Sunday Stamper - Week 335 - Have a Holly Jolly Christmas

Goooodly Morning Stampers and a very happy sunny Sunday to you all!  Thank you for your fabby lurve entries into last weeks challenge.   The song title for the theme this week has been chosen by my BFF Ellen... and it is CHRISTMAS.  You can interpret the challenge how you like: which isn't that difficult this week as Christmas is such a big old theme :O))  To join in with the challenge is simples: make a little something, it can be anything you fancy.  Add in the theme AND some stamping *this is THE important bit guys, please remember your rubberstamps!*  and then hop back here, leave me a comment with a link to the place you are showing your entry and I can come see you.   If you haven't got a blog, you can join in via Facebook (just tag me name) or by emailing a small res.pic to me.  The challenge will remain open until 21:00 Saturday 6th December 2014.

My entry this week has come about because of a fabby Skypey sesh I had with Ellen yesterday.  As usual, we had an I Challenge Thee... basically, we put together a recipe and get crackalacking making stuff.  Only this week we are both barren of Mojo so Ellen grabbed her Ranger U tags... and I grabbed mine... and we chose the Nostalgic Batik technique. Now this is a technique I haven't used for several hundred years and it was so lovely to revisit it.  And... I decided I would do a little step by step to show you how to do it too :O) 

But first.... the recipe!
Technique - Nostalgic Batik
Base - Manila Tag - any size
Theme - Christmas
Must Include: Tinsel/Festive Garlandry, Bow, Bells
Stamps of own choice
*this is the killer*  NO PAPER FLOWERS OF ANY DESCRIPTION!  *Ellen chose that... the vixen lol*

Please do feel free to use our recipe... and we'd love to see what you come up with too :O))

Here's the technique:

STEP 1 & 2
Using a couple of colours of Distress Ink, ink and stamp your image. Immediately cover with clear embossing powder, heat until shiny.

STEP 3
Use a co-ordinating colour of Distress Ink (and let's face it, they all co-ordinate) and blend ink right over the entire piece.  As usual, I added some Frayed Burlap around the edges... I always do that, I do!

STEP 4
Use a hot iron (for those of you who aren't sure what this is, it is a little metal electric jobby that gets red hot, perfect for getting creases out of clothes *snort* but also perfect for crafty stuff too!) with a piece of absorbent paper over the top of the stamped card, press firmly and hold the iron in place, the heat from the iron will re-melt the embossing powder which will soak up into the paper and remove said embossing powder giving a lovely nostalgic look to the art.  If you find that the paper is stuck to the card, simply rub the iron over the top again and it will lift off whilst still hot.

It is worth noting at this point that I GOOFED up... big styleee.... but actually, I liked my goof up so I kept it.  What did I do?  Well, I was so chuffed with the fact that I managed to stamp and emboss and it looked great that I skipped the Step 3 and went and ironed off the embossing powder before I had coloured over the card.  Ooops.  Well, I decided that seeing as there is always a residual amount of embossing stuff left on the stamped image, I would see if inking over the top actually would kill the whole thing or if the residual stuff would be enough of a resist.  And it didn't kill it completely... but what it did do was create a little bit of a halo.. which I likes!  Happy accident right?  To finish the tag, I added my bow, made with crinkle ribbon and Pine Needles DI, some Idea-ology (and how chuffed was I when I found the Christmas Word Band with the right song title words on it!)  The ickle rusty bells attached to Pine Twine around the Prancing Reindeers neck checked the bells and garlandry off the recipe and of course, no paper flowers so... I used real pine cones instead!  Teeehee!

And there you have it!  Please do go and check out what Ellen has been up to HERE... she was making mini tags the last time I saw... and she was up to about 87!   As ever, thanks for looking... have a grand day!  TTFN

Hels x

Sunday Stamper - Week 334 - All You Need Is Love

Goooodly Morning Stampers and a very happy Sunday to you all!  Thank you for your fabby entries into last weeks challenge.   The theme this week is LOVE.  You can interpret the challenge how you like: use the word love, make a love themed creation, add in some hearts...  the choice, it be yours!  To join in with the challenge is simples: make a little something, it can be anything you fancy.  Add in the theme AND some stamping *this is THE important bit guys, please remember your rubberstamps!*  and then hop back here, leave me a comment with a link to the place you are showing your entry and I can come see you.   If you haven't got a blog, you can join in via Facebook (just tag me name) or by emailing a small res.pic to me.  The challenge will remain open until 21:00 Saturday 29th November 2014.

Now my entry this week is something a little different.... oh, hang on a minute, no it isn't... it is a tag!  Teehee.   I was asked a few days ago why I always make tags and what do I do with them?  Well, that is simples:  I make tags as I love the size of them, perfect for a quick demo or playtime... I love the base of the taggy card too, soft, smooth and very easy to apply ink and paint to (bit like my face...ahem) and of course I am addicted to making tags because that is the chosen base of the one and only Duke of Distress himself!  And as you all know, whatever Tim does, I have to copy!  And what do I do with them?  Well, a lot of them are used for demo's and samples, some of them make it onto cards... but most of them are kept on bookrings or in baskets in the Room of Stash so I can refer back to them upon such occasions when the old cad Mojo disappears off on one of his jaunts. *which, unfortunately, seems to be happening at the moment... he is sunning himself on a Greek Island I reckon*

This tag was made a few weeks ago for Wendy at Daisy's Jewels in Coventry.  I was there teaching for the weekend and had a few bits and bobs laying around on my desk so I got creative and bunged them onto a tag.  Bits of Wallpaper flowers that were too small to use on a big project but far too precious to file in the bin were glued onto the tag in collage fashion.  I inked all the edges with Aged Mahogany DI before gluing so they all looked cohesive.  Next I stamped a few images in Jet Black Archival - including the sentiment - and then slapped a generous layer of beeswax all over the tag... I don't know if you know this but I am also addicted to beeswax... the more the better IMO :O)

The flowers are just simple white paper roses, inked edges with the same DI colour and then dipped into beeswax to give them a muted and soft look.  I did the same with some die cut bits I had in my workbox (I cart a massive workbox around with me, chock full of all manner of what-have-you and usually I can find a few hidden gems in it) The butterfly was stamped onto card, inked and then this was also dipped into the wax too.  Apologies for the rubbishness of the photo's... being as I was away from home, I didn't have my camera so had to rely on my phone, which is not the best for taking photo's (or maybe it is the operator!) so I have tried to lighten them up in PhotoWotsit but I am not very good at using that either... hmmmm...

I shall away now... I have tonnes of stuff to do today!  Firstly, I am going to lay on the sofa and catch up with Strictly from last night... then I am going to lay on the sofa and catch up with Dallas from the other night... and then I might lay on the sofa and catch up with Wentworth from the other night.  See a theme there at all?  Yes, I have awarded meself a lazy day - I was supposed to be teaching today but the class has been postponed so I have a rare free day! I guess I could spend it sorting out the pit of doom that is the Room of Stash... but I shall save that for another day!  Thanks for looking and have a great day yourself!  TTFN

Hels x

Curiously Embossed...

Gooooodly Morning to all you lovely Compendium-ers!  Today sees the start of a brand new Compendium of Curiosities 3 Challenge.  To see all the details on how to join in with the challenge, CLICK HERE.  Also, if you pop across to Linda's blog, you will see all gorgeous creations that my talented teamies on the Curiosity Crew have made... well worth taking a cuppa and a packet of Digestives :O)    The challenge is sponsored by the Funkie Junkie Boutique this time... so you will have a chance of winning a very generous Gift Certificate to spend there.  As ever, Tim & Mario have very kindly donated goodies for an extra prize... which will be awarded to the "Curiosity Crew's Choice"... so you have two chances of winning fabby prizes!  If you haven't got your Compendium book just yet, you can order a signed copy directly from the man himself... HERE.  And... Linda has also done a FAQ page for you.. HERE it is... all the info you will need is listed there.   This week we are turning to Page 50 of the book and doing the Layering Stencils - Embossing technique.  As ever with the Compendium Challenge, neither I, nor the Curiosity Crew, will be posting the technique instructions and participants must not do so either. We all want to encourage people to buy Tim's awesome book; giving away the instructions wouldn’t be fair to him. Linda will have no choice but to un-link any entries that don’t follow this rule.   

I have another tag to show you for my entry this week!  Yes, I have quite a collection growing now and I need to find a mahoosive bookring to store them all on - I have used up all available space on the 3" one so I thinks I needs a 5" ring... mmm, where to get one from!   Here's a piccie of my tag before I did the stamping and embellishmentizing:

I used Tim's Holiday Knit stencil for the technique and then added smidges from the Holly Stencil.  The ink I used for the main technique is Tumbled Glass DI and the Holly is a mix of Iced Spruce and Forest Moss DI.  Blending around the edges was Antique Linen, Frayed Burlap (where would I be without Frayed Burlap huh?) and Gathered Twigs.  I decided to scruff the edges with a paper distresser to add a more shabby look to the tag.  Of course, I had to add my little harlequin stamp.. this was done with Jet Black Archival Ink.

The rose (cut from the Tattered Florals die) was made using cream card, inked with Broken China and Frayed Burlap, overstamped with Pumice Stone and then once assembled, I dipped it into a Melt Pot full of beeswax.. I love the effect dipping into wax gives the rose and it also makes it a lot more sturdy too.  The leaves are Tim's Holiday Greens cut from Distress Core-dinations and then I popped a few bits of Idea-ology onto the tag to finish.  Ooh, I meant to say... the little jingle bell Idea-ology charm was painted with Distress Paints to jazz it up a bit.

That's all for now - don't forget, you have two whole weeks to enter the challenge... and a bat at the chance of grabbing the Crew's Choice prize which is a mahooosive haul of stash donated personally by Tim & Mario... so if you are joining in, remember to comment on all the Crew's blogs and you will be in with a chance of winning that too *believe me, this is one gigantic pile of goodies*!   I will just say a big thank you to every one of you who has taken part in the challenge so far, it has been great to visit your blogs and see your wonderful interpretations of the challenge themes!  Thanks for looking, have an inky inspirational day!  TTFN

Hels x

Sunday Stamper - Week 333 - Baby's In Black

Goooodly Morning Stampers and a very happy Sunday to you all!  Thank you for your great sewing themed entries for this past two weeker challenge.   The theme this week is USING BLACK.  You can interpret the challenge how you like: use black sprays, black ribbons, black papers, black embellies...  the choice, it be yours!  To join in with the challenge is simples: make a little something, it can be anything you fancy.  Add in the theme AND some stamping *this is THE important bit guys, please remember your rubberstamps!*  and then hop back here, leave me a comment with a link to the place you are showing your entry and I can come see you.   If you haven't got a blog, you can join in via Facebook (just tag me name) or by emailing a small res.pic to me.  The challenge will remain open until 21:00 Saturday 22nd November 2014.

My entry this week is a tag I made whilst demo-ing at the NEC a few weeks ago.  I have used lots of new goodies on it - starting with Ranger's fabby Texture Paste which was spread through Tim's Gothic Layering Stencil.  Once I had dried it, I used Antique Linen and Black Soot Distress Spray Stain smooshing the inks about the tag with a spritz or two of water.  A zap with a heat tool to dry the inks and then a smidge of blending Black Soot Distress Ink over the tag to make the stencilling really pop and voila, background completed.    The decoration is one of the stamp from Tim's latest Christmas Blueprints sets - I love that poinsettia - perfect for stamping a few times and cutting out and layering up, decoupage fashion... and finished with a Gumdrop which I coloured with Tree Branch Archival Ink.  I added a pearly strip to the bottom of the tag, die cut some of Tim's new Winter Greens and used Stick It on the card so I could sprinkle Rock Candy Distress Glitter over the surface - if you haven't tried Stick It yet... HERE's the info and where to buy - seriously FAB product folks, it is so thin that you can use it with thinlets dies and all your fancy thin dies too and it also acts like a waxy paper so the diecut pops out of the die without any huffing and puffing to release it...cool huh?  I used Tim's new Handwritten Christmas 1 stamp set for the word, how cool is that handwritten font!  A few bits and bobs to embellish and my tag was finished.

I shall away now - this is a pre-scheduled post as I am away teaching at Pickwell Farm in Southampton this weekend... and I am not going to even think about what day it should be when it is actually a different day completely lol   Thanks for looking, have a great Sunday!  TTFN

Hels x

Waxing Lyrical...

...cor blimey and thrice!  It seems like a yonk and a half since I blogged... so here I am today to show you one of the little projects I have been working on recently.  Of course, you all know I am a self confessed Melting Pot addict and even though they are, sadly, no longer being manufactured, you can still get all the goodies to go into the Melting Pot.  A few weeks ago I was rummaging through a pile of Tim's Wallflower paper offcuts with the idea to make a paper blocked affair... then I changed me mind because I have done so many paper blocked pieces I wanted to do something a little different... and came up with a more collagey thing.

And... being as I am of slatternly persuasion, my Melt Pot was still sitting on my desk, having not been tidied away before I started on a new project - yes, that New Year's Resolution went out of the window in about February time!  Anyways, I put the layers of papers together and decided that a nice splosh of beeswax would look lovely over the top.

I edged all the papers with Aged Mahogany DI and then glued with Cosmic Glue (THE best glue in the world - IMO) and set about painting the wax over the top.  I didn't re-heat the wax once I had painted it on because I wanted a more rustic effect and re-heating will also make the wax soak through the papers and give them a different effect.  So, a slap of wax, a buff with a cloth and voila, waxily covered!

My rose is also made from the Wallflower papers and once the rose was glued and assembled, I dipped it into the melted wax so it coated it... bit like a Faux Porcelain but with wax... a gorgeous different effect.  I did the same with the die cut leaves and stamped a sentiment onto the papers using Jet Black Archival Ink and painted wax over the top of this too.  In order for waxy stuff to stick to waxy stuff, I took my hands into my own life *yep, right way around* and got out the hot glue gun - I am lethal with a hot glue gun and have several scars on my paws to prove it!   If I had popped the glue directly onto the stamped piece of paper, the hot glue would have melted the wax on the top of it... so to get around this, I stuck some 3D foam on first and hot glued onto that.  It worked a treat!  Finishing touches are the pearl dangly bits and a cool little coat hanger I have been saving for such a project.

I just want to say thank you for your messages and emails about my health... I have had a second scan and thankfully, the results have ruled out anything sinister they were looking for... however, I am still none the wiser what exactly is making me so poorly so I have more tests to have now.  Hopefully in the next few weeks I will get an answer and a cure for whatever it is... and will be back to normal *ahem, well, normal for me* soonly.   Thanks for looking, have a fabby day!  TTFN

Hels x

Curiously... In The Cabinet...

Gooooodly Morning to all you lovely Compendium-ers!  Today sees the start of a brand new Compendium of Curiosities 3 Challenge.  To see all the details on how to join in with the challenge, CLICK HERE.  Also, if you pop across to Linda's blog, you will see all gorgeous creations that my talented teamies on the Curiosity Crew have made... well worth taking a cuppa and a packet of Digestives :O)    The challenge is sponsored by the Inspiration Emporium this time... so you will have a chance of winning a very generous Gift Certificate to spend there.  As ever, Tim & Mario have very kindly donated goodies for an extra prize... which will be awarded to the "Curiosity Crew's Choice"... so you have two chances of winning fabby prizes!  If you haven't got your Compendium book just yet, you can order a signed copy directly from the man himself... HERE.  And... Linda has also done a FAQ page for you.. HERE it is... all the info you will need is listed there.   This week we are turning to Page 38 of the book and playing with Cabinet Cards.  As ever with the Compendium Challenge neither I nor the Curiosity Crew will be posting the technique instructions and participants must not do so either. We all want to encourage people to buy Tim's awesome book; giving away the instructions wouldn’t be fair to him. Linda will have no choice but to un-link any entries that don’t follow this rule.   

For my entry I chose a seasonal Found Relative card to pop into my Cabinet Card... let's call them Jimmy and Muriel... they are muchly in lurves and this photo was taken on their first holiday together when they visited Minneapolis for a romantic weekend... hey, I went to Minneapolis once!  I was there for about three hours whilst I changed planes on me way to CHA last year... wow... I am a gad-about aren't I?  All I remember is that is was thick of snow and freeeeezing cold!

Anyways... Jimmy and Muriel decided to remember their naughty weekend - ahem romantic weekend - by having their photo taken in a proper photo studio, hence the special cabinet card it is in.  They collected tickets from excursions they took - check out the ticket stubb on the left hand side (pure flukey-dookey that Tim's Ephemera happened to have Minnesota on one of the tickets!) 

 

I got a little carried away with the embellishmentising as usual - the top left signifies... "when you wish upon a star..." and the two is them together... awwww... see, you didn't know I was a soppy old romantic did ya?  Of course, I had to have my harlequin stamp somewhere so that is stamped using Black Archival on the card itself.  The rest of the goodies are Tim's Remnant Rubs, Idea-ology and Ephemera packs. I used Distress Spray Stains to make my taggy background... Antique Linen and Broken China with a spritz of Tarnished Brass and then a spot of stencilling using Tim's hearts stencil...

That's all for now - don't forget, you have two whole weeks to enter the challenge... and a bat at the chance of grabbing the Crew's Choice prize which is a mahooosive haul of stash donated personally by Tim & Mario... so if you are joining in, remember to comment on all the Crew's blogs and you will be in with a chance of winning that too *believe me, this is one gigantic pile of goodies*!   I will just say a big thank you to every one of you who has taken part in the challenge so far, it has been great to visit your blogs and see your wonderful interpretations of the challenge themes!  Thanks for looking, have an inky inspirational day!  TTFN

Hels x

Demo Time...

Cor blimey, blink and it is Wednesday already!  Anyways... a super speedy post to let you know that I will be demo-ing at the NEC tomorrow and Friday for Craft Obsessions which is Stand E20.   How fab.... I am going to playing with all things Tim Holtz and Ranger.... bliss!  I have had a little play to make up a few samples with some of the goodies I will be using and here is a tag I put together: 

I used Ranger's Texture Paste through Tim's Holiday Knit Layering Stencil - I will be the first to admit, when I saw the Stencil I thought "mehuh... not fussed" until I used it!  Oh la la! INDEEDILY! Which goes to show one should never judge a stencil by its packaging!  How cute is this little design huh?   Texture paste looks amazebobs through it and I have also been playing with inks through it too... so delicate!   Tis me new fave!   The rose is made from the Tattered Florals flower and Merriment Papers and the leaves are a combo of Tim's Holly Branch and his new Thinlet Greens... which I also LURVE!  That holly bough is so dainty... did I say... I loves these new dies?

The background, once the paste had dried, was coloured with a combo of Fired Brick and Antique Linen Distress Spray Stains... these are FAB to work with and I love the fact that they react just the same as all the other Distress products.... water reactive to get cool effects!  I am one happy bunny!   So, if you are going to be at the NEC please do pop by to see Brenda & David on the Craft Obsessions stand... and me... I will be the one covered in ink and smiling biggly!   Thanks for looking.... TTFN!

Hels x

Sunday Stamper - Week 332 - Sharp Dressed Man

Goooodly Morning Stampers and a very happy Sunday to you all!  Thank you for your grand entries for last weeks wishy challenge.   The theme this week is SEWING & STITCHES.  You can interpret the challenge how you like: make something out of fabric, add faux or real stitches, use diecuts...  the choice, it be yours!  To join in with the challenge is simples: make a little something, it can be anything you fancy.  Add in the theme AND some stamping *this is THE important bit guys, please remember your rubberstamps!*  and then hop back here, leave me a comment with a link to the place you are showing your entry and I can come see you.   If you haven't got a blog, you can join in via Facebook (just tag me name) or by emailing a small res.pic to me.  The challenge will remain open until 21:00 Saturday 15th November 2014 - yes this one is a "two-weeker". 

My entry this week is my class sample for my Patchwork Sewing Room class that I taught yesterday at Daisy's Jewels in Coventry.  The base is a Candy Box Crafts mdf frame.... this has been altered to within an inch of its life to make it look like it has been around for yonks (I love doing this to new wooden things, making them look positively ancient!)

The patchwork is cardstock, coloured with Distress Ink and a selection of Studio 490 and Kaisercraft stamps adorn the patches.  Checkout Tim's dressform... this was diecut from a gorgeous faux suede paper that Daisy's sell... backed onto mountboard for sturdiness! 

As you will have noticed, this is a two week challenge this time... I am still not feeling 100% and next week I am going to be a busy gal - demoing at the NEC for Craft Obsessions on Thursday and Friday and then I am teaching at a the Craftstation on Saturday for their first Dabble Day... so it is time for the Sunday Stamper to have a little breather!  I better get a wiggle on, I am back at Daisy's today teaching the lovely ladies all about the Melting Pot... tis going to be fun!   Thanks for looking, have a great day!  TTFN

Hels x