Featured on ScrappeHuset!

This week I am the featured guest artist on the ScrappeHuset blog in Norway, yay!! Don't worry if you don't speak or read Norwegian, there's a translate button LOL! 

When Torill of ScrappeHuset first asked me if I would be the featured artist, I decided to make an art journal page, and took several step-by-step photos of how I created it. So if you fancy a peek have a look here!

Byeee enjoy the rest of the weekend :-)

And the winner is .....

Thanks so much to everyone who entered my 1,000 followers celebratory give-away. After deleting duplicate comments there were still 216 entries, wow! I used random.org to select a winner and the winner is ..... Inger of Scrappemys blog.

Inger wrote:

Congratulations with 1.000+ followers:)
I would like to celebrate with you.
I love your blog and your art is amazing c",)
Thanks for the chance to win:)
*Hugs, Inger*


Well done Inger. This pile of goodies will be heading your way as soon as you let me have your postal address. Please e-mail me (address in my sidebar):

Yesterday I taught another fun class at Art from the Heart - a class on creating inky backgrounds using Dylusions spray inks, for tags and greetings cards. We used lots of Stampotique stamps too. Lots of fun, and very messy! Here's a few snapshots of the day:

Proud smiles from Clare and Ruth

Gorgeous works in progress by Ingrid

Donna getting inky ...

Liz's luscious artworks in progress

Just look at the concentration here!

A very focussed Janine (oh those Stampotique figures can be tricky to cut out!)

More concentration ... and a lot of mess!

That's it from me. It's Saturday night and the Chardonnay is calling .......!

Byeeeee

A colour challenge!

Quizer and Mervynboy by Daniel Torrente

Splatter long and Abstract Foliage by Jo Capper-Sandon

Sentiment by Carol's Collection

for Stampotique Originals

Dylusions ink sprays in Crushed Grape and Bubblegum Pink

It's the Stampotique Designers Challenge time, and this time Nellie has set us a colour chllenge. I just LOVE a colour challenge!

Here's what Nellie has to say:

I picked a color combination that I really love to work with - pink, purple and black. It’s as simple as that! So go get your Stampotique stamps out and have fun with this challenge.

For this challenge I decided to make a mini-tag concertina book inspired by the wonderful Dina Wakley (who just so happens to be the guest designer for Stampotique this month!)

I used some of the *new* stamps by Daniel Torrente - These gorgeous little boys are small and cute in an ugly kind of way LOL!

I also used some of my favourites by Jo Capper-Sandon to add a bit of texture to my background. Abstract Foliage is my latest must-have for building up a background :-)

I used some of the gorgeous *new* Dylusions ink sprays to make my background. These are now part of the collection for Ranger and will be in at Art from the Heart at the end of February so you haven't got long to wait! YAY!!

So have some inky fun and join us on this wonderful colour challenge. Have a look at the Stampotique Designers Challenge blog here for all the details - you may even win a $30 Stampotique gift certificate for entering the challenge!

Thanks soooo much to you all who left me a lovely comment on my previous post. You have until Saturday to enter my give-away if you haven't done so already. Byeeee for now ...

1,000 followers Give-Away!!

1,000 followers!! Who would have thought it?! When I started my blog back in November 2008 I couldn't imagine that anyone would look at it. How would they find it? How would they even know it was there? But here we are 1,000 followers and 346 blog posts later! If you want to look at my first ever blog post you can find it here and you will see that the stuff I was doing back then was very different to what I am doing now. It's been an amazing 3 1/2 years .... blogging has opened up a whole new world and I have met and been inspired by some amazing artists out there in cyber-space.  I have traded art with many of you ... ATCs, postcards, journal pages ... you name it, I've traded it!

Because I have also been able to share the art that I create I have been contacted by several magazine editors and had my art published in some fabulous publications including Craft Stamper UK, Scrap 365 UK,  Somerset Art Journaling, Somerset Apprentice, Artful Blogging, Somerset Studio and Stampers Sampler. I am also fortunate to be on two great Design Teams - Dylusions and Stampotique. To say that this has been an honour is an understatement. 

I am overwhelmed to have you all here visiting my blog and I am always very grateful for your comments and feedback. I read and appreciate all of your comments .. although sadly I don't always have time to return the visit :-(( 

To reach 1,000 followers feels like a huge milestone and I cannot help but feel an overwhelming sense of achievement. Thank you all soooooo much. As my little way of saying thank you I am giving away the bundle in the photo above, and all you have to do is leave me a comment on THIS POST. I don't usually insist on rules for a blog give-away but as this is to celebrate followers I would like to thank my loyal followers, so please be a follower to enter this draw. In one week's time (Saturday 25th February) I will pick one lucky winner using random.org

EDIT: This give away has now finished.

Here's what you might win:

'Bits of this' much-awaited newly released fabulous stamp set by Dylusions

Office essentials date stamp - essential for all art journalers!

My fave circles stencil by Crafters Workshop (can't live without a circles stencil!)

A5 Moleskine Sketchbook (perfect for journaling)

Don't forget, you've got to be in it to win it, so leave me a comment below and feel free to share the details on blogs, facebook etc!

OK, onto other things .... This month I am delighted to have an article published in Scrap 365 (UK), the fabulous new scrapbooking magazine by Traplet publications (a sister publication to Craft Stamper). Although I am not technically a scrapbooker (way too messy LOL!) the boundaries between Scrapbooking and journaling are becoming a little blurred, there is definitely some overlap. I can't you show you the full article due to copyright but here are a couple of sneak peeks: 

For more details about Scrap 365 have a look here.

And finally, today I taught a class at Art from the Heart in Harrogate UK, all about art journal backgrounds to a lovely, (ALTHOUGH VERY MESSY!) group. Have a look at them all in action:

Gabrielle and Jolene in the foreground, getting deliciously messy!

Gill and Gill in action

These gorgeous backgrounds were created by Colleen

Thanks for a great day girls!

Byee for now.......

Stampotique blog hop!

Blessed Skellie and Scalloped Lace Border by Roc Nicholas

Welcome to the Stampotique Blog Hop, introducing a new artist as well as many stamps from the other artists (Woop Woop! We all love a bit of new rubber!!) You should have started your blog hop at the Stampotique Designer's blog and arrived here from Vicki.

Join us along the hop for a chance to win some new stamps, as a random winner will be chosen from one of the designer blogs as well as one from our Stampotique blog, so be sure to jump through the hop and leave a comment back at the Stampotique Designers blog when you are finished. Let us know what your favourite new stamps are! The winners will be announced on 22nd Feb so you have a week to hop around. 

There is a new kid on the block! Roc Nicholas is the newest designer to join the Stampotique artists. Roc was one of my first on-line art buddies so I am delighted to see her designing for Stampotique :-)  You will see that I used her Blessed Skellie and Scalloped border to create my journal page above.

There's loads of new images to choose from including this fab new door by Daniel Torrente. There's so many uses for this one but I thought it would make a great (if a little wonky!) notebook:

Picture Door by Daniel Torrente

To continue the hop you need to go to Joanne's blog here. Happy hopping everyone!

On a final note, thank you all so much for your many comments recently, you all make me 

:-)))))) And I couldn't help but notice that I have made to over 1,000 followers WOOHOOO!! Thank you all so much I am delighted that you are all here with me. Watch this space at the weekend for a special celebratory give-away ....... 

Journal Play

Inks by Dylusions for Ranger

Border by Tumblefish Studio

I've been playing in my large A4 (12x8") Moleskine journal recently. This is a page using one of my hand-drawn angels which is all about my OCD tendencies, especially when trying to leave the house. (I'm not the only one am I?!) I have to really really fight the urge to check everything about 10 times when I am going out of the house, and this is made a lot worse if I am in a rush, such as trying to get the kids to school and get to work. Now, I don't want you to worry about me (!!) I usually forget about it as I drive out of the village. 

Only once have I had to come from work to check hahahaha!!

This is what it looked like before I journaled all over the page:

And a few close-ups of the splatty background:

Here's a very quick page about mindless optimism. Don't get me wrong, my glass is usually half-full, but sometimes you have to accept that not everything is going to be OK:

Inks by Dylusions for Ranger

At the weekend I spent the day at my fave place, Art from the Heart, playing with the fabulous new Dylusions inks, stencils and stamps woohoo!

Inks and stamps by Dylusions for Ranger

They are currently on their way over from USA but you can see the full collection here. You want them, you know you do ......!!

Tweet tweet

Images by Nancy Baumiller - Crowabout Studio B

There seems to be a bird theme going on with this post...... I started this page in my large A4 (12x8") Moleksine journal a little while ago. I LOVE this sweet birdie by Nancy B :-) At the time I wasn't sure what to add to the page, but then sometimes you just need a good splurge to empty all the junk out of your head.

And look, I made a couple more of these little guys:

Inspired by Anne Ellis in Cloth, Paper, Scissors (Jan/Feb 2012)

The flock is  growing ..... but it's not big enough yet ..... I need more ........ I'm still adding to it.......

I'm very excited to see that I'm working up to 1,000 followers!! WOOHOO! Fantastic, thanks to you all so much for being here :-)) I'm collecting bits and pieces for a special 1000 give-away ... so keep watching this space.

And finally, if you are participating in the calendar challenge, well done to you all for being so well prepared and posting your Feb pages. Over 100 of you again yay! I'm slowly getting round to visiting you all.

Byee for now ....

Stampotique Challenge time!

Corie by Janet Klein

Text Stars by Jo Capper-Sandon

There's  a new challenge over on the Stampotique Designers Challenge blog today. Kim has challenged us to CASE  ... and that means Copy And Steal Everything! I decided to copy and steal something off the very talented Willie, as this card really caught my eye when Willie first posted it on her blog, and also because it took me a little out of my comfort zone ... it's very different to my usual style.

I have discovered whilst doing this challenge that it is actually much harder than you think to copy and steal something! But it's also a lot of fun at the same time. Have a look here for all the details and come and join in the fun (you might just win a $30 gift certificate if you do!)

Craft Stamper in the shops today!

The latest edition of Craft Stamper (UK) is in the shops today including an article by me, called stamping for scrapbookers. Yeah, yeah, I know I'm not really a scrapbooker - far too messy LOL! But there is a real crossover between scrapbooking and art journaling these days, the boundaries are becoming a little blurred ..... Needless to say, I managed to get very inky creating my page and had a lot of fun along the way. Only a couple of sneak peeks allowed due to copyright .... if you want to see more you'll have to hotfoot it to the shops :-) The free cover stamp this month is a fabulous castle stamp by the one and only Octopode, and you know you really want that!

Just wanted to say I am blown away by how many people have linked up their calendar pages already this month, and so impressed that so many of you were ready on time!! You are all FANTASTIC!! I will get you round to you all eventually but please be patient - there's a lot of blog hopping to be done :-))

Byeee for now.....