Perfect Strangers Swap

I'm fond of swaps of all types as I adore the idea of collecting a set of goodies for a friend or a stranger :) The mere thought of a smile on their face makes me happy. I must be honest, though, and admit that I adore receiving goodies too. Still,it's not so much about what you get, but the fact that somebody took the time to put it together thinking about you. And... I adore opening presents ;)

In June I joined the Perfect Strangers Swap by Oh Comely magazine. I already participated in this swap in winter and was quite unkucky as I never got anything. This is the risk to take and I did. This time, however, it was different. My swap partner was from the UK and all I knew about her was that she is into reading and series and that she's a vegan. I spent quite a few days putting together a parcel for the Perfect Stranger and had a whale of time.

Here's the set of goodies I put in the package. I included a handmade ítem: butterfly deco chain

 

 

I opted for the sea theme while packing

 

 

12 pages in 2015 - June

The theme for the 12 pages in 2015 in June was BLUE & INSPIRATION. I wanted to make waves because I find the sea so calming and inspiring and... it is blue ;) Unfortunately, after a few unsuccessful attempts I gave up on this idea. I made 3 works that bore no relation to the sea and the I couldn't get the waves right. I therefore gave up on this idea and put off the whole project for a few days. The inspiration came out of the blue ;) One a childhood image crossed my mind: me picking forget-me-nots for my mother. I find the sea, but also nature very inspiring and thought that the forget-me-nots would be the right theme for this page:

I used watercolours again :)

12 pages in 2015- May

The theme in the 12 pages in 2015 project in May was: MORNING & COMFORT. The extra challenge was collage. I'm no fan of collage, but wanted to take on the challenge and see what I was capable of producing. It took me a while to think of the morning comfort as I'm usually in a hurry. Mind you, no children here, only my doggie, but still, no time for being idle as I work starts early most of the days. Still, on Sundays I try to make sure I rush nowhere and just take it easy.

When I think of morning comfort on a Sunday, what comes to my mind is a cup of tea and a good book.

I used watercolours, magazine cut-outs and a tea label.

the {100 artists}- more watercolours

I have recently been enjoying watercolours a lot. I've been learning a lot both from my mistakes and from comments made by fellow artists. I'm not the biggest fan of social networks, but must admit that Facebook and Instagram have been of great use in developing my skills. Posting my works and getting feedback as well as seeing the works of other artists and asking for help have been invaluable to me.

The initial idea in the {100 artists} project was landscapes, but I opted for a variety of works depending on what seems right at the particular moment. This time it is landscapes indeed.

Not fully satisfied with all of them, but one should learn from mistakes, right? ;)

 

 

 

 

All these add up to the list of my {100 artists} works. See the first works here

 

100 days of... progress update

I've been working very hard on the 100 days of ....project. I haven't been able to work on daily bases so I've only completed 61 days, but have made quite a bit of progress. I am very proud of myself and I am enjoying myself immensly.

I have been making more 'squares'

 

 

I have also started joining the 'squares'



 



 

 

 

 

 

And so far my blanket looks like this:

 



Nini's ATC swap-July

I have just realised I haven't updated my blog for ages... Summers are always busy, and more if you're a workaholic like me :/ Luckily, I know that 'all work and no play make Jack a dull boy' and I have kept myself busy making and creating...

Here's the ATC I made for the July swap. The topic was RED BOOTS. The first thing that came to my mind was Puss in Boots, but then I thought it was way too obvious. I wanted to make something different, and so... here's what I've made:

 

I used watercolours and I'm quite happy with the outcome. I've been enjoying watercolours a lot recently and seem to be learning a lot about them.