Sunny Art Journal Page to go with the weather!

Yippeee it is sunny here again today…..mind you when I have posted this I am off to pressure wash the patio and put out the tables and chairs which usually brings on the rain!!!!!  Mind you we met a chap down by the river today and he swears that it is when he puts on his shorts that the rain starts to fall ;-)

My Mixed Media Art Journal page was created so I could join in the Challenge over at Simon Says Stamp.  This week it is the letter M…….reminding me of Sesame Street ;-)

So my M is for Mixed Media and of course for 'Creating it MY Way!'  That is what I love most about Art Journalling…no rules……no regulations ……just time to enjoy creating.

This page makes me smile and I hope it makes you smile too.  I wanted to try using stamps on my page for more than just background texture.  I used lots of Distress Paint and Inks and check out that lovely boarder created in seconds with a Tim Holtz washi tape!  My stamps came from the Busy Bee 3 and the Botanical stamp sets from Creative Expression.  That bee is soooo cute!  I think he may be American as he has fab teeth ;-)

If you are not too 'Buzzy' and you want to see how I made this page with lots of hints and tips then just click on the video below.  Find out how my Inspiration words started out looking very differently!

Have a fabulous weekend everyone.  I am going to link this up to the Simon Says Stamp Weekly Challenge and to have a peek at all the other creativity inspired by the letter 'M'!  Then I am off to get changed ready to end up looking like a mud monster after doing battle with the pressure washer!

Thank you for popping by X

Dandelion Wishes

Hi there, hope you are enjoying a weekend of crafting and happy times.  I am posting my challenge piece for the Simon Says Stamp Challenge where Anna-Karin challenged us to be inspired by Yellow! I am a fan of warm golden yellows and it was fun coming up with a project inspired by this theme.  I was looking through my stash and came across some Wendy Vecchi Wildflower Art Parts and I knew I wanted to celebrate the humble and much maligned Dandelion!

I have made a video of my creative process and I hope it will inspire you to create a home decor piece of your own.  Check out all your chipboard, die cuts and art parts and see what you can come up with.  It is a fun way to spend an afternoon ;-)

Here is my finished piece.  I think this is a happy piece and I think the use of the sunny yellow is what makes it so.  As a child I remember we teased anyone that touch a dandelion that they would surely wet the bed!  I have no idea why - I think I may look it up…….And I am glad I did!  Apparently there is some truth in our childhood games.  There is something in the leaf of a Dandelion that stimulates the bladder.  For more information and a really fun read follow this link to find out more about this interesting weed!

My hubby spends time in the garden digging out Dandelions so they don't invade the lawn!  I am pleased to say he doesn't eat them ;-)

I personally like the Dandelion for the Dandelion and Burdock drink that we have here in the UK and for Dandelion clocks!  I think crafters love them as there are plenty of stamps out there celebrating delicacy and the beauty of the fluffy seed heads.

I have encapsulated some to the seed parachutes in a little glass bottle to finish off my project.  It was an idea I had seen on Pinterest originally and I am so pleased that I have managed to use it on this project.

I did get to thinking…….what if one of these wishes is the one that grants me a Lottery Win?!……..hmmmm……..better keep them somewhere safe!

So that is my challenge piece and one pretty home decor piece that has a fun story.  I hope you like it and that you watch the video to see how I created it.

Don't forget to pop along to Simon Says Stamp to check out all the other lovely projects inspired by the colour Yellow.

Have a fabulous weekend and thank you for popping by.

PS Don't forget to subscribe if you like my art and want to see more X

Beach Hut Mixed Media Canvas

Hi Everyone

I wanted to start this post with a great big thank you for all your support and kind words and good wishes on my Graphic 45 Audition.  Unfortunately I did not make it.  I am not disheartened as I had great fun and every cloud has a silver lining and I now have a further set of Workshops to share with you all!!!!!  Good Luck to all the finalists as they submit their videos for stage two!

Today's video project really got me in the mood for some Summer Sun.  I love the beach and this project features something you see there - well you do here in the UK.  Beach Huts - love them.  I share a couple of other beach hut inspired art during the video too.  I don't know what it is about them - they are cute - they come in fun colours and they totally make you think of lazy days by the sea having fun with the family.

Anne and Mo you both guessed completely right from the sneak peek yesterday as you can see!

I really enjoyed making this - Distress Paint and Graphic 45 papers and lots and lots of glue!  I actually used my new Tim Holtz layering stencils and turned wooden bird shapes into seagulls with a quick lick of paint!

Don't those hitch fasteners make the cutest door knobs?!  I think I will definitely make more canvases in the future as I really enjoyed working on this one - here is the how I did it video.  Hope you enjoy watching and that it inspires you to make a canvas for your home.

Wishing us all some sunshine as we head into the weekend.  Thank you for popping by X

Art Journal Page - Bloom and Grow

Good Morning.  It  is bright and sunny here this Sunday morning and I just popped in to see if my video uploaded to You Tube during the night!!!  It is always a happy moment when the upload is successful!!!

Here is my completed page.

Do you like my pretty watering can???  I think I have created what could be my second quote on this page so feel free to use my phrase - add my name and then because you have quoted me it becomes a quote!!!!!

A sprinkle of imagination helps your creativity grow.  Helen Allen

I have created a new label for Quote so I can find this again - It would make a fun card don't you think. I have a class coming up next week so that gives me an idea!!!  I have another quote somewhere on my blog.  I have noticed that some blogs I visit have search facilities so I am going to learn how to put that on my blog next.......maybe I will have some breakfast first ;-)  Brain fuel!

My son told me last night he needs to do his homework on computer binary code today and I told him I am interested in seeing what he is learning............I think I need an extra large helping of breakfast for sure!!!

Before I post a link to my second Art Journalling Video (this one turned into a tutorial because of the resist technique I was using to make the funky frame for my page) I thought I would share my first ever journalling page.

This one was pre blog and pre You Tube channel but I was inspired to try Art Journalling by a video I found and watched on You Tube.

Actually there is another quote of mine on this page!

Travel to where your Imagination takes you then take time to enjoy the view.  Helen Allen

You can quote me on that!!!!

There is also pieces of Graphic 45 paper on this page....did I rip it?!!!!???  I think I definitely like including book page paper on my Art Journal pages.  I love that each of my pages are completely different.  I am a bit of an explorer of different styles and I think my Art Journal shows that I am.

My tummy is rumbling so I am going to stop rabbiting and post my link.

Hope you like it!  Have a great day and thank you for popping by X

PS Search bar added and I found my first quote........

Who needs therapy when you have art? Helen Allen

Definitely going for my breakfast now X

12 Tags of 2013 - July

Morning!  I am up early this morning.  Strange as the school summer holidays are here.  Don't you just love the days when you don't have to set your alarm clock?  I finished the video for my July tag yesterday.  I had great fun with Tim's Patriotic inspiration as you can see!

I loved Tim Holtz's Brayer technique that he shared with us this month on 12 Tags of 2013 though I think if I had pressed a little less when gathering up the ink with my brayer I would have achieved a more streaky look than I did.  I liked this alternative way to apply inky colour to a project.

Here is the video of how I got from Tim's inspiration to my interpretation!!!!

Already half way through Tim Holtz's 12 Tags of 2013 challenge - can you believe it?  Where is the time going to I wonder????  I still have a January tag to play along with so I may be able to catch up with that one next month.

As you can see my tags for this year are building up nicely.

Ha Ha - I know what a teaser!!!  Here is the tag storage project online workshop I am about to put on my blog/shop.  It is a great solution for those with tag storage issues (if I say so myself) and I have a ton of ideas for ways to use this cute little storage project.  I am working on the editing the last of the series of 5 video tutorials and finishing off the photo instructions so it will either be up on my Blog sidebar Shop and ETSY shop today or more likely because of upload times tomorrow!  So if your interested in tag storage check in again soon.

I forgot to say last week but I managed to get a ticket to do a workshop with Tim in the UK at the end of August!!!!  It was a marathon dialling and redialling session but I got through and I am a happy bunny!  I am going with my friend Deb so we are both looking forward to getting inky.

Have a great day and thank you for popping by x

12 Tags of 2013 - June and a Catch up tag for March (not May!)

Good morning on a cold grey day here in Derbyshire.  Who is hogging all the sun again that is what I want to know!?  I have my fleecy on and my fluffy socks.  I have been working on my tags for Tim Holtz 12 Tags of 2013 and here is June's.  I was a little 'Distressed' when I saw Tim's tag this month as I don't have any Distress Markers...........poor little old stash deprived me...... tee hee!  I know you are all feeling sorry for me right now ;-)  But isn't that just what makes this challenge fun.  If you haven't got it then improvise and that is what makes a tag your own.  I used my Ripe Persimmon and Shaded Lilac Distress paints to do my colouring in with a touch of Shabby Shutters. The colours remind me of squished berries and that is great for a tag celebrating the month of June.

Tim showed us how he adds colour to his stamped images and I had a go at the delicate splattering and washing of colour to form a frame around an image as you can see here in the close up.

If you are following me you will know I am making videos of how I get from Tim's inspiration to my interpretation so here is the video for my June tag.

I am still playing catch up with my tags so I am also posting my March tag today.....Yes contrary to the pictures it is definitely my March tag!  I don't know what happened but when I labelled it up I went with May.....ooops.  I have changed it now so the photos and the videos say May but it is definitely March ;-)

So my didn't have items were the lovely dies Tim used in March and that cute tinsel.  I put on my thinking cap and decided that Tim's cute bunny reminded me of a shaker tag and that is where I began.
My solution to not having the paper Tim used to cover his tag was to try out a paint transfer technique with some gorgeous images from the Graphics Fairy and I decided to see if it could be done using the New Distress Paints and I am happy to say it did!  I only have 4 Distress Paint colours so far but each time I use them I am impressed by their versatility so I am definitely going to add to my collection.

Tim showed us how to use the paints to colour metal embellishments and I was really happy with that effect too.  I didn't have any yellow so I used my Distress Stickles and I like the extra texture they bought to the finished flower embellishments.

If you want to know how I made this tag then please watch my video as once again I start at Tim's inspiration and end up with my interpretation.........I think I like that phrase!!!

Ha ha.....I didn't realise that You Tube had selected this frame as the thumbnail of my video!  Coffee and crafting.....all that is missing is the cake and cookies!

I think I might just go and put the kettle on!  Thank you for popping by X

PS Don't forget to check out my giveaway for anyone that is kind enough to follow me already or who wants to join me on my crafting adventures.  Just a small token of my huge appreciation of your support.

Trash to Treasure and 12 Tags of 2013 - April!

Me again - two posts in one day!!!  I uploaded another video in my series of 12 Tags of 2013 and I have caught up with my April Tag.  I did have to wait to do this one as it was the perfect excuse to try out some of the new Distress Paint!!!!  Any excuse to shop right?!  So following Tim Holtz technique tutorial for my background and using his fab Dragon fly tag as my inspiration this is where I ended up.....

You can see the foiling I was telling you about earlier popped up again on this tag!  I really liked the Distress Paints.  I do use acrylic paint and I really liked the versatility of this product.  Easy to apply direct from the bottle, great coverage but doesn't overload the paper and dries with a smooth finish which is great for stamping over.  Needless to say I will be adding to the 4 bottles I purchased to try out this faux patina technique. Ha ha!

Here is the link to the video I made of how I got from A - Tim's Inspiration April Tag to B - my finished April Tag.

It's looking a bit messy on my desk there but this shot is nothing compared to the state of my desk when I had finished playing with my new Distress Paints!!  Steel yourself.......

See how I push everything out to the sides so I can keep my video frame looking all neat and tidy ish!!!!

The reason I am posting this as a Trash to Treasure Post as well as 12 Tags of 2013 is because I did actually use my plastic wrap to make the little bubbles to capture my bugs under.

I know it is a bit naughty to keep bugs in a jar but this is ok right?!!!  I am a bit late doing this but I promised to send a card to someone that commented on my Last Trash to Treasure Post and the winner is.........The lovely Mo!  I hope you read this Mo.  I will get that card off to you soon with a little surprise for you too.  Better Late than Never ;-)

I am off to finish off one of the tutorials for my Etsy shop.  I have two projects almost done and I keep way laying myself.....Focus Helen.....Focus!

Thank you for popping by X