The day we beat TIgers

Passions, emotions, they run deep in many things and in our house and that includes rugby.

This is a long post, so if you are only interested in the how I made, then scroll down to where it says the arty bit.  Otherwise get a coffee of beverage of choice and have a read.

We are season ticket holders for Northampton Saints, so most Saturday afternoons (and Friday nights and Sunday afternoon depending on what TV wants to show) we can be found in our green gold and black high up in the South Stand groaning and cheering depending on whats going on down on the pitch.

And this night was cheering, lots of cheering, so much cheering and shouting that I ended up with no voice and tears streaming down my face at full time.

You see for a number of years Northampton Saints have consistently been in the top four, but have been the almost's, not quite getting to the top and winning the European Cup, LV Cup or the Premiership.  But this year right from the off it felt different, it felt right, it felt positive and strong and we would do it rather than could do it.

We had some blips of previous behaviour of not believing (we don't talk about Leinster at home only Leinster away) and then it came down to who would we play in the playoffs. Prayed for Quins, groaned when it was Leicester Tigers again. 

Tigers our bogey team, Tigers who've been in the last nine Premiership finals, Tigers who are clinical to the end and know how to get a win. Rivalry and foes they may be but I respect their focus, that commitment to see it through to the end, never give up, always believe, pick and drive, pick and drive.

16th May, a Friday night and the fortress (we have a lot of fans and the atmosphere is always loud and an be quite intimidating to away teams) that is Franklin's Gardens was buzzing, It might as well have been the final, so much riding on getting a win. We'd won the previous week with a massive score against Wasps, coming from behind and seeing it through to the end.  Could we do it again against the Tigers, the mighty, mighty winning Tigers?

We did, and we did it again coming from behind and winning in the final moments. I have never seen so many hulking great men, jumping up and down, screaming, shouting, hugging and crying. 12,000 jubilant fans make a lot of noise I can tell you.

 

So there you go the day we beat Tigers, the game that meant we were in the final at Twickenham (and that game is a whole other story), the game that gave us belief we could win the Amblin (we did), the game that meant that 30,000 people cheered in Northampton on Sunday 1st June to see a rugby team with a long history, parade with not one but two pieces of silverware.

The arty bit.

So for my arty followers who've ploughed through the description (well done) this is how I made this scrapbooking page.

Green card stock as a base, with varous green PaperArtsy fresci paints scraped on top.  I used a numbers stencil in a a pale green on the right hand side, not too in your face, ncie and subtle to add texture.

Using a palette knife I put Gunge Paste through  a chicken wire stencil and when it ws dry dabbed Zesty Zing added through the stencil to hightlight the trexture and a contrast colour.

The lovely PaperArtsy metal arch was stamped and embossed to resemble the fortress that is Franklins Gardens. I also used this PaperArtsy rugby players stamp on card as an accent under the photo's and above the banner which I cut from yellow card and edged in Distress Ink so it popped off the page. 

I added lots of fabric, paper strips and stitching to add to the layers and texture. Distress Ink added and water spritzed on top of it to give that water stain look. A tag with the title added top right to balance the compostion.

The photos were distressed with sandpaper to remove some of the ink and matted onto paper, the edges were distressed and edged in Distress Ink to frame them and lift them off the layering underneath.

And why these pictures? 

Well beause it was the last home game of the season, everyone was able to get on the pitch and practive kicking at goal, generally messing around, intimadating the TV crew by singing really loudly (oh when the Saints ...), waiting for the players to come out and and congratulate them (they looked knackered I have to say) and get your photo taken with your favourites soaking up the atmoshpere, not wanting to leave and break the magic of being there the day we beat the Tigers.

Hugs

Jo

xx