Turning 'Hmmmm' to 'WOO!' - A Simple Fix & GIVEAWAY!

Hey there, you little sparkler you!

The sun's at it again - blue skies, warm air, insects EVERYWHERE! Summer's definitely well-and-truly here. The Colonel's just come in having flash-fried his bad-ass self in the garden again. He's quite happy. And hot. Toasty kitty!

AAAAAAAAAAAAnyhoo....remember yesterday's stress page? Twitchy birdy with all his stritchy-scratcyness? Well, you've all been completely gorgeous and wonderful, but you know when you have a page in your book that's just........ Hmmm... One of those pages that you're really never going to be sure about? Well, this was such a page. I don't HATE it or anything...it's just.....blah, sitting in a book that I'm otherwise mostly happy with. Soooooo I decided to be proactive and DO a thing with it - and, VOILA!

It's now a book! Well, why not I say! It wasn't going to stay in the sketchbook and it would have been shoved in a box somewere 'til I chopped it up for some project or other, so might as well make it into something useful - and you know, I really, REALLY like it now!  Just shows you that nothing's a failure...with some determination and a little creativity anything can become a jolly part of a happy collection! I took plenty of pics so here we go:

It's a simple two-signature pamphlet stitch book, using pretty pink waxed linen thread with beaded dangles that hang below the spine so that when the book's open it will lie nice and flat.  I chose a mix of glass beads and Tibetan silver charms that would complement the splooshy colours. The colours do so very much make me happy!

I used a piece of ribbon from my mum's sewing box, threaded through the spine to tie-fasten. I added two yummy lampwork beads to weight the ribbon which can be tied in a pretty bow on the spine when the book's open and being used.

 I used some designer paper to create a lining to the cover and a spine-strengthener then collaged some vintage images - just because it looks pretty! The paper's a fabulous heavy weight cartridge paper (300gsm) which will take pretty much anything thrown at it, so ideal for mixed media work. There are 12 pages - it's a nice size for a small keepsake project

The book measures roughly 10.5" x 5" (closed so has a good 10" square as an open spread - very workable!

I really like this book now. It feels nice to hold and it'll be good to work in. What do you think? Success? Anyone want to give it a home? YES I'm making this my FIRST GIVEAWAY!!! FANFARE!!!! DA-DA-DA-DA-DA-DAAAAA-DAAAAAAAAH!!!  Anyone who'd like to have this book to play with just leave a comment below - all you have to do is begin ONE of your sentences with "I'd like to give this book a home because......." then...tell me! I'll run this 'til the end of the month and draw a winner (randomly to make things fair) on 31st May,ok? So - as this is my first giveaway post I'll run through the simple rules one more time (for my benefit as much as yours !)

GIVEAWAY RULES:

If you'd like to enter the draw,

• Leave a comment below THIS post
• Write ONE of the sentences in your comment  beginning with "I'd like to give this book a home because......"
• Make sure you leave a link to your blog so that I can contact you if win
• Check back with me on 31st May to find out the winner

That's it. Easy enough? The winner will have to have contact details ready so that I can post this to them. This is open to any blog visitor in any country. One entry per person please - I'll only include one entry per person in the draw.

Ok - I hope that meets with happy approval! I've been DYING to do a giveaway for AAAAGES but had no confidence or courage so fingers crossed I've chosen the right thing to do! That's it - I'm off to wait with nervous excitement to see what you think! Love and hugs to all of you from me! xxxxx

Not Everything Goes To Plan....

Hello Lovelies!

It's Tuesday - and what a sunny one it's been! The temperature has been high (ugh!) and the grass in the garden plot seems to have tripled in length over night. The Colonel has been in the garden for most of the day, inspecting the vegetation and reminding me that it needs attention!

He's in his 'Harvey Quartermain' mode, searching for lost tribes and buried treasure. He needs a little pith helmet and a safari suit then he'll really look the part!

Although the day started well, with me finishing plenty of little necessary tasks I did have a bit of a wobble when I had to go out to pay the bills. It's not far to go, but the trip to the shop set my nerves a-jangle and by the time I returned I was very edgy and twitchy.

I tell you this because I want to show how my mood directly affects the nature and quality of my art. I'd started another page in my birdie book and it was all quite plain sailing, THEN I used it as a means of settling my twitchy, edgy, antsy brain and raw, agitated nerves. What had been a simple page ended up reflecting my fractured, scratchy mood. I dunno - you judge for yourself....I  wanted to share this page even though I'm not happy with it at all, because I think it's useful and important to see work that DOESN'T go to plan, that isn't what I wanted or set out to achieve. Not everything is a keeper! But once I'd calmed down and looked at the page I found it a fascinating insight into the in-the-moment unfocussed and unaware state of my mind.

This page totally lacks the definition and form that I'd planned, and no real depth or contrast. There are so many layers - and I don't have a clear memory, like I just worked on it blindly, without perspective.

This is what the inside of my brain was feeling...lots of layers and lines and scratchy, unplanned, messy thoughts. Too much going on. Too much random detail. There's no soul or story to this picture and nothing working together in harmony to make a successful outcome. The bird is flat and doesn't belong. The visual 'noise' is overwhelming and the substance is lost

There are a LOT of layers - not applied with thought. A lot of smudgy mess. A lot of scribbly, formless distraction.

This page most likely won't stay in the book, but it's interesting as a product of an emotional 'swing' and a gap in cognitive awareness. Art as an expression of self is a complex and intriguing thing. I may cut this up and use it for collage shapes or something. We'll see. I hate waste!

So that's it - perhaps a strange post today, but if I'm sharing all aspects of my art with you then I need to include the failures and weirdnesses as well as the successes, otherwise the journey is never honest or complete! I hope you find this interesting as well. I'm calm now, and looking forward to a pleasant evening where I allow myself to relax and breathe - and hopefully sleep a little as well! I'm sending out some calm and happy thoughts along with my hugs so grab what you need and I'll see you soon - hopefully with something a bit more successful!! xxxxx

My Heart Goes 'BOOM!' - A Scrappy Journal Page

It's FRIDAY!!! WOO!

I like a Friday...it leads to weekendy time and I do like a weekend. Are you well? Have you had a good week? I hope so - I hope it's been FABULOUS!

Sooooo, it had been my plan to scan in some of my mum's pics for you to enjoy, but I'm having a few tech issues so I think that might have to wait 'til next week. Hey-ho. Instead, I have a little journal page process again, using some hand-painted backing papers.

I love making my own patterned sheets. Most of them are the result of cleaning brushes and stencils or using up excess paint from a project. The addition of a bit of doodling over a page filled with colour turns a sheet of scrappy mess into something fun and very useable. 

For this page I chose the scrappiest of the stack I had - ta-daaah!

Scrappy. I want to prove that you can make something arty from something scruffy you might be tempted to otherwise throw away.  I also used the cheapest paints I had, some craft acrylics and some paint testers from the local hardware store.

I prepared a page in my journal, gessoed the surface (just a thin layer) and then added a warmer colour of acrylic paint as a more even base coat. I cut some rough heart shapes out of the backing paper, choosing sections which would look arty and interesting. Once the hearts were cut out, I was left with a lot of scraps which I tore up (torn edges collage better that cut ones) and stuck down to make a colourful background -

I blended the elements into the background by finger-painting some bright colours around them. To make the hearts 'pop' I used a black Inktense pencil and a litte water to add an outline, then used matte medium gel to adhere them to the page in a way that kind of makes them look like they're exploding out from a centre point -

I also added some of the offcut strips to make it look a bit more animated, then some more pencil around the elements to define them and make them stand out. I used a black gelato crayon to add a border to the page - it smudges beautifully!

I wanted to add a quote...something....but nothing comes to mind at the moment. The good thing about art journal pages is that there's no pressure, and as I like the way the page turned out I've left it for now..I can add text any time I like.

 This is only a small journal and it's not full BUT it's amazing how easy it is to fill one like this with your art. I know that art journaling can seem daunting, but it's really cool when you can flip through a book that YOU have filled with YOUR art, I promise. I use this journal when I want to do a 'process page' so you may have seen some of the pages in earlier posts but I'll collect them all in one place for an easy browse! Here they be:

There are a couple of pages not included above as I can't scan them tonight and have filed the originals....SOMEwhere.....told you I'm having tech issues! I just wanted to prove that it doesn't take much to make a few pages look like a book that will be something REALLY special for you and the people with whom you share it.

I hope you have some fun making your own papers and collage elements - it's so easy and a LOT of fun! And I hope this has been helpful. Thank you for visiting - thank you to everyone who leaves a comment! It's such a motivation and I send you all loads of love and big hugs from Shroo :) xxx

An Arty Ramble Through My Heart

Hey there, lovely!

First - before the general ramble begins - a special big thank you to those of you who made me feel SOOOOOOOOOOO much better by commenting on my last post, or by emailing. I meant the world to me and I'm so grateful that you'd take the time to gimme hugs and support - I promise that I have kicked myself up the behind a bit this week and have done useful things like tidying, cleaning, dusting etc - although the vacuum cleaner is still growling at me resentfully (and inactively) from the cupboard under the stairs...I swear I hear the damn thing muttering when I walk past. I'll drag it out this week at some point and give the carpet a coronary! 

So - aside from actually doing normal human things that normal human beings do to NOT live in a complete mess (I actually loathe mess! And yet....my studio....yeah....go figure!), I've actually had quite a good amount of arty time. I've been working on some new stock for my Etsy shop - sneak peek:

 More on those when I list them - which, all being well, should be in the next day or so. 

I've been doodling again. There seems to be a lot of half finished doodly doodleness - mainly because I do them to relax before sleep (if I get sleep) so they cease to progress the moment I nod off, and inevitably I'll begin a new one the next evening, showing callous disregard for the abandoned scratchings that languish on earlier pages. There's nothing so annoying as half-done doodles so I've determined to finish some off this week, beginning with Mr Fishy -

 I know, I know, another sea-based doodle, but I'll always freely admit it's my happy plaice! (sorry....bad joke....I should be 'pun'ished. Oh ye gads.....shoot me!) Fishies, mermaids, jellyfishies, octopuseseseses and lighthouses all make me happy! Apart from anything else, finishing a few of these will get me motivated to finish the enormous wildlife pen & ink piece based on Australia's flora and fauna that I started.....oooo.... in about 1200BC or something.....I'll finish it, oh yes I will! Do you think attention span might be an issue? Do ya? DO YA? ...huh....

I also made a return to my main art journal, which has been a bit of an arty obstacle since the Yuletide season. I'd made a collage spread for Valentine's Day - collage is a great go-to technique when Miss Arty Muse is being a right old cow and not playing. She's lured in by colourful snippings. Fickle creature. I took some process photos at the time so here ya go:

I started with a thin, relatively neutral base coat covered with a second coat of blended yellow & orange acrylic paint and then used an old voucher card as a scraper to add some fairly random bright colours that made me happy:

I cut out some photos of flowers from my Uncle's and Granparents' gardens, along with one of my mum when she was a little girl - something to represent each of the people who mean so much and who are now partying on down like crazy over that rainbow bridge. Once I'd figured out how I wanted them placed on the page I adhered them using a matte gel medium. 

**Helpful tip #1: If you ARE going to try this with photos and you plan to coat the top of the collage as well as pasting the underside of each image, test your product on an unimportant photo corner to make sure that the medium won't affect the print. It SHOULD be ok, but as with all things it's best to check. I know that polaroids, for example, can go a bit iffy with some products - just be careful. **

**Helpful tip #2: Photos can be quite a thick collage element - it makes layering awkward. However, you can usually separate the surface image from the backing sheet relatively easily - as long as you're careful. I tend to start at the corner and use a fingernail to split the layers and peel gently. You may have to work inwards from more than one corner - just take your time, and you should be left with a nice thin photo image which layers beautifully onto your page. It's like peeling apart a napkin, just a bit more long-winded.**

I gave my mum butterfly wings by using a Brenda Walton (I think) sticker from K&Co, cutting it in half and layering the photo image over the stickers

I used my Uni ball Impact 1.0 gel pen to make a smudgy outline and added details and doodles with the white gel version of the same pen and some bright yellow fluid acrylic:

Then I added some lyrics as a kind of 'sentiment' - they seemed apt - and dated the page

This weekend was Mother's Day - the first one without mum. I found it hard going - much moreso than I'd expected and I was pretty sad. I wanted to journal the day and use mycolourful art journal again, but my mind was a blank. I took out my box of photos and picked up one of me when I was a little girl, taken on a flower-picking trip with my mum and my Grandma. It made me happy and sad at the same time, and I decided that I'd use it as the inspiration for my page. 

I collaged some wrapping paper I'd been hoarding and smooshed some acrylic paints onto the page with my fingers. I wanted the flowers on the paper to show through the paint so using my fingers was a good way to control where the colour went. When I was happy, I added some splashes of watery Cosmic Shimmer paint in blue and gold (Cosmic Shimmer watercolours are kind of like the sparkling H2Os - I love them). This page was more about capturing a feeling than anything else. I used my brush and some buff coloured acrylic to block in the outlines of the figure-

I decided to update the figure and add red hair and the colours I always seem to use when I paint a representation of myself , splodging the colours in loosely. I wanted this to represent me then as well as me now and didn't want to overthink it at all.

When I was done adding colour I used my gel pen (trusty thing) to scribble in a bit of definition and a touch of shading then splodged in the buttercups, just hinting at stems and leaves-

Finally I added the last few scribbly lines with first the black gel pen, then with the white, just to lift the page a bit-

It's a page that reflects how I felt exactly at that moment. I do think it's good to allow your art to reflect something of who you are inside, how you feel....what makes you YOU. It's not all about technique - at least that's what I think.

Anyway, whilst rummaging through that photo box I found some old pics of me with my mum and my Grandma and was reminded again of the importance of recording memories. I have a little book that mum gave me YEARS ago called "Wishing You Happiness", written by Pam Brown:

Reading through this little book I could hear mum's voice - her laugh. This and the photos made me feel like I'd spent time with my mum and Grandma again and it made me so much happier. I thought I'd share some of the book with you, along with a few of the pictures that I found - I hope you like them. I hope something beautiful and remarkable happens for you this week that makes you smile and that you enjoy the warmth of family and friends. This I wish for you. See you soon - hugs and sunshine from Shroo :) xxx

Wishing You Happiness

...adventures with happy endings.

...mornings of glad anticipation.

...quiet sleep and glad awakening.

My Wishes For You

I wish you the joy of always having someone to share things with.

* * * 

My wish for you is that sometimes, just sometimes, you can afford the thing you long for, rather than the thing that will do.

* * * 

I wish you enough good memories to see you through the bad times.

* * * 

I wish you one of the best of small happinesses, the opening of a well-remembered book, the smoothing of the page, the first familiar words...

* * * 

I wish you the happiness of finding the perfect present for someone you love.

* * * 

I wish you spring - the amazement that is always better than you dared expect.

* * * 

I wish you the happiness of a gift from a child;

- a bunch of dandelions

- a fluff-coated toffee

- a frog

- a kiss

* * *

* * * 

Strength and Courage

If I had the power to make one wish for you, I would find it very hard to decide what gift to give - what gift would help you to happiness. Beauty is dangerous, wisdom must be earned, love is of your own choosing.

But in the end, I am certain that I would choose the best gift of all - and that is courage.

* * * 

May you never purchase "love" at the price of becoming a doormat.

* * * 

May you always find exactly the right words to put bullies in their place - and enough strength in your knees to walk out with dignity.

* * * 

May you have a loving heart - and shrewd judgment.

* * * 

There is great happiness to be found in giving. but giving endlessly can drain the mind and heart. Learn to take a little  - even if it is a moment in the garden, a gallery, a cafe. 

Appreciate it.

Let the birds and frogs and pictures, music and books and undemanding friends restore you. 

People need nourishment.

* * *

I Wish You The Joy Of:

Seeing your luggage come safely round the carousel.

A letter from someone whose address you have lost.

Seeing someone's face light up at the sight of you.

Knowing you are needed.

Finding the perfect present.

Spotting your missing cat plodding up the path.

The smell of land, far out to sea.

A skein of geese passing low overhead, calling.

Biplanes stunting on a summer's day.

Sun-dried linen.

Donkeys.

Dawn, mid ocean.

The right one realising just who you really are inside - 

and loving you for it.

Taking off your smart shoes.

The sight of the one you love at the end of the platform.

Pistachio nuts.

Renoir.

Discovering that you have not, after all, thrown your friend's letter on the fire with the birthday wrappings.

Walking in the rain.

Pigs.

* * * 

I wish you the happiness of love, that does not change with change, that shines as surely in age as in youth.

* * * 

I hope you always have room in your life for another friend.

* * * 

I wish you letters:

in handwriting that you recognise at once;

in handwriting that you have not seen for years;

in handwriting totally unknown.

I wish you letters full of praise,

full of encouragement;

letters of thanks and love.

* * *

I wish you happiness

but not the happiness which is purchased by shutting out the world.

Nor that of denying your dream for comfort's sake.

I wish you the happiness of doing what you do as best you can.

Of taking the risk of trying

of taking the risk of giving

of taking the risk of loving

* * *

*  *  *