Saturday 2 December 2017

New Job card

Hello, just a quick update I made a card and it wasn't a Christmas card!
Using a topper sheet I bought a LONG time ago I added a little bit of glitter and gloss and a sentiment on an embossed scrap of pink card I die cut.


Now, back to making Christmas cards!

Happy crafting
Kyla


Wednesday 29 November 2017

WOYWW

 Hump day again so that must mean baring our workdesks led by our lovely Queen of Desks, Julia via "What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday"

So the past couple of weeks I have been able to do some crafting, I am SO pleased as work has taken over my life in the past 6 months so I am trying to get some 'me' time in the craft room.  This week it is all about Christmas cards (naturally) and of course using up old stash too (which is what I have been trying to do for the past year or so).

This week I have been using some sticky motif's that I have had for AGES (and yes, they are still sticky-joking aside, I have had these for YEARS and that shows how well made a product they are as they are as sticky as the day I bought them).  I played with some gilding flakes (remembering NOT to cough whilst the lid was off the tub) and used some black and gold scraps from the scrap box.


As to my "Man Bites Dog" cards-well.....not sure what to say about that-so moving on......

Here are the finished cards:


Happy WOYWW
Kyla

Saturday 25 November 2017

Just a quick update as I finally found time to make some more of the cards I started on Wednesday.  I have now managed to make 10 cards-no where near the amount I need but a good start and at least I feel that I have started to make a dent in the long list of things that need doing before Christmas!


Just a few cutouts, run though embossing folders and some gilding wax applied and buffed.

Happy crafting
Kyla

Wednesday 22 November 2017

WOYWW

Hurrah, Wednesday again and I have FINALLY started some Christmas crafting!
I forget that family and friends live in USA and NZ (and I am in the UK) and therefore the last posting dates are ridiculously early (I mean, 9th Dec for NZ!!!)

But finally I have started on the cards


Nothing too taxing (a bit of gilding wax and a stamp) as time is short but still homemade-I just need to crack on and make a few more now!

My "Man Bites Dog" cards this week are 'Heiress Wife Stabs Tycoon'....well I never, let's see what this weeks papers say shall we?!

So, have you decided to join us over on the lovely Julia's blog and dare to bare your Workdesk?  Come on.....we are a friendly bunch and I have learnt a lot of new techniques and made some great friendships over the years (a big thanks to Julia and Jan).

Happy crafting
Kyla

Saturday 18 November 2017

Robot cards


I forgot to blog a couple of cards I made a few weeks ago.
I was using up some card blanks I have.  I rarely buy patterned cards but these silver space ones really caught my eye.

I made some toppers from some images I found on line, tinting the images to give them a slightly retro feel and added a small MDF embellishment next to the greeting



I think these cards are perfect for small boys or girls-or even older ones as I work with a lot of engineers who would like these!

Happy crafting
Kyla

Wednesday 15 November 2017

WOYWW


Wednesday again and once again life is rushing by and I have had very little time for anything but work or managing my RA.

My desk this week is just a dumping ground, there is no easy way round it I have just dumped 'stuff' that I have found around the house that I want to keep and use on some future craft project.


No crafting has been taking place but I need to start thinking about Christmas cards and presents at some point.

My "Man Bites Dog" cards this week are 'Dead judge revealed feds'-ooh well lets see!

So, what is on your workdesk this Wednesday?  
Why not pop over to http://stamping-ground.blogspot.co.uk/ and join in?

Happy crafting
Kyla


Saturday 11 November 2017

goggly eyes and knitting

Just a quick update...my mum knitted me some slippers (they have glue on the soles to make them non slip)-aren't they fabulous?

They are SO warm..........but.....



I couldn't resist sticking some of my goggly eyes on (the other one will follow)!!!!
Not sure mum approved (let's be honest after 46 years she is well practiced in the eye rolling regarding my slightly odd actions at times)!

Happy crafting
Kyla

Saturday 4 November 2017

365 Journal


Just a quick update as I managed to finish adding some mica and glitter to my 365 Journal page for November-it reminds me a little of fireworks so seemed appropriate.


The 365 Journal Challenge is over on the amazingly talented Kate Cranes blog (and Facebook group) and I have taken part for a few years now.  I think because it is only a minute a day it is achievable and probably the reason I have kept it up all these years (similar to WOYWW, it doesn't take too long and the benefits are so much more than just an update, it is timeout from the stress of daily life and a way to touch base with likeminded people and make friends too).

Happy crafting
kyla

Wednesday 1 November 2017

WOYWW

So, Wednesday again and I manage to take part (phew).  Though this photo was taken a couple of days ago...but believe me the desk has not changed at all!!

What's on Your Workdesk Wednesday?  

Well, on mine is my 365 Journal (been doing these for a fair few years now) and my November page which is nearly finished ready for the start of the month (I will probably decorate the page with some sparkles for fireworks in the next couple of days)


Which means that once again (which quite frankly I am amazed at) my page is basically ready for the start of the month!!

My "Man Bites Dog" cards this week are much better "Brave Cop, Missing Girl"-sounds like it could be a nicer headline for a change!!

So, what's on your workdesk this week?  Do you dare to share?

Happy crafting
kyla


Monday 30 October 2017

Autumnal leaves

 So, ridiculously busy at work at the moment (since mid June it has been hectic) which as you will have noticed means very little time to blog or craft.  

However this weekend was such lovely weather it meant my hubby and I went into town and actually managed to eat lunch sat outside in the park!  I know, in the UK at the end of October, we couldn't believe it. I really love all the seasons but Autumn is special with the assault on the senses of the contrast in temperatures, the noise of crisp leaves rustling and the smell of the still warm soil and the leaf mulch building up.

Anyway, as I sat there a large leaf fell in front of me so I took out my pen and did a quick 2 min sketch, not great but a quick doodle which I enjoyed.


Which I then decided to leave tucked into the bench we were sat.


No note, nothing-just a quick sketch then abandoned.

No idea if anyone found it or it blew away but I enjoyed the act of doing and leaving.

Happy crafting
Kyla

Sunday 15 October 2017

Spray can stencils


So, new stash from the states means I need time to play!  
With this in mind I have been playing with my new stencils.

I thought I would try them on carboard and also watercolour paper.  
Both quite thick substrates so can take a lot of paint and water before  they buckle or start to dissolve.  I added some roughly applied gesso to the cardboard to help the colour 'take' and also flicked watered down gesso across the finished pieces and some water so they have a nice mottled finish.


As is often the way these pieces will probably be abandoned somewhere over the next couple of weeks for some unsuspecting passer by to chance upon.

Happy crafting
Kyla

Friday 13 October 2017

Gregos and ArtAbandonment


Whilst I was on holiday in New York City I took some of my hand carved devil stamped postcards to abandon whilst I was there.

Most of you will know I am a big fan of street art (its hard not to be living in Bristol, home to Europes largest free street art festival) so NYC was such a brilliant opportunity.


I spotted this 'Gregos' piece and knew it was the ideal place to leave one of my red devil pieces.  Hopefully someone found him and liked it enough to take it home.  

Each piece has an explanation on the back about the Art Abandonment group (its worldwide) and how to contact us if you find a piece, but for the probably 100 or so pieces I have abandoned I have only ever heard back from one finder-but I don't mind as that's not the point of it, it is just a bonus.

Happy crafting
Kyla



Wednesday 11 October 2017

WOYWW


Wednesday?  Again?  Sorry but the days have rolled on by...I have been tardy in visiting desks as I was in New York all week (I know....New York!!!) which is why I missed the WOYWW crop (never missed one before!). We were celebrating our 20th Anniversary and hubbies 50th (which was back in the Spring) so decided to do a proper 'big' holiday-once I have downloaded the photos and pared them down from the more than 300 I took I will do a blog post!

So back to blog posts-on my desk this week are two new purchases from the states.  Some lovely mulitcoloured zebra stripe duck tape (I have the black and white one but never seen this blue/orange one) and also a set of 6 stencils (I have not seen designs like these before and they are right up my street).


On the bottom right are the green resin shapes I made a few weeks ago, not sure what to do with them but the resin was only £1 (marked down as it was leaking so has to be used as already exposed to air) but I managed to make an entire tin of embellishments for a £1 so I am happy with that.

My "Man Bites Dog" cards this week are once again randomly drawn-honest
"Tycoon Stuns Mob Boss Lawyer'

Say no more!!!

Happy crafting
Kyla

Thursday 5 October 2017

TH Birds



Just a quick update on my latest make.  Still on a challenge to use up stash I decided to use some of the stamped images I stamped from a previous WOYWW crop (waving to my 'enablers' Shaz and Helen if I remember correctly!!).



I stamped lots of images on plain card at the crop and later colour them in to use for a variety of different projects.

This project is unusual for me as it is quite a plain card and only one layer-but for me it works and I think it will be a good card for those occasions we all have where we struggle to find words for a friend but we want them to know we are thinking of them.

Kyla

Monday 2 October 2017

Abandoned art

 I often leave small pieces I have created on my walks etc for others to find.
A few weeks ago I started to paint some left over cardboard I had and also some small canvasses and I don't think I have shared them with you yet.



For the canvass boards I used stencils and various 3D mediums from gels and pastes (again, using up old stash).  I added colour with sprays and paints, watering down some and flicking them across the canvasses and then adding some words with a posca pen (I love these pens as they seem to take on most surfaces).  I finished them with a light spray of a sealant just in case it rained when I abandoned them.


The cardboard was even easier I just drew direct onto the white acrylic again with a posca pen.  I drew a couple of my favourite Studio Ghibli charachers of Totorro and a soot sprite!
Once again I applied a light coat of sealant.

Some of these have already been abandoned, some I have yet to set free!

Kyla

Wednesday 27 September 2017

WOYWW

Happy hump day.  So, what is on your workdesk this Wednesday?  

Mine is a bit different this week. 

When my Nan died and mum was clearing her stuff she came across lots of old x-rays that Nan had taken and rather than bin them asked if I would like them to craft/experiment with.

Needless to say I said yes.  Anyway I forgot I had them until I was in the room the other day and came across the envelope whilst having a tidy up (I know, and it's not even the first day of spring!!). 



I am not sure what to do with them.  I was thinking of seeing if alcohol or thinner distorted the image in any way (a bit like citra solv does with magazine pages) and whether I could stitch through some of them or transfer the images.

Not really sure, have any of you got any ideas?  If so I would love to hear them.

As to my "Man Bites Dog" cards this week 'General Slays Romantic Lover'-cheerful!

Happy crafting
Kyla


Saturday 23 September 2017

I got myself in a right jam

So, I tend to flit between crafts and since it is foraging season I have been making items ready for my Christmas gift hampers.

I have already started some Elderberry Brandy (it should be ready in about a month) but below is my first (and only as it takes a long time to make) batch of Blackberry jam.



It doesn't look much but it always catches me off guard as to how long it takes to make this!

  From picking bags of blackberries, de-labelling the jars and sterilising through to making the jam-it takes an entire afternoon for 6 jars!  To make sure there was enough pectin in the jam I added some foraged apples, cooking them down to a pulp with the blackberries.

All cooled and ready to add to the hampers come Christmas time!

Kyla

Wednesday 20 September 2017

WOYWW

On my desk this week is my 365 Journal as I desperately try to get ahead and make my October pages ready for the start of the month (rather than a week or so late which is when I tend to finish them and then struggle trying to remember what I did to add to each day)! 



Now, my "Man Bites Dog" cards this week WERE randomly drawn!! What can I say!!!

Happy crafting
kyla

Saturday 16 September 2017

Shaving foam card

I finally managed to get another few minutes after work to finish the card I started by adding a couple of flowers and attaching them with brads.


It is only a simple card but I do enjoy using up scraps and love playing with shaving foam and inks to create different one-off backgrounds.

One card down-an entire room of stash to use up!!

Kyla

Wednesday 13 September 2017

WOYWW

Finally I had some spare time to do some crafting, it was only 30 mins but it was great to finally get back into the craft room.

I have been spending time trying to use up old stash (I have bought very little new stash in the past couple of years) and this card is using up some offcut papers I printed with inks and shaving foam (the cheaper the shaving foam the better).  

I then matted the paper and added an embellishment in the centre.  Next time I get a spare 30 mins I plan on adding some of the flowers from my stash tin.



My "Man Bites Dog" cards this week are 'Heiress Wife Runs off with Actor'-ooh!

As fellow WOYWWers are all across the globe I hope this week finds you all ok considering the various countries that are experiencing some awful weather at the moment.

Kyla

Monday 28 August 2017

Nomadic Community Gardens


 London, especially Shoreditch is well known for its street art.

However, if you go off the beaten track and walk behind the railway line you find some great art and a fantastic project.  In 2015 a local group approached a developer who bought some land with an idea for a community project.  It encompassed temporary structures, raised beds growing food for the locals as well as a safe place for artists to practise and develop.  The developer agreed and Nomadic Community Gardens was created.

There is so much to see in the area, this is quite a photo heavy blog post but no-where near the total amount of photos I took on the day!

This will just give you a taster, if you are down in London why not pop along and support them (there is even a little mobile coffee cart you can purchase a drink whilst you wander round taking in all the art).


 The piece at the top is by Jimzina  on the womans sawdust 'toilet' and shares door space with a piece by ripartist.

 street art jostles for space alongside some large sculptures
 
and some pieces by famous street artists such as John D'oh and Losthills
 



 There are small pieces like on this barrel


to large pieces over the side of this building (too big to even fit on the screen in one shot!)
 
 all of this whilst the trains run past above the gardens


 whilst we were there they were painting over pieces to form blank canvasses so artists could practise and paint over them to create new art.


 the surrounding park and train tunnels have even more art

 this monkey was painted by fanakapan and 

 this amazing bird by envol.ldn

 It is a great space for the community to use


 and I cannot wait to go back and see how it develops and what new art emerges 




All this is hidden behind the popular shoreditch street markets where there is even more street art but these little known areas offer some fantastic art.

Kyla
 

Saturday 26 August 2017

Royal Academy of Art Summer Exhibition

 For the past few years my husband and I have travelled to London every year to see the Royal Academy of Art Summer Exhibition.  It is an amazing exhibition that runs every summer.  Anyone can submit a piece to be considered, from a grandmother in wales, a student in Birmingham, a celebrity musician through to a member of the RA-anyone (BBC iplayer usually has a great programme where they follow some of the people through the submission process.  If you ever get a chance to watch them I recommend it).


 There are SO many different mediums from fabric, sculpture, glass, paint, digital etc with styles from classical to modern.  The picture above is a fabric and stitched piece.

  
This one of skaters was one of our favourite in the exhibition.

This Amy Winehouse figure was made from beads and findings.
 
 Some of the artists are instantly recognisable such as this Gilbert and George piece

 Whilst other pieces took you by surprise

 I particularly liked this piece

 This large piece of lace was a great piece to see hanging on the wall


 There was SO many different styles.

 These pieces had money stuffed into their mouths!

 In the architectural section this digital 'blueprint' was stitched onto fabric

 Whilst in another gallery this chair was made from spent ammunition cases

Once again my eyes were drawn to pieces such as this on old book pages.

Inspiration at every turn-a great day out
Kyla