Sunday Stamper - Week 312 - Pretty Paper

Goooodly Afternoon Stampers and a very happy Sunday Father's Day to you all!  Thank you for all your grand entries for last weeks challenge, I am a smidge delayed in visiting you all... I am on my way tho :O)   This week is a nice easy challenge... and that is to USE PATTERNED PAPERS.  Let's face it, we all have several tonnage of papers in our stash don't we? *just me then????*   To join in with the challenge is simples: make a little something, it can be anything you fancy.  Add in the theme AND some stamping and then pop back here, leave me a comment with a link to the place you are showing your entry and I can come see you.   If you haven't got a blog, you can join in via Facebook (just tag me name) or by emailing a small res.pic to me.  The challenge will remain open until 21:00 Saturday 21st June 2014.

My entry this week is a little tag I made using Craftwork Cards Vogue collection of papers and die cuts.  This is one of my fave collections... it is all browny, creamy and peacocky in colour and very reminiscent of the 1930's.    I started out by covering a size 8 tag with paper, inking the edges with Pine Needles and Gathered Twigs DI's and adding a smidge of stamping using Watering Can Archival and Tim's flourish stamp. 

The dressform is from the die cut selection in the paper pack - it was a smidge too tall for the tag so I cut the top of it off to make it fit better.   And talk about fluke!  Check out the writing on the papers... it lines up with the writing on the dressform... kismet!  I added in a few embellies, little cotton reels, antique pearls that have been sitting around waiting for this project and some little flat back metal bits.... some linen ribbons for the top of the tag and some string and ribbon for the decorations on the tag and voila, finished.

Apologies for the late posting of the challenge this week... I was up late (watching England lose!) and when me alarm went off I went back to sleeps... ooops!   Anyways, hope you have a great day!  Thanks for looking... TTFN

Hels x

Ballerinas...

...little pretty "ballerinas" are one of my most vivid memories of summer as a kid.  And seeing them still in bud form and reaching out and "popping" them.  What am I waffling on about?  Fuchsias of course :O)  Of all the plants in the garden, fuchsias are my favourite.  I have slowly been adding them to my collection, now I have a greenhouse I can make sure they don't cark it over winter too.  So, imagine my thrill of happiness when I spotted the new Paradise Collection from Craftwork Cards when I was over at Crafty Bunch last weekend.

Not only are there fuchsias on the papers, there be hibiscus, bird of paradise, butterflies and... hummingbirds!    I remember a holiday to St Lucia when I decided to go all David Bailey and get some really cool "shots" of hummingbirds that used to hover around the pool area all day.  It was back in the days of using 371 films in your camera, taking said films to Snappy Snaps the moment the plane landed back in Blighty and waiting, very impatiently, for the one hour developing service... grabbing said photo's (yes, I took 10 rolls of 36 exposures, imagine how much that costed me to develop!!!)  quickly flicking through the photo's to see the amazing things I had photographed whilst on my travels.  Ahem.  Yes, well, enough about that.  My hummingbird shots, all 192 of them were nothing but a very small and very strange looking blob in the middle of a photo of the pool!   Ok so maybe it was the camera's fault for being old or maybe just the idiot operating it.  Anyways, the point of all this info is that I needed to tell you about Linda Ledbetter.  Now, Linda is not only is a fabulous artist and all round gorgeous gal, she also takes awesome photo's.. CLICK HERE to see them. Linda took a load of pics of hummingbirds last year... I was so happy to see the photo's, hummingbirds just make me smile... and now when I sees one, I think of Linda.

What to do with the papers huh?   I freely admit that I have a very lot of the CWC collections... and a very lot of them are sitting, un-cut, in a box, mainly because I haven't had time to have a proper play yet and a smidge because they are sooo gorgeous!  Anyways, I got this new paper collection and last night I was on "free crafting time"  ie: any time in the middle of the night is free crafting time, FCT,  meaning you can do whatever you likes and it is not eating into prep time for work kind of stuff.  So, armed with a couple of hours of FCT and the paper collection, I got a little inky with a tag.  There are some foiled papers in the collection  and this isn't normally a style I likes, these, however, are perfect.  I covered the tag with papers, inked around the edges with Seedless Preserves DI and then scruffed the edges and went around with Vintage Photo.  The rose is made from the diecuts in the collection, again inked with Seedless Preserves.  The ickle sentiment is from the kit and I added some jute to make it a bit more natural looking.  Hessian for the flower, string for the top and voila, done!  I am so loving these papers!!!

My only problem now is that I want to make more stuff with the papers and I can't because I am now waist deep in sample making for Tuesday's tellybox shows... tis all goodly fun though and you never know, I might well get some more FCT tonight, sleeps seems to be evading me at the moment!   Oooh and I nearly forgot to tell you... tomorrow, Saturday 31st May 14, sees the opening of a brand new craft shop and tearoom in Devizes - called Cups & Crafts, located on Northgate Street, Devizes and I will be there doing a full demo day, playing with all things inky, papery and stampy - so if you are in the area, please do pop by to see us!     Have a grand day all!  Thanks for looking... TTFN

Hels x

Sunday Stamper - Week 288 - King of Wishful Thinking + CANDY!!!

Gooodly Morning Stampers and a very happy Sunday to you all!  Thank you for the fabby entries for last week's challenge.   This week sees the return of a fortnightly challenge - being as it is Christmas and New Year and time in our crafty spaces will be limited!  The challenge for this fortnight is... USE THE WORD WISH.   Also, I have some candy to giveaway to one randomly chosen entrant - my thank you to all my lovely Sunday Stampers for your entries this year.   To join in with the challenge is simples: make a little something - it can be anything you fancy.  Add in the theme and some stamping and then pop back here and leave me a comment with a link to the place you are showing your entry.  If you haven't got a blog, you can also join in via email (small res pic please) or via Facebook by tagging my name.  To be in with a chance of winning the candy, simply leave me a comment on this post - if you ENTER the challenge with a piece of artwork, you will be entered TWICE into the giveaway.  The theme will remain open until 21:00 Saturday 4th January 2014.

 The challenge theme is because during 2013 the word WISH has been "word of the year".  I have loved having this word as my special one... it has brought me lots of inspiration throughout the year and I will be a little sad to see it go... however, the word of the year for 2014 has already been chosen and I will be blogging about that at the end of December.

My entry this time is a papier mache board hanging that I have altered using the gorgeous Craftwork Cards Vogue Collection papers, using the paperblocking technique I lurves so muchly.   Once I had blocked all the papers, I did a very light wash of Mushroom paint over the top to tone the papers in to each other.  I good old coat of Matte Glue & Seal to ... yep, you guessed it... seal those papers and then I added a border around the edges using Black paint.  Once this had dried I got out my Stabilo All pencil and added shading to the paper blocks.  My stamping is the flourish stamp, randomly onto the edges of the base using Jet Black Archival ink.

Next up came some delicious stencilling using Wendy's Dreamweaver black paste and the new to me (hurrah, finally got this one!) "Three Flourishes" Studio 490 stencil.  I spread a nice generous layer of the paste over - I love this stuff... it is the same as the one in the giveaway too :O)  Once this had dried (with a little help from Mr Heat Tool) I started decorating the edges and stencilled bits with Treasure Gold White Fire and Spanish Topaz.  I wanted a bit of a bright colour on my design as the background was quite muted so I picked some gorgeous turquoise blooms from Kaisercraft and layered them up with white paper flowers and then coloured them with Stream Colorwash, Black Marble Dylusions and Ancient Blue Cosmic Shimmer spray for the extra bit of bling.  I keep saying this but I really loves the way spraying the Cosmic Shimmer over Black Marble gives a real metallic effect.  I added lots of bits and bobs of metal and resin embellies - all given a smidge of Treasure Gold to bling them up a bit (check out the ickle spark plug - how cute is that!!)

So, the Candy giveaway package is as follows: Wendy Vecchi's Signature Archival Inks: Watering Can, Potting Soil, Red Geranium and Fern Green, Dreamweaver Embossing Paste, Glossy Accents, Large Cosmic Shimmer glue and a bundle of metal charms too.  There will no doubt be a few extra bits and bobs making their way into the package too :O)  Remember, to be in with a chance of winning, leave me a comment on this post... and if you enter with a piece of artwork, your name will be entered twice.  Closing date/time for the Sunday Stamper is 21:00GMT 4th January 2013.  Entries received after this time will not be entered into the draw and duplicate comments will be deleted to make it fair to all who enter.  The winner of the giveaway will be announced on Sunday 5th January 2013.

Right then, tis time for me to get myself to bed!  I have still not got my voice back... I had a little bit of a croaky squeak earlier but it has gone again... boohoohoo!  Thanks for looking.. and thank you all for your continued support of my little challenge this year too.   Have a great day!  TTFN

Hels x

The First Noel... **Plus The Winner!**

...I don't know about you but that festive feeling is creeping up on me early this year!  I mean, I am not at the point of contemplating Christmas cardmaking just yet... oh no, I usually leave that to the second weekend in December when I get all of a panic and go out and buy them (shock horror!)   However, since I bought the gorgeous Christmas Post papers by Craftwork Cards, I have been feeling ever so slightly Christmassy.  The other night I had cleared up the Room of Stash, done all my DT commitments, answered all my emails, done all my up-coming class projects... so that meant... I had some PLAYTIME!!! Yeeehawwww... I loves it when I get some proper guilt free crafting time and I made the most of it... making this piece for starters:

Using the gorgeous papers... and the offcuts that I always save, I popped them onto a 5" x 7" canvas, paper block stylee.  These papers really are lushness themselves and even the smidgiest of smidgy pieces is perfect to use!  Once the blocking was done, I used watered down Mushroom paint to blend all the papers together and give them a shabby look... and once this was dried I slapped a generous layer of Glue & Seal on to ...erm... seal (!) the papers, this not only means that they won't be affected by any water/humidity, it also means that if you make a boo-boo, you can just wipe it off!

I used my Stabilo All pencil to add some shading to the paper layers and then set about getting covered in glitter!  I know!  Me! Glitter!  I blame that Tim bloke you know... I used to eschew all things glittery and turn my nose up at anything remotely sparkley.  Not any more... Oh ho!  The new Distress Glitters are LUSH! GORGEOUS! LUSH! GORGEOUS! Mmm, you get the message I reckon!  Anyways, I cut out the Noel from Grungeboard and slapped Glue & Seal on it and then popped Tarnished Brass Glitter over the top and allowed it to dry.  I then grunged it up a bit with some black paint...well, it has to be a bit grungey ;O))  I then cut out the Tattered Poinsettia using more of the Christmas Post papers and added Holly Branch leaves and branch using Distress Core-Dinations.  The flower was coloured with Fired Brick DI and the leaves with Forest Moss DI.  A few golden pearls and a snowflake finished off the canvas... and there you have it... all things festive!

Anyways, I guess that I should get around to telling you who the winner of yesterday's Bezel giveaway is... so, I had 81 comments left, thank you all!  I fed this into Random.org and he popped up with the number 26 as the winner, this tallies with the comment left by Patricia Youdell   Congrats to Patricia , please email me your address and I will pop your prize into the post.

That's all for today... as ever, thank you for looking... I hope you have a fabby day!  TTFN

Hels x

Sunday Stamper - Week 279 - Hazy Shade of Winter

Goooodly Morning Stampers and a very happy Sunday to you all.  Big thanks for all your very special entries last week :O)  Just seeing you join in with my challenge makes me smile BIG!  This week the weather has turned hasn't it?  I for one am happy as I loves Autumn and Winter!  So, a seasonal theme this week, which is... WINTER.  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/web-photo-hosty thing, worry not!  You can also join in via Facebook (simply tag my name on your upload) or via email, attaching a small size piccie for me. (my email is over there *points left* where my profile pic is)  The challenge will remain open until 21:00 Saturday 26th October 2013.

So, my entry this week is another festive creation.  I have an old bag full of photo frames that are unloved and ripe for altering.  Every year I like to make a Christmas frame for the house decorations... so being as I have been addictively playing with the gorgeous Christmas Post Papers from Craftwork Cards, I figured this little frame would be perfect!  Now, normally I would change the appearance of the frame... and I do this last so it matches perfectly with the things I have used.  However, whilst sizing up and working out placements for the embellies, I popped the frame around the creation and saw that actually, leave it alone!  It is perfect the way it is!  So I left it!  And, yipyah and thrice!  I remembered to get a pic of the "before" although I needn't have because.. erm.. it is the same lol

The paper base has an added strip across that was torn and then distressed with Walnut Stain... and I added some smidges of flourish stamping using my fave new inkpad... the Watering Can from Ranger's Archival range by Wendy Vecchi... LOVE these colours! MUCH!!!   I stamped the sentiment, which is a mini Tim Holtz one, onto more paper, distressed the edges and then popped this onto some Kraft Distress Core-dinations.

I used the same cardstock and cut some Tattered Pinecones and Holly Branch shapes from the Tim range of Alterations for Sizzix.... made them all sanded and shabby and then glued them into place, adding a gorgeous fabric poinsettia, some pins and a few pearls.  The snowflakes were actually snipped into to make them go further, well, there's little point hiding half an embellishment underneath right?

Woe is me today! I have a sore throat and snuffly schnozzle!  It started last night and also, I keep going dizzy... yep, a proper dizzy blonde, I thinks I may have picked up a bug so today I shall mostly be taking it easy.. I haven't got time to get sick!  Hope you all have a fabby Sunday!  Thanks for looking... TTFN!

Hels x

The C Word & The G Word...

...yikes! I need help! Muchly needing help!  Not only have I start the C word in October I have also added in the G word too!!!   I am not your regular *bah humbug* kinda gal though, I do loves Christmas but I just don't loves it starting too early... but in the World of Craft, there has to be a point in the year that Christmas crafting starts... and mine started this week!  So, that is the C Word part sorted... now for the G Word.  Well, I am a self-confessed disliker of glitter.  Don't get me wrong, I loves to see nice sparkly things as much as the next person but I really hate that it gets everywhere.  I once bought a gorgeous black top that had dots and sparkles of glitter all over it... after wearing it for a few hours not only was my face covered, so was Grim's, AlfieCat's and every other person in the pub was sporting a sparkle or two.   BUT.  Those magicians at Ranger have solved the *flying about all over the show* problem with Glitter... and they have invented Distress Glitter.  And I LOVES IT!!!

A few weeks ago I was teaching at Pickwell Farm down in Southampton and I spotted a rather delish paper pack in their well stocked shop.  Well, it would have been rude not to take a closer look and do a snatch and grab and bung it into my basket wouldn't it?  It is the new Christmas Post collection from Craftwork Cards.  The colours are PERFECT and the designs are fab too.  I have had my eye on it for a couple of weeks but what with being a smidge busy I left it to one side til I had time to play properly.  I started out with a small project (ok, I am being a bit stingey and not using too much paper in one hit lol)  

I covered a small papier mache hanging board with the paper, sanded the edges and inked with Walnut Stain DI to tone them in.  Also in the paper pack are some die-cuts including these gorgeous poinsettia's.  I edged them with Fired Brick DI and then got my Glossy Accents and drew around the edges, then sprinkled Fired Brick Distress Glitter... corrrr... indeedily it doesn't fly all over the show and it has a lovely crunchy texture.  I added Peeled Paint DG to the leaves and then I got a Card Candy and covered this with Antique Linen DG... how pretty!  The wordage is also a die cut and I added Glossy Accents to the birdy to make him pop a little.
 

Today I am in a state of much mirth and merriment... because we are off to the flicks this afternoon!  I love going to the cinema but it is one of those things that we rarely do because of Grim's shifts and so on.  I have been after watching Rush ever since I saw a clip of it on Top Gear earlier this year and today is THE day!   Also, and a smidge more excitingly... Grim bought a greenhouse yesterday!!!  I have wanted a greenhouse for absolutely yonks and finally we will have one!  I have done some weeding - ok, it took me a couple of days - but the site is now ready to be "Grimified" with membrane, met posts (nope, me neither lol) and a ton or so of gravel... and then it will be assembled!  We have got it from Norfolk Greenhouses because, to be quite frank, I am poop scared of glass.  I had a rather nasty altercation with a cold frame 11 years ago that resulted in me being about 2mm away from cutting my brachial artery so... plastic all the way for me now!  I am most excited that not only will I be able to grow seeds, I shall also, finally, be able to grow tomatoes.  I try most years to grow them and most years, ok, every year, the plants die.  Not next year, oh ho, I will be called the Tomato Woman of Wellingborough you know... well, I can dream lol   On that bombshell, I shall bid you a goodly day and go and get myself glittery again!  Thanks for looking, TTFN

Hels x