VERY SCARY PINK SATURDAY

Happy Halloween to everyone! Hold onto your hats - today's a SCARY Pink Saturday.

 
Snuggle up by the fire....

Pictures copyright Kistune-Insomnia

Then visit Blonde Episodes - a brilliant new blog I just discovered. Beautifully written, lots of biographical detail on all our favourite film stars etc. Ever wondered what made the stabbing sound in the Psycho film? Did you know the Roosevelt hotel is haunted? Was Joan Crawford a Mommie Dearest? Go to Blonde Episodes and find out...

Don't look out that window!

There are witches, and zombies ...

and VAMPIRES...

and ghosts...

 Hey! I said GHOSTS!

and werewolves...

and changelings...

So close those windows, lock the door and stay inside! Make sure you shower Before Dark....

I'm running to the kitchen for protection!

• Garlic
• Pasta with extra garlic
• Garlic bread
• Garlic
  
• Fly spray
• Garlic
  
• Religious icons
• Garlic
  
• Heavy silver candlestick
• Garlic
  

Invite all your friends, have fun - bobbing for apples (or string them up if you don't want to get your outfit wet)...

Make sure everyone has plenty to eat, but make sure it contains GARLIC!

You don't want any unwanted visitors!

Even if they seem charming.

And don't accept unsolicited gifts from strangers...

Picture copyright Kistune-Insomnia

Just remember to hang garlic at the windows and doors and you should be fine!

Don't cry...

Straighten up those shoulders, and put your lipstick on.

Settle yourself down in front of the computer, and click the link to visit Beverly's blog How Sweet the Sound to read the rest of the NICE Pink Saturday posts.

NOTE:
I have deleted the links to Kitsune-Insomnia's pictures as there were so many hits (on mine and other sites) that she exceeded her bandwidth! They are now on my own Photobucket (Pro) account, so at least I'm not adding to the problem.

All copyright credit & kudos to Kitsune-Insomnia for these truly wonderful blinkies: The Wicked Queen (the witch from Snow White), the Haunted House, the living room scene with eyes, the Changeling.

All other pictures are Creative Commons and copyright-free sources.

CLAUDINE HELLMUTH - TRANSFER TECHNIQUE WITH ACRYLICS

It's always fun to see a new transfer technique - and I haven't seen one using acrylic paint before! Trust Claudine Hellmuth to come up with a new twist...





It's also good to see what to do with the little bits of lint leftovers - this cheat's method saves a lot of work!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Copyright Kitsune-insomnia

Today was the funeral.
Resquiat in pace.

NOT BLOG-HOPPING FOR THE NEXT FEW DAYS

Sorry folks, I won't be doing any blog-hopping or Pink Saturday visits for the next few days.

We just had the very sad news, two hours ago, that my mother-in-law has just died: cancer. She was 84. The hospital says she died in her sleep, no pain, so that is indeed a blessing.

Peter is shell-shocked, understandably, as we live at the other end of the country. He's just gone out for a walk: needs to be on his own. I really don't know what to say to him to comfort him.

God bless you, Bernie, you'll be sadly missed.

BLADERUBBER COMPETITION - THE WINNERS

Hurrah! 

The poll is closed, the votes are cast ...







I am so happy to announce the winners for the Blade Rubber Stamps competition!

1st place: 1943 by Greta Young
who gets the new, just released, I Believe in Angels UM plate by BladeRubber Stamps (designed by me)

2nd place: Alice by Anita Hickson
who gets 3 large UM stamps by BladeRubber Stamps

3rd place: Envelope Book by Shell B
who gets 1 large UM stamp by Blade Rubber Stamps

All are fabulous art pieces - and so different, too! Big congratulations to the very worthy winners! Again, thanks to everyone who entered.

Please email me with your addresses, and I'll get your prizes in the post tomorrow!

DARLING PINK SATURDAY

It's been quite a week - I had to completely reboot the computer (twice) as it somehow developed a time lag inbetween typing something, and seeing it appear anything up to half a minute later. Very disconcerting!

Still, there's nothing like a good clearout, and the old machine is now skipping around like a newborn lamb, October or not... so I've been playing with Photoshop again! I created a couple of Halloween headers and blog backgrounds (see the post further down) and for all the Pink Saturday ladies, I have done these two pictures which you might like to add to your blogs.

These are quite large but can be added to a sidebar as a picture, then you can tell Blogger to reduce the size to fit.

Or keep it large, and pop it in the main body of your blog. Just right-click to copy to your own computer.

I hope you enjoy them!

Click this link to visit Beverly's blog How Sweet the Sound to read the rest of the Pink Saturday posts.

HALLOWEEN BACKGROUNDS & IMAGES

Copyright and image from Penniwigs - go directly to the site if you want it. 


I just put up some freebie Halloween images on Freebies.

If you want some Blogger backgrounds, they're on Blog-ology and headers are on Extras. All the instructions for installation are there as well.


If you'd like to see how the backgrounds look in Real Life:

• 2-column Fright Night is on BladeRubberStamps Blog
  

• 3-column Fright Night is on Freebies

• 3-column Horror Show is on Computery 

I'm really proud of Horror Show - I think it has the "Frankenstein's Laboratory" vibe.

Have fun!

COMPTETITION - IT'S VOTING TIME on BLADERUBBER STAMPS

  
Copyright-free image from Tack-o-Rama











The Blade Rubber Stamps staff have chosen the finalists for their competition - and I hope you'll all go and vote!

Here is the link - the poll is in the sidebar, and is up for a week. You can tick as many boxes as you like to choose your favourites - and vote more than once if you want to!

I think the standard of entries was fantastic - we had scrapbook pages, journals, cards... I loved everything.

A very sincere thanks to everyone who entered - I am just so sorry you couldn't ALL get a prize!

There are prizes for 1st, 2nd and 3rd places - so please vote for your favourites!

FABULOUS BLOG GIVEAWAY AT SIMPLIFY

AlphaButtonPusher is at it again!


To celebrate 300 (count 'em: THREE HUNDRED) followers, Ms ABP is having a fabulous giveaway - so check it out!


You get to choose the piece of art you want to win! How wonderful is that? Of course, I've entered... fingers AND toes crossed...

THOUGHTS ACCORDING TO CHAIRPERSON ALPHA

AlphaButtonPusher is one of my very favourite people: she has a unique outlook on life, and her posts are always thought-provoking. I left one of my famously long-winded comments on one of her posts, and she suggested I make it a post in itself (I know she was pulling my leg, but I thought What the hell). So here you are:

Alpha's original post:

Image & text copyright AlphaButtonPusher

• If you are reading this then this warning is for you. 
• Every word you read of this useless fine print is another second off your life. 
• Don't you have other things to do? 
• Is your life so empty that you honestly can't think of a better way to spend these moments? Or are you so impressed with authority that you give respect and credence to all that claim it?
• Do you read everything you're supposed to read?
• Do you think every thing you're supposed to think?
• Buy what you're told to want?
• Get out of your apartment.
• Meet a member of the opposite sex.
• Stop the excessive shopping and masturbation.
• Quit your job. Start a fight.
• Prove you're alive.

Here's my answer - this post made me think, and made me want to respond (I don't do either very often):

"...But in deference to my advanced age and grey hairs, let me answer thusly:

• I AM my job - artist, designer, A-grade Worrier
• I'm definitely what money we have in the bank - we'r always one step away from the breadline.
• We don't even have a car! (then again, in London you don't actually need one, and if you had it there isn't anywhere to park the thing)
• For contents of wallet, see remark about money & bank
• Do I read everything? Nope - probably why I'm often in trouble
• My thoughts are definitely my own (bloshie and argumentative)
• Buy what I'm told? No... but I'm a sucker for the latest art materials I see demonstrated, and I just got talked into buying the new Serif Photoplus programme... so maybe Yes...
• Married to member of opposite sex
• Can no longer afford it, and... puhleeese.. I'm 57... well over THAT kind of thing
• Quit? Well, I quit the day job around 10 years ago. Quit this one? No - it's my raison de'etre.
• I think I'm alive - I was last time I looked.

Excellent post, very thought provoking - and now you get windy comments from old farts like me!..."


If this post made you think - go to AlphaButtonPusher's site and make your comment - and stay to read more of her blog.

VINCENT VAN GOGH'S LETTERS

Just found out about this link, and had to share! 

If anyone is a lover of Van Gogh's art, you'll want to take a look.

Amazing!

WEBSTER'S PICTORIAL DICTIONARY - FROM START TO FINISH

I saw this on another blog - just had to take the code to share with you!


Pictorial Webster's: Inspiration to Completion from John Carrera on Vimeo.

Talk about true dedication... I am in awe!

PINK SATURDAY - THE BEST WAY

Here are some more pages from The Best Way -  a very old cookery book, circa 1890. 

 Pix from Art-e-zine and altered by me


The pages are nearly disintegrating, it's so old and in such bad condition. The pages were flaking on the screen as I was scanning them!  

These are very large (300dpi) and totally unretouched, so you can do whatever you want to them including making items for sale (EXCEPT put them in any kind of collection for sale: therefore no collage sheets, no CDs etc). Left-click for the full size, and allow some time for them to load up. Right-click to copy them to your computer.

 


















It's amazing how many of these tips are still relevant today!

Click this link to visit Beverly's blog How Sweet the Sound to read the rest of the Pink Saturday posts.

BRAG TIME - FAME AT LAST

Fame at last... I can't help it - sorry - I've just got to brag about the freebie stamp on the cover of the current issue of Craft Stamper magazine.

It's a Blade Rubber stamp (and designed by me)!




There are also some samples of artwork inside, using the freebie image: some by Katy Fox (editor of Craft Stamper) and the rest by Yours Truly. It's all rather exciting!