I Got... Mail!!! **And THE Lurgy**

...Yes indeedily, Mr Postman arrived yesterday with a packet all the way from America... poor bloke, nearly had his arm torn off when I made a grab for it... and in the packet was... Wendy Vecchi's new book... signed... check it out!!! *tis a FAB new book too!!!!* Ellen got it for me... how lovely is she?? I tell you how lovely... 100% diamond lovely... and she also added in some Liquid Scrap Dots... which is a bit like silicone glue but better... I am so gonna play with that later...



And... I also see this divine tag in the envelope... check out those colours and the inkyness... perfection... loving this tag so much... and the back of it... how cool is that sentiment... as if I would chuck this away!!!!




So... a lovely post day which just cheered me up no end seeing as... nay and thrice... I am suffering with ... *pauses for dramatic effect* MANFLU! Tis true! Thing is, I am totally to blame... there was me saying to my friend the other day that I don't get colds etc cos I eat loads of garlic... mmm, famous last words! So, I spent yesterday feeling ever so sorry for myself... snuggled on the sofa with twenty layers of clothes, a hot water bottle and a fleecy blanket.. and my AlfieCat who is just so intuitive and knows when Mummy feels poorlysick... When I finally left my sick-sofa he snuggled on down a bit more... and I had to go and get Grim to take a couple of pics of him... so cute!!! Bless him, he is a little darling and he is always by our side whenever one of us is poorly... it is like he knows that we need some cuddles.




Anyways... I am asking Mr Blogger to schedule this for me... am heading off to my bed and keeping it all X'd that I feel better in the morning... you know what? I feel so rough... I can't even eat a donut... or have a ciggie... now that is when I know I am ill ROFL Hope you have a goodly day... and just to make sure I don't pass on my germs, I have typed this wearing rubbergloves and a mask LOL ..... TTFN!

Hels x

WOYWW... OR.... WOYCDW.... &... WOYBCW...

Nowt like complicating matters... the first WOYWW.. you know about that one... headed up and devised by Desk Inspector Extraordinaire, Julia Dunnit, is What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday... the second... erm... WHO's On My Computer Desk Wednesday and lastly cos my desk is uber boring... cos I am soooo tidy; still putting away after I crafted, still emptying the bin... oh my halo is positively gleaming ROFL we have What's on Your Book Case Wednesday...




So, boring desk aside... I have an exciting Who's on my Workdesk... yes indeedily, my lovely friend Ellen all the way from the USA was on my computer desk last night cos we had a little... erm... hour long natter on Skype... isn't the t'internet a wonderful thing? A whole hour of chatterings and costs us nowt!!! Thank you Mr Skype, I thinks I loves you!! 'Twas Ellen's idea to do the piccy thing, she got a pic of me too... and you can see me on my little web cammy thing too... *and... I have a sneaky suspicion that my mugshot will be appearing somewhere today cos I got zapped at Ally Pally the other day ROFL*




And finally, the WOYBookCase... well, a lot of peeps have been asking where I put the stuff I make once I have ... erm... made it... well, some of it goes to The Artistic Stamper for the boards at shows, some of it goes to The Stamp Attic for display in the shop... and some of it stays home with me and ends up on Grim's bookcase at the top of the stairs... I am thinking he needs a bigger bookcase now cos I have slowly taken over LOL




OOh, and whilst I am thinking on about artwork and stuff... a quicky reminder... I have a class on Saturday at The Stamp Attic and there are a couple of places left... so, if you fancy spending a day with yours truly, getting very inky and learning 15 different ways of using Distress Inks and learning how to use a Bind It All... it would be fab to see ya... click HERE for the deets :O) Righty-ho, I better get a wiggle on... the Error 503 stopped me getting comments onto loads of desks last week, here's hoping Mr Blogger is in a better mood!! TTFN

Hels x

In A Circle...

...have you ever done a Circle Journal??? Well, I have taken the plunge and joined in a Circle Journal with 11 other crazycrafty peeps on the Bubbly Funk Forum...we all had to choose a theme... so have a guess what my theme is? Yep... inkyness... actually I have chosen to have Thinking Inking as my theme cos I love sentiment stamps and inks and stuff...




So... first of all we have to make the journal... so I cut some mountboard for the covers and popped some Retro Grunge stack papers over to decorate... added some stamping, die cut some letters using an Alterations die... and then made a little flower and leaf embellishment for the front using Grungepaper and more Alterations dies. **see the ickle pins on the front and the Bingo Counter?? They were a pressie from THE Wendy Vecchi... she is sooooo kind! **




Inside the book we have a little pocket that has tags in so each person on the list can sign out after making their page... however... never being one for reading instructions... I made my pocket on the front cover... ooops... so peeps are signing in to my book instead ROFL




I made my little tag and left a message on the back... and the pocket was made by making "pleats" in watercolour paper and then decorating with DI's and stamping... I spritzed with a Mini Mister filled with water, Re-inker and Perfect Pearls but you can't see this very well on the pics...*memo to self... get photography lessons asap!!*




I decided to decorate my page now... I have left a couple more pages inside the book for me to add to next September when I get my book back... just to see if I have changed my styles etc... tis a good guage on what I have learnt over the year :O)) I wrote my little message - I wish I could have nice handwriting... it looks a bit messy but that can't be helped.. I could have printed it out but I wanted a bit of a personal touch to it... So... I am waving goodbye to my journal and now will be getting excited about getting it back... in twelve months time... full of everyone elses amazing art... this is a fun project!



Has anyone else been getting Spam messages left on their comments??? Well, I have had to put the comment mod thingy on - you know where you have to type in the letters, which is a right pain in the bum but... I was getting tonnes of those Spam things each day and it was bugging me that they wanted to use my blog as an advertising space... so... apologies for the word verifications peeps but I have had to do it... it's daft... I mean, why would anyone tell me how to grow my willy bigger??? I haven't even got one!!! ROFLMAO Hopefully after a couple of weeks the Spam thing will stop and I can take the letters thing off again... we will have to see... anyways... hope you have a very goodly day... I am off to get messy with inks again :O)) Thanks for looking... TTFN

Hels x

Ooooodles of Nooodles...

...Did ya miss me???? I missed you.. actually, I really did... hey, it was FAB to see loads of peeps at the Ally Pally show but I missed my blogging and hoppety-hopping about Blogosphere... I should have taken Lionel (the lappy) with me but forgot... oooops! Anyways... Make & Takes... I had some off cut bits of Grungepaper and ever the Scrooge, I decided to see what I could do with them... some of the bits were only a few cm's wide... so, I snipped the thinnest little strip off and coloured with DI.. then wrapped it around my pokey tool and curled it... then popped it behind some flowers... at first these looked FAB... like a curl of wire... and then when I was walking to the car they got rained on and went a bit... erm... strange lol Anyways... I have devised a way of getting them to set into a curl... I have done the pokey tool-curly thing and then... sprayed them with hairspray... yes, it works LOL So... I am sitting there this afternoon with these little tags pinned across my top and I kept asking everyone if they liked my nooodles... I got some very strange looks until I explained that nooodles is what I am calling these little curls of GP... cos they look a bit like... erm... noodles ROFL *sort of, if you squint a bit!!* So... whatcha fink??? I am so going to be using these on EVERYTHING lol






And an announcement...TRUE! FACT! REALITY! I have finally... LOST THE PLOT!!! There I was sitting there... I must have talked the hind leg off a dozen donkeys and I was trying to think of different ways of giving the verbal instructions for the GP flowers... anyways... I says to one of the Make & Takers... curl the Grungepaper petals like you would if you were rolling a bogey.... good job she's known me for several years...and has a strong stomach LMAO I have an excuse... I think I had dehydrated from all the yakking you know... it was a bit warm in there and I was being deprived of oxygen cos I haven't got the hang of breathing and talking at the same time ROFL...



I did have a *ahem* minor mishap with a button and some Superglue... doh! I popped the glue onto the button and then went to stick it on... instead of putting glue onto flower and popping button on top... the button came off eventually... taking several layers of skin with it... **ouchhhhhhh** and the dear lady who had made the flower was ever so gracious and said she didn't mind taking away a sample of my DNA on her Make & Take LOL Anyways... I am serious need of a lovely long snoozle in my own bed tonight, hotels is ok but it isn't the same... Mr Blogger is doing his Error 503 thing again...soooooo annoying... so I shall say TTFN... oh... and if you did go to AP... whatcha buy? Go on... do tell.. I was soooo good and the only things I bought were... a tuna roll and a strawberry slush puppie! *polishes halo!!* TTFN (again!)

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

Curiously Alcoholic Grungeyness...

... I love Monday's cos it is the day that the new Compendium of Curiosities Challenge, devised, hosted and wonderfully represented by that ever so talented and uber talented lovely Linda... click HERE to see what I is waffling about if you haven't heard of this FAB challenge before... and... because I have been busy all week... *truth is... I was sitting in the middle of the North Yorkshire Moors stuffing my chops with proper Northern Fish 'n Chips on Monday LOL* today is the first chance I have had to make my entry! Friday already!!! And... three posts in ONE day??? Am I mad??? Nope, just totally bat-sh*t crazy about this challenge **thank you again to Ellen for letting me use this saying... makes me LOL everytime I think of it!!!** ... And...cos I will be away for the weekend at Ally Pally, I won't get the chance to sit and waffle on here... *mmm, will be too busy sitting waffling there though ROFL*




So, I made my tag... using some Grungepaper and Alcohol Inks and other stuff... Tim stamps... the pics are a bit naff naff cos of the flash... I have a sneaky suspicion that my camera is on the blink - I take a pic and it is straight in the window jobby in the back of the camera, when I open it up to make it smaller, the pic is all wonky and distorted... *could be the rubbish photographer though LOL*




Anyways... see the gold stamping on the black taggy bit? That is gold StaZon - my new fave product... oooh I love this stuff but... if you haven't got any and are thinking of getting some... please read the instructions before inking the pad... I didn't and.. erm... that was a HUGE mistake!! I opened up the packet, saw the pad was white and just foam so I opened up the bottle of ink that comes with the pack... splodged the ink onto the pad and a load of red stuff came out of it... er... that is the solution that keeps the inky... erm... runny... oooops! Then, I decided shaking the bottle would be a goodly idea.. yep, that works, the little ball bearing inside the bottle gives it away... so, I then splodge more ink onto the pad... promptly overloading it... so said pad had to be squished onto my craft sheet to get rid of some of said ink... like I said... FAVE product... wish I read the instructions first ROFL




I was faffing about with some GP for this tag and made a little rose... but... once the tag was ready to assemble there was nowhere for it... so I am saving it for something else... not sure what yet but I am sure I will use it :O)) Right, best get myself packed up and sorted and ready for tomorrow... I am dippy - I always get butterflies before Ally Pally... it is that "walking into the hall filled with stash" moment that I know every crafter will feel... all that stash and all those lovely other crafty peeps to talk to and they just... understand... don't they? You know, this addiction thingy that really bemuses non crafters... anyways... have a fabbilicious weekend... hope to see you! TTFN

Hels x

Cogs Are Turning... + ATC Winner...

...I am so excited... finally I am allowed to tell you all about the new heavenly Artistic Stamper stamps I have been playing with this week... I have been nagging and clacking at Jennie to let me show you but she kept saying nooooo... anyways... today is the day they are launched, just in time for Ally Pally this weekend... anyways... here is a little something I made using the new stamps... all the deets are on The Artistic Stamper Creative Team blog... HERE :O)) Check out that ickle snail... how cute is he!!!



And... cos it is Friday it is also time to announce the randomly picked winner of the "Altered ATC" from Tuesday... so without further ado... randomly picked using Mr Random.org is...

Kathy Eddy - thanks for your lovely comment and could you mail me your addy please hun? :O))




So... you know I have been making noises about sewing and needles and stuff? Well, that is cos I have been busy for the past couple of weeks making a whole heap of flower brooches ready for this weekend... basically, each day on the Artistic Stamper stand we will be giving away 25 of these handmade brooches to the first 25 peeps who spend £25 - and... on both days... one of the roses is... GOLD... which means... you win a Goody Bag stuffed full of delights from Jennie - and you know how mad generous she is... we don't know where the gold one is... they are all packed up and jumbled about so it really is pot luck! So, those roses above are made by moi and the ones below are made by Jennie... that will be pot luck who's you get too :O))



And... I will be sitting relaxing, chattering and doing Make & Takes... so if you fancy popping by and saying hi and having a little play with Grungepaper and Inks and Tissue Tape... we are on Stands 49 & 50. OMG, I had started to panic a bit last night... I had a reallllly sore throat and felt a bit cacky and really was worrying that I had a bug and would be too germy to go to Ally Pally... thankfully a goodly nights sleep helped... phew! So, don't worry, I am not infectious ROFL Anyways... stuff to prep for the Make & Takes and... the Sunday Stamper to make and schedule.. oh and this week it's sponsored by The Artistic Stamper... just saying... you know, in case you fancy winning some cool stamps ;o)) Thanks for looking... TTFN

Hels x

That Friday Feeling...

... another Friday is upon us already! And... tis my day for the Bubbly Funk DT so I have made a little card... using papers and inks and some Maya Mist which BTW is LUSH!!!! To see all the deets etc, please CLICK HERE and you will be whizzed off by the magic of the t'internet to the Bubbly Scumptious blog :O))



So... a little bit of a different card from me... I know! I do like making cards occasionally that are good for my little stash which has become a bit... erm.. depleted recently cos I have been far too busy making a mess and altered stuff and tags! Fancy having to buy a card to send to someone... shocking isn't it??? Yep, that is what I had to do cos I didn't have a single one made and I needed it in a hurry... I have got to remedy that... hence the quickie card today :O)) Just a shorty post again from me for now... I am almost busting my pants with excitement at what I am allowed to tell you later on... about the new stamps *oops, there I go again!!* that I am supposed to be keeping schtum about... I be back laters... til then... Thanks for looking... and... TTFN!

Hels x

800 And Going Strong!

...Can you believe it??? I am 800 today!!! Well, not actually me personally... no this l'il ol' blog that I started three years ago is now on its 800th post today! Flipping flip and the flippers! That is one serious amount of waffling!! LOL And... I said "going strong" in the title cos I used the lovely Strongman who looks like Freddie Mercury stamp from The Duke of Distress on my ATC ;o))




Anyways... over on the Artistic Stamper Creative Team I am doing an ATC giveaway... with a twist... the ATC will be like the one over there... but it will be personalised for the randomly picked winner... so join in, please leave a comment for me over there... oh and you can leave one here too... cos you know how muchly I love comments :O)) *cheeky moo isn't I? ROFL* Right, short n sweet from me today... tis late, I need my beauty (ROFL) sleep and have 101 things to do before this weekend... are you going to Ally Pally? If you are do, please pop over to see me, I am doing Make & Takes at the Artistic Stamper. I am almost fit to burst with excitement but have had to sign the official secrets act so I can't tell you anything about some new stamps that are launching on Saturday *ooops LOL* Thanks for looking... TTFN

Hels x

WOYWW....Look Who Came To Stay!

...did ya miss me??? What you didn't even notice I had gone??? ROFL Grim took me away on Monday morning for an overnight stay in the place that is my Heaven on Earth... North Yorkshire... and yesterday we popped into Whitby - well it would be rude not to go and have a good old browse in my FAVOURITE shop in the WORLD wouldn't it? So, on my workdesk today (in case you are wondering what this talk about workdesks is all about... hop on over to Desk Inspector in Chief, Julia's blog... tis all there for you to read about )




So, here he is... yes indeedily, Hare #5 in the collection has come to live with his other harey brothers... isn't he just THE cutest thing? He was called Scratching Hare... but I have renamed him and he is now known as Fleabag. Designed and made by an artist called Suzie Marsh - who also does other animals... cats, hippo's and you should see her Meerkats... they is lush!





And... once I had adopted Fleabag... I spotted this clock in a shop... upon further inspection it was priced up £5 cheaper than all the other clocks that were the same style but different design... so never one to miss a bargain, I lunged for this one and quickly paid for it before anyone noticed it was cheaper... I have a suspicion it was cheaper because it is a little bashed about.. but.. that just adds to the charm of it... so another clock for my collection! And... cos we have been away for a couple of days the old desk is looking a bit folorn... and still very tidy I have to say... on it is a little rose I was faffing with the other day which went wrong... I will use it something eventually I am sure! So... we went off on our travels on Monday morning and stopped off in Pickering at THE BEST Fish n Chip shop in the WORLD, got fish n chips each and then drove up to the Hole of Horcum to sit and eat them... this is like utter bliss... divine scrummy food and beautiful views that always make me feel like I am on top of the world.




Yesterday we went to Whitby... mooched about for a bit and then it was lunchtime... and it would have been ruder than rude not to get Fish n Chips (again) this time we were restrained though and had one lot between us... *note this isn't cos we were restrained at all.. it is cos we had had the mother of all breakfasts at the B&B and were still full... but fish n chips is fish n chips... Northern stylee...THE best ROFL* We then poodled on up to Darlington where Luton Town were playing last night... yes, my lovely Grim is a Luton Town nut so it had to be done and actually, I don't mind the odd game of footy. Oh and speaking of poodles... *well, I wasn't but I said poodling which means I can kind of mention poodle dogs now LOL* We met two gorgeous doggies the other day... they were so cute and cuddly... I am making friends with them and generally getting licked to death - so I ask the owner, what kind of dog are they? Never seen these before... she says... "they are Cockapoo's" *imagine trying to keep a straight face* Now, I thought that she was winding me up... she said they are a cross between a Cocker Spaniel and a Poodle... okay, that would work, curly fur and cute face... so I have asked Mr Google all about it and he said yes, indeedily, it is a Cockapoo! So... guess what is coming next??? YES, I want a Cockapoo ROFL Anyways... I have waffled on alarmingly and I should have kept this short but I missed ya!! Am off to catch up on the world of the internet now... thanks for looking and have a very goodly day! TTFN

Hels x

EDIT... just read all my emails and have had a lovely surprise.. I have been award a One Lovely Blog award from RAMONA - thanks ever so muchly! The remit is that you pick 15 blogs to pass the award on to... however, I just cannot pick out only 15 because there are thousands of gorgoeus blogs out there.. so ... I AM AWARDING this to EVERYONE who reads this post today :O)) Oh and here's the pic!!


TTFN... again LOL x

Giving Away...

... you know a few weeks ago I was all ATCing and was giving some away??? Well, I had some cut and prepped already just to make into ATC's and I found the little stash of them the other day... so I put this one together... and instead of a paper rose, I made... a paper rosette... well, I have that new die and it would be rude not to use it LOL



I have also been... sewing! Yes, I know... me, with a needle and thread... can only spell disaster... *like that alphabet handgrenade... if it goes off it could spell.... ROFL* Anyways... firstly, I stuck the needle through my tshirt so I wouldn't loose it... it fell out and I sat on it... argh... that hurted! Then... once I had mopped up the gallon of blood I had lost, I started sewing again and stuck the needle down between my finger and nail... I thought I was going to pass out... so, the needle is back in it's box and I am using Superglue instead LOL



Anyways... if you would like to own this ATC... please leave me a comment here and I will pick a name at random on Friday Sept 24th... Just a quicky post from me today... that makes a change doesn't it... don't worry, I am not ailing or anything though ROFL Thanks for looking... have a goodly day... TTFN

Hels x

So, I Really Don't Do Hallowe'en...But...

...ok, I admit it, I sure do open my big old trap and say stuff... only to go and have to eat my words a few weeks later... and this time it is no different... So... a little known fact about yours truly... I don't really like... Hallowe'en *gasp! shock! horror!* So, my Hallowe'en stash is very minimal... I have a few sets of Inkadinkado clear stamps (erm... used once) and one of Tim's sets of Hallowe'en... you know, the one with the big ink splot and the raven... not that Hallowe'eny really. Well, when I saw the new Hallowe'en set from The Duke of Distress I really did think... yuk! *hangs head down low in shame...* However... I spied the new set (Retro Hallowe'en) hanging on the wall in The Stamp Attic the other day... and mysteriously they fell into my basket! Tis true (they fell, I didn't pick them up... mmm, do you believe me??? LOL) ... I so fell in lurve with the cat, the bat and the owl... and then studied the witch and decided that she was suitably cool to come and live with me... as for the skelington, he is just perfect!




And... last week the ever so loverly and uber talented Lynn Stevens sent me a Hallowe'en Shrine, tis a beauty to behold... and her note said she was going to convert me... well, she has! I spent the whole of yesterday fiddling with the new stamps, inking, distressing, embossing, layering and generally making a right old faff of them.




You see, I had it in my *ever so blonde* head that I had another of those 9" Shadow Boxes... you know, like what I used for the Sunday Stamper yesterday? Well, I painstakingly cut out five witches, coloured them in and had plans for making them into a hangy pennanty thing for the top of the box... erm... when I found only a 6" square one... never mind, they will come in useful for something else. However, I had also managed to procure (oooh, get me, sounds like I have been a good girl instead of a baaaaaad Hels buying new stash LOL) the Hallowe'en in Wonderland Graphic 45 papers. Not being a huge Alice fan or a huge Hallowe'en fan didn't put me off these cos... they have... a checkerboard design (you know, like my Ferdy has on his roof???) Anyways... I used a piece of the checkerboard, painted with a wash of Clam Shell Eco Paint and then I made... ectoplasm!!! Ok, not real ectoplasm cos I am not a ghost, at least I don't think I am... I used Moss Eco Paint and watered it right down, sploshed it onto the top of the paper and then let it drip down the page... drippage is cool! (There's that word again... drippage... many thanks again to Ellen, I am so gonna use this word alllllll the time LOL)




I cut out a couple of Alice images and popped these into the box... then I went to pop my skelington into the box and he had a mishap... he had stuck his tibia and fibula to my craft sheet and it snapped off...but hey, he isn't complaining LOL The bat is made from Grungepaper and DI's... and isn't he just soooo cute... his little chops look ever so surprised... the owl was popped onto an old twig and then I altered an old re-inker bottle... I knew I was saving it for something... the label is actually stamped from the other Tim Hallowe'en set I have... I just coloured with DI's and splatted some re-inkers onto it to make it look old. Tis far too big for the size box I used but... I wasn't going to give up on it... not after all that faffing!




So... the box, altered by painting Eco Paints on, then Old Paper Crackle, coloured with Peeled Paint DI and then I flicked Rusty Hinge re-inker at it from an old paintbrush.... supposed to look a bit like blood that has gone old but it didn't quite end up looking like that ... but never mind... it is an adventure. So, all in all... I am totally loving Hallowe'en and yes, I am so eating my words about those stamps! Next time I will wait til I see things in the real before gobbing off ROFL Thanks for looking... have a fabby day... TTFN

Hels x

Sunday Stampers - Week 121 - More Like The Movies

Morning Stampers! Many thanks for all your entries last week... it was grand to see so many new peeps joining in with the challenge. This week the theme is... MOVIES... so you can include a movie theme, your fave film, a soundtrack to a movie, tickets... the list is endless! To join in all you need to do is make a piece of art... include some stamping and the theme... then leave a comment here for me with a linky to the place you are showing your entry... then I can hop on over to see you. So, this week... Movies... I mean, come on, why haven't I thought of this theme before??? And... there are loads of songs with movies in the title but I chose this one cos it reminds me of when I was a nipper, nowt but a gal, listening to Saville's Travels on the radio on a Sunday... ah, happy days!




I have altered a 9" square wooden shadow box... erm, I forgot to take a pic of it before... but it had an acrylic "glass" across the front, so I bashed that with my new hammer that Grim got for me... it is a girly sized one and is pink... and it works! I managed to bash the acrylic out without breaking the frame or bopping myself on the head. I covered the frame with Tissue Tape - this is fab cos it is all movie and ticket themed... then I whacked a bit of Latte Alcohol Ink over it to blend it in.




The back of the shadow box has a piece of paper cut from the Lost & Found stack which I then added some tickets that had been cut with the Ticket Alterations Die... and stamped with two different Ticket stamps from the Duke of Distress. I added the Film Strip which had the film stamp image stuck to it... and then altered some bottlecaps... which I popped a few bottle cap images onto (also from the Lost & Found stack). So... what do I HAVE to have at the movies??? POPCORN! And... Tim has this popcorn stamp... which got me thinking, popcorn comes in little boxy packets... and I remember seeing Lori made a popcorn box a while ago... so I thought I would have a little go... this is the most involved bit of stamping I have done for yonks...*I am awarding myself double points for this.. and it makes up for last weeks lack of stamping LOL*



I fashioned a little packet from white cardstock and stamped the image in the middle of the front. I masked this off and coloured the piece with Old Paper DI. I then cut some strips of paper and used these as masks... and then inked over them with Barn Door DI - when I lifted them off I got the stripey look. I used a waterbrush to add some colour to the popcorn and fill in the gaps of red.



Of course the box now needed popcorn... have we any in the house??? NOPE! I did have some that my Lush stuff had been packed in but I couldn't find it... so I improvised with polystyrene packing stuff... you know, the S shaped stuff that gets everywhere??? Well... this is where I nearly poisoned myself... because... the "popcorn" was falling out of the box... and I wanted it to stay put, so I tried Sticky Dots, nope, wouldn't stick... so, I tried Glossy Accents... nope, wouldn't stick... so I thought.. .aha! I will use Superglue... erm... I had glued a few... and all of a sudden I noticed this smoke wafting from the box of "popcorn"... and then a weird smell... I had set off a chemical reaction and the glue was melting the "popcorn"... oooops ROFL ... needless to say, I stopped that straight away and just stuffed the all into the box so hopefully they won't fall out now LOL Don't worry though... the noxious fumes haven't affected me... I am still as insane as ever! Anyways... enough of my wafflings... thanks for looking... have a goodly day and... TTFN

Hels x

The Rose & Spider...

... aha, another pub name title for today's post LOL I have got some of the new Studio 490 stamps... and I am sooooo excited cos these are LUSH and there is a spider on one of the sheets... I know! A little cute spider... I actually love spiders and I know a lot of peeps don't like them but... give this little one a chance, he has promised not to scurry all over the place LOL The new 490 stamps and all the other stashy bits I used are all available from The Stamp Attic.




I used a little ATC size canvas, covered it with an old book page... then I made a wash of paint using Eco Paint Clam Shell colour... and slapped this all over the book page to make it faded. I then made a mix of Clam Shell and Moss - adding water and then dripping it down the front of the canvas, and then adding just Moss colour making a bit darker... drippage.. get that... how cool is that word, I borrowed it from Ellen :O))




The flowers are made from Grungepaper coloured with Gold Dabber... the little flower is made the same way as the Wonderful Wendy Vecchi made hers the other day - I just used a smaller stamp and made 5 layers for it and popped a little Maya Road pin in the middle. The leaves are made from GP coloured with Moss paint... some are stamped and the others are from the Regal Crest Alterations die. The sentiment was stamped onto mountboard covered with bookpage that had been painted... and the ART part of the heart word was stamped again in black and overlaid.. so it can read "be true to your heart" or "be true to your art"... Spider was stamped onto the canvas with black StaZon and then again onto the mountboard and slightly coloured with Crushed Olive DI. Finally, little Memo Pins with part of another 490 stamp... filled with Glossy Accents... you gotta hand it to Mrs Vecchi, she certainly has some fantastic idea's... and I am always.. erm.. borrowing them LOL




So.... the specs situation... last night after knocking the specs off my schnozzle one too many times, I tried another pair of lenses... and yes! They stayed in... I am thinking... the others were probably inside out... which meant they wouldn't stick... phew, I can see again without having to worry about breaking said specs... *and getting very grumpy about them sliding down said schnozzle ROFL* So... what have you got planned for today? I am going to go and sit in the garden - tis a lovely sunny day... and then I am going to make the Sunday Stamper ready for tomorrow... am loving the theme I have picked too... don't forget to pop by tomorrow to see what it is all about :O)) Thanks for looking... have a grand day! TTFN

Hels x

What? Another One???

... oh yes indeedily - I am determined to win a prize on the Compendium of Curiosities challenge... you know, Linda has arrranged some amazing sponsors and this weeks prize is just perfect... so, I figured... the more I join in, the more chances of my number being lucky... whatcha fink??? I don't think there is a limit to the amount of times you can join in... at least... ooops, I hope not!! LOL



So, I have this lovely friend who was celebrating her birthday this week so I made her a card... and you can see, I made it shortly after I had made my CCC tag... same colours and... erm, stamps... and... erm.. masks... *coughs* So, I am not keeping the old Room of Stash as tidy as I would have liked but... instead of putting away my stuff after using it, I am leaving it out and using it on the next one ROFL




And... you know that ever so clever and uber talented Wonderful Wendy Vecchi? Well, Wendy did a "how to" on her blog yesterday using some of her new stamps... and I thought to myself that I needed to have a little play with Grungepaper and seeing as... ahem... a few of the new sets have found their way to their rubber brothers who already live in my Room of Stash, it would be rude not to have a go! That there pic is my version of Wendy's flower... I prefer hers of course... she has that knack of just getting it perfect... anyways... mine it a little raggedy but I am loving the teensy flower in the middle on a Memo Pin which is filled with Glossy Accents.




I am in the middle of trying to make something for this flower to sit on... but I am in a destractable mood today... *is that a word??? Distractable ... not today ROFL* Do you ever have those days when you know exactly what you should be doing but do absolutely anything to not have to do the thing you are supposed to be doing? Nah? Oh, just me then LOL





So... I am sitting here in my specs... yes, indeedily, I have to wear eye correction impliments otherwise I am blind as a bat and that could be really embarrassing if I made a grab for Grim's bum in the Supermarket, only to realise it is some poor unsuspecting stranger... anyways... my contact lens fell out today - this is the first time this has ever happened and for some bizarre reason, I tried to put a new one in and it just keeps falling out... am starting to panic a bit cos I hate wearing my specs - they annoy me and invariably end up being sat on... plus, they slip down my nose and then I push them back up and I get ink stripes up my schnozzle *BTW, schnozzle is what Grim calls AlfieCat's nose - just in case you thought I was being rude!!* ... not a good look at all!! Are you feeling sympathy for me yet?? I am really trying to milk it you know ROFL... So....... that pile of stuff I have to do that is sitting there looking at me just so isn't going to go away... so I shall stop pontificating and say... thanks for looking... and... TTFN!

Hels x

In The *funky* Frame...& Some Pressies!

...Cor blimey... is it really a whole week ago since I was spouting off about someone fast-forwarding time??? And now, a week later and a week nearer to... erm... *whispers* Christmas... eeeek, I really need to get myself organised and start making my cards... but how can I eh? I mean, I am being distracted here, there and everywhere (ooooh, one of my favest Beatles songs there!) Anyways... I am being distracted (not difficult for one with an attention span of.... erm, what was I talking about??? ROFL)




So... it is Friday, which means my day for the Bubbly Funk DT - and being as I am in a "brights" mood at the moment, I thought I would alter a cheapy frame from Ikea... and that there pic is a sneaky peeps at what I made... if you would like to see how I made it and more pics... please CLICK HERE... today, I have arranged for a Helter Skelter ride to take you there, don't forget to tuck your elbows in and mind out that landing mat... can be a bit rough on the old bum if you have a skirt on... OMG, I think I have lost it totally!!! I have to credit Kat with the idea of the Tissue Tape and this piece was totally inspired by her amazing art! And... I also am going to enter it into the Compendium of Curiosities challenge too... cos I used a certain something on it that is this weeks theme... what am I on about??? click here... to go and see Linda's blog... all the deets are there :O))




So... yesterday was a FAB post day... I love my Postie... he brings me loverly pressies... first off was a box... nope, not ordered anything recently *she says, polishing her halo* Then I spot a certain Lynn Stevens' name on it... ooooh, be still my beating heart... I dived into the box.. not literally - I wouldn't fit LOL And.. in there... ooooh the most DIVINE shrine... made just for me! How COOL is THIS!!!!




I love love love owls... and I have always been a bit boring about Hallowe'en... not something I have ever celebrated really... but now... I am a total convert... so THANK YOU to Lynn!!! I will surely treasure this totally A~MAY~ZING work of art!



Then, there was a Jiffy bag... nope, still not ordered anything *polishes halo again* And in it... well, what can I say... apart from I made a little comment one day on Ellen's blog about me loving owls and collecting them... and inside the envelope were... the MOST ADORABLE owl charms... and an owl stamp... and a GORGEOUS acrylic card... the photo doesn't do it justice btw...
Aren't I a lucky girl? You should see the size of the grin on my chops!!! SO, thank you to both Lynn and Ellen for making my week! Hey, excitement time too... tis Grim's last night shift.. hurrah and thrice... so that means that I don't have to tippytoes about anymore... and... the birdbrain of the week award goes to.... erm... ME! Cos, I only went and forgot to bring my heatgun home with me after Wednesdays playdate... I have got a spare but it is one of those long blue ones and it is sooooo fast! I have one of the Heat Buddies and didn't realise how quiet and hot it is... my blue one is a poor substitute but I have to put up with it... I am going to write on the back of my hand to remind me to bring my Buddy home after next weeks playdate... what a numpty!!! I know why I forgot it... I had it plugged in next to a tall fan and was hooking it over the back of the fan to save me bending over everytime I wanted to use it... course, the fan is white, the heat gun is white... and I have been having a serious amount of .. erm... blonde moments recently LOL Thanks for looking... TTFN

Hels x