Stampotique Designers Christmas Challenge

Gog Lin by Jill Penney
French Text and Splatter Long by Jo Capper-Sandon
Splatter by Carol's Collection
all for Stampotique Originals

As I'm writing this blog post I realise that it is only 32 days till Christmas! Yikes! Where does time go? Vicky has challenged us all to make a non-traditional Christmas card this time; here's what she has to say about the challenge:

I'm challenging the team to make a non traditional Christmas card. 

The main rule is 

NO RED OR GREEN! 

Pull out your Stampotique Stamps as this is a Stampotique only week! 

Play along with this week's challenge for your chance to win a $30 Stampotique Gift Certificate, be sure to link in your entries by 5 p.m. EST on 12/13/11 by using the InLinkz on the
Stampotique Designer Challenge Blog

I don't think it will surprise you to know that I'm quite good at non-traditional cards, it's traditional I have a problem with LOL! I thought Gog Lin made a perfect Christmas elf so I stamped him a few times and coloured him with Distress inks. I also added a few co-ordinating splats to the inside of the card too:

This next card is very similar to one I have made before but I wanted to make the Christnmas version, because I just love Mink's sullen face and it goes perfectly with the sentiment!

Mink by Daniel Torrente

Sentiment by Carols Collection

Hearts cubed by Jo Capper-Sandon

for Stampotique Originals

This is a really fun challenge, so hope you'll join us :-)

Your art journal is your friend ...

Doll by Rian Designs

Fish by Tumblefish Studio

Paints: Teal, Lime, Magenta; stamps and Ink sprays by Dylusions

I'm slowly getting my groove back after my recent illness ..... I can tell because for quite a while I didn't do anything in my art journal, in fact I couldn't even face looking at it. To art journal you have to actually think, and thinking was making my brain hurt. There is irony in this though isn't there? When I am busy at work I dream of having time off so I can play with my art things, but then when I had time off ill I couldn't even face it. In fact I'm not really sure what I did while I was off work ... I certainly don't have much to show for it!

Anyway, here is the latest page in my journal ..... The background before I added to it:

And then the background with a few images added:

I read this quote somewhere recently - I'm sorry I can't remember where - and this is what I need to remember 'your art journal is your friend'.

I'm always in love with circles, but at the moment I am especially in love with these circle stamps by Dylusions, and I love to scribble round them with an oil pastel:

Right, that's me done, I'm off. Have a good week everyone. Byeeeeeeeeeee

SDC time!

Bat Boy by Daniel Torrente for Stampotique Originals

It's time to share my creation for the current challenge over on the Stampotique Designers Challenge blog. This time it was Lisa's turn to challenge us all and this is what she had to say:

Lisa here with this weeks Stampotique designers Challenge!  I don't know about you, but I love to use sketches as a jumping point for my work, so for this weeks challenge, I'm providing you the following sketch.

Feel free to rotate it, change the focal image, but try to keep the sketch intact.  For this weeks challenge you can use ANY Stamp companies images, but if you have Stampotique images, we'd love for you to use them.  Play along with this weeks sketch challenge for your chance to win a $30 Stampotique Gift Certificate.

  

Oooh! I am completely out of my comfort zone using a sketch as a jumping point but I gave it my best shot, and that's one of the great things about participating in a challenge isn't it? It can force you right out of your comfort zone and get you to try something new :-)  If you feel like playing along, have a look at the challenge blog here, where you link up with your creation.

Byeee for now...........

New kid on the block!

Announcing new images and new artists are always exciting at Stampotique Originals and so we are thrilled to announce our newest artist, Kira Nichols.  Kira has designed some very unique monsters and kitties for her first line of stamps and the design team has had the opportunity to play with the stamps before they are released to the public.  

Want a chance to win some of Kira's new images?  Hop along with our designers as well as our special guest, leaving comments along the way, for your chance to win some of Kira's new images.  We will randomly draw a winner from one of the blogs and announce the winner with our next challenge.

Make sure to leave comments along the way and a randomly chosen commenter will win some of these new stamps.  

From here you will want to visit  Monique Verbeek

Below is a complete list in case you go off the beaten path and need some redirection.

Kira Nichols

Kaz Boughton

Jane Wetzel

Gez Butterworth

Valerie Wilson

Maria Sabina Raita

Lisa Somerville

Jo Capper-Sandon

Kim Howard

Nellie van Leeuwen

Vicki Garrett

Willy Anderson

Kate Crane <--- You are here!

Monique Verbeek

Joanne Wardle

Good luck everyone. Happy hopping!

Journal play

Doll image by Rian Designs

Borders by Tumblefish Studio

Paints and inks by Dylusions

I haven't really journaled for quite a while. You know I haven't been so well and I just haven't felt like it... I almost got scared of doing it ... The irony is, that in these past few weeks I have had plenty to journal about, plenty to get off my chest, but no desire to do it.

So, this afternoon I decided to get the inks and paints out and get right back on the wagon, and it felt good. This is a messy, grungy, scrambled up page - I just let it all spill out! I may journal on it some more at some point, but for today I was just happy to spread a bit of colour.

Now, ain't this just the truth?!

I often work on single page spreads in my Journal as I love the way two very different pages look together side-by-side. For some inexplicable reason I often work on the right hand page first, and then go back and fill in the left side. Weird huh? 

Byeeee for now, off to blog hop, I have some catching up to do..................