What I'm up to and where I'm going....

Well of course it's Christmas, so what do I get...?

Yes you're right, I get sick..!!!

EVERY frikkin year...

This year it started with a sickness bug, then a tooth abscess and then the antibiotics knocking me for six... Ho frikkin ho...!!!

And its not as if I have anything to do is it??

I mean, I still have two and a half whole days before I leave for the biggest trade show of the year in the US...so whats with the panic !!!

Apart from the illness I had a fabulous time, celebrating. Firstly Christmas visits to all the kids and families, Ben and Katie's first wedding anniversary, Jays thirtieth birthday, New Year. Its always all go at Reaveley Towers.I hope whatever you were doing you had a fabulous time too.  

Its now full systems go with the sample making and swatch boards, nothing like a last minute panic to get the creative juices flowing.

 I just have to keep looking at this meme to keep me going...

 If you would like to catch me in the first five months of 2016, this is where I will be...

6th Jan... Crafters Home, trade...Anaheim

8th Jan-12th...CHA trade show...Anaheim

15/16/17th Jan...The Islands Creative Escape, Los Gatos
Full day painty journal extravaganza
Full day folio class

22/23/24th Jan...Paper Parachute, Oregan
3 days of 4hr classes

29th Jan - 1st Feb...  Paperworld, trade show, Frankfurt.

5th Feb...Art From the Heart, Harrogate, UK
Open journaling

12/13/14th Feb...Back to Back weekend retreat...Original. Florida

17/18th Feb... Everything Scrapbook and stamps, Lake Worth, Florida

19/20/21st Feb...Back to Back weekend retreat...No Rules. Florida

27/28th Feb...Scrapbook 'n' Such, Wichita Falls, Texas

5/6th Mar...Papercraft Clubhouse, Westbrook CT

26th March...Art from the Heart, Harrogate, UK
Preview day

2nd Apr...Art from the Heart, Harrogate UK
Correspondence Star Book

6th Apr...Art from the Heart, Harrogate, UK
Open Journaling

9th Apr...Art from the Heart, Harrogate, UK
Dylusions Flip Frame album

14th Apr...Collins Trade Show, Boston, MA

23/24th Apr...Scrapbook Centrale, Montreal, Quebec

30Apr/1st May...Scrap Addicts, Edmonton, Alberta

7/8th May...Clipper Street Scrapbook Company, Langley, British Colombia

Unless indicated as trade, the above workshops are all at stores in the US,UK and Canada.

Apart from the two retreats...

These are all inclusive retreats in sunny Florida with the fabulous Dina Wakley and me.

 Last years retreat sold out in days so this year we are doing two. The first (The Original), is a repeat of last years fun and frolics.
The second (No Rules) is a continuation above and beyond.

You can find all the full details HERE

This is a fantastic opportunity to put yourself first. To escape from the everyday and take your art to new places. The combination of a perfect environment and world renowned artists who will inspire you to greater creativity. That's me and Dina lol

We still have a couple of spaces left if you're quick.

So I think that's everything before I get my nose back to the grindstone.

I'll just leave you with this...

Happy New Year and Enjoy xx

Not just your ordinary tree for me...

Ranger headquarters is beautifully and tastefully decorated for Christmas as you saw from my last post, so I thought it needed Dylusioning up a wee bit.

Well what else do you do in your hotel room on a Saturday night lol.?

Yup, you decorate baubles...

Then you fins a tree that is so outrageously horrible that it becomes instantly fabulous and you pair the two together.

Voila !!!!

Well obviously my fairy had to be Monster High !!!

Enjoy xx

One flight forward, two flights back...

So I landed back home fully intending to keep my feet on solid ground with no gadding about!!

Feet up for a well deserved rest...

Boo was extremely shocked to see me home! He's used to seeing me on a face time screen and not in the flesh lol

 Once he realised it really was me, he refused to move from my side.

Which made drinking tea a bit of a struggle. But was lovely to be loved. Problem was he was still as close 2 hrs later! Bless him.

Being back home was great, I actually manage to get to see my youngest, Emmi's, new house, she's only lived in it for 6 months, but better late than never, don't you think?

I taught a weekend of art journaling at Art from the Heart. We had a fabulous time being Pirates or Princesses.

And I even managed to get some samples done for preview day.

 Everything was going to plan!!!

So you know what's coming next, don't you?

Oh yes, a veritable spanner in the works saw an unexpected trip back across the pond.

There was wailing and gnashing of teeth at the thought, but it had to be done unfortunately. Apologies to everyone who expected me to be at preview, I'm sure you will have a fabulous time without me.

One little one wasn't happy and on the morning of the flight I woke up to this !!!

 Yup, he was clinging on for dear life, even in his sleep. Cue for big fat tears and snotty sniffing.

 The day quickly descended into mayhem as we hit traffic jam after traffic jam on the way to the airport. It is normally a 2 hr journey, but took 4 1/2 !!! With the gate closing in 2 mins, I was dropped off at the airport, up two flights, along the longest corridor ever and threw myself over the barriers at check in. You can imagine how graceful I was !!!! lmao. 
Not sure if they took pity on me or just wanted me to vacate the area, due to embarrassment, but, after a bit of sucking of teeth and chin stroking, I was handed my boarding pass and through security.

Puffing and panting and waddling like a good one I hurtled down to the gate. It was like a ghost town as I rushed up apologising for my lateness and hoping I wasn't holding up the plane.

To my amazement the stewards looked at me strangely and told me to take a seat as boarding hadn't started yet !! Where were all the other passengers I thought, eyeing up the many many vacant seats.
I got my answer as the plane boarded, they were all at home, sensibly tucked up in bed and going nowhere. I have never seen a plane so empty!! Talk about room to spread, we all had two window seats and four middle seats to lie down on as well. Heaven, I thought as I passed out!!

So here I am back at Ranger Headquarters. They were as surprised to see me as I was, but soon got over the shock and bombarded me with tasks.

I also get to test out all the new product for January. Thats what the secret smirk on my face is.

Its all festive here all over the offices. This one is directly outside my door.

I brought tons of English chocolate over for everyone, so I just tipped them all out, shuffled and stuck them back in the boxes randomly.

Some of the girls in the pick and pack, tasting Cadbury's for the very first time...

 While I was in there I quickly picked my Art from the Heart order!!! Don't worry Ben it wasn't me, so everything will be ok.

I was on official video duties today and thats why I look like a demented reindeer on crack. Everything was fine till I went out for lunch and no one bothered to tell me they were still there!!! How ruuuuude.

I swung by the art department to see all the Dylusion style ornaments they had made to decorate their tree.

 Stunning my lovelies

And now I'm back in my office, making swatches and samples for the CHA boards, drinking tea, eating toffees and singing Christmas songs at the top of my voice!!!
I can tell they're glad I'm back

Enjoy xx

21 sleeps to go...

As promised here they are decorated... I have coloured them in using the Dylusions Spray Inks with a small paint brush. I have doodled around the stamped images to make them stand out a bit more I've doodled on the christmas trees and tag borders.  

I'm not sure if you can see it on the photo but I have coloured the flowers in different shades of red and then layered the flowers up to make them look 3D. I have curled the petals using a pen, it looks really effective.

I have used a mix of Christmas stamps and non Christmas stamps, here is a list of the stamps I have used;

Christmas Accessories

Christmas Words

Holly Days

Fancy Florals

Holly Days & One, Two, Tree

Jay's Jollies

Winston & Lulu

The Fancy Four

I hope you enjoy them & they've helped get you into the Christmas spirit... theres plenty more Christmas themed samples & decorations to come so keep your eyes peeled over the next week!!!

Love, Jay

22 Sleeps to go...

I've been getting extremley inky making some new christmas themed tags to show you all!!

First of all I made lots of tag backgrounds using the Dylusions Ink Sprays and decorating using Dylusions Stencils & Dylusions Paints. I applied the paint through the stencils using the Tim Holtz Blending Tool.

 I quite often stamp out pages of images onto either mix media card stock or journal pages and then spend a night sat cutting them all out while watching T.V etc... its very therapeutic!

Here they are cut out, when cutting I like to leave a little border around the black outline.

Next I spent time placing them on the tags & journal pages, playing around mixing all the different stamps together. I love using the Christmas trees for reindeer bodies!

After deciding where I wanted to place all the stamped out images I stuck them down using double sided tape and Collage glue stick.

I have used a mix of Christmas stamps & non Christmas stamps, here is a list of the stamps I have used;

Christmas Accessories

Christmas Words

Holly Days

Fancy Florals

Holly Days & One, Two, Tree

Jay's Jollies

Winston & Lulu

The Fancy Four

I hope you enjoy them & they help get you into the Christmas spirit... theres plenty more Christmas themed samples & decorations to come. Tune in tomorrow to see what they look like decorated & finished.

Love, Jay