Carved stamp

Remember the green stuff from the other day?

I have managed to carve my very first stamp!

It is really easy to do the carving....it cuts like butter ;)

I don't think there is much chance of slicing my fingers off!!!

Whoops.........could be famous last words! HOL

Not bad for a first attempt I think.

Thanks for looking.........happy carving!! :)

xoxo Sioux

P.S. Come back tomorrow and there just might be a little surprise ;)

He's Back!

Oh oh oh!

He's Back!

Yes

Yes

YES!

I'm happy :)

Green Stuff

Hey! Look what I found!

Yes......A4 sheets of green plastic/rubbery type stuff! LOL

Don't tell me you are not impressed?!

It's actually something called Eazi Karve. You carve it with lino cutting tools to make your own stamps.....cool or what?

I've never heard of it before but then I do live in the back of beyond where craft related stuff is involved ;(
The last time I had a go at lino cutting was at secondary school in the first year and I had to ask the teacher to draw something for me to carve......I remember it was a lion and I also remember I found it $*%%#! hard work to do the carving!!!
I've never been known for having much strength LOL

I thought it would be useful for the journaling 'cos quite frankly I do not have hours of spare time to draw things all the time for borders and such. I can't help but think that, for me, I need to make my pages really be mine somehow or other! LOL

I'll let you know how I get on.

Oh BTW I found them here if you are interested.

xoxo Sioux

Tear in the landscape 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

DIY Day!

It's been a DIY day here.

Just small things really but so time consuming!

I could not sleep and so got up at 6 a.m. and started the first thing which was to silicone the gap under the back door and around the skirting board.......it's been driving me nuts for ages!!!

Well 3 hours later and I managed to finish that little job!!! It was only about a 7 foot stretch in total! Ha Ha.

First the gap was too big to just use the silicone and I had no other filler and I wanted to get it finished and...and.... so I bunged the gap a bit with cardboard first.

...might not be the correct way but it worked for me! LOL

Tried to tackle fixing the outside hose reel holder as the plastic handle has lost it's grip and will not actually turn the reel and so I have to turn the reel by hand to get the hose back on it!!!!

It's too laborious by half.

Well the jury is out on that till tomorrow when I check if what I did will hold properly....probably won't so quite a lot wasted time on that too!

One success was my new hook on the back of the door for the dining/craft/spare bedroom for me when guests stay in the proper bedroom!!!!

I found this a couple of weeks ago and it was perfect except for the colour.

It is only a subtle change but the black/yellow/gold combo works in the room far better than the brown/black combo did! I even coloured the screw head to match in too......it's Paperartsy Fresco's in little black dress and haystack with Adirondack gold dabber.

Now I have somewhere to hang my clothes when it doubles up as my bedroom for the odd occasion. :)

It's a small thing but it made me happy.

Hope you have had a good day....the sun decided to make an appearance today about 1 p.m. and it's still shining...makes a pleasant change....awful weather this year.

See you tomorrow for an Artistic Stamper piece.

xoxo Sioux

I Smell Children!

Sorry but I just could not help it!!

This is my entry for TIO whose theme this week is "child's play".

I don't know why....but this was the first thing that popped in my head when I saw the theme and I could not shake it off until I had committed it to a tag! LOL

Perhaps I'm the one who ought to be committed!!! ROFL

Googled image of the fabulous over the top Robert Helpman as the scary child catcher from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (one of my all time favourite movies).

The background was neocoloured and the girl (Stamp Attack) is stamped and coloured with Copics.

Somedays I cannot explain how my brain works!

I expect I'll be asked (politely) to leave the playground now! ;)

Thanks for looking and happy stamping.

xoxo Sioux

Paris Day Two

First off......sorry for saying day two was just around the corner and then taking so long to come up with the goods!!!

What can I say?....I have just not felt like sitting in front of a computer screen much!!! Anyway........there are quite a few pics here today to make up for it ;) LOL

Day two dawned and we had a plan to do the Musee d'Orsay so we walked to the Pigalle metro.

Alighted at the Place de la Concord

...can you believe how little traffic there is!?

Then onto the Tuilleries gardens.

...Loved those large planters

A cafe stop with a waiter who could not be anything else but French! ;)

Plenty of chairs to sit and dream if you wanted to.

Loved this!

Did not love the massive cues snaking round the entrance to the Musee d'Orsay so found out you can get a pre booked ticket from Virgin and decided to do the d'Orsay another day.

Headed off back the other side of the river and walked along the Seine.....bliss.

Plenty of houseboats with views of the Tour Eiffel (how fab).

.....one even had it's own retro car on board.

Revisited the Tuilleries and had a panini for lunch....very tasty too.

Then off we walk up the Champs Elysees stopping to window shop and actually going in the biggest dedicated perfume/cosmetic store I've ever seen! Bit on the pricey side though and I forgot to take a picture!!!

One of my reasons for walking up the Champs Elysees was to see this ;)

...and of course this!

I found the car show rooms fascinating...they even have their own mini museums and/or cafe inside!!

...they are usually relegated to trading estates here and don't come with a cafe! LOL

Loved this

....and this

...and this

Join me again for the rest of day two coming soon. ;)
xoxo Sioux

Love Art!

Have not got time to stop and talk today!

Quick post using some of the new fabulous stamp release from The Artistic Stamper :)

Some of them are HOOOOOge! Got them Thursday and just enough time today to have a little play. ;)

Was scratching my head when I found the ideal acrylic block for the big swirl..

....my plates for the die cutting machine ;)

A light bulb moment there!!! Ha Ha

Supplies used....also used a couple of made up sprays of fired brick and broken china that I had already put away.....not like me!!! ;)

Page not finished yet but wanted to do something with the doodled girl a la Teesha Moore that I did back last year in the fog that engulfed me when Pip was ill.

Must dash......off to celebrate "Cowtown Carnival" here in Brixham.

xoxo Sioux

Set Me Free 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

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

Journal Journeys #2

Dawn has issued the second month's challenge over at Journal Journeys and it's Fairies :)

I made sure I had the whole of Saturday free in order to play ;)

I have used a variety of stamps here...my dancer and the butterfly wings from The Artistic Stamper.......and would you believe that every other one has never seen ink before!!!

How sad...but we all do it don't we? LOL

Never mind they have been inked now!

The flowers, abstract circles and stitch lines are Aud Design the title is a mixture of Elusive Images (first row), Prima (second row) and Paperartsy (third row).

The writing around the dancer says

"I believe in the magic of fairies. Only good fairies live here!"

A touch of Diamond FX glitter glue was added on the edges of the wings.

Thanks for the challenge Dawn...I loved it.

...some days I surprise myself and yesterday was one of those days!!! ;)

It's a mixture of neocolour on the background...watercolour pencils and copic markers....I have to admit to being a bit of a philistine where the Copic markers are concerned but today I had a light bulb moment and thought Oooh! Now these are really useful!! HOL

Thanks for looking

xoxo Sioux

Paris Day One

Well it seems you would like to see more of Paris! :)
Although I'm going to pass on the suggestion to share all 455 photo's if you don't mind!!
The thought of uploading that lot to Blogger gave me nightmares ;) HOL

My photo's consist of some of the more usual stuff...the iconic stuff that would be criminal to miss seeing if you ever go to Paris ;) and some perhaps a bit different.

I think I'll try to post stuff in the order things happened....but I might get a little side tracked!!

Shall we begin?

The journey there turned out to take longer than we thought....considering it was only a 1 hour flight!!! Miles to walk to the baggage collection then miles to walk to the train from the baggage collection!.....waiting for ages to change money to use in the automated ticket machines.....ages working out exactly where we had to change on the metro from the Gard du Nord.

....walking miles on the metro between platforms/changes.....you would not want to have any problems with walking if you need to use the metro in Paris....they use a lot of steps!!!!!

Finally reached hotel...phew! And it was phew....we were hot!!
It was 5.30 by now. Hotel Des Arts...rue Tholozé  a lovely base in Monmartre :)

Dumped our bags and quickly headed for the nearest bar that had 6 seats outside!

A welcome cold beer for all.....but OMG....a 50cl glass was 7 euro!

Headed back to hotel with just enough time to unpack bags....quick re-application of make up 'cos it had all melted LOL....and then out to find a bite to eat :)
Walked a little way along la rue des Abbesses to where it meets the rue des martyrs and eventually we agreed to try a little pizza place on the corner called La Pignatta.

...I know, I know....pizza? Paris? But the prices were very reasonable and it was a very tasty pizza and I'm not a big fan of them so it must have been good ;) !

Then we set off up the hill (And what a hill! Reminds me of Brixham) towards the Sacré-Cœur.

.....window shopped in the lanes around the Place du Tetre.

Onto the Sacré-Cœur to sit on the steps and watch the world go by.

Some chaps selling tat!

Some chaps juggling a football.
One chap danced to the music of the acrobatic footballers whilst wearing winkle picker shoes no less!

(seems to be the footwear of choice for younger Parisienne men at the moment)

Does he remind you of someone who has an umbrella??? He did me...LOL
...you would not believe how happy that little vignette made me, although none of the others got it so I'm glad I can share it with you :)

The sun began to set and we walked round the back of the Sacré-Cœur and managed to catch the lovely light on the stone work.

End of day one.
Day two is just around the corner ;)

xoxo Sioux

A Paris List

I'm back from Paris!

Before I went I listed 10 big things I would not want to miss.

Some of them are very simple pleasures and not necessarily in any order.

1. Walk along the Seine

(perhaps see where Gene Kelly danced with Leslie Caron in "An American in Paris")

...I swear I saw the very spot under the bridge! :)

Please don't shatter my dreams and tell me it was filmed on a lot in Hollywood!!!

2. Walk in the Tuileries Garden

Very French......with very expensive coffee at one of the cafes.

....but a perfect one none the less! I'm always searching for THE perfect one! :)

3. See the Eiffel Tower

Far too many people and it rained!

...but still beautiful :)

4. Walk along the Avenue des Champs-Élysées

Far too expensive and not a chic person in sight!

...too many of us pleb tourists!!! :(

5. See the whole of Montmarte (obviously seeing as our hotel was there)

This area is a delight.....all the artistic history, old buildings and narrow streets.

....however....the Place du Tertre is full of lousy art in the main.
.....if ever there was a tourist trap this is it. :(

6. See the Impressionist paintings at the Musée d'Orsay

This was THE highlight for me...although no photo's allowed! :(

...heart stoppingly the top floor (where we headed first for the Impressionists) was closed for renovations...Yikes!!

...thankfully the paintings (I have to assume most of them) had been temporarily re-hung on the ground floor.

PHEW! :)

7. Visit the Cimetière de Montmartre

Ran out of time on the last morning to get to the far side of the cemetery to see the resting place of Degas :(

....however we had already visited the other big cemetery Père Lachaise :)

....Oscar Wilde's was a bit of a shock to me....not what I expected and covered in graffiti!

8. Visit a street market (food and/or antique)

In the end the only thing that did not happen was the street market thing...hey ho!

9. Visit Notre Dame de Paris

...I overheard a youngish American boy (16 or 17 perhaps) say to his dad

" Are these real or reproductions?"

Mmmm? What can you do but have a giggle at that one!! :)

10. Enjoy the cafe culture :)

I took 455 photo's.....I don't want to bore you but would you like to see a little more? LOL
xoxo Sioux