Core Memories...

Everybody needs a friend like Justine. I've known her for 25 years and we first met through a friend of mine (Kathleen) who I'd known at Glasgow University and who had moved to Oxford University to do a PhD (I know a lot of smart friends!). She had met Justine as they were studying in similar fields (Classics, it's not a very big world) and as I was working at the University in one of the libraries, she introduced me. 

Like a lot of friendships over the years we've flitted in and out of each other's lives, but this past year or so, we've been back in touch more regularly, and she's popped in to see me in Leeds on her way back further up north, when this photo was taken last October. 

This was one memory I was definitely going to be keeping and so this page was born. As it happens, I've met up with Kathleen early this year in Oxford and so this will eventually become a double page spread.

I've been making good use of the Party Alphabet dies on my pages lately, and stencils from Uniko - this one is the Layering Retro Lines - along with the new ink colours for 2026-8, which I absolutely love, not just for their colours, but because they are now the magnetic closures which makes my life a whole lot easier in opening them.

This year is definitely becoming the year of reconnecting with friends. I have a trip planned to Dublin later on in the year with some other friends I lost touch with, and I will definitely be keeping those memories too.

Justine is definitely one of a kind. A kind, wild, helpful, intelligent and thoughtful person, who has faced challenges and overcome them. I'm very glad that she's in my life, and I am definitely the better for it.

Keep those memories of your friends, they deserve to be remembered.

Magazine Makes #3 - My First Mixed Media Project

Hi Everyone! How are you all? Are you all excited about the colouring challenge starting tomorrow? You know me, I love it, so I'll be on Instagram every day sharing what I've been doing, then once a week (fingers crossed!), I'll try to do a round up. I really encourage you to join in - please say hello too :)

Last weekend, once I had one child asleep and the other watching the telly quietly, I got out my acrylic paints (99p in Home Bargains!), and a stencil from a recent Papercraft Essentials and had a lot of fun with a Kraft Scrapbook.

I used a bit of white gesso on the cover (I learn a lot from Kim Dellow and I would highly recommend checking out her blog) but I wanted to keep the background mostly Kraft, so only did the middle. It does help with laying down the paint on top.

I then mixed various shades of the three colours of acrylic paint I had (White, Ultramarine and Vermillion) and using a household sponge (a tip from Kim as I don't have any brushes) I sponged the design through the stencil.

I did use a heat gun briefly to dry, but the acrylic does dry fairly quickly. I then took the outline stamp from the set and using some distress ink  - Seedless Preserves and Picked Raspberry - I stamped it in various places over the top. I did have to use the heat gun on these.

For the central sentiment panel I sponged some white acrylic on the top and stamped the sentiment into it directly before it was dry. It looked a bit too muted, so I stamped over it again with some blue acrylic paint. The stamps take the paint really well, so I'll be trying that again. I then just left it to dry.

Below is a list of what I used to make this card. Please note I DO NOT USE affiliate links:

8x8 Spiral Bound Kraft Scrapbook	Daler Rowney Graduate Acrylic Titanium White	Home Bargains - Artists Acrylic Paint - Ultramarine	Home Bargains - Artists Acrylic Paints - Vermillion	Papercraft Essentials Issue 133	Mini Distress Ink Pad - All Colours	Hobbycraft Clear Acrylic Stamping Blocks 2 pack	Docrafts Papermania Pink Heat Tool
Decoart Media Gesso White	Hobbycraft No 12 Palette Knife

InLinkz.com

I'm so pleased with how it turned out. It's also not like anything I've ever done before, and a completely different style, but I loved sponging it all on. Next time the children are painting, I'll paint too!

Thanks so much for visiting, see you all on IG for loads of colouring for the next 30 days :)