Baroque Love...

...cor blimey!  This is making my brain ache... I am actually typing this post just a few seconds after publishing yesterdays post... I am a-scheduling this one to appear at midnight today, so if you can't see it, the publishing went wrong.. .mind you, if you can't see it, that means you won't even know I am waffling again!  *I need help.... *

Todays offering is another sample from the shows on Tuesday.  This one is a Baroque frame, painted with the Cosmic Shimmer Chalk Paints using a brayer to apply the paints... and I also added in some stamping using  Distress and Archival Inks, Dina's stamps and stencils and the Gold Pearl Texture paste that I loves so muchly.  I used the mask from the Basic Shapes stencil/mask set, once the paste was dry, over the mask went and I got stamping with the Textures stamps... I love that the mask is also more or less the same as the medium sized heart stamp... this was stamped and coloured in and then 3D'd over the paste heart....

Today I am in Preston at Inspirations - I will be demoing all things painty, mixed media-ery and inky... if you are in the area it would be great to see you!   My friend Pauline Wheeler is also demoing today... and that means that last night we will have been sitting yakking our heads off so we might be a little hoarse lol    Thanks for looking... have a great day! TTFN

Hels x

Rose Garden...

*uhoh, I am singing again, this time I am warbling away "I beg your pardon, I never promised..." I shall shut up now otherwise that will be another earworm day!*   Thank you all for your lovely comments, messages and emails for yesterdays shows.  I had a lovely time showing you all the lovely new Dina products and today I am heading off to Inspirations in Preston to get ready for a demo day tomorrow - I will be using all the lovely goodies that were in the shows yesterday, so if you are in the area, please do pop in to see me :O)

This is one of the rectangle frames that I have used singularly.  The paint is applied with a brayer and I got all flowery making the roses - I used the Rosy Posey die and the fabby Couture Creations papers for them.  The sentiment is from the Rosy Posey stamp set - imaging that instead of a birthday card... something to keep forever.

I shall away... super speedy post today as I need to get on the road - oh the joys of the M6 - remember last time with the 841 hour journey to get home!  Eeek!  Thanks for looking, have a goodly day! TTFN

Hels x

..Sample Time!!!

Uh-oh!  Tis me and my earworm again... I have even done a bit of the "Hammer dance" too, put me old back out but it was fun whilst it lasted lol    Anyways... today be the day that I will be on yonder tellybox at 10am and 3pm.  I had a few comments from peeps saying they're not in the UK so can't view the programmes... oh yesh, indeedily, you can!  The wonders of modern t'internet mean that you can go to the WEBSITE and click on the "watch us live" button and voila, there is the show that is on air at that time!  Clever huh?  All the other deets for the channel are over in the left hand sidey bar.

Here's another sample I put together for the shows - this one is using some lush new Couture Creations papers (love the lime green and black and white, one of my fave combo's) and I did a wee smidge of paper blocking on this MDF frame... and then did a bit of stamping using Dina's fabby stamps.  I *love* that sentiment... tis so true!

Just a flying visit from me today as I am scheduling this to post... and I am  just on my way to the nail salon... actually, it isn't really a salon, it is our front room, a bottle of clear nail varnish and a craft scrubbie to try and get all the ink and paint off them... wish me luck!   Thanks for looking... have a great day!  TTFN

Hels x

...Sample Time!!!

*...der.der.der.der...deh.deh Sample Time!*  Oh dearily me!  Yes, it is that time again... you know, when I spend alllll day humming the same old bit from the same old song... MC Hammer's Hammer Time... feel free to join in with my ear worm :O)   Anyways, enough of MC Hammer and his baggy pants, let's move onto the purpose of todays post.  And that purpose be showing you one of the samples I have done for the telly box shows tomorrow (show times are 10am and 3pm and deets on how to view are over in the sideybar *points left*)

New stamps!  New stencils & masks!  Oooh, be still my heart!  In this world of craftiness and artiness there are a fair few designers whom I think are absolutely marvellous and Dina Wakley is one of those artists.  I was so lucky a few years ago, my friend Minxy paid for me to take a class with Dina -and poor old Minx missed it because she was in hospital :O(! - it was a great class and I learnt soooo much from Dina, she is a veritable mine of information and so sharing with it too. 

I was delighted when I saw that Dina has joined Ranger as a Signature Designer... and of course, that means new products.  And that also means that lucky me gets to use them for tellybox shows and have a good old play with her new stamps and stencils & masks.  I won't go into too great-a-detail in how I made this creation as I am planning this one to be my first demo, getting all down and painty and inky :O)

Speaking of demo's, I really should get myself a-moving as I need to get everything sorted, prepped and ready to be packed up.  I hope you will be able to join me tomorrow... thanks for looking, have a grand day!  TTFN

Hels x

Never Trust Something That Doesn't Have a Brain!

...oh ho, I don't mean me this time.... oh no, I mean machines!  In fact, I shall be more specific!  Never trust Jane, my SatNav.  So, yesterday I spent a lovely day at Inspirations in Preston, demo-ing all things painty and stampy... I had such a great time, meeting up with friends old and new... and getting pressies too!  Let me tell you about the Saga of the SatNav.   Now being as Ferdy and I traverse the country, my Grim decided that it was high time we updated the maps on Jane and he got the "live services" thing included too, which means should there be a delay on the route she has set, she will re-plan and duly advise me of said re-route and offer me the alternative.  On the few occasions this has happened, she has saved me hours of sitting, bored rigid, in traffic.  Oh yesh, I even grew to love Jane, saying thank you to her each time she said "you have reached your destination"   *just like I say thank you to cash machines when they happily dispense monies to me*   

Anyways, yesterday afternoon I left Preston, having set Jane to get me home and picking up a mahooosive caramel frappuchino from Starbucks for the 2 hour 36minute journey she was advising me it would take, ETA of 19:48.    Those mahoooosive frappuchino's are indeedily that.  Mahooooooosive... so that was surely going to last me til I got home and, with want for a better description, I would not have to make a toilet break en-route.   Off I toddle and as soon I got onto the M65 the big old warning signs over the motorway were a-flashing that the M6 was closed from J15 - J14.  I knew that was on my way, so I figured that maybe said closure would be open again once I got to that bit of the road.  Then the over head signs starting telling me that there was severe congestion around J17 of the M6.. and Sally Traffic on Radio 2 was reporting that the M6 had indeed been closed for over 12 hours and was still shut, with a 25 mile tailback.  "Poor souls caught up in that lot" I says to Jane.  Which is when I noticed that the ETA home was now 20:23 and Jane speaks to me.  She says "Hels, do you want to take this alternative route that will get you home a little later but sooner than the 23:1 I am calculating now?"  I said, "thank you Jane, I love you, yes please"  and pushed said button confirming this change.    At this point I left the M6 and off we tootled onto the M56, Chester bound.  Mmmm, as I am about to leave the M6, my little old brain is saying "hang on a mo, M56, Chester?  How about diving onto the M62, M621 at Leeds and then up the M1"     But no!  What do I, a mere mortal, know?  Jane is surely going to be right isn't she?   Having got onto the M56, I noticed that Jane had sneakily changed the ETA to 23:12.  Bear in mind I had been driving over an hour and now I have a further 6 hours to drive,  where on earth was I going?   Still thinking that she knew best, I also listened to Jane when she said "Hels, I am re-routing you here, accept yes?"   *note she is being a bit terse with me now, warning signs, should have listened to the warning signs!*    Next, I am off the M56, following her instructions, turning right at the roundabout and exiting on the 5th exit which is...  hang on a mo ??  which is BACK along the M56 in the opposite direction that I have just driven along for the last 20 minutes!  A severe case of fumingness starts to build up in me and I say "Ok, Jane, I am getting a smidge annoyed here now, what are you playing at?"  Silence.  Utter silence.  With an ETA of 23:59 now I am fast losing patience.  But no.  Jane is a SatNav.  She knows best!  Then Jane says "Take the next exit unless you want to drive until the wheels fall off this wagon"    So, I took the next exit.... and turned left at the roundabout, went back underneath the M56 and .... yep... back onto the M56, in the direction I was going in the first place.

At this point my phone rang.  Ferdy has that handsfree bluetooth jobby so I can answer a call.  Thank the merciful heavens!  It is Grim!  He is calling to see how my journey is going.  Needless to say, I had a little bit of a wobble and said a few very lot  rude words about Jane... forgetting that she listens, silently sitting there minding her own business but all the same, listening to my cursing of her.  Next she says "next exit sucker".    "Ok, Jane, you know best... you had better do" I said through very gritted teeth.   By this time Grim is trying to figure out where Jane is directing me using Google Earth on his computer.  I am trying to describe where I am.... which basically was in the middle of nowhere.  Next thing She tells me to go onto the A41.  Which I did, because, after all, She is the one with the travel knowledge right?  As I am tootling along the A41, the weather turns.  It is snowing. And hailing. And raining. All at the same time. And then. A wabbit ran out in front of Ferdy and I couldn't swerve.  Bump. Cue sobs from me, in fact, I had a proper boohoo... I couldn't do anything to stop it (the wabbit or the crying)   By this time I am in a proper pickle.  It is pitch black, the road is all windy and the weather is revolting.  There's a rather lovely chap in a white van behind me flashing his headlights at me to remind me that I am indeed, lost, driving slower than the 60mph speed limit and in the middle of a minor melt down.  Lovely bloke that!  Then I spot a sign for Betsw-Coed!  NORTH WALES!!!   Erm.... hello!  North Wales!!!!  Finally Grim has found out where I am... and is telling me different village names I will be travelling through, so I make a mental note of them, say goodbye to him and promptly forget said village names as by now, Mr Lovely White Van Man is about a gnats hair away from Ferdy's rear bumper!  Aha!  I spy a garage ahead and turn into the garage forecourt so I can get hold of Jane and smack her about the screen.  And yes.  Mr Lovely White Van Man waved at me has he went past me.  Lovely bloke, hope he enjoyed his journey as much as I did!    After grabbing Jane, giving her a good talking to and re-programming her, she tells me, quite snappily, that I need to take the A41 to the A5 and then pick up the M6 from there.  HURRAH!  I am going in the right direction! 

I finally got home four and a half hours later.  And yes, drinking a Venti Caramel Frappuchino from Starbucks at the start of a 2 1/2 hour journey is NOT a goodly idea.  Why is it that the key will never fit into the door lock when it really needs to fit into the door lock immediately?  Anyways.  All in all, apart from the slight detour, I had a great day!  I feel sorry for the poor peeps who were stationary in all that traffic and of course, the poor peeps involved in the cause of motorway closure.  At least I got home safe and sound... but the moral of this little story is... never trust anything that hasn't got a brain!  Oh and buy a road map!!! Oh and... never buy a mahoooosive drink for a journey, even if it is only a 10 minute trip up the road... no, I shall not be caught out like that again!   On that bombshell, I shall bid you a goodly day!  Thanks for looking... TTFN

Hels x

Beautiful Heart...

...another sample from last Sunday's shows... this time an MDF heart.  I loves working with MDF, it is forgiving, sturdy to play with and also... such a lovely surface to make stuff on!  These hearts are part of a 6 pack and I just used my Crop-A-Dile to punch holes into the top to make the hangy bit.

Covered with more of the Teresa Collins papers (mmm, I keep banging on about these but I can't help it, I LOVE them!!!)   I wanted to make a nice background over the papers so picked pretty plainish ones, added some Frayed Burlap DI around the edges and then a smidge of Walnut Stain to darken it and then sanded to reveal the white core and making it look nice and shabby.  I used Black Archival ink to stamp the Eco image of the flowery leafy stamp up from the bottom and down from the top of the heart, zapping with a heat tool just to make sure the ink was set.  Stencilling with Distress Inks to add more interest and then the Small Polka Mask with Gold Pearl Texture Paste spread through to add the...erm... texture!!

The decorations are made from the smallest bloom of the Flora Grande Heartfelt Creations stamps - they are a bit of a fiddle to make as they are small but they are quite sweet... I made three, added in some leaves (Eco stamps) stamped in Wendy's Fern Green Archival Ink and then stamped a couple of moths (also Eco stamps) and popped those onto the heart with some embellies to decorate... and there you have it!

Today I am going to be pacing about, waiting for the phone to ring.. biting nails and pulling my hair out because... Ferdy is having major surgery today!!!  Oh yesh, he has reached the grand old age of 34,000 miles (wow! how many!!!) and is having his Cam Belt and Water Pump changed.  I hate leaving him at the garage, I know he needs it doing and I stupidly gave him a "human" name so I have gotten this strange attachment to him but...  all the same, I shall worry (yes, I am bonkers lol)  And, in true typical stylee, yesterday when I set off from home to drop him off at the garage, he failed to start!  Yep, first time ever, he coughed a bit, spluttered a bit and then the Engine Management light flashed a few times... huh?  Finally he got going (after a lot of revving and praying from moi and the light went out so I am hoping it was just a hiccup!   Anyways, to prove that I am not as bonkers as everyone thinks, I related this to the chap at the garage... you wanna know what he said???   These were his exact words... "well, he knew you were taking him to see me!"  See, not just me that thinks cars are either male or female!  At least he will get cleaned though... he is absolutely minging filthy dirty (thanks to all the rain/salt/mud on the roads and my inherent slatternly nature) and the nice garage chap will give him a spruce up *just hope they don't attempt to clean inside, it is a bit skip-like in there you know... well, it is my travelling "office" lol*   I shall away now... this post is being scheduled as I have my lovely Dad visiting us and knowing how we have a tendency to yak late into the night, I figured I would schedule something just in case I get sidetracked lol   Anyways...  have a goodly day and thanks for looking!  TTFN

Hels x

Just Hanging Around...

...see what I did there huh?  A play on words indeedily today as I have one of the hanging projects I made for the shows on Sunday.  This one is actually just one panel from the Three Hanging Panels MDF set... I love the fact you can use them all together as they have holes drilled... or use them on their own (thus making one's stash go further!)  For this project, I used some of the gorgeous Teresa Collins papers and yep, there's that big old bloom again.  If you missed yesterday's post, please do scroll down to see the photo tut I did on how to make one :O)

The base was covered with the papers, edged with a smidge of Walnut Stain DI and then sanded back to neaten up the edges and I whizzed around the edge with some Black Soot DI to give the design a frame.  Next I used the script mask and Walnut Stain DI, randomly stencilling onto the base and then used the quilt mask, this time with Black Soot DI, again, stencilling randomly for that shabby effect.  Because the papers aren't quite long enough to fit onto the base, I cut it into two pieces and used a strip of the back side of the paper to cover the gap - you can just spy that poking out at the bottom of the flower.  I also added a smidge of stamping to the background... the Tattered Backgrounds dots... love these... stamped with Wendy's Signature Archival Potting Soil ink... lush!

The flower... oh, be still my heart, I have a new fave!!!  Made in the same way as the tut and then embellished around it to add some detail... check out the ickle butterfly too.  That is an Eco stamp, stamped onto card using Flake & Glitter Glue and then gilded with Autumn Leaves Gilding Flakes... I love the instant metal look achieved by doing this.  I poked a couple of holes in the top of the papers (thru the original drilled holes) and attached some rusty wire to make the hanging, added a sentiment and voila, finished!

That's all from me for today... busy week ahead of me - I am teaching in Leicester at Neil Burley's Studio on Saturday and then Sunday, Monday, Tuesday it is the Stitches Trade Show at the NEC and I am demoing for Creative Expressions so I needs to get myself shifting and making some samples... I will be demoing a *new* product too and I can't wait to have a play and then show it to you... til then, I will leave you in suspenders!!  Have a great day... Thanks for looking... TTFN!

Hels x

Sunday Stamper - Week 294 - Shine On You Crazy Diamond

Goooodly Morning Stampers and a very happy Sunday to you all!  Many thanks for all your fabby black and gold entries last week.   The theme this week is DIAMONDS - how you choose to interpret this is entirely up to you - add in diamond stamping, stencilling, diamond embellies, real diamonds ...   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 to leave me a comment along with a linky to the place you are showing your entry.  If you haven't got a blog, you can also join in via Facebook (tag my name on your upload) or by emailing a small resolution piccie of your creation to me.  The challenge will remain open until 21:00 Saturday 15th February 2014.

My entry this week is one of the samples I have made for todays tellybox shows.  I will be on at 12pm with Dean for a two hour Tool Shed and today I will be using lots of 3D stuff so you can see how easy it is to create nice bits of art for your home.  This frame is part of a pack of three that I have split down into individual frames.  The frame is paper covered, the gorgeous Teresa Collins for Creative Expressions papers, sanded, edged with Rusty Hinge Distress Ink and then cut up to make a piece for the middle that was coloured with more Rusty Hinge Distress Ink.  I overstamped the inky paper with a gorgeous diamond stamp from the show - Heartfelt Creations again :O)  using Wendy's Signature Archival Ink, Orange Blossom colour (which goes perfectly with Rusty Hinge, love this colour muchly)

 See, I am now a bit addicted to making these mahoosive flowers now and here's another one... and I will be doing a full step by step photo tut tomorrow on how to make them from the Flora Grande Heartfelt Creations stamp.  The leaves are also Heartfelt Creations, and yes, I cut them out!  A bit fiddly but so worth it as they are really pretty and delicate, these were stamped with Wendy's Fern Green Archival Ink.  A little pile of embellies hidden around the flower including Embellish Your Art and some metal bits and bobs finished off my frame nicely.

 
I really must stop gabbing and get moving... I have got a couple of boxes to pack up and pop into Ferdy so we are ready for the off in the morning.  I hope you can join me at midday and again at 5pm... all the channel deets etc are over in the left hand sidey bar.  Thanks for looking and have a great Sunday!  TTFN

Hels x

Sample Time!!!

...uh-oh... again, here I sit, waggling around on the chair singing "sample time" to the tune of Hammer Time.... I do it every time!  Now I have an earworm for the rest of the day.  Mind you, it is better than the song I woke up with that was embedded in my bonce, that was "Never Do A Tango With An Eskimo!"   Seriously, I worry for myself, my sanity and my dreams if that is the calibre of song I wake up with!!! EEEEK!!!     Anyways, today I am showing one of the samples I have made for Sunday's tellybox shows.  Now, as ever, all the channel deets/times and how to view are over there *points left* and I hope you can join me for a 2 hour 3d craft-fest at midday on the Tool Shed and again at 5pm for an hour of more 3d-ness.  This fella is SO cute!  I have had my beady eyes on him in the catalogue ever since I first started demo-ing the Pronty MDF and I am well chuffed that I have finally managed to catch him and put him into the tv shows.  He is THE perfect size, not too big, not too small... just right.

As ever, my fave techniques seem to come out all over my samples and being as I have the gorgeous Teresa Collins paper pad on the show (you know I loves that right?  what, you hadn't guessed?  teehee)  I decided that all those ickle bits and bobs of paper I have saved up because they are just too special to bung them in the bin needed using so I adapted the paperblocking technique... and guess what?  I found ANOTHER use for the Creative Expressions Clear Texture Paste!!!!   OH YESH!!!  You know I have used it to stamp with for a cool resist, use it on its own for fab textures, through a stencil, coloured with mica/paint/dye inks... as a collage medium to apply tissue... and... finally... as a SEALER!!! Oh yesh, my little old "wonder if..." nodule in my brain said that to me the other night... so I thought I would give it a try... and there ya go, PERFECT!!!

The flowers are more stunners from Heartfelt Creations and I coloured up some of the TC papers using Peacock Feathers DI.  Normally this kind of colour has me lifting my skirts and running for hills, scary bright colour that it is... but, as ever, it is Distress so it just doesn't frighten me 'cos it blends so beautifully and still has that muted tone that I loves so muchly.  You will also spy some Embellish Your Art and some Creative Expressions embellies... oohlalalaaaa, wait til you see what else I have on the shows too!!! *ya wanna hint?  Ok, remember the "owl clock" from last year? He might just have swooped back into stock ;o))*  Whilst I am a-waffle, check out what the uber talented Sue Wilson has been up to.  Oh yesh, our Sue has her very own die line for Creative Expressions that have literally just been released... she is a awesome designer, one day I hope to be able to create a card as good as hers are (think I will be waiting very long times for that though, I just don't have the co-ordination to make them so perfect lol)  Wanna see what I am going on about... CHECK HERE for Sue's blog and her special news!

I shall away now, today I am mostly up to my eyes in sample making for Sunday (erm yes, last minute Annie as ever, I blame the *bug* I had at the beginning of the week, fair did for me for three whole days!)   I shall sign off by saying... as ever... thanks for looking, have a fab day and I hope that the storms don't cause you any nasty damage!  TTFN

Hels x

What Is Normal???

...indeedily!  Today is the day that I shall be on yonder tellybox doing a couple of Creative Expressions Stamping shows.  Times are 11am and 7pm and all the deets on how to view the channel are over there *left hand sideybar*   So, what is normal?  Well, normal for me is a little bit dull, a little bit monochrome, a little bit brown with a little bit of blue thrown in for goodly measures.  I guess you are going to be a little bit surprised to see this creation from my own fair hand....

Customary to the trend I seem to have set meself for 2014 is the use of purple.  And pink!  I know, whatever next... glitter?  YOU BET!  Well, it is Distress Glitter after all so don't worry, I haven't completely gone over to the "sparkly side" ... just a wee bit.  This was created using a That Special Touch stencil - Fuchsia - love this one because I love fuchsia's and now I have my greenhouse, I am planning on have very lots of them so I can keep them over winter.  Also appearing on this card are some Heartfelt Creations stamps (yip, loves these too!) and Distress Glitters in Seedless Preserves, Picked Raspberry, Spiced Marmalade and Peeled Paint. I will be demo-ing the technique I used to get the multi coloured image so I hope you can tune in to see it.

I really must get a wiggle on... tis nearly midnight and I have to be up early to get to the studio's and as usual, my nails needs attentions and I really should be getting myself some sleeps!  Have a great day and hope you can join me on the shows.. don't forget to email in if you can as there will be giveaways!   Thanks for looking... TTFN

Hels x

Dandelion Butterflies

...cor blimey, I don't know about you but this year is whipping past super fast already!  Tomorrow I shall be on Create & Craft again with two stamping shows - times are 11am and 7pm and the deets on how to view are over there *points left*   I have been busily beavering away in the Room of Stash making some samples for the shows.

Today sees my fave of the bunch so far... this one I have called Dandelion Butterflies.  I love the word dandelion - and I loves dandelion & burdock too... Morrie's do a lovely diet version of it too.  anyways, enough of the waffles... this card has been made using the Dandelion stencil from That Special Touch... and some Texture Paste... and a bit of Distress Ink and a brace of 490 butterflies... and... something else!

Can you guess what it is yet???  Something very unusual for me you know... but I am on the turn!  Oh yesh!  Glitter!  Distress Glitter in fact.  Mind you, I did have a wee mishap yesterday afternoon... when my clumsy elbow knocked the Seedless Preserves pot off my desk... and onto the carpet below.   A few curses and bleepy words followed... because I had left the lid off!  Yikes, the Room of Stash actually got a vacuum!  Well, it has to happen every so often right?   I shall away... more samples to make and demo's to prep... hope you having a great day!  Thanks for looking, TTFN

Hels x

Tic Tac Toe

...today is the day! Oh yesh indeedily, my first tellybox shows of 2014 are today at 12pm and 5pm on Create & Craft... all the deets on how to view are over there *points left*     A yonk and a half ago I used to make these "tic tac toe" designs on an 8" square base with 2" square tiles.  And you know that "if you like this you may also like...." thingy at the bottom of all my posts?  Well, one popped up from 2008 and it was this style... and it got the old cad Mojo all a-gog!

So, being as I am completely out of 8 x 8 canvases, I decided to improvise and cut some mountboard to size.  I also cut some 2 x 2 mountboard tiles too whilst I was at it.  Then I got all painty with Adirondack Dabbers and coloured the bases and then set about altering them.  Five of the tiles have a napkin collage on them, using beeswax as an adhesive is so cool (or hot lol) as it kind of "melts" the napkin so it disappears and leaves the design behind.  The other four tiles have the Tattered Blossom Heartfelt Creations flower stamped onto them... I then used Distress Markers to colour the flowers (oh my, I loves this set!)  I seem to have gone all purple since new year - not me personally though, mind you, it felt so cold last night my feet could well have been blue!  Anyways, back to the art... I gave the base and all the tiles a nice layer of beeswax... I love beeswax, have I ever mentioned that??   I stamped some more of the flowers onto Teresa Collins/Creative Expressions papers and cut them out, glued them and then dipped them into clear UTEE in the Melt Pot to faux porcelain them... I loves a faux porcelain I do!  I added some embellies - using Majestic Purple, Tropic Pearl and Black UTEE's and pouring them into a Media Mixage Bezel and two Hat Pins - I removed the pins from the Hat Pins by twisting the pin around in a pair of pliers... they are nice and bendy so them do come apart quite easily.

I must away now... it is nearly 2am and I am just about to get my old carcass into bed... early start in the morning but I never sleeps right the night before telly shows so me not going to bed before now is normal... good job I am a night owl!  Hope you can join me today ... and don't forget, if you have a question, do please email in, we will get as many asked and answered as possible.  Thanks for looking, have a goodly day!  TTFN

Hels x

Sample Time...

... I really should stop saying that because now I am sitting here going "sample-time... dedededu de du"  you know, like Hammer Time but a bit more mental?   Sorry about that, I am in a state of excitement because tomorrow sees my first tellybox shows on 2014.  I am on at 12pm and 5pm on Create & Craft - all the deets on how to view are over there *points left* - with more Melt Pot Marvels shows.

This is a little 5" x 7" canvas I have put together as a sample.  The base has been painted using the scraped paint technique and then I did some stamping on tissue with a new gorgeous set of Heartfelt Creations stamps (yes, they are flowers, yes, I LOVES them!)  I have to add some Faux Porcelain in there... so that was taken care of using the same flowers I used for the background collage... they were stamped onto Teresa Collins/Creative Expressions papers... and I added a little Media Mixage Hatpin to jazz the whole thing up.

 I shall away now... I almost forgot to blog today - I did write a "to do" list but I have forgotten where I put it *see what I am up against here lol* so I have made another... and I just know there is something missing from it.  I can see that I am going to have to start writing two lists, one to lose and one to glue to my forehead lol  Thanks for looking, hope you can join me for the shows!  TTFN

Hels x 

Just Hanging Around...

...yipyah! And thrice!  Today is the day of my two tellybox Melt Art shows... I am on C&C at 3pm and 6pm - a slight time change to the last show, now being on an hour earlier than planned.  All the deets on how to view are over in the sideybar.  Today I have another sample to show you!

This one is a canvas board that I paper blocked using the gorgeous Teresa Collins Creative Expressions papers... I love how this technique uses up all the ickle bits of paper left over that none of us can bear to throw away.  Instead of the usual layer of Glue & Seal to seal the papers, I slapped a liberal layer of beeswax over the top of the papers... I love the muted and vintage effect you get from painting beeswax on stuff.

The flowers are Posey Patch from Heartfelt Creations and the leaves are also Heartfelt Creations and are on the shows!  Another thing you will see on the shows... a "back in stock" item ... oh yesh, we have Project Pans!!! Hurrah!!! As far as I am aware, all the products are now online on the C&C website if you want to get in early with your orders :O))

I shall away now, I have boxes to pack up and the most mahoosive zit on my chin that needs ten tonnes of concealer to cover it up... and with that delightful image, I shall say... thanks for looking... and... have a goodly day!  TTFN

Hels x

Giveaway Time!!!

...yes indeedily, it is that time again.  As a thank you for all the lovely comments and messages and emails and stuff, I am giving away this little piece of artwork that was prepped as a demo and I didn't get chance to do it live on air... so I finished it off at home and here it is.  To be in with a chance of winning the plaque, simply leave a comment on this post (click on the "inky thinkings" button at the bottom of the post).  The closing date/time for the giveaway is 23:59 GMT tonight, 6th December 2013. The winner will be chosen at random and announced on tomorrow's post.  In the event of the winner not claiming their prize in the next seven days, I will do a re-draw and a new winner will be announced.

I love these MDF Rectangular Plaques.  This one is the largest one and I painted it with a layer of Lake Mist Dabber... and added the edging in Pitch Black Dabber to give it a frame.  The stencilling is the gorgeous Fuchsia That Special Touch mask... I loves this mask muchly seeing as I am collecting Fuchsia's at the moment and now I have my new greenhouse, I can keep them over winter too!  Anyways, once I had popped the mask into position, I spread a layer of Gold Pearl Texture Paste through it and then allowed it to dry.  I tend to pop things onto the radiator to dry - I am impatient!  You can gently heat dry the paste, just make sure it has formed a "crust"  on top of it to start with otherwise it can bubble and distort.

The decorations are made from flowers stamped onto the lush Teresa Collins Creative Expressions papers... the flower stamps are from the Studio 490 Live & Make Art set... loves them muchly because they have so many petals, you can make them more 3d.  I added some hand cut leaves that I lightly coloured with Forest Moss Distress Ink and then bunged a few embellies onto the plaque too... the buzzy bee is an Embellish Your Art resin piece (how cute!) and the key is a Creative Expressions Assorted Keys embellie... and the ickle bottles are Glass Vials which I filled with Persian Dawn Gilding Flakes to add a smidge of bling.  The words are a combo of stencilled (Always from the Classic Words Stencils for Art) and the Be You is a stamp from the Art For You 490 set.

Right, that is all from me for today... I am tackling my "to do" list ... starting with the dreaded trip to Morrison's... oh how I love doing the grocery shopping... not!!!  Wish me luck, I thinks it might be a bit busy in there!  Thanks for looking... have a grand day!  TTFN

Hels x

A Bird In The House...

...and indeedily he is!   Cor blimey and THRICE!  What magnificent shows I had yesterday - thank you all for your support, the emails, Tweets (sorry, I am rubbish at Twitter but I thinks I managed to reply to you...) and messages too... you were all lurving the MDF blanks muchly.  And I do too... especially this 3D birdy house.  And why do I loves it?  Well, a lot of MDF/Woody things are already assembled, which is fab, it saves you the job... but that then has its own probs because you need to decorate it... and that can be difficult if the thing is already put together.  So, the cool thing with these MDF shapes is that you assemble them yourselves.. and it is a doddle to do too.  I wasn't kidding when I said about the chest of drawers with the dodgy front you know ;o))

The assemblage part of this bird house took place after I had done all the decorating... except for the roof, that was done once it was glued together.  Starting by covering the sides and front and back with the lush Teresa Collins Creative Expressions papers.  Remember not to cover the little insert tabby thingy and you won't have any probs with the assemblage.

I added some stamping to the sides using that gorgeous big 490 grass stamp... stamping with Flake & Glitter Glue and then gilding... and then burnishing to make it shine.  I did that on both sides and then set about decorating the front.  I used Jet Black Archival and a flourish stamp (loving those pretty flourishes) and stamped up from the bottom and down from the top of the front as I wanted the flourishes to pop out behind my embellies.

And now for the roof!  Well, I had this idea I would make it look a little snowy... so I slapped on a big dollop of Gold Pearl Texture Paste and patted it out so it was peaky... and then set it aside to dry.  Well, it did take a couple of hours to dry as that is a thick layer but I think it is worth it.  Just think, how pretty would that be if I had sprinkled glitter onto it too!  *wish I had now!!!*   

The flowers are stamped from Live & Make Art onto more of the TC papers and to make them more 3D I cut out a petal and pulled the flower around on itself to make it one petal less and more depthy.  (mmm, new word there!)  The ickle pearl was fixed in with Cosmic Shimmer glue - in fact all of the gluing is the Cosmic Glue - tis my FAVE!   I didn't have any leaves to play with so I mades my own just by cutting into the papers and then creasing them for more depthyness (mmm, another new word!)

On Tuesday night I couldn't get to sleeps... I was all exciteable (I usually am before a show) and I kept running through my demo's in my head... I can't switch off you see.  Anyways, that resulted in just 2 hours sleeps.  And I was up at stoopid o'clock to get to the studio's so yesterday afternoon, I got home and decided being as Grim is on nights and fast asleeps, I too will go and get some snoozles.  Which is what I did.  FOUR hours worth!!!  Anyways, after Grim had gone to work I was watching the tellybox and started to nod, you know that head dropping to the chest thing that is really annoying cos it wakes you up?  So I decided to stagger off to my bed and sleep. Which is what I did.. for nearly 10 hours!!!  And when I awoke this morning I seem to have had visitations from the *Goblin That Lives Under The Bed And Attacks With Mega Strength Hair Gel*... for my poor old barnet looks like it has, indeedily, been attacked with mega strength hair gel.  Also, the *Goblin That Lives Under The Bed And Attacks With A Sink Plunger* was also having a partaaaay too cos I look like my face is made of an inside out rubber glove... and with that rather gorgeous image, I shall bid you a goodly day and say... Thanks for looking!   TTFN

Hels x

Always Be You...

...today is the day!  I am back on the tellybox at 8am and 1pm with Dimensional Art shows.  I have been having a whale of a time playing with all the goodies from the shows... my very fave Studio 490 stashly goodies along with the cool Pronty MDF and some delish Creative Expressions delights too... the show details are over in there *points left*.  Don't forget, if you aren't in the UK, you can also view online, the deets for that are also over there *points left again*  I wish I could help you out with time differences etc but I have enough trouble remembering what time it is here in the Room of Stash (my brain is numerically challenged... along with other challenges too lol)

When I was younger, my dear old Dad always dispensed sage advice... and one of the most important pieces of advice he ever gave me was "just be yourself!"... if I had a job interview I used to get meself in a right old two and eight, and Dad just used to look up from his Daily Telegraph and say "just be yerself love".  Bless him, he was right though!  All those years I thought that I had to be the person that someone else expected me to be.  As I have got older, I realise that actually, no, I am me and being true to yourself if the most important thing ever.

When I started making this Shadow Box, this sentiment was bopping around my head.  The "Be You" part is a Studio 490 stamp (from Art For You) and the "Always" is from the Studio 490 Classic Words Stencils For Art... marry the two together and there you have it.  So, the frame is paper blocked using my fave Creative Expressions Teresa Collins papers... I loves these papers and it is a pleasure to be able to use them again.  The colours are just my thing, muted, natural and quite masculine... but prettied up with the addition of flowers (of course there are flowers!) but the cool thing about the papers is that there are two other colour ways in the set too.. result!  And, as ever, no self respecting paper flower is complete without a zap of spray ink and Cosmic Shimmer mists... I used the Antique Copper one for this... another match made in heaven.

I guess I should stop with the waffle and start with the packing of the boxes for today.  I am rubbish at packing... and I do tend to prevaricate when it comes to the deed.  I am an excellent list-maker though, so the list of stuff-to-pack is ready and waiting to be ticked off (not as in, told off.. no, I tick things off as I pack... brain like a seive at the best of times!)  However, actually putting stuff into boxes and then moving them into Ferdy is just one of those jobs that deserves a smidge of prevarications :O)   I hope you can join me today and please do email into the shows if you can... I love to read all your emails and if you have any questions, please do fire away... I will try and get as many answered as possibles.  Have a great day... Thanks for looking... TTFN!

Hels x

Arty Collections...

...tis that time again!  I am on the tellybox again tomorrow, this time with some gorgeous Dimensional Art goodies.  I have been playing working my fingers to the bone (ahem) in the Room of Stash, making samples and experimenting with different products... one is brand new to me too, never used it before and I am having fun getting me and the rest of the house covered in said stuff... all will be revealed tomorrow though :O)   My show times are 8am and 1pm on Create & Craft.  All the channel deets are over there *points left* in the sidebar.  I hope you will be able to join me! 

This is one of my larger samples.. it is an MDF Collection Box and comes flat so it is a doddle to paint or paper cover because there are no nooks and crannies to try and paint (or paper cover) and putting it together is simples too!   The back piece has been painted and stencilled and stamped and faffed with to make it pretty... and then I just popped the sections in and glued them into place... so easy!

I have some lovely little trinkets on the shows too and you know how much I loves to embellish stuff... I am happy, happy, happy that the little Glass Vials are back in stock too, they are so versatile... do you spot a different use for the diddy ones?  Pretty cool huh?

I have had a bit of a... errrrm... mishap... with my hair!  I know I am not the cleanest of crafters, in fact, I do tend to "wear" the stuff I am playing with on my tops... be it ink, paint, glue... I am not choosy, just as well I now have special crafting tops to wear.  However, I now seem to have adopted "crafting hair" too.  Oh yesh, a nice dollop of Texture Paste has lodged itself onto my head... Lord alone knows how I did that!  I have tried teasing it (not like "ner, ner, ner..." teasing, I mean the gently trying to remove said texture paste without removing a clump of hair lol)  And I have tried rinsing it out with cold water... ahem... I thinks that "set" it!  So, if I look a bit perculiar tomorrow, it is entirely, ahem,  unintentional.  

I shall away now... time for me to go and try to get a few snoozles.  Grim is on nights... and whilst I rather like being able to spread right out across the bed, I don't half miss him and weirdly, when Grim is on nights, Alf sleeps on his bed in the Room of Stash or on the landing outside Grim's study door.  Normally he is vying for bed space with us... strange little fella!   Hope you have a great day... thanks for looking!  TTFN

Hels x