The Giddiest Kipper...

...blimey... and thrice!  Tis today! Already! That came around fast!  Oh yesh, I am the giddiest kipper in the world (said in my usual very best Jeremy Clarkson voice) because it is today that I am jetting off to the US of A.  It seems a long time ago since Ellen and I first met when she came to stay here at Sheridan Towers (makes it sound grand, it ain't... although I do have a very special Ellen Vargo suite here *aka, the spare room*)  Anyways, the first time Ellen came to visit we were musing about how fab it would be to go to CHA together.  And now it is actually happening!  I am posting this in real time - no scheduling going on here.  Be it because I am over-excited or a smidge nervous, I don't know, but I cannot get to sleeps so I thought I would do some crafting.

I had a few bits and bobs sitting on my desk that were rejects or experiments and I decided it was high time to use them up.  The rose is made with the largest flower on the Alterations Tattered Florals die, cut three times and inked with Seedless Preserves Stain (gotta love that colour!) I made it the day I got my new Stains which is a while back now and it was too big for the thing I was making... so it was bunged on the shelf of rejects... but you know how much I loves my roses and how much I loves Seedless Preserves so it was ideal for my creation today. 

The tag was done on Wednesday when Caz came to play - I was showing her how to use the Treasure Gold with a brush (thank you Leandra for her Demo at the NEC and sharing that with me).  The background was made using a Crafters Workshop stencil and the amazeballs Studio 490 Embossing Paste mixed with a smidge of Ferro to add some grittiness to it.  I heated it up to dry it so it went nice and puffy and then applied various Treasure Gold to it... and then gave it a buff so it went nice and polished.  To finish the tag, I added the rose, some Creative Expressions metal leaves (addicted to these too), an Adage Ticket with my word of the year inside an Ornate Frame (also Treasure Gold-ed) and some embellies to jazz it up.

Anyways... I shall away... I am going to try and get 40 winks before I need to "get up" = the alarm is set for 03.45!  I am all packed and ready, just the last minute bits to put into the case and once I have finished waffling here I am packing up Lionel Laptop into his case ready for the journey.  Grim has to work today :O(( and his booking on time is right when I need to be at Heathrow so he is taking me to the station here and then I am being let loose on the unsuspecting commuter travellers of London - I have packed light too!  I know, I never pack light but this time I have been very good and haven't packed 32 tee-shirts and 19 pairs of socks.  Plus, I am rooming with Ellen so I am going to be pinching her shampoo and hair drier so that is less weight to cart across with me.  Needless to say, there are several bars of Cadbury's nestled within the case... I must remember to declare those - unlike when I went to Ranger U and got searched at Customs going into America because I hadn't ticked the box that said "snails, food, grains"  I didn't realise that chocolate was food!  Well, I did, of course... but I didn't think that Easter Eggs counted rofl  Oh and last time I went?  Baltimore airport and the Customs guy (they never smile do they?) said "anything else you are bringing into the country ma'am?" So I said... "oh just my stash"   His face! Picture! Not a pretty picture either, especially when I started waffling saying "I mean my arty stuff, the crafty stuff I am bringing with me to play with whilst I am here.... " and then in a vain attempt to win him over I said "well, I am meeting THE Wendy Vecchi this weekend and taking some classes with her, I needed my scissors and pokey tool"   He just stamped my passport and waved me through... I think he then went off to lay down in a darkened room!  Which is what I really must do.  The plan is to be as tired as possible when I get onto the plane so I sleep for the 9h 30m I am flying so it feels like that leg of the journey is only five minutes... wish me luck!  Thanks for looking... TTFN!

Hels x

PS... Tis... CHA... TODAY!!!!