Card making with Unity Stamps

Hi all,

I've always loved Unity Stamps but lately I have become a little bit compulsive with buying them, I seem to have parcels arriving all the time - well at least 4 of them over the last few months! Have I made much with them though - no not really but I am amassing a nice collection. I do use lots of quote ones in my art journalling and am rather fond of Donna Downey's quote stamps and Christy Tomlison's quotes and textured background stamps.

Well here is a card I made just recently using stamps from my collection - I just can't remember which company!

Well that's it for tonight, I was just checking in. Hopefully soon I will get around to making another video which I have been wanting to do for a long time. Things are greatly changing in the next week so you just never know!

Bye for now,
Helen xx

Ups and Downs of Life

Hi all,

Things are a changing here in my little part of the world, things that are only really effecting my family but boy it has had a big impact on my life! Thankfully today I had my monthly art journalling class at Made With Memories and it gave me four hours of stress relief, even teaching 11 women to paint girls and shade it was fantastic to be away from my home situation.

Today's lesson was inspired by Christy Tomlinson's She Art but with my own twist. While my ladies were painting you could have heard a pin drop as they were all concentrating so hard but the rest of the class another story! Apparently I said a few things that allowed Deb to go down the dark path . . . something about only being able to manage one at a time while dribbling! Anyway here is the page that they created:

Next month something completely different but the ladies will be playing with joint compound, gauze and Inka Gold.

Bye for now and take care,
Helen xx

Oilbar Play

Hello,

Boy have I been busy! School is back in so working hard but of course I have still found time to play. When I was travelling around England last year I found some Winsor and Newton Oilbars and brought them home with me. I was inspired by Donna Downey's November Canvas Create from last year and decided to have a play tonight. I'm quite happy with my first attempt with oils - the Oilbars are so easy and fun to use you should give them a go. Well here is my flower canvas although me being me I would rather paint tulips than poppies!

Also today was my monthly art journalling class at Made With Memories in Rockingham and this was the double page that my lovely ladies created today. I had a great time with the 11 ladies that joined me even with the slight hick up with the medium. We all learnt something new!

Well that's it for tonight must go to bed as I'm getting up early to walk the dogs with my husband before heading off to school. Take care,
Helen xx

Guest Design Post on PaperArtsy Blog

Hello all,

It is time to reveal my little secret!!
PaperArtsy asked me to create a project for them and it is going live today!!

Last year on my trip to the UK I bought the tulip die, some stamps and my first bottles of Fresco paint and I fell in love with PaperArtsy products. So you can imagine my delight when I was asked to contribute to their design projects!

So here is a little taster of my project, hop on over to find out more!

Thanks for stopping bye and I hope you find the PaperArtsy products as delicious as I do - I'm sure you will!
Helen xx

Australia Day Weekend Fun

Hello,
it is Australia Day here in the land down under and I have been lucky enough to have some art time. Yesterday I spent a great day at my friend Pascale's house and we both created a journal page. We started with the same inspiration but ended up with 2 different pages, fantastic, I love it how we all can interpret things in our own way. Here is my journal page:

After coming home from Pascale's Sam (my son) and I went to the speedway to watch my 2 nephews compete in the demolition derby. We had a great night, Sam and I love the noise, the cars and especially the crashes! After returning home I prepped a new page in my journal. First I covered it randomly with some type of jointing tape I purchased from Donna Downey's store a year or so ago and then went around the edges of the tape with heavy body gesso. When I got to my craft room today I started work on the background and it began taking shape. It became a lot more abstract than my usual style but I really like it. Here it is:

Well that's it for now . . .  I should really start the things I have to do such as class samples and my school work seeing as school starts again next week, the summer holidays are coming to an end but maybe there's time for one last page . . . . .

Take care,
Helen

Playing Time

Hello all,

My school holidays are winding down and I am trying to find time to create unfortunately Foxtel and all my favourite Syfy and home shows are keeping me on the couch! Having said that I have created a journal page but I can only tease you with a picture of a section of it as it is for a class at Made With Memories in March. It's kind of my spin on a Christy Tomlinson inspired 'She Art'.

Here is a snippet of February's class, trying to channel the love with this one.

I always have a 'worksheet' for my classes that explain step by step how to recreate the page (we might never stick to the sheet but it is there for a reference). Unfortunately when I first created this page I got so involved I forgot to take photos so I had to recreate it last week just so I could take photos for my worksheet!

Well that's it for tonight.
Take care, Helen

P.S. Have a little secret that will be revealed next week!

Today's Surprise in my Letterbox!

I had tried out for the Scrapbooking Memories Masters 2013 competition and wasn't successful but imagine my surprise today when I received a free copy of the magazine (plus my subscription copy) in the mail as I made the Honourable Mentions list. I am a "SBM Newbie" as this is the first time I have ever been published in their magazine (actually any magazine).

Part of the competition was to make a 2014 calendar. This was my entry and what got featured in Vol16 No6 "Scrapbooking Masters".

"Judges' Note: Helen's artistic talents are clearly shown here - the detail on the tree is breathtaking!"

I'm feeling pretty proud right now, it is a huge compliment thank you Scrapbooking Memories. It's a lovely way to start the year.

Take care and bye for now,
Helen