Splatters on all sides...

Hello Friday and hello weekend! I'm calling by with a tale of splatters in many forms...water, ink and orange juice. A strange trio indeed - but all true. The water is of course the incessant downpour of water from above, the ink is self-explanatory and the orange juice...well... Pre-baby "Dropping bloomin' everything" syndrome is in full flow. Whilst enjoying a day out with hubby yesterday, during a cafe pit-stop I managed to decorate the adjoining table and a highly unamused lady with a full bottle of orange juice. Modern art anyone...?

I've enjoyed a little 'just for me'  time and was able to finish my journal pages which I'm also sharing with Art Journal Cafe and Art Journal Every Day. Do take a look. I'm still just allowing 'whatever happens' to just be and not worrying about set technique or styles. Just doing it my way, which is exactly what I need from my journal.

I'm more concerned with expressing the thoughts and mood of the moment. These two pages are all about my struggle with 'normal stuff'...

Learning to embrace everyday life and being ordinary. Not thinking you always having to be a something or someone special to count.

l started out by randomly machine stitching my pages to see how that texture would work as I added the colours. I tend to work over several days, just building up layers and colours. Walking away, taking a peek, and doing a bit. No pressure to 'get a page done'. My favourite bit is the circle. Love the green and white splodges and lines...

Gesso, Dylusions ink sprays, typing, stamping, stencils (home made and bought) black paint, lace, tag ends, book pages and water! Just no orange juice...
Okidoke, that was it! Rain or shine, enjoy the weekend.
Sarah

What's on your Workdesk Wednesday?

Aloha! Well, with all this rain and dismal, grey weather one must do one's best to imagine Hawaii... Both the heating and cosy clothes are back on. Brrrr! Thank goodness the drizzle can't dampen the good ole British patriotic fever. Am I going to boast of our country's ability to throw an uber-fantabulous celebration.? Too darn right I am. Now, that was a party weekend to remember! Methinks even Queen Lizzie was a tad amused...

Tis Wednesday and therefore WOYWW time! A shot of my desk in mid "Hooray, it's just for me" mood. Fanfares galore! All my Design Team projects, blog posts and magazine work up until August are done, done, done! Permission to return to normal society and play granted.

A quick peek at a journal page I'm working on... With just 5 days left until the 40 week baby bump, I think 'Other Plans' is a strong possibility. If I'm still here in two weeks time I will be exposed to the delights of "Stretch and Sweep". Keep Fit for Cleaners I ask? Hmmm, not quite. Ask Wipso...

Less is More is all Red, White and Blue this week, so instead of cleaning up the month's design work after-math, I sneaked in a card. Just love these Artistic Outpost images...

Last week I shared a sneak preview from the new My Mojo Monthly! Here's the full shot of my altered sardine tins... It's a Man Up! challenge theme and it's now in full swing. So if you have rustled up some creations for the gents and fellas - do join in!

And that was my 3 years and a week WOYWW post! I think we have all just about managed to surface from the ATC & asterisk shenanigans. I'm looking forward to seeing the swaps and Julia's suntan...
A huge thank you to everyone for so many wonderful thoughts and wishes, especially as my blog hopping has been pretty skinny due to my big workload. Thank you! I will have to add an i-Pad to the hospital bag list... Have a good week and until the next time. Sarah.

Feeling the Mood...

Hello again and welcome to Monday! Yes, a new week - it's here again... I'm also glad to say it's time for a great new theme over at Simon Says Stamp & Show! This week we are mad about texture. Yes, all that wonderful touchy, feely stuff... No need to get too emotional, even if it is Monday morning, as we're putting it all into our creations.

l had to think for a while but I soon found inspiration in the piles of packaging and cardboard that dwell under my desk. I'm a big fan of corrugated cardboard, shabby layers and vintage tones so they all came together on my card...

l really love this girl's gaze... the gorgeous gal from Artistic Outpost's Think and Wonder set. This is a fabulous image and can be used on so many projects as her mood is so alluring!

I stamped the girl onto a smooth area of cardboard BEFORE I did all the distressing stuff. Then l built up my layers using the card which I ripped, distressed and aged with gesso and Walnut Distress Ink. I used two layers and placed the 'lines' of the card at right angles to each other for contrast. I also added some random stamping of script here and there on the flatter areas.

 I placed a layer of gauze in between the two cardboard layers - sneakily obtained from the first aid kit! I rubbed in lots of gesso, let it dry to get a really great piece of textured, home-made fabric! Brown and white just seem to like being together... I also used bound string and touches of Viva Gold along the edges to accent the vintage look and add a bit of colour.

Here you can see the layers in close-up as well as two old, shabby rolled flowers I made out of book pages. Just draw a big spiral (like a snail shell) on paper, cut, roll up - and there you go! I stamped the think and wonder words onto a scrap book page, mounting it on card for extra thickness which you need on such a card.

My days of hoarding Design Paper are long gone and I grabbed a piece of Tim's Kraft Resist Paper Stash to create my card base. I added a little Distress Ink and machine stitching before I attached the card front with four eyelets. I finished off with a vertical wrap of gold thread which helps to balance out the eye-line. All sounds a bit like posh designer talk but I think contrasting and opposing lines add a lot of interest to a piece.

Well, inky or designer talk, I think that's enough waffle for today. Do take a look at the great pieces from my team mates over at the Simon Says Stamp & Show Blog and be sure to play along too. I'm sure this great $50 voucher would do us all the world of good... Thanks for the visit.

Enjoy your week and until whenever...!
Sarah.

My Mojo Monthly June - Man Up!

SEE THE NEW MY MOJO MONTHLY HERE!

 

Hello once again and welcome to June's My Mojo Monthly! Over here, a month of good old British patriotic celebrations, Father's Day and the faint perfume of summer... Whatever your crafty passion or mood, My Mojo Monthly is all about inspiration and exploring your own creative path. This month it's time to "Man Up!" with stuff for the gents! Firstly, let's talk to My Featured Artist, the wonderful Jean Hardy of Crafty Individuals fame. Yes, the hands behind all those gorgeous stamps, but moreover an artist in her own right.

FIVE QUESTIONS TO MY FEATURED ARTIST... I have admired Jeans creativity for a long time now...Wonderful colours, intricate detail, feminine touches and layers of loveliness! Be prepared for inspiration galore...
Who is Jean Hardy in five words? Lover of all things arty!
Where are you right now as an artist? In the past I have had a go at most art and craft pursuits from tiny miniature paintings, to huge abstract paintings, from sewing and knitting, to pottery and card making, and making stuff has always been a part of my life.

Right now I am playing with lovely fabrics again and trying to get my head around incorporating fabrics, stitch, stamping and paper in the same pieces of work, with some image transfer thrown in.  

I haven’t painted pictures as such for a few years now but I would also like to get back into creating paintings...

but with collage elements, stamped and/or transferred images (CI ones of course). Maybe adding wax, textiles and stitch and anything else that seems relevant at the time. However again it is a bit of a challenge for me to allow myself to totally mix up the different disciplines (after years of being taught that this is taboo), rather than see them as totally separate pathways as I have in the past.
 
I also spend a great deal of my creative time thinking up ideas for new CI stamps, papers and other products on an ongoing basis. The process never stops!
Which of your creations is closest to your heart? I guess that is a pretty easy one to answer. Whichever project I am working on or thinking about at the time!

Currently I am big into making small pretty stuff with fabrics, lace and Tap transfer paper, and I do so love collecting vintage lace, pretty buttons and fabrics to use in my crafting whenever the opportunity arises.
Where do you find inspiration when feeling Mojoless? I have an enormous collection of art and craft books and magazines...

which I find will help start off a train of thought for me if I am stuck. I'm also a keen blog hopper, and love to check out art and craft sites. Mostly in the wee small hours of the morning. This can also spark ideas, however usually taking me in a totally different direction to that which first inspired me. I tend to let my projects tell me where to take them next, rather than having a definite idea to start with.
You are going back-packing in the Himalayas for a year and may only take 3 crafting items. Which and why? Malcolm (my best friend and business partner) commented on this interview! "Love the last question, it's so you!" 
I’m afraid to say you would never in a million years find me back-packing in the Himalayas. Physically challenging pursuits are so not me! However if pushed I guess my most precious crafting tools would be firstly my favourite brand of craft knife (Olfa, or more recently Xcut), Then my trusty can of 3M Craft Mount, and finally a tube of Bostik. However I’m not at all sure how I would endeavour to use these three items on their own, without the addition of the rest of the huge mountain of necessary crafting must-have items I have in my stash!!
See Jean on the cover of June's Craft Stamper, visit her wonderful blog here and see the wide range of fabulous Crafty Individuals stamps and products here!

Back at HQ...Thanks so very much for taking the time to talk to us Jean. Wonderful thoughts and creations! So this month I'm saying "Man Up!" We were all rather  flowery last month so I thought it was time to give the old chaps a look in. I personally love making "blokey stuff" but I know that some crafters can struggle with the elusive male theme. So here's a few ideas...

As a huge Wendy Vecchi fan I'm never short of quirky male stamps but I'd like to show you how just can take just two stamps and turn them into a fun card. I'm drawing on my choreography background and using the "Variation on a theme" idea.

Basically I have four repetitions of the same idea but with simple changes. Direction (square background of numbers), placement (flower), words (typed labels) and tone (varied shades of brown ink). A bit like four flavours of cupcakes - the same, but different! If you know what I mean.
Next... Just can't resist a bit of metal and Steampunk! Once again wonderful Wendy Vecchi stamps, with a splash of Mr. Tim stuff and my own findings.

I altered two sardine tins to create a hinged double home for my fella. A word of advice - scrub, scrub, scrub those tins like crazy!!!! Sardines are rather  pongy fish indeed...

I painted the outside of the tins with three layers of gesso, added lots of Walnut Stain Distress Ink and wrapped the tin sides with a long strip of embossed metal tape.

Just a roll of aluminium tape from the hardware store which I stuck to card for strength and then coloured with brown shades of Alcohol ink. The insides were silver so no gesso -  I just brushed them with more Alcohol inks.

The insides are adorned with stamped images, my own metal findings and Idea-ology. I wanted to be able to set the pieces at different depths, so I added a few thick wire lengths which I cut to length and wedged into the tin at right angles.

 I used lots more Alcohol ink and also Distress embossing powder to add age and colour. The base is just two washers and a metal corner piece... There's so many goodies to be found in the corner of hardware store! You could turn in all the other way and make a mini treasure chest. Can't wait to make another one so my hubby will have to eat sardines all week now...

Lastly, just a quick idea for a keyring using embossed Grunge-paper and Grungeboard. The top layer is Grunge-paper as it's the easiest to emboss. I then applied Walnut Stain Distress with a blending tool, followed by a swipe of the ink pad over the top to darken and highlight the texture.

I gave it a coat of matt medium to seal in the ink, attached the Tim Word Band with brads and then sewed it to a strip of stamped Grunge-board for strength. I looped it through a book ring and set eyelets just at the ends, therefore creating the possibility to wear it on a belt of just hold in the hand.

Challenge, Nice Stuff and Info...
So that was my bit of manning up! My Mojo Monthly is all about the why, the what and your creative adventures in crafting! So please feel free to join in and share your artful take and thoughts on creations for the Gents!! Whatever your style... This month's giveaway is this truly inspirational book from Kelly Rae Roberts.  
Thank you so very much to everyone for playing along last month. So many wonderful floral beauties. Congratulations to our May winner Heidi with her very creative hanging. Well done! In July My Mojo Monthly will be little bit different. Firstly, I'm going to be a first time mum (any day now...oh my!) Secondly it's a whole year since MMM started. Wow!  I have an idea brewing, but I'll keep it under wraps for now and I will also just have to see how Mother Nature likes to times things! Watch this space...

My Mojo Monthly welcomes all hand-made crafters and artists. A few guidelines on submitting your work:
- In the spirit of MMM please write a few lines in your post about your creativity and why you want to share your work.
- You are very welcome to share challenge pieces, just tell me a bit about your inspiration.
- Please link directly to your post and not your blog so I can find you.
- Please add a link in your post to My Mojo Monthly, thanks!
- You may enter more than once, but multiple challenge photos without description will be removed.
- Feel free to take the MMM button for your blog - please do!

Thank you to each and every one of you for all your creativity, loyal blog visits and encouragement!  It's good to share our art, thoughts and lives!
Stay inspired...
Sarah.

Whats on your Hip Hip Hooray Celebratory Workdesk Wednesday???

Hello and a big welcome to this Anniversary mid-week moment as WOYWWers celebrate three years of desk memoires and confessions. All thanks to the one and only Mrs Julia Stamping Ground Dunnit. The occasion is of such grandeur, Mrs D has taken to Spanish shores to rejoice. Olé! My Wednesdays (and sleeping habits) are forever changed!

But in all seriousness, I am so very grateful indeed to Julia for WOYWW? It helped me take my first plunge into Blogdom, has brought lots of wonderful new artful friends and keeps me on sane ground! Thank you Julia. You are a real star!

Well, obviously I'm still around and so is the 38 week baby belly. Apart from my inflatable-dinghy feet, I'm feeling just fine and very energetic. It's all systems go with my Design Team projects. Almost done! It's one thing making them, blogging it all is a real chore. I've become Bloggled eyed. June's My Mojo Monthly is ready to rumble too! Here's a sneaky look - come back Friday for the full story!

My only play time has been in my Art Journal. This page is just a bit of fun, with a small statement too. I am someone, in life and crafting, who seems to dabble with all moods and views. Sometimes girly, sometimes Grungy...

and LOTS of this, that and the other in between. But for the record, even when it's all flowers and girly stuff galore... "I do sweet, not cute." I rest my case. I've got a full-on inky day ahead so I'm off to chase my final deadline. I'm in with the ATC swap - so I'll be hunting my partner down very soon! 
A Big Happy WOYWW to all! Adios! Sarah.

One For The Boys!

C'est encroyable! Monday again. Who stole the bit in between? Or am I suffering from sunstroke??? In true Brit form I must say it is a trifle hot for me...but thankfully my huge pre-mummy DT marathon kept me hostage in the craft room and shade. Let's get straight to the crafty point as I have another six blog posts to reel off...

This week at Simon Says Stamp & Show it's all about man stuff! From little boys to your great Grandpa and all the other fellas, we want to see "One for the Boys". Seems I can't count because I made two!

June brings along Father's Day over here so I thought it was the perfect time to rustle up some male cards!

I also wanted to get kick start my Tim stamps into inky action. I decided on some good old one-layer stamping and masking...

I'm still loving the beauty of just ink and paper! These vintage sets are really great fun and produce a lovely stamped image - with lots of potential for different compositions and designs. This first set is called 'Road Trip".

To add a little extra twist in colour and design, before I started stamping I added a wild swoosh of watery Vintage Photo Distress Stain with Cut 'n Dry foam. I used Ranger Archival inks for a crisp image mixing up Sepia, Coffee, Russet and Jet Black tones.

l remembered to take a quick snap of how I work on the composition! The stamp sets have their design printed on the back which means I can plan the layout of my design just by laying the stamps as shown. Then you need to work out which masks you need and the correct order in which to stamp!

Here I'm working with the Artful Voyage stamps and the aeroplane from the Warehouse District set as they go together so well. I went really wild with a daring swoosh of Rusty Hinge Distress Stain! I also added a few splatters by flicking Distress stain from an old small paintbrush.

Again I mixed up the inks, sometimes adding two colours to a stamp to get variation in colour. The cards are A4 sheets folded in half - so quite large but perfect for playing around with these sets of stamps!

When I'd done all my stamping, I finished off with some distressing of the edges and a little inking.  Great vintage images and a wild swoosh of ink and I'm all done - ready to set sail!

I hope you like them. Do hop over to the Design Team blog to see more great blokey stuff from my teamies. I'm looking forward to seeing your creations - I think we all like seeing  new artful ideas for the Gents! Don't forget we personally choose our Top Three and there's the generous $50 shopping spree to be won! Yes please!

Thanks for taking a peek. Over out - and until the next time!
Sarah.

Weekend, Wonderful and Porky Pig Trotters!

Another random Blog post title it seems, but it all makes perfect sense in my world! Just spent the morning chipping away at the - hallelujah, now shorter - To Do list as I waddle towards week 38 of Babydom. All the new blinds are up, so no more obscure angled undressing on the landing and just 6 DT pieces left to do! By jove, I might actually soon be kind of some how ready. Let's add an 'ish' just to be safe...

Despite deadlines I have made a little 'just me' time to work on two more journal pages - another double spread... another whatever I'm feeling...

The intrinsic thought behind these pages is "She found wonderful and wanted to stay..."

All to do with me being in quite a happy place in life. Moreover, me allowing the wonderful to be here.

Mixing up Ranger Color Wash, Dylusions ink with lots of gesso. I like scribbling with them as well as spraying, splashing  and stencilling... Sharing with Art Journal Cafe again!

The 'stay' bit is quite small and you have to look hard to find it ...  but such is life too -sometimes you have to hunt down the whole story!

I'll let the pages do the talking instead of me for a change - a miracle indeed! I'm off for a swim to see if it might help cool off my porky piggy feet. My ankles went on holiday as soon as the sun came out...

If you're up to anything flowery - doodly, shabby, painty, girly or grungy why not share your art and join in with this month's My Mojo Monthly?! It's a Floral Frenzy theme and there's still a week to go...
Happy Weekending to all! Sarah.