Inktober 2018 part 5

My last and final update for Inktober 2018.

This is the 2nd year I have used tags as the surface and I think I will use them again.  

They work really well as I can slip one in my phone case and a pen in my pocket and travel nice and light and sketch on the go.

I am pleased I managed to do the whole month (just took me ages to upload the photos!) and looking forward to next years.  Now just to decide what to do for my next challenge!

Happy crafting

Kyla

Inktober 2018 Part 4

 Hello peeps, this is my next Inktober 2018 update.  I used the theme of "Nature" for the whole month and the prompts from artist and founder Jake Parker. 

 For full details and future Inktobers see here

One more update for the final few tags to follow shortly

Kyla

WOYWW

Wednesday again so that can only mean one thing, baring our desks over of the lovely Julia's blog here!

On my desk this week is, yep finally, something Christmassy!

I am decorating some brown paper bags to put my homemade Christmas presents in (things like cordials, jams etc).

My "Man Bites Dog" cards this week are 'Last Priest Stuns Czar' - I really do dread to think what may come of that headline!!

Happy crafting

Kyla

Inktober 2018 Part 3

 It has taken a while but I have finally uploaded my Inktober 2018 photos so can update the blog.  I won't put them all on one post as it will be a bit heavy on the images so I will spread them over a few posts.

Following on from the David Attenborough programme I couldn't think of anything else for the prompt of "Bottle" when I chose the theme of "Nature".

 For the prompt of "Expensive" I thought the Saffron Crocus would be a good subject

I do enjoy Inktober and trying to stick to the same theme for the month.  I ensure none of the pictures take more than 10 mins and some have posca paint added to them (great for painting on the go).  Some of them I don't really care for others I quite like.

Either way it is a good learning experience.

happy crafting

kyla

Woyww

Hello peeps just a quick update as the pay the bills job has taken so much of my time recently (not even making Christmas pressies this year as too busy!!). 

BUT I have managed to grab a quick hour late last night so apologies for the dark image.

On my desk are a couple of sympathy cards I am making. No real reason apart from they are handy to have and sometimes people at work ask if I can make them, so I tend to make a few at a time. I try and keep them nice, clean and uncluttered. 

My "Man bites dog" cards this week are 'missing lady stuns hubby'! No idea what that could be reference to (unless my hubby is stunned I am not working and actually in the craft room!!!).

Happy crafting 

Kyla 

WOYWW

Hump day again so time to bare all with "What's on your workdesk Wednesday"

On my desk is my 365 challenge journal and I am applying gesso to a couple of pages.

This acts as a good base to help inks etc move around the page easier and stops any bleed through if I am a little heavy handed.

My "Man Bites Dog" cards this week are 'Convict Tells on Mystery Priest"!

Feel free to join in over on the lovely Julia's blog (link over on the right).

Happy crafting

Kyla

Another scrap card

Whilst I had my scraps out earlier this week I thought I would use the left over pieces from the card on Wednesday to make another scrap card.  

To make this card I had to layer many thinner pieces of scrap card but as all the colours tie in nicely I think it works ok and the texture of the embossed piece (the pale) doesn't show up that great in the photo but it does add some nice dimension.

So another scrap card made and my scrap box is slowly reducing-I say slowly because I am not really sure I can see a difference even though I have made quite a few cards only using scraps over the past few weeks!!

Any other tips for scraps would be grateful received.

Happy crafting

Kyla

WOYWW

Hump day again so that means "What's on your workdesk Wednesday"

Not a photo of my whole desk today as most of it is covered with work (sigh...) but I have managed to finish another scrap card.  This time using some more of the GudrunSjoden catalogue (the paper on the right) which is one of their new fabric designs.

I have also used a left over moth die cut (the waste paper left over with some inks and dyes dripped onto the card) which I layered over a stamped image and some green vellum.  I also added some angelina fibres, embossed paper and a torn piece, so quite a few pieces of scraps used up.

No "man bites dog" cards this week as I forgot!

Happy crafting

Kyla

Scrap card

 I finally found time to make another scrap card.

This time the papers have come from a clothes catalogue!

One of my favourite designers is Gudrun Sjoden.  She has one shop in the UK (in London) and I am a HUGE fan of her colourful, sustainable, organic clothing range (most of my clothes come from charity shops but this is the one indulgence I allow myself).

The catalogue is printed on lovely paper and I managed to use one of the pages to create a card with some flat backed toppers that I have had for AGES!

Another scrap card made-yet still the scrap box looks full!!!

Happy crafting

Kyla

WOYWW

Wednesday again and I have finally finished my 365 Journal page for November all ready (once it's dry) to start filling it in.

 

My "Man Bites Dog" cards this week are 'Singer Revealed Mystery Heiress'

So, what's on your workdesk this Wednesday?  Dare you bare all and share?  Full details on how to join us across the globe can be found on our lovely leader Julia's page over on the righthand side column.

Happy  crafting

Kyla

 

Inktober 2018 part 2

 This is the next part of my Inktober 2018 update.  I am still trying to stick to my theme of nature and using the prompts from the Inktober website.

 I thought de-forestation would be appropriate for the prompt "cruel"

 Self explanatory!

 I have always thought of Owls as guardians of the countryside for some reason, maybe because of the wise old owl thought.

 Wasn't too impressed with my dandelion clock.  But I decided to not re-draw any as they are meant to be quick (only a few minutes a day) sketches and give me space to learn new techniques and skills.

 For weak I looked to my garden and the small weak seedlings that become strong with the right conditions-much like ourselves!

 Angular made me think of the monkey puzzle tree I used to walk past when I was about 5 years old in a neighbours garden-always amused me by its shape (and of course at that age the belief that monkeys really did live in there!)

and a puffer fish seemed like the obvious choice for this prompt!

I have made a few more since these but I need to upload the next lot of photos and I hope to blog them in the next week or so.

I love Inktober, it is such a great idea and takes me only 5-10 mins a day MAX and I end up learning so much more about my style and technical ability as well as what does and does NOT work for me!

Happy inking

Kyla

 

WOYWW

Welcome back to another week.  On my desk this week is my 365 journal, pages all gesso'd so that means I can start applying inks for my November page.  The page on the right is actually a separate piece of card that I will eventually cut up for the small squares to write my daily entries on but I find it easier to colour it as a 'mop up' piece when painting the main page. I am thinking of adding some mica and glitters when this is all dry.

I admit I am impressed I remembered to mask the work area with scrap paper before I started inking!  That is a bit of a miracle for me!!

My "Man Bites Dog" cards this week are 'Feds Scam Hubby Lawyer'-well nothing would surprise me these days!!

Happy crafting

kyla

Inktober 2018 Part 1

 Just a quick update on my involvement with Inktober 2018

Artist Jake Parker created a challenge in 2009 to create 31 drawings in 31 days in order to improve his drawing skills - it took off and now there are over 408k followers on Instagram!!

For the past 3 years (which I have also taken part) they have also published prompts for each day, but you can use them or not, draw daily, weekly or even do them all in one go!  It's very laid back and a great way to experiment with ink.

Full details can be found here

The last couple of years I have completed mine on tags (small, cheap and take ink quite well).  So far I am using the prompts and whilst the other year my monthly inspiration was robots this year I thought I would choose Nature.

 The flowing of lava down the volcano

 

 An oyster

 Starfish!  Well, its a loose interpretation!

 Forgot to take any tags with me on day 7 which I was in Malta at Notte Bianca a fabulous free festival where I went to watch the band The Selecter play (seen them a few times but never overseas).  This sloth for "exhausted" (which I was) was sketched at 01:30 in the morning in a bar!

 The wolf is drooling (I got some odd looks sketching this sat on a bench in a park!)

 I love mushrooms and foraging so for the Chicken prompt I thought 'Chicken of the Woods' fungi would be a perfect interpretation!

 Spelling Bee!  Play on words but there are no rules and this is the first bee I have tried to draw, I was quite pleased with this one.

 Chestnuts roasting on a fire!

 I find woodlands tranquil (hence I try to do a daily walk and belong to the Woodland Trust)

and the first one-the death cap!

So that is them so far (I have done a few more, if you follow me on Instagram you have probably seen the last few days newer ones, I will blog these soon as it takes a while to upload and blog).

Are you doing Inktober?  I would love to know if you are.

Happy crafting

Kyla

 

WOYWW

Wednesday again-seems like ages ago as I have been lucky enough to go on holiday to Malta since then. Now it is Autumn this means leaving for work in the dark and returning in the dark-and of course crafting in the dark.  Never great when it comes to looking at colours etc but I do like the cosiness of it.

 

On my workdesk this week is my 365 Journal that I am trying to get ahead in.  I tend to gesso a couple of pages at a time as I find that it helps take the inks and also give a bit more structure and robustness to the pages to limit any ink sinking through to the other side.

My "Man Bites Dog" cards this week are 'Fans Snubs Movie Model'-ooh!!

Happy crafting

kyla

 

Wedding anniversary Card

Hello peeps, hope you are surviving the awful weather that seems to be plaguing so many parts of the world at the moment.

Just a quick update from me to show you the card I made my hubby for our 21st Wedding Anniversary last week.

 

Its a small card which I covered with a variety of rub-ons (don't often see white ones, quite like them) which I distressed first by applying them lightly to my apron before adding them to the card.  I then added a topper and wrote some sloppy stuff inside (no photo of that!!)

Happy crafting

kyla

 

Clean scrap card and organised too

Just a quick update for another scrap card I made.

This one is unusual for me as it is quite a 'clean' card.  

I don't tend to do neat and clean cards as I tend to be messy and end up flicking paint or ink over anything pale or clean (hence I tend to craft in dark clothes or wearing a special apron and old dust jacket of my dads that is already covered in paint and glue!

 

But here is proof!  A clean and organised scrap card!

Woo-hoo!  Long may this continue as I have a lot of card blanks to use up and the scrap box isn't feeling any lighter!

Happy crafting

kyla

Anniversary card

Just a quick update to show a card I made for my brother and sister in law for their wedding anniversary a couple of weeks ago (wanted to be sure it got there before I blogged it!)

My sister in law loves hummingbirds so I used a topper and created some depth using some foam sticky pads.  I created the base card by embossing just one side of the card on my sizzix.  I don't have any large embossing plates so had to work out where the repeat was in the plate so I could match up the pattern to cover the whole card.  A bit fiddly but I like the effect as it adds some good depth and texture.

Happy crafting

Kyla

Butterfly scrap card

Well I cannot believe it, another card made from my scraps box!

The butterfly is on painted card which I gesso'd over and used as a die cut butterfly a LONG time ago but I liked the left over piece-hence it was in my scraps box.

I attached it with my Tim Holtz tiny attacher as I love the fact that these staples go through so many different mediums and are easy to colour with permanent markers or alcohol inks

I matted and layered it onto a couple of pieces of scrap card and added a greeting and voila, another card for my collection!

At this rate I may see the light of day from my scrap box-or even the bottom of the box (doubtful to be honest)!

Happy crafting

kyla

WOYWW

So another Wednesday meaning another workdesk from me.

On it this week is ANOTHER scrap card in the making-go me!!!

No idea what I am going to make with these bits, I just realised my browns and green scrap folders were larger than the others so I am forcing myself to use them where I can!

My "Man Bites Dog" cards this week....ooh...'Angry Singer Tells on Exec' - well, with the various revelations of the #metoo and other movements who knows what this may predict!

So, have you dared to bare your desk yet?  Come on down, we are a friendly bunch-full details can be found here

Happy crafting

Kyla

Kiwi calendar scrap card

So, if you saw my desk Wednesday you would have spotted some of these items on it.

I managed to use some of the bits from the scraps box (including one of the images from a calendar from last year from my kiwi family) to make another card with some legless iridescent card brads and edging the picture with my marker pens to add a little definition.

Ever so slowly I seem to be reducing my scrap box! 

It does appear to be bottomless sometimes though!

Happy crafting

Kyla

WOYWW

Happy hump day, so that can only mean one thing-Whats on Your Work Desk Wednesday!

Across the globe thanks to the lovely Julia (and top enabler LunchLady Jan) we all bare our workdesks.  Sometimes they are clean (aka mojo is missing), sometimes messy (aka 'creative') and sometimes sadly filled with work or sorting out!

So, on my desk this week I am still trying to make cards from my scraps box.  To be honest it doesn't appear to be shrinking, but I do have a few more cards so that can only be a good thing.  On the desk this week is an off cut from a calendar (from my family in NZ) and some alcohol ink off cuts. Hopefully inspiration will strike and I can get a card out of this!

 

My "Man Bites Dog" cards this week are 'Hubby Defends Brave Nude Model' - well I shall watch the news closely just in case!!

If you fancy joining us and baring your desk then visit the lovely Julia's blog here

Happy crafting

Kyla

Scraps and sewing

Just a quick update as not sure I posted this card yet.  AGES ago I stitched some die cut hearts and I came across one I had left over in the bottom of my scrap box.

So I decided to mat it on some precut die cuts (that I bought AGES ago from the local scrap store which were probably left over from the card or packaging industry, it tends to cost about a fiver for a carrier bag full of scraps) and I edged the blue card with some gold embossing powder and then added some flocked paper to a card blank.

A few more items from the scrap box used up-go me!!

Kyla

WOYWW

 Happy What's on Your Workdesk Wednesday.  No desk from me this week as it's all a bit hectic at the moment, but I thought I would share with you some pebble art I did recently!

I love this phrase "When life shuts a door....open in again...it's a door, that's how they work"  No idea who said it but it is brilliant.

I also couldn't resist painting this one!  I spotted it on pinterest some months back and loved it.  Both these pebbles were painted with Posca pens, I tend to use them as they are waterproof and can also be used on fabrics (I have drawn on shoes with them in the past) and then abandoned back where I found the pebbles as part of the facebook group Sidmouth Smilestones.  Someone reported finding the one at the top already and re-hiding it for someone else to find so really pleased with that.

For those going to the WOYWW crop this weekend, I hope you have a fabulous time and am so sorry that I am unable to come but I look forward to seeing all your photos shared on here after.

happy crafting

Kyla