Mini canvas art

I recently bought some 5x7 canvas boards at a very reasonable price. I was wondering what I could use them for when up popped a swap on UKS. It was to use them to do an opened theme piece that would be randomly swapped.
I was flicking through Craft Stamper (January 2013) and saw a step by step tutorial for a canvas piece of art. I followed it quite closely just altering it to size. I'm really pleased with the result, I hope my swappe likes it too :)

New CJ

Ive just joined my first Art Journal CJ. Ive not done a lot of AJ, but thought a CJ would give me lots of scope for prompts. Mine is called "How do you feel today?" and Ive left it open to interpretation and style. Here is my first post and tag.

Alice in Wonderland

Story book CJ time again! This time it was a lovely book from Rebbecca. Here are my DLOs mainly using digi stamps and collages.

Affirmation postcards

I did some affirmation postcards for a swap on UKS. There was a set with a positive theme and then a more alternative theme! I used grungepaper as a base, covered with gesso, coloured with Dylusions spray and distress inks, a bit of stamping before adding the printed an inked sentiments.

January Card swap

Another month, another card swap. The theme this month was Time and one of the additional criteria was to use white space, I did wonder if my cards were too white, but I think the work!

For this one I embossed the edges, then used a stamp on some cardboard shapes, before colouring with distress markers and covering in Distress crackle paint.

For this one I used a silicone clock mould with three differnt pearalised colours, the picture doesnt quite show but they are, red, green and blue, stuck onto a piece of lace.

Just for me!

I decided I wanted to make something just for me for a change, so having had this lovely chipboard heart from my secret Santa I set about it. It didn't take long to stick some squares of patterned paper onto it with modge podge, ink the edges with distress ink, a couple of layers of modge podge as a varnish and here it is! Something pretty to put on my wall by my craft desk :)

December Card

Here is my easy Christmas card, used a card from M&S that I altered and a stamp from Rick st Dennis one of his Creepmas range, that I thought met the Nightmare before Christmas challenge.

Christmas Chunky

When I got my theme for this chunky my heart fell! I love Christmas and everything about it, and was looking forward to making a glittery festive chunky. But I got "Bah Humbug" as my theme! So I put my thinking cap on and bought lots of black and grey bits to add to my stash, and fell in love with my theme. I found out about Creepmas, and bought some wonderful digi images from Rick St Dennis which I loved. I fell in love with this chunky it sat in its embossed underwear for a week as I though it looked so pretty!! Then went on the digi stamps that took ages to colour in with promarkers, then some lovely TH tinsel which again I would never have bought if not for this theme! Then the final piece sourced off eBay, the bauble!! As soon as it arrived I knew it was too big! Ive made a few attempts to make a smaller version without success, so I finally took the plunge and stuck it on! I think it looks like a bomb! I has a play with stuffing bits round it to try and get the proportion right but nothing looked right, so Ive left it as is, its grown on me! My swapee can always remove it if its to OTT for her.I finally added the bottom to it which although so simple I really liked it. So thanks to my swappee for inspiring a chunky that I love, I hope they do to x

November cards

For this months card swap the theme was music, and one of the optional themes was metal, this is what I came up with. I was feeling a bit unwell while trying to sort these outs, so they are mainly digital so a little different for me, hope my swappees like them :)

Once upon a time CJ

I'm currently in a CJ on UKS on the theme "once upon a time", my first entries were for Sian's "The faraway Tree" I did two LOs one based on a land from the book - "the land of tea parties" and then my own made up land "the land of stars".

October freaky Cards

These are this months cards for Sian's monthly card swap on UKS. The theme this month was freaky, with optional requirements of using warm autumnal colours and to grunge it up. They are not quite as distressed as Id hoped but I was still really pleased with them.

Halloween Coasters

Ive not been posting as much of late, I seem to have a lot less time for crafting and when I do Ive gotten out of the habit of blogging. However here is my set of Halloween coasters done for a swap on UKS.

I saw that this swap was running and saw some cork tiles in hobbycraft this got me thinking about making a functional coaster, I did my research and found this -lhttp://www.homemade-gifts-made-easy.com/how-to-make-coasters.html 
I sourced my materials and had a go. I loved the glossy finish on them. The swap wasn't intended I now realise to be about functioning coasters but a decorative item, with people planning on making books and hangings with theirs I do hope putting a cup of tea on mine in their craft space isn't a disappointment. Thanks Rebbecca for a lovely swap I look forward to receiving mine soon.

A couple of pictures which sadly fail to show just how glossy they are.

June Team Sketch

Thanks Sam for setting this sketch and taking me out of my comfort zone, hated doing it but love the results!

Honeymoon Album

 Ive had fun today! Ive enjoyed stroking my new stash for a week and now the photos arrived! For those that don't know Ive joined Shimelle's Cover to Cover class, the idea is to look at the bigger picture and create whole albums that work together. Id had a plan to use kraft cardstock as background for all my LOs in this album but the very first elephant one I came to I found my greys didn't look right on it. So Im using a page from Pink Paislee's prairie Hill as a connecting theme (its the orange honeycomb one), the only issue could be getting my hands on some more of it! I loved doing these LOs I think the beautiful stash and gorgeous animals have almost made themselves! The added bonus of course was an afternoon of happy memories :)

How cute are these brads!

Weekly Challenge

This weeks challenge on UKS was to do a LO on a theme of "Before and After", whilst incorporating a hidden element and a frame as well as some fancy cutting. Here is my take on it.

This months house challenge

This was a colour combo challenge, red, green, brown and gold - perfect for a Christmas LO.

Chunky ATC

Here is my chunky made for a swap on UKS, my theme was "Enchanted Garden", another big challenge for me and Im very happy with it

My canvass

Whilst at the retreat I set about my most ambitious project to date! A hinged canvass. Now there was many times I thought Id bitten off more than I could chew, but in the end I finished something Im really happy. I gave it to my mum as a gift so now shes had it I can share!