February 25th - Monday

- - and its Crafty Corner Day! I find myself really looking forward to the craft club with the students - and today I had a lovely surprise for them. I ordered some more Cardstock for them from A Trip Down memory Lane - and the lovely Mel & Jill sent a whole batch of older papers as a freebie for us to use with the girls!! I was so touched - it really is so kind of them - and my girls were delighted with the designs - all colourful and funky - They were Chatterbox paper s totally suited to their tastes!THANK YOU MEL & JILL.

I have completed my D tag for my Tags of Creativity book - so here it is. I covered my tag with packing tape, pounced it with alcohol inks in shades of green,painted a chipboard letter added a bit of gold highlights then covered it with Glossy accents, then stamped the rest of the letters to spell "design", a black paper flower with a brad centre and some doodling completed it. Very simple I know - but it felt like I was being an artist!! LOL.
So far I have represented Altered Art, Buttons, Collage and Design and I feel really pleased with my work - especially as I have never been very good at art - at least according to my art teacher at school - he said I wasn't!! Probably because I really CAN'T draw and that was what was considered art when I was at school - to be good at art you had to be able to draw - at least you had according to Mr Longden! - I couldn't - so ergo - no good at art. I much prefer today's interpretation - artists come in all mediums these days - and I have discovered I just love playing with collage - I still can't draw - but heyho - I will just be a different kind of artist! So there Mr Longden! You don't scare me anymore!!

21st February Tags of Creativity

Finally got round to deciding what to do for the A-Z with the girls from It's a Creative World. I am doing a small tag book of the A-Z of Creativity - different techniques, embellishments or ephemera or whatever comes to mind.I have managed to catch up with A,B & C and so here are my attempts. It does mean I am up to date anyway as I am now on the current letter D - so I can work on that til next week I think. I will perhaps post on the blog to let them know I am up to date.

February 20th

I enjoyed the "Fat Pages" so much that I have done a bit more playing and here are my creations. I have used a variety of techniques on them - alcohol inks, stamping, paint, fabric, embossing, silk & paper flowers, brads, charms, ribbon & buttons. I am quite pleased with them. Some of them are decorated on both sides. I have even done a bit of doodling!!
Not been as cold today - we have quite a bit more cloud so it has warmed the atmosphere considerably- but then we lose the beautiful bright days we have been having recently.Can't have it both ways I suppose.

February 19th (Tuesday)

Well the memory didn't come home last night - so guess what - I forgot to pick up the parcel agin!! I could be dangerous if my memory ever returns!
Another heavy frost last night so a cold start to the day. Had to get the bus in today as the car is "dead!"- so no lift from my beloved.
It was still, and very misty when I came in - the sun a large orange ball hanging in the sky - very muted through the haze. All the fields are still covered in white frost,their green so much paler than usual. We could be in for a nice bright, cold day again as where the mist was thinning the ball of the sun was red not orange - I can live in hope anyway!

February 18th

Monday again and back to work,
Woke this morning to a very heavy frost -a real Here we go round the Mulberry Bush day. So COLD last night - we rarely get frost here so I had to take a few pictures of the school garden when I came in.It always looks so very pretty - in my eyes anyway. I have got my last swap to post - Of course I forgot to pick up my packet to take to the PO - don't know where my memory has gone - I seem to have mislaid it - If you come across it - please send it home - I miss it so!! Please let today be the day my memory returns!!
Christine is not well - so no crafty corner today for our youngsters as the library will be closed at lunch time. Pity as I think it the the best bit of my week! Next week eh!

Swaps & other snippets

Friends H & A did come, as planned last week - for lunch yesterday, so we put the tourist industry to rights, organised better crafting opportunities on the island enjoyed lunch, chatted and even scrapped a little! I made a start on the Design Collective CJ I have currently, so am pleased about that. Even managed to send my 2 of 3 swaps, so really am quite pleased with myself. Found a box of kiddie jigsaws in one of the local charity shops so bought it for the princely sum of 50p - I have even managed to do a bit of altering so here is my first attempt at an altered jigsaw piece. I need to get practising as I am hoping to join in with an altered jigsaw swap on UKS - as soon as it goes up. I have my blank jigsaw and have picked a theme and am now collecting scraps and bit to go in a pizza box so I can do the project. Do hope I manage to sign up!
This piece is painted, then covered in Distress inks in 2 colours, stamped & embossed , then I added a scrap of acetate that I had covered in alcohol inks (2 shades again, stamped a Crafty Individuals image onto hand made paper, and added a few flower sequins, A bit of doodling and a dab of Stickles completed it.

Friday February 8th

and its half term holiday. We break up this afternoon for a week - well some do!! I will have to work Monday/Tuesday as my contract isn't term time only. Hoping to see friends for lunch one day - probably Thursday - and get some crafty stuff done as well. Have a couple of swaps I want to finish and get sent off and hope to keep playing with a few techniques a la Tim Holtz - but I am really not very good at altered art. Just a beginner! and I really don't get the "scary eyes" thing at all!!

February 6th - Altered Art????

- - a beautiful day today. The sun is shining and the sky is blue - oh bliss - REAL light - such a wondrous thing it is!! It lifts my spirits and gives me such a boost and makes me feel alive again. The dark days seem to have gone on forever! It has made me feel like sharing my "makings" again so - a few pictures
I have made my first attempts at "altered art" - not something I "get" at all - but I am making Fat Book pages for a swap on UKS so have had to have a bit of a play. Here are my attempts anyway. I do hope they will like them.

February 5th

- - another day another dollar as they say. went home early yesterday as I really didn't feel well. Went home and to bed - feeling better today, though not 100% yet. I had to come in as it is our crop tonight and I feel as if I must go! We have had a poor turnout the last couple of times as the weather has conspired against us - but it does mean that funds are low as we need a reasonable number to cover the hire of the hall. Will see how we fare tonight.
Also noticed that Shimelle has a new challenge up - and I have also found this site with a cool plan for a creative year so have emailed to see if I am able to join. Doesn't matter if I can't - I'll try to play along on my own. I might snaffle the button though!!!

February Dawn

- - at long last it is beginning to be a little lighter in the mornings. I think it is the only thing that got me up today - the scrap of daylight I could see through the skylight as I have been battling a dreadful cold for days - it seems like forever!! My head still doesn't feel as if it belongs to me, my eyes are puffy, my nose is running like a tap and I am achey all over - just your normal cold really as you can see!
Never mind I have still managed to "play" -all but one of my Fat Book pages are almost complete, I completed my Hopes & Dreams ATCs and have got them back from our host - love them to bits ladies - thank you all! I have still got a Winged set to make and some 6x6 backgrounds however I am very relieved that I was inspired to do my pages in the 2 Stars & a Wish CJ when it first arrived - all I had to do was stick it all down and it is now packed up & ready to post. Just need to email the photos to our overseas members.
DD2 has been across (as we say here) to a rock concert with her friend to see "Paramore" - hope I've got that right - so DH & I have had a very quiet weekend, and I could curl up in front of the fire and nurse my cold in between crafting a bit. It is our monthly Crop tomorrow - so I do hope I feel a bit more alive then.
Shimelle has a new challenge on her blog which I find very appealing so I must have a go at it and I really need to get back into scrapping more photos - I have gone off the boil lately - since Christmas really I suppose - I have so many empty albums - I really must get some photos in them!
Anyway - to get back to the light - the sky over Gansey Bay this morning was beautiful - pale and golden pink like a soft peach and the bare branches of trees silhouetted against it were stretching long fingers towards the rising sun - almost like praying. The sea birds wheeled and soared just over the high watermark, also silhouetted against the creamy gold and the waves rode into shore with white horses on their backs - no sign of the heron today though. Not much warmth in the air yet - and in fact very icy elsewhere on my island and there has been an accident on the mountain road, so I hope no one is hurt. We didn't get much snow though!