Hello Again and long time no see.

I am trying my hand at blogging again after a break of, if my last post is to be believed, nearly 3 years. So I am testing myself and the great communications aether to see if we are compatable and get along.

Here goes.

My latest make is a DL sized card made using a gelliplate background.  I should point out at this early stage that gelliplate printing has become a new and very loved way of creating backgrounds and art in general.  Using the plate with, in this case, acrylic paint applied with a brayer, I produced the background. Combined with another craze, watercolouring, some torn paper, stamps and gel pen, I created this piece.

My inspiration comes from my own sense of what I like and various sources on-line. The products I use have great tutorials and the range of artists willing to share their processes and creativity is awesome.

As a crafty tinker, I play around with lots of different types of crafty methods and styles, shifting from one to the other depending on what I am making and what I may or may not have acquired from the craft store recently😉.

So, like I said this is the first post in a while. My makes and art style/type has changed since I initally started out making cards and scrapbook pages, but I think I have found what I like to do best: Just mess around with ink, paint, paper and scissors and see what developes.   So I have learned to go with whatever artistic vent appears that day and wait for the surprise. Use the supplies and don't overthink...a thing I am very good at.  Like someone wrote recently 'they'll always make more paper'.

I don't promote any products and I am not affiliated to any product or magazine. I am just a happy crafter sharing my makes.

 If you've dropped by and stayed to read , then thank you, and if you've commented, thank you for taking the time.

Stay Safe, be happy

Angela

 

If I could save time in a bottle - Scrap-Page

 Hello and welcome to my crafty blogg,

Back in the blogging mood and hoping to keep up the momentum.

I recently found the boxes of photos we stored in the garage and I really need to go through them and  make some choices on what we keep and what we let go.  Some many out of focus and wonky angles, I think it is time to let them drift off into photo heaven :-)

Today's post is a scrap-page using some die-cuts, stick-on letters and papers from my existing stash.  All items bought so long ago that I can't remember what the brand names are. Sorry.

The photo is old and cracked and I needed to take care not to do any additional damage so I mounted the photo onto some card stock and used that base to adhere the photo to the page.

My husband's father died late last year and this little photo is precious and deserved special treatment. Not many photos have survived and time and poor storage have not helped the condition of the photo.

I distressed the 12x12 page using   Tim Holtz Vintage Photo   distress ink and roughed the edges with a distress tool. I just started adding the layers and moving the pieces around until I got the look I wanted.
Faded, crinkled and worn.

I have a frame ready for the page and as soon as the ink drips and paint splashes dry I will complete the framing.

All being well I will maintain my blogging routine and get back into the swing again. See you next time and thank you for stopping by to visit my blog. Your vist and any comments left are appreciated.

Angela x

Hello all and welcome to my crafty to blogg.

Another quick post of a journal page just completed today.  Using newspaper cutouts, acrylics, inks, Gelatos and crayola markers I created the page before I found a suitable quote. 

Just love art journaling. Like I said before, this process is great for letting the creative juices flow.

Give it a try.

Thanks for dropping by and visiting. Your time and comments are appreciated.

A

Hello All and welcome again to my crafty blog.

just a quick post of my latest journal page which I posted on the Maremi's Crafty Cafe Facebook page.

A nice place to post anything you create with great support and feedback..

My journal notebook is not really meant for art journaling and I need to stiffen the pages with additional layers. I use  paper napkins, strips of backing paper, drywall tape :-) and in this case just plain old tissue paper that I had stamped and written some words on. Adding the layers seem to help the page hold onto the adhesives and prevent tearing.

My first layer was the teal green acrylic paint, which I distressed with some gold inkpad and brown ink pad to 'dirtie' it up a bit.  I drew the branches in with pencil before going over the drawing with a brown marker and the black fin liner to add definition.  The cherry blossoms were stamped  and highlighted with a copics pen and I added the bird as a focal point.

Doing a lot more art journaling these days. Very freeing and gets the creativity flowing...well I think so. If you haven't tried it yet I recommend it.  I think art journaling can help with other craft projects because it does  help to break the rules  now and then :-) .

 

 Many thnks for you visit today, your time and comments are appreciated.

See you next time.


Anegela X

J is for Journey - Maremi's Creative Cafe

Hello and welcome to my crafty blog.

My post today is an ATC for the  #52Cafe Cards challenge running at Maremi's Creative Cafe.


Each week there is a new challenge based on a letter of the alphabet and my first entry is for J for Journey. I think anyone can join in and take part in the current and previous challenges.  Some very creative people here!

This challenge is good for me to help me get back into my crafting as work and home ( is houework ever done?) seem to take up a lot of time and energy, not to mention Mojo sapping.

 

 The make is a standard 3.5inch  x 2.5 inc ATC covered with some wrapping paper I had in my stash. The suitcases are cutouts from a magazine and the sentiment is  again from my stash from way back.

Baby-steps back into my crafting. I am certainly going back in for another letter to keep the creative juices


Thank you for visiting today. Your time and comments are always appreciated.

Angela x

Colour Inspiration - Robins Egg

Hello and welcome to my craft blog.

Time to try something different methinks!
I was inspired by the photo taken in the garden yesterday when we discovered a beautiful Robin's nest in one of the bushes we were about to chop. At this tinme of year it is always worth checking before you start taking bushes and trees away.  The nests are well hidden and can be difficult to spot so take care. We were happy (well my husband is) that we have to suspend gardening until the nest is clear and the birds have fledged.

The colour of the blue eggs against the perfectly woven nest and the surrounding greenery is a true inspiration direct from nature. I am inspired to get crafting again, maybe a card or two....or more  :-)

Join in if you want and let me see what you have created using the colourselection below. You never know I might be able to russle up a prize for the first name out of the hat.
I 'll add my makes when finished.


Look forward to seeing who takes part and what the makes are like.

Many thanks for stopping by and visiting today.  Yout time and comments are appreciated.
 

Thanks
Angela XX

Mixed Media Canvas :- Everything Stops for Tea

Hello and welcome to my craft Blog.

My post today is a recently completed Mixed Media Canvas inspired by the great mixed media representations of  tea-cups and tea pots you can view on Pinterest and other arty web-sites. There is a huge amount of inspiration out there and some very clever crafters.

My canvas was one from an older project that I was not happy with so I got out the Gesso and reclaimed/ recycled the canvas for this new project.
I created texture with scraps of paper and roughly painted background. I also used a template and texture paste to add interest with the scalloped edges and then went over the canvas with standard acrylic paints, mixing a few colours to get the effect I was after.

The cups are from a hand-drawn template I then used to cut out the cup shapes from patterned paper.  A little destressing and highlighting later the cups were ready to adhere to the canvas. The 'Everything Stops for Tea' letters are from my stash. The  painted red hearts were added to make the finished canvas ping a little.

All in all a lot of inky, painty, messy fun!

 I think this is not too bad for a first attempt and I am lining up another canvas for a make-over :-)


Thanks for stopping by and visiting.  You Comments are welcome and appreciated.

Angela  xx

Hello all and welcome to my crafty blog.


My Mojo came back for a visit this week and the paper and paints came out ot play .

My post today is an A4 sized  distressed, rusted effect creation. I had tried to make the rust effect some time ago, but I had lost  the 'touch' and I needed to get practising!

This piece started out with a rough cover of structure paste on a 220gsm piece of paper to create a tectured surface, which when completely dry, I washed over with an orange coloured paint.  I followed that with stencil from Plaid 'Folkart'' to buld up a nice design and more texture. This was then treated with a wash of green paint, wiped over to allow the orange to show through. I then build up the layers with blue, brown and orange paint mixing in some medium grain gel to create the crumbly rusting.

I do like the finisned result!
Now on to the next project while my Mojo is in town.

Thanks for stoping by to visit and don't forget to leave me a comment.  I love to hear from you.

Take care.

Angela

What if I fall? Oh my dear what if you fly! Mixed Media Canvas

Hello, All !

A quick lunchtime post today of a Mixed Media canvas I created a short while ago.

Stamped tissue paper on  canvas. Painted  and stamped again and coloured with Copics.
Not sure who to credit with the sentiment, but it is one I really like.

This was great fun to work on and I recommend the process to anyone wanting to try mixed media. Go for it !

Thanks for stopping by and reading my posts. Your time and comments are greatly appreciated.

 Angela x

Digital Scrap-page : Puppy Love

Hello and welcome to my crafty blog.

First things first...

Happy New Year and Best Wishes For a Wonderful 2016!

Looking forward to a crafty, creative and fulfilling 2016 and getting down to getting a lot more crafting done.

My first post on the first day of this new year is a digital scrap-page using a combination of papers and elements from the Bella Gypsy range of digital kits.


The subject of the page is this sweet photo of Alex with his pit-bull puppy Gypsy. Such a cosy photo with the boy and his dog snuggled up in a blanket was too cute to pass up.

I kept the layout simple as I think the photo was standout on its own. The black and white image sits well with the faded blue of the background paper and the the red elements add a bit of interest to the page. Love these Bella Gypsy kits.

Once again  Happy New Year! Thanks for stopping by to read my blog. I appreciate the time and value any comments left

'til next time

Angela  xx

Hello and welcome to my crafty blog.

I am posting today my card for the Craft for the Craic challenge 'Colour Inspiration'. My Mojo has departed for sunnier shores for the summer and I have been struggling with getting crafty again. The photo inspiration challenge has got me moving and I am pleased to have created something to blog about.

The Craft for the Craic challenge is are asking you to craft anything you like in whatever material you like, that incorporates the colours in the photo below.

I made some colour blocks to help me focus on the colours. It came in handy.

Here is my card for the challenge. 

'My Heart is With You'  is a 5x5 Kraft Card base with a cream and and patterned  backing -paper background. The Go Kreate die 'Frilly Square' inked with Ranger distress ink ''Peeled Paint'  and then stamped with Crafty Individuals text stamp in Rhurbard ink. The heart was die cut from yellow card stock with the edges distressed with the Peeled Paint ink. I hand cut the label which was stamped with a sentiment from Verve Stamps.

'My Heart is With You'

The challenge closes soon so pop over to the  Craft for the Craic challenge blog and check out the great DT makes for inspiration.

Thanks for stopping by and reading my blog. Your time and comments are always appreciated.

Angela x

Art Journal Page- Rumi Quote

Hello and welcome to my craft blog.


Carrying on in the Art Journal vein my post today is another journal page inspired by a qoute I heard whilst driving to work. The reader was reflecting on a friend who despite having dedicated her life to serving the less fortunate in the worst places on the planet, was taken from her family and friends with a fatal illness. The qoute stuck with me for a long time and after some searching I found it. The persian poet Rumi as some wonderful things to say and they all come from the 13th century.

OUT BEYOND

The page was made  around the time of the centeniary of the First World War, and the poppies, a symbol of those who dies in the war,  and the qoute seemed to fit together. We were remembering those lost in the Great War amonst whom was my great-uncle Patrick of the Royal Dublin Fusilliers.

 In memory of Lance Corporal Patrick McGeough

died November 5th 1917 Croixilles France

I was still experimenting with the ink and paint and had not discovered Gesso as a great prepation medium, but the page still held it colours and a coat of Modge Podge should protect it from harm.

I still love this creative process and I have a couple more in various stages of development.

Thanks for stopping by to visit and comment. Your time and comments are appreciated.

Angela x

Art Journal Page - Love Cherish Respect

Hello and welcome to my crafty blog.


Today I am posting a recently completed Art Journal Page titled Love Cherish Respect.

My Mojo has deserted me and I am desparately seaching for it everywhere, bit I think I am on the trail with my Art Journalling.  :-)


This page started out totally different to how it ended up. But that is the beauty of Art Journalling.  It is a wonderful messy, creative and fulfilling process ( for me anyway) that you don't know where it might lead.

 The page was prepared with Gesso to give the acrylic paints and inks somthing to cling to.Some acrylic paint mixed to create the background and the stamping was done with Tuxedo Black from Memento Inks. I cut out the heart from red card and used Modge Podge to adhere it to the page. I made a template from a sheet of clear transpareny film ,cutting out a tile pattern, and dabbed black ink over to get the irregular block effect.  some distressing with  tim Holtz Vintage Photo ink and black markers pens with a white gel pen completed the look I was after.

The layer of Modge Podge to protect the finished page created a nice sheen to the page and produced a great canvas texture as a bonus.

Love Cherish Respect

Hope you like my attempt at Art Journalling.  I've got the bug for this and I have some ideas for new pages.  Like I said, seem like the Mojo is finding it's way home.

Thanks for stopping by to read and comment on my blog.  Your time and comments are much appreciated.

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!!!

Angela x

Scrap-Page - My Mam's 80th Birthday

Hello  and Welcome to my crafty blog,

I have not blogged for such a long time as I have (had) lost my  Mojo and time and life kept getting in the way.

However, I could not let  Mam's 80th birthday pass without posting a scrap-page to celebrate the event.  A surprise party lead to a great evening with lots of relatives and friends who gathered to wish Mam all the best and many happy returns of the day.

Use Photoshop to change the colour photo to black and white and made the banner and chevrons usibng the eye-dropper option in Photoshop from the colours in my sister Julie's top (extreme right). Effects to the banner were applied from the Photoshop photograpic effects button.The the lettering is from a Bella Gypsy  digital kit called Forever Family.

Happy Birthday Mam!

Just a  short post today. Sunday is long walk day and lazy 'doing stuff' day.  Enjoy yours.

Thanks for stopping by to read my blog. Your time and comments are appreciated.

Angela x

Dragon's Lair Designs - New Kit - Francheska

Hello All and welcome back to my crafty blog.

It has been a while since I blogged last and a lot has happened since. Not the  least of which was the death of my lovely mother-in-law Jane. Althought we knew that the day would come, we were not prepared for the sense of loss and the grief. It takes time to find a way back to normality and to get on with things again and I am grateful for the crafty friends and colleagues who have been so patient  and supportive during this time.

It is nice to get back to blogging with the new kit from Dragon's Lair Designs. The new kit is called Franscheska and it is full of those deep and sumptious colours that reflect Autumn and the changes it brings.

The kit launched a couple of days ago and you can check out the link below to take you to the full Francheska collection at Dragon's Lair.
http://stampingdragondesigns.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/francheska-new-collection-launch.html.

My DT piece for the launch is a double page layout using the a backing paper  and some of the embellishments from the kit.

I was inspired to do a double page layout from some articles in magazines I read recently. The double page layout has real impact and decided that the backing paper from the kit is so vibrant that all I needed was to add a photo and some of the contrasting embellishments.

I quite like the result, especially how the Francheska backing paper makes the photo pop.  I am looking forward to working with the new kit on my DT projects in the coming month of November. Lots of ways to use the kit not only digitally as above but with traditional papercrafting too.

Check out the link to the Dragon's Lair Designs on-line shop to see the full range and find us on Facebook to take part in the group and challenges.

Thanks stopping by to read and comment on the blog.  All comments are read and appreciated.

Angela X

Craft For the Craic - August Challenge - A craft Item never used before.

 Hello and welcome to my card-making and craft blog.


My post today is my DT make for the new challenge which started on Friday 1st of August and runs for the month on the  Craft for the Craic challenge Blog.  The theme, as the title suggests, is to use an craft  item never used before. 

I did struggle with this as most of the craft items I buy are opend as soon as purchased. Then I hit on the idea of trying the 'bleach dyeing' fabric technique using some acrylic stamps to apply the images.  This is something I've wanted to try for ages and I had even  bought a couple of cheapie t-shirts ( approx 6€ each) so the expense was not too great if the project failed.

I must point out that not all fabrics are suitable for bleach -dyeing  and can be damaged in the process, so be careful and maybe up-cycle an old t-shirt or buy an inexpensive one to test on. Wash your stamps as soon as you can to prevent any breakdown in the acrylic and dry thoroughly.

You will need:
ordinary bleach
some kitchen roll, folded into a rectangle,
a shallow dish
your chosen stamp
a piece of strong card
to place inside the t-shirt to prevent
he bleach soaking through to the back

Extra items you may want
cotton buds
coloured ink pads with ink
suitable for stamping on  fabric.


To begin, please protect the surface you are working on, as bleach is pretty unforgiving when it spills or splashes (trust me I know).

I used the folded kitchen paper in the shallow dish and soaked in enough bleach to create a 'stamping' pad. Don't make this too wet as you can get drips and smudged images on your fabric.

From a hand-drawn skull image I cut out the negative shape that I used as a mask and made sure to retain the eyes to mask this part of the image and keep it free from bleach.  I should have used stronger card for this, as during the stamping process the copy-paper soaked  in a little extra bleach and some of my stamping is not as sharp as I would have liked.

I was doing well with the stamping when disaster struck. I hit the OPEN bottle of bleach and only caught it after the spill had left a large splodge of bleach on the sleeve left sleeve.I tried to mop it all up quickly, but the bleach was working fast. So I had no choice but to carry on and as a finish I splashed some bleach on the right sleeve. :-)

I used the cotton-buds dipped in bleach to draw the outline of the image to define the shape and dripped and made some splashes Happenstance !  It didn't look too bad.  Sort of grungy, cinco de mayo type of look.  I like it !!

When you are finished, leave the bleach for about 30 mins to dry and neutralise and then you can wash the garment.

The completed article.

You could also use the inks suitable for a sort of second stage stamping to introduce colour into the areas you've bleached . This is what I did with my second attempt with the pale  pink t-shirt.
The second try at the bleach-dyeing with a lighter coloured t-shirt didn't  show up well, so I hunted out some of my ink-pads and checked that the ink was suitable for use on Fabrics.

I used the same stamp to bleach out the  Butterfly image and then stamped the image again with the colours. I treated the images with a couple of colours to see how it looked and the colours seemed blend fine.  When the ink is dry, iron the garment  to set the colour and prevent the colour washing out in the wash. I used an old clean tea-cloth on top to prevent the ink staining the iron.

Colours blending well.

At the    Craft for the Craic  challenge we are looking for your Never Used Before Craft Item  and this was a first for me.  I am definately going to use this technique again to jazz up some tired tops and look around for some stamping ink pads to increase the colours I can stamp on the fabric.  With supervision, this looks like a great art activity for kids.

I hope you give it a go and have some fun.

Remember to pop along to the  Craft for the Craic blog and see the makes from the other DT members. Take time to check out the challenge rules and get crafting and get your entry in.

Thank you for stopping by to visit and read my blog.  Your time and comments a truly appreciated.

Angela x

Craft for the Craic - July Challenge - My Favourite Colours

Hello and welcome to my card-making and crafting blog.

I am posting my DT project mid-month (thanks to Eithne and the other DT members at Craft for the Craic), lots to do work-wise and not enough time.  Seems like an age since I actually made something, so I was so happy to get inky and start crafting again.

The  Craft for the Craic  theme this month is ' My Favourite Colours' and I found it difficult to chose.  I would normally shout 'BLUE' and be happy , but since we have relocated to the lovely Lough Ree in the heart of the Irish midlands, I am facinated with the colours produced by the sun-sets on the lake and the wonderful combinations that nature creates.

My favourite colours seem to change every evening. My card is my attempt to recreate one of these sun-sets.

You're on my mind

This is a 13 x 9 cm note-card with a fold  along the side.  I used a selection of the Tim Holtz 'Ranger Distress' inks to create the blended background making sure to mask off a circle to make the moon.  I tried to mirror the colours, working from the ends of the card and graduating the colours toward to middle. My foreground was created using  a torn paper with a jagged outline and some Vintage Photo distress ink.  My lonely bird stamp is from a Papermania clear stamp set and the sentiment is from Verve stamps ' Heartfelt Thoughts'.  Not bad for restarting my crafting!

So now it's over to you. Please pop into the   Craft for the Craic challenge blog and see the wonderful DT projects to inspire you and get your entry in.  It is important to check out the challenge blog rules and make sure your entry complys. 

So Good luck with the challenge and I look forward to seeing your entries.

Thanks for taking the time to stop by and read my blog. Please leave a comment , I love hearing from you.

Angela x

New Challenge at Craft for the Craic - Something Summery or with Flowers

Hello and welcome to my cardmaking and crafting blog..


My post today is my new DT project for the new challenge starting this morning at Craft for the Craic  and our theme  this time is **Summery / Flowery**.   A great challenge with lots of scope for creativity.

I have chosen the Summery project.

 I wanted to create a beach scene to get some sunshine in to my day, as there seems to be precious little of it about.

My card base is a white 5x5 tent fold card with a smaller square of blue card matted to the front.  I added some torn strips of cream paper with distressed edges, to represent the beach and a third strip of white paper, torn roughly, to represent the surf.  My Surf boards were stamped on to some coloured paper and adhered to the front of the card. I then created some flip-flops using a stamp from the same stamp-set of Stamps of Life clear stamp set. I then added the much needed sunshine , die sut from a Nellie Snellen die to complete the card.

Surf's Up

Pop along to the Craft for the Craic Challenge Blog to see the DT projects that will inspire. They are a talented bunch.  And when inspired, join in !

Over to you now.  Get crafting and get your entry in. Don't forget to check out the challenge rules and link your entry back to the blog.

Thanks for stopping by to read and comment.  Your time is appreciated and comments welcome.

Good Luck !!

Angela x

Stolen Moments for Crafting

Good morning Crafters and welcome to my Blog.

As the title of the blog states  I am stealing a few moments from whatever important housework thing I should be doing, to blog and post about things crafty.  Shameful, I know but it is either blogging / crafting or sorting washing, matching socks or hoovering. I guess you can see what has come put on top.

I am posting today about the current obsession with making my own backing papers with the help of my Photoshop photo-editing software.

That great source of information and teaching tool that is Youtube has been a great help with improving my Photoshop skills. A little bit of digging and searching comes up trumps when you find the right (and simple) tutorial to help with the 'How To's .

I have to confess that finding our how to create seamless patterns and designs in Photoshop has turned into a bit of a craze for me. I keep coming up with new ideas and combinations to try out and it keeps me entertained for hours. Or until my conscience kicks in and I empty the dishwasher or fold the ironing.  :-)

Here are couple of test 12 x 12 backing papers I had a go at today. I've started with Gingham  and Check patterns and trying out some colour combinations I've selected from photos we've taken.  The eye-dropper tool allows you to select pin-points of colour and create large blocks of the chosen for use as you please.

Roggenburg Tartan

Pink Gingham

Blue Red Yellow Check

Based  on how pleased I am with this test I will be continuing with the creative Photoshop process a bit more.

For now  I suppose I should get on with some housework.  Thank you for stopping by to read my blog and visit. Your time and comments are always appreciated.

Wishing you a great day today.

Angela x

New DT Spot - New Challenge- Craft for the Craic

Hello and welcome to my crafty blog.

Today my post is about my new DT spot at Craft for the Craic a blog for local Irish crafters to join in and show off the local talent. I am delighted to be part of this team as I have recently returned to Ireland from 25 years working and living abroad and I was keen to get involved with crafting in Ireland.  Looking forward to my time as part of the DT and being inspired by the clever talented members of the group.

Thank you to Craft for the Craic for allowing me to be part of this great team!



The latest challenge, starting today, at  Craft for the Craic is 'Something Suitable for Baby'

I chose to make a card using some freebie backing papers from Scrapbook Magazine, a LOTV stamp and organza ribbon from my stash.

The base is a  5 x 5 tent fold card with a matted yellow gingham background decorated with some yellow organza ribbon. The image is coloured with Copics and framed with a Lea'bilities die-cut frame. The sentiment is from a Fiskar's clear stamp set 'Baby'. 

So now it is over to you! Pop along to the blog to be inspired by the DT makes and join in. We would  love to see your entries for our Something Suitable for Baby challenge, just make sure you read and comply with the rules before you submit your entry.  Good Luck to all who enter the Craft for the Craic  challenge.


Thanks for stopping by and reading my blog. Your time and comments are appreciated.

Angela x