I've been meandering all over You Tube Lately.  Going down lanes and up alleys (if you see what I mean). 

'This is not supposed to be a diary about work!  The day job that oils the daily wheels.

The day job also drains me!  Just at the moment I am feeling very drained - so if anyone has any ideas for alternative employment, let me know!!

Added to that, you may also have spotted that occasionally guests of the four legged variety appear in my blog.

Let me introduce you.

First of all there is Whippet X.

And then there is the young upstart. Pigeon is a whippet so he is supposed to look this thin.



And the K Man - and here they all are , posing for the camera! ( Sorry, I don't have a picture of Koda on his own).

I'm supposed to be tidying the hell hole that is meant to be my studio here in my home from home.

And cup cakes.

You may recall that I think I may have discovered something rather fabulous (monoprinting - yes I know, I am a bit late to the party!)

Well here is one of my prints worked up a bit in my new sketchbook.

I printed on tissue paper originally, then I stuck the page into the book.

I coloured the page with a wash of Koh - i - nor inks (lovely and convenient in their little tempting palette) and then used another of those pages to create other hearts).


I used a white highlight pen.

Rather liking this page - i can see that appearing in a quilt at some point.

A couple of blogs ago I started a new sketch book following a bit of a wilderness period.

Linked to this I have become a bit obsessed with videos on You Tube showing methods for mixed media work.  There is an awful lot of generosity out there, and while some of the work is not to my taste (and I struggle to understand why people use so many bought scrap book papers when it is so easy to create you own - especially if you're Hilary Beattie who it seems to me must be drowning under heaps of home decorated papers and fabrics!) some of the techniques are very useful.

If you want to have a little wander (and that seems to be what happens - you start in one place and then end up wandering off all over the place) then I suggest you start here and see where it takes you.

If you suffer from a bit of insomnia (like me - I am writing this at a ridiculous hour of the morning) then in my mind there is no better way of spending the time than a bit of You Tubing.

Oh, and I am also thinking of taking an online class with a lady in Utah called Junelle Jacobsen - she blogs here - anyone had any experience?  Do you think it is worth it? Feedback welcome!

So here are the latest pages from my new 'freeing me up and unblocking' sketch book.

This first page is a WIP.  Still some way to go I think.  I haven't set off with any plan - just seeing where it takes me.


So, as you can see, my mojo is being carefully nurtured (and my sewing machine is having a well earned rest).

So I inked this up with some fabric printing ink that I had - principally because I just knew that ordinary acrylic would dry too quickly.  I did add some dabs of yellow heavy body acrylic though - a bit of a gamble.

I used a small decorating roller to add the ink.

Then I used tissue paper (tricky - it is so delicate, but I wanted something to use in my new sketch book).

I followed Laura's technique of taking a blank sheet of paper and drawing on it with a ball point.

I just went for it.  This leaf design borrows from one I did for my C&G course when i did screen printing with wax as a resist.


I love the plate (tile!) when the tissue is removed.

And again when I tried to take a second print, just running my hand over the tissue.


I did it twice!


And now I have some rather lovely tissue papers for use in the new sketch book.



This technique has real possibility (if you follow my blog, you will know that I love working with tissue paper).


Watch this space.

Because it was hot here in Blighty at the weekend. ( well, ok I admit it wasn't the soaring high 20s, but trust me, for October it was hot).

Only a couple of weeks ago I had turned the heating on ( no so much for the warmth, but definitely to help dry out my home from home, because it is a damp old house) .  But Sunday it felt as though summer had returned.

So, despite a chores list as long as your arm, the dogs and I set out for jolly japes and adventures.



Two happy dogs!

The giveaway is the field - if it was high summer that would have a crop waiting for harvest. But I guess it has been planted with winter wheat - just showing through.

And then on the way back we saw this plaque.  We have walked past this tree a hundred times but I have never noticed this plaque before.

It commemorates the joining of two parishes because back in the day (a long time ago) there were two parishes at Wicken where there is now one.  This tree marks that.  And there is a lost church here too.  But it's under another field.

I am using Koh i nor inks for the backgrounds on this page, and then stenciling with heavy bodies acrylics.

Sticking is done with Modge Podge - it has a lovely texture and the pages don't stick together.


The baubles are painted with Inktense pencils and then highlighted with heavy bodied acryilcs.

The book that got burnt is also present here.




And then there was an old breadsticks box.  One scalpel and a session with the cutting mat later and I have some interesting stencils.

 That book again - not much evidence of burning but it is there a bit.  And the square stencil used with those acrylics again (System 3 by Daler Rowney if anyone is interested.)

You may remember that I have done a couple of City and Guilds courses with Jane at MK ACE.  In the past I have posted my progress on this blog.

In honesty, this piece is not part of the C&G work, but Jane was very happy to hang it to show the potential of mixed media and textile work and generally just to promote her forthcoming courses.

I have got a couple of my sketchbooks/sample books on display too.

That's mine on the right in the picture below.

And you can just make out another of my sketchbooks in this picture (the one at the rear of the table).

There is other lovely work too.







Jane is a lovely lady and if you are in MK do go along to the library to have a quick look.

And if you know anyone who might be interested, point them in the direction of ACE.

The exhibition is on until the end of October.

In blog land there are some wonderful blogs, and I could easily waste all day meandering around.