Introducing a new member-me!

 Hello everyone. So this is my first post on here to introduce myself (I hope its in the right place).

My name is Michaela but I have been known as Kyla since I was small (I am now 42 so not as small these days!).  

I started crafting at the age of 7 and have tried everything from candle making, knitting, felting, ceramics (3 years of evening classes meant I was able to really experiment with setting molten ground glass and metal into pieces), encaustic, card making, scrapbooking and embroidery.  More recently I have discovered mixed media, altered art and journalling and I now know where my heart truly lives!

Here are a few examples of my work:

 This is an altered microscope case.

I love making these microscope necklaces (hence the empty cases)

I do make a lot of tags.  I find they are a cheap way of trying new techniques.  This is one made with metal tape from the hardware shop and the chain is a toilet flush chain!

I spend a lot of my time journaling, this is from my travel journal that I take with me on long train journeys armed with a small travel art kit before you know it your at your destination and have some new art!

I live in the west country in the UK with my husband (who plays in a punk band) and love going to gigs (rockabilly, punk, folk and ska mainly).  I spend my days locked behind a computer managing IT programmes so non digital craft is such an escape for me (I love going into work with ink stained hands and watching peoples faces when they spot them!).

I was lucky enough to meet Donna last October who convinced me to join and take the plunge (thanks Donna).

My blog is here (its called lilpidge as my nan has called me that since I was a toddler).

I look forward to joining in and seeing some fabulous art.

Kyla

Hi there and Purely Collaged postcards

Hi I'm Jasmine.

Although I've been a member on here for a while, I've never managed to fathom out how to post an introduction or update other than to leave a message and even then not as successfully as i would like, so here goes.....

I've always dabbled on the artistic side and trampled my way through all different types of crafting and art, and although I love the beautiful nature of the chaotic and freestyle and would like be able to produce anything half as good as everyone here, I haven't yet managed to find the freedom myself, so my work ends up just teetering on the safe side, but I am trying and apparently that counts too..


Recently I've been doing the purely collaged postcard challenge swap, halloween coasters, circle journals and altered sardine tins, which I've added a taste of below.

Irene's before

After - sent to Rebecca

Irene's before

After - sent to Carmen .

I hope I can keep up with all your gorgeous work, and thanks for having me.
Jas x

Introducing Clare with paint in her hair

Hi everyone I am Clare, mostly know as Gotpaintinmyhair. If I am a member of it I will always be under this name. I am almost 35 and live in West Yorkshire with my fellah and 4 rescue kitties that are now almost 7 years old. I found them abandoned by their mother and starving, they were about 4 days old then. I am the property manager for my Mum's factory and land, sounds glamorous but it really isn't! I also run her caravan and camping club certified campsite.

Art wise I am very much a mixed media assemblage sort of person, though I don't get time to do as much for me as I would like. I am one of the oldest serving design team member's for IndigoBlu stamps and will soon have a stamp line of my own coming out with them. I make samples for them for craft shows and Create & Craft TV. For the past week I have been up to my eyeballs in samples for CHA that I can't show yet until they have been made public.

I don't really have much art to show right now but here are a couple of older things.

Left is after altering right one is before

You can find me at

Blog:  http://gotpaintinmyhair.blogspot.co.uk/
Youtube:  www.youtube.com/user/Gotpaintinmyhair
Ustream:  http://www.ustream.tv/channel/got-paint-in-my-hair
ETSY:    http://www.etsy.com/shop/Gotpaintinmyhair

Introducing ... Rebecca

Hi everyone.

I'm Rebecca, sometimes known as Bex, and can be found on UKScrappers as scrap3d (although it's been a while now since I've done any scrapping!). I live in France with my soulmate and our daughters, although that may be changing to Switzerland next year. I know some of you already and I'm looking forward to getting to know everyone else.

A little bit about my background. I loved art as a kid (I passed my art A level at 16 as I couldn't wait until 18 to take it!) and briefly entertained the thought of going to art school. For various personal reasons it was not to be, I went to study psychology instead and didn't do anything artistic for many years.

In the last few years I have slowly eased myself back into arty endeavours. I've come to love altering things and I have just started to embrace art journaling, although I am still very new to it. I've also found that I love doing things for other people - the challenge of making something out of my normal comfort zone has, I think, improved my work a lot.

Here are some bits and bobs that I have made.

Shakespeare themed domino book

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Romeo and Juliet

Art Journal Pages

How do I feel today?

So much to do ...

Chunky ATCs

Frida Kahlo Shrine

Halloween Witches

Altered Matchbox

Steampunk Fairy Shrine

The Reverse

I hope that's given you a flavour of what I do and I look forward to working with such a fabulously talented group of people.

Cheers for now - Bex x

Hello!

Hi all, and thank you for letting me join in this wonderful community. I'm Clare, some of the members here I already know from other internet forums or blogs and some I look forward to 'meeting' through our art. I have admired the work produced on this blog for a while, after being introduced to it by one of the members while doing a circle journal. I am a little in awe of the standard of work you all produce if I'm honest!

A little bit about me: I live and work in Northumberland, currently working in childcare in a Childrens centre, which is quite challenging at times but a whole load of fun and I love my job. Im 44, married with 2 children of my own (boys of 24 and 12) and one cat. I have been a scrapbooker for a lot of years and through forums i joined I discovered a love of mixed media and thats mainly what I do now. I recently was part of a music based circle journal which inspired me to start a series of canvas boards for my home based on favourite song lyrics. I have planned 5, and so far completed 2 (both of which are Beatles lyrics)

I also recently completed the largest project I have ever attempted, a 3' x 14" mixed media canvas I called 'Alphabetica' (so stolen that name!!) which I have hanging on my staircase and it inspired me to get in the craft room every time I walk up the stairs. It is not the easiest thing to photograph however!!

Here are just a few photos of entries I did in the rock circle journal, including an image of the cover of my own book, which I kept very simple.

I look forward to joining in with my first project on Collabor-ART :)

HELLO FROM JEZ

Hi everybody

I'm so pleased to have been accepted into this group, even though I feel like a beginner at school again.  Everyone's work is so great and so inspiring.

I'm Jez, and my blog is   http://jezartjournal.blogspot.com, which I call Butterfly Mind because it suits my mind these days as I flit from one idea, style or experiment to another.

I reckon I must be the oldest member at 77, but I hope that won't put anyone off collaborating with me.

I am, of course, retired and enjoying retirement and old age as much as any other time in my life.  I gave up selling my work some time ago, and now paint and collage and blog simply for my own enjoyment and to experiment with new techniques.  I never realised how much fun blogging would add to my life, and I treasure all the lovely people I have 'met' through the blog.

I love painting postcards and sending them to friends, and look forward to doing a postcard swap.

The children with clock faces, all at different times, is my favourite postcard.  No wonder they're late for meals.

I'd love a ride on the back of a Harley, but the idea doesn't go down well at home.

A couple of weeks ago I made a little series of cat postcards like these:

The next one is just an experimental journal page in acrylic:

and finally, a journal page including a little collage:

Looking forward to getting involved,  Jez

Introducing Psychodiva

Hi everyone- thanks for letting me join :)

Just to explain the nickname - it comes from my job - see below :) I'm not psycho or a diva - I promise
 I have been doing art and craft 'stuff' for years and particularly love collaborative art. I mainly do junk-art incorporating found objects, collages, altered objects and I adore paper bag books and art journals or all sorts. I also do an awful lot of sewing, embroidery, art quilts, appliqué and all sorts of fabric stuff. I have put a few examples on my newly-resurrected blog (I dusted it off just for this site :) ) I hope to find my photos of the art I have done over the years and add some of it but would rather put new stuff up there.

I also do a lot of photography and there will be loads of pictures going on the blog. I Geocache, hike up mountains and bike or raft down them when I can and I've just joined the WI! I'm an avid Tweeter and can be found under the name I have here if anyone is interested but beware if you do  :)

Now for the name- I work full time- and more- as a Specialist Forensic Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Nurse and art is my way of relaxing from a physically and emotionally demanding job - I sometimes don't have the time to chat or post on line and what time I do have I spend doing the art I love.

Thank you again for letting me join- while I'm at it- any postcard swaps going lol- I love making my own postcards!!!

xPam


OK Realised I need to put a few photos up of recent work- so here we go- not many as I often forget to take photos of things i have sent off :(

The first three are of a piece I did in response to something i saw in Craft Stamper last month :

This next is a piece I made weaving strips of sari fabric together- I ended up making a book cover out of it

These next three are from my art journal

Hello from me too.

Hi everyone, I'm Karen (Kitty Crafts on UKScrappers/Stampers)

Thanks for letting me join in with this fab group of VERY talented people ... I'll be the runt of the litter lol !! This is just a very short introduction for now as I need to add pics and things but they are all on the other PC, so I will edit this post a little later.

It is very daunting to be joining in somewhere where all the work is exceptional, I have not been doing mixed media stuff for very long and so am still on a learning curve but I am loving every minute of it.  I started off on the card making/scrap booking route but I haven't scrapped for years (other than in CJs) and my card making is now 'when I need one in a hurry' (though I refuse to buy a card from a shop anymore) I take part in a lot of swaps on UK Scrappers, I haven't plucked up the courage to join any on UK Stampers yet.  I look forward to joining in some stuff on here :)

Well, that is just a short hello from me, like I say, I'll be back to update as soon as I can and now I am off for a wander ... thanks again :D

Introducing myself - Palma

Hiya!

I am excited to be part this. I would just like to thank Sarah, for organizing this for me and thank Vicki, for agreeing to be the other half of the pear pair  ;)

My name is Palma and I live in Italy. I'm a stay at home mum and I eat ,drink and sleep all things arty.  I do all kinds from altering photographs to assemblage. I go through phases of trying out new and different things. My recent phase is with fiber art . I am just learning to do this. I can't master my sewing machine so I sew everything by hand.
I am also a colour junkie! 
My true passion is painting and in particular painting faces.

Here are a few images of the many things that I've created:

A journal page for a CJ swap.

A fabric prayer flag

Pastel portrait of Frida Kahlo

Steampunk box


Well, I can't think of anything else to add except that I am excited to begin and Vicki, sounds like a really lovely person :)