At The Hop!

Greetings!  Welcome to my blog and my leg of the Tattered Lace Blog Hop.  As you probably will have gathered by now, we are showcasing our favourite products from Tattered Lace and mine just happens to be.... the Screen Sensation!  I am so excited to be sharing this project I made using the new Screen Sensation tool... so I won't waffle on alarmingly, I will just dive right in and share photo's and wordage with you:

I had a 12" square canvas lurking in my Room of Stash that I wanted to make into some wall art.  Along came the Screen Sensation and this project popped into my head as soon as I saw the Butterflies screen.  I started by printing the Butterflies using a mixture of White and Harbour Blue ink onto Prepared for Print cardstock.  Once the butterflies had dried, I then used the Antique Script screen, printing in Black ink right over the top of the butterflies.  I love this overlaying technique!

I then used the same mix of inks I had used for the original print of the butterflies but added some Copper and Black inks in dots along to the top of the screen.  As the inks pull over the screen, they give the most amazing marbled effect... almost like a faux verdigris... lush!!

Once the butterflies had dried, I cut them all out and edged them with Rare Earth Pitch Black ink so the wings had definition and I also flipped them over and popped black into onto the backs of their wings.

I painted the edge of the canvas in black and smudged more of the Pitch Black ink around the edges of the canvas just to add a dusty effect... I wanted a more grungy look to the overall finish of the piece, by adding smudges of ink, this is the perfect way to achieve this effect.   I then glued each butterfly over its counterpart on the base print, adding a little black pearl to the body to finish.

By now you should have visited each leg of the hop... here's a list to make sure  you haven't missed anyone out - you will need to visit everyone as there will be questions and a prize of a £50 crafty voucher on the final leg.  You should have started HERE on the Tattered Lace Facebook Page, just click on each name and you will be whisked off to each leg of the hop: 

Lou Collins 
Gwen Fletcher
Debbie Bradley  
Corrine Robinson 

Thanks for taking part, your final hop leg can be found by clicking HERE.... good luck, thanks for looking and have fun!  
TTFN
Hels x

A Magical Day!

Helloooo!  Greetings! Did you feel the warmth in that sunshine on Wednesday?  I tell you what, I actually went and laid down in the garden and soaked up the rays... it was so good to feel the heat in my old bones again... it feels like it has been the longest winter ever *I think as I get older, I find I hate the cold more and more*    Anyways, speaking of sunshine and summer and all things warm... today I have a card to show you that I actually managed to demo on the tellybox shows on Tuesday.   Meet Audrey, one of the Art Nouveau Ladies, she is, IMO, the Goddess of Summer... or Aestas to give her her proper name.  And before you think "oh she's going all clever"  I'm not, I actually know about the Roman Gods/Goddesses of the seasons from my most very favourite and beloved book from when I was a kid... it's called the Winter of Enchantment by Victoria Walker and if you ever get chance to get a copy, do it!  It is the most charming book and I read it frequently still... anyways, in the book the main character has an adventure and meets the Four Seasons... and they are all called by their Roman names... so I am not clever really... just well read 😉

So, back to the card... I stamped Audrey in clear ink and then embossed with Glass embossing powder so I immediately created a resist on the stamping card.  Next, I smooshed Avocado and Khaki Rare Earth Blending Inks (herein known as BI's) onto my craft sheet and spritzed with water, smooshed the card through the inkiness and voila, lovely resist image!  I carefully dried the ink with a heat tool - carefully because we have embossing powders here and they love to re~melt and sink into the card... so gently does it.  I then picked up more of the inkiness and dried again, then used a Dusting Brush (be still my heart, I have found new love... Dusting Brushes... what did I do before I met these little fellas?) where was I... ah, yes, Dusting Brush with Khaki ink, blend around the edge of the card to give it a nice frame.  Next I used my waterbrush to remove some of the ink from the card, let it soak a little while and then blot with kitchen roll to remove the ink.  I added Lavendar Mist ink using a waterbrush to the flowers on Audrey's image and extra Avacado ink to highlight the image.

I made a dinky little envelope from vellum using the cool Tattered Lace Envelope templates... and made a little sentiment to pop inside the diddy envelope.  Finally, I used the Peony die set from the Fleurs range and made a rose... you know how I loves my roses... and the Peony die set is more than perfect... it has loads of different size dies so loads of different size roses can be made... hurrah!

Right, I shall away... I will be back tomorrow taking part in a very special blog hop (tis about 281 years since I last did a blog hop!) so please do pop back for a nosey as I know there be prizes!  Thanks for looking... have a grand day! TTFN

Hels x

P.S... Happy St Patrick's Day to all my lovely Irish followers x

Strike A Pose!

Goooodly afternoon!  Corrrr, I have been busy having fun with the brand new Rare Earth Strike A Pose stamps and I have a couple of cards to show you that I had made for the tellybox shows on Tuesday.

First up is Heidi - she's a gorgeous gal in her ballgown, awaiting the arrival of Prince Charming to swoosh her off for an amazing evening (yes, my vivid imagination is still here).   

I stamped Heidi onto stamping card in clear ink and embossed her with Soot Embossing Powder.  I then stamped her again twice, same method, onto vellum.. cutting out her dress so I could layer it up.  I used Rare Earth Kuretake Clean Colour pens to colour her and her dress in - the turquoise I used is from the High Fashion set (I think this is my fave colour at the mo)  I then used a waterbrush to get that lovely shaded washy effect... vellum always acts the goat when water is added to it, going all flippyfloppy and wrinkly but that actually helped as her dress is more contoured and looks more dimensional.

Whilst Heidi was off with her Prince Charming, Cindy and Elle got together for a night out on the tiles... actually Elle is here twice as I masked Cindy and stamped Elle twice onto the card so we have the three of them, all dressed up, ready for a boogie.   Again I used Kuretake Clean Colour pens to colour in the images and added a touch of sparkle with a Sakura Shimmer pen.

I have been a busy bee this past few weeks and I am currently working on the next lot of shows for the Screen Sensation and I CANNOT wait for you to see all the new screen designs that are being released... you are going to LOVE them! All I will say is that if you like animals and you like colouring in.... bingo!!!   That's all from me for today, must dash, I have left the Screen Sensation alone for 20 minutes and I think it is getting lonely ;O)   Thanks for looking, have a grand day!  TTFN

Hels x

A Kaliedoscope of Butterflies...

...did you know that a "kaliedoscope" is actually the collective noun for a group of butterflies?  I am a mine of useful information you know ;O))   Anyways.  I am back today with another project I have made using the Screen Sensation.  Actually, this is the very first thing I made and I am rather fond of it... I love the verdigris effect I achieved by simply mixing a few inks on the screen as the squeegee pulled them over.

This is a shadowbox that I had kicking around and decided to use my prints in it.  I printed the Bespattered screen onto cardstock using a mixture of Harbour Blue and White ink combined with a smidge of Copper ink.   Once dried, I then popped the Antique Script screen into the Screen Sensation and printed the script in black ink.  It makes for a pretty cool background, doesn't it?

I then printed the Kaliedoscope screen using the same verdigris colours... dotting the different colours along the top of the screen before printing means a more random print so the butterflies all look sooo pretty.

The butterflies were cut out, edged with black ink to make them pop.  I stamped a word and then assembled the whole thing together... oh and the shadowbox?  Coloured with the Black ink I used for the script print... it is such a lovely smooth ink and permanent once dried, it seemed fitting to use the inks for everything I did.

Please do excuse the naff photography... my break away from blogging did not, in any way, improve my photographic prowess! 

That's all from me for today... have a grand day and thanks for looking!  TTFN

Hels x

Just Bloom!

Ohlalaaaa!  I am in a tizzy of excitement at the moment, what with the new Screen Sensation and... I am going to be demo-ing the fabulous Rare Earth brand from Gwen Fletcher and Stephanie Weightman.  If you haven't seen Rare Earth before, I will tell you a bit about it: it is a collection of inks and stamps that simplify the myths of stamping and make it more accessible to both new crafters and us oldies who have been crafting for 271 years.  I am so honoured to be asked to guest present the Rare Earth brand on Create & Craft and my first show will be tomorrow, March 2nd, at 9am and then another show at 1pm. 

A new addition to the Rare Earth family is a set of brand new blending inks.  Now, blending inks... most of us have inks that we blend with so why are these different?  Well, firstly, these are totally permanent once stamped so they won't budge with water, on porous card, they air dry, on glossy surfaces, simply heat set.  However, they blend perfectly and as they are water based you can colour with them, use them to make inky backgrounds, which unlike an oil or solvent based ink, makes a very interesting combination.  Permanent but you can use them to watercolour?  VERY clever!  This is exactly the ink I have been waiting for for a yonk and a half!

Here's one of my demo's I have prepped... I have used a faboooolus mask and stamp set, some vellum and a couple of the new ink colours.  The main colour is called Avocado and it is my favourite (I know, I always have to have a favourite but I just love the tones in this beautiful green). 

I hope you can join me at 9am on Create & Craft - you can watch on Freeview channel 23, Sky 674 or Virgin 748 or online HERE.  If you do get a chance to watch, please do send me an email in and if you have any questions, that will be your chance to ask... plus, I will be giving this card away at the end of the show!   Thanks for looking... have a grand day!  TTFN

Hels x

P.S  Happy St David's Day to all my lovely Welsh friends!

Owl Be There For You....

Goooodly Morning!  I know, don't faint... tis I, the Waffler... the very naughty and most absent of Wafflers at that!  Apologies, hoooge apologies for being absent... yet again!  I know I promised that I would start to waffle more regularly but then "this" happened, then "that"happened, then it was Christmas, then it was January and of course, I had man flu (a most severe attack if ever there was one!) and finally, I am more or less back on an even keel so I decided that I would get my feather duster out, sweep away the cobwebs that had grown over my blog and start as I mean to go on... I am a-scheduling, I am!   So!  News!  You may have seen me pop up ont tellybox last week with a brand new and very innovative tool from the home of Tattered Lace, the Screen Sensation.  If you missed it, fear not, I shall be back on Create & Craft soon with more deliciousness using the Screen Sensation... but if you follow this link, you will be able to see more about this fabulous invention from Stephanie Weightman and her clever team on the Screen Sensation Facebook page.  Seriously, it is not often that a product comes along that gets me pant-wettingly excited... but this?  I love it MORE than I love my Melting Pot. Yup... THAT much!!!  Very, very, very lots!!!

So, imagine screen printing. At home. Messy? Cumbersome screen? Difficult to use?  NOPE! Not any more.  The Screen Sensation allows you to change the screens! Yes!!!!! Hurrah!!!  There are 19 different screens to chose from... at the moment... as there are new ones coming soon (teehee)  There are geometric patterns, designer style patterns which are perfect for printing onto fabric, nature, butterflies... and Wisdom the Owl.  I know I should not have a favourite but I do.  Although, that said, Kaliedoscope the Butterflies are also my favourite as are Silhouette Stems but we won't dwell on that right?

The top photo shows Wisdom printed with Raspberry and Peach Amber inks. Simple, pop the ink on, squeegee over, lift the lid, et-voila!  A perfect print!  I've printed Wisdom onto cardstock but this ink goes onto ANY surface, it's water based, drain safe, non toxic so cleaning the screen is a doddle, pop it into the sink, cold water to clean it and then let it air dry. Super simples!   Once I had printed Wisdom a few times with the Raspberry and Peach Amber, I decided to add a smidge of Blue ink.  The photo above is Wisdom after the first squeegee through with the blue.  This next photo is the second run through, you can see that each print is going to be totally unique and if you click on the photo's you will be able to see the marbling of the ink as it passed over the screen.  Did I tell you I LOVE THIS PRODUCT???  Hmmm, if there was a word bigger than LOVE... I would use it!!!  Ok... I am being clever... LOVE!!!

Anyways.  I am so very honoured to be able to demonstrate the Screen Sensation alongside the wonderfully clever and talented Sarah Payne, who will be demonstrating the way to use the screen on fabrics.  I have even got over my inherant fear of all things material and printed directly onto a calico apron.  Hey!  It was so easy I actually did think about getting yonder sewing machine out from under the eons of dust and setting it up.  Then I remembered I can't even thread the beast and that actually, I can use the Screen Sensation on any surface at all so I went and did some canvassy stuff instead.  I shall share some more photo's of my makes in a few days.... in the meantime... thanks for looking... sorry for being away for soooo long... I am back, I am promising I will be more regular with my wafflings and hey... it's good to be waffling again! 

TTFN

Hels x

Exciting News...

Really!??  I cannot believe that I haven't been and waffled at you for FOUR months!!!  YIKES!!!  I have no other excuse except for life got in the way!  Such a lot has happened this year and not all of it has been very good or very pleasant, in fact, most of it has been pretty chuffing awful and, as a result, Mr Mojo did a bunk (who can blame him with the face I have had on me tho lol)  However, things have started to settle, look up, get better and so on and I have some very goodly and exciting news that I have been all of a dither about...  a few weeks ago, the lovely folks at Tonic Studios asked me if I would like to join their presenting team!  They have some wonderful new stamp releases coming up over the next few months and asked if I would like to come on board and help with the samples and guest presenting the shows on Create & Craft.  What an amazing offer!  How could I refuse?  I am sure that all of you crafters out there know just how great Tonic products are... and I can confirm their stamps are just as fabulous as the rest of the goodies they bring to us.   I am doing my very first shows tomorrow, 1pm and 5pm on Create & Craft, bringing this little fella, Marmalade, to your screens along with his little pals and the various accessories they need to make their world complete.  *please excuse the poor photo quality, I used my phone, I am a rubbish photographer, the original is away at the studio's and this was the only piccie I could find!  Will try harder next time*

Marmalade is a rather cheeky looking bear who really enjoyed the Distress treatment I gave him.  I have coloured him with lots of different colours just to see what suits him, I have paper pieced him, embossed him and also tried the fab Nuvo alcohol markers on him too... as you know, I have always been an inky girl at heart, so this is Marmalade looking very bear-like with his little puppy pal, coloured with Peeled Paint and Forest Moss Distress Ink and a waterbrush.  The panel he is sitting on is a Tonic Essentials circle die set and the words are from the Miniature Moments die "best friends". 

I hope you can join me tomorrow at 1pm and 5pm... I am so excited, nervous, excited, nervous and even a bit more exciteder to be joining the wonderful folks at Tonic Studios, it is an honour to be asked to be a part of their talented team.  Did I say I was excited???    I will also be on again on Tuesday, bright at early at 8am, 4pm and 6pm with a launch of a brand new Nuvo product which has me literally popping with ... um... more excitement!   I shall away now, I need to lay down in a darkened room and do some breathing exercises to calm myself before I am overcome with a full on fit of the vapours!  Thanks for looking and have a grand weekend.

TTFN

Hels x

Carte Blanche for Blossoms & Bookpages!

Goodly afternoon!  Ooh I love it when a plan comes together!  It isn't often that I think of a project and actually make it so it looks like it did in my head.  This project started out in my head looking like... well, exactly like the finished article!  Unusual for me, I usually just slap stuff anywhere and faff around for hours trying to get things to look right.  Over on the Creative Carte Blanche blog, I chose the theme for July, Blossoms & Bookpages.  I chose the theme because I wanted to make this project... and being of slatternly persuasion, it is oft the case I will not end up making something because other things get in the way.  Perfect excuse to get my fingers inky and make something for the living room too.

I bought an old copy of Hans Christian Anderson's childrens stories a few months ago from a charity booksale... it cost me the princely sum of 50p.  One of the stories is Thumbelina.... I have a bit of an addition to fuchsias... well, actually, a lot of an addiction (I have 79 different varieties now *see, told ya, addicted*) and it just so happens there is a new fuchsia called Thumbelina.  I also have the Heartfelt Creations Fuchsia Dies... so... put them together and you get this project!

The shadowbox is from The Range and is 8" x 8", I smidged a wee bit of black paint onto the bare wood, sanded it back and then blended Ground Espresso DI over the surface to get this nice aged look. 

The fuchsias were made by sticking the bookpages onto card, die cutting the shapes and inking with Picked Raspberry and Wilted Violet DI's to get the colours and then assembling the blooms.  The stems of the flowers are thin strips of bookpage/cardstock inked with Peeled Paint and the branches were made (very fiddly-diddly) by twisting bookpages around wire then inking with the green ink plus a smidge of Frayed Burlap.  The base inside is more bookpages, collages, knocked back with Antique Linen and Bundled Sage Distress Paint, splattered with Peeled Paint and Bundled Sage Distress Spray and then gently inked with more Ground Espresso to bring the whole design together.

I decided against adding any embellies (I know, what???) and wordage as I want the blooms to really stand out, it is simple but so pretty I didn't want to take away any limelight from those fuchsias.  Anyways... that's it really... I spent ages making this... the blooms are pretty easy to put together but it was the placement of them and the wrapping of the wire and making sure that it looked exactly like it did in my head...  Thanks for looking, have a grand weekend!  TTFN

Hels x

It's Showtime!!!

Hurrah and thrice!!! Today I shall be returning to the old tellybox on Create & Craft with ScrapBerry's... show times are 2pm and 8pm and the channels details are Sky 674, Freeview 36, Virgin 748 and FreeSat 813 and you can also watch live online HERE on the Create & Craft website.  Oooo and before I forget, did you know that ScrapBerry's have a blog?  HERE it is... full of fabulous projects from the DT and also a monthly challenge too!  Please do remember to take a cuppa and a packet of biscwits with you tho, you might be there a-while all a-gog at the beautiful creations!

Here are a couple of samples I made for the shows - the first one is using the ever so pretty and gorgeous Summer Joy papers and bunny stamp... there are three stamps in the collection... I love them all (obviously, cos they are bunnies and they are so cute!)   This one is made using the 6 x 6 papers, Bunny is stamped using Archival Ink and then I used a waterbrush and Distress Ink to colour her in.  I added little flowery stamped bits - again watercoloured using DI's and shabbied up the edges with a distress tool and some Frayed Burlap DI.  The bow is made using the shabby ribbon in the kit and the wordage is also in the kit... a bundle of pre-printed shapes, sentiments and more bunnies.  Sir Alan Rabbit tells me he is rather smitten with this little bunny girl :O))

Next up is the Mechanical Illusion kit.   Right up my street because it is all steampunkery and a little bit brown (you know me, I loves brown!)   I altered a little papiermache bookbox...  I just covered it with papers, added some Distress Ink, cut out some of the "oddities" in the paperpack and popped them onto the box along with some of the resin stickers, which are totally fab and match prefectly to the papers.

I really must get a wiggle on and get meself to bedsies... I have been faffing about trying get the old claws to look halfway decent, tis funny how gardening and papercrafting really make ones cuticles manky but it is worth it... you should see the size of my cucumbers already!!! I will try remember to get a photo of them before I scoff them all up :O) 

I hope you can join me for the shows... oh and!!!  My lovely American pals will be pleased to know that I am going to be on Create & Craft USA on Wednesday!!!  HERE is the American website... all the channel details are listed on there: Direct TV is 85/222 and Dish Network is 221...

Right, bedtime!!!  Thanks for looking and have a great day!  TTFN

Hels x

Carte Blanche for a New Theme!!!

Cor blimey!!!  Who fastforwardeded June already?  Happy July all... I am here today to let you know about a brand new theme over on the Creative Carte Blanche blog starting right now.  And... I chose the theme *sooo excited!*   You know how much I loves flowers... and I loves books just as muchly so bung the two together and a fab theme of Blossom & Bookpages is born!  To see all the details on how to join in the creative fun, CLICK HERE... I have arranged a First Edition Harry Potter & The Philosopher's Stone to whizz you across the cyberverse to get there toute-suite.

In other news... I shall be back on't tellybox on Tuesday 5th July at 2pm and 8pm with glorious goodies from ScrapBerry's... more of that later... at the moment I am disappearing in a puff of dust and glitter whilst I try to get my Room of Stash in order as it... um... really has got a little bit... out of hand!

Thanks for looking... I will be back soonly!  TTFN

Hels x

Feathers & Flutters...

Cor blimey and thrice!   I can't believe how quickly this year is whizzing past, June already!!   Which means it is time for me to show you my offering for this month's Creative Carte Blance blog theme of "Winged Things".   Now, it is no secret that I usually managed to bung a butterfly somewhere on my creations and I positively squealed with delight when I saw what Susan had picked for the theme this month!  Hurrah!  Any old excuse eh?   To see all the details on how to join CLICK HERE and you will be transported immediately on the back of a giant bumblebee to the Creative Carte Blanche blog.

I decided to try and bung as many winged things as possible onto my canvas... starting with birds.  I used the most delightful Birds of Paradise papers from ScrapBerry's as a base and being as I'd cut up a lot of them, I used the offcuts, layered them up and created a blocky collage.  Each piece of paper was edged with Ground Espresso Distress Ink to create a bit of a border on them so the layers stand out a bit.  The second bit of the winged theme is beeswax.  Well, it comes from bees... and they have wings :O)   A liberal slap of wax melted in my Melt Pot, all over the papers, adding extra depth in places for a more rustic effect and just set it aside to dry... no re-melting with a heat tool as this will make the wax soak through the paper and spoil the effect.

I made some paper roses using Tim's Tattered Florals die (wish I had a quid for every rose I've made... it must be in the thousands now, I am addicted lol)  These were then dipped into the melted wax in the Melt Pot and set aside to cool off.  The wax soaks into the papers a bit so it gives a slightly darker effect to the roses.  I did the same with Tim's Tattered Leaves, crinkling them up before dipping so they keep a bit of shape.  Tim's new Doily die?  You seen it? You got it? I LOVE it!!!  I have them both *greedy* and used just half of one of the cuts to dip through the wax... a waxy doily, how cool!

Of course, I needed a sentiment, so I stamped one of Tim's new wordy stamps, quickly painted beeswax over the top and then popped 3d foam onto the back of it.... the reason for the 3d foam is simples... you need to use hot glue to fasten anything to beeswax surfaces... hot glue would re-melt the wax on the stamped words making them look a bit ugly... the foam prevents re-meltage when the hot glue is applied and also lifts the little word block up and away from the surface of the canvas, making it stand out more.   I stamped a Darkroom Door butterfly, dipped that through the wax too and then popped him onto the canvas too.  A few more embellies to finish and there you go... lots of wings and things!

I shall away now... I am busy with the Ink Buds this weekend... and I also have news of more TV shows so watch this space for times and dates etc.   Thanks for looking, have a grand weekend!  TTFN

Hels x

It's Showtime!!!

Ooohlalaa!!!  I have been all of a dither with the anticipation of today because... I will be on Create & Craft at 1pm and 8pm with ScrapBerry's.  The channel details are: Sky 674, Freeview 23, Freesat 813 and Virgin 748 or you can watch live online HERE.  I've a few samples to show you... three of the collections that will be featuring on the shows - plus the ScrapBerry's DT have been working up a storm to make the most beautiful samples... to see the DT blogs, just click their names and I've arranged for you to be whisked across cyberspace on a huge ladybird :O))

Check out Olga, Mariusz, Maja and Romy.... the DT members who have been creating gorgeous samples for the shows today... seriously talented peeps they are. 

You can also see more delightful things made using ScrapBerry's goodies HERE on the blog and did you know there is a ScrapBerry's group on yonder Facebook?  All you need to do is search ScrapBerry's and the option to join will pop up.... there are loads of members there sharing all their creations so it is well worth joining.

I hope you will be able to join me at 1pm and 8pm.... I am ever so slightly nervous because it has been nearly two years since I was last on the tellybox!  I have no idea where that time went!!!   I shall away now...  thanks for looking and have a great day!  TTFN

Hels x

WWWow! Carte Blanche!!!

Cor blimey, you know I loves a good old challenge theme and this month, over at the Creative Carte Blanche blog, Cheryl has set a grand prompt for us all.... to use something Wild, a Word and some Wood!   This one certainly got me all of a dither and I decided immediately to not go down the usual route of a wooden thing to alter but instead to decorate a wooden thing.... and then I completely got sidetracked after rummaging in the Room of Stash and remembering this old wooden spool that a friend gave to me yonks ago.  It has, to be honest, been sitting folornly gathering dust on a shelf, so I took it down, blew on it (rids the fruzzins and dusty bits, that does) and set about scavenging in the garden for something wild.

I have some ok, lots of hardy fuchsias and they needed a tidy up so I gathered together some of the twiggy bits and the idea formed to bung them into the spool.  A passing pigeon obligingly dropped a few feathers on the lawn so I nabbed those up too and popped those into the middle of the spool too. 

I didn't want heavy decorations so I decided on acetate butterflies, perched lightly on the twiggy bits (with the aid of hot glue, I hasten to add) and I added some resin blooms for a splash of colour along with a Word Band to.... add my word!  Voila, done... and whilst the photo's are a bit dodgy, it does look really pretty and delicate in real life.  One of these days I shall get myself a decent photo... until that time I shall keep trying! 

To join in the fun, CLICK HERE and you will be whisked off to the Creative Carte Blanche blog and you'll be able to see how to join in, where to upload your entry and also, do take a cuppa and a HobNob as you will be wanting to feast your eyes upon the gorgeousness that my teamies have been making this month too.


I shall away now... busy, busy, busy this week... I have news, verrrrry exciting news... all will be revealed very soon... watch this space ;o))   Thanks for looking... TTFN!

Hels x

Carte Blanche to Box Clever...

...Cor blimey and thrice!!!  Two blog posts in a week!!!  I know, I know, whatever next eh?    I have been playing again for the Creative Carte Blanche theme for April, which is Cigar Boxes.  However, I have had a lot of feedback telling me that us poor UK peeps are struggling to get hold of cigar boxes.  So, I had a little think and decided that whilst a cigar box is preferable (it is the theme after all) I would bend the rules slightly and alter a papier mache box instead.  *that also means if I bend the rules, so can you ;O)*

I have a gorgeous paper pad from ScrapBerry's that has been whispering to me for a few weeks now, it has!  It's been positively yowling to be chopped up you know... and who am I do disregard such a request?  The papers are called Photo Archive and are a 6" x 6" pack... full of lovely muted tones and greens (I have saved those for another project, I do love my greens... altho not kale or any other healthy thing like that of course!)  Armed with a 4" square papier mache box (also ScrapBerry's) I set about the alteration.  Starting with a smidge of Vintage Photo DI all around the edges of the box and then cutting into the papers to make them fit... sanding the edges of the papers, scruffing them up a bit and then popping a bit more Vintage Photo onto them, a smidge of glue and voila, box covered.  Seriously this took about 15 minutes (I love a quicky I do!)

Now to decorate it.  I had intended to go down the old steampunk route and bung loads of cogs and screws and stuff on it.... and then I veered off into a floral fantasy (I spend half my life in a floral fantasy you know) so I just had to use mulberry roses... also from ScrapBerry's - in actual fact, everything on this project is from ScrapBerry's!!!   Anyways, I added smidges of Vintage Photo to the flowers to tone them in a bit, stuck on a pearly swirly, added a twist of waxed linen thread, popped the metal "special" plack, plaq, pl... um, thingy onto glue gel to raise it up and then added the diddy little bottle cap with the resin image inside *how cute are these!!!*   A couple of resin blooms finished my little box and it is now ready and waiting for a few special trinkets to find their way into it *am thinking secret stash of choccy*

That's all from me for today... afore I go I will just let you know that I will be in Preston tomorrow, demoing and Inspirations, with my old mate Pauline -the pair of us, under one roof, demoing... what have they let themselves in for!!!  So, if you are at a loose end, fancy a natter and a watch of me getting down and dirty with some Gelatos, please do pop by... entry is free and doors open at 10am.    Thanks for looking and have a grand weekend!  TTFN

Hels x

Carte Blanche in a Box!

Evening!  Tis that time of the month again when it is my turn to share on the Creative Carte Blanche blog.  This month the theme is "Alter a Cigar Box".  Ooh, did someone say alter?  Whooothooot!  I loves altering stuff!  To see more details on the challenge and where to upload, CLICK HERE and you will be transported on the back of a giant umbrella to the Carte Blanche blog.

So when I heard the theme was going to be altering a cigar box, I got very excited indeedily and headed off to the Bay of E (other auction sites are available!) and started a bidding war on this ratty old box.  I spent hours, poised, ready for the auction to end and, waiting there, finger hovering over the "place bid" button, coiled like a spring knowing that at any second I could lose out and be outbidded....  Ok, ok, I went on eBay, put Cigar Box into the search engine, placed a bid on the cheapest I could find and won it... but it did sound exciting didn't it? 

Once I got my new purchase (which, btw, stinks like a poke of devils and is rather mildewy) I decided that I was going to pretty it up using the gorgeous Birds of Paradise paper collection from ScrapBerry's.  I love the designs and colours of these papers, just perfect to brighten up my shabby old cigar box.
 

 I made some roses using the papers and Tattered Florals die.  Next I layered the papers onto the box lid and sides, shabbying them up a bit with an edge distresser and some Vintage Photo Distress Ink and ensuring I didn't cover right to the edges as I wanted the original edges of the box still showing - to me it just reminds me what the base is and how old it is too!

In the paper collection is a sheet of birds ready to cut out and a sheet of sentiments... so I picked the ones I wanted, cut the birdy out, edged with Vintage Photo and then curled him with my fingers to get some shape into him, the sentiment had the same treatment as the papers so it matches in nicely.  Once I had the bits and bobs all done, I glued them to the box and added a few ScrapBerry's embellies to finish and made some ickle footsies for the box by gluing bingo counters together and colouring with ink and Treasure Gold.

Apologies for not blogging for the last four weeks.  Things have been, well, how can I say this, pretty chuffing awful here at home since I last blogged...  Grim's life has, yet again, sadly been turned upside down in the course of his duties at work...  so real life has taken priority. However, thanks for all your lovely comments and messages and apologies for being absent... normal service will resume sometime soon hopefully but in the meantime, both of us do really appreciate all your kind thoughts that you have sent our way.  Thanks for looking and have a grand weekend.

TTFN

Hels x