Handle With Care

Well after all the lovely sunshine here in the UK I think the weather is changing again. It's a very grey day here, and so in keeping with that here's a very fitting Stampotique challenge from the wonderful Kay.

Kay here and it is my turn to host the Stampotique Designers' Challenge this week!  What might seem like a simple challenge to most, for some, whose work is generally full of color, it really will be a challenge.  But, for all of us, it's good to try something different. I have been on a black'n'white artistic kick lately because I love the crisp freshness it can bring to a card, journal page or ATC. Whatever you decide to do, keep it black and white with just a pop of color!  

Get creative this week and join us!

It's another page in my MDF scrapbook and it's quite a significant one 'cos I'm now over half way through! I just painted the board with what was left of my Dylusions black acrylic. Oh how I miss these paints! I had to get Chris to take the top off for me 'cos it was well and truely stuck, but in return I did his own body weight in washing and ironing lol. I love how the latest release of stamps work so well with my old favourites.

I get a bit giddy when I see a double page lol.

I've used

Agatha Heart

Design Cube

Tree

Great Moon

Barcode

Barcode Text

Antique Description (stamped inside Great Moon)

This is the first time I've used Agatha, and it certainly wont be the last, she is so sweet. I hope you're busy designing more Magda :-)

Now for the rules...

**Please read - new rule instituted with this challenge:
We will no longer be accepting digi stamp creations as part of our challenges.
Stampotique is a red rubber stamp company and we prefer to see creations with stamps versus those with digital creations.  These entries will be deleted and will not be eligible for the prize. Thank you for understanding.**

IMPORTANT REMINDER:

Please read ALL RULES on the linkz page before linking your creation.

If you didn't follow the rules posted, you may have been deleted.  

Feel free to relink your creation with the correct information for a chance to win.

I hope you like my page, and thanks very much for looking xx

....And A Snowman Under A Christmas Tree

The fabulous Gez has chosen the theme this week over at Stampotique Towers, and she's gone for er Christmas :-) As far as I'm concerned Gez you can pick this every week 'cos Christmas in July has really brought in the Summer! I must admit 99% of my Christmas stash is tucked away safely in the loft, but here's my take on the 12 Days of Christmas.

I've been admiring everyone's Artist Trading Blocks for months now, so I decided to make one of my own. So after three everyone, you know the tune...

On the 5th day of Christmas my Stampotique love gave to me

5 golden snowflakes

made with Giant Snowflake on shrink plastic, coloured with gold PanPastel.

4 calling birds made with the oh so cute Quails Cube 

3 French hens, made with 

Eiffel Tower

Rootie Toot and

Henny Penny

both made with shrink plastic and coloured with Prisma pencils.

My 2 turtle doves are on the head of 

Grumpy Koala and the shrink 

My Heart

and finally 

my snowman under a Christmas tree is my favourites

Global Warming and

Oh Tree

This was great fun to make, and I actually managed to measure and cut in a straight line!

So come on, get out of the sun and pretend it's Christmas (but without the stress)
I'm also entering this into the Christmas in July challenge at That's Crafty

I hope you like my box, and thanks very much for looking x

I Wanna Tell You A Story....

The theme for this weeks Stampotique challenge has been chosen by our lovely France, and here is what she says 
Hi! My name is France and I'm a bookworm. No doubt there are a lot of other bookworms among our lovely Stampotiquers.
I would like to know about your favorite books. So my challenge for you, should you accept it, is to create a piece, inspired by your favorite book. Let the story, the title, the cover, a quote inspire you! Now you might have a problem choosing your all time favorite book, don't worry, it's not like you are writing it in stone, just pick one. Or maybe your problem is that you don't like reading at all. Here is how to cheat: go for your favorite film based on a book, we won't tell ;)))
Here's mine, can you tell what it is yet ?

I love to read too, but I have to admit I'm not a heavyweight. I've had 2 favourite authers, Enid Blyton as a child, then moving on to Agatha Christie. Yep I do love a good murder mystery, and my Kindle is pack full of them. I also have shelves and boxes full or 'real' books too, which is where this one came from. I saw the film first with the lovely Eric Bana, then went and bought the book (There's a clue lol)
I've only used 2 stamps which is NOT like me, Timeless, and Girl With Heart Purse

Timeless is perfect for shrink plastic  'cos it's so easy to cut out. All the background has been painted in Silks paints.
In the time honoured tradition of all murder mysteries, here's the final denouement....

The book is brilliant, well worth a read - though it may make you cry lol. Please try and join in with our challenge, and remember the rules - no digis. Also try not to bump off any of the Stampotique characters along the way :-)
Thanks very much for looking x

Gotta Catch Up....

Answers on a postcard please if anyone knows where this week has gone! We've been back from holiday for a week now and I've just about caught up with the washing - the ironing's a treat that I've saved for tomorrow (though in 25 minutes it will be tomorrow) The fridge has been re-stocked, the cats got a new collar, and we've just celebrated our 32nd wedding anniversary :-) I'm sure there's something Freudian about me putting the cats collar before our wedding anniversary lol.

Anyway the challenge this week at Stampotique has been set by the lovely Magda and she wants us to use a newspaper or magazine in our creation. I had to raid my daughters 'Hello' collection, but here's mine.

This is as far as I got before 

I went away, the background is a mixture of gesso, alcohol inks and PanPastels. I've also stamped and embossed Raindrops and Rain Text

For you dedicated followers of fashion Hazel (Rain) is wearing a Victoria Beckham number from 2012, and her wellies and umbrella are Guchi no less! Maybe I should dress myself from the pages of Hello magazine ( not the bikini pages - that would make your eyes bleed)

My dancing kittie from Kitten Sitting is wearing prisma pencils :-)

By the way have you seen David Beckham in the new Sky ads, I know some people like him in his designer boxers, but he looks mighty fine when he's suited and booted!

So if you haven't already, please join in with our challenge and dig out the newspaper and magazines.

I've just checked the time and it is now tomorrow, so it's off to bed for me to dream about the ironing and some football game that's on later... :-)

Enjoy your weekend, and thanks very much for looking x

WOAH We're Going To Barbados

Yes I know I'm showing my age here but this was the first thought that came into my head when I saw the challenge this week which is Vacation/Bon Voyage.

When my daughter saw it she was all 'no it should be Ibiza - it's a Vengaboys song' Well red rag, meet the bull! I remember Typically Tropical and the Summer of 1975 and Captain Tobias Wilcox lol, but for those of you who don't, here's a treat :-) This was a classic long before the Vengaboys got on their flippin Vengabus (and breathe Sue....)

So my Wicked Witches are in their best holiday clothes. There's also Janet's Ribbon Border 1 in the background and the Woah is from the Altered Alpha.

My two mermaids Smushallaum and Smumanha are also going on their holidays - I wouldn't want to be on a beach anywhere near these two- they're the scariest Stampotique stamps by far lol. The words have been stamped with France's Typewriter Alpha
I may not be in Barbados, but I'm still on my holidays in Spain, and I promise to catch up with everyone when I get back. I hope you can join in with this weeks challenge, and thanks very much for looking x