Mix & Match... Part 1

Goodly morning!  Cor blimey and thrice, where has this week gone huh?  One minute it is Sunday and the next we are waking up to Thursday!  Yikes!   Anyways, I have been busying myself in the Room of Stash playing with my DT pack from Jones of Nottingham.  I was sent the new Kaisercraft Mix & Match papers which are a mixture of kraft papers with red, white and black patterns... along with some cool sentiments and two sheets that are just perfick for cutting out - namely butterflies and hearts.  I have made a card (I know! a card!) and a tag (yep, you know how I loves my tags!)  Today I am showing you the tag... I will pop the card on tomorrow :O)

I used a couple of the papers that have white lacy doily images on them, covered a Size 8 tag and then added a punched strip of black cardstock to cover the join.  Now the cool thing with Kaiser papers is that along the bottom "info" strip the reverse side usually has a little patterned strip - seeing this red and white stripe on one of the strips was perfect to add to the black card punched strip, I cut it, edged with Distress Ink and then popped it over the top. 

I mentioned about the hearts... well, these are so pretty, a lacy design and the actual heart looks like it has three layers... well, it really does now as I cut three out and layered them up, puffing them with a paper stump and adding Pinflair behind to make them stay in shape.   The words are taken from another of the papers... says it all doesn't it?  I added a few paper flowers (also Kaisercraft) to the bottom of the tag and a pearly self adhesive strip to jazz up the bottom of the tag a bit but... the heart, it looked ok but it needed something.  I tried out a pearl, nope that didn't look right so I spotted my Kaiser butterfly stamps and decided to stamp a small one, cut it out, colour with Barn Door DI and pop him on... perfect!  A bit of red and cream grosgrain to make the bow at the top and voila, finished. 

That's all from me for today... I have a "job" to do... and if I sit here I will end up spending all morning doing aversion activities that will stop me from doing the really important thing I needs to do... tidy the Room of Stash!  I know! I know!  I am of slatternly persuasion and the old Room has got a wee bit out of hand again... simply a case of not putting stuff away after using it... and I have had a bit of a declutter and things aren't in their proper places... I may be some time... and I may even *whispers* de-cobweb the place too!    On that delightful note, I shall bid you all a very goodly day.... Thanks for looking!  TTFN

Hels x

Wish Pods!

...cor blimey! It has been a barren old month indeedily!   Mr Mojo decided he too wanted to go off on his holibobs and instead of just being normal and taking a week, oh no, he has to go and take nearly FIVE weeks!  I have been scratching around in the Room of Stash, looking to see if I can work without him but no, alas, I can't.  Imagine my enthusiam last night, well, actually, this morning at 1am, when I heard a great hammering and clattering in the Room of Stash... oh yesh, the old rapscallion decided to show his face.  So I have been up all night making sure that he is securely fastened to the floor in the Room of Stash, I used brads, screw eyes and jute to tie him down... hopefully it will keep him here a while! 

A few weeks ago I taught a class at Birds in the Barn in Essex and we were doing all things Fresco Painty and I needed to do a demo.. so I did a basic "painty ombre" background and then used a stencil with some Grungepaste, once dried, I used Cut & Dry foam to apply two colours of browny Fresco to ombre the seed pods too.  And that was about it... a bit of stamping in paint using Ellen's stamps and a bit of stamping with Archival using a script stamp and this demo piece went into my box of "stuff to finish sometime in the next 371 years!"   Well, after all the commotion of Mojo turning up last night, I hastened to the Room of Stash and grabbed the first thing I could see that needed finishing... and it was this.

I added some torn bits of Tissue Tape and then set about the embellishingments... starting with some Kaisercraft paper blooms which were very pretty but ever so slightly dull for what I wanted... I used Black Dylusions and a blue Cosmic Shimmer mist to bling them up... had another rummage and found some little card blossoms I made yonks ago and zapped those with the Cosmic Shimmer too.  Now the flowers were pretty but still not "big enough" so I added some flat Prima flowers behind them and blinged those up too.  OF course, I needed leaves so I nabbed some Artemio wooden leaves and coloured them with Peeled Paint Distress Paint, dried them and then added Forest Moss DI to two tone them.  I then popped some other embellibits on and slapped some Treasure Gold onto the pods and the card I had popped behind.  The word is made from Alphaparts which are stuck onto a little diddy bookplate.  I could've done a little panel of card to fit inside the bookplate but I wanted the stalks to show thru a bit so I just popped the letters onto the metal.

I shall away... I am on a roll at the mo and I don't want to turn me back on that old cad Mojo for too long in case he gets ideas and sneaks off again.  Oh I am happy to be finally back behind me desk and playing!  I HATE getting a crafters block!  Hope you all having a great week... Thanks for looking... TTFN

Hels x

Sunday Stamper - Week 311 - You Gotta Friend

Goodly Morning stampers and a very happy sunny Sunday to you all!   Thank you for all the great entries into last weeks' challenge, it was grand to see so many different interpretations on the theme.  This week we are moving on to look at... FRIENDSHIP.   Interpret the challenge theme in your own way: you could be making something for a friend, include the word "friend", be inspired by a friend... it is entirely up to you.  The rules:  make a little something - it can be anything you fancy.  Add in the theme AND some stamping, 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/web-photo-hosty site, you can join in via Facebook (tag my name on your upload) or by emailing me a small res. photo of your creation.  The challenge remains open until 21:00 Saturday 14th June 2014.

So!  A few weeks ago I received a fabulous parcel through a post.  You know my old mucker BFF Ellen over in America?  Well, she has only gone and designed some great stamps for Paper Artsy!  And now she has 6 stamp sets and, yep, I got the whole lot!  Not only are they very versatile, they are also so "her"... if you know what I means.   CLICK HERE to hop over to see Ellen and the artwork she has been creating using her new rubber-babies.     Armed with the new stamps, I set about making a really cool background for my tag.   Starting with a Distress Paint marble background using Tumbled Glass, Dusty Concord and Tattered Rose DP's, I had a lovely marbleage going on.  Then I used a couple of Tim's Layering Stencils and the corresponding DI's and added a bit of bubble-wrap and diamond patterns to the tag. 

The stamp sets of Ellen's I used for the backgrounds are EV05 and EV06 and for the leaves EV04. Using Archival Inks in similar colours to the painty backgrounds, I stamped out some bubblewraps and some little dotty images from EV05.  I coloured up a bit of cardstock to match the background and stamped the long criss-cross border from EV05, stamped it in Watering Can Archival and then tore it up so it has jaggerdy edges... once I had the background as I wanted it, I decided I best take a photo... and here it is:

INSERT PHOTO HERE

Errrrm... yeppo, stoopid-oopid strikes again! I forgot to get a photo of the tag before decoration... which is so annoying as it does look really great and my tendancy to over embellish everything strikes again, covering up all the lovely stamping!!!  YIKES!!!  If you look closely at the background you will be able to see the little stamped images... go on, look closely (teehee)   My embellishing... oh my embellishing... one of these days I will set meself a little challenge and make myself not use flowers, metal bits and bobs and make something totally flat... yeah, one of these days... in like a hundred years *Snort*  Anyways...  being as we are now in the Countdown to THE Birthday Week, I decided to add in my own little personal *date*... and realised (how many years have I known Ellen?) that her special numbers, i.e. 1036 Art, is actually an anagram (can you have an anagram of numbers????) of my birthday too!!! See!!!! It is kismet, or somefinks!   Oh, the sentiment is a Studio 490 stamp... nearly forgot to say!

Right, that is more than enough yakking for one day, well, on here anyways... my BFF Andrea is here for the weekend and I have paused briefly to yak to you here... and I shall now away to yak some more with her!   Thanks for looking, have a greeeeat day!  TTFN!

Hels x


PS.... GO PLATO @ Oulton Park... #BTCC :O))

Sunday Stamper - Week 309 - Wind of Change

Goooodly Morning Stampers and a very happy Sunday to you all!  Big thanks for all the lovely entries to last week's challenge... it is so good to see new peeps joining in too!  This week the theme is a little different to "normal".  Oh yesh, I am mixing it up a little!  This week (as the song title would suggest) I would like you to CHANGE SOMETHING.  So, be it an alterable (as I have done) a stamped image, embellishments, papers, cardstock... anything you fancy changing!  The rules are simples: make a little something - it can be anything that gets  your Mojo going!  Add in the theme AND some stamping (that is the important bit... stamping!) and then pop back here, leave me a comment with a linky to the place you are showing your entry and I can hop over and visit you.  If you haven't got a blog/web-photo-hosty site, worry not, you can also join in via Facebook (tag my name) or by sending me a small res. pic of your creation. (my email addy can be found by clicking on my pic over there *points left*)  The challenge will remain open until 21:00 Saturday 31st May 2014.
 

My entry this week is also my latest DT piece for Jones of Nottingham... I was over the moon when I was given this fabby Kaisercraft MDF Baroque Frame.  Isn't it a beaut!!!   It is big as well, about 15" tall so a lovely big project to play with.  I started out by changing the base MDF - using Kaisercraft Black paint, I used Cut & Dry to apply it to the surface and then a little paint brush to get into the nooks and crannies of the braoque design.  Once dried, I used a sanding block and took off some of the paint, paying attention to the open edges of the frame, so the original wood was showing through again.  I then used Vintage Photo Distress Ink to blend over the woody bits and colour them.  I love this effect, it makes the frame look really old and worn looking.  I toyed with the idea of adding Treasure Gold but decided to keep it shabbier looking.

The papers I used for the insert of the frame are the new Marion Smith Motley Papers.  These are adorable, lots of beautiful floral images and collage style papers - yum!   I am a bit bugged by that sentiment tho!  The stamping is cool, I love the sentiment muchly - from a Kaisercraft stamp - but hey, why is it wonky on the frame?  I dunno, I was careful when I stuck it down but it is still all a-wonk.  And, being as I am a stick-it-down-properly-first-time kinda gal, I used extra glue on the foam pads I used to raise the sentiment up... so it is stuck fast and I fear if I try to take it off, it will tear the papers underneath.  Humph!  Wonky words it is then!  I am embracing my mistakes lol    At the side of the word strip, I cut out little bits and bobs from the papers and layered them up - check out the ickle brolly!  That was part of one of the papers and works perfectly with the sentiment :O))

The flowers started life as plain white Coconut Kaisercraft blooms.  Now, the fab thing about using white flowers is that you can make them into any custom colour you likey!  I used a watered down Raspberry Cosmic Shimmer mist (it was too pink as it was) and then smudged Victorian Velvet Distress Ink over the edges of the petals to give them a bit of definition.  Also in my DT kit were some Kaiser embellies.. the little padlock, how cute is that!!! I couldn't not use it!  The pearls, sparklers and gem sprays are all Kaisercraft... and the little metal flowers are actually buttons from Jones.. seriously cute, I need more of those for my collection!  I jazzed up the floral embellies with some leaves that I cut using Tim's Movers & Shapers Tattered Leaves cut from green papers and scrunched up to make them a bit shabbier.    All in all, apart from the wonky wordage, I am pretty chuffed with how the frame turned out - I love that about altering stuff, take something brand new and plain and slap a bit of paint and ink on it and voila, it looks as if it has been around for a yonk and a half!

That is all for today... in time honoured tradition, it is actually Friday morning at the moment and I am relying on Mr Blogger to publish this post on time.  I am actually in Telford, teaching at Crafty Bunch, this weekend... I know I will be having a ball because I always do when I go there... Sue (she who makes THE best salmon sammiches in the world) always looks after me and she and the ladies who come to play always make me feel so welcome... and our Pauline is going to be there today and she is as mad as a barrell of monkeys so I know we will be laughing very lots!   As ever, have a grand day!  Thanks for looking and... TTFN!

Hels x

Easily Distracted...

...cor blimey and thrice alive!!!  It has been one of those weeks... you know, when you start the week full of goodly intentions to "do stuff" and end spending most of it doing "something else instead".  Well, my "something else" has been distracting me good and proper all week!  Oh yesh, the Greenhouse-That-Grim-Built has kept me occupied all week so all promises of sharing some of the stuff from the Jones' Retailer Day last Sunday has kind of been overlooked.  I meant to type up a blog post the other day but this week has fair whizzed past though.  You see, Grim has been on night shift all week and being as I am of a clumsy persuasion, I find it really hard to be as quiet as a mouse whilst he is in the Land of Nod during the day.  And why, when you are trying to be mouse-like, does everything end up being realllly noisy??  Anyways, taking the opportunity of the good weather and the fact that I have several hundred weight of cucumber, tomato, gourd and sunflower plants to pot on, I have been hiding out in the Greehouse-That-Grim-Built all week!

When I say several hundred weight, I am not joking!  I have never grown things from seed properly before - well, apart from a seed tray on a window sill which isn't the same thing - so this year, armed with packets of seeds and a new greenhouse, I got all down and dirty and planted all the seeds in all the packets... plus a load of seeds I had collected from Calendula and Morning Glory plants last year.  Little did I realise how easy cucumbers, gourds and tomatoes are to germinate.  At one count, I had over 40 cucumbers, 33 tomatoes and 43 gourds (not sure how that happened as I only sowed 37 gourd seeds!)  And of course, once these little beauties start to grow, they need potting on (get me, proper terminology and everything!)  Not to mention the Phlox, Sweet William, sunflowers (lots of sunflowers) and Sweet Peas.  The Sweet Peas kind of caught me out too... mainly because I didn't read the packet... after a month, not a single smidge of green was showing in the tray of Sweet Peas, so I got a bit grumpy, went and bought a different flavour of seed and sowed those too.  Impatience is not a virtue... Two months later I have 30 odd plants as they all decided to show their faces (not that I am complaining) so the one big tub of Sweets Peas in now three big tubs!

Anyways, the point of this waffle is my excuse for being a baaad blogger!  It would be just plain rude of me to ignore all those little plants - by the way, I have done a "clinical trial"  I decided that this "talking to plants" thing might be worth a punt.  So, I have little chats with them as they are growing... except for one pot of chilli seeds that I decided to ignore.  Well, sure enough, all the seeds germinated except for the single pot of chilli's.   There it sat, a pot of compost looking a bit forlorn... until a week ago when I said "if you don't start to show your faces soon, you are for the compost bin"  Sure enough, a couple of days later little green shoots have appeared!  So, it is true!  Chat to your plants and they will grow!  Simples!  Oh and I almost forgot... we have already had our first harvest too!  Oh yesh, I grew some radishes, just to see how easy they were... and nom nom nom!  They have grown perfectly and already been scoffed!  I have a massive tub of different flavour radish on the go now and another I am planting at the start of next week so that should see us through to July at least.  I am loving this gardening lark!  I hasten to add that I have found homes for a lot of the cucumbers/toms/gourd plants... there is only so much salad I am prepared to eat lol

This post is peppered with pics of the two tags I taught on the Jones Retailer day last Sunday - the blue tag, which is a Graphic 45 tag base, is from the morning class and is using the gorgeous new Kaisercraft Storyteller range of papers and two fabby stamp/stencil sets from Hampton Art... and the red tag is the afternoon class, that one is using the Be-YOU-tiful collection from Kaisercraft.

The card is using the Be-YOU-tiful collection too; the butterfly is a Kaisercraft stamp, the sentiment is also from Kaisercraft and the flowers... yep, Kaisercraft - these are Fire Fly colour - aren't they lushness!!!   I shall away now, I have bent your ear long enough with my tales from the greenhouse!  Have a great day... don't forget to check back tomorrow for the brand new CC3 challenge too.   Thanks for looking... TTFN

Hels x

Sunday Stamper - Week 308 - Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue

Goooodly Morning Stampers and a very happy Sunday to you all!  Many thanks for all your beautiful pink entries to last weeks challenge.   This week the theme is a nice simple colour one.... Use Brown & Blue.    To join in with the challenge is simples: make a little something, it can be anything you fancy.   Include the theme and add in some stamping and then pop back here to leave me a comment with a link to the place you are showing your entry and I can come visiting.  If you haven't got a blog/photo-hosty-thingy, you can also join in via Facebook (just tag my name) or by sending me a small res. pic via email.  The challenge will remain open until 21:00 Saturday 26th May 2014.
 

 
 My entry this week is actually a DT piece I made for Jones of Nottingham.  Today I am teaching at their retailer event - how exciting!!! Showing the shop owners all the gorgeous goodies available from Jones - I will be focussing on Kaisercraft and I will show you the project they will be making today a little bit later in the week.  Anyways, this shadow box is from Candy Box Crafts - it is really easy to put together, I used Cosmic Glue to stick the base together and then gave it a slap of black paint.  I cut a piece of the gorgeous Marion Smith Nirvana papers to fit inside the shadow box and then I covered the frame with more papers that matched perfectly. 

The insert paper has been inked with Tumbled Glass and Vintage Photo DI and then I did a bit of stamping with Kaisercraft stamps - the diamonds and bubble wrap and done with the same DI's and the dressform and butterflies with Watering Can Archival.  The sentiment is stamped in Jet Black Archival and popped onto some black card to make it pop.  I also stamped some butterflies and cut them out, adding them to the insert with a smidge of glue and a jewel for the body (from the delightful little Junque and Jewels embellies from Marion Smith)   As I seemed to be on a sewing theme, I covered a bit of Grungeboard with Claudine's  stickyback canvas and die cut the dressform (Tim's Sewing Room Alteration die) colouring lightly with Frayed Burlap DI and then scruffing the edges of the canvas and going around the edges with Walnut Stain DI.

And now for the embellies!  I had some cotton reels kicking about so I inked with Walnut Stain to age them and added string around and popped some little pins into them... the flowers are Kaisercraft blooms (more gorgeousness) and the rest of the embellies are from Marion Smith Junque & Jewels sets... check out that ickle push bike!  Nowt to do with sewing but it is so cute, I couldn't resist!

That is all from me for today... again, I am scheduling this post as it is really Friday night and I am just getting ready for my bed... up early in the morning (that is now yesterday) to travel to Hessle for my class at Craftique... and by now it is Sunday so I will be heading off to Nottingham.. I don't half get about!!!   Hope you have a great day, enjoy the sunshine!  TTFN

Hels x

Art Lady...

...oooh, I been a-playing again!  Unfortunately, this also means that I have been awake all night but at least it is "free" time to get inky and painty in the Room of Stash.  I bought a little wooden frame the other day when I was at Crafting Time - by Artemio - and being as I am sooo tidy (ahem) it was laying around on my desk awaiting transfer to the mahooosive pile of alterables that teeters in the corner of the Room of Stash.   And... also being as I am sooo tidy (see a pattern here?)  I hadn't put away the Fresco paints since my last playtime... so it would have been rude to just bung them in a box and not lurve them, wouldn't it?

Also, whilst at Crafting Time, my lovely friend Miriam bought me a set of Lynne Perella stamps that I have been lusting after for absolutely yonks... and being as I am so tidy (ok, ok, I am not tidy, I am a slattern!) I decided to ink up the little lady and see what she looked like.  Ohlalalaaa... isn't she a doll!!!   Armed with brayer (yes, addicted to brayering now, thanks Ellen!) I started off layering up colours... all in all, these are the ones I used: Vanilla, Butternut, Smoked Paprika, London Bus, Blood Orange, Squid Ink and Little Black Dress.  The cool thing about brayering is this... if you slap it on and don't like it, dry it, slap on more!  Easy!

 The original design had the lady stamped onto cream card... but she looked so plain... so I tried colouring her in.  Then she looked a smidge clown-like and as she is such an elegant creature, I didn't want to make her look daft.  What to do!!! I know, I will slap some more paint onto cardstock using the brayer.  And yes, check out that red line running down her face... that was a mistake but I liked it so it stayed!  The embellies are Kaisercraft paper flowers, Artemio buttons and Alphaparts.  This was a quicky project and only took about 40 mins... I have big ideas for this little lady though... that will have to wait til the next nightime-playtime though.

 I have news!!!  Oh yesh indeedily!  I have got a last minute telly box show booked for Tuesday 8th April.   I will be on Create & Craft from 12pm (noon) for a TWO HOUR show!!! Oh yipyah and thrice... a two hour show... just what you have all been asking for!  I will be on with some new goodies from Creative Expressions, new Sam Poole stamps and... the Melting Pot!  Hurrah!  Right, I shall away, I have prep to do today for classes this weekend and whilst I could quite happily sit here waffling to you, I know those images won't stamp themselves *although I am getting Grim in on the act, he is off this week and I am going to employ his inky stamping skills to help me :O)*   Thanks for looking... have a great day!  TTFN

Hels x

Nighttime... Playtime!

...teehee.... nighttime sure does seem to be a playtime for me.  As soon as the moon is up, I come alive, my Mojo starts zinging and I get all painty and inky in the Room of Stash.  I think I was a wampire in a previous life!    Anyways, last night I got all painty with some Fresco Finish paints, using a brayer to slap the paint onto the tag... am rather chuffed that I finally listened to my BFF Ellen, who has been saying for 462 years that I should try a brayer!  Well, I am always slow on the uptake!   Here's the finished tag....

And here it is before I decorated it.  Check out the stamping - that is using one of the gorgeous stamps from Wendy's Art Comforts stamp set, stamped first in Tree Branch, which is one of Wendy's new Signature Archival Inks... and then stamped again in Jet Black so I got a nice shadowy effect.  The texture is using Grungepaste mixed with a smidge of Little Black Dress paint and then spread through the Bingo stencil.  BTW, the colours I used for the background are: Butternut, Smoked Paprika, London Bus and Claret with a smidge of Squid Ink. 

Apologies for the rubbish photography, I couldn't get this one focussed for some reason.   Once I had the background done, I wanted to add some flowers (yip, for a change!) so I grabbed some gorgeous Kaisercraft blooms and hey ho, they are the right colours so no needs for colouring... those were popped onto the tag along with a couple of leafy diecuts and some embellies and then I stamped the sentiment onto cream card - this is a gorgeous sentiment isn't it?  Another Studio 490 stamp, from Garden Art.   I decided to leave the wordy background cream so it really pops off the tag.  And there you have it :O))

I had a grand old time getting inky and painty last night and have a few more backgrounds all ready for decorating... who knew the humble brayer was such fun!!!  Well, apart from our Ellen right?   I shall away now, packing up ready for my travels tomorrow to South Wales for my class at Dandie Craft on Saturday...  Thanks for looking, have a great day.  TTFN

Hels x

Favourites...

... I know, we shouldn't have them should we... but hand on heart, who can honestly say that they don't have "favourites"?  Thing is, I have so many favourites that I just think that everything I do in this arty bubble I live in is my favourite!  Anyways... the point of this waffle is to show what I got up to on Monday.  I was invited to teach a private class for two lovely ladies, Claire and Jane, 'round at Claire's house.  Gulp. Me, crafting, in someone elses home?  I was a bit scared that I would end up flicking paint and ink all over the place so before I arrived, I gave myself a good talking to.. "Hels" I said, "You don't have to be a mucky pup you know... "  "Don't I?" I answered myself...  "No, indeedily, you can be the cleanest crafter in the world *said in my very best Jeremy Clarkson voice* if you really try"   So, armed with lots of delish stash to play with, I arrived at Claire's, all ready to show just how neat and clean I can be.

Actually, I did manage to keep things relatively clean... I only got stuff on me, thankfully not on Claire, Jane, the cats, the floor, the walls... which is unusual seeing as you can usually look at my clothes and see exactly what I have been using on any particular day.  We had a wonderfully fun crafty day... altering a canvas with Distress Paints, yep, favourites...   Wendy's Embossing Paste, oh be still my heart, always a favourite indeedily... And lots of paper flowers... aha, more favourites... and embellishments... yippy-yi-ay, favourites.. and... Treasure Gold.  What more can I say huh?  FAVOURITES!!

The colours of DP's I used are Iced Spruce (fave!) Aged Mahogany (always a fave) and Victorian Velvet (new fave!)  Lots of watery drippage and then the embellishing bit.  I used a Crafter's Workshop stencil for my Embossing Paste bit... and of course, adding smidges of Treasure Gold really highlights the peaks and textures.  A big massive thank you to Claire and Jane for making me so welcome, feeding me delish food (why does it always come back to food with me huh?) and making the day so enjoyable!

Right, I shall away... today I am mostly die-cutting for my Ali-Craft class on Friday... oh and I didn't mention... I have a new arrival in the Room of Stash. Oh yesh, Ernie the EBosser has come to live with me!  Tis my Xmas pressie from Grim, I am soooo lucky! I have had a little play already and I am in lurves, it is sooo easy to use!  I will, of course, still use Victor because I loves him too but it just makes kitting for classes so much easier now, I can have both machines going at the same time!  Multi-tasking die-cutting!   Thanks for looking, have a great day!  TTFN

Hels 

Sunday Stamper - Week 290 - On The Wings of Love

Goooodly Evening Stampers and a very happy Sunday to you all!   Huge thanks for all your entries for the last challenge...  this week there be a new theme... and that is... WINGS.  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 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, you can also join in via email - just email a small res pic to me or via Facebook, simply tag my name and I can view your entry.  The challenge will remain open until 21:00 Saturday 18th January 2014.

Firstly, apologies for the late posting of this weeks challenge... this is because I am teaching away from home this weekend and couldn't get online this morning (thanks Mr BT for doing your engineering stuff lol)  So, better late than never, here is my entry for this weeks challenge.

I have been teaching at Pickwell Farm this weekend, I love teaching here, not only are the ladies who come along a lovely bunch, Carolyn and her family always make me very welcome... not to mention the ace shop, packed to the rafters with stashly delights... yep, tis a lovely place to be.  Anyways, this weekend has been all about the Melt Pot.. and I have made a canvas (actually I made two - I know, I never finish class samples and this time I managed to get two done.. get me!  A new year, a new me... pah lol )   My demo canvas is 8" x 6" in size and once I had painted it, I set about doing some beeswax collage.  Stamping onto tissue and then applying wax... and then.. I had a "lightbulb" moment!   So, I wanted to colour the beeswax.  How to do that?  Well, I have used Melt Inks before to do this, but they do bobble a bit in the wax, whilst they colour it, there's always a residue in the bottom of the mould.  So, I hit on the idea of using Mica Powders to colour it.. hey, it works!!! Yipyah and thrice, a new technique!  Check it out, how sweet is this flower!!!

I used a mix of Kaisercraft and Tim Holtz stamps... and yes, butterflies always seem to feature somewhere on a creation...plus faux porcelain flowers... and some Treasure Gold for goodly measures too...

I shall away now... I am staying in Southampton tonight as I am teaching a private class tomorrow and I needs food... so I am off to have a mooch about and see what I can find.  Thanks for looking, sorry again for the lateness of the post!  Thanks for looking, TTFN

Hels x

True Lurves...

...awww, friends of ours got engaged over Christmas... awwww, I loves a wedding I do, being a bit of an old romantic.  So, I made them a card.  Now, regular readers of my daily wafflings will be well aware that cardmaking isn't really my forte... but I do like to make special ones and personalizing them.. so I got my "pretty" head on and made this for them.

The papers are the gorgeous Violet Crush Kaisercraft collection that were in my Jones DT kit this month.  Check it out too... purple!  I know!  Told ya, I am turning purple this year for some reason.  Mind you, it isn't difficult with these papers cos they is lushness indeedily.  I added Seedless Preserves DI around the edges of the papers and card base - well, I can't make a clean and simple card to save me life, there has to be some sort of inkiness going on.  The words are computer generated and die cut with Nestabilities.  I added some Kaisercraft Wisteria paper flowers... but whilst they are gorgeous, they looked a little pale, so I smudged some more of the Seedless Preserves on to them and then slapped some Glue & Seal on the edges of the petals and then sprinkled Rock Candy Distress Glitter over the top so they sparkle gently.  A twist of ribbon and there it was made.  One day I am going to go on a proper card making course and learn how to do the fancy stuff that a lot of people do!

I am scheduling this post as today I am travelling to Pickwell Farm in Southampton for two days of Melt Pot Master Classing... so I better get a wiggle on and get myself some beauty sleeps!  Have a great weekend, don't forget to pop back tomorrow for a brand new Sunday Stamper challenge.  Thanks for looking... TTFN

Hels x

Coffee Time!

...tis a yonk and a half since I did any altered recycling and when my mate Sue sent me a tin of coffee a few weeks ago, I fell right in lurve not only with the contents (Nescafe Azzera - NOM!) I also fancied the little tin that the coffee came in.  Being as I drink gallons of the stuff, I soon finished the tin and got straight onto the alterations.  My Jones of Nottingham DT pack came through a few weeks ago and in it is the brand new Violet Crush papers from Kaisercraft.  Purple? And me? Not normally but these are SO gorgeous, I dived right in. They are... LUSH!

I cut strips of the papers to wrap around the tin, edging them with Seedless Preserves DI before sticking them down.  Once they were attached, I added a little "spine" up the back of the tin, adding some fabby natural coloured buttons, also from Jones, tying threads of jute through them - nobody likes a bare button now, do they?

I added some gorgeous Kaisercraft papers flowers - these are Wisteria coloured and I spritzed them with Black Marble Dylusions and a purple colour Cosmic Shimmer mist.  The Word Band had a smidge of Antique White Kaisercraft paint smudged into the letters to make them pop more and then I used my own brute strength to bend the Band so it curved around the tin.  Ok, ok, they are pretty easy to bend so I admit, I am not that strong lol *not as strong as the coffee I have been quaffing*   The sentiment is from a Studio 490 stamp set, stamped onto more of the papers so they co-ordinate and it was popped into a Memo Pin to hold it in place.  I needed a nice container for my paintbrushes, so here it is.  Please don't tell me off about the state of me brushes though, they are all well loved and the one that is really fat is like that on purpose - oh yes, I purposefully forgot to clean it out properly... ahem... mmmm, believe that?

I shall away now, I am scheduling this post and it is way past my bedtime... plus it is chillywillybilly here tonight... I am fair frozen, the radiator in the Room of Stash is hot but is has to try and get heat around a room that is, well, at best described as... messy.. or untidy... more like chaotic.  One day I WILL get it sorted... I will... one day!  Thanks for looking... have a great day. 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

Sunday Stamper - Week 287 - Cracklin' Rosie

Gooodly Morning Stampers and a very happy Sunday to you all!  Thank you for the fabby entries for last week's challenge... and also hi to the newbies who joined in for the first time too!  This week is a nice easy theme... another of my fave songs and I happened to hear it on the radio the other day and it stuck in my head... so I used it for the theme this week.  So, on with the challenge, which is to USE CRACKLES.  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 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.  The theme will remain open until 21:00 Saturday 21st December 2013.

So. Crackles!  A plethora of possibilities... use crackle paints, crackle mediums, crackle techniques... or do what I did and use a crackle stamp!  My entry this week is a veritable feast of Kaisercraft goodies.  Starting with the papers from the Art of Life Collection, cut to fit onto a Size 10 tag that had the bottom cut off and then re-attached with eyelets and string.  I LOVE these papers... so up my street colour wise and design wise too... perfick!

All the stamps I used are Kaisercraft, the Crackle, Sheet Music (on the band across the middle), the Diamonds and the sentiment which is on the bag of the mini tag.  The backgrounds were stamped with Potting Soil Archival (LOVE this one Wendy, thank you for inventing this colour!!!)  and the words and butterflies were stamped in Jet Black Archival.   Also, on the band across the middle, I popped some Walnut Stain DI'd Flower Trim that I slapped some Glue & Seal onto and then sprinkled Antique Linen Distress Glitter over.. I know, me, Glitter!!! Twice in a week!! Habit!!!

Because (uh-oh, Mrs Johnson, my English Teacher would be scribbling red pen all over this... starting a sentence with *because* baaad Hels!)  Anyways... because the papers are very vintage creams and browns, I decided to add some colour and chose red to be the "pop" I was looking for.  The butterflies are coloured with Fired Brick DI applied with a waterbrush... and the flowers (also Kaisercraft) were coloured with Black Marble Dylusions and Red Firefly Cosmic Shimmer sprays.  I added a few bits and bobs of metal and Idea-ology embellies and voila, done!  This is a DT piece for Jones of Nottingham... to see their website, please CLICK HERE.

I am all excited today!!! Oh yesh indeedily... for today I am actually going to crafty class and I will be a student instead of teacher!  I shall be venturing to Telford to the Clare Chervill class at Crafty Bunch... tis yonks since I did a class.. in fact, the last one I did?  With THE Wendy Vecchi 2 years ago when I was staying with Ellen in Baltimore!! YONKS!!!    Yesterday saw my very last class of 2013!  I am trying to work out how many classes I have taught this year but my old brain is on the blink and my diary is downstairs... I shall have to go and count them up.. must be very lots tho!   Whilst I love teaching and doing what I do, I am really looking forward to having a few weeks off "work" completely and being able to catch up on stuff around the house (yes, I mean those cobwebs!) and getting some *me time* in the Room of Stash too.  Anyways, whatever you are up to today, I hope you have a goodly one!  Thanks for looking... TTFN!

Hels x

PS.  Next weeks' challenge will be a two-weeker because of that thing Christmas getting in the way... and there will be CANDY on offer too :O)

Sunday Stamper - Week 286 - All You Need Is Love

Goooodly Morning Stampers and a very happy Sunday to you all! Many thanks for the fabby numerical entries for last weeks challenge... I know I says this all the time but I do really appreciate all the entries every week, makes me smile biggly to see your interpretations of my little challenge.  This week the theme is... *can you guess it?* LOVE.  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 linky to the place you are showing your entry so I can hop over and see your creation.  If you haven't got a blog, you can also join in via emailing me a small res piccie (my email can be found by clicking on my profile pic *points left*) or via Facebook, simply tag my name in your upload and I can come visit you.  The challenge will remain open until 21:00 Saturday 14th December 2013.

Guess what???   This is my 1750th post!!! That is one heck of a lot of wafflingtons isn't it???  And I noticed yesterday that I have 1600 followers now too... THANK YOU ALL for  your continued support!  Makes me heart happy!  

Anyways, on with my entry for the challenge.  So, the theme was going to be something else... which it can be next week actually so I shalln't tell you now... but I started making my entry and I used this stamp from Kaisercraft and it just seemed the natural thing to do... use the song title in the stamp!  And as you know, I lurves The Beatles more than any other band in the world ever... so it had to be done :O))   This piece is actually a DT thingy for Jones DT ... my December kit is a bunch of beautiful Kaisercraft 75 Cents collection papers... and the colours and designs are just so me... perfect for a spot of paper blocking right?  I cut pieces of the papers up and then layered them onto a photo frame (this is one of the *sadly* discontinued RAM frames from IKEA, I have one left now... )  I always use Cosmic Glue to stick me papers down, in fact, I use it for most things but it works perfectly for the paper blocking technique.  Once all the papers were stuck down and trimmed up, I did a very light wash of Antique White Kaisercraft paint to knock back the designs a little.  A quick zap with the heat tool and then a roughly applied layer of Glue & Seal to erm... seal the papers. 
 

The centre piece is actually a perfectly sized element from the papers, I cut it out and added a smidge of stamping to it; I made a template of scrap paper so the stamping didn't over stamp onto the edge of the paper and kept within the bordery bit.  The stamp is Windsor from Kaisercraft and I used Wendy's fabby Potting Soil Archival Ink (from her Signature Designer colours for Ranger).  I stamped the butterflies again, cut them out and edged with Walnut Stain to get rid of the white bits around the edges and then layered them over the base image.  The word is stamped with Black Archival to make it pop.  Now, I have to say, I have always been a bit of a "stamp snob"... you know, always favouring red or grey rubber and whilst I use clear stamps, I am always left a little disappointed that they don't stamp too well, they squish when pressed or don't ink properly.  I can safely say that this is SO not the case with these clear Kaisercraft stamps... I have tried lots of them and they all give perfect images... and they are not expensive either! Result!    The flower cluster was made using more Kaisercraft, the paper flowers are Sage and I added Black Marble Dylusions and Antique Green Cosmic Shimmer sprays to them to add bling.  Then I popped lots of little bits and bobs onto the design and added touches of Treasure Gold to finish off.
 

So, what you got planned for today?  I am going all "domestic goddess" and cooking a Sunday roast... contrary to what I was saying the other day on the tellybox shows, I do cook other stuff other than sausages... not much else I hasten to add but I have this tried and tested recipe from my dear MIL and whilst perusing the butchery bit in Morries the other day I spotted a rather nice looking piece of Brisket... so we are having Slow Roast Beef in Beer for dinner... I am drooling at the thought... oh and I got meself some sprouts too.  Grim won't eat them, he says they taste like "boiled farts" ... not sure he actually means that, I mean really? Has he ever tried to boil a fart I wonder... I must ask him!  Anyways, on that delightful note *you can always rely on me to lower the tone lol* I shall bid you a very goodly day and hope that you have a nice Sunday roast to scoff too!  Thanks for looking... TTFN

Hels x