Gelli Plates - DIY

I thought I would get on board the Gelli Plate train, without the expense of having to purchase one - for this size it would have been around £30, which seemed quite expensive for trying something out and not knowing whether I would really use it often enough.  

I came across Linsay - The Frugal crafters website and YouTube channel and she goes through the technique of making your own gelli plate - the ingredients including - gelatin - (6 sachets) and 2 bottles of glycerin cost me in total £8

Tada! Here is the one I made, measuring approximately  7.5inch x 12inch

Home made Gelli Plate

I managed to find a storage container for it at our local £1 store and I placed an A4 sheet of acetate on the bottom and top of the gelli plate which stops it from drying out.

Here are some of the prints I have made so far...

By using several layers of paint and stencil, masks and tools to make marks I have enjoyed creating the different layers on the papers.

 Some have come out looking quite interesting and I will be taking them a bit further by creating an image from them, or use them as background papers.

If you come back on for Tutorial Tuesday, I will show you how I made and have been using the Gelli Plate, who knows perhaps you can make one of your own and open up new ways for creating backgrounds.

Gratitudes and Celebration - Week 40 - Triumphs and Trials

Trials will come, but then so will triumphs...

Life has its ups and downs, we have problems they are fixed or sometimes not, we ask for help, we find a way, solutions present themselves and sometimes we experience the grief of loss.

After losing my brother to cancer last year and my best friend to a brain tumor three years ago, while continuing to look after my mother with dementia I sometimes felt numb.   I still do feel numb at times, on automatic pilot, not wanting to believe that they are gone.  With the mother I thought was invincible and who seems to be disappearing before me I find that I busy myself in practical activities that ensures her health and well-being are taken care of.  

I am still going through what seems like a trial I never thought I would have to face, I have to learn to navigate the territory that comes with grief and sadness and at unexpected times my thoughts are consumed with the loss and the continued loss that dementia brings. But laughter exists, mums playful spirit prevails and in the midst of it she can bring joy to the situation.

As I deal with each day at a time I find comfort in being grateful for the small things that can bring a smile, as do reminiscing and sharing childhood antics.  I celebrate the gift of healing of what can seem like a broken heart that will come with time. 

What small thing can you find to be grateful for in the midst of whatever situation you are in right now? 

Gratitude's and Celebration Journal

Have a blessed weekend! If you want to see how I made the journal (click here) Blessings!

Spring Cleaning lessons learnt

I have been busy clearing out, cleaning, de-cluttering and decorating all at the same time.  It has been years since I really had a clear out.  I did a mini challenge last year or was it the year before, called 'clearing the clutter' and I overwhelmed myself with what I wanted to do, I wasn't realistic about what I had and what I could do.  I tried to clear a major area every day and the reality is that some of the areas needed a whole month to themselves.

Having learnt the lesson (not) we decided to clear the whole house, decorate all while I was moving my mum into new accommodation and clearing her flat of items - many of which had been there for over 30 years, and I had grown attached to.  My mums move is sorted, still sorted out some of her paper work, she is in a smaller flat adapted to her needs, it is light and spacious, and was the right move for her at this time.

With the place being upside down it was difficult to keep my blog up, my phone broke, my computer crashed and it was very weird not having access to the internet, you really realize just how much you rely on technology.  Rather than get anxious about it I looked at it as a bit of a break and time to reevaluate direction, but also prioritize what was important.

I have been creating and trying to keep up with the creative courses that I signed up for.  With everything happening at once I was forced to also pace myself differently with the courses, you can't paint in dust and with drilling going on.  

I started a book binding course last week, which gets me out of the house one day a week for the next 5 weeks.  It has been a long time since I did a course I had to travel to.  But it has been really great, there is only 4 of us so the pace is good, we cover quite a bit in the 3 hours.  I will show you what I have made next week - I have made two sewn books so far.  I am finding the course very therapeutic and it is great learning the techniques and being able to get feedback straight away.  I think it was what I needed at the moment.  Eventually I want to be able to create bound books filled with memories of my mother and filled with stories that normally get forgotten so that generations to come can be inspired by her journey.

For now back to the clearing as the dust settles, tomorrow I will share some images and get back on track.  Do share what changes you have had to make as you move into a new season.

Gratitudes and Celebration Journal - Week 39 - Your best

You deserve the best for your life

Gratitude's and Celebration Journal

When you think of your life what one thing do you think that you have done that brought out the best in you that celebrated who you really were?

What is your best and what do you think that you deserve out of life?

You get out what you put in and why wouldn't you want to make it your best effort.  Why would you want to give half measures – you would only be cheating yourself so If you are going to do something, do it to the best of your ability.  You appreciate when someone else has done a good job, how far would you go to make sure that your efforts came from a place of giving without expecting anything in return. Wherever you are, whatever you have, If everyone in the world did one act of kindness it would make a big difference around the world.

   

I am grateful and celebrate today that I have something I can give whether through my words, art or physical, and I can make a positive difference in the life of someone else.

What will you do to improve your circumstances and bring a blessing into the life of another?  Make a list of 12 things and start doing something every month, then increase it to weekly, then daily,  a smile cost nothing to give but can be priceless to the recipients life.

Have a blessed weekend! If you want to see how I made the journal (click here) Blessings!

Gratitudes and Celebrations Journal - Week 38 - Peace Inspires

Gratitude's and Celebration Journal

Peace is possible in your inspired life

We can sometimes be surrounded by the noises of life that we forget what peace is like. From the moment we get up, the alarm clock, the radio, tv, the clatter of the breakfast dishes, slam of the front door, rev of the car, interacting with others, chatter, laughter, dogs barking, cats meowing, cows mooing, birds tweeting, foxes....(well you know what the fox says:) and it never seems to stop!

It seems as if there is always something going on, some crisis to avert, problem to be heard and sometimes all you want to do is shout ‘Peace, Be Still’.

You have to make time to be still, to sit and just listen to the stillness, be calm, to wait and allow your body to find its natural rhythm, as it repairs, restores, refreshes and inspires.  You need to understand what your body is telling you and take action provide the remedy. You have to give yourself the space to unwind and reflect and just be at one with God.  

Finding those pockets of inspiration 

I am grateful that I live in an environment where I can take time out to be still, and I celebrate the renewed me that is present when I have enabled myself to be at peace and to find those pockets of inspiration. 

What can you do differently to create a sense of peace for you? Have a blessed weekend! If you want to see how I made the journal (click here) Blessings!

New art - Courses Update

I have been busy in the studio working away on a variety of courses.  What I realized early this year was that I signed up for too many courses.  It is so important to keep moving forward and learning new things, but if you don't give yourself enough time to process what you are learning it can become stressful, falling behind and getting yourself in a stressful state. 

What I found happened to me was that I just stopped.  I had lost sight of why I was doing the courses as I just tried to churn out images in an attempt to keep up, and also keep up with the events happening around me in my life.  

I decided to change my mindset, I have slowed down and have been taking my time, having given myself a breather and got on with things like moving my mum into a new home, I have come out the other end excited about the new work that I will produce over the course of the next year.

I am very pleased to share with you some of the pieces that I have done over the last couple of weeks from Soul Food and Life Book courses, I will also be sharing over the coming months some larger paintings that I will be working on for the Bloom True - Flora Bowley Course  It is a 5 week course, with access after the course for 6 months, the next course starts May 12th – June 14th, 2014, so go on the waiting list to get more information. 

Here are a glimpse of 3 pieces that I recently finished....

Going to the party

Palette Love

Sweety Pie

If you would like to see the complete image you can check them out here at my mixed media art site

Material Mondays - Crochet and textiles Art Show

It has been a while since I did anything with fabric or wool, so I thought I would share with you the latest thing that I have made.  For a while I seem to be buying a new shade of wool every week, but there is a limit to how fast I can crochet, even on a good day and with all the other priorities that seem to rear their head it has kind of taken a back seat.

Crochet...

I wanted to make something for my 6 year old niece and thought a crochet bracelet would be the nice to try, it could be worn with a variety of outfits and I could make it within a few hours.

Flower and button details

It is made using wool with specks of silver thread, I created 2 flowers one using the grey wool and the other using white as contrast. 

Grey and silver thread running through the wool...

These were then and attached these to another piece of wool that had been crocheted that would fit around her wrist.  A button was added and a button hole in the opposite ends.

Flower button 

A flower button was added in the middle of the crochet flower. The bracelet was straight forward and quite easy to make, yet it looks quite effective.  I have been busy with the flowers and now have a few more to make into bracelets, and maybe a broach or two!

Flowers waiting for a new lease of life

I recently got a couple of tickets to go to the Creative Stitches show, which I am really excited about, as it will also include a look at the Festival of Textile Art.  I have been getting more and more inspired by the many fabric designs, quilting and using textiles in my work.

The Creative Stitches and the Fashion Embroidery show will be held at London, Excel on 3rd - 5th April 2014, and the tickets are £8 in advance and £10 at the door, but it also gives you entry to the Hobby Crafts show at the same venue. It will be a great way to hear some inspiring talks, see new techniques and connect with others, if your going, let me know!

Experiments in Collage

I have been part of the course run by Randal Plowman called 'Experiments in Collage', which has sadly come to an end.  I have learnt quite a few new collage techniques that I will take forward within my own work.  Here are some of the collages that I did on the course.

Seeing the world through fresh eyes

We spent 6 weeks looking at different approaches to collage,

Essential Play

Trying different techniques and seeing what we liked the best.

It's a Mans world

 I really enjoyed adding painting effects and drawings within my collages,

Admit One

 And using images printed on tracing paper.

The Secret

 Trying to step out of that which feels comfortable to being outside of my comfort zone, and then bringing it all together.  

As the course has finished around 16 of the participants from around the world decided to make and send 5"x7" collages to each other, I am still working on my set to send out and should complete them over the next couple of weeks - I'll post the collages when I have done them and let you have a peek .  I will also be able to show you some of the collages that I receive from the group.

No place like home

I thoroughly recommend this class, why not do something different that will take you out of your comfort zone. Check out Randal's website to see when the next one is running, and do remember to share what you get up to!

Gratitude's and Celebration - Week 37 - Each Step you take...

Gratitudes and Celebration Journal

Each Step you take leads you closer to your dreams

What are the dreams you have been allowing to stir in your heart.  There are so many things that you are naturally gifted with and often you find your self falling into things, seemingly by coincidence.  

Imagine what life would be like if you had a plan, if you made an effort each and every day.  What are the dreams you have for your life, where do you want to be next year, or 3 years time.  You have to be an active participant in your dreams and work on achieving all the little milestones that's how positive change happens we have to do something, so let us continue to dream, dream big, take action by taking a step to realise those dreams.  

Each step you take leads you closer to your dreams

I am grateful to God for enabling me to realize many of my dreams over the years, and I celebrate the ones that will come to fruition in the future.

What dream can you take action on today?  As this week draws to a close have a blessed weekend! If you want to see how I made the journal (click here) Blessings!

Soul Food....Surprise package!

I got a surprise package in the mail a couple of weeks ago, I was blessed to win the February prize draw which consisted of a set of stencils from Artist Cellar

The stencils are from the Cathedral Plans series and Old World Map series, can be used as a mask or as a stencil and are made from quite a hard wearing plastic.  I have been playing around a bit using gesso, a fairly thick modelling paste and working on fabric.

Here is a sneak preview of a few books that I have been altering.

Stencils used from the Old World map series by Artist Cellar

On this book, which was from my local pound store I used fine poly-filler.  After it had dried I had to sand it down slightly before painting.

I haven't finished with them, but I like how they turned out so far.  I also used the same stencil on some fabric to see how it would look.  I decided that I will be using it for a lesson with Susana Tavares who is showing us how to make a fabric Art Doll

Stencils used on Fabric

There are so many more techniques that you can try out with the stencils, they are very durable and wash out with warm soapy water, can be used on their own, or with other mixed media tools. I am looking forward to sharing some of the ways I get to use mine.  What new techniques have you been trying out?  

Moving Home....Adapting to needs

One of mums many ornaments!

This weekend finds me packing boxes, not of my own home but that of my mums.  Her needs have increased and we needed to find a place that had a lift or easy access for a wheel chair.  I was thinking with my practical head, and I got the boxes and tap and other packing materials ready.  As I have been making my way around the rooms I see that this job is far bigger than I expected it to be. I didn't realize that with every item that I pick up I would be confronted with memories, and times from my childhood, some sadness with the losses, knowing that change has to come.

Moving unearths many things....

As a child I as many do thought my parents would live for ever, never get old, and we would always come back and have dinners on. This was my family home from the age of 7 and quite a number of years have passed.  I understand now why I had to do the 'Memories of Home' posts, for a time like this.  When I first started the posts moving wasn't even a thought, I knew that I needed at some time to do something as mums needs had increased and carrying a wheelchair up the stairs has been impacting on my own health, but thought I had more time.  Anyway each room holds it's own memories that I have been savoring.

Hands off! Some of dads prized glasses

When we were little, my dad brought a drinks cabinet that held a large array of glasses that we were never allowed to use, so many tumblers, wine, liqueur and champagne glasses - it wasn't as if he was a drinker.  They were for best in case we had visitors, the glasses sit all uniform side by side, we kept up the tradition when my dad died of periodically dusting and not allowing our kids to use them.  Mum would say that one day a section of the cabinet and the contents would be passed each of the children, how do you sound grateful and turn down the offer,  we have no room in our own homes.  Now Robert has gone, mums new place has no space, it has to find a new home.

Jugs and glasses fill the cabinet

There are so many things that we have collected that recapture the memories and that connection that was once thought forgotten, I have been showing some of them to mum to see if it sparks some memories for her. We all reminiscence at some point whether it is talking about something we did 20 years ago or last month.

Egg cups we used as children

Looking around my mums home I am reminded of many things of my past that as children we used, the egg cups above had a lid to keep them warm, mum would make us egg and soldiers that we would dunk.

Soda Stream, one of the earlier kinds!

Soda stream – this is one of the older versions that my dad would use and we would have sparkling drinks, we used it quite a lot in favor of the fizzy drinks you could buy in the shops.

This statue is one that my dad got and has been in the family for years, not sure where he got it from, it is funny that the things that were so precious for one person might not be so for another and when you are gone you can't take it with you.  I am going to make up a memory box out of things that would trigger a memory that could be a talking point to spark my mums memory, for some of them it will just have to be the photograph!  

We turn a corner and I busy myself again with wrapping up glasses and plates and seeing what can find a new home, this week will definitely be a busy one and every now and again an emotional roller-coaster, but also provide comfort as we remember and take stock of our lives. 

What will this week hold for you?

Gratitudes's and Celebrations - Week 36 - Shine

Gratitude and Celebration

Your spirit shines

When you enter a room something happens, the particles of energy that collide with your energy begin to vibrate and a spark is lit.......

We have all been created to interact with each other, to collaborate, support and encourage.  That spark within that lights up a room, shifts the energy and inspires, we all have it whether you have realised it or not, you matter.  

Have you experienced the times when you have impacted positively on a situation or circumstance.  Imagine what a blessing you could be if you used your talents, gifts and abilities and shone that light in the lives of others.

I celebrate and I am grateful for the Holy Spirit which lives within me, a gift from God.  How will you let your Spirit shine?