a bit of a catch up!

I have been very slack with my blogging for ages so I thought I would post a few recent things.
First of all, some recent pages for Let's Scrap

this next one I did for the monthly sketch competition atHandmade by Suzanne

and then a layout and a card for the monthly competition at Scrapbook Supplies Online

 

                      also this month I have actually painted....just a small still life in acrylic

rubber stamp carving

I am taking Julie Fei Fan Balzer's stamp carving course and only one week left to go. This must be the best online course I have taken! Just loving what we are doing and all the ideas for stamps I have now.

We started with a heart stamp and I have used it here on my week 2 of Project Life.

Next was a clever interlocking striped stamp and I also made an arrow and some circles.

Then we carved a much bigger stamp with a chevron design. Here it is on a couple of tags and I added some stamped hearts from lesson 1. Love it!

Our next lesson was a set of smaller chevron stamps and there is no end to the list of possible designs and uses for these gorgeous stamps!

More complex and intricate designs followed..... a bracket frame and a damask design.

The last two lessons were a whole alphabet.....which I haven't started on yet, then a word. I am working on my word and enjoying doing it although I am finding all the curves a trifle troublesome....lol. Still two more lessons in the last week!

"Accidental" journal page

The background paper for this page was used as a backing while I was spraying tags and another page. I liked the colours on it so I added a little more to it.

Secret Santa pressies

This week at school we had our Secret Santa. The first three days were to be little gifts that had no cost. The first day I took a small posy of flowers from my garden, the second day I found this cute orange ornament at the local shop......and at $2 it almost cost nothing lol!!! the third day I made some Christmas gift tags. The last day was a bought present and I bought her a photo album with the title "My Gorgeous Grandson."

Christmas Card

this morning I was up early and have made a card with the card patterns sketch 143   and as I have just started making Christmas cards I decided that another Chrissy card would be in order! I think I will be using this sketch to make a few more too.

changing a page.....

this week I did the design team challenge at Lets Scrap  It was to use found objects on your page. Eventually I decided to use pages from a notebook, stamped and inked to make a flower. Here is the result

I was happy with the flower but after loading the page to Lets Scrap I began thinking the placement was not right and the page was looking as though it needed more. So.......I moved the photo and the flower, added some stamping to the border, turned the patterned paper strips around the other way and trimmed the edge, made two smaller flowers, then covered a manilla tag with stamped, inked notepaper and wrote my journalling.
I think I am happier now......what do you think?????

some tags

Lately I have been busy playing with acrylics, watercolours, spray inks, stencils, stamping etc etc on tags. I don't know what I will use these for yet so when I decide, I will add finishing touches and text to suit. It has been soooo much fun playing!