Arch 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

Perfect Specimen for The Artistic Stamper

The monthly theme is "Men/All things male" for the August challenge over at
The Artistic Stamper Creative Team ;)
Additionally this month the design team will be using Core-dinations Adirondack and Distress collection card stock in all our makes as....
...Yippeee! Yes they are on special offer at The Artistic Stamper here :)

At first glance this looks like it has nothing to do with the theme but stay with me!

I made a matchbox with two different colours of Cordinations card stock from the T!m Holtz Adirondack and Distress collections.
It is sturdy enough to make the 3D matchbox and also to run it through a printer as I did to print the templates I made for the top and bottom of the matchbox.  (I measured a bought matchbox and drew the template in my software package).

I embossed the matchbox sleeve with a Sizzix T!m collage folder scored the printed lines for neat edges and sanded the raised pattern. Then I added some Distress Ink tea dye to the raised pattern and walnut stain to the edges before gluing the sides. I then stamped the words "Goods" and "Checked" in Archival inks (both from the Ephemera #1 plate) onto white shrink plastic, cut out in a tag shape not forgetting to make a whole first for the string to go through before heating and adding to the sleeve with twine.

The inner box was scored on all the lines, folded and glued. Distress Ink walnut stain was added to all the sides and edges.

The handle of the drawer is a T!m Ideaology hitch fastener.

The image from the Men's plate 001 is stamped in Archival coffee onto a spritzed background and the word " Perfect" is from the same Ephemera #1 plate (I just masked off the last two letters of perfectly) stamped onto shrink plastic again. I typed the word specimen and printed it onto a piece of card stock to match the sleeve and tore the edges and glued the words in place before adding some tiny black brads to the corners, similar ones can be found here.

Why not take a look at the "Men/All Things Male" creations the rest of the team have made and here are the DT member links for you.

Alison, Hels, Jennie, Kat, Minxy and Tina

So don't forget.............the monthly challenge is "Men/All Things Male"

The rules are simple... all you need to do is make a piece of art, be it a card, ATC, wall art, altered art, 3D 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 August 31st and the winner will be chosen by Random.org shortly after :)

Thanks for looking and happy stamping

xoxo Sioux

Paris Bag

I have been playing today ready for my trip to Paris shortly ;)

I bought a blank canvas bag from the wonder that is Trago Mills!!!

I decided that it would make the ideal bag for Paris as it sits nice and snug on the shoulder and there is a full zip across the top.....can't be too careful can you?

It desperately needed some decoration so that is what I did today...along with trying to work out exactly what I need to take with me......I hate packing!!

I feel the need to take my art journal with me.....to be in Paris and not make some art seems to me to be almost rude!! N'est pas?

TTFN

xoxo Sioux

Baroque Earring Hanger for The Artistic Stamper

I'm sharing a dimensional piece 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

Paris Meal sans Quasimodo!

Just popping in to say thanks for the well wishes for the entertaining I did last Friday.

It all went well, although we had to eat inside because of the weather :(

What I have discovered is.......there are limitations as to what can be accomplished when doing this sort of thing on your own!

My problem is that for too long I have been used to Pip doing all the catering and the entertaining bit!!!

I could focus on the pretty finishing touches....right plates....right glasses...printed menu on the table....etc...etc.

I'll just have to get used to doing it differently won't I? :)

I just know that if Pip had been there we would have been treated (?!!!) to his Quasimodo party piece........again!!!! A great mimic our Pip ;)

If you had never seen it before it was one hell of a laugh but seeing as we have all been entertained with it on more than one occasion over the years perhaps it was a saving grace! :) ROFL

I wonder how I will feel when I eventually see Notre Dame!

xoxo Sioux

Oh! To kiss a frog?

I had the most fabulous suprise package sent to me on Saturday.

I love opening parcels when you have no idea what is inside, don't you?

All I knew was that is was from one of my northern chums Joanne 'cos she had written her name on the back ;)

I'd like you to read this piece of prose that was inside before I reveal the whacky but divine shrine she made me 'cos I'm off to Paris real soon. (click on it to enlarge if necessary)

Now that you have read it here is the divine shrine in all it's glory.....

The froggie on top....I love that he is sitting on a marigold (a French one of course ;))

One side decorated with a T!m French postage stamp

One side decorated with a quirky Mona Lisa (I don't think I can bare all the crowds at the Louvre just to get a glimpse while I'm there!)

One side decorated with a snail...or should I say un escargot ;) (a gorgeous Artistic Stamper stamp by the way)

It stands on four butterfly feet

And the front has the Eifel Tower stamped on acetate so that you can gaze inside to the far wall....can you see what I can see?

Yes it's the man himself RA!!!

Well what would you do? Eat or kiss the frog? I'd be chancing a kiss if I was lucky enough to come across one whilst I'm in Paris I can tell you!!! ROFL :)

It made my whole week receiving it and I could not stop chuckling to myself all day ;)

I desparately needed to keep the prose with the shrine so with Joanne's approval I rolled it up and put it in a T!m vial, tied a bit of bling round the top and placed it inside.

Be still my beating heart!

Thank you.....thank you.....thank you Joanne...the details are just fabulous!

Will Paris itself be able to top this? It could be a very close call!!!

xoxo Sioux

Entertaining Paris with an Accrington Stanley!

Wish me luck for Friday night ;)

I'm hosting our girls pre Paris evening.

It will be the first time in my whole life that I have done any entertaining on my own!!!

Done plenty with Pip.....team work is great isn't it?

It will also be the first time I have entertained since Pip died 14 months ago!

Ooooooh er!

I'm cooking chicken with 40 cloves of garlic or actually in my case 60 gloves of garlic 'cos the original recipe serves 4 and I'm cooking for 6 and we all like garlic!!

There is not much chance of being bitten on the neck in my garden tomorrow night I can tell you! HOL

I'm also serving Salade de Nicoise.

Thankfully the girls are all mucking in and bringing something French themed along.

Un pâte belle française  (sounds so much nicer in French!) LOL, crusty baguette, olives from a genuine French street market that was in Torquay this week (wish I could have made that but never mind I'll see the real thing soon), salade de pommes de terre, fromage française, artichike coeurs dans la vinaigrette, pain de rustique, salade de fruits and a mystery extra dessert ;)

Plenty of wine (goes without saying really) and perhaps a choice of a Kir or Kir Royale aperitif.

I might just be tempted to have an Accrington Stanley later on too!

What! You have never heard of an Accrington Stanley cocktail?!

I'm not surprised as it's a title Pip made up when we were on holiday in Austria one year and got drinking late into the night with a group of Swiss people, trading cocktails round by round.

It's Cointreau and bitter lemon served over ice.....simple but lush ;)

Picture him repeating the famous Cointreau ad (he was a great mimic) to a group of bemused Swiss ! HOL

We always imagined that all over Switzerland people now ask for an Accrington Stanley!!!

ROFL

I hope the weather can hold and we can be outside but it's not looking fab at the minute although today was great. Never mind....I have been beavering away all week to make the house fit for entertaining inside....just in case!!!

Have a lovely weekend whatever you are doing.

xoxo Sioux

St. Nick for The Artistic Stamper

I'm sharing a canvas 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

I am Woman for The Artistic Stamper

Happy Monday! I'm sharing 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 #1

Dawn has issued the first challenge over at her new monthly site

"Journal Journeys"

...and it is to use the colours Pink and Orange.

Today has been a glorious day full of sunshine here...so I decided that the grass could get cut tomorrow and I played in my A5 journal instead ;)

I am pleased with this even though the background is very simple!!!

(I know the orange looks yellow but honestly it is orange....the Neocolour label says so!!! LOL

Of course there had to be Guy of Gisbourne ;)...Tommy Lee Jones is another favourite in black ;) and then there is the WWF wrestling star The Undertaker!! I'm not a fan of the wrestling...but Pip liked it so I sat through my fair share of it...however I went all weak at the knees if The Undertaker was on :) HOL

Thanks for looking and hope you can play along with your journal journey over at Dawn's...I  know I shall be doing my very best to play every month and perhaps I can work out what my journal style might be?!

xoxo Sioux

Air Mail for The Artistic Stamper

I think you enjoyed creating for last months challenge, thanks for playing along :)
So it's a new month and a new theme

"Hot Summer Colours"
Over at The Artistic Stamper Creative Team ;)

I stamped the large calligraphic mat 13 in Distress Ink weathered wood onto a square card.
Stamped the butterfly/moth from insects and butterflies 1...
...(I can never tell the difference, although this looks like it might be a moth!)
...onto watercolour paper using black Archival and coloured in using Distress Inks as my watercolour medium.
Yep...they can be that bright when used this way!

Just a little note....when cutting out the butterfly don't bother with the fiddly antennae...cut them straight off! I added wire ones instead to the card.

I like to colour the back a little just in case the underside shows.

I also like to swipe a black Sharpie pen around the cut edges.
...it adds great definition.

I stamped the Paris tag from the labels plate in Archival coffee onto Kraft card and cut out...
...tattered the edges and coloured with Distress Ink walnut stain.

Here is a short interlude for a special announcement!

Starting this month the design team are additionally being asked to showcase certain items that will be on special offer to you over at The Artistic Stamper shop for that month.
...now that's music to  my ears....Special Offer ;) ;)
This month it's buttons and baubles...so I was very happy to use one of the buttons from Accoutrements Fanciful to become a focal point on the tag.

...I coloured the central clear gem with a Copik marker to co-ordinate with my card.

Stamped the postage stamp in Distress Ink worn lipstick and air mail in Archival black.
...both from the Airmail bird collage elements. 

....Finally I gently curled the wings of the butterfly and attached, along with the wire antennae, using silicone glue.

Head over and take a look at the "Hot Summer Colours" created by the rest of the team and here are the DT member links for you.

Alison, Hels, Jennie, Kat, Minxy and Tina

So don't forget.............the monthly challenge is "Hot Summer Colours"

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

Thanks for looking and happy stamping

xoxo Sioux

Sailor

I've been up since 5.30 this morning 'cos I just had to get something out of my head and onto a tag! LOL

This is my tag for the DragonsdreamTag it On challenge this week which is

"Beside the Seaside"

Seeing as I live at the seaside, have for the past 24 years...ooh er....time flies!!!
Oh...and also Pip loved Petula Clark and this was one of her songs.
..how could I refuse to tag along? :)
Sailor and postage frank is Paperartsy, lighthouse and clouds Elusive Images.
Thanks for looking and happy stamping.
xoxo Sioux


P.S. Another catch up done at Grundy Monday from week 6 with this and the "Weathered Wood" technique on the background.

I (almost) Love my Garden!

It is in my genes to make contact with nature and tend the soil.

...my dear departed Dad decided to become a professional gardener after the second World War, it helped heal his broken outlook on the workings of humanity! He never glorified his time in the Army...barely spoke of it but...he made quite sure I knew the horror it entails at a very (very) early age. It made me into a pacifist at heart.

But sometimes I love the idea of gardening more than I actually love gardening! LOL

 

Pip and I managed to sort out the front patch and create a much more pleasing on the eye vista than the higgedly-piggedly slabs that existed (although we saved them to re-lay and re-purpose in the back garden).....nothing fancy but easy to look after.

The back garden...or as Pip mockingly called it "The Meadow" HOL...was in serious need of a make over too but he became too ill to attempt it.

So it has languished over the past 3 years steadily crumbling away little by little and a few weeks ago the top part of paving on the raised area (I'm standing on it to take the above picture) started to tip and sink!

...it still feels safe enough but who knows!!!

So after much pondering (something I seem to do a lot of! LOL) I have decided to use some of my precious funds to get the whole thing sorted......not sure if I can really afford to spend the money it will no doubt cost but then again I can't afford not to either!
...it's got to be the way to go.

I just hope my car does not give up the ghost at the same time!

I have reasoned that......

1. It will be easier to maintain....a BIG consideration for me now I am on my own!

2. It will add value to the house hopefully or at the very least make it more attractive to any future potential buyer!


3. It will look heaps better! :) :)

4. I will be able to indulge myself and create some wide beds full of shrubs and stuff and try to make an enclosed type space that will carry me away to far off places as I sit in the sun with my Cava!! HOL

I am thinking a mix of Spanish Moorish...

...Monty Don Italianate...

...National Trust treasure!

Well.....I can dream can't I? ;)

5. I know I am going to spend many happy hours there....it is going to make me very happy :)
...Yes, even happier than creating a dedicated craft room in my dining room, which I have also decided not to do! Crikey all these decisions!!!

You know what? Since making this momentous decision I feel a certain lightness of being about the whole thing and life in general.

Watch this space.....I am on the case and expecting a man who can to give me a (not too heart stopping) quote any day now!

xoxo Sioux

Grungy Monday 13 - Alcohol Inks

Here is my piece for Grungy Monday No 13 hosted by Linda at Studio L3.

We are asked to visit the Ranger sight and view the video with T!m demoing Alcohol Inks..

I like alcohol inks......well I would wouldn't I ;) !!! HOL

 

Alcohol Inks used : Juniper - Sail Boat Blue - Sunshine Yellow - Mushroom - Gold Mixative
I used every colour of Archival Inks I own!!! Which are Aquamarine - Chrome Yellow - Coffee - Crimson - Sepia and of course Black

Thanks T!m........my inspiration always.

And thanks to Linda for hosting this great way to start the week ;)

Thanks for looking and happy stamping!

xoxo Sioux

Neocolour II

I have been doing a little gardening today...a little Sunday paper reading...a little cooking...a little dreaming and planning for when my garden has a make over one of these days ;)

I also got my collection of Caran d'Ache Neocolour II water soluble crayons together including the metallic ones I bought yesterday and quickly made a colour reference chart in my A5 journal.....I find it a great help to see the colours actually on paper rather than staring at the crayons!!!

I tried not to let them mix into each other too much...but that is one of the things I do like about them....the fact they can mix together on the page and it can always be a bit of a surprise ;)...that and you can also colour a large area really quickly ;) I'm glad I found out about these via Gez and the on-line course from Tam.....thanks girls.

The metallic ones will not show well on the photo but they have a subtle mica sheen to them....not too blingy and in your face! :)

xoxo Sioux

Gothic Arches Orgasm!

Bear with me on this post as there are lots of pics but I'd like to share something (s) I discovered today!

I really ought to work 7 days a week 'cos every time I walk out my front door on a day off it costs me money!! HOL

Today was a day of good things to feast the eyes (and stomach) on!

I drove to Totnes today.....purely to get some clear embossing powder and silicone glue....but you know how it is....I ended up with a couple more items! ;)

The local art shop had updated their stock of Neo Colour II and I bagged a couple of metallic ones....will try them out tomorrow...I'm intrigued ;)

I am still awaiting the final verdict on the Melt Pot to see if it can be resuscitated...so I decided I really needed to buy a little milk pan with a good pouring lip to try melting UTEE on the hob...and I found the most divine one in the great kitchen shop there...

...it works a treat ;)...number 3 setting on the ceramic hob did the trick...who needs a Melt Pot!!

Oh dear! It looks like my kitchen is going to become another crafting venue!!!

I went across to the market after the craft and art shops and there were so many new people with lovely things....if you know Totnes it is a very arty/new age sort of place ;)

There was an artisan bread stall and I decided to try the German Rye loaf...it is scrummy especially with the Camembert...

...Had lots of Camembert over the years but I tried this for the first time last weekend courtesy of Laura and it is the bestest one by miles :)

The antique/bric-a-brac stalls were also full of divine stuff but my purse is limited and I stared and admired and moved on...until.....until........OMG!

............I saw these!

I could not believe my eyes as I have been pondering how on earth I could make something exactly like these myself!!! Spookey!

You open the doors and there is a mirror....

...I tried not to look too ecstatic...nudge, nudge ;) ;) and casually asked how much he was asking.....yep the sort of stall that does not display prices...usually a sign I can't afford it!!! HOL

He said that yesterday they were £20.00 but they got rained on and really needed waxing again.....(I could not see it myself!)...so today he was asking £15.00 each...

...I could not believe I actually did what I did then.....I said "How much if I buy two?"

I know.....I don't know where the brazenness of that came from...honestly I don't!

I got the pair for £25.00 which I consider to be a bargain....they are made from re-cycled stuff (that's very Totnes too!)

I don't really care if I find out in the future that they are mass produced in Taiwan either 'cos I am giddy in lurve with them!!! LOL

I have loads of pictures waiting to go back on my walls.......it's a long story...

...but I got my $&*! in gear when I got back and somehow managed to get them lined up and hung :)

(do you know how difficult that little job is on your own!?)

And......And.....AND.........OMG...OMG...

...they look divine when they have a candle lit...

...I could be back in the old days of yore with Robin and his band of merry men...

or then again...with Guy of Gisburn in the castle......I'm sure you know which one I'd plump for! ROFL!!!!

Sorry for all the exclamation marks in this post ...but it was just that sort of day :)

Thanks for sharing my orgasm!

xoxo Sioux

P.S. I'm just going to have to do it all again next week 'cos there was a lady with a herb stall and I've been after a lovage plant for yonks and although she did not have one this week she said she usually does........so......do you want to tag along next Saturday?