Sunday Stamper - Week 363 - Whole Lotta Rosie

Goooodly Morning Stampers and a very happy Sunday to you all!  Thanks for your entries into last weeks nature themed challenge.  This week the theme is... ROSES.   To join in with the challenge is simples: make a little something; a card, canvas, ATC, a piece of altered art and add on some roses - be they handmade, paper, stamped, real... the choice.. it be yours! Add in the theme AND some stamping. Then hop back here, leave me a comment with a link to the place you are showing your entry and I can come see you.   If you haven't got a blog, you can join in via Facebook (just tag me name) or by emailing a small res.pic to me or by leaving me a link to your Pinterest or any other photo hosting site.  The challenge will remain open until 21:00 Saturday 26th September 2015.

My entry this week is a glass jar *yes, I have been scoffing more pickled onions!* that I altered using the Rock Candy Crackle technique - I love the crackle effect on the glass!  The roses were made using Tim's Tattered Florals die and the Mini Tattered Florals Movers & Shapers die- cutting cream card, inking with Cracked Pistachio and Dusty Concord Distress Ink and overstamping with the Dusty Concord and a Studio 490 background stamp to add a bit of prettiness to them.  There is a tutorial I did ages ago with a step by step on how to make these roses - doesn't matter whether they are the big or little ones... the tut will work for both... tis over there in the sidey bar *points left*

Once the roses were made, I fired up my Melt Pot and melted Clear UTEE into it... then dipped the roses into the clear UTEE to create a faux porcelain effect.  The leaves are the Mini Tattered Leaves Movers & Shapers - also cut from cream card, inked with Peeled Paint DI and overstamped with Forest Moss DI... and also dipped into the clear UTEE.  The sentiment is a Studio 490 stamp, popped onto another of Tim's dies - the Movers & Shapers Labels die.

What a gorgeous day it is here today... bright blue sky and sunshine... which means that I might nip into the garden for a few hours tidying and getting ready for autumn... the old cad Mojo is still not here all the time so while he is away, I shall get greenfingered instead of inkyfingered!  I hope you have a grand day!  Thanks for looking... TTFN

Hels x

Sunday Stamper - Week 361 - And Your Bird Can Sing

Goooodly Morning Stampers and a very happy Sunday to you all!  Big thanks to you all for joining in with the last challenge... the weekly challenge is now back after a little summer holiday and I hope that you will be able to join in getting stampy and inky again.  The song title and theme this time is all about... BIRDS.   To join in with the challenge is simples: make a little something; a card, canvas, ATC, a piece of altered art... the choice.. it be yours! Add in the theme AND some stamping. Then hop back here, leave me a comment with a link to the place you are showing your entry and I can come see you.   If you haven't got a blog, you can join in via Facebook (just tag me name) or by emailing a small res.pic to me or by leaving me a link to your Pinterest or any other photo hosting site.  The challenge will remain open until 21:00 Saturday 12th September 2015.

My entry this week is a small glass jar that I have altered.  My Mojo has been well and truly awol of late and I spotted that my friend Joanne had been playing with glass and texture paste... which reminded me of a project I did a few years ago.  So, I decided to have another go and make another altered jar.   I spread Wendy Vecchi's black embossing paste onto the jar and sprinkled microbeads into the paste whilst it was wet.  Once it had dried, I used Spanish Topaz, White Fire and Classic Treasure Gold, applying it with my finger over the bumpy bits of the texture paste and microbeads so the textures are highlighted.

I am always on the scout for unusual metal bits and bobs and a few months ago an old standard lamp we had went to the tip... but not before Grim had cadged the lead and switch and I had nicked the brass fittings off it... so I used one of the fittings on top of the jar so the cork is raised up slightly.  It was a perfect fit too!  Result!  I covered some black Clearly for Art with Kaisercraft papers, stamped a couple of Studio 490 flowers onto the papers, cut them out, flipped them over, heated them and moulded them and then blended a little bit of Stormy Sky Distress Ink over to add a pop of colour.  I added a couple of Clearly For Art butterflies (Darkroom Door Wings set) and a resin bloom to finish the flower.

The bird is a Prima resin embellie... he started out as a grey white colour, I used a brush to apply Sapphire and Spanish Topaz Treasure Gold over him to make him match into the design.  Finally, I inked a postage stamp shape (Tim's ephemera - flipped over as I didn't like the design on the other side) and stamped the words... and voila... finished!

That's all for today... have you anything planned?  It is the BTCC from Rockingham - we normally go to Rockingham being as it is so close to home but... the thought of sitting in the cold and (possibly - likely!) wet over sitting in the warm dry house watching it on ITV4 and having a nice beef in beer roasty lunch... well, guess which won!!!   Thanks for looking... have a great day!  TTFN

Hels x

**PS..... GO PLATO!!!**

Curiously Faux Cracked...

Gooooodly Morning to all you lovely Compendium-ers!  Today sees the start of another brand new Compendium of Curiosities 3 Challenge.  To see all the details on how to join in with the challenge, CLICK HERE.  Also, if you pop across to Linda's blog, you will see all gorgeous creations that my talented teamies on the Curiosity Crew have made... they never cease to amaze me with their inspirational ideas and art!   The challenge is sponsored by the Funkie Junkie Boutique this time... so you will have a chance of winning a very generous Gift Certificate to spend there.  Tim & Mario have, as ever, very kindly donated goodies for an extra prize... which will be awarded to the "Curiosity Crew's Choice"... so you have two chances of winning fabby prizes!  If you haven't got your Compendium book just yet, you can order a signed copy directly from the man himself... HERE.  And... Linda has also done a FAQ page for you.. HERE it is... all the info you will need is listed there.   This week we are turning to Page 54 of the book and trying out the Faux Cracked Glass technique.  As ever with the Compendium Challenge, neither I, nor the Curiosity Crew, will be posting the technique instructions and participants must not do so either. We all want to encourage people to buy Tim's awesome book; giving away the instructions wouldn’t be fair to him. Linda will have no choice but to un-link any entries that don’t follow this rule.  

You have heard the saying "they suffered for their art" right?  Well, I sure did suffer for my art for this project... I ate me bodyweight in pickled onions so I had the jar I wanted to transform!  I have done this technique on several size bottles before but I wanted a big old fella to jazz up as I am going to be using it as a pen/brush pot.  *ok, so I may have had help eating said pickled onions from Grim... and I may have had this jar kicking around for a few weeks, waiting patiently for its transformation... but it sounded good... didn't it?*

Instead of using the inks suggested by Tim in the book, I decided to try out Distress Spray Stains... I have to say I am rather chuffed with the results.  I used Frayed Burlap, Forest Moss and Vintage Photo sprays... letting them soak right into the crackles and then heating the jar to set them.  Of course, they are waterbased so won't be as permanent as the inks suggested... but this won't be getting wet so... it works for me! 

The roses were made using Tim's Tattered Florals and Mini Tattered Florals Movers & Shapers dies and Correspondance papers... a few leaves from the Mini Tattered Leaves die and a few twiggy bits gave me the embellies I wanted.  I cut a plaque using manila card, inked it with Stormy Sky and Faded Jeans DI's and then stamped one of my fave Studio 490 sentiments and of course, added my little harlequin stamp too. To finish I wound some string around the jar to make it a bit more rustic... and voila, one altered jar! 

Don't forget, you have two whole weeks to enter the challenge... and a bat at the chance of grabbing the Crew's Choice prize which is a mahooosive haul of stash donated personally by Tim & Mario... so if you are joining in, remember to comment on all the Crew's blogs and you will be in with a chance of winning that too *believe me, this is one gigantic pile of goodies*!  Thanks for looking, have an inky and inspirational day!  TTFN

Hels x

Curiously Eroded.....

Gooooodly Morning to all you lovely Compendium-ers!  Today sees the start of another brand new Compendium of Curiosities 3 Challenge.  To see all the details on how to join in with the challenge, CLICK HERE.  Also, if you pop across to Linda's blog, you will see all gorgeous creations that my talented teamies on the Curiosity Crew have made... they never cease to amaze me with their inspirational ideas and art!   The challenge is sponsored by the Inspiration Emporium this time... so you will have a chance of winning a very generous Gift Certificate to spend there.  Tim & Mario have, as ever, very kindly donated goodies for an extra prize... which will be awarded to the "Curiosity Crew's Choice"... so you have two chances of winning fabby prizes!  If you haven't got your Compendium book just yet, you can order a signed copy directly from the man himself... HERE.  And... Linda has also done a FAQ page for you.. HERE it is... all the info you will need is listed there.   This week we are turning to Page 44 of the book and trying out the Eroded Metallic technique.  As ever with the Compendium Challenge, neither I, nor the Curiosity Crew, will be posting the technique instructions and participants must not do so either. We all want to encourage people to buy Tim's awesome book; giving away the instructions wouldn’t be fair to him. Linda will have no choice but to un-link any entries that don’t follow this rule.  

My entry this time is another tag for the collection.  I used Cracked Pistachio, Bundled Sage and Mermaid Lagoon Distress Paints and Brushed Pewter Metallic Distress Paint.  Once I had done the technique and got the look I wanted, I gave the tag a quick slap of Glue & Seal to.. um.. seal it!  Here's the tag before I decorated it... 'scuse the shiny bit... I can't for the life of me take a decent photo!

A smidge of stamping using my little harlequin and Jet Black Archival Ink and edging with a black Sharpie to just give the whole design a frame, I then moved on to making a big fat rose embellishment.  This was made by cutting three Tattered Florals flowers from manila card and colouring with the same Distress Inks and overstamping with my fave Studio 490 background stamp.  I then assembled the flowers into a rose and added a couple of leaves and a few Winter Green diecuts to finish it.   The little Heirloom Roses were coloured with Pool Alcohol Ink.

The Ornate Plate was coloured with Cracked Pistachio and Mermaid Lagoon Distress Paints... dried off and then I smudged a bit of Black Archival over to age it up a bit.  The centre for the Ornate Plate was made using more card and DP's and Tim's word from the Stuff to Say stamp set.  A little bit of ribbon to finish and voila!  Another finished tag for the collection.

Apologies for being missing in action for the past couple of weeks.. I have an incredibly good excuse tho!  I have Ellen visiting from America and all thoughts of blogville and such-like have gone right out of the window as we've been gadding off into the wilds of Yorkshire and have been a tad busy sitting around yakking all day! Bad girl!  I will be back to normal service this coming week tho :O)    Don't forget, you have two whole weeks to enter the challenge... and a bat at the chance of grabbing the Crew's Choice prize which is a mahooosive haul of stash donated personally by Tim & Mario... so if you are joining in, remember to comment on all the Crew's blogs and you will be in with a chance of winning that too *believe me, this is one gigantic pile of goodies*!  Thanks for looking, have an inky and inspirational day!  TTFN

Hels x

Sunday Stamper - Week 353 - Freeze Frame

Goooodly Morning Stampers and a very happy sunny spring Sunday to you all!  Thanks for your fabulous blue makes entered into last weeks challenge.  The new theme this week is... PUT A FRAME ON IT.  You can interpret the challenge how you like: be it an altered frame, framework dies, stamped cartouches, a scribbled frame around the page... the choice, it be yours!   To join in with the challenge is simples: make a little something, it can be anything you fancy.  Add in the theme AND some stamping *this is THE important bit guys, please remember your rubberstamps!*  and then hop back here, leave me a comment with a link to the place you are showing your entry and I can come see you.   If you haven't got a blog, you can join in via Facebook (just tag me name) or by emailing a small res.pic to me or by leaving me a link to your Pinterest or any other photo hosting site.  The challenge will remain open until 21:00 Saturday 18th April 2015.  

I had a lovely day yesterday; I was demo-ing at Jo Channon's Let's Create in Tattershall - all things Melting Pot and Studio 490.  Thank you to Jo and Mark for having me and to Jo's Mum who always keeps me well fed and watered too :O)  And... a big thank you to all the lovely ladies and gents who came along to see me getting inky and messy.  I think we have a few new Melt Pot addicts too.  During the day I was demo-ing different Melt Pot techniques and popped together a few finished samples... my entry this week is one of them.

The base is a Studio 490 Art Part rectangle frame with an Art Part heart a-top it.  The heart was covered with Tim's Wallflower paper and then a beeswax collage over the top with a smidge of Mica to make it a bit blingy.  The frame was painted black, sanded and then Walnut Stain DI was blended over the top to make it a bit more vintage.  And because Art Parts are so robust, they will take a whole lot of distressing and beeswaxing.  I made a rose using the same papers and dipped it into beeswax to give it a lovely shabby vintage look and did the same with the sentiment which is a Studio 490 stamp (yes, it is the only stamping on the project but... it counts lol)

Much mirth and merriment here today!  A few weeks ago I got busy in the greenhouse and planted lots of seeds... all of them have poked their heads through and now it is time to "pot on"... which is what I shall be doing once I have stopped waffling here.  I keep going on about how I love this time of year... and I do... Spring is most definitely here Chez Sheridan and it is making my heart happy!  Whatever you have planned today, I hope you have a good one!  Thanks for looking... TTFN

Hels x

Sunday Stamper - Week 350 - You Don't Bring Me Flowers

Goooodly Morning Stampers and a very happy Sunday to you all!  Thanks for your great birdy creations entered into last weeks challenge.  The new theme this week is... FLOWERS.  You can interpret the challenge how you like: make some paper flowers, stamp some flowers, use flowery papers ... the choice, it be yours!   To join in with the challenge is simples: make a little something, it can be anything you fancy.  Add in the theme AND some stamping *this is THE important bit guys, please remember your rubberstamps!*  and then hop back here, leave me a comment with a link to the place you are showing your entry and I can come see you.   If you haven't got a blog, you can join in via Facebook (just tag me name) or by emailing a small res.pic to me or by leaving me a link to your Pinterest or any other photo hosting site.  The challenge will remain open until 21:00 Saturday 28th March 2015.  

For my entry this week I have altered a cheapo frame I picked up in B&Q (for the princely sum of £1.78)  It is a 6" x 8" insidey bit (can't think of the proper name - brain fog!) and started off as plain pale wood.   I started by lightly slapping a layer of black paint onto the frame and then sanding back to reveal some of the wood beneath.  Then a good rub of Vintage Photo Distress Ink and voila, one antiquey aged looking frame.  The insert is a piece of cream card, inked with Mustard Seed, Abandoned Coral and Wild Honey Distress Inks and stencilled with the same colours using Tim's Flourish Layering Stencil.  I die cut a couple of the lattice shapes from Tim's Mixed Media Thinlets using black card and cut the out, popped them onto the base card and then inked right around the edge with Vintage Photo just to add a bit of a vintage look to it.

For the decorations, I set about making a nice Ornate Frame - I popped some Ranger Foil onto card, die cut with Tim's Ornate Frame and then scribbled into it with a pointy tool and scootched the inside with a texture wheel.  Next up a slap of black paint to aged it ... wiped off whilst still a bit damp to it revealed the foil underneath.  I then used Hazelnut Alcohol Ink to add a brown tone, once that was dry, I sanded it really lightly to reveal smidges of the metal below.  The stamped sentiment is one of my faves from The Wendy Vecchi (btw, it is NEARLY August, which means NEARLY time to go to her class in London!  I cannot WAIT!)  The flowers are from Tim's new Flower Garden Stamp set - which is what my Alfie bought me for Mother's Day, isn't he a little sausage? Bless him!  Clever kitty!  They were coloured with the same DI's and a waterbrush to achieve a washy effect.  The photo's are really saturated with colour for some reason (um, my rubbish photography skills probably!) but IRL they are much prettier.  Finally I made a Paula Bow and popped a resin rose in the middle to finish.

I haven't been too clever again this week... hence the lack of blogging. (not long to wait til my appointment with the consultant)  I do have a fair few tags I have made to show you so I really must pull my finger out and get them on here... in the meantime, I hope you have a great Sunday and.... Thanks for looking!  TTFN

Hels x

Sunday Stamper - Week 340 - Anything Goes

Goooodly Afternoon Stampers and a very happy Sunday to you all!  Thanks for your lovely hearty entries to last weeks challenge, I need to finish my visits later today... been busy being lazy - you know how it goes right?  The new theme this week is... ANYTHING GOES.  You can interpret the challenge how you like: literally this week, you can do anything... seriously, anything at all! Be it a card, a tag, an altered creation... the choice, it be yours!   To join in with the challenge is simples: make a little something, it can be anything you fancy.  Add in the theme AND some stamping *this is THE important bit guys, please remember your rubberstamps!*  and then hop back here, leave me a comment with a link to the place you are showing your entry and I can come see you.   If you haven't got a blog, you can join in via Facebook (just tag me name) or by emailing a small res.pic to me.  The challenge will remain open until 21:00 Saturday 17th January 2015.

My entry this week is a tag I made a while ago that I hadn't blogged... the papers are the gorgeous Rustic Harmony from Kaisercraft as is the stamped sentiment.  I added a couple of Wendy's butterflies - edging everything with the usual Distress Ink... and then got cracking on the floral embellishment.

I used Sue Wilson's Poinsettia dies - the fancy and the solid ones, showing that you don't have to actually make a poinsettia with the dies, they are so versatile they can make a nice big blousy flower... and you all know how much I loves me blousy flowers :O)  I added a few more of the fancy cut flowers, cut up and coloured with Forest Moss DI to make a leafy bundle behind the flower, popped a few pearly swirly bits behind the flower and voila, finished... and nice quick and simple tag :O)

I hope you haven't been blown away this week... we have been lucky here Chez Sheridan, the winds haven't been too bad so I haven't had to sit and stare at the Spinney, willing the trees to stay upright... tis a smidge chilly here today though, so my plan is so hunker down in the Room of Stash and get some ink on these far too clean fingers of mine!  Thanks for looking, whatever you are doing, have a fab day!  TTFN

Hels x

Sunday Stamper - Week 337 - Paperback Writer

Goooodly Morning Stampers and a very happy Sunday to you all!  Thank you all for your great winged entries into last weeks challenge, it was great to see so many different interpretations.  The theme this week (and yes, we had this song title a while back but it is a classic right?)  is... BOOKS.  You can interpret the challenge how you like: be it altering a book, using bookpages in your art, using a papiermache one like I have... the choice, it be yours!   To join in with the challenge is simples: make a little something, it can be anything you fancy.  Add in the theme AND some stamping *this is THE important bit guys, please remember your rubberstamps!*  and then hop back here, leave me a comment with a link to the place you are showing your entry and I can come see you.   If you haven't got a blog, you can join in via Facebook (just tag me name) or by emailing a small res.pic to me.  The challenge will remain open until 21:00 Saturday 20th December 2014.

My entry this week is actually my class sample from yesterdays class at Papercuts in Whitley Bay.  Now I am going to say that I had a grand time and everyone enjoyed it because I am hoping that is what happened... I am actually scheduling this post afore I away!   The base is a papiermache book that has been altered using lots of paints and inks and stuff... and that's all I saying! 

Today I continue my mini tour of the North East and I shall be teaching two classes in South Shields at Crafty Corner... I will pop that project on the blog later in the week :O))

And that is all for now... I know, a short and sweet post today... all that is left is for me to say.... thanks for looking, have a cracking day!  TTFN


Hels x

Sunday Stamper - Week 334 - All You Need Is Love

Goooodly Morning Stampers and a very happy Sunday to you all!  Thank you for your fabby entries into last weeks challenge.   The theme this week is LOVE.  You can interpret the challenge how you like: use the word love, make a love themed creation, add in some hearts...  the choice, it be yours!  To join in with the challenge is simples: make a little something, it can be anything you fancy.  Add in the theme AND some stamping *this is THE important bit guys, please remember your rubberstamps!*  and then hop back here, leave me a comment with a link to the place you are showing your entry and I can come see you.   If you haven't got a blog, you can join in via Facebook (just tag me name) or by emailing a small res.pic to me.  The challenge will remain open until 21:00 Saturday 29th November 2014.

Now my entry this week is something a little different.... oh, hang on a minute, no it isn't... it is a tag!  Teehee.   I was asked a few days ago why I always make tags and what do I do with them?  Well, that is simples:  I make tags as I love the size of them, perfect for a quick demo or playtime... I love the base of the taggy card too, soft, smooth and very easy to apply ink and paint to (bit like my face...ahem) and of course I am addicted to making tags because that is the chosen base of the one and only Duke of Distress himself!  And as you all know, whatever Tim does, I have to copy!  And what do I do with them?  Well, a lot of them are used for demo's and samples, some of them make it onto cards... but most of them are kept on bookrings or in baskets in the Room of Stash so I can refer back to them upon such occasions when the old cad Mojo disappears off on one of his jaunts. *which, unfortunately, seems to be happening at the moment... he is sunning himself on a Greek Island I reckon*

This tag was made a few weeks ago for Wendy at Daisy's Jewels in Coventry.  I was there teaching for the weekend and had a few bits and bobs laying around on my desk so I got creative and bunged them onto a tag.  Bits of Wallpaper flowers that were too small to use on a big project but far too precious to file in the bin were glued onto the tag in collage fashion.  I inked all the edges with Aged Mahogany DI before gluing so they all looked cohesive.  Next I stamped a few images in Jet Black Archival - including the sentiment - and then slapped a generous layer of beeswax all over the tag... I don't know if you know this but I am also addicted to beeswax... the more the better IMO :O)

The flowers are just simple white paper roses, inked edges with the same DI colour and then dipped into beeswax to give them a muted and soft look.  I did the same with some die cut bits I had in my workbox (I cart a massive workbox around with me, chock full of all manner of what-have-you and usually I can find a few hidden gems in it) The butterfly was stamped onto card, inked and then this was also dipped into the wax too.  Apologies for the rubbishness of the photo's... being as I was away from home, I didn't have my camera so had to rely on my phone, which is not the best for taking photo's (or maybe it is the operator!) so I have tried to lighten them up in PhotoWotsit but I am not very good at using that either... hmmmm...

I shall away now... I have tonnes of stuff to do today!  Firstly, I am going to lay on the sofa and catch up with Strictly from last night... then I am going to lay on the sofa and catch up with Dallas from the other night... and then I might lay on the sofa and catch up with Wentworth from the other night.  See a theme there at all?  Yes, I have awarded meself a lazy day - I was supposed to be teaching today but the class has been postponed so I have a rare free day! I guess I could spend it sorting out the pit of doom that is the Room of Stash... but I shall save that for another day!  Thanks for looking and have a great day yourself!  TTFN

Hels x

Sunday Stamper - Week 332 - Sharp Dressed Man

Goooodly Morning Stampers and a very happy Sunday to you all!  Thank you for your grand entries for last weeks wishy challenge.   The theme this week is SEWING & STITCHES.  You can interpret the challenge how you like: make something out of fabric, add faux or real stitches, use diecuts...  the choice, it be yours!  To join in with the challenge is simples: make a little something, it can be anything you fancy.  Add in the theme AND some stamping *this is THE important bit guys, please remember your rubberstamps!*  and then hop back here, leave me a comment with a link to the place you are showing your entry and I can come see you.   If you haven't got a blog, you can join in via Facebook (just tag me name) or by emailing a small res.pic to me.  The challenge will remain open until 21:00 Saturday 15th November 2014 - yes this one is a "two-weeker". 

My entry this week is my class sample for my Patchwork Sewing Room class that I taught yesterday at Daisy's Jewels in Coventry.  The base is a Candy Box Crafts mdf frame.... this has been altered to within an inch of its life to make it look like it has been around for yonks (I love doing this to new wooden things, making them look positively ancient!)

The patchwork is cardstock, coloured with Distress Ink and a selection of Studio 490 and Kaisercraft stamps adorn the patches.  Checkout Tim's dressform... this was diecut from a gorgeous faux suede paper that Daisy's sell... backed onto mountboard for sturdiness! 

As you will have noticed, this is a two week challenge this time... I am still not feeling 100% and next week I am going to be a busy gal - demoing at the NEC for Craft Obsessions on Thursday and Friday and then I am teaching at a the Craftstation on Saturday for their first Dabble Day... so it is time for the Sunday Stamper to have a little breather!  I better get a wiggle on, I am back at Daisy's today teaching the lovely ladies all about the Melting Pot... tis going to be fun!   Thanks for looking, have a great day!  TTFN

Hels x

On The Tiles...

...a few weeks ago I taught my Mixed Media Masterboard class and for a change, I actually got a class sample finished!  Oh yesh, normally, class samples get half made and then end up bunged under my desk in a bag with the idea that one day I will finish them... yep, one day!   Anyways, I loved the colours I used on this one so much I carried on when I got home and finished off the decorations.

As this is a class sample, I won't go into great detail on how I made it but I will tell you about the colours... aren't they gorgeous?  I used a mix of Cosmic Misting Ink Jade Sea and Dirty Martini Dylusions sprays and blended them together with water to get this washy effect.

The flowers were coloured with Ancient Green and Egyptian Blue Cosmic Sprays with a smidge of Black Marble Dylusions to get some metallic effect onto them.  The butterflies are coloured with Peacock Feathers DI's and painted with a waterbrush to get the blending on the wings... and the sentiment is one of Tim's original woody stamps I have in my collection.

I have had a marvellous few days!  Grim whisked me off to North Yorkshire for a few days R&R = we stayed at the most delightful hotel just outside York called The Sidings.  The rooms are all in converted Mark 1 railways coaches... and they are about 30 feet away from the East Coast Mainline... a real "trainman's holiday" - laying in bed of a morning watching high speed trains whizz past the end of the bed... cool!   Of course, it would have been very remiss of us not to visit the North Yorkshire Moors Railway... so we did!  And yet again, I didn't see Sir Nigel Gresley!!! One of these days I will get to see "her" in steam!

I am back up north again now... sitting here in me hotel room in Preston - I am here for a workshop tomorrow and a demo day on Friday at Inspirations.  If you are around on Friday it would be great to see you!  I shall away now, time for my bed!   Thanks for looking, have a goodly day!  TTFN

Hels x

Sunday Stamper - Week 327 - Hazy Shade of Winter

Goooodly Morning Stampers and a very happy Indian Summer Sunday to you all!  Thank you all for your fabby entries to last weeks rosey challenge - it was great to see all the different roses you used.   The theme this week is ADD SOME SHADING.  You can interpret the challenge how you like: add texture paste for dimension, use your colour pens to add shading, make your art really 3d so it creates shade... the choice, it be yours!  To join in with the challenge is simples: make a little something, it can be anything you fancy.  Add in the theme AND some stamping *this is THE important bit guys, please remember your rubberstamps!*  and then hop back here, leave me a comment with a link to the place you are showing your entry and I can come see you.   If you haven't got a blog, you can join in via Facebook (just tag me name) or by emailing a small res.pic to me.  The challenge will remain open until 21:00 Saturday 4th October 2014.

My entry is a tag that I added some Ranger Texture Paste to, pasting through Tim's Diamonds stencil and then once the paste was dry, I used Shaded Lilac, Tumbled Glass and Milled Lavender Distress Paints to add colour.  I used water to smoosh the paints around and get a nice marbley effect.  Once dried, I went over the tag with Vintage Photo Distress Ink to tone the colours down a bit and make it a little more vintage.

Next I coated the tag with Glue & Seal - this provides a nice waterproof seal and also means that if I goof up the next step, I can simply wipe it off and start again... (plus I like how it takes the Vintage Photo into the brush strokes, adding a little bit more texture) and the next step is adding the shading!  Using a Stabilo All pencil and a Cut & Dry Nib, I added shading around the diamonds and smudged the pencil out.  Of course, it is the Sunday Stamper so I added a smidge of stamping - using my old fave Harlequin stamp and Jet Black Archival to add a little bit of interest to the edges of the tag.

I make no secret of how much I loves embellishmentising stuff... and I had lots of fun building up a few layers of embellies - using up scraps that have been kicking about on the Shelf of Dusty Doom - yep, that shelf above my desk that is full of stuff I get out to use and then don't use and then am too lazy to put back where I got it from so it gets popped onto the ever burgeoning Shelf of Dusty Doom!  The ribbon was coloured with the same Distress Paints - I love that they colour material without making it all crunchy and stiff.  The butterfly is a Studio 490 image - I actually stamped and coloured this fella months ago and didn't use him when I intended to... see, throw nowt away ever... it will all come in handy!

That's all from me for today... it is the BTCC from Silverstone today so I shall be cheering and shouting GO PLATO as usual!!!   Thanks for looking, have a very goodly day!  TTFN

Hels x

Sunday Stamper - Week 324 - Lavender's Green

Goooodly Morning Stampers and a very happy Sunday to you all!  Thank you all for your fabby entries to last weeks bright challenge - it was great to see all those eye popping summer colours on display.   The theme this week is colour based one... this time, USE PURPLE TONES.  You can interpret the challenge how you like: go for deep purples, add a smidge of violet, a little flash of mauve, the choice, it be yours!  To join in with the challenge is simples: make a little something, it can be anything you fancy.  Add in the theme AND some stamping *this is THE important bit guys, please remember your rubberstamps!*  and then hop back here, leave me a comment with a link to the place you are showing your entry and I can come see you.   If you haven't got a blog, you can join in via Facebook (just tag me name) or by emailing a small res.pic to me.  The challenge will remain open until 21:00 Saturday 13th September 2014.

 My entry this week is actually the very first page of a new "I Challenge Thee" project that Ellen and I started last Sunday during our Skype session.  We have a recipe to follow and over the next few months we will be making pages and then altering covers to make a special little book.  The main ingredient is Studio 490 - it has been too long since we both got our heads together and did an homage to our Wendy...   My base is a bit of manila cardstock, measuring 7 x 5" (ish) and I coloured it with Milled Lavender, Tumbled Glass, Dusty Concord and Tattered Rose Distress Paints... I made a nice smooshy background and then once dried, I set about adding more layers using lots of inks and stencils.  All stencils used are Wendy's... and the inks are Wendy's Archivals.  Starting with diamonds and Cornflower, moving on to dots and Hyacinth.   I made up my own colour embossing paste - popping a couple of drops of Hyacinth and Cornflower Archival re-inker's into Wendy's white embossing paste and then spreading it thru the stencil (can't remember the name of this one)  Now, the embossing paste colour is shown better on the butterfly - that was the colour I chose... and then once I had used it for the flowers, it looked tooooo pale, so I rectified that and use Hyacinth Archival to colour over the embossed flowers - I just popped the stencil back in place and inked over the top so I didn't get any overspill inky bits on the base card.

I added the wreath, inked in Fern Green Archival, adding dots and Glossy Accents and a sentiment to finish off that bit... I wasn't happy with the overall look tho, it looked bare!  So I did some "second generation" stamping, using Wendy's massive script background and Watering Can Archival and randomly stamping onto the background.... ahhh, better!   I added some embellies - Wendy's Embellish Your Art and some bits of ribbon and lace and stuff and that was about enough for this page.  At the moment, the page is curling up - it will be glued to the next page finished and flatten out then... I made a schoolgirl error tho, I didn't punch the holes yet... ooopsies... I might have to fashion a fastening if I can't get the holes lined up properly!  I won't be making that mistake again.

I am excited today!  We are away to Rockingham to watch the British Touring Cars.  This is the first live meeting we have been to this year and I can't wait!  I need to feed my inner petrol head!  As ever, I shall be cheering along and shouting GO PLATO!   Thanks for looking, have a goodly day!  TTFN

Hels x

Sunday Stamper - Week 319 - Bits & Pieces

Goooodly Morning Stampers and a very happy Sunday to you all!  Thank you for all your great frosty and festive entries for last weeks challenge.  The theme this week is one to help you!  Oh yesh, the theme is BITS & PIECES so you can interpret the challenge how you like: you could grab all those bits and pieces that you have laying about and pop them onto your creation, you might have stamped some images and not got around to using them...    the choice, it be yours!  To join in with the challenge is simples: make a little something, it can be anything you fancy.  Add in the theme AND some stamping *this is THE important bit guys, please remember your rubberstamps!*  and then hop back here, leave me a comment with a link to the place you are showing your entry and I can come see you.   If you haven't got a blog, you can join in via Facebook (just tag me name) or by emailing a small res.pic to me.  The challenge will remain open until 21:00 Saturday 9th August 2014.

 
Ok, so not only am I helping you tidy up your crafty spaces, I am also admitting that my Room of Stash has kind of, well, sort of... ok, it is reallly getting messy again!  I tend to get a load of stuff out to use on projects and when I don't use them, I bung them all onto a shelf above my desk where they lay around gathering dust and cobwebs and eventually I say "enough!" and spend several hours sorting them and putting them away.  I even have a box for left over diecuts that I haven't used... just the same as a box of offcuts of ribbons and lace... I mean, you never know when you will need that 1" piece of lace do you?

I started my tag by inking it with Antique Linen, Frayed Burlap, Vintage Photo and edging with Walnut Stain Distress Inks.  Stamping with Potting Soil Archival, I stamped the large birds and then using Jet Black I stamped the smaller birds (they are up a-top under the ribbon) and I added some faded script stamping with Antique Linen but that doesn't show up at all now!   My fave diamonds are making another appearance, well they were on me desk from my Compendium tag the other day so why not indeedily?

Now, I have had a pot of Ranger Frosted Crystal Antiquities embossing powder on me desk for a yonk and a half and I was sitting there, looking at my inked tag and I thought "I wonder if...."   So I tried it and... oh yesh, I likes.   SO what did I wonder?  Well, there be a technique of Tim's, called Rusted Enamel, where you ink all over cardstock, sprinkle clear embossing powder over the top, flick the back of the card and then ink right over the embossy bits... so I decided to dry my tag completely as I had used different inks and didn't want the powder to stick all wonky like and then I inked right back over the top using more Antique Linen, this enriched the original colours to my delight too!  I then sprinkled the Antiquities powders over the top, flicked the back of the tag so get rid of some of the powders and then embossed them... wow, I love it!  This tag is so tactile now!  If you have some of these powders... try it! Let me know what you thinks!  Because I am no David Bailey, my photo's aren't really showing what the technique looks like IRL.. I will try and do another one and get better pics (I might even see if I can borrow Grim's swizzy camera *or better still, get him to photo it for me!*)   Once I had my background sorted, I started assembling the bits and pieces I had collected together... I used my Distress Spritzer and a Walnut Stain Marker to dirty up the ribbon roses as they were really clean and stood out far too much for my liking.

I really had a lot of fun putting this tag together and I wish I could say that my desk is looking a little tidier but no, it isn't... nor is the shelf above it... or, for that matter, is the floor any more visible than it was before.  Actually I thinks I may needs to make several hundred more tags like this to get rid of all those little bits I can't bear to either throw away or indeedily, put back where I got them from!   Today we are mostly going to be sitting watching the British Touring Cars, it is sooo long since they were last on... and we were on holibobs so we only saw the highlights of the races... I have missed shouting... GO PLATO!   Thanks for looking, have a great day! TTFN

Hels x

Sunday Stamper - Week 313 - Green Onions

Goooodly Afternoon Stampers and a very happy Sunday to you all!  Thank you for all your fabby entries for last weeks challenge and it is lovely to see some new peeps joining in too.  This week is a another nice easy challenge... GREEN.  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, leave me a comment with a link to the place you are showing your entry and I can come see you.   If you haven't got a blog, you can join in via Facebook (just tag me name) or by emailing a small res.pic to me.  The challenge will remain open until 21:00 Saturday 28th June 2014.

My entry this week has seen me return to my true love... oh yesh, it is all about Studio 490.  I make no secret of the fact that I am Wendy's #1 stalker erm, fan and I don't get enough time to really play with all my Studio 490 goodies.  So I treated meself to an evening of all things Wendy and had a total blast playing!   I used Wendy's technique for Archival Re-inkers, CLICK HERE for her fabby video.  I use Surgical Spirit, I think that is rubbing alcohol in the UK... it works anyways so I guess it is right (!)  I also use Ranger's Specialty Stamping paper.. this stuff is the bomb!  It has a coating on it but it isn't glossy... nor is it matte, more of a satin finish and it is perfect for Wendy's technique as the inkyness doesn't soak through the card and sits on top of it so you can move the inks about whilst they are still wet.   The Re-inkers I used are: Dandelion, Tree Branch, Fern Green & Leaf Green.

Once I had the inky background sorted, I set about layering on lots of different stencil images. Apart from the sentiment and flower cluster, everything on the creation has been stencilled.  I used lots of Wendy's stencils and the following Archival Inks:  Leaf Green, Tree Branch, Fern Green, Dandelio and Jet Black.  The butterfly is actually a stencil too, I just cut it out and bunged a little pearl onto the body.  I added Glossy accents to dots I added to the laurel wreath (used a Sharpie to add those) just to add a little extra texture to the background.  The base is a canvas board that I covered with hessian using Multi Medium to stick the hessian down and then colouring with Black Soot Distress Paint. I added the flowers, which are Kaisercraft ones, leaves from Tim's Garden Greens die and voila, finished!

I shall away!  It is Friday morning at the moment, which always confoooses me when I am actually pretending it is Sunday... I am away this weekend teaching at Pickwell Farm in Southampton... and I am reliably informed that the PYO strawbs are ready (cue Hels covered in strawberry juice) and there be cherries too... ohhlalalaaa.. I have already eaten several hundred weight of cherries already this year - must be a good season for them cos they are all delish!  Thanks for looking.. have a grand day!  TTFN


Hels x