Journal your heART out!!

Sunday was the continuation of the art journal class, where everyone brought their journals back so we could go to town on all the covers. It was a bit of as techniquey day, where They learnt paint effects , Distress crackle, altering book pages, B/M crackle Glaze and tiling photos with B/M clear ultra thick embossing powder. It was a freezing cold day ( I think it was -7) and so the use of the heat guns was greatly welcomed. We had a really fun day despite the cold. If this carries on I might have to include in the materials list - fingerless gloves, big scarves and hot water bottles!! lol. Most people are still a bit frightened of the journalling and so haven't started that yet, they are waiting for the next class. Go on I dare you, just quickly add something over Christmas, if you don't like it we can paint over it later.

Someone who is loving the actual journalling itself is Kate. She has been creating beautiful artwork for a long time now but has seemed to have a mental block with anything above Atc size. Well hallelujiah, this now seems to have disappeared. Hop over to her blog http://www.thekathrynwheel.blogspot.com/ and have a look at some of her work. You may remember me talking about her before as I inadvertently got her hooked on The Claudine Hellmuth Studio Line. I have linked her on the side bar as well as I am loving her work and I think you will too.

I have finally found some time to finish my entry into Julias journal and so it is now ready to go which is great timing as Sacred Yolis journal has just arrived. I am now wondering whether to send them both together. Does anyone know anything about the American Postal system , as my journal posted 4th Nov is yet to get there. I have been warned not to send at this time of year in case it all gets lost. As these journals are irreplaceable I am not sure what to do.

Here is my work in Julias.

Here is Sacred Yolis work in her journal.

Just look at the detail around Our lady.

And here is Julias work in Sacred Yolis.

I think the female is actually a photo of julias own painting. Stunning!!

They are all stunning aren't they???

I,ll be back tonight with another post seeing as I missed last night. tut tut!!

Ooh hot men or snow men???

Hi , Just wanted to show you this before I scoot out the door. I have always had a thing about snowmen, absolutely love them. And before I became known for all my altered and techniquey work , I was actually a folk art painter!! Yes surprises everyone that does. It was soooo therapeutic to do, and I cant wait for it to come full circle and make a come back so I can teach and do it all again. And it will you mark my words. Well the run up to Christmas always included me painting as many snowmen as I could.

One of my favourites was onto wooden candlesticks, until I think I bought everyone left in the whole country, until now. Yay!! my little man has come up with these beauties.

They are perfect, so I am going to get painting again. Why don't you join me and have a go?? They are not on the website yet as Mr Unbribeable doesn't even know about them yet lol. But if you email me or add a comment to your order we can let you have them. They retail at £5.95, but be warned there are not many left after I have finished.

So tonight's dilemma, stay in and paint my beloved snow family in my comfy comfy nest of a lounge, or hit the town with a hot date?? Well take a look at tonight's promised shoe watch and have a guess.!!

High , black, stappy, shiny, gorgeous!!! And that's just the shoes lol. xx

Championee!!

Snow still lingering so worked from home again today. Read that as actually did bugger all!!! lol. Got furniture delivered this morning , got giddy. Got taken out to to lunch, got emotional! Went bowling tonight, got my own back ha ha. For weeks now I have been told that I was sooooooo gonna get my ass kicked at ten pin bowling, and guess what I won 7 - 3. Yes I will just repeat that 7 - 3. Yay!! I am the championeeeee bowler. Bejeezez I played like a pro. It is usually all fluke and by the third game I have usually gone to pot, but no tonight was definitely my night. We kept on playing game after game to give him the chance to whup me as promised but to no avail. But I am so gonna kill tomorrow. My bowling arm is hurting just typing this lol, and I daren't think about how bad the backs of my legs will feel in the morning. But hopefully the euphoria of a little girlie thrashing a big man will carry me through. I wont name and shame him but " you know who you are" lol

Here come the girls

fabby relaxy day. Finished all my work this morn and then played around in my house. I am in the middle of decorating and restyling ( sounds impressive eh??). As all the kids leave home so does half my house with them. So that coupled with the fact that I seem to live at the studio , has meant that my house has been feeling a bit neglected lately. It doesn't help that I seem to have lived in my bedroom for the last few years. Anyone with grown up children living at home will understand me completely!!! So I have decided now is the time to reclaim my house. Yes I am going to make it all gorgeous and cosy so that I actually want to venture into another room apart from my bedroom lol.


It helps that one of my bezzies, the gorgeous Liza T, is a fabulous interior designer. So with her bullying, sorry I meant to say assistance, work has begun!!! Of course I want to do the whole house at once, but we have narrowed it down to the main room. It is a large through room and will take some painting, but I have a plan. Oh yes, what are bezzies for if not to paint your living room for you lol. So I have bribed the , getting slimmer by the day, Kirsty Wiseman, and the OMG make me laugh until I cry Liza T into it. If they paint my living room with me, I,ll let them come on the Rusty Pickle class. Fair dos eh!!. Any way they,ve fallen for it and swallowed the bait so watch this space. I personally cant see the three of us getting much done, due to spending half of our time together crying from laughing so much, but its worth a go. Plus if they make a mess the Christmas deccies will always hide it lol. Mind you Kirsty is professing to be an expert after magnificently decorating her lounge whilst experiencing extreme conditions (namely decorating with her husband , not to be recommended and often cited in divorce courts), and Liza T is Kelly Hoppen trained ( ooh get her!!) so only the best for the Reaveley household. LMAO.


The colour scheme is chosen - dark chocolate, milk chocolate, white chocolate ( notice a theme yet??) and teal. Yes teal, that's what we,ve plumped for. And gazillions of cushions , its always the little things that make the biggest difference isn't it, and cushions always make a big impact. I love mixing textures up and the easiest way is with cushions. Here's some sneaky peeks, spot the recurring theme. Shame I,m not allowed to design any papers at the moment cos here's where I would have pulled my inspiration.

Liza T has also found me the perfect wallpaper. We are going to cover 2 large canvas,s with it as accents. I think its Laura Ashley, not sure, but I do know it is absolutely yummy. I have had sample after sample of wallpaper adorning my walls for approx 6 mths and have remained totally undecided and she just waltzes in with THE perfect one.





There have been a few complaints about missing shoe watch so I have some beauties for you tomorrow. Waltzed into Matalan with the intention of buying two suede chocolate brown lampshades and sashayed out with a pair of very high, very black very patent, very gladiatory, very fabuloso FM shoes. Not really sure how that happened but I suppose I could learn to live with it !! haha

Edit OMG you soooo need to check out this photo on the Sartorialist blog. It is soooo me. Black from head to foot. From a fabulous pea coat with the most wonderful buttons to the ubiquitous leggings and ballet flats. I know its not to everyones taste but I love it. Mr Holtz always laughs at me for dressing mainly in black as he says with my personality I should be dressed in rainbows!!! But I like it so I think I, ll continue lol

Warm as toast

Yes I was right , the snow here was dreadful. No buses, no trains, abandoned cars!! I am so glad I shut the studio and I am tucked up warm at home. Finished off all the magazine articles that were overdue. ( Note I haven't mentioned the ones that are due lol) and I have been whizzing around the house titivating, I,ll tell you more about that tonight.
But what I need to say is GET YOURSELF OVER TO TIMS BLOG!!!!! Its Day 4 of 12 tags of Christmas and I luuuuuurrrrvvveee this one. It uses Claudines sticky back canvas, and I would never have thought to use it like this through a printer. Hes a genius isn't he??? Also covering the letters with multi medium and paper - Fabby O. The canvas comes in 12 x 12 or A4 size and you can buy them here. I just love nostalgic images and I think this is my favourite so far. I calm down a bit after the weekend so stay tuned for more tutorials from me.

Chicken Licken!

The forecast for tomorrow is terrible 4 - 8 in of snow apparently. People have been ringing the studio all day cancelling for tomorrows class, so we have cancelled it completely. I have also taken the executive decision to shut the studio for the day . Yes you heard right we are all having a day off. As Chicken Licken said , Will the sky fall in?? lol. Now when I say day off, I will actually be working just not at the studio. I will be tucked up all warm and cosy at home. I,m also going to do a lot of art journaling as well. I don't think there is any point making the staff trudge in for no customers and it is sooooooooo cold that I am sure they could have me under Health and Safety for freezing work conditions. ha ha
Mr Pickle himself rang me this morning, he was just checking everything was OK as he is leaving America to start his journey today. First stop Berlin, then Holland , Spain, London and then me. Yayy. We only have a few places left on the Popstar class, and the White Christmas is completely sold out. His new papers are flying out of the shop and I love the fact that some of them are shaped to perfectly fit his new chipboard albums. How much trimming and sanding will that save?? Right I,m going to claim seniority and push Pam off the radiator lol . See ya later.

Sir Tim excels himself again!!

Just want to say you really need to check out Tim,s blog. Due to popular demand he is rerunning his 12 days of Christmas. All new samples, all new techniques, all new inspiration, all new pure genius!!! Hes on day 2 at the mo, and if you go leave a comment you may be in with the chance of winning some goodies, always a bonus. The website is going mad at the moment with people all wanting the products he is using, which is great but also means that there wont be much left for me at this rate lol. Word of warning we have none of his stamps left in stock and cant see them being replenished before Christmas, but we do have everything else if you are quick!!!!! Here's a quick look at the shelves of Ranger products all stocked up ready lol

I love to see them all like this - so sad ha ha .

Some of the Tues night ladies brought their advent boxes back to be photographed . They look gorgeous don't they???

Well I don't know about you but I am absolutely freezing. I just cant seem to get warm. I am taking anti freezing precautions and wearing all my fur lined knickers at once, Sunday to Saturday, in that order lol, to no avail. Only one thing for it . Lock myself into a warm room and follow Tim's 12 days of Christmas step by step. see ya tomorrow x