Recycled Oversprays ...

... turned into journals! The last guest tutorial over at Wanderlust was by Joanna Grant who had some great ideas about recycling various types of paper and card. So much inspiration that I just had to dive into my collection of A3 papers which I have used for a long time now as backing sheets when I use various sprays (mainly Glimmermist, because I can't resist those sparkly colours!) I just keep turning them around and catching more overspray. It doesn't matter what colours I'm using. Often these waste papers look better than whatever I was actually making :) Anyway, I finally got to put them to good use, along with a collection of smaller "shaving cream" backgrounds which were all experimental at the time and naturally, I just filed them away, with no purpose in mind.

Anyway, here's a few lot of pics ...  enjoy ...

That's the larger journal above. The pages keep folding out, getting smaller as you go.
There's about 22 pages in all.

The little journal (above) started out with the intention of being an accordion-fold booklet, but I just had to put a cover on it, didn't I? The closure is made from lingerie elastic, in case you wondered :)  And the pages are connected using ...

... washi tape, (Scotch) tape, and a "silk" tape 

(from the first aid section of the el cheapo shop!)

more Spring colours

here they are again, the colours chosen for the March challenge over at Rubber Dance Art Stamps. ...

See post below for my other interpretation of these colours. And in between waiting for layers to dry, I started something else - A Big Tag, using the same colour scheme ...

a close up ...

 

I know ... I've managed to give the Spring colours an Autumn twist :)

With the temperatures falling here, and Winter on the way, I think it was inevitable :)

 

Here's what I used and did: background - misting sprays, then Tim Holtz layering stencil with Distress Ink. Yellow ribbons and background string coloured with more mists, likewise two of the little flowers. And the lovely leaves, which are embellished with micro beads, are by Rubber Dance Art Stamps.

I will also enter this in the March challenge over at The Mirror Crack'd where the theme is "Wings" and at the Mixed Media Monthly Challenge where the theme is "Birds of a Feather".

 

Spring colours for a Spring challenge

Here are the colours to use ...

Actually, I found these colours a challenge to work with, but it is meant to be a challenge, so I had a go, and as usual, I had more ideas than time, but I did come up with some results which I am very happy with :)

For some time now, I've had an idea about recycling a small nicely-shaped glass bottle (previously containing soy sauce) ...

And now ...

A close-up ...

I didn't take lots of "making" photos, I was so pleased with how it came together, I totally forgot :)

But here is some of what I used: gesso, cream acrylic paint, Glimmermist and Adirondack misting sprays, butterflies were stamped with Stazon on acetate coloured with alcohol inks, flowers were also "misted" and the tiny, finely detailed leaves are from
Rubber Dance Art Stamps.

I will hurry over now and enter this at the Monthly Colour Challenge at Rubber Dance.

I have just discovered Beyond Grey Challenges #66 Mixed Media, so I might enter this here also :)

I might also enter this over at The Mirror Crack'd where the theme this month is "wings".
And over at Mixed Media World their challenge is for anything mixed media, so I guess my little bottle could be entered there also :)

WOYWW new stuff, new techniques, new challenge

A bit of a mixed bag, today :)  You can see some new stuff, a Few Very Restrained Purchases, here 

But here's what you came for  ... 

There's a few background pages which I have sprayed with various mists and some stamping which I have fussy cut. The leaf and bird stamp are by Rubber Dance Art Stamps and I'm working towards an entry for this month's colour challenge which is based on those three colours you can see.
And the ATCs (bottom right hand corner) I have started using my new Gelatos! (see post below). They could well end up being WOYWW swaps :)

Hoping to catch you sooner or later, on your desk or mine. All the details for "desk viewing" can be found at Julia's Stamping Ground.

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Oh, sorry, I mentioned new techniques, didn't I? Well, here's something I was playing around with last weekend ... the Bokeh technique ... very trendy at the moment :)

February Challenges

I've been working on a little project which I think will fit the current theme for my two favourite challenge blogs, Rubber Dance Art Stamps and Our Creative Corner.  The colour theme at Rubber Dance was turquoise blue/red/vintage brown with an optional theme of "love" and the theme at OCC was based on using techniques/products from a "Tic Tac Toe" panel ...

Pick a line, any line, up or down, or diagonally. I chose "Metal, Stamps, Mediums (crackle)".
Here's the end result, another "Reverse Canvas" which I really enjoyed creating. I'll put the finished pic here at the top, and then, if you fancy, you can scroll down to see some of the steps I took to make it.

 

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Here's the "How to", if you are interested ...

 

First, I crackle glazed (Viva Croco Crackle) two canvasses, one fresh one and one which I didn't like ...

I used a brush to apply the crackle glaze to the one on the left and a palette knife to apply the glaze thickly to the one on the right. Big difference? At first, I really liked the one on the right, but the next day I much preferred the one on the left!

 

Stamps need to be used for the Rubber Dance Challenge and I used Kaisercraft Script for the background, on top of some colour misting.

 

I found some pretty mini roses which I had made previously (and changed the colour by spraying them, below), and then I made some more, using vellum. The edges of the roses were slightly coloured with Distress Ink. The chipboard and lace was also colour sprayed.

 

 

I didn't take photos of every step, that would eat into my creative time :) but the picture is from Crafty Individuals and the layer behind is embossed flashing which I coloured with alcohol inks and the red layer under that is recycled acetate packaging which is also embossed and coloured with alcohol ink, as were the little circular metal embellishments.

 

 

I've got the ice cool blues ...

Here, down under, the unbearable heat of summer has morphed into grey days of unrelenting rain. However, being summer, the heat will most certainly return any day now. So, I've been continuing with the theme of "Frosty Blues" as in the January Colour Challenge from Rubber Dance Art Stamps. Here's some "in-between" pics ...

And here's the finished card ...

I used ... die cuts, vellum, Glimmermists, stencil (homemade) and, of course, stamps from Rubber Dance Art Stamps.  Now, I think I will just be in time to enter the January challenge, again :)

almost abandoned

If you were here the other day, I made mention of a project, slightly buried under some layers, which may or may not get finished. Well, it did ... get finished, that is ...

The inspiration came from here but I've just put the actual original pic here for you to see ...

When I saw these pics, I was immediately taken with the idea of using the negative and positive space as well as line and direction to make a semi abstract "floral" canvas. You know how much I love using colour, but I thought I would try to be restrained :)  However, I couldn't resist using some "sparkle", maybe suggestive of Winter which was coming soon.

In case you are interested, I used ... heavy watercolour paper, black drawing pens, Tombows, Twinkling H2Os, Derwent coloured pencils and for the frame, gesso (lots), impasto paste, Glimmermist.

And, now, because I am actually quite pleased with it, I am linking it at Our Creative Corner

Doll's Day Out

You remember those Prima doll stamps I had to have needed? Well, the first one I started playing with has found herself on a tag with a blue and orange/apricot colour scheme, so she's going to join in with the Blue/Orange Colour Challenge over at Crafter's Cupboard, which I came across recently, when I had to have needed those Lynne Perrella stamps :) And you'll be seeing them soon :)

Note: the ribbon and the flower that appear to be red are actually orange IRL, hmm.

an Autumn canvas

Despite the fact that it is actually Spring here, I've been fiddling around with this Autumn-colour themed reverse canvas, and I think I had better call it "finished", don't you?

Now, for my first ever challenge, I'm going to enter it at http://rubberdance.blogspot.no/2014/09/new-join-our-monthly-colour-challenge.html 
and for my second ever challenge, I am going to join in over here
http://themirrorcrack1d.blogspot.co.uk/


There's also a competition over at Rubber Dance stamps to win some of their lovely stamps ... have a look here
http://rubberdance.blogspot.no/2014/09/autumn-stamps-giveaway.html

WOYWW teetering precariously

Not me, just this huge pile of stuff creative chaos. You can't really tell from this angle (which actually does involve teetering precariously on a chair), can you? Trust me, everything is about to take a dive or at least sail over the edge, not unlike ancient mariners worrying about falling off the edge of the known universe.

No, you can't see the full gravity of the situation from this angle :)

 

The small mixed media canvas needing some tweeking before it could be called finished.

And all those bottles are the latest "must have". They are Adirondack colour wash sprays and unlike Glimmermist they don't contain mica, so, maybe, just maybe, they won't clog up and refuse to work. They can be made to look like Glimmermist by adding a spray of Perfect Pearls... perfect!

 

Why am I showing you this?  Julia over at the Stamping Ground will explain all. Bye for now.

Remember the other day ...

I told you that card wasn't good enough, so here's one that I think is ...

I know ... there's lots of bling.

But there's no such thing as too much bling, is there?

 

Other stuff used: Glimmermist, stencils, three lots of different bling things, beads and ribbons.

More CJS2014

Something else created for Creative Jump Start 2014 ...
 

This page was started at the very beginning of CJS and finished at the very end!

Lots of ordinary stuff used to make the background, including, plastic grippy mat, bottle tops, old credit card, sink strainer.

Creative Jumpstart continues

with more interesting techniques, one of which involved re-purposing a (plastic) citrus juicer, which had slotted holes in it. (Actually, I think it might have been the juicer from a food processor, because of the holes in it.)  Anyway, I didn't have one, so I looked for another household item which might fit the bill, and look ...

an old fashioned sink strainer has holes! I can spray something through this!

And then use those bottle caps and plastic gear (from roller tape) to print with!

 

which eventually led to ...

 

Inspiration found at Creative Jump Start 2014. 

more Creative Jump Starting

Here's a few things I have started.
 

Masking tape background on shipping tags ...

Now for something different. Joint compound on hessian ...

Last, but not least, one pic, two projects ...

On the left is another Finnabair type canvas, and the empty container on the right is about to be ... yes, you guessed, "altered". Don't forget that the theme of CJS14
(see link on side bar) is to make art with ordinary household items.
 

Back soon.

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OK, back sooner than I thought.
I just came across this rather nice PIF idea
on Kate Palmer's blog and decided to join in. Here are the details:

Pay it Forward 2014

The first five people to comment on this post and tell me that they want to play, will receive from me, sometime in this calendar year, one random gift ... it will probably (almost certainly) be a little something which I have made.

There will be NO warning, no schedule or timetable, it will be sent to you whenever the mood strikes me. It could be next week, or next month, or ? So, what's the catch?

If you decide to participate, you MUST make the same offer on your blog and randomly send a gift to five other people. If you are one of my first five commenters (on this post), I will need your postal address. (Please do not post it here for all the world to see. Let me have it privately at rosk8anneatyahoodotcomdotau)
I will post the names of the five lucky people when I have them all.

This is supposed to be fun and give the participants a little treat in the mailbox instead of bills and junk mail. (And I will not use your email/address for any other purposes.)

Please do not comment if you do not intend to follow through.
 Of course you can comment on this post if you like, just let me know that you DO NOT want to play.


 

Home Alone

no, not the movie ... me ... so I make a bigger than normal mess and I make stuff art ...

Last Wednesday I showed you that new journal. A "real" journal, not just loads of paper I have folded and turned into scrap homemade books. This "real" journal was very inexpensive. However, it has a nice sturdy cover and the pages seem to be a good quality and thickness. Anyway, I have painted a layer of gesso on each page as I go and it seems to be working out nicely.

 

Some are finished, some are not.

Watch this space.