Vintage Fashion

My first entry into someone else's journal for the Jolly Journaller's CJ on UKScrappers.  The theme is vintage fashion:

I used lots of layers on the background, starting with some torn papers and paint, then adding tissue paper, glaze, stamping and more paint until I was finally happy with how it looked.

I wrote the quote onto Finnabair's Domestic Goddess paper with black and white gelly roll pens 

I made the 50's style dress from Stampin' Up! paper, I drew a basic shape for the top and the bottom then just cut it. I curved the skirt so it stands off the page at certain points. I used the same paper for the belt I just coloured it with a black promarker.

Here's some close-ups of the background. I used themed tissue paper with cotton reels and scissors and the same with torn paper. I used Domestic Goddess and some scrap paper I had which had patterns on it.

I used Prima Stitch stamps round the edge and as part of the background and some Dylusions and Tim Holtz background stamps.

I added a white gelly roll outline to the dress just to make it stand out a bit more from the dark background and then added some She Art inspired doodles at various points.

I used some tape measure ribbon and some red ribbon to underline the quote.

 I also used the same ribbon on the sign-in tag which has Prima stitch stamps round the edge, some Domestic Goddess paper and Festive Berries distress dabber rubbed over it.

Jolly Journaling

I've joined a new Circle Journal on UKScrappers - no great surprise that it's an art journal based CJ called Jolly Journallers. I decided I wanted to make a book for this one and I've called my theme, "Free Your Imagination". Here's the book:

I've covered greyboard with Finnabair's Sunrise Sunset papers and added stamped images from Visible Image, metal embellishments from Tim Holtz and Finnabair and painted grungepaper. The image on the back is a Sweet Pea Digital Stamp. As there are buckles on the front I thought it might be confusing as to where you open the journal hence the signs on the back.

Inside is the introduction and some instructions on how to remove a page then fasten the pages back together. I created these pages on Craft Artist Professional 2 and added paint round the edges once I'd stuck them down.

I added some doodling to the back of the intro page as it looked so blank and white and sad! The bird stamp is from a Fiskars set called "For the Birds".

For my entry I wanted to use this image which I love from Sweet Pea designs. It's a digital stamp version of the gorgeous image by Rebecca Sinz. The birds in the top right are Tim Holtz. The quote refers to endings often being a new beginning but I wanted to find one that included either the word broken or the words falling apart. It had a personal meaning to me.

I decorated the back for the same reason I did the back of the intro so it didn't look so sad and white :)

Finally a picture of how the book is held together. I punched three holes with a cropodile, threaded chain through the whole thing and then fastened the chain with Tim Holtz trinket pins. 

Looking forward to starting this CJ.

Some Art Journaling...

Just thought I'd share some art journaling with you. Here's my November calendar page Part 1. I split November because my birthday is half way through so I start a new year on that day.  

I've use my favourite colours purple and teal/turquoise and made it dark with a tree and moon. The skeleton represents the death of age 35. I've never been bothered by age until this year for some reason, turning 36 is bothering me. I intend to make November part 2 much brighter and lighter in the hope that it will help.

Here's a page I made for a circle journal. The subject was what did you want to be when you grew up:

I used my new Distress Paint dabbers for the background and the stencilling. I love them and will probably buy more! I cut the words from a space magazine and used stamps on the background. The stencil is one of Tim Holtz new layering stencils another product I love (partly due to the tag shape and size) and am likely to buy more of!

Thanks for reading :o) 

 

Forever Young

An update on cards - I decided to change them:

I joined in the October Card Swap on a theme of Autumn - Leaves - Silhouette. I knew I wanted to use my Stampin' Up Forever Young stamp set and decided to add the lovely girl on a tree swing to a sprayed background as a silhouette. Here they are:

There's another care with Thinking of You on but it hadn't quite dried when I took the piccies. I used Dylusions sprays on white card that I had put masking tape round the edges of. I lined the sprayed area with black promarker then stamped the image and the sentiments (Stampin' Up! Sassy Salutations) in Onyx Black versafine ink. I'll probably do the outline again tomorrow once they are bone dry, before posting them. 

Give yourself a hug

World Mental Health Day (10th October) passed by fairly uneventful for me this year, though it didn't pass by unmarked. I made an art journal page for my Circle Journal "Word Play"  using the word HUG. The saying is particularly poignant to me and my husband at the moment and I'm sure there's plenty of people out there who need reminding to pull on their own inner resources - remember just how strong you are.

Stay well and always talk to someone when you're in pain.

Spooky Halloween Door

I wasn't going to join this swap as I've done a mini door swap before and found it quite difficult especially after receiving some amazing doors made from fimo, clay and wood! I'm more of a papercrafter but I was assured that it was fine to use paper. My swappee the lovely Jas, likes gore and Rocky Horror among other things. I came up with the idea of placing a door over the back of a small 7 x 5 stretched canvas and here is the result:

The gate opens....

Then the door opens to reveal...

arrrrrgggghhhhhhh..... :o)

I painted the whole canvas with dark blue and purple to create a dark sky feel. I cut the door and frame, cobwebs and gate out on my silhouette portrait. I attached wood-a-like paper to the front part of the door. I printed off the piccy inside, attached it all and smeared fake blood over everything.

and this is what the back of the canvas looks like:

I printed off a large orange moon and stamped, coloured and cut the Dylusions dead tree. The bat and witch were cut on my portrait machine and added at the end.

Frankenstein's Laboratory

Frankenstein's lab? Yep that was the subject for the lovely Gill that I was to create from a chunky - which is a 3 inch by 2 inch wide and deep block of wood! Fortunately an idea formed and I went on to create my very own monster of a chunky...

So what have I done to this poor block of wood? Well I painted it silver, then I cut two strips of craft metal and attached Tim Holtz pulley wheels to them then glued the metal strips to the wood... I made two leather straps and attached Tim Holtz buckles to one side of the chunky and one end of the straps to the other. 

I pulled a leg and arm from a poor pound shop doll (my dogs thoroughly enjoyed pulling apart the rest of her!) and tried not to gag as I squeezed fake blood on them. I'm not squeamish about blood it's just the fake stuff I don't like eugh! I glued the leg and arm on once the blood had dried then fastened the straps.

I stamped and coloured Dylusions bones, splatters, eyeballs and lab jars (I know Gill likes Dylusions) and glued them all over, I didn't clean up the glue marks as I hoped it added to the messiness of a monster creating laboratory. Finally I attached fake blood smeared tools with some craft wire hung messily off one of the straps - an axe, hammer, saw and pliers - just what Dr. Frankenstein would need! :oD

I hope Gill likes it, it stands still but you can also wheel it around. The wheels aren't as steady as I hoped but they are secure enough to wheel around a table or a hard floor.