I like subscription boxes. As long as you can find one which is consistent in quality and matches your general taste without becoming predictable. A few years ago I regularly got the CraftBox subscription and it filled up my stash with embellishments and ephemera beautifully, then the style of it changed and I cancelled the… Continue reading Pastel cormorant
How long do you keep working on a piece before admitting defeat? Before accepting that it's not going to work out how you want. Or do you never give up, do you think that's pretty much anything — as long as you haven't spilled a tin of paint over it — is redeemable? There are… Continue reading Hummingbird
These robins definitely took the longest to make. From somewhere, not sure where, I had got it into my mind that I wanted to try doing a proper lino cut. I've made simple stamps in the past, but haven't tried using lino probably since I was in school. The robin turned out nicely, but needed… Continue reading Printed robins
Another art journal page — I could get used to making these! It's nice to have a single starting point, a few ideas, and no finished image in mind and then just see where the page takes you. This one started with a bit of spare gesso left over from prepping another experiment: I didn't… Continue reading Inspire
I've decided that art cards are the perfect size for testing out ideas and techniques — small ones anyway... This was inspired by seeing a large abstract artwork with a big drippy glittery motif across the centre of it; that got me thinking of ways to make glitter drips without ending up with glitter everywhere.… Continue reading Birds together
When I got this stamp, I did think that I would end up making more card variations with it — the stained glass style does lend itself to lots of different mediums and experiments — but then I didn’t actually need any more! By some miracle, I managed to make more cards than I ended… Continue reading Stained glass robins
The frenzy of Christmas card making, Christmas itself, and New Year always combine to leave me run-down and uninspired in January. Add in having a horrible cold over Christmas, the exceptionally cold grey miserable weather, and the horror show that is UK and US politics at the moment and it has been a nightmare trying… Continue reading Hello: Bird and bee
I have to take a break from my Copic markers every now and again — just for a bit of variety — and I do enjoy playing with the Zig real brush markers, even if I do need way more practise with them. When I pulled the digi print from the stack I’d prepared for… Continue reading Christmas: Duck with presents
This card was created on 21st November; day 21 of The Daily Marker 30 Day Colouring Challenge. Skimming around Pinterest, I saw a Craftsy article on “watercolouring” with Copics and I was intrigued… I have a small selection of Various ink refills, so I thought I’d give it a go. How: First, open a window. I didn’t… Continue reading Christmas: Painting with Copics
Another catch-up post; this card was originally made on February 27th. This card was for my mum. For her, it always has to be "Mothering Sunday" rather than "Mother's Day" — something which made finding store-bought cards increasingly tricky. Rather less traditionally, there also have to be some cute critters on there. How: I love… Continue reading Mothering Sunday: Bouquet and birds
Another thing ticked off the “must-try techniques” list: creating a card using acetate for the base. I kept the design simple in the hope that it wouldn’t take too long to do, but I didn’t factor in all the fussy cutting that is needed to create not only the coloured elements, but also the plain… Continue reading Celebrate: Uplifting acetate card
So my mum called asking me if I could make her a birthday card for her brother, but she had absolutely no suggestions for the design 🤔 It's tricky enough making cards for men, but when you have no starting point to work from... Anyway, this is what I came up with… How: The bird… Continue reading Birthday: Bird crazy
Crafty Rat 