Donna's baby

Finally the post man brings me something other than bills.....this fabulous make from Donna.

Its timing was perfect as it arrived only a few days after my dad died.

I love it and she now hangs pride of place in my craft room (the make, not Donna!!), right above my head for inspiration.

Full details can be found on my blog here

Kyla

 

Big catch up- prayer flags, Pair journal and D and V baby

Sorry this is a bit of a photo heavy post. I have not been around much and I am just trying to catch up on everything.

Prayer flag project

 This was the start of my prayer flag (i did two bases in case i messed one up!) which I then sent onto Sarah.

 I received this beautiful flag from Pat

and this is what I added to it before passing it on again to Sarah

I forgot to take a photo of this before I started on it. The photo of this doesn't do it justice, it is a beautiful vibrant, red, orange and yellow. I added the metal spirals, charms and beads and the fibre threads on the bottom and have posted it off to Sarah.

This is the flag that I get to keep and I LOVE it! It is so perfect for me with the Goddess figure on it. The colours are amazing and every ones layers and additions are great! It is way to pretty to hang outside though so I am hanging it above my meditation space.  I really enjoyed this project, combining art and textiles is something I have not done in ages.Thanks everyone!

Sami and Lou pair journal

This is the second round working in my journal. Lou had added some great stuff to my pages and started some amazing ones- i was inspired so much with what she had done, that I probably did too much before sending it off again!

 I added the oriental text stamp, flower stamp and washi tape

 Added the magazine girl, the tickets and the man and lady stamps

 added some stamps and the washi tape

 Added flower stamps and some more colour

 Added the brick work with a stencil and the chickens and cow on the right hand side

 Added the arrows and the small hand prints

 Did this page using gelli print cut ups and homemade stencils

 Did this page with the paint left on my stencils after gelli printing, added a tag and some collage and washi tape

 I added the house stamps and the sun to Lou's vibrant Mary Poppins page (love that stamp!)

 I added the yoga stencil, the stars and the words to this page

 I started this page again using the wet stencils and paint left on the brayer after gelli printing and adding a stamp and a bit of collage

 These three pages were again, scraps and left over paint/stencils from gelli printing and some magazine collage

 I used collage, a scrapbooking tag and a clothes tag on this page

 left over paint from another project and some collage and stamping

 I saw this idea of stamping on masking tape on Pinterest and thought I would have a go, love how it turned out.

 I have posted this back to Lou today and look forward to working in her journal again.

And here is a picture of the new addition to my family...

He is very well behaved and spends his days hanging from my book shelf in my craft room, watching everything I do! I love him, thanks Donna!

Phew, sorry for the long post, I must try and keep up in future!

Sami

Please avert your gaze if bad language should offend.....

It's Desert Island Discs time again and this month I have Sian's CJ to work in.

Right from the very beginning when Sian first published her list of songs, I was hoping that one particular song would still be available when the CJ reached me - and it was - woohoo!

Like Sian, I have certain songs that I love to play at volume when I am in a baaaaaaad mood, my angry songs, and this track by Korn is very much one of them.  In particular, shouting along to the chorus is a great stress reliever!

Trouble is, there's a rather rude word in there, but I checked on the Collabor-ART Facebook group to see if anyone would be offended by me posting it uncensored, and nobody said not to, so here goes, brace yourselves :) :

The main image on this page was a real labour of love - it's a hand cut, 4 layer stencil of the band's lead singer, Jonathan Davis.  I am beyond chuffed at how well it turned out and how much it looks like him.

(original photo by user Cliseu on deviantART)

For comparison, as I expect that most of you probably wouldn't know him from Adam, here's the reference photo I used:

Now I am trying to think what else I can use that stencil for as it was a lot of work for a single use!  I thoroughly enjoyed making it though.

On the reverse side of the flappy bit is an image from one of the band's live album covers that fit the space rather nicely:

It wasn't until I'd finished all this bit that I realised I was supposed to use that area for my sign in and thoughts about why I had picked this song etc, oops!  So instead I wrote all that stuff on the reverse of a tag decorated to match everything else, and I tucked it in behind my main page:

So that's my own page done, I hope Sian likes it as much as I enjoyed making it

Next stop - tweaking the previous entries

I didn't do something to all of the previous pages this time, only the ones where I had an immediate idea of what I wanted to add

To Pat's entry - the Wonder of You by Elvis - I added a quick sketch of a someone extending a helping hand, inspired by the lyrics "you touch my hand and I'm a king":

On Sian's own entry for the love song Butterfly by Lenny Kravitz, I gave her girl a heart.  Well for a love song she needs one, right?

And to Virginia's entry, for Snow White Queen by Evanescence, I added a coat of arms to her warrior queen's shield:

Roll on next month, I am enjoying this CJ so much!

Virginia's DID - Metallica

Confession time (again), this is another page I struggled with. 

Not because I couldn't come with anything, or didn't know what to do,

but because the whole thing took about 20 minutes (mostly waiting for paint to dry)

and it feels a bit of a fraud.

I keep looking at it and thinking it needs more,

even though my gut keeps saying

"no, it's as it should be".

"Nothing else matters" is from Metallica's self titled "Metallica" aka "The black album".

The cover and artwork is black, completely black, apart from a couple of shadowy images.

The song was written by James Hetfield whilst on the phone to his girlfriend

so it's played with one hand.

Everything about the song is stripped down and basic,

and I think my design fits perfectly.

But I still feel it's not enough.

Pam's Bohemian Rhapsody

My page for Pam's desert island circle journal I chose this classic track for my page - It's a circular fabric book  I scanned my page and as it didn't fit it looks like I cut it off - but it is a complete circle
I used the fabric page and layered paper and tissues using pva then after a wash of inks sealed it with acrylic wax I have added ribbons hand stitching stamped buttons and a charm

I enjoyed working on this - but I have had problems adding to the other pages as I didn't want to spoil previous work so just added little touches  It's still a learning curve adding to others' art

Rebecca and Sonja Pair Journal

Here is my amazing pair journal back from Sonja. I love what she has done with my backgrounds and odd bits that I had started. There were also notes inside to explain her thought processes for some of the pages which was a beautiful touch.  A big thank you to Sonja too for sending me the photos as I forgot to take any of mine before! Here are some of the pages.


For this one, I started out with just a bird cage die cut, some silver paper and some sheeet music tissue paper so not much to go on. Sonja gave it a beautiful blue wash with slightly darker blue flying birds as the background, some embossed silver flourishes and silver and blue embossed bird images with a quote from one of my favourite writers, Maya Angelou, which ties it all together. I have no idea whether or not I will add anything to this as it's gorgeous just the way it is.



This page started as just a splodgy green and yellow page with some deliberately messy stamping. Sonja has enhanced this with a lovely quote and some subtle overstamped and embossed images, including a Stampotique (and I love those). some cirle motifs which remind me of dandelion seed heads and a butterfly. It looks like the Stampotique girl is finding her path. It has real depth in the flesh which doesn't come out too well in the photo.

This is a page that Sonja started (hence the plain before page at the top). Lots of lovely tone on tone misting, inking and stamping  with another quote. I can see myself having loads of fun playing with this page.

The only thing linking my before pages was the monochrome feel. I wasn't really sure where I was going with this, so I just left it to see what Sonja would do with it. Beautful spraying through a mask (I so want Sonja's stash!) and the action firgure with "keeping it real guys" really made me smile.

Again, another blank page from me which Sonja covered in Scottish one pound notes partially painted over and with crown rubons jauntily placed on the heads. Love it, especially as my partner is Scottish!

And yet another blank page to start with. I should add that there were some pages I did that Sonja didn't add to so you'll get to see those next time I'm sure. Fab inky sprayiness with black chevron embossing and a couple of magazine images. I already have some ideas for this but I am so reluctant to cover up the wonderful background.

This page started with just a bit of torn kraft down one side and Sonja has transformed it with a superbly textured brack wall effect and a fab dynamic start to the right hand side. I can see me going all street art on this.

On this page I was just playing with a new stamp  and just repeated it in a range of colours. Sonja has matched these colours really well with some patterned papers and introduced some straight lines and points to what was a rather too swirly page. Love how she has overlapped the two while still keeping some white space.

And finally, for now at least, a lovely paper background with the same Stampotique girl and crown that appear on some of the previous pages with a light touch of a chandelier and florishes bits, leaving plenty of room still to play.






Huge thanks to Sonja - this has really inspired me to up my game for the next round.  Cheers, Bex.

Sonja's CJ Crisis and Big Thanks to Sami

Thanks for the junk Sami - my favourite is the invisible whale, which is going to feature in a collage with the lovely sail boat...the selections of buttons were 'wow' and I have put the journal fodder into its new home where it has snuggled right in with the rest of my junk, hope your baby is behaving...

I have also done my circle journal page for Sonja - which has had me paranoid and dithering...

Having managed to reduce my work week to 30 hours,  suddenly and following unavoidable events I am now working 45 hours a week and I am temporarily covering alternate weekends too, so time in my studio is combined with eating drinking, socialising playing with my animals and 'home' life is generally centered around the few hours I get away from work,  I multi- task all the time so that it feels like I do more than 'just' work

 always always I find time to do art., everyday, always

I brashly told Virginia a bit of delay in receiving the CJ wouldn't be a problem, I could catch up,  forgetting I go away soon for a while, and that I would have to have it done by today, ready to post on time,

any hoo, in the journal it says- no food no drink , no smoking and no pets near the journal,

well the no smoking wasn't an issue, but I couldn't leave the CJ out in my studio (a real risk of contamination by pets, food and drink) so I had to do something rapidly whilst banishing all the usual activities that occur in my studio everyday,

and at the same time as banishing the usual routines I would still need to find time to eat and drink in my hectic schedule.

In the end I decided I just wouldn't have time to do anything other than a paper collage .  As soon as I had finished it I got really paranoid and wrapped it up quick ready for posting in case one of the animals got near it, or food or drink was unleashed in the vicinity by a family member using my studio whilst I was out at work... ha ha ha,  then ....

I  REALLY Panicked because I have been burning the baby books and I am convinced Sonja's book is going to smell of the paper smoke....anyway I just finished it off quick and packed it up pronto hoping for the best.

unfortunately it means I haven't done any collaborations on the other pages, but I thought better be safe than risk damage?

Anyway - hope you like it Sonja, and I'm really really sorry if there is pet hair, crumbs, or lingering smell of burnt journal when you get it back.  I know there won't be wine stains because I never miss my mouth....

Have you got the new Killers album?  it's AWEsome 

DonnaLouiseRodgers

Nigel's Desert Island Disc CJ - by Sherry

Fewer songs to choose from now but as you can see

I chose 'The Lark Ascending' by Vaughan Williams.

Beautiful music, but no lyrics to work with!

Luckily, Nigel had provided the reasons behind why

this made his top ten, so I worked with that.

For the front cover one lark is ascending from

what is supposed to be stormy clouds.

I used handmade paper, distress inks and 

some liquid pearls.

Sorry Nigel, this probably looks nothing like the 

abandoned airfield you spent many happy hours

in but let's just say it's my interpretation!

I used Pan Pastels for the sky and fields

and rubber stamped some wild flowers with

distress ink.

It's at times like this I really wish I could draw and paint,

but nevertheless, I like the end result - and maybe

it will be added to before it arrives back home.

I added to all of the previous pages as follows:-

Virginia's 'Brighton Rock' -

I rubber stamped a postage stamp with the Queen's head on.

Sian's 'Tainted Love' -

I rubbed some metallic rub on paste around the

title and added some splodgy rubber stamping.

Pat's 'Ultravox' -

A rubber stamped flourish to the back page

Donna's 'A New England' -

Painted the girls' stockings red to match their lips

Karen's 'Freebird' -
Added a bird to the front cover

 ... and finally to Nigel's own page 'Caroline',
I added a denim heart with 'Quo' written on.

Hope this is all ok and I'm looking forward
(yes, actually looking forward, and not so nervous now)
about the next one!