Sunday Stamper - Week 349 - And Your Bird Can Sing

Goooodly Morning Stampers and a very happy Mother's Day Sunday to you all!  Thanks for your fab aged entries to last weeks challenge.  The new theme this week is... BIRDS.  You can interpret the challenge how you like: stamp a bird, use a birdy saying, add birdy papers ... 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 21st March 2015.  

I have popped a tag together for my entry this week.   Mainly made up with "left-overs" that have been lurking on my desk for a while now - it was time to tidy up a bit you know.   I started out by blending Antique Linen Distress Ink right over the top of the tag and then using Tim's Lattice Layering Stencil, I blended a bit of Stormy Sky Distress Ink just to the top part.  I had a previously cut lattice thingy from Tim's new Mixed Media Thinlets - so I cut that down so I had a nice bit of fancyness for the bottom corner.

Next up I stamped the feather using Wendy's Potting Soil and Cornflower Archival Inks, cut it out and edged with Gathered Twigs DI to cover up the cut bits and make it a bit old looking.  I then stamped the Bird's Nest using Potting Soil and spent several hours cutting it out, twigs and all! (wish I had used Jet Black as it is a bit pale but believe me, after all that cutting out, it was staying!!!)  I used Forest Moss and Gathered Twigs DI's to colour up the next and then stamped the birdy... Jet Black Archival and then coloured with Stormy Sky DI with a smidge of Gathered Twigs around the edges to age him up.  The sentiment is actually one of Tim's and I just typed it out on my beloved Underwood, cut out the words and then edged with more Gathered Twigs.  And there you have it!

So, what you up to today?  A little birdy has told me that a certain AlfieCat has been out with his Daddy and has a pressie for me... as I am scheduling this tonight, Saturday, I can't show you what his pressie is... *I know what it is... oh boy, he has great taste does my little kitty-fella*  No doubt I will be sharing on social media so keep your eyes peeled!  Whatever you do have planned today, I hope you have a great one!  Thanks for looking... TTFN

Hels x

Sunday Stamper - Week 338 - Mr Bojangles **Two Week Challenge**

Goooodly Morning Stampers and a very happy *nearly Christmas*  Sunday to you all!  Thank you all for your fab entries into last weeks challenge, it was great to see you all playing along.  The theme this week is... MEN.  You can interpret the challenge how you like: make something for the chap in your life, make something including a blokey theme... or just add a man on to your art, like what I did... the choice, it be yours!  As we have Christmas and New Year fast approaching, this challenge will be a two-weeker so you have plenty time to play along. 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 3rd January 2015.

WOW, that is the first time I have typed 2015... I don't know about you but 2014 has whizzed past in a blur... has it been a good year for you?  I hope so.  Anyways, on with my entry for this week (or fortnight!)  Remember yesterday I posted my latest Compendium of Curiosities challenge... using Pocket Pages... CLICK HERE if you missed it.   This is one of the tags that I made to fit into a Pocket Page.

The base is coloured with Distress Spray Stains - I used Antique Linen, Wild Honey, Frayed Burlap and a smidge of Vintage Photo and once it was dry, I blended Rusty Hinge Distress Ink to add a bit more depth to the colour.  I only used one stamp set for my tag - Paris Memoir from Tim's collection - the background was stamped using Potting Soil Archival (IMO, Wendy Vecchi got it SPOT ON when she designed this colour Archival... tis me fave) and the old fella was stamped in Black Archival, cut out and then coloured with Frayed Burlap and Walnut Stain DI's.  The Fleur is stamped into card, coloured with Rusty Hinge and then popped onto the tag.  Of course, I had to add my little harlequins... I think they just finish me designs off nicely... I would be lost without that ickle stamp!  Old Fella's pose suggests he should be carrying something, so he has his heart full of dreams in his hand.

And there you have it... the final Sunday Stamper for 2014.   May I take this opportunity to say a massive big thank you to every one of you who has taken time out to join in with my little challenge.  It really does mean the world to me that after nearly seven years of the Sunday Stamper, you still enjoy playing along. It warms me cockles, it do :O))   I shall away now, I have a few more Christmas cards to finish but I will be back tomorrow with another project, this one is a special one I have done using Darkroom Door.   Thanks for looking... have a great day!  TTFN

Hels x

Sunday Stamper - Week 331 - Wishing on a Star

Goooodly Morning Stampers and a very happy Sunday to you all!  Thank you all for your fab entries for last weeks faux challenge - it was great to see all the different faux techniques you used.   The theme this week is WISH.  You can interpret the challenge how you like: stamp the word, use die letters, use alpha stamps...  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 1st November 2014. 

My entry this week started out as a scrap of card that I grabbed to have a practice with the new Distress Stain Sprays that have arrived in the Room of Stash this week.  OH! MY! WORD!  Can I just say... I AM IN LURVES!!!!  My fave Distress colours in sprays... ohlalalaaa... I am one happy bunny!  And... better still... there be the Picket Fence one too, which is just perfect... did I say... I am in lurve???

So, a scrappy bit of card to start with and I loved the look of it so decided to use it.  The little white speckles are the Picket Fence Spray... did I say I am in lurve?  I had made a rose a few weeks ago for the front of my Worn Cover but because it didn't look right, I popped it onto the Shelf Of Doom and there it was, looking at me, so I bunged that onto the card to see if it "went" which it sort of did... so I sprayed that with the, um, sprays too... matching rose and background.   The stamping is the script, stamped in Forget Me Not Archival and of course, a few little harlequins to finish the edges.   I added some Remnant Rub flourishes behind the rose and popped some die cut leaves and banner, some embellies and a Gumdrop for the decoration.  The word is actually a Flash Card that has been cut down to fit inside the Ornate Frame and lightly coloured with a smidge of Gathered Twigs... and then I mounted it all onto a piece of black mountboard... voila, finished.

I am scheduling this post... it is actually Friday night... I am in South Wales at Dandie Crafts this weekend, yesterday was a demo day and today is a full day workshop - I know, I am confoosing meself all this talk of yesterday and today when it is actually not really yesterday and today just yet.... ahem.   Hope  you have a great Sunday.... thanks for looking... TTFN

Hels x

Sunday Stamper - Week 324 - Lavender's Green

Goooodly Morning Stampers and a very happy Sunday to you all!  Thank you all for your fabby entries to last weeks bright challenge - it was great to see all those eye popping summer colours on display.   The theme this week is colour based one... this time, USE PURPLE TONES.  You can interpret the challenge how you like: go for deep purples, add a smidge of violet, a little flash of mauve, 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 13th September 2014.

 My entry this week is actually the very first page of a new "I Challenge Thee" project that Ellen and I started last Sunday during our Skype session.  We have a recipe to follow and over the next few months we will be making pages and then altering covers to make a special little book.  The main ingredient is Studio 490 - it has been too long since we both got our heads together and did an homage to our Wendy...   My base is a bit of manila cardstock, measuring 7 x 5" (ish) and I coloured it with Milled Lavender, Tumbled Glass, Dusty Concord and Tattered Rose Distress Paints... I made a nice smooshy background and then once dried, I set about adding more layers using lots of inks and stencils.  All stencils used are Wendy's... and the inks are Wendy's Archivals.  Starting with diamonds and Cornflower, moving on to dots and Hyacinth.   I made up my own colour embossing paste - popping a couple of drops of Hyacinth and Cornflower Archival re-inker's into Wendy's white embossing paste and then spreading it thru the stencil (can't remember the name of this one)  Now, the embossing paste colour is shown better on the butterfly - that was the colour I chose... and then once I had used it for the flowers, it looked tooooo pale, so I rectified that and use Hyacinth Archival to colour over the embossed flowers - I just popped the stencil back in place and inked over the top so I didn't get any overspill inky bits on the base card.

I added the wreath, inked in Fern Green Archival, adding dots and Glossy Accents and a sentiment to finish off that bit... I wasn't happy with the overall look tho, it looked bare!  So I did some "second generation" stamping, using Wendy's massive script background and Watering Can Archival and randomly stamping onto the background.... ahhh, better!   I added some embellies - Wendy's Embellish Your Art and some bits of ribbon and lace and stuff and that was about enough for this page.  At the moment, the page is curling up - it will be glued to the next page finished and flatten out then... I made a schoolgirl error tho, I didn't punch the holes yet... ooopsies... I might have to fashion a fastening if I can't get the holes lined up properly!  I won't be making that mistake again.

I am excited today!  We are away to Rockingham to watch the British Touring Cars.  This is the first live meeting we have been to this year and I can't wait!  I need to feed my inner petrol head!  As ever, I shall be cheering along and shouting GO PLATO!   Thanks for looking, have a goodly day!  TTFN

Hels x

Sunday Stamper - Week 323 - Mr Brightside

Goooodly Morning Stampers and a very happy *sunny* Sunday to you all!  Thank you all for your fabby entries to last weeks 3d challenge - I have still a few entries to visit and it was fab to see all the depthy projects you came up with.   The theme this week is all about getting colourful... and it is BRIGHT COLOURS. *pretty cool song too, LOVE The Killers!*  You can interpret the challenge how you like: add in a pop of bright colour, go for it and use shocking hot colours, 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 6th September 2014.

My entry this week is a card I made as a little commission for my BFF Andrea's daughter's friends Nan - a 60th birthday using bright colours and a sewing theme.  Naturally, anything with a sewing theme I make has to have Tim's dressform on it, so I covered some Grungeboard with Claudine's sticky back canvas, die cut the dressform and then coloured it with Barn Door, Fired Brick and Vintage Photo DI's and then frayed the edges to reveal a bit of shabbiness of the canvas.

The background of the card was created using a few different techniques with Distress Inks.  Starting off with the Wrinkle Free Distress and Barn Door, Mustard Seed and Spiced Marmalade DI's, once I had the splashes and speckles of ink how I wanted them, I then inked over the top with the same inks and did a bit of Spritz & Flick to reveal more inky splats, this time bleached out ones.  I stamped the dress pattern in Watering Can Archival and used a waterbrush to add more colour to the outfit... and then used a waterbrush to remove colour from her face, painting water over the face, dabbing with a cloth and repeating until the DI had almost been removed.  I pricked holes around the edge of the card and used a fineliner to add stitches... I would have used a sewing machine but seeing as I am rubbish with a sewing machine, I can't sew straight to save me life, I decided to go for the faux look.  Embellies finished off the card and I used four of my little stash of Tim's Idea-ology Snaps - oh how I wish we could still get them!  I know you can buy them from haberdashers but the colours of his snaps are my fave!   

So!  What do you have planned for today?  I am still under the weather, whatever this gastric thingybug is has me a bit wishywashy so I have a lovely afternoon of Skype with Ellen planned... we haven't had an I Challenge Thee for literally several yonks so hopefully I will be covered in paint and ink come tea-time!   Thanks for looking, have a great day whatever you have planned.  TTFN!

Hels x

Sunday Stamper - Week 320 - (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman

Goooodly Morning Stampers and a very happy (if a bit soggy) Sunday to you all!  Wow, what a great selection of bits n pieces entries last week, I was really chuffed that you all loved tidying up *but that is enough of that for one year right?*  The theme this week is one that pleases me greatly, drops me right into me comfort zone it do!  The theme is NATUAL COLOURS & ELEMENTS - you can interpret the challenge how you like: use your favourite neutral tones and natural colours (ie no bright neons folks) add in bits of natural stuff like jute, raffia, feathers etc...    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 August 2014.

Before I waffle on... I had a couple of entries in the past few weeks that didn't have a linky to the post on the entrants' blogs... I hopped on over to have a nosey but I couldn't find the relevant post on said blogs - so if you could give the Sunday Stamper a mention in your post please, I can find you much easier, plus your followers might not have heard of this l'il 'ol challenge and might fancy a play along too :O)

Right!  Waffle time!  It was my beloved Grim's birthday last Monday *yes, he was 21...again!*  I usually cop out and buy him a card because I never think that I will make him one that is as nice as a bought one.  However, this year he did mention about having a made one, so I got my thinking cap on.  Girls birthdays are SO easy aren't they?  Boys cards, however, I struggle with.  I didn't want to do a cliched "cogs, guys, cars, boats" kind of card so I had a thinky about what Grim really likes... and one thing he really likes is birds!  *feathered variety... although.... teehee*  I cut some of Tim's Wallflower papers so I had the little birdy image in the right place and layered this up onto Bazzill card.  The papers themselves are ornate enough to leave them be so I just kept it simple, tied some twine around the papers and added a little Heart Charm with the "love you" sticker in the middle  and stamped out the Happy Birthday and the cartouchey thingy it sits in (Tim stamps btw)

But!  Alas!  The card looked bare!  So I added some Idea-ology Washers and Long Fasteners and Clips... still a bit bland.  Ahahaaaa! A feather!  And being as I happen to have the gorgeous Bird Feather Tim stamps, I decided to make me own feather.  I used Wendy's Archivals: Tree Branch, Potting Soil and a smidge of Geranium to reflect the colours of the bird on the papers.  A whole lot of snippetty-snipping to make the feather a little more realistic and a blend around the edges with Vintage Photo DI to get rid of the creamy cardy bits and voila, done! I am chuffed with how the feather turned out... and Grim, bless him, thought it could be real when he first saw it!  *mind you, he didn't have his specs on - oh yesh, bless him, arms ain't long enough anymore*




I shall away now... I have a pretty lazy-ish day planned... well, I have got Mount Crumpled Clothes to scale and as it is a miserable day out there, I think an old black and white film and a date with the iron is in order!  Thanks for looking, have a goodly day all.... TTFN


Hels x

Sunday Stamper - Week 319 - Bits & Pieces

Goooodly Morning Stampers and a very happy Sunday to you all!  Thank you for all your great frosty and festive entries for last weeks challenge.  The theme this week is one to help you!  Oh yesh, the theme is BITS & PIECES so you can interpret the challenge how you like: you could grab all those bits and pieces that you have laying about and pop them onto your creation, you might have stamped some images and not got around to using them...    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 9th August 2014.

 
Ok, so not only am I helping you tidy up your crafty spaces, I am also admitting that my Room of Stash has kind of, well, sort of... ok, it is reallly getting messy again!  I tend to get a load of stuff out to use on projects and when I don't use them, I bung them all onto a shelf above my desk where they lay around gathering dust and cobwebs and eventually I say "enough!" and spend several hours sorting them and putting them away.  I even have a box for left over diecuts that I haven't used... just the same as a box of offcuts of ribbons and lace... I mean, you never know when you will need that 1" piece of lace do you?

I started my tag by inking it with Antique Linen, Frayed Burlap, Vintage Photo and edging with Walnut Stain Distress Inks.  Stamping with Potting Soil Archival, I stamped the large birds and then using Jet Black I stamped the smaller birds (they are up a-top under the ribbon) and I added some faded script stamping with Antique Linen but that doesn't show up at all now!   My fave diamonds are making another appearance, well they were on me desk from my Compendium tag the other day so why not indeedily?

Now, I have had a pot of Ranger Frosted Crystal Antiquities embossing powder on me desk for a yonk and a half and I was sitting there, looking at my inked tag and I thought "I wonder if...."   So I tried it and... oh yesh, I likes.   SO what did I wonder?  Well, there be a technique of Tim's, called Rusted Enamel, where you ink all over cardstock, sprinkle clear embossing powder over the top, flick the back of the card and then ink right over the embossy bits... so I decided to dry my tag completely as I had used different inks and didn't want the powder to stick all wonky like and then I inked right back over the top using more Antique Linen, this enriched the original colours to my delight too!  I then sprinkled the Antiquities powders over the top, flicked the back of the tag so get rid of some of the powders and then embossed them... wow, I love it!  This tag is so tactile now!  If you have some of these powders... try it! Let me know what you thinks!  Because I am no David Bailey, my photo's aren't really showing what the technique looks like IRL.. I will try and do another one and get better pics (I might even see if I can borrow Grim's swizzy camera *or better still, get him to photo it for me!*)   Once I had my background sorted, I started assembling the bits and pieces I had collected together... I used my Distress Spritzer and a Walnut Stain Marker to dirty up the ribbon roses as they were really clean and stood out far too much for my liking.

I really had a lot of fun putting this tag together and I wish I could say that my desk is looking a little tidier but no, it isn't... nor is the shelf above it... or, for that matter, is the floor any more visible than it was before.  Actually I thinks I may needs to make several hundred more tags like this to get rid of all those little bits I can't bear to either throw away or indeedily, put back where I got them from!   Today we are mostly going to be sitting watching the British Touring Cars, it is sooo long since they were last on... and we were on holibobs so we only saw the highlights of the races... I have missed shouting... GO PLATO!   Thanks for looking, have a great day! TTFN

Hels x

Sunday Stamper - Week 318 - A Winter's Tale

Goooodly Morning Stampers and a very happy Sunday to you all!  Thank you for all your great dreamy entries for last weeks challenge.  I have chosen this particular theme this week because lots of you have been telling me you are all getting ahead of the game and makin' stuff for the festive season already! Personally I like to leave that kind of thing until mid December and then hare around the shops looking for card pack *teehee*  Anyways, without further ado, the theme this week is CHRISTMAS/WINTER.  I have added the "winter" part in just in case the "C word" has you running for the hills too!   You can interpret the challenge how you like: make something festive, add in the Christmassy thing, use Winter colours, Winter stamps etc...  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 pop 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 2nd August 2014.

 
I headed off to Inspirations in Preston last week for a demo day - one of the hottest days of the year thus far and I was all about Christmas!  I even had a little Christmas tree behind me - I alluded to all who came to see me (thanks for coming btw!) that I may have fallen off the top of it *snort*  Anyways, I was demoing a few different products including Distress inks, Wendy's Archival Inks,  Woodware stamps, dies, mdf, shimmer paints and embossing pastes.  My tag base was created by using Antique Linen, Frayed Burlap and Walnut Stain and then adding a background stampage of snowflakes using Pearl Shimmer paint to stamp them randomly.   The NOEL is a DoCrafts mdf piece and I painted this black and then added Lime Green and Peacock paints mixed together over the top of it to make it two-tone.  The trees (Woodware) were stamped using Wendy's Tree Branch, Potting Soil and Fern Green Archival Inks... lovely jubbly, just THE perfect colours to go with my trees and my background.  The dove was just die cut using cream card and I added Sparkle Paint over it... once dried, I added Pearl and Silver Shimmer paint over the top so the Sparkle Paint is actually used as a texture paste :O)  A smidge of string finished the tag and voila, done!

I shall away now...  I had a naughty little pixie whispering in my earhole, leading me astray, last night... we have this bottle of Bacardi Pina Colada that we got in the Duty Free in Rhodes.. ohhhlalalaaa... it is LUSH! *if you see it in the shops, get it, you will loves it!* Now, I never drink... I cannot remember the last time I actually had a proper drink in fact, probably a Bailey's on New Years Eve!  Anyways, this 'ere Pina Colada is just soooo drinkable.  It is also STRONG!  We have a Magic Bullet kitchen gadgetting thing so I filled that up with ice and some of the Pina Colada mix and blitzed it.. and drank thru a straw so you can imagine how fast that was slurped!  Then Grim I mean the naughty pixie said "have another" so I did.  And then when I was a little bit squiffy, he said "have another... go on, you know you want to!" So today I have a smidge of a headache, totally self inflicted and really, at my age, I should know better!  I haven't yet dared look into the mirror for fear of what I may see... probably something resembling an old hag that has had a few too many!  On that delightful bombshell, I shall say... Thanks for looking, TTFN!

Hels x

Sunday Stamper - Week 313 - Green Onions

Goooodly Afternoon Stampers and a very happy Sunday to you all!  Thank you for all your fabby entries for last weeks challenge and it is lovely to see some new peeps joining in too.  This week is a another nice easy challenge... GREEN.  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 and then pop 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 28th June 2014.

My entry this week has seen me return to my true love... oh yesh, it is all about Studio 490.  I make no secret of the fact that I am Wendy's #1 stalker erm, fan and I don't get enough time to really play with all my Studio 490 goodies.  So I treated meself to an evening of all things Wendy and had a total blast playing!   I used Wendy's technique for Archival Re-inkers, CLICK HERE for her fabby video.  I use Surgical Spirit, I think that is rubbing alcohol in the UK... it works anyways so I guess it is right (!)  I also use Ranger's Specialty Stamping paper.. this stuff is the bomb!  It has a coating on it but it isn't glossy... nor is it matte, more of a satin finish and it is perfect for Wendy's technique as the inkyness doesn't soak through the card and sits on top of it so you can move the inks about whilst they are still wet.   The Re-inkers I used are: Dandelion, Tree Branch, Fern Green & Leaf Green.

Once I had the inky background sorted, I set about layering on lots of different stencil images. Apart from the sentiment and flower cluster, everything on the creation has been stencilled.  I used lots of Wendy's stencils and the following Archival Inks:  Leaf Green, Tree Branch, Fern Green, Dandelio and Jet Black.  The butterfly is actually a stencil too, I just cut it out and bunged a little pearl onto the body.  I added Glossy accents to dots I added to the laurel wreath (used a Sharpie to add those) just to add a little extra texture to the background.  The base is a canvas board that I covered with hessian using Multi Medium to stick the hessian down and then colouring with Black Soot Distress Paint. I added the flowers, which are Kaisercraft ones, leaves from Tim's Garden Greens die and voila, finished!

I shall away!  It is Friday morning at the moment, which always confoooses me when I am actually pretending it is Sunday... I am away this weekend teaching at Pickwell Farm in Southampton... and I am reliably informed that the PYO strawbs are ready (cue Hels covered in strawberry juice) and there be cherries too... ohhlalalaaa.. I have already eaten several hundred weight of cherries already this year - must be a good season for them cos they are all delish!  Thanks for looking.. have a grand day!  TTFN


Hels x

A Recipe For Inkyness!

...yesterday I was a-mooching around yonder Facebook, you know, as you do for several hours and I happened across a post by my mate Lou who was saying she needed a challenge cos she was sitting around doing nowt.  Well, never one to pass up the opportunity to get peeps all inky, I gave her a list of stuff to use, recipe like, and said Go!   And then I thought to myself that actually, I could do with a bit of a challenge too, so I grabbed my inks and got playing.  Here's the list of stuff in the recipe: A tag, Distress Ink using Broken China, Spiced Marmalade, Pine Needles, use three different stamps, use die cuts and some ribbon.

 Out came the DI's to start with... what on earth was I thinking!!!  Pine Needles!!! Pine Needles usually has me running for the hills as it is a lovely colour but it is just that... colour!!!  A deep pine blue/green (you guessed that already from the name tho right?)  And orange too!  How did I come up with the ink colours?  I just typed the first three that came into my head.   I started off by blending the three inks over a tag base, making sure it was thoroughly inked and then I spritzed a Tim flourish stamp with water and pressed this onto the tag to get a bleached stamping effect.  It helps if the ink is a "thick" layer and always keep the stamp in place for about 30 seconds, this makes sure the water eats through the ink.  A quick zap with a heat tool to dry it and then onto the next bit of stamping: namely the script (my fave script from Letters To Santa by Tim) using Pine Needles to stamp over the tag.  I then re-inked the flourish with Watering Can Archival (ok, smidge of a cheat here but it is like bunging a handful of glace cherrries into a cake mix... isn't it?)  

On to the sentiment, which is the third stamp.  I have had the new Tim stamp phrases for a few weeks now and not had a chance to play properly and this one in particular has been whispering at me to use it.  Isn't it just lovely!  And, I kept singing the words, over and over, annoyingly not knowing why I was singing them.  Then it dawned on me!  Elton John!  So I sang the rest of the song, you know, just because I could and a little sing song always lifts my spirits.  Not sure the neighbours would agree but hey, they can always close their windows...   The card was inked slightly differently for the sentiment - I didn't want it as dark as the background tag.  I squidged the ink pads onto my craft sheet and lightly misted with water, dipping and dragging the card through the inkyness, drying and then lightly blending over the top with more inks, not re-inking the blending foam so I didn't over do it.  The sentiment is stamped in Jet Black Archival (ok, another cheat but you needs a black ink for a sentiment I always thinks)  The flowers are Kaisercraft Sea Spray blooms, inked with a smidge of Pine Needles and the leaves were left over from my CC3C tag the other day, I just gave them a bit of dimension by bending the leaves a bit.  Finishing touches were the Linen Ribbon (ohlalalaaa... seriously my FAVE new ribbon! You can pull at it and distress it and make it look yonks old!) and a few bits of Idea-ology.

Anyways, I was thinking, *don't worry, I was sitting down* if you too are a little bored and Mr Mojo has gone off in a huff, feel free to lift the recipe and have a play yourself, I would love to see what you makes :O)   I shall away now... I am knee deep in sample making for my tellybox shows on Tuesday next... brand new stamps and stencils and I am getting a smidge excited using them!!!    Thanks for looking, have a fabby day!  TTFN

Hels x

Sunday Stamper - Week 308 - Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue

Goooodly Morning Stampers and a very happy Sunday to you all!  Many thanks for all your beautiful pink entries to last weeks challenge.   This week the theme is a nice simple colour one.... Use Brown & Blue.    To join in with the challenge is simples: make a little something, it can be anything you fancy.   Include the theme and add in some stamping and then pop back here to leave me a comment with a link to the place you are showing your entry and I can come visiting.  If you haven't got a blog/photo-hosty-thingy, you can also join in via Facebook (just tag my name) or by sending me a small res. pic via email.  The challenge will remain open until 21:00 Saturday 26th May 2014.
 

 
 My entry this week is actually a DT piece I made for Jones of Nottingham.  Today I am teaching at their retailer event - how exciting!!! Showing the shop owners all the gorgeous goodies available from Jones - I will be focussing on Kaisercraft and I will show you the project they will be making today a little bit later in the week.  Anyways, this shadow box is from Candy Box Crafts - it is really easy to put together, I used Cosmic Glue to stick the base together and then gave it a slap of black paint.  I cut a piece of the gorgeous Marion Smith Nirvana papers to fit inside the shadow box and then I covered the frame with more papers that matched perfectly. 

The insert paper has been inked with Tumbled Glass and Vintage Photo DI and then I did a bit of stamping with Kaisercraft stamps - the diamonds and bubble wrap and done with the same DI's and the dressform and butterflies with Watering Can Archival.  The sentiment is stamped in Jet Black Archival and popped onto some black card to make it pop.  I also stamped some butterflies and cut them out, adding them to the insert with a smidge of glue and a jewel for the body (from the delightful little Junque and Jewels embellies from Marion Smith)   As I seemed to be on a sewing theme, I covered a bit of Grungeboard with Claudine's  stickyback canvas and die cut the dressform (Tim's Sewing Room Alteration die) colouring lightly with Frayed Burlap DI and then scruffing the edges of the canvas and going around the edges with Walnut Stain DI.

And now for the embellies!  I had some cotton reels kicking about so I inked with Walnut Stain to age them and added string around and popped some little pins into them... the flowers are Kaisercraft blooms (more gorgeousness) and the rest of the embellies are from Marion Smith Junque & Jewels sets... check out that ickle push bike!  Nowt to do with sewing but it is so cute, I couldn't resist!

That is all from me for today... again, I am scheduling this post as it is really Friday night and I am just getting ready for my bed... up early in the morning (that is now yesterday) to travel to Hessle for my class at Craftique... and by now it is Sunday so I will be heading off to Nottingham.. I don't half get about!!!   Hope you have a great day, enjoy the sunshine!  TTFN

Hels x

Feathery Inky Splats...

...oohhooo, I have been a-playing again with my delish new stamps from Darkroom Door.  To see the new releases CLICK HERE... I warn you, they are all gorgeous... and I neeeeds them all!  Anyways, today I have been playing with the new Essentials Feathers stamp set... feathers? Oh lallaaaa... feathers!!!  There are five different designs and they are all fab.  I made a little greeting card with one of them...

Actually, I tell the truth, I was looking at the Feathers and was wondering what I could do with it... and then I remembered I have the Pen Nibs Eclectic stamp set... oh ho!  Pen nib, on a feather = quill!  Hurrah!  And then I remembered I also have the Paint Splats Essentials set too.   *told you the other day I am dead lucky didn't I?*  The feather was stamped with Wendy's Archivals in Watering Can, Hydrangea and Cornflower.  The nib was inked in Versafine and then I used Ranger's Queen's Gold embossing powder to make it a bit metallic... then colouring the white bits with Vintage Photo DI so it toned in.  Now I needed something for the quill to be doing...

Spying the large Beauty Quote stamp I quickly nabbed it and inked with Jet Black Archival, stamping onto cream card and then adding some little splats from the Paint Splats set... then inking around the card using Antique Linen, Faded Jeans and Gathered Twigs DI's... popping the feather onto 3d foam was the finishing touch!

Don't forget you can see all the amazing creations my teamies have been making with the new stamps HERE... take a hob nob and a cuppa with you though, you might be some time!  And of course, you can view all Darkroom Door deliciousness HERE.   That's all from me for today... am off to get myself all packed up for me trip to Harrogate this weekend.  Thanks for looking... TTFN

Hels x

Sunday Stamper - Week 304 - Memories Are Made of This

Gooooodly Morning Stampers and a very Happy Easter to you all!  Big thank you to you all for your great entries to last weeks challenge.  This week the theme will be... MEMORIES.   As ever, how you interpret is entirely up to you... it could be the word memory or memories... it could be something that evokes a memory with you... the choice is yours.   To join in is simples:  make a little something, it can be anything you fancy.  Add in the theme and some stamping then pop back here, leave a comment with a linky to the place you are showing your entry and I can hop over to visit you.  If you don't have a blog, you can also join in via Facebook (just tag my name) or by emailing me a small res. photo.   The theme will remain open until 21:00 Saturday 26th April 2014.

My entry this week is the result of a "playtime" I had the other day.  I have been itching to try this technique out ever since I saw the awesome Wendy Vecchi demo it.. you can see her VIDEO HERE.   She is a GODDESS!!!   I won't spoil it for you... but I will give you a hint: rubbing alcohol in the UK is Surgical Spirit (well, at least I think it is cos it worked perfectly for me!)

As well as the base technique, I was also very inspired indeedily by Wendy, check out HER BLOG .. adding stencilling (all her delish stencils btw) and layering up the background with different colours and stamping.  I also added little puffs of Forest Moss Distress Marker using the new Distress Spritzer.  I forgot how fun using one of these little puffers is!  My stepson had one in an arty kit I bought him yonks ago.  I have to say that the Distress one is much better, you get a better grade of puffage with this one :O)   It would have been remiss of me not to add a big bundle of embellies... so I die cut some greenery using Tim's new die and Distress Core-dinations.  Also in there are some bits of Embellish Your Art, some pearls and a smidge of Idea-ology.  Oh and the rose?  Was actually one I made during a class last weekend and I liked the colours so much I didn't chuck it away.  The whole piece was actually made around the rose!

I must dash... not only am I late posting my Sunday Stamper (was a bit knackered last night so decided to get up early and then decided to ignore the alarm!)  I am also going to be late for the start of the British Touring Car Championship programme on ITV4 - which is starting in ...er.... 2 minutes ago!!!   As ever I am shouting.... GO PLATO!!!   Thanks for looking, have a great day!  TTFN

Hels x

Dotty For Diamonds!

... oohlalalaaaa... I been a-playing again with the fabby new Texture Stamps from Darkroom Door.  This time I  used the Dots and Harlequin backgrounds for my canvas... and also used up a "playtime practice piece" of greyboard too.  A couple of weeks ago I was faffing about with the brayer and some Fresco Paints and made a few backgrounds, just practicing with different ways to apply the paints.  As ever, I don't chuck owt in the bin so this piece was sitting on my desk, just behind the pile-of-other-stuff-that-needs-attention-and-has-not-been-sorted-yet and I spied it and thought to myself "aha, I shall use this and be tidy"  Actually I didn't really think that at all, I just thought "wonder what the Dots would look like stamped with Wendy's red Archival inks... "  So that is exactly what I did....

Inking up the Dots stamp whilst it was in my hand - not on a block - with Carnation Red Archival Ink and then pressing the stamp down onto the painted board... mmm, yummo!  Love that random stamped effect of using fingers to support the stamp and not a block.  I then added Geranium Archival Ink for a bit of contrast in Dot colours.  Next I inked the Harlequin Texture stamp in the same way, this time with Watering Can Archival (have I mentioned this is a GO TO ink?  Oh yesh, not as in your face as black but dark enough to see it... perfect Wendy... thank you you STAR!!!)  

Anyways, enough wafflings... on with the how I maded this:  So, I dried off the Archival Inks with a heat tool I inked up the Sprig from Full Bloom Vol. 2 in Black and stamped this onto the base.  I then set about making some florally embellishments... starting with the large Frangipani flower, stamped onto cream card and to make the big one a medium size one, I used my fine liner pen and sketched smaller petals within the larger ones and cut them out... voila, medium flower!  I stamped ickle blooms and cut those out and then coloured them all with Spiced Marmalade, Barn Door and Fired Brick DI's.  I die cut some leaves and coloured these with Forest Moss DI and also stamped a butterfly from Wings.. coloured with red DI applied with a waterbrush for a softer look.  Black Distress Glitter in the middle of the flowers to make them pop a little and then smidges of Treasure Gold around the edges.  Oh and I forgot! I had added Grungepaste mixed with Little Black Dress to the top of the board using Dina's sunray stencil... that got some Treasure Gold slapped onto it too. 

Now, all this is very well but... it is a bit small!  I am never one for making mahooosive pieces but this was a bit diddy so I grabbed a 5 x 7" canvas and then applied some more paints using the brayer to the edges of it... making sure I kept it a wee bit darker than the base board so it made a frame for it.   Once I was happy with that, I inked up the Dots again with Jet Black Archival and stamped around the edge of the canvas.  NOOOOO!!! It looked awful!  Yikes! What to do???  The Dots were too "in yer face" and I didn't like it one bit... so I grabbed the Fresco's and brayered some more over the top... and cos they are different grades, I used translucents ones and then a smidge of Little Black Dress over the top... phew! you can see the Dots but they are not jumping out at you and waving in your face!  Happy with all of that, I then glued it all together, adding smidges of Treasure Gold around the edges of the canvas so it toned it nicely.

Cor blimey, you still with me? That was a very lot of wafflings!  Anyways, CLICK HERE to see what my talented Teamies have been up to with the new release of Texture Stamps... ohlalaa... Rachel has told me that there's a special stamp on its way to me, am SO excited, can't wait for it to chuff into the Room of Stash.... *wink*   HERE is the page for all the new Darkroom Door releases too...   Thanks for looking, have a very goodly day!  TTFN

Hels x

Harlequin Art

..ooooh, I is lucky indeedily!  I just received some brand new Darkroom Door stamps to play with as part of my DT... the first one is a gorgeously shabby Harlequin Texture.. which works perfectly either stamped on its own or repeat stamped... and as it is also textured, it add a bit of extra depth to any design.  Being as I was so excited to play with said new stamp, I decided to make a quick card... here it is... and here's how I made it:

I started out by getting all my Darkroom Door stamps out and having a good rummage through them all.  As the background stamp is such a generic diamond design, it will go with just about any stamp... and as you know, I am a sucker for flowers and butterflies so I chose the Full Bloom Vol. 2 set and Wings (which has to be a firm fave with me) and I noticed that the new stamp is the perfect fit for the Wooden Frame... so I added that one to the pile.  After stamping the Wooden Frame twice with Potting Soil Archival Ink, I cut out the base and then cut outside and inside the second image so I could 3d the frame up.  A smidge of Distress Ink over the base of the first image, Antique Linen was used... and then inking the Harlequin with Frayed Burlap DI, stamping and then lightly misting with water to soften the image a bit.

The sprig from Full Bloom Vol. 2 was inked with Hyacinth and Fern Green Archival Inks and stamped off the base frame piece.  I added words that I had snipped from a Venetian Word Strip and coloured with more Antique Linen DI. These were then popped onto 3d foam.  Diddy flowers and Butterflies were stamped in Jet Black Archival, coloured with Stormy Sky and Chipped Sapphire DI's and then layered onto the frame.  I added a mat underneath the frame - inked with Antique Linen and then the Harlequin was stamped with Stormy Sky for a subtle background.  A relatively simple and quick card... but I so enjoyed playing! I loves my Darkroom Door stamps muchly.  To see more art from the Creative Team, CLICK HERE for the blog... and don't forget, you can check out the website HERE too.

I will be back later in the week with another creation I have made using a different "new stamp"... teehee... I am a tease!   As ever, I hope you have a great day... and thanks for looking... TTFN!

Hels x

Sunday Stamper - Week 299 - Happy

Goooodly Morning Stampers and a very happy Sunday to you all!  Many thanks for the gorgeous entries you all made last week and thank you to the new folks joining in too.  The theme this week is... HAPPY.  You can interpret this how you like - I have used things that make me happy to play with but you could use the word itself or a happy stamp... tis entirely up to you.  The way to join in is simples: make a little something, it can be anything you fancy. Add in the theme and stamping and then pop back here and leave me a comment with a link to the place you are showing your entry.  If you haven't got a blog, you can also join in via tagging me on Facebook or by emailing me a small res. pic of your creation.  The challenge will remain open until 21:00 Saturday 22nd March 2014.  The more observant of you will have noticed that the week number this week is 299.  Yesh, indeedily, 299 weeks of challenges! That is a very lot of song titles and themes isn't it?  So, in order to celebrate next weeks' milestone, I will be putting together a little prize package... so please be sure to check back for next weeks theme!

My entry this week is all about my happy.  What makes me feel happy when I am creating... my favourite products, Studio 490 and my fave Distress technique.   I put together a little taggy entry using the Wrinkle Free Distress technique as a base to colour the tag - this is the easiest of all the Distress techniques but also my favourite... you can control how much colour you put onto the base and add some great spotty freckly effects too.   To do the technique, simply smoosh your ink pads onto a craft sheet, I used Bundled Sage, Iced Spruce and Seedless Preserves.  It is worth remembering this... don't put too much of your darkest colour on, this will obliterate your softer colours. Next, spritz the inky smooshes with water, dip your tag into the inkyness and dry it thoroughly.  You can then dip again into whatever is left... the trick is to remember to dry each layer before re-dipping.

Once I had the base done, I grabbed a script stamp *Tim's Letters to Santa script* and inked it with Bundled Sage, stamping right over the background, nice and subtle like.  Next I wanted to add more background without obscuring the script so I used Wendy's large bubble background (ain't this fab!) and Watering Can Archival Ink... more detail for the background but not too much.  I added the dictionary definition on Jet Black Archival and then stamped up some flowers - also 490 images - and coloured those with more Distress Inks, fastening them together with a jazzy brad and then layering onto the tag with leaves and embellies.  The sentiment was stamped onto cream card, cut out, lightly inked with Iced Spruce and then I used a Sharpie marker to edge the words with black before popping them onto 3d foam.  The ribbon started out as cream crinkle ribbon, spritzed with water and then dabbed into Seedless Preserves I had smooshed onto my craft sheet, I gave it a nice purple hue to match in with the colour theme I had chosen.  And there you have it... my kind of happy!

I can't believe that next week will be the 300th Sunday Stamper!  It is one heck of a milestone isn't it?  I started the challenge all those years ago so peeps on a Forum I was on had something to do with their Sunday's.  It was set on a Sunday as that was the only day of the week I didn't have to work (I was still driving trains at that time and Sunday's were my crafty day!)  There have been times when I have been close to the wire with my own entries... and some weeks I have scratched my head at picking a song title and a theme to match... the song title thing came about after about Week 3 I think - I had chosen to do an Oriental theme and picked Turning Japanese as the title of the post... and so many folks were tellin me I had given them an earworm for the day... so it just kind of spiralled from there... so each week there's a song title and each week a theme that links to it.  Anyways... enough waffling from me, I had a bit of a bad night and it appears that the gremlin that lives under my bed used his superstrength hair gel on my poor old barnet, it looks like a birds nest!  I best go and attend to it... leaving you with that rather delightful image lol   Thanks for looking, have a goodly week!  TTFN

Hels x


PS... I just noticed... this is my 1800th post on this old blog!!!  That is sooo much waffling and arty stuff!!!