Pencil drawings

Helloo there:)

Thought i would show some of my drawings that I'm learning at the mo, when i was at school i loved art but i could never draw faces, so one of my missions was to learn and recently i've joined a mixed media art group called motleysoulmixedmedia and they do online course so i've joined the face2face workshop and you can learn to draw different types of faces and poses, so without further a do here are my attempts................

this was my first attempt.....which i was very pleased with!

this is my latest attempt, she does look alot better in real life!

second attempt, needs a bit more work..... 

this is my first 3/4 profile she turned out very fairy like for some reason....

and this was fourth attempt, she's looks a bit cheeky to me :0)

Well hopefully i will do some journaling and other crafting bits soon but just at the mo i'm struggling sitting and working, as i'm a bit poorly at the mo,  but at least with drawing i can sit comfy and doodle away...happy dayz :)
 (sorry the pics are not in order but Blogger has decided they should be in this order for me lol!)

take care, thanks for looking
Elx 

.....Painting paint brushes!.....

Hello everyone :).......

Just wanted to share with you my painted paint brushes before one of them flies of to America where it will hang on Donna Downey's Wall in her new studio. So i thought i would use my favourite colours and my favourite stamp, with wings and glitter...it doesn't seem to be showing up on the pictures, but thats probably my wonderful photography lol.

 Ok, so i've ready had the mick taken out of me from Gareth and my best buddy Val.....they think i've lost the plot,  as i don't receive anything back, but i just like the idea of a bit of my work hanging on a wall in North Carolina, and since i hate travelling i can't ever see myself going to see it, so i made 2! both the same but one will hang on my wall and the other will be on the other side of the pond.....the smaller one is going to America and Gareth donated the other brush for me to decorate...

Thanks for looking 

Take care

Elx

Poppies....

                      Hellooo, hope you are well.......:)

I've just finished my second canvas and i thought i would share it with you, as i'm quite impressed with myself!! of course i've had a little help from a download i got from Donna Downeys which guide you through the process but i have drawn the grungy poppies :)

I have used watercolors on canvas! this can be done by using a product called absorbent ground, i used the neocolor water-soluble wax pastels which are fabby....i need to but a tin on my birthday list as they are not cheap but are worth every penny!!

For the background i used an old dictionary to give it some texture and then have stenciled around the edge of the canvas just to give it an effect, the stencil used is by crafters workshop. 

the canvas is a 14x14

stencil and paint blobs

Thanks for looking, take care
Elx

Been doodling around again

Hellooo:)

Hope you are all well. Wanted to blog my latest journaling pages. I learnt to draw faces when i took a journaling class with Lindsay Mason a couple of years ago, and then recently i've had the erge to do them.....for whatever reason i don't know, any-hoow this is what i've done:-

 This is my first attempt at a face, i decided to do cats eyes for a change, (thought it was a bit quirky) and anyone who knows me, know i love pinks and glitter, so i went for the whole hog on this one!

this one i've named Cher and is my favourite out of the 2, she says,"Life beats you down and crushes the soul, Art reminds you that you have one..." For the head i've done some zentangle patterns, this is to represent what goes on in my head....worrying i know lol!

Thanks for looking
Take care
Elx

Oodles of Doodles!.....

Hello :0)


I'd thought i would post these pictures I've done recently on here as I have a great response from a group I'm in on Facebook called Art journaling for women, I was truly overwhelmed at the  response I had to one of my pages. I've discovered a name for doodling - Zentangle - I'm not too sure how i came across it but when i saw this i thought wow, i've gotta have a go at this,( i had already was doing it without even realizing it!). So i bought a book called Totally Tangled by Sandy Steen Bartholomew, i know at the time i felt a bit stale with my doodling and needed some inspirational ideas and this book has really helped me. Anyhoow here is what i came up with....

This is the first one I did, i got the idea of the pattern from the book  i've mentioned it was nice and easy  to start with....

this is the 3rd one i've made, this is for Gareth as he is going to his first TT on the  Isle of Man this year (motorbike racing)

this is my second one i did. I posted this on the art for journaling  page for women on Facebook, I couldn't believe the response i had, especially as i wasn't too sure if i liked it in the end...but in the end i did :0)

Well that's it for now, hope you have liked what you have seen, thank you for looking :0)
take care
 Elx

Pom Pom Canvas......

Hellooo :0)

Thought I would show my latest creation, although it's not my creation as I have made it with the help of a download from Donna Downey. My Mum had bought me this canvas last year for my birthday and it had been sitting around every since wondering what to do with it (it's 14x18 in size)  I wanted it to be right the first time, and then through Facebook i found Donna and i really liked her style and when i saw you could download a canvas the old grey matter went into overdrive. I picked this one as i love the colours and i keep being drawn towards teal at the mo so i thought perfecto.....

the background is covered with strips of muslin, to give it a texture and the flowers are made from pom  poms.....it had been years since i made a pom pom, i didn't even know now you can buy a pom pom maker!  but i used the cereal box method instead lol :0)

Pom Poms!! 

I used Sir Tim tissue tape where she had used masking tape and my pom poms aren't as pom pomy as hers...if you know what i mean...;0)

Thanks for looking

take care 

Elx

If you want to fly........

Hello :0)


Thought I would show you some of my journaling pages I've been making. Every since I saw Dyan Reavely at the Nec over 12 months ago I thought I've deffinetly got to give this ago. Lindsay Mason was the first person to introduce me to it, but I didn't quite get it somehow and it was nothing to do with Lindsay, I think it was just the way I was at the time.


Soo anyhoow this is what i've done......(sorry for not cropping the first 2)

This was my second page i did in my moleskin journal.  I got the phrase from Yoko Ono, of all people....I don't know her personally by the way ;0) but i follow her on twitter it says," it's always advisable to always keep your head empty so a wind can pass through" I'm not too keen on how the writing came out but you live and learn! the steam punk image I got of the net and then used my pastels over him to give it a quirky look, the cogs are out of an old watch and I just thought it carried on the steam punk thing. I did draw the cloud of wind onto the page....quite impressed with myself there! then i doodled around the edges to frame it. 

This was my third  page i did using stamped images. The background colours i did by using pastels and blended them together. I then used black and white acrylic paint for the circles using bottles top and credit cards for the lines. I then highlighted the leaves and doodled around the page. 

this is the first page to my journal book. I wanted to create something  a bit different and  quirky. I've used downloads for this page and wrote out the sayings myself , the background and wording I've used ink sprays and just fiddled about and then added some material on that i found for texture (thank you Mum)

This stampotique stamp is one of my newest and favourites I think... I apologies for the swearing and hope I haven't upset anybody, but it was just how i was feeling that day and my little chappy match me as well.
The background i did by finger painting using acrylic paint. I've sprayed a piece of paper and then wrote the down the wording, this saying came from Kelly Osbourne as i also follow her on twitter too!
 I have a little book that I write down sayings that i've seen or read  and then flick through it when i do a bit of journaling.  

This one is work in progress at the mo.....
The colours in the background are mainly bits of left over inks that I've mopped up with my journal ...can't let it go to waste! which i thought looks very delicate, so i went along the theme of Paris and dreams.
The writing isn't finished yet as it needs more work on it, I've also glued a bit of lace at the bottom of the page which I've coloured with some spray inks.
it says," a dream you dream alone is only a dream. A dream you dream together is reality" I'm sure where i am going with this yet i think the writing is wrong but i shall fiddle about with it.
 I've just discovered a lady through Facebook  from America called Donna Downey and her journaling is about textures and things, which i thought looked great :0)....need to give this a whirl....:0)


Thanks for looking, take care 
Elx

Scrapbooking.......

Hello :0)


Just wanted to share with you a scrapbook I made for my best buddy Val, as part of her birthday present. A couple of years ago she lost her dog and I wanted to make her a little scrapbook to remember the good times she and her son Connor had together with Lenny, as they where only together for a short time, so here it is.....

I stamped a paw print, anyone who has received a card from me will recognize this stamp;) and then used alcohol inks on the acrylic heart. I used a Tim Holtz swivel clasps to attach it to the side, I've also put a Chinese good luck coin and attached a letter L for Lenny  

                               
                            Here I've attached bits of ribbons on and a love heart key


I was so pleased when she said there was a photo that I had used and she had lost it.....due to the lovely world of technology!! 


I've used an acrylic shaped bone, that I bought on QVC some years back and the covered it the textured core paper and then sanded it to reveal the lighter colour (good job Val wasn't in the room as sanding goes right through her!), I then used vintage photo ink around the edges. The chipboard letters and
embellishments also got a touch of the vintage photo ink too. I choose the colours of the paper as they were the colours of Lenny...who was a gentle giant and is sadly missed by all


Thank you for looking 
Take care 
Elx 

Daring Cardmakers Challenge - 'The Hat Boutique'

Hello :0)

On my... thought I would join another challenge that I saw on Gez's blog...think I'm going a bit crazy challenge this week! lol The challenge was to create something with a hat, here is what they said:- 

"This week is Zuzana here. With the more warm and sunshine weather I came up with idea to open 'The Hat Boutique'. 

I would like to see a hat on your cards : straw, cowboy, top, vintage, wedding, winter, baseball cap ...
It's completely up to you what colour and kind you prefer :0)" 

It  says "spread your wings and fly" sorry it came out a bit blurry or is it my beer goggles!!

I used the Octopode stamp - Alice in wonderland and drew a crown on her using a book page, the Dylusion inks where used for the colours....need to get some more ..don't tell Gareth ;0) the new range looks fabuloos! she does look a bit flushed in the face (pink), but she doesn't look like that...I promise x

Thanks for looking
Take care
Elx

Stampotique Designers Challenge-oodles of doodles!

Hello :0)

The Stampotique Designers Challenge this week is called Oodles of doodles by Kaz. I've always thought about doing one but never got round to it somehow.  I've never done one before and  never really entered anything like this, so I thought I would give it a whirl :-s. So here you go :-

One of my favourite Stampotique stamps 

Doodle around the edges

I've used dylusion ink sprays and doodle round the edges and added small groups of dots of 3 (which you can't really see!) Well I now need to link this up with Stampotique and Facebook....which is a challenge in it self!!;0) Haha

Thanks for looking, take care 

Elx

Letterpress

Hello :0)

Just thought I would show you my new little toys! I've just done the Tim Holtz online class, which by the way was fabuloos!  and he was saying about to surround yourself with things to inspire you and he showed some of his letterpress's. So I've been on the hunt and have found a couple, these are old adverts that I thought were kinda funky and I thought I might be able to use them somewhere along the lines!

The large one I had to nail onto a piece of wood as these are heavy metal. I then stamped the images, I used some distress stains and inks to make them look old and glued the images onto the wood.. The large one, Gor-Ray skirts was published on the 1 Oct 1985, unfortunately I don't know when the others were used, but the harpic one has old money written on it, so I'm guessing it was the sixties?

I've got one or two more bits and bobs, much to Gareth's delight! he keeps wondering what the house is going to start to look like haha....

Thanks for looking, take care
Elx

Configuration Xmas box

 Hello :)

 I'd thought I would show a configuration box I've made for Xmas that lights up. I did kinda of get the idea of Sir Tim last year, I remembered seeing a picture of a configuration box that he made in a class, but when I looked for it I couldn't find it. I kept thinking about it all last year. So I got my bits and bobs together mainly from my Mum, who is an egg crafter at heart and I found the things she found too big for her eggs are just the right size for a configuration box, I actually bought the box from Lindsay Mason last year and it had been sat in my craft room looking at me....saying when are you going to use me ;0) or is that my mind going more loopy.....
The big Christmas tree I bought in a pound shop near Christmas and I thought it would look great in my box and especially as is lights up....how cool would this be!!
I did make a sacrifice....I did cut up some of the Tim Holtz paper, but I did console myself into thinking it's for me so I get to see it all the time lol!!

Christmas configuration box

the large Christmas tree lights up :0)

the sacrilege made, but well worth it ;0)

The other day I was nosing on Twitter and looking at Mario's Rossi BTS (behind the scene) and I notice that he had taken some pictures of the staff bleaching Chirstmas trees....I thought great minds think alike...I wish! but they did look very similar to mine but I'm sure they look better. I used some snow paste to anchor my tree in as it had a horrible plastic base....it twinkles with the light on:)

Thanks for looking and I hope you have liked what you have seen
Take care
Elx

 

Tweet tweet

Hello

I just thought I would post some pictures of what I've been upto lately, which to be honest not a lot! I've been recovering from surgery so I've gone and done bits when I can. Lately I've been trying something different this is the bird box I've been working on

I stamped over 100 wings and cut out each and everyone of them....yes I did have cramp in my hands at the end of it!
I've used Dyan's Dylusion stamps, all the flowers and birds have been cut out and I have painted them using comic shimmers paints, unfortunately you cannot see the shimmer on the box.:(

I hope you have enjoyed looking
take care
Elx