Earth Day – Going green, etc.

Had a very busy day yesterday at the Scrapstore and at home, so I didn’t actually get anything ‘arty’ done till 11pm last night when I sat playing with a Daisy-maker, given to me by a very good friend who has insufficient attention span to complete a round, never mind a daisy – the downside of having had a stroke, being unable to get left and right brain functioning as they used to. So, lucky me – and I just get to play with her toys and make her stuff to say thank you – we both win!!

Once I’d got the washing out, the parcel shipped (had to wait for it to be collected), I took the dogs to the woods and called at the Post Office in the next village. DD was having dramas at school and sent me some texts…. so I got home, completely unsettled – always am where the child is concerned when trouble’s brewing…. and proceeded to make a lot of background sheets. Yay!

I’d prepared the Faux Grass* well over a week ago and proceeded to paint it today, and some of it went onto a rather cool card. Here’s the background simply painted with green and black acrylics and a little drybrushed gesso left on the paintbrush!

 

*Faux grass is simply cs (in this case, brown), coated thinly with PVA glue, sprinkled with dried herbs, patted down a bit and then left to dry overnight – Trish Bee’s background Noise challenge #7  Embellished with a bit of gold acrylic paint – applied with a sponge.
 

Smells good, too!! Created By Hand’s challenge is “Go Green!” for today is Earth Day, so here’s the card I made with a piece of that background, which also serves me well for Artygirlz, as (would you believe my luck?), they’re asking for handmade backgrounds this week! I call this type of thing “synchronicity”…

 Okay – here are the other backgrounds… another Group Background Noise challenge (#8): Scrunchy magazine background, for all those mags you never throw out, in the true spirit of recycling: Before painting

After painting with red and purple acrylics – stunning innit?!! Dabbed with gold after drying.

Heather Robinson reminded me about a technique I’d meant to try with her droplets of food colouring on watercolour paper, although the first time, I forgot about the salt, but nevertheless, this is what happened:

And in the spirit of Lisa’s challenge to be “Abstract” (SOYBS) this week, I produced this little plaque which I named “Mood Swing” – going to a stressed out mate soon.

Then I dropped more colouring onto another sheet of wet watercolour paper, sprinkled coarse sea salt onto it and covered with clingfilm (plastic wrap) till it dried. Here are before and afters…

So pretty…. and you can’t buy papers like that can ya?!! Lastly, here’s a pic of a leather and bead choker – the leather is from a belt I bought and unravelled on Sunday and the beads are made from natural wood. So I think I’ve been very “earthy” indeed today!

TTFN!! xoxoxo