Art Journal

 

A little sketch exercise in a slice of everyday life.  

Black and white pen, watercolours, Distress ink, colour pencils.

Shared on challenges:

simonsaysstampmonday-artjournal

colourcrazy-8-anything-goes-colouring

creativefingers-225-anythinggoes

iSpy #60

 iSpy #60

Each week, Lysha puts up a photographic challenge with prompts for us to look out for, then we share on Lysha's Saturday (my Sunday). Get inspired!

This week the prompts were: Backyard quarterly, Across the street, Starts with L, Next, Choose anything.

Backyard quarterly: Looking south (towards Antarctica for those in the northern hemisphere).  The vege garden and the chicken yard.

Across the street:  It is lovely and leafy in our street.  These neighbours have sheep behind the hedge. 

Starts with L:  An herbal plant called Lambs Ear.  It's true, it feels just like a lamb's ear!  It is great for stopping minor bleeding - you just press it onto the bleeding area.  Lambs Ears (Stachys byzantina)

Next:  This is our NEXT home;  we are moving there at the end of April.

Choose anything: quail roam through our yard.  The bird life is something we are really going to miss when we move, as we really enjoy watching the variety and sound as well as the antics.

Hogs n Kisses

 

This cute piggy loves to send hogs and kisses to you.  This was inspired by a challenge of 1/9ths.

Image: Tim Holtz/StampersAnonymous

Die: Nellies

Gilding flakes: Indigo Blu

Also: Copics

Shared on challenges:

aaacards-209-1/9ths-favourite-animal

DoubleD-shades-of-pink

craftyanimals-58

allsorts-664-i-love... piggies

paperfunday-february-38-anythinggoes

creativeknockouts-441-anything-goes

qkrstampede-438-anythinggoes

papercraft-challenges-79-anything-goes

crafts-galore-encore-feb-anythinggoes

Throughthecraftroomdoor-15th-anything-goes

HM Hot Tub

 House Mouse & Friends #359 Anything goes/animal friends

Who doesn't love a hot tub?  Invite your friends, enjoy and relax...

Image: House Mouse CD pre-coloured

Label die (stacked): Spellbinders

EF: Couture Creations

Sentiment: unbranded

Also: Distress Inks, Stickles, gems

Shared on challenges:

allsorts-664-i-love... hot tubs & spas

digichoosday-anythinggoes

pennyschallenges-515-anythinggoes

asyoulikeit-favourite-occasion-and-why always happy occasions and I usually make them for someone specific

polkadoodle-8-AG

creativefingers-225-AG

pinkgemchallenge-4-anythinggoes

lilpatchofcraftyfriends-176-AG

Eeeeekkkkk!!! Welcome back House-Mouse FANS!

We have more fabulous inspiration to share with you as

 a reminder to join our current 

'ANYTHING GOES' with the option of Animal/Bird Friends

The House Mouse Gang have lots of them!

Hosted by our Talented Teamie-Sue Drees

Please use any House-Mouse, Happy Hopper or Gruffie image 

Generously Sponsored  by;

We are thrilled to be welcoming back our AWESOME sponsor,

the Official Mousey Family, House-Mouse Designs(R)
 
HMD is offering a Lucky player a $20 Gift Certificate to go shopping at the official House-Mouse Designs(R) site!  House-Mouse Designs(R)  

Join in the fun here:  housemouse-challenge

iSpy #59

 iSpy #59

Each week, Lysha puts up a photographic challenge with prompts for us to look out for, then we share on Lysha's Saturday (my Sunday). Get inspired!

The prompts for this week were:  The sun shown, plugged, rock, walking, your choice.

THE SUN SHOWN:  I happened to be out and about around the property when I spotted this plane flying toward the sun just in the right spot.

PLUGGED: In my craft room the power points are all in the wrong spots and behind shelving etc.  With an iron (for quilting not ironing clothes!), an electronic cutter, a light box, vacuum cleaner etc this how it happens.

ROCK:  I love the texture of these rocks and if I was a bug or a lizard I would live here.

WALKING:  The black hen on the right is Jacky, she has just walked out of the henhouse cackling to everyone that she just laid an egg.  Was it a walk or was it really a strut?   Did you know hens walk about 1.5 miles a day foraging and can travel at up to 9 mph?

OWN CHOICE:  Cicada casings that have hatched.  Our driveway is lined with huge trees and the sound of cicadas is deafening.  They live in the ground as a grub for 17 years then they climb up a tree, split out of their skin, mate, lay eggs and die.  How boring is that?

Check out what others have found for the prompts here: ispy-59

Cloisonne un-caged

 

I tried a new technique called faux cloisonne, inspired by a challenge, and this is the result.  I love it, so rich and exotic looking.  I sprinkled some embossing powder on the bg and heated it before I added the cage although it hardly shows in the photograph it looks subtle (see in the detail shot).

Cage stamp: Tim Holtz

Sentiment stamp: Tim Holtz

Bg pierced die: MFT

Bird die: Couture Creations

Shared on challenges:

casmixup-february-challenge-Faux Cloisonne

allsorts-663-cas-with-option-of-elegance

DoubleD-shades-of-pink

cccdigicreations-133-things-with-wings

Throughthecraftroomdoor-15th-AG

scrapping4fun-209-anything-goes

Typed

 

This month's challenge at the Crafters Cafe is  MAKE YOUR OWN BACKGROUND.  What a great challenge, check it out here:  crafterscafe

Thanks to our sponsor All Dressed Up for providing this wonderful image, get it here:

I love to make cards that I can send to friends and family or anyone at any time, not just special occasions to let them know I'm thinking of them.

Image: All Dressed Up

Also:  DecoArt Media mist, Perfect Pearls, Copics, Cosmic Shimmer gilding flakes, Silver EP

Shared on challenges:

asyoulikeit-favourite-true-love-or-fabulous-friendships  I have friends scattered far and wide and this is one way I keep in touch and let them know I'm thinking of them.

colourcrazy-6-anything-goes-colouring

welove2create-mixedmedia- feb

DoubleD-shades-of-pink

scrapping4fun-209-anything-goes

Creative moments-231-optional-loveitorhateit

ellibelles-crafty-wednesday-february-heartsorflowers

Spy #58

 iSpy #58

Each week, Lysha puts up a photographic challenge with prompts for us to look out for, then we share on Lysha's Saturday (my Sunday). Get inspired!

This week the prompts are:  Spot in Town, Starts with Y, Spent, Stacked, Your Choice.

Spot in Town:  this is our local shopping center at Tamahere village. In the far distance is the retirement village we are moving to, in the middle distance is the kids playground, skate park and sports fields, and in the foreground are the superette, doctors, dentist/accountant, and closest is the pharmacy and physiotherapist.  Behind me is a cafe and restaurant, health food shop, beauty salon, sports shop and bakery. To the left is the school and day care centre.  Taken at 6.30pm.  I took it here because we don't go into town (Hamilton) much.

Starts with Y:  Yarn.  I spun this with the fleece from one of our sheep (Flossie) that we had at a previous property.

Spent:  The hydrangeas lining our driveway are out in flower over the summer, but somehow there is the spent flower or skeleton from last year still on the plant.

Stacked:  Here is some of the wood Ian has hoarded for his wood turning projects.  It used to be in a tin shed in the same spot, but over the weekend we had a cyclone and the shed flipped over and crumpled up, leaving everything in place.

Your choice:  Today I went out to inspect the grapes to see how ripe they were.  They looked so cool and delicious on such a hot day ... but not quite ready yet.

Come and have a looks at these clever people, here:  ispy-58

HM Flight of the Bumbles

 House Mouse & Friends #359 Anything Goes option of Animal/Bird Friends

I really like this image, it's so joyful and fun.  I can almost feel the wind in my fur hair.

Image: House Mouse

Die: unknown

Sentiment: unbranded

Also: Copics, twine, WoS, silver pen.

Shared on challenges:

wednesday/simon-says-emboss-it

colourcrazy-6-anything-goes-colouring

pennyschallenges-514-anythinggoes

scrapping4fun-209-anything-goes

asyoulikeit-true-love-or-fabulousfriendships-why friendships, when we all have fun together

Eeeeekkkkk!!! Welcome back House-Mouse FANS!

We are here with a new challenge for you.

Anythiing Goes with the option theme of  "ANIMAL/Bird FRIENDS"

The mice have lots of different Animal/Bird Friends

Hosted by our Talented Teamie -Sue Drees

Please use any House-Mouse, Happy Hopper or Gruffie image 

We are  Generously Sponsored by

House-Mouse Designs(R)  

We are thrilled to be welcoming back our AWESOME sponsor,

the Official Mousey Family, House-Mouse Designs(R)
 
HMD is offering a Lucky player a $20 Gift Certificate to go shopping at the official House-Mouse Designs(R) site!  House-Mouse Designs(R)  

Many thanks to our generous Sponsor, House Mouse Designs,

 for their continued support.  

Jpin the challenge here: housemouse-challenge

iSpy #57

 iSpy #57

Each week, Lysha puts up a photographic challenge with prompts for us to look out for, then we share on Lysha's Saturday (my Sunday). Get inspired!

The prompts this week were: Plant quarterly, Chaos, Love, Covered, your choice.

Plant Quarterly:  We probably won't be living here when the next one comes up so I thought I'd better do one that I am taking with me.  Colourful bizzie lizzies.

Chaos: self-explanatory scene from the man's shed.

Love:  As I was packing things up this week, I rediscovered this quilted brooch grand daughter Rhiannon lovingly made for me.  She had a picture to go by and figured out the rest herself.  It came in the mail with a loving note. I made me feel really special. And yes, I wear it.

Covered:  Last week we had a family barbecue, played games, and then the grandkids toasted marshmallows.  Sitting around the fire pit, I guess you can tell by the look on Jackson's face he doesn't fancy eating the one covered in black gooey burnt sugar.

Check it out here:  acameraandacookbook-ispy-57

HM Relax

 

This time I made an Anything Goes card, although it could be get well too.    I purposely didn't put a sentiment, so it can be used for anything!

Did you notice in the patterned paper the flowers/leaves are made of tiny hearts???

And ... the patterned paper was a piece that was torn and neither bit was big enough to use as a background, so became a snippet.

Image: Housemouse/Stampendous

Also: Coloured pencils, torn p.paper, ribbon

Shared in challenges:

kraftychicks-597-week-1-stampAct

colourcrazy-5-anything-goes-colouring

creativefingers-224-anythinggoes

heroartsstay-crafty-february-anythinggoes

modsquad-hearts-and-flowers tiny heart leaves in the paper

pixiessnippetsplayground-421 snippet of accidentally torn paper

Throughthecraftroomdoor-anything-goes-february-1

Eeeeekkkkk!!! Welcome back House-Mouse FANS!

We have more fabulous inspiration to share with you as

 a reminder to join our current 

'ANYTHING GOES' with the option of  Get Well

Hosted by our Talented Teamie Misti 

Please use any House-Mouse, Happy Hopper or Gruffie image 

We welcome back Di's DigiStamps 

Di's DigiStamps

One Lucky Winner will receive a 
$6 Voucher to spend @ Di's Digi Stamps

Plus the design team are offering this super unmounted

 Gruffie stamp set  to one lucky winner..

JOIN US HERE:  housemouse-challenge

CAS Menagerie

 

I am excited to be Guest Designer at AAA Cards for this challenge #208.  See lots of designer inspiration from the team, and join in the challenge here:  aaacards

I thought the stencil looked a bit like the windows in the inspiration photo; maybe the animals like the view? 

Stamp: Picket Fence

Stencil:  Ranger

Also: Distress Inks speckled egg

Shared on challenges:

kraftychicks-597/1-stamp act

cleanandsimpleonsunday-224-male

welovestamping-february-stamped, opt stencilling

craftyanimals-58

qkrstampede-437-anythinggoes

creativefingers-224-anythinggoes

polkadoodles-6-anythinggoes

craftycalendar-anything-goes

heroarts/staycrafty--february-anythinggoes