Eek! If you are 30!

I'm due to attend Phil's God daughter's 30th birthday bash next weekend.

She has goth tendencies so hopefully this card will go down a treat! I can't tell you how nice it is to make this sort of card and know the recipient will "get it"!! LOL

Eyes, spider web and spider all Inka-dinka-doo......numbers Papertrey Ink dies embossed with a T!m folder....letters by T!m (Vintage Market die strip) stamped with my dance background (as is the mat layer inked with DI rusty hinge) available from The Artistic Stamper. The eyes were coloured with rusty hinge also with glossy accents added.

I decorated the insert too with a computer generated sentiment "Not so scary as you think!"

(I remember I did not want to be 30 and I'm thinking she does not relish the thought either!)

...printed out and then die cut with a Papertrey fillable frames 10 die and added some stamped twiddly bits also PI!

Thanks for looking :)

Happy Stamping

xox Sioux

What the butler saw for The Artistic Stamper

Another month another challenge over on The Artistic Stamper creative team blog.

"Build it up"

I decided to play with some die cutting ;) to layer the stamps.

I started by die cutting some yellow cardstock and some silver coated card with the Sizzix tag and bookplates...it's fab that you can now have this large tag in any cardstock you choose ;)

...I found that the magnetic three holes die fitted nicely along the bottom :)

I then cut an oval from the centre using nestabilities and made a frame from this oval by cutting the next size down die from the centre of this.

I grunged the edges with some Viva Inca Gold silver paste.

...love the shiney metal glow ;)

I cut some of the separate reinforcers  from the same tag die using brown cardstock and hand wrote "Peep Show" on them before sticking them down and adding some small bingo numbers from the Lost and Found stack underneath.

Stamped the lady from Nudes 063 plate in Staz On black on the silver tag.

Stamped the dapper gentleman and the butler from Mens plate 001 in Archival black onto some previously inked card and cut out.

The bookplate from the same die set was cut from card that I had printed out with some old advertisments I had found in a book of Coronation memorabilia bought for 20p at the charity shop.....think I will get a lot of use from this;) and computer generated wording attached to back.

....loved the fact the tea set was called "Ever Hot" !!! HOL

Layered the oval frame over the lady using dimensional sticky pads added the dapper gentleman on this layer......using more dimensional pads attach the yellow tag over the silver one and add the butler image on the front.

Hope you like my slightly risque take on the challenge.

...I think I am in Ooh La La mode pending my trip to Paris later in the year! ;)

 

To see all the other creative "Dimensional Layering" that the multi talented team have made here are the DT member links for you.

Alison, Hels, Jennie, Minxy and Tina 

So don't forget.............the monthly challenge is "Build it up"

The rules are simple... all you need to do is make a piece of art, be it a card, ATC, wall art, altered art, tag ;)... 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 April 30th and the winner will be chosen by Random.org shortly after :)

Thanks for looking and happy stamping

xoxo Sioux

Shooters!

Just popping in to share this ATC seeing as I've not posted anything I've made for a bit!

But that's because I haven't made anything for a bit apart from my DT work!

I'm looking forward to having a play when I finish work for Christmas! :)

I made this to give to Lindsay Mason when I did the workshop in September.

We started communicating when she first started her blog as we found out we both had posters on our bedroom walls of these two when we were younger!

The background is a stamped T!m script and I manipulated the images of Pete and Ben to get them to fit on the T!m die shape....they were printed onto some kraft coloured card which added to the time worn look I think.........Studio G word fragments to finish.

Thanks for looking

xoxo Sioux

EDIT: After reading some of your comments I did a bit of a google myself and cannot believe that it's nearly 39 years since Pete decided that life was too great a burden and took his own life. :( .....Life is too precious to contemplate such a thing yet tragically many people do.

....surround yourself with people you love......cultivate your friendships

....believe that tomorrow will be a better day!!! :)

Snow for SCD

It's the last Friday of the month over at SCD this week and sweetie Dawn has chosen "Snow" as the prompt.
...I wonder if that gal is psychic! LOL Hope you are warm and comfortable where ever you are :)

Don't forget that the November themes are there for you to make just about anything you like!
This week I'm sharing a scrapbook page....that's defo different for me!!! LOL

This is me when Pip and I celebrated our 25th Wedding Anniversary in Mayrhofen in Austria
oooh that's nearly 9 years ago now!
We had gone for a walk in the woods...the sleigh bells were jingling...and Pip thought is was a good idea to make some of the snow drift down from the trees...make it more atmospheric I seem to remember him saying ;)
.......up he threw a stone and
......wallop!!.....down came an avalanche of snow right on top of me!!!
He captured the moment on camera really well :) Cheers mate!
Happy Times :)

Stamped black Bazzill card with snowflakes (Royal and Langnickel) using Versamark. Made sure they were dry before stamping further images with white Versa Color.
...then randomly stamped more snowflakes and winter wonderland text using Versamark again
.....this time embossing with winter wonderland ep.
...printed Snow Joking using a font called “Basic”...cut out and embossed using winter wonderland again.....offset stamped snowflakes on each letter in black Staz One and edged all letters with black Sharpie pen.
...made my own postage type decal "Winter Wonderland Magic" using Serif Draw Plus X4 printing it onto Letraset Safmat film. Rubbed onto photo....keep forgetting to use this stuff!!
...for the ribbon pull on the journaling block I used a white permanent pen to draw the lettering for “Tirol” and printed off the journaling blocks saying all the things I love about Austria using photo's from that trip and others.
....yep...I'm lucky enough to have been more than once! I have to keep reminding myself of stuff like this when I've been feeling sorry for myself just lately! LOL :)
...if you click on the photo to enlarge I think it is readable.
...printed the words READY, STEADY and AVALANCHE onto vellum

It's been a fabulous month seeing all your creations on the themes.
I know it's going to be fun seeing your Snow creations over at SCD this week too. ;)

Thanks for looking and happy stamping :)
xoxo Sioux
P.S. Just clicked on it myself and can only just make it out and I wrote it!!! HOL
The second bit down says
"I love everything about the Tirol in Austria
and spending my
December birthday there
was a dream come true,
even the unexpected
avalanche of heavy snow
when having my picture
taken was fun."

P.P.S. Sorry for the long post!!

Girly Girl Cava Queen

 It's my first time joining in the Stampotique challenge.

Only have this one stamp but it is a wowser!

I just love the sort of startled look don't you? ;)

I look at this ATC and think that perhaps I'd better ease off the Cava or I just might end up looking like her myself!!! HOL

The background is my own design digi paper with a bit of Distress walnut stain dragged around

....some Cava bottle top wrapper for the hat

...Studio G letters

....Paperartsy letters filled in with Adirondack dimensional acrylic.

Thanks for looking and happy stamping.....with or without the glass of Cava! ;)

xoxo Sioux

P.S. Bit of a mile stone today on the old blog.......I've just got my 100th follower.....wowser again!

Never expected that when I first started ;)

Thanks a million to everyone who has chosen to do that....see you all again with another post very soon :).....actually that would be tomorrow as I've got another Artistic Stamper piece coming up ;)

Fantasy? Ooh not half!

It's still working with tags this week at Something Completely Different and the prompt is "Fantasy" as chosen by Gez.....thanks for the challenge :)

At first I thought dragons...castles....knights....then one thought led to another and I ended up with this......well it is MY fantasy!!! LOL

I found a picture I liked of tango dancers and I digitally played around with a photo of Richard Armitage (you know how much I like him right?) and pasted his face onto it...printed it off and cut out the dancers. Added some stamping.....spookily the T!m dance step seems to depict the Tango....(although it does not have the final left foot on the left hand side....perhaps design wise it did not look right).......how delish is that?!!!

Here is the googled image of tango steps I found.

Oooooooooh.........I'm tingling drooling at the thought

.....dancing the Argentine Tango with Richard Armitage...........I read somewhere it's supposed to be his favourite dance....quite frankly I can go with that!!!

Now hold that image of long legs and sultry movements

....but in reality it would be better thinking Vicar of Dibley in my case 'cos I'd only come up to his?......woow I'm that short?!!! HOL
Thanks for looking and happy fantasies!
xoxo Sioux
P.S. Maybe I'll start dance classes you just never know! :))))

Sitting Comfortably?

Laura really makes us think!

Over at SCD this week the prompt is "Are You Sitting Comfortably?"

My brain being what it is made me think this!!! HOL

If you have been on CS Stamper blog in the past few days you will have seen the debate about digi stamps.....well.....I could not have done this if I did not have that digi hedgehog! Actually seeing as I drew it in the first place I probably could have....but lifes too short to spend time drawing and believe me it does not come easy to me.......when I drew this originally many years ago it took me about a week to get right!!!

Thanks for looking and happy stamping.

xoxo Sioux

Vintage

This month the theme over at The Artist Trading Club is "Vintage"

Some of you may think it odd that I have managed to play at all with what has been going on lately but to me this crafting/stamping lark is something I have to do.......I read Dyan Reaveley's blog and can heartily agree with the idea that art is both a creative outlet and a form of therapy.......although I have really still not started a written art journal I have slowly realised that almost every image led piece I make has a meaning and gives an outlet to emotions that could get the better of me!

To the casual onlooker it may just seen like a image perhaps matched with a sentiment that gives a pleasing end result.........whilst I do try to explain the idea behind it all if I can......sometimes it is not till much later that I realise what has happened almost unconsciously whilst creating!

Anyways..........I'm sure you have come here to see stuff not to hear my babble LOL....so here is the ATC........and for once...at least for now.....I don't think there is any hidden meaning at all!!

The image is of an ancestor......my great uncle Bill (never knew him as he was long gone before I was born to parents getting on in years!)........he lived through the Edwardian era and I wanted to try to convey that sort of feeling...you know all aspidistras/velvet drapes/gentleman's clubs.

............Just look at the waist height on those trousers....he could definately give Simon Cowell a run for his money there!!! HOL

The background is a digital image that I think was from Art-E-Zine many moons ago but I find the site so difficult to navigate that I can't find a link to it.......so sorry! I then added a touch of DI wild honey to the upper portion....followed by just a little stamping of the cog wheels (frayed burlap), stars (Impress chocolate) and watch hand (embossed with copper). The green stuff at the top is a sticky back baize that is used for putting on the bottom of stuff to prevent scratches but I've had it years and I think it was actually from my Dad's supply of stuff so heaven knows where it came from!

Thanks for looking and happy stamping!

xoxo Sioux

P.S. Thank you.....thank you for all your positive thoughts for Pip (my DH) and perhaps they may just be working......although the lows are very low at the moment and the highs are not that high at least it is a small step in the right direction.

SCD - Gothic Cat

SCD theme this week is Cats I hope this is o.k. nothing was said about how big a cat!! LOL

I am madly in love with Tigers :) and drew the image some time ago (wooo!! that would be about 18 years ago when I used to engrave glass.......time flies when you are having fun!!!) and now I have turned it into a digi stamp thanks to the wonder of computers.

I printed the image and quickly threw some clear emboss powder over it as soon as it came out of the printer!!! Whilst you don't always get the great coverage as with stamping, the heat does help to set the ink that might not have caught much powder.

......proceeded to stipple DI's Scattered Straw and Spiced Marmalade over the tiger and radiated outwards.......then masked the tiger and added some Faded Jeans and Tea Dye in places

........stamped the dark green leaves in DI Pine Needles using a second stamping for the lighter image......stamped the ferns in Shabby Shutters and over stamped with a second stamping of Walnut Stain......grunged the edge and dragged with Walnut Stain.

........I did not feel like doing my normal word fragments for the quote so decided to print it onto acetate.....added eyelets and for now have used fibres to hold the two pieces together...added a couple of gems and gold peel off scrolls.

I rather like the arch format.....thanks for the challenge all at SCD!....and perhaps will use metal rings to hold a whole book full of them in the future.......here is the open arch as it is not obvious about the overlay from the first photo!

The leaf and fern stamps are Royal & Langnickel.

Thanks for looking and happy stamping.

xoxo Sioux

SCD - Gothic Angel

Big fan of angels and any quotes that go with them

........could not miss SCD Angel theme this week then!

Decided to doodle my angel a la Teesha......the background is a digi paper from Rhonna Farrer that was a freebie collaboration for breast cancer awareness one year and I added the angel quote before printing it out........stamped the swirly edge stamp from Woodware and added the angel that I cut out and colored with chalks as I wanted a muted look then Distress Stickles Antique Linen was added to the wings.

Thanks for looking

xoxo Sioux

I believe in Angels

"I believe in Angels" one of my all time favourite ABBA songs!

So I thought I'd play along with the Three Muses challenge this week "Angels" and share a scrapbook page.

There is not one bit of stamping on this as I made it some time ago....I'd need three lifetimes to give scrap booking my undivided attention so needless to say I have not done many pages!!! LOL

The base page is Basic Grey and the music paper is 7 Gypsies both are to die for!! The hearts are padded and use some quilting material.......yes I've dabbled in that too.........the middle heart opens and has some pages of angel quotes inside........the picture is of one of my favourite Christmas decorations bought from Homebase a few years ago....she is gorgeous.....and the Angel wording was designed in my Serif programme and printed onto acetate which I raised up over the real feather that I had found on the ground and was so pristine white it was unreal! It was the starting point for making the layout in the first place as it looked to ethereal.

Thanks for looking.

xoxo Sioux

Face Off Part III !!!

I know.......I know.........I'm getting boring now!!! LOL

Here is Face Off part III in a hybrid version.

Stamped as in part II here and the digital alphabet images printed off, cut out and attached......

oooooooooh! Far too fiddley for an inchie size.

Thanks for stretching me this week SCD..............artistically speaking........although if I could gain a couple of extra "inchies" in height I'd be the ideal weight don't you know?!!! HOL

Thanks for looking and happy hybrid/digi/stamping.

xoxo Sioux

Viking Men

"It is the great North wind that made the Vikings"

Great quote don't you think?

Especially for a man card! As I've mentioned before I work in the fishing industry in my part of glorious Devon and get to make men cards more than women's! Here is one I made last year and forgot to post......so yer tis now.

The map background was scanned from an old fishing book in the office where I work and printed onto textured card......had to add a bit of grungy ink to it. The Viking boat is a Microsoft clip art file printed and cut out. The compass another clip art file printed onto some vellum that had printed squares on......these were attached to another clip art file used as a background to which I added a bit of stamping round the edge with some Paperartsy stamps that were in the subscription to Craft Stamper last year. This was layered onto gold mirri card and the quotation panel was digitally designed in my Serif programme and is hidden behind the front panel until the card is opened.

Thanks for looking and happy stamping.

(Although there is precious little of it on this one!! LOL)

xoxo Sioux

Skull Sir?

I thought popped in my brain........as it does!....Well it does when I am not having a dry spell!!!......and now I can play along with the TGIF challenge this week which is "Skulls"..............

so, if you are of a nervous disposition........I'd look away now! LOL

Stamps on my ATC are Paperartsy and an oldie post card from my Royal Langnickel set......Skull from a Wikipedia file layered on top of the PA man.........hat cut from a vintage image of a circus poster........background various inks and shimmer spray...sorry made it a while back and can't remember what I used exactly! Wording from my computer and inked with DI SM and WS.

Thanks for the skull theme Sandie and thanks for looking......xoxo Sioux

Birthday - Stamp with Fun

The challenge theme this week at Stamp with Fun is birthday! So it's a birthday project on show today for me!
This was for a friends birthday and I can now post it as she has received it :)

I made the card using my own design digital papers and my Fitz digi stamp.....I made up a template for the box to fit 3 "Thorntons Chocolate Blocks".......it should have been for 4 blocks but afraid DH lost the plot in the shop and only came out with 3! LOL......The edge was punched with a Fiskars border punch......it's the only one I have but they are easy to use and I'd definitely have more if the old piggy bank would let me!!.....The papers were stamped on the edge with that little dotty border again too.The inside was decorated with more of the same papers and I stamped one of the Elusive Images sentiments from my lucky lucky win that is available at Graphicus on the pink heart paper.....I think you may have to enlarge the picture to read what it says..........The sunflower on the front uses the same template I designed for a poinsettia on this card........can't believe how different it looks inked with DI SM! LOL

Thanks for looking......happy stamping!
xoxo

Light up my Life!

It's Sugar Bowl challenge time again for me and I have been tinkering with the Gorjuss one! The sketch this time is by Judy which was really for a square card but I needed to make a different size format so this turned into an A5 card.
The lighting here today is bad...the weather is bad.....I feel bad!!!! Lingering cough plaguing me from my summer cold still.
I decided she needed to be sat on a string of Christmas lights.......still pondering my Xmas cards you see..............this is the first time I have included the little birdie....it's not that I don't like him/her but the other times it sort of didn't fit in!

The die cut swirls were just some plain card that I added glue and glitter to and I put 3D glaze to the bulbs which shows up a bit better in the close up...............added little blobs of glue to her dress and sprinkled on the glitter.....made up the flower........hope you think it is poinsettia like!!! The dotty and green papers are my own digital design again.........the striped bit is K&Co and the music paper is the web freebie from CS this month.....gave it the same treatment as my last card...........I like to think this would be equally suitable for a man to give a woman or for a woman to give a man.
Thanks for looking........happy stamping!
xoxo

Edit: Bl*&$£y H#!**l!!!! I've put the music on upside down.....unforgivable

Dotty Nellie

At Stamp with Fun the challenge is to use dots.........I'm feeling in a dotty mood myself at the moment so I'd better join in!
I've used those digi freebie papers again from The Shabby Princess........my friend loved the thanks card I did the other day BTW.

I wanted to have a play with masking those flower pots I used the other week with Fitz........but it was just not working out as I wanted it to........so I had to draw a flower pot outline myself and then add the flower spray...........hope you think it works........I'll be posting a Tips & Tricks on this tomorrow if you want to take a look.
Thanks for looking...........must dash.......Happy Stamping.

xoxo

Sugar Bowl - #10 "Take Two"

This is a first!!! Posting twice for the Sugar Bowl..........loved the sketch so much I had to have another go. My first one is here.

Different papers and colours and a pansy flower that I have a bunch of............they used to decorate a room..............but tastes change and quite frankly they were dust gatherers................and life's too short to dust!! LOL.........The papers were a digital down load from Designer Digitals by Mindy Terasawa.....it was a freebie (they do some every week) and I have just had a look but it is not available anymore sorry........ if you register you can then download the ones that are there.........they must retire the older ones......I have had it some time.............. They only send out e-mails once a week so don't think you will be snowed under!!........I very much like Katie Pertiet's work.........and many of the other designers there.

Thanks again Marlene.......can you tell I loved the sketch! :)

Hoping to plant some of my veggies in the ground this weekend weather permitting.........Yes some of them have actually come up!!

xoxo

Double Dutch -

Over at the Double Dutch site this time round (they are every fortnight) the challenge is "Clear & Simple"....i.e. make a clear card.

This is not something I have done before............either a clear card or entered the challenge!.....Nearly entered the other week when you had to make a teabag holder...........managed to get round to making the teabag but never decorated it and missed the closing date!!! Typical.

Here is my card.........there are a few photo's cos' I couldn't decide which one looked the best!!! Not that easy to convey the transparency.

I made a 4 x 8 size card because the stamped image I had been sent by a special blogger friend seemed to need it............Stamped my Paperartsy (CS freebie again) swirly tree as a border all around the front with Staz-on blazing red.............it looks more like blazing pink to me though!!!

I used my little circular sentiment thingy again which says "from me" on the outside one and "to you" on the inside one......................It is a bit fiddly trying to get the right balance as to what goes where on a clear card.............I suppose the more you do the better you get though!..........The flower at the top is on the inside of the card and the flower at the bottom is on the outside with the sentiment circles strategically covering the brad legs.

The inside was decorated with a piece of my own design tartan paper and a mat and layer for a written sentiment in the future. The red mat layer for the tartan is fixed to the very back of the card to finish it off. Here is a close up of Tilda and the colouring...........I used the Cumberland pencils again but I also had a practise with an unusual colouring medium for Tilda's skin this time round as I am not totally happy with either DI tattered rose or my pink pencil............I bet you will never guess!!!............So I'll tell you..................black coffee...............yep the sort you drink..............not an ink colour................the skin areas have 1 wash all over........then another layer where you want some darker shadows........it will look a bit hard edged at this point but don't panic Mr Mannering!!!...........add a bit of pinkness at the edges and to the cheeks with a Tombow pen number 800 (or whatever water based pink you use) before a final overall wash with the coffee again which will soften any hard edges.................I think this is what I will use for now..........until I come up with some other hair brained idea!!!

Thanks for looking..................I didn't win the euro millions on Friday so it's work for me tomorrow :(

xoxo

p.s. I know my coffee idea may not be a eurika moment in crafting history........but I can honestly say I have never seen it mentioned anywhere...........apologies if you have already discovered this.

The Sugar Bowl - #10

The Sugar Bowl Challenge this week is to use a great sketch by Marlene and also to include buttons on your project..........loved the sketch and loved colouring my Nellie stamp with flower........I've only got this stamp and my Gorjuss girl with the birdie so hope you don't get fed up of seeing them as I can't buy any more for a while!

I found some more colouring pencils in a tin in the loft last week when I was sorting things for a car boot on Bank Holiday Monday...........I remember my mum bought me them for art when I was at secondary school (we had been told that we had to have a set of our own pencils).........I dropped art when we had to choose our exam subjects though...........I think there might have been a chance of being halfway o.k. if the teacher had actually taught us................all I remember is that those who were already fantastic at drawing seemed to be shown the most interest and the rest of us were left to wonder what was the point........or at least I did!......I sometimes think it might have been nice to learn more of the basics.

The pencils say Lakeland by Cumberland on them and I know my mum could not really afford them and drummed into me the need to not loose them or break them! The first time we had to do something with them in class everyone got out their pencils apart from one girl............who was a bit of the class trouble maker if she could get away with it type........................and I just knew at some point she would come and ask to borrow those precious pencils.........and she did.........even though I had butterflies in my stomach I was more concerned with what my mum had said........so I told her that if my mum could afford to buy me a set of pencils even though my dad had died and we had no money I couldn't see why she could not get her own as well and I refused to lend them out! Talk about shaking on the inside! Tried not to let it show on the outside! LOL.............that was the last time I remember her ever bothering to try it on again............so it was worth it.

Sorry about the life story! Do little insignificant objects bring back memories to you too?

Have an arty weekend.

I have another project on the go and would like to finish that one tomorrow so probably see you then.

TTFN.

xoxo