Sunday Stamper - Week 164 - Back To Black

Goodly Morning Stampers, happy Sunday to you all. Firstly, many thanks for the fab creations that you entered last week, it was grand to see so many big and blousey flowers out there. Now, this weeks Sunday Stamper theme was making me think yesterday afternoon because I couldn't seem to come up with a new one. And then I heard the incredibly sad news that Amy Winehouse had died, aged 27. So, it seemed only fitting to have this weeks challenge as a tribute to her. For newbies to the Sunday Stamper... the Sunday Stamper always has a song title for the challenge title and the theme is linked in with it. I had a wealth of songs to chose from but this one just seems the most apt, also it is an album title too. So, the theme this week is BLACK. To join in with the challenge is simples, make a little something, be it what you fancy... add in the theme and some stamping and then leave a comment for me here along with a linky to the place you are showing your entry. I can then hop on over to have a nosey. The challenge will remain open until 18:00 Saturday 30th July 2011. **please note the early finish :O)**

Here is a link to You Tube so you can go and listen to her beautiful voice... AMY **Edit... I am so sorry peeps - I have just been made aware of comments left on this You Tube video... I am disgusted that there are so many judgemental people who see fit to speak ill of the dead... please do go and listen to the song... just don't read the comments, they aren't worthy of being looked at xx**



So, my entry in another T'Pouch. I make no secret of the fact that my fave papers in the whole wide world are Avenue by Crate Paper... and I am a bit tight when it comes to using them... but this project just needed them... so I bit the bullet and cut into them.



The background of the tag and then card front on the pouch are done by smudging my Black Soot blending tool onto the craft sheet and spritzing with water... this gives a much more subtle Wrinkle Free Distress look rather than smooshing the pad direct to the craft sheet... and I then paired the black up with Aged Mahogany for edging and colouring the butterflies.



The big flowers are made from Avenue paper, using the Tattered Florals Alterations die and layering the spikey daisy up and popping an Idea-ology Accoutrement into the centre. The leaves are Tattered Leaves Alterations, again cut out of Avenue paper.




So... that is my entry for this weeks theme... I hope that you will all agree with my reasons for chosing this tribute to Amy Winehouse... I hope that now she has the peace that she couldn't seem to find on this earth. Right... enough chatterings... time to craft again... thanks for looking... big hugs for everyone.... TTFN

Hels x

Simon Says.... WOYWW?

...no actually, he didn't but I am putting both jobbies together so it is my WOYWW for this week plus my Simon Says Stamp & Show Challenge entry too... which the theme this week is ... EMBOSSING. Just quickly, for those of you who have just entered the Land of Blog, or have been hiding away under piles of stash, What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday is a phenomena devised and hosted by the Head of the Hoppers, Julia Dunnit... to see all the deets on how to join in with this mahoosive blog hop, please CLICK HERE.




Right... the SSS&S theme of embossing... oooh, I got all hot and bothered with my Melt Pot, heatgun and some embossing powder to make my T'Pouch (for those of you who missed my inane drivellings about this Tag and Pouch thingy, basically, I make a tag, and a pouch ... and call it... a T'Pouch) (which BTW is all Dan's idea, blame him lol)


So... I made the pouch, popped loads of Stains onto the base of it... then right around the edges I dragged my Distress Embossing Pad and then sprinkled Ranger Queen's Gold powder on (IMO THE best Gold powder ever made). I did the same once I had coloured the tag base too... so they match!


The DREAM is one of those Movers & Shapers that I bought 458 years ago and cut out the word and then put it to one side for later and finally got around to using it. I trimmed right along the edge of the word (thank you to Deb M for this idea) and then splodged a load of Distress Embossing Ink over the top... using Vintage Photo Distress Powder to coat it and then sprinkling a smidge of Queen's Gold on too, then heating up and melting....oooh, I lurve embossing!


Do you like the flowers? Well, I have made my own Faux Porcelain flowers before using layers of stamped flowers... but I learnt this fabby technique at Ranger U... basically, all those paper roses that I bought 974 years ago when I went through a cute phase (don't worry, it lasted all of 4 days)... so these little flowers are sitting in a drawer and this morning they got a hot bath... tis easy to do... melt clear UTEE granules in the Melt Pot, dip the flower in, give it a twizzel and then set aside to go hard **snort** I like the flowers as they are but I wanted to add in some gold so they tied in with the rest of the tag... so I sprinkled yet more Queen's Gold and heated gently so they have gilded bits.


Anyways... that is all from me for today... I spent about 13 hours in total *and this time I am not exaggerating lol* faffing about with this T'Pouch, and yes, I am posting this at the right time, not scheduling basically because... I can't sleep... Mojo has naffed orf so I am trying to coax him home but the old back is playing up mightily too so that made me all huffy and I couldn't sleep... crafting in the night is therapeutic though... it does nothing for the sacks under my eyes though so I am offski to see if I can get 40 odd winks now... thanks for looking!

**ooops, forgot to add the piccie of my desk!!!!! Here it is... in need of a tidy up... as usual lol**



Have a very goodly day! TTFN

Hels x

Simon Says....

...get a better internet connection!!! Actually he didn't say that but that is something that is deffo needed here at Chez Sheridan... more of that in a mo because I need to tell you about the Simon Says Stamp & Show challenge this week. The theme is to Show A Word... so, haha, I happen to have a rather lovely stamp that is 297 years old and is a woodie... and it is also one of the original designs by the Duke of Distress and 297 years ago it used to find itself onto everything I made. And then, alas, I stopped using it.. in fact I can safely say it is a yonk and a half since I used it... then Dan comes to stay for the weekend and dusts it off the shelf and that is it, I need to use it... BTW, to see the amazing technique that Dan made up, click here to be whizzed off to his blog.


So... armed with the old Dream woodie, I attacked my Kraft Resist pad and went bonkers with the paper trimmer and made another tag-pouch - which, BTW, Dan suggested is now called a T'Pouch... so that is what it will be called from this day forth! Lots of Trad Tan and Distress Stains and Inks later, a bit of stamping and some chopping about, the T'Pouch was done... apart from the word.



I wasn't happy with the word just stamped onto the pouch... and I wasn't happy with just a plain scrap for it to sit on... so I made a banner... well, it is supposed to be a banner, although I do think my interpretation of a banner is somewhat removed from what an actual banner is.



Cor blimey, that was a whole lot of waffling about T'Pouches and stuff wasn't it??? No need to answer that lol So... yesterday I got myself all set up for a morning of desk hopping... got onto the internet and kapow... it stopped working... not a single whiff of connectivity! So, my lovely and rather handsome (even if I do say so myself) Tech Guy (in fact, that is Grim lol) spent 35 years yesterday sorting it out and by the time it was fixed it was time for The Apprentice so I never got chance to desk hop and today... well, projects are piling up so I won't get much time... I will try though... honest!



I got bitten yesterday... not by a wolf or anything alarming... although I think a wolf bite would be less annoying... no, it was a mozi.. or a gnat (another word I like... gnat) So... it has been very rude and has gone up my shirt and bitten me right in the place that is just out of reach of fingers... in the middle of my back! Grrr.. I have been rubbing myself up against door frames and rolling around on the carpet (blimey, that sounds naughty!) and now have resorted to using a ruler to itch the pesky bite.. I know you aren't s'posed to but... it is driving me nuts!!! Anyways... apart from the bite I am feeling more normal than I have for a fortnight because I went to see my Doc and he said that the new meds aren't working and the side effects are too bad... so I have stopped them. They made me hot, thirsty and a bit grumpy... not to mention the headaches! The thirst got out of hand over the weekend and I think that three pints of water and 12 cans of Diet Coke in a day is excessive... you should have seen his face when I told him that! Anyways, I am off them and already feeling heaps better... pain is still rubbish but hey, the new meds didn't make a jot of difference so... back to the drawing board again. Right... I have waffled on enough for one day... time to get inky again... thanks for looking... TTFN!

Hels x

Simon Says... That's Torn It!

...well, sort of... Simon actually said to show ripped/torn/distressed edges... I have gone with the distressed edgey part of the challenge because I lurve my Egde Distresser. The deets for this weeks Simon Says Stamp & Show challenge are HERE if you fancy joining in.. oh and do check out the arty pieces from their DT.. corrrrrr!!!


So.. off the back of the pouch thing I made for the Sunday Stamper, I decided to make another.. told you I would get addicted to them! Oh yes indeedily, I now think that every tag I make should have its very own pouch... oh I love that word too... saying it over and over again makes me giggle (little things amusing little minds and all that)


The pouch is just plain white card, folded, cut etc, the front and back of the main parts of the pouch have some Crowded Attic paper which has been painted with Trad Tan and then Stained to within an inch of its life. I wanted a contrast between the colours of the pouch and the tag, hence the paler look for the pouch. The flower is made from Glassine...cut with the Tattered Florals Alterations, scrunched and then spritzed with Red Pepper and Cranberry Colorwashes. I wanted a little "cup" for the pearl to sit in... so I punched an inch and a 5/8th circle of Glassine... snipped a frill around the edges and coloured with Sunset Orange Colorwash and then nested them together.


The tag had the background stamped with Trad Tan... dried, Stained... using Spun Sugar, Fired Brick and Vintage Photo with a smidge of Walnut Stain... oh and I forgot to say... I scruffed the edges up with my Edge Distresser... I think that is pretty much for the tag... I had a lovely time playing and making this though... kind of satisfying to get covered in ink and paint!




I had a fabby day yesterday - and thank you for all the lovely messages and birthday wishes... I felt thoroughly spoilt all day. I have been busy this morning... you know I got mucked about with my clinic appt last week? Well I went today... and have been told that I need treatment again so I am now waiting for an appointment so the Dr can shove a chuffing mahoosively hoooge needle into various points of my back... this time I will get sedated though... thank goodness because after last time... akkk, I can still feel it now!! Oh and she has changed my meds too... so, if I start talking gibberish you will know when they have started... *whatcha mean you won't be able to tell the difference? lol* Right... can you hear that noise??? That is the sound of my desk calling me... thanks for looking... TTFN!

Hels x

Sunday Stamper - Week 158 - Sheena Is A Punk Rocker

Goodly Morning Stampers and a very happy Sunday to you all! Thank you all for the lovely entries last week... it was grand to see that so many of you have the exact same "fave stash" as me! The new theme this week is loosely based on the song title...well, you can't fault me for trying to get a song to tie in... so... without further ado... the theme for this week is... STEAMPUNK. As ever, to join in with the challenge, all you need to do is make a little something - it can be anything you fancy - include some stamping and the theme and then leave a comment for me here along with a link to the place you are showing your entry. I will then hop on over to see you. The challenge will remain open until 21:00 Saturday 18th June 2011.


Now... I am one for making the odd tag or ten a week and for my entry this week I decided to make a little pouch for the tag to slip into. The idea started as just a little simple card pouch, simply decorated with a normal kind of tag in it.... erm.... weeeeell... I went a bit over the top with the tag... and then really over the top with the pouch! I made the pouch by measuring up the tag against a piece of white cardstock, then scored some foldy bits on the card and folded it, swore a bit... refolded it, screwed it up, chucked it in the bin... got it out again, straightened it out... measured the original measurements against a new piece of card... and... ended up with this rather rough around the edges affair.




I covered all the edges and inside of the pouch with Antique Linen Distress Stains and then used Burshed Corduroy Distress Ink to blend right on the folds to make it look a bit old and grubby. I cut a couple of pieces of Crowded Attic paper and gave them a swish with a babywipe loaded with Trad Tan paint... used Distress Stains to make a smooshyness of ink onto the craft sheet, dipped, dried etc until I had the look I wanted. The old date stamp really is ancient, dating from 1948... so I used a thin Sharpie and made the 9 into an 8... so it is now the 1840's & 50's... more Victorian for the Steampunk era... although I am not sure exactly what the dates of Steampunk are... but it is artistic license lol




The pouch got thoroughly loaded with goodies... a rose made from Kraft Resist and Tattered Florals & Leaves Alterations... some Idea-ology and some rather splendidly rusty screws that I nicked from Grim's garagey drawer unit thingy...ssssh... he doesn't know yet lol the ickle bolts are Industrial Chic... I got those in Michael's... we need a Michael's in the UK!!! I cut an On The Edge Gear border, painted the card, added Vintage Photo Stains and dried off with the heatgun.


The tag was streaked with Trad Tan and applied with Broken China and Faded Jeans Stains... with a smidge of Vintage Photo ... then overstamped with Coffee Archival and Tim's Steampunk stamps... The border is a ruler from the Crowded Attic stack, popped onto mountboard and a little snap thingy added to the end of it. The rest of the decorations were just layered on randomly so it looks a bit haphazard.


So! There you go... I loved making this pouchy thing so I will be making more... and... I will deffo get a template next time... that will save faffing about! Thank you for all the lovely messages etc about THAT Steampunk Bird stamp I was seeking yesterday... hurrah and thrice and hooooge thanks to Sioux who found it... it is Scroll Works Stamps... apparently they are closing so I nipped in quickly and ordered it... well, it can be my birthday pressie to me... did I mention it is my birthday tomorrow?? Probably... tis a goodly excuse to eat lots of cake :O) Right... time to get myself off to bed.. thanks for looking... have a fab week everyone... TTFN

Hels x