A Happy New Year - A New Personal Challenge!

I got to thinking about 2011 and my general opinion was...

just what the hell did I do all year?! LOL

So in an effort to make sense of what happens around here...

and believe me it is not going to be earth shattering stuff, some days it's challenging enough just to get by and I can foresee some of my entries will be along the lines of got up, went to work, fell asleep on settee!

But then again it could go something like got up, met RA, dot, dot, dot!!!! HOL

(In my dreams.......sigh)

...I'm taking the plunge and joining in with the fabulous Kate Crane and her Journal Your Year Calendar.

I like to pop over there and admire her pages and Gez and Anesha have also inspired me to have a go ;) Thanks girls.

I'll confess I am not good at sticking to stuff like this......but I'm going to give it a go.....if only to see what fun stuff I really get up to ;) HOL

I bought a little sketch book from Paperchase when I went to Bristol for my birthday at the beginning of December. Sorry about the glare, the cover is plastic, I'll be covering it at some point.

I hope to take this with me wherever I go as it is so portable and then there can be no excuse for not making a scribble in it every day!!!

Here are the pages for January......the squares are inchies and because the journal is so small (5 and 7/8th inch by 4 and 1/8th inch) I thought I'd make an additional flap over element to hold some extra days and be a place for a stamped image. (Paperartsy, T!m Holtz).

Thanks for looking

HAPPY

NEW

YEAR

xoxo Sioux
P.S. Come back tomorrow for The Artistic Stamper new monthly challenge....see you there....after I recover from the midnight Cava LOL!!!

Must be Santa! 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

Balancing Act! for The Artistic Stamper

I'm sharing a journal page 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

Diet Watch suspended due to Feasting!!

This is the last diet watch in December as there will be too  much feasting going on to have any hope of reducing the weight but the good news is today my weight is 72 kilo.

Can't help but be awe struck that it has stayed the same this week as I've had a weekend away crafting with two fabulous craft mates Sue and Laura.

Not only did we have fun crafting but we took in Bath Christmas market on Friday night with the most glorious meal at Jamie's (Oliver) place.....3 courses....well it would be rude not to!

It was a scrummy meal...but I forgot my camera!!! What a dill weed!

...and what a contrast to that disaaaaaaaaster of a meal I had last Saturday!!! LOL

Then there was the wine of course...oh! Let's not forget the GG's (gin and ginger beer ;) ) and the mince pies and clotted cream whilst crafting on Saturday.....and the super meal Sue made for us....with pud!!!

Well you get my drift don't you....it was such fun and we all did some canvas work on the Saturday........my brain was refusing to work and this was the only thing I could think to do to start with...

......it's texture paste applied free hand and through a T!m tree mask of grunge.....I had to leave it to dry for the rest of the day (and night!!) and now I like the minimal look so much I'm scared to add any colour to it in case I spoil it!!! HOL

Eventually it took me all day to finish this very, very small canvas....only 4 inches square!!!!

Just wait till you see what Sue and Laura post.....gorgeous. :)

But it made me very happy cutting the deer from cork....

(sticky backed from The Works if you are interested)

...and on Sunday we all made three of T!m's tags :)......as Laura and I had to drive home late afternoon we did not finish ours and will have to put the final touches to them at home...there was just too much drying time on a couple of them!!! ;)

Thanks for looking and thanks to Sue for being a fabulous host again and to both Sue and Laura for sharing a great weekend of fun, laughter and craft :)

xoxo Sioux

Light an Advent Candle for The Artistic Stamper

Following on from the group monthly challenge post I'm sharing another piece that is destined for my Christmas dinner table 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

Festive Trio Setting for The Artistic Stamper

Thanks for giving us all such a lot of  beautiful "Background Creations" to look at for last months challenge :)
So..... how do you feel about this one?

"Christmas"

Yes it's a seasonal challenge for December over at The Artistic Stamper Creative Team ;)

I thought I'd do something a little different and make a place setting trio for a festive meal.

The design team were additionally asked to use icy blues and some of the new stamps being released and I chose to use this snowflake pattern.
You can be the lucky owner of this snowflake stamp (you have the choice of an icicle stamp too) as they will be given away free.....yes FREE to customers who make a purchase at The Artistic Stamper this month.
Cool :)
I stamped the snowflakes in Distress Ink tumbled glass onto a plain white napkin and overstamped the Seasons greetings in Archival Black...

...a little tip....remember to fully unfold the napkin to stamp and don't overink it or the ink will seep through the layers and/or bleed the image ;)
...just think of all the co-ordinating looks for your decor that you could achieve for a special dinner party and not have to spend a fortune on!

Then I made a little place name just by folding an oblong piece of card...

...then cutting an oblong mask for the centre and stamping the snowflakes over it.
The picture below shows one not stamped yet with a mask in the middle and one with the stamping done and the mask removed.

...I then added little touches of glue and some festive sparkle with irridescent glitter ;)
To finish the little trio I made a menu holder using the same masking principle as the place name...

...instead of permanently sticking the menu insert inside I held it in place with some ribbon...
...that way you can easily change the menu inside at the next dinner party ;)

...the Seasons Greetings from mini Christmas is one of my favourite festive motifs and was stamped using Archival black.

You really must take a look at the "It's Christmas" creations the rest of the team have made and here are the DT member links for you.

Alison, Hels, Jennie, Kat, and Emma

So don't forget.............the monthly challenge is "It's Christmas"

The rules are simple... all you need to do is make a piece of art, be it a card, ATC, wall art, altered art, an altered napkin! ;)... 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 December 31st and the winner will be chosen by Random.org shortly after :)

Thanks for looking and happy stamping

xoxo Sioux