Craftytrog Journal Page

After having been in Spain for the best part of 2 weeks I was chomping at the bit to join in the PA challenges once again.
I was delighted to find that my friend Alison was Guest Designing and her journal page inspired me.
I followed all of her instructions and was grateful for the tip to dry splats and drips before adding other colours. Wish that she had told me to put on an apron though. My lovely newish jumper soaked up some of the splats!
I used some mop up papers from when I previously used Hotpick 1303EZ, so went with it for the whole project.
I used PA fresco Tango and Bora Bora and my "sentiment" is a cutting from a magazine which hit home as all this art stuff does send my heart into overdrive!
Thanks Alison, your work is stunning and deserves lots of recognition.

Tag Book

I love making books, probably like making them and looking at them more than using them….but they all have a purpose eventually.
So, when Lelainia came up with this darling little tag book, I had to have a go.

Followed her instructions to the letter using PA fresco paint…Smoked Paprika and Eggplant.
With the bits of paper that I cut off I stuck them to a little pocket, don't know their craft name but the ones that stamp collectors store stamps in. I glued this to the inside cover.
Being an idle so and so, and having my sewing machine out all the time now, I sewed the pages in.
I used  bit of Treasure Gold on the folds of the book and round the edges which finished it off nicely.
I glued on the word Remember because I am going to take it on my next holiday…northern Spain this month, and keep a few notes about memorable times.
Thanks Lelaina, I really enjoyed making my tag book.

Forgot to mention that the stamps that I used are from PA HP1204EZ.

Overworked Piece.

Thought that I would blog this piece of work that I did last night, mainly to remind myself not to overdo it and overwork something.

I started this piece because I wanted to play with some face stencils that I have had for ages and never used.
I started by gluing some strips of script to the page and brayering a few fresco colours. Next I stencilled fresco paints through the face stencils and built up layers using frescos through circle, squiggle and heart stencils. I layered paint on top with my palette knife and stamped script with Coffee Archival.
This is where I had got to and didn't know what to do next!

After chatting on Twitter, Helen suggested that it needed some words….good idea, so I dug around and came up with this from my stash of magazine cuttings. I also added some darker dots.

This is where I should have stopped but no, I carried on and probably shouldn't have thrown the kitchen sink at it!

I tried Ellen Vargo's idea of red to make it pop, added some white hearts and wrote inside them and stuck on some hearts which I had rubbed with Treasure Gold. Not a total disaster but a bit of a mish mash! Also added a metal corner. Too much to take in!

Some good ideas, me thinks, but not all at once!

Memory Tree

Just had a play with some of the techniques that Darcy showed us on her fabulous journal challenge.
I started by painting the pages with Fresco chalk and then scribbled with Inktense crayons as I don't yet have fibralos. I went for a sunset style sky with a bit of a hill for the tree. I tried the droplets of water technique but it didn't work? Then I used a ruler edge to create radiating lines. I built up my frame just as Darcy explained using frescos and printed butterflies around the edge in Black Archival.

I drew and painted my tree and then used some scrunched up deli paper to print the leaves in 3 fresco greens.

Next I cut up some Chatsworth paper into hinged leaves and cut out some Chatsworth leaves for the foreground.

I wrote the names, in white pen, of all my dear family members who are no longer with us and named it my Sweet Memory Tree. Hope that you don't mind my straying a little Darcy but I have used lots of your super techniques.

I really enjoyed playing along.