Sall the Crafty Baker

 WOW I absolutely love this challenge at  Ikes World Challenges  the colours really lend themselves to both Autumn and Halloween.  So I've combined them both with some spooktacular images that can be found at  Ikes Art Store I've used the cuckoo style clock along with skelly friends skulls, a ghost, Howleen, and a spider woman along with the witch and skull caudlron to create this page.  Oh and my back paper is a skull cup backing paper from Ike too. The quote is my own and reads: "As autumn takes hold with it's glorious spectrum of colours so thoughts turn to Wiccans and the incarntations that command evil and ghosts roaming free to destroy crops".  ⒸSall Baker 2022

 Hi, wow we've got so far as October already. The year just flies past especially when I am crafting.  The theme this month over at  Ikes World Challenges  is Monochrome and I instantly knew what I was going to do.  I had already decided I wanted to use more of the images I don't use as much as others in order to push myself creatively.  Thus I went with the Suffragete image.  The suffragettes wore Purple so I've chosen that as the only colour I would use. I have also coloured the hair, I couldn't bring myself to give her purple hair.  I made the purple marble paper myself, Spectrum Art have some amazing colours for you to check out if you want to make your own papers.  I've used Derwent Art Procolour pencils to colour the image and added a little purple glitter to make the image stand out.   I've also written my own quote:  "It takes someone of strength, courage, determination and most of all a passion to help others, to ensur...

 WOW what freedom this presented me with!  Mythology was a theme I couldn't not use and I hope you'll find something to fit it too and come join us at  Ikes World challenges I couldn't resist letting my imagination go with this one, I knew from the start I wanted to incoperate the traditional concept of mythology by using the incredible Greek Gods images but I also wanted to incoperate some of the modern ideas of mythology, including creatures from folklore and superheros.   The only way I could do this and push the boundaries of my imagination was to find a way to put them on a card rather than an art journal page.  So I made a pop up box card and used: Artemiss, Athena, Troll, Gnome, Mermaid, Fairy, Superhero lovers, Zeus, Cupid and an Angel.  All images are from Ikes Art and can be found in  Ikes Store  and some maybe in  Ikes Art Darker Images Store .   I've written my own quote, it's copyright to me ⒸSallie Baker 2022

 Hmm I appear to have really hit the jackpot with the themes over at  Ikes World Challenges  this year.  I think it's probably obvious by now that I really love being in nature and I don't mind admitting there are some aspects I find utterly fascinating and have a child like curiosity about. For this challenge I've used the lake image, which you can get from  Ikes Store  and I've just coloured it using Derwent art porcolour pencils.  I've loved spending hours sitting and slowly building up the layers of colour that nature manages to produce withouth much thought to it.  I couldn't bring myself to alter it in anyway so it's just been simply coloured and added to my art journal as if it were a photo.

 If your like me you will groan that it's July and Christmas is starting to appear everywhere yet at the same time I really do like to have my cards all made by now...the only thing left is figt boxes that I make.  So with a theme of Christmas I've made a gift box.   I've used the gift as a template and scored around it using my score board. I find this is much easier than measuring. I've then just made the lid a fraction bigger and magic a box stuck together with red DST.  You don't really need a score board for this method of box making just ruler to fold against would do. In the summer when I can have doors open and things dry quickly I make a batch of marble papers and along with stencils, gelatos, chalks and burshos these make my backing papers.   The image I've used is Beach Santa from the wonderful  Ikes Art Store  which almost went nicely with my blue marble papers. If you would like to join in and share with us some of your wonderful...

 Oh no I hear you cry, not masucline!  I think that has to be the most dreaded theme around.  Having been REALLY zealous and done all my birthday cards for the year I was somewhat at a lost to what I was going to do but decided ulimately it was going to have to be an art journal page as that gives me a lot of freedom. To join in with the masucline theme pop over to  Ikes World challenges . I've chosen to use the Maori Mask from the New Zealand world series and you can get the image from  Ikes Store .  I've used a copper pearlescent paper and I've used metal embellishments to give it a more masculine feel.  I've used Derwent paint pens on the mask features, these are new to me but WOW am I impressed with them.  I find the dylusions paint pens don't flow very well and dry up quickly and easily but these are very fluid and don't seem to dry or clog up.  They aren't cheap but they are cheaper than when I was constantly replacing my Dylusions ones...

 Oh dear, I don't mind glitter but honestly I'm not over good at using it in large quantities if I'm honest. I also saw this as an opportunity to use an image I may not normally use so I've used images from the Japan world series set which can be found at  Ikes Art Store .  To join us in the sparkle or shine challenge pop over to  Ikes world Challenges .  I've made an art Journal page and have coloured the Pagoda with Black glitter as well as adding glitter to the Japanese lady. I've then written my own quote: Everyone can take something postive and worthwhile from other cultures if only we let ourselves embrace them and their differences.  ⒸSall Baker 2022

 Oh gosh I think we all know I absolutely love animals in particular snails and ocean life.  For this theme I've made a card to gift on world Oceans Day.   I've used the Starfish and Octopus from  Ikes Store  and you can join in with the animal theme over at  Ikes world Challenges The backing paper is some simple marble paper I've made in the summer.

 Over at  Ikes World Challenges  it's time for Tic Tac Toe.  Take your pick but you do need to find three in a row from these: AS you can see I've gone straight across the top lilne with Lace, Free and Sentiment  I've cheated slightly and used a die to form my lace border and the wonderfully amazing wishing chair image for the free square can be found in  Ikes Store .  I've cheated and used a sentiment from Sue Wilson, I love her cheap die cut sentiments.

 Oh dear a theme of love should be very easy when Valentines falls in the month but I on the other have long since decided it's a money making con, even when in a relationship I always found it a con and actually I worked that night so it never really bothered me.   If you wish to join in do come and see us at  Ikes World Challenges  in the mean time do hang around to see the rather unusual take I've got on love. One of the things I love most in the world, other than crafting, is reading and so my love of books is what inspired this particular piece.  I'm really enjoying the freedom of playing in my art journal once more and so I've used a heart stencil and coloured he hearts using a quickie glue pen, I've then added embossing powder...this ones a glittery one by WOW.  I then heated it until they set and then settled down with a good dvd or three to colour my images.   I've used Book Den and Open book from  Ikes Art  to create this ...

 It's all about Sentiments over at  Ikes World Challenges .  Now I love a good sentiment but the issue with copyright and everyone demanding to know exactly where you got everything you say or do from today I don't take any risks in using quotes even if I know whose said it and can credit them.  I write my own and it's something I've grown to love more and more in recent years. The senitment this time reads: Lie in freshly mown grass Float away on a cloud of imagination Smell the fragrent flowers Bathe in the warmth of the sun as your cares diminish into the earth Take a relaxing breaht and smile. ⒸSall Baker 2021 To create this piece I've used Ikes Art images...the Fushia and the Snowdrop.  Both can be found in  Ikes Art Store  and some brushos...I'm in love wtih the vibrancy and depth of colour and pattern they can provide, whilst still wet I have added Mica Minerals for a pearlescent affect.  I also used vellum to print my sentiment and some ge...