I don't know if I am the only person having difficulties with Blogger at the moment? When I try to create a new page I have no little boxy bits to click on tho do all the functions that I could previously! Like insert a picture etc. I also used to upload from Picasa quite often too but that seems to have also removed the "load to blog" button! Can anyone help? In the mean while I will see what happens as I try to show my next altered art CJ entry.

Art Journal CJ

I have had neither the time or the inclination to be creative for some time now. But this CJ continues....just about and this month's entry was "Now is the Time". Well considering that this is meant to be Summer and all we seem to have had in the main is rain, that was my somewhat obvious inspiration! THis is a slightly different rendition of something I did previously in my own Art Journal that I rather liked.
So let's hope this CJ can get back on track as it all seems a little de-railed right now

Art Journal CJ

It's been a while but finally I have got around to doing the entry in CJ no2. This one was entitled "Inspiration" and didn't come with any stipulations or instructions.

These pages just emerged really! My inspiration often comes from a colour, so I did this page using bits snipped from magasines and articles about colour as well as paint charts.

More commonly my inspiration will come from a desperation to get something finished on time! I rarely have time to just sit and let the creativity just flow so working to a deadline seems to suit me. When I saw this image in a magasine I thought it was just what I needed so this page evolved around it!

Note to self.....don't use glimmer mists in the garden when the hens are out...

Art Journal CJ

So I received the first CJ and the theme was "Vintage Memories" Lovely theme this one and I chose to make a page about my Nana. I printed the photo of her onto fabric and stitched it to the page with a small amount of wadding behind it. 

I journalled about her. She was a very private person so we can only guess as to how true this may be. But my Mum felt that this was a strong possibility!

Finally I added another photo of her playing leapfrog, on the sign in tag.
I know this is a very personal page but I hope the owner of the CJ can still enjoy my vintage memories!

The last page of that CJ....

You remember I was doing a CJ with friends? Yeah you do, the one where one went off to South Africa? Well this is my entry for the last one. Sharon had included a stamp of Allium and we had to use Queen songs as our inspiration.

I didn't pick one from her list but decided to use The Bicycle Song so included some lyrics on the first page.

So then I wrote my memories of learning to ride a bike,

Between the two I added an extra acetate with a photo my daughter took of bikes in a rack in Brighton. This CJ had me scratching my head many a night but when it finally came to it, it came together rather well!

My new CJ

And we are off again with another CJ! I DO love a CJ and this one is on UKStampers and is an Art Journal CJ. Not sure how you define an Art Journal but I'm going with the "anything goes" idea!

This is my opening page and as you can see my theme is "Queen and Country". As it is Jubilee year and we are surrounded by all things red, white and blue I felt everyone would have something to say on this theme! I am happy for people to be as "outside the box" as they like; crowns, country music or Queen the rock band would all be fine! My only rule is that I would like people to use at least TWO out of those three colours in their LO. For this page I used a paper napkin left over from the Royal Wedding last year and painted the Queen's profile on it.

This is my LO. More paper napkin but this time I used gesso over it, image transfers of the Queen, embossed  crowns (I discovered embossing goes all bumpy if you do it over an image transfer!) and some journalling.

This is the sign in page; well there had to be bunting somewhere didn't there?

And here is the front cover, all ready to go. You can't see it very well but there is a really cute piece of ribbon with little guardsmen on it tied to the ring! I have posted it off on it's way and I hope to see it's safe return in 9 months or so!

Gilly's CJ

The next CJ I got was Gilly's Now this is the lady who taught me how to scrapbook and for her CJ she chose the rainbow and included sets of photos for each colour. We had to pick a colour, then some photos and use them on our DLO as well as a butterfly stamp. Oooo I found this difficult; in fact this was the toughest one for me and I'm not all that pleased with it.

Most of the pics were of nature so I chose these sunflowers photos and found a painting of sunflowers on the net.

There was a large picture and a small one of the sunflower so I made this one a feature on the page and the smaller one as an accent on the left page. I used the stamp on the BG, stamping it over a wash of yellow distress inks. As Gilly is a scrapbooker I wanted this LO to be about the photos so I just added a suitable quote and left it at that.

As I said, not my best but I have always said I will show all that I create, good and bad! I did warn her I wasn't pleased with it but sometimes things just don't click do they!

Helly's CJ

I am sure that I am finally safe to show these!! Remember that mini CJ I did with friends? I just showed you what they did for me.....well I can now show you the pages I did in other people's books. First of all Helly's;

She sent around a gorgeous ammonite stamp and had already done a page about Mary Anning. I love fossils and have several that we have found on holidays. I wanted to recreate an amazing piece of rock that I saw in the Science Museum that is covered with ammonites.

So I stamped loads in all different colours, ambossed some in copper, pewter, old gold and clear over a washed out black ink.

 

Then I cut them up and used different bits to layer them up.


Finally on the facing page I wrote about the legends to do with "snakestones" over another stamped background.

I couldn't go on the day the others all exchanged so I have no idea if she liked it!!

Last page

This is the final page. I love, love, love this poem but have never read it all, just seen quotes from it.

Definately good inspirational words to help you feel strong and what amazing handwriting Elke has!

This is what she did with the shell stamp, again in my favourite purple!

Thank you Elke, I shall treasure these words.

In a few weeks I will be able to show you what I did in their CJs.

Page 3.

Next page and coincidentally, more cosmic shimmers! Lovely butterfly made using the shell stamp and beads.

Then this beautiful tag created using a technique we saw at Ally Pally last year involving cling film! Again more lovely words. I can see me taking this CJ out for a read when I need a boost!

Thank you Gilly, another gorgeous page in my favourite colours!

Page 2

So here is page two. It really does not show up in the photo but it is beautiful cosmic shimmers with very subtle stamping on the BG.

Another lovely quote around the edge too.

Thank you Helly, I really love the colours of this.

CJ back home at last!

http://chickenlickenscreations.blogspot.com/2011/08/inside-my-cj.html ...remember this from way back in June last year? I managed to persuade my scrapbooking friends to have a go at a mini CJ. Well we didn't keep it going round very fast but I am glad to say that we have at last finished!

I am going to be in hospital next time we meet so they gave me mine now.

Today I shall show you my first page...

I asked for a DLO, to use the stamp and include some words/quote. Sharon did this amazing purple encaustic background and made the shell stamp into a pansy like flower....

..and then there was this lovely quote. I've not heard this before but I rather like it!

Thank you Sharon.

Inside my CJ.

My great idea for my page was to create a rock pool. I could see exactly how I wanted it to look but was rather less sure how to achieve it!

I started by using Distress Inks to colour my page and made some "rocks" from paper clay. When it dries it is super lightweight so once painted in "rocky" colours I fixed them on to make the general shape. Next I filled it with Glossy Accents...about half a bottle it took! I added all sorts of everthing seasidey that I had found in my stash. There are beads, glitter, teeny shells and some nasty plastic shapes that I covered with gesso to make them less nasty looking! Then I realised that I hadn't actually used my stamp! So I popped it into the pool too. Finally I had to lay it somewhere flat, weighted at the edges, to try and prevent it curling.

The opposite page I coloured to match, stamped and then ran through the printer (holding my breath all the time, cos I am always positive that it is going to print in the wrong place!) to get the quote in.

And to finish, a close up shot of the pool and its bits. Oh and I just remembered, I put sand design paper in the bottom of the pool! (Sorry about the shadow).

The latest CJ

Some weeks ago I started a CJ with a group of friends I have met through scrapbooking. Four of the girls have not done a CJ before so we decided just to start with something small, no real rules, just to see if they enjoyed the process. I have done 4 of the 5 entries that I need to do and I won't show them yet (as I know you lot will be sneaking a peek!) but I thought I could safely show my book. Today I will just show the cover and rules bits and then tomorrow I will show you my entry. So here is the front cover; I decided to use the shell stamp to send round with it. This is painted and embossed with a pearly powder.

Nice close up of the pearlyness!

Inside are my intro page and rules. Nice bit of bubble wrap printing on the left;

My rules page was done with a salt technique and my rules are that they must use the stamp and also include a quote if they like.

So off it went. Will show you more tomorrow.

The Final CJ!

At least I think it is! The person before me has mine so I am guessing I have done all 11 in the group...I lost count! This is my final entry and OH MY it was a toughie. I am a bit funny about clowns to start with but this one was quite cute. I began by googling clown quotes and guess what.....the best ones had already been nabbed! So my next idea was ask hubby and he came up with this play on words. It is quite a plain LO; the BG was already done by the owner, but the world is 3D with silicone glue and I just realised that I added some yellow stickles to the buttons after I took the pic. Hmmmm a bit plain but I need to get it posted so it will have to do.