You Bug Me...

...ahhaaaa, not bug as in "bugging" but as in... bugs! And not evil bugs like earwigs, oh no, one sight of those sends me running for the hills, screaming and waving my arms about like a big girls blouse. Give me a spider anyday! The whole earwig-scaredycat thing comes from when I was about 7 years old and playing in the garden with my BFF Elaine. We were collecting rose petals to press and squeeze and make into the finest Parfum anyone ever smelt. (well, that's what we thought lol) So. There we were, fistfuls of rose petals, happily mutilating Elaine's Mum's rosebushes and all of a sudden I felt the most intense pain I had ever felt. Yes, even worse than pretending to be a caterpillar, walking along underneath an old blanket and walking smack into a parked car and promptly knocking myself out. Oh yes, this was r.e.a.l pain. And the source of said pain? A chuffing earwig, with its pincery bit attached to the end of my ring finger, right hand, it has never been the same since! Anyways... I think I did a bit of a going-off-at-a-tangent-needlessly there... back to todays artful offering.



Ding-dong went the doorbell yesterday afternoon and there stood my knight in a red polo shirt, otherwise known as Mr Parcel Postie. I like Mr Parcel Postie better than I like Mr Letter Postie because Mr Parcel Postie brings me pressies, whereas Mr Letter Postie brings nasty things in brown envelopes (no, not the severed ear of a teddy bear... much worse... bills!) Anyways. There he stood, parcel in hand, smiling nervously at me... not sure why he always looks so afraid, maybe it is because I all of a sudden have lightning fast reactions and usually reach and grab said parcels from him before he has even had a chance to realise the door is open lol So there I was, fair dashing to the kitchen to grab the best steak knife to slice open the box (don't tell Grim, he doesn't need to know why that knife has sticky tape fragments on it)


And the contents of the box? A gorgeous lushness of Studio 490 stashly delights from the one and only Wendy Vecchi. Bless her! She sent me a pressie! After I had gazed at the box for a wee while, my eyes were dragged to the goodies nestled within. Some Art Parts, the new Stencils for Art (which, IMO, are PERFECT... sized perfectly, designed perfectly, made perfectly... I am happy!) Some Embellish your Art bits and bobs... And some tags to play with too! I did a little happy jig and a little wiggle and then fair galloped to the Room of Stash... only when I got there I realised that I was halfway through a DT piece, so being as I am a patient soul, I carried on and finished that... all the time gazing adoringly at the box of delights.


Finally the project was completed, the desk was cleaned, the other stash put away... and then I started to play! The tag base is coloured with Dylusions Sprays (hey for a change right? lol) as was the Tag Topper Art Part (how chuffing cool is that idea?) I also coloured a little scalloped border so the EYA Birdy had somewhere to stand. I used one of the new masks and Black Marble Dylusions to add the little black dots to the base tag. Now. I don't know about you but... one of the most beloved of techniques is heat embossing. But it is also a sadly neglected technique too. I oft get so absorbed with inking and distressing that I completely forget the reason why I first purchased a heat tool. Well, Wendy, bless her, she is a crafting goddess, has been using heat embossing a very lot recently; so, I copied her! The embossing on the Tag Topper is done using Black Soot DI and clear powder. And the embossing on the tag itself is done using Aquamarine Archival Ink and clear powder. A quicky tip for this one... have the powder ready as soon as you lift off the stamp, Archival can dry quite quickly on some surfaces. Oh and the GORGEOUS stamp?? It is the new honeycomb background from the brand new Studio 490 Art For You set. Actually, the bugs and Be You are also from that set too. The bee and butterfly were stamped twice with Black Soot and heat embossed with clear and then coloured with Distress Markers. Finally, the little birdy was coloured with Distress Markers and than gently heat set... this is a FAB technique I have also copied from Wendy :O) However, if you haven't got Distress Markers yet, you can use Copics, Alcohol Ink, ProMarkers to colour the Embellish Your Art range. I had the best fun playing with the new products and making this tag... so a hoooooge thank you to Wendy for her kindness, her continued inspiration and her amazing designs.


Anyway, I think I have more than bent your ears today. See, this is what happens when I get myself all exciteable... I waffle on alarmingly. Could be much much worse though... I could be singing.... Thanks for looking... have a most excellent day! TTFN

Hels x