Art journalling

I've been playing around with art journalling lately...something I've always liked but never found a "look" I liked. Some people do too much to the page and I wonder what the point is putting all the paper etc on the page when you paint all over it and then can't see it! So a  ....after watching quite a few YouTube videos, I came up with something I think works for me!

Painted with blue acrylic, then white, red and yellow water colour. The piece of paper in the top right corner is a scrap left over with punched out flowers.

My favourite heart stamp and a small swirl stamp and the doodle bugs. I water coloured the people with white first as the colour stood out better.

I outlined the rub on's with white to highlight them, doodled the flower cut outs, stuck a piece of washi-tape at the bottom then doodled the dangles. (First time I've used washi tape!)

A close-up of the doodle bugs!

 All in all, I'm quite chuffed with the way it turned out. I already have another one planned!

Happy creating

PennyB

Back to school

And so, back to school for the last term...and spring has finally pushed winter out the door! We've had beautiful weather this whole week, I think I can finally banish the jerseys and boots to the back of the cupboard.

I was so excited to win some of Sandy Steen Bartholomew's tangle card packs from her challenges!! 49 new tangles all beautifully drawn...


My new pack of cards!

...and so I had to draw! I used a scrapbooking window template doubled over, and drew a different tangle in each section...found some new favourites!


Tangles from top L-R: chakra(I reeaally like this one), bingley, circfleur, etcher, itch, fidget, jute, purlbox, leeter, wingding, sporktine, mumsy, skein,quip (like this one too) and tentacle.

I also got some inspiration for some art journaling and found a gorgeous saying which just begged to be drawn!

I added silver sparkle to the icing and the last word

I've had a horrible headcold since we came back from holiday, and it's now gone into my chest :((  I haven't been sleeping to well, and last night I "went to bed" 3 times between 10pm and 1:30am. During my last awake session, I did my entry for The Diva's weekly challenge which was to have fun with borders.

Tangles: a bit of striping, copada mixed with crescent moon, and a straight version of Shattuck

 

I'm also busy working on a mixed media canvas, which I should finish this weekend! The canvas was a fairy that the youngest gannet didn't want, so I painted it over with yellow of all things and then got stuck as to what next! It's been sitting upstairs for nearly 4 months...and now, it has new life!
Here's a sneak preview...

Happy creating

PennyB

Knysna Holiday

We were long overdue to visiting Knynsa and my folks, so my darling hubby took us there for a short holiday in the even shorter school holiday...10 whole days...we left straight after school on Friday and came back on the public holiday - Tuesday - as he had to go back to work :(  It was great seeing my mom and dad again, and we did all sorts of things as a family, which is also long overdue!

View from our morning bike ride while the water was still flat

Me and the gannets with the Knysna Heads in the background.

Dad and the gannets playing in the sea

The youngest gannet and I cycled up to the Heads as she hasn't seen it for a while!

Granny and Gramps with the gannets in their garden. Granny has over 100 clivia's in her garden at the moment.

Somewhere between Cape Town and Knysna , my tangle for the Diva's challenge went "missing", so I never got to finish it. We also had limited internet access, so I wasn't overly bothered about posting on my blog - we were on holiday after all!

I did, however, create 3 pattern stacks - one for my new sister-in-law, her daughter and then my nephew. I also got Gabi (daughter) hooked on tangles and doodles!

I also found a wonderful package deal at the local bookshop....an A4 visual diary and this set of sketching pencils! Going to play nicely!

And finally, I'm going to knit my eldest gannet her blanket that she chose the wool for...


The biggest needles I had were 12 mm...the first few rows were like a carpet!

My mom had some 20mm needles! Look how big the balls of wool are in comparison to my hand!!

Happy creating

 

PennyB



Let the show begin!

Today at 2pm, is the matinee of our annual school musical...and first show! Yesterday was the dress rehearsal and all went reasonably well, a few seriously quick costumes changes for the von Trapp children from nighties into play clothes was tweaked, but it's all systems go! I'm the backstage manager, and I run a very tight ship...we've been rehearsing all the scene changes for the last 2 weeks - so we're good!

We also had our annual staff vs U13 winter sport matches, which are always good fun. I couldn't play in the hockey game because we had a play rehearsal but I umpired for the netball because it was my teams! My girls did me proud considering we were a few players short...2 of my A team didn't come to practice on Monday so they didn't play(I'm a commitment person!) and then 3 B team players were involved in the play so they couldn't play and C team girls filled in.

My U13B side and the ladies team

My U13A side and the men's team

I've been in a doodling/tangling mood this week and completed not one, not two, but THREE pieces!!

Challenge #135 using new tangle WELL

My doodle...using water colour pencils and 0.3 pen

Tangle patterns string #66

Hopefully next week, spring will reappear! We had a week of spring and then winter returned with a vengence, with temps not going further than 15 and wind and rain. I've had enough now!

Have a great week everyone

PennyB
 

Tech rehearsal week!

Exhausted doesn't even come close to how I'm feeling at the moment!

Our annual school play opens on Saturday next week...we are doing Sound of Music and the youngest gannet is Brigitta! Because it's primary school and there are so many children, we have 3 casts... so this week has been all the tech rehearsals with each cast. Yours truly is the backstage manager,  so I've spent the week working out what goes where and when! Next week is dress rehearsals with an opening matinee on Saturday.

The youngest gannet went to her best friends "Photo Shoot" birthday party last weekend. They've been best friends since they were 5 months old at creche together! The older brother was the photographer and his girl friend was the make-up artist. They had such fun!

Make-up on

Her party clothes and accessories

Love this one! My baby is growing up.

 Winter sport comes to an end this week, so I organised some mini netball matches with the coaches vs the U12A and U13s. Firstly for fun and secondly to show the netball girls that we do know what we're talking about when we tell them how to do things!

The team: Tanya U10, Alison U8, Me U13, Estelle U10, Alinda U13, Janine U11, Cindy U9 and Cheri and Robyn from U9 as the cheerleaders. (Our U12 teammate was overseas at the time!)

I'm holding Asisipho back because she run too fast!

Check the stretch!

 I found The Diva's Challenge this week difficult, in the sense that I couldn't get it to change direction. So after attempt# 3, I just did a straight line. I quite like the way it turned out after all!

Tangles: cubine, cockles and mussels, bales with a tangleation, keeko, scallops

 Happy creating

PennyB

Snow...and Spring Day!

Oh My Hat!
Apologies for not blogging yesterday, but my computer was man down and didn't want to log on to anything!

So, last week was an interesting week....we had 2 cold fronts hit us in succession: the first one on Monday evening and it lasted until Wednesday with 90mm of rain falling on Wednesday! The "Cold" cold front arrived on Thursday with all our surrounding mountains including Table Mountain being covered in snow! We don't get snow in Cape Town, we're not high enough...so it was quite amazing to see snow covered mountains all around us!

Snow on the Somerset West Mountains

Table Mountain!

After all the freezing and wet weather, we then had the annual Spring Splash on Sunday! Every year on the 1st Sunday in September, we have a Spring Splash to celebrate the (eventual) arrival of Spring. The day starts off with a sandcastle competition for the little kiddies, then line-dancing on the beach, there is always a Best Dressed competition and then at 3pm everyone rushes into the sea for the first "official" swim of spring. There are no wetsuits allowed at the Spring Splash, made harder this year as the water was a balmy 15 degrees C!! Brrrr...



One of my little Starfish with a friend who helped build this sandcastle.

The youngest gannet joining in the line-dancing.

Winners of the best dressed group: Flappers with Flippers!

Nippers with the mermaid and Goldie...(he dresses up every year!)

King Neptune

And so...on to crafty things...I entered the Pattern Stack challenge with Judy West. I've done these before and had great fun with them. I wasn't sure however, what to do for the inside....until the Diva's challenge #133 came along. Tipple is so such a great tangle to use as a filler, so I tippled!

I'll post the weekly update fro my 365 creations later this afternoon.

Happy Creating

PennyB

 

Exhausting weekend!

Rain...sun...rain...sun...it's been an interesting week! We had both netball matches postponed because the courts were just too wet to play on. On Saturday, however, the weather played along- which was just as well as we had our 2nd Sports Festival on Saturday morning. Last year was the first one with 30 rugby and netball teams. This year we had junior hockey, netball and rugby and over 100 teams! As there were 11 teams in the U13 section, I was lucky enough to have my A and B sides playing. After an "interesting" week with hormones and attitudes, however, I included some C team players who never miss a practice and are always willing and able to do anything I ask. This tournament was for them.

My U13s at the festival.

Due to the hecticness of the week though, I never got a chance to finish the Diva's challenge (which I was determined to do this time). 

I did work on my 356 projects though...I saw this on Pinterest and had to give it a go.  Art with Mr E - It took a while to colour in, but was very soothing and calming.

I left the one side blank...just because!

 Winter training for Nippers this morning was in  brilliant weather conditions.

The beach was covered in washed-up mussel shells from the weeks wind and rain...and all the seagulls were feasting away.

Juvenile Kelp gull

Hartlaub's gull

 Till next week

PennyB