February Into March ....

This is the monthly calendar project which you can see more about on Kate Crane's blog.  I have to say I found having a teeney-weeney space to write in for each day much more easier to manage than a whole blog post a day, as I've tried previously - lol.  Trouble was that some days I wanted to write more - is there ever any satisfying the woman - lol ...

Here's February - all filled in - even though on Sunday 19th February I couldn't for th life of me remember what I did the Friday before - such is life - lol ....

And so we move on to March (where is this year going?  I like March 'cos it's when the clocks go forward.  You have no idea how much I detest the dark evenings .....

Those lovely toadstools are from the new Dylusions Doodle Parts set, the dandelion from Bits of This and the border on the left from Invetweenies.  I am ashamed to say (or not, depending on your point of view) that I treated myself to all of Dyan's new stamp sets - just loving them.  In fact, I reckon I could go visit my mum with a couple of journals with backgrounds already done with inks and paints; an inkpad, the six sets of stamps and a box of pens, markers and the like - all in a carrier bag.  My mum gets a tad nervous when I turn up with multiple bags - she thinks I'm not going to go home - lol.

Anyways - got to go - blogging at work - tut tut ....

A Posh Frock ...

This is the other side of the page of the previous post (the lady in the green dress).  On that page, the black Sharpie dots had bled through to this side.  So I just dotted on them again and  then went slightly beserk with the white and blue Uni Posca pens - lol.  The shape created by this mishap looks like wings I think. Anyways, here's the page ....

 

I think it's a really cool dress - a bit strange - but really cool.  Just the thing for the office - lol.  That's why I  chose the 'well dressed' quote ....

Look Mum - No Stabilisers ...

(Or however you spell it - lol)
After the abrupt exit from the last post, I just had to post these photos of The Gorgeous One, aka Finley William and the Beautiful One, aka Charlotte Kaylet.  They had all been done to grandpa and grandma's for the day and had taken The Gorgeous One's bike.  Apparently there was a bit of a hissy fit when he couldn't quite get the hang of it - and then when no-one was looking he picked up the bike and just did it - just like that.
So on their way home they stopped off here and we went to the open space just across the road so that any injuries would be softened by the grass.  I hadn't even thought that there was some play equipment there and it didn't matter to either of them that it was all for much older kids - they had a ball ....

This is The Beautiful One climbing up the rope wall to get to the runway which leads to the slide - she loved it ...

Here's The Gorgeous One on the rope wall at the opposite end ...

So - here's the hero of the day - off he goes as fast as his little legs will go round  ....

But not after he'd been down this - getting clever now - lol ...

The Beautiful One thought this was a slide too and couldn't understand why when she sat down at the top, she didn't move - lol.

Had a lovely time with them - and No. 1 daughter left a bag of chocolate - so am sitting here munching on Cadbury's Creme Egg Splats.

Honestly - Bailey's last night - Creme Egg choccies tonite - slim I will never be - lol

A Peaceful Sunday Afternoon .....

Last night, me and a couple of glasses of Baileys leafed through back issues of Art Journalling.  The Baileys won and I had to go to bed - but this morning woke up bright and early and with a clear head - lol - and with my first coffee of the day flicked through the rest of the current Art Journalling that had slipped to the floor.

The end result was this ......

This page is in an A4 Journal.  The magazine image was stuck down on the rather dark and horrendous purple inked page with gel medium - which took for ever and ever and ever to dry.  It went all wrinkly and initially, the print on the reverse of the image was all showing through.  I didn't like it all.  

All my reading last night - pre- and during the Baileys - said not to worry - keep with it - so I did.

The photo is a bit rubbish but you can see where I went a bit nuts with the white Uni Posca poster paint pen.  Then I went a bit more nuts with the orange one, with little dots inside the bottle top circles.  One thing I found out is that black Sharpie pens bleed through inked pages (there is a magazine image on the reverse of this page, which now has a border, just waiting to be adapted - lol).  So I've placed an order with the nice people at Artifolk for some black Uni Posca pens - lol  The Sharpies are OK on pages that have been gessoed - I've tried it.

Here's the page with some words ....

The flowers on the magazine image are from the Dylusions set - How Does Your Garden Grow - stamped straight onto old book pages - kindly given by the Lovely Sue - and coloured with Distress Stains.  Shame the photo is so bad - lol.

Right got to go now - grandchildren have just arrived.  The Gorgeous One aka Finley William has learned to ride his bike today - no stabilisers either.  How clever is he .....

Keeping Warm and Cosy ....

The last time I showed this epic crochet granny square quilt it was tastefully draped over the settee with thousands - well maybe I exaggerate a tad - but there were a lot of ends to be darned in.  I did that supernaturally boring job a while back and said quilt progressed to being folded up and draped over the newel post at the bottom of the stairs.  Yesterday, I did some housework (shock horror) which included changing my bed and said quilt moved upstairs (I maybe slow - but I get there in the end - lol).....

Which when you consider how much the temperature dropped last night - was a shrewd move on my part - but I was warm and cosy ..... lol

Back To More Pages ....

Now that I can take a breather from The Wedding preparation paranaphalia (but only for a little while - lol) I've been playing again in the little black Journal and the bigger one. I saw this idea on Kate Crane's blog - putting all the different heads on the Dylusions stamp sets on sticks ..... 

Just love the frogs - and the skulls are pretty cool too ....

And here is a page from the bigger Journal using the same' head on stick' idea ....

And another page - without heads on sticks ....

Part 3 of Dyan Reaveley's adventures at CHA which she posted on her blog on Wednesday, included a video.  Having felt that I can't quite master the Spray Ink thing (despite having all her spray inks), I had another go after watching it.  This time I used an A4 sketchbook, which had a couple of pages sort of done in it - most notably some magazine images which had taken for ever to dry - the glue that is - so had been temporarily abandoned ...

So - there I am with spray bottle of water - a Judikins one which I've had for years and kept stopping spraying - so that went across the room to be replaced by a Mini Mister.  Great - but bit of a pain to keep filling it up - lol. Anyways I digress - spray page with water and then lovely colours of ink.  Trouble was I kept coming back to reddy, orangey, with bits of dark, colour - which I didn't like.  So gessoed over those for another time and started again.

This one is Bubblegum, Satsuma and Peridot.  I did the water spray, ink spray thing and then shut the book - but there's still quite a lot of white left - but I quite like it

Have to say - that 'shutting the book' was an experience - ink squidged out all over the place - and being a bit of a neat and prissy person I was quite shocked to see the edges of all the pages in the book dripped on and marks on the cover - but I rose above it - lol - and really got into it.

This one is Bubblegum, Satsuma and Turquoise.  Two disasters here - one I tried to gesso through a circle stencil - just like Dyan did - but not ending up just like Dyan's - lol.  Hence big white splodge on right hand page - lol.  I am sure that will be covered up ....  Second was one my tops that I wear for work I sort of creamy wheat colour now has pretty splats of turquoise on it - hey ho !!!! You can tell from the leaves (the white bits) that I've bought myself some new pens - Uni Posca poster paint pens.  Just love them and must get a black one.

This one is Bubblegum (again), Sunshine and Sky Blue.  This is better I thought - much lighter and fresher ...

I was dead impressed that I managed the 'ghosting' with the stencils - mind you a bit drippy on the left page.  Note to self - must practice flipping the stencil over - lol.  Here's the same pages with some more 'layers' - plastic top circles, credit card lines and light stamping with Dylusions backgrounds.  Some of the circles and lines are in gold acrylic - which is pretty cool ....

So there you are - it's the weekend - so will have time to play - especially as my mate from the newsagents around the corner from work went to the Cash and Carry and got me two packs of kitchen roll - £20 for 40 rolls - can't be bad ....

Have a good weekend people ....

Better Late Than Never ....

This is something I meant to do back over the New Year but forgot but the falling snow outside reminded me.  So rather than sit here spending a fortune with Mr Amazon or eating a clotted cream rice pudding (might do that anyway - lol - and the shopping) I thought I would do this post.  Last Christmas I made a book of Christmassy sayings and thoughts for my friend, Sue, who was doing her level best to get me in the Christmas spirit - bless her.

I started with the Christmas More Than Words template and painted and sprayed and stamped to make the backgrounds for each letter ....

and then went on to put all the sayings in - all are Dyans Downloads from Art from the Heart.  The following piccies of various random pages.  Hope you like them ...

And - Post No. 2 Today ....

Just in case you missed it the first post was a new monthly calendar inspired by the very talented Kate Crane - which I'm hoping to see right through to December 31st.  We shall see - lol.

Anyways this post is just to tell you all that THE INVITES are finished, posted, given out by hand and some have even been replied to.  This is how they looked before they were put in their nice white boxes and given or posted to the guests ....

This is the outside.  The wrap was done with a Martha Stewart punch (took at least a couple of hours to work out how to hold each end of the band together - honestly - the senior moments are becoming more and more frequent - lol .....  The flower is the Tattered Florals Tim Holtz die edged with Worn Lipstick Distress Ink and a pretty gold heart brad to hold it all together ....

This is the inside with all the pockets and all the info ...

No. 1 daughter and son-in-law to be loved them - as did one or two of the guests who are thinking of getting married (Ooooooooh isn't your Mum clever - do you think she would ...... I will leave the rest up to you to fill in - lol).  Me - I don't want to see that green stripe paper again - ever - lol.

And finally, on a totally different subject - how about this - but 'scuse the rubbish photo ....

This is a giant icicle that has been outside my house for the second time in the last couple of weeks.  It touches the ground and is about three inches round.  Just love that curvy bit in the foreground - looks like an old-fashioned sabre. 
So why do I have an icicle like that outside my house?  I have a leaking overflow from my upstairs loo, which I must get fixed.  This is one of those times, that I can say that to have a husband would be useful - lol

Two For the Price of One ...

Or, if you prefer, two posts today.  The first is something that I've been watching for quite a while over on Kate Crane's blog - a calendar for every month of the year.  I'll be the first to admit that staying power is, on occasion, not my strongest point, having tried 365 blogs before - where you have to post every day - and failed 99.9% - lol.  This looks more manageable - a one inch square to write in every day.  Can't be that difficult - can it?

Anyways - missed January completely - so not a promising start then.  But here is February ....

Not a particularly auspicious start - but meaningful nevertheless 'cos of Valentine's day, 'cos I used 1 1/4 inch hearts cut on the Cricut and not one inch squares - but hey ho!

The wording is 'Here's hoping Love Struck Lucy gets chocolate on Valentine's Day otherwise she has to go and eat black noodles just like they do in South Korea'.  I found this little gem out when I joined in an online Valentine's Day party hosted by Kathryn Antyr a couple of years ago.  As the legend says, you go and eat black noodles on 14th February if you don't get chocolate to mourn your single life - well I'm single, I won't receive chocolate and I definitely won't be in mourning - lol.  Mind you same applies to the blokes - only they go and eat said black noodles on 14th March.

Stamps and paints are all Dyan's Dylusions and the paper for the hearts and the lettering are the left overs from the wedding invitations (see next post).
Off to fill in the first two days of February  - see I told you - commitment - lol - and do my second post for today

Some Christmas Knitting and Felting ....

Back in the mists of time, last November, when I went to the NEC, you may remember I bought the kit for the Giant Blub Bag from the Toft Alpaca Shop.  Over the Christmas break, I knitted it up.  When I'd finished - it looked like this .....

Yikes, I thought - this is not good.  I'm a loose knitter at the best of times and on really humungous 20mm broomstick needles (well a 20mm circular needle actually - which alone cost 12 quid) it looked like an overworked dishcloth.  I was devastated but then I gave myself a talking to and chucked it in the washing machine with my 'felting jeans', an old towel and a tennis ball (have learned not to put trainers in washing machine when felting - they fall apart - lol).

This time, I didn't sit in front of the machine watching it go round and round - after all I wouldn't know how to empty said machine if I wanted to stop it anyway - so I went and did a spot of tidying up in the garden.  When I came back - there was this ....

It's stuffed with microfibre towels here to absorb the moisture keep the shape and the button (nearly five inches in diameter) will be sewn on to the flap when the bag is dry.  There are two problems though - one is that the handle is slightly twisted because I sewed one end on back to front - stupid girl.  It would take a really nosey person to see it though because in the felting and pulling to shape after, most of the twist has gone.  It's only me that knows it's there - oh - and now you - lol.

The other problem is - it's so HAIRY.  When it was dry, I put it on my shoulder to see what it looked like and guess what I had on - a BLACK top - lol.  Apparently, it stops shedding after a while - but when my cold has stopped streaming, I'll give it a bit of a hair cut - lol.

Just love it though - what do you think? .....