Craft Barn Alpha Challenge - Letters X, I, and a very late S................

Evening all,

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas? Much joy and laughter in my household as you can imagine with my 2 tiddlies tee hee. The only stress came when I was cooking Christmas lunch for my Mum and Step-Dad - lol no pressure!!!!! Ha ha ha I have already told them that if they want to come again next year that it will be a turkey stew or a roll of brisket in the slow-cooker!!!!!!!!!

Anyhoo, in-between the madness I did manage to get my Alpha entries finished, albeit the S being very late. Whoop whoop, all finished now apart from the cover. Fingers crossed I will get that done too over the next few days!!!

I would like to say a huge thank-you to Izzy, Karen and Gio (as well as the rest of the design team who contributed when they could) for providing the challenge and the wonderful inspiration every fortnight - YOU LADIES ROCK x x x x.

Ha ha ha ha bring on the 2014 challenge now, I can't wait to find out more!!!!!!!!!!

If you fancy a peek at the rest of the final entries in this fab challenge please pop on over HERE.

I for ICARUS

X for XANTHUS

and

S for SATURN

All images are from Google and are of ancient carvings, illustrations and paintings.

Stencils used are from Tando Creative, TCW and Tim Holtz.

Various acrylic paints, distress inks and gel pens used too.

Many Thanks for popping by and leaving a comment if you feel you would like to, your time and thoughts mean the world.

Huge hugs 

Dawn x x x x  

Craft Barn Alpha Challenge - Letter Q

Evening all,

a very quick post today lol i'm engrossed in Dr Who (recorded so I could watch in peace)!!!!!!!!

If you fancy a peek at what its all about please pop on over HERE.

Ha ha ha what a challenge Q has been!! Still sticking to my theme I have had to apply artistic licence as my chosen word was not in my dictionary. I have added my own definition for this one.........

Q for QUIRINUS........

Materials used - That Special Touch mask, Ranger paint dabber, coin image from google.

Many thanks for popping by and leaving a comment if you feel you would like to, your time and thoughts mean a lot.

Huge hugs

Dawn x

Craft Barn Alpha Challenge - Letter N

Afternoon all,

lol another quick post tee hee hee!!!!!!

Goodness me, I can't believe this challenge is now drawing to an end!! If you fancy a peek at what I'm on about and reference the rules of the game please pop on over HERE and if you fancy a nose at the other N entries please pop on over HERE.

Sticking to my mythological theme I chose NEPTUNE........

Ha ha ha ha ha this was a bit of a disaster from start to finish really, my printer is nearly out of ink, my masking ripped off my definition, I centered the wrong letter when I was stamping Neptune..............................

Hey ho, worse things happen at sea!! Roll on tomorrow for a new letter lmao!!

Stamp credits go to Lost Coast Designs and See-Dees.

All statue images are courtesy of Google Images.

Many thanks for popping by and leaving a comment if you feel you would like to, your time and thoughts mean an awful lot.

Huge hugs 

Dawn x 

Stamp play........

Hi folks,

quick post with a journal page (A4 moleskine sketchbook) done to have a play with some new stamps........

Stamps used - All texture stamps by Finnibair (Prima), Lynne Perrella's Calligraphy Robe, Stampers Anonymous Classic Set 3.

Other products - Tim Holtz tissue tape, Gold embossing powder, various acrylic paints, patterned vellum, text stencil.

Always a bonus when you get an additional background from left-over paint ha ha ha........

Many thanks for popping by and leaving a comment if you feel you would like to, I'm always very touched and grateful if you do.......

Huge hugs

Dawn x

Craft Barn Alpha Challenge - Letter L

Evening all,

cor blimey it's wet and windy tonight so it feels very warm and cosy tucked up with my girlie watching Strictly as I type!!

Loving this challenge still so if you fancy a peek at what its all about please pop on over here (never too late to start playing you know!!) and if you fancy a peek at all the other L entries please pop on over here.

Tee hee, there was a twist this week too, we had to incorporate a window somewhere on our entry, what fun.

Anyhoo, here you go, L for LYCAN........

A very simple collage page incorporating some of my favourite movie werewolves, starting from top left - Professor Lupin from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, David from An American Werewolf in London, Benecio Del Toro in Wolfman, Jacob from the Twilight saga, Tyler from The Vampire Diaries, Jack Nicholson in Wolf, lol trying to do this from memory I think this is Lon Chaney (I have no idea what the film was called)?????, and the eyes are courtesy of Oz from Buffy and Angel.  

The wolf eyes are in my attempt at a window, framed with some washi tape.

All images were found on google.

Many thanks for popping by and leaving a comment if you feel you would like to, your time and thoughts are very precious.

Huge hugs

Dawn x 

Am I weird...................

................for finding the packaging more inspiring than the item inside it????????

Ha ha ha ha ha I fancied a play with something other than a journal/altered book page for a change so I fished out a board book blank to tackle!!!! Strangely enough though I found the cardboard backing sheet and the acetate cover more appealing so I made a giant reversible tag instead LOL........

The first side was gessoed then painted yellow. Once this was dry I covered the whole tag again with orange paint and 'ragged' the surface with a scrunched up bit of kitchen roll to create some texture. Lots of stenciling followed before I added some elements from my scrap box to finish the decoration.

Stamp credits go to Paperartsy, Do Lally Pip, and a freebie Christmas tree stamp from Craft Stamper which made some fab bunting!!

The second side was gessoed before I applied some modelling paste through 2 TCW stencils. Lots of paint applied next with some delicate stamping to add more interest and texture. The dragonfly was stamped on the acetate with stazon and coloured lightly with promarkers. The flowers were die-cut with a Sizzix die from green patterned vellum.
Stamp credits go to Tattered Angels and Hero Arts.

Hmmmmmm, maybe I will attack the actual board book one day - who knows!!!!!!!!

Many thanks for popping by and leaving a comment if you feel you would like to, your time and thoughts are very much appreciated.

Hugs

Dawn x

Craft Barn Alpha Challenge - Letter J

Evening all,

brrrrrr, chilly wind today!!! Ha ha ha I'm still resisting the temptation to turn the heating on though!!!!!!!!

I can't believe how full and colourful my book is looking now, this is such a fun challenge and I will be sooooooooo sad when it draws to a close.  I got brave again but couldn't find anything in my trusty drawing instruction book so I resorted to flicking through a magazine to find a photo to work from, lots of artistic licence applied of course!!!!!!!!
If you fancy a peek at what this challenge is all about please pop on over HERE, and if you would like a nose at the other J entries please pop on over HERE.

Anyhoo, my chosen word for the letter J is JUNO - Roman Queen of the Gods, wife (and also sister lol) of Jupiter........

Tee hee, a very modern day interpretation maybe but I think she looks regal enough!!!!!!!!

Lol, I never thought about putting a crown on her until it was too late, sigh!!!! Luckily I managed to find a suitable stamp which was embossed in gold and added to balance the page a bit more.

Stamp credits - Alphabet set by see-d's and the crown is from a My Minds Eye set.

Many thanks for popping by and leaving a comment if you feel you would like to, your time and thoughts mean so very much.

Huge hugs

Dawn x

Breaking in.................

................a new journal!!!!!!

Hmm, I was ever so naughty and treated myself to an A4 Moleskine sketchbook. Ha ha ha I thought £12.00 with free p&p was a pretty good deal considering they usually retail between £19.00 and £25.00, so I had a 'what the heck' moment and went for it!!!!!!!!

I can understand why they are favoured by so many now, they feel wonderful, are superbly made (sewn signatures too whoop whoop), and the paper is very nice to play with too. I don't think the paper would stand up to too much abuse and dye ink/promarkers will bleed through if you do not slap on a coat of gesso but I have to say that I love it already.

Here is my 'breaking in' spread........

I started by literally winging some paint at it to get over the blank page/new book syndrome ha ha ha. I then stamped all over the spread with various stamps from my stash, using coffee and sepia archival ink.  The next step was to add another coat of paint which I added some additional texture to using a couple of grout/adhesive combs. The next pic shows this in a little more detail........

........you can just see the grid patterns in the paint. I defined this a little more by sponging some raspberry adirondack over the surface using some cut and dry foam.

Next came my favourite bit, building up layers by applying paint using various stencils, my fingers, bottle tops and old plastic cards.

The final stage was the addition of the stenciled/masked figures and various stamped sentiments, some directional tags, strips of washi tape, and doodling.

These scans show a little more detail........

Stencils/masks are a mix of Tando Creative, TCW and Tim Holtz.
Acrylic paints from Ranger, Decoart and Pebeo.
Stamps - heck, I can't remember them all and some are un-named anyways!!!!!!!

Anyhoo, on a final note I have to tell you this story!!!! My delight of a 2yr old son decided to shove a sweet up his nose on Sunday!!!! I was all prepared for a trip to A&E to get it extracted as after viewing up his nose with a torch (ha ha ha ha ha!!!!!!) I could see it was way beyond my reach!! Well, after a few more checks while organising my daughter too I could see that it was melting and Max had lovely frothy green sherbety snot for the next couple of hours as it fully dissolved!!! Needless to say I don't think he will be doing it again in a hurry as it did sting a little until it had gone. BOYS HUH!!!!!!!!

Many thanks for popping by and leaving a comment if you feel you would like to, your time and thoughts mean the world you know.

Huge hugs

Dawn x

Craft Barn Alpha Challenge - Letter G

Evening all,

ha ha ha ha ha I thought I would surprise you all and get my entry in early this time LOL!!!!!!!!!

If you fancy seeing what the fun is all about please pop on over HERE and if you fancy a peek at all the other G entries please pop on over HERE.

Anyhoo, I dusted off the big girl pants again!!!!!!!!!! I love drawing but have to admit that it doesn't come easily so I always refer to others for help, usually this involves pulling 'The Complete Guide to Drawing & Illustration' by Peter Gray off my bookshelf, it is a fab book in my opinion and breaks things down into easily followed steps - lol I think I would be lost without it!!!!!!!!

My chosen word, sticking to my theme, is GRACES, the Greek Goddesses of charm, beauty, nature, creativity and fertility........

Apologies for the poor photo, the light was fading rapidly!! I have edited it a little to try to improve it but hey ho ha ha ha!!!!! The scans are a little better I think........

Quite rough around the edges but I'm so pleased I didn't chicken out again and go for a collage option tee hee!!!!!!!!
Lol I must have been thinking about a film I love (The Bone Collector) while I was sketching as I think Thalia looks very much like Angie in the film!!!!!! Ha ha ha I WAS watching Tomb Raider again the other night, that's probably what sparked it!!

Products used - Tando Creative, TCW and Tim Holtz stencils, Decoart and Ranger acrylics, promarkers, stabilo marks all pencil and various alpha stamps from my stash.

Many Thanks for popping by and leaving a comment if you feel you would like to, your time and thoughts are always much appreciated.

Huge hugs

Dawn x

Paint flinging play time........

Hi all,

just a quick post today. Ha ha ha I eventually managed to squeeze in some play time in my large altered book journal........

Julie Nutting mixed media doll stamp - Prima.
Sentiment stamps - Hero Arts (very old releases lol but I love them)

Ha ha ha can you spot my deliberate mistake!!!!!

Huge hugs to you all,

Dawn x x x x

Craft Barn Alpha Challenge - Letter Z

Evening all,

oooh didn't realise it has been a fortnight since I last blogged!!!!! Ha ha ha ha not much going on creatively at the moment anyhoo (other than flinging paint willy nilly in my various journals when I get a chance tee hee), I have been busy getting my tiddlies back into the school routine. Max, bless him being that bit older now, took a few days to get used to big sister not being here during the day again and was constantly saying 'I miss my Millie', sweet or what!!!

I did manage, eventually!!, to get my Z entry done. After TWO attempts at a more muted, darker palette I admitted defeat and covered the lot up with some brighter ish paint.

If you fancy seeing what the challenge is all about please pop on over here, and for a peek at all the other Z entries please pop on over here.

Ha ha ha ha, I bet any of you following my theme thought I would do Zeus!!!!!!!!????????

My chosen Z for this entry is ZEPHYR........

Ha ha ha ha he was VERY NAUGHTY!!!!!!!!

The picture comes from google images and is from Botticelli's Venus painting.

Many thanks for popping by and leaving a comment if you feel you would like to, your time and thoughts mean a lot.

Huge hugs

Dawn x

Craft Barn Alpha Challenge - Letter O

Evening all,

hope you are all well?? Definitely an autumnal chill creeping into the air in the mornings and evenings now don't you think!! Thank goodness it's still lovely and sunny, just my kind of weather to be honest tee hee.

If you fancy joining in with this challenge please pop on over here for all the details. If you would like a peek at all the other O entries please pop on over here.

Anyhoo, the only O I fancied playing with, in line with my mythological theme, was ORACLE.  Ha ha ha being a major Matrix fan it was the first thing that sprang to mind anyways and also being a major Angel fan my word choice was sealed.  
In Greek mythology an oracle was a human being who channeled the words/voice/messages of the Gods for the masses to hear.  Many other mythologies have similar characters too with many different names!!
Modern interpretations generally see an Oracle as a person who imparts great knowledge and wisdom and also as a person who can predict the future maybe!!
Oracle cards are also very common - a fortune telling tool akin to Tarot cards. Some of the artwork on these card sets is stunning, many sets depicting angels, goddesses and fairies.  I have a fairy set purely because I fell in love with the artwork, Brian Froud (link to some examples of his art) designed them and they are sooooooooo beautiful.  

Here you go........

A bright painty stenciled background with pockets to house my Oracle cards.  The image is of the Oracle at Adelphi, courtesy of Google Images.

Products used - Decoart Americana acrylics, Tando and TCW stencils, Distress inks, flourish stamp from a free set with Simply Homemade magazine, clear embossing powder.

Ha ha ha ha ha I have to admit that the backs of my Oracle cards are not finished yet!! I had planned on finishing them this afternoon but I had some family turn up at short notice so sadly I ran out of time.  I have images from The Matrix trilogy, Angel and various Oracle card sets to collage on when I can find the time!! 

Many thanks for popping by and leaving a comment if you feel you would like to, as always your time and thoughts are greatly appreciated.

Hugs 

Dawn x  

Fun, fun, fun........

Evening all,

I was the lucky recipient of a fantastic swap package recently, courtesy of the lovely Terrie over at Creative Explorer - a mahoosive envelope stuffed to the hilt with beautiful patterned papers, gelli prints, textured paper, vintage pages, wood veneer, lol I would be here all night if I carried on!!!!!!!!

Anyhoo, I fished out a few bits that caught my eye and had a play in my large altered book journal, one sheet had the most amazing tribal/ethnic animals and patterns on it and I managed to get 2 single spreads from it by using every scrap of it, here you go........

I started by sticking patterned paper down for my background, this was muted by brayering on some white acrylic paint. The animals were very carefully fussy cut and stuck down to create my 'totem' pole. I did a quick border around the edge of the page and the animals with a black copic brush marker and white gel pen.

I wanted to do something with the beautiful patterned pieces that were left after cutting out the animals, this is what I came up with........

Tee hee, a quick painty background to start with!! I had originally planned on creating some kind of border with the patterned pieces but as I was playing with the layout this tree appeared on my page, a serendipitous moment methinks!! The leaves are courtesy of a JOFY stamp set from Paperartsy.

Many thanks for popping by and leaving a comment if you feel you would like to, your time and thoughts are much appreciated.

Huge hugs

Dawn x

Craft Barn Alpha Challenge - Letter D

Evening all,

lol what a miserable day we have had in North Cornwall (UK), very wet and gloomy but thankfully not cold!!  Ha ha ha, my photos are not too good because of the poor light today sadly but the scans should give you a better image!!

I'm soooooo enjoying this challenge still and if you fancy a peek at what it's all about please pop on over here, if you would like a nose at all the other entries for D please pop on over here.

Anyhoo, still sticking to my mythological theme, my entry for the letter D is Davy Jones........

Tee hee, my usual painty background (God I LOVE paint!!), smooshed on with my fingers to try and achieve a more fluid, watery effect. I used Decoart Americana, Adirondack paint dabbers and Pebeo Fluorescent acrylic.
The fantastic Bill Nighy as Davy Jones came courtesy of Google images, with a little washi tape to frame him. The 'treasure chest/Davy Jones Locker' was made using a manila tag sponged lightly with an espresso paint dabber to try to achieve a wood-grain effect, this was then stamped with a magazine freebie flourish using brilliance ink. The key is by Tando Creative and also coloured using Brilliance ink. I grounded the chest to the page with a little more washi tape. The chest is held closed using velcro dots.

Ha ha ha ha ha, any of you curious as to the contents of the chest????????

I decided to grant Davy Jones' wish of claiming Captain Jack Sparrow (a la Pirates of The Caribbean!!!!), I knew I would find a way of getting Johnny Depp in here somehow LMAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Image again found on Google. 

YUMMY!!!!!!!!

Many thanks for popping by and leaving a comment if you feel you would like to, your time and thoughts are always much appreciated.

Huge hugs

Dawn x

A seahorse for BJ and Elizabeth........

Awe,

thanks for the great suggestions BJ, Elizabeth and Tracey, sorry Tracey though I saw yours too late!!!!!! Hmm, challenge for another day methinks!!

After yesterdays post with the mermaid I had asked for some ideas for the adjoining page, 'seahorse' came in first last night tee hee, here you go........

A simple painty background, stamped seahorses (Stampendous) and my hand-drawn seahorse (adapted from a variety of photos lol), which has been watercoloured using distress inks.

Great fun, tee hee hee.

Many thanks for popping by and leaving a comment if you feel you would like to, your time and thoughts mean a lot.

Huge hugs

Dawn x

Mermaid magic........

Ha ha ha ha ha,

my gorgeous 6yr old daughter, Millie, challenged me to draw a mermaid in my journal - lol how could I refuse!!!!!!!!

We have been playing with an Usborne children's drawing book which teaches you to draw mermaids and fairies (from a childs' perspective of course) and we have been having soooooooo much fun.

Here is my take on it, a single side in my large altered book journal............

Childlike maybe (lol I kept to my challenge brief!!) but so very liberating!

Products used were Decoart Americana and craft acrylic, pebeo iridescent acrylic, a multitude of glittery gel pens, a TCW stencil, and seaweed stamps from a 'Little Big Tree' set.

Hmm, what to do on the adjoining page now!!??

Many thanks for popping by and leaving a comment if you feel you would like to, your time and thoughts are always appreciated.

Huge hugs

Dawn x

Technique play........

Afternoon all,

ha ha ha most of my journal pages start off as backgrounds of left-over paint from more specific projects - lol I LOATHE wasting paint!!!
Anyhoo, I had one in my large altered book journal with a real miss match of colours that I thought would be perfect to use for some technique trials. Dina Wakley very clearly explains a paint removal technique in her fab book (Art Journal Freedom) that I have been wanting to try - all you need to do is remove paint through a stencil using a baby wipe in order to reveal the layers underneath. If I remember rightly Dina takes this further than I did by reapplying the removed paint elsewhere on the page - I didn't do this!!!!!!!!

Here you go, clean and simple fun........

I simply covered my whole spread with paint and removed it through a stencil using a baby wipe - fun fun fun!! It revealed the colours underneath beautifully. Lol I got a little carried away in places, and I think my wipe was too wet, as I took off some of the layer underneath but I still like it.

The stencils I used for the paint removal technique were Tando's random circles and tyre tread (designed by Andy Skinner), nice open designs to work with as I don't think this would be so successful with a smaller, more intricate design??!!

The large black chevron around the edge was created using a template/stencil I made myself from some acetate, the stamp is a JOFY mini from Paperartsy.  Lots of doodling and colouring using a variety of gel pens and markers ensued and I added a computer generated quote for good measure.

Many thanks for popping by and leaving a comment if you feel you would like to, your time and thoughts are always greatly appreciated.

Huge hugs

Dawn x 

Craft Barn Alpha Challenge - Letter T

Evening all,

wow what a thunderstorm we had last night - very loud and loads of flashes of lightening!! I love them and luckily for me my tiddlies don't bat an eyelid either. My eldest sat with me waiting for the lightening to flash and my youngest went straight off to sleep at bedtime and slept right through the loudest claps of thunder bless him!

I'm thoroughly enjoying this challenge still, even though I'm notoriously late to submit most of the time!! If you fancy a peek to see what it's all about and all of the other beautiful T entries please pop on over HERE.

Anyhoo, my chosen word for T is Tantalus, the journaling on the spread explains all........

I inked my pages with Barn Door and Walnut Stain DI's before splatting it all with drops of water from the tips of my fingers. Not too effective on this surface as the pages are very absorbent!! Ha ha ha I wasn't expecting the 2 DI's used to create a purple tinge but they did, you can just about see it in the pictures - all I can think is that the Walnut Stain may have some blue pigmentation to it??
Next came some stamping, with one of Tim Holtz's classic sets by Stampers Anonymous, to create a border.
I then added the picture (sourced from google) which had been colour-washed with inktense pencils.

The journaling explains the mythology - I hope you can read it ok??

Many thanks for popping by and leaving a comment if you feel you would like to, your time and thoughts are always greatly appreciated.

Huge hugs

Dawn x

Playing again................

Evening all,

I'm soooooooo lucky that my 2 gorgeous tiddlies play so well together and that I managed to sneak some play time myself!!!!!!!!

Here is another page from my large altered book journal - lots of layers (ha ha ha, I lost count!!) of inky painty fun. No real purpose to the page either other than the total enjoyment of the process - happy days!!

I started by collaging some scraps I had lying around in the kitchen and paper recycling box (naughty mummy sneaked some of Millie's birthday wrapping paper, tut tut!!), lots of layers followed before I added some lettering, doodling and a stamped image. The stamp used is a Prima mixed media doll by Julie Nutting, one of my faves at the moment - this incarnation is the mask that I had used for a previous journal page, I liked it so much that I kept it back to use on another page as she looks just like my hands do when I have been crafting!! I did tart her dress up with some watercolours though!

Lots of space for some journaling when I feel like it too - bonus!!

Ha ha ha ha ha, the above pic shows the 'assault course' my lovelies had built and been playing with while I was sneaking some crafty time. Tee hee you can just see Max poking out of the tunnel at the top of the pic and Millie balancing on some cushions. Much fun and laughter as you can probably imagine, and yes I did have a go!!

Many thanks for popping by and leaving a comment if you feel you would like to, your time and thoughts are always appreciated.

Huge hugs 

Dawn x 

Party Bags - MY WAY!!!!!!!!

Evening all,

phew, what a relief this cool breeze is over the last couple of days, my poor tiddlies were not coping with the heat well and were getting VERY grumpy!!!!!!!!

My eldest, Millie, is six this coming Sunday and had an early birthday party at home last Saturday as two of the children she wanted to invite would have been away if we had done it any later!! There were four of them in total, more than enough for our small home lol.

Anyhoo, I decided to do party bags my way - lol CRAFTY ones........

Each of the four party bags had an individual (and all different colour schemes) hand bound pamphlet journal made from manila file folders and craft card. Each one had patterned paper, stickers and images to colour tucked into pockets on the insides of the covers.
In addition to this they each got a roll of stickers, a large sheet of stickers, a glue stick, some felt tip pens and the more traditional bubbles and couple of packs of sweets - ha ha ha ha ha not a crappy plastic toy in sight!!!!!!!!
Millie made the name tags to attach to the bags, which I had cunningly acquired for free (lol if you don't ask nicely you don't get!!!!!!!!) from our local craft shop!!

Front cover

Back cover

Inside front

Inside back

Muppet that I am though, I forgot to take pictures of all the journals before the bags disappeared!! Luckily I managed to grab Millie's before she had demolished it bless her.

Great fun to make and I was so thrilled to get messages of thanks from all the mums too.

Many thanks for popping by and leaving a comment if you feel you would like to, your time and thoughts mean an awful lot to me.

Huge hugs 

Dawn x