12 Tags of 2012... April

...Brrrrrrr... a typical Bank Holiday here in cold and wet England... which means that it is time to snuggle down into the Room of Stash and ignore the rain slarting on the window and get inky and have some creative time. This month the Duke of Distress came up with another scrummy design for the 12 Tags of 2012... and it just so happened that I had nearly all the ingredients... well, it would have been rude not to get the new Bird Branch Alterations and the Texture Fade to go with it... wouldn't it? Anyways... HERE is the link to Tim's post with all the step by step's etc..



In time honoured tradition, whenever Tim does a 12 Tags tag, I copy it as near as I can to the original. Then I go and play and make my own flavour... which is exactly what I did. The copy tag was made more or less the same way... the only thing I haven't got is the Reflections stamp... but I do have the Xmas variety so, I used the music score as an improv... and when it was embossed thru the Texture Fade, the Black Archival was way too intense and crowded... so I did another using Coffee Archival, swiping across the stamp instead of patting it on... so the background is more subtle.



My flavour tag was made using the other Texture Fade in the pack (love this one) and blending Wild Honey, Broken China and Seedless Preserves DI's over the top of it. Edging with Black Soot to frame the tag and then misting the ink left on the craft sheet and dipping into it... cool mottled effect. The butterflies are Grungeboard... the On The Edge die and the Movers & Shapers... coloured with DI's and then sprinkled with Distress Embossing Powders. A smidge of Idea-ology to decorate and a few Alphaparts which were coloured with Dabbers to make them blend in better.


So... what are you up to today? And... how many Easter Eggs have you scoffed? I have been soooo good (ok, I haven't but I like to keep up the pretence lol) and only had two halves of mine so far... and I know that sounds like I have eaten a whole one but... I haven't... one is a Buttons egg (my fave) and the other is a little Milky Bar egg (my other fave)... oh and yes, Wendy sent me some mini Creme Eggs and Caramel Eggs and erm... they have erm... gone... already lol Right... better get a move on... I happen to have some gorgeous new Studio 490 stamps on my desk that are waiting to get inky and make samples for this weekend at Ally Pally. Thanks for looking... have a FAB day! TTFN

Hels x

12 Tags of 2012... Already It Is...

... March! Blinking blimey, you turn your back for a few minutes and someone fastforward's us right into March! But that can be a goodly thing because it means that there's a new 12 Tags of 2012 from the one and only Duke of Distress. CLICK HERE to whizz off on the back of a giant mosiac butterfly to see all the deets.



Just like Feb's tag, I didn't have many of the products needed to copy it, which for me is a bit of a bummer because I like to copy any of the 12 Tags properly so I can use them for future reference... so... I improvised! I haven't got the Woodgrain stamp (can't see that I will ever own it either so... ) improv #1, the background stamp: I have had the Worn Wallpaper stamp on woodmount for several decades and (ahem) have hardly ever used it... I know for certain I haven't used it for at least three years (baaaad stamper) so, out that came. Improv #2 I haven't got any Kraft tags and seeing as Kraft card over here is soooo expensive, I maded my own by colouring a manila tag with Antique Linen and Frayed Burlap DI's.... well, it is an approximation of the colour... so, the background was stamped in Walnut Stain as per instructions.


Now, I do have the Butterfly M&S's but not the Cement Powder... so I hummed and I hawwed and thought... "aha" I have got Milled Lavendar Distress Powder, which when heated goes a nice grey colour... so Improv # 3 I used that instead... the ickle snips have been double coated with Glossy Accents just to make them pop more... check out the ickle words too... we have an Eisenhower butterfly here you know :O)) The rest of the tag is finished as the instructions... except I got a bit heavy handed with the Perfect Pearls Mists... but that doesn't matter... tis artistic license lol



My poor little AlfieCat is in the wars... last night he developed a limp in his back leg, it was quite bad last night but seems less pronounced today but we are keeping an eye on it... I think he may have got something in his paw or clonked it... if he is still limping a bit later we will take him to the *whispers* V E T... He is still leaping about onto windowsills and up onto his bed... and he is eating...he's my little furbaby so I can't help but fret. Just when things are already bad enough, something else comes along to add to it... cor blimey, life has a way of boogering us up doesn't it? Anyways... enough of my woes... I have a need to get inky this afternoon and sitting here waffling ain't making these little pinkies go inky (did ya like the rhyme there? ROFL) Thanks for looking... as ever... have a lovely day... TTFN!

Hels x

Silence Is Golden...

..or rather... my silence is... because dear bloggy buddies, I have lost my voice! I know... fancy that... being someone who is ever so quiet and retiring and all that! Actually, I do have a little bit of a voice... only a smidge, so I am saving it and talking very little... which is annoying the chuff out of me at the moment because I, all of a sudden, seem to have a lot to say! I don't feel poorly sick and my throat isn't sore, I think it's just a lot of over-talking earlier in the week coupled with an airconditioned hall and not enough to drink... memo to self, drink more!



Anyways... onto the new monthly phenomenon that is the all new 12 Tags of 2o12. Unless you have been on a polar expedition you will know about the brand new direction for the traditional Christmas 12 tags... the Duke of Distress is now going to be doing one a month! Yaaahooooo!!! HERE are the deets for the February tag... and guess what.. oh yes, you can enter your ...ahem... entry and there might be goodies to be had. Now, I had a minor hissy fit (ok, a major one) when I saw Feb's design... I didn't have half the things I needed so Jennie and Joanne very kindly stepped in and helped out with the cherub and the honeycomb paper. Now, I haven't got the stamps... nor the Texture Fade and being as I am a bit of a skinflint with Valentine's I won't be buying them... so I improvised (oooh, I no likey doing that with the 12 tags but needs must) and used a flourishy texture fade instead. I pounced lots of Snowcap Dabber into the Texture Fade, wiped off the excess and then embossed it... and it worked! I used Festive Berries, Worn Lippy and Aged Mahogany DI's to colour the tag, edged it with Walnut Stain and then wiped the ink off the dabbered bits... they have gone a bit pinky but... hey, it's not too bad! I don't know about you but I can't wait to see the next one... hopefully I will have more of the stuff this time!


So... back to my poor old voice... or lack of it... **milks it for sympathy** I am offering up some very croaky squeaky prayers that it miraculously comes back over the weekend because I am away to Preston on Monday afternoon for a demo day at Card Craft Plus for their Inspirations week and I am going to be needing a voice so I can waffle on... finger's X'd eh? I will be back tomorrow with a brand new Sunday Stamper theme... a nice easy one for this week. Right... bedtime... maybe my voice will grow back overnight eh? Thanks for looking... have a fabbylicious weekend folks... TTFN

Hels x