Curiously Wrapped...

...flipping flip and the flippers!!! Ok, so one minute it was Sunday and I was busy waffling on alarmingly at the lovely ladies who came to my class... and now it is Wednesday and I have the sum total of absolutely nothing done this week. Well, I say that... I have actually been busy trying to bring some semblance of order into the Room of Stash and I also found five mins to sit and get inky with the fab new Seasonal Distress Inks... and joining in with the Compendium of Curiosities II challenge. If you haven't seen this challenge before, you don't know what you are missing! Click HERE to be transported to the blog of the lovely Linda Ledbetter, all the deets are there... and of course, I must mention that the challenge is all about the techniques from the one and only Duke of Distress, Tim Holtz... Click HERE for his website.




So, my tag this week is mostly a concoction of the new Seasonal DI's. All the info on how I made it and what I used is HERE on The Stamp Attic blog. Now. Colours. Bright colours in fact. Do I like them? No. Do I use them? No. But... I am making an exception for these new colours in the Distress range cos they are rather lush. The Mowed Lawn was the one that I thought "ik, I no likey" But then I used it and...ahem... I LOVE it! The Salty Ocean and Picked Raspberry are also lush... vivid without being eye scorchingly bright... I like that!


So, last weekend was my monthly classes at The Stamp Attic. When I got there I spied this tied to the back of my chair! How cute is that! Thank you to Wendy for my balloon, Jelly Babies (yes, I still have some left) and a fab apron. More pressies arrived from Caz (shallnt blog her pressie untiil she has blogged, tis worth waiting for though), she also got me two beautiful china mugs and spoons and the most deeeelish scented candle. Barbara arrived bearing gifts too... a lovely bag full of surprises... there were some rusty keys, some sari silk (lush) a banner kit and a bracelet kit. Not to mention the cake... oohlallaaaa, choccy cake from Caz for Saturday... A big big thank you to all the lovely ladies who came along to play with Studio 490 stash on Saturday!





And Sunday... Miriam brought another choccy cake and got me some gorgeous stamps... I was thoroughly spoiled!!! So, in fact, I had three birthdays... I could get used to this you know lol Another big big thank you to all the lovely ladies who joined me on Sunday to play with Distress.




Anyways... enough of my waffling, time for me to get a wiggle on and get inky again... well, after I have finished tidying the Room of Stash that is... Thanks for looking... TTFN!

Hels x

Curiously....

... cor blimey and thrice! There was me, saying I would be back yesterday (actually, I didn't say yesterday, I said "tomorrow" but I meant yesterday.... confoosed? me too!) Anyways... then I got hit by the dreaded lurgy. I can only think that it was those blinking pesky mozzi bites that did for me. Needless to say, I spent most of the day either shivering like it was mid-winter or sleeping on the sofa! I am feeling a bit better today but still not 100%... although I am not going to let a few mozzi bites ruin today... because... don't tell anyone but... tis my birthday! Oh yesh, tis National Cake Eating Day once more and I for one will be snarfing back more than my fair share. But, before all of that... I have my entry to the Compendium II Challenge. Hosted by the ever lovely Linda Ledbetter, based on the book by the Duke of Distress, HERE is the challenge and HERE is Tim's website for you to go and have a nosey.


This week is all about Pocket Watches... which I just so happen to have one here that I haven't done anything with yet. SO, I made a travel themed watch and popped it onto a tag so it goes with all the other tags I have made. All the deets on how I made it are HERE on The Stamp Attic blog.




So. Cake! Pressies! Cards! Oh yesh, a lovely nice crop of all of those.... here are a few pics of them:

Grim made a lovely job of baking my cake.....

Gorgeous blooms from Grim....

Fab birthday cards...thank you :O))

And... check out this fabby pressie from my dear old Dad. Some proper copper bottom pans. I know, I know, saucepans, for one who doesn't like cooking? Well, every time we have been on the boat, I have moaned that I love their pans (so much easier to cook with) and how cruddy ours at home are... so, a brand new set to play with. Don't tell anyone though - I have a reputation to keep and I don't want peeps thinking that I actually cook...



Thank you for all your birthday wishes on here and on Facebook and Twitter... wowzers! I am grinning like a loon reading them all... and speaking of reading... CLICK HERE, it will take you off on the back of a giant birthday butterfly to Ellen's place... she has done a lovely birthday post for me... and, even better, she just phoned me... all the way from that America, which is a very long way away... the miracles of the modern world eh?



Oh and when I was clicking the camera, Alf got in on the action.... shame my photography skills are no better now I am a year older... but isn't he just the cutest!!! Right, I must away... I have an afternoon of lovliness planned... and later... chinese takeaway... mmmm, nomnomnomnom..... Thanks for looking... TTFN!

Hels x

Curiously Repackaged...

...tis that time again already folks! Time for the one and only Compendium II challenge, hosted and devised by that marvellous lady Linda Ledbetter... HERE are all the deets on her blog on how to join in with the challenge. Tis all about Book II from the Duke of Distress, to see Tim's blog, click HERE. So, this week (which is the 8th week of the challenge already!) we are turning to page 62 and repurposing packaging.


Now, I don't know about you but I think that packaging is a right royal pain in the backside. I spend hours making trips right across the grounds to the recycle bin (ok, it's outside the back door but I am on a whinge so it sounds better lol) Why do companies seem to think that wrapping products in plastic is going to a)make is more saleable and b) make the consumer very happy when they have to use scissors, knives, nay and thrice, a chainsaw, to get through the iron tough plastic? Humph! Ah for the days when we wrapped everything in newspaper and wasted nowt. So, because I hate waste, I took to collecting all kinds of plastic packaging in order to use it on my arty stuff. Several years later and there are little areas of the Room of Stash that will forever be a resting place for boxes, cartons and tins... However, I am happy to report that I did use some proper packaging on this tag today! Yes, the acetate is from an Alterations die and I have embossed one bit and cut the other bits out and coloured with Alcohol Inks. I got chance to play with my Distress Markers too... oooooh, I loooove these loads, especially on the Ranger Specialty Paper cos it is the bees-knees for colouring onto. Anyways, all the colours/deets etc are HERE on the Stamp Attic blog in case you fancy a nosey :O))


You may have noticed that Mistress Huffy has come to stay today. Oh yesh, she has indeedily. Namely because I got out of bed at stooopid o'clock to get ready and go and see Oliver Cromwell. Well, not the actual real Oliver Cromwell, I am pretty sure that he isn't still about. No, I am talking about the female Oliver Cromwell... nope, not lost me marbles... I am on about the steam locomotive. Well, up we gets and off we go with Grim's lovely pal Richard (hi Richard, am seeing if you are reading lol) So, we gets to a vantage point and find out that the poor old Loco failed last night and the train is now being powered by 2 diesel loco's. Weeeeell, we says, a train is a train so we will wait being as we are here. Aha! Until we found out that it was 97 minutes late. So, we got back in the car, came alllll the way home (ok, so we were 5 mins from home but... am ranting tho remember? rofl)


Right, I shall away... I want to go and park my btm comfy so I can watch the Queen's procession and the RAF flypast (praying the clouds stay high) Oh and did anyone watch the Jubilee Concert last night? All I will say is... Tom Jones = stole the show! Paul McCartney = superstar (obvs) and Madness = were THE best!!! Elton...er, try autotune love.... hoohahhaaaaa, says me, who sings and makes peoples ears bleed! Thanks for looking.... TTFN!

Hels x

Curiously Brushless...

... oh yesh indeedily, it is time for my fave challenge in the world... the Compendium of Curiosities II. The brainchild of the lovely Linda Ledbetter, all the deets on this weeks challenge are HERE - based upon the Compendium II by Tim Holtz. This week we are looking at Page 49 and the Brushless Watercolour technique. I won't go into great detail how I made the tag and what I used because that is already HERE on The Stamp Attic blog.


So, did you miss me? What? You didn't realise I wasn't here? Actually, I got home late Monday evening and spent yesterday catching up and faffing... and today I am busy with samples and stuff so I can't really sit and natter for too long... although I would love to because I have fashioned myself some air-con in the Room of Stash... oh yes, it is a tall tower fan, sitting right next to me, actually probably a bit close but... it is keeping me wafted and cool... which is what we need right? Anyone else have a Room of Stash that is hotter than a badger with sunburn?


I, in my own usual way, made a complete do-dah of myself on Saturday. So, we are all chatting about dogs, I am saying "we hope to get one soon" And one of my lovely ladies says "what breed?" So I says, "Springer" and then went on to say that we had thought about a Cocker but decided on a Springer. And then I says.... " there is a cross between a Cocker and Springer though.... I can't remember the name... " You know like a Labrador and a Poodle is a Labradoodle... and a Cocker and a Poodle is a Cockerpoo? Well, I gets this name in my head and my brain is going "NOOO, don't say it, don't say it... don't say it... " But I did say it... quite loudly so everyone heard... I said "Springy C___" I shalln't type the full word, don't want to offend ya... all I will say is it is the name Cocker without the e and the r. Ahem, quite. Actually, the name is a Sprocker, now why couldn't I have thought of that then eh? Upon that note, I shall say TTFN... thanks for looking!!!

Hels x

PS... There has been a change in scheduling on Saturday so I won't be doing my shows on Create & Craft, I am just waiting on new dates and will let you know then :O))

Curiously Collaged...

...tis time for the Compendium of Curiosities II challenge... I LOVE this challenge!! I know, I say that every week but it is true! Invented and hosted by the ever lovely Linda Ledbetter, the challenge focuses each week on a different technique from the Duke of Distress himself, Tim Holtz. This week the challenge is sponsored by The Funkie Junkie so there be prizes too! Check out all the deets HERE on how to join in.



This week I had heaps of fun with Tissue Wrap, another fave product :O)) All the deets etc on what goodies I used are HERE on The Stamp Attic blog. I used Juniper Dabber, this was the first ever Dabber colour I ever bought, I love it because it can change colour depending on what you put with it... if you add bluey tones it goes bluey and if you add greeny tones it goes more...erm... green! (well, in my eyes it does lol)


I am speed blogging today because I am still tackling that "to do" list and it seems to be ever growing! Yikes! Thanks for looking... TTFN!

Hels x