Christmas Cards

Some of this year's cards. Actually they will probably be next year's cards too - I thought I wasn't going to have enough but in the end I went a bit mad and made way too many!

December - Street Style

I've been exploring different artwork styles in books and blogs recently, and am finding lots of new inspiration for my own work. At the moment I'm loving the cool, unpolished and immediate feel of Street Art. I'm no street artist but I've tried to bring some of that edgy street flavour to this altered book spread. (Acrylic paint, collage, pablo pencil)

November Journal Page

Collage, acrylic, ink, pablo pencil, stamping.

I'm excited about this page for a couple of reasons:

Firstly, it should not work (vintage photo V orange/black acrylic paint - what was she thinking?!)....but I really like it!

Secondly, it was one of those 'accidental' pages. The background was part of an acrylic painting which didn't work out, so I was feeling a bit disappointed, but I never waste anything so I cut it up to use for collage. My feeling of failure disappeared when I realised it might still make something interesting. I love it when art just happens.

Beetle ATC

I can never stay away from insects for long, and this exotic beetle is one of my favourite insect images.

Collage, ink, acetate, hardware.

Vintage Again - ATC

I'm planning on starting some very large-scale work next month, so I'm doing the opposite at the moment and making some ATCs. They are such a great way to try out images and ideas, and stimulate creative thinking.

Collage, script stamp, ink, pablo pencil.

Be Free, Make Art

(12x12 Scrapbook Page)

Prima Paintables watercolour sheet; photocopy picture, transfers, tape labeller, mixed media.

I'm feeling quite bold and brave at the moment, and I want to translate that feeling into my artwork, using vibrant colour and high contrast design.

This is a rework of a page I started ages ago but was never happy with. I like it better this time round!

Vintage Ladies

I sometimes struggle to use vintage pics effectively, but the lovely texture of these handmade papers works really well with glamorous ladies. The combination of the two creates some really feminine, tactile-looking journal or altered book pages.

Birdy ATCs

Artists Trading Cards - sheet music, acrylic glaze, birdy stickers, flourish stamps, pablo pencil, distress ink, bronze gel pen.

For some reason I've never tried making ATCs before, but once I got started on these I found it was relaxing and fun to work on such a small scale. I think I might make some to use as business cards!

Home Sweet Home

Now that I've started art journalling again, I'm really enjoying it and find I can't stop! I wanted to try using some super-bright colours and create a child-like feeling for this page about how much I love being at home.

It actually took a lot of reworking and several layers of collage before I was happy with it, but I hope the effect is spontaneous and energetic.

Art Journalling

After a break of several weeks I've finally got my art journals off the shelf, and am having fun experimenting with ideas and techniques.

'Make One Mark' is a favourite prompt to help me get over that 'blank page/blank mind" feeling!

Girly Handbag Cards

I'm going through a card-crazy phase at the moment. My altered books and art journals are sitting on the shelf gathering dust because I'm having so much fun making cards.

I created a template for this handbag-shaped card on my PC (using autoshapes) and sized it so it can be printed directly onto A4 card/paper, ready to cut out. It works best with heavyweight double-sided scrapbook papers. Inside the card (which fastens with a tiny velcro dot) is a birthday greeting embossed on a mirri plaque.

Perfect for girly birthdays!

Fresh Daisy Birthday Card on a Budget

I'm feeling very summery at the moment, and am having fun playing with my new Nestabilities. Having bought the Nesties, I'm now on a strict no-spend, so I'm busy using up all my scraps of card and patterned paper which have been sitting around for ages.

Large Patchwork Collage

I've been meaning to make a new piece of framed art for my living room wall for ages and was keen to try working on a larger scale (2ft x 3ft). Inspired by my love of patchwork quilts, embroidery and exotic textiles, I decided to go for a patchwork effect, but also included lots of gold to reflect light and create a sumptuous feel. Unfortunately the gold does not photograph well, but you get the idea!

Personal Imagery

I quite often use images of myself as a child in my work, but I've never really thought about why.

I recently came across a lovely book which deals with just this topic. It's called 'The Art of Personal Imagery' by Corey Moortgat, and it's full of interesting ideas and techniques to help the reader find their own personal imagery and symbolism, which can be used in any kind of artwork. Here's a simple page using collage and some gold foiling over a pink wash.

Scrapbooking Meets Altered Art

I'm a scrapbooker as well as an altered bookmaker, and at the moment I'm really enjoying the experience of fusing and mixing up the two crafts in this book.

I wanted to make something really personal, so the book features altered photos of myself, my friends and family, combined with the usual mix of collage, stamping, paint, fabric etc..

I particularly like to use high-contrast black and white images, cut from their background and set against new (more interesting!) ones. Here a 'reject' wedding photo gets a new lease of life.

Floral Birthday Card

With all this grim wintery weather I've decided to look forward to spring, and have started making some Easter, Mother's Day and Birthday cards - all with a floral theme.

I love these pretty Crate Paper patterned papers (Katlin collection). Thave have a slight shabby-chic look but are still colourful and pretty enough to work with a touch of glitter.