Tick tock

tick tock......... 

 earlier this week I got a surprise package in the post from a friend in Holland....not everyones idea of a fun thing...a rat trap..... but I love it.......thanks Hermine:)

CLICK HERE to see what Hermine did with hers:)

I couldn't wait to play with it.

 My first thought was to have someone or something trapped in the trap but it was pointed out that that was a bit gruesome and while I'm not averse to a bit of gruesome I decided to go down a friendlier route this time;)

While I was still thinking on the being trapped idea and what I could have trapped my thoughts went to............ 

THE BORROWERS

I loved that story when I was small and wished they were real....in fact I remember actually looking for them! 

I was going to have one caught in my trap......but decided against and just used the trap for my Borrower to sit on.

 When I researched the Borrowers story......it's been a while since I read it.....I was reminded that the Borrower family name was clock..................so......meet

 ARRIETY CLOCK 

 who had a close encounter with a rat trap!

From the pages of a book

or recycled steampunk!

I've had some steampunk stuff sitting on display in a local shop for some time and even though they have a steampunk exhibition coming up I decided it was time to take it home!

So, what to do with it?

 I often recycle stuff cos otherwise my house would be overflowing with it all, so rather than just throw it away this page is made from completely recycled bits and pieces from the old stuff!

 I did make a very simple gesso, Distress inks, stamped text and birds background to add all the bits to but other than that......all recycled!

The Tweedles

I am sometimes asked how a journal page develops............there is no one answer as each page develops differently but one way that it often happens is the using up of excess paint..........that's how this one started ........I thought it might be fun to show the process.............well, at least the bits I thought to photograph!

 I had some pink paint left over from the owl capone page so I took this small journal and rubbed it across the tile that the paint was on. Next it was what to fill the gaps in with.....I know I have a new bottle of ink, I'll use that to see what the colour looks like

Then I had been watching a video on YouTube and the person had used random strips of washi tape so I used some thin strips of the tape I bought not that long ago.

 Next came using a stencil that I hadn't used before.........

and that got me to this point............ often at this point I would leave it to use later but this time I carried on. Next decision is what image(s) to use.......

 Someone on Facebook asked if I was moving on from Alice after I posted my mermaid pieces so that made me think that I need to do something Alice.........I have these new Alice themed Stampotique stamps..............so, I used one of them......The Tweedles!

 Stamped and coloured with Promarkers......not sure they are really my thing but got them in a sale .......then cut them out

 but I do quite like the way the black ink runs into the colour.......a bit grungy looking and I like their dirty faces!

Next it needs words of some sort............was rummaging in a drawer and came across this OLD stamp, it fitted quite nicely, so stamped, cut out and glued into place.........a bit of random outlining and there you go.......done!

I seem to be

in a corny mood just lately!

This owl looks like a gangster to me so I looked for a gangster-ish name and came across 

OWL CAPONE!

 OK, so I need to say something here......I've thought quite a lot about whether to post this page......the reason being is that I got the image from a posting on FaceBook and I'm concerned about copyright issues. 

I firmly believe in copyright and would not want to upset anyone......so, I am going to give credit for the image to the artist.....

ANDREAS PREIS.......and this is where I found it.

I think the biggest copyright issues are those of taking an image and claiming it as your own and using it for profit......neither of which I am doing here......it's just for my own use and amusement.

So, hopefully I am OK to use it.....it is a FABULOUS image!

 So, as I said, he looks like a gangster and while not wanting to stereotype here I thought...gangster.......mafia....Italian........I have the card from the Italian restaurant I went to the other week.......I know, I'll use it in his hat!

 More rub-on alphabets

 A while ago I was searching for washi tape and came across this bullet tape....cool huh!

And it fits the gangster theme perfectly!

 The tape is clear which is a bit of an issue so I rubbed a little gesso over it, then dried it a little with a heat gun, the edges crinkled......oh I like that! So, rubbed some paint and pastel along the crinkles!

Continuing.........

my current mermaid obsession......

meet ME-SHELL

Sorry for the really corny name.......I tried to find a more adult mermaid name but couldn't so decided to go completely the other way and give her a naff name!

She started life as a broken doll (forgot to take a pic of that bit).......used air-drying clay to make her a tail.......

 then used cheap chain (thanks Primark!) wrapped around the tail to give impression of scales....wasn't sure I liked it at this point but once it was painted it was OK

 now, I know you are not going to believe me that that red paint settled like that on it's own.....but it did.......I might have emphasised it just a bit:)

 I painted this shell but then had a panic that using a shell might be too predictable so I asked my FaceBook friends and was convinced I should use it......I have to say I'm glad I did!

 She has a pearl brooch, like all good mermaids should......it started life as a broken earring I picked up somewhere

 It took me a while to decide if she should have arms.........

 in the end I decided she should and used these plastic skeleton arms that I found in the street one day, they have been lurking in my car forever......my husband will be glad I used them:)

Smushallaum and her soul

Did you know that it is said that mermaids don't have souls??

I have been a little mermaid obsessed just lately .....they seem to have been popping up all over on blogs that I read regularly.

See here,   here,  here and here 

and finally here

 I decided that I wanted to make a journal page featuring mermaids.....what else could I use other than one of the fabulously spooky mermaids from Stampotique?

When I spotted that the latest Stampotique Designers challenge is to use the same stamp twice I decided to enter my page.

 So here is SMUSHALLAUM and her SOUL!
I leave it up to you to decide which is which, I think we are inter-twined with our souls and it can be hard to tell us apart. 

 This is the first verse from this poem 

THE FORSAKEN MERMAN

 I have also recently read this FORSAKEN......based on the above poem....

......told you I was a bit mermaid obsessed lately!