Irony...

I always get a little confused as to what is and isn't "Ironic" - especially after Alanis Morrisette got so much stick.

Anyway - Thought for today...

Is it considered irony that when I planned to give up smoking after the packet was finished... with 3 cigarettes left, the lighter ran out of gas?

Couldn't leave you without something else I've been working on...

Pencils... yipes - if I thought the alcohol markers were a new challenge - who would have thought pencils would be so hard to master!

How are you liking the new style blogging? Would love to hear your thoughts! I would also love for you to share my blog... so please feel free to post me all over t'interweb!

Dog gone...

Hiya!

Well I've decided to shake up my blog a bit and today is as good a day as any!

I'm broken... yup - completely knackered!

It's seems I've managed to do something to one of my discs in my spine... So I'm pretty much prone, and have been for a week now. Sitting is the most painful thing ever and for goodness sake don't ask me to bend!

Blaze has gone to stay with my parents... which he is loving as he's playing 24/7 with their collie puppy. That way he will get walked.

Now I don't know if you've ever had a problem with your back but I now know why pregnant women are taught to pant... it really does help a little with pain management. I just never expected to have to pant in order to put on my knickers!

I mentioned I've been doing some work with my Copics and here's a couple of things I would like to share today.

This was an entry into Conie Fong's monthly challenge. The illustration is one of hers and the challenge was to team it up with die cuts - so my SU stash came to the rescue.

I love the monochrome technique I used here and I'll probably use it again - I would love to hear what you think!

This is another of Conie's images and I used some SU items here too. If you fancy colouring this image and would like some guidance, Alyce (Kit and Clowder) has re-released her class where she teaches techniques to colour this and another image - one in Pencil and one Markers.

Check out the Facebook groups and websites to colour and buy the images (Discounted if you purchase the class!)

Conie Fong on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/groups/396730687168777/

Kit and Clowder on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/groups/kitandclowder/

Conie's Etsy Store - https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/ConieFongArt 

Kit and Clowder - http://www.kitandclowder.com/

The holistic approach

Well everything in my life needs a bit of a shake up every now and then... so last weekend I de-cluttered and am embarrassed to admit I filled a skip, a van and sold a load of bits too!!!

I'm doing this Diploma through work and I'm really struggling with my confidence and my ADHD really doesn't help with my focus - but I am going to do this! You watch!!!!!

So now I've bored you I'm going to share some of my recent work. I've been doing a lot of colouring with Copics and some with Spectrum Noirs. The joy of the alcohol markers is that they blend beautifully - as a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator I usually focus on SU products as the quality and diversity of their products, combined with the co-ordination, is unrivalled.

I do recognise though that a lot of my customers have other products so today I'm going to show some projects that have used Stampin' Up! products to showcase the colouring I've been doing.

Here I've used the new embossing paste for the brickwork using the SU mask... all the elements are SU but I've used the Spectrum Noirs to good effect. The stamp sets are At Home With You (and coordinating dies), Bella and Friends and Banners for You (with co-ordinating Dies).

In this second card I have used the shells and fish from the Seaside Shore stamp set, the lily from Remarkable You and you'll notice the embossing inside - that's the Seaside embossing folder. The lovely mermaid is by Conie Fong and coloured with my Copics

Lastly for today - It's Christmas in July! Except it's now August - and we seem to have moved straight to winter, as it certainly feels more like Christmas in light of the recent weather. The stamp set is Seasonal Bells - with coordinating punch and the background stamp is Sheet Music - I'm totally in love with that!

Righty ho - I've been studying all day and sat at the computer a lot - so I'm off for my tea and a bit of a lie down to free up my old aching back! Ha Ha!!!