Wrecked End

This is the official end of Wreck This Journal. It isn't the end of my journey with it though.

The last couple of weeks I havn't spent as much time on it, other things have been calling me. The journal is still on my desk though. There are things I have done and not scanned, not shared. There are more things to do that I have planned in my head.

I may do them, I may not.

Other things are stirring... I have started writing. Not since a child have I done this.

I think my beginning of WTJ was the thing I learnt the most from.

I learnt nothing is ever so broke it can't be made beautiful.

I learnt I am far braver and have far more gusto than I give myself credit for. Maybe I don't actually creep passively through life. Maybe I have forgotten all the tough decisions, the wild changes. Maybe just because I don't wish to turn my life on it's head right now, doesn't mean I have become passive, weak and cowardly.... I am just making different choices right now.

Art is play and play is art. It doesn't matter what you do as long as you let yourself out to play regularly....

Pink Thing

The f m-i-l requested a long pink necklace for a friend which is to say I had absolutely no choice but to drop everything and get one made as soon as possible.

I went bead shopping on one of my days off and the sight of all those lovely beads distracted me from my anti-beading state and I accidentally decided on something a little more complicated than necessary. The result is a necklace that is sparkly and pink and pretty but really, really not my style...

I used...
Size 12 seed beads (little doughnuts) in pink transparent glass with a rainbow glaze, lilac translucent pearl.
Size 12 hex beads (heaxagonal tubes) in clear glass lined with lilac and clear glass lined with hot pink.
Size 12 Triangles in transparent pink lined with silver and clear frosted glass.
Size 12 tubes in pink silky (think the same affect as Tiger's Eye)
Size 10 seed beads (doughnuts again) in clear glass lined with pink and clear glass with a rainbow glaze.

The design is a simple spiral with three 'anchor points' and because each side has a slightly different length the tube is not completely straight is has a gentle spiral in it's shape as well as it's pattern...

Hen / Stag

Someone I know is getting married and a whole bunch of us are having a little stag do for him. Traditionally women don't go to stag parties but things are changing. I have never met his bride to be. In days gone by, with small communities you would automatically know bith the stag and the hen... So stag do it is! My first ever!

Someone got a cheap hen party set of a wand, headpiece and L plate and I being me, offeed to alter them.... Oh I enjoyed this soooo much! I let my inner child out and she had a ball! This is definitely my artists date for this week. The more icky and tacky and girly and over the top the better...


So we have wand with added ribbons as well as wire fixed with crimps with bells and beads. I also made a handle with gingham tissue paper and adhesive pink ribbon that says for you...




Fluffy L Plate was smeared liberally with interference violet paint. Adhesive ribbons were added top and bottom and all around the L. Stick on gems were added in clear and white on the white background and in pink on the L. I punched some hearts from pink pearlescent card and stuck these on too. I added some stickers to the L and then liberally dosed it all with glitter....
Finally we have fluffy horned headpiece with veil. I added ribbon in pink and white /pink pearl all down the back. I then sewed beads around the headband. Some cheap purple gems were added beneath the horns and then I painted the bottom of the veil with pink metallic paint...

Oh, did I mention the stag is a big, strong chap who is not in the slightest bit girly and can pick up cars? (yes really) Good job he is the sort who is up for a laugh...

Altar, Alter

Today I received a little packet of loveliness in the post, all the way from the other side of the world. One of the things was a beautiful clay disc with different symbols on each side. This disc is for use in earth healing and if you want to know more then Miss R is the lady and this is the place to go....

Now this disc was so lovely that it needed some place good to go. My altar was the obvious place for it to go. Except my altar only really existed in my head. I had the table in place but nothing beyond that. I suddenly realised I needed to gather the things together for it and get it done...


This was the first ever piece of silk painting I did and I always intended it to go on my altar and now it is, finally, there....


Some time ago I started, but never really finished a hearth craft course. I found a beautiful stone way back when which has been living in my kitchen. I always intended to paint it and tonight I finally did...


Here is my altar with the candle I dedicated on my hearthstone. The little figure is a very plain and crude polymer clay effort of mine. I struggled with this type of clay but a little prayer and it suddenly played ball and moved into shape. The ribbon I was given at Bride and of course, my new clay disc.

In large part, my abortive teacher training is responsible for the growth in craftiness in my life. This is a papier mache mask I made in one of our art sessions at college. We were supposed to work in pairs but I didn't, I wanted it to be mine and I had a vision. I had to work like crazy to get it done in the time but I did... and I love it. She sits above my altar...

So thank you Miss R, I achieved a lot today because of a lovely little gift...

Wish Jar Update

My wish jar is still very much a work in progress. I didn't post any pictures before of the early stages with clay so here are a few from just before I started painting.

It has had a few paint jobs.

White

White with grey and black.

Interference paint over the top.

Black

Purple mixed with irridesent medium

Sample area of interference violet.

And still I am not happy. Something isn't right...

Roundup

This week hasn't been so very creative as others in many ways. Being sociable has reduced my free evenings and I am not sure if writing an astrology chart counts as creativity.

I have been having a few issues...

I intended to paint some patterns on to cotton for another project. I used silk paints and gutta to make the lines. The paint spread along the threads under the gutta. I painted the gutta on both sides but it just couldn't penetrate the heavy cotton threads enough and the silk paints just soaked along them, spreading colour. I guess this why batik using wax is more common on cotton.

Today I bought four little pots of fabric paint as well as some fabric painting brush pens. I am looking forward to seeing how they work out and whether or not I can get the effects I want.

I have also done a little braiding. This is a lovely skill I first learnt at a workshop I went to with my Mum. She chose to do one on something more patchworking but not being a sewer so much i went and braided. We used simple cardboard circles with notches in them to hold the threads. I now have a foam disc with many notches which came with instructions for producing more patterns of braid than the one I had always used before. It is very theraputic, moving the threads and something I can do with little thought in front of the TV, once I reach a nice rhythm.

WTJ stalled. I used last weekend for starting my wish jar and astrological chart rather than wrecking. I did a little today but this was on the page sent to be by the most marvellous Mel. I can't say what is in progress but I really decided to torture the poor thing! In the olden days, the most vile of criminals were sometimes hung, drawn, and quartered. I won't describe that barbaric practice here but suffice it to say the poor page has been hung, drawn (or coloured) and quartered but also stabbed and filled with little bullets. Well and truly destroyed... *grin*

I also started a book called The Artist's Way with a group at On The Wing and I think this is going to be a beautiful creative journey....

Wreck This Melon

The lovely Wright Stuff has given me a beautiful little award. I love this award, it always makes me smile whenever I see it. So here goes! (and you may find a theme...)

Ten things I love....

• I love the coaster that Mel made from my get a friend to destroy this pag
• I love the back cover of my journal, I love squidging the hearts and glitter around...
• I love the way the silk paints soaked through and how they look on the black page with white letters.
• I loved walking my book...
• I liked playing fetch with the lost page and losing it in the sea...

And now for some of my most favouritest wreckers (trying to avoid people I always give awards to)
GenieSea
Judie
Kavindra
LaWendula
Magpie
Gretchen

Thing is, all the wreckers are so fantastic... Everyone has been on such a journey with this book and it is incredible to see the differences in journey, the sheer variety this book has inspired. I love it!

I am so glad Jamie started this for us and I am also so glad that so many old friends are on the trip too... Mel, Sam, Leone, Beverley.... If you don't believe how fantastic this all is go here....