Simon Says - show us your newest....

Monday was time for another Simon Says challenge - "show us your newest stamp"  On Monday I didn't have a newest stamp - (well I did, but not a very new one, haha!) but the post came on Wednesday with some goodies including the Tim Holtz harlequin background stamp (atc sized) and today I had time to play.

I have used victorian velvet distress ink for the background (spritzed with water) and the harlequin background.  The same package that brought the stamp also brought the "vintage market" alphabet die which I cut using a piece from the vintage shabby paperstack.  The other stamp, also called harlequin,  is by Judikins, so I added some music tissue tape to tie in this theme. This Judikins stamp always makes me think of Venice and carnivals - somewhere I'd love to go.....

Beautiful beautiful paper!!

Now, you may have noticed on various tours of my craft-cum-living room on Wednesday show and tell WOYWW days, that I have a bit of a thing about paper...... at the end of last year when Paperartsy introduced it, I bought a pack of the FANTASTIC and yes, I am shouting - Thorndon Hall papers.

Until today, I have done no more than love it from the pack. But as they say, you can't take it with you and it was finally time to play.... Oh, Leandra, it is soooo gorgeous. (I am not on commission, I promise, but it is wonderful quality - 12 x 12 sheets of double sided designs and they are all wonderful)

This is an 8x8 card and I used one sheet of paper with a tiny little scrap left for - something!! (I won't throw it out, just in case).

If you know Leandra's stamps you will recognise several of the images in this paper pack so they co-ordinate perfectly, although I have only used the paper here, and one PSX stamp on a white scrap of paper, which I then coloured with some of my (Christmas present) perfect pearl powder in Cappuchino from the "cafe" set.  It matches the colour of the paper pretty well.   I added a couple of little pearls to the centre of the rosettes, these are in a sort of pale peachy colour that match the second side of the paper I used (with the map).

What's on your Workdesk - 5th Jan 2011

Happy New Year, WOYWWers! Hope you all had a great New Year - I stayed home (alone - by choice) watching the fireworks from London on TV in bed - they were fab this year.

So, we have a new year, and I have a new day job desk - but no pics of that yet! We moved offices over the holidays - went in on Tuesday for the first day to the new office - heating broken (in the whole building, not just our office) and so it was freeeeezing.  They say it should be fixed by the end of the week. The phones though won't be in till next week (at least the line won't) till then we're on one mobile between us...  And no printer yet either.... ever tried running an office without a printer?!  hey ho!

So onto my crafting floor space. Nothing on that today either, so taken a couple of "surround pics" for you - excuse the piles of "stuff"!! Just as well I didn't publish a resolution to tidy up, as I haven't (yet)....

 This is supposed to be a chair for sitting on... in front of it is a box of cards I've previously blogged and the blue boxes hold (more) stamps and the top one is my "bit of everything" box - grungepaper, prima flowers, masks, embellishments.... What looks like it may be a huge pile of papers is mainly magazines with my Tim paperstacks on top... and the sweets I didn't eat over Christmas!

This is where I work on the floor - the craft mat is my "desk" and what was before Christmas, quite a tidy pile of bits and bobs! You see the edge of it most weeks in my "desk shot"..



Not sure if I'll get to many of you (again) this week, as I do a lot of my hopping at work - may not get away with that today.... so I'll catch you when I can.  In the meantime, scoot off to head girl Julia's for some more glorious and busier spaces.  She blamed me the other day for encouraging her to buy the Tim Holtz rosette die - cheek!  Julia, hope you're enjoying it!

CCC 26 - for Dad

It's Monday - a new Compendium Challenge - set by Linda  from page 45 (rusted grunge) and it's also the 4th anniversary of my Dad's death - so this tag is for him. Miss you, Dad.(not that I ever saw him use a brolly!)

The background is "sailboat blue" adirondack spray that I treated myself to just before Christmas, "brolly man" is stamped on a scrap tag with a rejected scribble stain technique (that badly failed!) and over inked with a little dusty concord. The grunge letters are from Tim's stripey alphabet set I've had ages.... The sentiment seemed kind of appropriate.

Not sure if it looks best photographed against this stripey background (a chocolate box wrapping from Christmas... still full!) or the plain scanned version.

As usual there is an amazing prize on offer so have a go.

Alterations - H style!

I've been playing today!! As there is only a day left before I have to go back to work after what has been a lovely long break for Christmas/New Year I wanted to make the most of it.


I bought a cardboard "H" earlier this year  which I covered with a mixture of papers, paints and embossed metal.

 Though I have had trouble taking photos!!

Also used some terra paste and inka gold paint and some bling on a grungepaper flower from my stash.

And some idea-ology bits.

 and of course, tissue tape!






























These are the pine trees embossed on poison ivy metal, but they don't show up too well in the photo.

1.1.11

1.1.11 - what a great date! I wanted to do something really gorgeous but my mojo left me.

 At least a year ago, I bought this, and it has sat on a pile gathering dust ever since. But I saw that Nick and her daughter are wrecking theirs and it spurred me into action.

So far I haven't done much and I am not much good yet at letting my inhibitions go - but it's a start. I have also realised I can't free-hand draw very good circles!!

Maybe tomorrow I will be able to make some proper art!!

Happy New Year!

Well. as 2010 is nearly over, I just wanted to wish you all a very happy, healthy, peaceful new year.

I have had a chance to play with some new stash - my sister in law and brother came over the other day with my Christmas present that had got delayed in the post - toys!!!

 It's ok, Lynne - I won't tell them what you did with the box of gems. (But I am still finding them....) tee hee, bet you thought you'd got away with it!!

So I used the pine trees on a tag - coloured with a mixture of distress ink and some eco-green paint (green patina, which has a glorious shimmer to it)

I made a rosette with some of the lost and found paper stack in suitable colours, and a small pearl at the centre (something Lynne and I decided would look good the other day)

The stamp is part of a Christmas one that I got back out of the drawer, and I made a couple of tissue tape ruffles to accent it.








If you're going out tonight, have a fabulous time - don't drink too much - get home safely - have fun!  I will be staying home and watching the London fireworks on TV in bed.... sad that I am!