Sunday Stamper - Week 330 - Fake Plastic Trees

Goooodly Morning Stampers and a very happy Sunday to you all!  Thank you all for your fab entries for last weeks starry challenge - it was great to see all the different ways you did interpreted the theme.   The theme this week is FAUX TECHNIQUES.  You can interpret the challenge how you like: faux rust, faux porcelain, faux metal...  the choice, it be yours!  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 *this is THE important bit guys, please remember your rubberstamps!*  and then hop 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 25th October 2014.
 

My entry this week is my class sample for today's Melty Distress Pot class at Daisy's Jewels in Coventry so I won't go into great detail on how I made it... I can tell you that I used Graphic 45's Twas The Night Before Xmas papers for my florally embellishment which I then dipped into clear UTEE in the Melting Pot and turned them into Faux Porcelain flowers and leaves... I LOVE doing this... in fact, it is probably the main thing I use my Pot for!

The background of the tag is Distress Ink - Antique Linen, Gathered Twigs and Walnut Stain... and then some stamping using Tim's flourishy stamp *this is one of my fave stamps ever* and a music score - both from old Xmas sets.  A smidge of beeswax appears on the tag... and there you have it.... I know, secretive today aren't I?  *teehee* :O)

I hope you enjoy the challenge theme this week - so often I chose a colour or a particular item, I thought that this was a nice one so you could go and get thoroughly messy in your arty spaces today - or all week for that matter as the challenge is open all week.   I shall away now... thanks for looking and have a goodly day!  TTFN

Hels x

Sunday Stamper - Week 326 - Paper Roses

Goooodly Morning Stampers and a very happy Sunday to you all!  Thank you all for your grand entries to last weeks musical challenge - it was great to see all your different interpretations of the way to use music in your art.   The theme this week is PAPER ROSES.  You can interpret the challenge how you like: make your own roses, jazz up some bought paper roses, stamp and layer roses... the choice, it be yours!  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 *this is THE important bit guys, please remember your rubberstamps!*  and then hop 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 27th September 2014.

My entry this week is a tag I made a few weeks ago using the new Twas The Night Before Christmas Graphic 45 papers.  And yes, there's one of my big old paper roses... as you all know, I LOVES making these roses... and yep, they do feature a lot on my creations... I am a great believer in sticking with what you like :O)  After layering up the papers onto the tag, I whizzed around the edges with Frayed Burlap DI to tone the white cut edges in... and added Tattered Leaves to the rose, along with a few bits and bobs to jazz it up.  So, where's the stamping???  Well, you see that ickle tag tucked in the middle?  The stamping is actually on this, just poking out of the bottom of the little tag... I know, not much there but it is ... proving you only needs a smidge of stamping to join in!

So!  What you got planned for today?  I am away teaching at JLT Crafts in Hinckley today... we are going to be getting inky and messy making a mixed media board... it will be fun!   Have a great day all... thanks for looking!  TTFN

Hels x

It's GIVEAWAY Time!!!

...oh YESH!  Indeedily!  Thrice and all that malarkey!!!   I have news!  Special news!!!    Being as it has just passed my 7th bloggy birthday, the lovely guys at Jones of Nottingham have very kindly offered a very special prize giveaway for me to do!   So, if you fancy grabbing yourself a very, very, very awesome prize, read on...

You see the papers I have used on this Candy Box Crafts frame?  They are the new 12 x 12 Graphic 45 Raining Cats & Dogs papers... and...one lucky person will WIN a 12 x 12 pad... all you need to do is leave me a comment on this post.  The giveaway will be open until 21:59 GMT, Tuesday 23rd September 2014 and the winner, who will be randomly chosen from all entries left, will be announced on Wednesday 24th September 2014.   Multiple comments won't be accepted, one comment per person please (and any duplicates will be deleted before the numbers are popped into Random.org)  If the winner doesn't claim the prize by 23:59 GMT Thursday 25th September, the draw will be re-done and a new winner picked.  So!  Whatcha waiting for huh?  Comment away!!!   

These papers are truly gorgeous... they have a very special place in me old heart, the colours and the beauty of the designs just really have grabbed me!  This frame is a 6" insidey bit and about 8" in total with the frame.  I cut up some of the papers - the little gal is just so pretty isn't she?  And I also cut more flowers out and layered them up... and then made some roses and added bits and bobs to finish the frame off nicely.

Look at those cute little puppydogs... aren't they just adorable?  Even AlfieCat likes them!   I shall away now... thanks for looking... and good luck!  TTFN

Hels xx

How Very, Very Remiss....

...BLINKING BLIMEY AND THRICE!!!!  You will NEVER guess what I have only gone and done!!!  Go on, have a little guess... anything?  Nooo, not that, you weren't supposed to know about that (teehee)   I have... only gone and completely forgotten my bloggyversary!  I know!   It is now 7 years since I began this little old blog... SEVEN years!!!  And this is the 1871st post... that a seriously very lot of waffling isn't it?!   Over the past seven years, I think it is fair to say, I have met some of the nicest crafty buddies, had adventures in foreign lands, had over a million hits (that blows me mind I can tell you) and I have managed to share lots of inky and painty creations along the way.  Thank you to every one who has ever visited, commented, joined in with challenges etc and supported me along this crafty highway I traverse.

Today I have a tag to show you... one of my Jones' DT projects for this month, this tag was made using the delish Graphic 45 Raining Cats & Dogs papers.  I am a sucker for anything that is black and white and I particularly loves these papers - the backsides of them have some fab black and white (well, off white, more like a vintagey white) patterns.  This tag is a Size 8, covered with a dotty and a gingham design paper with a strip of patterned paper across the middle to cover the join.  The flower is made up from Tim's Tattered Florals spikey flower, cut several times from the "front" of the papers and then layered up with a fancy button (also from Jones) to finish it in the middle.  The sentiment is one of Tim's and it is stamped on a little tag that is also from the same range - one of the extra strip sheets you can buy to go with all the lovely papers.

Today we are away to that London!  I have been longing to see the poppies at the Tower ever since I first heard about the installation and today is the day I get to see them.  Grim has ordered me a couple - I am being patient, they will be delivered after Xmas but I already know exactly where they are going to live... forward planning and all that!  If you haven't heard about this installation, HERE are all the details.  I think it is an amazing and poignant tribute to all the fallen of the Great War, I will take some photo's and pop back on later this week with them.   As ever, thanks for looking, hope you have a fab day!  TTFN

Hels x

In The Shadows...

...one thing I loves is papers... lots of papers... very lots of papers... especially new ones as they still smell so delish!  Do you do that? Get new papers and stick your nose straight into them?  Oh, erm.. just me then! *I do it with catalogues and paddling pools too you know!*  Well, I got some of the new Graphic 45 Raining Cats & Dogs papers last week, from Jones of Nottingham, so I could make some samples for my demo day last weekend at Coleman's.  I had a few blissful moments sniffing said papers (G45 always smell so nice!) and then I got playing!  I had a Candy Box Crafts Bird House to alter and whilst cats and dogs don't really go with birdy's, I saw that the reverse of the papers are so lush, they would do perfectly for the alteration of the house.

As I mentioned yesterday, I don't normally do flat pack as I am well aware of my limitations.  I have an admission to make.  I spent a while covering all the pieces of MDF, all carefully measured and marked, cut and inked and stuff... and then realised one of the sides of the roof wouldn't fit!  "How daft is that!  It doesn't fit, the tab is in the wrong place" Says I to Grim who I have called into the Room of Stash to see what I was up to.  And then, there was a clanking and a-banging noise as the penny very loudly dropped.   In actual fact, the genius guys at CBC hadn't put the tab in the wrong place... oh ho, no, this idiot here had put the paper on the wrong side of the roof!  Oopsies!! So, if you are making a bird house, check you have your paper on the right side... ahem... quite! 

Isn't that gingham gorgeous? One thing I loves about G45 papers is the backsides are always so pretty (backsides, you know what I mean lol) so even though the theme of the papers is all things four legged, it worked perfectly for our feathered friends too.  The flowers that are adorning the roof are actually from the additional strip sets you can get to go with the paper collection... I just popped them out, inked the edges and bunged buttons onto the centres... and then fixed them to the roof.  Simples!   I have a few more samples using these papers (and the Xmas ones) and will be blogging them next week.

That's all from me for today... I am busy playing with ink and stuff in readiness for my next lot of DT projects.  Thanks for looking, have a great day! TTFN

Hels x

Sleigh-ed...

...eeek!  Christmas!!! Already!!!  I had a demo day at Coleman's last weekend and had some samples to make before I went and amongst the things to alter from Candy Box Crafts was this mahoosive sleigh.  Now, I don't do flat pack, I have NEVER done flat pack... the nearest to doing flat pack is me, armed with a butter knife and a hammer.  Thankfully, these little fella's go together a whole lot easier than a normal flat pack so I attempted a transformation and this is what I made!

I used the new Graphic 45 Twas The Night Before Christmas collection papers to cover the body of the sleigh - painting the runners with Kaisercraft Black paint... and gluing the papers down, sanding them so the edges were nice and neat and then edging around with Frayed Burlap DI so the papers looked nice and vintage.

Now this fella is a biggy, from one end of the runner to the other is just larger than 12"... so imagine just how many chocolates you could pop into this and have it as a nice room decoration at Christmas... or... using it as a table decoration filled with crackers... or... buy some little bottles of bath smellies and fill it up for a bespoke pressie.  Pretty cool huh!!!  And... Candy Box Crafts also do a smaller version too, perfect for filling up with more choccies (I have a thing about choccies obviously)   Anyways, this is one of my DT projects for Jones of Nottingham this month...

I will be back tomorrow with another creation made using more Graphic 45 papers... in the meantime, I am off to lay down in a darkened room, all this talk of Christmas has me having a fit of the vapours!   Thanks for looking... TTFN

Hels x

Little Shop of Curiosities...

...oooh, I have been very lucky because I have been playing with those totes-gorgeous Graphic 45 papers, the Old Curiosity Shoppe, which are the focus on for July's Snazzy DT. Below is a sneaky peek at my main project = all the deets can be found HERE - what I used, more pics etc. Also, don't forget that there's the monthly comp where you could score yourself a set of the papers and stamps too! HERE are those deets.



Now then, mahoooosive thank you's to everyone who left a birthday message for Grim - he was well chuffed to read them all (yes, he needed his specs lol) We had a lovely time on the Broads... except poor old Grim has been struck down with some kind of gastric flu. It started last Weds evening and slowly he got worse and worse bless him. He was determined to go ahead with our weekend plans though - and he was so bad that he couldn't even stomach his birthday cake! And no, it wasn't home made lol


Anyways, here's the boat we had: I took several months off my lifespan blowing up all those balloons, oh yesh, all ten of them... blown up by me! I tied them to the back of the boat and none popped, although a few did deflate (reckon I hadn't tied the knots tight enough)




And... we had a beautiful morning on Saturday - gloriously sunny so I matured my freckle moustache a wee bit more... and then about lunchtime the skies clouded over and we had the mother of all storms.



I embraced my inner witch (I am sure I am one you know, I get so excitable when it is stormy!) I took a couple of pics of the storm in the distance... about ten mins before it got to us. Thankfully the boat had windscreen wipers so I could see where I was going... just about, if I stretched and craned my neck - one of the drawbacks of being a shorty.


Right, I shall loves ya and leaves ya... that to do list has suddenly grown over the weekend again... starting with several tonnage of ironing... I may be some time! Thanks for looking... TTFN

Hels x

On The Block...

...It would seem that I have become a smidge addicted to this paper blocking technique that I found HERE a couple of weeks ago. Yep, totally addicted. Mainly because it is collage, it uses my patterned papers that have been very neglected of late... and it just appeals to my inner control freak and I can add loads of layers and grungyness too.


This here piece is a 5" x 7" canvas board and I used some papers that have been nestling quietly amongst my paper stash... the Graphic 45 Hallowe'en in Wonderland pad. I have only used these a couple of times because I hated the thought of cutting into them... but time has come to be ruthless. I know I can't be the only person who buys papers and then is reluctant to cut into them... can I? Then I thinks "what's the point of having a stack of papers that I never use and will eventually be so old that I won't want to use them?" So. I cut them up! I used Cosmic Shimmer glue to stick the layers of paper to the board (tis the BEST glue) and then gave the whole thing a wash with watered down Traditional Tan paint (the BEST paint!) The darker lines around the edges of the blocks are done with a Stabilo All pencil (the BEST pencil!!) and I used a babywipe and my fingernail to smudge the lines up, you could use a charcoal pencil just the same though. Adding some texture to the piece is my fave bit, mixing DecoArt Texture Paste with Trad Tan paint and then smooshing through a Crafters Workshop stencil... love the effects that gives.




Another neglected crafty item in the Room of Stash is my Stampotique collection. I haven't had chance to play with these for a yonk and a half, so I inked up Heart Throb and coloured him with a waterbrush and some Distress Stains. The little Bat is from the Hallowe'en Cube, he is coloured with Pumice Stone and Bundled Sage DS. The sentiment, makes me LAUGH everytime.. makes me think about me in the morning, I am soooo not a morning person. Anyways... I you can see I didn't embellish the piece, not a single smidge of Idea-ology/metal/charms/beads etc... I am forcing myself to be "clean" and not layer so much stuff on.. not sure how long that will last but I will try... a bit lol All of the goodies used on this project are available at The Stamp Attic... take a trip over there to see the mahooosive range of Stampotique stamps that Wendy has in stock... HERE are the deets :O)) Ooh, and while I think of it... Wendy has been playing and has made an amazing tag... tis on her blog HERE... go and take a peek, tis LUSH!!!





I am feeling icky today so I shalln't stop and waffle (a tad of gastric flu has come to stay)... that there pic is (nabbed from Grim) the Olympic Torch passing by yesterday. Oh yes, two hours, in the pouring down rain... but it was worth it for the atmosphere alone.. all the schools in the area (ok, both schools lol) had all the little ones lining the route too and they were all cheering and making a racket which just added to the specialness of the occasion - oh and, we got a free bottle of Coke too from the sponsors vans that passed by just before the Torch (freebies... mmm hahaaha) Anyways, I should get a move on... as ever, thanks for looking... TTFN!

Hels x

Merry Christmas from Hels, Grim & AlfieCat...

Goodly Morning and Festive Felicitations to one and all! I thought I would pop on today and do a very quick post to say Merry Christmas to all of you lovely peeps who have supported me and this blog this year... and also I want to show off just how clever my little AlfieCat is....



Oh yes, he took time out from mousing and snoozing (not at the same time) yesterday afternoon to make his Daddy a Christmas card. Now, as you may recall, he took over the Room of Stash earlier in the year when it was Grim's birthday and made a really cool steampunky card... and yesterday he made a really cool Christmas card....



I had a few scraps of my fave Graphic 45 Christmas papers left over and he diecut them to make a couple of mini rosettes (he had seen Aunty Ellen do these and wanted to try them) ... and he cut some Grungepaper into holly shapes using one of Tim's Alterations. So, now AlfieCat has Ink on his Paws... and is walking about making noises about setting up his own blog so he can show off his crafty makes and dead mice.... not sure that anyone would want to see the mice though lol



Before I go, I have a very special Christmas message for you all from us Sheridan's.... CLICK HERE to view it in it its entirety......



Anyways... that's all from me for today... I hope your Christmas is all you wish for and you have a wonderful and peaceful time..... Thanks for looking... TTFN!



Hels x

Simon Says.... Tickets Please...

... Tickets Please... that reminds me of one morning... in a previous life... I had stopped my train at London Bridge station and a lady came up to the cab and said "A pigeon got on the train at Blackfriars and he is still on there" So... I replied... (much to my shame) "Oh dear, I bet he hasn't got a ticket either... these fair-dodgers...." Thankfully she had the grace to laugh a bit... However, I have digressed before I even started! Well, this week the talented folks at Simon Says Stamp & Show are asking to see Tickets on ones (ooh get me, all posh-like) artwork.



So... I decided to have a little play and made a tag... for a change like cos I haven't made one for about... erm... three weeks (ok, a smidge of a white-lie there but...) A couple of days ago I had a delivery... yes, I got the new District Market Tissue Paper. Well, I had seen it, read about it, heard about it... and I thought that it would be terribly remiss of me not to try it out for myself. So, I just did... and wow, I lurves it. For those who haven't got this yet, here's what I thinks; it is packaged in a box, like one of those Cling Film boxes from Morri's and it has a metal serated cutter built into the box. Now, I don't know about you but in the House of Sheridan whenever we get about half way through a box of Cling Film, cursing starts because the box is collapsing and the "cutter" is blunt... well, I can't see how this would happen to the Tissue Paper box, it is really sturdy and the cutter is metal... coolio! Anyways, enough about the box, here's about the product. Imagine if you can, Tim's Tissue Tape... without the stickyback... and a little more papery and less waxy.. there you have it... Tissue Paper. It is quite sturdy too... not flimsy but not too thick.




I have used it to cover a manila tag - using Ranger Glue & Seal to stick it down... and then popped some Antique Linen Stain over the top, dried this, then blended the edges with Gathered Twigs DI. The holly branch is stamped in Sepia Archival and one thing to remember... the ink doesn't soak in, so you need to heat set it. That's what I mean about it being a smidge waxy coated. I made some Tattered Pine Cones... oh I am SO loving these and have mastered the making of them... I just roll them up a couple of times and dab some glue on as I assemble... tis seemingly working anyways!
The tree is made up from the latest Alterations Strip die - Lace Borders. I cut these from Graphic 45 papers, layered them onto cardstock and then die cut the tree. I then used more Gathered Twigs to distress the layers and flicked them up with my fingernail... The ticket is an Adage Ticket and I am a smidge miffed because I have nearly run out of them and I wanted the word "wish" and haven't got any left... so bliss had to do instead. So, there you have it... voila, another Christmas tag.


So... time for a quick update about the old war-wound. Well, the Doc said it would be about a week before I started to feel any benefit... and it would get worse before it got better. Tis over a week now and... I think I can safely say... it hasn't worked! Ho hum, well, at least I tried I guess... back to the drawing board again. Thank you all again for all your lovely messages, it has been very comforting to know that there are so many lovely kind peeps out there... Right... time for a quick telly catch up and then bed... thanks for looking.... TTFN!

Hels x

So, I Really Don't Do Hallowe'en...But...

...ok, I admit it, I sure do open my big old trap and say stuff... only to go and have to eat my words a few weeks later... and this time it is no different... So... a little known fact about yours truly... I don't really like... Hallowe'en *gasp! shock! horror!* So, my Hallowe'en stash is very minimal... I have a few sets of Inkadinkado clear stamps (erm... used once) and one of Tim's sets of Hallowe'en... you know, the one with the big ink splot and the raven... not that Hallowe'eny really. Well, when I saw the new Hallowe'en set from The Duke of Distress I really did think... yuk! *hangs head down low in shame...* However... I spied the new set (Retro Hallowe'en) hanging on the wall in The Stamp Attic the other day... and mysteriously they fell into my basket! Tis true (they fell, I didn't pick them up... mmm, do you believe me??? LOL) ... I so fell in lurve with the cat, the bat and the owl... and then studied the witch and decided that she was suitably cool to come and live with me... as for the skelington, he is just perfect!




And... last week the ever so loverly and uber talented Lynn Stevens sent me a Hallowe'en Shrine, tis a beauty to behold... and her note said she was going to convert me... well, she has! I spent the whole of yesterday fiddling with the new stamps, inking, distressing, embossing, layering and generally making a right old faff of them.




You see, I had it in my *ever so blonde* head that I had another of those 9" Shadow Boxes... you know, like what I used for the Sunday Stamper yesterday? Well, I painstakingly cut out five witches, coloured them in and had plans for making them into a hangy pennanty thing for the top of the box... erm... when I found only a 6" square one... never mind, they will come in useful for something else. However, I had also managed to procure (oooh, get me, sounds like I have been a good girl instead of a baaaaaad Hels buying new stash LOL) the Hallowe'en in Wonderland Graphic 45 papers. Not being a huge Alice fan or a huge Hallowe'en fan didn't put me off these cos... they have... a checkerboard design (you know, like my Ferdy has on his roof???) Anyways... I used a piece of the checkerboard, painted with a wash of Clam Shell Eco Paint and then I made... ectoplasm!!! Ok, not real ectoplasm cos I am not a ghost, at least I don't think I am... I used Moss Eco Paint and watered it right down, sploshed it onto the top of the paper and then let it drip down the page... drippage is cool! (There's that word again... drippage... many thanks again to Ellen, I am so gonna use this word alllllll the time LOL)




I cut out a couple of Alice images and popped these into the box... then I went to pop my skelington into the box and he had a mishap... he had stuck his tibia and fibula to my craft sheet and it snapped off...but hey, he isn't complaining LOL The bat is made from Grungepaper and DI's... and isn't he just soooo cute... his little chops look ever so surprised... the owl was popped onto an old twig and then I altered an old re-inker bottle... I knew I was saving it for something... the label is actually stamped from the other Tim Hallowe'en set I have... I just coloured with DI's and splatted some re-inkers onto it to make it look old. Tis far too big for the size box I used but... I wasn't going to give up on it... not after all that faffing!




So... the box, altered by painting Eco Paints on, then Old Paper Crackle, coloured with Peeled Paint DI and then I flicked Rusty Hinge re-inker at it from an old paintbrush.... supposed to look a bit like blood that has gone old but it didn't quite end up looking like that ... but never mind... it is an adventure. So, all in all... I am totally loving Hallowe'en and yes, I am so eating my words about those stamps! Next time I will wait til I see things in the real before gobbing off ROFL Thanks for looking... have a fabby day... TTFN

Hels x