pertinent quotes

Two canvas boards from my new Dylusions collection of stamps. Both quotes mean tons to me at the moment...

Enjoy xx

Thankyou

Just want to say a mahoosive thank you for all your good wishes, here and on facebook. I have been seriously overwhelmed, and a little bit emotional with it all. Just need to live up to your expectations now..!!

I am making this a quickie as we have had really sad news today. Maisies godmother, the gorgeous Ally, sadly lost her battle against  cancer this morning. She was only 24yrs old. My heart goes out to her boyfriend Dave and her family. One more angel in heaven tonight..:-( xx

Ooooh should I tell...????

I have been holding off on a little announcement for a while now, and I think now that I've crossed the I's and dotted the T's it is time to spill the beans....

See if you can guess from this clip...






Did you get it...???

Yup, thats right .. I am the new guest presenter on QVC.

I am joining them as their expert for the Ranger  and Tim Holtz hours.

How frikkin fantastic is that..???

Whole hours dedicated to all things Ranger and Tim Holtz...

I will only be presenting every couple of months due to my already mega workload, but you can be guaranteed that I will make the most of it for you. Don't panic and think that is the only time you will be able to see the Ranger products, they will still be included in regular hours as well.

QVC have given a bit of a shake up to their guest presenters, and I think it is fantastic. Their will be five of us

Amy Shaw
Marion Emberson
Kirsty Wiseman
Unfortunately I don't know the textile ladies name...oops
And little old me

all with our own special brand of knowledge and expertise. It really makes a difference when you know the presenters totally have their heart behind a product doesn't it.

My first shows will be on Sept 13th at 2pm and 10pm... I do hope you will come and join me.!!!

People often ask if Tim and I are really as friendly as we seem, and the answer is yes, I am sort of like a big sister that he can tease and make loads of fun at. We just spend most of our time together, whether it is shopping or working, just laughing all the time.
I thought I would share a photo of something precious to me that is hanging in my studio, and has been there for 6 yrs would you believe.

Ha ha how funny is that.??

Many moons ago we were all demoing at a big show and decided to have a little competition between us. You had to make a wooden door hanger for the person nominated to you. I was Tim's recipient... Everyone was getting extremely jealous, but I knew the reality...My hanger would be the worst as he would have to make it in the very few spare minutes between demoing and being mobbed by his adoring fans.

And I was right..!!!

The theme of the hanger is a very funny in joke between the pair of us, and still makes me laugh when I look at it. So much so, that in the Ranger family I am not usually referred to as Dyan, Dylan or even your Art journaling highness, which I feel is more befitting..!!! lmao  No...I am in fact referred to as Monkey.!! Yup you heard me correctly...Monkey.!!!! lol

and by the way, that brown wizended up object hanging from it is, or rather was, the original banana he tied in place in October 2005. How frikkin ace is that, that the original banana is still there. Despite the many attempts of people in my studio, being helpful and tidying it away to the bin, resulting in me rummaging through to retrieve it. And there it will stay, if only wind him up and set him off in giggles every time he visits..!!!

Thought I would show you some of my canvas boards I made at CHA.

And you really need to hop over to newest Dylusions DT member, Kaz's blog to see this creation. Fabulous piece of work.  You can see she completely fits in, lol

Enjoy xx

Ep. 657 – Art Journaling Techniques with Dyan Reaveley

The following is a video, by the lovely Christine, of me demoing a journal page at CHA Chicago. Just click the link below.


Ep. 657 – Art Journaling Techniques with Dyan Reaveley


Enjoy xx

Scrap Time - Ep. 657 - Art Journaling Techniques with Dyan Reaveley from Mark Giles on Vimeo.

The week at Reaveley Towers ... Pt 2 ...

Friday was the character painting class, for those who had previously done the portrait class. I, unusually only had 4 students, but what a fabulous workshop we had.

Anna has been practising lots, with a journal full of portraits, and although sporting one broken arm produced this beauty.

Love the shoes on Jill's....

A very feminine result from the other Gill

And Karen's was especially for her teenage daughter Polly. I don't think you could get more pink and girly..!!

Well done ladies you were fabulous.

Friday evening I stayed up and finished my latest. Just loving her...

Saturday's workshop was the technique accordion book, so lots of scope for paints, inks and laughter all round. The lovely Steven, on a visit home from France, brought 3 of his cousins and so the place was full of friendly banter, as you can imagine.

Last night was spent finishing off one of the workshops for the coming season. Again ton's and tons of techniques, and lots of stamping with my Dylusions range and the fabulous Dina Wakley stamps. It's actually in gorgeous sherbety colours which don't really show up well on here. You will have to get yourselves to our birthday bash to see it in the flesh.!!!

Well, Mr Babe of Deliciousness is talking of grabbing a picnic and the tent, and disappearing off to the coast...

Enjoy xx

The week at Reaveley Towers ... Pt 1

Well I have finally managed to upload some photos to Blogger from Picasa, but its still not playing nicely and will only upload so many at a time, so this post will consist of a pt1 and a pt2..!!!

It starts with last Saturday night, when me and Mr Babe of Deliciousness decided to create a painting for the living room wall. 4hrs, lots of paint, gesso, inks, laughter and wine later we had completed our masterpiece....love it...

Then it was the turn of the most beautiful grand daughter in the whole world to come and stay. She has always been fascinated by the climbing wall and so we booked her in for a session with the Little Monkeys. And a little monkey she was. She was all over the walls like a rash... But she was the only monkey in the group that morning, so after an hour of intense non stop climbing, she wasn't really fit for much else, lol

Although we had promised a trip to the seaside for the following day, one look at the weather told us there was no way.!! Wind and rain with only the promise of more on the way, soon scuppered our plans. But she was a little star and took the news brilliantly. Instead we had an impromptu shopping trip, a fabby lunch, with refillable ice creams at Pizza Hut, and a long jaunt round our local Vintage/Retro shop where she was fascinated by the typewriters and old gramophones they had.

The weather showed no signs of letting up so we retreated to the safety of my kitchen, (yes...I do have one..!!), and we spent the afternoon baking, (yes for all you doubters out there, I can actually bake as well..!!, lol.)

2hrs later we had 15 banana buns, 12 oat and sultana cookies, 12 extremely moreish chocolate brownies stuffed with Rolos, and THE most delicious lemony zingy muffins ever, ever, EVER...!!!

Most of Thurs was spent chasing round the studio looking for the slightest ounce of inspiration...Could I find it...? Could I buggery..!!!

So I did what I always do when nous is missing in action.

Back to basic backgrounds....

3 colours of paint, and backgrounds on every surface possible.

I started with red, orange and yellow Dylusions paint.

and produced..

8 large journal pages

 7 small journal pages

5 medium journal pages and a new watercolour flip flappy journal.

3 background sheets,
2 lge canvas boards
1 sml canvas board
4 tags

and then with all the left over baby wipes ( only 6, 2 for each colour paint ), I prepped book, dictionary and music pages.......

Still no mojo, so I repeated the exercise with mustard, green and moss paints.

Then blue, purple and turquoise paint.

And finally magenta, pink and orange.

This is how I turned up for lunch at Bezzy's..!!!! and I am pleased to report that nothing burnt was on the menu..!!!!

Here's some of my finished haul. Although nothing extremely creative was achieved, I did feel as though I had achieved.....

Well that's the total photo upload on this post used up so I'll see you all on the next one.

Enjoy xx

just a quickie....

Soooooooooooooooooo Our Ben finally gave in, so before he could change his mind I quickly hotfooted it and bought a new laptop. They all managed to talk me out of the ipad 2, much to my disgust, but I now have a shiny new one, complete with all its alphabet keys.!!!, lol and a screen that doesn't look as though an electric storm is about to break out.!!!

All good eh.???

Err no....

I haven't got my acdsee photo manager on here and so can't work out how to modify all my photies.. And yes, before you all start telling me how easy other programmes are, yes I hear ya, but you are talking to me...I hate change. If I like something I stick with it. If it ain't broken and all that. Don't know why everything has to be constantly fiddled with. so unfortunately until I stop cutting my nose off to spite my face, and get to grips with another programme, which I will in my own sweet time, thankyou, when I'm good and frikkin ready, there will be no evidence of my David Baileyesqueness. You will just have to do your best to imagine.!!! lol.

It would be cool if you could pop over to Kaz's blog, she received her design team goody box today and she made a little video to show you all. Luckily she had stopped all her squealing so your eardrums should be safe..!!!

I have had the pleasure of the most beautiful granddaughter in the whole wide world's company since yesterday tea time. No big deal you may think but her Dad has only gone and got himself a flat and moved out. How dare he..??? I hear you all cry.. I agree, how selfish to want to live his own life with his daughter, and not let her be with me, lol. So consequently, I don't see her as often as I used to . So she came for tea, stayed the night, accompanied me to work, scaled the climbing wall with one to one tuition with the Little Monkeys tutor, entertained the ladies, made a pretend beach in the shop, manned the till, packed the ladies shopping, doodled, painted, sang, play dohed, shot aliens, blew bubbles, to mention a few ... She's gone home with her Dad tonight but is arriving at the totally unsociable hour of 6.30 am for another round. Yee hah can't wait.

Well Mr |Babe of Deliciousness has arrived with the Vimto so need to vamoose.

Enjoy xx