It's been a funny old week...

...this week and I'm still not sure whgere the time has gone.  Not on much creating though that's for sure!!

I've done some spring cleaning... lots of it... had a  two day visit from my bestest crafty pal Chriss and shared some time with my gorgeous Grandson.  I've tried unsuccessfully to get my laptop going only for it to crash yet again (definitely need a new hard drive now) and managed to get my hoover to give up the ghost too....I think bad gremlins have moved in to all my electrical stuff!!

I had a bit of a soppy moment yesterday when I saw DD all dressed up in her first suit (she doesn't do formal wear normally) and I'm not ashamed to say that I had a huge lump in my throat and though I don't often talk about her on my blog I feel like I want to say how proud I am to be able to say she is mine.  She has grown up into a beautiful young lady and she makes my heart sing.

Okay I'm yabbering so I am going to leave you with my latest dylusions journal page and I hope to get chance to visit you all this week.

hugs

Chris xx

oooh pretty colours...

still coming out to play and these are Dylusions ink sprays.  So yummy yummy you could eat them!! I did some spraying through and over stencils for the background. I  dipped the lid into a puddle of ink on my craft mat to create the green circles and used the edge of a credit card dipped in ink for the lines on the top left. I used a white pen to add the lettering and doodling.

Found the dog image in a mag which I covered with Gesso and then used a paintbrush with the pink ink to re-colour it. The head and hat images are from Dyan's downloads... cute eh. 

hugs

Chris xx

Red dress journalpage

This week will be all about journalling pages... because despite my laptop and my drawing tablet both dying last week  I at least had my camera  and my oh so slow desktop computer to get me by... that was until my camera decided not to play either... OMG how much bad luck can someone have in a week!!  So I'm afraid although I have some yummy goodies to share I have to rely on my scanner for now.

So another painterly page ... this time overpainting images taken from magazines after doing the background.

Bits of doodling and cut out text.

Thanks for looking. Be back soon.

hugs

Chris xx

Journal pages in colour

Well I am chuffed to have found a new use for my oil pastels in the second part of the Strathmore visual journal course with Pam Carriker.  I would never have thought of using them with gesso but OMG I just love the technique and will use them even more now.  Opens up so many fab projects for me to do with them in future...whooohooo.

 I like this one best and it came together like a dream.... I had problems with the face on the one below and ended up redoing that part 3 times before it looked half decent!! 

I got a bit fed up in the end so decided to leave it alone even though it's still not how I would like it.  It didn't photograph too well because the paper buckled because of all the layering I did so there are more shadows on it than in reality.  I have a feeling that I will come back to it when I'm feeling a bit more patient and redo the bits I'm not happy with.

hugs

Chris xx

Dairy doll

A bit of fun with this one cos I was in a playful mood.  There's nothing quite like letting your imagination run riot.  Created with backgrounds and images from Lisa's Altered Art.

She may have fish for feet... but I sure hope her feet don't smell fishy...lol

Hugs

Chris xx

Chipboard jewellery and a little toot :D

A little bit of excitement today cos I can now share with you that I have been invited to join the Tando Creative Design Team.... whooohoooo with a cherry on top :D  That means lots of lovely lovely chippie will be coming my way to play with.  I want to say a HUGE thank you to Di  for the opportunity and I hope you will pop over to the Tando blog to join in with the gorgeous things that I and the other DT members will be sharing there.

I couldn't abandon my painting just yet... oh you just know that I can't...lol... so I was uber excited when I realised that the Tando Chipboard is sturdy enough to take whatever I throw at it... and as it also has a gorgeous white coating it's ideal for painting on. Yeeeeeessss!!  So for my first pieces for the DT I decided to create some heart jewellery.  I think Frida Kahlo is a wonderful artist and my brooch above is in honour of her.

I then decided to paint a little whimsy girl and turned the painting into a necklace before finally doing a mixed media brooch (below) too.   Lotsa fun... I enjoyed every moment.

This one was created by throwing bits of kitchen roll at it... ok ..ok I didn't throw them... I rolled them and collaged them and added swirls of fabric coated wire... but you know what I mean ;-)

The colouring is watercolour crayons and acrylic paint mixed.

Now for the best bit... I made these from the Tando Home hanger and I still have another heart and the words left to play with... heh heh.. I'm nothing if not frugal with my goodies!! 

I will share what I make with what's left soon.  TFL

hugs

Chris xx

Freedom art journal page

A bit of a change from painting with this page... but hey I still have pencils and pens in my hands.  I love doing backgrounds with coloured pencil because they have such a delicate look.   Glueing and sticking is so therapeutic too and those old magazines sure do come in useful :D

Doing pages opens up some really wierd stuff in my head sometimes... do you feel that when you do yours???  Do you feel that sometimes other people pull the strings in your life more than you do yourself... I think I have always been a people pleaser... more worried about others than myself and it sure is a hard habit to break.   ooooooooer DEEP or what...lol
hugs
Chris xx

Splish, Splash, Sploshing around....

with paint that is :D  Just fancied a play and made a swirly stencil out of paper to play with for my background.  loadsa fun!!   Used more images from Dyans downloads but this time I coloured them with paint and Copic markers.  So versatile... I am gonna have to have more...lol

I started off with an idea BUT after I wrote my journalling on the page (just quickly by hand) I looked at the page again and it reminded me of something that happened a long time ago so I think now I am gonna paint over a bit of it and add different journalling... sheesh the things I do...lol

It was the HAT that did it!!  Provoked a memory from my childhood when these hats were all the rage and we began making a corduroy one at school... all hand sewing too I might add.... I was about 8 at the time.  However I had an accident and got my fingers badly trapped in a car door so was absent from school for a while and when I returned was still bandaged up so couldn't sew... but worse... because I wasn't at school my teacher decided to give MY HAT to someone else to complete and keep.  SO MISS BROWN... if you ever read this .... KNOW that I hated you for that from the depths of my being...lol

hugs

Chris xx

Cat collage and Apple pickin' time

The old mojo seems to be returning slowly whooohooo and this these cute images from Lisa's Altered Art went a long way to helping it on it's way.  I combined two of the atc backgrounds and collaged images from other sheets to make a larger background to play with.  I love the cute colours of the candy apple girl....

and how totally gawgus is this sweet purty cat :D  I could sit and stroke his wonderful fur all day!!

Nothing much happened for Cute Potatoe  the last few days cos we've had oooodles of rain...bah!!... but today the sun shone and while CP and I were taking in the view  of a wonderful blue sky we spied something at the bottom of the garden that I hadn't noticed before.  CP obviously has much better eyesight than I and squealed with excitement at her discovery of an apple tree :D  Ooooooh can we go climbing and pick apples says she... Not on your Nelly says I ... don't you know I'm scared of heights!!  Well CP was having none of that... excuses, excuses .... all you have to do is lift me up cos I is a brave Cute Potato I am.  So off we trotted and true to her word she was fearless and before I knew it she had leapt from my arms and was off like a shot climbing that tree like a seasoned lumberjack .

She perched herself up there in the dizzy heights ...trying to get a suntan as she posed for a while and THEN....... "T I M B E R" she shouted as she shook those branches with all her might while the apples tumbled down like rain around my head until I stood in a puddle of them :D Job well done says she.... laughing hilariously at my predicament... "don't stand on them... we have to eat them". She was a good CP though once she dried the tears of laughter from her eyes and helped me collect all her well earned goodies ready for whatever mouthwatering delight I manage to make with them :D

They are only teeny weeny apples (crab apples to those of you who know what I'm talking about) but with lots of sugar I'm sure they will taste just wonderful!!

hugs Chris xx

Paris fashion atc's

It seems like ages since I created an atc but I love these Paris themed backgrounds and dress shapes from Lisa's altered art.  I had a bit of a play with them because although they are beautiful in their original state I just can't leave well alone... I have to change things..lol

So the dress above was cut and pasted from the atc image below before adding faux stitching around the outer edge.

I used a lace stamp from The Artistic Stamper on a piece of blue paper and placed it behind the missing dress area on this atc and I just love the effect.

Lisa's Altered Art has some fabulous new images and many sheets are just $1 so pop over and grab yourself a few... beat the credit crunch and stock up... they are really great to craft with... so many ways to use them.

hugs

Chris xx

To see what kind of person I REALLY am  scroll down n read the post below.  The truth, the whole truth 'n' nothing but the truth.....OR IS IT ;-))

Butterfly lady

I had a bit of a doodle on this one.  I found my silver ink pen which I haven't use in months and it's such a shame that the scan doesn't show how sparkly it looks in real life.  Tis really bright and lovely.

The images again are from Narry at Etsy and the stamp is Papermania.  Colour added with distress inks and a bit of collage with the images and butterfly on her face.

Have a fun day

hugs

Chris xx

Queen atc

The new images from Lisa's altered art make it amazingly easy to create beautiful  art.  I think the new Paris backgrounds and images are totally gorgeous and couldn't wait to use them.

A little bit of decoupage made it touchy feely and I think she looks royal with her fab crown :D

See you soon

hugs

Chris xx

Tarzan and Jane.

Hands up those of you who used to watch Tarzan as a kid... he was my hero... whichever actor played him :D  I used to be amazed at how he could fight crocodiles and lions and fly through the trees..ha ha  the gullibility of childhood.  I was convinced it was REAL!!!

He always got his Jane too... she looks scared to death... but Tarzan will always protect her ha ha

Hugs

Chris xx

She reminds me of.....

Marie Antoinette.... don't know if that's who she is but I think she looks really elegant.  Her 'beauty spot' is a corker though don't you think.  What women do for fashion...lol

Background and lady images are from Lisa's altered art.

Thanks for looking

hugs

Chris xx

Mona... my Mona....

did I tell you that my Mona is my favourite lady to stamp... did I ... did I... I'm sure I did...lol

Oh but she is so versatile and she just loves being dressed up and I'm sure that one day soon she is going to open up and have a rip roaring giggle and show us her pearly whites.  Well she has to if she wants to be in my gang cos laughing is good for the soul :D

I'm not the only one who loves my new distress inks... Mona does too (she told me so...lol)

She also loves her hat and being surrounded by flowers... cool gal Mona is.

Collaged images are from Lisa's altered art.

Have a great day

hugs

Chris xx

Attitude tag

Okay so I told you I LOVE distress inks did I...lol   Well my lovely buddy Chriss supplied me with some fabby new colours for my birthday a few weeks ago and OMG I couldn't have been happier.  BLISS!!

So of course I had to play with them and decorated this chipboard tag.  The new inks with some new Fabby images from Lisa's altered art with the addition of a couple of stamps and I was in seventh heaven

Had to add glossy accents to her face but unfortunately it didn't photograph well so you can't see the 3d effect.  I still love it though :D
Have a great day
hugs
Chris xx

Art journal page - Dare to be different

So naughty am I :D     I have been awol cos I am spending a few days with my lubberly pal Chriss.  There should have been crafting going on but instead we have talked, laughed.... dyed hair... mine and hers... so that we don't grow old disgracefully and stuffed our faces with yummy grub and sweeties...rofl

So just sharing a quickie with you today and will be round to catch up with you all soon.... gotta do SOME crafting while I'm here :D  Well that is if Chriss and I can drag ourselves off the comfy sofa's!!  Well you gotta have some chill time sometime don't ya and we are so chilled we could both be ice cubes.

See you soon
hugs
Chris xx

Masquerade Art journal page

Another art journal page to share with you today... inspired by the song Masquerade by the Carpenters.  It's one of my favourites and I had no plan for my page other than a mask somewhere but I was pleased with how it turned out.

Now just in case you haven't got a clue what I'm on about... I found this on YouTube... check it out if you've time :D

See you tomorrow
hugs
Chris xx

Walk tall art journal page

Got the dreaded lurgy again... just when you think that no more germs would dare invade your body they creep in and attack!! Spent 12 hours last night curled up in bed wearing my pj's, a fleece AND my dressing gown n socks under my quilt, in an effort to keep warm and stop the shivering. Hey it's supposed to be spring and flu bugs are supposed to be winter things wot happened.


ok I'm moaning lol... makes me feel better... just ignore me :D
Sharing another page from my art journal with you and then I'm gonna go make a hot drink and wallow in self pity rofl
hugs
Chris xx

I love Paris stamped collage 6"x4" artcard

Stamping is so versatile... I love how you can use parts of stamps to create a totally unique look. This collage was created using lots of different stamps from Crafty Individuals.
I wanted to see what I could achieve without any colouring of the stamped images. I used just black and chocolate inks onto white paper and then adhered this to my handpainted background.
Have a fab weekend
hugs
Chris xx