Carte Blanche for Blossoms & Bookpages!

Goodly afternoon!  Ooh I love it when a plan comes together!  It isn't often that I think of a project and actually make it so it looks like it did in my head.  This project started out in my head looking like... well, exactly like the finished article!  Unusual for me, I usually just slap stuff anywhere and faff around for hours trying to get things to look right.  Over on the Creative Carte Blanche blog, I chose the theme for July, Blossoms & Bookpages.  I chose the theme because I wanted to make this project... and being of slatternly persuasion, it is oft the case I will not end up making something because other things get in the way.  Perfect excuse to get my fingers inky and make something for the living room too.

I bought an old copy of Hans Christian Anderson's childrens stories a few months ago from a charity booksale... it cost me the princely sum of 50p.  One of the stories is Thumbelina.... I have a bit of an addition to fuchsias... well, actually, a lot of an addiction (I have 79 different varieties now *see, told ya, addicted*) and it just so happens there is a new fuchsia called Thumbelina.  I also have the Heartfelt Creations Fuchsia Dies... so... put them together and you get this project!

The shadowbox is from The Range and is 8" x 8", I smidged a wee bit of black paint onto the bare wood, sanded it back and then blended Ground Espresso DI over the surface to get this nice aged look. 

The fuchsias were made by sticking the bookpages onto card, die cutting the shapes and inking with Picked Raspberry and Wilted Violet DI's to get the colours and then assembling the blooms.  The stems of the flowers are thin strips of bookpage/cardstock inked with Peeled Paint and the branches were made (very fiddly-diddly) by twisting bookpages around wire then inking with the green ink plus a smidge of Frayed Burlap.  The base inside is more bookpages, collages, knocked back with Antique Linen and Bundled Sage Distress Paint, splattered with Peeled Paint and Bundled Sage Distress Spray and then gently inked with more Ground Espresso to bring the whole design together.

I decided against adding any embellies (I know, what???) and wordage as I want the blooms to really stand out, it is simple but so pretty I didn't want to take away any limelight from those fuchsias.  Anyways... that's it really... I spent ages making this... the blooms are pretty easy to put together but it was the placement of them and the wrapping of the wire and making sure that it looked exactly like it did in my head...  Thanks for looking, have a grand weekend!  TTFN

Hels x

Curiously Altered...

Gooooodly Morning to all you lovely Compendium-ers!  Today sees the start of another 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... they never cease to amaze me with their inspirational ideas and art!   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.  Tim & Mario have, as ever, 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 45 of the book and trying out the Altered Surfaces 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 had much fun playing with this technique.  I made *another* tag for my collection.  This one started off with a piece of Tim's Correspondance papers laid over the tag and stuck down with Glue & Seal.  I wanted the paper to be more in the background so I knocked it back with a wash of Antique Linen Distress Paint, watered down and applied with Cut & Dry foam... this lets the pattern still show but not as brightly.  I edged the tag with Walnut Stain DI just to age it up a bit.  Of course, there has to be some stamping so I used my little harlequin stamp and Jet Black Archival ink.

I used Tim's Flourish Stencil and Wendy's Black Embossing Paste... then sprinkling Ranger's Queen's Gold embossing powder over the embossing paste.  Once the paste had dried, I heated up the embossing powders so they melted onto the textured surface.  I love this technique!  The heart is sticky back canvas stuck to Grungeboard, die cut using a Movers & Shapers heart, sprayed with Fired Brick Distress Spray Stain and then wrapped with a bit of rusty wire.  I added on my "altered surfaces" and a bit of flower trim and voila, finished!

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*!  Thanks for looking, have an inky and inspirational day!  TTFN

Hels x

Curiously Faux Cracked...

Gooooodly Morning to all you lovely Compendium-ers!  Today sees the start of another 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... they never cease to amaze me with their inspirational ideas and art!   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.  Tim & Mario have, as ever, 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 54 of the book and trying out the Faux Cracked Glass 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.  

You have heard the saying "they suffered for their art" right?  Well, I sure did suffer for my art for this project... I ate me bodyweight in pickled onions so I had the jar I wanted to transform!  I have done this technique on several size bottles before but I wanted a big old fella to jazz up as I am going to be using it as a pen/brush pot.  *ok, so I may have had help eating said pickled onions from Grim... and I may have had this jar kicking around for a few weeks, waiting patiently for its transformation... but it sounded good... didn't it?*

Instead of using the inks suggested by Tim in the book, I decided to try out Distress Spray Stains... I have to say I am rather chuffed with the results.  I used Frayed Burlap, Forest Moss and Vintage Photo sprays... letting them soak right into the crackles and then heating the jar to set them.  Of course, they are waterbased so won't be as permanent as the inks suggested... but this won't be getting wet so... it works for me! 

The roses were made using Tim's Tattered Florals and Mini Tattered Florals Movers & Shapers dies and Correspondance papers... a few leaves from the Mini Tattered Leaves die and a few twiggy bits gave me the embellies I wanted.  I cut a plaque using manila card, inked it with Stormy Sky and Faded Jeans DI's and then stamped one of my fave Studio 490 sentiments and of course, added my little harlequin stamp too. To finish I wound some string around the jar to make it a bit more rustic... and voila, one altered jar! 

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*!  Thanks for looking, have an inky and inspirational day!  TTFN

Hels x

Sunday Stamper - Week 356 - Top Of The World

Goooodly Morning Stampers and a very happy Sunday to you all!  Thanks for your grand entries for the last challenge - it has been "one of those weeks" so I am planning massive catch up to visit you all tomorrow!  The new theme this week is... MAKE A TOPPER.  You can interpret the challenge how you like: be it a topper for a card (as I have done) a topper for an invitation, a batch of toppers... 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 or by leaving me a link to your Pinterest or any other photo hosting site.  The challenge will remain open until 21:00 Saturday 16th May 2015.

I have a tendancy to be a bit last minute (you don't say) when it comes to making cards for peeps... so I decided recently that I would make a few "toppers" to keep in a stash so when it came around to the time I needed to send a card, instead of toddling off to the local card shop, I would be able to put some together super speedily!  Good idea?  Most of the toppers I have made are an ATC size so they fit perfectly onto a 6" square card (my preferred card size) but you can make yours any size you want! My background is Distress Sprays... the ickle crazy birdy was coloured using the same Sprays and a waterbrush to pick up the colour... and the word is actually nicked from a big old sentiment of Tim's...

Today's is a super speedy post as I am just about to set off to Hull for a Dabble Day at Craftique... I love it this time of year when it is daylight when I set off on my adventures.... oh and also happening today is the BTCC at Thruxton (thanks Mr ITV4 for letting me record it!) so obviously I need to say.... GO PLATO!  Thanks for looking... have a great day whatever you are doing.... TTFN!

Hels x

Sunday Stamper - Week 352 - True Blue

Goooodly Morning Stampers and a very happy Easter Sunday to you all!  Thanks for your fabulous flying creations entered into last weeks challenge.  The new theme this week is... ANYTHING BLUE.  You can interpret the challenge how you like: be it blue papers, blue ink, blue paint... 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 or by leaving me a link to your Pinterest or any other photo hosting site.  The challenge will remain open until 21:00 Saturday 11th April 2015.  

A quicky make for my entry this week - namely a little card I put together using that delicious new Distress colour Mermaid Lagoon.  Oh la la!  I make no secret of loving hues of blue and when this one was revealed last month, I did have a little grin to myself... another blue... you can never have too many blues right?  And this one doesn't disappoint.  It fits in perfectly with Broken China and Salty Ocean... but goes delightfully with Cracked Pistachio - which is what I did for the background of this card using Distress Spray Stains.

I stamped out the cone flower three times... cut them out (nearly went goggle eyed cutting those diddy petals out but it is worth it!) and coloured the petals with Mermaid Lagoon and the cone with Wild Honey and Rusty Hinge... I loves colouring using a waterbrush and ink, it is so easy and as I am useless with a marker, I find this way the best for me.  The leaves are stamped, cut out and coloured with Forest Moss DI and a waterbrush too.  The sentiment was stamped, cut down into strips and popped onto the card with some 3d glue so the strips bend over the stalks of the flowers... and that's it... simples! 

So, what you got planned for your Easter?  Today we are going to be avidly watching the tellybox... it is the first round of the British Touring Car Championship, usually we try to go to the first one at Brands Hatch but I am still not 100% so we decided to stay home, watch on the telly box and have a nice roasty dinner instead.... I shall be shouting... as ever... GO PLATO!   Thanks for looking and have a great day!  TTFN

Hels x