A compendium of catch ups!

A few things to post on here today! I was a busy bee for the past few weeks getting enough pieces made for my stall at the Poulton Gala last Saturday. The weather was kind and I had a lovely day.

It was certainly a nice change not having to worry about keeping everything dry as I have to when we have the Christmas market!

My monthly ATC swaps are proving to be very popular. May's theme was "Fabric" and, as always, this could be interpreted in any way. Here are photos of just some of the ATC's that have been swapped....

From left to right these are by Catherine, Lilly and Kelly. All gorgeous and all so different. The centre one, by Lilly, has a felted flower brooch that can be removed - how clever!

These three are by Tracey, Kelly and Millie....I love how everyone has been inspired by the same theme but each has come up with something different.

Just a few of the many lovely ATC's that were swapped in May.

If you fancy joining in with the June swap, the theme this month is "Books" which can be interpreted as you wish. The simple rules are to create three ATC's on the theme, each being 2.5" x 3.5" and with details on the reverse (your name, date, title etc). The deadline is the 30th of June so there's still lots of time. Just drop me an email to register your name and I'll send you the address details.

Mentioning emails....mine is changing! I was with Virgin but am now with TalkTalk so my new  address is ljm.design1@talktalk.net

On the Design Team front, Millie Moss has been busy creating postcards, which seems to becoming a popular idea now. Millie shared two that she had made using some of my images...

....the one on the left features my digi download "Oswald" and on the right is the postcard made using my stamp set

Zendoodle Houses (SDCSA6049).

To complete them, Millie has stamped a very authentic postcard image on the reverse. Millie says they are made using 4" x 6" index cards. What a lovely idea!

If you are thinking of trying digital downloadable images, I have mine on a special offer until midnight on Sunday 12th June. If you purchase one you can get a second one at half price. As I am not very "tech savvy", I don't know how to offer the discount at the checkout, so I will refund the saving. The designs are all available HERE and, once downloaded, they can be printed out as often as you wish, re sized, flipped etc...very versatile!

To finish this round up, here are a few images of some of the pieces that I've made recently...

 ....this is a 16" x 16" canvas that I made using "Gorjuss" image which I then blended acrylics over and added dimensional pieces to before painting and adding lustres. 

I've gone a bit crazy with hearts lately and made quite a few heart shaped wall hangings in various styles....

And a wood block canvas....just to celebrate colour!

All of these, and more, are on the shelf in my Etsy shop 

I think that's everything that's been going on here creatively at the moment! I'll try not to leave it so long till next time!

A few creations...

Just having a short coffee break in between making items for my stall at Poulton gala on Saturday 4th June...it seems to be coming round quite quickly now! So I thought I'd just share a few images of some of the pieces I've been making.

This is one of my textural wall hangings in which I like to incorporate upcycled cardboard and other items. Lots of DecoArt paints and lustres here! I do like a bit of shimmer!

This is an 8" x 8" canvas with some of my favourite colours, all toned down slightly with Burnt Umber. There's some crackling on there too and I've added various positive "messages" to make this into an affirming piece of wall art....good to look at something on the wall that gives one a lift I think!

Here's a little house shaped hanger, again with lots of texture and a little metallic thrown in for good measure.

This wall hanging was a lot of fun to make! I used a couple of my Doo Lally Pip stamp sets, adding wings to the character as well as her polka dot top hat! I've used gold embossing powder very randomly on the edges and added a message - one that I think is a good one in these very image conscious days.

Lastly, a canvas board that I just "made up as I went along"....in other words, I had no idea what it was going to be when I started! I do like working that way, though sometimes it doesn't end well!

I like the cheerful colours on this though and the sentiment felt right.

These pieces, and others, are on the "shelf" in my Etsy shop.

Well, the coffee is now drunk so I had better get back to work! Hope you liked the little peek at some of what I've been up to. 

Tracey's latest creations...

I've had a little trouble posting to my blog this week, but it all seems resolved now. Meanwhile, DT member Tracey Fairgrieve has been busying herself with more of my digital images and has created some really characterful pieces which I hope you'll enjoy as much as I did!

Just look at this quirky beach scene! Tracey used my Zendoodle House stamps to create the beach huts and I just love the grasses and the waves. 

But the "piéce de resistance" has to be the hankie on "Pugglie"'s head! Priceless!

Next, Tracey used "Oswald" owl to create a cute  hanger. Tracey says that she printed him onto ordinary copy paper...just shows that you don't need to spend a fortune to make something special!

That's not the end of Tracey's latest creations though....here's a really wonderful piece made using my "Tazzy" the cat download.

It really captures the character of Tazzy I think and I'm full of admiration for all the details that Tracey has added to her moonlight urban scene.....all the graffiti, the bricks in the wall, the buildings and the moon craters...just great!

 

To see more images of Tracey's creations as well as more details as to how she created them, do check out her blog Hotchpotchcreations.

You can find all the digital downloads that Tracey used in my Etsy shop here.

Catch up!

I'm a little behind in posting as it's been a busy week for me, including three days of  "dog sitting" for friends whose usual sitter was away herself. I had a lot of fun as I haven't walked a dog in years! 

Anyway, I have some DT members projects to share now, starting with two from Kerry Kennedy who has created both a card and a herb marker using my "Heart Angel" and "Oswald" digi designs.

I really like the colour palette that Kerry has used here. Check out Kerry's blog for more details by clicking the link above.

Next Kerry created something different with my Oswald Owl character! He has become a herb marker....

 

 ....mind you, I'm not surprised he has that rather cross eyed expression given that stick! Lol! 

Kerry used pencils to colour him and then glazed him to protect the surface so he could be safely popped into a pot. What a neat idea!

DT member Millie Moss has used my "Little Angel" digital image to create a gorgeous card for her granddaughter.

Millie's attention to detail is fantastic and touches like the co-ordinating flowers and the butterfly hat really make this card special.

Again, really great colour choices.

 

All of the digital images that have been used here are available in my Etsy shop and are incredibly easy to download and use. 

Once purchased you simply download and save the image to use over and over again. Of course, you can change the size, flip the image etc, so they are very versatile.

At the moment there are only my digi stamps in my Etsy shop as all of my canvasses, wall hangings etc are in a small exhibition that I have running at Poulton library until 21st May.

I'm also busy getting more things made for when I have a stall at the "Celebrate Poulton/Poulton Gala" event at the beginning of June, so I'm keeping pretty busy!

An altered Angel

I love how the Design Team members all bring something different to each of my digital designs and DT member Tracey Fairgrieve has really given the "Heart Angel" a complete makeover.

This is the original digital image....

..... but Tracey has given her a fringe and flowing locks as well as a long gown - fabulous!

I love the piercing blue that Tracey has used to colour the Angel's eyes which makes them look really soulful.















To read more about Tracey's creation, do visit her blog
Hotchpotchcreations

 

Oswald Owl...

Tonight I'm sharing a great card made by DT member Hazel Thomson and featuring my digi design "Oswald". 

Hazel has such a great eye for colour and always manages to pick the perfect co-ordinating papers and accents - really glad to have you on the Design Team Hazel!

To read more about how Hazel created her card and what she used, pop over to her blog Didos Designs. Thanks for looking!

Brave enough to fly...

I'm loving this double page Art Journal spread created by DT member Teresa Morgan. I love the way that Teresa uses colour...so vibrant and clear.

Teresa has used two of my digital downloads here ..."Little Angel" and "Quirky Buildings"

Here's a closer look at the superb colouring on the Angel....

Teresa has used the buildings to create a townscape at the bottom of the page.


I love the pink clouds with words!








You can read more details about how Teresa created the background etc by visiting her blog

The Fat Cactus.