WOYWW #597: Journal page and this and that

We're well within reach of #600 of WOYWW! Can you believe that Julia's crafty blog hop has been running for almost 600 weeks?! That's 11.5 years in old money. This must be some kind of record, for sure! Here's this week's obligatory desk shot from me. 

I was in the process of working on this journal spread. I actually contemplated leaving it as just a background - there's no law that says you have to complete each and every page, but I still went ahead and added a few more bits and bobs, incorporating some of my gelli prints, washi tapes and other elements. While I don't love the entire spread as a whole, there are some areas I quite like, so I took some close-ups of those as well. 

Apart from this spread, I played a bit more with alcohol inks and stencils I stuck one of my gelli prints on a little container that I had saved from the recycling box:

I just want to show you one more thing: we had a canvas print delivered yesterday to go above the fireplace. We'd been looking for years for something suitable - the right size, the right image - you wouldn't believe how difficult it was to find something that all of us could live with. (My own art is relegated to my own areas LOL!) I wanted something abstract, while my husband insisted on a "real" thing that we have a connection to. In the end we settled on this scene in Utah - my hub's been there and stood next to that rock. It adds a bit of colour to our otherwise neutral interior and who doesn't like sunsets?  Yeah, I can live with it. Oreo just casually walked into the shot while I was taking the photo this morning. Perfect timing!

What have you been up to this week? Let us know and link up with WOYWW! 

WOYWW #596: More gelli prints, grids and a journal page!

I'm still on a creative high following all the inspiration in previous weeks. I literally can't stop creating! So, I'd better get down to business and show you my desk for WOYWW and all the makes that poured out of me in the past week. Starting with my desk, I'm still hooked on gelli printing with alcohol inks, inspired by Birgit Koopsen. This time, I used my 6X6" gelli plate with a new stencil I picked up on Amazon that was a perfect fit. 

Here are my prints, pulled with copper and gold acrylics, which gives them a lovely shimmer. The second photo is a simple mop-up of my stencil on deli paper and the third was an experiment on Yupo, but not a gelli print.

I also developed a crush on washi tapes so I had to get some new ones to add to my collection and also acquired this drawer unit to store them (I think I saw it on Sarah's blog first and have been coveting one ever since!):  

On top of this unit, there's a new grid project on the left and I made another two after that! This is such a fun way of creating, I have to keep making them! It was originally inspired by Laly Mille, but I think I managed to put my own stamp on it. Here are the three squares I created - they're all on my gelli print clean-up-sheets just on ordinary printer paper, which I then attached to some cardstock:

And if that's not enough, I've also made a journal page - or rather finished one that I had started some time ago. My alcohol prints came in handy! (That's a picture of Catherine of Aragon as a child, by the way)

Cat news: I had to break up a confrontation between Oreo and the neighbour's black cat who invaded his patch. They were staring at each other making that stupid noise they do just before a showdown. I stood right next to Oreo and negotiated with the invader, who reluctantly and veeeryyy slowly moved away, admitting defeat. I hope he won't be back for a good while - or perhaps ever if he was sufficiently traumatised by the experience.  I locked Oreo in the house for a couple of hours just to be safe before letting him out again. There hasn't been any problems since, but I'm on the look-out! Nobody messes with Oreo - he's under my protection! I hope the message got through! He posed for a portrait for me this morning:

That's it for today! Thanks for your visit. I look forward to visiting as many desks as I can today and during the course of the week. Happy #596!

WOYWW #595: Tablet, Squares, Grids and More Gelli Prints

Hello dear Deskers! I've got loads to show you today, so I'll cut to the chase. My deskshot was actually taken last week before I set out to work on my new projects, but I wanted to show you my new toy - call it an early Christmas present! 

I bought a Fire HD 8 tablet on Prime Day for just £44.99! - it was an impulse purchase and I never realised how much I needed one! It will not replace my well-loved 10 year-old Kindle, but it's so much more than an e-reader! I can finally follow artists on Instagram (the app never worked on my phone); I can use Zoom (will be joining the Crop!); I can watch videos on the exercise bike (otherwise I would get bored out of my wits pedalling away for hours); and I can play games as well. OK, so I got a little hooked on the Harry Potter Puzzles and Spells game - it's great just don't spend any money on boosters!

Also on my desk, some new alcohol inks. I played a little over the weekend with the same stencil I did last time. Here are the fresh prints (the colours used were denim, cranberry, rust and patina) and I also realised I get nice results if I pull them with a metallic paint like gold or copper instead of white! 

Now onto my main projects this past week: I took part part in Laly Mille's Artist Soul Retreat free workshop. It was fun seeing some of you in the FB group! The first workshop taught us how to make an inspiration journal, kind of like a mood board, gathering elements that inspire us. These are just temporary arrangements that keep changing as you remove and add bits with masking tape. I will definitely continue with this practice as I found it very useful. Here's my first spread:

Then in the second workshop we used our elements to create abstract landscapes. Mine don't actually look like landscapes, but I was still very happy with them. I might have another go at this as it was a such an enjoyable process. 

The third workshop prompted us to create a canvas with a grid. This was my first time working in grids and it was an real eye opener! I will definitely use this technique more often! 

I was so inspired by this method that I ended up creating something similar on a piece of scrap paper - it was just a piece of my gelli print clean up sheet, ordinary copy paper. I started playing with it and before I could stop myself, I  ended up with this:

Just don't ask what "Zimbabwe leather products" have to do with this - I only used that postage stamp for the visuals LOL! So there you have it - a very creative week indeed - and I feel so energised and inspired! Just before I go, here's a photo of Oreo I took yesterday - I think he looks so funny with that expectation on his face "Let me in"! Of course, I let him in straight after taking this photo!

That's it folks - hope to see you around! If I can't visit everyone back today, I'll do so during the course of the week. Happy WOYWW everyone and don't forget the virtual crop on December 5th! 

Finally one that I can easily attend! 

WOYWW #594: Gelli prints with alcohol inks

 Another Wednesday, another WOYWW! Inching closer and closer to #600! I'll try not to miss it! Here's a snapshot of my desk during a frenzied gelli printing session - with alcohol inks! It was all triggered by a video I saw on Instagram by Birgit Koopsen, Queen of Gelli printing. Since then I've found the longer YouTube video as well for those of you who are interested. Careful though, it comes with an addiction warning! As soon as I saw this, I had to drop everything and try it immediately! Yes, I'm that crazy!

The results were deliciously unpredictable and grungy! I only had two colours to play with (Ranger's butterscotch and stream), but I've ordered some more! The stencil I used is from Stamperia (Azulejos tiles) and just the right size for my 8X10 plate. Here are some of the results I got - I was swooning over them and will be using these sheets in all sorts of projects - some time in the future, I'm sure. 

I've also tried another stencil (I think it's from Clarity) that produced some nice impressionist effects

 as well. In fact, I liked it so much I stuck it on a canvas and hung it in my bedroom! 

I've moved all my art books from my craft room into my bedroom as that's where I like to read and they have a calming effect on me. This freed up some valuable space on my shelves in the craft room for other things. That little corner with the fairy lights looks quite magical at night! 

Autumn has definitely arrived and I enjoy watching how the leaves turn colour, sometimes in the space of just a few days! Here's photo of our mountain ash tree that looks particularly pretty in autumn colours. That white spot there further up the plot is where my potting shed is going to be. Just waiting for it be delivered now! A bit too late in the season, but hopefully I can still use it to overwinter some potted plants that would have a hard time outside if we have a harsh winter. 

Thank you for all your lovely comments last week. I think I managed to get back to everyone, albeit rather late. I might be a bit late this week as well, but I'll make sure to catch up later!  Happy #594 and it looks like I managed to snatch the lucky #13 spot on the list this week!  

WOYWW #593: Even more LB tasters

The LifeBook Tasters continued last week, and indeed they were extended until the end of this week! I have completed another 4 projects, but I only have one desk shot this time for WOYWW. And this was taken after I had cleared some stuff away last weekend!

Without further ado, I'll just list the projects I managed to complete in the last week. It was a lovely experience to work a bit more intensively and with instructions, though I didn't always follow them entirely. Still, the inspiration was there all the way, which I'm very grateful for, and for all the inspiration within the FB group as well. It was so interesting to see different interpretations of the same lessons. I can't commit myself to a whole year of LifeBook, but I've certainly enjoyed these two weeks of intensive sessions. Hope there will be a repeat next year! 

Paint over collage with Pia Rom

Affirmations with Alena Hennessy

Word altar with Galia Alena

Journal page with Tiare Smith

Well, that's all I have time for today, but I'll be visiting soon! 

Happy #593!

PS. I've set my blog to accept non-Google comments, hoping I won't get a load of spam!

WOYWW #592: LB taster sessions continue...

Hello again, three weeks in a row on WOYWW - this must be some kind of record for me these days! I've been a busy bee working on several projects inspired by the free LifeBook Taster Sessions. I actually have a desk shot for each project - hard to believe my desk was (sort of) cleared just last week! I've made a collage of my desk shots for your viewing pleasure! 

Here are the lessons I've worked on - four of them at last count. They were supposed to be quickies, so didn't require too much time. I had loads of fun working on them and shared all of them in the FB group. I don't hang out on FB much these days but when we're working on the same projects, it's nice to see how other people interpret the same prompts. 

How is that for short and sweet today? Just one more photo to share to remind us all of the summer - I took this photo back in August on my way to town to do some shopping - when it's dry I can walk across the fields all the way from my house on a public footpath! I probably won't be able to do that again until late Spring, unless we have a dry winter. 

Happy October and happy WOYWW! xx