Sunday Stamper - Week 271 - Waterloo Sunset

Goooodly Morning Stampers and a very happy Sunday to you all... as ever, many thanks for the fabby entries for last weeks theme.  This week is another colour theme and I would like to see some... SUNSET/SUNRISE colours.  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 to leave me a comment with a link to the place you are showing your entry.  If you haven't got a Blog/Photo-hosty-thingy, you can also join in via Facebook (simply tag my name on your upload) or via email, attaching a small size pic so I can see your creation.  The theme will remain open until 21:00 Saturday 24th August 2013.

My entry this week and the goodies I used have totally inspired this weeks theme.  I love those Sunrise/Sunset papers from Finnabair for Prima and it is a wee while since I played with them.  The other night, after stuffing our chops full of BBQ deliciousness, me and Mary took a little trip into the Room of Stash for a spot of artyness.  Starting with a 6" x 6" base piece of board, I used up some of the offcuts from the paper pad (never throw anything away!) and created a paper blocked background.  After a very quick smudge of mushroom paint over the papers to blend all the designs together, I gave the whole base a good coat of Ranger's Matte Glue & Seal.  This is my "safety net" for what else I do to the base.  Because Glue & Seal is completely waterproof when dry, if I make a boo-boo with any of the next layers, I can wipe off what I have done and I haven't ruined the papers on the base.

I set about adding some texture with Ferro texture paste, using a Crafter's Workshop stencil... and once this had dried I used my Stabilo All Pencil and went around the edges of the paper blocks to give them definition.  Next up came the stamping... my fave Magenta "stalks" stamp which comes in so handy for a little border or filler image.  I use Jet Black Archival for the stamping - it needs to be a permanent ink because of the Glue & Seal and as ever, give the ink a zap with a heat tool to set it.

I made a big old flower bundle using white paper flowers that I coloured with Dylusions Sprays, Cosmic Shimmer Sprays and then a zap of Black Marble Dylusions to give them a nice metallic look.   I also gave the base a light spritz with the Black Marble because I do love that inky splatty look.  Assemblage was completed with the addition of some stalky bits I found in my stash and the ickle Prima birdy that I coloured with Treasure Gold.  A finishing touch of some Alpha Parts to make the word and attaching the mini hanger finished my creation off.

I am having a lovely weekend... I am in Durham meeting up with friends and today we are off to a crafty show in Washington... mmm, maybe I might see a few things I *need!*   Have a great day whatever you have planned and as always, thanks for looking!  TTFN

Hels x

Sunday Stamper - Week 238 - Everyday I Write The Book **PLUS GIVEAWAY**

Gooooodly Morning Stampers and a very happy Sunday to you all!   Thanks for your entries last week - very "heartening" to see so many lush creations :O)  This week the theme is a nice simple one to see us into the New Year.... and it is... WRITING.  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 don't have a blog/Picassa/Web-photo-hosty-jobby, you can also join in via Facebook or by email.    There will also be a giveaway this week as a thank you for joining in with my little challenge this year.  The prize is this tag that I have made for my entry this week and to win it, simples, just leave a comment and you will be entered: Leave a comment AND join in... you get entered twice into the draw.  The winner will be chosen randomly and announced on next Sunday's challenge post.  The challenge will remain open until 21:00 Saturday 5th January 2013. (wow, I wrote 2013 for the first time! yikes!)

I have to admit that for the past few weeks my old Mojo has been having a bit of down time and I had to drag him kicking and screaming into the Room of Stash last night.  It is oft the case when I have a few days off that he sneaks off to hide.  Well, I wasn't having any of that so I set myself a challenge, you know, to tempt him home.   The challenge was to make a tag *yes, comfort zone but it is easier that way with Mojo, he is a miserable so-and-so when he wants to be*   Next on the challenge list was use some of the Treasure Gold stuff I got from PaperArtsy at the NEC and haven't really had a chance to play with.  I also had to incorporate some stencils and some texture paste.  *ok, ok, that is all my fave stuff isn't it?  So, erm... really?  A challenge?  Erm... nope, but it helped to whet the old Mojo's creativity lol*   I started by chopping off the bottom of a large tag - tis a size 10 I think.   I then used some of the lush Studio 490 Embossing Paste (this stuff is LUSH peeps) and mixed it with a smidge of Ferro because I wanted a grittier texture.  This was then smooshed though a couple of stencils and set aside to dry.  Tis worth remembering to clean your stencils immediately when you have used Ferro/Embossing Paste cos it dries really quickly and it does stick (oh-ho, there speaks the voice of the lazy moo who thought waiting til later was a good idea lol)

Once dried, which is only a few mins really, I used Liquid Leaf Silver, painting right over the top of the tag.  I then got my brushes and applied patches of different coloured Treasure Gold wax... a quick zap with a heat tool to make sure it was set and then a quick buff with a soft cloth.  Aha!  I am there, sitting, staring at the gorgeousness of the Treasure Gold and thinking "weeeelll, I loves it but... it is too "in your face" for what I want....."   So.  I got some Traditional Tan paint and using my most favourite applicator tool (my fingers) I picked up a bit of paint and kind of massaged it over the tag...  "Mmm, nice"  Says I. *the effect, not the masssaging, that would make me sound like a weirdo lol*   "But it over-powers the background"  A bit of head-scratching goes on and then I thinks "I know, I shall use a babywipe to knock the paint back a bit"   Which I did.  Which worked!  Hurrah!  Now, as many of you lovely folks know, my skills at photography are, for want of a better word, diabolical (actually, that is rather a better word, I could have just said "rubbish" like I normally do lol)  So, it is with regret that you can't really see how the paint has reacted with the Treasure Gold... I did try really hard to get an in-focus shot but...erm... I couldn't. 

Anyways... once I had the background just how I wanted, I added in some stamping (phew, for a moment it was nearly a "Sunday NOT-Stamper" this week!)   It is my fave script stamp of all time, from Letters To Santa which is a Tim Holtz stamp set.  It has to be my most used stamp, it just is totes perfecto.  I also added a smidge of script to the metal butterfly embellie which is from Graphic 45 - I love those butterflies so much and alas, I only have one left, I think I needs to go on a shopping foray to find some more!   I added on lots of paper flowers, all layered up, spritzed (a la Finn styleee) with Black Marble Dylusions and Teal Wash Cosmic Shimmer to add some more bling.   Check out the ickle star - that is an Embellish Your Art Studio 490 piece, I just added some Treasure Gold to it to tone it into the design.  Oh and check out the ickle Crow, he too is a Studio 490 EYA piece... how cute!

Right then, that is all from me for today... what a lot of waffling I did there eh?   Don't forget, just leave a comment and you are in the draw, leave a comment and also join in (ie, make something!) and you are in twice.  If you join in via email or Facebook, please do add a comment onto the post and remind me you have joined in that way so when the numbers go into the hat, you are in there twice too :O)    I shall away... I have been bitten by the crafty bug again after my little play and I want to go and make the most of Mojo being at home!   Thanks for looking... have a great week and... Happy New Year to all my lovely Sunday Stampers!  TTFN

Hels x

P.S.... 12 Days to CHA!!!!! *I actually think I am doing remarkably well by not waffling on alarmingly about my forthcoming travels... mind you, there's still time lol*

One Day Only Giveaway!

As I alluded yesterday... today I have a special giveaway for one randomly chosen entrant.  A few weeks ago I was asked if I would like to take part in a special promo for Homecrafts.  The remit was they send me one set of these fab reindeers for me to play with and one set to giveaway on my blog!  Well, how could I refuse?  The reindeers are made from papiermache and are really sturdy.  They are available in two sizes, 25 x 22.5cm and 20 x 17cm.   To be in with a chance of winning the set of reindeer, all you need to do is leave a comment for me here and click to follow my blog if you don't already.  As I mentioned, this is a one day only giveaway as I want to get the winner chosen and announced tomorrow so I can pop them into the post tomorrow or Saturday.  How simples is that!   The closing time for the last comment will be 23:59 today... any comments left after that time won't be eligable for the draw.  I will use Random.org to pick the winner for us.   It is worth popping over to Homecrafts as they have a wealth of crafty supplies on their website.  HERE is the linky to the reindeer page if you want to buy some anyway :O))

My reindeer was coloured with Gathered Twigs and Walnut Stain DI... and then I smidged a bit of Black Soot around the edges using Cut & Dry so I could get into all the nooks and crannies.  I then spritzed him with Heirloom Gold Perfect Pearls Mists and once dried, I dabbed some SnowCap Dabber along his back and antlers and then sprinkled Rock Candy Dry Stickles over so he has a snowy look to him.

Here they are, in their un-altered state :O))

 
 I added some Ferro texture thru a Crafters Workshop stencil for a bit of detailing and cut out three mini Cardinals using Grungeboard and coloured them with DI's and stuck them together so it was thick enough to sit on his back.  The garland around his neck are some little berries that I got yonks ago, can't remember where from tho!   This altering took me about 30 mins... seriously quick or what!?  The larger one is going to be altered much more slowly, when I have a little more time to play... I have plans for him!

Right, I shall away... apologies for the slightly later than anticipated time of blogging, we are experiencing bad probs with our internet again... tis the trouble with living somewhere that doesn't have cable... and I am sure someone around here is doing a whole lot of downloading every night lol   Don't forget, to be in with a chance of winning, just leave a comment and click to follow if you don't already.  That's all for today... thanks for looking and have a good one!  TTFN

Hels x

Sunday Stamper - Week 122 - Paint It Black

Morning Stampers... hopefully Mr Blogger will be assisting me and popping this post on for me at the right time LOL Thank you ALL for your inspiring entries last week... lovely interpretations of the theme. This week is an easy theme... and it is... BLACK. To join in, all you need to do is make a piece of art, add in the theme and some stamping and then leave me a comment here to the place you are showing your entry. And... this week the challenge is sponsored by The Artistic Stamper... and the prize is... aha, I will keep you waiting a bit longer LOL The challenge will be open until 21:00 October 2nd and the winner will be chosen at random and announced on next weeks Sunday Stamper post.




I made a Shadow Box for my entry, using Ferro and Terra to make a texture on the frame and stamping in to it with some of the fab background stamps from The Artistic Stamper... don't forget that to go with the Cog stamps there are now some new SteamPunk images... oooh and a FAB SteamPunk Santa - cannot wait to play with him :O)) I used Claudine Hellmuth Studio Paints to colour the Ferro and Terra; Trad Tan (what else could I use?? LOL), Sable Brown mixed with Trad Tan, Sable Brown and finally Charcoal Black... this is such a deep pigmented black paint it just really colours whatever you are painting it onto. I used Cut & Dry foam to apply all the paints and once they had dried, I popped some Rock Candy Cracklepaint onto the barest bits... this just added that bit of extra texture.





I used Gold Dabber to add some metallic to the raised bits... then went over it lightly with more black paint and then added Viva Inka Gold... I loooove this stuff... it reminds me of hair fudge... don't worry, I haven't tried it on my luscious locks (tongue firmly in cheek there LOL) though.




I heated up some clear UTEE with a couple of dabbs of gold and white UTEE popped in on top, in the Melt Pot... this gives a really cool varigated look (I so know that varigated is not the word I need but my brain has gone blank... help please?? LMAO) Anyways... once the UTEE had melted I poured it into a little mould I made using Mold & Pour (this is the COOLEST owl in the WORLD and was a pressie from Ellen... I had to make a mould of it so I could use him again and again....) So, the ickle owl then had some black StaZon rubbed over him to emphasise the details on him... and I used him cos I think his eyes look a bit like cogs :O))




Right... so... the sponsored challenge this week... well, the prize is a set of the brand new SteamPunk stamps from The Artistic Stamper... speaking of which, all the stashy bits used on my piece today are available from there too :O)) Here is a pic of the prize... along with some KlingOn to mount your stamps onto. To be in with a chance of winning here is whatcha need to do: enter the challenge with a piece using stamping and the theme (reminder that it is BLACK), leave me a comment here with a link to the place you are showing your piece. You can also join in by clicking to follow my Blog and the Artistic Stamper Creative Team Blog... if you click on the name it will take you there... and there is a post there about this too - just leave me a comment to let me know you have become a follower (or already are!) :O)) And... as a double whammy, if you enter and use Artistic Stamper stamps you will be entered into the draw twice... double the chance of winning... coolio huh?



Right, I have taken up enough of your time... btw, it is Friday night at the moment... I am being soooo organised and have got everything ready for the weekend... oh and... my entry will be at Ally Pally with me if you would like to take a look at it :O)) Thanks for looking... have THE BEST day! TTFN

Hels x

Teally Textured...

**edit... DOH! I just seen I spelt the title wrong... dur, musta left my brain cell in bed today LOL*
Goodly morning... I have a new favest product... I know, I seem to have fave things all the time ...but at the moment I am loving Viva Ferro... it is a metallicy gritty texture paste and I found out last night that it bubbles when you heat it up... a happy accident needless to say. I was faffing with a canvas for my last DT contribution for the Fiskarettes and was using the Ferro and stamping into it... I over watered my stamp and the surface of the Ferro was a tad...erm... soggy... so I used my heat gun to dry it off and it started to bubble... hurrah 'cos I have only a smidge of Terra left - which always bubbles when you use heat on it. If you would like to see how I made this canvas, please hop on over to the Fiskarettes - it should be on there shortly :O)) And because my other fave thing at the moment is making flowers, I used some Turquoise Ten Seconds Studio metal and the Paper Artsy Hot Picks flowers again... I loved those gold ones I made the other day, so made some more :O)) I popped some wire spirals behind them and a metal stud into the middle. I can feel an addiction coming on LOL




You will never guess what I found the other day... I meant to tell you but I think I blanked it from my mind cos it is rather yuk... if you are eating, you may want to look away now LOL You know that my AlfieCat has been playing outside since we moved and that we laughed at him at first and said he would never be able to catch anything? Well, of course, he proved us wrong, we have had several birdies and mices brought in for us... bless him, our little predator loves bringing pressies home for us. Well, the other day I was sitting in the living room watching the telly... and I heard some thumping about in the kitchen. I went to investigate and there was Alf, flinging a mouse about and playing with it... needless to say, I managed to grab Alf and get the mousey off him... too late for old Mickey though *sad face* so he had a burial in some tissue paper and off he went into the great big Mousey Hole in the sky. Later that day, AlfieCat is running around like a loon in the dining room... I didn't see evidence of mices so thought he was just having a mad moment... Well, the next morning as I was walking through the dining room you will never guess what I saw on the table! Mickey's brother! Yes, laying there on the table was a deceased mousey. Eeewwwwwww!!! We think that Alf brought home another mouse and was flinging it about like he does and it landed on the table... and... the table is out of bounds to him so obviously he couldn't go and retrieve it... I didn't know whether to be mad at him for bringing in yet another Mickey or to praise him for not going on the table! Serves us right for laughing at him and saying he would never be able to catch anything! He has got a collar that has a big bell on it... I reckon he turns into StealthCat when he goes outside. Anyways... I thought I would tell you what he has been up to cos a few peeps have been asking after him recently... there you have it, we have a seriously stealthy predator AlfieCat now LOL Thanks for stopping by... have a grand day... TTFN

Hels x

Sunday Stampers - Week 115 - I Got The Music In Me...

Morning Stampers... cor, what a loverly array of delish art on display from your blogs for last weeks challenge... thank you all for your entries... I have done the Random.Org thingy *still cannot fathom how to get a piccie of it on here...* and #11 was chosen... which tallies with Daniele who entered using Artistic Stamper stamps... which means her name went into the draw twice. Congrats to Daniele... I will send Jennie your deets so you can go and choose your stamps :O)) The new theme this week is... chosen by Grim :O)) I was struggling to come up with a new theme... I have started to pick ones we have already done... and Grim came up with the theme... MUSIC. To enter, all you have to do is make a piece of art, include stamping and the theme...in this case it can be the word or music score/instruments etc... and then once you have blogged it, leave me a comment here and a link to the place you are showing it... then I can hop over to see your creation. The challenge will stay open 'til 21:00 Saturday August 14th '10.




So, this week I wanted to make a shadowy boxy jobby... but... disahhhhster dahlings *said in my best Craig Revel Horwood voice*... I haven't got any shadow boxes!!! I figured I could use the back of a canvas... but wanted to make the frame textured and the folded canvas would ripple when it got damp... so I hacked the canvas off the frame, very nearly removing a fingernail in the process too...eeeek... I ended up with a blank wooden frame... to which I stuck a piece of mountboard covered with Tim Holtz papers from the Lost & Found stack.




I made three Grungepaper roses... using the three different size stamps from the Studio 490 range... stamping a (Tim's) music score on the Grungepaper and then colouring with Fired Brick DI. The frame was splodged with Terra... stamped into... head dried to make it warty... then splodged with Ferro.. stamped into... heat dried for speed... then a combo of paints smudged over the top... Trad Tan to start off with, then A Dash of Red, then Charcoal Black - all Claudine's paint BTW... The paint was applied with Cut & Dry so I had more control over the application of it. The gold paint is a Dabber... my Precious Metal gold is deaded... thick and gunky and yukky... does anyone know how to resurrect it??? Can I add water I wonder???




Finally, I plopped big dollops of Rock Candy Cracklepaint onto the flatter patches and set it aside to dry. Once this had crackled, I rubbed some Inka Gold onto the crackles to make them pop... then rubbed some Rock Candy Stickles over the whole thing. The photo's are flashy and not showing the textures too well... trouble with having to use a flash! Thanks for looking... I hope you like the new theme and fancy a play this week... have a great Sunday! TTFN

Hels x

You Never Make Anything Like That For Me...

...were more words uttered by my dearly beloved Grim... on Saturday night, when I had just made the Sunday Stamper for this week... and what is it about him??? He has this inbuilt sensor that susses out any surprises I am planning for birthday/anniversary/Christmas etc pressies for him... anyone else have a hubby like that??? For example... I will think to myself that I will buy him a CD for his birthday/anniversary/Christmas etc and lo and behold, he walks through the door a few minutes later holding the exact same CD I have been thinking about buying for him... thus spoiling another pressie idea... So, for the last few months I have been a-thinking *don't worry, I do my thinking sitting down now-adays... otherwise the old brain cell will become exhausted* that I want to make a piece of wall art for Grim for his room - he has a Room of Equipment - which is not unlike my Room of Stash... save for the fact that his room is much smaller ROFL. Anyways, I have been saving bits n bobs for months now... you know, to put on this piece of art for him. So, the Sunday Stamper was a "trial" piece to see if I could make what was in my head... I showed it to Grim for approval... and that is when he said..."you never make anything like that for me"... typical! Anyways, I decided to go ahead and make the piece... and here it is:




I used Terra, Ferro and Rock Candy Cracklepaint to make a really texturey frame... and... please all make sure you are sitting down, you may faint when you read this... I didn't use... Traditional Tan!!!! No, not a single drippy drop went near the piece... I used... Claudines Blank Canvas, which is as nice as Trad Tan but not the same colour ROFL.




I also used Claudine's Teal paint.. which was a tad dark for my project so I plopped *don't you just love that word... plopped...say it several times and all of a sudden it sounds really funny... erm.. just me then???* Where was I? Ah yes, the texturey bit... stamped into, heat dried, splodged with paints... added shimmery colours using Precious Metals Paints - Silver and Turquoise..using Cut & Dry foam for applications... and then finally... Silver Dabber... plopped onto a craft sheet, picked up with already filthy dirty fingers... and smudged over the Rock Candy bits...





The bits in the middle... old letterpress letters, the Battleship from Monopoly... Grim usually is the Battleship... and reckons I should now be... the Old Boot (charming huh?) The numbers make up his birthday and age *yes folks, you have found out the truth, Grim is 84 LMAO.. he's not really, I just said that to ensure you all know I have a sugar daddy LOL* The key next to the watch pieces... Life-Time... the ickle train... if you didn't know already... Grim drives trains for a living (which is where we met, all those years ago when I was a young slip of a gal, starting my training and they put me with him so he could teach me how to drive trains for myself...ah, misty eyed memories...anyways... enough of the slush) The heart on the wings...cos even now, after all these years together, he still makes my heart flutter *sorry peeps, am I making you feel ever so slightly queasy with all the sentimentality?* The bottle with the silver bead chain - that is supposed to be Vodka, his fave tipple...the crown, cos he is my Prince Charming... and the propellor cos he loves planes... and the Swallow... ah, that image used to adorn the old ladies of the railway, the Intercity 125's or HST's... and Grim drives those, they are his favourite *as they were mine too* and finally, the resistors around the frame... cos he loves all things electrical and gadgetty :O))




So... how long is this post??? Well, cos yesterday I broke all traditions and did the shortest post in the history of Ink On My Fingers... I decided to bore you all rigid with my inane wafflings and witterings about this piece.. I could have just said... "this is what I made Grim for his birthday" but then you may have been left wondering why in the heck I had added so many random things to a piece of art... I just thought of a better title for this... it could be... Art Imitating Life...mmm, nice! Anyways, I am offski... Grim has a week off work *hurrah and thrice* so we are off for a gentle stroll cos I have that horrid nasty spasmy thing in my back again and I can't move about properly ... a gentle stroll may just ease it up! Thanks for looking... and if you have read to the end of this... a hug for you for reading my waffles... TTFN...

Hels x

Sunday Stampers - Week 114 - Something Old, Something New...Plus Candy!

Morning Stampers! oooooh, tis a very exciting day today indeedily! First of all.. many many thanks for all the lovely entries last week :O)) Secondly, I am all of a dither with excitement because it is a few short moments until the brand new Artistic Stamper Creative Team Blog is going live! And... in conjunction with the new montly challenge over on the new blog... the theme for this weeks Sunday Stamper is... Old & New. All you need to do to join in is make a piece of art that contains some stamping and the theme... leave me a comment here with a link to the place you are showing your piece and then I can hop on over to see it. To be in with a chance of winning the Candy, which is sponsored by The Artistic Stamper and consists of two sets of the brand new stamps which are launching today... worth £15.. and the Kling On to mount them onto. If you also click to follow my blog here, and use Artistic Stamper stamps on your entry, you will be entered twice into the draw. And.. there is no limit on the amount of entries you can make either!




I have gone into greater detail over on the Creative Team Blog about how I made my entry for this week... so I won't bore you with lots of waffle... one thing I will say is that everything I used is available from The Artistic Stamper...except for the Letterpress Blocks...them's mine LOL




I hope that you get chance to pop on over to the CT Blog... there's more candy over there to be won... and again, the more times you enter, the more chances you have of winning :O))





So... tis an exciting day... a new blog launch, a new challenge launch and new stamps launching too... what are you up to today??? Will you be relaxing and taking it easy or will you be getting inky and messy *which is what I will probably be doing LOL* The Sunday Stamper challenge will run until 21:00 Saturday August 7th and the Candy winner will be announced on next weeks challenge... thanks for looking... have a goodly day! TTFN

Hels x

Sunday Stamper - Week 98 - Maxwell's Silver Hammer

Morning Stampers...isn't it just the most divine weather??? Guess what??? I know why!!! Cos it is Ally Pally weekend and it is always glorious! Anyways...THANK YOU for all the lovely entries and comments last week...it was an all time high with 62 comments left. It may not seem many compared to some challenges but the Sunday Stamper has always been just a little challenge, it was so great to see so many new faces too...and I do hope peeps will return, not only for today..but also, next week will see the Century of the Sunday Stamper...100 themes...and I have a little secret, which I know I can share with just you cos I know I can trust you...there will be not only a special theme...and some candy donated by moi...but also ... fabbbbbby prize candy has been donated too :O) Speaking of Candy... I have just done that Random.org thingy and it packed up on me...so I reverted to more technical ways of picking a winner randomly...and wrote all the names on paper, folded it up and then picked it from a hat...well, actually, a bowl, can't find the hat..think that Packing Fairy has put it away somewhere....so .. the winner is;

CHRIS - congrats hun ... please can you email your addy so I can pop the stamps and Kling into the post for you - email details etc are on my main Blogger Profile :O))

So, this week the new theme is hammers....AHA, only joking...it is SILVER...I have picked another old Beatles record...I do love the Beatles you know and use any excuse to mention one of their songs! So, all you have to do to join in is make a piece of art...include stamping on it and also the theme...this week is a doddle easy one :O)) *saving up for next week LOL* Then, once you have blogged it, please leave me a link here and I will be able to call in and see you :O))




I have got inkier and messier making mine...I say inkier cos you should see the state of my hands after playing at Ally Pally all day...they are minging LOL I started off with a fabby little wooden frame which is about 6" square. I coated the bare wood with Gesso and then smoothed on some Terra (which is like a fine gritty texture paste) and some Ferro (which is like a gritty metalic paste) and then used the brand new and incredibly divine Cog stamps from The Artistic Stamper, )spritzed with water first so they release out of the Terra/Ferro) and randomly stamped onto the surface.




Next I used my heat gun and dried the frame...drying the Terra with a heat gun isn't necessary - it will air dry...but...when it is heated, it goes bobbly and warty *I have said this already I know but I did get a few mails about what it is and how it works*. I then painted over the top of the surfaces...applying it with Cut & Dry foam is the best way to do it so it doesn't overload in any patches.




Another zap with the heatgun and then I used Precious Metal paint...Silver colour...mmm, lush...again using Cut & Dry to apply this...then dried it again...and then very gently applied a little more black paint on the bobbly bits to emphasise them. The heart, face and clock embellies are made from a combo of clear and silver UTEE poured from the Melt Pot into moulds, made using Mold & Pour. The little clock is actually a mould of one of the new Idea-ology watch faces. I added some black StaZon to the UTEE pieces - using my finger to apply it cos it means more control... I think this just makes the whole piece pop a little bit. Finally I added some more Idea-ology to it to finish.




The centre piece is made from white card which I coloured with Silver and Marshmallow Glimmer Mists. I edged the whole card with Black Soot DI then smooshed the pad onto the craft sheet, spritzed with water and popped the large coggy background into it...then stamped straight over the card...dried with a heatgun and then used some more of the cog stamps for the background, using Black StaZon. The sentiment is fab isn't it? My fave font ever...and this was stamped, cut down and popped onto 3D foam for added dimension. The stamps, frame, Terra, Ferro, Precious Metal, UTEE, Mold & Pour and Idea-ology can be purchased from The Artistic Stamper...and I will be taking this piece to Ally Pally with me today if anyone would like to see it in the real.



Thanks for looking...have a brill day...again, if you are at Ally Pally today, please pop by to see me and Jennie - Stand #49 - where we are demo-ing incredibly divine Spray Mists by Crafty Notions..which are totally lushious! Oh, BTW, the challenge will be open til 23:00 next Saturday 17th April...and then there will be the biggy next Sunday. Also, I just wanted to say THANK YOU for all your lovely comments on my blog...and apologise for not getting around to see you all during the week...that Packing Fairy has naffed off with my hat but not bothered to pack anything else up yet ROFL

Hels x

Metal-I-Like-A

...Oh ho ho, I am trying to be funny haha today...the title...Metal I Like...with an A .. means ... Metallica LOL *just me again then????* I have got inky and painty and messy with some Ten Seconds Studio metals, Ferro and Terra along with some Precious Metal paints and some Idea-ology...adding in a bit of stamping to boot.




The base is a Maya Road book page, Gesso'd to prime it and then the bottom half is covered with some Ten Seconds Studio silver coloured metal, which I used on a Kabuka mold, just picking out random squares...then antiquing with black paint and colouring with Glimmer Mists.




The top half has Ferro on the left hand side, which is silver..then stamped into...and Turquoise Precious Metals to highlight and then a few dabs of Silver Precious Metal on top. I used a Sequin stamp from The Artistic Stamper to get the bobbly look...it is such a versatile stamp to use for texture on backgrounds. The other half of the top half...*or if I was a mathematically minded bod, I would have said quarter!!!* was covered with Terra, which was stamped into with a dotty background and the sequin stamp again...then once this was dried, assisted by the heat gun, I painted it white, then used more Precious Metals to colour this in to match.



I added an Idea-ology frame, again aged with black paint, then silver paint over the top...the sentiment is a new Studio 490 stamp...and I added the large heart, stamped onto silver metal and refined to give it texture, adding Grungeboard swirls behind....and then finishing off with a 3d metal rose, stamped onto Peacock TSS metal, swirled freehand and black paint again and then popped together using silicone glue.




Thanks for looking...has everyone been watching the Ranger legends on QVC? How fab to see Suze, Claudine and Tim on the telly :O)) *and I have to admit, I may have made a little order LOL*

Hels x

On Terra Firma....A Brief Stop From The Magic Carpet

...Actually, technically speaking, so to speak, I am on Terra Firma...but my head is away high up in the clouds...or at least I have to admit that when this piece started out it was supposed to be for the Play Date Cafe challenge which is HERE...but once I got cracking on it the colours I was supposed to be using got covered up with loads of browns and blues and then I added Terra, stamped into it...then went a bit bonkers with the gold paint....erm...so it isn't an entry after all ROFL This is another entry for the OWOH giveaway...I am just so blown away with the amount of comments I have had on the original post that I wanted to add this one it to say THANK YOU for all your lovely comments....




This piece started life as an 8" square canvas which is a cheapy one from The Works...and has a shallow side, which is excellent for flipping over and using as a shadow frame, the recess is just the right depth. I prepped the canvas back with Gesso...a couple of layers which then made the excess canvas curl up, so off that was chopped and then I layered some Terra over the whole of the frame...and whilst this was still relatively wet, I stamped into it with a diamond background and a script stamp. This looked ok but a tad boring...so on went the Trad Tan paint ... ah, yes, I have a confession...I am now on my 10th pot of this and I think I should take out shares in Ranger...I seem to be keeping them afloat with my Trad Tan paint purchases LOL




Once the Trad Tan was dry, I used some blue and then some Sable paint (more of Claudine Hellmuths amazing range) Still a bit boring...so I used some Croco paint and slapped on a few patches of this....think it was the Bronze colour...but to be honest, by the time I had finished faffing with the paint, it kind of got covered a bit.




Still not happy with the frame I hit on the idea of using Gold Ferro...now, if you haven't used it...you must...it is so versatile and has a great texture that is just perfect for stamping into...again, using the diamond pattern...just remember, when stamping into Terra or Ferro so scrub your stamp before it goes in and as soon as it comes out...otherwise it sticks like .. er...stuff to a blanket (note how ladylike I am being today)




Finally I was happy with the frame... so I got the old Melt Pot out and heated up some Beeswax....readied some tissues and napkins and made a collage...using sections of the printed tissues/napkins...cutting out the birdies...and remembering to leave their tails on this time ... and then used some of the plain layers of tissue to stamp onto...using the same ones as used for the frame...and also a cute ickle birdy by Crafty Individuals. I used Timber Brown StaZon for the stamping...blimey, this pad is soooo dry...new one needed immediately I reckon!




The finishing bits were popping some gold Precious Metal paint over the frame, toning in all the colours to a blend I was happy with...and then I added a couple of shapes I made using Fimo and a Push Mold...and added some Micro Beads and pearls...and lastly, the obligatory mini bottle...where would my art be without Trad Tan and mini bottles eh?




Thanks for looking...have a great day and....if you haven't already seen the OWOH posts and giveaways please scroll on down to see what I am entering for the swaps...cheers!

Hels x