Did the Technology Let Me Down????

Hi there hope you are having a fun day.  I have been busy making art for what seems like ages!  It started out as an idea that popped into my head as the result of a Challenge over at Scrap Around the World.  You know me I love a challenge and I had great fun with this one although producing it ended up being challenging in a different way.

Here is the initial Mood Board image from Riikka a Design Team Member from Finland that started my adventure:

As I thought about the challenge I decided to make a mixed media 12" x 12" canvas.  I love the idea of using the beautiful coloured butterflies against the black and white and that is where my journey began.

I wanted to video my journey to share …..as you know I often do but sadly it was not meant to be.  This canvas took me forever as the more it progressed the more details I wanted to add!  Three downloads of video later and still not finished iMovie decided to play up.  I lost all video and only had audio.  I found the solution which involved reimporting all my video and to cut along story short I emptied my trash can during that process and lost the lot :-(  I was a very unhappy bunny and really, although I am tempted to blame the technology…..Hence the title of this post……I think I really only have myself to blame ;-)

Oh well that didn't stop me having fun and I have come up with a little video idea anyway to share my creative journey on You Tube so all is not lost.  I have done some Zentangling which was definitely inspired by the circular patterns on the inspirational mood board above.

I decorated and cut out lots of lovely butterflies in shades of blue and green inspired by the fab butterfly photo above.  

The idea was to bring the two elements together block and white with colour as the Mood Board does so many many hours later I have a canvas of two halves.  One black and white….

……and the other celebrating all the wonderful shades of blue and green……

As you can see I have had a huge amount of fun making all the tiny elements that went into the creation of this piece.  I have used paints and pens and iridescent drawing inks, I have punched and fussy cut and layered all the tiny elements up with a sprinkling of jewels.

My fairy who is bringing Spring to the woods took me forever…..well her face did.  I just could not get it right but I am happy with it….eventually ;-)

I confess faces are a little hit and miss with me.  Thank goodness for white paint!  If the video had been a success you would have seen me wipe out her head a couple of times with a coat of paint and starting all over again!!!!

Although it took me longer than I anticipated I have had a wonderful time pulling this together and I hope you like the finished canvas.

I hope that you can see that the butterflies are fluttering about bringing colour to the black and white flowers and foliage.    I am off now to post this as the challenge finishes on Wednesday!  I will share the video on You Tube when I get it edited.  I am looking forward to seeing what the next challenge brings.  Please follow the link over to Scrap Around the World as there are lots of lovely layouts and art pieces to inspire.  This is a new challenge blog to me and I am looking forward to joining in the fun.  I am off to make a cup of coffee and then I too will be hopping back over to see what else was inspired by this fab mood board.

I think this post is going to reflect the challenge inspiration photo but also the background of my blog!

Hope you have a creative week and thank you for popping by.

12 Tags of 2014 - April

Can you believe it is a quarter of the way through the year already?  Here is my tag for the 12 Tags of 2014 Challenge.  I have also been playing along since this challenge was launched in 2012……time definitely flies when you are having fun making tags!

I had loved making all the pretty flowers and am really happy with how the faux bluebells turned out.  They are a favourite flower of mine.  They are just starting to show signs of flowering in my garden.  You can't beat a walk in the woods at this time of year when you just happen across a patch of beautiful bluebells.  

Here is another shot of the tag - this time against a different background.

I used a pretty Graphic 45 Ladies Diary paper as the inspiration for my flower arrangement.  I loved how the faux garden trellis turned out too with it's mirror inserts.  It wasn't the die Tim used but I think it works.  This was definitely a 'pretty' tag from Tim!  He made fab roses with his pinecones die for his tag.  Click on this link to check out what else Tim's tag inspired from everyone that is playing along with the 12 Tags of 2014 challenge.

Here is how I made mine:

I thought I would share another tag video with you today as I was thinking about all the tags I have made over the years and I remembered the fun I had making what I think was my first tag video.  I hope you enjoy it as it really made me chuckle as I edited it!

Hope you are having a creative day.  Thank you for popping by x

I did it!

Hi Just a quick post to let you see that I did get to the bottom of all that paint!  So I started with this messy cupboard with all manor of ancient and new paints…..

…….and after much shaking of bottles and tins ……….and two bags full of dried up paint later.

This is the shelf with all my old tester pots from the days when I painted murals - most are still going strong.  You will have seen me use them on my videos from time to time.  I threw away all the paint brushes with the sadly neglected now solid bristles ;-)

Here is the shelf with all the acrylic paint neatly sorted into colour groups and all with a dot of the colour on the lid - doesn't it look fab??!!

I did that yesterday and it seemed rude not to tidy the rest of the shelves in this cupboard too.  Before the tidy…..

The top shelf has class supplies and is quite neat already as I use this one a lot.  The one below is not so tidy!  And the bottom shelves are looking a bit messy too.

A little while later and……..

From the bottom to the top all tidy in this cupboard!

Whilst I was tidying I found something…….

Something I completed a long time ago and really should do something with…...

It is a children's book I wrote and illustrated and it was hidden away.  I think I should try to do something with it.  If it is not good enough to be published then I think I will turn it into a book so that one day I can read it to my Grandchildren.

I though I might do a spot more tidying but I am a bit bored with that so I think I am going to edit the video of my 12 tags of 2014 April tag.  Here is a little peek!

The roast is in the oven, the sun is shining here in Derby and I am feeling very virtuous after my little tidy!  I hope you are enjoying the end of your weekend wherever you are.  Thank you for popping by x

Arty Card Tutorial (one for the boys and one for the girls)

Hi Everyone

Hope you are all having a fun weekend.  I am sharing a tutorial with you today.  I think this is an easy card to try your hand at but it is really effective.  The thing I like most about it is that you can mix and match the supplies you have to achieve a look based on my design which I love because it means it it versatile.

As you can see all you need to do is change the colours and it is suitable for a girl or boy, young man or young woman.  It would be fab for someone who loves to paint too.  Check out the tutorial and try it out for yourself.

Cutting Guide:

Card Base Teal or Pink - 11 1/2" x 8" scored at 5 3/4" (Cut 1)
Large frame Navy or Purple (inside and out) - 5 1/4" x 7 1/2" (Cut 2)
White Card (inside and out) - 5 1/8" x 7 3/8" (Cut 2)
Greeting White Card - 2 1/2" x 1" (Cut 1)
Greeting Frame Navy or Purple - 2 3/8" x 1 1/8" (Cut 1)

If you do have a go at this card I would love to see what you have come up with so don't forget to let me know.  Here is the video tutorial.

I want to try a pastel version and it was whilst I was thinking about that I decided I really should sort out my paints!  I have had some of them for years and it is time to have a clear out.  That is my afternoon sorted!

What a higgledy piggledy mess!!!!  Some of these paints are older than Callum!  But it will have to wait a little while as there is a bacon sandwich with my name on it!!!!

Have a fab weekend and thank you for popping by X

WOYWW 253

Good Morning Everyone

It is sunny and bright here this morning but I am feeling rubbish!  I think I may be coming down with a cold.  You know the feeling - fuzzy head, scratchy throat and other things I won't mention so as not to put anyone off their breakfast ;-)

So what I am I sharing today?

A desk full of UFOS(UnFinished Objects)!  I have 6 layouts all waiting for titles and journalling!  Oh and 6 eggs that might be decorated for Easter.  I have a habit of making up my scrapbook layouts at the crop I go to and I have stopped taking my Cricut with me…..I carry enough baggage as it is!  Now I just need to get into the habit of getting home and getting on with finishing them off!  So I have laid them out to wait for inspiration to strike today.  Mind you they will have to wait a while as I am off to visit my Mum and there is an Ikea plate of meatballs with my name on this lunch time ;-) Yum!

Then I guess if the sun stays out I may have to do a bit more pruning and tidying in the garden ready for the long hot Summer we are going to have this year!……Dreaming…….

This layout is of my son Callum playing on a Gameboy!  I think it was when he first discovered the delights of electronic entertainment!  We drove back from Gibraltar to the UK and it was a treat for him as he was going to be cooped up in the car and on a boat for quite a while.  As you can see he is hooked!  Cute Leopard PJs - now he wears a onsie and has his nose permanently stuck in his phone or his laptop!

I am thinking I might leave the word on this tag as the title for this layout as it works quite well for this shot of Mariah and Callum with??????  Is it Goofy ……..or is it Goofy's nephew??  This is a lovely sunny layout and a great reminder of a wonderful warm sunny day spent lazing on the beach - PERFECT!

Happy WOYWW to anyone popping over to visit my desk today.  I hope your desk is full of lovely creativity for me to peruse this evening!!!!….and that your day is sunny and warm wherever you may be.  If you have no idea what WOYWW is then please follow this link and join me hopping from desk to desk all over the world.  I know you are going to love it and make lots of new crafting friends along the way.

Thank you for popping by X