Wednesday, 31 August 2011

A Fine Day Out and a Surprise!

My friend Liz is staying with me for a couple of nights, this morning one of our cats (Oscar) decided he liked sleeping in her suitcase, she didn't have the heart to turf him out.

We went out for the day, first to drop off the sample doodled birdie @ The Barn, then onto Wells for a great mooch through the charity shops, I also managed to find a new gallery to take my doodled birdies in a few weeks time. We then moved onto Farrington's Farm Shop for cream tea and another mooch, Gert (the cow) jumping through the wall was a great surprise!


When we got home, a surprise awaited me, my DD had dropped in with a beautiful bunch of flowers, a card and a new decorated wine glass, those that follow me on FB will know of the catastrophic few days I have had.

Wrenching my knee, not being able to drive to go to a 50th Birthday Party, having a major nose bleed, smashing my favourite wine glass and subsequently getting glass in my middle finger, had CSI visited my kitchen and waste bins on Tuesday morning (aftermath, couldn't face mess on Monday night!) they would have thought it a horrific crime scene, thankfully the only blood they would have found was mine. My finger is a bit worse than I originally thought, although a small wound, it was very deep and bled profusely when I removed large piece of glass, I now have minor nerve damage, a swollen finger and a bruise (I must have nicked the bone). So knowing I was a little low, it was so thoughtful of her to buy me the glass, it's beautiful and now every time I look at it I shall think of her even more. I of course had to christen the glass tonight - Cheers!

Washi Tapes from USA

The Washi Tapes took just 12 days to get here, they're gorgeous - they were beautifully packaged too!

Monday, 29 August 2011

52Q, Week 35 - What Kind of Goddess Am I?

Cupcake Goddess, making & eating them LOL!

Brave Girl Chat Group Swap Pages

Over the last few months I have been sending and receiving envelopes (12 in total) from places near and far stuffed with ephemera goodies to use in mixed media art collages, remember the photos - well here they are again in a grid collage to remind me of how these amazing gifts turned into art journal pages. I decided to mix all my envelopes together, then divide them into colours and then do a page for each colour, it worked out beautifully. I used about 75% of the goodies that were sent me, the rest have gone into my general tin.
 Pink
 Orange
 Blue
 Yellow
 Green
 Red
 Brown
Black & white
So gorgeous Brave Girls Can you spot your gifts? Let me know which colour page you're on!

Sunday, 28 August 2011

Normal Service Will Be Resumed Soon!

Due to an incident where I damaged my knee I have not been able to do much arting since Friday, sadly I missed an important 50th birthday party - (sorry Gina!), paid for a B&B I didn't stay at and have been sat at home unable to drive wallowing in pain & self pity. I rallied round amidst pain killers to order a chinese to be delivered and I have attempted some pages tonight, I'm unable to photograph due to poor light but will upload tomorrow.

Friday, 26 August 2011

Learn Something New Every Day (LSNED) Cover

Cover of my mini (4"x6") ring binder!

New Sample Picture for a Local Beauty Salon

Thanks go to Kelly over @ The Barn she's letting me put a sample picture in her beauty salon in the hope that I can sell some personalised doodled birdies. Kelly wanted her birdie to be in salon colours to complement her beautiful decor - so shades of brown, green & orange were order of the day. I'll deliver the picture next week as she's having another treatment room put in over the BH Weekend so will be quite busy I expect.

Hungry Heffy Crafts - Birthday Blog Candy

Hungry Heffy Crafts is giving away Birthday Blog Candy - to be in with a chance of winning the first pressie, just subscribe to the newsletter. In case you don’t already know – everyone who is already a newsletter subscriber will automatically be entered to all the Hungry Heffy Crafts giveaways. You gotta be in it to win it, as they say.
For an extra chance at being a winner, post the picture of the blog candy in your sidebar and add your name to the link – simples!!! A winner will be picked from everyone who spreads the word. This prize will be bigger and better, because we want you to tell your friends about HHC.

HeArt Journal - Week 6 - Text Me

Mist background, stencilled letters and I used kitchen towel from clean up, ribbon trim, journaling enclosed in glassine envelope on stamped layout paper, back of tag has definition of text on it.

BPC, (BIF) Words To Live By - Today's Word is PLAY

Today's word from Stacy Julian is PLAY, I did use a page from book of Nursery Rhymes + stamped musical notes, stencilled PLAY doodled, ribbon trim with Tim Holtz Play tickets.

Thursday, 25 August 2011

BPC, (BIF) Words To Live By - Today's Word is EMBRACE

Today's word from Nic Howard is EMBRACE

Wednesday, 24 August 2011

ICAD - Week 13

 Bottles & Jars
 Definition
 Mermaid
 Purple & Blue
 Trees
 Yellow Poppies
Fortnum & Mason

BPC, (BIF) Words To Live By - Today's word is MOMENT


Today's word from Steph C is MOMENT, I spent the day taking photos and made 18 of  them into a page, had great fun today, caused a few stirs with some of the photos LOL!

My Day of Moments for BPC - Big Ideas Festival

My day in photos, includes an Ultimate Pedicure @ The Barn, dropping off birdies for sale @ a local gallery, wine making, shopping @ Tesco, buying magazines to read, watching TV, designing a specific coloured doodle, green tea, relaxing time, windmill and of course the cats (Oscar & Felix).

DH Departs for Belgium

DH is off to Belgium, not for the Motor Racing Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps, but the International Pan Clan Gathering for 2011. Which leaves me six days of girlie DVD's, food when I want to eat, may have a couple of PJ days, a 50th Birthday Party back in the midlands, as much arting as I can possibly fit in - heaven! I hope the weather is good for him and he rides safe!

Wine Making @ Chateau Gore (Part 2)

Grapes have been trodden - well I did have a pedicure today (No I'm joking!), grapes, water & yeast are in the barrel and fermentation is taking place (it took me ages to get a bubble!).

Tuesday, 23 August 2011

BPC, (BIF) Words To Live By- Today's word is FREE

Todays word from Karen Grunberg is FREE, I loved doing this page, tissue paper background, stamping & collage FREE - to do what I want!

Grape Harvest - Chez Chateau Gore

Today I harvested 14.5lbs of grapes, they will be turned into wine, so watch this space the process has started: -
 
  On the vine
 On the scales

Monday, 22 August 2011

DIY Washi Tape

Quite simple to make small lengths of your own uniquely designed washi tape.
Just cut lengths of Micro Pore tape (available at all chemists, can buy own brand!) 
Stick your lengths onto a craft sheet (makes removal easy).
Colour them with ink pads, mists, crayons, inks (experiment with what you've got!) 
I inked mine with FC Big Brush Pens.
Stamped patterns using Stazon inks and any background stamps you have!
Have a go see how easy it is. 
I've added mine to my Washi Tape Chart!

BPC, (BIF) Words To Live By - Today's word is LIVE

Today's word from Lisa Day is LIVE
Live Simply, Dream Big, Be Grateful, Give Love, Laugh Lots!

DIY Washi Tape Chart

Whilst looking through the introductions over at "30 Days of Lists", I started blog hopping and saw this neat idea for cataloguing Washi Tape on Marie's Blog Frogged Designs, I think it's so neat, I followed her instructions, only changing the design by rounding the corners off and adding some larger acetates so I can add the wider Washi Tape that I'm going to make (watch this space).

In The Sun, Prompt 50 (Final Prompt) Summer into Autumn

I know it's Autumn, because of dark nights, central heating, school's in, casseroles, umbrellas and my birthday!

52Q, Week 34 - How Do You Creat Your Nest?

With Love!

Sunday, 21 August 2011

10,000th Blog Visitor - WOW!

Today I had my 10,000th blog visitor Lisa Hemmings popped by as the 10,000th visitor, but it was a close call as she narrowly beat Coreena Broderson Kornel by a click. As a surprise I'm going to send them an original doodle from Pippa's Pieces, these are the doodles, they've won - Lisa wins a birdie and Coreena wins flowers.

BPC, (BIF) Words To Live By - Today's Word is CHERISH

Today's word from Amy Sorenson is CHERISH
I cherish the moments I spend with my Grandsons (I'm lucky to see so much of two of them), I  cherish my DH and all my family, my friends, my craft (it keeps me sane) and what I have!

Rainbow Warrior's Sister - "Princess Rainbow"

Finished "Princess Rainbow" this morning, she's sweet!

Saturday, 20 August 2011

Phew Finished One Doodled Birdie!

I've spent most of today getting frames ready for 28 (yes that's 28!) doodled birds of various sizes, I've drawn all 28 outlines and doodled the patterns for all 28  birds and boy my hand aches, but as a reward to myself I decided to colour one of the biggest ones in and he's called "Rainbow Warrior", he still needs to be signed and framed and then he's for sale! Just 27 more to complete now, good job my DH is away in Belgium for 7 days from Wednesday, I will get loads done and I also need to do some more "It's A Girl Thing" Canvases too!

BPC, (BIF) Words To Live By - Today's word is NEST

Todays's word from Emily Falconbridge is NEST, I journaled on my green tag!
 
Today I played, I appliqued the flower with sewing machine, the label was stamped onto canvas, cut out and stitched on and then I stitched NEST. I washed the background with green, stamped images, cut tag for journaling and made hidden pocket. I then used DST to stick this into my art journal, took time, but I enjoyed it!

ICAD - Extra Challenge

ICAD is in it's 12th week now, I have a great collection of 85 unique index cards in a recipe box, today the 85th IC was an extra, called cheese scones, within cheese scones, within cheese scones, photographs of freshly made cheese scones, photographed again and again with different filters