I'm in!

Woop woop! Lookie at this! I am immensely proud to tell you that I have an article in the latest edition of Somerset Studio. And not only that, I got a mention on the front cover!

I just can't tell you how happy I am to be in this wonderful magazine. The article is called 'Journal your year' and focuses on calendar journaling, so if you have been thinking about this but haven't quite got round to it, now is your chance to grab a copy and get ready for 2012! In the UK you can get hold of a copy of this fabulously inspirational magazine here, or here. 

As you probably know I haven't been well recently and I'm still very much on the road to recovery. Illness takes its toll and your mojo takes a battering, so I really haven't done much art at all over the last few weeks. I want to but I can't muster up enough energy ...... I did however spend some time with the wonderful Dina Wakley and had a go at her whimsical birds. Fun!

This weekend saw some fine weather in the UK, so as a family we headed to the local coast for a stroll on the beach. The day was cool but sunny, the sun was low casting some great shadows (the clocks have just gone back one hour!) and the light on the water was wonderful. 

There is an old iron pier. Fabulous!

And look what nestles at the far end of the beach. Yup, it's the steel works!

And we went home with a wet, sandy, tired, but very content pooch :-)

Byeeeee for now .....

Altered poison bottle!

Tetewea by Daniel Torrente

Fly by Jo Capper-Sandon

Splatter by Carol's Collection

for Stampotique Originals

OOh! Maria has set us such a great and unusual challenge over on the Stampotique Designers blog. Here's what Maria has to say:

"I have a new fun and creative challenge for you all this week.  Are you ready for Halloween?  Well, guess what?  My challenge for you today is an: Altered poison bottle.  I have a passion for sweet/spooky bottles and I would love to see your creations using Stampotique stamps.  

WARNING:  Don't Drink, that's Poison!  Happy Halloween Stampotique-creatures!

I must admit that at first I just didn't get this! I couldn't really work out what a poison bottle was, but then I realised. Doh! It's any bottle at all, and you alter it and make it into a poison bottle. My little bottle was one of those air freshener bottles - you know - they have liquid at the bottom and reeds that stick out of the top to make the room smell good. You could use any bottle ... milk bottle, perfume bottle .. erm ... wine bottle (you must have plenty of those haha!)

I coloured Tetewea with Distress Ink and then cut out and added to the bottle with gel medium. I dripped melted wax around the edge to give it an old/sinister feel, and wrapped with rusted wire and waxed thread. I made a tag using Jo Capper-Sandon's 'FLY' word and aged it with the splatter stamp. I added it with a pin which was originally holding the price tag to a top I bought recently! I filled the bottle with water, washing-up liquid and a touch of red food colouring. If anyone drinks this it might make them fly!

Hope you will join us on this fun and unusual challenge; the details are all here on the Stampotique Designers Challenge blog, and you will see some fab examples from the DT to give you some ideas. As it's the second challenge of the month it is Stampotique stamps only please, and as always there is a $30 gift certificate up for grabs for one lucky winner.

Byeeee for now ..........

Drawing in my journal ...

Here's another one of my hand drawn girlies in my journal. I created the background with layers of paints, gesso and inks by Dylusions, and then added touches of oil pastel here and there.... The flowers are created with a Crafters Workshop Stencil. I drew the image and coloured her with Distress Ink.

In this page she is talking to the bird - 'sing me a song ... but sing it like you mean it'. 

In other words 'if you don't mean it, don't say it'.

Or 'have a little more sincerity'.

Or 'don't talk cr*p'.

Winter is arriving fast here in the UK. It's getting colder and wetter, the nights are getting darker and the days are getting shorter :-(

Byeeeeeee for now

Tag time!

Large Shroom and Splatter Long by Jo Capper-Sandon

Gog Lin by Jill Penney

Splatter by Carols Collection

for Stampotique originals

Inks by Dylusions

It's the Stampotique Designers Challenge time again! This week Nellie is our hostess and she has challenged us to work on a tag or to use a tag somewhere in our art. Here's what Nellie has to say:

I love to work on a tag. For me it feels like it somehow invites you to think and work in another way than when you’re making cards. So I challenge you to make a tag or some project in which you use a tag. Any size, any color as long as there’s at least one tag involved in your artwork. 

To make my tag above I used some of the new Dylusion ink sprays in Bubblegum, Poppy and Sunshine - they are such a fabulous combination! To create a sense of foliage along the lower edge I used Splatter Long repeatedly and then I coloured two large Shrooms with Distress Inks. I thought it would be funny to have Gog Lin peeking out from underneath, and then I used a Shakespeare quote (Ooh! Get me!) which I changed slightly ... The original quote is from Macbeth .. just after 'double, double, toil and trouble', ... and originally said 'something wicked this way comes'.

As its the first challenge of the month you can use any stamps at all to create your tag. If you feel like joining in the fun, have a look at the Stampotique Designers Challenge blog.

I love working on tags and often use a left over bit of inked card to make a tag, which I then often turn into a little hanging. here's another one I made because I was on a roll ..... I used Mink because she looks like she is in a foul mood, and then used my computer to generate text for my favourite put-down :-)

The ink spray colours are Bubblegum and Poppy by Dylusions, and also I used the fabulously useful Basic Backgrounds stamps to add some pattern to the background.

Mink by Stampotique

Basic Backgrounds by Dylusions

 Byeee for now ...

September at last!!

Ink Sprays in Bubblegum, Sunshine and Poppy

Bits and Bats DS005, Basic Backgrounds DS020, Further round the edge DS015

All by Dylusions

Well, here it is at last ... my September calendar page. Didn't want you to think I was getting behind or anything like that. tut tut. As if. If you click for a closer look (and I know some of you double clickers do!) you will see I have had a fairly rubbish month, so the fact that my calendar is done at all is something of a miracle!

Thanks and well done to everyone who has already linked up with their calendar this month. Some of you are just soooo organised! I have been to visit most of you and as usual I'm staggered by the wonderful inspirational art that is going on. We're almost there (unless you are going to continue next year of course!). Don't forget, if you haven't yet linked up with your calendar you can do so here, but don't panic, the link will stay open all month.

So, back to my calendar ... I used some of the new Dylusions ink spray colours to create the background, they are gorgeous! I also used some of the new background stamps, and the new vine stamp to create a border along the lower edge. Have a closer look here:

And then, while I was messing about with inks in my craft room, I decided to ink up a tag (Jade and Sunshine)  .............

Heart Shirt by Daniel Torrente

Crow Line by Janet Klein

Stella's Hat, and Splatter Long by Jo capper-Sandon 

All by Stampotique 

Before I go, I just wanted to say a big thank you for all your get well wishes :-) 

And today, I'm going to leave you with this. The lovely Sunanda sent me these words following my last blog post, and I'm sure a lot of you out there will appreciate them too:

Happiness Unlimited

Happiness is a state of being created while working towards the goal,

not a feeling to be experienced after achieving the goal.

If we believe that happiness comes after achieving then we create

stress, anger and fear while achieving, and do not thus experience happiness.

Before I take responsibility for those around me,

I need to take responsibility of my own thinking and feelings.

When I am happy and take care of others, then they will be happy

Byee for now, I'm off to get inky.