Happy Easter Everyone!

Yep! 2nd blog in a week! I've had a lovely week at home and managed to fit in some crafting! The Craft Room is still a Jumgle Room although I have tied up my 'heaps' into orderly 'piles'. So a bit like my Jumgle Room, where do I start? I think I might just upload random photo's and take it from there!

So, this is my April page for Kate Crane's Art Journalling Calendar, 1st two layers! The 'starburst' in purple at the top right and lower middle is actually a piece of 'mopping-up' kitchen roll that I saved from a workshop at the Artistic Stamper with Jennie! As I 'mod-podged' it onto the page it slightly disintegrated so I moved bits and pieces around until happy with the layout.  Yeah right! Actually, I stopped when my fingers got glued to the page!! I'm still peeling it off my fingers- very therapeutic!!

 Layer three is Paper Artsy Fresco Finish Paint in Nougat through a TCW stencil and the hearts are from the 'cut-off' remaining when I die cut the hearts for the next layer! (My motto is 'Never throw anything away' - I'll probably be on telly in 10 years on that Hoarders programme!!)

And from a different angle.  I was really pleased with this!

 And for the first time, I remembered to add the month first before adding the calendar bits! I die cut the hearts using the small Tim Holtz Movers & Shapers mini hearts before colouring with DI. For some reason I went for Milled Lavender, Worn Lipstick and Dusty Concord rather than sticking with the yellow, orange and green of the back ground. Still not sure if it works!!

But I do quite like it!

And my workshop piece from the Artistic Stamper last weekend! Finally finished after inspiration came!

The chipboard background was coloured with Distress Stains in Pumice Stone, Tea Dye and Tumbled Glass. I then stamped 'Hardwood' from Stampin' Up! in Walnut Stain all over.

Must say, I'm rather pleased with this!!

Finally a couple of cards (yes, I'm still making cards!!)

This first one is from Georgina's free make and take for Easter at the Artistic Stamper yesterday, and yes, the stencil found it's way into my shopping basket!! This happens to be the same stencil I used on my Jig Saw piece (bottom middle panel - you can just about see it - purple shimmery bit) and it is also the pattern mopped up with kitchen roll and used on the journal page!!

 I used Cut 'n' Dry to colour using Distress Paints in Scattered Straw, Spiced Marmalade and Ripe Persimmon

I'm really pleased with this as I don't often use yellow and orange. I love the way it looks totally different depending on how you fold it!!

 And finally (thank you for being patient and getting this far!!). My dear friend Barry's uncle is 98 on St George's Day and Barry was bemoaning the fact that there weren't any combined St George - Birthday cards, so I stepped up to the plate and made this:

 I masked and painted the cross using Adirondack Paint Dabber in Watermelon.  The Lion is from the Tim Holtz Visual Artistry Regal Flourish Collection, and was embossed using Queens Gold embossing powder.

I added a sentiment .....

....and finished it off by stamping the name and date using the Tim Holtz Worn Text letters and numbers.

Thank you for popping by and I hope you enjoyed reading my blog!

TTFN xxx

P.S. Please can I enter my JigSaw piece in the following challenges:

Sunday Stampers - 304 - Memories

The Artistic Stamper April - Texture and Embossing

WOYWW 213....

From Italy! Another quick blog this week as I'm on my phone. Just wanted to share some photo's of my holiday journal. My sketches this year are totally different and I'm very pleased with them!
Bye bye for now peeps (I'm going to try to link up!).......


And I'm back! Using the hotel laptop for some last minute editing!

This is the view from the Hotel Parsifal Terrace looking towards the mountains.  Work in progress as I need to add lots more of the houses that form Torello, the village on the way down to Minori on the coast.

Another work in progress but this time the page on the right needs to be viewed 90 degrees to the left!  It is from my favourite bar and is a sketch of a wrought iron gate and lovely old stone wall.  The next picture is my actual desk for tonight (well, my lap was used a lot so I put everything on the table!)  This is my journal.  The front cover was done before the holiday, the back I've done whilst here - yes. I took my stamps and ink pads (carefully selected mind) with me!  The colours are Derwent Watercolour pencils with Pentel aquabrushes (why have I only just discovered water brushes?????)

A close up of the back cover:

One of the quick sketches (about 90 seconds -  I wanted to just catch the shapes of the guys while they watched Italy play Spain in the semi-finals of the Confderations Cup (the other half of the watch seemed perfect to hide Raffaele who was moving about so much I couldn't capture him!!)

I'm so  pleased with these as it is something completely different for me! I used to be a watercolour/pen and ink, quite classic stuff, but thanks to various lovely tutors at craft classes, I've discovered a whole new artistic mojo!!

He he! So much for a short blog!  Till next week, Happy crafting fellow WOYWW'ers!