CB The Months Challenge - October + Sept & Aug

It's a while since I posted here, with the last two entries for this challenge being quickly posted to Instagram at the last minute. I do have the videos for the last three months so I will include those and images below in this post. I got out of the swing of posting and publishing videos after having the flu and taking weeks to recover. Thanks goodness that is gone now!

This first one is The Craft Barn October challenge for The Months.

I have been creating two pages throughout the year, one for the Northern Hemisphere, as in the poem, and then writing my own couplet for the Southern Hemisphere. When I search for a pheasant, one of our native New Zealand birds, the weka, came up so I included that in my second page.

Here

This piece was inspired by the prompts for Viva Las Vegas Stamps May Challenge.

The theme was - everything comes 'round so the idea was to include round stamps and elements. I first stamps with the VLV stamp, Doodle Circle ( 19823) I really must make a list of my VLV stamps as I have to look them up on my order every time!!
I was very excited to try my new Paper Artsy Infusion which my daughter just brought back for me from the UK. I used In the Navy and Sleight Blue which are both colours in the newer ranger.. I then added some stamping with script and compass stamps - which lead to the word 'Here'.
I also added some doodling, some of which I wasn't very happy and so tried to cover with gesso. Turned out it smudged - which I did like! I finished it off with some thread, stick down with gessoed, circle drywall tape.

Unicycle Dream

This piece has been created for Viva Las Vegas Stamps Monthly Challenge for April.

The challenge as usual involves using at least one VLV stamp and to be inspired by the prompts and image given. This month they prompts were: words like SPRING! flowers, doodles, buds, whimsical, patterns, checkerboard, stars, wings, Mary Vogel Lozinak, banners, green, teal, white, black.

I first gessoed a piece of card and then thought there was too much gesso on the card and so placed another piece of card on top to remove some. This left an interesting speckled effect which I really liked and so decided to use this. I applying watercolour which has a shimmery mica type effect, knowing that the gesso would create a resist. The colours are very subtle but just as I wanted.

I have used images and text from Mary Vogel Lozinak Plate 1383 and Writing Circles Background, which I turned into flowers. All these were stamped on tissue and then stuck onto the image with matt medium.

Be An Adventurer

Again, this is for Viva Las Vegas Stamps March challenge,  twilight & dusk, the northern lights, dancing and twinkling stars, silhouettes and trees.

I has two new tissue papers, one very bold stripes and the other a gold swirl pattern. I started with the bold paper and then added gesso. The next layer was pieces of the second tissue.

The stars were added with texture paste through a stencil and then embossing powder added on top. This was a precise way to add the gold powder but I was still happy with the outcome. Once this dried, I stamped the VLV stars. These are turning out to be a very well used stamp!

The trees stamps are by Crafty Individuals and the sentiment stamp is another VLV stamp - both stamped on tissue and then added with matte medium.

Stars & Heart

This page was created for Viva Las Vegas March Challenge. Some of the inspirations were twilight & dusk, the northern lights, dancing and twinkling stars.

I started using Distress Markers sprayed with water to create a light wash effect. As I knew this would move I sprayed it with a fixative. The drips and splatters were made with Golden fluid acrylics. I then stamped two VLV stamps - the stars and heart The heart did not stand out as much as I wanted so I went over this with a Derwent Inktense pencil and activated with water. I hand stitched the muslin with embroidery thread, dabbed with the leftover paint and then added Golden mica medium. The stars have been dotted with Golden Glass Bead Gel.

I had no sentiment in mind so finished with some journaling.

Love - Believe

This card has been created for Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - Young At Heart.

I started by wetting Reeves Acrylic paper and then applying colour from Inktense Blocks. At this stage I really didn't like how it was turning out but with the addition of the stamping and the hearts, matching the border colour, it came together.
I edged the craft card base with bronze Sharpie and added the words - now I like it.

Today

After my last post, I had really enjoyed the colour combination of the pink and orange as per the Paper Artsy Challenge. The sewn circles by Jane LaFazio reminded me of art I have done with my class in the past, and thought we could extend this this by including some sewing.
I had intended this to be a two page spread in my small home made journal, but in the end the pages became separate and did not really connect with each other.
They are having to be one entry for this challenge though. It's late on Sunday night and I only have time for one blog post!

Explore, Dream, Discover

This is another piece inspired by Our Mixed Media Moods by DeeDee Catron & Jenn Engle. I love what they do in their art and have finally been brave enough to film a short clip of myself creating. I wasn't brave enough to speak yet, but it's start.
We know how these challenges often overlap and I found that what I created also fitted perfectly with the latest Paper Artsy challenge, Pink & Orange. Traditionally we probably wouldn't put these colours together but in art they look amazing and I loved this piece and the colour combination is sure to appear again. I was especially drawn to the boldness of the Dina Wakley piece, but also the subtleness of Elise Engh's feathers, as posted on the PA blog.

Here is Our MMM inspiration board. My inspiration came from the cloours, top left, and the roses, botton middle.

Spread Your WIngs

This piece is for the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge.

I started the background with various shades of blue using Inktense blocks and then covered them with Golden High Flow in Iridescent Pearl.
I stamped using a a cloud stamp but it was too subtle so changed to a honeycomb stamps with SSS Hybrid in Audrey Blue and used this around the edges as well.
The bird is from Crafty Individuals and was stamped onto tissue and applied with Mod Podge Paper, then coloured with Sakura Gelli Roll pens. A simple ATC sized piece that I may use on a card as some stage.

PASC January

This is my journal page #PASC0117 and ATC #PASCACT0117 created in response to the Pick a Stick Challenge for January. 
The idea is to follow the prompts in order to create a mixed media piece of art.

1. My photos are roses, taken in my garden this week. The stems of the flowers are actually photos of tomato plants also growing in my garden at the moment. The leaves are sweetpeas, which were in bloom just before Christmas.

2. I used a black marker to make a simple border.

3. The map is on the outside of my extension flap.

4. My random words are written along the top edges of the leaves.

5. I used some sewing thread that ends up under the word 'bloom'.

6. A number stamp adds interest to the background.

7. I added a folding flap to the right side of the page.

8. Little wooden hearts and stars are stuck on with craft-card hearts and flowers.

9. Instant coffee was used to stamp circles.

10. A piece of lace is also under the word 'bloom'.

I didn't add much extra apart from a little more background stamping and the word.

The ATC challenge takes 3 of the original prompts to me used int eh small piece of are which is approximately 6 cm x 9 cm (2.5 x 3.5 inches).

1. The extension is acetate sprayed with homemade alcohol glimmery sprays which were then stamped and edged with black marker, then attached with washi tape.

2. The lace is a doily on the card. This was coloured with Gelatos and highlighted with a gold gel pen.The background also has a napkin with quite a lacy pattern. 

3. I made am embellishment using circles of a map, coloured with Gelatos and highlighted with Inktense pencils, attached with a staple and paperclip.

VLV Stamps January

I have recently received a Pound o' Rubber from Viva Las Vegas Stamps so I think it is time to entry their monthly challenge, now that I do have a number of their stamps. Looking at the prompts on the monthly challenge post I immediately thought of one of the very first geli prints I did about 18 months ago. I had used weeds and some ferns from my garden, and while I liked the impression they created, the paint I had used had been very thick and I wasn't sure about the texture it has created. But for this challenge it seemed that it would work.

I used Harlequin Diamond Background and Standard Alphabet & Numbers in the background.

The butterfly came in my Pound o' Rubber. I believe it is Tribal Butterfly Outline. I went though several layers adding colour and then toning it down again before I was reasonably happy that it worked on the background.