I'm back

Well well well, I certainly haven't been on here in a long time, nearly two years in fact. Its not because I gave up on the blog, oh no, it is in fact because it appears I gave up on the art. That doesn't mean I haven't dabbled here and there and not been in a swap or two over the last couple of years but I haven't been really doing that much. And when I did, I wasn't getting the joy I had before, Ideas were hard to come by, I wasn't motivated or inspired. And that makes the fun bit tough.

But today I was inspired. It was a lovely day and for once I wasn't busy with plans to dash off across the country to see friends or go to gigs, I had the day to myself. So I decided to go sit in the sun in a park and on a whim I decided to take a journal I have had for a couple of years from a swap which has been sitting on my windowsill for a couple of years since I moved to Cardiff. So I did some general sketching in my sketchbook my friend Ad bought me for christmas to motivate me to get back into art but so that it motivated him too. Then once I was settled I got out my coloured pens and the journal and for the first time really read the few pages that were already in there. And the thing that got me was Secret Terrabite's zine which is in there and tells the story of how she got into art and started on the journals and how this was no. 136. And reading it, I felt I had let her down, for still having the journal for not having worked on it and passed it on. But also it reminded me that art isn't about pressure to be a certain something or for someone else, but to just play with idea's and have fun. So the first page I did was an apology for her which still needs to be finished off. But the I just outlined idea's on pages of what I would want to do for pages. And by the end I had 8 or so pages of idea's. It was funny how easy they came and so it feels nice to be back in it, to have idea's flowing again. I wonder where everything has been going, what have I been doing with all my idea's and imgaination. And I am not sure, but it feels good to have it back.



So as you can see I got the acrylic paints out this evening and have done some backgrounds. I had a brain freeze when it came to mixing and clearly though blue and yellow would make me purple, of course it didn't, it made me green, but that worked for another page so I made use of it. And then I mixed the purple I wanted. Hoping for another sunny day tomorrow and for dry pages so i can get cracking with some of my idea's.

I let it slide again

Thats right, I got caught up in the boring aspects of life like work and chores as well as the exciting things in life like gigs and hanging out with friends etc. What this meant was it hasn't left much time for artistic stuff although now that I have moved to Cardiff and am settled in I have been doing bits and bobs.

Anyway so to my one follower, thanks for sticking with me and for those who normally just pop in and out, please pop in again for I am back and I want to start posting again and reconnecting with the artistic online world.

I have some bits to post but my camera is playing games with me so I will have to add them in a different post. Anyway, hello I am back :D

Here's looking at you

Howdy Y'all. I know this has not been updated much recently. Part of that is due to me having done less arty stuff with work knackering me out during the week and then alot pf partying at the weekends and trips back to London. However I am in America for a week, visiting family, so a little down time with give me some craft time hopefully.
So look at the guinea pig, hopefully it makes you smile and I plan to bring you craftiness very soon!

Monochrome ATC's

Bit late posting about this, but here are my Monochrome ATC's which I made for the Monochrome swap with MixedMediaATCs. The idea of Monochrome ATC's had been in my head since I went to america and bought some great chipboard monochrome letters however when it came to making these ATC's 1) I couldn't find the chipboard letters 2) I think I had one of each letter so would not have had three M's. However the concept of what I wanted to achieve was still the same. I enjoy doing the weaving for the background and have done it in red and black for Pirate ATC's however it can be tricky.

I am unsure of where I have put the three I received for this swap however once I find them, I shall post pictures of them as well so you can see the other lovely peoples work.

Drums drum drums

Thats right my drums inspired me saturday morning and having had a new rhythm magazine turn up, I got straight to work. The background of the page was already painted from the previous person but the colour seemed perfect and I had my most recent drum piece on a bit of paper and it all just seemed to fit.
So i mish mashed it all together, added in what I wanted to say and shazam a page was born. Its been a while since a page was born but I was happy whilst making it and super pleased when it was done. Hopefully this will stop the art block I have been happening but we shall see.

Pictures as promised

I am reaching the end of my American holiday and have had a fantastic time. I have this weekend and then I head back Monday night. Canada was amazing, we did niagara falls for a day taking the maid of the mist into it, then we went on to Toronto which was a lovely city. So clean and it felt really safe. We took the bus tour which we were able to use the whole week which was handy. We went to the Royal Ontario Museum - a natural history Museum, the Shoe Museum, the Science Museum, Casa Loma - an interesting Castle, the CN Tower, hit a baseball game which was good fun and of course many places to eat and drink. We also followed the PATH which is a connection under alot of Downtown between different shops and hotels etc so you can walk the PATH where there are loads of eateries and little shops so you would never need to go out in the open. We took it as a fun way home from the Eden Centre - a big shopping mall.

As for my artwork, not done much more, done a little more stitching on the baby sampler and mainly been busy writing postcards although bought some great cute notecards too. So below is the card I made, making use of the spring papers I bought cheap. The animals are fun.

Then here is the ATC i made which I had fun making, the butterflies from the paper were fun so I had a little play with them.

I might do a bit more art play as I bought some halloween papers today for a dollar. I also drew and coloured a petite doll whilst I was travelling to Canada but I will chat about that when back in the UK and can upload photo's easier.

A Card and 2 ATC'a

Thats right me and Cayleigh had our crafty morning before she went to work and I got to play with the new scrapbook papers I bought. I got them in sale getting 180 pages of spring papers for $9. It was awesome. What I wish I had realised was how cheap stitching stuff is here cos I could get threads for 40c rather than 70p back home. Must remember that for next time.

So yes, firstly I made a cool card with lots of animals cut out on it and it said hello. I am mailing it to my friend Nic in the UK today. And then I made an Unusual Alphabet ATC with a butterfly on it. I cut 2 seperate butterflies out and put one on pads on top to make it stick out. I used glitter glue to give some sparkle to the bottom butterfly and voila sparkly fun butterflies. (Yes I know there are no pictures, my cable for pictures doesn't work but I do plan to put some on my netbook and then upload however with no adaptor yet for the UK I am worried about running it out). Then one evening this week I also made a 2nd ATC, well part of one, I took black and white paper and made a criss-cross pattern and then an M on black and white in chipboard that I also bought cheap here. All I need is to combine and make my monochrome card :)

I am off to Canada today but I will update probably when I get back in a week.