Inky, Alcoholic Poison.....with added candy!

Here at Artistic Towers this week, we have been gearing up to bring you exciting news on Sunday!! I am sworn to secrecy, as we prepare our inky, painty hands (and in my case clothes!) to bring you brand new stamping goodness! I have been busy creating too, and today I created something for Linda's Curiosity Challenge. I am not allowed to give you any instructions, but suffice it to say you can find everything you need to know on page 55 of Tim's book :)) Pop over to the lovely Linda to see how it all works.
I used a tag , a little bit of alcohol ink, distress ink, some stamps, of course, and a few Tag fragments...

I promised you that someone would win my last tag, and I just loved all the answers.. Lyn .. shoes???rofl I am a size 5 in case you wondered.. petite feet!  Harry Potter from a few of you.. an anniversary date? They all tickled me, I do just love getting comments.. good, bad and definitely funny! However I did like Netty's 8 1/2 different pieces, and believe it or not there are 81/2 pieces on it if you count the stamps, and a half a corner!!! So Annette , please email me your address, so I can send it to you:)))
For those of you who are observant and there one or two of you, I have been using our new stamps on one or two of my pieces. (I am so naughty!) lol. I wanted to give you sneak peeks, but decided I would do it subterfugerly ( is that a word?), and today you can get the chance to win one of the new sets of your choice by just adding your name to the list below, and beside it the number of new stamps you think there is!!! so your name and a number!! That is all there is to it! The blog candy will close at midnight Saturday UK time, so if you have friends email them, post it on your blog, hurry! hurry! For those of you overseas, it is open to all!
Roll on Sunday for inky goodness!!!
Have a great creative day!

Moving along with the Times....discover you!

I love it when I am asked to sponsor a blog or a competition, as it means I get to use someone else's creativity :))), and can play along with the challenge or competition, and Moving Along with the Times is no exception. All you have to do to win some stamps from The Artistic Stamper is join in !! Simple! Easy peasy! I used a postcard as the base for the sketch, and used some of the girls paperie die cuts as a base, colouring them with Spun Sugar, Wild Honey and Crushed Olive, a great combination of distress ink colours. If you have problems with the spun sugar use it direct to paper, it works a treat! I sprinkled water on them and heat dried it giving a antiqued look. The stamps are stamped in wild Honey. The words are also from the girls paperie, and I love these as you can make up great sayings. The scan really didn't do the words justice, as the rock candy crackle paint reflected off the light :(
A small piece of acetate was sandwiched between the girls face and the frame to make it look like a mirror. And , of course , what card is not complete without a grungepaper rose :)

Please pop along to Moving along with the Times, and have a go.. the girls would love to see you!
Have a happy day creating!
 

WoYwW.. and a trip to Greece...

I truly wish that I could say that I was on my way to Greece, flying out today, luggage, sunhat and bikini ( ok, swimsuit, for those that know me..lol) in hand, but sadly I am not! But I did visit Greece early this week courtesy of my daughter, (of whom I am very proud), as she has landed her first ,just off the West End, play as Assistant Stage Manager!  She is working on the Willy Russell Season at Trafalgar Studios, and Hels and I went to see Shirley Valentine on Monday which was press day, and rubbed shoulders with famous people! It is a fantastic monologue with Meera Syal, who hops on a plane to Greece! I would definitely recommend it if you fancy a day out in London. But back to the day in hand, and I have been very busy this week, stirring up a surprise for you... All will be revealed at Midnight on Saturday, so watch this space! The state of my desk is how I woke up to it this morning, and frankly it is MESSY! I have a couple of ideas in my head and no art made done this week yet! I have rather a busy day today, I think!

If you have no idea what this is about then pop over to Julia's desk HERE, and see what this lovely lady has done to the world of blogging!!
Hope to find time to pop round to yours....
Happy Creating!

Love of my Life!

Great song, and a great challenge set by Hels this week on Sunday Stampers. I took a mini canvas, some stamps, Tim's Heart and wings die ( first time used! lol), and some Ten Seconds Studio metal, and put together this little piece.

I cut the heart out of a piece of reddish material and backed it with some card, and stuffed it with cotton wool..couldn't find my stuffing.. nothing unusual in that !!. I edged it in gold dabber, and did the same with the canvas. The canvas is painted with Claudine's paints in Modern Red. The little crown and wings were cut out in gold metal, added a little bit of red dabber to them, and ran through the embossing folders.

I hope it qualifies!
Thank you Hels for the challenge :))
Happy Creating!

Shaping along nicely...

I am referring to the  Lots to do Challenge, where shapes are the order of the day. I took lots of shapes, a jigsaw shape as a base, large, shapes from Tattered florals, leaves from Wendy Vecchi, kindly left by Hels (thank you), and letter shapes from the girls paperie.

I gessoed the jigsaw shape, and distress inked it in shades of yellow, with a tinge of black on the edges. I added the letters, and the cut out floral shapes ( which are in mountboard, which nearly killed my machine! grr) and distress inked them, added Rock candy crackle paint to the letters, added buttons, mini grungepaper roses and idea-ology to the flowers. 

 

Thank you girls for the challenge. I enjoyed making this!
If you fancy joining in pop over and have a look.
Happy Creating!

An ideal treasure chest !

It's the weekend ! Yah.. time for me to stop work and play! that's in my dreams, but for the past couple of weeks, I have been slowly making this box. It was very kindly given to me by Hels, and to be truthful, I have sort of pinched the idea from her :(, mainly to store my idea-ology in, just as she has!!! I am such a collector of boxes, and often I never do anything with them, but this so called out to me....so I got to use lots and lots of Terra all over it. I stamped into it with a calligraphic mat. I let it dry. I sprayed it with lots of blue mica sprays. I added mother of pearl Precious metal colour in some parts, and I sprayed the inside. I finally got to use my Idea-ology feet too!! I filled it with idea-ology!!

Have a great Saturday, and stay creative!

CCC # 6 -down route 66 or in my case..81/2!

I took time out this week to take part in Linda's great weekly challenge, and travelled down the road of Tim's Compendium of Curiosities to page 66! Multi-medium Collage technique. I am not allowed to tell you how I made this, as those are the rules...but suffice it to say I used a tag, lots of  Studio multi medium,  two Wendy Vecchi stamps borrowed from Hels, some of my collage stamps which are on sale right now in the shop, and lots of idea-ology. I did distress ink in Chipped Sapphire, and Forest Gump! lol... and used pages from a Gazetteer which are thin and perfect for this technique.. all I can say is the thinner the paper the better.

I have to say I really have absolutely no idea where I was going with this piece, but it seems to be travel based, kind of...lol postcards, stamps, old maps, and an 8 and a half!!! On reflection I should have done a 66, but it makes life interesting, so give me the best reason for the 8 1/2 and I will send you the tag :)....answers in the comments or on a postcard!!
May creativity be with you today :)))
Hugs

ReElly on a Roll....

Yesterday was a great day. Hels popped over ( well it is quite a trek from hers, so it is hardly popping over, but you know what I mean!), and we spent the morning doing all the admin stuff, and stuffed ourselves for lunch with nachos, and then we got down to the nitty gritty stuff of PLAYING and CREATING!!  I had asked that she bring over some Wendy Vecchi stamps for me to stamp, and as my desk is so tidy, she spotted something, and away she went. Such a creative mind! Me I LOVED it! Messy, inky, die cutting, although we nearly broke my new all singing , all dancing machine ( you know the one that works at the press of a button!), but we fixed it after a little omg sweaty moment!
This is both of our versions, and can you spot Hels's?

Of course you could! This is mine...a wooden spool distress inked in rusty Hinge, sprayed in mica mists, of course, where would I be with out them? I added some of Tim's scrummy tissue tape to the reel middle and some string ( Hel's idea.. she is full of them :) 

 I attached it to a large Tattered Flower cut out in Mountboard, stamped with one of Wendy's stamps. I double stamped the large and medium butterflies onto Grungepaper, and glued them together- PERFECT fit!  The antennae are little flower stamens glued in with wire to hold them in the spool. Two of Wendy's leaves, distressed inked and cut out on grungepaper, added to the effect.

The saying fitted perfectly on an Adage ticket, perfect with a memo pin! Finally I added a mini grungepaper rose, this one is tiny, and just finished it off. These flowers are addictive!

This is the first time we have "played" in a while, and Hels, thank you it was a fun day :)))
Have a truly creative day

Dizzy heights of a woywwer!

Today is the day we all (well not all of us), some of us post our messy, or not so messy, (should that be tidy..lol) workdesks. Julia, who started this worldwide phenomenon should be congratulated in getting others to see how we work. I for, one love Wednesdays, and I can sneak peek stuff...hehe. Today's desk is from high up, same desk, probably same stuff, do I ever move it? not often!  I stretched out my little hands, and held the camera high up and pressed the button. Actually I could pretend I was 5' 8" high ( wouldn't that be nice to be able to see over crowds?) Unfortunately I am quite short, so tiptoes was the order of the day! Out of 3 pics came this one. I was quite pleased, good shot girl!! rofl.

There are at least 3 working projects on it, and this was how I left it Tuesday night after spending some time trying to prep some artwork! The mini roses at the front are sprayed with Crafty Notions sprays, and while doing so I managed to spray myself, and my clothes too! Can you see the little white porcelain figures.. these are fabulous, and destined for a project soon... oh well enough wittering on... I need to see your desk, and hopefully will be round later or tomorrow, please keep the door open for me!
Happy Woywwing!

A sneak peek

In this month's Papercraft Essentials, Stamping Essentials, issue 57, I have a project which I thought you might like a sneek peak. I cannot show you much more, as obviously the magazine is now on sale, so to get the full "story" you will have to buy the magazine.

I am off to design more stamps as I have a visitor coming tomorrow to make sure I am doing them right!! rofl. Hopefully I will get to have some playtime too! ooh that sounds a bit suspect!! :)))... see you tomorrow for what on your desk as it is Wednesday again!
Enjoy your day

Candid camera!

It is not often that I let myself be photographed, I have a tendency to hide or avert my face... but I was sent some leaflets for the Artisan show on Oct 1st and 2nd at Leamington Spa, and I have been sending them out to unsuspecting victims!. However, I just put them in the envelopes, and just glanced at the leaflet, not taking much in, until OH said had I seen that I was in the leaflet? Moi? No! I hadn't! Oh my!, I was featured largely!!! We did the show last year and it is a great show, new, but a great venue, with very friendly people, and set in the countryside just outside Leamington Spa. But to be in their leaflet was , errr in my mind, so embarrassing, but such an honour! Note the nail polish... I have chosen a new colour for this year..lol

I am doing workshops both days and you can book them if you want to. We are going to make an altered mini suitcase to keep those ATC's or trinkets.. you can book it here.

If you cannot make Artisan, we will be at Stamperama on 15th August, Ally Pally on 25th and 26th September and Port Sunlight on 9th October. I also have several workshops too going on during these months at various shops. You can find all the details here.
Have a Creative day!

A cracking little box

Today is the day I do a tutorial on Gingersnap Creations, and I was really pleased with the little box that I created for the tutorial. I have found photographs really often do not do some artwork justice, and this little beauty is extremely tactile, so much so that if I touch it anymore  all the crackle will fall off! Do go and check out how I made it, and at the same time have a look at some of the other brilliant tutorials and challenges on Gingersnap!

Have a creatively sunny Saturday
Hugs

Life begins at 40

At least that is what they say! Last month was Hel's 40th birthday, and over the years that I have known her, through the good times, and the bad, she has always been cheerful, and happy. Hels is my Creative co-ordinator, and I love her artwork, and her very funny blog.. always makes me smile in the mornings when I am feeling grumpy! In my normal fashion, I wanted to make her something special for a card for her birthday. As always, I left it to the last minute! As I know she got this..lol  actually I did manage to post it in time, there's a first :) I thought I would show you what I made. It was done in a hurry, so I could get the post!!! A piece of advice.. never leave things to the last minute!!! I used some Teresa Collins papers , my bind-it-all, and some distress ink, a couple of pieces of Idea-ology, and absolutely no stamps at all!

Talking of stamps, I am spending my days at the moment designing new ones for you.. lots of eyestrain, lots of emails too and froing, and lots of coffee!! They will be with you soon... watch out for the sneak peeks!
Have a very Creative Day
Hugs

WOYWW..

Today is Wednesday, but you know that already, don't you? and if you have just arrived on my blog, then you will wonder what today is all about. It's the middle of the week, a perfect day for showing your workdesk, as suggested by the lovely Julia here. I am keeping it short and sweet this week , as really the mess says it all.. back to my norm, almost!! On the desk is a project for later in the week, actually two if I get it finished, and also the absolutely awful mess of boxes, where yesterday I "lost" my silver eyepins and wire...no I haven't found them, so methinks a new lot will have to be bought! Mind you I do have piles of stuff elsewhere, so they could be there! Ooops, waffling and making the post longer by the word! So the mess is "organised",and  now even messier in the boxes, but at least it is put away. Now just to organize the boxes! That's the pile of them, not what is inside!!!! lol

Have a great Wednesday, and Happy Woywwing.. will be round to see yours later
Hugs

Crowning Glory

Over on Sunday Stampers, the theme this week is "Song sung Blue", a tune, that yes, Hels is running round my head as I type! lol Blue has always been one of my favourite colours, and so I thought I would have no trouble making something for the challenge. Wrong! I wanted to make an alcohol inked domino. I duly had Mal drill me holes so I could hang stuff from them, and hang them up too, but it didn't quite work out like that. Can I find my silver headpins, my silver wire..not a hope.. buried somewhere in the mass (sorry, mess!)of my workshop, and I thought I had organised everything beautifully!! Later this afternoon, I feel a sort out coming!! watch out for tomorrow's pics on woyww!! So out came the alcohol inks, Pool, Aqua, and Denim, carefully dabbed on the domino. I used two images, one from the Gibson Girls plate, and one from Architecture Plate 2 (now retired) ,stamped with Black Archival. I know they needed something, so I did manage to find a gorgeous crown for one, and the other is from Tim's Idea-ology. Now all I have to do is add beads when I find the wire!

 See you tomorrow for woyww
Have a Creative day!

5 years on...

Today is our fifth wedding anniversary, and it was hot the day we got married, and it is HOT today too! Even the wind is hot, a bit like being in the savannah, where the wind blows hot( not sure about this, but it sounds good!!lol) I think a trip to the sea would be good, accompanied by a Frappucino, and a bowl of ice cubes. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE the SUN, but this is VERY HOT!!! it is too hot to craft, but I did, early this morning, and this is what I made for the love of my life, a very patient man, who puts up with my quirky ways, my nagging ( who me? lol) , and my cats!!
I wanted to make something to remember today, that also had wood in it...5 is wood apparently, it could be also apparently be silverware.. but my budget didn't run to this, so here is a wooden shadow box , and I made a collage inside, with some of Tim's papers, and some of the girl's paperie cut outs, and lots of distress ink, and idea-ology charms, and mini paper roses, and a little tiny bottle.

I am off to pretend I am in Spain with my feet in a bowl of cold water to cool down, and a large glass of something cool!
Have a CREATIVE DAY!

Shabby Chic Blues

I like challenges as I have found they get the mojo flowing, and even though I have to admit, this piece has had a little bit of birdie influence from a certain person! It was so fun doing this technique again. Over on Studio L3 there is a challenge using techniques from Tim's Compendium of Curiosities.   This week's challenge is to use page 49.
I used a beer mat ( first one for me) , black and cool peri dabbers, made a metal bird from Tim's dies,used  an adage ticket and an ornate plate, added a hanger ,{ sorry this is no longer available, as it has been discontinued :( } and was really quite pleased with the finished piece. The stamps are Tim's from Artful Artifacts.  Thank you Linda for the challenge, it is a great way to spend an afternoon.

Do pop over to Linda's blog and take part if you have the book.
Have a very Creative day