Simon Says... Layer It Up...

... the new Simon Says Stamp & Show challenge theme is Layers... another fave subject of mine, cos I lurve using layers on the stuff I make... so I decided to use lots of different layers of papers - from the Retro Grunge paperstack - am so loving those colours!




I started off with a BIA Bracket shape book cover and used a patterned and plain piece of the Retro Grunge to cover it... making a border out of more of the paper and a Martha Stewart punch. I layered some lace over the top of this strip and added a couple of Idea-ology Snaps... I really wish they hadn't discontinued these cos I am loving the colours of them... and can only find silver or black ones in haberdasher shops... ho hum... Anyways... the next lot of layering took shape by cutting the papers using Nesties and my Slice machine. I embossed a couple of the layers with a Bug folder and a Texture Fade...




The sentiment is a Studio 490 - which tied in really well with my sub-theme... Dream... which was cut out using my Slice - I like the different sized letters and some of them were popped onto 3D foam and the rest flat on the piece so it you can actually see the depth... photo's are rubbish as usual so if you click on them, I think it will show up a bit more. The final piece of layering is the flower ... made from old book pages, cut with the Tattered Florals die and coloured with DI's and the bottle cap in the middle has a snip from the Lost & Found stack... so, that is my entry...




I am green at the moment... no, not sicky green but... green themed... I am into greens, which is a blessing cos for the past month I have been orange...*not like Dale Winton orange... I mean using orange colours ROFL* I seem to get stuck on a colour theme and it takes me yonks to get off it... is it just me that is like that or is it a common condition of this passion for getting inky?? Hey! Guess what!!! It is... sunny!!! And... warm!!! Yipyah and thrice!!! I am just about to go and sit in our wasteland... I mean garden... and read my book... I might even get a few more freckles LOL Thanks for looking... have a goodly day... TTFN

Hels x

Curiously Chipped...

...WhooooHoooo, tis Monday! Tis my fave day of the week... well, it has been ever since Linda came up with the BRILLIANT idea of having a challenge about Tim's book... The Compendium of Curiosities... Linda is wonderful, I may have intimated that before but hey... I am saying it again!!! Her art is not only A~MAZ~ING... but she is also a reaaallly lovely girl too... anyways... in keeping with the usual info about the challenge, I am not saying a word about which page we are on this week... or the theme... so that means that you will be able get have a little ride on this here bus I have laid on to take you globe trotting across to Linda's Blog...




I cannot believe we are on Week 12 already! I have been making a tag for each one... well, I love making tags and the Duke Of Distress does have a reputation of being a tagger... so I copied him... you should see the book ring I have now full of the other tags... I have had to start a new book ring already cos they are so fat... what I am going to do with them after hasn't been thunked up yet... I am waffling I know but... one idea could be... I have this big bare patch on a wall in the Room of Stash... so maybe I will pop them onto a big piece of wood and frame them up there...




I have been using a lot of oranges and browns recently so I decided to branch out into greens this week... I started off by inking the tag with Old Paper, then Crushed Olive, then Pine Needles *I lurve this colour but hardly ever use it!* finally, edging around with Black Soot. I sploshed some water onto the tag and dried with a heatgun... then I stamped some Sprigs in Pine Needles and Distress Embossed with Shabby Shutters EP... I then decided it was a bit boring... so I stamped a mini script with clear ink, clear embossed this and then rubbed some more colour over the top... *get me, "rubbed".. you know I mean blended!!* I stamped some butterflies in Rusty Hinge and Fired Brick... then slapped some Rock Candy crackle over the top... then slapped some Rock Candy Stickles over that... added in the Idea-ology and voila! (erm.. yep, doing that french talking thing again) Finished tag!




So... it is Bank Holiday today so I have been listening to Radio 2 while making my arty stuff... they had Tony Blackburn doing a countdown of million selling singles... oooh, you should have heard me singing along *or maybe not!* Tis a very goodly job that Grim is at footy this afternoon... otherwise his ears would have been bleeding LOL Still, there were a lot of Beatles songs so I had a lovely time... even AlfieCat enjoyed it... he is asleep on his bed in here with me... anyways... enough waffling from me... time to go and have a play with some chipboard and Viva stuff... and a clock mechanism... ooooh, what am I up to!!! All will be revealed soon :O)) Thanks for looking... TTFN

Hels x

A Total Exchange of The Art...

...oooohhhooooohhhooooohhhhoooooo.... didya see what I did there??? I did a play on words... ok, so it may be a bit of a pathetic attempt at a catchy title but hey... it is true! *oh and for everyone - the explanation... Total Eclipse of the Heart by Welsh songstress and her of the massively powerful voice... Bonnie Tyler* I recently did an art exchange with the lovely, talented and ever so slightly bat sH*t crazy Ellen Vargo - if you clicky on her name there is a shuttlebus waiting to take you over to her blog... oh and there are a selection of drinks and light refreshments on board... *hey - what is this light refreshments that I hear being served on airplanes and trains? Is it a "weigh less" thing... or is it just "techno-speak"???* Anyways... tuck in, it is all free ROFL *yes peeps, I appear to have finally lorst the plot!*




So... Ellen and I decided to do a three for three tag swap... and the closing date for posting was... 15th August. And I am a baaaaaaaad swapper and was late! So... to make up for my lateness I sent a little extra bit of art for her... I know she liked it cos she has told me... and I am so chuffed that she liked it too!!! You know, it is easy to make a tag or card or something for yourself, factor in someone else and I for one get myself in a right pickle, worrying if it is good enough... and more importantly than that... will the recipient likey the piece!!!




I am, as always, utterly inspired by that artfully clever and uber talented Mrs Wendy Vecchi... all credit has to go to her for the numbers in Memo Pins idea... how cool is that!? Pop a stamped number/DooDad into a Memo Pin, fill with Glossy Accents, let it dry, voila! A coolio embellie! Well, I just turned them upside down and made them into shoes for the Maya Road birdy!




All the tags (yes, all two of them ROFL) were made using #8 size cream tag (think it is called buff) and coloured with Distress Inks. All the stamping is from Mrs Vecchi's Studio 490 range... if you haven't used these before... try them! Honestly, the amount of variations for making a flower are literally limitless...and... Wendy comes up with the most original idea's... she is a veritable fount of knowledge and I love her art! If you would like to have a play with 490 stamps... before you buy so to speak... I have a few classes at The Stamp Attic using 490 stamps... there are a couple of places left on them, so if you fancy playing and making some art Hels' stylee... if you click HERE, there is a different shuttlebus waiting to take you to the Stamp Attic... oh and there's chocolate on this one :O))




So.... as well as the tags, I sent a box, little - about 4" square... which I had painted with Trad Tan (what else would I use???) and then covered with a lashing of Rock Candy Cracklepaint... and then spritzed with Glimmer Mists... the stamps - all Studio 490 and some of the new ones too... onto grungepaper, cut out, overstamped, layered up, Butterflies... cut out, inked, layered up and then Idea-ology Mini Pin for bodies... the sentiment is on a cardstock piece, inked, spritzed with water, stamped with ink and water... and sentiment over the top... voila! *erm, this is the second time I have used this word in this post... am I going French do you think, n'est pas?... ROFLMAO... again*




I love making inky and Grungepapery things... and I loved reading Ellen's mail to me telling me she liked the art... bless her, she is a sweetie.. and... US Postal Service get a 10/10 from me, posted on Monday, arrived on Saturday! How quick is that! It takes that long sometimes in the UK!!!




Anyways... this started out as a little quicky post and now I have waffled on for faaaaar too long... but I shall say... have a goodly day... thanks for looking... see you back here later for the C of C challenge - oh I cannot wait to find out what that will be... til then... TTFN!

Hels x

Sunday Stamper - Week 118 - Do You Want To Know A Secret...

...Goodly Morning Stampers! Thank you to everyone who joined in with the challenge last week... it was lovely to see some more new faces too :O)) Straight on with this weeks theme... *using a Beatles song title...again...* The new theme this week is... SECRETS. To join in, all you need to do is make a piece of art, add in some stamping and the theme and then once you have blogged it, leave a comment for me here with a linky to the place you are showing your art. I will then hop on over for a nosey. The challenge will be open til 21:00 Saturday September 4th '10.




For my entry this week I have made a little book using tags, Distress Inks and a variety of stamps... including Catslife Press, Stamp Francisco, Green Pepper Press, Lost Coat Designs,Innovative Stamp Creations, Rivercity Rubber Works and... only ONE Tim Holtz stamp!!!*which isn't in these pics.. LOL* I know, it was hard - but I managed to leave those Tim and Wendy stamps alone... well, apart from the one but I think I can be let off that LOL









My book is a book of hidden things... so there are envelopes to open, little lift up flaps and pully outy bits. I have 20 pics of it all told so I will do a few now and then a few later on otherwise this will be a mammoth post!






I have to say... I used to make little books like this all the time... inspired by a class I did with Dan... all these little secret compartments are totally his idea... I used to make one of these Bind It All books at least once a week... I only have one of them left... all the others have been given away ... so it was a real challenge to get my Mojo going on the "not" Tim direction.







I admit, I have been lazy since I moved into the new Room of Stash... and not used any of these stamps cos my Tim and Wendy stamps are right close to me... I did enjoy making this... but... I think it is missing something... I will, no doubt, go back to it and add some ephemera and Idea-ology... and nope, not a single splotch of Trad Tan either!!!







Anyways... I shalln't sit and bore you with my waffling... if you would like to join in with the challenge, I would love to see your take on it... you could add secret compartments and things to your art... or make it about a secret... or even use question marks over something... that turns it into a secret doesn't it??? Well, in my head it does anyways LOL






Thanks for looking and have a fabby day... what have you got planned??? I am hoping to be a right lazy moo and lay in bed til about 10am ... then I am going to be a right lazy moo and read my book in the morning... then I will get dressed... don't you think that there is something a bit decadent about sitting about in your pyjama's when you should be dressed... and you ain't poorly so there is no excuse??? Mmm, just me then! ROFL Then I have a nice roast lamb dinner planned for the Sunday roast... and then I think I may just have a little snoozle on the sofa... ah, a day of lazying about... perfect! TTFN

Hels x

Simon Says... Tim!

... The Simon Says Stamp & Show challenge for this week is to make something inspired by Tim Holtz... I know, I am well late in entering... I had this canvas planned on Monday and just haven't got around to it ... til now :O))




I used an 8" square canvas as a base, painted with Trad Tan mixed with Sable Brown... and splotches of Antique Linen Cracklepaint splodged on... and then Glimmer Mists of Antique Brass and Walnut Gold... The mini canvases were covered with paper and then inked... the ickle one that looked like a frame is just the back of a titchy canvas which was painted with Cracklepaint too. I added some cut out bits from the Lost & Found stack and made a little ruler for the bottom of one of the canvases - adding resistors around it. The Idea-ology was painted with Trad Tan and then rubbed down... and Inka Gold rubbed over the top.




So... I have had loads of fabby entries to name the birdies... it was really hard to pick just one name for each of them... I loved the "Tim & Wendy" suggestions... but the one that really suits both of them is... Berty Blue & Honey Bun - suggested by Val. Thanks to EVERYONE for joinin in with this.. I have put a few goodies together for Val... so if you could send me your addy please Val, I will pop 'em into the post for you :O))




So... you will NEVER guess what... when I started typing this post I was going to boast that it is sunny outside ... but nay and thrice, I have just looked out of the window and... it's raining again!!! Today is AlfieCat's 7th birthday... he has had some special treats called Dreamies... which he lurves... and he has got Tuna for his tea-tea's... and I got him some more catnip... he is a little druggie with that stuff... it sends him all dreamy and sleepy... aw, bless him... he is in my Room of Stash keeping me company... cos... I am just working on the Sunday Stamper for tomorrow... I shalln't tell you the theme... it's a secret :O)) Anyways... I gotta dash... I am making us a chicken madras for dinner... mmmm, licky lips! Thanks for looking... TTFN

Hels x

Look What I Got...

....Eeeeeeee, more excitement in the Hels' household because... more DIVINE art has arrived from the US of A... Me and Ellen decided to do a tag swap and my swapsies have arrived... plus a few pressies that she very kindly sent to me too.. one of them is MINE and I am not letting ANYONE touch it... tis a little badge - from Mario no less... and it has actually been touched by the Duke of Distress himself!!!! Actually I don't know if that last bit is true but it sounds good LOL



So, look at these TAGS! Aren't they just A~MAZ~ING!!! The first one is in the styleee of Mrs Vecchi, the second in the styleee of Mr Holtz and the third *which is totally LUSH and doesn't show up half its lushness in the photo* is in the styleee of Mrs Hellmuth... check out that metal embellie on the third one... have you ever seen anything so GORGEOUS??? As well as the BEAUTIFUL tags, Ellen also added some foam shapes she cut using Alterations... so I now have custom made stamps... how cool is that!!! I haven't got the shield Alteration and was only yesterday bemoaning this fact... and now I have it in stamp form... and it is totally FABBYLICIOUS!



And... this just goes to show how Ellen has already sussed me out... in the box was another pressie... which just so happens to be the one thing I CANNOT craft without... no prizes for guessing ... but go on... have a guess ;o)) Anyways... I thought I would share what I got... I am sooo lucky and want to say a HUGE THANK YOU to Ellen for being such a lovely friend and sending me this amazing ART! Thanks for looking... TTFN *BTW... the draw for the birdy names will be later on this afternoon sometime... have had some really coolio names... just gotta pick them now :O)*

Hels x

More ATC's...

...you know the other week when I was going a bit mental with ATC's and paper roses??? Well, I took some with me to Stamperama and swapped some out... I just been faffing with my August folder of pics and spotted these and thought I would show you them... can't remember who had what... I know Helen had one... not sure which though :O)) Oh and while I am on about ATC's... Minxy over on the Artistic Stamper CT Blog is doing a giveaway of ATC's... all you have to do is leave a comment and she will randomly pick three peeps... CLICK HERE for the deets :O))




These were made using the Tim papers and Distress Inks, Idea-ology, Rock Candy and bits and bobs...


I haven't done anything arty at all today... actually, I haven't done anything today except for sleep and watch TV.. not at the same time, obviously, cos that would mean that I either sleep with my eyes open (eeeeewwwww, that would be well scary!) or I have see thru eyelids... And, very obviously, I must have had an excess of sleep cos I seem to be talking utter rubbish...*whatcha mean you can't tell the difference?? LOL* Anyways... I have this idea in my head that I am hoping to be able to make later today... Oh and I noticed a few comments on that last post asking where the real Hels was...erm... that is how I make cards, honestly, they are quicky simple ones and normallly I don't bother to blog them... sorry if I caused any of you to worry and made you think I had been kidnapped ROFL You wait til I go thru another cute phase... second thoughts... nah, me and cute just don't go LOL Thanks for looking... have a goodly evening... TTFN

Hels x

Funky Flowers...

...ok, someone has to own up to stealing the Sun... *not the red top newspaper, no that big yellow thing that used to be in the sky!* How cold is it where you are? It feels like it is minus 10 degrees here *ever the one to over-exaggerate... it is actually 11 degrees, according to Mr Google Widgit thingybobs* and those woolly knickers have been joined by the woolly vest and woolly socks... far be it from me to state the obvious but... isn't it supposed to be SUMMER!!! Anyways, enough of me moaning about the weather... today is Friday, which means... it is my day for the Bubbly Funk DT piece on the Bubbly Scrumptious Blog. To see how I made it, please CLICK HERE. *today I have arranged for a special magic umbrella to take you there - cos it is probably raining at your house too LOL*



I was almost passing out with excitement the other day when a box arrived from Caroline at Bubbly Funk... filled with some of the most divine new stash for me to play with!!! *I is a lucky Hels!* So, there were some new Prima Papers...ooooooh, these ones are called Paisley Road, along with some of the clear stamps that go with the papers - and some Viva Papersoft ink... ooooooh, if you haven't tried this yet... well, IMO, it is totally LUSH and creamy and just as the name suggests...soft! How can ink be soft??? I dunno, but believe me... this is!!! Anyways.. I made a card using the new papers, the inks and some Prima flowers...




I had a fabby time yesterday at Linda's and got inky and made a mess of Linda's craft room... needless to say, I didn't finish what I was making... too busy yakking... and gazing at all the divine art that is in the room... I should have worn something with pockets so I could have snaffled some of it LOL... and you will never guess what Linda made me do.... she forced me to eat a cream cake! The Starbucks Frappuchino was yummy... the trains were on time... until the going home one... which happens to me every single time I take a train. I am a jinx! Anyways... thanks for looking... I am going to go outside for a paddle in the puddles LOL TTFN

Hels x

Cogs 'n Roses...

... over on the Artistic Stamper Creative Team blog there be a little something altered by me... it is another entry for the Creative Team Challenge for August, which is... Something Old, Something New... to be in with a chance of winning some fabby candy, all you have to do is... join in! So, to see how I maded this altered frame, please CLICK HERE for all the deets on what I used and how I used them :O))




I am very excited again... today I am popping over to see... the new Wendy Vecchi stamps... Linda... I am keeping my fingers X'd that the trains run on time... the weather out there is atrocious... anyone would think that it is October/November... I have had to dig my woolly knickers out already... now that is when you know Summer is well and truly over! So, trains permitting... I obviously will be a bit interested to see the new WV stamps... and am thinking... a bit of bribery may come in handy... if I take a pile of Grungepaper with me to stamp some of them onto... do you reckon a choccy biccie or five from M&S will do the trick??? That's all from me for today! Yes, I know... shortest post for months... don't worry, I am not going... bat sH*t crazy *I am so over using that saying but I lurve it and it makes me laugh even thinking it... imagine what I am like when I say it out loud!!!* ... just don't want to miss my train... oh and I am so excited to be going on the train because *I am a nerd - don't tell anyone.. but that isn't why I am excited* I have to go to St Pancras to change trains... and at St Pancras there is... a STARBUCKS!!!!!! Mmmmmm, Frappuchino here I come! Large, coffee, no cream... drooling at the thought of it! Hum, I thought that I was saying TTFN five mins ago and off I go on a tangent again... Thanks for looking peeps... have a goodly day! TTFN

Hels x

I Don't Want To Make You Peeled Paint .. BUT...

I am sooo excited... I got some divine post today... all the way from LORI in America ... Lori and I decided we were going to do an art exchange... and this is what she sent to me...




Isn't it just DIVINE!!!!! Lori has made this GORGEOUS box for me and it is black and white, which is my fave colour combo... I always wear black/white/grey.. not often will you see me in a colour... and I have a black and white cat... oh and a black and white car too... seriously, Ferdy is black n white... Anyways... as well as this seriously LUSH piece of art, Lori also included this BEAUTIFUL tag too... *sorry I keep shouting, I am just soooo excited!!!*




So, I am showing off... to see more of Lori's AWESOME art click HERE, I have arranged for Mr Blogger to take you on a whirlwind fast trip across the world to Lori's place... before you go though, you may want to grab a drink and a biscuit... cos you will be there ages looking at all her AMAZING art... check out her recent DT piece for the SSS&S challenge... like I said... AWESOME!!! TTFN *wanders off to stroke the box and whispers...my precioussssssssssss*
Hels x

WOYWW... I Tidied Up.. But...

... I made it all messy again ROFL Actually, I really did tidy up... well, I moved the papers to the desk, added an iron (not for clothes) and put away the stamps and got a few more out... So, what am I on about??? If you haven't heard of the phenomenon that is WOYWW... click HERE to go to see Julia and her several thousand followers who show their workspaces/desks/floors each week.




On my desk this week is a WIP - hoping to get it finished today - yes, using my favest paint in the world... Claudine Hellmuth's Traditional Tan... and some other stashy bits, I am altering a frame... I have noticed that in the past few weeks my Room of Stash is becoming more and more like a teenagers bedroom... except I haven't got all the crockery in the house doing penicillin experiments under the bed... well, I can't do that 'cos I haven't got a bed in here you know LOL




As well as the worky desk and the erm... dumping desk I have a sneaky peek at part of the first workshop with yours truly which is next Weds Sept 1st - there are some places left, so if you fancy getting inky and messy come and have a playdate with... erm... me! :O)) To see all the deets on how to book etc you can click here and pop over to see Wendy... she will sort it out for you :O))




So, whatcha got planned for today? I am hoping to get around to lots of desks... last week I was having really bad probs getting my internet to load my comments... so some timed out and I am not sure if you actually had the comment or not or actually had three the same LOL I gotta tell you this... a certain friend emailed me yesterday and made me literally spit my Diet Coke *other soft low cal drinks are available LOL* at the lappy screen... cos she told me that she was going... this is hilarious, I have never heard this saying before, I will sure be using it all the time from now on... "bat sH*t crazy" How funny is that!!! Anyways... thanks for looking... have a goodly day... TTFN :O))
Hels x

Teally Textured...

**edit... DOH! I just seen I spelt the title wrong... dur, musta left my brain cell in bed today LOL*
Goodly morning... I have a new favest product... I know, I seem to have fave things all the time ...but at the moment I am loving Viva Ferro... it is a metallicy gritty texture paste and I found out last night that it bubbles when you heat it up... a happy accident needless to say. I was faffing with a canvas for my last DT contribution for the Fiskarettes and was using the Ferro and stamping into it... I over watered my stamp and the surface of the Ferro was a tad...erm... soggy... so I used my heat gun to dry it off and it started to bubble... hurrah 'cos I have only a smidge of Terra left - which always bubbles when you use heat on it. If you would like to see how I made this canvas, please hop on over to the Fiskarettes - it should be on there shortly :O)) And because my other fave thing at the moment is making flowers, I used some Turquoise Ten Seconds Studio metal and the Paper Artsy Hot Picks flowers again... I loved those gold ones I made the other day, so made some more :O)) I popped some wire spirals behind them and a metal stud into the middle. I can feel an addiction coming on LOL




You will never guess what I found the other day... I meant to tell you but I think I blanked it from my mind cos it is rather yuk... if you are eating, you may want to look away now LOL You know that my AlfieCat has been playing outside since we moved and that we laughed at him at first and said he would never be able to catch anything? Well, of course, he proved us wrong, we have had several birdies and mices brought in for us... bless him, our little predator loves bringing pressies home for us. Well, the other day I was sitting in the living room watching the telly... and I heard some thumping about in the kitchen. I went to investigate and there was Alf, flinging a mouse about and playing with it... needless to say, I managed to grab Alf and get the mousey off him... too late for old Mickey though *sad face* so he had a burial in some tissue paper and off he went into the great big Mousey Hole in the sky. Later that day, AlfieCat is running around like a loon in the dining room... I didn't see evidence of mices so thought he was just having a mad moment... Well, the next morning as I was walking through the dining room you will never guess what I saw on the table! Mickey's brother! Yes, laying there on the table was a deceased mousey. Eeewwwwwww!!! We think that Alf brought home another mouse and was flinging it about like he does and it landed on the table... and... the table is out of bounds to him so obviously he couldn't go and retrieve it... I didn't know whether to be mad at him for bringing in yet another Mickey or to praise him for not going on the table! Serves us right for laughing at him and saying he would never be able to catch anything! He has got a collar that has a big bell on it... I reckon he turns into StealthCat when he goes outside. Anyways... I thought I would tell you what he has been up to cos a few peeps have been asking after him recently... there you have it, we have a seriously stealthy predator AlfieCat now LOL Thanks for stopping by... have a grand day... TTFN

Hels x

Curiously Batty About...

...oooh, well that would be telling wouldn't it :O)) Today is Monday.. hurrah and thrice, cos it means it is a brand new page on the Compendium of Curiosities Challenge... hosted, devised and co-ordinated by that ever so intelligent and rather loverly Linda - click on her name and you will be transported away to the US of A... or if you are already in the US of A... lucky you :O)) There are prizes to be won and it is rather fun indeedily, joining in with several million other crafters who are all using the same technique.




So... in keeping with the rest of my entries, I have made a tag... this one is using the techique *which I ain't gonna say what it is or how it is done... you will have to go and see Linda to find out :O))* I used Old Paper, Pumice Stone, Aged Mahogany and Black Soot DI's for colourations... stamping using Tim Holtz collection stamps... adding on some Film Strip, behind which I had popped some ickle photo's from the Lost & Found stack... hey, I neeeed a new one of those... I have used nearly all of it already LOL
The little roses were made using the 2" square snips in the Lost & Found stack... the medium sized Flower Power flower (from the Artistic Stamper) and glued together to make some...*pauses for breath* paaaaaaper rooooooseeees, paaaaaper rooooosessssss... Hoot hoot, good job you can't hear me singing... did I ever tell you that an ex of mine once kindly said that I sang like Les Dawson played the piano??? As Eric Morcambe once said... all the right notes, just not necessarily in the right order... ROFL




So, where was I??? Ah yes, paper roses... three of them... with an Idea-ology Ornate Plate which I painted with Trad Tan and then sanded... I boshed the brads with a texture hammer to make them look a bit oldey too. Lastly, a ticket, cut using the Alterations die... and one of those new Tim Holtz Ticket stamps... did I mention the gold signed set I have??? Oh, I did, ah, well, I won't bore you again ;O))




So, check out my little fella... it has been horrendous weather this afternoon... a fair deluge of rain, so AlfieCat decided to spend some time with his Mummy in her Room of Stash.. usually he will sleep on his bed which is just behind my chair... but today he flopped out on the floor. Grim came in for a chat and Alfie did his "roley over onto his back for Daddy" and promptly fell asleep... he can't possibly be comfy like this... I couldn't resist sharing it with you though... oh, ignore that yukky folder, that was hidden under the unit but has slid out... I have this very bad habit of stuffing stuff I don't want under desks, units, beds etc... does anyone else do that or is it just me being a lazy slut again??? ROFL Thanks for looking... am offski to cook some dinner now... fancy some Yorkshire Puds and grrrravy...mmmmm... TTFN

Hels x

Balloons & Bombers...

...I know... weird title for a crafty blog but... whenever have you known me be "not weird"??? Actually, it's what was in the skies above our house yesterday... from about 6am til 8pm... I spent most of the day neck-craned, viewing hot air balloons which were drifting over us from the Northampton Hot Air Balloon Show... there were some really cool shaped ones and one that was bright red and had Virgin on the side of it... which is the one that my dearest Grim decided he would flash my boobies at... yes, you read that right... the balloon was over our house at about 7am... so he thought it would be reeeeeally funny if he lifted my top up... thankfully the balloon was high up and I managed to cover up before any nips got out... I kid you not! Later in the day it was Sywell Aerodrome's Show Day and there were planes flying in formation overhead... and... best of all... a Lancaster Bomber flew right over the top of our house on his way home from Silverstone... the BTCC was on there *sadly we didn't go to this one cos Grim was working and it is a bit of a git to get away from... last time we went we were over an hour sitting in the car park trying to get out!!!* and it was doing a show flight. Honestly, the sound of that plane made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up and gave me goosebumps...





**apologies for naffness of photo's... flash just don't like metal!**
Anyways... enough waffling on about planes and balloons and... erm... well enough said about the flashing thing yeh? I have been faffing about with roses in one form or another for ages now... metal ones, paper ones *paaaaper rooooooseeees, paaaaaper rooooseeeees - sorry, I went all Marie Osmond then!* and Grungey ones... so last night I decided to make some more metal ones... this time with the smallest flower on the Paper Artsy Hot Picks {HP1004} I stamped three of them onto gold metal that had been stuck onto cardstock that I had left over from the other day... and went to my metal stash to get some more gold metal to stamp some more onto... and... nay and thrice, I have no more gold metal!!! BUT... I had already started the first layer of rose #1... so, I was sitting there grumbling and faffing with this first layer which was now five petals... and I accidently tore down between one of the petals... I know, I don't know my own strength LOL... argh... so, to rectify it, I snipped down the other petals and edged the snips with a scootchy tool... "ooooh, I like this look", I says to AlfieCat, so I faffed a bit more and ended up with a coolio looking flower... but it looked a bit bare *bit like my boobies were* in the middle... so I got one of those Idea-ology buttons and popped that in the middle and I said "oooooo" to AlfieCat, "I rather like this"... so, I made two more... same as before but without the tearing.




I needed something to put them onto... "another hangy thing" I thinks to myself (there would be no point thinking that to AlfieCat cos he can't read my mind - at least I don't think he can... or maybe he can, and that is why he knows when he is going to the *whispers.... V E T*) Any road, I got a Maya Road page from a Scalloped Edged book, covered it with Gesso... then covered it with Sahara Terra, then stamped into the Terra with a Paper Artsy coggey stamp... and a scriptey stamp and a diamondey *blimey, what is it with this "ey" thing...y???* stamp... heat gunned it til it bubbled and went warty... popped some Trad Tan paint over it... then some Charcoal Black, then some Gold Dabber, then some more black, then some more gold.. and then finally.. some Inka Gold... Gold flavour.



I added a few leaves, a moth (I lurve those moths) and a sentiment... stamped into the remnants of the gold metal and scootched... then made a hangy thingy for it with ribbon and added some ribbons across the piece and attached an Idea-ology Mini Safety Pin with a Jump Ring and a little Key on it. Anyway, all of the stashy bits used are available from The Stamp Attic.




Right then... I shall bid you adieu cos it is my bedtime... but... I am all a-buzz with idea's for making stuff... why does that happen at bedtime I wonder??? When I have to be up at stooopid o'clock with Grim cos he is on earlies again... and... I really want to get some other coloured metal and make some more of these flowers! Oooooh, and before I go... I found a reaaaallly fab way of getting dried-on black paint (I guess it would work for any colour though) unstuck from fingernails... a Rub It, Scrub It pad... spritzed with water and a smidge of Grim's soap (don't tell him - again, am sure that any soap would work) and rubbedy scrubbedy fingernails into the pad and yep, brilliant... the paint comes off!!! Oh and I know what else I was going to say... Ellen suggested yesterday that we name the two birdy's that are now living with me... see yesterday's post if you think I am going mad... anyways... I think that is a FAB idea... so, if you have any suggestions for names, please erm... suggest away... and I will pick my faves and then send a little something to the one's I like the best... Ellen started this off with Percy & Petunia... so, what do you think they should be called??? Thanks for looking... have a goodly day... TTFN

Hels x

Sunday Stampers - Week 117 - You Don't Bring Me Flowers...

... Goodly Morning Stampers... and a very big thank you to all who joined in with last weeks challenge. I shall kick off straight away with the theme for this week... have you guessed it? Yep, it is FLOWERS I know we have had this one before, but hey, we all love flowers :O)) To join in, all you have to do is make a piece of art, include the theme and some stamping... leave a comment for me here with a link to the place you are showing your entry and I can hop on over and see what you have been making. The challenge will close at 21:00 Saturday August 28th '10.



My entry this week is an altered birdy... and I cannot believe this.. it is exactly a year ago to the day since I first blogged my original altered birdy... the fella who sits on the toy car *here is a link to the original post* So, the poor old boy birdy has been on his tod for far too long... and his mate has been sitting on my windowsill waiting for some attention... so that is just what she got!




I spent an age sanding her down.. ok, I spent about five mins and got bored... here is a pic of her after sanding just so you have an idea what she looked like... a bit boring ain't she? And... when she arrived from America, she had a broken beak... and no broken off beaky bit in the box... so she is staying that way... it just adds charm to her I think LOL





I Gesso'd her over with some...erm... gesso... *that's novel isn't it? LOL* and then painted a generous layer of Trad Tan paint all over because I then used some Antique Linen, Spiced Marmalade and Worn Lippy Cracklepaints over the top - so when the crackles crackled, they would show the Trad Tan.



While she was sitting drying, I used some Grungepaper and stamped some Studio 490 images... BTW... those folders that were on my desk the other day... all 490 stamps :O)) Anyways... I stamped out some flowers and used a flower from one of the new sets *big grin* to make her wings.. stamping four times, cutting out the whole flower as a wing each side and then cutting into the flowers to make the wings more fluttery.




I used Spiced Marmalade and Worn Lippy Distress Inks to colour the Grungepaper, stamping some of the 490 patterns over the top of them to add some interest to the flowers. I then curled the petals on them and by now, birdy had dried and crackled. I used some gold wax and rubbed this into the crackles - it doesn't show up too well in the pics though... I used a couple of long pointy metal tacks to attach the wings... I had to use a big hammer and... yipyah and thrice, for the first time ever, I didn't bash my fingers! *shows I am getting a dab hand at this hammering malarkey!*




I used some metal embellies to decorate the flowers - adding a little bottle filled with bead chain to the tail and popping a little propeller a-top of this. She is wearing a rather coolio pair of gold rimmed specs, she is a fashionista you know... and I added a little crown to her headdress cos she is pinky coloured and must be a princess. *yes folks, I have finally lost the plot ROFL* I have these divine letterpress blocks I have been stashing for a while... so I stuck three together - the three just so happen to be my initials too - I did this cos I am copying Wendy Vecchi... simples, I saw her birdy in Craft Stamper ages ago and she had hers perched on her initials...so I copied! And.. I *ahem* borrowed Grim's drill and made some holes in to the top of the blocks so her feet sit nicely on top of them... me and a drill? And no blood? Miracles!!! Another copy is one of the SSS&S DT's entry for this week... is a birdy... and she has a nest beside her... so I made a little nest for my birdy, winding wire around some old twiggy bits... and popping three little eggy shaped beads in there. One day I will have an original idea... I will let you know about it when I do LOL




Finally... *don't worry, I will shut up in a mo LOL* I took a picture of my original boy racer birdy with his new girlyfriend... don't they look cool together??? The getting of these birds took a lot of hunting *well, not literally hunting with a rifle and wearing a funny hat...you know what I mean ROFL*, shipping in from the USA and a rather large customs duty charge too... but I think it was all worth it... these are going to be perching in my room for a long time to come! So... that is all my waffling for one day... *whatcha mean thank heavens huh???* Thanks for looking... hope you all have a goodly day... I am planning a day of craft... Grim is working (booooo) so I will be getting inky and messy :O)) TTFN

Hels x