It's That Flower Again...

...Hello, my name is Hels and I am addicted to Studio 490! Ok, so you knew that anyway but... that new flower on the Accents for Art set? My total all time fave 490 stamp! And that is saying something cos I love them all so much... but this one? Just speaks to me :O)) Anyways... I had a play and made a spool piece using Art Parts and Grunge and a smidge of Idea-ology thrown in for goodly measures. The base Spool Art Parts were coloured with Black Soot Distress Stain, a coat then dry and then another coat and dry to make sure it is all nicely inked. I used a sanding block to roughly treat the edges (I wanted a shabby look) and then a Gold Dabber to add a bit of bling around the edges. The "stalk" was also coloured with Stain and then I pounced Gold Dabber onto the big background on Accents for Art, rolling the stalk along the painty surface to add some stampy interest to it.



I made a fancy rose using Grunge, Distress Ink (Victorian Velvet & Aged Mahog) and popped that onto the top of the Spool with an Ornate Frame and an Accoutrement button. I used the "sticks" from the Art Parts Sample Pack to pop into the centre of the stalk, inked and stamped them and then added a couple of Grunge butterflies. The leaves are from the Leaves Art Parts pack, coloured with Peeled Paint Stain, overstamped with Olive Archival and then snipped into two so I could use one on the stalk and one on the top. I have had loads of questions about Art Parts and how to use them: well, I like to get a few out and shuffle them about until I like the look of where they are sitting, then I colour with Distress Stains or Ink... you can covered with paper, add some paint, sand them, cover them with fabric... they are really versatile and because they are so sturdy, they will take some bashing... just remember that they are a compressed paper product so if you do use Stains, make sure you dry them straight away otherwise the paper will pill ever so slightly and could leave you with a warpy piece. Another thing I get asked a lot is... "what kind of glue do you use?" Well, I use Cosmic Shimmer "dries clear" for most of the pieces and if it is a dimensional addition, like the rose and Ornate Frame on this piece, I use hot glue to hold it in place.


Right... that's all from me for today... I am in a bit of a funk because I can't have any more acupuncture... the lovely nurse lady said there's no point (pardon the pun) because it has aggravated the condition so much, it would be silly to carry on. I am a bit disappointed because I really hoped that the doo-dah's would work... well, it was worth a try. Thank you all for your lovely messages of support and advice... all very greatly appreciated. Anyways... back to the desk of ink, things to do... pieces to make... fun! Thanks for looking... TTFN

Hels x