Wednesday 31 May 2017

GLASS BOTTLES for AJJ and a thank you x

Hello :)

It's the last day of May already and this means it's my last post for Elegance and Grunge theme at AJJ :( so first I'd like to begin by saying many thanks again to Susi for inviting me to be the guest host this month - thank you xx.  

 
For my final page I created this in my journal using a mix of Neocolor 2 and 1 mainly.
I sketched the bottles on some rough paper first before tracing and copying down on to my journal page. On the top layer of the background - I placed 2 different embossing folders under my page and rubbed over top using the Neocolor 1's. The quote was printed off from pc and then coloured. I added some irridescent glitter glue around the words and on the heart and on the faux jewels by label but the sparkle isn't showing very well in the photo.

  
Lastly I'd like to say a say a huge thank you also to everyone who visited here and left lovely comments or created pages for this theme and linked up to AJJ. I had a fantastic month seeing all your wonderful blogs and ideas on the theme - you made it a great month for me... THANK YOU!


and tomorrow its a new month and a

and I can't wait to see what the new theme is
 and say hello to who ever is hosting this time.
Thanks for stopping by,
I hope you have a great day.
Gill x

Tuesday 30 May 2017

'Give a girl the right shoes' and some splodges and splats

Hello

I'd intended to post yesterday but working in the garden with the heat must have taken its toll a bit and I had to have a lay down .. what a weakling I am ha ha
so two pages today - one digital and one on Strathmore mixed media  paper.

May is almost over but I still have today and tomorrow for AJJ 'Elegance and Grunge' theme. So...on my all digital page, the background, lips and grunge element on dress I created digitally, the font on quote is ‘Pie Contest BTN Cameo Rev’ and the main image from  my clipart collected over years.

And my second page also for AJJ



I had my music on and got really engrossed and have no idea what I did - do you have days like that?
I used a stencil by 'stencil girls' and used some bottle caps to make the circle marks.


I can see used a white Posca pen and there was a lot inks, paints and water soluble crayons/gelatos.
It's fun to just sometimes go for it and see what happens.


 Thanks so much for stopping by,
hope you have a great day.
Gill x

Sunday 28 May 2017

'THE BRIDE' for AJJ and a tag for TT

Hello everyone

It's days like today when it is sweltering hot that I am glad I got married in December and lucky it was sunny and cool, but not too cold - I'm not sure I could look very elegant all dressed up when it's sooo hot :)
My lovely bride is for AJJ 'Elegance and Grunge' and an all digital page.
The Bride is clipart from a genealogy programme kit. I also used a digikit called

'Summertime kindness' by Laitha designs and other digital pieces from 'Timeless brushes and stamps vol 1' by Daisyrail.


I also have an all digital tag for Tag Tuesday 'anything goes' chosen by Valerie  and I used one of my own kits called 'Natasha'. The software I use has very clever digital punches built into it which I used on my 'digi-paper to punch out the tag. And this tag punch even has extra holes around it which looks pretty cool.



And talking of cool - I couldn't get cool yesterday despite fans on everywhere. I went upstairs to my arty/crafty space with the intention of a) trying out some new stash that arrived during week and b) making a real tag for Valeries challenge. The heat just made me feel queasy and bad and the tag I started does not good and is not finished.
I unwrapped my new Distress Oxides and looked at new masks and stamps and that was it - no playing with them yet :(
I think my PC feels the same too - it always gets really hot in this weather too and needs a break - so that's my lots for a few hours while we both try and cool down again.


Hope all well with you
and you're having a great weekend.
Thanks for stopping by.
Gill x

Saturday 27 May 2017

Modern Elegance and some digital grunge

Hello

I'm having a break from gardening today and just as well as all of a sudden we've just had a summer storm with rain and thunder but looks like clearing - just as well as the neighbours over the back of us with a large plot of land have a marquee up, bouncy castle, trampolines and a football pitch too - looks like a fun day there.
And here I am going to try some new stash that arrived on Wednesday :)

Today for AJJ 'Elegance and Grunge'  I have two pieces one in a journal and the other digital.


I covered my page with torn up dictionary pages and then gessoed over top. Then I painted with various Paperartsy fresco paints and when dry stamped over page with Viva Decor stamps - except for the Lady in Hat which is by Hero Arts. Printed out quote and finally added more colour with various mediums.



The digital elements on my page are from the lovely Valerie and also me. Valerie kindly sent me a lovely grungy steampunk png  and I used that also to create the frame for the photo (one of my husbands ancestors). Below are 2 digital papers from one my kits which I used with some digital effects on plus I blended a photo of some beer froth on the page too. 





Thanks for stopping by.
Hope you have a lovely weekend.
Gill x


Friday 26 May 2017

BORN TO BE REAL for AJJ

Hello

It's another Friday - hope your week went well and you have a fun weekend planned.

My piece today for AJJ  'Elegance and Grunge' was drawn/painted on Strathmore 400 series mixed media paper.


The Background was created using TH Distress stains, Neocolor 2s and a stencil. Then I muted the colour etc by gessoing over top and then edged with Neocolor 1's. I drew my girl and then added colour with Neocolor 2's and added hair and face details drawn with coloured pencils and Neocolor 1's. I used white Posca pen for white on eyes. Finally I finished off with a quote printed from my pc.

It's been extremely hot here and the next 2 days predicted to be hot again. When working in garden I do a little then sit under an umbrella for a rest and then go back to work again... Yesterday I played with a heavy hammer and bolster (a first for me) and chipping away old cement from some bricks - great fun - but slow work - hopefully we might finish changing our garden around in time to enjoy the summer.   ha ha :)

Thanks for stopping by,
have a great day and wonderful weekend
Gill x
          



Thursday 25 May 2017

TOO MANY WALLS for AJJ

Hello

Today I have a digital page for the AJJ 'Elegance and Grunge' theme

Some buildings can look shabby with their peeling paint and cracked brickwork but somehow can still look so elegant - I found these images and just had to use them.
The Images I used were from a Serif cd 'Serif Pro Images collection 2'.
The font is called Gabriola. The digi-kits used are ones I made some time ago called ‘Grunge it' and 'Natasha' - (the leaves don't actually belong to the flowers but were some small chard leaves growing in our garden which I liked the look of to go with the flowers which I can never remember the name of).
Have a great day
and thank you for stopping by
Gill x

Wednesday 24 May 2017

SIMPLE ELEGANCE

For Elegance and Grunge theme at AJJ


This page has a soft and grungy Aquamarker background made scribbling the markers on a piece of cellophane first then either spritzed or breathed on it and then pressed that down onto the paper to transfer the ink.  I found the decoupage hand in my stash and cut a little of the cuff of and pleated a small piece of vintage lace behind it.



Not certain how old the lace was but it either belonged to my husbands grandmother, or going by the sewing contents in the old box it came from it was more likely his great grandmother, so possibly over or around a 100 years old. Words printed from my PC.


That's my lot for today but if you haven't already joined in there's still time to join in this month to the 'Elegance and Grunge' theme at AJJ and lots of  lovely inspiration there too - thank you to everyone taking part.

Have a great day
and thanks for stopping by
Gill x




Monday 22 May 2017

CLASSY AND SASSY

Hello

My page today for the AJJ 'Elegance and Grunge' theme is an all digital page made using Craft Artist software and a digikit called 'pin up chic' from Daisytrail.
Not a lot of grunge but she sure is elegant :)


thanks for stopping by,
have a great day
Gill x

Sunday 21 May 2017

CANDLELIGHT for AJJ

Hello

Hope you are having a lovely weekend.
It looks like being a hot day here today so I'm off out to do some gardening etc before it gets too hot.

But first...todays page for 'Elegance and Grunge' at AJJ


 I started off with a piece of yellow A4 card but it was soon covered with brown paint.
The candles were from the front of a local free magazine - so I cut them out, stuck them down and painted around them and the rest of the area with brown acrylic paint. I then found some decoupage scraps of flowers and the hand, stuck them down and added some iridescent glitter glue to the flowers, lace cuff and her ring. I printed the quote out and added some Neocolor 2s around the edge. Finished off around edges of the page with some Pebeo Dyna paints and odd splodges of glitter glue.
thanks for stopping by
and hope you have a great day
Gill x

Friday 19 May 2017

Stylish Elegance and Grunge and letter journals

Hello everyone

It's Friday again - hope your week has been good and you've got some fun planned for the weekend. Weather permitting I will be working in the garden again but also hope for some play time too and to read two new arty books.

Today I have some (hopefully) stylish  'Elegance and grunge' for AJJ
This is an all digital piece. I used an ancestors  photo - the elegant stylish lady we called her Auntie Bette but she was actually a 2nd cousin. The digikit 'Grunge It' is one I made... it includes photos of paper flowers, lace ribbon, brackets and some digitally drawn items.



 I created my first letter journals recently and today I am showing some pages from one as it has been received...
But sadly the beautiful one that the lovely Beo made for me got lost in the post... these things happen of course, but I was sad also for Beo, for all the creativity and time she had taken to make this wonderful lost letter journal. I know how wonderful it was because I have seen photos - it was amazing! - so I hope it is found by someone who will enjoy and appreciate all the work that went in to it..

But then ..oh wow! I had a big surprise - a new beautiful letter journal arrived :) You may have seen some of the pages from  the beautiful letter journal that Beo made for me  and I'm sure you can  imagine my delight :) and wasn't that was so very  kind..
Photos never seem to quite show all the details and colours the same as in real life - and I have so very lucky that in 'real life' I am the recipient of this fantastic creation - thank you once again Beo, I love it xx :)

The following are some of the pages in my letter journal to Beo. 
front cover - hasn't quite scanned the colour quite right.
Beate had encouraged me some time ago to try gelli printing when I had been afraid I might have ruined the plate - so now of course I am fearless (ha ha ) and had to do lots of gelli prints on my pages.






The house was folded on one side and opened up for my message
I also used this opportunity to make some things inspired by a Carla Sonheim book that Beo recommended too called Drawing Lab for Mixed Media Artists: 52 Creative Exercises to Make Drawing Fun


         


   
 thanks so much for stopping by,
have a great day and wonderful weekend
Gill x


Thursday 18 May 2017

ELEGANCE CAN'T BE BOUGHT

For AJJ 'Elegance and Grunge'

 
The background is acrylic paint plus a few various washi tapes,  I also used craft foam and punched small holes in, to use as a stamp. The stickers I found in my stash and the words say 'Elegance can't be bought - it comes naturally'.

A shortish post today as I am off out into the garden to help Dave dig up old some surface tree roots and try digging over some ground where some old trees were cut down.
 
Thanks for stopping by..
have a great day
Gill x

Wednesday 17 May 2017

MESSY HANDS

Hello all

Hope your week going well.
I'd intended to post yesterday but we had an unusually hot day and I spent most of it outside and got a bit of heat stroke - probably my own fault for going out after Dave and I had lunch and a bottle of wine.  And oh..there was a small incident on the way back from a garden centre walking along a busy road with a narrow pavement. In one hand I was holding 7ft long garden canes and in the other a pot of meal worms for the Robins... then not sure what happened but suddenly the meal worms had rolled out into the road - luckily it wasn't me and luckily I got them back in one piece for the Robins too. I shall stick to cold soft drinks on a hot day from now on!

And now for AJJ 'Elegance and Grunge' I have this page..

 
I drew around my hand and painted it with neocolor 2's and the nails I painted with Radiant pearls paint in 'candyapple' and then used clear embossing powder over the top and heated.
The black background was done by rubbing black Neocolor 1 over an embossing folder that was under my page. Printed the words out from my pc. 
 
We are a little over half way through May already and I've loved seeing all the fantastic pages you've been linking to 'Elegance and Grunge' at AJJ thank you so much. 
 
Thanks for stopping by.
Have a great day
Gill x
 

Sunday 14 May 2017

GRACE and a TIOT little thing

Hello

Hope your weekend is going well.

First I have  digital piece today for AJJ 'Elegance and Grunge'  made using a digikit called 'Equinox' by G&T designs and an image that was in some clip art on an old genealogy disc.
This page reminds me of the old films which I still love, usually just black and white from about the 1930s or 1940s with all the elegant ladies and wonderful clothes and where the story line is pretty innocent.
  And over at TIOT ' Little things mean a lot'  is a fun challenge and we are asked to make something (any shape) but no larger than 4 inches square and to show what we made with a ruler beside our work.


Mine is a little under 4x3 inches and inspired by Modigliani and some fun exercises I have been doing from Drawing Lab for Mixed Media Artists   52 Creative Exercises to Make Drawing Fun a book by Carla Sonheim.

Have a great day
and for mums in the part of the world celebrating 'Mothers day'
I hope you enjoy your special day too.
 
Thanks for stopping by
Gill x


Saturday 13 May 2017

STYLE IS ETERNAL for AJJ and headgear for MM&M

Hello
Hope you've had a good week and looking forward to the weekend.

This is todays page for AJJ 'Elegance and Grunge' theme  
A little grunge and some elegance too - this page has an Aquamarker background - the sort where I scribbled/doodled the markers on a piece of cellophane and spritz with water or breathed on it and then press that down onto the paper to transfer the ink. 
I then muted the colour down in places with some white gesso.
The mannequin, quotes and chandelier stamps by 'Kanban' ( I think). I stamped the mannequin on tissue paper and coloured with Inktense pencils. Other messy/grungy stamps that I used are by Crafter Companion and a set from The works.


 
I made a 'Moo' for MM&M where the theme is 'headgear'. I used some small stamps from an old set of 'Hats and Gloves' by Hero Arts. I always find it challenging (but fun)to work on such a small size - and it makes good use of some little stamps that sometimes get over looked. I used Prima water soluble crayons on b/g and the other colour is pencils and white Posca pen.
  
Thanks for stopping by
Have a great weekend..
Gill x 

Thursday 11 May 2017

ELEGANT ANCESTORS with some grunge too :) and faces tag

I've been interested in Genealogy for many years and love looking at treasured family photos and documents.
For AJJ 'Elegance and Grunge'  theme today I have an elegant and grungy piece using a lovely photo of one of my husbands ancestors.

 
The print I did was in black and white in the middle some photo paper and then I added colour using Prima water soluble oil pastels and pan pastels and went around some of image with black Stabilo all pencil. Then I stamped around  photo using Kaisercraft ‘Windsor’ and ‘Film edges’ stamps. Next I added a couple of digital additions:  a quote and flowers - the quote font: is called ‘Allura’ and the flowers I made from one of my own photos of  Osteospurnums and a threshold effect applied. And lastly a thin digital blue border was added.     
 

the original before the digital additions
 
 
I also have a  tag for Tag Tuesday where the lovely Chrissie is hosting the theme of 'faces' .
For my tag I used some distress oxides on background, a foam stamp by La Blanche, a couple of 3d stickers and a silk flower I re-coloured and added a gem too and at the bottom is a piece of  antique lace.
 
 
  
thanks for stopping by
hope you have a great day
Gill x


Tuesday 9 May 2017

'FLOWER GAL'

Hello  :)

I have a digital piece today for AJJ 'Elegance and Grunge'
The kits used are 'Cafe au lait' and 'Grunge it'. Background made from photo of peeling paint and blended with the elements using  'Craft Artist' software.. Image from collection gathered over the years.



hope you have a lovely day,
thanks for stopping by
Gill x

Sunday 7 May 2017

Mess? What mess?

Hello everyone

Hope you are having a lovely weekend and having some better weather than we have here today, which is grey and a bit breezy and even the birds are a sitting with feathers fluffed up and looking fed up.
I wonder what they do to cheer themselves up - for me - I like to put on some music and go play with some paints and inks.

I have a bit of a grungy messy piece today for AJJ  'Elegance and Grunge' theme 

  
This was created on a sheet of  Claire Fontaine 'paint on' A4 multi-media paper. I used a few stencils and stamps. I stamped the images onto tissue paper first; the butterfly stamp is from one of Sheena Douglass sets and the bird from a Katzelkraft set and I added colour with Inktense pencils as I find they are nice strong, vibrant colours and colour well over other colour.   The background mainly done using Colour cloud blending ink and Neocolor 2s. 
I printed out quote from pc.

The last few days I have been busy feeding birds when they come asking for food. We have been plagued with 'homing pigeons' who seem to bully the small birds and eat everything - so other than the hanging bird feeders, we have been putting out small amounts of food when the Blackbirds, Robins and one particular Collared Dove come looking for us.

Below is an old photo but is what has been happening for a few days - I will try to get an
up-to-date one but unless Dave is about it might be hard taking a photo with one hand only :)

 
 
I'm assuming the young Robins have now hatched because some times the parents have been arriving together but only one of them lands on my hand..
 
Have a wonderful day
and wishing you a great week
and
 
thanks for stopping by
Gill x


Friday 5 May 2017

THE BEAUTY INSIDE

Hello Everyone

It's Friday again - I hope you've had a good week.
This week I've especially enjoyed seeing the fabulous things you have been creating for  'Elegance and Grunge' at AJJ thank you x

Today I have an all digital piece to share.

I made this (using Craft Artist software) with digital elements from Foxey Squirrel kits
and a few bits from Laithas Designs 'Crafty Essentials' kit.
I love all the different effects that digital editing allows me to do, I just wish I could recreate the grunge and blended pieces that are  so easy to do digitally on my 'real artwork'.
 
 
thanks for stopping by,
hope you have a great day
and wonderful weekend.
Gill x