TWO BEAUTIES

The day is the first beauty. Glorious sunshine and baking hot.
The second is the most beautiful fuschia I have ever grown.

Ok, there are two different plants here, but each is spectacular.

I just adore flowers, don't you?

HEATHER'S BOOKMARKS

The closing date is this weekend for Heather's bookmark challenge.
Usually Heather challenges us to make 3 ATCs, but I think Mia (Heather's fabulous Siamese kitty) has rubbed some of her mischievousness off onto her mum, because the July challenge was to make 3 different bookmarks based on 3 of our favourite books.
Always one to give it a go I knew straight away which books would be my subject. I hope they are ok.
No 1.

Just had to be Heather's own book 'BEADING'. I love this book, especially the dragonflies. I've made so many to date. This is the back of the bookmark, and here are some pictures of the front.

I used gold and teal beads to make a bag charm for the top of the bookmark, together with - what else but a dragonfly.

No. 2

Keep it in the family! Who else would be my favourite but the one and only Lindsay.
Lindsay's book, STAMPING is a super book, full of many techniques. This is the back of the bookmark I made for this one and here is the front, both showing techniques from the book.

Again I made a bag charm to decorate the top of the bookmark using silver charms relevant to Lindsay's stamps plus incorporating some of her original stamps on shrink plastic.

No 3.

No guesses here then. My third favourite book had to be from the Duke of Distress himself, Tim Holtz, Compendium of Curiosities.
The back is shown above and the front is here.

Once again I tried to use techniques from the book, but I also did an embossed overlay using recycled plastic. Tim's ideology and some charms made a super embellishment.

I had fun with this challenge even though I had to finish it at the beginning of the month in readiness for a bit of nursing.
I wonder what August will bring if Heather has the time?????

A BETTER WOYWW THAN LAST WEEK

By that I mean my DH is feeling so much better than last Wednesday which, after all, was only day 1 after his operation. He has been to some very dark places this week suffering awful pain, but I am glad to say, he now feels so much brighter although still having to be very careful. He isn't allowed to lift anything for 2 months for example, so this summer is out for doing any jobs. We will catch up one day I suppose - oh! a few pigs just flew overhead LOL.
Can we both say a great big THANK YOU for all the get well wishes. They have been so appreciated. Can I also say thank you to Julia, our leader of the Wednesday desk hopping brigade, because had she not come up with this wonderful weekly event, I would not have made so many 'crafty' friends and therefore, not had the good wishes from all over the globe.
I have made a few ATCs this past week when 'T' has been in bed (see previous posts if you want a peep) but thought it was time to cut into my Kraft Glassine papers yesterday, and make a ragged flower. So this is my little space this morning.

I very roughly cut shapes almost like circles (I say almost like because they could not possibly pass for the real thing!!). I then cut into them, scrunched them up, tried to colour them - didn't work so will have to practice that, then gave them a quick blast with my heat gun. I then stacked them and you can just about see the result. Actually, it looks ok.
There's nothing much else to see I'm afraid.
As with last week, I can only hope to get around to your desk, but one thing is for sure, I'll give it a good try.

FEELING BLUE

After making steady progress since his operation, poor 'T' has taken several steps backwards and spent most of today in bed. I suppose it's a natural glitch and just hope he feels better tomorrow.
I made this ATC the other day actually but have only just gotten around to blogging it. In view of how my DH feels I thought an apt title for it is FEELING BLUE.

FREE N EASY

That's this weeks challenge over at the Allsorts Challenge blog.
I seem to be making a few ATCs this week whilst 'T' is recovering from his operation, and as he has just gone for a lie down, I thought I would pop on here and enter this #113 challenge.

I just love the gown this lady is wearing. A few gems and a bindi enhance it's beauty. I coloured the roses with Copics, the butterflies were painstakingly cut from a free download and everything is stuck to a pre-inked ATC-sized piece of mount board.
I had fun with this one.

HOT FLOWERS

Whilst the invalid is having a sleep, I thought I would pop on and enter this ATC into a couple of challenges.
The first is the Stampotique Designers Challenge - FLOWER POWER
Next is the Artistic Stamper Challenge Blog - HOT COLOURS

The flowers are made from Tim's lost and found stash using mainly the warm red sides. The base card is mopped up DIs Fired Brick and Pine Needles over stamped with brushed Corduroy on Tim's acrylic stamps.

WOYWW IT'S ALL OVER

'T's' operation that is. He went into hospital at noon yesterday, had his double hernia op at 1.30pm and was back home at 8.00pm. Last night was a bad one due to the awful pain making any movement almost impossible, but between us, he managed to get in and out of bed, drink a bit of water and swallow one painkiller at a time, cut in half. It's now 7.40am and he's sat at his computer!!!
May we say a great big thank you to everyone out there who has sent good luck wishes. They are very much appreciated and bring a big smile instead of painful winches.
Whilst I was back home yesterday afternoon waiting for the phone call to go back to bring him home, I played a little bit with some ATC backgrounds which I had already made by mopping up spare ink from other projects. My workspace therefore looks like this:

Here are the cards I was trying to get inspiration for:

I only managed to make 1 complete ATC.
Well fellow woywwers, I doubt I shall get round many of you this week. Our lovely Julia always says that it doesn't matter whether you manage one, all or even none, just have fun. I'll do my best to visit though - mainly 'cos I'm nosey.

TODAY'S THE DAY

It's a RED LETTER day today.
'T' is going in hospital at noon for the loooooooooong awaited hernia operation. Yipppeeeee! To have him fit and well after all this time will be a blessing and we can start to make proper plans again and hopefully, have a holiday.
The other special bit about today is that it's LINDSAY MASON'S birthday.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY Lindsay. xxxxxxxxxxxxx

GARDEN GATE

I thought it was time for another challenge, so I've had a go at the ATC Challenges #6 which is Windows or Doors.
I took inspiration for this card from an extremely talented lady in America who produces pieces of magic. I am so lucky to own one of her cards after winning it in her monthly draw of her art.
Anyway, on to mine. I had the lovely lady image in my image folder plus the background - both freebies - and everything else came from my stash except the gate which I managed to persuade 'T' to make for me this morning.

I'm quite pleased with the end result and had a lot of fun.
Here are a few close ups.

Thanks for looking.

IT'S CHUCKING IT DOWN

..........so I decided to do this:

That's right - I got my hands covered in ink. Stream colour wash to be precise. Trouble is, I also now have a large and small jar and bottle of multi matt medium which is also coloured Stream!! Oh! and the right hand corner of my printer is the same!!!!

This was my craft sheet after I had added a bit more water and mopped up some of the ink on pre-cut ATC-sized card.
I was spraying this:

It's an 8"x8" canvas. I have mounted this on the front of it which is a decorated piece of stiff board:

What a tease. Can't show you the front as it's a present. Hehe! x

LINDSAY'S FIRST NEW WORKSHOP

I can't make Lindsay's first round of workshops that she has planned in her new venue at St. Helen's.
I am so sad because they are the best fun ever.
I'm keeping my fingers crossed that something alters so I can manage any more that are arranged. In the meantime, good luck with them and keep an eye on those cheeky pals of mine. xx

SPLATTERS

I splattered this page the other day but had no real idea what I was going to do with it. Then suddenly this came to mind:

My dad could never understand why I couldn't draw or paint like him. I wonder what he would think of my papercrafting now!!

I'VE NEVER..........

bought anything from Art from the Heart before, nor have I been to the shop, but I am in awe with Dyan Reavely's work. Her flair for vibrancy and complete quirky art thrills me to bits.
I took the plunge and bought a couple of her downloads, just to get me going. Then, because I'm rather limited with stuff to make backgrounds - apart from alcohol inks - I decided to go one step further and this arrived yesterday:

What a beautiful way to package a parcel.
Look what was inside:

I guess my hate of getting messy is going to have to disappear.
Just looking forward to watching the lovely Lindsay demo with colour washes and I shall also be plodding around the web for videos etc..

WELL, I WONDER WOYWW TODAY

I'm really bad because each Wednesday I start off on my happy trek around the world of craft desks, leaving little messages where Blogger allows, but then I usually find one that intrigues me so much that I stay too long, this in turn prevents me from continuing. Wow is me!! Not really because I have such a good time all thanks for our wonderful leader Julia who thought up this wondering in the first place. I intend to be intrigued again today.
Not a lot on mine for you this week though.

I took the plunge a few days ago, and started a journal - stands back in amazement, me, started a journal, crumbs - but 'tis true. My first page was awful, but I had the most lovely comments and no-one picked up on my spelling mistake - which incidentally was intentional except I meant to add 2 e's to the word scary not just one. I had another go and made a better 2nd page and following a trip to MacDonald's yesterday and seeing the fabulous new decor, I came back and started a 3rd.
No idea whatsoever how this will turn out or even when it will be finished, but I'm having some fun in the process.
Ok then, I'm off on my travels to yours. See you later.

ANOTHER BIRTHDAY SUSANNA???????

How many have you had now??? What - 37!!!! Wow!

I suppose I'm going to get trouble for that but hopefully not for this:

This is a very special card, so I really hope Susi likes it. It's all the colours she now loves but more importantly, the inked background was given to me by Lindsay Mason following a demo on using the Stazon spray cleaner on alcohol ink to 'bleach' out a splattering of the ink. I think the effect is spectacular.

I used a Martha Stewart all around the page punch which - this time- worked perfectly. The flowers are coloured with paint dabbers and are the ones I was working on in the sunshine the other day.

It all came together really easily because it was made - WITH LOVE.

IT'S ALL PERSPECTIVE

That's true, especially with these journal pages.
A great big THANK YOU for the words of encouragement. It really is a new venture for me and one I think I may just enjoy! After all my denying that it isn't for me, I may just get the hang of it and, if nothing else, enjoy making backgrounds.
Had another little play today and came up with this:

If I can really get the hang of doing quirky pages, then I know I am going to enjoy myself.

PINK AND ORANGE

There is a new journal challenge in blogland called Journal Journeys. I found it today through links from some of my crafting pals.
Anyone who knows me also knows that I have steered away from any kind of journaling mainly because I can not draw for toffee and I always thought that my pages may be a bit 'dark' in nature due to the rubbish things that keep happening in  my life. However, this week I have bitten the bullet and made a couple of backgrounds using 'messy' things like inks and paints. What an exciting time I have had.
So, I thought I would make a start and, like most things, from the beginning, ie. make a page although I have no idea how to do it.
Journal Journeys theme this month is Pink & Orange. Anyone can join in, beginners - like me - right through to hardened professionals.
I came up with this:

I am far from happy with this page because I know it isn't good but am happy that I've taken the plunge. One way or another, I now hope to get better at this journaling malarky.

I PLAYED AFTER MIDNIGHT

Just had to have another go at a background so I played half the night.
I used
shake & spray quince
raspberry
blackberry and
walnut
This is what I got:

So glad I kept that rubber waste:

The colours have blended so well:

Not sure how to use this one yet.

SO OUT OF MY COMFORT ZONE

Why? because I've just spent the morning getting rather messy. Now I know you crafters love having inks and paints all over your hands and clothes, but I'm afraid I don't. Even as a child I hated to get dirty and really hated having sticky hands if I'd had a candy floss or something, so being in this state now is an adventure for me. But guess what - I HAD A BALL.
I used a bit of this:

Some of these:

Like this:

Quite a few of these:

The remnants of the rubber from the stamps I mounted the other day to give this effect:

Created this:

Which ended up like this:

Off to wash my hands now. x