Washing away the dust from the soul!

Well the cleaning is done and the house is sparkling like a new pin!!! Lovely. My normal throwaway comment about cleaning is. "House work??? I just sweep the room with a glance!!" Always gets a laugh but in actual fact I love nothing better than to give the house a good "bottoming" .
There has to be a method though.
1 - Wait till everyone has left the house and lock the door so they cant get back in.
2 - Whack my Northern Soul up really loud so it can be heard on all floors. A good rhythm makes you clean faster, I find.
3 - kettle always on - its thirsty work.
4 - Start at the top and work down.
5 - keep door locked so they cant get back in and muck it up!!!!!

So I now have some time to spend art journalling WAYY!!! and as promised here's a few pages from one of my old ones. Lots of you are frightened about art journalling and don't know where to start so I just wanted to show that they can be really simple. I always start with a painty background. Some days when inspiration isn't calling that's all I do - make backgrounds!!! So then they are always ready to go.

This first page came about as I was listening to the radio. Leo Sayer was singing "Thunder in my heart" and I was doodling down the lyrics. I had sat to the side of me a black and white portrait of myself which I hated. It was too much seeing my face that big!! So I started writing all over it and filling in with wavy lines. I used oil pastels in muted colours along the lines and blended them with my fingers. Decorated a tag in the same manner, added glossy accents and attached it to the piece. Now I love it as the focus is taken off my face and onto the words of the song.




This piece came about when I was struggling to make a big decision. At the time I didn't know which way to go. The background is painted and then stamped all over. The buttons were stitched onto the ric rac and then stapled onto the piece. The jigsaw is an actual kiddies jigsaw piece , decorated to match, which I then wrote on. The words were torn from a magazine and edged in paint to blend. Finally I doodled the writing around.

This last page was made on a day when I was quite annoyed. Can you tell by the colour scheme??? lol I felt that everyone was putting on me and taking me for granted. I was getting myself quite worked up when I realised that, in fact, it was all my own doing. I was allowing it to happen by being too afraid to say no. It was a wake up call to remind me to stop getting aggy and look after me!! I felt a lot better when I had finished it. People are always frightened to write down their true feelings but if you look closely you will see there is hardly any writing on here at all. And what there is , is stamped. That's sometimes all you need because YOU will never forget the meaning of that page.

I hope that this has maybe inspired you to stop watching the soaps, or doing the ironing. Treat yourself, grab your paints and watch the inspiration flow!!!! Dont forget - nobody need see your art except you!!! So what are you waiting for???

Cleaning frenzy

Don't you just love it when the clocks go back??? To a workaholic like me its heaven to get an extra hour. Going to spend a lot of it cleaning and sorting. I love it when the house is sparkling and fresh. It then leaves me guilt free to be creative and inspired. I am going to start working on my art journal ,circle journal later today and need my mind to be clutter free. I,ll post some of my older pages this evening for you.

Shoe watch - As I said yesterday I went ten pin bowling last night. I had forgotten how much I loved it!!! And yes I won lol ( I think he let me!!) So here are today's little beauties (bit blurred sos).

Ten pin

Right this will be just a quickie . Had a great workshop today. Ultra thick embossing techniques. I always love the technique classes the best. You leave with a tag book to reference and a wealth of information to call upon. Had a bit of a hairy moment when we blew the power but that was quickly rectified.

We have one of the biggest ranges of Ultra thick embossing powders and they are manufactured here in the UK. To see them all click here. I stand at shows demonstrating this all day long and I never tire of it . It is always so magical watching it transform.

I am typing this while listening to my Northern Soul as usual. But this time with a difference!!! Yes I have installed i-tunes!! (OK OK it was the Goddess not me, I confess) But this means all my music is with me wherever I go - cracking!! Yes I know I am way behind all of you but its eeeexxxxxcccciting !! Because normally whichever CD I want its normally at the studio not home or vice versa.

SHOE WATCH c,mon it is cold !!!!- so scruffy dusty old Uggs.. How dusty are they today.

Hopefully have a fun pair on tomorrow. I am going ten pin bowling tonight so will try and remember to take a photo of them. Mind you think my date will probably think I have gone barmy!!!! lol Well shoe watch is more important isn't it????

A good laugh!! (even when looking rough)

Well I,m late posting this yet again!!! I would say it was all my fault but this time it wasn't.!!! I was just going to start work on it when my lovely mate Su came round for a cuppa. Now most people , when visiting, bring flowers or choccies, don't they. What does Su bring??? Chicken and double cream!!! And you know what, how perfect is that??? Well for me anyway! So we have just laughed and joked through the last hour and a half. We were mucking around with the camera when she went all shy!!!

Not sure what we were talking about when this was taken!! Answers on a postcard please. lol

Got the alcohol ink article bundled up and posted off for photography. I love playing with them because you can get such beautiful varied results all the time. These are the scraps that are left.

And these are the remnants of Tim's idea-ology range. Whoops, where did it all go? lol

After all the alcohol ink samples I am desperate to get back to my paints. Even if I have nothing planned I will happily spend hours making backgrounds. Because I teach paint effects so much I am always inundated with backgrounds and I find this a really useful idea of using them all up. I make them into inspiration cards. You might use them as scrap booking prompts , I use them for my journalling. And they make fab pressies presented in a matching tin. They are really simple. Cut them up, round the corners,doodle, add prompts and cover the backs in papers. Ink all edges - goes without saying!! Gorgeous and all from practise sheets. mine are really simple but you could add more journalling,painting or collaging . Whatever you fancy. Start by making your own set and you will soon become addicted. these are all painted with my trusty Adirondack paint dabbers, a gorgeous matt finish that is just perfect for writing and drawing on.

Here are mine in their own holder. It holds all 42 . If they bring any more out I,lol have to invent a bigger one eh?? I love them when you see them like this. I know you all think I have an addiction to stroking my stash, but I cant help it. I also have a full set at home and am often found painting in my bed. ( Love the dabbers for this- no mess)!!

Thought I would post some pages from my old art journals over the next few days and tell you more about the art journal workshops. So till then!

!

Quick one

Apologies tonight but this is going to be quick . Don't want to sound moany but I am soooooo tired. Just look at this pic and this was taken this morning with make up so you can just imagine what I look like now lol!!!!

Plus don't feel too good ( No, no sympathy its self inflicted.) I hardly ever eat sweet things ( big exception when faced with the ladies of Macduff!!!) but I have been craving chocolate since yesterday. Don't know why but as a great believer in doing what your body tells you I gave in. Whacked open a box of Quality Street and tucked in .

Will definitely live to regret this as you know my stomach and sugar don't really mix. But sometimes a girl gotta do what a girls gotta do, don't ya think.??The only ones I eat are strawberry and all the toffees, with the penny toffee being my absolute fave.

I have had lots of comments about the new stamps from Stamptivity, and they are now up on the website. I don't expect them to last long though at this rate!!!

Talking about things not lasting long, the new Ranger and Tim Holtz products are flying. Favourites at the mo seem to be the new grunge board and the hardware.The Goddess can hardly keep up with the packing!! By the way thank you to all you lovely people who take the time to email us and thank us for the care we take in packing the orders that we send out. It means a lot to us, and of course pretty parcel wrapper is in Emmi,s official job description!!!!

All the upcoming workshops are now on the website, you can browse them here(not sure if that link is going to work lol). If it doesn't go to http://www.afth.co.uk/ ,click on go shopping rather than workshops, then select workshops and they should all come up with photos of the workshop as well.

Right gonna sam up now and get to sleep, but before I forget, no shoe watch has not been abandoned, just slightly postponed. here's a cracking pair for you tonight . Sorry there is only one foot but i was on my own and couldn't get the angle right -lol!!!!

Peep toe ,faux croc, patent shoe boots -very Sex and the City dont you think???

I think that every time you come to a workshop you should bring your fave and most special pair of shoes with you to wear. Oooh heaven. What could be better than crafting whilst wearing pretty shoes. Not even quality street toffees ( or firemen , Ahem!!!) could top that.!!!!!!!!!

Latest Ranger

Whey hey after 40 Min's of trying it has finally let me in to post this!!! Do others have this problem or is it just me??? Maybe I am not such a technological computer whizz after all. I will package up the certificate and send it back straight away and apply for a resit at a later date!! lol.


Well I cant believe its nearly 11pm. Where do the days go?? At this rate I wont be getting a day off (cries quietly in background, whilst stamping foot). Never mind I,ve got lots done. finished all the samples for one of the christmas card workshops. Using silhouette christmas stamps on my favourite pearly,inky backgrounds.

Nearly finished an alcohol ink masterclass for Simply Cards and Papercrafts. Have been having fun inking all of Tim Holtz,s Idea-ologie hardware. Its great if what you have doesn't match your project just make it a colour that does! Cant show you what I have been doing in detail but heres a few sneaks. SSSHHH don't tell!!!

Talking of Tim Holtz,s new products , I just thought I would share with you this pic of my personal stash, which i keep behind my desk.

Only kidding, Ben would pass out on the spot if I whipped that much stuff!! Its actually part of the Ranger wall in the shop. Looks cool doesn't it. I love it when its all displayed as one , and I keep going in and stroking it all, lol. (I know you all understand exactly where I am coming from). Mind you at the rate its flying out there wont be any left to stroke!!!

Two of my personal favourites are the word keys and the keyholes. Absolutely flipping fandabbidozi!!!!

Just heard that the cover stamp I designed for Craft Stamper will be back with me on Friday ready to make samples. Cant wait!! I am always so excited waiting for new stamps to come. You would think that I had grown out of it by now wouldn't you???

OMG OMG OMG!!!!

OOOh deep breaths , deep breaths, in and out, in and out!!!! Sorry but I am hyperventilating so much. The latest Ranger order has ARRIVED!!!! Its got all the rest of the Claudinr Hellmuth products including the absolutely fabby multi-medium, both gloss and matt and her fabby set of brushes.


ANDDDDD also in the boxes is the BRAND NEW stuff from Tim Holtz Ideaologie range. It is absolutely goooorrrrgggeeousssd!!!!!! His new masks with Heidi Swapp are to die forand as for all his new hardware, well, lets just say I think you are going to have to be quick as its not going to hang around for long. As women are in here all day booking workshops its flying off the shelves as fast as Ben can put it out. There are his new shaped fragments, keyholes and washers to name a few.

ANDDD Wait for it--------- his new grunge board - nature , iconic and seasonal. Whey hey it was like opening christmas presents and ripping off the wrapping. I have ,of course, purloined a few things. Only so I can do a thourough road test of them for you!! Not, I hope you understand, for my own purely personal use (as if ha ha ).!!



Ill try and get you some photos later today but if you need to see it click here and it will take you straight there.

Ill also be posting some of the lovely samples for the sillouette class with luscious Jewel coloured pearly backgrounds. OOh hope that teased your tastebuds.