We have all heard ….

….. the saying, ‘Don’t judge a book by its cover!’ Well, I am asking that you don’t judge my birdhouse too harshly, because inside, which you can’t see, but I can, is THE most comfortable nest around. It has the softest of softest down feathers, a little water bowl, a bowl with seed and a container with regurgitated worms for the young ones. NO, I did not eat the worms and perform the ritual of partial digestion!

The Birdhouse challenge was issued by Linda and Rosie over at ABAA


I have discovered that when I sent my package to Jaqi I sent my mojo as well! How dumb is that? So now I have to wait a bit to get Jaqi’s package. I have been assured that my mojo is on her/his/its way home! And my friend Candace From Across the Pond has re-routed lost mojos my way! Thanks so much!

I am not a wire worker so therefore I would like to highlight some of the works from our local craftspeople. Apologies Sam&Hilda I have to be honest, I can't do this!

Now I need to know what this technique is called, besides paper piercing! I came across this

when I was playing the clean up game. I used to make all my son’s and daughter’s cards when they were “little”. They are now, respectively 29yrs and 22yrs. I had myself set up with batting and a light box and darning needle. This fellow, for whatever reason didn’t make it onto a card. Shame he’s been tucked away for nearly two decades. Just goes to show how often I play the clean up game! Let me clarify in case some may get the wrong idea. I don’t often play the clean up game in MY CRAFT ROOM. When I can’t find my table, it’s that TIME, but it's the cupboards and boxes and envelopes that hide almost 'antique' qualifiable (is there such a word?) works of art! LOL

Love, Laugh, Live and have Fun! Life as we know it, is short. Be it moments or 100 years!

Love and Hugs to all and thank you to all who pay a visit. I hope that you take something positive away with you.

Denise

oxoxox

My Mojo ....

... has gone AWOL! I am completely BLANK as far as the challenges this week are concerned. So, please, concerned citizens, should you find a 'lost mojo' please direct it/her/him in my direction.
And so I would love to share Rod's latest with you ......

...... this is a celebration of a new life beginning in the Northern Hemisphere!

The Song Of The White-Throated Sparrow
The crystal clear notes of a white-throated sparrow floated down through the trees today.

And then a mile further up the trail, another.

The first songs to come my way in the spring forest.
I like winter, when white covers the earth.

I like summer when the woods are green and warm.

But I love the wild forest when things are changing.
Now, the first week of spring.

Still some patches of snow lingering the shade under the big trees.

The air warms then cools then warms in the bright sun.

Trees with swollen buds, waiting.

The first birds are back. Their songs celebrate what is about to come.
We humans know four seasons.

I wonder how many seasons the inhabitants of these woods know.

Maybe fifty-two.

Maybe each week is a new season

for those who go about their routine deep in the woods.
The long, hard winter is over.

New life will soon fill these woods.

A flood of green, bird song, wildflowers.

And the white-throated sparrow sings

its song anticipating the change to come.

In celebration of the Great Mystery of Life,
Roderick W. MacIver

Whether we are north or south or east or west, let's just celebrate! Here's to a great creative and wonderful week to you all and a huge thank you to all who have left such fabulous messages.

Hugs

Denise

oxoxox

The days are …..

…….. getting shorter and there is a definite nip in the air early morning and late afternoon! I think we are in for an early winter. Oh well, I guess we couldn’t hold onto summer forever!

I’ve taken up the challenge over at Hilda’s Lotstodo Sam from TechniqueZone is standing in for her while she moves home.
I hope you don’t mind Sam, but I nicked your idea for the masking as this is my first attempt at trying this technique.

I used chalk to colour the ladies, and the background is the CB folder Stylized Flowers which I then dragged a white ink pad over. I’ll probably use it on a card as there are some girly birthdays coming up.

Linda and Rosie at ABAA ‘s challenge with week was using newsprint. This was quite tough because lately the news is just doom and gloom. Anyway, once the newsprint was modge podged onto a piece of corrugated board and inked, you can’t read the print too well! I then stamped my image (can’t remember where I got it) onto acetate, used alcohol inks (loving these) around the image and used chalk for the water effect. The wording was printed onto acetate and whaaalaaa!

And I used the background freebie from June to help this lady Rise Up! Again I played with alcohol inks on acetate and glossy cardstock and chalked and tore and generally had fun!

Thank you for your lovely comments and here’s wishing you all a wonderful, rest-of-the-week!
Take care and keep on crafting.

Hugs
Denise
oxoxox

It’s been a “Challenge” ……

…… week! Linda and Rosie over at ABAA decided to be very gentle with us this week and their challenge was a bookmark.This is my contribution. The image dictated something tranquil so I kept the colouring fairly low.
Then June at ArtFreebies has started a challenge too. June provides the image for us to use however we want. This was fun! I used paper from Crafty Individuals. Just love their papers. The background was playtime with Tim Holtz inks on a transparency, the skull also got inked and the dagger …… well, that’s actually a chipboard microphone that I painted (sort of) and fashioned into what I hope looks like a dagger!

Hilda over at LotsToDo wanted us to get gessoed this week. I gesso painted an arch on transparency, stamped using a flourish stamp and then coloured the bits with my Whispers. The image was from my stash and the background was a technique I tried a while back using shaving cream!

I’ve had fun this week! I do hope you enjoy my quirky sense of humour.

Have a wonderful, fantastic and creative weekend.

Do what you love and love what you do.

Hugs and love

Denise

oxoxox

What started off as a ………….

…………. Children’s Book printed in 1981, travelled far and wide, no doubt gave untold pleasures to lots of children, landed on a table at a local flea market and finally fell into my hands .........

........ please meet Clara Joins the Circus.

Well then, along came Missus Hilda issuing a challenge, like she does every week.

Alter it, she says, so I did!

(I tried altering my hubby into Brad Pitt, Odd Couple Personified, it didn’t work)

I have no idea where the background paper is/was from. It was in my off-cuts box. The flower ribbon thingies were from my habby stash, the gold cord also. The lady insert was from my Mom who can’t remember where she got it, (she is 82yrs old) so automatically forgiven Mom!
I cut the middle section out of the cover (I blunted a blade, they certainly don’t make hard-covers like that anymore, or for that matter, blades) and inserted the lady and the blue background from the inside.

Really don’t know what this book is going to turn into, maybe a quotes/quotations journal or an inspirational journal, or maybe ‘Take a Leaf …….’ Who knows, maybe the little light bulb will go on in a bit ;)

As always, thank you so much for your lovely comments and thank you for taking the time to visit. Much Appreciated.

Have a great, wonderful and creative week!

Hugs

Denise

oxoxox