Masculine Grunge #1

Hello everyone and welcome to my blog.

I hope, wherever you are, that you are experiencing some lovely weather.  Adelaide has been cold and overcast for weeks but, today, we finally have some sun!!  It's still pretty cold though so all I can say is "Bring on the summer"!!!!

OK, down to business  ... I have another card to share with you.  A very masculine and quite 'grungy' card as my title suggests.
I distressed all the edges with my Ingvild Bolme Distressy Tool and inked them with 'Gathered Twigs' Distress Ink.

 A bit of Heather Jacob influence here I think, but still with my own stamp on it!!  If you don't know Heather (Can't really imagine that, but) HERE is the link to her blog if you'd like to take a look!!  You won't be sorry, as she creates the most gorgeous and inspiring projects!  Looooveeee her work!!
The papers used are from Prima's 'Engraver' Collection.  The tickets were fussy cut from the papers then I crumpled them a little, inked the edges and slipped them in between the layers.

Used a spatula to add some 'Clear Rock Candy' Distress Crackle and, when that was dry, I went over it with 'Gathered Twigs' Distress Ink to bring out the cracks.  I then just used my finger to swipe some gesso around the edge.  I love how the gesso also 'cracked' when it dried.

Used the same technique on the belly band as you can see.  I've had the metal key and the clock in my stash for a little while and am not sure where I got those but I really love that key.  Was a bit sorry to use it as it is the only one I have but sometimes you just have to bite the bullet don't you??

Here's another closie of the 'crackle' effect.  I really love it and you'll be seeing a lot more of this in my work!!!

Decorated the inside with wide bands of the paper which were border punched with the 'Optic Dot' Punch by Martha Stewart.  Then I added a bit more texture with Tim Holtz 'Latticework' Stencil and 'Frayed Burlap' Distress Ink and, again, wiped a little gesso around the edge on one side.

A different view ... lying down ...

... and standing up!!

This is the first of two 'grungy' masculine cards I created.   The second is similar to this but of course a bit different as well and I will show you that one further down the track.

Thank you so much for visiting today and I do hope you enjoy the rest of your day.

Take care and God Bless.

Positivity Journal Page & Tag

Hello everyone and welcome to my blog.

I'm sitting here at my computer listening to the rain outside.  Love that sound, especially because I'm lucky enough to be sitting in a nice warm house.  Just wish everyone was as blessed.

I have another PJ to share with you today.  No, No, not pyjamas, hehe!!  Just a Positivity Journal page.

The background was created using some watered down red acrylic paint along with 'Black Soot' and 'Broken China' Distress Inks.  Once it was dry it was stamped with Kaisercraft's 'Arty' Stamp and then I randomly added some 'Clear Rock Candy' Distress Crackle Paint.

Added some strips of washi tape to the side and that cute little die is the 'Loopy
Rings' from Memory Box.  Doodled around a few of the Loops with a white gel pen for a bit of added interest.

The clock was fussy cut from Prima's 'Engraver' papers and the Die Cut is from Kaisercraft.  

Here is a better look at the 'crackle'.  Love the effect you get on the paper.

I've also completed another tag for this Journal.

Again, this is a fairly simple tag as they can't be too dimensional or they won't fit into the pockets.

The tag was cut from a scrap of  Prima's 'Ledger Pad' papers.

Added a couple of scraps from Kaisercraft's 'Art of Life' 6 x 6 Pad and stenciled the background with Tim Holtz's Burlap Stencil and 'Walnut Stain' Distress Ink ...

... and fussy cut the Sunflowers and the labels from G45's 'French Country' 8 x 8 Paper Pad.

So now I have finished page 5 of my Journal and the 4th of my tags.  Only 5 more pages and 11 tags to go.  Just as well I'm not in a hurry for these, LOL!!

Thank you so much for visiting and, perhaps, for leaving a little comment!!  I hope you enjoy the rest of your day.
Take care and God Bless.

Sharing the Happiness at Our Creative Corner

Hello everyone and welcome to my blog.

I have been keeping a little secret for the last couple of weeks and now I can finally tell you all about it.  I was invited by my lovely friend Astrid Maclean to be a Guest Designer for her Challenge at Our Creative Corner.  Just imagine my excitement!!  I was over the moon!  Thank you so much Astrid for giving me this wonderful opportunity and thanks also go to Laura Bomber for her support.
This Challenge is about creating a project using home made flowers and hand dyed ribbon.  

So, because this is a Guest Design spot, I cannot, of course, show you the complete project but I can give you a little sneak  peek ...

... for the complete reveal, you will have to visit Our Creative Corner.  HERE!!

Sneaky huh???  Yep!!  That's why they call it a sneak peek!!  LOL!!

Really hope you'll take the time to go over there to have a look and I'd also love it, of course, if you could leave a little comment. While you're there, why not check out the full details of the Challenge and enter!!  There are some amazing prizes to be won!!

Thank you so much for visiting and I do hope you enjoy the rest of your day.
Take care and God Bless.
oxox Marg

Page 4 - Positivity Journal

Hello everyone I hope you've all had a lovely weekend.  Shame that it's nearly over.

Sorry it's been a bit quiet on my blog but I have been quite busy in the background and soon I'll be able to share a little secret I've been keeping.   No clues, no hints, you'll just have to be patient for a few more days.  Sorry!!!  (I'm not really sorry, just wanted to peak your interest!!  LOL!)

In the meantime I thought I would share the next page for my Positivity Journal.  I did show you all a little peek at this a few days ago now here is the full reveal.

 As with the other pages, the background was created with Distress Inks.  The colours used are Broken China, Chipped Sapphire and Walnut Stain.  The splats were created with Walnut Stain re-inker.  To be truthful, I had a little accident.  While re-inking the stamp pad a couple of drops ended up on the page.  Thought it was ruined at first but then I added a couple more and it worked out fine!!  Whew!!  Sometimes you can be lucky.  hehe!!   

 I created the 'tree' using a free stamp from the 'Get Stamping' Magazine and some flower soft in 'Citrus Crush'.  The background stamp is the 'Crackle' stamp from Kaisercraft.

 The quote and key are Kaisercraft die cuts, and the clock and gear were  made from some free printable images.

 The circles were created by dipping a bottle top in to some gesso and also Chipped Sapphire Distress Ink.

 Just a closie of the background.  I love that you can still see some of the pattern on the paper that I've used.
Adds some extra detail I feel. 

And another page completed!!  

Thank you so much for visiting and enjoy the rest of the weekend.  What little is left of it anyway.

Take care and God Bless.

oxox Marg

My Solution?? for CSI Case File #128

Hello my lovely visitors and welcome to my blog.

Meg's Garden is one of the sponsors over at CSI for the month of June and a few of our DT girls are Guest Detectives.  As I don't Scrapbook, I could not take part, but I decided to use the Case File to create a project of my own. 

This is the current Case File ...

... to see the full details, find it HERE.

For this case I decided to create a double Art Journal page.

 I first laid down some scraps of  Meg's Garden 'Correspondence' papers and sprayed directly onto the page with 'Sugar Plum Fairy' Glimmer Mist.  

I will leave a list of Meg's Garden Products at the end of this post.

I then scrunched up a paper towel, sprayed it with 'Afraid of the Dark' Glimmer Mist and pounced it around the page.  I also used this technique with more of the 'Sugar Plum Fairy'.  I absolutely love the textured look you end up with from using this method to apply the colour.  It's so soft and pretty.  You get a better idea of what I mean in this photo.

 My bit of green is on this gorgeous image which is from the 'Vintage Ladies Microscope Art Sheet''.  I also brushed some 'Sugar Plum Fairy' around the edges of the paper strips and added some splats for a bit more definition although most of that got covered over.  Used some Kaisercraft Background and Border Stamps with Memento Tuxedo Black and also used the same ink to create some more splats around the page.  Added a little texture with TCW's Mini Tile Stencil and some home made texture paste.

 My bit of pale blue is on the 'Vintage Trinkets' which were firstly swiped with gesso and then brushed with some Lindy's Stamp Gang Starburst Spray in 'Whale Watch Blue'.  

 I love that heart stamp.  It was a freeby that came with a crafting magazine.  The clock and the clock hands were cut from the 'Old World  Time' Transparency Sheet.

 The background on this page was created exactly the same way.  Same papers, same colours, same stamps.  Here though I've added a butterfly cut from the 'More Butterflies' Transparency Sheet, and the Oval Trinket was brushed with a mix of gesso and Viva Precious Metal Colour in 'Olive'.

Here is a closie of the butterfly and you can see more detail of the background too.

 Another clock hand also cut from the 'Old World Time' Transparency sheets.  Meg does stock metal clock hands in the shop too but, unfortunately, I didn't have any on hand.   

 With these Case Files you have to use all the 'Colours', at least two items from the 'Evidence' and at least one item from the 'Testimony'.

 Well, I have used all the 'Colours' although perhaps not in the right shades but I totally got caught up in the moment when creating these pages that I completely forgot about the Evidence and the Testimony.    It is pure luck that I actually have metal and a flower on my pages which does cover the 'Evidence' but this was certainly not planned.  There is definitely no 'Testimony'. 

Just as well I wasn't in on the GD spot isn't it??  Totally went off the rails, but I so enjoyed creating this and I am so happy with the result.  Hope you like it too.

Products from Meg's Garden:

Correspondence Mini Paper Pack

Vintage Ladies Microscope Art Sheet

Vintage Brad - Blue

Vintage Trinkets - Filigree Flower,  Filigree Oval, Filigree Strip

Transparencies - Old World Time, More Butterflies

Why not go and take a look at all the yummy goodies Meg stocks in her shop.  You can find it HERE.

To take a look at the Meg's Garden Blog and the awesome creations from the other members of the Team please click HERE.

Thank you so much for visiting.  I do hope you enjoy the rest of your day,

Take care and God Bless

oxox Marg

A Blog Hop with a Difference!!

Hello my lovely visitors and welcome!!

Last week I was so thrilled and honoured to be asked by my sweet friend Heather Jacob to take part  in a Blog Hop with a Difference.  The difference with this Hop is that the posts  are not all done at the same time.  They are spread apart and as it progresses the tour spreads out to encompass more and more crafty blogs.  Each of us has to answer some questions about our creative life and then tag 3 more of our crafty friends to carry on the Tour the following week.   As you can imagine, this is going to become HUGE!!
To visit Heather's Blog CLICK HERE.  Believe me, you will be awed and inspired by her work.  She is an amazing artist and a beautiful soul as well.  I have come to know her on a personal level and feel so very blessed that I can call her my friend.

So, to the questions ...
What am I Working on at the Moment?
Right now I am working on some Design Team projects for Meg's Garden and 2Crafty Chipboard but, unfortunately, of course, I can't really show you those.  I can though, show you a couple of pages I am currently working on for my Positivity Journal.

These are coming together a little slowly but I only work on them when I'm in the mood and there is nothing else I need to do.

When and how did I start Paper Crafting?
For as long as I can remember (and that length of time changes from day to day,  LOL!) I've always been creative in one way or another.  I used to sketch, I've knitted and crocheted.  I've sewn and made clothes for myself and my children.   I've also done embroidery, ribbon embroidery and cross stitch.   Each of these crafts though fell by the wayside when I discovered paper craft.  The cross stitch and embroidery are the most recent but those I had to give up because of my eyesight.
This is the last cross stitch piece I was working on.

Every once in a while I'll do a little more,  but I can't do it for too long because my sight just goes fuzzy even with my glasses on.
Some years ago, my niece started sending us cards which she created digitally on her computer.  I loved them so much more than the store bought variety and thought "I could do that."   I think I printed only about 2 cards when I decided it wasn't enough, there must be more I can do with this, so I started searching on the net, found some blogs (Luckily for me Heather's was one of them), and that was the beginning of my paper crafting journey.   As you can imagine, my style has changed quite a bit over the last few years.
This is the first card I made for my youngest son in 2007 (I cringe a little when I look at these now) ...

 ... and here is the one I made for him last year.

A feminine card made in 2007 ,,,

... and one I made not long ago.

I think my makes are a little more 'grown up' now and I have to thank the paper crafting community on the net for that.  I have learned so much from visiting other people's blogs and seeing what they do and how they do it.  You guys out there are so generous with the way you share your processes and techniques, it is awesome!!  Thank you!!  Thank you!! Thank you!!  I hope that in my own little ways I have contributed to that too.  This sharing of ideas is also one of  the reasons why I will be doing this till the day I die or at least till I am not able to do it any more.  Before, when crafting, there really wasn't any way to share it with anyone except family and close friends.  But now, with Blogger and Facebook and Pinterest, we can share the things we create with the whole World.  We can ask questions when we have a problem with our crafting and we can share experiences with others who also love doing what we do.   We can get ideas  that we may never have thought of ourselves and we make friends with people who we may never meet but who become a part of our lives just the same.  I really, really loooveeee this Scrap Booking and Card Making Community!!!!  Mwah!!!  

What do I like to make and How does my Creative Process Work?
I have never really thought about my processes before and, I have to admit, I don't really think I have a specific process.  My main love is making cards and they are usually created for a specific person so that persons' likes and dislikes have a great influence on the type of card I make for them.  I might begin with the style of card, or the colour I want to use or even with a flower or particular embellishment.  It seems to change from piece to piece.   I have also, of course, made quite a number of cards for no specific person or reason but  simply because I was in the mood to create or because I wanted to try a particular style or technique.  Here is one such card.

I love the look of torn and curled paper and this is one of the cards I made whilst experimenting.
Now that I'm thinking of it though, my Art Journaling always starts with colour.  I might want to try a certain colour combination to see how it looks or I've seen one somewhere that I really like so I want to try that for myself.  So, I experiment and. if I like the background I've laid down, I'll keep it for future pages.  Sometimes my pages come together really quickly but other times it may take days or even weeks before I know what I want to do next.  I never glue anything down until all the embellishments and all the bits and bobs are assembled and placed just the way I want them.
Here is a background that's been patiently waiting to be finished for a while now.  Still not sure what I'm going to do with it ...

 ... and here is my favourite Art Journal page!

I love the colours and also just love how those butterflies turned out.
As well as cards and Art Journal pages I also make Mini Albums and have created and decorated a number of boxes and off the page projects.
As an example, this is my latest box ... a Caddy for my Art Journal and supplies.

How do I stay inspired?  Firstly, because I absolutely LOVE paper crafting.  It satisfies a need I have in my heart to be creative and it satisfies that need extremely well.  Secondly, I stay inspired through the Paper Crafting Community.  I think there are times when we all get a little disheartened.  When the juices just don't seem to want to flow.  I've seen a good number of posts where people have said they've lost their 'mojo' and don't know how to get it back.  I've lost my 'mojo' a few times too, but when that happens I visit some blogs and take a look at what everyone else is doing and usually there will be something out there that peaks my interest and gets the creative juices flowing again.  So, once more, I say thank you to all you wonderful paper crafters who share your gorgeous works!!!

Where do I do my Crafting?
I first started this hobby in 2007 and I would sit at the breakfast table and everything crafty that I owned at the time was kept in a large craft bag.  Now though, I would certainly need more than one craft bag to hold my stash so I am really lucky to have a dedicated crafty space with a bit of storage.  It's not huge and it's not fancy but it is just right for me.  When our sons left home we converted one of the spare bedrooms into an office.  My husband and I each have our own computers and our oldest son's ex-bedroom had a desk and bookcase which covered all of one wall, so this was the perfect place for us.  Now though, my craft space has taken over quite a bit of this room. My hubby complains that he is now only allowed one little corner but I just tell him he should be grateful I've left him that much and, at least, we are still in the same room together.  LOL!  Here's a few piccies.  I apologize because it looks a bit messy but I assure you it gets a lot worse than this.  A LOT worse!!!
I originally sat at the black desk to do my work but found I was standing up more than I was sitting down and kept getting terrible backaches. But now ...

 ... I have this awesome stand up work table that my hubby built for me.  He's not really happy with it but I love it!!   So much better for me now that I can stand up comfortably and I have the old desk top where I can have my sewing machine and cuttlebug set up permanently instead of having to drag them out of the cupboard each time I need them.

My puppies like my desk too because they sleep in their basket underneath when I'm there being creative.  If you look closely I think you can just barely make out there is a little dog in there.

So now I will pass the baton over to these lovely ladies who will be posting their contributions to this Hop on the 30th June.

Kerry-Jean Watson lives in Adelaide, South Australia and is a very talented young woman who has a vast range of interests.  She is on the Meg's Garden Design Team and has also done a Guest Design spot for Imaginarium Designs and for Australian Scrapbook for their on-line blog.  Her eye for colour and composition is amazing.  She creates  the most beautiful and elegant pieces and has also now turned her hand to designing stunning paper lines for Meg's Garden.  Find her blog HERE.

Adriana Bolzon also lives in Adelaide and is a wife and mother.  Another very talented woman who is on the Design Teams for Meg's Garden, Kaisercraft, Couture Creations and has been published in various crafting magazines.  Her Scrapbook pages and cards are full of colour and vibrancy and she also creates the most brilliant and unique Decor items.  Find her blog HERE.

Helen Tilbury lives in South Africa and is also a wife and mother.  She is on the Design Teams for 2Crafty Chipboard, 7 Dots Studio, Inkido and Scrap Magazine.  She has also been published and is the owner of the Scrap Around the World Challenge Blog.  This amazing artist has a gorgeous arty style and she uses lots of gesso and paints and inks in her work.  Her creations are rich in colour and detail and the most amazing textures.  Find her blog HERE.

Each of these gorgeous women are super talented and never fail to inspire me.  I do hope you will pop over to each of their blogs to have a look.  I am sure you will be fascinated and inspired.

Thank you so much for visiting.  I hope you have enjoyed reading about the creative side of my life and that you will continue the journey as this Blog Hop progresses.
Enjoy the rest of your day.  Take care and God Bless.
oxox Marg