Happy New Year 2023

Photo from the TV of The Queen Elizabeth Clock Tower (Big Ben) on New Year's Eve/New Year's Day

Here we are in 2023.  2022 seemed to go particularly quickly, but that is perhaps because I am getting older!  As I have been doing for the last few years, I will reflect on last year and write my aims for this year.

A page from my Care December journal

Read interesting books - a big tick for this aim. Although the number of books read in 2022 went down to 54, there was an eclectic selection, including Circe by Madeline Miller; Anne Bronte re-imagined by Adele Hay; At home with William and Jane Morris by Suzanne Fagence Cooper; Jane Austen at Home by Lucy Worsley and  Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus as well as several rereads of Jane Austen books, a few murder mysteries and some series continuations.  I am already off to a good start this year, with Dame Sue Black's Written in Bone, which is just as fascinating as her previous book, All That Remains.  (I thoroughly enjoyed her Christmas lectures for the Royal Institution  series on BBC4 and available on iplayer, should you be able to access them.  She is an extremely knowledgeable and experienced forensic anthropologist and has a huge passion and enthusiasm for her subject.)  There is no doubt that I shall continue this aim.

A page from my Care December journal

Be Creative (using what I have) - a tick for this one too, although I have added to my stash of crafting supplies.  I am trying to stick to one in, one out, but there are so many lovely products out there, I do succumb.  I have been able to use a lot of what I have over the year in my Wanderlust course and in other challenges, such as the Index Card a Day challenge,  #Printinktober and Care December.  Currently I am working on a challenge for January which was originally for August, but I decided to do it now, as I find January can be a long and somewhat depressing month.  I am continuing with Wanderlust 2023 and will no doubt be making cards and making some more dresses as well as taking part in the annual challenges this year.  

Another page from my Care December journal - my portraits continue to improve, I think

Get rid of or donate things I no longer want or need - while I did start in earnest and donated many books to the charity bookshop, this rather ground to a halt, so this will certainly be a continuing aim for this year. I really must make a proper effort and keep going through the year.

Another page in my Care December journal - colours I may focus on in 2023

Take more notice of Nature - another tick and another aim to continue this year.  Being a gardener, I do take notice of the seasons and my time in the garden increases after Winter.  I still have a wander round the garden in the Winter and admire the effects of the weather and the stoicism of plants which flower at that time.  Being in the garden or out in the wider natural environment is increasingly important and does give me that mindfulness which I also get when I am crafting.  I am getting better at just sitting in the garden and not rushing to do something all the time and find that just a few minutes of quiet sitting or wandering and observing will give me a boost.  

So there are my aims again this year.  Some will be easier to achieve than others, but I will do my best.

Here's hoping 2023 is a kinder year to us all.

#Printinktober 2022 - week four

The final week of #Printinktober and what an enjoyable challenge it was.  Chris gave me the purple and orange colour scheme for 'Big' above.  It is one of the biggest background stamps I have from Stamps By Me, so worked well for this. 

'Small' was lots of tiny images from Woodware, by Jane Gill, linked together, which reminds me of the TV game show 'Blockbusters'.  People in the UK of a certain age will remember this!

'Pretty' was all these pastels and a stamp set from Altenew called Nature Snippets.

Another Visible Image set for 'Orange' using Erica's Maple.

'Dots' was illustrated by this big stamp from Altenew.  

'Dark' was a bit tricky but as it means absence of light, I went for a clear embossed circle image which would show up when you tipped the page.  The stamp was one from Visible Image again.

'Botanical' was from a couple of sets from Creative Expressions by Sam Poole.  I have used these quite a bit and they have a lovely vintage feel.

'Wood' meant I could dig out my hand carved wooden stamps from Blockwallah.  This one is Birch Tree.  I have collected quite a few of these but they don't get used very often, which is a shame.

'On Black' gave me the chance to use a newish stamp from Indigoblu - William Morris Willow, which was heat embossed with white.

Finally, 'Favourite'. I couldn't really choose a favourite, as I like so many stamps!  However, Tim Holtz's Snarky Cats are one of my favourites.  They have been used quite a bit for my cat loving friends' cards.  I do have one more space to fill so am having a think about what to feature and then these will be bound into a book with a stamped cover, of course!

I will post an update once the book is finished and bound.

#Printinktober 2022 - week three

Printinktober is continuing and I am enjoying looking through my stamp stash and choosing appropriate sets.  Above is 'oldest' which shows some of the first stamps from I bought quite a few years ago now, from the companies Dreamees and Craftwork cards. 

'Animal' just had to be this fabulous tiger stamp by Visible Image, with a leaf stamp in the background.

The prompt for this was 'unused' and most of these autumnal stamps hadn't been used very much, if at all.  The background shapes were painted using watercolour, using a Youtube video from creationsceecee here I had just seen as inspiration.

'Repeat' used a small square stamp from Hunkydory which could build up to cover the page.

'Human' used another Visible Image stamp and the flowers were from a Lisa Horton set.

'Blue' using more small square stamps from Hunkydory and building them into a pattern.

'Combo' had me scratching my head a bit, then inspiration struck after watching a video from Rachel Greig (part of the Wanderlust Live weekend) about creating stamped collage papers, which can be seen here.  I used a combination of stamps from seven different sets to create this page.

On to the next week...

#Printinktober 2022 - week two

I am really enjoying Printinktober. The pages are quick to do and are steadily growing.  Above is Stripes,  which used a background stamp from Stamps By Me and my favourite blues.

This is Layered - a stamp set called Beautiful Day by Altenew.  This one was one of the first few stamps I started out with. I was intrigued by how the image builds up.

The Sizzix set, Watercolour Flowers, is one of the Newest stamps sets I have bought recently.  I could have used it for Layered as well.

Green - using two shades of pigment ink and a large square stamp from Carabelle Studios called Dans Mon Herbier.  I like the grungey elements which are included on the stamp.

My own Hand Carved stamps on an inked background.  I do like the handmade look that these stamps have.

Geometric was made using the Visometry stamp set from Visible Image - one of my favourite stamp companies.

Foam using commercially produced foam leaf stamps, a stamp from my art journal course which I made using die cut foam alphabet and foliage, as well as some other shapes made using die cut foam and stuck onto cardboard.  

On to week three!

#Printinktober 2022 - week one

I always enjoy a little creative challenge, so when I saw this one on a blog which I follow, I knew I wanted to get involved.

Inktober is a month long challenge where you use an ink supply to create a piece of art every day during October.  Printinktober is where you use a stamp to create a piece of art every day during October.  I thought it would be a great challenge for me as it would encourage me to use stamps which I haven't used at all, or not very much.  I could also review my stamp collection at the same time..possibly...or not!  There are a set of prompts (above) but as always with these things, you don't have to follow them.  There is an opportunity to share what you do on instagram I think, but I am just going to do a weekly round up here.

Above is Circles. I used a variety of circle stamps from Aall & Create and Visible Image.

This one is Pattern and used stamps I have only used once before. These were border stamps from Dovecraft.

The prompt here was Rubber Stamps, so I used some of my latest Tim Holtz stamps - Eccentric.  I do love all the different texts and numbers in this set. 

Yes, this one is Rainbow and I used some new pigment inks (Versafine Clair) which have lovely vibrant colours. This was a Sizzix stamp set called Splats.

Abstract was the prompt here and this used Altenew Simple Flowers. This is a stamp set I really like but I forget I have got it.  

Here is Silicone - I used a silicone/polymer stamp by Jane Gill for Woodware called Hare in the brambles.

Red - watercolour over black embossed poppy stamp (Perfect poppy) from Hunkydory.  Another stamp I haven't used.  I am really enjoying this challenge and am creating a nice little book as I go along.

Are you joining in this month?