WOYWW 356

Hi, deskers. Welcome to one of those rare desks (spaces on the floor) - no new stuff! I am saving myself for Ally Pally which is in a couple of weeks (must order my ticket!)  You're here for WOYWW the weekly get together organised by Julia Queen Desker herself

left open on the floor is the Wanderlust Book challenge with my last prompt (see here) 
(oh, and that "self portrait" that I hid the practice piece from you so successfully a couple of weeks ago)

Nothing much else going on here, had loads I meant to do over the long bank holiday Easter weekend, that didn't get done. (did get some Powertex play in for the Paperartsy challenge which meant I at last got to play with the fabric hardener I bought at Glasgow last year.

I did go to Kew on Friday though - you can see the photos here
I'll let you get back to Julia's now, have a great Wednesday..  I may be late home so will catch up later.

Wanderlust Book Prompt - my past

Another tough challenge for the Wanderlust journal challenge but it's done. The prompt is "my past".  just that.. no more clues or hints or prompts.

 My Wanderlust journal is a 12x12 Kraft journal, but I painted the page white, then
started by stencilling flowers (Carabelle studios) over the journal page
however, decided the white background wasn't right, so painted the background black

I wrote the title in the middle of the black space and then picked some words names and places that have significance for me and wrote them on the page, then hid them all with paper flowers from my stash, toning them with the stencilled ones.

Found this really hard because I don't normally do written journalling.

yes, you can see the before too!

Finally opened the Powertex - for Paperartsy

Hello and Happy Easter to you all... we're a week into the latest Paperartsy challenge - liquid sculpting mediums - and I was eventually spurred on to open the Powertex I bought last October (eek) in Glasgow.

So far, we've had frogs, canvasses and oriental ladies... I started simple, with an empty bottle... an old cotton vest and the bronze Powertex.

I decided not to put disposable gloves on, have heard they make it too fiddly to work in... this is the bottle soaking wet on my workspace. (and it is hard to do this on the floor, I think a table or raised surface would definitely help!)

hadn't thought to paint the face before I fixed it in amongst the folds, but went in afterwards and did so

 was quite pleased with some of the folds I got

 this is after it's dried overnight but before I applied some fiishing touches of treasure gold

 by which time I had trouble photographing it, due to fading light and the glare of the TG and my camera wanting to flash!

I had also tucked a tiny resin flower into the fabric too, I need to go on a hunt for little embellishments I can add next time.

but for my first attempt I'm quite happy with it!

Entering the Paperartsy challenge here

still got dirty fingernails, so next time may use the Ivory one if I'm working soon after, not so obvious!

WOYWW 355

Welcome to the best thing about Wednesdays - WOYWW  - all details here and to boot it's nearly the weekend and a long one with the Easter break... hurrah!  I am more than ready for a couple of extra days off.

My workspace has been invaded....    by bunnies...     chocolate ones... I'm taking these in to work to share. (and yes I have one for myself too!)

the real goodies that you've come to see though, are these - this is what I was waiting for last week!
Country View Crafts had a few of the older Paperartsy Hotpicks on sale and it was only by chance that I found out about it... so a few (4!! I know you'll be surprised there are that many I didn't already have!) fell into my shopping basket... I have still to ink them up so hoping for some good crafting time at the weekend.

I am writing this on Tuesday night, listening to the news about the latest terror attacks that happened in Brussels this morning. Wishing you all stay safe, wherever you are... what an awful world it is to be sure, sometimes.

Art Dolls meet Journal play...

The Paperartsy Art Dolls challenge finishes later this afternoon, there have been some incredible projects shared by the team over the last two weeks, and entered to the draw too.  I just had time to play again, in my journal.

My journal page started with some cherry red fresco smeared on from a previous project and developed from there - I added bubble gum and snowflake to blend and contrasts, and some mark making with claret and the edge of an old credit card.

 I used a mixture of stamp sets from Emma Godfrey for Paperartsy, and archival inks in magenta hue, plum, red geranium and watering can and stamped Dream and Colour (Emma's) and wrote 'in' on some old book page in black

took the head from Dina's "Lonely Girl" for the head of my art doll...

her legs are from one of the clucky birds from an old Ink and the Dog sets, the arms are by Emma, and the body from a One Penny plate.

added some glass beads to the top of her 'dress'

 Off for an afternoon of football on the telly now!  Entering this to the Paperartsy challenge here

WOYWW 354 "your order has been despatched"

I bid you good Wednesday and happy WOYWW  -  our beloved Julia will be baring all at some time today and letting us link our crafty spaces... I know I stand for everyone who has ever met her - either in the flesh or here on WOYWW virtually, when I say that we send our best love and prayers for a speedy resolution to her condition, explained in her post here which lots of you have already seen.

But, on to my own workspace today... it's waiting a delivery, as you can tell from the subject.. it will probably arrive today (being Wednesday, not Tuesday when I am writing!) which is a bit of a pain.. but gives you something to look forward to for next week!  (I was getting withdrawal symptons from shopping!)

the red paint in the journal  is mop up from something I was doing the other day... can't remember what exactly now.. possibly the tag on the pile to the left of the workmat...
The face is a sketch I drew as a practice for a Wanderlust exercise (not for public consumption!) and hopefully you can't see it too well, drawing is not a strength and especially faces!
which begs me to wonder why I didn't hide it...

Must empty the paint water too... it's been there since I was using the red paint, hence the pink tinge...
Hope you all have a crafty creative week, and I'll try and visit you soon!

Paperartsy challenge - Art Dolls

This fortnight, the lovely Paperartsy people are challenging us to play with dolls - Art Dolls.  There have already been some fabulous inspirational posts from some of their designers, paper dolls, clay dolls, fabric dolls... 

I took "shrek girl" (you're right, Lucy, she makes a great art doll) and worked a tag background with the fab Paperartsy Infusions (available at a stockist near you soon)

I used Sunset Beach,Emerald Isle and The Sage, spritzing and spreading with an acrylic block.

 I stamped the girl on heavy cartridge paper and coloured her with Frescos, trying vaguely to co-ordinate the colours to the background.
I used Tangerine Twist mixed with White Fire for the crown and her dress, and Tangerine on its own for the wings (which come from the One Penny 4 A6 plate.

I made some steps for her to stand on using the tape borders from the One Penny 2 plate, coloured the bottom layer with Winter Green, mixed Winter Green and Zesty Zing for layer two and the top layer (part of the Shrek Girl stamp itself) was a watered down mix of the two colours to get a lighter still shade.

I used blush for the skin, watering it down for the text areas of her face, and Bubble Gum for her lips,  The heart on her dress is Cherry Red.

Stencilled the hanging dotty border (one of Darcy's ) with Zucchini mixed with Little Black Dress, 

the text stamping on the tag is a Kaisercraft stamp, stamped in black archival without a block, turning it so not all the text goes the same way.

Entering her (she's always going to be Shrek Girl now) to the Paperartsy challenge here 

WOYWW 353

Happy WOYWW to my desk hopping buddies... After last week's little bag of goodies, there is nothing new on my workspace...
but I am working at a journal page

 it's basically a couple of pieces left from a masterboard and some extra paint and stencils on the page to blend it in..

 closer up look.. not finished yet, needs a focal point I think, just not sure what... will ponder for a while!  the colours are mostly the new frescos in winter green, zucchini and white fire, with some granny smith and chalk, thrown in.

have been playing with the Paperartsy Infusion powders, to make the background on this tag, (no close ups sorry) - that was sitting on the mat last workdesk post..
finished it off with some more of the stamps from the "Shrek girl" plate and sent it off as a thank you to ....

won't say in case it hasn't arrived (it should, if the post is kind today)

hope you have some great desk hopping and will catch you soon.

Wanderlust Book Prompt 4

It has taken me forever to think of something to interpret for the fourth Wanderlust book prompt for the Everything Art course.. "the bravest moment in my life"  - it totally stumped me.

In the end, I just started making a background in my Wanderlust journal; with heavy gesso and Infusions, those gorgeous new Paperartsy dye powders infused with colour and walnut crystals.

 I put some heavy gesso on the page scooping it out of the tub with an old credit card,and spreading it with a brayer.  I added some sprinkles of Infusions (you don't need a lot!)
and spritzed some water.

let it drip and run then spread with the brayer again - totally just playing  got some great marks in the gesso.

 I dried the Infusions quickly then so the colours remained and not too much of the walnut came through  I sealed the main areas of colour with a matte varnish, so they wouldn't re-activate with another wet layer of whatever would come next!



Left this overnight, hoping the next stage would come to me...



found some lace in my collection which is a kind of sage-green colour (one of the Infusions I used was the sage one) and cut some lengths for the side of the pages,
 added some torn book page painted with the White Fire Fresco (love love love this one)
and some fibre paste (mine's by Golden)  with a palette knife, randomly on the background..


Still not sure what I could interpret that I had ever done that was brave in any way...  but as you can see I have written something so...

Today is my bravest day!!

The white fire paint was looking a little bright, so I added a small amount of white gesso over the top, wiping it back with some paper towel to remove most of it... it tones in a little better now.



the next prompt is up now -   oh my it is another toughie!!  it may be a while before that one gets done too!

WOYWW 352 - I promised you new stuff!

Hello and welcome to March and another WOYWW  - Queen Julia has the info/link up here 

Sunday saw me heading to Stevenage for Stamperama - one of the nicest shows (although, not quite as good as it used to be, like so many seem to be these days)... BUT, Paperartsy were there...

you may have seen the previous post from Sunday itself but never fear, I will share the stash again!

 quite a small bag (size wise) - and only one bag!

 but what a lot was packed into it...
(the previous post has close ups and some pictures of the show itself)

and I've started playing with the stuff already - the tag is using the Paperartsy Infusions and one of the new Hot Pick stamps, christened by Leandra as "Shrek Girl"

A big thanks goes to WOYWW Caz who came along (great to meet you) and gifted me some EZ mount as no-one at the show had any for sale, following a FB conversation afterwards... now I just need to mount up the stamps (3 A6 Paparertsy plates) Thanks again, Caz.