Full of Possibilities

Hello all, and welcome to February!  February?  Yup, I'm afraid so...  I know, don't ask me where January went.  I feel as though I barely saw it.

We're starting the month with double trouble.  I've a project for you here as well as one over at Calico Craft Parts... yes, it's a stop AND a hop!

First of all, there's a new theme for you at Country View Challenges and the fantastic Sue would like you to Make Your Own Backgrounds.

Well, there's a challenge that's full of possibilities...

It's rare that I don't make my own backgrounds, and very often the background is my favourite part - whether of my own or of other people's projects - so I'm very happy to put the background centre stage!

Of course there's lots of inspiration from my lovely team mates today, and more throughout the month at Country View Challenges, and for my first offering I've gone with one of my all-time favourite inky background techniques - the good old wrinkle free distress technique.

I love the delight of different colour combinations, the relative lack of control, the infinite variety of results.  Over my blues and greens I stencilled some Picket Fence Distress Paint through the Lattice stencil, and decided that was my background done!









Umbrella Man seems to come out at transitional times for me.  There's something in his demeanour which seems to hold many emotions.  I've known him look back in wistfulness, but he can also look forward with both trepidation and hope.

In a couple of weeks, I'm setting off on another travel adventure with work, and I'm definitely in that "getting ready for take-off" mode of fluttering butterfly attention - finding it very hard to sit down and focus - I feel there's always something I should be doing somewhere else at the same time.









And there's always uncertainty when you work with a new company, and here I'm diving in with a well-established group.  How will it all work out?  We'll all be spending many hours together in a pretty pressurised environment.  And that's intensified when you're a long way from home.











At the same time, it's a real adventure - we're going to Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong, and then I'll be back in the fabulous New York City for six weeks (I know!!) - so it really is full of possibilities and excitement.

I'll definitely be staying curious and trying to make the most of any spare time I have from the theatre.  I feel incredibly lucky to have the opportunity for such adventures, so there's some upbeat scribbling around too...










(I just wanted to say I'm rather taken with how the Picket Fence Distress Paint stencilling gives some extra patterning even under the Archival stamping.)

In any case, both Umbrella Man and the Small Talk stickers are pretty much on the money with where I'm at at the moment - some trepidation but a great deal of excited anticipation too.











I hope you'll be inspired to come and Make Your Own Background with us at Country View Challenges.  As always there's more inspiration over at the blog today and throughout the month, and there's a prize voucher from our sponsor Country View Crafts to be won, so do come and play along.









But don't go yet... as I mentioned, I've a hop for you too today.  If you'd like a bit more inspiration from me, I've been making a completely different kind of background over at Calico Craft Parts.

This background started with tissue tape and went all the way to antique crackle, so do hop over and check out my Steampunk ATCs too, if you have the time.  Happy Crafting and Happy February all!

We have more possibilities available in each moment than we realise.
Thich Nhat Hanh