Leaving Nowt To Chance...

...nope, not this time I am not!!! What am I going on about??? Well, each month Ellen and I do a swap - this past few months we have been trading ATC's and I am gutted indeedily because... the box I sent over to the US of A for January's swap has gone AWOL! I know! I am not impressed because in the box, along with the ATC's was also some Cadbury's Fruit & Nut (how dare they loose that!!!) and some Twiglets and some little bits and bobs of arty stuff for Ellen to play with.




Well, I am a bit miffed because I made a "special" ATC in that bunch... grrr.... anyways... I was leaving nothing to chance this month so while Ellen was here, I got her ATC's ready so she could take them home with her... the theme this month was to use a bit of metal and some Paper Artsy stamps... I think I got a bit carried away cos the bit of metal turned into...ermm... a very lot of metal ROFL I have used Lin Brown's flowers ideas for the basis of my flowers... gotta love her style and the way that these Paper Artsy flowers just look perfect on metal :O))



I had a sad face yesterday - it was time for Ellen to head back home so we went to Heathrow airport yesterday morning - Grim came with us as far as St Pancras cos he was on his way into work... and then we got the Tube to the airport. Well, we were sitting there and a family got on, Mum, Dad and two little (and very cute) girls. The elder of the little girls (she must have been about 6) said in a very loud voice to us that her Mummy said that she was smart but she didn't think she was... and then said..." but I am a little bit smarter because my legs are longer now."



So there we have it... I am a dumbo because I have short legs!! It is official and I tell you, I am rather relieved now... it isn't the dizzy blond it is the legs... ROFL Aren't the little pearls of wisdom that kiddies come out with just perfect!!!



Anyways... I had a smashing weekend... it went faaaar too quickly I have to say... in fact, although we tried to cram as much into the time as possible, it just whipped past! On Saturday I introduced Ellen to the wonderfully funny radio show of Alan Carr... ohoohhooo, I listen to Alan every Saturday night when I am making the Sunday Stamper... Anyways, Ellen is now a convert to the hilarity that is Alan Carr... if you haven't listened to him, he is on at 18:00 on Radio 2 - listen to him, it is soooo worth it LOL



On Sunday I made a Sunday Roast... oooh, lashings of grrravy and roast tatties and Yorkshire Puds... And... I have left-over gravy and beef so me and Grim are having that for tea tonight... hey, the diet starts...erm... tomorrow?? Oh and Ellen also brought three bags of Cheesy Chester Cheeto's with her... now, these are my all time favourite crispy snack... I can't find them anywhere in the UK - and last time we went on our holidays to Zante, I brought ten bags back in the case with me!!! Anyways... I have scoffed one bag already - one bag is in the cupboard in the kitchen and the third is here, next to me, being dipped into while I am typing this... well, the best before date is April 5 - so I have to get scoffing straight away so they don't go off ROFL



Anyways... enough of my wafflings... what time is Tim next on QVC? I stayed up last night to watch him and... Grim woke me up at 6am, I was snoozling on the sofa... ooops... well, I am going to be needing my sleep because I am going to see Tim on Thursday... and I need to be alert! Actually, I am as excited about meeting up with friends and blogging buddies as I am about seeing Tim... it is going to be fun! Right... am off to get inky... thanks for looking... have a goodly day! TTFN

Hels x

My Heart Is Dotty....

...about Ten Seconds Studio metal and Grungepaper...but you all knew that anyway LOL Here is the finished piece that was on my workdesk this morning...and...oh boy, I am a lucky Hels today...Postie brought me a pressie! Yes, he brought me a new Sizzix die...nowt special about that??? Wrong!!! Cos it is one of the new Mr T'Holtz's Alterations!!!!! And...I was very dubious about getting this because I have a 'Bug and not a Big Shot...but...I tried it out, kinda cringing slightly when it went though the machine...but it worked!! I used a B plate on the bottom, then the die, then some Grungepaper and then another B plate for cutting onto. I haven't tried it with Grungeboard yet...not sure which plate I will need because it did feel a bit "tight" with Grungepaper...I will let you know...if you hear some screeching you will know I have busted the Bug LOL




The base for this piece is a Maya Road chip heart shape, which I covered with TSS metal which had been pressed over the dotty mould. I squashed most of the dots back into themselves...using paper stump and refining tool to do this...(I would love to be able to take the credit for this technique...but it was the brilliantly clever Lin Brown who showed me how to this...she calls it a controlled squish!) then out came the Glimmer Mists; Jazz Blue, Marshmallow and Creme De Chocolat, all spritzed over the top and heated up to dry. I just kept going with them til I had the depth of colour I wanted.





Dur! Silly Hels had only gone and forgotten to age the metal with black paint...so I made a whoops moment and tried to put black paint over the top...which promptly cleared off most of the Glimmer Mists ... yikes, I then had to start again with the colours...and actually, I prefer it now!




I used some Rusty Wire and a rusty bell...(check it out...isn't it just cute...and it tinkles too) to make a hanger for it...I curled the wire at the front to make it stay...and then used a Studio 490 sentiment, stamped onto metal and popped into a frame...and stamped some teensy flowers - which are also Studio 490 - onto gold metal....oh, and yep, you know that gold paint I lost last week??? It turned up today, hidden in the basket I use to keep my Glimmer Mists in...goodness knows how it got in there! I used said gold paint to edge the whole piece and also change the colour of the snaps which I used as flower centres.




So...onto the Alterations flower...coloured with Distress Inks, overstamped with more 490 stamp backgrounds and then curled in my fingers, piled up and stuck together...and finally, I rummaged in my junk box and found a gemlike dome which must have been in some kind of naff earring years ago...but the colour is perfect and it has some staining on it, which matched the colours of the flowers... That's all from me for today...two posts in one day!! Please wish me luck for tomorrow morning... I have got to go to the hospital...nothing serious...I just have to have three MRI scans on my back and I am a bit of a scaredy cat...but finally, they might find out exactly what is wrong with me...*hey, I have left myself wide open for jokes about my mentality there haven't I? ROFL*

Hels x

Something Sandy......

...Ah, what a shame I don't mean that I am writing this from my sunlounger on a sandy beach in the Bahama's...but..what it does mean is that today the Gingersnap Creations Blog see a brand new challenge! And...guess what? It is....Sandpaper. (am not going thru the whole is it Sandpaper, Sand Paper or Sand paper thing again like yesterday...that would be tooooo boring....)




I made a card for my entry...I used some fab DCWV cardstock, running it through the Cuttlebug with a Holly folder and the Swiss Dots folder...rubbed the embossed bits with sandpaper so the white core showed...and then blended Distress Inks over the whiteness using Antique Linen to make them toned down. The little tree which I made into a bauble is another of those gorgeous stamps by Hearts In Touch...I stamped with Peeled Paint, embossed with Shabby Shutters Distress Powders and then added loads of dollops of Picket Fence Distress Stickles. The bit of ribbon and then the punched flowers were added to make it look more like a bauble...please tell me you knew instantly that I had made a bauble (LOL)...I added some little DewDropz for the tree and stamped my favest sentiment in the whole widest world (another Hearts In Touch stamp) straight onto the cardstock...blended the edges with Antique Linen to pull it all together and voila, finished!




Thanks for looking...and if you feel like a challenge today, please hop on over to the Gingersnaps... they have some beuatiful samples on display as well as this one of mine ROFL And...I almost forgot to mention....Hearts In Touch are generously offering the Christmas stamp sheet as Blog Candy for one lucky entrant! Cool huh?


I am dashing off to the blog of the man who is driving me insane at the same time as making me say oooh and aaaah everyday at his fabulous tags...I need to see what today's looks like!

Hels x

Grungeboard, A Pokey Tool .... and a lot of blood!!!!

....Ouch **adopts incredibly sad face in hope of milking some sympathy** Have you ever done something that, even whilst it is happening, your brain is just that split second too slow to stop it happening? Picture the scene; a very happy Hels, sitting making a Grungeboard butterfly...a little idea pops into her head that a brad through the middle would look good...a Pokey Tool that is older than Methuselah with the blue tipped endy bit long gone...a distracted grab for said Pokey Tool and wallop...Pokey Tool is now embedded 1 inch deep into base of thumb! Yes folks, I picked up the Pokey Tool and attempted to poke a hole thru the Grungeboard with the blunt end...you know, the end that should have the little blue tip on which fell off years ago!! **Have I got your sympathy yet?** I shall continue... I, thankfully, was seated at the time of the incident...but lurched up to my feet...slow moti0n like, looking at my hand (which BTW is the same one that had the Carpal Tunnel op on a few months ago) and then realising that I could feel some pain! I pulled the Pokey Tool out of my hand...and promptly felt as sick as a poodle...so I put my hand out to steady myself....and splodged blood all over two cards I had worked on earlier today :O( **enormously pouty bottom lip in vain hope that sympathy will come this way....chocolates being the preferred method of sympathy showing of course ROFL**




Anyway, thank heavens that because I am such a clumsy beggar, I had a tetanus only a few years ago when I stabbed my hand with a craft knife **don't ask**...so there was no need to dash off to A&E! And, I managed to finish the Grungeboard butterfly and used it on this frame that I have made as my offering for the brand new Gingersnap Creations challenge, which is...get this...Frames!




I altered the wood, sanding, painting, Rock Candying, GlimmerMisting, Waxing, then made a centre piece using card and Studio 490 stamps....added some Grungepaper and Grungeboard flowery bits...added some Idea-ology and stuck it all together! **just think how short this post would have been if I hadn't nearly severed my hand with a pokey tool and lost at least 2 litres of blood in the process**




Thank you for reading thru all this waffle...and for your sympathy which I just know you will all by anxious to give me...and for all the chocolate which I just know you will all rush get delivered to my door for me...you can even bring it yourselves and have a cup of coffee...you will have to make it tho...poorly paw remember???? Have a good day peeps...and I promise to be more careful this time!!


Here is the offending butterfly...don't worry, it is coloured with Fired Brick ink...not my blood ROFL



Hels x

Tilda's Puppy Love

Hey Peeps,

Aw, those new Tilda stamps are gorgoeus aren't they? I got a new one the other day...Tilda with Puppy....aw, it is so sweet!

I coloured the image with ProMarkers and then used some Laundry Line papers ... these are divine, glittered and lush colours too.




I made a little mat for Tilda to sit on...using the Bug as usual and a Nestie...mmm, a habit forming here I think!




Thanks for looking.....have a good day

Hels x

Miss Anya's Greetings

Morning :O))

I had to have a little play with those heavenly Miss Anya and Greetings Farm stamps...and I came up with another couple of cute cards...

This card was made using a cute little Greetings Farm stamp...couldn't resist her, she is sooo sweet...and I used We R Memory Keepers White Out papers that have been lurking in the stash...





The mats are made using Nesties and the sentiment is from a Hero Arts set. As ever, the flowers are a mix of Prima's and paper roses and a few leafy bits from a Martha Stewart punch.






This next card was made using Eva collection papers by Basic Grey. I punched borders using a Martha Stewart punch...I am waiting, patiently, for the Doily punch to be back in stock and posted to me...I neeeeeed that one so much LOL


The Miss Anya was coloured with ProMarkers and the little flowers are by Magnolia, cut out, layered and then jazzed with Stickles. Oh and the mats are Nesties as usual...but I ran the big one thru the new Victoria Bug folder...heavenly or what? :O))





Thanks for looking...am resting my poorly paw today ... overdone it I think and it is aching like mad at the moment.

Hels x

No Need to Adjust Your Colour.....

Hey Peeps,

I made another monochrome card... a massive one at that...using some gorgeous DCWV papers which are soooo heavenly and utterly strokeable ... and a cute ickle Sarah Kay stamp. I used some grey DCWV cardstock for backing the paper pieces...and yes, the big pieces on the card are flocked...but certainly do not remind me of Indian Restaurants LOL




I used the Bug and a Nestie to make the mat for the message, which is a Hero Arts stamp...and I used a ribbon stamp to make the ribbon bow on the top of the image...oh, which was coloured in with the Greys ProMarkers. The flower is a made up with Prima's and a little metal beady thing that I salvaged from an old bracelet....I popped a fancy head pin behind the flower just to add a little something extra.




Have a good day now and thanks for looking :O)) I am very excited today cos I am going to have the stitches out from my hand....I have a while 7 of them too...and this means that I can stop wearing the dressing and actually give me hand a right good nourishing with some handcream!! Thanks again for all the lovely messages that I have been receiving, egging on my recovery...means a lot to me xx

Hels x

Sunday Stampers - Week 62 - Oh You Pretty Thing

Good Morning Stampers!

Another Sunday has arrived which can only mean one thing......Sunday Roast dinners!!!! LOL

Er, actually, I should have said....Sunday Stampers Time :O))

I have to say a huge thank you to everyone who joined in with Challenge #61 - and thank you all for being so lovely and sending me all those lovely get well messages.

The winner of my Mega Blog Candy giveaway has been chosen at random ( I gave you all a number and popped it onto the Random.Org and it chose #9 - sorry for not putting the pic of it here but I couldn't figure out how to !! ) - and without further ado...the winner is...

#9 SueHart

Congrats hun and I really hope you will enjoy playing the candy - please can you drop me an email with your addy and I will get the parcel into the post for you sometime this week. I am not allowed to drive yet so I will have to wait for Grim to have a free afternoon :O))

The theme this week is Pretty ... as ever with the Sunday Stamper, all you need to do to join in is make a piece of artwork, be it a card, ATC, 4x4, altered art..the choice is entirely yours...just remember to use some stamping on your design and then leave a message for me on this post...then I can hop over and take a peek at your lovely work.




Because of the op on my hand...and the fact that crafting properly makes it really hurt...believe me, I tried it earlier today!!!!..... I have had to choose this theme 'cos I haven't any other stuff to put in as my entry LOL




I am therefore showing a couple of cards that I made before my operation...hope you like them!

Happy Stamping peeps and enjoy your week!

Hugs Hels x

Tilda On A Watering Can

Morning!

Oh dear, I seem to have had a severe attack of the "cuties" this week...I am in a cardmaking and colouring in mood you see!




I used some Basic Grey papers from the Lemonade range, coloured Tilda and her Watering Can in with ProMarkers and then used the 'Bug to cut some Nestie shapes.




I added a couple of Prima flowers to the card and popped some jewelled flowers into the centres just to add a bit of sparkle. Am really loving citrus colours at the moment so these papers were just perfect.




Thanks for looking...have a great day... and please don't forget that there is still time to be in with a chance of winning yourself some mega Blog Candy on the Sunday Stamper theme which, if you click HERE, you will be able to have a look at.....:O))

Hels x

Metal Art - Part 2 - The Finshed Project

Hello again,

Following on from yesterday's post when I waffled on about my new addiction with metal art, I have got the rest of the photo's etc to show you now.

Now, where was I? Ah, yes, the embossing bit. I used my Cuttlebug and embossing folders to achieve the embossed effect on each of the metal squares. I used a small sanding block and a brass brush to remove the alcohol ink from the raised parts of the embossed pieces, this created a really nice contrast. On the plain aluminium pieces, I used the brass brush to make a swirly pattern.




Once I had finished playing with the metal squares, I backed them with Killertape and then popped them onto the 2" square pieces of Foamboard I had previously cut out.




I then moved on to making the bits and bobs for the niche in the middle of the piece. I had previously painted this niche with silver Adirondack Dabber but I was not happy with the colour of it - it just looked too bland when the metal pieces were assembled on to the rest of the board. I decided to use a Pearl Dabber and painted roughly over the top of the silver to try and get a contrast. Still no good - it looked too boring and there wasn't really any definition. The little boxes I had made were just lost in the middle there. Mmmm, what could I do to make them stand out a little more? Well, I took a risk, bearing in mind that I had spent hours faffing about and you know how it goes, you spend ages with something and at the last minute you make a boo-boo and end up ruining it all? Well, I took the risk and out came the black Dabber. I used my finger to apply the paint onto the inside of the little boxes but ... argh...it was too much!! Eeeeek, I panicked and immediately tried to wipe off the black paint with a babywipe. But hang on...what is this? It is actually sticking to the bits of the box where I had applied texture Gel....ohhhh, this is looking more like it I thought to myself. What I had actually done, I have now found out, is "antiqued" the silver boxes! Hey, I am well chuffed that my risk paid off!




So, with new found confidence, I added some black paint to the metal pieces but I think that I could have left more of it on the pieces but I played it safe, well, it was my first time!!

For the niche, the little boxes I have mentioned are actually miniature box lids which I cut down to be level with the depth of the niche. I had gesso'd them and added texture gel to them just to make them stand out a little more. I filled up the larger of the two with a couple of those heavenly ickle vials that The Artistic Stamper sells. I put loads of pearly seed beads into one of the vials and the other was filled up with some mini beading, which, when I put it in the vial, twisted on itself so it has made a coil. The other box is filled with a little piece of an army uniform that I picked up on a car boot - it was all yukky and dirty so I covered it with silver Krylon and then stuck it to the inside of the box, I added a little pearl in there too which was from an old dressing up box earring.




The stamping in the niche is done using Tim Holtz stamps and a couple of wordy stamps I have but don't know who they are by. I stamped, using black StaZon, onto dressmaking pattern paper, then I watered down some PVA glue and pasted the paper into the niche. I didn't want the stamping to be too over powering so I stuck to simple and bold words and I think it really worked.




Finally, I assembled all the little squares into place, added the thin strips over a couple of edges and that was it. Project completed!




I am really pleased with the outcome of this project. Sometimes, when I sketch a design, when it is finished it looks nowt like what I intended, but with this one, it is exactly how I wanted it to be. I keep looking at it and seeing little bits that could have been done better and differently but hey, it is a first attempt!

And, this makes me more chuffed than anything, when Grim came home from work that night, he saw the piece and said he really liked it and wants it for his study! How happy was I???




Anyway folks, if you are still awake and still with me, thank you for reading my posts about this - I know I have waffled on but I am really excited to have a new addiction and that I managed to make something all on my own without anyone telling me how to do it. Now I have the DVD, I will be able to make other things too....so I am off to get cracking on my next project, which is all sketched and ready to be made!

So here it is:




Thanks for looking, again, I would love comments about this piece being as I am new, and if you have any tips etc, I would love to read them.

Hugs Hels x

Bobby Snow....Again!!

Afternoon All,

More cards for Christmas!! I have made these for my friend Linda to sell to raise some dosh for her charity...every little helps after all. *check out her Blog to see her wonderful creations..she has the most amazing tri-fold cards on there...so clever :O))




Bobby Snow has shown his face again; he was the first snowman I ever designed and I have to admit, he is my favourite :O))



Both cards have been made using the new Cosmo Cricket Christmas papers....oh, they are so lovely to use and as they are double sided...well, it is double the value :O))




The images were coloured using Derwent Aquatone pencils and the holly image is another Stitchels design. I used my 'Bug and Nestabilities for somewhere for Bobby to sit and the greetings are by Inkadinkado... I love these two greetings....you can probably guess that cos these seem to be the only ones I am using this year LOL I also used various colours of Stickles to accent the designs too.




Thanks for looking - and don't forget....a brand new Sunday Stamper theme tomorrow...with added Blog Candy too! Please call back in the morning to check out the challenge and how to win the Candy :O))

Hugs Hels x

Tilda The Basket Case! :O))

Evening Peeps,

Another Christmas Card....yes, I really am cracking on with them now LOL

I used a gorgeous little Tilda stamp that my lovely friend Andrea bought me for Christmas...I know it isn't Christmas yet, but she let me open my pressie early...bless her..and thank you Andrea, I loooove this stamp :O))




I stamped Tilda with black StaZon and then coloured her in with Derwent Aquatone Watercolour pencils. I chose the pink and lime green colour theme to match with some gorgeous papers I have..and, yes, yet again, I cut off the bottom strip before remembering to write down who it was made by! I have a vague recollection that it is SandyLion...but don't quote me!!



Once Tilda was coloured in, I used my Cuttlebug and Nestabilities to make a little oval mat for her to stand on. I used some pinky paper and some lime green Bazzill for this. I then cut some fancy paper and made some mats for the rest of the card...added a little greeting which is by Inkadinkado and used the 'Bug again to cut a couple of snowflakes using glittery cardstock.

To finish the card I used lime green Stickles to add a little sparkle.

Thanks for looking - and also, thanks for the lovely comments earlier in the week which gave me the confidence to use a completely unusual colour theme for a Christmas Card :O))

Hels x

PS.....I keep meaning to say.....can any of you see the snow on my Blog? If you look carefully, you will see that there are little snowflakes falling over the photo's....but cos my background is cream, they don't show up too well....ah well, it is a little festive I guess LOL

Sunday Stamper - Week 32 - Mr. Blue Sky

Good Morning Stampers,

Now, did you all remember to change your clocks back an hour? I love Autumn cos this means I get an extra hour in bed...or even better, an extra hour crafting :O))

Thank you to those of you who joined in with the challenge last week. This week I have continued with the colours theme and chosen my absolute favouritest song of all time - one that will guarantee to put a smile on my face and give me that happy feeling!

Yes, you will have guessed from the title that the theme this week is BLUE. So, all you need to do is make something, using inks and stamping - adding papers and embellies as you wish, and make it blue (and I don't mean blue as in rude blue LOL). Then, once you have made your creation, please make a comment here and add a link to the place where you are showing your entry.

For my challenge this week I made a card. I used plain white cardstock and embossed it using my Cuttlebug - my most favouritest gadget ever - and then lightly applied a little Broken China over the embossed bits. I stamped the birdy (Inkadinkado) in clear and embossed in clear and then blended Broken China over the top to create a relief image. Using my heavenly Cuttlebug, I then cut out a couple of Nestabilities and matted it all onto some Core-dinations cardstock. The Friends image was created in the same way as the bird, matted onto more cardstock and then 3D'd onto the card. A few sticky pearls and dabs of the fabby new Suze Weinberg Stickles (available here)completed the card.

Thanks for looking and I hope that you will enjoy the theme this week.

Hels x