SEASONS GREETINGS 2024

Well here we are again!

Seasons Greetings from Stephen and I for Christmas 2024.

Hope that 2024 has, in the main, been kind to you. Apart from the aches and pains of an aging body we have both been in good health thankfully.

We managed to have some travel adventures again, still trying to fit in as many as possible as we are acutely aware that time marches on and before we know it we will have reached that point where travel is no longer a viable option for various reasons.

Our biggest adventure was a road trip to Seefeld in the Tyrol region of Austria. Yes we had snow, a bit unheard of in September.

Starting with crossing the channel from Plymouth we drove across France staying in Blois

and Colmar

on the way there.

Returning a week later and doing the reverse journey only this time we stayed in Sundgovienne at a lovely auberge....yummy food.

Bourges, with it's fabulous Gothic church (very in the style of Notre Dame in Paris)

Auray

and Roscoff.

I'm afraid to say that crafting and arty stuff is very intermittent. Well...let's face it...when you are going on jollies as much as we have done this year, where would I find the time? Ha ha. :)

Perhaps in 2025?

I will leave you with this...it made me laugh when I saw it, although I have edited the original...

"One minute you're young and cool, maybe even a little bit dangerous...

And the next, you're reading Amazon reviews for anti slip grips for your shower!!!"

😂😂😂

Try it on Tuesday

 Halloween for Try it on Tuesday

Hello from me to “Try it on Tuesday” for their Halloween theme.

OMG! Do you know when was the last challenge I entered?

9th March 2016! Whaaaaat!

And it was for Try it on Tuesday….spooooooky! 😂

Been too long. But a combination of trying to earn a living and being in constant pain for the past 3 years put paid to many things.

Anyhoo, still working but not for as many days and thankfully my pain, which was predominantly from rotator cuff injuries to both arms (one following on from the other) has ceased….hallelujah!

Smootched background of Paperartsy Fresco Paints with stamped images from Paperartsy, Stampotique and T!m Holtz.

Thanks for looking and happy stamping :)

xoxo Sioux

Shall We Reminisce?

Shall We Reminisce? 1

Being awol for four and a bit years means there is quite a lot of arty stuff that has not been shared here!

Mmmmm…shall we revisit some of my favourite makes over the coming months?

Apologies to those who may have already seen some of these on Facebook or Instagram, although not all of them will have appeared there…let’s call it a little catch up series 🥰

This was part of Sketchbook Revival run by Karen Abend…I find it very inspirational.

Always something to help unblock ones negative beliefs!

I’m definitely full of negative beliefs, especially when it comes to my own drawing/painting skills…

I just can’t help it…even though I more often than not end up with a piece I’m pleased with, I have this unfounded feeling that whatever I do will be rubbish so what’s the point of wasting my time! Crazy huh?

Again from the same year 2018 at Sketchbook Revival…

This was an exercise focusing on perspective lines in buildings, whilst some of mine are a little off, I’m O.K. with the added quirkiness:)

Pen and watercolour on watercolour paper.

Thanks for looking…enjoy your art journey.

xoxo Sioux

This was my place!

 

This used to be my place!

I don’t mean the little cottage in my junk journal, I mean here here…on Blogger!

Things happened, mainly Blogger not playing ball with my iPad and iPhone, but also relocating and then moving back to our original house in early 2019 after 2 years. I missed being in the place I love best, Brixham.

 Obviously it’s now 2023 and four and a half years have passed…but I’m coming home, home to Blogger 😉

Things will be different as my art practice has evolved into much more than the stamping, although it won’t be abandoned altogether 😊.

I’ll be sharing an eclectic mix which hopefully won’t be too disjointed and always from an artistic view point.

xoxo Sioux

P.S. the little cottage journal page was done with water soluble neocolours II and pastels on brown wrapping paper. Based on a view from the “Café Cùil” near Carbost on Skye.

The colours on the hillside were gorgeous that day, with just the right light, although perhaps my iPhone didn’t quite capture what I saw.

If you are ever in the area it’s a funky place serving tasty food and drink.

G+ ?

I see that Google are giving up on the Google + business.

I never did see the point of it myself!!

Must be a pain for those that chose to go with it though.

xoxo Sioux 

Beyond Astonished!

As the title says I am actually beyond astonished....

I gave up long ago trying to use my IPad to post on blogger, it just didn’t work and the word was that Blogger was not even trying to update to work in conjunction with Apple devices!

I discover by accident today that everything seems to be an effortless, seamless working blog!!!

And I have  been able to comment on blogs without continually having to sign in and/or loosing my own page on a tab as the links to a blog now seem to be opening in a new tab as does the comment pages!! Wow!

Not been part of blog land for so long (I simply don’t sit at my main computer screen anymore).

I have been using Facebook but it’s not the same.

I’ll leave you with a collage page  I made not long ago...OMG! I can even access my camera roll to add photos......beyond astonished 😧 

 

Thanks for looking and happy stamping folks...

xoxo Sioux

Family Matters

The past couple of days have been spent making a tag again (amongst other design projects).

One of the reasons it's been a bit time consuming is because I've decided to make my own "Found Relatives/Paper Dolls" (thanks for the inspiration for that Pam)...I want to use some of my old photo's of relatives and start a sort of family tree/memory book with them! Well...that's the loose plan if there is such a thing as a plan! LOL

I started by scanning a photo of two of my cousins (both deceased some time ago), touching up some dust/scratch marks and then printed out on photo paper and cut out....I will go back and digitally cut them out when I'm in the mood! ;)

I replaced the wheel they were perched on with a Tim Holtz image I stamped onto old french book pages and cut out....repeating this in the top corner with one of his smaller images. The ticket was stamped onto a bit of scrap card previously inked at some point and fastened to the tag with a brad bought many moons ago...might as well start using my stash instead of hoarding it for a change! ROFL

The background of the tag was Dylusions sprays in turquise, lemon and pink.

I made my own word fragments and gave them the "epoxy" look with glossy accents.

n.b. I have no idea if they were buddies or simply putting on a brave face for the camera! :)

Thanks for looking and happy stamping!

xoxo Sioux

I'm entering this in the February Craft Stamper Make it Take it Challenge which is Anything Goes!

A new home!

Long time no see in Blogger land!!
We have been busy settling into our new home amongst other things.....that's my excuse ;)

Over at The Artistic Stamper Creative Team this month they are asking us to play along with them and use a quote ;)

This is barely in time but I could not post this till the recipient had opened it could I? ;)

So here is my entry....hope you like :)

The middle house of the trio was coloured, cut out and 3d'd.....sentiment layered up too.
Just a few die cut greenery shapes to finish off.
Stamps used "A house is just a house" and "Our house" from The Artistic Stamper.

Thanks for looking and happy stamping

xoxo Sioux

Embrace serendipity!

If anyone is still popping by to check on me here I salute you!
Frustration abounds when using Blogger on an iPad or iPhone!!
So I haven't been using Blogger and have been using Facebook (which can also be annoying for different reasons) and Instagram in the main.

But they are not quite the same as good old Blogger.

I'm investigating the possibility of starting again.....if Safari allows me!
Please don't say download the Google Chrome app......have you seen the amount of problems that keep cropping up!!!!

Here is a bit of artistic creativity I've managed recently.
But once again good old Blogger is not playing because after adding the photo the page stopped scrolling! Luckily I already knew there was nothing left to edit below this so I'm going to carry on and publish....hang on after 4 minutes it seems to have kicked in and I can scroll again!!!
Heaven help me....oh wait a minute it's not scrolling right to the end!!

Don't know if I can persevere......will try Blogger on main mac computer and see what, if any, difference it makes.

You certainly have to embrace serendipity writing a simple blog post these days! ROFL

Inspired by my huggable Mr B

Follow this link to watch the fabulous Caro Emerald

Caro singing Mad About The Boy

xoxo Sioux

Life Book 2017

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I've signed up for Life Book 2017!
Tamara Laporte very kindly gave us a free video lesson "The Traveller".
I'm only up to watching part 3 so far in the lesson but am happy with what I've achieved so far :)

Here's hoping I don't make a hash of the rest of it!!!
ROFL!

I started the year wondering when I would have the time to make art then life went a little bizarre.....within the space of 3 weeks my husband and I
1. Embraced the prospect of relocating for my husbands job (a lovely mixup of two favourite tv shows location, location, location and escape to the country! LOL).
2. Went on holiday to Majorca for a week where there was every weather possible from sun, sun and cold,windy, snowy, very snowy, rainy and very....VERY rainy.....we stayed in the hotel on the last day it was so bad...added to which I had started with a cold the evening before!

Beautiful day up in the mountains.

The snow starting to fall.....The road to Soller, where we were on the sunny day, was cut off!

Palma on a cold and rainy day but still pretty. ;)

The storm is coming....

3. On returning to work I was told my services were no longer required!!! Just like that.....it shook me up but it was not altogether a surprise as the firm that took over in 2015 have never been known for their empathy! However the following day I was strangely focused, feeling light, not bogged down and....quite frankly happy! :).
Things may not be all rosy on the earning front but we are moving to a house that has room for a studio for me.....so this looks like the year I do get to make art......yeh!

There is always a positive to be had somewhere;)

Thanks for looking and thanks Tam for the lesson :)

xoxo Sioux

Our garden project

We are remodelling our front garden. It's been a long time in the planning and pondering stage but at least we are now on our way to a bit of a garden haven in the front as well as the back garden!

You will all remember the way my back garden came together when I had the major structural bones done by a landscape builder....it was such fun watching it progress.

The front garden is even more fun....albeit much slower....as my honey and I can do this one together :)

For some time it's been mainly lawn with some planting on two sides.

Back in May my honey made a start on getting rid of the lawn and digging it over.

Then holidays, work, weather and life stopped all the action and we ended up with a wild flower meadow effect come the beginning of October...

.....ha ha ha

The weather last month and so far this month has been kind and weekends have been spent sorting this out.....the grand plan under way

    

Happy when the first pergola went up a couple of weeks ago with stones laying out where a path would go.

Even happier when the second pergola erected, pathway partly dug out and bench all painted up to protect it. Some plants we had bought earlier in the year and potted on were scattered around to ponder some more on the layout!

 

Today my honey managed the last bit of the path and yet more digging....you would not believe the size of some of the rocks excavated..... and I got on with planting up the plants that had arrived during the week.

I'll show and tell some more when we have progressed a bit and detail the plants we are putting in.

Thanks for looking.

xoxo Sioux 

A birthday card

A quick post!

Butterfly stamped and masked....various overstamping and die cut numbers to finish inside and out.

Thanks for looking.

xoxo Sioux 

A little Corfu watercolour

I have been doing a little sketching and a bit of watercolour but mainly a lot of day dreaming whilst on holiday in Kalami on Corfu ;)

It's a little bit of paradise.

There is more to do to finish this small watercolour, I'm happy with the distant mountains at the back of Corfu  town and the sky.....the line of trees isn't too bad either.....wanted to stop before I mucked it up completely!

Of all the supplies I packed in the case....remember?

Well...to do the watercolour I only needed these!

A pencil, rubber, watercolour pallete, water brush, collapsible brushes, water pot, paper and hardboard base....oh and some tissues to mop up. I probably will need to use an extra mixing pallete to finish this but I think that would be all!

Thanks for looking

xoxo Sioux

My travel art supplies

I've spent far more time than I ought just lately browsing Pinterest for ideas as to essential transportable watercolour supplies for our holiday to Greece shortly.

I have narrowed it down to this little lot! I'm thinking that listing it here will help both during and after to see what I did and didn't use! ;)

It's all packed into this small bag....a freebie from a long time ago as the logo on the bag proves! Not used more than a couple of times....fizz glass for size comparison....it's not going in the bag! :) LOL

In the tin at the top I'm keeping some gelatos, neo colours and shimmery Luminex paint in the small black topped pots to provide extra colours not in my watercolour pallet and also in case I veer off into art journaling instead.

At the top here are baby wipes, tissues, plastic bottle for water, masque pen, ceramic pallete, masking tape, antique ink bottle that I'm using as a water pot...courtesy of my honey :)

A putty eraser and normal eraser, pencil sharpener, bits of sponge, charcoal pencils in soft, medium and hard, penknife, large lolly stick, four watercolour pencils, hardboard and watercolour papers with a couple of paper clips to hold the paper in place.

I have a smaller tin (not in the main photo) that will hold the smaller items in one place.

This also has a paper stump, some spare paint pans and space for filled pans that I can swap in and out of the watercolour pallete box.

Brushes and pens/pencils are held with elastic bands on a cardboard base.

Brushes include: a kurataki waterbrush, rigger and various other small detail brushes.

Not forgetting my new travel brushes...sigh ;)

Pens/pencils include: waterproof ink pens in grey and black, white unibol pen, two pencils in different hardness.

Everything packed into the bottom half of the bag with the hardboard, watercolour papers, brushes and masque pen in the top draw string section....that section still has room for something else and looking back at this, I have added some larger pieces of watercolour paper, an extra ceramic mixing palette and a plastic cup for clean water too.

This is all still very portable and I'm going for the lightest weight stuff I can find!

Thanks for looking.

xoxo Sioux