..and sometimes the page chooses itself :D

Dawn's prompt at Journal Journeys this month is "What Summer means to you"

Quite simple in my case...it means Butterflies :D

I went to my small desk diary journal, which I use to wipe any excess paint in, and found this page...

 Can we see Butterfly!!!!

 Quick Sharpie outline....

 sponged green paint around the outline, then added a thin layer of gesso to the butterfly itself...

 More Sharpie(black marker) detail + peacock stamp in wing segments.

Then I wanted to add a layer of tissue paper....but it didn't fade out and obliterated the lower layers :/

 Fortunately the outline showed through enough to redraw...

 and I used thin washes of acrylic paint to build up the image. I was trying to keep the butterfly light and fragile looking.

 I re stamped the peacocks, and added green back into the background...

The journalling was added around the outer edges with souffle pen

it reads;

I love Summertime , because it brings magic. Proof of the magic in nature is Butterflies. How can something so fragile survive in our weather? And bring smiles to our faces just by existing? "

This is also my entry for today's Paper Saturdays link up

:D Enjoy XXX

"Where did you get that hat!"

Dawn's Journal Journey's prompt for July is "Hats"...and I wanted to do something for Manon's Paper Saturday challenge too....

When it comes to hats there is no finer event than Ladies Day at Ascot...

 The images evolved from the already paint splattered pages in my small desk diary...

 I decided to make the "hats" from the textured paper I made last month...

 and one of the "ladies" turned out to be a filly :D...

 I coloured the "hats" with acrylic, and added some detail to their clothes...

and added journalling;

"Ladies Day at Ascot...Looking Simply Divine......MWAH!"

Enjoy :D XXX

Any port in a storm?

This months journal prompt from Dawn is "Numbers", and I am combining it with Inspiration Avenues "Nautical" theme for the week.

I know this isn't a very pretty journal page, but it is full of love all the same :D

The journalling reads:

No matter how stormy the sea or how long the voyage...

I am your Harbour

(process shots, starting with a pre messied page)

added a ripped piece of scrapbooking paper with lovely big numbers on...

tore an ocean liner from a piece of Hunkydory travel themed paper, and overlayed this with a torn piece of scrapbook paper with a tape measure and waves on from K&Co.

used acrylic paint to "stormy" the skies...

added journalling with Sakura soufflé pen and Poska paint pen, and the finishing touch...a superb lighthouse stamp from a pack sent me by my friend Silvia :D

Enough numbers for you there Dawn? :D

Enjoy :D XXX

Just a little bit of fun...

While taking a break from the garden I decided to do my page for Dawn's Journal Journey's, and here challenge this moth was to incorporate Birds in your page :D

At the same time I was drawn to So Artful Challenges theme this month which is "Night Skies"...use dark blue/white/silver etc...

couldn't resist a bit of sparkle..Stardust Stickles...

and some metallic gold and silver acrylic :D

I guess this guy is a bit of a dreamer...but we all need a dream to aspire too don't we?

The journalling reads

"I'm wishing on a star....and I don't give two hoots how silly you think I am..."

I would also like to enter this page for Manon's Paper Saturdays challenge

Enjoy :D XXX

My favourite quote ...for today anyway :D

Just the one picture today :D

Dawn's Journal Journeys challenge this month is "Quotes"

and this must be one of my favourite and most positive quotes I gained from my American friends through the Wonderful world of Web :D 

...it always makes me smile :D

Enjoy :D XXX

Do you talk to the animals?

This months challenge from Dawn's Journal Journeys is to use more than one animal on your page...painted a hare once on a journal page, but can't actually remember ever using images of animals before :D

and this is what happened :D

I decided it was time to use some precious stash...you know the bits other people send you, but you never use because you can't replace it...well I took some paper bits from a stash Donna gave me, and some stamps and a book page that Silvia sent me. The stickers are from the £ shop, the ones you can use to decorate your bin :D

...haven't done a collage page for a while so this was really fun. The pieces made me feel I was "communing with nature"

Then I got to use my homemade(as in I drew the designs) stencils, which my friend Poppet cut for me on her robocutter. There will be another post about making your own stencils/masks later.

I pulled all the pieces together by painting the background with a translucent layer of viridian green...

and then highlighting bits with black pen and sakura soufle pens.

The animals present are grey squirrel/honey bee...

and on the other stamp everything from a fossilised dinosaur to a cat and a monkey :D

The whole piece is about "paying attention" to the natural world around us, and the diverse population of this planet we call home :D It turned out to be a very "busy" page, but then i do like a good chatter :D

Enjoy :D XXX

"Pluuuuuuunge!"

Such fun! :D Had a total "Miranda" moment this weekend, when Dawn set the new challenge for her Journal's Journey as "Choose a Word"

Comedienne Miranda Hart has a wonderful way of emphasising words she likes, and I am certain "plunge!" would be on her favourites list.

Then I got to thinking...what a Superhero called "Plunge!" would be like....(my brain needs a serious flushing out) :D

I am using my small desk diary for Dawns challenges this year...

I wipe any excess paint from other projects onto it's pages to give me a base layer to work on.

I wanted a shimmery underwater world for my superhero, so blended with soft cerulean blue and silver acrylic... and forgot to take a pic as I built up the background by picking out shapes from the underlayer.

The journalling reads:

"When wading through life do you paddle or Plunge!"

I know it should be a ? at the end of the sentence ...but PLUNGE! just neeeeeeds an !

PLUNGE!

Enjoy :D XXX

New Beginnings and new stamps :D)

This months prompt from Dawn's Journal Journey's is

NEW

I have new stamps....from Papermania's Chronology collection

(and yes I have just noticed I spelled beginnings wrong :/)

Easy start, as I have gotten into the habit of wiping excess paint from other projects onto book pages

and I also received some new Cosmic Shimmer chalk sprays for Christmas, so I added green ad yellow to blend the page

Over stamped with new stamps and TH Distress Soot black(took ages to dry on top of shimmer sprays so I recommend stazon next time)

In fact it was taking so long to dry that I rubbed most of it off, but as happy accidents go it just faded the images into the page more, which I liked :D

After that it was a matter of doodling with my sakura souffle pens. 

The jounaling reads:

Life is full of new beginnings...

if we only take the time to enjoy a few...

we will find great adventures!

 Relish the Adventure...

Enjoy :D XXX

Am linking this to So Artful Challenges..TIME challenge