Utfordring / Challenge.

Posted by Princess Eva Angelica On 3:05 PM 0 comments
Vi har gjort noen små forandringer hos StampARTic, men den 1. hver måned er vi fortsatt klar med en ny utfordring til dere, som vi håper vil være både spennende og inspirerende.Du kan lese mer om våre forandringer her.

Vi har premier fra to flotte sponsorer denne gangen, og en heldig vinner kan se frem til premier fra

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We have made some small changes at StampARTic, but the 1th every month we will still be ready with a new challenge for you, that we hope you will give you inspiration. You can find more about the changes here.

This time we have prices from two great sponsors, and one lucky winner can look forward to prices from “Floweret” and” Scrapmoment”.


Floweret er et svensk firma som tidligere solgte gummistempler, men har etterhvert gått over til digi-stempler.
Dette er mindre risiko for et lite firma, og digi-stempler blir mer og mer populært.
Vi liker den umiddelbare tilgangen til stempler, og også at det faktum at det er vesentlig billigere.

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Floweret is a Swedish company who used to sell rubber stamps, but has now turned to digi-stamps.
It is less of a risk for a small company with digi-stamps, and also digi-stamps are getting more and more popular with card makers.
We love the instant access and also the fact that digi-stamps are less expensive.

Premie/The price.

_______________________
Jag som startat Scrapmoment.com heter Hellen Söderberg och är själv en inbiten scrappare och kortmakare sedan flera år. Jag bor nu på Taiwan och här stöter jag ständigt på nya fina, annorlunda och roliga tillbehör till mina album och kort, många som jag inte sett någon annanstans tidigare. Eftersom jag ständigt fick frågan var jag köper mina tillbehör bestämde jag mig för att starta butiken Scrapmoment så att jag kan dela med mig till andra likasinnade. I min jakt på roliga och annorlunda saker snubblar jag ibland över mindre partier med artiklar som jag vill dela med mig av. Detta för i sin tur med sig att vissa produkter som säljer slut inte alltid återkommer i vårt sortiment eller att det kan ta lite tid innan dom återfinns i vårt lager igen. Men om saker och ting tar slut har vi ju en massa andra härliga grejer att välja på istället.Namnet Scrapmoment.com kommer av mitt motto: Every moment is a Scrapmoment! Och det är det verkligen. Litet som stort, alla händelser och ögonblick är värda att dokumentera. För finns det något bättre sätt att föreviga en händelse, ett fotografi eller en qoute med t.e.x ett band, några blommor och en söt liten Pinapple Twin?
Välkommen som kund! Hellen Söderberg

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My name is Helen Søderberg, and have been a scrapper and a card maker for several years. Now I live in Taiwan, and here I can find nice and different things for my cards and scrapbooking, things I haven`t seen in other places. People asked me where I got my stuff, and that is how I got the idea to start the shop Scrapmoment. Sometime I buy collections of great decorations that I want to share with you, and when it is sold out, it may not show up in the shop again. But the shop will always be filled with great and special things:) The name Scrapmoment.com comes from my motto: “Every moment is a scrapmoment!” And that is so true. There is no better way to take care of the moments in life, then scrapbooking.


Welcome to my shop.
Hellen søderberg.

Premie / The price.


_____________________________


Over til dagens utfordring:

Vi vil denne gangen se et RUNDT kort, med hovedfarger BRUN/BLÅ, etter denne SKISSEN.

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And now the Challenge:

This time we want to see a ROUND card, with main colors BROWN/BLUE, using this SKETCH.





Her er litt inspirasjon fra DT/ Here are some inspiration from DT


Maissi


Lene


Marianne

Aija


Petra



Carola


Rikke



Donna


SasSa



Husk å bruke Mr. Linky for bidraget ditt.
Fristen for å delta i denne utfordringen er midnatt 8.okt, og vinneren vil bli annonsert den 12.okt.

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Please remember to use Mr. Linky to participate in this challenge.
Deadline for this challenge will be midnight Oct 8th, and the winner will be announced Oct 12th.


Annual Banned Book Blog

Posted by Princess Eva Angelica On 2:16 PM 0 comments
Welcome to "The Gods Are Bored!" Dr. Who is on in just three minutes, and it's my experience that if you miss the opening credits you won't have a clue what's happening in the rest of the show.

But how can we let Banned Books Week go past without nodding in its general direction?

Have you ever noticed that some of the most popular and widely-read books actually ought to be banned?

I jest, of course. One does wonder, however, what the world would be like without certain exclusionary religious tracts.

I don't think any book should be banned. I would have trouble taking a book from one of my students if it was titled A Beginner's Guide to Undetectable Incendiary Devices. Hey, the kid's reading! Reading, I tell you ... and a science book at that!

The whole banned book thing has been on my mind recently because our school has a daily free-read where students spend 15 minutes minimum reading a "personal choice" book. This year the school administration issued a new directive: all "personal choice" books must be from the school. Students cannot bring books from home.

I guess you can imagine why this might be. Give an adolescent kid a couple of bucks, send him/her to WalMart, and he/she's likely to pick up some salacious, sexy, smutty tome that celebrates the lavish lifestyle of playas in the hood. Bring that to school, everyone's gonna want to read it, yo.

So. Let them read it.

We have not yet come to an era when reading isn't important, but we have come to an era where it's not something that some people want to do. In my opinion, anything that these people decide to read should not be banned for content, language, sexually explicit situations, or poor moral values. If it's words on a page, and someone is interested in reading it, I say --- here's a bookmark!

Now I'm missing Dr. Who. But I'm not finished with this topic for the year.

I recently had to pry a book out of the hands of one of my students and turn it over to the vice principal. It was about a ruthless gangsta who decided that nothing was gonna get in the way of his getting his woman back, even though she was with another dude and even had a kid with that dude. So the gangsta flashes some bling at the girl, and she goes running back, but her new bro's also a billionaire, so she can't decide. For awhile she hooks up with both of them, but in the end her baby daddy fixes it so that the gangsta gets shot. And the girl doesn't really care, because it's all about the money.

Trash. Utter trash!

Except that this is the plot of The Great Gatsby, which I will be teaching in Honors class this year.

You'll never see me ban a book. The most troublesome book I've ever read is the Bible, and even that I would say we should keep ... with some judicious edits.

The Fabulous Shift into Wisdom

Posted by Princess Eva Angelica On 3:52 PM 0 comments
Welcome to "The Gods Are Bored," discoursing occasionally on Pagan topics, but otherwise just fluff and frizz. I'm Anne Johnson, your host. My Pagan name is Peace Eagle. Jot it down so you don't forget!

Do you believe in reincarnation? I never did, for a long time. The older I get, though, the more plausible it seems.

I'll tell you why it's making more sense to me.

You'd never know it to see my wrinkle-free face and my girlish figure, but I'm now officially a Crone. Since becoming a Crone, I have had the strange notion that I have lived previous lives but never came this far before. The age I am now is so "new" to me. It's as if I don't recognize myself because I'm covering ground I've never been over before.

Oh yes, the skeptic would say this is because I'm now teaching school instead of writing books. New profession brings a feeling of oddity. Of course that could be part of it. But many times lately, I've experienced something annoying that would have, in my earlier years, sent me into a big blue funk.

Take, for instance, my recent (negative) teacher evaluation by our newly-hired department chairman. I'm not tenured, and this dude seems intent on seeing it stays that way. Even as recently as a year ago I would have been all upset, convinced that I would be out of a job, living on the lawn of my foreclosed house, dying of strep throat because I don't have insurance. Now, on this very day, all I can do is smile. Why don't I care anymore? Where has this calm come from that has enveloped me?

Know what I think? I think that in a past life I must have been in agony on my deathbed at this age. Something has shifted. I feel wise and whole, and every pain-free step I take is a blessing. (Some of you might recall that I have a titanium hip, so I have been through some health stuff.)

This coming Saturday is South Jersey Pagan Pride Day, and I intend to celebrate my entree into the Cailleach years.

Guess what else? Next Wednesday I'm going out to dinner with ... Mr. Bigwand and his wife!

See? I told you something has changed.

Shoppingtip September

Posted by Princess Eva Angelica On 11:14 AM 0 comments
Oj oj oj. Tänk va länge sen vi hade ett shoppingtip.
Men nu är det äntligen dags igen.
Så vad har vi att tipsa om idag dååå jo en del shopping pärlor...
Här tipsar teamet om nya eller nyfunna pysselgrejer vi gillar 
och oftast något ställe där man kan hitta det också.
Så luta er tillbaka så kör vi. 
Hoppas du ser något du gillar. :)

Oboy... Think it was so long ago we had a shoppingtip.
But now it´s time for another one.
So what can we give tips about today?? Well some really good jems...
Here the team gives tips about new or newly found craft material we like 
and often a place where you can find it too.
So lean back and enjoy.
Hope you see something you like. :)

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Maissis tips/ tip 

"Hook & loops Glue dots"
Med dem kan man göra fina 
låsmekanismer till väskor, kort och askar.
Du finner dem tex hos Heinikka.

"Hook & loops Glue dots"
With these you can make nice closing 
mechanism to bags, cards or boxes.
You can find for example at Heinikka.

Petras tips/ tip
Petra har hittat "Ella Blue" Collection,
ett snyggt pappersblock 
i dova blåa, bruna och beige toner
från GCD Studios som hon köpt hos Scrapbruket.

Petra have found "Ella Blue" Collection,
a lovely paperpad in 
mild blue, brown and beige tones
from GCD Studios that she bought at Scrapbruket. 



Carolas tips/ tip

"Paper Bouquet"- Boken för dig som älskar att göra dina egna blommor
Körsbärs blommor, forsythia, tagetes och petunior.
Vem kunde tro att man skulle kunna återskapa dessa underbara 
blommor med bara papper och pappers stansar/mallar?
Man kan - och detta pyssel kommer att tilltala vem som helst med liten kreativ ådra.
Genom att använda sitt egna orginal, unika metoder, 
erbjuder Susan Tierney Cockburn 40 älskade blommor att göra 
till dekorativa presenter eller hem dekor.
Hon lär ut grunderna, vilket inkluderar pappers manipulation, 
limning och färgläggning, och prensenterar hennes blommor 
så färggranna som de är ute i naturen.
Med ett alfabete av blommor, finns där en 
stor bukett av blommor att välja bland!
Foton som dokumenterar varje steg och en mall/skiss 
medföljer varje blomma.
Samt ett dussin projekt såsom dekorativa ramar och kransar.

"Paper Bouquet" - The book If you love to make your own flowers

Cherry blossoms, forsythia, marigolds and petunias.
Who would have imagined you could recreate such 
gorgeous blooms with just paper and craft punches? 
You can — and this accessible new craft will appeal to anyone with a creative bent. 
Using her own original, unique techniques, Susan Tierney Cockburn 
offers 40 beloved flowers to make for decorating gifts and home décor. 
She teaches the simple basics, including paper manipulation, gluing, 
and coloring, and presents her flowers as colorfully as they’re found in nature. 
From A (Amaryllis) to Z (Zinnia), there’s a 
bountiful bouquet of blooms to choose from! 
Photographs document every step, and a visual template of 
the punches accompanies each flower. 
A dozen sample projects range from picture frames to wreaths. 

  
Jorunns tips/ tip

Pappersblock från Whiff of Joy
Matchande papper med skojiga mönster.
Både i traditionella och otraditionella jul färger,
och många av mönsterna passar utmärkt till de
nya stämplarna från Whiff of Joy.

 Paper pad from Whiff of joy
All matching papers with fun pattern. 
Both traditional and untraditional Christmas colors, 
and many of the pattern are perfect match to the 
new Christmas images from Whiff of Joy.


 Mariannes tips/ tips....

Julstämplar designade av "Giordano" 
du finner dem hos Joanna Sheen.

Christmas stamps designed by "Giordano". 
You find them here at  Joanna Sheen. 
och/ and...

Nya jul papper från Ladybug and Friends.
Kollektionen heter "Light a candle".
Finns bla hos Papirgleder.no

New Christmas papers from "Ladybug and Friends". 
"Light a candle" 
Available example at Papirgleder.no


Till sist ett litet tips från mig... Last a little tip from me...

SasSas tips/ tip

Galen i stämplar som jag är så jag letar jag ständigt efter nya.
Dessa är bland mina senaste köp.
"Lost and found" stämplar från MME
Passar lika bra till kort som till scrapbooking.
Finns bla hos Stellas.se och Scraplagret.

Crazy about stamps like I am I´m always looking for new once.
These are among my recent purchases.
"Lost and found" stamps from MME
Works great for both cardmaking and scrapbooking.
Can be bought at for ex Stellas.se and Scraplagret.




Lycka till med shoppingen!
Berätta gärna i kommentarerna om du gjort något skojigt köp/fynd.
För visst gillar vi väl alla lite härlig shopping. :)

Good luck with the shopping!
You are welcome to tell us all in the comments if you've made a fun purchases/bargain.
Cause don't we all just love a little shopping.  :)

Decibel's Antagonist Revealed

Posted by Princess Eva Angelica On 1:13 PM 0 comments
Welcome to "The Gods Are Bored," where all parrots are lean, green, biting machines! Here's an update on the story below, in which Decibel, my macaw, got doused with Coca-Cola and otherwise pestered by an elementary school kid on her way home in the afternoon.

Today I clocked out at school just as soon as the "teacher bell" rang. I rushed home so I could be at my house in time for the local elementary to let out. I "baited" my porch with Decibel, who had been inside all day.

Sure enough, at about 3:20 I saw a girl come up on my porch. She started talking to Decibel and sticking her fingers in the cage.

So I went outside, calmly. Immediately it became clear that the girl in question has neurological difficulties.

First of all, she was old enough to know better than to pester a parrot, but she greeted me in a friendly way, with no remorse about what she was doing. I asked if I could walk to her home with her, and as we walked, she asked a dozen questions about Decibel that you might expect a much younger kid to ask. The one thing she asked me was, "Is he always that excited?" And I said, "No, he gets mad when someone puts their fingers in his cage."

Long story short, the girl was being babysat by her aunt, who told me that the girl has autism and has been bitten by other animals.

Decibel will stay indoors for now. Perhaps in the spring we will return him to the porch, but only if someone is watching him during after-school walk-home.

Personally I am ashamed of myself for thinking that Decibel's tormentor was malicious. Snobville has a heaping helping of mean kids, but this little girl is not among them.

Walk of Fame - September 2010

Posted by Princess Eva Angelica On 3:01 PM 0 comments

Det er tid for å presentere kort vi har funnet til Walk of Fame. Som vanlig finner vi de mest fantastiske kreasjoner der ute i bloggverden og det er en stor ære å presentere kortene til 'WoF'

Det är tid att igen presentera våra val av kort till Walk of Fame. Vilken otroligt runda vi har haft. Vi hittade det mest otroligt vackra kort och vi har glädjen att visa kortena vi valt till 'WoF'.

It's time to present to you our choises of cards for Walk of Fame. We did have the most incredible jorney looking for cards. It's a pleasure to show our choices for 'WoF'.

On aika kertoa mitkä kortit on tässä kuussa tullut valituksi Walk of Fame joukkoon. Mikä uskomaton blogikierros onkaan takana ja löysimme mitä uskomattomia kortteja. Meillä on kunnia esitellä teille tämän kuun valintamme 'WoF' sarjaan.


Walk of Fame
September 2010


 






Gratulerer * Congratulations* Onnea

The Awesome Magickal Victory of the Great Goddess Cloacina

Posted by Princess Eva Angelica On 11:03 AM 0 comments
Welcome to "The Gods Are Bored!" I'm Anne Johnson at the helm. And doing the dishes. It's just me running this ship. No wonder it's drifting aimlessly!

Actually, though, all is not aimless drift. The magickal intention I began in 2006 has been realized!

Here to celebrate with me on this blessed day is the great bored Goddess to whom I entrusted the magick, and to whom falls the continued task of protecting a pretty little mountain waterway. Please give a great, glad, warm and wonderful "Gods Are Bored" welcome to Cloacina, Goddess of clean water, sacred to Ancient Rome!

Praise and worship to you, Wonderful Awesome Cloacina! Here's the text of an email I received over the weekend from our little group, Citizens for Smart Growth in Allegany County, Maryland:

PNC Bank filed an action on September 16, 2010, in Allegany County Circuit Court to foreclose on three of Carnock's properties - Church Road Development, PDC-Collingbrook, and Terrapin Run.  A group called TR Forty, of which Michael Carnock is Manager, had taken a pre-development loan for $5.5 million from PNC Bank in 2007 as nearly as I can tell and had pledged those properties as security.
As of July 6, 2010, amounts owed were Principal - $4,727,240, Interest - $402,209, and Late Charges - $7,621 for a total of $5,137,070.

Now, to my three regular readers, you know what all this $$$ stuff means. For the rest of you, a little back story. Take it away, Cloacina!


Cloacina:  The man named "Carnock" in the above-mentioned foreclosure statement is Michael Carnock. In 2006 or thereabouts, Michael Carnock bought several large wooded tracts of land in a rural area of Allegany County, Maryland, with the intention of creating a residential/commercial town of 11,000 people -- more than 400 units of housing, a business area, and a water treatment plant that would have placed a dam on one Tier II stream and sent the sewage runoff into Terrapin Run, a little wet-weather brook that trickles alongside the boundaries of a wildlife refuge. Have I got that correct, Anne?

Anne: Absoluetly, Great Goddess. Continue, please.

Cloacina:  In order to block this action, Anne began to do magick at the place where Terrapin Run passes under U.S. Scenic Route 40. If you want to find this place, take the Little Orleans exit off Interstate 68 and follow 40 west to the base of Town Hill. There's a little stone bridge. It's easy to miss. Terrapin Run (my precious baby) is very small.

Anne: Size doesn't matter, does it, Goddess?

Cloacina: Oh, indeed it does not! To continue my tale: After working solitary magick for awhile, Anne summoned Me and petitioned My aid. Anne prayed that I would settle in and protect Terrapin Run from Michael Carnock and his bulldozers. I was eager and willing! Words do not suffice to describe how bored I was until Anne gave Me this assignment. And I cannot say enough about the beauty of Allegany County. Talk about stunning countryside! I've seen all kinds of animals that I never saw in Ancient Rome, from rattlesnakes to raccoons to luna moths. Salamanders! Newts! Crayfish! Oh, I adore my Terrapin Run!

Anne: This is the end of the demon Michael Carnock, but our job is not finished along Terrapin Run, is it, Goddess?

Cloacina: No, dear. Now the property (bought at inflated prices) belongs to PNC bank. Rest assured they will try to find another despoiler. It won't be easy for them to identify another chump as clueless as Michael Carnock, but they will try. Remember, this area lies overtop that Marcellus Shale deposit that's full of natural gas ... PNC will be all over that.

Anne: Then we will continue our Work. Together forever, Anne and Cloacina! Blessed be! May all the deities of all the pantheons bless our Work to save Terrapin Run from any ill-conceived development or mining that would foul its shining waters! Cloacina, please stay for dinner. Homemade chicken cacciatore and a special red velvet cake just for You -- and the altar candles lit with praise prayers for You as well.

Cloacina: Music to my ears. And while I'm here, I'll take a look at that little pond in the next block, across the street from the Monkey Man's childhood home. Looks like it could use some Work.

Anne: Knock yourself out. Dinner's at six.


Readers, when I heard about this huge, ridiculous housing development, I vowed to do everything in my power to keep Michael Carnock and his corps of destroyers from even breaking ground on the Terrapin Run development. In addition to on-site spells, I gave the Citizens for Smart Growth monetary donations, fine jewelry and collectible ceramics that belonged to me, and shout-outs all along the way. If any of you gave money to the Citizens, this victory belongs to you as well as me!

As to my "zero tolerance" vow, I'm not sure they didn't bulldoze a road back into the heart of the property (and they blazed some trees they planned to cut down), but not one foundation was set. The land lies untrampled, and one greedy hellhound of a developer must be doing fry-cook night shift at the Waffle House.

A busy god might not have heard my cries for help on such a seemingly insignificant petition. Cloacina embraced Terrapin Run ... and saved it. May Her name be holy unto all.

The Incredibly Horrific Ordeal of Decibel the Parrot

Posted by Princess Eva Angelica On 3:49 PM 0 comments
Welcome to "The Gods Are Bored!" We've got some good news and some bad news. So in the grand tradition of Appalachians everywhere, we'll start with the bad news. Tomorrow we'll pony up the good stuff. So if you don't like bad news, biff off for now and come back later.

For about ten years now, la famille Johnson has placed Decibel the parrot on the front porch during the warm months. Decibel isn't out there 24/7, only during daytime hours when someone is home. Mr. Johnson works at home, but way in the back where he can't see the front porch.

Decibel is 24 years old now -- more or less the same in parrot years as in people years. He was captive bred, so he really doesn't know what it means to be a macaw. He's just a little human with feathers. Who screams loud. And bites hard. Really hard. He can't break an adult finger bone (although he's certainly tried), but I don't know about the slender digit of an elementary school kid.

Why would I care about Decibel biting a kid? I'll get to that.

First I would like to say that Decibel has become a happy fixture in our neighborhood, which is walker-friendly. Kids and adults alike greet him from the sidewalk, and I always warn the little ones to look and not touch, to only come close when Mom or Dad is with them.

Imagine my consternation, then, when on Friday at 3:30, The Spare called me (I was still working at school). One little girl -- name, age, address unknown -- had come up on our porch, banged Decibel's cage, pulled his food out and dumped it, then started shoving her fingers in between the bars. When Decibel did what Decibel does, i.e. lunged with intent to maim, the unruly child threw Coca-Cola all over Decibel, his cage, and my front porch.

Spare told me that this same child has come onto the porch before, usually with friends, and that she has agitated Decibel before, but never to this extent. (Spare did not speak up and chase the kids off because she was partly raised Methodist and, as she put it, "knows what it's like to be yelled at by a stranger." Of course the yelling occurred at church, and nowhere but church.)

I could use your advice on this, readers. Am I liable if some moron twisted girl gets bit by my parrot because a parrot's gonna do what a parrot's gonna do? Decibel won't bite if you don't stick your fingers in his space. It's not like he's a dog on a leash. He's sitting in a cage on my porch.

Should I keep Decibel indoors?

We have a few more prime weeks of "parrot weather" here in October. Decibel likes the porch ... under normal circumstances. And all the other parents and kids in my neighborhood like seeing Decibel out there.

I don't want any kid to get bitten, though. This is Snobville, a village of 11,000 people -- 9,000 of them lawyers.

Forget the twisted kid. What are Decibel's rights?

Oh, and by the way, I intend to come home from work early on Monday. If this child goes for Decibel again, she will find herself in the stern hands of a Title One District school teacher who not only loves Decibel but also hates coming home before all her work is done and her desk is tidy.

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~Readers gallery~

Posted by Princess Eva Angelica On 3:09 PM 0 comments

Velkommen til Readers gallery.
Vi gleder oss til å få vise frem kort som våre lesere har laget,
med inspirasjon fra våre artikler


Welcome to the Readers gallery.
We are looking forward to Showcase cards our readers have made with
inspiration from our articles here at StampARTic.



******************************************************************************************************

Vi har fått fire flotte bidrag denne måneden
We have received four great contributions this month

PINK LADY/LAILA

Pink Lady/Laila har fulgt oppskriften til Mariannes telyskort
og har lagd dette flotte kortet.

Pink Lady/Laila has followed Marianne's tea light cards tutorial
and made this great card.








MAJA

Maja har også latt seg inspirere av Mariannes telys kort
og har lagd et utrolig nydelig kort.
Maja has also been inspired by Marianne's tea light cards
and made a gourgous card.













Tanja har blitt inspirert av Donnas hjemmelagede sjablonger  og
 har lagd en nydelig pose dekorert med slottet.

Tanja has been inspired by Donna's homemade templates and
has created a beautiful bag decorated with the castle.








CHRISTINE

Christine syntes også Mariannes telys kort var flott og
har lagd et fantastisk fint halloween kort.

Christine also think that Marianne's tea light card was great
and has made a fantastic halloween card.










Husk å sende oss en e-mail eller legg igjen en kommentar her hos oss,
hvis du har latt deg inspirere av en av våre artikler.
Vi gleder oss til å vise frem akkurat ditt kort eller prosjekt.


Remember to e-mail us or leave a comment,
if you have been inspired
by any of our articles.
We are looking forward to show of your project in our magazine!






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Damn Your EYES, Spare!

Posted by Princess Eva Angelica On 6:34 PM 0 comments
Welcome to The Gods Are Bored, where the last thing we need is another addiction! Damn! Damn! Damn! Teenagers and their habits! Gonna bring me down.

I am so old (though well-preserved) that I can remember the original episodes of Star Trek. I watched it in re-run in the early 1970s when it was gaining a fan base. Then I saw the first three Star Wars films, and they were awesome. After that, I parted ways with science fiction. No more Trek films, no Lord of the Rings, haven't seen Darth Vader since James Earl Jones was the voice. Anne and science fiction went their separate ways.

Until now.

DAMN IT ALL! Spare has been consumed by "Dr. Who" since summer. Here's the quote she wanted me to record: "How I spent my Independence Day: Watching 'Dr. Who' and eating Italian food."

A few times I caught a rare glimpse of "Dr. Who," and of course I began to belittle Spare about it. The show seemed incomprehensible to me, kind of all silly action with no coherent story line. (Say what you want about Star Trek, its original episodes had chippin story lines.)

Earlier this week, I settled into the easy chair to blog on my netbook. Spare was, as is her daily habit, absorbed in "Dr. Who."

I started to watch it. And now I can't stop. David Tennant is wicked adorable, and the story lines are silly but somewhat Trekkie. And the doggone show is on every day.

I really and truly thought I was beyond any chance of getting hooked on a cheesy science fiction t.v. show. Just goes to show ya, wicked temptations lie around every corner. But, Spare, Spare, did it have to be this way? Why are you watching "Dr. Who" just when I want to catch the occasional episode of "Dr. Phil?"

Wait. Hold the friggin phone! I'm watching "Dr. Who" when I could be watching "Dr. Phil?" Need I ask you, reader, which one would rot my brain faster and with less-appealing visuals?

I may raise The Spare's allowance.

Alternative use - alternativ användning

Posted by Princess Eva Angelica On 3:54 PM 0 comments
Det mesta av mitt skapande går ut på återanvändning. Alternativ användning är kanske ett bättre uttryck. Jag försöker hela tiden utmana mig själv till att komma på andra sätt att använda saker på än det ursprungliga tänkta. Jag gillar inte heller tanken på att slänga saker så istället försöker jag använda upp det.

Själva utmaningen är en stor del av skapandet för mig, det är viktigt att hjärnan får sitt att jobba med och det passar inte mig med färdigmönstrade papper. I de flesta situationer tänker jag några steg extra. Det passar min överaktiva hjärna även om jag kanske hade behövt vila den emellanåt! Det allra bästa är nästan att arbeta med material som man absolut inte förknippar med pyssel. Att komma på andra sätt att använda material är ungefär som att titta på en lägenhet som är målad och inredd på ett sätt som inte alls överensstämmer med min egen smak. Det gäller att skala av och se på det som material istället för något som är färdigt. Jag ställer ofta följande fråga till mig själv - vad kan jag göra med det här? Vad händer om jag klipper i det, river i det, målar på det, embossar det, värmer det eller stämplar på det? I stort sett vad som helst kan användas som dekoration eller för att göra bakgrundspapper.

Min mor kallade mig för fröken tvärtemot när jag var liten. Det stämmer. Jag gör emellanåt saker bara som en vägran att följa strömmen. Jag gillar det individuella, det som visar att jag är jag. Mina kort avspeglar mig väldigt mycket. Det är kanske tur att jag modifierar materialet en smula för annars skulle mitt använda godispapper visa att jag äter en hel del choklad!

Friheten är också större när man har möjlighet att välja material från i stort sett vad som helst. Du är inte begränsad till vad affärerna har för utbud och vad som är mest inne just nu i form av färger, papper samt dekorationer utan du kan väja vad som passar bäst just nu. Har jag inte rätt papper i form av struktur och färg gör jag ett. Och då är inte steget långt till att göra dekorationer som passar perfekt till just det pappret och kortet.

Recycling stuff is a big part of my work. Or maybe alternative use is a better expression. I always try to challenge myself to come up with other ways of using things than the original plan.

The challenge itself is a big part of creating for me. It is important that my brain gets something to work with and patterned papers are not for me! In most situations I think a few steps extra. It suits my over active brain although it surely would have needed to rest every now and then!

What I like the most is to work with material that you absolutely don’t associate with crafting. To think of other ways of using material is like looking at an apartment that is painted and decorated in a way that doesn’t correspond to my own taste. It’s about stripping it down and look at it as material instead of something finished. I often ask myself following questions – what can I do with this? What happens if I rip/cut/paint emboss/ heat or stamp on it? Just about everything can be used as a decoration or used to make background papers.

When I was a child, my mother called me Miss opposite. She was right. I sometimes do things just as a refusal to do what everyone else does. Silly or not, that’s how I am. I prefer the individualistic style that shows that I am me. My cards reflect me a great deal. It might be a good thing that I modify the material somewhat or else my use of used candy wrap would show that I eat a lot of chocolate!

The freedom is greater when you have the possibility to choose material from just about everything. You are not limited to what the stores carry or what’s hot when it comes to colour, paper and decorations. Rather, you can choose what fits you the best right now.

På denna bild visar jag underlagspapper, dvs. papper som jag har haft under pappret jag arbetar med för att skydda underlaget. Ofta blir underlagspapperna väldigt vackra. Det vita pappret är som jag använt under ett papper som jag har svampat på. Det brunaktiga är baksidan av cornflakespaket som jag haft som underlag när jag färga/sprejar blommor och liknande.

On this picture I show protect sheet, i.e. the paper that I’ve had underneath the paper I work with to protect the desk. Often these protect sheets are very beautiful. I’ve used the white paper on the picture underneath a paper that I’ve inked using a blending tool. The brownish paper is the back of a cornflake package that I’ve used as a protect sheet when I ink and spray flowers.
Smink kan ju tyckas vara en märklig ingrediens i papperspysslandet men det passar väldigt bra ihop tycker jag. Ögonskuggor går ypperligt att använda som chalks. Pappret på bilden är gjord med läppstift. Jag har gnidit på olika färger med fingrarna och sedan avslutat med lite skimmer. För att fixera värmde jag det hela. Jag vet ju aldrig hur resultatet kommer att bli och jag vet aldrig om det kommer att lyckas. I det här fallet gick det väldigt bra och jag är otroligt nöjd med pappret, det är nog dags att göra lite fler.

You might think that make up is a strange ingredient in paper crafting but I found that it’s a good match. Old eye shadows can be used as chalk. The paper on the picture is decorated with lip stick. I’ve rubbed different colours into the paper and finished it off with some shimmer. I heated it to fixate it. I never know what the results are or if it’s going to be good. In this case I’m very happy with it and I will definitely make some more.

Reklam, chokladförpackningar, menyer, presentpapper, bruna papperspåsar – det finns inga gränser för vad man kan använda. Pappret med kvinnan på är vellum och var med i en resebroschyr. Det guldiga längst upp till vänster är en oanvänd chokladförpackning. Guldiga påsar och papper hittar alltid vägen till min sparlåda!

Chocolate packages, menus, brown paper bags – there are no limits to what you can use. The paper with the woman is vellum and comes from a travelling brochure. I always save paper and bags in gold!

Kork, läder och aluminium passar ypperligt att använda i sina alster. Jag använder ofta läder till att stansa i, speciellt bokstäver blir läckert! Burken är infärgad med alcohol ink och utstansad. Jag använder Cuttlebugs dies, de går lätt genom dessa material. Sizzix dies skall också vara tjocka nog, jag har tyvärr inga själv.

I’ve found that cork, leather and aluminium is perfect for crafting. I often use leather to punch out letters. I’ve used Cuttlebug dies for these materials; it’s easy to punch through. Sizzix dies should also be thick enough but I’ve unfortunately never used them myself.
Det är väl inte så svårt att se var jag handlar kläder någonstans? Noa Noa har alldeles förtjusande prisetiketter på sina kläder. Ofta finns det delar som spets, hyskor och hakar eller andra dekorationer som blir bra att spara till senare tillfällen. Du kanske dock skall vänta tills du inte vill använda plagget längre!

It should be easy to see to spot my favourite store when it comes to clothes. Noa Noa always uses beautiful price tags on their clothes. Often in clothes you find parts that are perfect to save like buttons, lace or other stuff. You should however wait to cut the garment until you don’t want to use it anymore!
Då jag arbetar i laboratorium finns där mängder av objektglas. Dessa är dock inköpta på loppis. Motivet är stämplat på glossy papper, objektglaset är infärgat med alcohol inks och sedan är pappret fastlimmat med glossy accent.

Working in a laboratory I am surrounded by loads of memory glass. These however, I’ve bought at a garage sale. I’ve stamped the motive on glossy paper and coloured the glass with alcohol inks. Then I’ve glued the paper to the glass with glossy accent.
Innan jag slänger saker tar jag ofta sönder dem för att se om det finns något jag kan spara på. Pennor har fina fjädrar som blir utmärkta dekorationer med spets eller kanske organzaband genom. Koppartråden kommer från ett slaktat tangentbord, från elkabeln. Jag tog tillvara på tangenterna också (såklart). De svarta grejerna längst ner till vänster vet jag faktiskt inte vad det är. Att jag inte vet vad det är kommer dock inte att hindra mig ifrån att använda dem!

Before I put something in the garbage I often break it to watch inside if there is something I can save. Pens have nice parts that makes excellent decorations with lace or organza. The copper is the cable from a keyboard. Of course I saved the keys too! I don’t know what the black things in the bottom left corner are but that won’t stop me from using them!


I köket finns massor av spännande saker. Kaffe och te blir ju tjusigt att färga in papper med men har du tänkt på att man kan använda blåbär? Klorin, salt och raklödder är väl inga nyheter för pysselvärlden men visste du att man kan göra riktigt läckra saker med golvvax! Godispapper limmar jag på ett papper för att få stadga och sedan färgar jag in med fluid chalks. Både tandborste samt mascaraborste är perfekt för att få lite grunge stil. Citron har ni kunnat läsa om tidigare i StampARTic. Det gröna locket du ser är en burk med basilika vilket blev ett tjusigt gräspapper!

There are so many household items you can use in your crafting. You surely know that you can make nice backgrounds using coffee and tea but have you thought about trying blue berries? Lots of you already have used bleach, salt and shaving cream but did you know how cool stuff you can make with floor wax? I glue the candy wrap to cardstock for stability and then ink it. Both tooth brushes and mascara are excellent if you like the grunge style. You have been able to read about Connie's wonderful technique with lemon&distress earlier on StampARTic. The green lid you see contains basil which made a beautiful paper that looks like grass.

Det här var väl en konstig bild. Gummibitarna som blir över när man klipper rent sina stämplar slänger man väl? Njaej, inte nödvändigtvis. Jag fick ganska stora bitar över en gång så jag satte fast dem på ez-mount och gjorde en egen stämpel. Här har jag material till att göra många fler!

Well, this might be a strange picture? Don’t you always throw away what’s left of the rubber when you’ve cut out your stamps? Well, not necessarily. I made my own abstract stamp and here I have material to make many more!

Hos floristerna finns många spännande saker. Här har jag hittat något som heter så märkligt som buillontråd eller buljongtråd. Det är väldigt tunn ståltråd som används som dekoration. Även plastpluttarna och nålar finns hos vissa blomsterhandlare, ta på pysselglasögonen nästa gång!

You can find exciting stuff at the florist. I found something called bouillon wire that I use a lot. I even found the plastic drops and needles at a florist. Be sure to put on your crafting glasses next time you visit a florist!
CD-skivor, disketter och fotofilm passar bra att skapa med tycker jag. CD-skivorna går lätt att klippa i om du värmer dem först, annars kan de lätt splittras. Disketterna delar jag på och tar tillvara på den runda tunna skivan inuti. Här hamnade förresten resten av tangentbordet!

I’ve found that CD:s, floppy discs and film works well to create with. The CD:s are easy to cut if you heat them up first. I open up the floppy disc and use the thin disc that is inside. And this is where the rest of the keyboard went!
Diabildsramar finns både i plast samt i kartong. Vill du embossa så är det ett bra tips att använda kartong. Gissa hur jag vet det? I mitten av bilden ser du en embossad plastram. Jag gillar den ändå och jag kommer att använda den som dekoration. Att klä ramarna är lätt, de gröna är klädda med vanligt papper men den silvriga är klädd med aluminiumfolietejp som jag embossat först.

You can find slide mount both in cardboard and plastic. If you want to emboss it, I recommend that you use cardboard. Guess how I know? The piece in the middle of the picture used to be a plastic slide mount. I like how it turned out and I will still use it as a decoration although it didn’t turn out as I had planned. It’s easy to cover them. The green ones in the pictures are covered with paper but the one in silver is covered with embossed aluminium foil tape.
Gamla böcker samt noter ingår väl i allas pysselarsenal numera. Jag ville bara visa min tjusiga Svensk Damtidning från 50-talet.

Every crafter uses old books and note books, right? Probably. I just wanted to show the beautiful Svensk Damtidning from the 50’s.
Det här ser kanske inte ut att passa i papperspysselvärlden? Innehållet på bilden var under lång tid en stor del av min vardag och inget som gav mig positiva känslor. För att ändra på det bestämde jag mig för att testa att skapa med det och det gick alldeles ypperligt. När jag tittar på bilden numera är det främst pysselmaterial jag tänker på.

This might not look as if it fits the paper crafter. The content in this picture was for a long time part of my every day and something that gave me the shiver. To change that I decided to create with it and it worked really well. When I look at the picture now, I see crafting material!
Och om inget annat passar – kolla vad som finns på baksidan!

And if nothing else suits, check out the backside!

Nedan följer ytterligare material som passar ypperligt för alternativ användning:
  • silkespapper, kleenex (klistra fast på cs och målar)
  • tapeter (vackra färger och/eller härlig struktur att måla)
  • slakta smycken (berlocker, kedjor, pärlor)
  • tejp: klar, maskering, aluminium, mesh (finns många tekniker att välja på)
  • kuvert i tyvek (ett material som är väldigt hållbart, roligt att måla och värma)
  • köks- eller toalettrullar
  • vliseline (jag värmer och strösslar på embossingpulver)
  • gelatin (stämpla på eller använda som fönster)
  • använd negativet när du stansat ut motiv
  • bitar som blir över av krympplast, gör en abstrakt dekoration
  • etiketter (stämpla på)
  • hot textile, tyll, organza (värmer)
  • smältlim (gör egna dekos, använd med bladguld eller mica pulver)
  • använd färgprover från färgaffärer (använd som fotomatta eller kanske stämpla på)
  • torka egna löv och blommor och använd som dekoration
  • eller använd att stämpla med
  • små gångjärn, nyckelhål, tavelhängare (Classe Ohlson har allt!)
  • virkade dukar
  • gamla leksaker (dekorera med eller kanske stämpla med däck från leksaksbil)
  • kylskåpsord
  • gamla nycklar
  • kryddor, kanel, stjärnanis, örtkryddor (dekorera med eller använd till bakgrund, gör eget lukt EP)
  • glasspinnar, kaffeskedar
  • pusselbitar
  • plastnät (vitlök, apelsin)
  • verktygslådan har en del spännande saker att dekorera med såsom
  • äggskal (krossa, färglägg och dekorera med)
  • plastlock (keso) stämpla på, stansa ur eller använd som fönster
  • oljekritor (resist eller värm och gör bakgrunder)
  • kreditkort (utmärkt till att göra bakgrunder med eller sprida ut lim)
  • sugrör (göra bakgrunder med, blås ut ink)
Inger's cards...

Skyddspapper, läder, diskettskiva, kork, ståltråd, stämpel gjord på överblivet gummi, ljusmanschett, pristag, färgprov från färgaffären

Protective sheet, leather, floppy disc, cork, wire, stamp made of
rubber remains, price tag, colour sample.

Plastfoliebakgrund, läppstiftspapper, servettpapper, OH-papper,
tapet, ljusmanschett, halsband

Background made of foil, lipstick, tissue, wallpaper, necklace

Boksida, plastgem, chokladförpackning, kulkedja, omrörningssked,
servettpapper, papper gjord av embossingpulver.

Old bookpage, paper clip, spoons, tissue, bead chain, paper/embossing powder

Boksida, godispapper, basilika, diaramar, CD-skiva, läskburk.

Book page, candy wrap, basil, slide mounts, CD, soda can.

Gasbinda, fotofilm, ståltråd, pappersremsor, brunt omslagspapper.

Bandage, film, wire, paper strips, brown wrapping paper.


Silje's cards...

Tidningspapper, toalettrulle, nagellack, UTEE, distress/Gesso.

Newspaper, toilet roll, nail polish.

Tidningspapper, snöre, pengar, gammal etikett.

Newspaper, string, money, old label.

Reklam, tejp och hjärta av nabbipärlor (gjort av Kasper, 5 år)

Flyers and ads, tape and heart made of pearls


Lisette's cards...

Stämplat med legoklossar och bubbelplast.

Stamped with lego and bubble wrapping.

Blomman är gjord av kaffefilter infärgad med glimmermist.

Flower is made of coffee filter.

Boksida, Primaförpackning, muffinsform.

Book page, Prima package, cup cake form.


Connie's card...

Om du har frågor om korten eller tekniker så lägg en kommentar i denna post. Vi svarar så fort vi kan och uppskattar alla kommentarer och frågor! Ha en fin, pysslig dag!

If you have questions about the cards or what techniques we've used, don't hesistate to ask! Please, leave a comment to this post. We appreciate all comments and we weill try to answer you as soon as we can. Have a nice, crafty day!

Inger

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