Imagine 6x4

Ive got myself a little photo box which will hold hundreds? of 6"x4" pieces of artwork and as I spent some fab crafting and chatting time with me luvverly pal Chriss last night... it seemed like the ideal opportunity to begin some pieces to start filling it. I wanted an inspiration box for when my mojo goes missing so what better thing to do than fill it with my favourite things :D

The background was created with paint...yep I had a slosh about the other night and it was so much fun. I added bits of kitchen roll and some net from a fruit bag to give the piece some texture during my painting.

The stamps are all from Crafty Individuals (some used in part) the fab new ones out now include some amazing birdies and scenes from gorgeous places....oooooeeeee Just love the Statue of Liberty on my birdies' body don't you.

Have a fab weekend all

hugs

Chris xx

'Smile' journal page and ATC SWAP

Ok I'm officially an addict of this wacky style... I can't seem to put my art journal down ...to the detriment of everything else. My head is fit to burst with all the things jumping about waiting to be put onto a page and I'm afraid to say that some of the pages I have done (and had sleepless nights over cos I can't stop) have me a little concerned...lol Hey artistic licence is about doing what feels right eh... but I think my GP may consider putting me in a white coat if he were to see some of my designs. I will let you make your own mind up over the next few weeks but prepare for an onslaught :D Hope this one makes YOU smile!!I thought I'd share with you the four other zetti style atc's I did and some others I completed too. As I can only swap the first lot through the ATC club I thought I'd put these ones up for swap on my blog.

If you'd like to swap me an atc just leave a comment with the number from below the picture of the one you'd like (limited to one per person to be fair) and then send me your addy by email ( my email link is on the right) You can send me any kind of atc in return :D

swap 01 (taken)

swap 2 (taken)

swap 3 (taken)

swap 4

swap 5

swap 6 (taken)

swap 7

swap 8 (taken)

swap 9 (taken)

swap 10 (taken)

If this swap goes ok I will put more on my blog in future, so keep popping back to see what's up for grabs :D

See you soon

hugs

Chris xx

ATC challenge- zetti

The lovely and ever so talented Hermine is this months guest artist for the Artist Trading Club and she has chosen Zetti as the theme for our atc challenge. Loving it...loving it.... loving it!!! Thank you Hermine :D
My mojo seems to have returned big style just in time it seems. Well actually it's gone into overdrive cos even though we're only supposed to do 5 atc's keeping one ourselves and sending the other 4 for swaps.... I did 9 rofl.
Actually did some stamping...

and doodling.... some collage...

and some watercolour backgrounds too as a home to my luscious ladies...lol

I would never have been brave enough to have been a Goth but doing a Gothic atc was such a lotta fun.

If you'd like to join in with the challenge and receive some fabulous swaps you still have time as the challenge is open until the end of the month. Check out the links in the comments section on this post on the Artist Trading Club blog to see some amazing artwork and to see what you could receive in your swap.

Happy Crafting

hugs

Chris xx

A huge belated Happy New Year....

to all of you my lovely blogging buddies. Hope 2010 is a fabulously creative year for all of you. My mojo has been out in the snow throwing snowballs over the last few weeks I think... because it hasn't been beside me as I've sat on the sofa toasting me toes. I love the snow as long as I don't have to venture out in it and/or dig out the car...sigh!! How can something that looks so beautiful be such a pain in the rear :D

I've found myself still been searching for something creative that leaves me feeling content in what I'm doing.... lately I've seemed to be flitting and unable to concentrate on any one thing... it takes me an age to get started and then I struggle to be happy with what I've created...hmmmm need to set myself some goals I think.

After wanting to have a play and try something new I decided that it was time that the inspiration I have gained from the fabulous Teesha Moore was ready to be unleashed and I have begun an art journal. Sorry the photos are pants.... couldn't scan the pages because they are in a spiral bound book. Think you'll get the idea though. It took me hours and hours to do these two pages... mostly because as you know I am guilty of forgetting when to stop once I get a pen in my hand, so I went a bit mad with the doodling. I think I should have taken some step by step pics cos the background is totally unrecognizable from how it started out :D
Teesha Moore usually paints her backgrounds first but I was too impatient to wait for paint to dry ( when I wanna do something... I need to do it now...lol) so after adding my magazine cuttings to my pages ...I filled in the gaps in the background with coloured pencil and I'm glad to say I ended up really happy with the result.
Teesha's style is so vibrant and colourful and doing these pages filled me with excitement ( now that's a novelty for me ). I really was absorbed in what I was doing and I've even begun another 3 pages... so for a little while at least I guess this is my new thing lol
Thanks for looking...see you again soon.
hugs
Chris xx

Dedicated follower of fashion....

I never was...lol ...but the words of the song were buzzing round in my brain while I was doing this sketch. Don't think I would have looked good in this style but it was fun to draw :D
I've had lots of fun doing sketches and painty backgrounds but I am doing my pages digitally at the moment (just in case you're wondering )by scanning the separate elements so that I can have more ways of manipulating my images. Eventually I think I will build up some printable sheets so that I can re-use the images and incorporate them into my get down and get sticky journal pages in the future.
hugs
Chris xx

I almost forgot....

to share with you the scrapbook pages that my DG and niece did last week that had me laughing so much. Kids have such a unique way of doing things and the two of them had a ball playing with their photos. All I said to them was write something about the photos you use and decorate them how you like.... the result... I couldn't have made it up!!
These are two of my nieces pages... this photo is of her mum at a fancy dress party clowning around... Or 'Underwoman' as my niece decided to call her...lol

Next is the 'poorly' page... cough, cough, cough :D

DG page with a photo of him 6yrs ago trying to open my car and his text reads ' I have a car. Guess what I can even open it. Bet you didn't know that. Let's drive off. Leave my Granny behind. Hurry up Man. (I nearly wet myself reading that...lol)

Now just to show how much he loves me... the text... 'Christeen (sp!) What a beautiful Nanna, You're the best. xxxx

Awwwwwwwwwwwwww bless :D

A couple more digital Christmas Atc's to share with you, just so you know I've been doing some crafting :D

Both created from digital kits from Lisa's altered art.

Thanks for looking

hugs

Chris xx

Sewing ATC

I came across this picture yesterday of one of the atc's I did on a sewing theme for The Artist Trading Club. The background was handmade felt... my first attempt at wet felting (cool and so much fun to do ) I added chain stitch for extra decoration. The main image from lisa's altered art was added by printing onto t-shirt transfer fabric before ironing it on to the background. The only kind of ironing that I like to do...lol
I've been in a much better mood the last few days and I'm heaving great sighs of relief... the black dog seems to have been put in his place and has gone into hiding. I've been experimenting with some altered art...doing some sketches and painting and trying to find a style of my own. I love how you can recognise some peoples artwork and creating straight away, just by the style they have, but because I'm jack of all trades and master of none in my crafting I seem to flit around like a butterfly all of a flutter going from one thing to another without settling into a niche of my own. I do like to experiment as it's half the fun but I really want something I can go back to time and time again which lets out what's inside and gives me a head start. I feel that once I find my 'style' then I will have a starting block and I think you will see lots of journalling pages and altered art on my blog in the future. Wish me luck :D
hugs
Chris xx

If I were a rich (wo) man....

la la la la la la la la would I be any happier.... probably not :-D and as I hardly ever remember to play the lottery I guess there's not much chance of me getting rich any time soon... but if I feel like singing then that's good enough for me.
I did just that this evening....spending time with DG and my niece scrapbooking over the weekend definitely put a smile on my face (will show you some pics of their creations later in the week) they were so funny. Kids just seem to have such a unique view of things and I roared with laughter at some of the pages they did. Oh it certainly did me the world of good having that laugh and I was buzzing tonight... yes me!!! buzzing...lol
So I turned on the karaoke machine (okay I can hear you groaning) but I find singing therapeutic... specially when no-one else is listening.
I sang to myself (saddo...lol) for an hour and I enjoyed it soooo much I think I should do it again real soon... either that or I need to get out more!!
On top of that my mojo seems to have returned with bells on so today I'm not complaining (phew bet you're glad to hear it)
I got my hands on the new digital atc kits from Lisa's Altered Art and they are so cool.
I have worn out my fingers with all my previous doodling and journalling so 'doin it digi' was a welcome change. There are two digital atc kits to play with and the Christmas one really rocks my boat... tis BEAUTIFUL.

I can see this kit being one of my all time favourites :D

Hope you all had a fab weekend.

hugs

Chris xx

He sleeps....shhhhhhhh

It just wouldn't do to wake him .... you know who I mean... that pesky black dog. Like a naughty puppy.. he yapped and tortured me... he laid down and was quiet for a while and just when I thought he would give me peace he darn well decided it was playtime. I'm too old for this... believe me!!! Anyway don't know how long for... how long's a piece of string... but finally he decided I deserved a break and settled down to sleep and if we're all very quiet he may just sleep for a while ALL Together now.... SHhhhhhhh LOL

I managed a few more pages in my journal and took time out to smell the coffee
thought about painting my nails

and even managed to get me some beauty sleep

Hope you likeeee.

On a slightly more serious note I appreciate all the support I've received over the last week... thanks to each and every one of you who have left me a comment and/or emailed me. Depression can be a very lonely illness and although it saddens me that I'm one of MANY sufferers it does help to know that others can empathise.

I know that Depression is a difficult illness to understand (hey I don't bl**dy understand it myself and I've lived with it for years... it's become a lodger in my home) but from my own point of view I don't expect people to understand... only to accept. My close family and friends try very hard but often I shut them out completely and withdraw from everyone with my demons, but the joy is that when the light shines again they're there waiting for me no matter how many times the light flickers. That's all I can ask.

hugs

Chris xx

Don't read this if you're in a cr*p mood...

Just look at the pictures.
First go at a journal for when I can't see the wood for the trees.

The black dog had got me and because this is MY blog I feel like taking my frustration out here. I have nothing in the world to whine about but the black dog takes no prisoners and I don't get let off that easily. Two hours ago I was as happy as a pig in muck.... now I'm fed up, can't sleep and wish I had a punchbag tethered to my ceiling to take my frustration out on. I have so often put my happy smiling face out there and pretended there is NOTHING WRONG WITH ME but do you know what... THERE IS and why am I hiding it. Why are we so obsessed with people being happy and why is DEPRESSION a dirty word!! I suffer from depression... I always have.... its part of what makes me me... and part of what makes the good times better. I'm tired of pretending... tired of wearing a face on the outside that doesn't mirror the inside and the confusion that goes on there.

So from today I'm changing the way I blog... I'm going to blog for ME and if you join me along the way then that's great but if you feel like jumping off then that's fine too. If I feel like cr*p I'm going to say so and if I'm happy I'll say so too but WYSIWYG from now on. Some days I wanna blog but I can't... some days I wanna blog hop but I can't and some days I wanna create but I can't and anyone who says there's no such word as CAN'T has NEVER suffered from depression. I'm not feeling sorry for myself and I don't want pity... this isn't a pity party so don't bring cake... it's just a fact. It is what it is... and I am what I am.

Rant over.... could be deleted by tomorrow but what the heck... I did it cos I could... said it cos I wanted too and feel better for it!!

xx