Anyone for Cocoa?

It's already Week 13 of Grungy Monday which celebrates all things Tim Holtz,over at Studio L3, hosted by the lovely Linda Ledbetter.  This week it's time to get the Alcohol Inks out, and pay a visit to Ranger Ink to see Tim's How-To video. There is some fabulous inspiration from Linda and the two guest designers this week, Celina, and Suzanne, so please go and check out their blogs.
I'm not really given to making cards, but thought I'd have a go, just for a change.

I've used Butterscotch, Red Pepper, Lettuce and Gold  Alcohol Inks for my background, and the stamped images are Artistic Outpost stamps. The cocoa coloured paper is from my Lost and Found paperstack, and I've kept it really simple with some twine a button and some tiny fasteners to finish off.

Where's my Grungepaper?

Haven't used those Wendy Vecchi stamps for a long time, so it's about time they came out of the box that they have been lurking in for about the last six months.  I just love all the wonderful things that Wendy makes, they are so inspiring.
 I thought I'd make a simple tag, and as the theme for Sunday Stampers this week is Words, it will be my entry over at Hel's brilliant blog.

The tag is inked in Antique Linen and Vintage Photo, then sploshed with water, then stamped with stitches from the Just Sew Artsy stamps. I was going to stamp the leaves on Grungepaper, but it's hiding somewhere so I spent a laborious ten minutes cutting them out from card, which I only managed to tear once and have cunningly concealed!
The heart is coloured with Barn Door DI, and the lace trim is also a Wendy stamp.
I then used my new (birthday pressie to self) die to cut out the bookplate, which is painted with gold acrylic paint and aged a bit with Espresso acrylic. The words are from Tim's Odds and Ends stamp.
The flower is yet another Wendy Vecchi stamp (Art in Bloom), and I'm so sad the button in the middle doesn't show up very well, because it is gorgeous, with a lovely sparkly middle

A Bit of Resistance

It's great to have been on holiday, but it's really nice to be at home and on a very wet and windy midsummer day I have the perfect excuse to stay in and play with ink and paint. I've used some of my favorite Artistic Outpost stamps to make this tag, and the technique is one which can be found over at Tim Holtz's fabulous blog, which is always full of lovely stuff to look at. 



It seems like ages since I've joined in with Grungy Monday, and I can't believe that we are already on number 12, but as it's only Tuesday today, maybe I can catch up with a few of the challenges I've missed during the next week.  Go and have a look at the beautiful design team pieces by Alison, Linda, and Linda over at Studio L3.

This week Simon Says Stamp and Show Some Metal, so it's two for one with this tag, though why do I always feel like I should really make two completely different things? 

Anyway, I must now go out in the rain and rescue my Sweet Peas, which have not only got seriously beaten up by the rain, but some of the canes have now pulled out of the ground in the stormy weather. 

Back from my Holidays

I have just come back from my holidays, and what an action packed and fabulous time I had. It had always been a dream to see the Grand Canyon, and now I have. Awesome is an over used word, but it truly is. I had not in my wildest dreams imagined how vast and impressive it is.  However, the trip just got better and better,as I think I actually felt closer to the amazing wonder of the natural world in both Bryce, and Zion Canyon. And here is a picture of me at Inspiration Point, Bryce Canyon, to prove I've been!

And to round off a fabulous break from everyday life, when I got home I had a weekend of arty fun to look forward to with the lovely, and very talented Sioux Jenney and Laura Liddle.  This was something we planned after having so much fun at the Tim Holtz workshop in Febuary,  and what a great time we have had. Lots of ink, very stick UTEE, beeswax and learning some fabulous new techniques. PLUS we have drunk a teensy weensy bit of Cava, which seems to be a marvelous aid to creativity.
Our theme for the day was to alter an Ikea Mirror frame, and we all had very different ideas  that we wanted to try out.

Always a bit a bit of a think of something at the last minute person, I finally decided to use the colours I'd seen on my holidays as a point to start from.  I think my visit to Inspiration Point may have recharged my mojo which had been on it's own little holiday for a week or two .

  

Quite a few techniques going on, with lots of Tim Holtz goodies, plus some of those lovely Graphic 45 papers, and I was quite pleased with the way the butterflies turned out dipped into UTEE. Here are a few more close up images of the different elements.

I had such fun making this frame, and learnt so much from Sioux and Laura, what a fabulous way to spend a rather damp Saturday.  And now I'm going to take a quick trip around blogland to look at some of the fab art I know I've missed over the past few weeks.