WOYWW 555: Feeling Fitter

Thank you to everyone who sent good wishes last week.  I was cleared to drive last Friday and have been keeping up with the 30 minute walks on non work days and weekends.  The low salt diet is going well and I have even lost a little weight, so onwards and upwards.

I have been busy crafting as you can see, and found time yesterday for an art journal page.  I have decided as part of my new year's resolutions to take part in three of the monthly challenges that I didn't find time for last year.  So I am back with Mission Inspiration, Tag It Tuesday and Mixed Media Art Journey challenges.  I can't manage a weekly challenge (apart from meeting up with all the fabulous WOYWW deskers) but it is nice to be joining in with these groups again.

I did manage to finish the page and will be sharing the step by step on Sunday.  It may be then before I can visit as I have some projects which need to be in the post by Saturday lunchtime to work on tomorrow and Saturday morning.  Have a happy WOYWW and feel free to join us over at The Stamping Ground, where Julia has been keeping deskers in order for nearly 11 years.

Building Up Layers for an Art Journal Background

I started the background to this art journal page at the last JJAMMMA (Junk Journals and Mindful Mixed Media Art) meet up in Stockport.  I managed to finish it on Tuesday, so at least that is before the next meet up lol.  I was working in my leather bound journal full of handmade paper, so I gave the pages a coat of clear gesso and dried them thoroughly before getting started.

WOYWW 514: 1000 Blog Posts

A week has passed and it is time to share our desks once more.  This also happens to be my 1000th blog post and I am so pleased it has fallen on a Wednesday.  We are creeping ever closer to the 10th anniversary of WOYWW, only 6 more weeks to go and the community is as strong as ever, thanks to Julia over at the Stamping Ground keeping things going all this time.

Just my side of the desk to share today.  As you can see if you look to the other side, Eva's chair is empty and will be for a few weeks as she travels the country examining on her days off.  I decided to show a wide view again.  I was working on an art journal page in my leather bound journal.  You can see some of the stamps and stencils that I had been using.  For once I remembered to take a picture before I put everything away.  If you want to see the finished piece, I will be sharing tomorrow.  As you can see,  I have space for up to four visitors, so if you ever want to join me in the shed, let me know!

I will be round to visit this evening after work, so see you all soon.

Heat Embossing and Collage over Paper Towel Background

After the success of my last quick art journal page, I decided to have another play with my scraps and create another double page spread in my Moleskine journal.  It is the first journal that I bought and the last one that I actually started using, due to my nervousness and the fact it was expensive in comparison to all the rest.  These days I don't think about that, I just grab the nearest suitable journal and use it.  All stamps and stencils used are from Claritystamp.

WOYWW 436: Busy Weeks Ahead

It will be a quick share this week as I have to go into work for the Prospective Parents' Evening.  I did get some crafting done with Eva on the other side of the desk yesterday as you will see, but I won't have much time today.  The photos were therefore taken as ever on a Tuesday.  To see plenty of other desks, check out our chief desker Julia at The Stamping Ground.

My side of the desk shows a card I was working on (I will share the finished version tomorrow if you are interested).  You can see my box of Faber-Castell Big Brush Markers that I was using to add colour to the elephants, earlier cut with my Cricut machine.  They were cut from plain white card, glued and sealed with Distress Collage Medium and dried thoroughly before the Big Brush Markers came into action.  I thought you'd also like to see the first page in the journal that I 'won' at the crop (see HERE for details).

Eva was working on stamping and embossing over some Pixie Powder backgrounds. 

She later used the Pixie Powders as paints to colour the embossed images.  I am sharing them today as I know how many of you like to see what she's been up to.  Unfortunately she also had to dash off for a parents' evening.  Next week we're hoping for a longer session together.  Must dash now!

WOYWW 427: Still on my Own.

Once again, dear deskers there is only my side of the desk on view;  I am crafting alone for the second week in a row.  However, I have had good news in that my crafty friend will be joining me in the shed for a day's crafting on Friday!
You can see an art journal page in progress on the desk which I will be sharing tomorrow if you're interested in the step by step.  I have started to burn a Yankee Candles votive to improve my relaxation as I craft and also have some tea lights ready to move onto when that is finished.  Olive and Thyme; very Mediterranean, unlike the weather outside.  
The jar of buttons was a gift from my twin sister.  Every time she runs a marathon (20 so far), she sews a button onto her snakes and ladders board which is on the back of her hoodie. She donated all the excess buttons to me for crafting which was really kind of her.  She is aiming to complete 100 eventually, although they have been a bit more on the back burner recently with my Brother in Law being ill.  My Hubby and I spent the weekend with her helping to get some things done around the house ready for BIL's home assessment visit today.  He is champing at the bit to get out of hospital, so I hope that the next time we see them he is back home.
A milestone is looming for my blog; next Tuesday will be its second birthday.  If I do manage to post something every day before then, I will have hit another milestone on Monday; 2017 posts so far = 2015 + 2016 combined.  I am determined to get there.
Now if you would like to see lots more interesting desks, visit The Stamping Ground, where our fabulous hostess Julia will be more than glad to explain all and show you the way.  Happy WOYWW everyone!

WOYWW 426: All on my Lonesome!

After all the excitement of last week, it has been rather quiet in the shed this week.  I have been crafting alone, as my crafty friend is away at the moment.  To console myself I have done a little retail therapy, and my new set of Distress Oxides finally arrived yesterday.  I also treated myself to a couple of the new Tim Holtz Halloween thinlits dies that I thought might be used all year round.

My desk shot was taken yesterday as usual (alas only my side of the desk).  To see everyone else's desks don't forget to visit our hostess Julia at the Stamping Ground, where all the links can be found.  I was working on an art journal challenge that involved only using my fingers and a credit card to create the page.  In addition to the finished page I have two further background sheets from the palette and clean up sheet that I was using (on the left of the photo while in use).  To see the finished piece you can look HERE.  

I have managed to keep the orchid alive, in fact it has only lost two flowers since I had it.

I have also been very tidy this week and my new Distress Oxides have already been labelled and shelved with the previous set in my ink storage just behind where I sit.  I used my Dymo Letratag to create the labels, have attached blending foam to the bottom of each pad using the hook side of some hook and loop and swiped some of the colour across each label for additional ease of identification.


Finally, I bought a new sign for the cupboard doors; unfortunately although you can choose the name, the option craft 'shed' isn't available, however I still think it's very 'me'.

JJJAMA Challenge 20: Blue, Turquoise, Ochre/Sand and Seaside

I did not take too long to create this page once I had found the quote.  This is for challenge 20 on Junk Journals Junkies and Mindful Art and is limited to the colours blue, turquoise, Ochre/Sand and the theme of Seaside.  For once I did very little stamping; the starfish being the only item using a stamp.

WOYWW 418

Boy, the weeks seem to go round faster and faster.  I had another lovely ATC from Sandra de  with an amazing card all the way from Australia, so I hope that she's received my tag too.  

 

The ATC (along with the others I received for the 8th anniversary of WOYWW) take pride of place on the wall of my shed, together with a plaque which sums up how I feel about my creative space and a couple of post cards; so if anyone is ever in the area (Stoke on Trent), let me know and you are welcome to visit.
Well I suppose I should share my desk as that is the whole purpose of today.  To find out more go to our lovely hostess Julia's blog, where she will explain all.

I was working on an art journal page with the prompt 'Believe' so decided to use a quote from an ABBA song.  To see the finished page see HERE).  The pictures were taken yesterday as usual when I was busy procraftinating with my friend (I love this new word, it sums up my life!).  I passed on all the lovely compliments about her cards from last week. 

 

This week she was painting with Pixie Powders over stamped and heat embossed images on backgrounds which were created in the shed last week.  You can see her mop up journal underneath.

WOYWW 415: Crafting with a Friend

Hooray,  I have crafting company again and I have really missed it.  So I can once again share my friend's side of the desk too.  If you want to know why, head over to the Stamping Ground, where our hostess Julia will explain!
My side of the desk, with a half finished journal page.  I had already used sprays on the background, when my friend arrived with her card board box and a determination to play with sprays and masks/stencils. Great minds think alike.  You can also see the embossing powder and Versamark ink out ready to start stamping and embossing the quote 'Some see a weed, some see a wish.'  I usually drink Coconut Latte when crafting, as it tastes almost as nice cold as it does hot (a definite requirement when I am crafting).

 My friend's side of the desk with sprays, masks and cardboard box at the ready.

















The finished pieces and mop up sheets. 
Sorry if I do not get to visit everyone until the weekend.  I have a hair appointment today, a visit to the nurse and I also have to go into work as there is a parents' evening later.

My Art Journaling Journey... so far.

As I seem to have shared so many of my art journal pages recently, I thought it was time to discuss what can be used as an art journal.  The simple answer is... anything can be used for art journaling; from diaries and cheap notebooks, to expensive products created with art journaling and mixed media in mind. In this post, I am not going to look into ways of creating your own art journal, as there are so many methods.  For example, you can make individual pages from card or paper with grunge board as a cover and hold everything together with book rings.  You can even use heavy weight acetate or acrylic to make pages.  The creation of junk journals from old books, where the insides can be removed and replaced with home made signatures is a whole new post, and there are many more experts with experience in this area than me.