A WEEKEND OF ART...

A couple of weekends ago I had the pleasure of attending an all day class with the superb Kate Crane from The Kathryn Wheel in Middlesbrough with my friend Sonja.

 

 We worked on some matchboxes, altering them using paint and ink techniques and of course Kate's new stamps which are available from Stampotique...I want the all!!

 

 

We had a great day with all the other ladies that do art. Kate is such a fantastic teacher...Can't wait to go again next time. xx

A LITTLE BIT OF ART JOURNALING...JOURNAL SOUP STYLE...

So last week I decided that I really, really, really wanted a Dylusions Creative Journal so I went on eBay and I bought this one...

 

 

I also decided that I had best get on with the Journal Soup 1 class created by Kate Crane at The Kathryn Wheel before I purchased Journal Soup 2....

 

This is what I produced from part one...part two is currently underway...very pleased with what I've done so far and can't wait to finishe the second page and get on with the rest of the lessons...Kate is such a fabulous teacher and I have been lucky enough to do a class with her along with Sonja. We are also booked in to do another with her at the beginning of next year...can't wait!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SONJA...

Almost two weeks ago it was Sonja's birthday and I never know what to get her so I thought I would make something instead...

 

I stumbled over this idea by Sarah Carrington on the Bubbly Funk forum. She had used the technique to decorate a frame but I thought I would do it as a canvas with a framed quotation added to it.

Basically I stuck wooden letters to the canvas and then coated with gesso... then I coated with sky blue paint by Claudine Helmuth then added a crackle glaze.  It was then coated with Claudine's traditional tan...took ages as each coat had to dry thoroughly before the next one was added...I then swiped over the letters with walnut stain distress ink and also the edges of the canvas.   I stamped and embossed the quotation onto card that I had added distress ink to and then made a frame which I covered with washi tape.  the flower is one we received in a Scarlet Lime mixed media kit which was bright yellow but I pained red and Midge (which Sonja gave me for my birthday) is stamped onto text patterned card...

 

The card is done using the masking tape method I was trying out a couple of weeks ago with Midge masked before inking.  The washi tape is a smudge I was trying to cover but I think it just adds to the overall look...xxx

MORE FINISHED PROJECTS...

 I found an upcycled wreath on Pinterest so I thought I would have a go...I really like how it turned out...I am toying with maybe a few more flowers at the bottom and would like to do a rolled one but I just for the life of me cannot do them...I always ending up throwing them across the room and swearing:0))

 

 This project is one I did when Sonja came over a couple of Sundays ago for a wee mini crop..just me and her!! She was working on a LO and I thought I would try something out of the Craft Stamper magazine...I usually get it, ooh and aah over everything for days and never end up trying anything out so I am pleased I managed to finish this...

 

They used a chipboard snowflake covered in glitter but I didn't have one so used this crochet one that I found in a Quirky kit that hadn't been used....

 

Thanks for looking...x

PHOTO SCAVENGER HUNT...

Last week while reading Sonja's blog I noticed the Photo Scavenger Hunt badge and thought now I have a little more time I could join in....

One of the prompts is outdoor stairway and since we have been to Haddo House and Drum Castle this week I have an abundance of stair pictures that I thought i would share....

 This one is at Haddo House

 These are the stairs leading to the chapel at Drum Castle

 More stairs at Drum Castle

These are another set from Haddo looking up....

 and then looking down

So if you want to know more about this challenge pop over to Gallo Organico and see what it's all about....

I have lots more of the prompts to share but I will keep them for future posts...x

PINTEREST....

Another challenge....make something from Pinterest at least once a week instead of just drooling over all the gorgeous, lovely, fabulous makes, etc on there....Sonja put this challenge to me so if there is anyone else out there who would like to take part please feel free to join in...if we get a few joiners we will have a set day for posting...

These are some cards I have made for teachers as we finish school on Friday for 7 weeks of summer holidays...yippeeee(for the first couple of weeks anyway and then I will probably be tearing my hair out wishing they were back at school as you do..lol...)

And this was my Pinterest inspiration....not too far from the original!!

Anyway, I hope some more people can join in and we might even put up one of those linky things so I can see your creations...

12 TAGS OF 2012 - FEBRUARY...

Okay so I am super excited that I have at last manged to finish a piece of craft for myself....hence the many photos...lol

 This is my version of the Tim Holtz 12 Tags of 2012 for February....if you don't know what this is pop over and take a look...lots of techniques to learn...As you can see I definitely have not gone for a carbon copy...Most of the bits used are from my endless stash...you know those things you buy cos they are dirt cheap and might come in handy some day...well they did...skulls, stickers and metal embellishments...

 As I said in my last post Sonja and I decided to do them as a swap so I have made two...they are not exactly the same tho as I didn't have two of everything but the basic principle is the same...

Love the skulls with the black stickles and the words is a play on the Bryan Adams song which I love so much...

Thanks for looking and hopefully it won't be too long before I am back with the next one!!!

LOVELY VINTAGE FINDS...

Well now I no longer have to create for craft fairs I have a little more time on my hands and it kinda feels nice(I do have a couple of outstanding orders that need doing tho) and I am enjoying it....

 These bowls were something I purchased a few weeks ago from Nina's Apartment at the Vintage Fair in Aberdeen...love them...

 And today I picked up these little cuties, also from Nina...

They are so sweet...and they along with a few other bits and pieces look fab on my dresser...I love vintage things and hope to try my hand at painting up some second-hand things in a vintage style soon...

I have also started the challenge Sonja and I set ourselves a couple of months which was to take part in the Tim Holtz 12 Tags of 2012 making one tag to swap and another to keep...I won't post the pic yet as I haven't passed it on to Sonja yet...xxx

365+1

365+1...Day 6...FROST

Well my interpretation of frost today is the ice-cubes in the sloe gin and ginger beer I had with the coconut chicken curry we had for tea...delicious on both counts....

It's been quite hectic around here today...Sonja came over in the morning with Aaron for a visit and then it was lunchtime and then Camilla came over and cut the kids hair in the afternoon...far better than taking them all to the hairdresser and having to sit waiting for them...at least at home they get to do their own thing before their turn...

Just away to sit down and watch Coronation Street now with maybe another cheeky drink and one or two of my chocs that I have managed to keep hidden from the kids...

Looking forward to tomorrow's prompt!!

Kirsti xxx

BEEN THERE...DONE THAT...

OK I can now officially say....been there...done that...got the t-shirt...

Today I taught my first class over at Simply Create in Alford.....and I had an absolute ball...thank you so much to everyone who came and I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did....

We did a version of this canvas which I did a while back while in an online chatroom with Darcy, Sonja and Rosie one Saturday night and drinking a bottle of rose...lol....was fun!!!

Anyways these are the ladies that took part in today's class and I think the next one (Wednesday 5th October at 10.30am) has a couple more...not sure if there are spaces but if you phone the shop on 01975 564010 they will be able to let you know...

Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity Jacqui and I hope I will be able to do more in the future...

Kirsti xxx

A LAYOUT FROM ME....

After seeing all Sonja's LOs lately she has put me to shame as I wouldn't actually like to say when the last time was that I completed a LO...we have also made a stash busting/finish online classes and UFOs pact so hopefully this will be the first of many and if I write it down for all to see it will have to be won't it...lol...

This is a LO out using the last Simply Create Design Team Kit which is sadly the last one...I have enjoyed my time on the DT and keeping the blog up to date so thank you Jacqui...

This is a pic that was in a post a couple of weeks ago when we went geocaching for the first time...

I started of with the plain cardstock which I sprayed with various inks..some places better than others...and oops I have just remembered that I used a sketch that Sonja had used earlier in the week which can be found below...

I cut out one of the big daisy like flowers from the pattern papers(Glitz Afternoon Muse Floral) and cut down into the petals and inked with Vintage Photo distress ink then added some glossy accents to the centre and filled with seed beads...

Family Fun is done with some chipboard letters painted with hazelnut paint dabber and coated with crackle accent and fun (from the Lost & Found Union Square Perfect stamps) is stamped in Timber Brown stazon...

Before inking I laid out the ribbon creating a mask and then used the 2 ribbons to tie the buttons and cut out a couple of leaves from the floral paper.

Found this giant tag in my stash box(along with 4 more) so I decided to do a little hidden journaling and finished it of with the last of the ribbons...

TFL

Kirsti xx

PINTEREST....

Just a quickie to let you know about this site called Pinterest that Sonja pointed me in the direction of a couple of months ago but I couldn't quite get to grips with...well I have now and it's fab...great for storing all those things you see online and don't want to forget about!!! Go check it out...I am sure you will become as addicted as me, Sonja and quite possible even Julie...lol....


Kirsti xxx

SIMPLY CREATE CHALLENGE...

If you hop on over to Simply Create you will notice that they have a fab challenge going on at the moment with 100 pounds of stash up for grabs...and if you hurry you still have time to enter...closing date is 14th February...

This is my entry...
I used an SVG template from Dan99 for the Cricut and cut out this gorgeous wee house...it is actually a Christmas house in his description but I have made it a lovely Spring house for my project....

I used some cardstock from a pad by We R Memory Keepers that I picked up in TK MAXX last weekend for about 7 pounds...there are some gorgeous colours in it and it has a white core so is ideal for distressing...

I overstamped the house shape with the Tim Holtz brick stamp and then punched out some mini flowers and drew on the stems...

The roof is actually a piece of the blue cardstock but I coloured it with brown ink and then ran through the Big Shot with the woodgrain texture plate(borrowed from Sonja) and the eaves are made using the Scallop punch from Stampin' Up...

The butterfly is one I had left over from a couple of cards I made last week...It is a digi one from Hero Arts that I have had my eye on in the 'real life' set but wasn't so keen on the rest of the pack so bought this one instead...

Thanks for looking....

Kirsti xx