is spelt.
Page 12 DECEPTION. Not big on telling lies, but have met lots of people who were!! Enjoyed just doodling this image, haven't done much drawing for years now :D
Enjoy :D XXX

1 tag, several challenges

It's time for another Tag challenge at Try It On Tuesdays. This week it is a colour theme Red Black and Cream.

This weeks challenge is set by Emma, who is offering the winner a £15 voucher to spend on the Stampin up catalogue, which you can check out via her blog Here

I have combined several challenges to make this tag, and used a collage stamp from Stamps Happen Inc. called "Cardinal Collage".

Challenges I am entering are;

Try It On Tuesday# Tag: colour theme Red/Black/Cream

Simon Says Stamp and Show some Distressing

Woodware Stamps USA#22 Anything Goes

Cards And More challenge#23 3x3 challenge

Pear Tree Designs#44 Lace

Throwdown Tuesday#44 Sparkle and Bling

:D XXX

Bit of an ODD day :D

Still playing catch-up, I managed to make 4 odd-sided pages ;S

Page 5 ECOURAGE I am dedicating to Darcy,Doone and Amy, for encouraging me to get "Arty" again :D, while page 7 MILAGE shows how I still see myself after 30 years(Thats me holding my baby sister, who's baby I now look after!!!)

Page 9 FOLLOW I kept V clean n simple, because (being a leader) the decision to follow someone/something else should be that clear cut. You either trust or you don't, doubt or hesitation leads to mistrust.

Page 11 REPLICATE (had to do again cos I used the word duplicate derr) how are you similar/dissimilar to your mother(my mum in the 70's)

Page 15 Puddles is done, but I'm supposed to post it on friday so you'll just have to wait mwahahaha.....

:D XXX

April Attitude!

Morning Folks, and another big thank you to everyone who entered our Spring/Easter challenge at Creative Cowgirls :D You really do make it worth our while visiting your fabulous projects!

For this challenge we are asking for Rainy Days/Spring. Let's face it April in England means you need both your brolly and your sunglasses at the same time!!

For my card this week, I have used Beach Tween from the fantastic Digi's With Attitude!, who are generously sponsoring us for this challenge :D

WARNING!!! GRUMPY OLD WOMAN RANT!!!

Have you noticed how the kids these days don't seem to have an internal thermostat? Whilst in the car at the weekend(wearing woolie cardigan,boots and hat) we passed a young woman(18ish) walking in the drizzle to the bus stop, wearing a string strap vest top and a pair of knee length leggings!!!! Well it was Friday evening, and she was going downtown!!?

Any hoo, back to our sponsor :D

These ladies certainly have plenty of "attitude", so if you've got tweens at home, you'll find DWA have the perfect images for cards to suit them(and their friends)

The winner will receive 3 images of choice, and the Top3 will get 1 each :D

Challenges I am entering this card for are;

Flutter By Wednesday#149 open theme(must have Bfly/angel/fairy)

Stamping Vacations Getting Geographical challenge# Cairns, Queensland, Australia(tropical/beach)

Cute Card Thursday#159 Totally Tropical

Crafty Ann's Challenge Blog#38 Raise a Smile :D

Prairie Fairy Fridays#50 Inspired by a Nursery Rhyme (Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary...)

I just can't help myself!!!

I don't often post pics of myself, but hubby said I just had to show what a mucky mare I am when the sun comes out....He said we needed a close up of my hands too
I keep promising myself that I'll wear gloves, but never quite remember :S We had just stopped for a cup of tea 11am(hubby had been outside since 6am fence painting).

Greenhouse temp 80 degrees(with doors and window open!! Outside 60 degrees in the shade!!! AND IT'S STILL APRIL!!! IN ENGLAND!!!

Enjoy the sun, but keep safe XXX

Playing catchup! Pages1-4

I would like to thank the "Sistahs in Journaling" for their warm welcome :D

I would like to share the 1st 4 pages I have made, in an effort to catch up(when I work out how, I'm going to add a page tab to my blog so I can give more info on each page as I make them)

Weeks 1&2, REGENERATE & FILTER

Weeks 3&4, ACKNOWLEDGE & BUILD
I know they look a bit bare down the short side, but I remembered to leave room for the holes I'll need to make when I bind them all together :D

Enjoy :D XXX

Art For Artsake1st page(only 13 weeks behind!)

I came across a very cool blog this week called "Art and Sole" , where the amazing Darcy is inspiring people to make an Art Journal. Each week she posts a word+definition for you to use as inspiration for that weeks page.

This is week 14, so I have some serious catching up to do if I want to make the whole 52 pages for 2011!!

This weeks word is "TODAY"
I'm a big believer in "worry about it WHEN it happens, not IF it's going to happen", so I used a lyric from on old folk song as my journalling. Every verse ends with the line "Cares of Tomorrow must wait, til This Day is done!"

I really truly have no desire to rush my life away, I take each day as it comes and enjoy the wonders it brings my way. Each day a new adventure!!

As my old Dad used to say "It'll be rayt!" :D

Stash used; Brenda Pinnock dp(scrunched/ripped/sanded+inked), photo of my youngest chillin', acetate overlay(image from Wendy at Digital Doodles),Tim Holtz grungeboard(heart+arrow), Tim Holtz Distress inks

The paper texts are hand written(could you tell?) on a piece of scrap paper I used to protect my table while inking stuff.

Be Inspired.It's fun to just play sometimes! Enjoy :DXXX

ps I used my Keepsake Bookatrix board to cut out the page shapes, to be bound at the end of the year.

Make a cuppa, this is a long one !!

Wow! Where to start?

Well, I like to join in with Try It On Tuesdays weekly challenge, which has a 4 weekly format with the inspiration changed each month(I think that makes sense:S) Week 1 is to make a card, and this month we are to be inspired by our own home decor!! And the sponsor this week is One Stop Card Crafts who are giving a £10.00 voucher for their online store.

Now anyone who knows me, knows I have very eclectic tastes( I love STUFF), so narrowing it down to 1 room was a good start :D, and where better than my craft/bedroom.

I've decided the easiest way to show all the ideas is to pair up photos, inspiration then card element it inspired;

I love my wallpaper, bought from a clearance sale at 50p a roll (large print chocolate and lime green). To imitate it I clear embossed the stamped images(Personal Impressions), inked over with Tim Holtz Peeled Paint, then repeat stamped with Impress Chocolate brown.

All artwork on the walls have dark wood frames (mostly cross stitch/embroidery, which inspired the stitch/ribbon border), hence dark brown matting and layering.

2 little pot/beanbag dolls my little sister bought us for our 1st wedding anniversary(25yrs ago this month!!), she was only 4 at the time, and said they were us aaaawwww :)

The crack on his head happened during one of our many house moves, but is what inspired me to buy that particular image from Stamp It Crazy in the first place(HAL 98).

And finally, my brass light fitting, inspired me to murder a pair of brass effect earrings to make a suitable embellishment :D

I am entering this card for the following challenges;

Try It On Tuesday#Card: Inspiration from your home

Woodware Stamps USA#21 Monochrome

Anything Goes Challenge Blog#38 Pearls (on dangly embellishment)

Stamping Vacations You Name the Challenge #Clear/Resist embossing

Enjoy :D XXX