Almost Christmas 2013 digi layout

I thought at first these were impossible Christmas colours - but in the end, it worked quite well. This is for the ARTastic Dec 2013 challenge.

ARTastic challenge Dec 2013

I was inspired by all the words to create my own set of words that mean Christmas to me!

Almost Christmas 2013 - ARTastic challenge Dec 2013

Soul Art 2013 - ARTastic Nov 2013

I was really inspired by the ARTastic painting - plus it went amazingly well with another comp I was working on (CSI #98 as part of the Design Team), so I just let it rip!

I've really wanted to use some the techniques I use in my artwork in the digital format - and this palette was perfect for that. I didn't think I'd be able to create my own background like I do for my paintings - but the principles are exactly the same really. I was really happy with this. I'd like to do more pages like this in the future!

Soul Art 2013 - for ARTastic nov 2013 and CSI #98 DT

Ingredients: (Background: the background is a plain pale orange with chopped up book page clippings attached to it and then different colours sprayed over the top of that including white with a textural mask over the top – Basic Grey Sophie Texture AWS – Texture1), CSI #48 Coordinates patterned paper Arabic blue (changed to lime green), Taluha Moon Designs Sunset kit – JournalPage03 (page edge), Cilenia Curtis ArtBox 13 B3A (dragonfly/poppies mask – bottom right hand corner), Basic Grey Lucky Textures LUC – Texture_dots, Scrap Art Studio Collab Changes – Add-On – PaintSplotch (changed to blue and purple), [Far Far Hill Freebies Kit Nocturne – el1 (flower head), el2 (five petal flower), el4 (violet)] el5 (rose), Far Far Hills Freebies kit clock and gears 0012 (oval shaped timepiece), PrelestnayaP Because of You kit – el28 (chain), created with Adobe Fireworks

Remember November 2013 orange paperie

The orange Paperie November comp with the sketch was very challenging. I kept thinking about how to make that sketch my own, with my own spin. Finally, whilst I've been sick with a high temperature, it came to me.

I used an old photo of my grandfather that I only recently discovered (circa 1919) and pics I took of some poppies down the road. As we've just had Remembrance Day I started to think about what that means to my family. We were extremely lucky in WWI - with only one death on Mum's side.

So I thought I'd do a page on the one story I've heard most of my life about WWI. A story of survival and luck.

Remember November 2013 - Orange Paperie Sketch comp Nov 2013

Orange Paperie Sketch Challenge Nov 2013

Will come back and put ingredients in.

Design Team - ARTastic - Jan - Jun 2014

I am really excited that I have just been told I am on the Design Team - at ARTastic - from Jan - Jun 2014!! I love the challenges at ARTastic and am looking forward to doing my bit as part of the Team.

I have a bit of a cold ATM so this really cheered me up!

There's Something About.. Chickens 2013 digi layout

I was really surprised about the memories I have of chickens, and how this challenge made me feel; remembering good and interesting times from my childhood that I had kind of forgotten. I tried and tried to find the wallpaper that my Nan used to have on her kitchen wall, but I couldn't. So I replicated it the best I could from memory - as there are no photos of Nan in her kitchen that I have ever seen.

The journaling says : "My Nan and Pa had chickens in their backyard, and 'feeding the chickens' was something I enjoyed helping Nan with. They re-decorated their kitchen in the 1970's and Nan chose a retro style mirrored pattern with two large chickens in green and orange facing each other in one band and two smaller ones in a second row, with a pattern similar to the background of this page. My favourite chook painting is the one attached - by Klimt with the hollyhock lined pathway. The material chicken is a pin cushion I bought at a market at Chiltern, Vic and the carved and painted Indonesian chooks I just love. I recently bought a book on chickens and their breeds, and my favourites seem to be the Sussex and Hamburg. I've never had chickens myself, but there's something calming and relaxing about them. And they remind me of my Nan.

As a child I used to go and watch the seasoned exhibitors preparing their chickens for the judges at the Ag Shows . Chickens hanging upsidedown, hair dryers and amazing care taken to make them look good.

Pixels & Paper Nov 2013 Challenge Photo

There's Something About Chickens 2013 -
for Pixels & Paper Nov 2013 challenge

CSI Design Team stint : pages I created

Being a little more time poor now, I will add all my pages as I publish them into this post I think, during my stint as a CSI Design Team member. To see all the details, please go to CSI.

CSI #96 DT click to go to CSI to see it

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CSI #97 DT click to go to CSI to see it

Art Exhibition

I am also celebrating (feeling sick and excited all at once) about exhibiting four recent paintings in an Acrylic exhibition at my local nursery. I took pics (eventually) of me and the art work. It was a really weird feeling being separated from the paintings. Its been 20 years since I put anything into an exhibition or show! I feel so proud, but it's also very scary because I'm don't feel I'm quite there yet with my acrylics - I prefer gouache! Our little Acrylics group started in May - a spin off of the local Art Society to which we are all members. I happened to walk in on the first one by accident, and have been going each month ever since.

It's a harrowing experience. But I've learnt so much in such a short period of time. I'm hoping to create freer works, but even if I get stuck with these I love them and will gladly put them on my own walls!

me with my flowers painting (least happy with) and my horse painted on ripped up sheet music on canvas. Put a packet on that so hopefully it won't sell!

me with my other two paintings using scrapping techniques; the top one I created the dove templates and used glimmermist. The background is bill envelope innards. The bottom one is on sheet music ripped up.

Design Team Member CSI

I churning out layouts left right and centre, but can't really show any in here yet. I'm still excited and energized and even got an Electrician in at home this week to replace all my old light switches, powerpoints and (soon) old light fittings. This has sparked a mass clean up. I have used more furniture polish this weekend than ever before (all the window surrounds and door frame trims and those bits that run between the wall and the carpet.)
YAY

I need to try and stay ahead of the pack a bit as I usually go away for Christmas and Dad's old computer can't cope with graphic design. It won't even play a CD with a chipmunk voice.

CSI Detective - newbie - me!

I am sooooooo excited.. I feel a mix of pure AMAZING mixed with violent stomach churning sick! I am so amazed that I have been selected to join the CSI Design Team for Nov - Jan. I am really looking forward to this.
I tried to find a picture which shows just how happy I am, but nothing seemed quite right, but I thought these Macarena dancing cats shows it best...

Clowns 2013 digi layout

I used the amazing Tinci Sweet Afternoon Mini Kit provided at Pickle Berry Pop for the Mystery October 2013 challenge. I've not done that before.

I found some perfect photos for it - from my childhood - roundabout my 12th birthday when my brother and I were acting up after using a face painting kit in 1970 something.

https://www.pickleberrypop.com/index.php

Clowns 2013 - digi layout for Pickle Berry Pop Mystery Challenge Oct 2013

Nature Girl 2013 - digi layout

What can I say? I really enjoyed the bird like challenge and this almost hippie image to use as inspiration! I used one of my favourite pics from my childhood - I was about 14 years old in this one - it's the only picture of me where I think I look pretty. (I was actually at the Ricketts Sanctuary - amazing outdoor sculptures of aboriginal artist William Ricketts)

I wanted a page that showed the nature that I grew up with; hence the Yellow Rosellas - endemic only to my local area (slightly digitally altered one of my rosella pics to get a flying shot), the woodland trees, the river, and the splashes of colour of the wildflowers.

ARTastic October 2013 - plus wood n feathers

Nature Girl 2013 digi layout for ARTastic October challenge

Follow This 2013 digi layout

I got excited as soon as I saw this palette and sketch at The Color Room. Waited like two seconds before I got into it. I love these colours together. So modern and crisp!! And I loved the sketch!!

The Color Room Palette 160

So, this is what I ended up with. I was really happy in the end. Sometimes pages just come together - this was one of those. Refreshing. Used photos of my cousinette Violet and her Dad (my cousin). The photos are actually from 2011 but I felt they really suited the palette. Violet is an outdoors girl, on her first pair of skis at 2 years old, and this year got a baby sister after 4.5 years of "only child syndrome". I used my photos of one of my petunias. 

Will have to come back and put the Ingredients in.

Follow This - CSI #160 - October 2013

Arabian Love 2013 digi layout

I was really inspired by this photo for some reason, even though my layout did not have any candles in it or had anything to do with a birthday. I loved the colours and all the black! I used 11 letters in my title to match the 11 candles on the cake.

Pixels & Paper Challenge Blog October 2013

my page Arabian Love 2013 for pixels and paper challenge oct 2013

The journalling reads : "I've loved Arabian horses since the early 1980's. I joined the society in 1984 as a silent member and still belong today. I study lineages, and love to paint them, but the biggest thrill was in 1999 when I saw River Oak Imprint IRL (in real life). This is a photo I took of him. OCT 2013"

I really enjoyed doing this page and editing my photo so I could have the horse like this for my page. Will come back later and put the ingredients in. Lots from Far Far Hills. The flowers are from Pickle Berry Pop.

Second to Amir El Shaklan (imp) River Oak Imprint is my next favourite stallion in Australia. I kind of lost a bit of my passion for the Arabian horse after Amir El Shaklan (imp) passed away. He had been around the whole time since I was first interested, and left like he had left a bit of a hole. But I've recently gone back into them, and tripped over a small album with this photo and several others - the only Arabian horse show I've ever been to. Being asthmatic and allergic to horses makes being with them indoors impossible for more than an hour. Even on this occasion I still ended up at Out Patient's - but it was worth it!!!

Ingredients : will populate later.

Tulips Tea and Me 2013

This is my comp page for CSI #91 which I really enjoyed doing. I have discovered the use of white in my layouts to balance out colours. I can hum or hear my favourite music in my head at any time of day - even if I'm not playing it!

It wasn't until I was nearly finished that I realised how Webster's Pages this palette was, darn it! I was inspired by Helen's page - particularly the music, so I screen grabbed my easy listening playlist and whacked that on the page. (I will put the full list on my blog)

Testimony: Document something you enjoy daily. The Scheme - yep, Evidence: bird, leaves (real ones?), wet medium, stripes, ribbon, tearing, speech/thought bubble. will come back and put ingredients in.
The title is a play on a movie I saw once and loved, but have never seen it again; Coffee Tea or Me.

journalling reads : "How can I explain that, besides tea (my life - blood) and my favourite music, I also enjoy tulips daily? I grow them in Spring. I've always loved them, and when I look throughout the house, they follow me about; photo album covers, books, patterns, desktop pics at work. I have memories of nagging Mum and Dad every year to take me to Tesselaars (THE tulip farm in Australia), and seeing the amazing varieties and colour combos. The tulip on the page is one I grew this year - Happy Generation. I've also included my favourite PlayList - 'Depression in the Mix' which I put together over a couple of years - just my easy listening playlist (not the angry beating one!).

2013 Tulips Tea and Me for CSI #91

CSI comp #91

My playlist is :
Confide in Me - Kylie Minogue -  1994
Over the Rainbow - Judy Garland - 1939
The End of the World - Susan Boyle - 2009
Look Down, Lord (from Rosewood) - John Williams - 2000
Forever and Ever (from Picnic At Hanging Rock) - Georg Zamfir - 1995 (my cd)
Suite for solo cello No 1 in G major BMV 1007 : prelude - Bach 2002 (my version)
Sadness Part 1 Enigma - 1992
Hovern Enkan (A Cool Breeze Is Blowing) - Gevorg Dabaghyan - Duduk - 1996
Hallelujah - Alison Crowe (Tidings album) - 2004
Singing in the Rain - Gene Kelly - 1952
The Russian Creed op 29 no 8 - Grechaninov - 1975 recording on 1993 CD
Bittersweet Goodbye - Kylie Minogue - 2001
White Christmas - Bing Crosby - (from 100 years of Cinema cd)
Mad World (from Donnie Darko) - Gary Jules (my fav version) - 2001
The Friendship Theme (from Beaches) - Bette Midler - 1989 (no singing so unclear if Bette wrote this)
Never Saw Blue Like That - Shawn Colvin (from Runaway Bride soundtrack) - 1999
Someone Like You - Richard Clayderman (Romantique album) - 2013
I Think It's Going to Rain Today - Bette Midler (also from Beaches soundtrack) - 1989
Building the Barn (from the movie Witness) - Adelaide Symphony Orchestra (from Cardio Workout CD) - 2009
Le Onde - Richard Clayderman (also from Romantique album) 2013

I'm pretty particular about which version of the music it is. There are so many re-dos and take offs over time of some songs and they all sound different or have a different spin, whilst others which I love, don't get revamped! (Bittersweet Goodbye I love but no one has ever heard of it!)

My brother gave me the latest Richard Clayderman album (I thought he was dead?) and these two pieces went straight onto my favourites list.  I love how he plays them!!!

Painting 2013 - digi layout

I really loved this arched window and the bold blue against the black of the challenge photo from Archiscraps for Sept 2013. I wanted to be in just right the mood for it, as its been a while since I used really bold colours like this. Thank you so much Archiscraps! I booked out my Saturday afternoon and just let the creativity take hold, and am really happy with the result.

I needed some flying birds, so I traced around some silver gulls from some pics I took last christmas. That worked surprisingly well! Might be able to do that again in the future!On the page are two of my more recent paintings - Freedom on the left and Forever on the right. I've only just got back into painting after about 5 years of not much at all.

I will come back later and populate the ingredients.

Archiscraps challenge Sept 2013

Painting 2013 - for Archiscraps Sept 2013

Who is 4? 2013 Sept digi page

My cousinette Violet(my cousin Wayne's daughter) has just turned 4. In many photos she looks so much older its hard to believe she hasn't started school yet. I used my recent photo of my blue faced violets in the background (this overexposed shot came straight off the camera - I almost deleted it, but then I thought it was kind of pretty in its own way - it has material in behind it in-shot). Violet lives in the USA. I loved the Emma Sketch! I hope I did it justice!
Evidence: animal accents, polka dots, stripes, brackets, two alphabets, dotted lines, alphabets in design elements, book pages, musical elements, flag
Testimony : place brackets around your story

Ingredients: Microsoft Publisher – pony, [#89 Coordinates Kit – tag, sign language (V-I-O-L-E-T), ‘who is’ alphas], #27 Coordinates Kit – Woodland animals silhouette, [Sweetly Scrapped freebies - butterfly 4140339, Dancing Children1 (drawing of dancing children, rabbits, and music banner)], Jasmin-Olya Designs CU Flowers – Volume 9 Lilies of the Valley – 03,Lorie M Designs Cherish Kit – Bracket1, Basic Grey Stella Ruby Flourishes – Flourish 1 (changed to white), Far Far Hills Bright Spring Time – 0012 (ribbon bow), Indigo Designs Always In My Heart Elements – 25 (ribbon swirling), The Ettes Fayette Terlouw Time 4 Dreams kit – Stitches, American Crafts Becky Higgins Project Life Baby Edition for Him Papers – No 8 (spotted), American Crafts Pebbles Walnut Grove Patterned Paper 1 – Dictionary (sheet from dictionary), American Crafts Pebbles Walnut Grove Patterned Paper 2 – Chevron, Cilenia Curtis & ValC Designs Fly With Me bundle – Ajpaper2 (watercolour blue/white), - Software: Adobe Fireworks

Who is 4? 2013 Sept digi page CSI #89

CSI Case File No 89 with sketch challenge

'Who is 4?' made it to the Most Wanted List for #89

Shadow Room 2013 digi

I really love grey in palettes! I've had these pics for a couple of weeks and was hoping a case file soon would be suitable - I think this one is perfect. It's one of those things that are there everyday, and I've never looked over to my right before to see these shadows on my couch! There is a white strip around the edge, which may not be visible here with the white background!
The scheme - yep, Testimony: Everyday Life Prompts (no 10 Around the room), Evidence: art mediums, stripes, architectural elements (columns, arches, chunky frame, cornice curly bits), tie something (ribbon), vellum (faux in arches).
PS I love the column from the CSI Coordinates kit!

Ingredients : CSI Coordinates #86 – Column, Striped patterned paper, quote, [Aliya Because of You kit – el11 (archway), el39 (marble frame)], Far Far Hills Vintage Style Ornamental Elements 008 (cornice flourishes), Armina Designs Splatters Brush 1 – b (changed to pink and orange), [Indigo Designs Always In My Heart No 5 and No 6 (lilies), no 29 (powdered swirls)], Far Far Hills Freebies Kit Photo Frames – 007, Far Far Hills Vintage Ornaments Kit – 0012 (changed to grey), [fonts: Arial Narrow, 2peas Fancy Free, Bernard Mt Condensed, Cambria], Adobe Fireworks software.

Shadow Room 2013 CSI #86

CSI Case File No 86 challenge

Death Comes As The End 2013 digi page

This page is a tribute to my favourite fiction author Agatha Christie, the CSI comp #88. I've been working on replicating torn edge effects, which works particularly well with this Middle Eastern inspired theme. I love archeology (have done for years) and only recently realised just how many of Agatha Christie's books were set in the Middle East or touched on Archeology! My favourite book of hers is Death Comes As The End, which most people have never heard of - it is a murder mystery set in Ancient Egypt and centres around a prosperous family and the solid premise on what we think we know about our own family and each member's character.

I have a set of Agatha Christie novels (about 77 of them) and read one book over a few nights. Recently books that I never enjoyed I actually warm to now - especially those spy novels.
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Ingredients: American Crafts digi paper Olive Edition Papers no 7 (changed to orange), Far Far Hill Gentle Spring kit 0039 (white tulip), Far Far hill freebies kit Nocturne el2 (five petal flower), Lara’s Digital World Under Palm Tree -branch1, chipboard woman icon (edited to Egyptian style), Chipboard piece - The Dusty Attic DA0547 wrought iron trim set piece 1, Aida Domisiewicz All is Love Pink Paradise 13@arts (changed from pink to cream), Csi Coordinates #32 patterned paper yellow sun rays (edited), Cilenia Curtis FYA-MovingForward_E3 (clock face), corrugated card (scanned myself), csi Coordinates #43 journal block odd shape, golden scarab – from the internet, created with Adobe Fireworks

Death Comes As The End 2013 CSI #88

CSI Case File no 88 challenge

'Death Comes As The End' made it to the Most Wanted List for #88

Cheeky Duo 2013 digi layout

I was really inspired by the Pixels & Paper Challenge Sept 2013 and found this wonderful recent photo of my cousinettes Violet and Olive perfect for it.
Will return to put the ingredients in.

Pixels & Paper Challenge photo Sept 2013

Cheeky Duo 2013 digi layout for Pixels & Paper Challenge Sept 2013

Graceful 2013

I had alot of trouble getting this page together, yet I loved the inspiration photo at Archiscraps. In the end, I trashed everything I worked on in the last few weeks and started again; this time with a textural background from Aida Domisiewicz patterned paper, and slowly something came together.

I took the photos over the last week. I probably don't scrap one of my favourite flowers enough; most of my camellias start flowering in Autumn and go right through to late Spring.

I really liked the window on the lower level with the window boxes to the left; so that's how I arranged my pics.

Archiscraps 2013 August challenge

Graceful 2013 - for ArchiScraps Aug 2013 challenge

Ingredients: Aida Domisiewicz Frosted Life Collection - Moon Dust 13@arts patterned paper, Websters Pages Modern Romance digital button no 16, Far Far Hills Vintage Style Ornamental Elements 004 (one of 3), Lara’s Digital World Inner Peace Elements – Ribbon-white2, Far far Hills Bright Spring Time kit item 0013 (window with shutters), A-liya Because of You El50 (leaf scatter), created with Adobe Fireworks

Very Pinteresting 2013 digi layout

This is my "chipboard and flowers" entry to Orange Paperie's August 2013 challenge. I really wanted to do a page about my Pinterest place, seeking rainbows, which has stemmed my tide of internet shopping (it feels like I already own items by being able to view them at any time) and which I enjoy looking at when I want to feel calm or be inspired!

I used Dusty Attic chipboard piece - the same one - I just 'painted' the ones at the top and bottom of the page white. The flowers are from a kit I recently purchased.

I don't really have a set theme or period; so my Pinterest areas always look varied, but I've really enjoyed using it, so I was going for a similar mis-match in my page - hence the starkness between the backgrounds!


Ingredients: Armina I Wanna Be kit Patterned Paper no 5 (orangey wood background),  Basic Grey Stella Ruby Flourishes STE_Flourish_4, Dusty Attic chipboard DA0547 wrought iron trim set (scanned it in), American Crafts Lori Whitlock Cherry Edition Extra Elements – Dots-2, [Fayette Designs Beach Therapy Elements kit – Decal Flower Teal, Decal Flower Orange,  Hibiscus Teal, Seagull Flight],American Crafts Pebbles Walnut Grove Patterned Paper Kit 2 – Chervron, Adobe Fireworks

Very Pinteresting 2013 digi page for Orange Paperie & Co Aug 2013 challenge