I can now announce.......

That I am officially a Spectrum Noir Accredited Colourist!

My certificate arrived from America today.

I know they missed a 'K' out of my surname, but hey what does a little k matter!

Sounds good doesn't it? Accredited Colorist!

Something official to show for my colouring at last. Right enjoy your evening, I'm off to colour!

Take care Zo xx

Project 2013

Hello everyone, so here we are at the start of a new week, so what better time to share my journal page for last week in my Project 2013 smash book.

It's a single page this week as for 7 days I didn't leave the house due to the snow and ice so not a lot happened!

I started the page by spraying 'London Blue' Dylusions ink, then added dots of gold paint to the graph paper style page. I added the script paper Bazzil border. I coloured 'Kaylee' in her 'Winter Warmth' clothes, perfect outfit to match with the snow!  I added photos from the week though my favourite is the one of Keagan's footsteps on our path! I journalled to say what happened that week and included the Bristol Rovers score (We won!) and that the snow melted by Sunday. 

That's it, wonder what this week will bring? Hope you'll pop by to see this week's pages, next week! 

Take care Zo xx

My weekly journal

Morning!

We still have lots of snow and ice left here, but with no more expected I'm hoping it will disappear over the weekend with rising temperatures.  I'm hoping to go out today for the first time in a week!

Anyway as I said I would, I'm here to share my pages in my project 2013 smash book for the week of 14 - 20 January - 

I had lots to write about from the snow to more personal things like having my nails done and buying a new coat to the amazing news that Bristol Rovers are allowed to sell our current ground to Sainsburys which will then fund our new stadium build! 

Snow pictures - bottom right is our main road.

Details about my nails, coat and stadium.

What a week, and I'm so pleased I've wrote it down and captured it. 

Am really enjoying keeping a weekly journal, it makes me think and take photos I wouldn't normally bother with.

Hope you enjoy peeking into my world!

Take care Zo xx

WOYWW 190

 A bit late for me, but I've not been so good today and it's taken me till now to sort myself out to post.

The desk is empty to be honest apart from 2 things drying which are -

A notebook I've covered - the covers were a bit battered and I had coloured this character and loved her so didn't want to give her away or lose her, so I thought I'd put her on my notebook as I use it all the time!

These are pages in my Green Smash book I use for memories and I'm preparing pages for a special memory and going to use it for a DT project coming soon!

So that's it, there isn't anything else happening on my desk. I'm starting to feel a bit cooped up as I've not been able to go out since last Thursday, it's just not worth the risk of me falling as my sticks don't work well on snow and ice nor does the wheelchair!

But the view from my craft room is quite pretty. Believe it or not, there is an old railway track up there which is a museum. They run steam trains along it and I can on a clearer day see the men restoring carts and track etc.

Right that's me done, pop over to Julia's to find better desks and probably snow pictures! 

Take care Zo xx

My first DT post for the Crafty Boots Shop DT

Hello, I had to share with you today a link to my first DT post on the Crafty Boots shop blog. I'd love it if you could go over and follow; it's a fab way of finding out first-hand all of the offers, promotions and to see inspiration for products available up close and in many forms of projects. 

Me and my fellow DT ladies will be working hard to come up with many varied creations to get your creative juices flowing!

Here's a sneaky peek from my post today, but please pop over to the shop blog see my full post!

Let me know what you think!

Take care Zo xx

Crafty Boots - New

Good morning!

I'm here today to share with you all my latest DT project for Crafty Boots. The theme, chosen by the lovely Helen is...

NEW

So we want to see anything new, may it be a new stamp, technique, papers or style, just make sure you tell us exactly what and why it's new.

Pop over to Crafty Boots challenge blog to enter, we look forward to seeing what you've been doing and what new things you used to create your projects.

Mine is a mixture of brand newness - 

This is a page in my black Craft Smash Book, I create pages to keep my favourite papers, characters & techniques as reminders.  This page uses my new Heidi Swap paper, new tag die from Crafter's Companion, new Tim Holtz distress paper embossing folder and hanger embellishment. But the main new thing is the character image - I've used a new technique to colour the Some Odd Girl (remember Some Odd Girl stamps are available from Crafty Boots on-line store ) character and that is line-less colouring. If you look at close ups below you'll see there isn't the standard black line around the image. This is a digital image that I printed on low transparency so the lines are faint, but you can also do this using a pale grey ink if you are stamping.

I've left room under the page flap to keep other images I want to keep with this technique. I'll pop a pocket or something under here to put them in.

All lines are created by the colouring, using different tones to pick out what needs to be darker like around the eyes and mouth.  The technique gives the character a softer animated look I think. It really tests your colouring and I found I needed to put the darker tones first to map out each area as once you start colouring you lose your lines.

I wrote a note and attached it to the back of the page flap to remind myself of what I did.  While I like my pages to look fab, I need them to remind me of the techniques etc.

I thought this Wendy Vecchi stamp worked well with this page as I really did have to be brave and make myself step off the normal path to create this!!

It took time and patience to colour this image but I really enjoyed the task and will definitely try this again.

So what do you think? Let me know if you have a go at trying this, I'd love to know how you get on!

Take care Zo xx

Craft Room View

Just a quick hello from me to share my view this snowy day!

This is what I can see out of my Craft Room, stunning.

This is the view of my garden, my car buried under a snow blanket. There's some drifting in places too making areas up to foot deep.

Looking out to the right at back. So pretty.

I'm staying in, warm & cosy, crafting in my craft room admiring the view. Snow been coming down since early hours, starting easing now and keep thinking it's stopped but then it comes down again.

Take care, stay warm & safe everyone.

Zo xx