Proper Update

As said yesterday here is my proper update. I finally sent off that journal from my livejournal swap after doing a couple more pages. Its been a busy couple of weeks with us adopting 3 rats who are super cute, Sam buying a new car this lovely mx5
and then 2 of ours rats having babies. Well Nemi had babies on tuesday which was a big shock for me when I got home. And then Huskey developed a cyst so we took her to the vets saturday and noticed she was looking decidely round as well where the vet confirmed she was pregnant to and has given birth to her litter today. So there are many rats here. Because we adopted not bought, there was a limit to what pets at home could do but have lent us cages so we seperate Huskey before she had her litter and then when they get old enough we will split the boys out so we don't get any more. Then it'll be about finding new homes for them all.


On the art front I did finally create a scrapbooking page and I like it. It was nice to finally take the pictures from our roadtrip and make a page from them. I might do a second page but not today. Plus I have been doing more of the cockerel stitching, it really is slow moving but I am getting there bit by bit and apart from finishing some penpal letter tonight, I plan to do some more of the stitching whilst watching Lost :)

Quick Update

Do have things to add and have been meaning to all week but I am free time tomorrow so a proper update tomorrow it will be. However excited as I finally bought the road trip scrapbooking kit I bought over a year ago and have found the photo's I plan to use with it so looking forward to having a go at putting together my first ever proper scrapooking page tomorrow :)
More to follow tomorrow.

Butterflies

I do think Butterflies are awesome which is why I always get involved in swaps which include butterflies because I know I will always get an idea to run with. This time I made use of a giant poster I got from a newspaper which had lots of butterflies on them and what they actually were. So my ATC's this time round are nice to look at and educational as well :)

It seems like Sunday always end up being an Art day as Sam heads back to Swindon in the afternoon so I can completely free time with no thought about work which allow me to be creative. I just need to get myself in the habit of being creative in the week as well. I also did a journal page which I will post when I remember

Sorting leads to more mess

I have a couple of days off work which is nice. Got leave to use up so took a couple of days. I was trying to sort through some stuff yesterday which only led to me rediscovering fab bits to use plus a couple of pieces of stitching I had started. So I decided to finish one of them which is a halloween piece. Its all completed not although there are supposed to be lots of french knots on it but I tried and tried and could not do them so I am leaving them off. Its look fine without it. I managed to do french knots well once for a Tatty Ted piece but rarely use them so then when it comes to doing them somehow they just don't work out.



I have also been doing a little journalling. Am planning to hit the post office tomorrow with many packages so wanted to get some things completed. One of which is Shirley's journal, part of the swap. I will be sending it on although have not received another one yet but thats good because otherwise I'd worry. Here is a page from it, I did a couple of others but don't want to give it all away cos I might not do anything else and then what will I chat about :) Although with the free time I am hoping to do some fun pieces :)

Slow and steady

I have been plodding along bit by bit with my stitching and so it slowly progresses. So much for my at least one a month from the calender. Its nice to get one a day but how would anyone stitch one a day :)



Been doing little bits in this journal which is part of a swap in my penpal group on livejournal. I need to get it sent on but still want to do a couple of pages. So I need to find the time. Plus its finding time to go to the post office. Damn them and their being open only during working hours :) Got many packages to send which I need to pack up and get down there. Still haven't had a proper chance to enjoy my awesome scrapbook kit and the many other bits I have bought from hobbycraft recently. Maybe this weekend.

Awesomest kit

I got some of the most awesome stuff. Firstly is this awesome scrapbooking kit which I picked up from CostCo when we joined at the weekend. It was worth joining up for that alone as it has sooooo many different pieces in it as well containing an 8" scrapbook and a 12" scrapbook. I had a look at some of the bits and plan to make some time to really think about what pages I want to create as I have so many photos. The question is when I will find the time.



Then my friends Jenny and Steve sent me awesome birthday gift, one of which was Watchmen Comic and the other was a make your own wire jewellery which looks awesome. I am already thinking what beads I could get to make great stuff and haven't even started making anything yet. There is this great bead shop on Gloucester road where you can get lessons in making jewellery and they sell loads of beads. Once I get the hang of it, I am totally heading there for some great beads.



Yesterday I watched Juno which was a great film, really loved it and whilst doing that I also continued with my cross stitch which was nice as it meant I managed to get quite a bit done and I felt like I really made use of my time by doing two things at once which was nice. Its not moving as quickly as I would wanted to work on at least one a month and we are nearly at the end of Feb. So much to do, so little time.

Mail in, Nothing Out

It was my birthday at the weekend as that kept me busy with drinks out with friends saturday night and then family do on the sunday as I share my birthday with my Grandad and he turned 80 this year. So not much art took place but quite a bit of drinking and eating.

Mail had been slow recently but now we have fit february it has perked up again which is nice. The cookbook that the blindswap ATC girls had been working on finally turned up and a beauty it is too. So many recipes inside as well, I am looking forward to giving some of them a go.

Also from a penpal group on Livejournal we are having a journal swap and the first one turned up for me to work in. Its a good size so looking forward to just having fun with it. Shirley also included a little book for me which is nice. Its always nice to receive extra's.

Apart from that been chatting a little online with people, getting to know some of the people on Artistic Avante Garde a bit better which is nice. Its always good to get to know new people who you can share your art with and learn from. Managing to keep on top of updating my blog, not as often as I'd like but have been doing it at least once a week so keeping to my resolution so far :)

Colours

Saw this on Janet's blog so thought I would give it a go. They didn't have purple so couldn't pick it as a colour and violet is not the same as purple.

Your rainbow is strongly shaded yellow and green.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What it says about you: You are an intelligent person. You appreciate optimism. Those around you admire your fresh outlook and vitality. You're good at getting people to like you.

Find the colors of your rainbow at spacefem.com

Journalling

Its been a good art week as having finished my exams I have had some time to spend as well as having had idea's and wanting to try out new thins. So I took a couple of the backgrounds that I painted last Sunday and added to them. The blue one made me think of reeds at the edge of a river so I didn't want to add to much to this so instead commented on what I saw in it. The other page was created as I had been flicking through magazines and had seen some images I liked so had picked them out to possibly play with at a later date. This image of the girl appealed to me, there was something swedish feeling about it. I had just torn it out so hadn't really though about the words surrounding it but when I started looking at the article with it, some of the words I associated it with the picture so decided to make use of them as well.

This final page I had been wanting to try adding the extra of the picture myself through drawing and although it didn't it quite go as planned I still enjoyed it. And it is something that I will keep working on as I think it creates an interesting effect. I kept the other half of the page to help me draw the image but I did the grafitti myself. I had planned to put more grafitti behind it but were unsure what to put. I might use the top half of the picture for another page and see what I create for the grafitti behind it.

Shopping and Art

This weekend has been an awesome weekend firstly because I had no plans, no commitments, nothing I had to do. That included any thoughts about college or work, having been off work for a week so no idea what I could worry about and having had my final exam Friday and had many drinks to celebrate it meant this weekend was all mine. So having started working on my cockerel I decided to pop to hobby craft to get the extra threads I need to complete it and ended uo buying all this stuff. As you can see I bought my threads but also picked up a book on rubber stamping which was on sale as were the 30 ink pads so hoping to have some fun playing around with all that at some point. Then picked up some ribbon as it was 3 for 2, plus are great for sending to other people.

So having been to hobby craft I go busy and made a couple of ATC's which I haven't done in ages which was nice. One is complete, and one is nearly complete. They are both so I can send returns for my unusual alphabet swap which I am very behind with.

Having had that fun, I spent some of last night and today continuing my cross stitch whilst we watched Hitman which was cool. And then I have done some more today. After Sam left this afternoon I decided to paint some journal page backgrounds which was fun. Its been a while since I got any paints out and I bought some new brushes the other day so having a bit of a play around was good. So they are currently drying by the patio doors whilst I had a quick flick through a magazine and got some great bits and pieces from it that I am planning to use for some journal pages of the future. I have quite a few journals on the go at the moment. I have one that is going between myself and Lia, I have a journal in a group swap so I am just working in the final one for that although we might start a new round. Can't wait to see mine. Then I have joined a journal swap on a penpal community on Livejournal which is just starting. Then I have a journal from an ATC group swap although this might be the last one as due to them having taken so long and been way-layed we are sending them back to the owners. So as you can alot of journal action has been happening all whilst ploughing along whilst watching tv with my cross stitching which is starting to take shape now.

Inspiration

Thats right, amazingly now when I need to concentrate on revising and am not having to worry about work, now I am being hit by bits of inspiration and I don't have the time to think about following it. But I still keep doing bits anyway because I don't want to lose this inspiration. So this WIP I had previously I finished off with some writing today in the library.
I have been taking it with me to the library everyday so that when I take breaks or get hit by something, it is there to hand. And so some art has happened.
I have continued with the cockeral stitching as well so there has been a bit more progress with that as well.

Once my final exam is over tomorrow and I have had many drinks, whilst recovering on Saturday I plan to use some of the time to develop some of the idea's I have had over the last few days.

Cluck Cluck

Firstly I made a start on my cross stitching project that I showed previously. As you can see its not got far yet but I an working on it, my exams are weds and fri so then I will have more time for these sorts of things.

I also did a journal page today whilst watching Phantom of the Opera and catching up on correspondence. Got a thing about patterns but I did enjoy creating it, there is just something about the squares and the way they are made up of squares.
Apart from that its been all work and revision round here. But not for too much longer.

injured foot

Thats right during a fun weekend in Cardiff, I have injured my foot. We were staying in a nice hotel and getting in their swimming pool Saturday afternoon I slipped along the edge of the step, you wouldn't have thought much of it, apart from hurting lots. And this is the current state of my foot. It doesn't hurt generally but maes walking a little difficult at times. But that didn't stop us heading out for some drinking that night and dancing at an 80's club called Reflex. All the 80's music was awesome so we had a good laugh and headed back to the hotel sometime past 11.

As for Art, none was done over the weekend although I did do some revision yesterday afternoon at the hotel. I need to do some more this evening as well as my exams are just over a week away. However I have a plan for some cross stitching. I got a cross stitch pattern a day calender which is awesome and I plan to complete as many as I can this year (well that I like anyway). So here is the first one I plan to do, Angie in America loves cockerals so I thought she would like this. I like to cross stitch for others otherwise my house would be way too full of cross stitched stuff :) Plus its nice to give gifts.

Good idea's wasted

I have had some good ideas recently but no time to put them into action. Admitedly as usual they come at bad times like when I am driving, one of the best times to think. Thing is I know when I find the time, I won't feel the same about the idea. It won't have the same appeal, like the moment has gone, the feeling that went with it won't be there and in my mind I won't think it'll work so it never happens. Well maybe it will happen but we shall see.

Bit late for Christmas stuff ....

But I was behind the whole way leading up to Christmas and I have a couple of small stitching kits so I am thinking work on them now and then they'll be ready for Christmas Cards next year :) Plus cos I am busy studying at the moment its small projects that I can just pick up and put down which is nice. This working and studying is hard work. But I have learnt a lesson from this first semester, keep up with everything during the term and start my assignments earlier.

So true to my resolution I have made time for a little art and to update this blog. But it is only the first week of the resolution so we shall see how it goes. Last night (and I mean late) I got some inspiration and started doing some stuff in my journal. Both pages are works in progress because on the left is just the background for something and the right was me spilling my mind on the page but I was to ass some colour to it. It was nice to be being creative again but no time for it at the moment. Need to focus on these assignments :)

New Year, New Art

Hello to you all who actually still come here. Happy New Year. I know in the last few months my updating of this has been poor which is why I have made a resolution to update this at least once a week and this coincides with my other resolution which is to make time for Art as least once a week. Now previously I would have said that wouldn't be a problem but since starting this new role in Spetember, starting studying my CIPD part time in October and having a drum lesson once a week as well as trying to get to the gym, Art has not been given enough time. And thus my resolution has been made.

Me and Sam popped to the mall at the weekend which meant I got to pop in Hobbycraft and I bought a few bits which were on sale. I didn't necessarily need the stuff but it was all in sale so meant I got it cheaper than I would at other times throughout the year. Now I just need to find the time to play with it. It won't be this week as I have 2 assignments for CIPD due next wednesday and I have much work to do on them. But I will make some time at the weekend thus fulfilling my once a week goal.

I bought some lovely papers and a pack full of christmas stuff which was super cheap. Some new glue (I am running low) and some canvas panels (only small) as I do plan on getting out my acrylic set I was bought a couple of years ago to try and do some stuff with.

Completed the Christmas Book

Thats right, I achieved my goal and completed my Christmas Book. Once I got started on it again, the idea's just kept coming and it was nice to just get absorbed in it. Here are some pictures.

My Book originally started with a Christmas theme however once I did the first couple of pages I realised that thinking of idea's for that many Christmas Pages would be hard however it did give me the idea to then turn it into a year theme book. So each page is a theme that is sometime in the year.

So you have valentines day, Spring, Summer, Halloween and then a couple of pages on Christmas. Then the actual outside of the journal has a winter theme :)

Where does the time go?

I cannot believe my last post mas mid november, we're close to that in December! That is awful of me! So I am back, plodding alot with some christmas crafting when I get the chance. There is so much going on with work and studying and general house stuff that art has been taking a back seat. My plan for making Christmas Cards hasn't really happened, I have made 2, yes thats the same amount as when I last posted. I have a couple of WIP's but not enough to cover my whole family so some bought cards it is going to have to be this year which is a shame as I know they like receiving my handmade cards. I just don't know if I have the push in me to make some in time for last posting dates but I am sure I will try.

What I have done some work on however is a Christmas book swap which I signed up for. I am part way through mine but must finish tonight to send it tomorrow for last USA post. These are some of the pages. It didn't have to be a christmas themed book however that's what I fancied doing. I have made some raised embellishments and on another page are baubles which are also flaps but I haven't decided what to put under them yet. Its either gonna be pictures or some nice christmas phrases. I am sure I will be inspired by something (well I hope!)

Thats about it for now however I have done a couple of journal pages recently but I'll save them for another day. Maybe I'll have some more christmas cards to show soon or maybe the finished book.

Christmas Cards

Thats right I actually started making my Christmas Cards after all the talk that I should do it and kind of picking out designs and such. I have a few works in progress however I do have 2 complete christmas cards that I did this weekend :)



I got the idea from a scrapbooking magazine where someone had made a tag/decoration for their tree from buttons which I thought looked cool so I decided to give it a go on a card and it turned out well I think. Luckily I already had quite a few red and green buttons but I did buy some new papers for the background. This is only one of designs, I am working on a couple of others but no finished products yet!
It made me happy to actually make some christmas cards, I just need to keep moving with it. But achievement helps motivate more achievement :)

This is one of our gerbils, we adopted them off Sam's sister. They are quick little things and I did have the other one out to take a picture but it leapt from my hand and I spend 45 mins trying to capture it.

I finally found my camera cable (yep was in the front of my work bag!) and so I though I would do a quick share. This is a page I did in Lia's journal before I snet it back to her. More tissue paper fun.





I do actually have pictures of all the pages but I will save them in case I don't do anymore art this week ;p Also I don't know if Lia has received the journal yet and I don't like to spoil whats in it. Nothing better than the first time you see a page!