Exciting times

I have some really exciting news to share. I have been accepted onto the newly created Altered Element design team for the inaugural 6 month term. Take a look at their web store full of lovely mixed media goodies, read their blog here and watch this space for news of monthly creations....

Last week I also had a leave day to use and spent part of the morning waiting in. As luck would have it, first call meant first call in this instance and my chores were over nice and early so I scrounged a lift into Harrogate to collect some stamps I was after at Art from the Heart. (Large alphabet stamps which will make an appearance towards the end of the year in my 365 Day Challenge Journal). The lovely Dyan had started a workshop by the time I arrived but generously let me join in and play anyway.

We made pocket books with a box frame cover and for the first time in living memory I actually got on and finished the project straight away. I have to confess to many bags containing half finished projects lurking - part knitted jumpers behind the sofa and the like.

Mine used papers from the 7 Gypsies Venice range and I kept the theme going using Darkroom Door Venice stamps to create decoupaged layers to put inside the frame.

I put two sets of tags into the pockets. One set was stamped mainly with Darkroom Door stamps and the other with Paper Artsy Ink and the Dog Clocks stamps. I used holiday photos to decorate the backs of the tags and added a small stamped clock to the front of each pocket.

I hope my Mum's not looking because this is now wrapped up ready to be her Mothers' Day gift.

Fully Charged and Ready to Go...

The camera that is, I'm not sure the same can be said for me.


Anyway here, better late than never, is my February challenge page complete with journalling. I'm feeling very smug this morning because I've already filled in today's square in March too.

And now I'm wired to the camera to transfer this picture I've got some more fab ATCs to share. The first two are ones I got by swapping at the Artisan Show last year.

This one is by Helen Chilton of Craft Stamper fame. I love the way she uses colour and birds are a favoutire of mine so I had to have this. The punched edge is great too. I now know I don't need to throw out the pages I've not lined up properly in the Bind It All machine.

This one is by L. Abery and is one of my all time favourites. Again I'm drawn to the colours but I also love that this is so beautifully put together with neat colouring and cutting (which I can't do, messy is my middle name).

The next sets of pictures are ATCs made for a swap where each player used a stamp of their choice, then sent it to the next player and so on. By the end we had each made four ATCs with each stamp to distribute so we each had a set made with each stamp. Confused?

The lovely players who participated with me were Pauline Hampson, Annie Mackay and Mawgan Dipple. My stamp was the heart one. I think it might have been a gift as it isn't what I'd generally choose but the observant amongst you might have noticed that it had a second outing on my February challenge page.

Best Laid Plans...

I have now memorised how to transfer piccies from the camera to computer without searching for and reading the manual so I was all ready to photograph my February page for The Kathryn Wheel 365 day challenge but... the battery in my camera is flat!

Meantime, here is a preview of March (you'll recall I had done backgrounds to August in January as a journalling delay tactic). Now I see it afresh it is a bit grey looking, a reflection of the dull mood I was in at the start of January in the dark, snowy, cold days. I might use bright colours for the lettering to jazz it up a bit or maybe a bit more silvery bling and some images bottom right - it sure needs something!

Here also is an ATC I made as part of a batch for swapping at the Artisan show last autumn. I made sheets of Distress Ink backgrounds to cut up and mount as the base for the cards. The image is from a Crafty Individuals book.

Current score for this year: Technology 2 Kate 0

Oh, and so many other little lessons learned...

Here at last is a picture of my 365 day challenge January page.




I chose what I thought was an excellent book from The PaperMill Shop for the challenge. It is A3 size with sturdy covers and quite thick pages, all spiral bound. How wrong I was!


Firstly, unless you have a physique like Naomi Campbell (very, very tall and long limbed and with no tummy) you can't work at the top of the page without getting a line of paint across the midriff and bits of jumper stuck in your work. I suppose those long pincer like tools on a long handle that rubbish collectors use might be a solution but the quality of work would be compromised.


Secondly, because the covers are completely blank I managed to start work upside down at the back of the book so it was really fiddly to open and close. If you check out the wire on a spiral bound you'll see what I mean. I was three backgrounds in before I discovered this and ended up having to take off the covers, take out all the pages and rebuild the book - hence the slightly lopside look it now has.


Thirdly, the size of the pages is just so big that none of my alphabet stamps comes near to the right scale for adding the months and it is very difficult (for me) to photograph such large pages. I must learn to think things through properly.


I knew doing the journalling was going to be difficult for me which is why I joined the challenge in the first place. I spent most of January slapping paint on backgrounds and cutting about 400 (well you need some spare in case..) 2" squares from all my part used sheets of patterned paper - I've got backgrounds upto August started already! I think I've just reached the point where I can accept that actually it doesn't matter to me - and certainly doesn't to anyone else - how mundane and repetitive activities and record of daily life is so I'm finding it a bit easier to get on with now.


I'm sure there are more embellishments to add before the page is finished but at least I've done the challenging bit.

And don't get me started on technology again. I'm using a morning off work to get out the camera manual, transfer the pictures and try to get them in the right place in this post as it's the only chance to have a long enough go on the computer.

On the upside, here's a peek at what Februry looks like so far.