Sunday Stamper - Week 335 - Have a Holly Jolly Christmas

Goooodly Morning Stampers and a very happy sunny Sunday to you all!  Thank you for your fabby lurve entries into last weeks challenge.   The song title for the theme this week has been chosen by my BFF Ellen... and it is CHRISTMAS.  You can interpret the challenge how you like: which isn't that difficult this week as Christmas is such a big old theme :O))  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 6th December 2014.

My entry this week has come about because of a fabby Skypey sesh I had with Ellen yesterday.  As usual, we had an I Challenge Thee... basically, we put together a recipe and get crackalacking making stuff.  Only this week we are both barren of Mojo so Ellen grabbed her Ranger U tags... and I grabbed mine... and we chose the Nostalgic Batik technique. Now this is a technique I haven't used for several hundred years and it was so lovely to revisit it.  And... I decided I would do a little step by step to show you how to do it too :O) 

But first.... the recipe!
Technique - Nostalgic Batik
Base - Manila Tag - any size
Theme - Christmas
Must Include: Tinsel/Festive Garlandry, Bow, Bells
Stamps of own choice
*this is the killer*  NO PAPER FLOWERS OF ANY DESCRIPTION!  *Ellen chose that... the vixen lol*

Please do feel free to use our recipe... and we'd love to see what you come up with too :O))

Here's the technique:

STEP 1 & 2
Using a couple of colours of Distress Ink, ink and stamp your image. Immediately cover with clear embossing powder, heat until shiny.

STEP 3
Use a co-ordinating colour of Distress Ink (and let's face it, they all co-ordinate) and blend ink right over the entire piece.  As usual, I added some Frayed Burlap around the edges... I always do that, I do!

STEP 4
Use a hot iron (for those of you who aren't sure what this is, it is a little metal electric jobby that gets red hot, perfect for getting creases out of clothes *snort* but also perfect for crafty stuff too!) with a piece of absorbent paper over the top of the stamped card, press firmly and hold the iron in place, the heat from the iron will re-melt the embossing powder which will soak up into the paper and remove said embossing powder giving a lovely nostalgic look to the art.  If you find that the paper is stuck to the card, simply rub the iron over the top again and it will lift off whilst still hot.

It is worth noting at this point that I GOOFED up... big styleee.... but actually, I liked my goof up so I kept it.  What did I do?  Well, I was so chuffed with the fact that I managed to stamp and emboss and it looked great that I skipped the Step 3 and went and ironed off the embossing powder before I had coloured over the card.  Ooops.  Well, I decided that seeing as there is always a residual amount of embossing stuff left on the stamped image, I would see if inking over the top actually would kill the whole thing or if the residual stuff would be enough of a resist.  And it didn't kill it completely... but what it did do was create a little bit of a halo.. which I likes!  Happy accident right?  To finish the tag, I added my bow, made with crinkle ribbon and Pine Needles DI, some Idea-ology (and how chuffed was I when I found the Christmas Word Band with the right song title words on it!)  The ickle rusty bells attached to Pine Twine around the Prancing Reindeers neck checked the bells and garlandry off the recipe and of course, no paper flowers so... I used real pine cones instead!  Teeehee!

And there you have it!  Please do go and check out what Ellen has been up to HERE... she was making mini tags the last time I saw... and she was up to about 87!   As ever, thanks for looking... have a grand day!  TTFN

Hels x

Flora Grande Bloom Tutorial

...as promised, here's the tutorial on how to make the mahoosive beautiful bloom from the Heartfelt Creations Flora Grande flower stamp - this method would also apply to any other stamp you have that has more than 6 petals (the usual way to make a big rosey type of flower)   Before I go on though... huge thanks for all your lovely messages and emails about yesterday's shows... they were great weren't they?  The "crow/parrot" will forever make me laugh my socks off... I thought I did quite a good job... alas I didn't get a photo of this rare of endangered breed, so perhaps if Liz is reading this she could take a piccie and send it to me... for posterity and all that.  Anyhow, on with the tutorial... you might want to grab yourself a cuppa and a packet of Hobnobs mind you, it is very photo heavy :O)  *~please also excuse the state of my hands and nails.. these pics were taken after three intensive days sample making and therefore my nails are a tad battered and the hands...well, mucky inky dirty will suffice~*  Here's a pic of the finished bloom:

And here are your ingredients:

Four stamped flowers, pokey tool, Cosmic Glue, paper clips, scissors, paintbrush or similar for curling the petals (+stamp!)

Through the tutorial I will post photo's of each step, plus extra photo's (labelled a or b, which show you how the step should look once completed)

STEP 1
Cut up in between two petals to the middle of the flower.

STEP 2
Where your cut is is where one petal will overlay the next one - you need to cut the top off this petal as when it is glued, it will be double thickness and won't curl as nicely as the other petals. Leave a nice "tab" at the bottom of the petal for gluing.

So your first flower will look like this with 7 petals.

STEP 3
Cut out one petal plus a semi circle from the centre (makes it easier to assemble) and the top off the petal that will be underneath once glued.  KEEP THE SINGLE PETAL.

Your second flower will look like this with 6 petal.

Rusty Hinge makes ones fingers look nicotine stained!

STEP 4
Cut out two petals together - set them aside as you will need them. Cut out another semi circle from the centre as before and also the top off the underneath petal.  

This is how flower number 3 should look when glued - 5 petals.

please excuse the sausage thumb shot!

STEP 5
This should be your fourth stamped flower. Cut out three petals together, repeat the process as before, cut a semi circle from the middle, chop the top off the petal that will sit underneath... KEEP THE THREE PETALS

This is how it should look - 4 petals

yep, another sausage thumb

STEP 6
For this step, you need to use the three petals you cut from the previous flower.  Snip a little way into the petals, this makes them easier to curl once assembled.

Use your paintbrush to gently curl your petals inwards, add glue as shown and stick the edges together where they meet.

It should look like this

STEP 7
This step needs the two petals you cut from flower #3 - again, snip a little way into the petals to help them curl once assembled.

Use your paintbrush to curl the petals inwards, this helps it come together for gluing

And it should look like this - as before, just add glue along one edge and stick where they meet. Use a clip to assist the gluing and freeing up your hands for the next step.

STEP 8 
This is using the single petal you cut from flower # 2. Use your paintbrush to wrap the petal around it, glue at the base and use a clip to hold it in place.

for continuity, Hels kept her hands mucky

You are now ready to assemble your bloom!

STEP 9 
Use a pokey tool (or similar) to curl the edges of your petals.  Pop your finger underneath the point at the base of the flower and push upwards to form a little peak inside the flower. This will be the "nest" your next layers sit around.

Add a generous dollop of Cosmic Glue around the base of the "peak".

STEP 10
Remember the semi circles we cut from the middles of each layer?  This eases assembly!  This photo shows that you can now get your scissor tips into the hole and make it slightly larger so it nests neatly within the base flower.  Repeat this process with each layer.

Place your layer into the base flower - you may need to jiggle it around a little until it sits neatly.

STEP 11
As before, snip around the hole in the bottom of the layer to make it the right size to fit into the layer below... add glue around the edges of the hole and pop into place... 

...like this...

STEP 12
As before, snip down the size as necessary and place into the every growing bloom.

STEP 13
Remember we snipped into the petals in Step 6?  This is why!  It makes life easier to curl the petals when they aren't so snug together.

ewwww, don't look at those manky nails!!!

When popped into place, it should look like this:

STEP 14
And again, snipping down between the petals makes it so much easier to curl these back on the layer that has two petals... curl the petals back and pop glue around the base of the layer.

or those manky nails, no! don't look!

STEP 15
Can you believe I deleted the photo for Step 15??? After all those other ones!!! Eeek!! Anyways, all you needs to do with the single petal is cut it to size and pop it into place with a dob of glue.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And there you have it!!! Are you still with me or have you nodded off?   I hope that you found this easy to follow and if you are planning on making some beautiful blooms, I would LOVE to see the results! 

I shall away now... as ever, thanks for looking, have a great day all!  TTFN

Hels x

Sunday Stamper - Week 259 - Some Like It Hot

Gooooodly Morning Stampers and a very happy Sunday to you all.  Many thanks for the fabby vintage creations you all made last week!  This week is a VERY special Sunday Stamper indeedily!  Before I go on waffling about that I will do the usual housekeeping things:  Firstly the challenge theme for this week is... EMBOSSING POWDERS.  To join in is simples: make a little something - it can be anything you fancy.  Add in the theme and some stamping and then pop back here with a link to the place you are showing your entry.  If you haven't got a blog, don't worry, you can also join in via email or on Facebook.   The challenge will remain open until 21:00 Saturday June 1st 2013. **entries received after this time will not be added into the prize draw**

And on with the most important bit!  Oh yesh, I am very honoured and proud to have been asked by Ranger to be a part of their Melt Art Mania event that they have running HERE on their blog.  The event runs from May 15th through to May 31st and has tonnes of fabulous inspiration featuring, along with amazing projects by some very talented designers... hence why I am chuffed to little mint balls to be asked to be amongst these incredily clever peeps!  Anyways... being as I am a part of the event, Ranger have very kindly offered up a brilliant prize...   to be in with a chance of winning this box of goodies all you need to do is leave me a comment here on this post.  If you join in with the Sunday Stamper as well.. you get two entries.  Another important thing:  if you join in any other way than on your blog, like sending me an email, you need to remember to leave a comment on this post telling me you have done that... otherwise it would be crazy to try and add in peeps names in the right order.  Each comment will be assigned a number, the total comments will then be fed into Random.org and the winner chosen at random, being announced next Sunday, June 2nd.  Ranger will then send out your prize directly.    I think that is everything....   and on with the post!   Oh yes, here's the FAB prize!!!

Firstly, here's a little peep at the finished project.... but before I show you all about that, I have a little tutorial for you, making my fave Faux Jade/Turquiose.  This is a technique I learned from the wonderful Suze Weinberg.  Please do take time to pop over to Suze's youTube channel too... her art is amazing!  Anyways... on with the tut!

STEP 1
Add 1/3 white UTEE to your Melt Pot and then add 2/3 clear UTEE to the pot and allow to melt thoroughly. (**HINT  Always pop the lid on your Melt Pot whilst melting UTEE... it melts faster with the lid on... and also you have less chance of sticking your elbow into the melting UTEE's)  Once melted give the contents a good stir to amalgamate the two together - use  your Kool Tool spatula for this.

STEP 2
Add a generous droppage of Heat It Inks to your white UTEE mix - I have used Green - you will see it is more of a turquiose colour! You will see the UTEE bubble a bit - this is normal.  Pop the lid on and allow the ink to get to the same temp as the UTEE.. this will only take a minute or so. I have found this helps the mixing in of the colour.

STEP 3
Give the ink/UTEE mix a really good stir using your Kool Tool spatula so the colour is uniform.  If you are quick, you can also pour this while the colours are totally mixed for a cool white/colour look.

STEP 4
Add in Platinum UTEE using your Kool Tool as a spoon (or a plastic spoon, be careful not to dip this into the UTEE though... it will melt!)  Pop the Lid back on the pot and leave to melt.

STEP 5
Use the tip of your Kool Tool spatula and gently marble the Platinum through the colour, you don't want to stir this as it will be all muddy, the trick is to bring one colour through the other.  It is now ready to pour and become gorgeous faux jade/turquoise.

And here's what you can make....  I poured the UTEE mix into a heart shaped mould (made from Mold & Pour) and once it was cooled, I lightly heated the front of it so it is a little shinier than it would normally be.  BTW, check out the heart at the back.. the technique was just a bit of marbling, cookie cuttering... but the ickle heart which is nearly but not quite cut out was an idea I saw a lovely lady called Angela adopting on a class I taught the other week... FAB idea!  Thanks Angela!  That is what I so love about the Melt Pot, it just begs to be played with... experiment, play... have fun!!! 

My project is a wooden trinket case that I decided to alter, using Distress Paints to cover the wooden bits.  I started by removing the hinges and clasp from the chest and put them in a safe place.  Cut & Dry foam to apply the Antique Linen DP to the outside of the chest and also, inside the "shelves"    I added Broken China DP to some Cut & Dry and gently dabbed this around the edge of the lid.  I had also used masking tape to cover up the edges of the glass on the lid too... saves scaping paint off later!  Once that was how I wanted it, I added Pitch Black Dabber using Cut & Dry foam, to the edges and front of the shelves.

Some stamping onto cosmetic tissue with a couple of Tim's stamp and Archival Ink was the next step.  Ensure you give the Archival a good zap of heat to set it before you use beeswax on it otherwise the ink can bleed a smidge.

I popped my Project Pan into the Melt Pot and some beeswax pellets - these are white ones, I prefer the clear effect of white but the natural ones are gorgeous too if you want a more antique effect.  I tore piece of tissue, used a real hair brush to apply smidges of beeswax to the frame and then painted more over the top, using the heat tool all the time to re-melt the wax and ensure the tissue was stuck down.  Once I had all the collaging done, I added more blobs of wax to add a bit of texture to the chest.

The insidey bits are created with a range of different UTEE techniques.  Pouring into moulds, pouring into Memory Frames, Texture Treads, stamping into UTEE and using cookie cutters... I wanted a "curiosity" effect... which this is... the Beeswax Curiosity!

I hope you have enjoyed the tut and seeing my special project.... like I said... I am so honoured to be a part of this amazing event with Ranger... and of course, it is no secret how much I loves Ranger and the Melt Pot!    I am away to Crafty Bunch in Telford today for another Melt Art class..... see, I loves my Melt Pot!   I shall away... don't forget to check out Ranger's blog for all their inspiration...  Thanks for looking, have a great day!

TTFN

Hels x

Tattered Florals Rose - A Tutorial

...As promised yesterday, here's a tutorial on how to make a big blousy rose using the Tattered Florals Alterations die.  This is my favest rose to make, you have probably guessed that tho, it does appear frequently on my artwork!  This tutorial is photo heavy - I have taken pics of every little step to make it easier to follow... so you might want to grab a cuppa and a biccie before you start reading!   Anyways... enough of the waffling, here goes:

INGREDIENTS:
You will need three flowers cut from the Tattered Florals die.  You can use d/s papers, card, Grungepaper for these... the best paper I have found is double sided as it is a bit tougher.  You don't need to have three different patterns, I have used three different ones for the tut as it is easier to follow and I do like the effect.  If you have fave papers and they are single sided, simply stick the paper to cardstock using Glue & Seal or Multi Medium, then you have your patterned papers, just a bit stronger!   As well, as the three flowers, you will need strong wet glue.  I always use Cosmic Shimmer Dries Clear - it also dries matte.. perfect!  You will need sharp scissors and a pokey tool, plus five clips/grips.

**TOP TIP**  Look at your three flowers as Flower 1, Flower 2 and Flower 3

STEP 1
This is Flower 1: Cut in between two petals up to the centre of the flower. We will be putting one petal over the top of the next one to make it into 5 petals. Depending on which hand you write with, this will depend on which way you move the petals: I am right handed so the petal to the left of the snip always goes over the top of the right petal.

STEP 2
Chop the top off the petal that will go underneath and pop to one side.  The reason why we do this is because if you leave the whole petal underneath, that one will have a double thickness of paper and a layer of glue, making it harder to curl the petals...

Use the tab left behind as a gluing platform... so you pop your glue onto the tab and then bring the petal to the left of the snip over the top.

STEP 3
Use one of your clips to hold the petals in place whilst the glue sets - Cosmic dries super fast but I do this just to make sure, also it frees up my paws to move onto the next step...

STEP 4
Now we are working on "Flower 2". This makes the layer with 4 petals and the centre petal. Cut out one petal (as shown) and pop the cut out petal to one side - you will need this later.

STEP 5
Using your sharp scissors, cut out a small circle from the centre of the flower - this makes the assemblage part so much easier. Chop off the top of the petal to the left of the snip and save this off cut. You can discard the bit from the middle.

Pop some glue onto the tab, as shown.

STEP 6
Use another clip  to hold the petals in place - you should now have the layer with 4 petals.

STEP 7
We are now using "Flower 3" and this will make the layers that have 3 and 2 petals. Over time I have made hundreds of these roses and have found that because the Tattered Florals hasn't got a uniform look, some of the "V's" between the petals are cut closer to the centre than others.  So.  You need to make sure that the cuts you make are around the "V" that is furthest away from the centre = as shown with the arrow (do you like the arrow? I maded that meself lol)   For this flower, you need to cut out two petals together...

STEP 8
This photo shows that you have cut out two petals together.  Also, the top of the petal that is going underneath has been chopped off... and also, a half moon shape from the centre of the flower has been cut out - again, this is a vital step, it makes assemblage so much easier.
Keep the top of the petal you have chopped off - you can discard the middle snippy outy bit though.

Here you can see where the glue goes - as with other layers, it needs to be on the little tab.

STEP 9
Bring the petals together and use a clip to hold everything in place whilst the glue sets - **TOP TIP** Make sure you have all three petals the same height when clipping - I have found if one of the petals is too low, this layer doesn't sit right in the flower when assembled.

STEP 10
Remember the two petals you just cut out?  Now we are going to be working on these. Firstly, cut off the bottom point - you don't need this bit and if you leave it, it makes it more difficult to curl the petals around... it is... pointless (insert groan of choice!)

STEP 11
Use your pokey tool to curl back the petals - this is because we need to stretch the fibres in the paper as once this little layer is assembled, it is harder to curl the petals back - if you have already stretched the paper, they curl back much easier.

Next, flatten out the curled petals, use your pokey tool to curl the petals inwards now (as shown)

Pop a dab of glue onto the inside of one of the petals... as shown... and curl them around on each other...

STEP 12
The shape of this one should be similar to the trumpet of a daffodil, so the glued bit is just along the back where the petals have overlapped = pop a clip onto it and allow it to set.

STEP 13
Now we are working on the single petal, this will make the curled petal that goes into the middle of the rose. Firstly, snip off the bottom of the petal - again, this is ... pointless (ahem)

Hold one side of the petal between your thumb and finger and curl the other side using your pokey tool.

Twist the curled side right around your pokey tool and then the flap at the top that is left, curl backwards on itself, as shown.

Pop a dab of glue onto the bottom of the petal, as shown.

Now pop a clip onto this bit to allow it to set.

You are now ready to begin assembling your rose.  Start with the layer that has 5 petals:

STEP 14
Place your finger underneath the pointy bit on the 5 petal layer. Push this up gently so you have a little peak inside the flower (as shown) this will make a good nest for the other layers and also gives the flower a flat bottom.

Curl the petals back using your pokey tool and use the peak as a glue guide - fill a nice moat of glue around the peak.

STEP 15
Remember when we cut out the circle from the middle of the flower that makes layer 4?  This is because now, you can go in with the tips of your scissors and make that hole a little bigger - this makes it perfectly sized to fit over the peak inside layer 5.  Curl the petals back using your pokey tool.

Pop layer 4 into layer 5 - you will need to jiggle this layer around until it sits neatly.  Use your pokey tool to push the bottom of this layer into the glue if you need to.

STEP 16
Now we are working with layer 3.  Again, use your scissors to snip a larger hole at the bottom of this layer.   Curl the petals using your pokey tool to help the curls.

Add a good glob of glue around the bottom of this layer.

Pop the layer into the flower - again you will need to jiggle it about a smidge to get it to sit properly... tis all about the jiggling!  Remember when I said that you need to make sure all the petals are the same height?  That is really important because at this layer, if they aren't the same height, they will look ugly!

STEP 17
Now are on layer 2 - Snip the bottom off the  petals - remember I said about making sure you get the "V" that is furthest away from the middle?  This is when it comes into play - if they "V" is too close to the bottom of the petals, you will either have a bit that is too tall.. or if you do cut it down to size, it can pop open...

Remember when we curled the petals to stretch the paper fibres?  This is why... if you have them curled and glued and haven't stretched the fibres,  you will have a bit of a rumpled paper... tis all in the prep!

Use layer 2 as a guide to the sizing of the centre bit.  Pop layer 1 into layer 2 and cut it to fit.

STEP 18
Glue around the base of layer 1 and pop it into layer 2.  Now glue around the bottom of layer 2 and place it into the rose.  I do these two together so I don't jostle the already assembled layers.

Ta dah!  you now have your assembled rose... but... 

STEP 19
Remember the little snippy bits that we chopped off the top of the petals?  Well, these are now used up to make little fillers.  Your assembled rose is pretty but... there will be a few gaps, this is the nature of this shape of flower.  No probs, use the off cuts to fit into the gaps!
Snip the paper so it is wider at the top that the bottom.

Pinch the base so it is curved and curl the top back using your pokey tool.

Add a dab of glue to the bottom...

 Slot it into a gap.  Continue with the other two pieces you have snipped...

And there you have it. 
Yes, there are a lot of steps but I have done these so  you can see everything you needs to do to get the rose to look so pretty. 

I hope you have enjoyed the tut and please do let me know when you have had a play and if you enjoyed it!   I shall away now... all this typing has me thirsty!  Thanks for looking... TTFN

Hels x