Sunday Stamper - Week 164 - Back To Black

Goodly Morning Stampers, happy Sunday to you all. Firstly, many thanks for the fab creations that you entered last week, it was grand to see so many big and blousey flowers out there. Now, this weeks Sunday Stamper theme was making me think yesterday afternoon because I couldn't seem to come up with a new one. And then I heard the incredibly sad news that Amy Winehouse had died, aged 27. So, it seemed only fitting to have this weeks challenge as a tribute to her. For newbies to the Sunday Stamper... the Sunday Stamper always has a song title for the challenge title and the theme is linked in with it. I had a wealth of songs to chose from but this one just seems the most apt, also it is an album title too. So, the theme this week is BLACK. To join in with the challenge is simples, make a little something, be it what you fancy... add in the theme and some stamping and then leave a comment for me here along with a linky to the place you are showing your entry. I can then hop on over to have a nosey. The challenge will remain open until 18:00 Saturday 30th July 2011. **please note the early finish :O)**

Here is a link to You Tube so you can go and listen to her beautiful voice... AMY **Edit... I am so sorry peeps - I have just been made aware of comments left on this You Tube video... I am disgusted that there are so many judgemental people who see fit to speak ill of the dead... please do go and listen to the song... just don't read the comments, they aren't worthy of being looked at xx**



So, my entry in another T'Pouch. I make no secret of the fact that my fave papers in the whole wide world are Avenue by Crate Paper... and I am a bit tight when it comes to using them... but this project just needed them... so I bit the bullet and cut into them.



The background of the tag and then card front on the pouch are done by smudging my Black Soot blending tool onto the craft sheet and spritzing with water... this gives a much more subtle Wrinkle Free Distress look rather than smooshing the pad direct to the craft sheet... and I then paired the black up with Aged Mahogany for edging and colouring the butterflies.



The big flowers are made from Avenue paper, using the Tattered Florals Alterations die and layering the spikey daisy up and popping an Idea-ology Accoutrement into the centre. The leaves are Tattered Leaves Alterations, again cut out of Avenue paper.




So... that is my entry for this weeks theme... I hope that you will all agree with my reasons for chosing this tribute to Amy Winehouse... I hope that now she has the peace that she couldn't seem to find on this earth. Right... enough chatterings... time to craft again... thanks for looking... big hugs for everyone.... TTFN

Hels x

It's Grungy Monday...

...time again! Yeehawwww!!! Tis time for the Grungy Monday challenge again and this week my lovely Ranger Sister, Linda Ledbetter, has pulled a fantastic technique out of the archives of the one and only Tim Holtz. HERE are all the deets of the challenge.... and HERE is the link to the technique on the Duke of Distress' blog.




Now, I have never tried this technique before... and I had to do a couple of dry runs - mainly because I couldn't get the embossing right. No matter how many times I did the whole ink, stamp, sprinkle, heat thing, I just could not get it to go right... I know! Who knew embossing could be such a pain in the bum! The first three efforts were, for want of a better word, cack! The embossing powder was over cooking and soaking right into the paper... so when the Espresso Dabber went on, it just looked like seven shades of... erm... poo!


Finally... I got it sussed... I was holding the heatgun too close to the paper and spending too much time trying to melt one patch of it. I have been embossing for 832 years and have never had a problem before... so I am blaming the new heatgun I have (ahem, a poor workman always blames his tools and all that) it is a lot more hotter (oh how my English teacher would cringe if he read that). Anyways... enough waffling. This tag is TOTALLY inspired by the tag on the technique by the Emperor of Embossing... you see, I have the papers! I know! Not often do I get chance to use up papers that have been lurking in my stash for 284 years... but yep! Yeehawwww indeedily because I just knew that one day I would use those Wanted papers from Crate Paper. Actually, I did use them eleventy-hundred years ago when I made a card with them.. but alas, they have been neglected. So, now I know this technique, I will be using it... again... and again... and again!



So... I copied the tag Tim made... cheating I know.. but sometimes you know you just see something that is perfect and this design is that. I love to make stuff that has pockets, layers and pouchy things... and the pouch at the bottom of the tag is a FAB idea... I used the new Pennants On The Edge die to make that... I thought that the diamond shape tied in nicely with the rest of the design... and of course, because I can't seem to make anything that doesn't feature a flower and Idea-ology I got stuck in with that too. I tell you what, I loved making this tag... I had the best fun, even though I mucked it up several times... and I now have an idea to challenge myself... to use this technique on loads of different papers I have... nay and thrice, I could make a series of tags... oooh, you see, one nugget of inspiration lodges in my bonce and there is no stopping me...




Well, I have waffled on enough for one day... apologies for the shortest post ever yesterday (if you haven't seen it, I am giving away a tag on it :O))... and for no post at all on Tuesday... you see, these new meds are playing havoc! Not only was I walking around like a zombie and falling asleep at the drop of a hat, I was also suffering with the mother of all headaches... like 52 hours worth of headache. I think I am starting to get used to them now but on Saturday I have to up the dose again! Eeeek!!! I wouldn't mind if they actually were making a difference but they aren't... at the moment... guess it may take a while, who knows. Anyways... I have waffled on even more now lol Time to get inky again... and painty... more tags to make lol Right... offski... thanks for looking... have a grand day... TTFN

Hels x

On The Avenue...

...oooohhhh yesh indeedily... remember the other day I was waffling on about my favouritest ever papers and I was bemoaning that I couldn't get any more??? Well!!! It just so happens that a lovely friend of mine leaves me comments on that post and tells me that she has found a WHOLE pack of them!!! And... in exchange for a chocolate cake (one of my specials) I can have the papers... RESULT!!! So, I am bouncing about all happy as Larry (whomever Larry may be lol) when I get an email from Wendy who follows my blog... and she has found another whole pack and...enablingly (if that is a word) sent me the link...so... ahem, I pounced!!! And that means that I can be a bit more liberal with my Avenue papers now which leads me nicely onto my Bubbly Funk DT piece for this week... which is this card... following a sketch I made up... All the deets are HERE




And... I used the papers again the other day to make an anniversary card for my lovely Mum and Dad-in-Law... this time I used Word to make a little sentiment for the front of the card... and made it into a tri-fold card... using my other favest stamp which is the Brush Butterfly by Penny Black - I think the stamp and the papers go well together...





and of course, I have to mention my lovely little Stitchels designs... drawn by my own fair hand - I used Dotty Dot in all three sizes and layered them up together popping a little paper rose into the centre.




Anyways... I had better a wiggle on.. tis way past my bedtime and I am still sitting here waffling away... probably my excitement that in THREE WEEKS... yep, that is only 21 days (!!!) I will be at Ranger U... April is going to be a fab crafty month... what with Ally Pally this weekend too!!! Right... bedtime for bozo here... thanks for looking... TTFN

Hels x

Favourites...

...I am well aware that I am a total crafting tart... I have a new favourite every week... I love new stash... stamps, Alterations, paper stacks, paints, Idea-ology, ribbons... you name it... I am a baaaaaad girl... always saying "oh this is my favourite..." Well, today... this card actually does feature my all time favourite paper set... seriously, this is MY TOP FAVOURITE... I know, that doesn't make sense... I mean, a favourite should be singular... not a whole heap of things... but... I am sure that you feel the same way about your stash don't you? Well, my all time favourite paper set is called Avenue and it is by Crate Paper. I think it came out in 2007/08 and I had to have a set as soon as I saw it. Then, because I had used so much of it so quickly, I had to have another pack... and then that got a bit used up... so... I went to buy another set and lo! None left! Not a single set could be found anywhere in the whole widest world.



Seriously, I used Mr Google and Mr Jeeves and neither of them were any use... so, there we were at Ally Pally one year and Linda E spotted a pack, so she swooped down on it and grabbed ... so, I was just about to throw myself on the floor in a tantrum when she handed the pack to me... bless! It was a pressie... she is a sweetie (but, please, DO NOT tell her I said that rofl)



Then... I started to be a bit frugal with the papers that I had left and eventually, for fear of not having any more ever again, I stopped using them... and then... Andrea had a few sheets left and she said I could have them... bless her!!! Then... Kerry went and bought me the last few she could find... so... all in all I had a fair few pages left... well, about 12 in total. So... remember a few months ago I bought a maahooosive box full of goodies from THE Wendy Vecchi and my stash mule friend Ellen struggled across the Atlantic with said box... well, inside the box are... two sheets of Avenue!!! I did a dance, true, I jigged and the squealed (and then went and sat down cos I had worn myself out)




So... I love this paper... and I love the new Large Papillon stamp from Stampotique... and I love the Friend sentiment too... so I decided that Avenue has to be liberated and used a bit... I am hoping that Mr Crate Paper may see this post and decide to do a "retro sale" and re-print this set... mmm, I can wish lol Anyways... to see all the deets about this card... please click HERE... you will be whizzed off on the back of a large butterfly to the Stampotique Designers Blog. Right, that is more than enough waffling for one post... I have a plan for some of the rest of the paper... I can keep this piece too... result!! Ta for looking... have a very goodly Monday! TTFN

Hels x

Having A Giggle...With Tilda Friends

....Another page from the calendar I made for Andrea for Christmas...this is the entry for March...again, using Tilda's for the focal images...coloured with ProMarkers and highlighted with white pen.




I used my favest papers in the whole widest world ever...Avenue by Crate Paper, I am down to my last few snippets now...and it is not being made anymore *sobs* The flowers are the mini paper roses as usual... but I added some Prima's behind them and also some little crystal cake decorations too. If you click on the pic you should be able to see them more clearly :O))




I haven't been able to get online for the past couple of days...and now it seems the whole country will be grinding to a halt with the big "freeze" as they are calling it...we expect snow in a few hours...and I have this special policy for snowfall. If I ever become Prime Minister I am going to bring it in as a proper rule...first of all, if it snows and sticks on the ground you don't have to go outside unless you are on a mercy mission or feeding birdies. And the main part of the rule is...no household chores need to be done and refuge must be sought in the crafting area of your home! There, hows about that for a cool rule??? ROFL Seriously tho, hoping everyone is keeping warm and safe....take it easy

Hels x

Pretty in Pink ... & Purple!

Hi peeps :O))

It is MIL's birthday today so I made a special card for her.




I used Crate Paper from the Kaitlin collection, stamping onto the paper using Violet StaZon and Stitchels stamps from the DashyDot and DottyDot range and layering them up.




The main sentiment is from Penny Black, I love the words, they make me feel happy!




I added little stitches, using a white pen, to the Stitchel flowers and butterflies and popped a few DewDropz into the middles of them and stuck them to the card using silicone glue.

I used three flower headed pins, threaded with beads, to embellish the flowers.

I hope MIL likes this card and has a very happy birthday too!

Thanks for looking....

Hels x

Sunday Stamper - Week 46 - Wishing (If I Had A Photograph of You)

Morning Stampers,

First of all, thank you to all of you who joined in with the Sunday Stamper last - yet again, some divine creations were made and I loved visiting you all to see what you made.




The theme I have chosen is Photograph - but if you would like to add the Wishing bit in too then that is fine :O)) I love this song by The Flock of Seagulls, takes me right back to school disco's and bad 80's haircuts LOL




So, simply incorporate a photo with your project this week - and remember, you don't have to use a real photo either, how about dusting off a photographic stamp you have got lurking in your stash, or downloading an image and printing that off and including it with your other stamping? The choice is yours and I hope that you have fun with your project. Once completed, please pop back and leave me a message with a link to the place you are showing your entry.




I have used a real photo for my project this week. Actually, this is a photo of me that was taken last year, on a train, on the way from Brugge to Brussels Midi station. We had had a couple of days in Brugge, gentle walks sight-seeing and rather less gentle stuffing of the face with chocolate....oh, the chocolate!!! I had the best time in Brugge and I think that the photo here actually reflects that - which is why I love it so much :O))




Anyways, I digress :O)) For my project, I took an 8" x 6" deep edged canvas and painted the back of it with Gesso - applying two coats to cover the surface completely. I then used Golden Texture Gel and popped this all over the surface and a little bit onto the edges too to blend them in. The beauty of using the Texture Gel is that it covers the join between the canvas and the wood and gives a nice medium to apply paint to.



Once this coat had dried I painted over the top with Cream acrylic paint - again, giving this two coats so it was covered completely. Once dried, I used a stipple brush and dragged a teensy bit of Ranger Black acrylic paint over the surface. This made the texture show up more as the black paint collected on the peaks of the Gel.



Next, I used a variety of my Stitchels stamps and the Avenue Collection by Crate Paper to make the embellishments. I stamped lots of images of flowers and butterflies and then cut them out, layered them and added gems and pearls for the centres.




I added a Twidley Bits chipboard corner, which I had prepped in the same way as the canvas, added Mini Mini Stitchels butterflies to it and then decorated with more pearls and gems.




Finally, to give a little extra bling, I made some little wirey beady pieces which I added to the frame, sticking them down under the flowers with silicone glue.


I have to admit something now....I started this frame two weeks ago but hadn't finished it - and then last week it took a different turn...and the reason was.....over on the Lots To Do Challenge Blog, the theme two weeks ago was Frames....then last week it was Stitches - see where this is going....so I am also entering this canvas for both of those challenges and being a total cheat LOL Well you can't blame a girl for trying ;O))


Thank you for looking and I hope that you enjoy the challenge this week.

Hels x

Taking a Journey or Two

Morning Peeps,

You know sometimes you fancy getting a bit creative but you either haven't got time or energy to make a big project? Well, last night I felt a bit crafty but my pain has been really bad this last couple of days - more so than normal :O(( so I knew that a big project was going to be impossible. I don't want to let the pain start taking over and ruling my crafty life aswell, because I think that a hobby is so important to making oneself happy. So, I made two ATC's using Journey as a theme and when I set out to make them I wanted to get two completely different looks, which I think I managed LOL

ATC #1

This is a hinged ATC ... I went thru a phase a couple of years back of only making hinged ATC's so thought I would revisit this stylee.




I cut some plain white cardstock to ATC size and tore one of the ATC's down the middle. This made the front piece. Next, I picked my stamps, using a sentiment from Stamp Attack, a Tim Holtz collection word and some Paperbag Studios images. I inked these with black StaZon and stamped straight onto the cardstock. Next I blended Mustard Seed, Spiced Marmalade and Fired Brick Distress Ink over the surface of the ATC's. I spritzed water into my hand and flicked at the inked surface to create a splotchy look.




I masked the man and woman image and then overstamped this piece with a Tim Holtz collection stamp which is huge and is made up of random numbers. Using Fired Brick for this stamping, I added a spritz of water direct to the inky stamp to make it a little smudgey. I removed the mask and then coloured the man and woman using Distress inks and a waterbrush.




The front piece was overstamped, again using the same ink and method but this time with a Tim Holtz collection diamond pattern. The inside of the front piece was overstamped again in the same way but this time I used a Tim Holtz collection swirly image. *do you notice that I seem to looooove Tim Holtz collection stamps? LOL




A quick blast with the heatgun to dry off all the inks and then a quick blend on the very edges of the ATC pieces using blending foam and Walnut Stain ink finished the inky part. I added some Grungeboard hinges which I cut from swirly uncut Grunge and then embossed with Fired Brick Distress powder, adding a little arrow of Grungeboard decorated in the same way and finally... a little Muse Token from the Tim Holtz Idea-ology range, fastened with a brad.





ATC #2

Have a I ever mentioned that my all time favourite paper in the whole wide world ever is... The Avenue Collection by Crate Paper? Well, it is! So being as I have not used this paper for yonks, I decided to use it on this ATC, combining it with a sentiment stamp by Penny Black and my favouritest ever butterfly stamp (that has been hibernating recently) which is from the Brush Strokes range by Penny Black.




I cut some card to the ATC size and then covered this with some plain cream paper from the Avenue range, I next tore some patterned paper so it was 3/4 across the width of the ATC and matted this onto a piece of black card, which I also tore.




I stamped the sentiment onto some more of the cream paper using a black Versafine pad and then edged this with Charcoal Chalk Ink. I matted this onto some more black card, making the bottom of this sentiment torn. Next, I stuck all the layers together and added two black brads top and bottom of the ATC and popped the sentiment onto 3D foam.




The butterfly was stamped twice, using black Versafine, onto patterned paper and cut out. I stuck this to the ATC using Glossy Accents, curling the wings to make it look like it had just fluttered in for a snooze. I added some little sticky back pearls to the body of the buttefly and finally stapled some ribbon and pearl string to the top of the ATC.




I really enjoyed making these two ATC's you know - it is good to revisit your old faves, using fave techniques and papers and it has given my Mojo a bit of a boost too :O))

Thanks for looking - have a great day and I would love to hear what you think of these two pieces of artwork :O))

Hels x