Back to reality and creativity

4 days of school camp with Sam was fun : wet - sunny - busy - happy - exhausting

I will treasure my certificate, received on the last day of camp.
Got back Thursday afternoon and have been spending the time since running around madly trying to catch up on washing, restocking the pantry, taking boys to cricket games, catching up on emails and other people's blogpostings, and sleeping...not necessarily in that order!
Not managed to do anything new creatively yet, but a few things to share from the days before I went away.
I got some lovely papers for the bargain price of $1 each at Spotlight!

a pack of tapes

and this lace paper (also $1) which I think will become a stencil for sprays....

You can see I selected these new supplies because they will appear in my black & white based 30 days of Lists art journal
Before I left for camp I finished reading this

Really enjoyed the characters and the way the story developed
Am currently reading this

So far I'm intrigued...
My sister-in-law had a birthday last week so I made her this card

And then I went off to camp, and when I came home I discovered that Wendy from Late Start Studio has given me a blog award! 

I've never been given an award so it was a lovely surprise. Unfortunately it's one of those awards that then asks you to nominate 15(!) more blogs and share 7 things about myself : go to my profile if you want to see the blogs I follow -- far more than 15 to keep you happy ;-) -- and I'm sure you find out quite enough about me by reading my blog!
During my online catch-ups I've come across a few blogposts worth sharing ::
Check out this new art journal video from Roben-Marie - what I like most is that it shows her entire process to create a page...the things that work first time, and the things she changes her mind about part way through. It makes me want to get back to complete this workshop which I am sad to say I last blogged about in November - maybe more next month!
This is another art journal post from Donna Downey - okay I didn't have the spare 20 minutes to watch the video, but I was inspired by the pictures of her pages in that post. Gorgeous colours - scrummy texture created with modelling paste through a stencil...will have to go back and investigate this when I have more time.
Wonderful use for string and buttons by Geninne (if only I had such artistic discards!)
Beautiful stitched and mixed media pieces by Carolyn Saxby featured in an exhibition this month in Cornwell - if only I could go....
Do you know Helen Cowans' work? I love this Indian Panel.
Now I don't know whether I am inspired or just completely overwhelmed by my to-do and want-to-do-one-day lists! Maybe I should just go & get some more sleep ;-)
Talk to you next week...