Review of the Year 2010

As 2010 draws to a close, it's time for a look back over my crafting year.

It's been a different year. A year of coming together, of things falling into place & making sense. A year of quality not quantity.

Art Journal
I have thoroughly enjoyed developing my altered book art journal; incorporating past projects, playing with colour, texture & new products. My favourite layout is this one.


Maybe because it's the most recent one or because it resulted from a creative workshop in which I gained the confidence to draw or because my oil pastels finally got put to good use.

I only have one set of pages left to fill, so early in the New Year I will need to find a new source of inspiration ...

Altered Art
My favourite project is my altered frame . It took time & patience to complete. It used some of my favourite papers & created the perfect setting for my steampunk Twinchie.


Altered Media
I really enjoy altering unwanted CDs (or more accurately DVDs). I have surprised myself in choosing my favourite. The Valentine decoration is pink & fluffy ... not really me!


Matchboxes
Something new for this year is altering matchboxes. I love the small scale & the challenge of working three dimensionally.

I can't choose a favourite, so click here to see them all.

Inchies
Inchies played a large part of my crafting again this year. The Inchie Alphabet has to be my favourite.


To see a slideshow of this set, please click here.

Digital Art
With one of my favourite colour schemes, this digital collage easily wins it's place in my heart.

Greeting Cards
I have always struggled when making cards to give to my friends & family. I suppose it's to do with the internal struggle of making something to please someone else, rather than creating to please myself. Does that sound selfish? Anyway, so earlier this year I gave up the battle, being happy to buy them instead.

Of those I did make, my favourite is this Easter card.


I love the combination of colours & the shape of the bunny. I liked it so much, I altered a cd into a hanging decoration, so I could have the bunny on display over the Easter period.


Scrapbooking
I didn't realise how little scrapping I had done this year! With only one layout


& one project to show.


Mandala
My Winter Snowflake mandala currently decorates my work space. It sparkles as the light catches the gems & glitter, brightening the dark Winter days.

Shabby Snowman

A quick card inspired by a Christmas project on the Shabby Princess blog. 

I also used papers from a Christmas kit from a few years ago.

Both the project & the papers were free to download

& can be used for personal use only.

I decoupaged the snowman image, using Pinflair's Glue Gel to create dimension.

Art Journal: Strength

I have been continuing to work on my art journal. This time, I took the work I did for Tam's workshop. The original project can be seen here.

I cut the text page up so it would fit nicely on the page, but the portrait was just the wrong size. To remedy this, I scanned the original, then reduced in size before printing out a copy on white card. I tore the edges to give it a white border.


So to the background pages. I wanted to match the colouring of the original watercolour project. The base pages had already been coated with gesso & a wash of blue paint. To this I added Eco Green Crafts paints (Orchid, Rose & White) & a little purple acrylic paint.


I stamped the butterfly image from Eco Green Crafts Garden Chic recycled rubber art stamp set, using Distress Ink (dusty concord) & also splashed a little diluted ink over the surfaces.


To tone the colours down & to give a more dreamy effect, I used oil pastels (Pale Blue, Pale Orange & White), blending with my fingers. Perfect!


I printed out letters to spell the word strength & added Glossy Accents to the butterfly.


I printed out two butterflies (original image from Dover, with the colour altered to match the project). I muted the printed colour using the white oil pastel. I used one butterfly as the page tab.


To finish, I added three old buttons.


I love the mixture of textures, materials & how they blend together.

Art Journal: Believe

This week I revisited a past project,

a journal page created on watercolour paper entitled Believe,

as I wanted to add it to my altered book Art Journal.

The background pages already had a coat of clear gesso applied.

I added colour using Eco Green Crafts acrylic paints

(Pistachio, Tide Pool, Waterfall & White).

Whilst the paint was still wet, I sprinkled Perfect Pearls

(Blue Patina & Green Patina)

& splashed some diluted Distress Ink over the top

(broken china).

To finish I stamped a dot border on some of the page edges using white ink.

You can see the border in this photograph going across the top of the page.

I cut my journal page up & used a strong wet glue

to adhered the pieces onto the painted background.

One advantage of using an altered book as the basis of an art journal,

is that you can incorporate found words into your layout.

The two I found on this page are creative & imagine.

Before I covered the pages in gesso,

these two words were protected with a coating of drawing gum.

Once the final covering of gesso, paints & inks are completed & dried,

the found words are revealed by removing the protective gum layer.

Those of you who are frequent visitors will know that these words

together with the name of the original piece, Believe,

form my artistic motto,

Imagine Believe Create.

I have had this blank page layout ready for work for over two years.

Moral of the story ... take time, do not rush & everything will fall into place.

I love the varying textures, from the gritty gesso base,

torn paper to the glossy dewdrops; the layering of materials,

with some original words still peeping through

coats of gesso, paints, inks & powders;

the blend of colours of watery blues & greens.

Please click on the photographs to see more detail.

For the finishing touch I added a few more dewdrops to tie the two projects together.

Believe that the world is good
That peace will conquer turmoil

Believe that you will succeed
That faith will see you through

Believe in true love
That hope will never end

Believe in yourself
That you will be all you want to be

Believe in all that is kind & good
That is wholesome, pure & true

The Pumpkin Race

This is my inchie for the challenge over on the Small World of Inchies blog*, where the theme is Funny Halloween.


I used an image from Dover, reduced in size to fit my inchie, printed & cut out. I added Glossy Accents to the pumpkin.

The background is a scrap left over from another project & the words are torn from an old dictionary.


* This challenge blog is no longer in existence.

Winter Snowflakes

My project this week is inspired by the beauty of snowflakes.

I took an old cd, covered it both sides in paper by Two Peas in a Bucket,

then decoupaged a mandala image from Dover into seven separate layers.

I used Silver Stickles, Clear Rock Candy Distress Stickles

& a clear stardust Sakura pen to add icy twinkly highlights

& finished with clear gems.

I punched a hole through the top, using a Crop-a-dile

& threaded through organza ribbon to make a loop,

so it can hang near my craft desk this Winter.

Remembrance

11 o'clock in the morning on 11th November each year,

we take time to remember those lost in conflict ...

This is an altered cd, to hang on my desk during this week,

leading up to 11/11 & Remembrance Sunday.

The old cd was covered front & back with black paper & the edges sanded.

I made eleven poppy petals torn from red mulberry paper

& inked the edges with Archival Ink (Jet Black).

I stamped the word Remember on the bottom petal, using a phrase stamp by 7 gypsies.

The centre is an old black button, threaded with black cord.

I used the same cord through a hole punched in the top to create the hanging loop.

The knots symbolise that we should never forget ...

Be Inspired

Inspired by Tam's whimsy style, today I created Paper Daisy.

I altered an old cd into an inspirational hanging decoration for my desk.

I used papers from Two Peas in a Bucket to cover the cd,

& to create the decoupage layers of the girl.

The clouds were cut from an old dictionary,

again taking inspiration from Tam's latest video, Fly Free.

The back of the decoration, left quite plain.

Strength

Beautiful faces have been appearing all over the internet, thanks to Tam & her online video on how to create one.


I used white acrylic paint & watercolour pencils to create the background & colour the portrait.

I used Distress Inks (dusty concord, milled lavender & tattered rose) to stamp the images which were from Crafty Individuals (butterfly, text background & corner stamp).


Here is the completed layout.


I thoroughly enjoyed the whole process & am so pleased with the finished layout. Thank you Tam.

The Art of Patience

This inchie completes my current set of inchies
made for the Inchy by Inch challenges.

Fiona has been giving us a word prompt each week
& the word to inspire us this week is
Patience.


The white mountboard inch base was
covered with paper from an old dictionary.
The shadow girl image is from Dover Publications -
more intricate cutting out!

I did add a quotation from St Francis to the girl image,
but once printed out, the words have become illegible.

"Have patience with all things,
but chiefly have patience with yourself.
Do not lose courage
in considering your own imperfections
but instantly set about remedying them -
every day begin the task anew"

Saint Francis de Sales


The inchie was mounted on Papermania backing paper
& the wording & paper flower added.


Here is the complete set.