I got some lovely arty crafty gifts for my birthday, including some gorgeous metallic paints, a fabulous set of adult colouring in postcards and a Tim Holtz craft spinner for my inkers. Lucky me 🙂
btw – yes, I know the craft sheet on my desk is ridiculously stained and mangled looking … imagine what my hands and clothes look like!
Between all the problems around the world recently, and the news that Tony needs major surgery in the new year, I’m a bit unsettled. The best thing I can do is pour my heart out into my art journals. For these pages I’ve used StencilGirl stencils, Dylusions paints, Ranger tags and Fudeball pen.
I’ve spent the weekend finishing off the multi-step Christmas card pile, and had a few blanks left over. Rather than tuck them away unused, I decided to make a couple of general cards using a favorite StencilGirl stencil by Jessica Sporn and some leftover Gelli prints. The stamping is done with Dina Wakley paint, which has a lovely matt finish.
I’ve got a totally mad project underway using my new Tim Holtz Crazy Birds stamp and die set. I’m making 80 or so of these little guys. It’s a lot of work but they’re huge fun to do. Basically you stamp the bird and colour it in, then die cut it. Stamp the bird again, and die cut the eyes, beak and wings. Attach the eyes, colour the beak and wings and attach them too. I’ve coloured them using Distress Stain and Distress Ink, because I love the bright translucent colours.
There’s a lot happening at the moment around Tony’s health, and it’s a time of considerable change for us. I’m not posting the details yet, for family reasons. One of the things that helps me rebalance myself and manage the feelings is my art journals. I pour the words out, often unreadable, and it helps me think things through. When things are tough there’s often a theme comes through and that’s the case at the moment. Two themes are strong; the first is change, and the second is the comfort I find in the Tao te Ching (thanks Dr Wayne Dyer).
Cath Sheard Art 