Free download

My very talented friend Carrie has a free download of an old book page over on her blog.

Hop on over and download yours!!!

I've already got mine and my mind is in a whirl wondering what to make with it........

Journal Journeys CH07

Over on Journal Journeys Dawn set us the challenge of April Showers this month.  How apt.  Mind they've not been 'showers' as much as torrential rain at least for us in the North East!!

Dawn made such a wonderful page and it was hard not to copy her idea of the huge rain drops so this is what I came up with.

I coloured the background of my Moleskine by scribbling all over with Derwent Aquatone in kingfisher blue and activated it with a baby wipe.  I dried it with my heat tool and then flicked the same colour blue, zinc yellow and magenta all over the page by using a wet paintbrush and flicking off the end of the Aquatones.  The effect is brillaint and looked just like multicoloured rain.  Of course my camera was downstairs and I was in the 'zone' and forgot to take a photo.

I wanted to make the page seem almost psychadelic and used the Crafty Image Emporium CD from Crafty Computer Paper.  Its one of those CD's that I use time and again when I'm looking for something a little bit different.  I used a section called '1960's' and the small flowers came from a sheet that had loads of embellishments on it.

I used the same CD for the paper for the umbrella.  I found an free umbrella template on-line and fitted the papers into it.  My Mam said it looks like its silk.  I suppose it does a little.

I've realised that there always seems to be a mistake in all of my pages.  This time its the date.  I stamped March instead of April.  See I don't even know what month we're in even though the challenge is 'April Showers'.  You'd think I'd have caught on ;)

To bring it all together I used individual letter stamps to stamp the wording and stamped some flowers along the bottom of the page.  They didn't stand out so well so I coloured them with Spectrum Noir pens.

I also coloured the flowers in the rain with the same pens to make them stand out a little more.


And here is my finished page :)

A Box for Julie

A while ago whilst I was having a pedicure Julie and I got to talking about how she needed a box to keep clients jewellery safe whilst they have massages in her room at home.  She couldn't find one that was suitable so I offered to decorate one for her.

I found this box on Happy Daze and sent for immediately.  Julie has teal as the main colour for her business and I know her room is cream so the colours were nice and easy to decide!  I first gesso'd the entire box, inside and out.  I maybe should have sanded it but it seemed smooth enough already.  I then used Claudine Hellmuth Studio Classic Teal to paint the whole box.  The box had its clasp already attached and painting round it was quite difficult but thats where baby wipes come *really* handy.

I created the scalloped edge using one of Sir Tim's On the Edge dies (Scallops).  I used paper we were given at the Graphicus Paradise Retreat in 2009 (its still really fresh in my memory) to use on a Italian inspired Diptych book.  It was perfect for this project.

I originally tried to stamp some baroque style swirls directly onto the box but they just didn't work so I had to cover up my mistake and the scallops were it.  But they weren't quite tall enough so I put a Grunge Paper swirl over it too.  I painted all of the Grunge Paper swirls with Golden Titan Buff.  Its one of those colours I bought when Graphicus closed and when I got it I thought I'd never use it.  Its one of my faves now!

The littles feet that I put on the box are small wooden balls that Jo and I bought in the sale at Hobbycraft.  Another purchase that I thought 'that'll come in handy' and they finally have!  Painting them was fun ;)  I stuck them on with silicone.

For the sides of the box I used the scallops again and put shirt buttons on with silicone.  I tried to choose different styles of button but eventually just put some of them on upside down to change the look.

For the top of the box I used swirls (Elegant Flourishes die) and flowers (Tattered Florals die).  I covered both sides of some Grunge Paper in the same paper as the one I used for the scallops using Glossy Accents to stick it and then used the die with my Cuttlebug.  I shaped the flowers and the paper started to come off a little, so I ended up covered in Glossy Accents trying the stick it back down!  As the paper was coming away it started to show more Grunge Paper so I diluted a little Classic Teal and Titan Buff and painted a wash over all of the flowers.

I used buttons for the centres of the flowers.  I stuck the swirls on with Glossy Accents and used silicone for all of the flowers.

I gave the box to Julie last week and she loved it.  Job done :)