Happy Hot Summer(Days and Nights)

Hi everyone, I did say I may refer to Neil Diamond's legendary concert in Los Angeles so here we are - except it is also one of my memories of our holiday in France a couple of months ago. My theme at Art Journal Journey is 'Hot Summer' and the day we picked cherries was HOT!

Yes 'Cherry, Cherry' is the song, and these are the cherries we picked at our friends' house (a lot of laughter as we tried to get them off the higher branches) They had become ripe enough for the birds to start stealing them, so, after a day out we had drink and went out to the two trees.

I used a circle stencil with blue ink for the background. The girl in my page was cut from a magazine, the photos are of the cherries on the table after we brought them in and I made a heart on Printshop of part of the bowl and painted over the cherries with Paper Artsy Fresco paints. The Cherry, cherry circle was also from Printshop.

Oh! and the cherries were delicious, both fresh and in the Clafoutis my friend made!

Our friends garden with the cherry trees at the bottom. As you can see the grass was suffering

Thanks for looking, Chris

  

Summer Days

 Hi everyone, I have a page to show you for the new theme at Try It On Tuesday, 'Summer' theme. I wish I could have a day like this, at the moment I am blaming St Swithun for our bad weather! 

The Design Team are also optimistic and have some lovely Summer inspiration for you here.

I used a lovely flowery napkin for my background then added some patches of Paper Artsy tissue that I had painted on the back with PA MattTints.

The image is one from Collage Soup, which I mounted onto hot pink card and edged with black.

The quote is part stamp, part my own handwriting and is taken from some John Denver lyrics - one of those songs that often comes to mind when out in the sun.

I hope you will join us at TIOT this month - especially when the sun shines.

I am also hosting at Art Journal Journey this month with my theme of 'Hot Summer' and would love to see your journal pages if you make them. (we only accept journal pages)

Thanks for looking, Chris

Summer

 Hi, I'm here with another page for my Art Journal Journey theme 'Summer Days', I just wish we could have some sunny days back!

This page started as a mop up page to which I added a little bit of mark making.

The photos were all taken in France, our only view of the sun setting here is from the bedroom and then is over rooftops!

The top photo is of the sunset at the Gîte we stayed at near Rennes in Brittany this year.

The other two were when we took evening walks at my son's place near Limoges! They were certainly Hot Summer Nights.

Thanks for looking, Chris 

Hot Summer

Hi everyone, I‘m so happy to be asked back to host at Art Journal Journey this month!

My first thoughts when knowing I was here for August were of Neil Diamond’s famous concert in Los Angeles in 1972.

 

As August is a time for holidays for many my theme is 'Hot Summer’  (Nights and Days) I am not a great lover of being in the sun so I am often found sitting in the shade with a cold drink and my journal

I can’t promise that a few of the song titles from that concert won’t feature here as it’s an album I play quite a lot!

My first page contains photos from our own holidays in France where we see fabulous sunsets. The main image is from last year when we were at my son’s place and decided to watch the sunset as we ate our evening meal picnic style.

I started by blending some NeocolourII crayons over my page. Next came some stamping with a squiggly stamp using Distress Oxides. The bunting, butterfly and bee are stickers. 

I look forward to seeing how you interpret my theme!

The last few weeks have busy for me - I have been helping my talented granddaughter get ready for setting up her nail art business.

She was decorating nails with stationery themed art at Stationeryfest/ Journalfest last weekend and starts work in a salon next week.

These were the two she did for me but she had other designs

I am looking forward getting back to my art journals now

Thanks for looking, Chris 

It's Magic!

Hi everyone, I'm sure it can't just be me that finds time passes so quickly. It's already time for a new theme at Try It On Tuesday - 'Make It Magical'

Please take a look at how the Design Team have created Magic here.

I have been wanting to make a magical page using the gorgeous mushrooms from one of Erica Palfreyman's Stampanory Cotton Socks sets and here I combined them with some images from Lavinia Stamps

The background was made with Lavinia Dinkles. I extended the stamp slightly with a Pitt pen. I stamped the stars using silver acrylic paint. The quote is also from the Cotton Socks set.

I think that the fairy's pet rabbit is enjoying the glittery shower!

As usual our them runs for 2weeks. I do hope that you will add a little magic of your own at TIOT.

Thanks for looking, Chris

Summer Blooms at TIOT

Hi everyone, I'm back from my holiday in France and been enjoying some time at my desk making some journal pages. Try It On Tuesday has a new theme 'Summer Blooms' and I'm sure is going to inspire many of you! The Design Team has been busy too with lots of lovely flowers on show.

I chose Sweet Peas as my blooms but really I would choose them for their scent too.

I used a mop up background in my journal and added some texture stamps around the edges (using the stamp package image to place where I wanted it) then stamped my image and coloured it using water colour pencils and a water brush. I also used the honeycomb edging of the image to extend it around the flowers.

This theme will run for the usual two weeks and I do hope you will join us with your own 'Summer Blooms' at TIOT.

Thanks for looking, Chris

Things with wings

Hi everyone, it's time for a new theme at Try It On Tuesday - we would like to see 'Things With Wings' and that means anything that we usually see with wings! As usual the Design Team have been busy making samples to inspire you - please take a look here.

I am quite predictable in choosing a bird, I can get quite distracted when out walking if I hear an unusual bird song or if I get a chance to watch birds.

I made a page in a small journal - I used a page from a Dina Wakley Collage book I spritzed it with a Distress Spritz (the shine doesn't show well here) then stamped the little Dina Wakley bird and coloured it in with wateercolour paints. Finally I covered the bird and added some spatters and the Tim Holtz chit chat sticker.

I hope you can join us this time at TIOT - you have two weeks to post your entry and if you are in any doubt about anything the Rules and  Guidelines are here.

I would like to join Neet's 'It must Have Wings' theme at Art Journal Journey with my little bird too

Thanks for looking, Chris