Happy Mail

 I recently put together some happy mail in response to the suggestion of an ephemera swap on Instagram.  I am finding I spend much more time over there these days than on my blog! @sarahthemoodler if you're on IG, please come and say hello!

I made a little matchbox from some brusho inked paper and some of my new stamps - have you found MAKIstamps?  There's some great images, especially the fun little Brownies!

 I filled the matchbox with some tiny stickers (step by step over on the Lavinia Stamps website if you fancy making some!) and other bits and pieces.

I filled a glassine envelope with goodies too.  I stamped the fern with black Versafine ink which then wouldn't dry so I embossed it with gold embossing powder and loved the effect!  Inside the envelope are tags and stickers and papers.

I collaged the front of a second glassine envelope filled with papers.  The envelope is from some Paperchase wrapping paper I've had forever and just LoVe!

I added a little notecard which I made using some endpapers from a book and some stamping ...

Sarah was really happy with her happy mail ..

...and when mine arrived the next day I was thrilled too!  I'm not sure how an envelope full of papers can bring such joy!!!

So I journaled about it using some of the treasures:

I love the little collaged card Sarah made and included in my package.

I also used some in this week's Documented Life Project page :)

Anyone for stickers?

I've always LoVeD stickers!  I had sticker books as a child, and occasionally as an adult (my latest is the Minions one but don't tell anyone!)

There's something very satisfying about stickers, and the planner craze gives adult sticker lovers a legitimate excuse to use them :)  I don't have a planner as such; I have two moleskines, one to keep a diary and one as a diary so I know where I'm supposed to be etc.

But that didn't stop me from creating some stickers from blank labels using many of the tiny Lavinia Stamps.  You'll find my step by step over here - http://laviniastamps.com/making-stickers/

Hello DLP 2016 and other projects

This year's Original Documented Life Project is all about the 'unplanner'.  Although I'd love to be able to, I don't have the time that the whole 'unplanner' content would demand but the great thing about this project is it's flexibility - and I am able to use the weekly challenges in my Moleskine planner just like last year.

This is week #1 and I tried something new.  Taking inspiration from my daughter's laptop cover I tried a collage effect and added some co-ordinating card in the weekly header.

I've already fallen behind slightly with the challenges but that's ok.  My challenge this week was to include my own lettering on the page -it definitely improved the further down the page I got so I guess it'll get better over the weeks.

I had another type of  project keeping me busy over the Christmas break - a new letterbox!  I wish I'd taken a photograph of this when if first arrived as an ebay purchase as it was very dull - my husband polished it up and my job was to paint around the word 'letters'...

... which proved a touch tricky where the lower parts of the word were worn from many years of postman's fingertips pushing letters through.

My final 'other project' to share is one of my christmas presents ...

I LoVe Lego :)

goodbye DLP 2015

I had a little catching up to do yesterday, and completed all four of December's documented life project challenges in one day.  This month's theme was journaling and I used one of my leaf gelli plate prints to make my journaling central to the page.

For the quote challenge I used one of my Christmas presents,  the 'Life is good' stamp by Carabelle Studio .  I discovered that 'That's Crafty' have a wishlist option on their website :)

Hidden journaling was another challenge.  I came across part of an envelope in my box of papers. This must have originally said 'private and confidential' which I thought was appropriate for hiding journaling behind!

The journaling is hidden on the paper underneath the envelope.  I really enjoyed adding numbers to this page in a variety of ways, for no other reason than because I like numbers!!

My final page began life in a similar way to my Christmas cards.  I was supposed to tell my story but decided to do this with images rather than words.   Snowflakes are a recurring theme for me in my artwork at Christmas, and therefore part of my winter story.

I have always wanted to keep a diary and never got further than a month but by taking part in DLP I have managed to keep one for a whole year :)  I have missed the odd few days here and there but very few.  I didn't do so well with keeping up with the art challenges - missing the months May through to September - but I'm ok with that.  I did what I could.

My moleskine planner is nicely full - can't believe it started off life so thin (the planner at the bottom).  This worked really well for me this year so I'll be using the same format for 2016.  Although 2016 is the year of the un-planner, the format is flexible enough for me to continue with my moleskine :)

Happy New Year to all my visitors, thanks for taking the time to see what I've been up to :)

Documented Life Project - October and the missing months

 My poor planner has quite a few missing journaled pages over the last few months.  I love a challenge but what with the busyness of teaching in school full time, and other demands on my time I haven't kept up with DLP until now.  Sometimes the challenge is too big!

 The October challenges, though, aren't too far from my comfort zone and so have been within reach in my limited time.  The theme for October is 'translucent papers'.

The leaves this autumn are just spectacular and I wanted to reflect that in my planner.  I used some newly purchased Paper Artsy Chalk Acrylics, my Gelli plate and some deli paper (the challenge for Oct 3rd).  The journaling around the leaf is my attempt at describing the wonderful colours of the season.

October 10th's challenge was to use tissue paper.  I had some in my drawer from a Clinique purchase which had the brand name printed on in deeper white, but this disappeared when I laid it on some paper I'd art journaled on at a Dina Wakely workshop.  I'm really pleased with the letter stencils - I've wanted some like this for many, many years and came across some recently at Fred Aldous.  They are made of waxed card so once they're all painty and inky I'll be able to incorporate the actual stencils in my work too!

This weekend's challenge was to use vellum.  I couldn't find any in my stash so improvised with a large translucent envelope.

Again using my new Paper Artsy Chalk Acrylics I began a page that could be inserted inside the 'envelope page'.

I may still add some more doodling but it's fine for now.  The 'Love with your Heart' stamp is by Visible Image and is another of my recent purchases - I had a lovely time at the Happy Stampers show, Port Sunlight, with friends :)

The fairy seemed quite apt for this time of year.  The October piece at the top of the page has been on my mind to do right from the beginning but it's taken me til now to purchase some suitable stamps!!  These are from Kaisercraft.

more inkiness in my moleskine planner

 I finally got my photos sorted :) I can't remember where I saw the idea of using deli paper/greaseproof paper to cover the diary part of my journal but it is a fab tip!

DLP challenge: Under Paper

The above page is one of my favourites.. I just love how it turned out; it got a lot of inspiration from Robin-Marie's work

DLP challenge:  When not to Stop

The following week is when the diary part of my planner fell by the wayside...I was so exhausted post OFSTED!

It's not one of my favourite pages I have to day.  It was a real challenge, to just keep layering and layering...and challenge is good!

I often use a double sized piece of card/watercolour paper for these challenges, then fold them in half and use the DLP challenge on one side and Documented Faith on the other (although I've not been able to manage many of those)..

...but it's there ready and waiting!

DLP challenge: Layers you will love - cover up good stuff

Back to loving my pages again but this time ignoring the challenge prompt!  I completed this one whilst away in Saltburn and used some seaweed from the beach as a mask..

This was another double spread before folding it in half and adding it as a tip in.  I have to say, I highly recommend DLP, and the girls who run it are so generous in their time and energy - it is free!

That's all for today though folks, week 8's pages coming up in another post.  They were inspired by the Cardboard Crush workshop by the DLP team, Art to the 5th Academy; I can recommend it!

DLP DF weeks one and two

 Well I'm only a week behind in the Documented Life Project 2015 and Documented Faith but I'm very behind with sharing it with you here on my blog!!

I'm finding these two challenges easy to combine as I just add a tip in to my moleskine planner, following the DLP prompts in order to create the page then just fold it in half and add the DLP quote on one side and the DF one on the other!

I'm also managing to keep a diary!  Something I've always wanted to do but been rubbish at.

Above is the week one prompt and I'd already added the tip in with the snowflakes on one side so the two sides differ...

... which I like, but time-wise it's much less demanding doing both sides with the same background :)

I'm not a huge fan of gesso but did like the textured effect I got with it through my leaf stencil...

This time I added handwritten quotes rather than printing them out or stamping them - my challenge for the year!