Little Envelope Card

Altered Book

 As part of the Middlesbrough Literary Festival which starts this Saturday 15th June

I will be holding a craft session where you will have the opportunity to alter an old book. Hopefully you will go from something like this:

                                                                         
                                                                         To this:

The session takes place on Friday 28th June at Thorntree Community Hub at 10.30am and will cost £1 and for that very small amount you will be supplied with everything you need to make a lovely altered book to treasure. The session is limited to 10 people so I suggest you send me a message if you want to book a place  or ring Thorntree Hub on 01642 242332. For more information on the marvellous events taking place during the festival go to http://www.middlesbroughlitfest.co.uk/

Birdcage card

Here is another die from Marianne Designs, the birdcage. I think it would have looked better silver but I'd ran out of silver card so I used an old greetings card to make the birdcage. The paper is from the Riverbank paper back again.

Russian Doll Card

I made this card using the Russian Doll die from Marianne Designs and the Riverbank paper pack which is lovely. I found the doll face on the internet.

Flannel gift bag

Here is an idea for a Mothers Day gift.

 Its a little bag made from a flannel and a soap which you can hang in your bathroom.
Using the template above cut out a piece of card and wrap a flannel around it, keeping it in place with sellotape.For the bag handle tie a length of ribbon to form a ring and using a bit of sellotape stick it to the top of the flannel.

 Pop a nice smelling bar of soap in the middle of the flannel and roll the flannel around the soap keeping it all in place with cling film and a bit more selloptape at the top of the bag and tucking the raw edges of film inside the roll.

Now decorate and maybe add a little message.

Artists Way

Well I've managed so far to do my morning pages, I'm having to get up early but that's not a problem considering I'm not sleeping too well. Yesterday I had my Artists Date. I was working in the afternoon and normally I would have spent the morning at home probably doing the housework but instead I went to see a lovely exhibition about the Transporter Bridge at the Dorman museum followed by a trip to a beautiful gift shop called Conxept and I treat myself to an inexpensive bracelet but very pretty and then I had a wonder around Albert Park taking pictures of the Autumn leaves. It was lovely, the sun was shining and I enjoyed the fresh air.
There are a few tasks for this week. The book suggests you do at least two, the one you're drawn too which seems the most appealing and the one you dislike the most. It asks you to quickly list 5 altenative careers which you would have liked to do. Don't think too much into it, just write what pops in to your head first. My list read: Dancer, Textile Artist,Florist,cake decorator and community worker. Now I must do an activity this week connected to one of those jobs. Today I was at my textile class but I think I fancy a go at flower arranging so that's my next job. The task I didn't like the sounnd of was thinking of 3 old enemies of my creative self-worth. Those people in my past who have critised and knocked my abilities. Now I have to write a letter in my defense and send it to myself.I'm putting this one off but I will do it before the weeks out I promise!

The Artists Way - Julia Cameron

This week I have started the 12 week course called the Artists Way. For anyone who isn;t familiar with this it is a fantastic book by Julia Cameron in which she helps you discover your creative self. Each week you are given tasks to do to discover what really gets your creative juices flowing and also to identify what could be causing you to doubt your abilities, feel blocked and unable to allow yourself to follow your dreams. Two tasks which are musts for every week are the 'Morning Pages' and the weekly 'Artists Date'. The 'Morning Pages' involve writing three pages of long hand every morning about anything and if you can't think of anything you just write 'I can't think of anything' over and over if you have to. For the Artists Date you need to imagine you are taking your creative self on an afternoon (or morning/evening) out and imagine where it would like to go. One of the suggestions was to take £5 to the pound shop, market, carboot sale and see what you can buy which really strikes a cord with your creative self. I reckoned if I start the course now the twelve week will coincide with the New Year and I'll be all set for a creative 2012. 'Wish me Luck!'