What's on my work desk today?

A mess that's for sure!

 I have signed up for a mail art swap (envelope) on Cardmaking Paradise Forum

of which I am a member.

After having a conversation with emails whizzing backwards and forwards 

with this lovely lady, 
I was inspired by her work and ideas.  I haven't seen her finished envelopes but I do know that she made her envelopes

  I have been trying different (safe) methods - then went for the
reckless one!  Making my own envelope from scratch, as Susanne had.
I took an old used envelope and carefully pulled it apart then made a cardboard template - before playing with this huge sheet of thick paper!

 I haven't had as much fun since I ran a playgroup when my sons were little!

I dolloped some random colours including gold over the surface.

Then mixed them all up!  I have already cut a piece and made one envelope 

and have these left.

(click to enlarge)

 

 To be absolutely truthful - I just love them

And under the light - which is hard to see - the gold looks amazing

 And I want to cut up the rest into sheets

Or pages - and just keep them in a book - or make them into 

book covers or journal covers.

Who would have thought that those few random blobs of paint

swirled around in time to the music playing on my cd player

would creat these.  They look different depending on which way I turn them

and I can get lots of sheets/pages out of the big piece - which a chunk of wallpaper lining!

Mad woman - you don't have to tell me - I know - but at my age I can be!

WARNING!

When I am an old woman I shall wear purple
With a red hat which doesn't go, and doesn't suit me.
And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves
And satin sandals, and say we've no money for butter.

I shall sit down on the pavement when I'm tired
And gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells
And run my stick along the public railings
And make up for the sobriety of my youth.

I shall go out in my slippers in the rain
And pick the flowers in other peoples' gardens
And learn to spit.

You can wear terrible shirts and grow more fat
And eat three pounds of sausages at a go
Or only bread and pickles for a week
And hoard pens and pencils and beermats and things in boxes.

But now we must have clothes that keep us dry
And pay our rent and not swear in the street
And set a good example for the children.
We must have friends to dinner and read the papers.

But maybe I ought to practice a little now?
So people who know me are not too shocked and surprised
When suddenly I am old, and start to wear purple.

by Jenny Joseph

Mail Art

I seem to be getting my 'mojo' bac which has been in hibernation for too long.  So long, that I thought it had gone all together!

Just being on my own in the garden studio - looking out onto the chooks running around, the autumn leaves blowing off the trees - and yes the rain too - is very calming - no distractions.

Hmm - does this look a too  bright?  Might be the scanner

This one done on a different scanner is truer to the colours I think - or somewhere in between.

I am putting them up on cork boards in here - it certainly brightens up the room - and for once it is my own work - not other folks.  I have those on other boards.

Thank you for visiting - time for lunch

P.S.

Looking at it with .new eyes. this morning on here, I think ti needs a quote or something to break up the big expanse of space

Mail Art

I am just going to experiment with mail art.  

I have always fancied having a go, so yesterday tried it out on a big yellow padded envelope which I am sending to a friend.  

 It rather spoils the look with a label on it - but I am hoping that once she receives it she will slap on a piece of paper over the label, or paint over it in white.

Sadly the village post office has been closed for two days in a row.  We might lose it altogether and the owner retired and a buyer 'fell through' but they have had a temp in there ad hoc!

Studio Cabin Makeover

Well my studio has had a make over at last! 

I have wanted to do it for years!

Since Mr Lottie's serious illness it really made me see things differently, and now that he is on the mend I am going to start enjoying life and spending more time in my studio - which I decided I would brighten up with a Makeover.

 I took these photos in the pouring rain

It's brighter in real life and on a sunny day!

It is my haven - and heated so that I can use it all winter.  It got rather neglected for the past couple of years a Mr L was so ill - but now it has a new lease of life - just like he does - and I am going to make the most of both!

I had a wonderful time creating arty crafty things, reading, 

gazing out of my window watching the chickens - who all seemed to skidaddle when they saw the camera! - or maybe it was the heavy rain.

I took the opportunity of chatting to a lovely forum friend on the phone - a perfect day!

Postcard swap on UK Stampers

I am rather enjoying the post card swaps on UK Stampers forum - they can be quite addictive.

This month the challenge is 'Blue and Birds'

I found some old stamps that hadn't seen daylight so decided to give them a go

These are cling on stamps and I found that the lines were a bit too thick for my liking

But I painted the images, and tries to blur the lines a bit with Gesso, and I painted in blossome and flower heads that were not on the stamp to soften the effect.

I might have another go at this theme if I get time - but for now I am experimenting with mail art for another swap - this time on Cardmaking Paradise

What a great way to spend an afternoon

I haven't been able to go to my flower arranging afternoons once and month for ages, and ages, and ages, - but I did so yesterday.

I was only there an hour or so, but did manage to make a table top arrangement - the other ladies were making great big dangling arrangements suitable for displaying in church

This is how it looked when I brought it home but today the roses have opened out and you can hardly ee any foliage - and it looks just gorgeous.

I don't plan to miss any more of the flower arranging monthly get togethers if I can help it!

You just can't beat the smell of fresh foliage, and flowers to put a smile on your face

More texture pages

More experimental pages for my texture reference book.

It's just one of the forum projects going on at Cardmaking Paradise   see the link in the  post below.

 

I got my inspiration for this whilst looking out my garden studio window

on a dull wet grim sort of day.

 

 I cast my mind back to autumn last year with the bare vines of the ivy clinging to the birch trees

The leaves are starting to fall after the cold snap these past few nights, and I have mixed in some frosty wintery sparkle - and the wistful vintage girl printed on a perspex 'window' in the woods.

So somehow the challenge of using texture paste on a page - I seem to have turned into a Narnia type dream

And my 'texture paste' alas wasn't the posh art one - but a £! pot of unamed all purpose filler in a hardware shop!

The texture pages being created on the forum by members are so colourful and  beautiful - I just wish I didn't have a weird imagination and could just create the way they do - without it having to 'be' something pictorial.

Apparently it is all due to what sort of brain you have - honestly I was told that by a professional!

I happen to see things in pictures in my brain - tasks, problems, mathematical things - you name it I visualise it!  Tsk!