Thank You!!!

Wow! And Thrice WOW! I just wanted to say a HOOOGE thank you to each and everyone of you who left me the most amazing comments on yesterdays post... I am totally overwhelmed!! Thanks also to you helpful peeps who advised that you can actually watch the shows online... how cool is that! Anyways... I have been beavering away in the Room of Stash *actually that sounds a bit daft because to beaver away you would think that dams were being built and such-like and I can assure you, I haven't been dam building, or lodge building either, which, apparently, is where a beaver lives... I will stop now because I am even beginning to scare myself* Where was I? Ah yes, Room of Stash... making samples.. here's a sneaky of a few so far :O))


So... a few samples made and lots more to do...and my mounting excitement that it is December 1st tomorrow which can only mean one thing... yes, it is time for the start of this years Tim's Twelve Tags of Christmas!!! I am going to stay up all night because I want to see the first one posted... and I have no idea how to change our time into Tim's time or, indeed, what time it is... Well, obviously I know what time it is like now... no what I mean is the time that it will be posted... all I can say is that... I CANNOT wait!!! Anyways... I know it is now time for me to stop with the waffle and go in search of Mr Mojo, who waltzed out of the door about an hour ago, muttering something about a picket line... I am hoping he got confoosed and meant Picket Fence... not that he is going on strike! *oooh, topical comment or what!!!* Right, am offski... again, THANK YOU EVERYONE... means the world to me!! TTFN

Hels x

I Have Some... Exciting News...

...ok, so... I have some very exciting news... where to start is the thing though... I mean, me? Lost for words? Never! Well, ok, today maybe! I am beyond excited because I am about to embark on a new creative adventure and I am now able to tell everyone about it now, which makes it easier for me because I have been about to spontaneously combust several times in the past few weeks because I wanted to say something.... and now, with things set in place and a definite date, I can talk about it... I didn't want to jinx it and all that.


So... I am very honoured to say that I am joining Creative Expressions as a Demonstrator... starting next Tuesday, December 6th with two shows on Create & Craft TV. And... there's more excitement because... I will be bringing Studio 490 on to UK shopping telly for the first time. Now, this is something that I am so proud to be allowed to do... you all know my passion for everything Wendy Vecchi and Studio 490 along with all the lovely bits and bobs that go with this fabulous range! Obviously I am a bit nervous as I have never done anything like this ever... but I had a screen test and loved every minute of it so hopefully the excitement of playing with the fabby products will mean that I don't end up camera shy and waffling on alarmingly...

Anyways... that's my news... I just wanted to share it... and to say thank you to every single person who has left me a comment or message for the past few years where I have been a bit in the wilderness after losing my beloved career as a train driver... believe me, this blog became my outlet when those days were dark and things seemed ever so bleak for me. Your support means the world to me. I am hoping that this new adventure is the next stage of my "journey"... and of course that I don't goof up on live telly... can you imagine? Right... time for bed... as ever, thanks for looking... TTFN!!

Hels x

With A Bauble & A Bang...

...cor blimey and thrice! I have had a fab weekend with the lovely ladies and chap who came to do my classes at The Stamp Attic. Saturday saw us revisit The Book of Advent that was so popular last year... and everyone had a grand time. Thank you's to Caz (she who makes the drinks all the time and is now a super star) Lew, Caz's son, bless him, he had to put up with me all day... and Heather. One of the ladies couldn't make it because she was poorly-sick... get well soon Sarah! Because I am a numpty, I took the photo's - oh yes, I remembered... and then promptly deleted them off the camera after thinking that I had already bunged them onto Lionel.. oopsiedaisies. Yesterday Laura came to the Exploding Box Class bearing gifts! Last year, if you remember, she knitted me a little woolly hare to go with my collection and this year she knitted me the cutest little hare egg-cosy... but... I decided to use him as a hair decoration... here he is, perched atop my barnet.....

Memo to Self - do roots before having photo taken

I did take pics yesterday too... that there one is of the class yesterday - many thanks to Miriam (who brought gorgeous biccies), Sue, Laura (who is sporting a fetching paper moustache) Thelma, Fred and Annette.



And... amazing or what... I actually grabbed a chance to take a piccie of Annette's Exploding Box before she left lol Here's the other pics too... note, mine isn't there because... errrrm, I didn't finish yesterdays and I am a donut (as well as a numpty) and left my sampler with Wendy... before I took pics of it... oppsiedaisies #2

Laura

Annette

Thelma

Miriam

Sue

I am sad now that this season's classes are over and done with ... there's something really satisfying about doing them... I love that every single person who comes along makes something that looks slightly different from my sampler... it is good to see all the different interpretations of it. Anyways... I will be starting up new classes in the New Year... I am probably going to wait until the end of February because I don't want to have to take Ferdy out in deep snow... I don't have a problem driving in the adverse weather... tis the others I worry about making journeys from all over the place. I just want to say another THANK YOU to Wendy for hosting the classes and allowing me to take over her workshop and make a mess everywhere :O)


I spent a couple of hours last night clearing out the Room of Stash... it had gone beyond normal untidiness and was rapidly descending into chaos. A couple of nights ago I had a slight mishap... namely, I dropped a FULL pot of Mica Flakes ALL over the place. And I mean... allllll over. Surprising where those little suckers can get to. Anyways, I went to bed, as you do... and hoped that the Vaccuuming Fairy would have visited during the night to tidy up... Nope, not a chance, so, last night, armed with the vac, I set about cleaning up. And now, I am sitting here feeling rather chuffed, it is amazing what a good clear out will do for the old Mojo... time to go and make it all messy again now! Thanks for looking ... TTFN!

Hels x

Sunday Stamper - Week 182 - Lucky Star

Goodly Morning Stampers and a very happy Sunday to you all. Many thanks for the fabby frosty entries to last weeks challenge... without further ado, it is time to announce the winner of my entry tag... so... randomly picked from the comments/entries, the winner is... *dada da da da daaaaaa* TOCOART.... please can you email me your addy and I will pop the tag into the post for you :O)) So, on to this weeks theme, which you will have guessed by the song title is... STARS. To join in, all you need to do is make a little something - it can be anything you fancy. Add in the theme and some stamping, pop back here and leave me a comment to the place you are showing your entry and then I can hop on over to visit. The challenge will remain open until 21:00 Saturday 3rd December 2011.




So... my entry this week is a plain old frame that I altered using Pitch Black Dabber, drying, sanding and then adding Gathered Twigs DI over the top... I love that old antiquey finish it gives! The centre is a piece of manila cardstock that was stamped and embossed in clear with a grungey star.


I coloured the card with a mix of Iced Spruce, Evergreen Bough and Stormy Sky DI's and then spritzed over the top with Forever Green PP Mists to add a little shimmer. Victor Vagabond was put to good use and I die cut the Lamp Post, Pine Cones, Leaves and Holly and Branch from Grungepaper and Grungeboard. The Lamp Post was painted Pitch Black and then I slapped a generous layer of Rock Candy Cracklepaint over the top. I made "lamplight" using Stains and then adding more Rock Candy over the top so they went all smooshy.




The Pine Cones were coloured with Gathered Twigs and the Holly and Sprigs were coloured with Iced Spruce and Evergreen Bough... so all in all a festive feeling to the piece. The little Ornate Frame has Glossy Accents filled into it to make it more glam and I used SnowCap Dabber to add lots of white touches to the metal elements to make them more snowy. The finishing touches were Picket Fence Stickles to add some icy bits.




So... a quicky post today... I am hurrying because I have my final class for this season today... tis the Exploding Box and I cannot wait to get playing... and the ickle surprise inside... I hope they all like it!! Thanks for looking... have a fabby week... TTFN

Hels x

Baby You Can Drive My...

...errrrrm... pick up truck? Well, it started out in my head as a car... but by the time the idea got all that way and onto my desk, it transformed into a pick-up truck. I have had this idea buzzing about for a yonk and a half and have never got around to doing anything about it, so, I decided to take a little time out and sat and got all painty and sticky... and put together my Configurations Pick Up Truck. Ok, so he may be a little rough around the edges... and his wheels may be a little bit too big... but... I rather like him! He obviously needs a name... I was thinking Timmy might be apt seeing as it is a truck and... most of the stashly bits I used on it were from the creative genius that is the one and only Duke of Distress himself, Tim Holtz. Whatcha fink?


I started off by nabbing some of the boxes that go inside the big Configurations boxes and stuck them together to form the base of the truck. I used Matte Multi Medium to glue Crowded Attic paper over the sides of the truck and then glued DM Tissue Paper over that... again using Matte Medium to stick it down. To cover up the snarly edges, I used Tissue Tape... and then gave the whole lot a wash with watered down Espresso Dabber... using a big fat brush to get a streaky and dirty look. **a bit like Ferdy normally looks unless Grim gets him cleaned for me.. which he did last weekend so Ferdy is sparkling like a gem at the moment lol**


The "cab" is made from another of the little boxes... again covered as before but for the front of the cab, I snipped two pics from the Lost & Found Stack and then added more Tissue Tape. The bonnet is made from Grungepaper which was coloured with Vintage Photo DI and folded and stuck under the cab to secure it in place. I stuck the cab to the base using Multi Medium... I had tried hot glue but just a nudge and it fell off... so Multi Medium may take a while to set, but once it is... wow, it is stuck fast!



The wheels... ah yes, the wheels... well, in my head, I needed large Rosettes... so that is what I cut... and assembled... and embellished with metal bits and bobs... but erm... when I came adding them to the truck, I realised that... ahem... they were a smidge on the large size... well, they are monster wheels on a monster truck, which is the look I was after all along (see Hels' nose grow) The "engine" is actually full of beady chain and stuff... but check out the little bonnet prop... how cute is that! I popped an ickle magnet onto the Grungepaper and the prop is part of the same handle thingy that I used on the back... and it has lost part of its circle, which means it fits perfectly on the edge of the box... am happy about that coincidence!



For the "pick up" bit, I added an old metal drawer handle that I got in an Antique Mart near Chesapeake Bay, Maryland... which is why I also scoured those numberplates on the Lost & Found stack to see if I could get a Maryland plate... and huzzah, there was ONE... so that was snipped, popped onto mountboard to make it sturdy and then glued onto the front of the truck... the one on the back... well, there isn't one so... it fell off when a tree brushed against it (tis my story and am sticking to it officer lol) I made a little hooky crane jobby using a Hinge Clip and a DooDah... can't remember the name of those ickle bulldog clips... you know what I mean though....



And... finally... I chucked a load of ickle Christmas trees I bought last year... they were from a model shop and cost me about £15... and they were supposed to be for a "Winter Wonderland" scene I was concocting and never finished... well, they aren't stuck in there so I can always remove them and pop Easter Eggs in when the time comes... see, a truck for all seasons!




Anyways... that's me for today... I have an appointment with Victor Vagabond and a pile of Alterations dies... tis time to finish up the kits of the workshops tomorrow and Sunday... which... BTW, still have two places left for Saturday... so, if you fancy joining me to make a Book of Advent.. which is basically a countdown book for your mantlepiece... CLICK HERE for the deets... Thanks for looking... time to get cutting! TTFN

Hels x

EDIT..... just thought... my pals in the US will think I am deranged... a bonnet? on a car? huh? Tis a hood where you are... I think... **quickly rushes off to ask Ellen lol**

Perfect In Pink...

... a few weeks ago I got an email from a lovely chap at 3M... asking if I would like to review an Advanced Tape Glider (ATG). Of course, I jumped at the chance because I love my ATG very lots... and use it for all manner of sticking things... and the one I would be reviewing is... pink! And... it has a special adaptor inside it which means you can use a thinner tape to the standard one. So... here's my review... these are my own opinions...


Firstly, the "gun" is pink... as opposed to the yellow one I have... so that makes it easier right away to pick up the right one... if I want thin tape it is pink, if I want the thicker tape, it is yellow. While I am waffling on about tape sizes, they are: 12mm for the standard and 6.3mm for the adaptor one. Which is fab because sometimes the 12mm is just a smidge too wide. Loading the tape into the "gun" is really easy and it even comes with a pictorial instruction sheet. Using the "gun" is even simpler, all you need to do is press the "trigger" put the tape to the card and pull towards you. When you have enough tape on the card, let go of the "trigger" and pull it away... the tape is on the card and it is all neat in a line.


So.. the tape. I have found that the tape is really strong. Once it is stuck, it is stuck, so no falling off bits when your card is standing on the mantlepiece. I have used the tape to stick paper to card... that works a treat... but I have also used it to stick organza ribbon to the back of the card and then sandwich it in... it sticks perfectly. The tape is also acid free which means it is ideal for scrapbooking as it won't react with your photos. The rolls of tape are long too... at 32.9m which means it last for yonks. I have popped the tape onto the card here in a long line... that's for the purpose of the photo's... personally, I usually apply just a couple of inches on each corner and a few in the middle of the card - this is sufficient to stick paper and card... waste not, want not and all that.




If you CLICK HERE... you will be whizzed off to the 3M website... where this particular ATG is on offer at the moment... HALF normal price @ £9.99 In the box you will get the ATG itself, the adaptor, which is already in the gun for you. You will also get two 6mm tapes plus the instructions sheet too. As well as the ATG kit, you can also buy refills by themselves and they are also reduced in price at the moment too! This is probably the most important bit... you will see that the ATG is pink... this is for a reason! The lovely peeps at 3M are donating $1.20 for each product purchased, to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure of Breast Cancer... and they have said the minimum donation will be $25,000


Anyways... here's the finished card I made using the ATG to glue all my papers and card together... yes, my second Xmas card of this year... at this rate I will have about 5 made! Right... time for me to go and get inky again... thanks for looking... TTFN

Hels x

Simon Says.... Tickets Please...

... Tickets Please... that reminds me of one morning... in a previous life... I had stopped my train at London Bridge station and a lady came up to the cab and said "A pigeon got on the train at Blackfriars and he is still on there" So... I replied... (much to my shame) "Oh dear, I bet he hasn't got a ticket either... these fair-dodgers...." Thankfully she had the grace to laugh a bit... However, I have digressed before I even started! Well, this week the talented folks at Simon Says Stamp & Show are asking to see Tickets on ones (ooh get me, all posh-like) artwork.



So... I decided to have a little play and made a tag... for a change like cos I haven't made one for about... erm... three weeks (ok, a smidge of a white-lie there but...) A couple of days ago I had a delivery... yes, I got the new District Market Tissue Paper. Well, I had seen it, read about it, heard about it... and I thought that it would be terribly remiss of me not to try it out for myself. So, I just did... and wow, I lurves it. For those who haven't got this yet, here's what I thinks; it is packaged in a box, like one of those Cling Film boxes from Morri's and it has a metal serated cutter built into the box. Now, I don't know about you but in the House of Sheridan whenever we get about half way through a box of Cling Film, cursing starts because the box is collapsing and the "cutter" is blunt... well, I can't see how this would happen to the Tissue Paper box, it is really sturdy and the cutter is metal... coolio! Anyways, enough about the box, here's about the product. Imagine if you can, Tim's Tissue Tape... without the stickyback... and a little more papery and less waxy.. there you have it... Tissue Paper. It is quite sturdy too... not flimsy but not too thick.




I have used it to cover a manila tag - using Ranger Glue & Seal to stick it down... and then popped some Antique Linen Stain over the top, dried this, then blended the edges with Gathered Twigs DI. The holly branch is stamped in Sepia Archival and one thing to remember... the ink doesn't soak in, so you need to heat set it. That's what I mean about it being a smidge waxy coated. I made some Tattered Pine Cones... oh I am SO loving these and have mastered the making of them... I just roll them up a couple of times and dab some glue on as I assemble... tis seemingly working anyways!
The tree is made up from the latest Alterations Strip die - Lace Borders. I cut these from Graphic 45 papers, layered them onto cardstock and then die cut the tree. I then used more Gathered Twigs to distress the layers and flicked them up with my fingernail... The ticket is an Adage Ticket and I am a smidge miffed because I have nearly run out of them and I wanted the word "wish" and haven't got any left... so bliss had to do instead. So, there you have it... voila, another Christmas tag.


So... time for a quick update about the old war-wound. Well, the Doc said it would be about a week before I started to feel any benefit... and it would get worse before it got better. Tis over a week now and... I think I can safely say... it hasn't worked! Ho hum, well, at least I tried I guess... back to the drawing board again. Thank you all again for all your lovely messages, it has been very comforting to know that there are so many lovely kind peeps out there... Right... time for a quick telly catch up and then bed... thanks for looking.... TTFN!

Hels x

It Makes Me Happy...

...to teach! This past weekend has been fabbydoodles indeedily! I spent Saturday and Sunday teaching at The Stamp Attic in Wantage... and as well as remembering to take my camera, I also remembered to take photo's... ok, so a good five hours had passed before I did remember... it is now on my "to do" list... listed as "get a better memory"... am wondering if I can write to Santa and ask for one of those for Christmas lol Oh and check out the walls... tis all my stuff there, that makes me happy too!!



Anyways... the above pic is of my ladies on Saturday's Distress Stains Masterclass... ohalala, we had a good old inky time... so thank you to: Caz, Sophie, Jan, Nicky, Chris, Fred (Ruth really... long story haha) and Shirley... with a mahooooosive thank you also to Caz who became my "assistant" for the day.. ok, that sounds SO diva-ish... what actually happened was this... Caz said "I will make the drinks" and I said... "ooh ta" and then she just kept on making them all day long... bless her, she really helped cos the old war wound was cramping... so... THANK YOU to Caz Newton... you is a little star X


Because I am in need of this new memory malarkey, I forgot to take pics of everyones finished book... pah! Never mind... I did manage to get a photo of the table... look how neat and tidy it is *ahem* AND not a scrap of chocolate in sight... that's cos I had snaffled it all!

So... Sunday morning we reconvened and a new group of ladies arrived for my Christmas Tile class. I first made one of these about five years ago, using a canvas and Stampbord... and I have made a variety of them over the years... but of all of them, this one is my absolute fave...my workshop sample was reds and greens so I went with a blue colour scheme for mine... but afore all of that...



Thank you's go to Judy, Miriam (who brought a mahoooosive tub of Celebrations), Fred (Ruth again, sucker for punishment) Annette (who wanted to glue hers at home so she could take more time with it - no pic of hers *sad face*), Thelma (who gave me a hoooge heap of mountboard - thankyou!) and Sue...

Here's the one I made in class...


And... and... I remembered to take a photo of them all having inky fun... well, ok, it was nearly at the end but I remembered all the same. Here are the pics of the lovely pieces they all made... It never ceases to make me smile that so many different looks come from the one idea... I love it!!

JUDY

MIRIAM

RUTH

THELMA

SUE

And finally, it would be very remiss of me not to mention the person who makes all of these classes happen.... Wendy... who works like a trojan all week and gives up her day off to be there on a Sunday too... so a special thank you to Wendy for... well, everything!


Oooh and before I go... it is all happening again this weekend... there's a return to The Book of Advent that was so popular last year - a few spaces left on that one I think... and a special Christmas themed Exploding Box... which has a VERY special surprise inside it... and yep, you will be making said surprise... cool huh! Think that there's a place left on that one too... so... if you fancy coming along for a day of fun, crafting, fun, chocolate, fun, laughing, fun, getting inky... HERE are all the deets. Right, enough of my waffling... thanks for looking... TTFN!

Hels x

Sunday Stamper - Week 181 - Frosty The Snowman... ** PLUS Giveaway**

Goodly Morning Stampers and a very happy Sunday to you all... many thanks for the amazing creations that were entered last week... twas grand to see so many newbies again too! This week the challenge theme is another seasonally oriented one... being... SNOWMEN. Tis a simple one this week, simply include a snowman of some description on your entry.



To join in is simples... make a little something, add in the theme and some stamping and then hop back to this post to leave me a comment along with a link to the place you are showing your entry. Now, as I mentioned yesterday, I have a giveaway this week... and it is my entry... which also made the Tut that I posted yesterday. To be in with a chance of owning this tag, all you need to do is leave a comment... if you also join in with the challenge, your name will be entered twice... the winner will be chosen and random and announced on next Sunday's post. The challenge will remain open until 21:00 Saturday 26th November 2011.



So... my entry... yes, another Christmas tag... this one is actually the tag from yesterday and I have decorated it with diecuts and bling and other festive stashly goodies. I won't go on about how I got the tag inked up as that has all been said before... and there are Step by Step pics to see how I did it too. I will just mention that I managed to get a photo of the Ghost Stamping, showing the way it changes in the light... you know like those Mickey Mouse watches that if you hold it one way he is smiling and the other way he is waving? *please say yes, otherwise I shall feel ever so daft lol*




I don't know about you but I am getting very festive in the crafting department... I am usually the one grumbling in the corner about the C word and huffing and puffing about card making and the like but this year, I have gone Christmas mad and everything I seem to be making is either covered in bling or it has a pinecone on it lol Mind you, I haven't gone that mad yet, I may have bought all my Bazzill cardstock for the cards but...erm... they are still sitting there, uncut, unused and awaiting attention... well, there's always tomorrow ;O))


Anyways... I am keeping this post short... I am fair pooped after a fab day teaching yesterday ... and have another class today... yep, more festive themed creativity! Before I do go though, I will just say again... THANK YOU everyone for all your support this past week... it has been a tough one for me and each and every comment, email and message has really cheered me up and kept my spirits bouyed. Right, I am away before I start blubbing all over, that is not a pretty sight at all!! Thanks for looking... have a very goodly week... TTFN

Hels x

Saturday Show & Hels... Ghost Stamping!

...derder der der derder der... dededeedee dee. Sorry, I have Ghost Busters in my head now... I shall be singing that alllll day long no doubt!
Anyways... ignoring that daftness and moving on, like you do... to today's post which is another Saturday Show & Hels when I get all inky and show you a technique using Ranger products. I discovered this technique the other day when I was getting all my gear together for my Distress Stains Masterclass and was playing with Picket Fence Stains. Well, there I was, supposedly "working" when I had one of those lightbulb moments and thought... "I wonder what would happen if...." And... I tried it... and it worked! Basically, I have used Picket Fence Distress Stains to stamp with... and I have to say... tis loverly... and being as I don't know a name for this technique, I decided to call it Ghost Stamping as it gives a really ethereal effect... kind of chalky and ghostly like. So... I have put together a quicky step by step tut... and here it is!


INGREDIENTS:
Distress Stains - Picket Fence and a dark colour/s
Stamps
Non Stick Craft Sheet
Paper Towel
Heat Tool
*optional - Perfect Pearls Mists Biscotti*



STEP 1
Prepare your Picket Fence Stain by giving it a really good shake. There is a little ball bearing in the bottle and this will help aggitate the Stain. Coat the stamps you have chosen with the Picket Fence, making sure you get an even coverage - don't press too hard as you don't want to flood it, this won't give a good impression...



STEP 2
Coat a tag with your chosen dark Distress Stain - I used Stormy Sky and Chipped Sapphire.



STEP 3
Lightly dab away any excess Stain with a paper towel.





STEP 4
Immediately stamp your images, making sure the tag isn't too wet or too dry for this is important... too dry = stamped images soak right in and too wet = they flood everywhere (trust me, I tried it lol)



STEP 5
Use a heat tool to dry the tag off... if you haven't got one, you can pop it onto a radiator to dry out... the quicker the better tho :O))




STEP 6 *optional*
I love the look of the snowflakes and wondered what would happen if I added some bling... so I tried it... and spritzed the whole tag with Biscotti Perfect Pearls Mists... I had the heat tool going at the same time so the Mists were dried as quickly as possible so the images didn't smudge too much.



The over all effect makes the snowflakes look as if they are "floating" under the layer of the PP Mists... which I lurve... but I have done a tag without them and it looks equally as fab! The photo doesn't really do the shimmer justice, but you can kind of get an idea of what I mean :O))



It has occured to me that you may be sitting there thinking "that's a whole lot of faff when I can use a Snowcap Dabber to do white stamping" Well, I thought about that bit too but... with a Snowcap Dabber, even if you stamp first and add Stain over the top, you will still get the finish of paint and it will retain more of its whiteness. With the Picket Fence, it soaks up a bit of the Stain colour it is stamped onto - hence stamping whilst the tag is still damp - without it losing its opacity or chalkiness... Please do let me know what you think though? :O)) Oh and... just a little quicky... the ladies who are joining me for the class today will be doing this technique - but it is as a little bonus at the end of the book, they are going to be learning 15 different techniques already... so I thought I would share this one with you all.

So, there you have it. I have continued on with the tag and completed it... but I won't show you just yet... you will have to pop back tomorrow as it is going to be my entry for the brand new Sunday Stamper theme... I shalln't give away the theme but... I bet you will be able to guess ;o)) Oh and... I will also be giving the tag away too... Ok then... I hope you like that technique... please do let me know and if you try it, I would love to see your creations! Thanks for looking... TTFN

Hels x