Sunday 29 November 2009

Too Busy to Blog...


Yup I agree...that is a very sad state of affairs ;-( When I do have a moment {like now} I'm feeling tired & wanting to climb into bed instead! I have lots of news for you but not the energy to spit it all out so for now I'm leaving you with a You Tube tutorial I discovered. How to make your own Glimmer Mist. As I've yet to find a bottle of Glimmer Mist in this country I have had it on my mind for some time now to try to formulate a recipe. Well, as I suspected, a bit of this & that & a suitable alternative is possible. Haven't yet tried it but have the spray bottles lined up & the paint & glittery stuff ready...that's a start right?

I must mention, just out of sheer random interest, that this girl sounds a bit like me to me! Perhaps I'm not quite as eloquent but I definitely do not say Falatas {aka "Firelighters"} which is what I hear a lot of people requesting at the Garage Shop I frequent LOL...I had to stop & think HARD & had NO IDEA what they were asking for initially, until I saw the goods ;-D No offence meant to anyone here who does say "Falatas" by the way, it's just not the way I say it 'tis all I'm sayin'...




I am finding Blogland rather uninspiring at the moment, what with all the stuff about Thanksgiving going on, following on fairly shortly after Halloween that's not an occassion here either. Not sure what Thanksgiving is all about really but think it's a nice idea to kickstart the holiday season almost exactly a month prior to Christmas. Here we have no public holiday to go along with it {apparently it is only celebrated in America so must have something to do with their history} so without one it is not really possible to celebrate it as such but I have been contemplating all I have to be thankful for, which is never a bad thing {won't bore you with my list as it is pretty much standard}.

Now most blogs seem to be inundated with Festive projects & as there's not much festiveness going on in real life here it's difficult to "feel it" LOL! The malls have the standard decorations up - nothing spectacular - and as far as I know that's it! I read about "Santa Parades" & the like but here it seems to be 100% commercial & nothing else. Kids are still at school for 2 more entire weeks but thankfully exams are over. They are all still finishing at different times though, as the 2 older ones are having earlier closing times & not their normal long school days, nice for them but frankly a pain for me as it means I am darting in & out, back & forth, four times a day at least. Thank goodness DH does the early morning run usually...

The problem is that my mornings are now constantly interrupted. I hate stopping & starting & am not one of those people that works on many different things simultaneously or on a project over a period of time. I start a page & finish it some hours later {anything form 1.5 hours onwards} then I start the next one. Very few unfinished projects around here...I came across this on Becky's blog tonight - basic but just what I need right now so I've added spray paint to the grocery list! Maybe it will be a good project for you too, if you are also feeling like you don't have time to make some of the more elaborate Christmassy projects out there at the moment...

Well, for someone who had nothing to say I don't think I've done too badly LOL! And to anyone who actually makes it to the end of this boring post I WON SOMETHING!!! Yup - over at one of my favourite possies, last weekend during their crop. {You can see my layouts in their gallery otherwise I'll be posting them here this week anyway} Not sure what I have won yet LOL but am told it is "exciting" so that bodes well...will let you know! I will post my winning layout soon. I have discovered that it's pretty easy to win stuff if you actually enter...now why didn't I think of that before???!!! I have numerous finished layouts to show you this week ;-D
Hope you all had a good weekend - we have had rain & more rain!



Thursday 26 November 2009

Happy Colourful Life!



Here is a layout I did this weekend in response to Aida's Flower Power challenge over at the Cocoa Daisy Fall Crop. I also sent it in the next night to The Scrappiest, as I based it on their sketch 39, due in a couple of days ago. As you can see I rotated it to the right so that the horizontal strip became vertical.

I used an old sheet of KI Memories paper {the reverse of a VERY bright print} as the backing paper as it matched perfectly with Jody's minty shirt. Have you noticed how much printed paper is being used lately as "backing" paper? Definitely the trend is shifting back from plain bazzill to prints...very interesting...

I mixed up my prints/manufacturers as it's one of my favourite things to do. Used stripey Websters (Your Life - Beautiful) & 2 Basic Grey Lemonade papers. The scallop strip is a Sassafras sticker. Instead of the large ring I decided to use 2 smaller circles using acrylic CD's {they come on either side of a stack of CDs when you buy them blank for burning}. I inked these with a multicolour stamp I have had in my stash for years. I was trying to replicate the "alcohol inks" look I have been seeing a lot of lately, as I haven't been able to find any locally & probably wouldn't want to invest in them anyway as they would no doubt be expensive & my use of them would be fairly limited.

They gave me the inspiration for my title "Happy Colourful Life" {aswell as the October Afternoon die-cut "Happy"}. I love the fresh crisp lemon yellow colour. I cut the flowers & fronds out of another sheet of Websters. The little flowers are Prima & the bling brads came with them. The flatter flowers underneath are Making Memories - the sparkly ones that come in that little tin box with the open section on the lid.

See the close-up of the multi-coloured ink on the acrylic circle...pretty funky touch me thinks...

I inked the papers using lime green (on the stripe) & dark brown on the dot (& pink on the floral). To me inks are essential for adding dimension - I could never live without them. I use the 1" square inkpads or the cat's eye shaped ones as most of my inking is just edging. Often they come away from the base before the ink is spent so I have a largish pair of plastic tweezers {from an old kids' toy doctor's set!} that I use to grab them Calzone style (folded in half) & this way I can still use them until they are completely dry. I have heard that a blob of dimensional glaze actually sticks them back to the base but I keep forgetting to try!

I painted my mesh for Iris' class just before doing this layout & painted the mesh over a split open plastic bag as obviously the paint was going to go throught the holes of the mesh. As I was about to scrunch up the bag & throw it into the bin I decided to press it onto the right hand side of this layout - you will notice some random white markings - plastic bag transfer technique shall we call it LOL???!!! ;-D

Some of these little flowers were gauzy...too pretty...pity there was only one pack left at the sale on Saturday!

The corner sticker is Sassafras & the bee is October Afternoon, raised on foamcore {a better alternative to pop-dots that never keep stable}. Foam core is a plastic-based 3D board that comes in 12" sheets & you can cut down to whatever size & shape you need. I bought it wholesale so have dozens of sheets of the stuff but it cost next to nothing compared to the ridiculous retail price at "Expensive That!"

I'm trying my hand at some dimensional close-ups & starting to feel more passionate about photography than scrapbooking at times...

Still following this blog for the best photography I've yet to find on the web.

Red alphas are Pink Paislee {are they coming up with some rockin' stuff or what?!} & lime green Doodlebug. These li'l numeral stickers are good old Making Memories - always the leaders in everything cool...




Wednesday 25 November 2009

Lyra {She's cute}

I just finished this layout. I had to photograph it in artificial light {I've found the best spot where I can disable the flash} but it's still dicey at best & blurry despite leaning on the top of a dining room chair ;-D Sorry...had to do it in order to enter this in the Twisted Sketches current challenge due in right now LOL! I leave everything to the last minute, not because I am disorganised, but because I can pack more into my life that way. For someone who used to hate "being told what to do" {ie:- online challenges} I'm starting to really enjoy them! At last I have got to grips with sketches & can now use them guilt-free {I used to feel like it was "cheating"}.

At Twisted Sketches there is always something interesting thrown into the mix, beyond the sketch. This time the word was "distress" so I turned the inking up a notch & sanded the edges of the photographs as opposed to printing them with the crisp white borders that I am preferring at the moment. For some strange reason I really battled with my paper choice. I find this THE most time consuming part of my scrapbooking. I always want it to be PERFECT. This was about my 4th choice & doesn't actually "match" but I really felt like a citrusy/zesty colour pallette tonight, and eventually thought, well why not these papers LOL?!

I got to use my yellow chipboard Thickers again - TYPO is currently my favourite font. When I first saw these Thickers in the Cocoa Daisy kit I did wonder what Ali was thinking {it was their September "Ali" kit}. I eat my thoughts! I LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE them!!! The green spotty "underlinings" are the remnants of parts of letters {cut up} from my hectically lime green "umbrella" Thickers.

The red alphas are Pink Paislee & the turquoise are Doodlebug. I tied them in with the top title by bracketing them with yellow typo thickers brackets. The yellow flower I have cut in half to accent each part of the title {see the other half above the top title "Lyra"} is part of the same set of October Afternoon diecuts that also features the 2 cherry embellishments, the bee & the flower flourish, all featured on this layout. I inked the flower in red, the cream cardstock in pink & the printed paper in turquoise. Inking the edges of your different paper/embellishment elements helps to visually tie your layout together.

The orange backing cardstock is actually the reverse of American Crafts - Blue Skies - Wouldn't it be Nice? printed paper - a travesty perhaps but it was just the shade I was looking for! Same with the cream "cardstock" - it is actually the reverse of American Crafts - Blue Skies - Zip A Dee Doo Dah printed paper. It is THE perfect cream for Lyra's skintone. I tried to use bazzill from my stash, but like choosing facial foundation/base, I just couldn't get the perfect match until I saw this! The printed paper is Basic Grey Lemonade "Honey Bee" & a print that I really love. I bought the mesh at Waste Centre but the only colour available was black, so I painted it white, using regular acrylic paint. Love the dimensional touch it adds...

Yup - the photo wasn't exactly parallel with the mesh but don't worry! I've just lifted & straightened it ;-D

I inked the edges of the paper with lime green so all in all I've used 4 different ink colours on this layout - Lime, Red, Turquoise & pink...ooops...5 actually...inked the BEE in orange...forgot a close-up shot of him - you'll have to scroll back up! I used a black fineliner to add some dots behind the bee as a quirky touch {his flight plan} & journaled the date by hand - see below.

It was a quick layout - 1.5 hours - quick by my standards anyway - how long do you normally spend on a page?



Tuesday 24 November 2009

I'm here to write a post! {and tell you some secrets}




Why I do not know...it's 3.30 in the morning & I should be fast asleep!
I didn't get on here until about 11.30p.m because my best laid plans went awry today - I had my evening all mapped out when DH arrived home & announced that we were going out to dinner with his Uncle, who had just phoned him, having arrived from Joburg "out of the blue". Not what I had in mind but we had a great evening anyhoo... I have a layout for you in drafts, all photos prepped & ready to roll, but the thought of writing out the how-to, etc, is not appealing at this time LOL!!! I only logged on to post a layout to a challenge site as it was due in 12p.m EST tonight. Problem is though, well you know, one logs on & checks up on all & sundry & before you know it you're in this "New Post" box. While I'm here I may aswell update you a bit...

Spent Friday night unexpectedly "alone" as DH's plane back from Zimbabwe never arrived {British Airways not Air Zimbabwe just in case you were wondering...} . Friday is my busiest day kids wise - weird huh? With my 2 big kids writing exams at the moment it is busier...no fun! My collection times at 3 different schools were 10.30, 11.30, 12.30 and...you guessed it...1.30!!! But wait! There's more!! Cricket ends at 2.30! And - because it's close to a Woollies - weekend treat shopping (topping up the groceries done at Pick 'n Pay earlier in the week) gets done while I'm "waiting" {rushing down the aisles, rushing to the car, then rushing back to the venue} We head straight home after cricket & I pack away the groceries before heading out for a weekly meeting with a DF at 4. As you can imagine this doesn't leave me much time for much else as I can't delegate the packing away of the provisions or I can never find anything when I need to cook with it, anyone else have that problem??? ;-D

The school year is all but over & next year brings with it new grades & extra murals therefore an entirely new schedule so perhaps my Fridays will improve. Let's hope so!

This Friday my DD requested a lift to Mt. Edgecombe "on the way" LOL! {Durbanites will know that Mt. Edgecombe geographically speaking isn't on the way to anything...} Kids...clueless when it comes to direction! I did make it back to La Lucia after dropping her off "on the way"...miraculously I also managed (just remembered!) to drop DS in a totally different suburb "on the way" too!!! I did some Christmas shopping after my cappas with my DF...a rare moment ALONE - very difficult to Christmas shop when one usually has at least ONE of FOUR children in tow. I know, I know, I could do it in the mornings but that is studio time & waaaaaaay more fun than shopping! Went back to collect DS while DD only arrived back at midnight {fortunately I was spared collecting her as she now has a boyfriend that can drive - but is that a blessing I wonder?!} I had the Woollies wine all ready & the dinner prepared {not to mention 2 over-excited youngsters looking forward to daddy's return} {the teenagers were less phased LOL} when we got the call to say that there was no way Shane was going to manage to fly back. He had been waiting at Harare airport for 6 hours - the BA plane had not arrived as it had "a problem" {I do agree, better safe than sorry obviously} but as a result he missed his connecting flight to Joburg with ANOTHER airline then had to fight tooth & nail with BA to get them to foot the bill - which they eventually did - seeing as he had missed the flight solely because he couldn't get to Joburg without the assistance of a plane that BA could not provide! We were all left feeling rather deflated...

Saturday morning saw Chelsea & I venturing off into the Wilderness to a scrapbook store closing down sale. We travelled a good 100km's {including the obligatory "getting lost en route" routine - both ways LOL} but it was definitely worth it. If you are local & in need of their details E MAIL ME. Of course nothing new as they have been winding down for a while now but Bazzill at R2.50 per sheet, patterned papers at R5, lots of flowers {oops sorry, that was BEFORE my visit ;-D} tonnes of embellishments, magazines, HUGE cutting mats at A MERE FIFTY RONDS...worth a visit I tell ya! LOADS of paper racks at R600 each... huuuuuuuuuuuuge paper racks...double paper racks in fact...too big for me unfortunately, but maybe good for you??? Would hold all your paper if you are a normal person, or perhaps about a third of your paper if you are a scrap addict like me ;-D I bought some exciting storage items aswell - will post photographs of them in due course.

Exhausting stuff I tell ya...especially as my daughter decided it was pay-back time on the way home & we had to spend another couple of hours at a mall clothes shopping for her. We hadn't eaten a morsel ALL DAY & it was now lunch time so a food stop was in order anyhow. Admittedly we did find some very cute stuff for her but my feet did not thank me for it ;-D Fortunately I had just enough time to squirrel away my stash booty before DH finally made it home ;-D Yay me! That, folks, is a 20 hour slice of my "stay-at-home-mom" {ironic} life!

In keeping with the randomness of this post I've just come across this whilst googling "Housewife Cartoons" {go figure...} A post isn't a post without a photo you know!


Friday 20 November 2009

Inspiration, Links & a new Layout!


I have been doing more blog-hopping than scrapping this week due to 2 factors:-

1} My chronic foot condition has flared up big time & I am having to sit more than stand at the moment. {I am loathe to go back for more cortisone injections, which solve the problem but replace it with others & are very painful in themselves because they have to go straight into the side of my feet}.

2} The weather - I am freezing! Unable to do anything other than sit by the heater on the pc or get into bed with the electric blanket on No. 3!


Yesterday I was flicking through Colour Lovers & came across this:-


I downloaded it to my desktop {as I am wont to do occassionally}. Next I visited Kelly Goree's blog & discovered this. How strange is that??? Almost the identical colour scheme!!! And I am in luuuuuuuuurve ...... well, infatuation really, have been thinking about it all day...
After some investigation it would seem that Sugar Rush seems to be more to everyone's taste...but in my mind it is no rival! I just love green & have noticed that there is a definite dominance of it on my pages. It's all good...I like green...don't make a calculated decision to use it but it's just so fresh, soothing, earthy & calm so I am chomping at the bit for this one...know it will be quite a wait for us Africans & it is not even on Two Peas yet...

A new blog I am enjoying at the moment is this one & how cute is that layout? Just lovely - layered, stitched, embellishment clusters...all my favourite things & Wendy Sue is one of the new CK Dream Team members too!

As you all know the Internet is flooded with all things Christmassy right now & free stuff here & there too. One of the prettiest things on offer are the free downloads you can find here & here. You can check out this cool project here where you will also find the link to Kayla's blog where the free download can be found for these cute book trees.


Another thing I'm following with interest is this - a great concept for newbies but I am waaaaaaaaaay too far gone with this hobby to even consider it, as well priced as it is, but I am recommending it to a friend who is short on time & not creatively minded as it's certainly simple & very attractive. I know that I over complicate things but that's part of creativity & I could never be that disciplined, after all I abandoned the 365 thing by June LOL!

And, to reward you for your patience, a layout at last! Yup, I still have a few of them up my sleeve so here is a quick & easy one for you all. Ever an S.E.I fan I did this one last month as I bought the paper on sale & wanted to use it straight away. Aptly titled "16 and Blooming Gorgeous" Chelsea is literally blossoming before our eyes, which is wonderful & frightening at the same time. Never did I think my chubby little girl would turn into the graceful swan that she has become. Swiftly she is departing...{Now that would be a good name for my next layout of her} Slipping through my fingers...{you get the idea LOL!} Moving on...



The paper is s.e.i Seafoam & Poppy {just cut out part of the flower design}. Alphas are Chatterbox Artsylicious {Fine pressed Alabaster} Glitter chipboard is DCWV. Bling Brads also Chatterbox & stick-on bling gems are Bo Bunny. I raised the chipboard flowers on pop-dots & filled in the flower centres with the insides of all the alpha "o's" to add dimension. Journaling card "Theresa Collins" mounted onto red bazzill. Yellow offcut (Cosmo Cricket) inked with brown offset at back.

Quite simple for me don'tcha think? I thought the textures from the paper & alphas were enough...

See the embellished flower centres & fancy brad below.

Also colourful but somehow not overwhelmingly garish as the blue is dusty cobalt & the yellow slightly mustard...


So there you have it. This one was a quickie. I put it together in an hour. Need to do some more like this me thinks...now that time is short & all that...

Happy Weekend! See y'all Monday ;-D

Thursday 19 November 2009

Scrapping & Shopping...



Hiya all! Feeling pretty unmotivated at the moment {why does that happen when there is so much to do?} Basically my energy is being spent on the "must-do's" and there's not much time left over after that. I have noticed in years gone by that this is what happens come November - end of year madness I call it! The schools seem to pile on the work/projects/orals/etc just at the time that things should be winding down...maybe it stems from the sudden realisation that the end of the year is nigh & there are still certain things outstanding. I'm not sure, all I know is that it's impossible to get into any type of festive, holiday spirit when I am running back & forth between schools, with two children writing exams & finishing at different times, and another two being plagued with last minute assignments.


That said, I have managed to get my layout done for the latest challenge over at Journaling Junkie.

Challenge 69

Challenge 69 is to use the following recipe:

1 x Photo

1 x Die Cut

1 x Textured Patterned Paper

1 x Cardstock

2 x other patterned paper

Inking

Bling

Rubons

Stitching

Scalloping


This challenge closes on the 29th of November midnight GMT- Please leave a comment with the link to your URL or email me eyeore at telkomsa dot net


So there are still 10 days left for y'all to get this one done & it's quite fun actually. Limiting myself made me steer clear of the Thickers & use up the rub-ons {of which I have aplenty!] so it was a worthwhile exercise. Somehow my layout turned out amazingly pretty - maybe I should stick to this recipe in future ;-D

The rub-ons I used were Dreamstreet "Happiness" & the rub-on letters were from a Making Memories Alphabet book. Papers are Fancy Pants {Summer Soiree}, K & Co. Dollhouse Quilted {Brenda Walton} & Bo Bunny Delilah. White cardstock - Bazzill scallop edge.

The ledger paper above & below is taken from Making Memories packaging {not good to write on because of the shiny surface but perfect for rub-ons}.

I inked the edges a bit with an SEI yellow inkpad for contrast & distressed the white with a touch of pink 'cos it was all looking a bit too sterile for my liking ;-D

The scalloped top is cut from a K & Co. Que Sera Sera doily. They are too beautiful but absolutely hellish to apply & it you looky carefully you can see that some of the yellow tore off to reveal the white underneath as the whole thing started sticking to the scrap paper I was working on when I was gluing it. Next time I will use plastic but you live & learn & I'm a great believer in not embracing perfectionism as these doilies are seriously expensive LOL! So I just sommer stuck it down & tried not to worry about it...

The paper "strips" are all one sheet (the very pretty K & Co. "Dollhouse" collection) so I just had to cut it up & add the Bo Bunny {inked with pink} in between the two strips.

Do you remember this post? {written towards the end of August this year} I tried & tried & TRIED to make headway with this kit company for my friend & I but to no avail. My e mails were left unanswered for weeks on end until I eventually got a one liner saying that I was "on the list of things to do". Well, when I finally made it to the top I requested an amount for postage & that was the last I heard. I reforwarded my e mail a couple of times & then gave up - much as I LOVED what I saw I didn't have the time or energy to keep persevering. I found this update today when I went to check out their latest kit. It seems that there are a lot of very unhappy chappies on this bandwagon & one of them would have been me had I actually succeeded in getting signed up! This is a perfect example of how sometimes bad things actually turn out to be a blessing. I am so relieved that these problems are not my own! Very sad as I really, really loved what I saw there...

I got an e mail today from a local online store with a sale on. You can find lovely Making Memories Faux Leather albums at a good price here. I have placed an order for my staples:- inks, adhesives, etc as I have started the change over of all my albums to the absolutely gorgeous WRMK ones but if you are in need of some decent post albums & reasonably priced refills don't say I didn't tell ya where to go! There are RED ones all ready for your Christmas photos & their site is easy to navigate & quick to load {which doesn't go without saying for local sites}. I am off to watch my favourite TV show now {Drop Dead Gorgeous}. It is freezing here & has been raining endlessly, day & night {like that dreadful song my teens keep playing} Actually, truth be told, I actually like that song...but as for the the rain, I want it to please go away!!!


Tuesday 17 November 2009

Challenge Two - Inspired By...



Our next challenge over at Cocoa Daisy was to use one of the advertisments below as inspiration for a layout.

Who can guess where I found my inspiration?

I was inspired by the advert on the bottom right {Hugo Boss Fragrance I think...} & flipped it onto it's side to include a second smaller photo where the bottle neck/top is.

Normally I wouldn't have scrapped these photos this way. As they were "Spring Day" photos {where the kids wear civvies to school & take posies to the local Old Age Homes} I was thinking along the lines of light & bright...but they were in my "already printed" photo pile & as I was perusing my photo stack I thought they would be perfect for this interpretation.

It has been raining on & off here so I had to take these photographs inside to get them uploaded in time before the crop ended so they are not the best shots, sorry...

I used plain black Bazzill & I stamped with bubble wrap using L'il Davis pearl paint. My title uses a combination of yellow "Typo" font Thickers from my September Cocoa Daisy kit, white Doodlebug alphas & red Pink Paisley stickers from the October "In Stitches" Cocoa Daisy add-on.

I had fun layering up punched circle accents {using my Creative Memories circle punch & random offcuts} before adding flowers from Prima, American Crafts, Sassafras, DCWV & my local haberdashery store, with brads & buttons from Sassafras.

Okay so I took a few too many photos...

But I know that I enjoy studying every detail of all your creations so...

There you have it! The yellow chipboard squares come with the Yellow "Typo" Thickers from American Crafts. I would NEVER have bought bright yellow Thickers but I have to say that I have used them several times, so being part of a kit club really does encourage you to think outside the box!



Monday 16 November 2009

Creative Dilemma




How many times do we hear the expression "Scrapbooking is fun!"? Well, indeed it should be...and indeed it is...but there are times {for me anyway} when I think about it in a deeper way & ask myself which direction I should be heading. I like to keep all my options open but at the end of the day one has to attempt to hone in on a particular style & way to go about things lest your work ends up looking "all over the place". That requires a certain level of discipline that's not really that much fun. I've seen that the "in" style is neat & clean, grids & graphic. Wish it were my style {from that aspect} but it ain't me now is it? Fashion is fickle & who knows when it won't be de rigueur any longer? As much as I love trends & do follow them {we all do, to an extent, whether we realise it or not} I definitely gravitate towards this type of stuff.

To me that is just gorgeous...eclectic & unexpected...the kind of thing that unfortunately makes most folks think that there is something rather odd about you! This is an image taken from this blog & I have hooked you up there to a particular post that I found rather {okay read "very} inspiring. Now I am not a great stamper. I see others doing it & it does appeal I'll not lie, but there surely has to be a limit to our stash & space dictates in this household. My supplies have morphed into space eating individuals with a life of their own & are busy gobbling up oxygen in the scrap room, bedroom, hall, dining room & passage as we speak! {gotta sort out that situation soon} Anyhoo...back to the stamps...love em, have em {well not many really...} use 'em but not particularly well {think you need better inks than what I have - I use the little square or cat's eyes that are great for inking edges but would probably have to make a major investment in the likes of Versamark & Tsuniko {sp???} to really make some headway, but looking at these may well change my mind...my favourite being...


I am a real quote junkie & those are all classics IMO...Soooooooooooooooooooo...which way to go, decisions, decisions...what's important I think is that we just keep going. I appreciate many different styles but I think I'm right in saying that deep down we would all like to cultivate our own definable signature style. Blogging has definitely opened my options up considerably...boy do I love to sit here & soak it all in...as Tim says "it just so happens I buy it faster than I can use it"....well my own version of that is..."It just so happens that I take it in faster than I can churn it out" {In other words, I soak in so much inspiration that I would need another life just to be able to get it all out of me again & into my work}. I think that an artist one should never be satisfied with one's work. Look at bands like U2, REM & the like, I've been following those bands since the 80's & they have constantly evolved which perhaps is why they are what they are today, as opposed to the likes of bands like the Stone Roses that still have their 2 late '80s hits on the top of their My Space playlist.

Artsy angst...it's quite something I tell ya but it seems to gets you far...





Sunday 15 November 2009

Playing away at Cocoa Daisy!



Phew! I am feeling exhausted after 36 hours of fun at Cocoa Daisy. I need to shower {QUICK!} & hop into bed before DH catches me up at this hour LOL! This is only my second online crop & I have to say it is waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay better than the last one I did, not sure why, maybe it is just me, but I am feeling much more relaxed & confident & really enjoying everything on offer. The Design Team is a pretty varied & talented bunch & they all have tutorials & classes on the go, challenges & RAKS going on all over the boards, & it's not exclusive to subscribers, you don't need certain products, it's all about having fun, being inspired & getting some interesting stuff done, so why not pop in & see what's happening? There are prizes being handed out left, right & centre & all projects only have to be in by next week Sunday latest so there's lots of time...


This is Challenge 1 - a sketch challenge. I turned it on it's side & had fun with some spray mists {could only get hold of some very grungy colours here...} & used some chipboard stars as masks {flipped them over so I can still use them on a layout as they are nice & glittered on the front}.

They are a pretty arty bunch over there so I tried to channel my inner artist LOL!!!

That blue "stuff" you see is acrylic paint applied using bubble-wrap {I knew there was a reason I was keeping it...}

I hand-journaled down at the bottom in keeping with the casual feel...

I finally got to use that cute American Crafts owl paper {& quite appropriately too I might add...}

The mists are messy {tip *** cut open a big plastic shopping bag & lay it on your surface *** & kinda "miss" with the mist & shoot over the top of the layout if you want something light & sprinkly as opposed to splotchy - who knew there was an art to these things???!!!}

When you are done misting...scrunch up the bag & chuck it out! Fold it inwards & you are back to a mess-free zone...genius idea - Donna Downey taught me that! So there you have it - just a little teaser to tempt you over to say hello tomorrow - EST time so locals basically we are 7 hours ahead - so things start at 2 our time & end at 2 in the morning! There is lots already in the threads that you can review & get caught up on. There's bound to be at least ONE thing you like going on - no matter how fussy you are. No blog hopping going on for me at the moment because I am too busy learning & scrapping but hope to pop in on y'all later in the week when I am through with my projects. Goodnight...or should I say...Good Morning!