Sunday Stamper - Week 295 - And Your Bird Can Sing

Goodly Morning Stampers and a very happy Sunday to you all.  Many thanks for all your gorgeous diamond creations last week, it was great to see so many different interpretations of the theme.  The theme this week is rather poignant... more of that later... but first, the theme is... BIRDS.  To join in with the theme is simples: make a little something, it can be anything you like.  Add in the theme and some stamping and then pop back here, leave me a comment with a linky to the place you are showing your entry and then I can pop over to visit you. If you haven't got a blog, you can join in via Facebook, simply tag my name... or via emailing a small res pic to me.  The challenge will remain open until 21:00 Saturday 22nd February 2014.

As I mentioned, a poignant theme for me this week... in memory of my dear Aunty June who sadly passed away last week after a short illness.  I could have chosen so many different themes that remind me of her... but birds was the theme that stuck with me because I share her love of our feathered friends, especially owls.  When I was a kid I spent many a happy summer holiday staying with her, my uncle and cousins in "that London"... being a northerner in the south during those hazy summer days whetted my appetite for all things southern and I eventually ended up living in the south.  Aunty June always spoilt me, when I was little her birthday and Christmas pressies were always a little bit special, like a fancy pair of socks with golden threads woven into them, a beautiful red leather purse (which was sadly stolen) and in later years she bought me silver charms for my charm bracelet, all of them had a special meaning too; the Owl & The Pussycat because she used to say that poem to me when I was a kid.   She was a very special woman in my life and this piece of art is dedicated to my Aunty June... and the happy memories she left with me.

I won't go into too great a detail on how I created this canvas as it is my class sample from my workshop yesterday at Neil Burley's The Studio.  Big thanks to the lovely ladies who came along to play and get painty with us... and again to Neil for hosting the class.  I used a selection of Kaisercraft paints to create the background colours - Eggshell, Wisteria and Eggplant... aren't they gorgeous colours?  I don't know what is going on with me this year but I seem to have turned a little purple!  I had actually chosen to use soft mossy tones with smidges of mocha but changed my mind at the last minute!!! And then spent half an hour trying to dull down the purples until I was happy with the colours.  The sentiment is from The Artistic Stamper - available HERE... I love these lovely big wordy stamps - perfect for a mixed media project like this.

I must away now - I am up at stoopid o'clock today (scheduling this late last night... ) to travel to Birmingham for the Stitches Trade Show at the NEC.   I am demo-ing for Creative Expressions for the next three days so I might not be about much (social media might be a bit scarce too as the signal in the NEC is pants!) And as I hinted earlier in the week... I shall be demo-ing a brand new product from Creative Expressions... I am hoping to be able to make up a few samples whilst at the show so I will be able to blog as soon as possible to share all the goss on this fabby new ***** .... whoops, nearly let the cat out of the bag then!   As ever, thank you for looking... have a great day all.  TTFN

Hels x

Simples...

..is the title of todays offering!   Many thanks for all the support, messages, emails etc for the Pick of the Day shows.  I can safely say that I have now more or less recovered the use of my brain and can string a sentence together once more.  That last show on Wednesday... truly showed my capacity for being a div lol  Still it was a good one and everyone seemed to enjoy it!  BTW, very lots actually does mean... very lots!   Anyways, on with todays simple art!
 

This is a large rectangular MDF plaque... covered with paper and distressed around the edges with Gathered Twigs to give it a frame.   I cut a heart shape from more of the papers and popped it onto card to make it sturdier and then set about making some UTEE embellies for it.    I have some gorgeous silicone flower moulds so I used three of them to make the bundle of flowers - using Marbled Plum and Olympic Gold UTEE's together and forming little leaves by dipping leaf shaped shrink plastic into clear UTEE I had dyed with Paris Green Melt Ink... wow, I loves those new Melt Inks!  As the shrinkage happens, the leaves started to curl, so I whipped them out of the pot whilst still a bit curly and they made perfect little additions to the flower bundle.  The background of the plaque was stamped with the Chicken Wire stamp (love that stamp) using Gathered Twigs DI too.

Today I am mostly unpacking boxes... then repacking them in readiness for my trip to Sparkle Dreams in Swindon tomorrow. I have a lovely Mixed Media Masterboard class happening and I can't wait to go and get inky with all the lovely ladies who will be joining me.  After all that packing and unpacking and repacking etc, I shall be sneaking off into the Room of Stash for a little play with some ink and paint... feels like such a long time since I did any playing, I need to feed the Ink God inside me!   Right, I shall away... thanks for looking and have a great day!  TTFN

Hels x

Never Mind The Beeswax...

...heehee... I have been wanting to use that for such a long time!   Today I have another sample from the Melt Art Pick of the Day to show you.  This one is using beeswax and UTEE in a couple of different ways.  I am hoping I get time to show you live on air how I made it as it is one of my demo samples...  

I covered the small rectangular MDF plaque with paper and then spread a layer of beeswax over it... once that had set, I added a few more blobby bits of beeswax around the edges and once that had set, I lightly dabbed Mica Powder onto it... and then buffed it to get a lovely deep shine.  The flowers are made from the six petal flower on the Button Florals stamp set (LOVE this set) and I dipped them into clear UTEE for the Faux Porcelain look.   The heart was made by pouring UTEE onto the cute Hexagon Script stamp and popping a cookie cutter over to make the shape.  Finally, the ickle Media Mixage Hat Pin (how cute is that!)  was popped into the Melt Pot on a piece of craft sheet, once the metal was hot, I sprinkled gold UTEE into it and then added a couple of granules of white UTEE... a quick swirl with a pin to marble the molten UTEE and voila, done!

I hope you managed to see the shows last night and love the new goodies as much as me.  Don't forget, if you have got a question you would like me to answer, please do email into the shows as we are going to get as many questions answered live on air... and as ever, there will be giveaways for each show :O))   Thanks for looking, have a great day!  TTFN

Hels x

Hit The Road...

...which is what I shall be doing in an hour or so!  This weekend I am travelling to Middlesbrough for my Melt Art retreat... I am SO looking forward to it!  I thought I would be all organised and get my blog scheduled last night... but then I forgot!  Whoops!  So, a quick post here showing you one of the samples for the Pick of the Day shows coming up next week (all the deets are in the sidebar)

I love to make roses and I love to make Faux Porcelain roses even more... tis a very simple technique but gives marvellous results... coupled with the fabby MDF blank, some paint, a rather delish tree bark background stamp and a bit of paint, I made this wall hanging.

Anyways... today will a very short and sweet post as I need to get my clothes all packed up for the weekend - I hate packing... with a vengeance and always leave it to the last minute.  Thanks for looking.. have a great day!  TTFN

Hels x

More... Sneaky Peekings...

...cos I can!  Oh yesh, today is the day that I return with the Melt Art Marvels shows on Create & Craft.  The show times are 12pm, 4pm and 7pm and all the channel deets are over in the sidey bar.  As ever, if you aren't in the UK, you can watch online HERE, just click on the "Watch Us Live" button and you should be able to stream the shows.  As promised, a couple more sneaky peeks at some of the samples I have put together for the shows... starting up with this one which is using the gorgeous new Lapis Orange UTEE, marbled with Pearl and Black UTEE's... I am LOVING the orange!  LOTS!

This next one is one of those pourings that is a fluke... I had some left over amber UTEE in the pot so I added some of the pink Mica Powder (also in the show) and gave it a good stir... and then added a smidge of black UTEE and marbled it... and poured.  Oooh, so pretty!  I added a Chain Tassel to the top of the bezel - they are on the shows too!

The fabby thing about the Media Mixage bezels is that you get different sizes... and they have dies to match!  So I had a good time with this diddy Shield shape... a Stampers Anon Classic collage stamp in Jet Black Archival, die cut with the corresponding die and then popped into the bezel and a quick pour of clear UTEE... voila, a gorgeous little charm for a bracelet.

And finally, the diddy bezels middle brother... this one also has the same stamped image, again die cut... and then popped onto the gorgeous silky crush ribbon (also on the shows!) 
I hope you like the piccies.... and you enjoy the shows too... please do email in too, I will be doing a giveaway each hour :O))

Right, I shall loves ya and leaves ya as I needs to get myself to bed... thanks for looking!  Have a grand day.... TTFN

Hels x

A Splendid Time Was Had...

... by all! Yesterday was fun indeedily... it was my first class back after the break and we got all hot and bothered playing with the Melt Pot. Calamity struck no sooner than I had got to The Stamp Attic though... one of my Melt Pots died! I mean, what is it with me and electrical goods at the moment huh? Thankfully Wendy came to the rescue and we had the full compliment working again soonly enough.


Big thanks to Val, Jan, Sylvia, Thelma and Annette for a fab day... as usual, we all had a laugh at my expense, mainly because no matter how hard I try, I always do a booboo and say totally the wrong thing... yesterday's pearl of wisdom was... "you just put it in and jiggle it about" *snort* Here's the class sample...


So... we were doing a UTEE Sampler... basically 10 different ways using UTEE, popping them all onto a decorated board and then adding a hanging... these are the finished projects... well, all apart from Annette, I never ever get a pic on Annette's finished piece because she always takes it home to finish it off... (which I admit...I always do that too lol)








Have you seen the state of the desk??? Actually this is after we had to move the sweeties away from Thelma... and before I cracked open the choccy... nomnomnomnommmmm


Right... time to go and get organised... I just so happened to grab myself a few beads and pearls yesterday (OMG, if you could've seen the little pots of beads, pearls and findings you would so have been there grabbing them... I had to really stop myself... ) I have a fancy to try my inky fingers at fashioning something wearable...like... jewellry!!! Don't hold your breath though because I have the fattest sausage fingers in the World, so fiddly things evade me... nay and thrice, I have the hands of a docker!! Oh and... I got a bead mat! Never heard of one of these but oh dear and thrice... they are the softest fuzzy cloth and I admit I did spend several minutes rubbing said cloth onto my cheek and drooling (you think I am kidding? lol) Thanks for looking... TTFN!

Hels x

Curiously Painted...

...corrrrr blimey, where did this week go to??? One minute it is Monday and the new Compendium of Curiosities challenge is announced and then the next minute it is Friday night already!!! Admittedly, it has been a "busy" week what with the drive and other things I have been up to... which I will tell you about in a mo - but first, the new Compendium challenge (well, not so new but you know what I mean 'Arry) Hosted and devised by lovely Linda Ledbetter, all the deets are HERE on Linda's blog - which is well worth a hop across to because not only is there candy for one lucky entrant, Linda also makes some mightily scrumptious art too!




So, in keeping with the challenge, I shalln't say how I did the technique... that is all on Page 48 of the Compendium of Curiosities book... however, I will just admit this; well... you know that I have made a tag for each weeks entry and this week is no different apart from... I forgot... to put any stamping on it!!! I know!!! I didn't even use my little diamondy harlequin stamp that is on absolutely everything I make!!!




I am not sure if this tag will actually qualify for the challenge this week... but hey! I will enter it anyway... cos I did rather enjoy making it :O)) I made a Valentine tag a few weeks ago using some of the element from the Duke of Distress' 12 Tags... and I just expanded a bit more for this one. The painted metal parts are the numerals (although I do keep wanting to call them letters LOL), the crown, the heart, the brads and the wings. Check out the ickle postcard!!! with a "lurve train" which I snipped from the Seasonal Paper Stash, mounted onto mountboard and then bunged a Memo Pin onto it. And, naturally, this is very appropriate cos I used to drive trains and... of course, they were filled with lurve ROFL




In my excitement to waffle on alarmingly about the drive yesterday, I clean forgot to tell you what we got up to on Thursday!!! Did you see that little reference in the first paragraph?? You know what I mean 'Arry? Well, it just so happens that we went to the BBC to see Harry Hill's TV Burp being recorded... tis the show which is on this evening no less... and it was absolutely hil-ar-ious! We had to get into the queue early because it is an over-subscribed show so poor old Grim did have nearly two hours of me whinging and moaning about my feet and my back... and I did have to do a heck of a lot of fidgeting and naturally, a bit more whinging thrown in for goodly measures... but it was worth the wait. Anyways... if you get chance, watch the show tonight, 7pm on ITV1... there is a special guest who I was absolutely over the moon excited to see!!! Seriously, well worth watching... just so you can see him... if you know what I mean... 'Arry ;o))



Ooooh, and more excitement abounds in the Room of Stashly Anticipations... it is now only 12 days until Ellen arrives at the Room of Stash!!! And... I am going to be lurking around the Artistic Stamper stand at Stamperama tomorrow... I will be fiddling about with all things waxy... (ooh, that sounds rude LOL) oh yes, finally, another little smidget of news... I am ...erm... going to see... some bloke called Tim... on some class called Artsy Crafts... (try and picture how insanely controlled I am trying to be at this very moment ROFL) Anyways... that is all the news for now.. oh and yes, tomorrow on the Sunday Stamper I have a rather lovely piece of candy to giveaway... oooh, yesh indeedily!! Right... gotta dash, I have some sausages to sizzle for breakfast!! Thanks for looking... TTFN

Hels x

Lurve Is The...

...Tag!!! Hands up who thought I was going to say drug? Which, I have to say is a fabulous song... anyways... I am in the mood for lurve... oh dear, I am singing again... simply because you are near me.... (you are sooo lucky that you didn't hear that ROFL) Ahem... where was I??? Ah, yes, my latest tag... is lurve themed... I had this little flash of inspiration the other night when I was making my Love Configurations box... and decided to incorporate a few elements from the Duke of Distresses 12 Tags... and I came up with this... rather overloaded... tag.




The base was covered with paper from the Seasonal Stash pad... I cut a Rosette and sanded it a bit to make it look shabby. The Trim was coloured with Peppermint Stick Glimmer Mists and then dried on the radiator... oh you should see the radiator in my room... yak! It would be no good for drying clothes it is so inked up!! *I so want to make a rude comment about drying drawers but I won't... I shall be ladylike... for a change LOL* I know, I should wipe it off but... it looks kind of grungey... which is probably why I like it!


The little heart on the Rosette is made from UTEE. I got this diddily little heart yonks ago and so didn't want to use it... so I made a mould from Mold & Pour and then used Red Poppy UTEE... I made a heap of them at once so I have a nice little stash to grab at... oh and I also whacked some black Dabber over it to grunge it up a bit. The ickle crown is Idea-ology and glue into a raised position with hot glue... oh how I love my new Glue Gun.. tis FAB! The 14th Feb stamping is using my ancient date stamp - which is probably one of my favest bits of stash ever... it dates from 1948 to 1959 - so it is almost as old as Grim (don't tell him I said that will you LOL) The letters are cut from the Lost & Found stack and mounted onto card for dimension and then I chopped some photo's from the L&F stack and popped them behind Film Strip.



So... I did the fair weather dance yesterday and it didn't work!!! Grrrr... the drive is looking even more mahooosive now you know... the nice chaps have been tamping down hardcore stuff and mapping out the lines and edges... but... snow is forecasted for today and if just a few flakes fall, they will cobble up (aha, scuse the pun... cobbles, tis what pattern we are having LOL) the concrete setting and colouring malarkey.




The huge stamp they use is so going to feature here... I cannot wait to stand and watch them doing that... anyways... we are waiting until Saturday to get the concrete down so we will only be a day behind... and... we have to wait 10 days after to put the cars on there!! Ferdy is going to look so smart though so it will be worth the wait. Right... time for bed for me... another late night!!! Although... I have to say... I think I craft better when it is dark outside... maybe it is my inner vampire?? Oh and I almost forgot to say... that pic up there... is a card I made using yesterday's sketch - but instead of using inkyness I used papers... tis all on the Bubbly Funk blog if you fancy a gander... Right, bedtime!!! (ooh, I said that already!!) Thanks for looking... have a fabbylicious day! TTFN

Hels x

Giving It Away...

... yes indeedily, I am giving it away again... giving what away? Well, today is my day for The Artistic Stamper Creative Team and I have been so excited about the 12 Tags of Christmas and the amazingly wonderful (erm... can I gush anymore??? LOL) designs by the Duke of Distress himself, I have been inspired to make my own tag - a Hels' Tag of Christmas lol - with a few of this years techniques on it... so, if you would like to be in with a chance of winning this tag... please CLICK HERE to see the post over on the AS CT blog... also, if you leave me a comment here too, I will enter your name in to the draw too :O)) *that is if you like the tag and would like to own it LMSO*




So... in true fashion, I am still lagging behind on the proper 12 Tags, however, I am waiting on... erm.. supplies arriving (;O}), so I actually can't do anymore at the moment... that is my excuse and I am sticking to it LOL I made a right hash of Day 5 - mainly because I haven't got the label jobby or any Peeled Paint Cracklepaint... so I improvised... I have the Baroque thingywotsit so I cut that and then cut out a big piece from the centre and tried to resize it. I have got Shabby Shutters crackle... so after three years of trying to reconstitute it because it was thicker than me... well, the result isn't that great but the general idea is there LOL




I am LOVING the enamelly porcelain effect on the metal numerals... in fact, that is about all I do like on this tag ... this is the third attempt - Santa didn't stamp properly the first time, then the sentiment was wonky ( I despise any stamp that defies me and stamps wonky... so this one is most hated at the moment ROFL) and finally, I thought I had it sorted and got all the way to the assembling stage and realised Santa was too low down... and he is very red of face, if you look at Tim's you will see that his is perfect... obviously... so I am having a mini strop and might even re-do this one... again... or maybe I will just go and eat some chocolate and stop being so anal ROFL




Anyways... tis time for beddiebyes methinks... or... should I just creep on over to my incredibly tidy desk and make a... Christmas card??? Nah!!! Another tag, yes! A card... no!! Thanks for looking... don't forget to leave me a comment over on the AS CT blog too for the tag winnery thingy... TTFN

Hels x

Sunday Stamper - Week 122 - Paint It Black

Morning Stampers... hopefully Mr Blogger will be assisting me and popping this post on for me at the right time LOL Thank you ALL for your inspiring entries last week... lovely interpretations of the theme. This week is an easy theme... and it is... BLACK. To join in, all you need to do is make a piece of art, add in the theme and some stamping and then leave me a comment here to the place you are showing your entry. And... this week the challenge is sponsored by The Artistic Stamper... and the prize is... aha, I will keep you waiting a bit longer LOL The challenge will be open until 21:00 October 2nd and the winner will be chosen at random and announced on next weeks Sunday Stamper post.




I made a Shadow Box for my entry, using Ferro and Terra to make a texture on the frame and stamping in to it with some of the fab background stamps from The Artistic Stamper... don't forget that to go with the Cog stamps there are now some new SteamPunk images... oooh and a FAB SteamPunk Santa - cannot wait to play with him :O)) I used Claudine Hellmuth Studio Paints to colour the Ferro and Terra; Trad Tan (what else could I use?? LOL), Sable Brown mixed with Trad Tan, Sable Brown and finally Charcoal Black... this is such a deep pigmented black paint it just really colours whatever you are painting it onto. I used Cut & Dry foam to apply all the paints and once they had dried, I popped some Rock Candy Cracklepaint onto the barest bits... this just added that bit of extra texture.





I used Gold Dabber to add some metallic to the raised bits... then went over it lightly with more black paint and then added Viva Inka Gold... I loooove this stuff... it reminds me of hair fudge... don't worry, I haven't tried it on my luscious locks (tongue firmly in cheek there LOL) though.




I heated up some clear UTEE with a couple of dabbs of gold and white UTEE popped in on top, in the Melt Pot... this gives a really cool varigated look (I so know that varigated is not the word I need but my brain has gone blank... help please?? LMAO) Anyways... once the UTEE had melted I poured it into a little mould I made using Mold & Pour (this is the COOLEST owl in the WORLD and was a pressie from Ellen... I had to make a mould of it so I could use him again and again....) So, the ickle owl then had some black StaZon rubbed over him to emphasise the details on him... and I used him cos I think his eyes look a bit like cogs :O))




Right... so... the sponsored challenge this week... well, the prize is a set of the brand new SteamPunk stamps from The Artistic Stamper... speaking of which, all the stashy bits used on my piece today are available from there too :O)) Here is a pic of the prize... along with some KlingOn to mount your stamps onto. To be in with a chance of winning here is whatcha need to do: enter the challenge with a piece using stamping and the theme (reminder that it is BLACK), leave me a comment here with a link to the place you are showing your piece. You can also join in by clicking to follow my Blog and the Artistic Stamper Creative Team Blog... if you click on the name it will take you there... and there is a post there about this too - just leave me a comment to let me know you have become a follower (or already are!) :O)) And... as a double whammy, if you enter and use Artistic Stamper stamps you will be entered into the draw twice... double the chance of winning... coolio huh?



Right, I have taken up enough of your time... btw, it is Friday night at the moment... I am being soooo organised and have got everything ready for the weekend... oh and... my entry will be at Ally Pally with me if you would like to take a look at it :O)) Thanks for looking... have THE BEST day! TTFN

Hels x

Sunday Stamper - Week 108 - Metal Guru + Candy Winner :O))

Morning Stampers... apologies for the late posting of the new challenge... Mr Internet decided to go on strike last night and I had no connectivity at all...this morning it is soooooo slow, like Dial Up used to be, so I can't upload the pics of my entry at the moment, will keep trying!! Anyway... First an foremost... I have just gotten all the emails off the server and checked the comments on the post from last week to make sure I haven't missed anyone...and am not going to be a few mins while I get the winner picked (at random) from all the entries...don't forget, if you entered and linked, you get in twice :O)) Right, am back, all the names were entered into a bowl (haven't got a hat...) and the winner of my Birthday Candy Giveaway is...

CHRISSIE - Congrats to you.. please can you email me your addy so I can pop the candy into the post for you :O))




Right, on with the theme for this weeks challenge - which is METAL. To join in all you need to do is make a piece of art, add in the theme and some stamping, leave me a comment with a link to the place you are showing your art so I can then pop and see you :O)) There isn't any point in me waffling on about how I made my entry cos you can't see it at the moment...still not enough oooomph to get the pics uploaded... I will be back! Later.... much much later!!! Honestly, all I wanted to do was upload a few pics and one thing and another gets in the way... like this which happened this morning... Grim is sitting in the living room watching... yep, you guessed it... football... I am up in my room trying to get this Sunday Stamper post done... when Grim comes up to tell me that Alfie has brought something into the kitchen... *I pause at this moment to tell you that AlfieCat is a VERY bad boy... yesterday morning I couldn't sleep so me and AlfieCat had an early morning coffee in the garden at 5am...and then he brought me a baby blackbird, like I really didn't need to see the poor thing clasped in his vice like chops... anyhow's, I managed to rescue said blackbird and all was well...* So I dreaded going to the kitchen to see what he had massacred... when it turns out he has brought home "Foxes"... you know, that ginger cat that is still...erm... intact in the boy region. Grim said that Foxes was sitting on the worktop, bold as brass! AlfieCat and Foxes have been sunbathing on the decking today... Foxes doesn't like me though... so when he cops sight of me he scarpers!




Here I am waffling on about cats when I should be telling you about the Sunday Stamper piece I made... using a 7Gypsies Printers Tray, filled with decorated bits of card, Grungepaper and metal... the embossing is using the new Texture Fades and the stamping is both PaperArtsy (HotPicks) and Tim Holtz collection.




The hearts are made with UTEE... the middle sized one I bought last week in a little shop in Whitby and made a mould with it... and the diddy one is a cookie cutter, although why anyone would want a cookie that small is beyond me ROFL I added on loads of Idea-ology bits, painting the Bracket with Trad Tan, sanding it and then using a photo image from the Lost & Found stack. The metal roses are made from the HotPicks plate - available HERE... I love those new Hot Picks... and am well chuffed that I have both now having had one for my birthday :O)) The UTEE heart that has wings behind it was made by melting Gold, Silver and Bronze UTEE in the Melt Pot and then drizzling into the mould...and I was ever so BRAVE... Mr Holtz says in his C of C book that he cut his Idea-ology wings with his Tonic Studio scissors...well, if Tim can do it, so can I ... so I did..and YES! It works and the scissors ain't damaged!



Right, the deets about how to join in are above (if you have gotten this far reading my babblings).. thanks for looking...oh and Happy Father's Day to all you chaps out there... AlfieCat was ever so clever and went and bought a card and a Tshirt for Grim...clever cat even wrote the card!!! TTFN

Hels x


Thanks for looking...TTFN

Hels x

Mad Hatter Day With The Gingersnaps ...

... Guess what??? Today is Mad Hatter Day! I have to admit, I sat there scratching my head at first when Laura suggested that the Gingersnaps have a Blog Hop today ... sitting there thinking, "why is it Mad Hatter Day???" You have probably sussed it straight away but if you are like me and baffled... it is 10/6 today... which is the number in the Mad Hatters hat! *A useless bit of info that you probably know already but... did you know the reason why they called Hatters mad? Well, in days of olde hat makers used to use Mercury in the lining of the hat - which after prolonged exposure to, sends you mad in the head!!!! And, did you know that Luton was the hat making centre of the UK... I used to live in Luton, Grim is a proper Lutonian... speaks volumes eh??? ROFL*




Anyways... enough of me pretending to be the font of all knowledge... here we go with the Blog Hop and all the details you need to know :O)) WELCOME to the Gingersnap Creations' Mad Hatter Day Blog Hop... you have reached HOP STOP #3. The Gingers are celebrating Mad Hatter Day and we hope that you will hop along with us - there are some awesome pieces of art along the way to look at too :O)) If you are already hopping then you will have just arrived from Elina's Blog... if you have just arrived here, don't worry, the hop is in a loop, so you can start anywhere!




At each Hop Stop you will need to pick up a word, there are 10 stops in all...starting and ending at the Gingersnap Creations Blog, where you can see the goodies that are on offer and also all the info you will need to be able to enter the Mad Hatter Giveaway. When you have all your 10 words, unscramble them to make them into a quotation from the classic Alice in Wonderland.





Once you have your answer, email it to gingersnapcreations@gmail.com before 25th June '10. One lucky winner will be chosen at random to win the Mad Hatter Goody Package - the winner will then be announced on 29th June '10. If you visit all the stops, you will have 10 words and you should end up back at the Gingersnap Creations Blog.




If you get lost along the way, jump back to the Gingersnaps Blog, there is a route guide there for you... and... this is the important bit for you... my word is DESK. The next stop on your Hop will be at Jean's Blog....Good luck everyone, thank you for visiting me and I hope you like the little pieces of art I have made to celebrate this day :O)) *incase you were wondering... the fabby Mad Hatter stamp is a Mabel Lucie Attwell sketch and is available from The Artistic Stamper* TTFN peeps...good luck!!

Hels x

Sunday Stamper - Week 98 - Maxwell's Silver Hammer

Morning Stampers...isn't it just the most divine weather??? Guess what??? I know why!!! Cos it is Ally Pally weekend and it is always glorious! Anyways...THANK YOU for all the lovely entries and comments last week...it was an all time high with 62 comments left. It may not seem many compared to some challenges but the Sunday Stamper has always been just a little challenge, it was so great to see so many new faces too...and I do hope peeps will return, not only for today..but also, next week will see the Century of the Sunday Stamper...100 themes...and I have a little secret, which I know I can share with just you cos I know I can trust you...there will be not only a special theme...and some candy donated by moi...but also ... fabbbbbby prize candy has been donated too :O) Speaking of Candy... I have just done that Random.org thingy and it packed up on me...so I reverted to more technical ways of picking a winner randomly...and wrote all the names on paper, folded it up and then picked it from a hat...well, actually, a bowl, can't find the hat..think that Packing Fairy has put it away somewhere....so .. the winner is;

CHRIS - congrats hun ... please can you email your addy so I can pop the stamps and Kling into the post for you - email details etc are on my main Blogger Profile :O))

So, this week the new theme is hammers....AHA, only joking...it is SILVER...I have picked another old Beatles record...I do love the Beatles you know and use any excuse to mention one of their songs! So, all you have to do to join in is make a piece of art...include stamping on it and also the theme...this week is a doddle easy one :O)) *saving up for next week LOL* Then, once you have blogged it, please leave me a link here and I will be able to call in and see you :O))




I have got inkier and messier making mine...I say inkier cos you should see the state of my hands after playing at Ally Pally all day...they are minging LOL I started off with a fabby little wooden frame which is about 6" square. I coated the bare wood with Gesso and then smoothed on some Terra (which is like a fine gritty texture paste) and some Ferro (which is like a gritty metalic paste) and then used the brand new and incredibly divine Cog stamps from The Artistic Stamper, )spritzed with water first so they release out of the Terra/Ferro) and randomly stamped onto the surface.




Next I used my heat gun and dried the frame...drying the Terra with a heat gun isn't necessary - it will air dry...but...when it is heated, it goes bobbly and warty *I have said this already I know but I did get a few mails about what it is and how it works*. I then painted over the top of the surfaces...applying it with Cut & Dry foam is the best way to do it so it doesn't overload in any patches.




Another zap with the heatgun and then I used Precious Metal paint...Silver colour...mmm, lush...again using Cut & Dry to apply this...then dried it again...and then very gently applied a little more black paint on the bobbly bits to emphasise them. The heart, face and clock embellies are made from a combo of clear and silver UTEE poured from the Melt Pot into moulds, made using Mold & Pour. The little clock is actually a mould of one of the new Idea-ology watch faces. I added some black StaZon to the UTEE pieces - using my finger to apply it cos it means more control... I think this just makes the whole piece pop a little bit. Finally I added some more Idea-ology to it to finish.




The centre piece is made from white card which I coloured with Silver and Marshmallow Glimmer Mists. I edged the whole card with Black Soot DI then smooshed the pad onto the craft sheet, spritzed with water and popped the large coggy background into it...then stamped straight over the card...dried with a heatgun and then used some more of the cog stamps for the background, using Black StaZon. The sentiment is fab isn't it? My fave font ever...and this was stamped, cut down and popped onto 3D foam for added dimension. The stamps, frame, Terra, Ferro, Precious Metal, UTEE, Mold & Pour and Idea-ology can be purchased from The Artistic Stamper...and I will be taking this piece to Ally Pally with me today if anyone would like to see it in the real.



Thanks for looking...have a brill day...again, if you are at Ally Pally today, please pop by to see me and Jennie - Stand #49 - where we are demo-ing incredibly divine Spray Mists by Crafty Notions..which are totally lushious! Oh, BTW, the challenge will be open til 23:00 next Saturday 17th April...and then there will be the biggy next Sunday. Also, I just wanted to say THANK YOU for all your lovely comments on my blog...and apologise for not getting around to see you all during the week...that Packing Fairy has naffed off with my hat but not bothered to pack anything else up yet ROFL

Hels x