WOYWW - On the floor with the Hunk!

Bet that post title had you wondering.....wink.....wink ;)

Now...not only is my Vagabond THE most phantasmagorical machine in the whole wide world and can cut through stuff like butter with no effort whatsoever from me....all it takes is one finger to push the button and he is away!
Oh yes.....my Vagabond is definately a HE!!! LOL
He is full of macho machismo and what's more I get to stroke him every day!!!
Whoops.....sorry got carried away there ;)

Not only is he a great die cutting machine but he is doubling up as a heavy weight to try to straighten out a picture that has a kink in it!!
Bet T!m did not think of that use ;)

You need to go visit here at Julia's to see why I felt the need to share the Hunk with you and visit other lovely things on many desks across the globe.
Can't wait to get home to play with the Hunk again tonight ;).....sigh!
xoxo Sioux

Grungy Monday - in two very different ways!

What a fitting title for today 'cos...

...today I am remembering the fact that is was Pip's birthday (it would have been his 58th)

...yet another milestone in my year of mourning!

I've managed to cope through quite a number of milestones and there are just a few more to get through till the biggie on the anniversary of his passing!

If I don't think about it too much it might not be such a biggie perhaps!!!

I've yet to collect his ashes from the undertakers....still not quite sure when I will be able to do that....but bless them they did not hassle me about my mother's till I was ready!!!
I really miss the fun times like this photo of Pip who had already phoned me to say he was freezing (even though we do have central heating!) and when I got in from work at lunchtime I walked into the kitchen to see this :) HOL

I don't know if you can tell on the photo but his eyes are watery 'cos he was cracking up chuckling and trying to suppress a laugh till I stepped in the room!!!
Hilarious.....but that was Phil all over ;)

Today I am thankful that I have all my happy memories and that Spring and Summer are on the way.

....I have been able to sit out in the garden for lunch last week for instance (without thermals!) !

...I made the first cut on my lawn and managed to dry the washing outside ;)

....simple things, but they make me happy and bring signs that Summer is on the way :)

Even better though is the thought I might be able to join in with the challenges at Grungy Monday the new take on the popular Compendium of Curiosities hosted by Linda ;)

xoxo Sioux

Super Fresco!

Just a quick mention that if you were unlucky, like me, not to get your hands on any of that fabby Fresco paint from Paperartsy on the last day of theT!m workshop then head over to the web shop and book your pre-order now! It's not shipping for a few days yet but at least you know it will be with you as soon as!

I've placed mine. ;)

xoxo Sioux

Banner Word

Good grief! It's like a number 9 bus round here!

No challenge cards for ages and then 1 two days running!! LOL
This is for the Stamptacular Sunday Challenge where the sentiment/words should be the main focus....think this qualifies..though only just in time! ;)

Yes I know, another banner card ;)....but whilst I had the dies out for the card yesterday, I found myself trying out a different paper combo for a more masculine slant.
...at least it's heading in the direction of a work colleague so if he don't like it tough!!! HOL
He's just bought himself an old Cornish Lugger so I thought adding the Papertrey Ink compass seemed like a plan!

K and Co papers for the flags....Papermania letters on the flags.
...stars and sentiment Papertrey Ink also.

I've realised that having my gorgeous Vagabond has thrown up a whole new organisation dilemma! Do you think this A4 storage box will stand the test of time and be big enough for all the die cut left overs?!!! HOL

Thanks for looking and happy stamping
xoxo Sioux

A Home to die for!

Well here I am making a card for The Sunday Stamper theme this week from Hels "use Die cuts in your piece"....it's been a while since I've entered a challenge!

I may just have to look up how to do an HTML link!! LOL

It's not the sort of die cuts you might think I'd use.....what no T!m dies?!!!!!!

No....instead some scrumptious Papertrey Ink banner dies (I treated myself for Christmas) cut on my Vagabond ;) from some My Minds Eye papers that were a freebie in a mag.

...they are pretty scrumptious too.

...I can't believe I've actually managed to use some of it instead of just hoarding it!!! HOL

The letters are from a set of Royal and Langnickel clear stamps stamped in Archival coffee.

I cut the elements for the houses from some of the little pieces of the Lost and Found stack I brought home from the T!m workshop.....used a heart punch on one layered another piece of paper under the cut out and added some glossy accents.

The sentiment banner used a Home Impressions stamp from the Town Houses plate.

Thanks for looking and happy stamping!

xoxo Sioux

Pondering - Can you help?

I'm pondering purchasing a score board.....problem is I have no knowledge of using one!!

Has anyone got a preference?

Do you like the one you use?

If you don't like the one you use what would make it better?

I don't want to waste money on getting the wrong one!!! LOL

Love your help.....leave me a little message if you can or e-mail if you would prefer ;)

Thanks

Susan

Spritz a Mystery! for The Artistic Stamper

I'm sharing a card today over on the The Artistic Stamper Creative Team Blog

Curious? Then just hop on over to The Creative Team Blog for all the details.

Thanks for looking and happy stamping
xoxo Sioux

P.S. I appreciate each and every comment here but time is short in all our lives so please do not feel obliged to comment both here and on the creative team post.
...I'll see your comments and share the feed back all at the same time if you use The Artistic Stamper Creative Team Blog post ;)
Thanks

Pearl Perfection!

Did you see The Artistic Stamper post that Jennie published the other day?

No? NO???  Why not! LOL

I suggest you pop over to see what she discovered.

...'cos I've tried it and am truly excited by the possibilities ;) !

Here is a little tag I trialed it on...can you see the gorgoeus shimmer from the Perfect Pearls Heirloom Gold? Can ya...can ya!!!

I made another discovery to go with the one Jennie made and that is...it does not have to be the colour wash!

I don't have any of the colour washes.....but I do have some empty mini misters and some distress re-inkers! Yeh ;)

I found to get a good colour that adding a full dropper of the ink to a mini mister half full with water gives a nice vibrant mix to spritz ;)
Then continue as per the instructions here and you too will be excited.
...I'm prepared to take bets on it!! HOL

TTFN........a very excited Sioux.

The Black Horse

As you might recall when I went on the ArtsyCraft course with T!m a fortnight ago...I was interested to find out if The Black Horse Cafe still existed in Newport Pagnell.

Well after breakfast and saying our goodbyes we all went our separate ways and I almost got in the car and drove straight back home but something made me turn left instead of right at the end of the road and I found myself in the town itself....then something made me turn left instead of right at the junction again and driving down the high street I parked at the far end in a car park (a free one at that.....that's a pretty amazing thing for anyone in the bay and surrounding areas as we have to pay for parking all the time!!!)

...I decided to walk up the street again to get to the shops to find someone to ask...I thought I might pop into the estate agents I'd passed 'cos they always know stuff like that ;)...but I noticed the two people inside were like in their 20's and I did not want them looking at me as if I was some sort of escapee from the loony bin!!! HOL

Anyway there was a gentleman who looked of a certain age walking towards me....older than myself so he might be the one to ask.....and what a lucky strike that was :)

He knew of the Black Horse and also he remembered that the circus people had their winter quarters there...he even knew the name Cody's Circus ;)

...spookily I had turned the right way at each junction and if I had carried on the same road about 10 mins more I would have come to it!!!

(I had only just started school when we lived there and could not have known this!)

I was a bit disappointed but rather expected it when he said that they had pulled the cafe down and there was a large housing estate being built.....I decided to carry on...seeing as I had got this far and I was so pleased that I did

...although the original cafe building was not there....surprise, surprise....there was a new or at least different building and it is now known as The Black Horse Inn

...a lovely looking pub/restaurant.....unfortunately it was far too early for it to be open and I did not want to wait as I was already beat and had the long drive home to do still.....but I parked up took a few pictures and had a little walk round.

I don't remember there being another building this big on the site but as I said I was only little.

The canal was better kept than I remember...it seemed to me in my memory that there were lots of overhanging trees and vegetation, bit like Wind in the Willows....what a great adventure it was to be taken on it in a little boat.

It's actually just outside Newport Pagnell in a place called Great Linford.

Thanks for looking

xoxo Sioux

Some boxes are more equal than others!

Well hellooo!

Not been around much have I?!

After the T!m megga weekend I was soooooooo pooped I can't tell you!

I had hoped to do certain things....not least tidy up my house ready for the arrival of my friend from up North! ;) But I could not keep my eyes open each night after work and I ended up doing a massive tidy last Friday morning ready for her arrival that afternoon....rising at 5:00 not even getting dressed and working through till 1:15 just in time to get dressed, get in the car and pick her up from the station!!! It was a close call but my house could be sort of called presentable at the end!!! I just don't want to go in the loft right now and have to sort out the bags of stuff I shoved up there!!! HOL...I know she would not have minded but I did!!

We had a fabulous weekend even if the weather was not entirely on our side.....managed a couple of nice walks in the suddenly chilly afternoons and just relaxed.....It's nice to just relax :)

This week I've still been tired but have found the time to have a little play with this...

Mmmm? Playing with a cardboard box? Even I'm not that sad! LOL

Now inside that box was...

...another box! Not just any old box either......of course T!m could not have the most fabulous phantasmagorical machine on the whole planet sent out to me in just any plain old cardboard box now could he?

...Of course not! And inside that box was MY Vagabond!! It's mine...all mine...and I lurve it!! ;)

I knew there was a very good reason I kept resisting the lure of buying any of the die cutting machines out there all these years.....obviously I was waiting for T!m to make someone take notice and actually make a die cutting machine that really ticks all the boxes!!!

So far...and I've only had the most briefest play really....this ticks all the boxes I could ever have thought of ;)

This was the embossed piece on my Artistic Stamper piece yesterday.

Ooh! I'd love to be a Vagabond Queen!! HOL

xoxo Sioux

Time is the key for The Artistic Stamper

I'm sharing a card today over on the The Artistic Stamper Creative Team Blog

Curious? Then just hop on over to The Creative Team Blog for all the details.

Thanks for looking and happy stamping
xoxo Sioux

P.S. I appreciate each and every comment here but time is short in all our lives so please do not feel obliged to comment both here and on the creative team post.
...I'll see your comments and share the feed back all at the same time if you use The Artistic Stamper Creative Team Blog post ;)
Thanks

World Voyage for The Artistic Stamper

I'm sharing a tag today over on the The Artistic Stamper Creative Team Blog

Curious? Then just hop on over to The Creative Team Blog for all the details.

Thanks for looking and happy stamping
xoxo Sioux

Spring for The Artistic Stamper

I thought I'd make a little hangy tag piece for this month's "Spring" challenge at The Artistic Stamper.

I re-purposed a tag (it's approx. 9.5 x 15 cm) it was attached to a garden implement I bought recently!
Firstly I scanned an encyclopedia entry relating to the seasons, printed it onto paper and stuck it to the tag.
...Stamped the Wendy Vecchi flower from the Be Happy Make Art plate in Archival coffee directly on the tag and then onto pieces of the Lost and Found paper stack from T!m to decoupage it up...colouring the leaves with a watercolour of Distress Ink bundled sage and peeled paint.
...now up until Friday last ;) I did not have any of this and as I had not seen it in the flesh could not see a reason to buy yet more paper.....but....but...
...this is quality stuff (already grungy LOL and more like card than paper) and as I had all these little offcuts left over from the T!m workshop I had to use a few...silly not to :)

The pinked edged swatches at the bottom of the tag were made using the dots background stamped in a variety of colours and heat embossed with clear EP, then coloured as per the following photo's.

...The banner was created using the Ideaology stencil type on a scrap piece of inky card....I love these....you can admire having them and use them again and again!!! LOL

...The WV bird from the same plate as the flower was stamped onto some tomato puree metal (I shall be eternally grateful to Laura for that idea) in black StazOn, cut out, then puffed up a bit using Ten Second Studio tools.
...Just to take the starkness off the white tag background the edges were tattered a bit and coloured with Distress Ink aged mahogany then a quick spritz with Perfect Pearls Mist Heirloom Gold before I stuck everything down with silicone glue.
...mmmmmmmmm gorgeous touch of shimmer ;)

There are some fab "Spring" creations that the rest of the team have made and here are the DT member links for you.

Alison, Hels, Jennie, Minxy and Tina 

So don't forget.............the monthly challenge is "Spring"

The rules are simple... all you need to do is make a piece of art, be it a card, ATC, wall art, altered art, hangy piece ;)... just remember that it must include some rubber stamping and the theme... and... if you use Artistic Stamper stamps on your entry you will be entered into the draw twice! The prize is £15 worth of stamps from the Artistic Stamper shop... along with the KlingOn to mount them onto.

I hope you get chance to play at the challenge... it is open until March 31st and the winner will be chosen by Random.org shortly after :)

Thanks for looking and happy stamping

xoxo Sioux