oh hey there, welcome to the empire!

I am currently “beautifying” the blog and some of the older posts are switched off while they are being updated. So there’s a lot less to see at the moment but normal service will be resumed shortly 🙂 The blog was established in July 2005 (yay it’s our birthday!) so there is a bit of editing to be done as things have changed over the years.  Meanwhile enjoy the latest arty adventures!

tim holtz hand painted funky foliage funky florals
WIP Tim Holtz Funky Foliage Funky Florals Forest Floor
July 13, 2019

art challenges/prompts

carte postale writing box
WIP Writing Box – Art Daily Cafe Mood Board June 2019 – Mail Art
July 7, 2019
Celestial art journal for Finnabair Art Recipe June 2019
Celestial Art Journal Cover – Finnabair Art Recipe June 2019
July 5, 2019
build your wings coral tag for art daily cafe
Build Your Wings – Art Daily Cafe Mood Board June 2019 – Inner Child
June 30, 2019

mixing of mediums - read all about my latest mixed media project below...

build your wings coral tag for art daily cafe
Build Your Wings – Art Daily Cafe Mood Board June 2019 – Inner Child
June 30, 2019

I was inspired by Art Daily Cafe’s Mood Board for June as soon as I saw it – here it is below It’s weird because if you know me, you will know that this is not my colour (although I’m [...]

follow my aecp journey - latest projects and classes

My Journey on the Altenew Educator Certification Program Starts Today

I’ve talked a lot about online classes, and the Altenew Academy classes in particular.  You [...]

08
Jul
lily and glazing chart altenew 36 watercolor pan set
Having a Crafty Weekend – Glazing Chart for Altenew Watercolour Pan Set

We have a long weekend thanks to the Bank Holiday on Monday so I decided [...]

03
May
joy of watercolor class bundle
The Joy of Watercolor Class Bundle Altenew Class Bundle

Along with my other watercolor class purchase, I couldn’t resist this bundle, especially because I [...]

03
Sep

what's new on the blog

tim holtz hand painted funky foliage funky florals
WIP Tim Holtz Funky Foliage Funky Florals Forest Floor
July 13, 2019

I know what you’re thinking – how many WIP projects can one person have going [...]

altenew sketch challenge winner
WINNER Altenew Sketch Scrapbook Challenge #15 – Sunshine After The Rain Canvas
July 13, 2019

Well hey there, guess what happened today? Today was the today that the winners were [...]

carte postale writing box
WIP Writing Box – Art Daily Cafe Mood Board June 2019 – Mail Art
July 7, 2019

I wanted to create something for Finnabair’s Art Daily Cafe Mood Board for July which you [...]

Celestial art journal for Finnabair Art Recipe June 2019
Celestial Art Journal Cover – Finnabair Art Recipe June 2019
July 5, 2019

I wanted to create something for Finnabair’s Art Recipe for June which you can see [...]

build your wings coral tag for art daily cafe
Build Your Wings – Art Daily Cafe Mood Board June 2019 – Inner Child
June 30, 2019

I was inspired by Art Daily Cafe’s Mood Board for June as soon as I [...]

sunshine after the rain canvas
Sunshine After The Rain (Altenew Sketch Scrapbook Challenge #15 Dripping Colors Layout) UPDATED
June 24, 2019

Here’s my entry for the Altenew Sketch Scrapbook Challenge #15 #AltenewChallenge – the theme this [...]

art journal spread finnabair tissue and stencils
WIP Art Journal Spread June 2019
June 23, 2019

I am working on a couple of art journal spreads so I thought I would [...]

old conference satchel
WIP Revamp Old Conference Satchel
June 20, 2019

I have another project I want to work on… Hey I am really on a [...]

edinburgh castle plaque gift
WIP Repair and Restore Broken Engagement Gift (and the wedding that wasn’t)
June 17, 2019

So this is something that I’ve really wanted to fix for some time but had [...]

wooden cat doorstop
WIP Revamp Cat Doorstop
June 16, 2019

So the same friend who gave me these cat bookends also gave me this cat [...]

wooden cat bookends
WIP Revamp Cat Bookends
June 15, 2019

I was given this pair of cat bookends by a friend who didn’t want them [...]

art journal cat eyes page
WIP Art Journal Two Page Cat Eyes Spread – June 2019
June 11, 2019

I am working on a couple of art journal spreads so I thought I would [...]

stay curious beautiful mermaid and a cat might eat you art journal page
The Curious Mermaid and the Cheshire Cat Art Journal Spread – June 2019
June 10, 2019

This spread is now finished and I really want to name it “Stay Curious Mermaid [...]

watercolour cards in bulk
Notecards Bulk Stamping Part 2 – The Fine Line Florals Cards – Making 48 Notecards Using My Tim Holtz Stamp Platform And Two Lids
June 5, 2019

And onto the next part of this marathon notecard stamping!  If you want to know [...]

watercolour cards in bulk butterflies
Notecards Bulk Stamping Part 1 – The Butterfly Cards – Making 48 Notecards Using My Tim Holtz Stamp Platform And Two Lids
June 4, 2019

So here’s the thing, for some time now I’ve been using my Tim Holtz Stamp [...]

batik birthday card with foil
Happy Birthday Friend Card – Batik Style Background, Foiling etc
June 1, 2019

Tis the season for lots of birthday and I seem to be playing catch up [...]

altenew inspiration challenge may my card
Altenew Inspiration Challenge May 2019
May 31, 2019

Here’s my entry for the Altenew Inspiration Challenge for May #AltenewChallenge – all at the [...]

Happy Birthday gift bag watercoloured diecut panel
Happy Birthday Mum – Quick and Easy Gift Bag Idea Using Bold Alphabet Dies
May 30, 2019

So yesterday was mum’s birthday and I made her this card.   But I also quickly [...]

let's be friends