Christmas is a coming, the goose is getting fat…

Christmas is a coming, the goose is getting fat…

Bonjour!
Thanks for popping in today.
Have had a great Monday here in Bretagne,
hanging out in the garden.
Spent a good portion of the morning peeling potatoes with Jayne,
 in readiness for my world famous potato salad (not!)

Getting photo-bombed..

Meanwhile, the others were getting right into their Groovi Plates and Gelli Plates!
So here is a Gelli background, 
which Kirsty and Sam rustled up between them,
and then donated to the daily blog cause.
Lovely. Can you see what I see?

Well, be that as it may,
my job after supper was to turn it into a piece of artwork; 
but Dave wants to go for a work,
so I had/have half an hour!
Oh joy.
So here goes:
Stamp the flock of geese and the lovely new pair 
in Black Archival ink.
This set comes unmounted with masks.
Actually excellent value.
This works on acrylic paint, and the Gelli Plate background was done using the new Fresco Chalk Acrylic paints.
Cover with masks provided, and add a large moon.

Using a make-up sponge, drag a little of the black ink out from the mask into the background behind the geese.

Do the same around the moon.

See how this makes the images pop?

Now add colour to the birds.
I went in using Spectrum Noir pencils, because they work brilliantly on acrylic paint.
GREAT OFFER, 

I plucked a couple of colours from the background,
and added a couple of others, for good measure!

Think I’ll just add a little colour to the landscape too…

That’ll have to do.
Time for our walk.

Hope you like it.
Not time to frame it! So here it must sit…

Not a bad resting place, eh.

See you tomorrow xxxx
much love to you,
PS
Tomorrow we’ll pick a winner for last week’s rollover.
I haven’t forgotten!

74 thoughts on “Christmas is a coming, the goose is getting fat…

  1. Allo…allo …this is night hawk calling…!
    listen very carefully I will say this only once..!
    Really I promise 🙂
    Lovely card and glad your all having fun…. keep chilling. ..!
    Luv Rach 🙂

  2. Hi Barb,
    Lovely piece of art – I haven't tried using the Fresco paints on my Gelli plate. Think I will have to give it a go. The cottage looks lovely. Hope you are all enjoying yourselves – there's one thing – you wouldn't be peeling potatoes outside with sleeveless dress in the north east – honestly it's more like autumn than summer! Enjoy your walk with Dave. Love Alison xx

    1. Great, I've totally had it now, why oh why do I always have to be sooooo honest!!!! If only I had kept my mouth shut and not told you how easy it was for you to make me feel guilty….. Everyone finds it funny that I can't help myself doing this kind of thing, I don't!!!! To answer your question, no, not yet, but I have progressed in that the photos are now on my laptop. Does that buy me more time? 🙂 xx

    2. hi Donna glad you have sent your tea pot in ,would love to see your owlet face xxx
      Well done brenda for getting the photo on your lap top .
      Have you both started your boots or rose bowl ,I haven't yet xxx

    3. Thank you Sheila
      Don't go encouraging her, she doesn't need any!!!!
      No, we've not started either, but we're about to start the rose bowl as soon as my stupid head realises no one can go this long with so little sleep!!!! xx

  3. Did wonder where this one was heading but I like the end result. I bought these geese with Christmas in mind. Enjoy your relaxing time and hope walk went well. x

  4. Hi Barbara, I love this artwork, there's just something special about it, thanks for sharing :-). You look like you're relaxed and having a good time. Hope you enjoy your walk. Where you are, for some reason, reminds me of Hobbiton. I've always wanted to live in Hobbiton with the Hobbits, no nastiness or badness, except for stealing from farmer Maggot's field! xx

    1. Hi great you have your photo on laptop Brenda at least you wont need a 12yr old to email it for you …That Hobbit film is that the one that Mr Poldark actor was one o the wee people or am a wrang….xx

    2. You're learning Dot, and who better to learn from 🙂
      He's a dwarf in the Hobbit movies, the stuff me and Donna were joking about is mainly from the Lord of the Rings, but it's the same place xx

  5. I love that background, very french, rustic and shabby chic !! Glad your having a good time, chill out and come back all refreshed, I can just see you with a black beret and some onions round your neck too !!

  6. Brilliant art work enjoy your walk, Barbara when you use acrylic paints in tubes you sell on your website what ink pad do you use to stamp with ??? Looks wonderful where you are xx

    1. Thank you brenda that's what I used on my gelli plate is just takes time for the archival ink to dry I've got some stazon too so might give that a try .xx

    2. I don't use Stazon but I think it does dry quicker
      What does no one have any patience, am I the only one that's content to do one part, let it dry overnight, get on with something else in the meantime, go back to it the next day!!!! 😉
      Sounds like you're being very creative just now 🙂 xx

    3. No I did some gelli plates prints a while ago , but a long time ago I did stamp on one I had done and saved and found that when I stamped on it with archival it took a while to dry haven't made them up in to cards yet .i have to conserve my energy so a very little at a time ,today I prepared my groovi ready to do a landscape might take me another week to do it .mind is working but body says bed enjoy sending in your tea pot xxx

  7. Hi Barbara, great card yesterday for Dee, hope after having some rest she will feel a lot better. Love the alcohol inks. Today's card is super think I may have to order the geese in time for Christmas. Glad you're chilling you need to, you've been so busy. Hot here in Vaison la Romaine too, brilliant! Enjoy the rest of your retreat with all your friends.xx

  8. I love this Barbara, I think the geese stamp is lovely, it's top of my list at the moment, along with the cockerel. They are so versatile. I love how you made a scene with them.
    Hope you enjoy the rest of your stay, looks very relaxing. Xx

  9. Hi Barbara. It's good to see you have been relaxing, and in such a beautiful setting. Sorry that Dee couldn't make it this year (can't believe it is a year since you all were there). I love what you have done with the background and the geese, lovely colours too. Carry on having a lovely time : ) Take care x

  10. i would like some potato salad too please especially if it is the german variety. darn i'm too far away! glad you did that print today as i was uhmming and ahrring about coloring some flowers on acrylic. that settles it, hugs xx

    1. You will brenda even if it takes a week think of the lovely comments you put on here I wish I could put comments like you do .
      Hi Dorothy xxx

    2. Aye me to Brenda maybe a bit longer fir me though one day maybe,,,x

      Hi Sheila hope your ok.. She has got the gift o the gab Our Brenda keeps me entertained anyway ..take care..xx

    3. Thank you for saying that Sheila 🙂
      Do you think they'll ever find the cause / a treatment for our cfs? wouldn't that be weird, in a good way, to suddenly be able to wake up the next day, no pain, no ill feelings, muscles working and not tiring rapidly. I can't remember what it was like to not feel ill and sore and wabbit the whole time, it's like it's just my normal, and the extra bad spells are being ill /sore etc. Does it feel like that for you?

    4. Hi dot It's lovely to read the messages from us owlets and owls and the larks too .
      Hi Brenda I was lucky enough to go on a c.f.s. Course and met a lovely set of people who all had c.f.s they are now firm friends, it helps to know we don't struggle alone I also manage to do a one to one course fortnightly which taught me how to cope ,
      Since then my c.f.s. Has rapidly got worse along with my other illnesses but the crafting
      Has helped me in many ways the clarity blog is part of my daily routine now we have the mindless Wednesday and groovi too I found even on my very bad days it all helps me through .just take each day with baby steps and only do what you can do .my CFS friends send each other a red card if we try to do too much it helps to know your not alone don't know if this helps as I know life is never easy for any of us the clarity blog has taught me that too lots of hugs xxx

    5. Sheila, that made me laugh about the red cards, if I was to be sent one every time I did something I shouldn't they'd be stacked from floor to ceiling throughout the whole house by now!!!!! Take care xx

    6. Ha Ha Brenda – you'd be saving a fortune on cardstock to mat and layer with! Have either of you tried magnesium supplements? I used to take them when I was diagnosed with ME and after about 3 months it was like someone had flicked a switch and I had lots of energy again. Took them for about 10 years, and now don't need them anymore, and only get the aching and exhaustion if I do much too much, but I think that's normal. I do really empathise with you both though – it's an awful feeling and very frustrating not to be able to do everything you need to do in your head! Susan x

    7. That's funny Susan, I hadn't thought of that, maybe I should sign up for it eh!!! My signature could be red!!! And I could sell the spare in packs of ready cut matting and layering, costs more for ready cut to size!!! No I hadn't heard that magnesium may help. I'll look in to it, although I'm pretty sure I'm getting magnesium in the calcium, vit D supplement I take, (me being totally housebound and now almost dairy free). Thanks for that 🙂 xx

  11. What a great team you have to give you such a beautiful background for your lovely geese. Shows they don't have to be Christmassy at all. Hope the walk was fun and your kartoffelsalat a success (gosh O level german is useful sometimes). xx Margaret Col.

  12. Barbara and friends, Didn't that turn out awesome!! I also want to share how I love the included masks with the stamps, I don't think anyone else provides that… But on a different note, I love the pictures also, makes me miss my son, wife and my two granddaughters! Why? Because they live in England! Last summer my youngest and I visited and I just loved it!! Returning for sure in 2016…Thank you for the smiles!!

  13. There are so many friendly people on your blog and it's lovely. You and your friends all happy and relaxing on your well deserved break. No wonder you love your blog Barb. I took a lesson from you today – again – When things happen that are out of your control, and they hurt you, then go back to your roots. Who you really are. A wife, a mother, a sister, a brother. Be naïve again and be who you really and truly are inside. thank you xxx Love the 30 minute artwork, we aspire. xx

  14. Hi Barbara sorry, I'm playing catch up! This is great, love the background, it makes the geese look really moody! ( in an atmospheric way not a sulky teen way!). Your cattage in France looks beautiful. Have fun
    Love Diane xxx

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