Sunday Stamper - Week 157 - Reasons To Be Cheerful

Goodly Morning Stampers and a very happy Sunday to you all... many thanks for the wonderful creative entries last week and welcome also to so many lovely new participants. This week is another easy theme, again, another fave song of mine and one which I hope you will have going around your head all day (mwahahahahahahhaaa) So the theme this week is.... to use STASH THAT MAKES YOU HAPPY. To join in with the challenge, all you need to do is make a little something - it can be anything you fancy, include the theme and some stamping. Leave a comment for me here along with a link to the place you are showing your entry and then I can hop on over to see you. The challenge will remain open until 21:00 Saturday 11th June 2011.



I altered this little box when I was at Ranger U... after the class with Claudine Hellmuth, we were given this box, a pile of stamps and paints and left to play for half an hour. How cool! I naturally, because what else would I use, grabbed the Traditional Tan paint and gave the box a good old coat of it. Once it had dried, I used some of Claudines fab foam stamps and used Modern Red, Sky Blue and Landscape Green and stamped all over the box.




Once these had dried I used black Archival ink and overstamped using the co-ordinating clear stamps, off setting the images slightly because I had seen Claudine do this and I think it looks fab... it reminds me of 1950's style kitsch which I lurve. In the box are ten tags all from the class with Claudine - the first one on the ring is the Gesso Etching technique... which I featured on yesterday's post if you missed it :O)) **BTW, thank you for all your lovely comments... Julie left some FAB ideas for taking this technique to the next stage... I shall be trying those... so thank you Julie :O))**



That's all from me for today... I am planning a big fat Sunday roast, beef in beer with roasties and Yorkshire Puddings... and of course, lashings of grrravy... oooh and the British Touring Cars on the telly... perfect Sunday!!! So, what you got planned for today? Whatever you are doing... have fun and get inky! Thanks for looking... TTFN

Hels x

Hi Honey, I'm Home...

...Cor Blimey!!! Indeedily!!! Nay and thrice!!! I am back... actually I have been back in Blighty since Monday afternoon but something happened on the plane on the way back from America and I have had to cope with it ever since... oh yes... indeedily (again) and nay and thrice (again) what happened on that plane was... I got chuffing jet lagged! Oh I know, we are only supposed to get jet lag when we fly out to America... because we are adding five hours onto our day... but oh no, I had not even a whiff of it when I got there. No, instead, it hit me coming home... to the point that I am barely functioning at the moment...

Not quite sure what I was doing on this one ...

I spent Monday afternoon sleeping... then having the deepest bath imaginable... like nostrils only showing hippo-fashion... (please don't try to visualise that... it will make you ill too) Then I watched a bit of telly... and had some supper... and slept... like 10 hours... then yesterday... pain levels were quite horrendous so I confined myself to the comfort of the sofa... and moaned a bit... watched a bit more telly... moaned a bit more... watched a bit more telly... slept a bit... ate a bit... you get the picture I am sure.

Soooo much to choose from!!!

This morning I leapt out of bed, full of vim and vigour.. actually, that is a fib, this morning I crawled out of bed and have since laid on the sofa, eaten a bit, watched a bit more telly... snoozled a bit... and now... I am forcing myself to stay awake! How can it be that I get jet lag on a return journey that is saving me five hours huh? Always one to do things the wrong way round I guess lol

And... yes, I left some on the shelf!!!

So... this rambling waffle is interspersed with more photo's from my amazing adventure... to say I had the time of my life would be an understatement. From the guys at Ranger and all the lovely friends I made, to the wonderful week with Ellen and Jack... I can't possibly put into words how awesome the whole adventure was. I am truly lucky to have such amazing friends, who all made me feel really welcome... and ever so special too. That's all from me for now... I need to go and lay down on the sofa again... oh and in case you were wondering... I did manage to bring a few packets of Cheesy Chester Cheeto's back with me... (like half a suitcase full lol) I am working on them as I type lol ... Thanks for looking... TTFN!

Hels x

Did Someone Say...

...get inky? Whoohooo, I had THE best time at Ranger U, I may have mentioned that in previous posts... well, here is a pic of the tags that we made during the classes with THE Duke of Distress... there are 56 of them.... all loaded with different techniques.




This is the Chipped Enamel Technique that I lurve... and I jazzed up the tag a bit so it looked pretty. Some of the tags literally have the technique on... which is probably for the best for me otherwise I would have still be there faffing about with rubber.. mind you, that wouldn't have been a bad thing!



I can't believe that this time last week I was in the air on my way to the start of this adventure!I have been hopping about and found a few pics with me in that are ok... so I have nicked them :O))



Eeeeerrrrm... this one...well, it just shows how batty I became after three days of euphoric excitement sharing a classroom with the one and only Tim Holtz... this is my "Iamhavingthetimeofmylifeanditismakingmeabitbonkers" face....





I am having a ball with Ellen... making inky things... shopping at Michael's and The Queen's Ink... more pics of those trips tomorrow though... enough already for today (hey, I am getting an American accent!!!)Thanks for looking... have a goodly day! TTFN

Hels x

An Awfully Big Adventure... Day 3... Freckles Makes A New Friend...

Cor blimey... how long is it since I blogged?? Well, I know that it is too long seeing as my New Year Resolution was to blog daily... and I promised you all I would blog daily with the adventures I am experiencing... but truly... I couldn't blog because... erm... I was a little distracted lol So... this post is FULL of photo's... not much waffling (whatcha mean hurrah!!?) I will add captions for the photo's and probably these captions will get bigger and bigger and then it will be a mahoosive post and you will get bored rigid... so indulge me please though.. I am going to be a "photo bore!"




So... Freckles, or RangerCat as he is now known, made it to class on Day 3 of Ranger U and was found sporting a brand new cloak - apparently, he made it from an inky babywipe and drew an R on it in Sharpie Marker (and no, Melissa, you can't borrow it again rofl) I managed to get Freckles to stop messing about on the mailbox and pose for a piccy... he is such a star!




The very one and only Duke of Distress did Freckles a hooooge honour and agreed to a photoshoot... honestly, Freckles has been impossible to live with since then... to the point that he went out and got sloshed on Sunday night... slurping his way through a whole Pina Colado and then passing out, blind drunk, with his legs in the air.




Whilst all the shenanigans with Freckles was going on, I was diligently working away in the background... and I came out of Ranger U with ... my CERTIFICATION!!! So, finally I have been Certified! As a Ranger Educator that is... whatever else were you thinkin'?



The excitement of the whole weekend has left me utterly knackered and totally awestuck at the organisation, the amount of prep and hard work that does into making Ranger U a truly unforgettable experience. I want to say a mahooosive to Tim, Mario, Alain and Justin, Claudine, Patti and Debbie and everyone else at Ranger for all their amazing efforts in making this a truly unforgettable experience.




While I am saying thank you's, I would like to include my Ranger Sisters... we started off our journey together after a horrendous day of cancellations and delays and hanging around at airports but I truly think that this just made us all bond so much quicker... I know I have made amazing friends for life and I just want to say thank you to Candy, Linda, Yvonne, Cheryl and Sarah for making my Ranger U even more special. I am going to shut up now otherwise I will end up blubbing and that is so not a pretty sight!



At the end of Sunday's class, Ellen arrived and came to see us in the classroom... I had a cunning plan that I would try and get a Tim Tag for Ellen and she was lurking around next to me so I hissed at Candy to distract Ellen so I could talk to Tim... mwahahahaaaa.... cunning plan worked... and Tim very kindly did a tag for Ellen.




After the class had finished a group of us went to Applebee's... I ordered a celebratory Pina Colada but that pesky Leopard snuck in a slurped it... so it would have been very rude not to order a Bahama Mama and sample that... well, it is the first booze I have had since New Year's Eve.. so I guess I am allowed! We had a right laugh in Applebee's and yes, the booze probably went to my head... so we had some...erm... unusual photo's of us taken... needless to say, when I get home I am crash dieting, liposuctioning and botoxing... with the odd facelift thrown in for goodly measures! Oh and the bruise on my arm is not from having to be forcibly removed from limpeting myself to Tim... much more boring... I did it by pinching my arm with my carry on bag... ooooouch!!



Yesterday morning we set off back to Ellen's house and of course, had to stop at MaccyD's for a breakfast... nomnomnomnomnom... little piggychops lol




When we arrived at Ellen's I was greeted with this... WOW, how cool!!! Ellen's lovely OH, Jack, had put up a Union Jack along side the Stars & Stripes... what an honour!



Then we walked into the living room and... COR FLIPPING BLIMEY... check out the curtains.... they are ever so special... click on the pic to see exactly what these "curtains" are made from... I have to say I nearly pee'd myself when I saw them. Jack has painstakingly punched a hole in the top of 90 odd packets of Cheesy Chester Cheeto's... threaded with bent paperclips and then hung them from a chain... you see, I have a little bit of an addiction for all things Chester Cheeto-y... and I can't get them in the UK!



When I got to my bed... I saw a HOOOGE bag of Cheesy Chester Cheeto's sitting waiting for me on my pillow... suffice to say... I will be positively glowing orange by the time I come home... oh and Candy had been wonderfully kind and brought me three bags on Friday... so...erm... I have been scoffing them... er... a very lot!!! Today we are planning at crafty afternoon... I am buzzing with ideas after the weekend... and can't wait to get inky again! Thanks for looking.... I hope you haven't nodded off... promise to blog more this week... I have just downloaded my emails which I didn't check since Weds evening... 352 of them to look at... I shall be checking those out later!! TTFN

Hels x

An Awfully Big Adventure... Day 2... Freckles On Tour...

...in America! Tis a fair few years since Freckles went on Tour... but he is back in his starring role as adventurer extraordinaire and joined us at Ranger U today. Freckles has been on tour with me all over the world for the past 15 years... he has been quite the explorer from sampling cocktails in Mexico (he got sloshed), kayaking in Antigua (he got wet) right through to riding a sheep in North Yorkshire (he tried to eat it)... so today was his debut at Ranger... and here is a photo of him looking very cute being cuddled by lovely Claudine Hellmuth (yes, I was fizzing with excitement at actually being in a class with Claudine, she is a brilliant teacher and a right good laugh!)




Freckles decided that I wasn't safe with a paintbrush loaded with Multi Medium (and hey, this time I didn't turn my top into an embellishment lol)... so he took over guarding it...





And he wanted his photo taken with his favourite new drink...




Oh and of course, he wanted a reminder of his time at Ranger so had a photo with THE file! **yes, I have gone completely tonto... blame the excitement**




Today (tis still Saturday here) was amazing... we spent the morning with Claudine and did loads of cool techniques that I have never tried before... image transfer being my new favourite... oh and stamping with Claudine's fab stamps... I haven't tried these before and now.. erm... I need them all lol We had the legendary square pizza for lunch... corrrrr... it is the best pizza I have ever had... and I just want to say a maaahhhooooosive thank you to Mario... that guy is a true star... bringing Dunkin' Donuts and coffee for breakfast... I had never tried a Dunkin' Donut til yesterday and corrrrrr.. they is lush... bringing fresh coffee through the day... and generally making sure we are all fed and watered... here he is with some dim blonde bird...




This afternoon was Distress with Tim... wall to wall tags and Distress products and very inky paws... I was in my element just sitting there getting inky and soaking up all the tips and "how to's" that Tim was showing us... oh and... here's a pic of Candy, Tim and Linda (and me)... check out the t-shirts we are wearing... Candy made them!!! Wow, they are fabulous, seriously cool and an amazing keepsake... I feel very honoured and incredibly chuffed that Candy went to all this trouble to make one of these unique and very special gifts for me... so, a maaahoooosive thank you to Candy too!




So... I didn't really get chance to talk about the start to my adventure because I was bone tired last night... I don't want to waffle on alarmingly so will keep it brief... the flight here was great, we set off early, landed early... thank heavens because there was an almighty storm brewing and tornado warnings for New Jersey. As we were coming into land we flew past the iconic New York skyline... I was awestruck... and then ever so slightly worried because there were huge forks of lightning bashing down around the skyscrapers. The landing was... erm... bumpy... like tummy flipping turbulance... but... we made it. The plan was that I was arriving first, followed an hour later by Candy, then Yvonne and Cheryl and Lisa were due in and finally Linda was due in at 16.30. We had a shuttle booked to take us to Tinton Falls but as the saying goes... best laid plans... because of the horrendous weather all flights were severely delayed or cancelled. So, the plans we made kind of went a bit pear shaped... and I ended up hanging around Newark airport for...erm... 10 hours. I did have a moment after about 2 hours of frustratingly trying to find out information and being sent from one place to another... but then I stumbled across a little shop that was selling Diet Coke and Cheesy Chester Cheeto's and everything just got a whole lot more bearable lol ... Finally the girls arrived during the evening - poor Candy's case went AWOL but thankfully she has been reunited with it - and we made it to the hotel at about 1.30am. The thing is, a few delays and hanging about at an airport are nothing compared to what some of the poor peeps who have been affected by the tornado's have been experiencing - it kind of put things into perspective when I saw the news and the size of some of those twisters...

Anyways... I have the Sunday Stamper post ready to write up and publish so I will stop waffling now and say... thanks for looking... TTFN!

Hels x

An Awfully Big Adventure... Day 1

...Cor Blimey!!! It isn't often that I am lost for words... you know that already from the amount of inane wafflings that go on on this blog... however, tonight... well, I am still totally overwhelmed and... really, really, really... pooped!




I won't waffle on ... I just thought I would show you a few pics that I have taken today... I am actually typing this on Friday night but my blog is on UK time so it's actually Saturday already... that just confuses me even more lol We played with UTEE this afternoon... I had a ball making some agate pieces...




And here is a piccie of the inside of my Melt Pot... do you see what I see? I think it looks like a little alien face - not that I have ever seen an alien's face... mind you, maybe I have and they then wiped my memory like they do in the films... (mmm, you can so tell that I am sleep deprived!)




And finally, a piccie of The Airport Girls as we are now known (L to R) Cheryl, Me, Yvonne, Candy & Linda...



I am going to hit the sack now... I am so looking forward to the mornings class with Claudine... hey, you never know, I might get to play with that paint I have heard about... you know, it's called Traditional Tan or something... I wonder if I will like it? ROFL Oh and before I forget... thank you for all the tweets etc yesterday - I have had to turn off the Tweet notifications on my moby cos it is costing me £872 per text and as my phone is steam powered, I can't get emails on it... anyways, I am going to try and catch up email and Tweets & FB stuff tomorrow... I have only just managed to get online this evening and am still reading two days worth of tweets.. that is a very lot you know... lol ... Anyways... more chatterings later! TTFN

Hels x