I do remember an apothecary...

Hello all, and welcome (back!) to Words and Pictures.  It's time for the monthly Artistic Outpost bloghop, and after all the excitement of the new releases, we've been let out to play with a Designers' Choice theme this month.  

We're in a Halloween mood here at Words and Pictures, after my Tim Holtz tag yesterday, but you'll see all sorts of makes as you head round the hop... Here's the full itinerary:

Gerrie, Lisa, Suzz, Tracy

Linda, Alison, Terry, Kate

I wanted to play with my new Apothecary set - not "new" new, but new to me, and such a lovely set of vintage images - not strictly spooky, but with a slightly macabre twist if you choose to think that way... so it seemed appropriate in the run-up to Halloween!

I started with a Manila tag and stuck some torn pieces of book page randomly onto it.

Then, I smooshed it around in some Distress Stains on my craft mat.  I'm pretty sure there was Pumice Stone and Frayed Burlap involved, and perhaps a touch of Antique Linen.

And of course an edging of Vintage Photo Distress Ink for that burnished, distressed look.

I stamped the word Apothecary and the building directly onto the tag, using Coffee and Black Archival on the stamp to give a bit of extra shading to the image.












I added a partial stamping of the prescription slip in the top corner - love how it's layered onto the Gothic script of the book page.

This skull and crossbones - a hint perhaps that you might not want to trust this particular apothecary with your health and well-being - is the larger Idea-ology one.  You saw the teeny-tiny version on yesterday's Tim/Our Creative Corner tag.










The apothecary himself, Mr Forrest, is stamped on Specialty Stamping Paper, and I used Vintage Photo DI to darken the background, making him stand out.














The poison label is also a partial stamping, and also on Specialty Stamping Paper.

A couple of other Idea-ology elements... the pen with which to write the prescriptions...

Who holds the key to the apothecary's secret cabinet?













The seam binding is dyed with Distress Stains - Pumice Stone, Vintage Photo, and a hit of metallic sheen from Brushed Pewter - and tied together with my favourite paper string.

I mounted the whole thing onto suitably dramatic black card, to give a touch more definition, and there you have it.




I do hope you'll find the time to hop on round to see what my immensely talented team-mates have been up to.  Should you get lost along the way you'll find all the details here.

House Move Update - for anyone who's interested!
The beds were moved by the removal firm yesterday, so we're now officially "in" the new place (having been shifting stuff ourselves on a daily basis since the beginning of the month).  We now have two days to sweep through the remaining chaos and clear it - either to the new house, the charity shop or the tip! - before handing over the keys to the new owners on Friday... nearly there!

Mr Forrest looks somewhat more prosperous than the apothecary Romeo seeks out, and I can't imagine he has tortoises, fish skins or stuffed alligators hanging in that rather elegant looking drugstore, but it's one of my favourite speeches so...

I do remember an apothecary,— 
And hereabouts he dwells,—which late I noted 
In tatter'd weeds, with overwhelming brows, 
Culling of simples; meager were his looks, 
Sharp misery had worn him to the bones; 
And in his needy shop a tortoise hung, 
An alligator stuff'd, and other skins 
Of ill-shaped fishes; and about his shelves 
A beggarly account of empty boxes, 
Green earthen pots, bladders and musty seeds, 
Remnants of packthread and old cakes of roses, 
Were thinly scatter'd, to make up a show. 
Noting this penury, to myself I said 
"An if a man did need a poison now, 
Whose sale is present death in Mantua, 
Here lives a caitiff wretch would sell it him."

From Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

I'd like to enter this (belatedly) into the Something Spooky challenge at Country View Challenges