GPP Street Team - creative challenge - Tissue Paper

I am just snucking in on this challenge although I did actually start it weeks ago and have had the tissue paper gessoed and hanging outside the bedroom/craftroom for a while now!  The day job, a birthday and other things got in the way but it has been a fun project to do.  Firstly it was choosing what colour tissue paper to use and I went for this rather bright combination of orange, lime and yellow - why not, I ask myself!  First up - gesso

and the prepping of pages in the journal - I gessoed and used acrylic paints and went for stripes

Then I used a script stamp (still loving the script whether stamps/paper/tape - you name it, I love it!

I didn't know what to do with the tissue paper for a while (maybe that is one reason why it remained hanging up outside the room!!) but eventually decided that with all these stripes we needed some circles so circles it was and I stuck them down with gel medium.

Things were beginning to come together and I realised that the flow was about 'becoming' which centred about my favourite quote of the moment and indeed Thoughtful Friday's quote:

"We discover that it is not so much what we do that touches the lives of others but who we are becoming" from Macrina Wiederkehr.  So hence the BE in foam letters there on the corner and a little pocket (I love pockets and especially enjoyed Michelle's here)

I added some stamped images and the word 'BECOMING"

And a shipping tag with the quote on it hanging from some fibres on the other page, with some swirl stamping on the edges in coffee to keep the warm look.  Here is the finished result:

This was a fun challenge and I enjoyed it and I have lots of that gessoed and painted tissue left over for other projects too!

Thoughtful Friday No. 86

"We discover that it is not so much what we do

that touches lives as who we are becoming"

Macrina Wiederkehr

On the day....

On the day when

the weight deadens

on your shoulders

and you stumble,

may the clay dance

to balance you.

And when your eyes

freeze behind

the grey window

and the ghost of loss

gets in to you,

may a flock of colours,

indigo, red, green

and azure blue

come to awaken in you

a meadow of delight.

When the canvas frays 

in the curach of thought

and a stain of ocean

blackens beneath you,

may there come across the waters

a path of yellow moonlight

to bring you safely home.

May the nourishment of the earth be yours,

may the clarity of light by yours,

may the fluency of the ocean by yours,

may the protection of the ancestors be yours.

And so may a slow

wind work these words

of love around you,

an invisible cloak

to mind your life.

John 0'Donohue

Thoughtful Friday No. 85

"Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more 

to add, but when there is nothing left to take away."  

Antoine de Saint-Exupery

The gift of mothering

(handpainted teapot - a gift from daughter no.1)

On Sunday here in the UK we celebrated Mother's day - a day to be remembered by our children and made to feel special.  I certainly did feel special when the day began with a cup of tea brought up to the bedroom by daughter no.1.  It brought back so many memories of when the girls were little and would sneak downstairs and prepare a tray with flowers, tea and maybe some cereal with a special napkin and traycloth, complete with handmade cards and gifts. Being a mother has been such a joy for me.  As an only child, I always seemed to be surrounded by grown ups and there was never anyone to play with so I often got very lost in my own imagination with my dolls and teddies etc.  Having children has meant having others to 'play' with and from very young the girls and I would play all sorts of games and do all sorts of crafty activities together; putting on plays at Christmas and cooking special food at holiday times.

(painted inside with hearts too!)

Now they are grown women themselves and I love the way they each relate to me differently - even different names for me; daughter no 1 calls me Mum, daughter no.2 calls me Ma, daughter no. 3 calls me Marmee (from Little Women) and daughter no.4 calls me Mama and each are their own very different personality and I love them all so very much.

Sunday carried on being very special with daughter no.3 and her husband arriving for lunch which was prepared by the girls and then I was the recipient of some lovely gifts - books and a dvd.  I didn't have to lift a finger all day and the kitchen had a spring clean too!!  Thank you so much my wonderful family.

Thoughtful Friday No. 84

"Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind 
don't matter and those who matter don't mind"

Dr. Seuss

Blue skies and Creative Every Day

It was such a beautiful day on Sunday that we took ourselves off to the woods. Such blue blue skies and bright sunshine.

And there was just enough time when we got back for me to pop upstairs to my desk to finish off some art journal pages

Lots of script things going on here - on fabric and on paper/tape.

on this one I used a few rubber stamps and some water soluable crayons which I love

And this one had pockets and roses - still unfinished as a page I think so I'll go back to it another day.  Shortly after doing this I came down with a nasty infection which meant hot water bottles, blankets and the sofa plus a course of antibiotics.  It has quite knocked me out!

Thoughtful Friday No. 83

"Perfection consists not in doing extraordinary things,

but in doing ordinary things extraordinarily well"

Angelique Arnauld

Where's there a box.....

there is always a boy!

His eyes aren't normally this green but I guess it was the flash.  Yes, this is Maximus who just had to inspect the box I got out to put the flowers in (which you can just see) ready for a session on profound listening which I did yesterday evening.  I think he would have come with me if he could!!

I've just had this book from the local library and it is fantastic!  Not so easily obtainable these days I fear but the pictures are gorgeous and I am totally inspired:

I love them all but this last one keeps drawing me back, maybe it is the lacy bits, the buttons or the colours, I am not sure.  Which one do you like?

One lucky lady!

A special parcel arrived for me this past weekend, beautifully wrapped in lavender tissue and ribbon.

Inside was this gorgeous little handmade patchwork bag using heart fabric and other lovely designs

Such a lovely surprise and inside

was my favourite chocolate and a delightful card telling me Tess  at Driftwood had made it 'just because'.

Thank you so much, Tess.  It has brought such joy and was so very kind of you.