Wednesday 22 October 2014

WOYWW 281 - Lisca gets messy!

WOYWW 281 – Lisca gets messy!

A few weeks ago the CSI challenge was to do a layout about being left or right brained. (see my blog of  Oct 14th). I discovered I am very left brained (maths, science, logic). I’m trying to be right brained (music, art, creative). You can imagine that mixed media is outside my comfort zone and that I don’t do ‘messy’. But of course I’m going to try. Who knows, I might like it....

Well, every tutorial I have looked at mentions the word Gesso and ModPodge and modelling paste. These things were not available here (so I thought). I have since found a Spanish company that sells this stuff and yesterday my parcel arrived! Woohoo! (I bought the biggest tub of gesso they had, just lets hope it doesn’t dry out....)

Here is my desk last night. There is a 12x12 page with my first attempt at being messy. There are palette knives, a stencil, some bits of sponge and a large tub of gesso. There are also some acrylic stamps that arrived with the gesso. I managed to get some sentiments in Spanish. Very useful for when I do workshops with local ladies.

Here is a close-up of the stamps.

In case you’re wondering what I did with the dolly stamp I had on my desk last week... I made some large tags. One with ‘happy birthday’ on it for a birthday girl, and another one with a Bible verse on it for another friend.


Then just to finish, I’d like to show you what I found growing outside our cave house the other day.... yes, they are autumn crocuses. Aren’t they lovely?

Thank you for visiting my desk and I look forward to visiting as many people as I can over the next few days. (Last week I started at number 1, this week I’ll start at the end I think...)

Bye for now. Hugs
Lisca



41 comments:

  1. Hi Lisca, happy WOYWW, good on you for trying 'messy' - I also find that difficult to do, I suppose I need to be more spontaneous and just put the paint or stamp on the page without fussing about...your cards look lovely too...but finding the crocus would make my day. Enjoy your week cheers RobynO#35

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  2. Hey Lisca, lovely cards and that photo of the crocuses is stunning. Have fun getting messy! Happy WOYWW :o) Annie C #52

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  3. Good for you for getting messy. {smile} I hope that you will find it lots of fun. Autumn crocuses ---- we only have them in spring here. And yellow ones --- that is cheery for sure. Happy WOYWW Nann #53

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  4. I don't do messy very well either so I hope you have fun with it. LOVED your post on the almond shells, how interesting, I had no idea that the shells could be used as winter fuel. I love almonds, so me eating them is keeping you warm, lol! Love your Autumn crocuses too, I've only ever seen pink ones before.

    Hugs
    Brenda 54

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  5. Lisca,

    You can always make your own products, distilled water is the key ingredient not tap water and chalk makes Gesso, if you want modelling paste you need baby powder and distilled water and mix to desired thickness. There are always other alternative ways of obtaining supplies from department stores or hardware stores. You can make your own water colour sprays too.

    Love the tags and I am sure the receiver will too. Thanks for visiting already

    Happy WOYWW
    Hugs Eliza Yoda & Flat Susan #8

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  6. Thanks for stopping by, you asked about my punches, yes they are real and quite handy just above. I have to see things to remember what I have ! If it is packed away I think it wastes too much time looking, as looking sends me off in other directions also. You mentioned arrows..and wow it hit a thought..I ordered those and some feathers and curious to find out I checked and the box was delivered and left in my garage. Thanks for the heads up.. Yes your crocuses are pretty. I love the other photos too, I 've wanted that doll stamp for a while but just haven't gotten an order ready yet. Enjoy a great weekend.

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  7. Fijn dat je ook gesso hebt gevonden in Spanje... geweldig spul, ik zou niet meer zonder kunnen in mijn art journals! Het is echt multi-inzetbaar... ik heb er ook een 'les' over in mijn online art journal workshop en ook de 'niet kliederaars' hebben er dan meestal wel lol in om met het spul te werken... je kunt eens proberen te beginnen met een dun laagje gesso over een (bijvoorbeeld) kranten/boeken pagina (of dessinpapier of zo...) om zo de achtergrond te vervagen... of kijk eens bij Jenny de Bode op deze blogpost: http://quataalenteken.blogspot.nl/2014/09/decorate-man-versier-een-man.html Veel plezier met de nieuwe spullen Lisca! Fijne woyww-dag en lieve groetjes uit Holland, Marit #59

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  8. Hi Lisca - I do love that girl stamp - so versatile. The crocuses give a lovely splash of colour. Enjoy experimenting with the gesso, and have a great week, Chris # 3

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  9. I've got visions of you covered in Gesso! Have fun using it...you can always plaster your house with it if the crafting doesn't work out :-)
    Those autumn crocuses are gorgeous, what a beautiful colour!
    Hugs, LLJ 21 xx

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  10. Your tags are just beautiful. I love those flowers. I guess nature knew it needed some color around those rocks. Thanks for stopping by #1

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  11. Being messy is fun! You have a great start. Adorable bright little crocuses!
    Happy WOYWW!
    Helen #19

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  12. Hi Lisca, very brave to push yourself outside your comfort zone. Love the crocus, they are beautiful. The tags are lovely, such different topics worked wonderfully. Have a great week, Hugs, Shaz #28 xx

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  13. Wow, Lisca - it is completely tidy compared to mine which you have seen - Thanks for your sweet visit - I know how difficult it is to get the merchandise you want - I live in Denmark and finally there is some people that started a shop where we can buy the stuff from we love to have - mostly I buy my things on line in UK - Thanks ever so much again for sharing and your visit

    Kind regards
    Mariane
    http://cordes.re/blg/wind/?p=1692

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  14. Hi Lisca, thanks for visiting me. Wow you live in a cave house, I have seen them on TV on a program where someone wanted to move to Spain. Your crocuses are beautiful!
    I love the tags. I have the same huge tub of gesso, and I decided to put some into a smaller tub and keep the lid on the big one as much as possible. I hope it doesn't dry out in the heat out there.
    Clearing stuff out is always hard to do, I have to do it, and really if the bottles are all dried up it solves a problem, however the first one seems to have some useable contents after I dug out the thicker stuff!
    Cazzy x

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  15. Great paper pieced cards! Have fun with getting messy! And the flowers are gorgeous! Happy WOYWW and thanks for popping by!

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  16. Wow didn't know you could have crocus bloom in the fall. Lovely. Have fun with the gesso. Thanks for your comments. #20 Peg

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  17. love those autumn crocus, don't think I've seen yellow ones here though. enjoy your purchases - I love those Kaisercraft border stamps, they're very useful. (I know!) Helen 4

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  18. Hi Lisca! Beautiful crocuses and of course I love your prima doll tags. I am not that good at getting messy - I have to kind of work up to it, but always enjoy it when I do. (Don't much like clearing up the mess though! I had never even considered stamps in another language - how silly of me! Thanks for the earlier visit - oh yes, Caro was FANTASTIC! The 02 is one of the biggest venues in London and she sounded fantastic (that lady can sing) and the band were just AWESOME!! You don't really get the sound of all the instruments on a CD, I was absolutely blown away, so sad when it ended. Definitely worth the long journey there and back across London on a Friday night. Happy WOYWW, Cindy x

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  19. Hello Lisca, thank you for visiting my blog today and leaving me a lovely comment about my books! It's so nice when someone looks, then thinks and asks a question. I make and sell books, so obviously I appreciate it when someone is genuinely interested!

    I'm intrigued by your cave house - I remember seeing some on a tv programme (about moving to somewhere sunny in Spain!) and thinking they looked cool and comfortable - though I'm not sure about being "underground in the dark". I suppose that sun-pipes and windows have been invented! I'm sure it is cooler in the very warm weather.

    I like your "dolly tags" very much and the attempt at "messy" looks promising. I love to make a lot of mess - I must be very right-brained, I think! I don't have a lot of time for paint, splodging, modelling, printing etc, but when I do.....
    Good luck with the new project. If you want to keep your gesso fresh and stop it drying out, be really careful to replace the lid properly. Keep it somewhere cool, dry and dark, so it doesn't get mildew. Hopefully, you'll use it up so speedily, that you'll be buying more!

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  20. Being messy is so much easier than being precise! Great that you were able to find some Spanish stamps! I didn't realise autumn crocuses existed - only in warmer climates, I guess. Enjoy your week! zsuzsa@ InkyDinkyDoodle #45

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  21. Lisca, if you want some of my messy genes I'm willing to share, I am very messy, but I guess you will learn to be messy in a tidy way with you gesso and produce beautiful stuff. I love what you have done with the girlie stamp, so effective.
    Thanks for peeping at my workspace.
    Chris #15

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  22. Lisca, Loving your cards.

    Those Crocus are cheery.


    Thanks for stopping by my blog earlier.

    Happy WOYWW
    Sue #17

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  23. Hi Lisca, so pleased you found some Gesso, I would be lost without it. If you are worried about it drying out, I tend to put a small amount of water in the top when I've used it, only about a teaspoon full and then blend it in before using it again. Love the stamps too.
    Have a great week and happy crafting, Angela x 41

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  24. Oooh, you go for it, girl, and get really messy lol lol! I used to be like you - all left brainy but not any more! Looking back at my life I've got a lot less OCD than I was, and have loosened up a lot, and as a result got a lot more adventurous and imaginative with my art. Gesso and all that stuff is just great. Glad you've found a supplier. When I get a large container of something, I decant some into a smaller container and use that till it's finished, then decant some more. That way you don't keep opening the big pot and it doesn't dry out so quickly. Lovely autumn crocuses! Amazing to see them growing out of the rocks like that.

    Thanks for your visit and your lovely comment. I'm glad you like my projects. Yes, this felt course was only 5 weeks but I've signed up for another 5 weeks in February when we'll do more advanced things, and in 3 weeks' time I'm doing a 5 week course in soap making which should be fun.

    You will be glad to hear that Beatrice is doing well on her antibiotics and is eating well. She seems happy enough, but still too thin, so we are feeding her little and often. We'd just like to get to the bottom of these recurrent infections as it's horrible when she's poorly.

    Happy WOYWW,
    Shoshi #42

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  25. Hey Chris, thanks for the visit - glad you liked my card - watercolours and stencils are a great mix. Gesso is great! I love using it with Stencils. Looking forward to seeing the end product. Cx #65

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  26. You'll have so much fun playing with the gesso and modpodge. Getting dirty is all the fun. Your cards are beautiful, I love the way you did the dresses. Your crocus is gorgeous, I love the colour.
    I do sell my paintings, I have to, to pay for more materials and the iron picture was just an exercise so it was nothing to look at really.
    Have a great week,
    Von #13

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  27. Hi Lisca,
    Thanks for visiting my blog and leaving a comment.
    If your tags are an example of your "left" brain,You are going to love playing with all the goodies you bought. Your tags are gorgeous!
    Krisha #61

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  28. Oh wow Lisca...I've never seen yellow crocuses before! The ones I see around here are always purple. Love your Dolly tags! Your coloring is so beautiful!! Good luck on your mixed media project! That's always been challenging for me too.

    Thanks for the birthday wishes!

    Happy WOYWW!
    Amy E. #12
    Scrapthissavethat.com

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  29. Hello Lisca, what a lovely post of your goodies and crocus. Thank you so much for your lovely comments.
    Sandra de @16

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  30. Oh I'm definitely a right sided brain kinda gal. I couldn't imagine trying to be a left brain now... those days are well gone ;D
    Fantastic cards and I'm sure they'll be loved by their recipients
    It looks like you are creating perfectly and having lots of fun too.
    What a delightful surprise to find those gorgeous crocus... like sunshine.
    Enjoy and Happy WOYWW to you
    Neesie #51

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  31. Hello Lisca, Thanks for visiting my blog post that I had my cat Dio write. It easy to understand him if you read his words out loud. I just finished a biology class and I can say that I am not left brained or scientific at all. I like your girly tag in her fancy dress.

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  32. What a lovely surprise - those crocuses. Pretty. Was only a couple of years ago I was where you are with the gesso, modge podge. One dip into the goo and I was in love. I am a left brainer with OCD tendancies (strong ones at that) so yeah... getting messy does take some getting use to. LOL Thanks for visiting my blog. Creative Blessings! Kelly #61

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  33. How lovely to get winter crocuses. I love gesso it's the friend I reach for when I want to cover things up. It also creates texture -try using a cut up credit card, or thick card with notches cut out of it - endless possibilities. Love your tags to. Thanks for visiting my blog - Anita '50

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  34. Hi Lisca, You will love the gesso. It's useful for all sorts of things :) Oh, and if you want some more inspiration for your Prima doll stamp, do a search on Pinterest. You'll be amazed at what you find there!
    Thanks for stopping by, and that biscuit box thing I am making is for a challenge, so it has to be finished in the next day or so :)

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  35. Cannot imagine what it is like in your "cave" but it sounds fabulous!
    Lovely tags - now awaiting your get down and dirty bit with the new stuff.
    Hugs & Thanks for the visit earlier - Neet 34 xx

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  36. Thank you for visiting my desk this week.

    Lovely to see your completed cards - both very lovely.

    You won't regret getting a Perfect Layers tool if you are like me and want your mats to look perfect - I was wasting a lot of cardstock before getting the tool!! Interesting to see that you are just starting out with 'messy' crafts - I have recently discovered Gesso and Mod Podge and they are on my crafty shopping list. Have a fun week with your new stamps and hopefully getting messy!!

    KraftyKaren #69

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  37. Oh, talk about enabling!!! I have been looking at this mixed media stuff, and specifically, modeling paste. I have watched some You Tube tutorials. Nothing I do ever comes out like theirs, though! :) Your 12x12 page looks very interesting. Your crocus are beautiful! TFS Thanks also for stopping by earlier! #77

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  38. Thanks for your visit, Lisca, and for your nice comment. Glad you liked the special card I made for our felt-making teacher.

    Shoshi

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  39. Well done on working outside our comfort zone, it is not something many do. If you are finding it difficult to source products then I recommend fellow WOYWWer MaryAnne over at http://scrappystickyinkymess.wordpress.com/ as she has some great tutorials on making products such as embossing paste-easy and cheap, I know I have used her recipes many times.


    Thanks for visiting my desk already
    Kyla #11

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  40. Can't wait to see what you do with your gesso. I love the stuff! And Autumn crocuses... wonderful.
    Katie #72

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