Happy New Year- Variations on a Theme

Oh My! it has been a while since i posted anything on my long neglected blog :(
I do do a lot of bits and bobs, but what with running the shop most days, time often runs away with me. I created 3 variations on a theme for our Creative Team challenge, and used my Gel plate to create backgrounds, plus a stencil from PaperArtsy's artist Sara Naumann. I also used our own mini stencils, and calligraphic mat. Colour blue, as always lol

Bring on 2019!
Happy Creating xx

 

Sneaky Peek 3 ways...and a giveaway!

Dear Blog, I am keeping my promise to you, and trying to blog more often...whether I keep it up will really depend...but for the moment, I am getting there... I mean the weather is rather nice today and the sun is beating through my window, and the lure of sitting with a long cool drink does speak volumes! But, in the meantime, later this week we will have a few new stamps , and this is just a sneaky peek of one of them stamped three ways... I used archival ink, distress ink, and distress paint and stain... sorry only a sneaky peek, but if you fancy a chance of winning this stamp... I will be giving away one of them towards the weekend... all you have to do is comment on this blog post :)

Happy Creating
Hugs

It's SALE time!

Hello, and I do hope that you had a brilliant break (if you had one), and are getting back into the swing of things! Now the same cannot be said of me, as my entire studio looks like a bomb has hit it, and needs a good winter spring clean! A job for today while the winds howl around outside, and it is cosy and warm inside! I don't make resolutions for the new year, and although I don't, one passed my mind that perhaps I should try to blog more often, even if it wasn't a piece of artwork, and so with that in mind, here are details of a GREAT SALE with up to 25% off everything at The Artistic Stamper, a perfect time to get those stamps you have always wanted, or  with even more off these- Perfect Pearl Mists

And just in case you haven't seen, and would like a kick start to your 2012 crafting check out The Creative Team artwork .. fabulous creations to start the new year with Sarah Engels-Greer as our guest designer.

Have a more creative day than me... it is a paperwork and perhaps a tidy up day for me ...yuck!
Hugs

Life is an adventure!

The sticker on this book claims adventure to be "an unusual, exciting, often romantic experience!" mmmmmm exciting always, unusual , yes.. romantic possibly, as this weekend, I have 2 great events to go to... The Annual Hop Festival in our town, where booze flows freely, there is singing and dancing, and lots of music! I don't think I have ever missed one since I have lived here, and today will be no exception. Tomorrow I am before the crack of dawn to Lille in France to visit their annual flea market! got my Euros, backpack on wheels, camera, and my sense of adventure! So excited! 50 kilometres of stalls, French ambience, and hopefully sun, not rain! Will tell you more when we return....In the meantime, just in case you don't have an adventurous weekend, here is a little book for you.
I made this with the size A7 plain book, lots of Picket Fence white distress stain to cover up the brownness (is that a word) of the cover, followed by lots of blues. I then added Gesso over a stencil, and heat dried it. The stick is one of my own, but the flower is Tim's Tattered Flower die , cut in Kraft Glassine, crumpled, covered in Picket Fence stain, heated covered in more stains, stamped, then Perfect Pearls brushed on and heated.

Not intentional, but I realised just now that everything I used was brown, and then coloured!  I will be taking this with to write down how much I spend....like I will remember the pen as well!
Just as aside, we now have the Picket Fence distress stain back in stock, and most of the new Idea-ology products too! Just check out the new products page on the website :))
Have a very adventurous and creative weekend,,,
Hugs
 

A curious scribble stain!

Oh my! I have been very good, and today is my second post of the year on 2.1.11!!! lol ( if I post tomorrow it will be a miracle! ) Today for the first time for ages I have entered Linda's Compendium of Curiosities challenge with Tim's scribble stain technique. It being Sunday, and still the holidays here in the UK until Tuesday..I have to say I have been quite lazy and just made a very quickie tag using the technique found on page 34 of Compendium of Curiosities book. Stamps used Mr Holtz's with a little snippet of The Artistic Stamper open Sequin waste!



Thank you Linda for the inspiration and challenge.
Happy Creating!
Hugs x

44 days to Christmas...

I had absolutely no idea that Christmas was so near! If you say it quick, then it doesn't seem so near.. does it? 44 days!!! ( I did research this time element , just in case you wondered, and this is the number of days until Christmas day!) My heart is pounding at the thought that I haven't bought any presents, or made my lists.. I make lots of them!! Have you made your cards.. probably.. I never make mine before Christmas Eve, and then they get sent to arrive nearer New Year than Christmas! But I am organised this year! I have made them..ok, I have only made 6! Actually I made them for my Christmas cards with a Twist workshop, and I had great fun doing them too. I have shared two with you already , and I thought I would share a few more with you this week. Then you can be organised like me!! rofl.



This is one of my favourite cards, and was so simple to make. I used the Winter Wonder Alterations die from Mr Holtz, some alcohol inks, a tiny piece of Ten Seconds Studio metal, and a few snowflake stamps from The Artistic Stamper.
Cut out the die from Glossy card, and alcohol ink in light colours. Add a few splodges of blending solution to lighten the colours.
I stamped the snowflakes on the card with Snow Cap Pigment ink onto the snowman.
I made a sandwich of metal with Humungo Tape and card, and cut another snowman and a snowflake out too. Make sure that you cut the snowman exactly the same way as you cut the first one, otherwise the hat will be the wrong way round! I ran both through the Snow Flurries Texture Fades , and in fact did them upside down so the snowflakes were indented rather than raised. A general tip is that the texture fades will emboss upwards if you run it through the machine with the Sizzix words on the fades upwards. I do have a couple that this doesn't work like this, so I would test them first.
I lightly sanded the metal and cut out the hat to fit, and glued on with Glossy Accents.
Attach to the card with foam pads.
I liked the idea that you could make a Christmas card with pink and purple!
Watch this space for another one tomorrow.. at this rate I will have enough cards to send out to my friends :))
Hugs

Celebration Time!-edited to add more candy!!

Today is my blogaversary, and who would have thought 3 years ago, that I would be telling you about my days, showing you my ART (such as it is! lol) ,or trying to photograph you my VERY messy desk!

 I love what I do, I love that I make stamps, that I can indulge in making art, that I teach , and that I have learnt so much over the years! I also love that I have met so many talented people from all over the world too through the power of the blog!
 It is only made possible by you, who buy my stamps and products, and create with them...

So to celebrate I am GIVING AWAY over £100 worth of goodies, including Tim's Compendium of Curiosities, a wooden bird to alter, a Sizzix Alteration, lots of Artistic Stamper stamps, Kling-On, a mini suitcase  that is impossible to get anymore, grungepaper, and some idea-ology.

Who knows I may even throw in more ( some of the new Sizzix dies are winging their way to me for delivery on Monday!*wink*). Actually if we have more than 100 comments I will add a new die.

So... to WIN this all you have to do is make a comment below, add the candy to your sidebar if you wish, make a comment on The Artistic Stamper Creative Team blog too, ( checkout the art there.. stunning!) and become a follower of both blogs. My!  that means you have FIVE whopping chances to win!! That is good odds in my book!! lol. I will post all around the world too! The blog candy finishes in two weeks, and  I will choose the winner or could that be winners *wink* on Monday 27th September.

Just as an aside, a big thank you to Hels, who made the first comment on my blog, and encouraged me to go for it.... :)))
I need to get some sleep as I am making a mess with melt art at Pickleberry Papercrafts later today, and hoping to have some fun too!
Happy Creativity and good luck!

edited-- to add this wonderful Alterations embossing folder, as we now have more than 100 comments.. make it 200 and I will add more!!!





Good Luck in the draw!
 

New Day! New Month! New Blog! New Stamps!

I cannot believe that it is August! We have been steadily working towards today here at The Artistic Stamper. We have a New Blog dedicated to our Creative Team. We have new stamps yippee!

We have lots of opportunities to win blog candy, and we have a new blog challenge too! All this in the space of a day!!

Alongside all this inky goodness, Hels has a chance for you to win even more blog candy over at The Sunday Stamper! which is sponsored by The Artistic Stamper.  I am so excited, and I have even forgone my sleep to stay awake, and load all the new inkiness on the website for you!!

I did even manage to make ART today just for the new blog Challenge, Something Old, Something New, which I am also entering in Sunday Stampers.. oooh do you think Hels will let me win??rofl!!

I made this piece using and old wooden jigsaw piece as the base, and added the new flowers in grungepaper, and one of the new birds peeping behind. If I let you into a secret please don't tell anyone, but I dropped alcohol ink all over the outer flower when I was trying to recolour the jewelled brad.. oops! disaster!  But I just dropped alcohol ink on all the other petals, and it seemed to make it stand out better!

I am off now to see what is happening on The Creative Team Blog and have a glass of Champagne to celebrate...

Just as an aside I haven't chosen the winner of the blog candy yet, as it is just after midnight, and I will do that later on today... watch this space for the winners.. did I say winners???? *sneaky grin*

Happy Creating!

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!
 

New! Alcohol Ink video

I should have edited this video months ago, but life has been cruel to me, and not given me enough time! lol but here it is anyway. I guess it is self explanatory!
Ingredients: Alcohol inks, glossy card, alcohol ink tool, 2 stamps (one with lots of open space, I used  a naughty nude from The Artistic Stamper, a script stamp, black archival inkpad and a non stick craft sheet. Take one video and the ingredients and have a go! Simple and effective!

Happy Creating!

Tick tock..

The countdown is on to Ally Pally , the Big Stamp & Scrapbooking Show, and here is a little taster of what I will be demoing.... I do have some new stamps launching there, and these will be on the website on Monday..

 Pop by and see hello if you are coming.. Off now to pack van, and drive to set up the shop..
Hugs

Timed Out-updated!

This is a rather appropriate title as The Artistic Stamper website has some server issues at the moment, and consequently may be rather slow to load, but never fear we have a back up site at http://www.theartisticstamper.co.uk/, but if you buy you need to use the back arrow rather than the continue shopping button! All the new distress inkpads are on their way to me and will be here next week, so you can pre-order those too! For Tim Holtz idea-ology I have put the link pages on the sidebar as the main page to these didn't load properly...grrr. Hopefully all will be fixed later today! It is now fixed! YAH! And as a special, Sarah Lawrence of Karantha fame has let me pre-release her new stamps a day early, and boy are they gorgeous! Check them out here.
I had hoped this week would be gentle with me , but it has gone by in a flash, but I did get some artwork done, and over on Gingersnaps, they let me do a post..( did they know what they were in for , I wonder! lol) . This is the piece I did for them, so go check out how I did it.

Have a great weekend and I will be back tomorrow with something new and stunning! hehe just to keep you guessing....lol

Gingersnap Creations’ Valentine Blog Hop and Hop Stop # 9

Welcome to the Gingersnap Creations’ Valentine Blog Hop and Hop Stop #9
If you’ve already been hopping then hopefully you have just come from Shar at Ill Tempered Ink. If you are starting here, welcome! It's a loop so you can start anywhere along the way!
At each stop, you need to collect a word! There are 9 stops in all starting and ending with the Gingersnap Creations blog where you can get all the specific information and get a peak at the the goodies in the Valentine Giveaway including some treats from The Artistic Stamper.
When you get all your words, 9 in all, unscramble them to form a quotation about love.

Once you have your guess at the quote, email it and your name to gingersnapstamp@gmail.com by February 20, 2010. We will be picking one lucky winner at random from the correct entries to win the Valentine Giveaway package!
If you visit all the stops, you should end up right back at Gingersnap Creations with 9 words! Unscramble the words to come up with a love quote and email it on to gingersnapstamp@gmail.com. That's all there is to it!
Don't forget to leave me a message , so I know you have been here..lol, and over on The Artistic Stamper , we have FREE postage this weekend to celebrate too!
If you get lost along the way, you can see the entire route at Gingersnap Creations.
My word is "the".

Your next stop on the hop is Gingersnap Creations. Have fun and good luck!

New Stamps, sneak peek winners and Gingersnaps!

I have been trying all day to write this, and have been waylaid by emails that have built up during my trip, updating the website and the general malarkey of running a company! But finally I have made it, and so happy to release these stamps, which tie in perfectly with the Gingersnaps Blog Challenges this month which we are sponsoring! Romantic hearts for Valentines Day, Gorgeous 20's women in hats, and my favourite stamp the sequin waste!
You can find them on the website here, and I am wishing that I had had time to make a little piece for you to look at, but that is for tomorrow, so here is a couple of the stamps including the sequin waste.

Oh did I forget??  you are only really wanting to know the winners.. well for the 1st sneak peek, step up to the podium

NIGEL

       LYNN WILD

 you are my next winner, and finally last but not least

DEBBIE S

the final stamp is all yours!
Please email me your snail mail addresses so I can send you your stamps, and even better you can pick which one you would like:) Just let me know in your email.
Please do check out Gingersnaps blog, it is full of brilliant articles and challenges, and oh such lovely artwork!
Off now to warm up my tootsies in front of a fire, keep warm

More melting fun

I am so excited as I am off to Anaheim to CHA with one of my oldest friends in the business, Wendy from The Stamp Attic. Wendy and I go way back when to those days when stamping was just putting a stamp on a card and colouring it in! In fact you even stamped with felt tips instead of ink! I thought ooh a bit of sun and lots of new goodies to look at, but no the forecast is rain, rain and more rain! mmmmm... umbrella or bikini? lol I will be twittering pics from there if all goes well and I can get the phone to work, so if you would like to see pictures, then follow me on Twitter.

I shall schedule a few posts for while I am gone, so you can still get some inspiration , and the webshop will still be open with Mal filling orders! Please be patient with him!
Meanwhile back in the studio, where it is chaos, I have taken a couple more projects from the workshop to show you.
Here in this piece, I dipped a piece of stamped card into the meltpot which was clear utee with a couple of drops of  To Dye for Ink (yellow) and allowed it to dry on the non stick sheet. When it was cool, I gently moved the card back and forth so it cracked. I then just wipe over a distress ink to fill the cracks.

The second piece is an idea I gleaned from Suze, and uses the Idea-ology Frames. Here I filled the frame which is placed on the non stick mat the right way up, and while it is still warm, poke a hole in it in the middle. I dipped one of the Idea-ology Foliage flowrs in th utee, and the leaves are covered in distress stickles. Add the flower to the centre of the utee frame with a long brad, and glue back in with Glossy Accents. Add the elements with jump rings.

Happy Creating!

Christmas comes but once a year

and I love giving stuff away, so today is no exception! Yesterday a few people commented on the card that was on my desk, and I thought I would show you a couple of versions of it, and giveaway BLOG CANDY too!
I used the small Father Christmas on the Mini Christmas Plate 1, and stamped him in Black Archival ink on a piece of chipboard or mountboard. . Then I carefully inked him and the surrounding card in Distress inks. The actual card was stamped using Gold Dabber on Tim Holtz's Fabulous Flourishes, allowed to dry and then distress inked over the gold. Make sure that you clean your stamp off thoroughly after using dabber as it dries and then is impossible to remove! I then carefully dabbed off the distress ink off the gold paint. It gives a great subtle effect. You should try it, so simple.

I would love to give someone the chance to use the Mini Christmas Plate

 

from all the comments I get between now and Monday. If you post it on your blog too, you can get an extra go in the draw! I will even trow in some gold dabber , some Kling-On cushioning and a Christmas Card too from me!

Don't forget the Tagtastic Blog Candy too , but you have to have done at least one tag!

Good luck to everyone, and I will post worldwide too!

Hugs

Distressed Flower Fever!

The title sounds like a song, or even an illness! In this case it is a tag , absolutely perfect for a present for a friend! I have a thing at the moment for flowers, and to fuel my passion, I designed more flower stamps for use with Grungepaper, or just ordinary patterned paper. I used two of the solid stamps, and one of the outline stamps from the  Flower Fever die sheet and lots of purple distress ink to make this little tag.
The solid stamps were stamped and then distress stickled in the same colours. Don't you love the fact that all the Adirondack colours go together , with the colours just slightly different depending on the medium?
I cut out the flowers in different sizes on Grungepaper , and inked them in Peeled Paint and Dusty Concord, and layered them on top of the ones on the tag adding a Idea-ology Flower  and long brad on each. A purple ribbon, and the tag is ready!

Have a Creative Day!

New Mabel Lucie Attwell stamps!

Firstly a BIG thank you to everyone who joined in the guessing game! What wonderful comments which gave me a smile every time I read them!
I know you want to see what the new stamps are and I do hope we haven't disappointed!
This is Nature's Little Helper

 Followed by Holly

closely followed by "Care to Dance"

The winner of the first stamp is Sid for guessing correctly the stamp.. Congratulations!

The winner of the 2nd stamp is Katherine Yah! Congratulations!

And, the winner of the third stamp is Carolands Step onto the podium! Congratulations!

Please email me your snail mail addresses, so I can get the stamps into the post for you.

I have to say I wish I could give a prize to everyone, but if you want to look at the stamps, and the most wonderful goodies that are new on the website go here

We have the most fantastic sets of Prima Flowers, the new Claudine Hellmuth Craft Bucket, the new Utee colours from Suze Weinberg, Tim Holtz stamps and idea-ology, and lots of Maya Road Chipboard! We also only charge £2.25 for goodies under £20.00 and FREE postage over £20 to ANYWHERE in The World!

Finally I got arty last night and made a little tag/bookmark using the "Care to Dance" Fairy!

Have a great day!

Simples!

I love that advert that uses the words "Simples" lol, and this is just a simple tag , with a very intense alcohol inked background, two of The Artistic Stamper backgrounds, and a very simple saying! "may all your Dreams come true". Please note there is not a grungepaper flower in sight!!! lol

By the time you read this, the Stamp Festival at Port Sunlight will be over and I will be trucking back down the motorway , eating chocolate to stay awake, and probably singing along to music on the radio!!! Hope Mal has his earplugs with him!