Sunshine, relaxing and the smell of gardenias

hi everyone

Thank you for your lovely comments on my doodle. I will take up that idea and use it for Christmas cards next year.

I have been busy in the 'studio' (aka my laundry) this week getting back into the swing of things after the rush that is Christmas. The eating of superfluous things has thankfully slowed down, the walking in the mornings has begun again and the paintbrushes have finally come out. 

 

Here is my first page. I started laying down Jo Sonja Potting Shed Collection in Geranium. I applied this with a palette knife.

 Then while still wet I added Jo Sonja Napthol Crimson and spread to blend

 I then got the end of a paintbrush and scribbled in it.

  I had some paper napkins that I liked the pattern of and thought this had an oriental feel, hence the red and the black so I tore off pieces and stuck down with Mod Podge

 Then gave a light coat of gesso primer

 I recently bought a couple of stamps from my favourite shop and liked the fan and the flower so on they went with Black Staz On stamp pad.

I  then used the fan stamp and sponged Jo Sonja Pale Gold onto it and stamped a couple of times

 I dug out a 12 x 12 cut out sheet from Scrappers Warehouse and thought I could use it as a stencil. It is only made out of cardstock but if I'm gentle it should last a long time.

 I tried to go for a contrasting colour and picked Jo Sonja in Cornflower which I sponged on over the stencil.

 

The page needed a frame so I rubbed Jo Sonja Rose Gold (one of my favourite metallic colours) and Pale Gold around the edge of the pages iwth my finger

 

 

 I doodled around the outside edge with a gold metallic texta and wrote a favourite quote I found ages ago with, you guessed it, my white Souffle pen.

I outlined the letters in black fine-liner and journalled about what the quote meant to me. Here is the finished spread.

So my prompt to you today is to ask...

what are you thinking, feeling and imagining? 

What sort of mindspace are you in when you create? I know that my best work is when I am calm, feeling relaxed - it is not when I am irritated or rushed but I know some people thrive on getting pumped up to create their best.

i would also like to share you with a photo of my gardenias that are flowering just near our outdoor table, so when you sit there it is the most beautiful aroma wafting through the air.

I hope you all have a very Happy New Year and I hope the new year is all that you dream it will be and more.