Curiously Shattered...

...yipyah and thrice, tis time for the Compendium of Curiosities II challenge again and this week our lovely host Linda Ledbetter has pointed us towards Page 48 of the Book of Amazingness by Tim Holtz... Check out Linda's blog and deets on how to join in HERE and Tim's website HERE. oh and ...the challenge is sponsored this week by Simon Says Stamp... prizes... yay!!




So. In keeping with the rest of the weeks I have already entered, I have made another tag. I have to say, when the very first challenge started, I had this idea to make tags and then display them on the wall in the Room of Stash.... well, ahem, 37 tags is a very lot of space, so they are on book rings for reference... now I am doing the same again, I will have a veritable forest of tags by the end lol My entry is also my DT piece for The Stamp Attic this week and all the proper deets on what I used are HERE. And, being as it is a challenge piece, I haven't gone into great detail on the "how to" so you can have a play along yourselves using the book.


Here's a piccie of the tag before I decorated it... I love spreading Rock Candy over a mask or stencil... it gives such a fabby crazed look to projects...




I am doing speed blogging today... I have a to-do list that is longer than a fox's tail and it seems that time is whizzing past ever so fastly this week already! Now, you know how much I love to natter away on my blog posts (ok, all the time, not just on blog posts lol) but alas, I must away, there's a big pile of Grungepaper that is crying out to get inked. Thanks for looking... TTFN!

Hels x

Curiously Layered....

...so, another Compendium of Curiosities Challenge has arrived... I love this challenge (you have probably guess that by now though lol) If you haven't chanced upon it yet, click HERE to be whizzed off to the every loverly Linda Ledbetter's blog where you will see copious amounts of gorgeous arty things plus all the deets on how to join in. Based upon the Compendium II book by the very inky Duke of Distress, Tim Holtz, HERE is a linky to his website so you can have a nosey and see all his inspirational designs. Anyways, on with this weeks challenge which turns to page 43 and the technique Faded Layers.


Now, as I have said on many occasions, I have an ongoing hate-affair with masks... not the kind that you put on your head so you look like Ronald Reagan... oh no, those sticky jobbies that you put on your artwork and ink or spray through. I most deffo need a mask lesson... no matter how hard I try, I either splodge it, nudge it or melt it (enough said about that one thank you very much, I am still flame cheeked over that episode) Anyways... not to be outdone by a smidge of plastic, I proceeded to copy the technique and I rather like the effect... tisn't as in-your-face as a normal masky technique... but I shalln't say anymore... you can go and have a play for yourself and see what you think. All the deets and ingredients for my tag are over on The Stamp Attic blog along with links I have (kindly... ahem) provided to whizz you over to the right pages to have a little spendy treat too... am good like that lol


Anyways... tis late, I need my bed, my Room of Stash is a pigsty once more and I have a date with a vaccuum and some *whispers* dusters *watch out Sid Spider* in the morning so I most deffo need some zeds to prepare for that ...ahem... marathon! I may be some time.... Thanks for looking... TTFN

Hels x

BTW... I only noticed last week that for the past 381 years I have been spelling the name of the book wrongly... it is The Compendium of Curiosities... and I have been bunging a U in there... as in CurioUsities....silly me!!

Curiously Marbled...

...tis that time of the week again... time for me to enter into the fabulous challenge that is the Compendium of Curiousities II... hosted, devised and brilliantly co-ordinated by the ever lovely Linda Ledbetter, all the deets on how to join in etc are HERE (oh and... prizes!!! The challenge is sponsored by Electic Paperie this week!)




The challenge focusses on all the wonderful techniques in the book by the Duke of Distress... to hop to Tim's website, CLICK HERE. So, this week I have had a ball with this technique... it is one of my faves... mixing Picket Fence with the other Stains... have a little play because you can get the most amazing colour palette! All the deets on how I made my tag are HERE on The Stamp Attic blog... along with some links to where you can get the stashly goodies too ;o))



Much excitement in the Room of Stash today you know! Oh yesh... guess what is here!!! YEP, the new Spring Distress Ink colours... THANK YOU Wendy for sending them to me sooo quickly (I actually did a little happy wiggle when I opened the envelope) I haven't tried them yet, I thought that I would execute great patience and write up my blog posts first... then it is inky time... Would you just look at those colours!



The curse of the garbled mouth struck me again last night... oh dear, I think it is an age thing because I used to have a memory that was as sharp as a tack... So, I am chattering away to Grim... can't even remember what we were talking about. I do, however, remember (quite clearly) saying: "Oh well, it is all smoke and daggers isn't it?" Grim, quick as a flash says "Is that like cloak and mirrors then?" Bless him, he does have a lot to contend with lol It appears that I have turned into my Grandma and am now making up words and phrases lol Right, enough of the waffling... time to get... inky!!! YAY!!!! Thanks for looking... TTFN

Hels x

Curiously...

..Patina...erm...Patinad? Patinaed? Well, however it is supposed to be spelt... that is what I am today! Oh yesh, it is time for the Compendium of Curiosities 2 Challenge again. Hosted by the delightful Linda Ledbetter, all the deets on how to join in and what the theme is are HERE on her blog... and don't forget to hop over to see the guy whom this whole challenge is about... Tim Holtz... his website is HERE. This week we have turned to Page 58 in the book and are playing with Alcohol Inks... I shalln't go into the details etc on how to do this technique as it wouldn't be fair... Needless to say, this is the first time I have tried this technique and I am... in lurve! I expect to see it on everything I make from now on!


All the stashly goodies I made the tag with are detailed over on The Stamp Attic Blog... along with links to the website so you can click over to have a little spend if you fancy. **I am such an enabler lol** Right... I have to tell you all about my near death experience! I have just about calmed down and can now talk openly about it (ok, so I may be milking this a little but, for the first time, I am not exaggerating with this little story) So, I am driving back from my T'Pouch class on Sunday evening when I spy a storm in the distance... I even said to myself "cor that looks bad" Next thing, the car is being pelted by hailstones the size of baked beans... now, I didn't get out and measure them but... that is how big they looked on the road ahead of me.



Nothing deathly about a few little hailstones... no, true... however, the lightning that shot out of the sky and walloped into a 60ft conifer as I was just passing was very deathly... because said conifer literally exploded outwards, all the branches and the trunk were shooting over the road and clattering onto the car!!! (and... I wasn't in Ferdy, oh no, I was driving Grim's car, which is probably just as well because I tend to be a bit... ahem... slower in Grim's car) So, I managed to swerve (thank goodness nothing was coming the other way!) out of the way and carried on my journey for about 5 minutes, by which time I was shaking and in need of, ahem, nicotinely calming measures ... so I stopped in a lay-by and took several deep... erm... breaths!


Being as I had cheated death by seconds, I decided that it might be a good idea to milk the situation... so I spent most of yesterday either snoozling on the sofa or watching telly... I know, I know, I should have been unpacking my tote bag and putting my Room of Trash back into the tidy state it has become accustomed to but... I needed to rest... get over my ordeal and all that lol **yes, and any excuse to get out of cleaning the Room of Stash!**



In all seriousness though... it was chuffing scary.... I have driven through some manky weather in my time but never been as close to lightning as that... the boom that it made was literally instantaneous and the ground shook! Anyways... I am ok, alive and still waffling so it can't have affected me that much (don't groan and say worst luck lol)


Check out the pics... these are from my classes this weekend. Many thanks to Caz, Lewis, Yvonne, Jan and Sue for taking part in the Altered Book class on Saturday and to Wendy, Gayle, Judy, Tessa, Karen, Sue, Lewis and Caz for taking part in Sunday's T'Pouch class. I had a splendid time... oh and if you hop HERE, you can see the finished T'Pouches they all made... I forgot to get pics so good job Wendy was on the case!


Right... time for bed methinks... thanks for looking... TTFN!

Hels x

Curiously Custom...

...Foam that is! Ah yesh, indeedily and thrice, tis exciting because the Compendium of Curiosities challenge has returned... this time it is the Compendium of Curiosities II Challenge.... hosted by the ever lovely Linda Ledbetter... please do hop on over HERE to see all the deets. If you haven't heard about the challenge, Linda has kindly explained it all in full on her BLOG... basically, it is a journey through the latest book by The Duke of Distress, Tim Holtz... click HERE for his website. As ever with the challenge, I won't go into great detail about the "how to" with the particular technique, that wouldn't be fair and all that... I can tell you, however, that this weeks challenge is all about the Custom Foam Stamps on Page 66 of the new book. All of the stashly goodies I used on my tag, including the book, are available from The Stamp Attic and... I have done my tag for my DT piece so all the deets on colours, stamps etc are over on The Stamp Attic Blog.




Oooh, and whilst I think about it... I have two classes this weekend at The Stamp Attic... Saturday is all about altering a book, making a diddy book to go with it and lots of cutting and folding... Sunday is all about tags... overloading them, inking, stamping etc... and... there's a couple of places left on both if you fancy having a crafty time with me this weekend (and I have it on very good authority that there will be cake on Sunday!) Right, a short one from me today... the acupuncture yesterday was painful, I felt the doo-dah's going in... and my ear was bleeding afterwards! Dripping all over the place it was, I must have lost a couple of pints of blood you know (ok, so that is a slight exageration lol) The lovely Pain Nurse said that the doo-dah's could have inflamed things so I just had ears and hands done this week... and now we have to see how it goes... I am keeping everything crossed (including my eyes, so I look a bit...erm... deranged) that this time works. Thanks for all the lovely good wishes... bless you all, it keeps my chin up and cheers me too! Have a good day... TTFN

Hels x