My Favourite Creations of 2012...

...indeedily, what a year it has been.  Ever since I started my blog I have done a little "favourite things" post at the end of each year.  I was going to narrow it down a bit to my favourite 5 pieces... but I got all carried away and ended up with...ahem... 13.  Well, it is going to be 2013 tomorrow after all... and if you didn't know it, 13 just so happens to be my lucky number!  *I have good reason to have that as my lucky number being as it is the number of my birthday*  Anyways.... I know, most peeps run screaming for the hills if they catch a whiff of a number 13, they are, did you know, suffering from Triskaidekaphobia!   Try saying that a few times when you have had your celebratory Bailey's at midnight tomorrow... I know I shall.  Actually *pauses to begin sob story* I shall be all on my tod tonight!  Boo-hoo indeedily!  Grim has to go to bed early because he has to be up at stoopid o'clock so he can get to work for his stoopid o'clock start - I am miffed because I do like to see in the New Year with a watch of the fireworks in London (not me in London, they are in London, I am just watching the telly) and of course, the celebratory Bailey's... *other alcoholic drinks are available, I just loves my Bailey's*  Mmm, which actually makes me sound like an alchy when I am not... in fact, I don't drink from one year end to the other... well, obviously I drink... oh you know what I mean (at least I hope you do cos I...erm... am all confooosed and can't remember what on earth I was talking about.....)  Ah, yes, I remember now, the sob story.  Well, my lovely Grim, as you know, is a Train Driver and peeps' need to travel on trains on New Years Day, so someone has to go and drive them.  I remember one year, when I was still driving trains myself, we started a week of nights on Boxing Day night and worked right through to New Year.  I was just arriving at Kings Cross Thameslink as the clock turned to 00:00 and Grim was driving the train behind mine and was somewhere in deepest darkest Bedfordshire.  I made up for the lack of celebrations that night by wearing a pair of sparkly silver deely-boppers (do you remember deely-boppers? I still have mine somewhere!) ... they certainly got a few funny looks from the passengers... not only did they think they saw a woman driving their train, she was also wearing comedy deely-boppers... they were probs wondering what on earth they had been drinking lol

Anyways, enough of my reminiscing.  Let's start properly with... my Top 13 favourite pieces of arty stuff that I made during 2012.  Like I said, it was going to be a Top 5 but it got expanded... I thought what I would do is pop the photo on and then tell you about it underneath... so that there piccie above is....     Week 204 of the Sunday Stamper... the theme was Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue.  I love the milky look of the background, that was Picket Fence and Pine Needles Stains and then overstamped with some Aquamarine Archival... choc-full of Tim goodies...

Next is Week 203 of the Sunday Stamper - the theme was Little Red Corvette.  I made this piece for Jo Channon to display in her gorgeous shop Let's Create in Coningsby, Lincs.  Jo had very kindly invited me for a demo-day there and had sent me that gorgeous frame.  Well, it would have been rude not to give it a Studio 490 make-over.  I love the papers I used, they are my second favouritest ever, they are from Jenni Bowlin and sadly, I can't get any more of them so am now being dead-stingy with them lol

This next piece was the finished tag after a Saturday Show & Hels tutorial that I did... the tut is HERE btw.  It was using a technique I discovered whilst playing around when I was at Ranger U.  I called it Bleach Blocking, not sure if it has a proper name or not though...

I did think about trying to do these in an orderly fashion, you know, by my favourite, by colour, by month... but I have had so much fun looking through the old pics, I just haphazardly chose them.  This one has to be my quirkiest make ever...  It was made for my Snazzy DT and was one of those things that starts out as something and gradually throughout the day got more and more involved until it ended up as this, my Steampunk Locomotive.  

During 2012 I have found so much inspiration out there and one of my favourite designers is Anna Dabrowska, aka Finnabair.  Check out her blog HERE to see more of her amazing creations.  I am always banging on about how amazing she is and the next couple of pieces are totally inspired by her.

I love the way she uses embellishments and layers them up... and having looked carefully at her compositions, you can see her influence clearly on my arty stuff... yes, I still like to load it on - still a more-is-more gal lol

This Studio 490 Art Part piece was made for Rainbow Lady's Challenge blog... I chose the theme of vintage and then went mad with the Art Parts and Studio 490 stamps... I had a phase where I made tonnes of those gorgeous Grunge roses... the stamp set is Accents for Art and the stamp itself is a beauty but when it is then made into a 3d rose it takes on a more carnation like look.... tis one of my fave ever stamps now!

 

  
Then there was this one... it was a Sunday Stamper from Week 237 - so yep, last week!  I was totally in my comfort zone when I made this.  It has all the things that I love so much on it... and you know when you love all the things you are playing with you kind of know you will love the thing that you made.  It has taken me several long years to finally reach the stage where I do like some of the things that I make.  We are all our own worst critics though, aren't we?!
 

I made this tag for my Stamp Attic DT back in August and called it Coffee Bliss.  I had just discovered the wonders of Dylusions sprays and oohlalalaaa, how I fell for them... big stylee.

Ahhh, this has to be one of my favest pieces of all time.  I made it for Grim's 50th birthday... it is using my now favourite Paper Blocking technique that I discovered on 2GypsyGirls blog HERE  Take a cuppa with you if you go to visit, you will be inspired and amazed at the gorgeousness to be seen there!  I decided to add in the inspiration from Paula and Finn when I made this for Grim. 

And because I loves the Paper Blocking and the layering and Studio 490 and stencils and embellies and hearts and Treasure Gold... I made this for a Simon Says Stamp & Show challenge... and... I was so honoured to be picked for their Top 3!  Wow!  I am still grinning now!

Whilst I am on the subject of Simon Says Stamp & Show, I had the honour of being a Guest Designer for them a few months ago.  The theme was Tissue Tape and I decided to get all painty and inky and made this frame.  You will see, quite often, words on my creations that are from Beatles song titles or Beatles songs... not that I like the Beatles or 'owt... ok, I lurves them... but then you have probs guessed that by now lol

Every so often, my American BFF Ellen and I get a chance to have a Skypey Afternoon of Art.  We always do an "I Challenge Thee" or a "Recipe" challenge; we start by bouncing ideas about the thing that we are going to make and then we discuss what products/colours/stash/themes etc that we need to include.  It is amazing how we both have exactly the same list of stuff and yet we both make things that are completely different.  Please do take a trip over to Ellen's blog to see her awesome art... she has a real eye for the unusual and I am always saying "Oh I wish I had thought of that!" to her... Oh and... talking of taking trips... did I mention that I am going to CHA and will be re-united with Ellen and my Ranger Sisters?  I did?  Oh well, you won't mind me mentioning it again... will you? *snort* Actually, I am getting myself SO excited... tis only 11 days til I go... yikes... I had better get some chocolate shopping done!

Right, I shall say goodnight now... I started typing this post at 23.30 with every intention of scheduling it... then of course, I got myself all carried away and started waffling... and then when I was uploading the pics yonder t'internet starting being a pest again so I had to stop uploading for 10mins... and then I did a bit of jiggling about (with the post, not me personally.... far too energetic lol) and now I see it is nearly 1.40am!  Yikes!  Tis time for me to say... Thanks for looking... THANK YOU ALL for your continued support, for your wonderful comments, for being followers of my little blog and, finally,  for giving me someone to waffle to!  I wish you all a very Happy New Year and hope that 2013 will be a perfect year for you.  TTFN!

Hels x

P.S.... 11 Days to CHA *oh, I already told you that... teehee*