Think Pink - Simon Says Stamp Guest Designer

Hello all - I'm thrilled to be back in the Designer Spotlight over on the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge for October, and we're starting the month with Think Pink.

It's always a huge honour to be invited to be part of the fun over on Simon Says Stamp (though I probably need to look at my calendar more carefully next time before saying yes... it's a busy month ahead!).

As always, you'll find oodles of inspiration from the amazing Design Team over on the Monday Challenge blog, and there's the usual generous prize on offer from Simon Says Stamp. 

This week's theme of Think Pink is in honour of Breast Cancer Awareness month.

Pink used to be a rare colour here at Words and Pictures, but lately it's been getting more common.  It started with a lot of wintry sunrises and sunsets in my work last winter, but lately it's definitely happening because of some of the floral stamps I've created for PaperArtsy in recent months.  So when I was asked to "Think Pink", my thoughts went immediately to my PaperArtsy EAB49 Coneflowers.  

I thought they'd look great with Tim Holtz's lovely daisy from the French Garden set, so I stamped lots of blooms in Olive Archival Ink onto some watercolour paper.

I used a combination of PaperArtsy Mattints and Dylusions sprays to tint my flowers.  Dylusions are the featured product this week.  I don't have many of the sprays - as you'll know, I have tended to prefer my colour palettes muted rather than in the vivid, vibrant Dylusions tones - but I have a few browns and greens and blues in most mediums (to try out), and Dylusions are no exception.

I put dots of Mattint and tiny spritzes of the sprays onto my craft mat to use as a palette, and layered them together to create fabulous variations and depth of colour.  As you can see from the photos, I used Mattints in Glow, Ladybug Squeezed and The Pink, and Dylusions Chopped Pesto, Dirty Martini and Melted Chocolate.  A touch of PaperArtsy Fresco Finish Chalk Acrylic in Snowflake allowed me to create more opaque layers and pastels.  Any white acrylic will do for that.  I'm very happy with how they turned out... the Dylusions might be coming out more often from now on!  

I altered a cheap and simple wooden frame with a coat of white chalk paint and some Distress Opaque Crackle Paste.

And for my background, I used one of the wood effect Tim Holtz 3D Texture Fades.  I think this particular one has been discontinued now, but there are plenty of others to choose from, including the amazing new large size versions.

Once the crackle had done its thing, I grunged it up with some Pumice Stone Distress Crayon and Pumice Stone Distress Spray Stain, brushed on to highlight those fabulous cracks and crevices.

I chose one of the fabulous Idea-ology Photobooth snapshots to go at the heart of my garden of dancing flowers.  I love the energy and joy emanating from this woman.

And then it was simply a question of arranging the flowers around the edge of the frame and gluing them into position.

A few of my much-loved Curator Snippets labels add extra detailing, and it wouldn't be a Words and Pictures project without some words.

These are from the Coneflowers plate - the large word is one of three, especially selected by me to suit the mood of the stamp set, and the phrase is a poetry fragment from a poem by Lope de Vega.

If that isn't enough to inspire you to Think Pink this week, then do head over to the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge for lots more glorious pink creativity from the Design Team there.

The team will be selecting projects to spotlight at the end of the week, and one lucky randomly-drawn winner will be going on a shopping spree at Simon Says Stamp.  

So dig out all your pink materials and have a play.  If I can go pink, you definitely can!!

Thanks so much for stopping by, and happy crafting all!

Pink is the colour of strength, a colour of conviction, a colour of decision making.
Angad Bedi

In a world that often lacks compassion, pink stands as a reminder to be kind.
Matthew Green

Wanderlust 2026 Booking Opens!

Booking is opening for Wanderlust 2026, hosted by Everything Art, but you'll have to be quick if you want to grab one of the bargain Early Bird spots.

There are just 2,000 Early Bird spots available at $99 USD (approx €85 / £75 / $145AUD / $137 CAD). They usually sell out within the first 24 hours, so if you’ve been thinking about joining — now’s the moment.  The regular price is $199 - which still an extraordinary bargain for what you get, I think!

As of 4pm Central European time, you can hop over and book using my affiliate link: 

Book for Wanderlust 2026

(That's Friday 3pm UK, 10am Eastern, 7am Pacific and midnight Fri/Sat for AEST!)

If you want a great introduction to the course, you can join Kasia live on the Everything Art YouTube channel at 3.30pm (European) and be there as she opens the doors at 4pm.  But remember to come back and use my link to sign up if you decide to.

Painting. Collage. Journalling. Printmaking. Even stitching and simple sculpting... 

Wanderlust 2026 is all about exploring the full spectrum of mixed-media. Each week, a brand-new project from one of 35 teachers will keep your creativity flowing.  I can’t wait to share my lesson with you — and to see what you create in the year ahead. 

Wanderlust isn’t just an art course — it’s a way to keep showing up for your creativity week after week. In 2026, you’ll get 48 lessons, collected in four creative seasons, and a supportive community where you can grow, experiment, and make art that feels like you. 

I’m so proud to be one of the Wanderlust Teachers for 2026, and I'm really excited about the project I'm going to be sharing. I’d love for you to join me on this adventure. 

Enrol now by clicking on this link: Book now for Wanderlust 2026 and good luck grabbing one of those Early Bird spots.

This is my own personal affiliate link, which gets me a little boost to my earnings if you use it - at no extra cost to you!  I hope to see you in the classroom...

I do not want to get to the end of my life and find that I just lived the length of it. I want to have lived the width of it as well.

Diane Ackerman

I see my path, but I don’t know where it leads. Not knowing where I’m going is what inspires me to travel it.

Rosalía De Castro

I'm a teacher for Wanderlust 2026!

It's time to reveal one of the secrets I've been keeping for months, and it's a big one!  I'm thrilled to share that I will be one of the teachers on Wanderlust for 2026 with Everything Art.

If you've never heard of Wanderlust, it’s a year-long, mixed-media art course with weekly video lessons and step-by-step project tutorials from 35 teachers (including me!).

Now is your chance to get on the waiting list to grab the Early Bird deal when doors open in September.  There are limited Early Bird spots, so you’ll definitely want to know when it’s time.  And just so you know, it makes a big difference to me if you sign up via my personal
affiliate link (though no difference to you!)… 

Sign up for the waiting list here.

You’re just signing up for the waiting list for now, so what have you got to lose?!

Whether you’re a passionate crafter wanting to explore new techniques, or already dabbling in mixed-media, Wanderlust will keep you inspired, challenged, and creating all year long.

Each season ends with a live wrap-up session from host Kasia Avery, plus you’ll be part of a private, supportive community (no Facebook needed!). I’m so excited to be part of it all this year.  Here's just a little sneak peek of the project I'll be teaching...

I'll be sharing more details about the course and the other teachers in the weeks to come.  For now, if you're even slightly tempted, do click to join the waiting list - and then you'll still have the choice about whether to sign up at the great Early Bird price.

Hope you're all having a great week!

That is what learning is. You suddenly understand something you’ve understood all your life, but in a new way.

Doris Lessing

New Eclectica Alison Bomber Stamps and Stencils at PaperArtsy

I'm thrilled to be sharing three brand new stamp sets and three new stencil designs over on the PaperArtsy blog today.  And you can also watch the Live Launch in the PaperArtsy People FB Group, where I'll be talking about some of the inspiration behind these new designs, as well as showing lots of lovely samples I've been creating.

I hope you'll enjoy the floral botanicals and vintage advertising - I've been having a great time playing with these stamps and stencils, and I know there's so much more still to explore.  I can't wait to see what all of you will get up to with them!

Do hop over to the PaperArtsy blog to check out these new summertime releases and/or join me in the PaperArtsy People FB Group on catch-up.  I'll update the link to go direct to the launch video once it's available for catch-up viewing.

Thanks so much, as always, for your company on this creative journey, and happy crafting, all!

Here's flowers for you;

Hot lavender, mints, savoury, marjoram;

The marigold, that goes to bed wi' the sun

And with him rises weeping: these are flowers

Of middle summer...
From The Winter's Tale by William Shakespeare

In summer, the song sings itself.

William Carlos Williams

Storytelling in Pictures and Words over at PaperArtsy

Hello all, long time no blogpost - apologies!  But I'm back with a splash today... I'm delighted to be over at the PaperArtsy blog with a hand-stitched book full of storytelling using words and pictures, with a joyful spring colour palette.  And you can also turn the pages and listen to the stories embedded in them over on YouTube. 

The current theme on the blog is mixing and matching two different PaperArtsy stamp designers.  My project uses my own designs combined with some of France Papillon's eclectic range of stamp sets, and the whole thing is inspired by vintage book pages and illustrations.

I hope you'll hop over to PaperArtsy to find out how I brought together lots of different elements by using recurring colours and motifs.

And there's also a flip-through on my YouTube channel where you can hear me telling all the stories which emerged from the pages as I was creating them.  So catch the "how-to" over at PaperArtsy and the "listen-to" over on YouTube... I hope you'll enjoy all of it!

Happy springtime to you!

If one cannot enjoy reading a book over and over again, there is no use in reading it at all.
Oscar Wilde

Books are the mirrors of the soul.
From The Waves by Virginia Woolf

Brand New Stamps at PaperArtsy - and Stencils too!!

Hello all - I'm delighted to be sharing three brand new PaperArtsy stamp sets with you... and not only that, for the first time I have stencil designs to share too!

Join me for the launch video in the PaperArtsy People FB Group to hear about the springtime inspiration behind these new sets, as well as to see what I've been creating with them so far.

And of course you can take your time exploring the new designs as well as the samples over on the PaperArtsy blog - with lots of close-ups and angles full of creative inspiration for your springtime art and craft making.

I hope you'll love these new stamps and stencils as much as I do.  I can't wait to hear what you think of them, and I'm even more excited to see what you will be inspired to create with them.  Happy Springtime, all!

A Light exists in Spring
Not present on the Year
At any other period...
Emily Dickinson

There is no time like Spring,
When life's alive in everything...
Christina Rossetti

Words and Pictures YouTube is one year old!

I can hardly believe it's been a whole year of regular episodes on my YouTube channel - what a lovely new adventure it's been!  I hopped on to say hello "in person"... the first time of having my face on camera on the channel (though those who've seen PaperArtsy lives will be familiar with me doing that!).

I'm particularly proud of the generous, positive atmosphere in the comments section on the channel -  especially when you consider some of the interactions which go on in social media comments sections! - so when some people suggested that I should set up a Buy Me A Coffee page to allow them to make contributions to the creative journey.

So that is what I have done, and the anniversary message also talks about why and what that page is for, so do take a look if you're interested.

There are several new episodes available since I last posted here - one of them in a very surprising colour palette!  Check out the colourful journal cover, using my PaperArtsy Printed Tissue.

There's a chance to dive into one of my tag crates in a bit more detail, so come and enjoy that inspiration too.

You might enjoy these Window Women... they inspired lots of different storytelling ideas, not only from me but also from lots of the audience in their comments below the video.

Or how about some little rusty Valentine's envelopes - made with altered teabag sachets - perfect for popping a little love note into, or even a chocolate.

I hope you're all surviving February... there's some exciting news coming your way next week to brighten these winter days.  Do watch this space, and happy crafting all!

The time for action is now.  It is never too late to do something.
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

This time, like all times, is a very good one, if we but know what to do with it.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time.
Marthe Troly-Curtin

Happy New Year (belatedly!)

Hello all!  I thought I'd better hop over to wish you a happy New Year before January is over.  We're going to need all the happiness, creativity, light and beauty that we can get in 2025.  So here are some 2024 highlights to start that off... 

(First up - the top nine IG posts by numbers.)

Things are very busy behind the scenes. (When are they ever not, these days?)  I'm heading off to Frankfurt in early February, to make an appearance (or two) on the PaperArtsy stand at Creativeworld, the last of the large craft trade fairs, now that the US one is out of action.  

(Next up - my personal favourite top nine tag posts.)

And then in March, if you're in the Netherlands, you'll find me at the Art Specially fair in Nijkerk, demo-ing with some of my PaperArtsy stamps for De Hobby Studio - one of the Dutch PaperArtsy stockists. 

(And finally, my personal favourite top nine non-tag posts.)

And of course there are lots of exciting things bubbling in the pipeline at PaperArtsy that you'll need to keep an eye out for in the coming weeks...

For now, I'll just share a few links to recent YouTube episodes over at Words and Pictures (YT version!).  There's a new midweek series called Tag Time, as well as the usual Few Minutes of Fun to enjoy every Saturday.  Click the links below to join me at the craft table...

Long-time followers may notice there's a new colour creeping into focus!!

Tag Time - Birch Beauty

A Few Minutes of Fun with Tissue Paper Art Journal Covers

Tag Time - Rusty Mixed Media Tags with dried flowers

A Few Minutes of Fun with Mattints and Gel Prints and more

Tag Time - Grungy Rusty Cog Tag

A Few Minutes of Fun with Crackle Collage ATCs

Tag Time - Stamped Embossed Hedgerow Tags

And once I'm done bopping around Europe, there will be some news about more UK workshops coming in the spring too.

I hope you're all surviving the winter cold (or the winter heat if you are on the other side of the globe), and finding time to be creative.  Happy crafting, all!

Year's end is neither an end nor a beginning but a going on, with all the wisdom that experience can instil in us.
Hal Borland

Your success and happiness lies in you. Resolve to keep happy, and your joy and you shall form an invincible host against difficulties.
Helen Keller