W(not)OYWW... A Winner & A Recipe...

...blinking blimey and thrice... Wednesday is here upon us again and it is time for us to show off our desks for the mammoth bloghop that is What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday. Sadly, this next pic may be disturbing for some WOYWW-ers's... because this is my poor, neglected desk right this minute... with a gluestick and a paint dabber... and that's all... *awwww* I have been busy and haven't had chance to mucky my desk up in time for the hop so... I have a recipe to share instead! To see all the deets about the WOYWW phenomenon, hop over to Julia's place.. .she is the esteemed leader of the hoppers and organises it all with much flourish and aplomb.



So... me and Ellen are Skyping on Sunday and we realise we haven't done an I Challenge Thee for yonks. Between us we concoct a recipe and, then, have to stick to it rigidly and make something using only the ingredients and technique we have decided on. Mmmm, it is a challenge... but it sure does get the old creativity going and it certainly makes me look at products in a slightly different way to see what else I can get them to do. So the recipe this weekend was to make a large tag, the technique was Multi Medium Resist, the ingredients were Fresco Paints, Colorwash Sprays, Metal on Card, PaperArtsy Hotpicks and some Industrial Chic embellies.


So.. off we set, Ellen was sitting next to me in the laptop BTW... tis cool that I can craft with my BFF who is over 3500 miles away and it is like she is right next to me (and it is free!!!) Anyways... off we set (said that already) and got our tag making underway... and everything was going perfectly fine until I decided to "edge" the tag with black Archival... and dropped the inkpad onto the tag... the tag that I had just spent an age making look pretty... mmm, there's some very careful placing of decorations on this tag... and because of the incident (ok, my clumsiness) I had to cheat (snort) and added some Idea-ology Trimmings to the tag too. Anyways... all of the deets on how I made the tag and what I used etc are HERE on The Stamp Attic blog... please do pop over to see the bigger pics... this one here makes it look very plain! Oh and... please do hop over to see Ellen... her creation is totes-amazeballs... and so different even though we used the same stashly goodies!



Right... a Winner... for the 490 Spool giveaway from last week... so, I had a whopping 97 comments left (THANK YOU EVERYONE!!!) and Mr Random.org chose #67 as the winner which tallies with the comment left by PAT. Please can you email me your addy Pat and I will pop the Spool into the post for you :O) I had better get a wiggle on... Grim and I have to go on an expedition into the Spinney... AlfieCat has come back sans collar again... and even though we have sent him back out to find it, he hasn't... this is about the 8th time he has lost a collar and all the times before he has gone and found it and brought it home with him... seriously, that is the Gods honest... I say "Alf, go and get your collar" and off he trots and usually comes home with it in his chops. This time he is just looking at me as if to say "me? out there? in the mud? I don't think so... " Better go and find my wellies! Thanks for looking... and sorry the desk is sooo boring today, I promise to do better next week! TTFN

Hels x

Just In Case...

... several decades ago I bought myself a couple of little papier mache suitcases to alter... and promptly put them into the big box labelled "stuff to alter" and then did nothing with them. Being as I am a reformed character and now have a spotlessly neat and tidy craft room, I happened across said box of stuff to alter the other day and copped sight of these little cases... which were just perfect for altering and labelling with those Tim Holtz label stamps.



Out came my Claudine Hellmuth Studio paints (the best IMO) and off I set... merrily painting away (and getting clarted up in the process) I used Sable Brown for the base of the cases and Charcoal Black for the straps and handle. Once they were all dry, I gently sanded the edges and added some Walnut Stain DI to make them look a smidge shabby. I added gold Dabber to the edges as hardware and I don't know about you but I reckon they look a little like a Vagabond... only not as big and as heavy lol




The labels were all stamped onto copy paper using various Archival Inks and then I coloured them (whispers) Distress Markers. The bigger case has got some Alphaparts on it for olde-fashionede initials... these were just pounced with a gold Dabber and stuck on with a bit of Cosmic Shimmer glue (IMO the best all purpose glue around!)


So... the little case fits inside big case but what fits inside the little case? Well, I made a little folded tag thingywotsit... not sure what you would call this ... a taglet perhaps? It is one of those mahooosive tags, scored and folded and then a little page added. This was coloured with Broken China, Wild Honey and Aged Mahogany DI's and then stamped with various Tim stamps... oh and I did a Snowcap Dabber resist to the outside of the taglet... I do love a nice resist :O))



I added a Grungepaper closure thingy... this is cut from the Hardware Findings Alterations and fastened with a Hinge Fastener *am sooo gutted that these have been discontinued... I use them all the time :O(* and popped a little sentiment over the brad legs that were poking through inside the back bit of the taglet. I made a mini rose from the mini Tattered florals die and stamped one of the butterflies again, coloured with DM's and then popped an Idea-ology Trinket Pin for his body.


So... here I am in not so sunny Preston and... I have got wet feet! Well, not at the moment but I did have and I will have because... I am such a numpty! When I left home yesterday it was warm and dry... and I didn't have enough room in my bag for my Birki's, which I like to wear when I am demo-ing. So, instead of finding room I thought "I know, I will wear them....." and left my other shoes at home. Whooops, when I got here yesterday it was raining hard... and it is still raining now.. not as hard but rain all the same. Memo to self: be prepared lol



Well, I had better get a move on, I am in my lovely hotel room and I have breakfast to eat and my bag to re-pack (and knowing just how much I love packing you will know how I am looking forward to that job lol) I am really looking forward to today's demo day at Cardcraft Plus... the cases are with me... as is several tonnage of tags for my display ... I hope to see you there :O)) Thanks for looking ... TTFN!

Hels x

He's A Real...

...Umbrella Man... Aha! I sang that to you, you know... to the tune of Nowhere Man... did you like it? (or, are your ears now bleeding?) So... the other day when I was faffing about with honeycomb paper and Alterations I decided to have a little pop at tranforming Brolly Man's brolly. Cor blimey, how fragile is that honeycomb paper eh? This one is the third attempt, I kept trying to stick it down and ended up getting sticky fingers on the paper and crushing it.


The background of the tag is one of my fave Alcohol Ink techniques... colouring a piece of acetate *I just use packaging from Idea-ology* and I used Cool Peri, Juniper, Cloudy Blue and Purple Twilight AI's. I then used a wordy Reflections stamp, stamping in Jet Black Archival and then immediately dabbing off the ink - it just looks fab, a really cool "resist" technique. I popped this tag over a white one I cut and had edged with Black Soot DI.




Brolly Man is made from mountboard, coloured with Black Soot DI and layered onto 3D foam so he can stand atop the circles which are cut from Grungeboard and coloured with DI's. I added some Idea-olgy for decoration and coloured some cheapy washerywotsits with Rust AI. This tag also fits the theme of this weeks Sunday Stamper... which is Life.


I am wide awake.. it is a little before 5am and I just cannot sleep... I think it is excitement... I am off to Preston today because I am demo-ing at Cardcraft Plus tomorrow... flippin' heck it is miles away from home you know... I will be letting the train take the strain (hurrah, I love travelling by train) so I plan to have a little read of my book and a nosey out of the window (and no doubt I will eat my sandwiches before we have even left the first station lol) So, if you are in/near Preston tomorrow it would be loverly to see you! Oh and before I go... CLICK HERE... that's a link to my Art Part Spool giveaway... just another couple of days left to join in :O)) Right, I am off to see if I can grab a few snoozles before the alarm goes off... somehow I think I will be back in the Room of Stash in half an hour getting inky again! Thanks for looking... have a fab day! TTFN

Hels x

Sunday Stamper - Week 194 - Got To Get You Into My Life

Goooodly Morning Stampers and a very happy Sunday to you all! Many many thanks for all the fabulous stitched creations entered last week... and thanks to the email entries too... it makes me smile big to see all your fabby artwork! So, this week I have chosen another classic Beatles track for the song title... it would have been George Harrison's 69th birthday yesterday, so this is in his honour. The theme this week is... LIFE. To join in is very simples; make a little something, it can be anything you fancy. Add in some stamping and the theme and then pop back here to leave me a comment with a link to the place you are showing your entry. If you don't have a blog/picassa/image hosting wotsit you can email me with your entry too. The challenge will remain open until 21:00 Saturday 3rd March 2012 (already!!! March!!!)


So... my entry... a tag. *for a change* I decided on a light fresh look for the background so blended Old Paper, Bundled Sage and Iced Spruce DI's over the tag. The edges were blended with Gathered Twigs to "close" in the design. I used the Bundled Sage to stamp a script over the tag and then made a snippet of cardstock using Multi Medium as a resist and blending Bundled Sage and Iced Spruce over it to make it slightly darker than the rest of the tag. I used Jet Black Archival to stamp the word LIFE... this is from a Tim sentiment stamp and I just masked off the rest of the words using a Post It Note... that is why I lurve stamps so much... because you can use just a smidge of the image and get different results...


Anyways... where was I? Ah yes, making the tag: so.. I used the Mini Tattered Florals die to cut some Lost & Found snippets (2" bits) and made them into roses... and added some Film Strip made into a banner behind them... oh and I also cut a flourishy thingywotsit from kraft cardstock and went to blend it with Gathered Twigs but I was a bit heavy handed and ended up snapping it in two... no worries, it works in two lol I added some Idea-ology to decorate... squidging Juniper Dabber into the Word Stick to highlight the letters... and clipping it onto the tag with a Charm Clip. Oh and yes, the lace border thingy at the bottom of the tag... the wastey bits from yesterday's tag...



Alright, well, it is getting near to bedtime but I have got this big idea in my head to alter a paper tidy box jobby that has been kicking about the Room of Stash for several millennia... why all of a sudden it is interesting well, I don't know! Oh and... I nearly forgot... my voice... it is back! YAH! It has gradually got better today... I have gone from a squeaky croak, through sounding like Phyllis Pearce from Corrie (yep, showing my age) to sort of normal... Right... am offski... enough waffling! Thanks for looking... have a grand Sunday! TTFN

Hels x

Silence Is Golden...

..or rather... my silence is... because dear bloggy buddies, I have lost my voice! I know... fancy that... being someone who is ever so quiet and retiring and all that! Actually, I do have a little bit of a voice... only a smidge, so I am saving it and talking very little... which is annoying the chuff out of me at the moment because I, all of a sudden, seem to have a lot to say! I don't feel poorly sick and my throat isn't sore, I think it's just a lot of over-talking earlier in the week coupled with an airconditioned hall and not enough to drink... memo to self, drink more!



Anyways... onto the new monthly phenomenon that is the all new 12 Tags of 2o12. Unless you have been on a polar expedition you will know about the brand new direction for the traditional Christmas 12 tags... the Duke of Distress is now going to be doing one a month! Yaaahooooo!!! HERE are the deets for the February tag... and guess what.. oh yes, you can enter your ...ahem... entry and there might be goodies to be had. Now, I had a minor hissy fit (ok, a major one) when I saw Feb's design... I didn't have half the things I needed so Jennie and Joanne very kindly stepped in and helped out with the cherub and the honeycomb paper. Now, I haven't got the stamps... nor the Texture Fade and being as I am a bit of a skinflint with Valentine's I won't be buying them... so I improvised (oooh, I no likey doing that with the 12 tags but needs must) and used a flourishy texture fade instead. I pounced lots of Snowcap Dabber into the Texture Fade, wiped off the excess and then embossed it... and it worked! I used Festive Berries, Worn Lippy and Aged Mahogany DI's to colour the tag, edged it with Walnut Stain and then wiped the ink off the dabbered bits... they have gone a bit pinky but... hey, it's not too bad! I don't know about you but I can't wait to see the next one... hopefully I will have more of the stuff this time!


So... back to my poor old voice... or lack of it... **milks it for sympathy** I am offering up some very croaky squeaky prayers that it miraculously comes back over the weekend because I am away to Preston on Monday afternoon for a demo day at Card Craft Plus for their Inspirations week and I am going to be needing a voice so I can waffle on... finger's X'd eh? I will be back tomorrow with a brand new Sunday Stamper theme... a nice easy one for this week. Right... bedtime... maybe my voice will grow back overnight eh? Thanks for looking... have a fabbylicious weekend folks... TTFN

Hels x

And My Faith Is Restored...

...I am a very thankful and happy bunny today. Remember yesterday I told you about the stealing thing? Well, last night I went onto yonder t'internet to find some Grid Blocks to replace the nicked ones. I placed my order with Craft Obsessions late last night... and this morning had a lovely phone call from David; he said that he and Brenda had heard about the theft and were disgusted by it... and were going to let me have the Grid Blocks at cost price. WOW, how kind is that! So a very big and mahoosive thank you to David and Brenda... they have restored my faith... and made me smile big.


So... Postie just arrived with a package for me... and it it was a packet of honeycomb paper from the very kind and thoughtful Joanne... so my big smile is even bigger now. I had had a natter with Joanne on Sunday and said I needed some of that honeycomb paper... of course, I did have a packet of it in my stash from about 382 years ago and hoofed it out just three weeks ago when the Room of Stash had its overhaul... and then of course, the Duke of Distress uses it on his 12 tags of 2012 and I need some... like really need! Jennie very kindly brought me a die cut heart and a couple of the the cherubs so I could make the tag (I had none of the stuff needed except the heart die)... so... between Jennie and Joanne I can now go and play and get started on the tag... which is what I intend to do in a mo... so thank you both!!




But afore I go (blimey, I sound like I am from the 19th century lol) I will just show you this little brooch I made using some of the demo bits from the weekend... the rose is Grunge with Gold Dabber, the flower underneath is Grunge with Gold Dabber pounced onto it and then dried so it bubbles a bit and then slapped with a Coffee Archival pad so it looks rusty.. .and the black flower is Clearly for Art Blackout flavour, stamped with Gold Dabber and heated and curled... and the leafy bit is a Leaves Art Part, coloured with Peeled Paint DI and stamped with Olive Archival and edged with Gold Dabber.


Oh and... I nearly forgot!!! The winner of the Fantastic Ribbons button giveaway! I had 93 lovely comments (thanks all) and I asked Mr Random.org to pick a winner... and #34 was chosen which tallies with the comment left by Elaine. Thank you all for your lovely comments... and Elaine, please can I have your addy? Ta!


Right, I am off now... I have a tag to make and... erm... I still haven't unpacked my kit bag... ooops, the halo is slipping lol Thanks for looking... TTFN!

Hels x

WOYWW... Candy Time...

...ok, so... especially for Sue... Holy Moly and thrice... and... cor blimey indeedily! This last week has fair whipped itself past again and here we are, back at Wednesday and time for the desk hoppers of the Bloggy World to unite in the marathon hop that is What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday... hosted by the inimitable Julia, click HERE for all the deets on how to join in.


So. My desk. Well, my actual real desk is devoid of any kind of craftyness... it is clean, tidy, mess free and looking very very boring... but... I have got yesterday's desk to show you instead. Day three at the Stitches trade show and this is my desk just after 9am... neat and tidy and full of inky and stampy goodies. And my samples, across the front... and my Grid Blocks *ones I actually bought for me*... of which, someone decided to relieve me of. Well, one Spool sample and 4 Grid Blocks to be precise. I am NOT happy and, in a way, I am hoping that whomever decided that their need was greater than mine is reading this post and feels totally and utterly ashamed of themselves. We are crafters. We all love stash. And, up til yesterday morning, I thought that we all respected each others stash... it seems, however, that there is, in any walk of life, someone who has no scruples.



Moving on... on a much happier note... check out this display!!! All the gorgeous brand new Studio 490 stamps, Art Parts and Blossom Bucket embellishments... and... real, proper, genuine (and GORGEOUS) artwork by Wendy Vecchi... seriously, that art... lushness... sooo many little details and elements, I could have gazed at it for days (well, I did, when no one was looking lol)




Last week I didn't get chance to get around to very many peeps' blogs... so ... here's a little candy giveaway to one person who leaves me a comment on this post... my way of a thank you (and a sorry) During the show I have been making little bits and bobs using the gorgeous Studio 490 range and Ranger products... demo-ing on Art Parts, Grunge, Distress, Idea-ology... all kinds of loverliness. And... eventually I managed to finish the piece and put this Spool together. This is what I will be giving away - just leave a comment on this post and I will randomly pick a winner next Wednesday, February 29th.


I have a cunning plan for today... catch up on yonder t'internet, blogs, Sunday Stamper entries, emails etc... they have been neglected this past few days... and then... unpacking my tote trolley jobby and putting stuff away (I am not going to break this resolution of keeping the Room of Stash tidy.. ohhh no, I am going to be a good girl lol) and then... I shall adopt a supine position on the sofa and catch up on the tellybox... a couple of Corrie omnibuses (now, are they omnibuses or omnibi? lol) should keep me occupied :O)) Thanks for looking... TTFN!

Hels x

Another Day...

... to remember! And I get to do it all again today... yeeehawwww... I know, copying what I wrote yesterday, very lame but... tis true! Yesterday was another totes-amazeballs day and... I remembered to keep the camera handy and got some more pics this time... yes, I know, not many pics because, whilst I did have every intention of photographing every single visitor and every single thing I made, I erm... got carried away with all the yakking I was doing and forgot. Check these out... they are... divine... for want of repeating myself I know... but they are...


... and, even more divine when used on the new Speciality Stamping Paper from Ranger. This here pic is the only thing I actually put together... you see, I get easily distracted (bet you never guessed that lol) and I am so eager to show all the lovely stuff that I forget to actually finish anything... well, this is the new paper... stamped with a Studio 490 flower that was inked with Distress Markers... and then once dried, I went right over the top with Pumice Stone DI... I know! OVER. THE. TOP! And... it doesn't affect the colour of the originally stamped piece... those magicians at Ranger have really invented some gorgeous products... magic and fabulous!






So.. here's the desk... all tidy (ahem) It does beg the question... why, when I am working on a desk more than double the side/depth of mine.. do I end up with the same 8" square piece to work in? Goodness knows why... it is inherant in all crafters, so I have been reliably informed.



Again, it was so lovely to meet so many peeps and put names to faces and say hi and stuff.... I am scheduling this one again... I am in need of a nice cosy warm bed and a good sleep... I don't want to be bug-eyed in the morning **although, of this I am certain... there's a gremlin, it sleeps under my bed... and, in the middle of the night, it pops up onto my pillow with a sink plunger and applies it to my face.. oh and he has super strength hair gel too... little beastie!!!** And on that lovely image, I shall say... as ever... thanks for looking and... TTFN!

Hels x

PS... check out Wendy Vecchi's blog... she journals... and oh boy is it amazzzzzing!!!

A Day...

...to remember... and I get to do it all again today too!! Yeeehawwww. So, I promised didn't I? Yes, I will remember to take my camera, and yes.. I will remember to take lots of photo's... and.... erm... I took the grand sum of... ahem... TWO!!! I will take it again today and will try to remember to take more pics...




I do have a good excuse though. I mean really? Sitting me right next to ALL the new Studio 490 GORGEOUSNESS... and what's more... ORIGINAL artwork from Wendy Vecchi... how was I supposed to concentrate right? This is my desk, set up with my stuff along the front... I didn't take an "after photo", you would have been too traumatised lol

So... the lovely Sue Wilson hands me a baggy... it was her own set of Distress Markers... for me to play with!! YAY!!! **THANK YOU SUE!!!!** All I can say is this... yes, I am biased because I lurve Ranger... and because I lurve Distress but these pens? They. Are. Brilliant;, all the properties of Distress, in a marker! And as for the Picket Fence? WOWZERS... it is like magic and I spent most of the day squealing "it's magic" (a la Paul Daniels) everytime I demo'd the technique! That there pic is how Kaz found me shortly after being given the pens.. I know... all that excitement went right to my head! And this one was later on.. I behaved for this pic...

And finally.. yes, one of me demo-ing the Markers... many thanks to Dawn Bibby for taking this pic and Tweeting it... yes, my phone is still steampowered so I had to wait til I got back to Lionel Laptop to be able to see it!



Right... I am away to bed... am scheduling posts again... I have a cozy corn pillow with my name on it for my aching back... grrr... one of the downsides of having a fun filled day... still, it is worth every creak and groan just to be able to be a part of it :O)) Thanks for looking and to all you lovely peeps who popped by to see me today, it was lovely to meet you all!!! TTFN

Hels x

Sunday Stamper - Week 193 - Stitch In Time

Goooodly Morning Stampers and a very happy Sunday to you all! Thank you all for your fab lurve creations last week... it was lovely to see some new peeps joining in with the challenge too! This week the new theme is... STITCHES/SEWING. To join in is simples: make a little something, it can absolutely anything you like. Include some stamping and the theme and then hop across here to leave me a comment with a link to the place you are showing your entry. As ever, if you haven't got a blog/flickr/image hosting thingybob, just pop me an email with your piccie. The challenge will remain open until 21:00 Saturday 25th February 2011.


Now, I have chosen the theme this week because of what I am up to for the next few days.. oh yesh, I am very excited.. I am going to the Stitches Trade Show and will be demo-ing... how excited am I? On a scale of 1 - 10 about an... erm... 281 lol Enough of that though and on with the way I made my entry this week: Of course, anything that I do that is remotely stitchy in theme has to have the Alterations Dressform on it. I have cut loads of these since I first got it but have never done it this way... totally inspired by the bambi on one of Tim's 12 tags '11, I covered a piece of Grungeboard with Natural Sticky Back Canvas (LOVE this stuff), using Multi Medium to stick it down good and proper and then I used the edge of my scissors to scruff up the edges of the dressform. I used Frayed Burlap DI to blend colour around the edges and then went right in with a Walnut Stain blending tool to darken the Grunge edges.


The base of the tag was blended with Antique Linen, Frayed Burlap, Vintage Photo DI's and edged with more Walnut Stain. The stamping is the large dressmakers pattern stamped in Coffee Archival and then... I got the sewing machine out! I know! Me! Sewing! With a machine! Well, it is the wee one that Grim bought me last year and having broken it... I fixed it up again and yay, it is working again! I stitched around the edge of the tag - and, confession time... I had planned on one neat line right around the edge but... erm... my sewing skills are very evidently lacking so I ended up going all wavy and doing 2 lines so it looks like it is s'posed to be like that... you won't tell anyone though will you? The little Needle Book is my fave thing on this piece - tis a piece of card stamped with Jet Black Archival and then coloured with DI's and a smidge of Weathered Wood Stain... and I cut another piece of card to go behind it... and then... sewed them together! (I am still reeling from me being about to sew lol) I added a snip of Kraft Glassine inside, again stitched, and then added a couple of little needles to it.



The bobbin (isn't that soooo sweet! Available from The Stamp Attic... just saying ;o)) was coloured a bit with Walnut Stain DI and then I added some waxed cotton and a bodkin and a couple of buttons... and I also added a Spool label but.. it is kind of lost with the whole tag a-top it. The rest of the tag was embellished with Idea-ology and charms to finish.



I am hoping this post does publish properly cos I have scheduled it for the usual midnight time... I will be in bed... need lots of beauty sleep ready for today... if you are going to be at Stitches I hope that I get chance to say howdo... I am on the Creative Expressions stand btw. Right... time to stop with the waffling... thanks for looking... TTFN!

Hels x

The Key To Love... *and the taggy winner*

...do you ever get that "made-those-once-need-to-make-them-again-right-now" urges? You know those little roses I made yesterday from the Mini Tattered Florals die? Well, I am officially addicted... as I also seem to be turning several shades of pastel! What is going on huh? I hardly ever do the whole palepink/babyblue but this week for some reason I have it in my head to use the Vintage Shabby papers from the Duke of Distress *who... is in THE SAME country as us!! Huzzah (oh, just thought, if you are not in the UK then he isn't in the same country... but you know what I mean right?)*


Well, I have this ickle 4" shadow box in my stash for several eons and decided it was high time that it got some lurve in the form of Paper Artsy Fresco Finish paints... the base colour is Sky Blue, then some of that super crackle medium... and then Snow*** White (oh I can't remember the name of the white one... and it is put away and neat and I am lazy so... erm.... it is the Snow something or other white ... whatever it be named, it is lush) Where was I? Ah, yes... crackled box... white with blue... looked like "blah" in my face and not at all the shades I wanted... so.. I went in with the Weathered Wood Distress Stain, dabbing it on and drying as I went... and then smidges of Pumice Stone Stain to make it a bit shabbier.... and then... Blue Smoke PP Mists (nearly out of that one *sob* I use it all the time)



Next came the roses... cut from the "grey" shades of papers in the Vintage Shabby stack...hey, did you know... the die fits into the little 2" snip designs on the papers... cool huh! I made three roses, blending Stormy Sky over the edges and then sanding them. The sentiment is another Tim stamp... and the 2" snip fits perfectly into the centre of the box! I added some Idea-ology to embellish and some Hitch Fasteners for feet (am gutted... these have been discontinued from the Idea-ology range... booohooo)




And here I am waffling on... and I nearly forgot to tell you... I have a winner to announce for last weeks taggy giveaway!! I had 60 lovely comments and Mr Random.wotsit picked #57 as the winner... which belonged to the comment left by DEE. Please email me your addy and I will pop the tag into the post for you :O))

here's the giveaway tag

I had better get a move on... tis 11am and I am still sitting here in my nighty, I know... slatternly behaviour indeedily... I fancy a nice nostril deep bath to go and sink into... I live a decadent life don't I? lol Thanks for looking... don't forget... new Sunday Stamper theme tomorrow! Have a lovely day!

TTFN Hels x

A Grungy Kind of Love...

...The Grungy Monday Challenge, hosted by the luverly Linda Ledbetter, this week has the theme LOVE. If you haven't seen the challenge before, do head on over HERE... it is a brill challenge, focussing on techniques from Tim Holtz and... it gets better because this week Simon Says Stamp are sponsoring the challenge! Cool huh? Speaking of Simon Says Stamp.. this week on the Simon Says Stamp & Show challenge the theme is Anything Goes... so... I am entering this tag into that too :O))


The tag is a simple quicky one... I have had the new Mini Tattered Florals Movers & Shapers for a month now and apart from making one rose, I haven't done anything else with it... so I was itching to have a play... and being as the theme is love, I used some papers from the Shabby Vintage paper stack to cover the tag and to make the roses.




The tag paper is the grey one from the stack and I edged it with Aged Mahogany DI... and then sanded the edges... which is what I did with the roses too... forgot to say that lol I used some of the diamond patterned paper, cutting into it and then popping this across the bottom of the tag and then colouring some Trim with Victorian Velvet Stain and I added a few little brads to the middles of the flowers. I bobbed a piece of Film Strip under the roses to make a little banner... I like the extra texture that this adds to the tag.




Super speedy post from me today... I have some stuff to list on eBay and it isn't listing itself... thanks for looking... hope you having a grand day ... TTFN!

Hels x

He's A Heart Throb...

...I think of all the Stampotique stamps I own, this is my fave little fella... he is called Heart Throb and here he is today with his little pet Kitty. A couple of weeks ago I did a mini canvas using Claudine's gorgeous paints and I enjoyed it sooo much that I decided to make a bigger one - this is 5" square and is a deep edged one (IMO, the best ones to work with) and I have teamed up Claudine's gorgeous colours mixed together to make more gorgeous colours - they are perfect because you can mix them and you don't get seven shades of doo-doo!


So... the canvas was pre-gesso'd so I went right in with a big old paint brush and slapped a layer of Dab of Yellow all over it and gave it a zap with my heat tool... I am always a bit careful when drying paint because it bubbles when it gets too hot... so I just waffed the heat tool over the top of the canvas til the paint was done. I used a spatula to apply the next few layers... starting off by mixing a 50p size of Dab of Yellow with a 5p size of Dash of Red... this makes the most delish bright orange... but did you know... if you mix Pastel Yellow with Modern Red you get a totally different shade of orange? That is just how cool these paints are! Building the layers of scraped on paint is easy... just dry the layer in between applications... on the canvas, in order are: Dab of Yellow base, orange (mixed as mentioned), Altered Orange and Dash of Red. On top of all of those layers I added smidges of Gesso - I was a bit heavy handed in one patch of it so I just went in with a baby wipe and smudged some of it off... simples :O))


I used the diamond background Dylusions stamp (my favest already!) and stamped in Charcoal Black... once this had dried I used a Pitch Black Dabber to add edges to the canvas and then used bottle tops to add black and white circles... and the edge of a Ranger scraper to add a couple of lines. Heart Throb and Kitty are stamped onto copy paper and coloured with Distress Stains... and the sentiment is done the same way - edging around all the images with an "All" Stabilo pen and then smudging these edges with a waterbrush. A few months ago Kate Crane had a gorgeous canvas piece in Craft Stamper... her project gave me the idea to combine Stampotique with painty techniques... I have to say, anything painty/journally etc that I make is usually inspired by Kate... she really is a classy lass... check out her BLOG... totes amaze-balls :O))



Right then, I had better get a move on... I am working on some more class samples today and am champing at the bit to get to the desk (still neat and tidy BTW) Oh but, before I go... I got asked a couple fo Q's yesterday: First one... NO Kathy, I am not making the kitchen and inky tip and leaving the Room of Stash tidy... cheek of it eh? ROFL And secondly... Alison Horne asked where I got the Optical Lenses from... ahah, that would be from eBay (US) and I got a bundle of them (can't remember how much they were) Ok, am offski... have a good day and as ever, thanks for looking... TTFN!

Hels x

WOYWW.... Getting Carried Away!

...cor blimey, I know, I am boring and predictable but... is it really Wednesday already? Really? This last week has fair whizzed past hasn't it?! Well, it is Wednesday which means that it is time for all Crafty Bloggy Buddies of the Blogasphere to unite in the wonderful event that is What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday... devised and hosted by the fair and lovely Julia, click HERE to see all the deets and info and stuff... BTW, did you know... it is now 141 weeks old... which is erm... about... nearly three years... and yet it seems like only yesterday when it all started! Cor!!!



Anyways... regular hoppers will be aware that I turned over a new leaf last month and spouted off about being uber organised, neat, tidy etc... and... I am happy to say... I am keeping it up... really, none of the pics have been digically altered, no photowotsiting or anything like that.. I know there are doubters amongst you (Minxy) who said they didn't quite believe that I could walk on the floor, let alone see it...well, this proves that... you can! See, carpet! And tidy carpet at that!


On my desk there's a nearly finished canvas, I am just colouring some images ready to stick on... and then there's my class notes and a pile of tags to be turned into a sample... and then there's a horror of a canvas that really is not my colour scheme at all... akkk!!! Needs toning down!



And then there's the "corner" of the room with the Wall of Art feature... and can you see it? Can you? There it is, in front of Victor Vagabond... oh yesh, a signed copy of the latest book from the Wonderful Wendy Vecchi... Wendy Stamp Attic brought it back from CHA for me and I am one happy bunny... thank you both Wendy's for gifting this to me!!!






And... more news... a few weeks ago Kirsty Wiseman asked me if I would like to join in with a brand new Design Team for Fantastic Ribbons... well, how could I say no eh? Being as I love all things ribbony. So, February is the start of a brand new blog and challenge... the theme this month is to make Accessories... and erm... this is where I got carried away! The first thing I made was a bracelet... with pink and green ribbons tied on the links and buttons dangling from jump rings... and then I made a little pouchy bag for it and added a big old wired ribbon bow and some inked lace to it... and then because I was in bright and ribbony mode, I made a little brooch/medal thingy... using a blank pendant, filling it up with buttons and then adding some bright stripey Grosgrain as a bow...

photo is rubbish - glue has now dried lol

And then... because that wasn't enough I altered an Optical Lens... and added a little smidge of white organza ribbon as the necklace bit.



Anyways... the fab news is that Fantastic Ribbons are giving away a fab goodie bag of bright and pretty buttons... and there are two chances to win because as well as giving one away on the DT blog, I also have a packet to giveaway too! All you need to do is leave a comment on this post... and if you want to double your chances... pop across HERE and leave another comment! Simples!! The winners will be announced on Sunday February 19th 2012.

FANTASTIC RIBBONS GIVEAWAY BUTTONS!!!

Right.. I have taken up too much of your time with all this waffling today... time for me to get back to my desk and get my canvas finished... thanks for looking... have a FAB day! TTFN

Hels x