I've started my holiday minibook!

I really wanted to get stuck into this before the memories fade... so I made a start this weekend. I wanted the cover to have a seaside/beach theme as we spent so much time there - the weather was so beautiful we just had to make the most of our sunny days. It felt right to get a bit arty with the gel pastels so I've put together a seascape that goes over both the front and back covers. I'm actually waiting on it to dry as I do this quick post. I'm not sure what else is going to happen on the cover in regard to the title - I haven't thought too much about that yet but I'm sure something will evolve as I put together the photos and pages of the book. Speaking of which, they are at the top of this pic. I've gone for sweet, ice-cream colours mixed up with some neutrals inside and those AC Dear Lizzy Neopolitan papers came in handy again for this. As usual, this mini will hopefully have an eclectic mix and match feel to it. I've deliberately made sure none of the pages inside are the same size, some of which have apertures or fold outs or pockets in them. Here's the pic as a taster of what's to come...

Pop by again soon for an update on how things are progressing!
Thanks
Jak! xxx

Well, hello!

...And it's back to papercrafting at Papery Mash! This post I'm sharing a card and a 12x12 layout. I've been a bit lazy of late when it comes to getting stuff done at the crafting table. I don't know why that is. Maybe it's because there always seems to be other things to do around the house/garden in summer...
So, I was looking for a photo to scrap and came across this very cute one of a face painted Sadie. She was only 3 when this was taken and it took me back to how she just loved any opportunity to get her face painted! Also, back then my girls would let me take photos of them all day every day. That has changed somewhat of late and both of them duck for cover or glower fiercely whenever they see a camera pointed in their direction these days. I'm so hoping that this is a phase they'll grow out of otherwise I'll be scrapping baby photos till they're in their twenties!!lol!

Here she is in all her painted glory! I distinctly remember how thick the layer of glitter on top of those facepaints was!!!

So cute! 

This quick card was put together using my "Go To" bedtime story book for the cut little girl with kittens illustration. Seriously, this book just keeps coming up with illustrative treasures too cute to not use! Also, the thing I love about this kind of card too is that to complete the look, all I have to do is rummage through my cardstock leftovers and see what random lovliness comes together!

Thanks as always for popping by!
Jak xxx

Hi! It's me!

   Well hello! Apologies for not posting anything recently - life just got a bit busy and I let things slip a bit here! I'm here now tho and I have two pieces of mixed media art to share with you this morning. These were made as gifts for two of my lovely friends who thankfully really liked them - phew! It's always a worry when you give a homemade gift. Family members are always supportive of my creative endeavours but sometimes they can be a bit biased in their opinions which is by no means a bad thing - creativity should always be encouraged - no matter what the media is - it could be crafting, painting, putting the shelves up or just making the tea! I'm a firm believer that if it comes from the heart then it will usually be a thing of beauty, integrity or sometimes both! So I was really relieved when the girls opened their pressies and saw what I'd made them! They were genuinely delighted! I'm sure neither of them will mind me sharing the images here with you all - it's all about inspiring and sharing here...
This first one is Angie's pressie...

Happy birthday Ange!!

And this one is Elaine's

   As you can see I seem to have a bird thing happening at the moment - it must be spring or something! We don't get as many little birdies in our garden as we used to - having three cats kinda puts them off naturally, but we do get families of house martins nesting above the bay window of our living room. They drive the cats insane with their darting and weaving and comings and goings all day long heehee! I'm pretty sure it won't be long till they arrive for their summer holiday here in Sunny Dundee.
  So, back to the creative stuff - the collages were put together in a similar way as the Dwell With Your Kind one in the previous post. These ones are a bit smaller - A5, and are on canvasses instead of board this time. Both incorporate vintage bird images printed from a laser printer - very important this bit as prints from an inkjet printer don't like coming into contact with any water based paints, inks glues etc. and end up a blurry mess. There's old book text layered in the background but it's the layer of gesso on top that enables the colours to slide about and play with each other. Those gel crayons are so vibrant and creamy that I'd be happy just to look at that on my wall! I always finish off my art with a layer of Golden Gel Medium. I prefer to use the one that dries with a bit of texture so you can see brush strokes and uneven bits - I feel it just gives a bit more tactility too.
   Anyways, I hope you like them too and if you're having a lazy day, why not indulge yourself in something creative. It's good for the soul dontcha know!
Go on, you know you want to!
Love Jak
xxx

trying out something a bit different... for me anyway.

Howdy crafty friends!
This is a peak at my first go at creativity on canvas. Mixed media art to give it it's proper name although it was called collage when I was at college. What fun! Thing is I'm not sure where it's going but I am enjoying the process and I guess that's more important than anything else.
   I wanted to try something different as I feel it's about time I stretched myself a bit and we don't have any original paintings in our house, just one or two prints, mainly in a graphic style. So, this is my first attempt at a splash of colour. I'm a graphic designer to trade which is a very different thing to being a fine artist - basically I can't draw for peanuts which may or may not come as a surprise. Many designers can but some of us can't at least not well enough to make a living from which is why when I got the chance to specialise in magazine design I grabbed it with both hands. Anyway I'm going off on a tangent when what I want to tell you about is these. Gel Pastels from French brand Djeco! They are similar to Faber-Castell Gelatos but a bit cheaper cos they are for kids. This set I got last sunday from HobbyCraft for under£7 which was a bargain as they normally retail at £9. They are lovely and soft and so easy to blend together. Great stuff. Now, not having had the chance to use Gelatos (no-one stocks them anywhere nearby) I'm not sure how they compare but I'm guessing it's all about the ratio of pigment to carrier. These have loads of pigment, certainly plenty for working on white canvas - haven't tried them on a dark background!

Here's a sneeky peek at my first go...

The background told me it needed some birdies as it was a sky that evolved on the canvas... These main images have been printed and cut out....

This is the corner that I'm swithering over... it needs a bit of lettering or something but I just don't want to overdo it and lose the breathing space. I live in fear of overdoing everything arty and live by the saying that "less is more".  Stay tuned to see what I come up with...

Pop by soon to see the completed project.

Love Jak xxx