Sunday Stamper - Week 217 - Patterns

Goooodly Morning Stampers and a very happy Sunday to you all. Many many thanks for all the gorgeous golden entries for last weeks challenge... and it is lovely to see some new faces joining in too! Welcome! The challenge theme this week is... PATTERNS. (I had to use Mr Google to help me find a song title... tis a Simon & Garfunkel song, who knew!) To join in is simples: make a little something, it can be anything you fancy. Add in the theme and some stamping and then pop back here to leave me a comment with a link to the place you are showing your entry. If you haven't got a blog, you can join in using any web-hosting photo thingywotsit, via Facebook or you can email me a piccy of your entry. The challenge will remain open until 21:00 Saturday 11th August 2012.


This week the challenge is revolving around a piece that I have made Grim for his birthday. Yes, there's some stamping on it (only just) but what struck me most about it is all the different patterns. The blocks from the paper blocking technique, the textured bits from masking and then the stamping with the honeycomb and diamonds. I have a picture heavy post so will keep the waffle to a minimum :O))


As I said, it is my "made" gift for Grim's birthday, so there are a few relevant to him bits and bobs on there... the numbers for his birth date, the initial and the 50 for his age (oh how I am not going to let him forget that he can now go on a Saga holiday lol) I wanted to make something that was quite masculine but not OTT with cogs and gears etc, which is what I always go for when making something for a chap. The colours are quite masculine I think... and whilst I have added flowers, they are similar tones and have black in them too. As you can see, more influence from Ania with the spritzing... yep, got brave again and used Cosmic Shimmer Vintage Green and Black Dylusions... I LOVE that metallic effect of the two combined!


The texture paste was mixed with Birch Eco Paint so I got the green tones for the stencilling - basically, using a spatula and spreading the texture paste thru masks - I used a Crafters Workshop chicken wire and a Dylusion diamond mask for this... I wanted a random look but one that made all the elements link up so there are no "floating" bits... IYKWIM.


I added in some Prima bits and bobs - the birdy - how sweeeet, the tile, little wooden heart and some of the flowers... and then added in bits of Idea-ology, some Chit Chat Stickers that I 3D'd... a UTEE heart, some Film Strip, some more of the ancient metal jobbies that I got for a bargain at Ally Pally 83 years ago when Andrea fair forced me into buying them... ahem... *wondering if Andrea will comment on that lol*


The stamping is using the honeycomb/chicken wire stamp from Tim's Mixed Media set and the mini diamond stamp from one of the mini's sets that I can't remember and it is right over the other side of the Room of Stash (oh yesh, all those miles away... ahem) so I can't reach it. I added some Alphaparts to the piece to personalise it a bit more... the G is for Grim (obvs) and the 50 to remind him how old he is... *snort*




Right, I shall away... as ever, thank you all for your lovely comments and support - it truly does mean a very lot to me... and thanks and welcome to all the new followers, it makes me smile big to see you all! (I had better shut up now otherwise I shall be blubbing....) Have a lovely day.... TTFN!

Hels x

Here Are A Few Of...

...my fave techniques! Well, for followers of my blog of old, you will know just how fickle I am when it comes to having favourites. Oh yesh, they change on an almost weekly basis... one week I will be loving pink and pretty, the next week it will be green and grungy. Well, this week sees me loving all things canvassy and painty and textured. Caz came over for a playdate on Monday - in between all the yakking (obvs that was her, not me, I am very shy and retiring as you know......ahem....) and the cake eating (again, force feeding me Vanilla slices she was) oh and the Cheesy Chester Cheeto eating (yes, I actually shared them... positively unheard of I know...) Where was I? Ah yes: we made some art! In the form of an 8" x 6" canvas that I have had lurking in my stash for 219 years.



I wanted to combine my love of adding stuff and then painting over the top with my love of that paper blocking technique I am always banging on about. So, the idea was to cover the front of the canvas with the first technique and sneakily add in the second technique on the edges - it is a deep edge canvas so perfect for this.




As you can see, I am influenced by the marvel that is Ania (click her name for her amazing blog) and the paper technique from 2Gypsy Girls (again, click their name...) The base of the canvas had some die cuts and punched shapes popped onto it. I added on strips of canvas and lacy borders, layering all the pieces over one another to make them all look as if they should be there together. Next came the painting... I used Eco Paints in Birch, Stormy, Mushroom and Lake and added in some Kaiser Antique White paint in too. Using Cut & Dry to apply the paints meant that I could blend all the colours together nicely.


I aimed to get a lighter area in the centre of the canvas so the floral decoration popped more from it. Using DecoArt Texture Paste, mixed with a smidge of Stormy paint, I spread this thru a couple of Crafters Workshops stencils - the floral one is an old fave and the chicken wire is a new addition, how cool is that huh? Another new favourite. Before I got all exciteable with the decorating, I used some 7Gyspies Notting Hill papers to patch around the edges - these are GORGEOUS, Caz brought them with her and I smiled ever so sweetly and she very generously parted with some for me... the colours are perfect for my tastes at the moment, am all about the blues and greens at the moment! Once the papers were patched on, I gave them a swoosh with watered down paint (I just spritzed my painty Cut & Dry foam and smooshed it over) And then I used Ranger's Glue & Seal to give it a seal. The Stabilo All pencil shaded the raised bits - as ever I blended the lines with a babywipe.


The decoration is a collaboration of Prima flowers and paper roses, DewDrops, microbeads, metal embellies and that cute ickle Prima resin birdy. I coloured him with Distress Markers - this is a FAB technique I saw on the one and only Wendy Vecchi's blog (again, click her name to see her amazeballs art) Who would have thought that Distress Markers would colour resin and once dried it would stay put eh? I got ever so brave too. I keep seeing Ania's beautiful creations and know she used a black spray. I tried this once before and goofed up the whole piece which was fed to the bin. So. I got all my flowers together away from the canvas, spritzed Dylusions Black spray at them (yes, I was squeezing my eyes shut and cringing) and then to tone this down I gave them all a zap with Vintage Green Cosmic Shimmer... I love the metallic effect this gives when popped onto black. Knowing that if I spritzed again I could ruin it all, I quickly glued them onto the canvas.



Anyways... that is today's mahooosive post! Don't forget to hop over to Caz's gorgeous canvas... she has got a craft room you know, she calls it her Den... so I have re-named it to be the Den of Deliciousness. Ooh and thank you for all your lovely comments on yesterday's post (yep, click the words to go there) There's still yonks to enter the draw to win my card btw... just sayin ;o)) Right, I shall away, the "to do" list now has 297 things on it... I know, it started growing again! Thanks for looking.... have a fab day... TTFN!

Hels x

Sunday Stamper - Week 108 - Metal Guru + Candy Winner :O))

Morning Stampers... apologies for the late posting of the new challenge... Mr Internet decided to go on strike last night and I had no connectivity at all...this morning it is soooooo slow, like Dial Up used to be, so I can't upload the pics of my entry at the moment, will keep trying!! Anyway... First an foremost... I have just gotten all the emails off the server and checked the comments on the post from last week to make sure I haven't missed anyone...and am not going to be a few mins while I get the winner picked (at random) from all the entries...don't forget, if you entered and linked, you get in twice :O)) Right, am back, all the names were entered into a bowl (haven't got a hat...) and the winner of my Birthday Candy Giveaway is...

CHRISSIE - Congrats to you.. please can you email me your addy so I can pop the candy into the post for you :O))




Right, on with the theme for this weeks challenge - which is METAL. To join in all you need to do is make a piece of art, add in the theme and some stamping, leave me a comment with a link to the place you are showing your art so I can then pop and see you :O)) There isn't any point in me waffling on about how I made my entry cos you can't see it at the moment...still not enough oooomph to get the pics uploaded... I will be back! Later.... much much later!!! Honestly, all I wanted to do was upload a few pics and one thing and another gets in the way... like this which happened this morning... Grim is sitting in the living room watching... yep, you guessed it... football... I am up in my room trying to get this Sunday Stamper post done... when Grim comes up to tell me that Alfie has brought something into the kitchen... *I pause at this moment to tell you that AlfieCat is a VERY bad boy... yesterday morning I couldn't sleep so me and AlfieCat had an early morning coffee in the garden at 5am...and then he brought me a baby blackbird, like I really didn't need to see the poor thing clasped in his vice like chops... anyhow's, I managed to rescue said blackbird and all was well...* So I dreaded going to the kitchen to see what he had massacred... when it turns out he has brought home "Foxes"... you know, that ginger cat that is still...erm... intact in the boy region. Grim said that Foxes was sitting on the worktop, bold as brass! AlfieCat and Foxes have been sunbathing on the decking today... Foxes doesn't like me though... so when he cops sight of me he scarpers!




Here I am waffling on about cats when I should be telling you about the Sunday Stamper piece I made... using a 7Gypsies Printers Tray, filled with decorated bits of card, Grungepaper and metal... the embossing is using the new Texture Fades and the stamping is both PaperArtsy (HotPicks) and Tim Holtz collection.




The hearts are made with UTEE... the middle sized one I bought last week in a little shop in Whitby and made a mould with it... and the diddy one is a cookie cutter, although why anyone would want a cookie that small is beyond me ROFL I added on loads of Idea-ology bits, painting the Bracket with Trad Tan, sanding it and then using a photo image from the Lost & Found stack. The metal roses are made from the HotPicks plate - available HERE... I love those new Hot Picks... and am well chuffed that I have both now having had one for my birthday :O)) The UTEE heart that has wings behind it was made by melting Gold, Silver and Bronze UTEE in the Melt Pot and then drizzling into the mould...and I was ever so BRAVE... Mr Holtz says in his C of C book that he cut his Idea-ology wings with his Tonic Studio scissors...well, if Tim can do it, so can I ... so I did..and YES! It works and the scissors ain't damaged!



Right, the deets about how to join in are above (if you have gotten this far reading my babblings).. thanks for looking...oh and Happy Father's Day to all you chaps out there... AlfieCat was ever so clever and went and bought a card and a Tshirt for Grim...clever cat even wrote the card!!! TTFN

Hels x


Thanks for looking...TTFN

Hels x