Wish Pods!

...cor blimey! It has been a barren old month indeedily!   Mr Mojo decided he too wanted to go off on his holibobs and instead of just being normal and taking a week, oh no, he has to go and take nearly FIVE weeks!  I have been scratching around in the Room of Stash, looking to see if I can work without him but no, alas, I can't.  Imagine my enthusiam last night, well, actually, this morning at 1am, when I heard a great hammering and clattering in the Room of Stash... oh yesh, the old rapscallion decided to show his face.  So I have been up all night making sure that he is securely fastened to the floor in the Room of Stash, I used brads, screw eyes and jute to tie him down... hopefully it will keep him here a while! 

A few weeks ago I taught a class at Birds in the Barn in Essex and we were doing all things Fresco Painty and I needed to do a demo.. so I did a basic "painty ombre" background and then used a stencil with some Grungepaste, once dried, I used Cut & Dry foam to apply two colours of browny Fresco to ombre the seed pods too.  And that was about it... a bit of stamping in paint using Ellen's stamps and a bit of stamping with Archival using a script stamp and this demo piece went into my box of "stuff to finish sometime in the next 371 years!"   Well, after all the commotion of Mojo turning up last night, I hastened to the Room of Stash and grabbed the first thing I could see that needed finishing... and it was this.

I added some torn bits of Tissue Tape and then set about the embellishingments... starting with some Kaisercraft paper blooms which were very pretty but ever so slightly dull for what I wanted... I used Black Dylusions and a blue Cosmic Shimmer mist to bling them up... had another rummage and found some little card blossoms I made yonks ago and zapped those with the Cosmic Shimmer too.  Now the flowers were pretty but still not "big enough" so I added some flat Prima flowers behind them and blinged those up too.  OF course, I needed leaves so I nabbed some Artemio wooden leaves and coloured them with Peeled Paint Distress Paint, dried them and then added Forest Moss DI to two tone them.  I then popped some other embellibits on and slapped some Treasure Gold onto the pods and the card I had popped behind.  The word is made from Alphaparts which are stuck onto a little diddy bookplate.  I could've done a little panel of card to fit inside the bookplate but I wanted the stalks to show thru a bit so I just popped the letters onto the metal.

I shall away... I am on a roll at the mo and I don't want to turn me back on that old cad Mojo for too long in case he gets ideas and sneaks off again.  Oh I am happy to be finally back behind me desk and playing!  I HATE getting a crafters block!  Hope you all having a great week... Thanks for looking... TTFN

Hels x

Nighttime... Playtime!

...teehee.... nighttime sure does seem to be a playtime for me.  As soon as the moon is up, I come alive, my Mojo starts zinging and I get all painty and inky in the Room of Stash.  I think I was a wampire in a previous life!    Anyways, last night I got all painty with some Fresco Finish paints, using a brayer to slap the paint onto the tag... am rather chuffed that I finally listened to my BFF Ellen, who has been saying for 462 years that I should try a brayer!  Well, I am always slow on the uptake!   Here's the finished tag....

And here it is before I decorated it.  Check out the stamping - that is using one of the gorgeous stamps from Wendy's Art Comforts stamp set, stamped first in Tree Branch, which is one of Wendy's new Signature Archival Inks... and then stamped again in Jet Black so I got a nice shadowy effect.  The texture is using Grungepaste mixed with a smidge of Little Black Dress paint and then spread through the Bingo stencil.  BTW, the colours I used for the background are: Butternut, Smoked Paprika, London Bus and Claret with a smidge of Squid Ink. 

Apologies for the rubbish photography, I couldn't get this one focussed for some reason.   Once I had the background done, I wanted to add some flowers (yip, for a change!) so I grabbed some gorgeous Kaisercraft blooms and hey ho, they are the right colours so no needs for colouring... those were popped onto the tag along with a couple of leafy diecuts and some embellies and then I stamped the sentiment onto cream card - this is a gorgeous sentiment isn't it?  Another Studio 490 stamp, from Garden Art.   I decided to leave the wordy background cream so it really pops off the tag.  And there you have it :O))

I had a grand old time getting inky and painty last night and have a few more backgrounds all ready for decorating... who knew the humble brayer was such fun!!!  Well, apart from our Ellen right?   I shall away now, packing up ready for my travels tomorrow to South Wales for my class at Dandie Craft on Saturday...  Thanks for looking, have a great day.  TTFN

Hels x

Like A Sieve!!!

...oh yesh, that is what my memory is at the moment!  Tis shot!  I can't remember anything so my life is now one big list!  A list to remind me what to do on any given day, a list to remind me to phone someone, a list for the shopping, a list to remind me to write a list... you get the picture lol   Anyways.... the point about discussing my much beleagured and much missed memory is that I "found" this canvas that I made as a workshop sample a couple of weeks ago when I taught at Craftstation in Kirkby-in-Ashfield.  And how can one forget about a whole canvas?  Wellllll, erm.... I hadn't unpacked a box (ok, I hadn't unpacked two boxes!) and thus it lurked unassumingly in the bottom of said box. 

Anyways... here it is! I have decided that it isn't finished, it needs extra flowers or something and obviously there isn't the requisite ten ton of embellies on it so that needs rectifying too... a little job for me for later on perhaps.

Oh and... much excitement in the Room of Stash yesterday when I took delivery of the stock for my Melt Pot Pick of the Day which starts on 29th October and runs through 30th October.  You should see some of the lush new colours... I am in UTEE heaven! 

With all that going on.. plus my Middlesbrough retreat next weekend, I won't be about as much as usual... busy kitting for the workshops and trying to find a magic wand that will make Ferdy bigger.  The amount of stuff I needs to take with me... and Ferdy is only tidgy... mmm, I think I might have to bat my eyelashes at Grim and see if he will lend me Gordon instead (who is much bigger... and faster too which is why I need the eyelash batting going on because I inadvertantly told him that I had been going a little bit fast, well, all that power and my heavy left foot... teeheee)  Anyways... enough of this waffling, I shall away to carry on with the prepping and stuff and things!  Don't forget to check back tomorrow though, brand new Sunday Stamper theme!  Thanks for looking, have a brill Saturday!  TTFN

Hels x

Pretty In Pink...

... awww, I love that film... and now I shall be singing that song alllll day!  The pretty in pink in question is this card I made for my friend Andrea to give to her daughter on her 21st birthday.  Blimey, the years go soooo quickly, I can't believe that Sophie is 21 already!!!

I am well into my Fresco Paints at the moment and used them, along with some Grungepaste, to make the background for the card... and using Nougat for the middle and Very Berry for the outsidey bits of the base, applying with Cut & Dry foam to get a nice even blend all around the base.   Good old AlfieCat has been scoffing his way through boxes of Gourmet catfood (like he is bothered lol) as the cardboard of these boxes is the ideal thickness and the corrugations are mini sized... purrrrfect you could say *groans* 
I bought some Prima embellies yonks ago at a craft show and they have been lurking in the Room of Stash so I liberated them from their dusty home and popped them onto the card, making a nice florally bouquet to go with them... and adding some Treasure Gold for bling and Alphaparts for the numbers... and there you have it...

In other news... me and Sue have been getting our heads together and have picked a date for the end of January for another Hels' on Tour Workshop weekend in Middlesbrough.  However, those dates have filled up mega fast and because we now have so many peeps on the "waitlist" we have decided to run the weekend again, the following weekend, so there are a few spaces available for 1st and 2nd February 14.   If you fancy spending a weekend making arty things and having a blast, please do pop me over and email and I can let you know the details etc and put you in touch with Sue who is doing all the hard work organising the weekend.  

That's all from me for today... I am going to be doing the dreaded "tidy up, sort it out and make it look nice again" to the Room of Stash today... I fear I am going in ever decreasing circles trying to sort out the amount of junk I seem to hoard... I mean really, I know I loves cardboard but do I really need a black bag full of it?  Probably not but....    Thanks for looking, have a grand day! TTFN

Hels x

Life...And The Art Of It...

...sounds pretty deep and meaningful doesn't it?  Actually, I decided to call this piece by that name because it makes me sound like an artist (well, one can always have aspirations...)  I actually do just see myself as a crafter... an artist can do drawing and stuff, whereas, if I attempt to draw anything, it looks like a 5 year old has done it... well, apart from elephants, I do draw a good elephant.... 

Anyways... another demo piece from the other weekend... I have no other stuff to show you at the moment... basically because the Room of Stash is STILL a pit.  I know, I keep saying I shall be tidying it... and I have done the sum total of nowt at all.

I do have goodly excuses though... well, food needed cooking... and washing needed doing... and bins needed emptying... and shopping needed to be got... oh and then there's the small issue of the old war wound which, has again, flared up.  I am calculating it it about 3 weeks between "crisis points"  Which is NOT good.  But, hey ho, it happens and I will get used to this degeneration and then it will be bearable for a while... and then it starts again.  Anyways... I am going to "gently" do the Room of Stash today... no lifting and stretching, just removing boxes from the floor and putting away stash... and then, I may just get a chance to play with the Susan's Garden dies that Grim got me for my birthday!  That is my reward ;o))   I shall away now... as ever, thanks for looking... hope you having a great day!  TTFN

Hels x

Make A Wish...

...well, the word "wish" is my "word of 2013" after all... and surprisingly, I am not getting bored of using it all the time either!  Anyways... today sees another demo sample from last weekend... this time I have pushed myself and used cardboard for a base (ahem... quite!)

Lots of lushly Fresco Paints and Grungepaste through a new Crafter's Workshop stencil... I loves this new one lots!  I used the gorgeous Lin Brown stamps, stamping with paint (application is simples, a bit of Cut & Dry, half with one colour, half with the other and pouncing it onto the stamp moving the stamp around in a circle, so it is light in the middle and dark on the edges... easy peasy!)   Anyways... the flowers were stamped onto black card, I have seen Lin do this and it gives the flowers a real "pop".  The leaves were stamped onto cream card for a bit of contrast.  The letters are from the Vintage Market Alterations strip die... love that die lots (and I haven't got it either)  A smidge of Treasure Gold around the edges and over the stencilled bits... and a finishing touch with a butterfly (Studio 490) stamped onto Clearly For Art (clear flavour)  A few bits of rusty wire to add some swizzles to the flowers and for the hanging and there you have it... done!

As I sit here, in the Room of Stash, I am seeing a brilliant blue sky, which makes me want to go and do a spot of gardening... but!  It is blowing a hooley, the trees in the Spinney and bowing down so I figure I will only get radged with the wind blowing my hair about (little known fact, getting my hair blown about by the wind makes me reallly crabby!)  So, I shall stay in the Room of Stash instead.  I have lit a Yankee Candle (today's smell is Lilac Blossoms, my all time fave) and I shall have to make sure I get covered in ink and paint... and then perhaps, later on, I will actually tidy the Room of Stash instead of picking my way over several boxes and bags of stuff that needs re-homing. Then again, I might just carry on playing!   Grim is on a long old shift today *sad face* and won't be home til 11pm so I do have plenty of time to get tidied up (even as I write that, I know I am doubting it will happen lol)   So, I shall away... to tiptoe through my own handmade bombsite to the Desk of Creativity and see what happens.... Thanks for looking, as ever, have a fabby day!  TTFN

Hels x

J'Adore.....

...ooh get me, going all Francais!  That is about my limit for speaking French though... being as I am rubbish at languages (except English of course, although that has been brought into debate of late!)  Anyways... today sees another one of my demo pieces from Sunday at Birds in the Barn. 

The base is another bit of cardboard (no surprise there eh?) and a piece of gorgeous kraft coloured card that I used for the texture more than the colour on this piece.  One side of the card is textured, the other is smooth... cool huh?  Anyways, more goodliness in the form of Fresco Paints... some Grungepaste through a Crafter's Workshop stencil and then a whole lot of layering.

The beautiful tulip stamped in black was actually stamped onto a piece of tissue and then collaged onto the base using Glue & Seal (from Ranger)... I love how cosmetic tissue just disappears under the Glue & Seal... opens up a whole range of ideas for adding collaging to a project.

Today I am mostly going to be Nursemaid.... poor old Alfie has to go to the *whispers* V E T this morning... he is having his annual boosters and MOT and also... tis tick-removal-day.  The thing has not grown since I soaked it with Frontline... but it is hanging on in there.  I am, at the moment, trying to "act normal".... because for sure, he knows when he is going in his box.  Said box is still in garage and said AlfieCat is now skulking about in the bedroom... how does he know!!!   And... poor old Grim has had to go to the *whispers* D E N T I S T today... broken tooth :O((  I have told him that when you get to  a certain age, these things happen *not a lot of help am I?*   So, I shall be donning my nursey hat today and dispensing lots of sympathy... only for today though... cos tomorrow... it's my birthday!    And on that exciting bombshell, I shall away to squeal out loud in excitement!!  Thanks for looking... TTFN!

Hels x

For The Love Of...

... all things stashly!  I spent a lovely day on Sunday at Birds in the Barn, Essex, demo-ing with an array of gorgeously stashly goodies and I actually remembered to take my camera so I got some pics of all the pieces I made.  Today I am showing one of the pieces... all of them were "hangings"  for some reason, I am into hanging stuff at the moment.

A nice piece of mountboard for the base, painted with Little Black Dress Fresco Paint and then smudged with Pewter Treasure Gold.  The next bit up is a piece of old cardboard box, torn, painted with more Fresco colours (this time, Concrete, Rusty Rose and Claret) and my very fave That Special Touch mask, the Foxgloves, with Grungepaste that was coloured with Little Black Dress paint.

Next I set about making some embellies with the gloriously fab stamps from Lin Brown.... I loves that tulip stamp very muchly and I stamped it three times, using paint, onto black cardstock.  After cutting out the stamp, I layered them up to make a 3d feature for the base of the piece and then used the paints to stamp the flowers onto cream cardstock, cutting these out and then layering them together.  I liberally smidged Treasure Gold onto the grungepaste stencilled bit, around the edges of the cardboard and onto some ickle buttons that were coloured with Little Black Dress paint for the flower centres.

And there you have it... I shall be back tomorrow with another of my hanging creations.... today I have a *job* to do.  Well, the Room of Stash is a weensy bit untidy (ok, it is a pit!) and I needs to get it organised and cleaned up.  And... my AlfieCat has been invaded!   He has managed to get himself a little sucker... a tick!  I mean, hello?  I never knew that a cat could get a tick just from having a mooch about in the Spinney but it seems this little sucker has decided to get Alf to be a host!  I phoned the V E T (whispered that) and have been advised to put Frontline all over the it, then put the rest onto the back of his neck (Alf's, not the tick's) and he has an appointment tomorrow for his booster injections so the V E T will remove said tick then for me.  I know lots of peeps have said that you can get the tick off yourself but I ain't taking any chances with my boy.... so I shall leave it to the professionals.  In the meantime, I am trying to keep Alf under house-arrest so he doesn't go and knock the tick whilst he is out in the garden... easier said that done though, he has perfected the sneaking-through-teensy-gaps-in-the-door to a fine art!  Oh and he is sulking too... he is giving me the Eye of the Muckergee every so often... I don't think he is impressed with the man-handling he had to endure last night during the Frontline application.  Bless!  Right, I shall away... have a good day folks.... TTFN

Hels x

Just Hanging Around...

...yep, that is the incredibly original (ahem) title for today's post.  After the challenge on Wednesday, Mr Mojo put in a brief reappearance so I grabbed him by the scruff and got playing my my fave Paper Artsy Fresco Paints.  The base is a chunky greyboard square from PaperArtsy.  Being an honest lass, I will admit that this piece is actually third time lucky - this has taken me over a day to make because I kept mucking it up. 

First I got the background paint exactly how I wanted it and then went and faffed and added a bit too much.  So I slapped a piece of paper over it and started again.  This time, the background was exactly how I wanted it so I started with the stamping... and goofed up, stamping a script wonky isn't a good look, "I shall cover it with an embellishment" thought I.  And then promptly went and stamped said script again... upside down!  PAH!  So a very thick layer of Nougat Fresco right over the top and an overnight drying sesh occurred.

Finally, I managed to get it to look how I wanted it... I substituted the stamping from Archival Ink (which was a bit harsh) to using Squid Ink paint... I happen to be in lurves with this gorgeous colour... it is the colour that I also used on two of the flowers... isn't it lush!  As well as the  Squid Ink stamping, I also added little torn strips of Washi Tape.  The paint colours I used were:  Nougat, Rose, Claret, Toad Hall, Hey Pesto and Squid Ink.

The butterfly is where this whole project started... I used Cut & Dry foam to apply the Fresco Paints to the Twiddlybits diecut... and then added smidges of Treasure Gold to bling it up a bit.  I wanted to add some texture to the board, so I decided to mix up some Grungepaste with Hey Pesto FF paint... and then I used my fave 490 Stencils for Art leafy stencil to add the leaves along the top of the board.  The hanger was a birthday pressie last year from Ellen... I have been covetting it for too long... so decided to use it on this project.  I added a few charms to the hanger and a little handstamped word using Alpha stamps.

Well, I am in the wars again!  For some reason the old war wound is really playing up and to be honest, I think that is one of the reasons why the Mojo ain't flowing as easily as it usually does...  This new pain is nothing like I have had before and it is really bugging me.  Needless to say, the premium rate phone call to the Dr's this morning was a complete waste of time and money as they had no appt's left for today.  Rid.Ic.U.Lous!!!!  I am sitting waiting on the emergency doc calling me and maybe he may see me... PAH!    Anyways... enough of my moaning, time to get moving again and get my special project for the weekend completed... please do check back on Sunday for the Sunday Stamper and a nosey at what I have been up to... there be a prize too!!!    That's all I am saying for now!   Thanks for looking, have a goodly day!  TTFN

Hels x

A Little Cracked...

...mmm, many of my friends may well say that could be me... but no!  Today the "little cracked" is actually what I have made!  So, Darkroom Door have just released some gorgeous new stamps, and being as I am uber lucky to be on the Design Team, I have just received some of them... my fave being the brand new (and mahooosive) crackle background.  I have had this project in my bonce for a yonk and a half and haven't had a chance to really play... so when I saw the crackle stamp I knew I could combine the two!

Starting with a papiermache hanging board for a base and Fresco paints to colour it - I used Ice Blue mixed with Snowflake to make it lighter, this was pounced right over the top of the board and whilst it was still wet, I blended some Bora Bora and then a smidge of South Pacific to make the edges darker.  A good old zap with the heat tool to dry the paint and then I used the same Ice Blue/Snowflake mix and Little Black Dress to add the two-tone around the border (yep, am a teensy bit addicted to doing these borders!)  I then used the brand new Crackle background stamp and added patches of the crackle image using Jet Black Archival Ink... instead of using an acrylic block to mount the stamp onto, I just held it in my paw and only little bits of the design hit the board... cool if you want that patchy look.

Next I added some more crackles... this time using a mix of Grunge Paste and Black Puff Paint, spread through the new Prima Crackle stencil... I then heated up the stencilled bits, I looooves puff paint as it goes all bumpy which then just begs to be touched up with some Treasure Gold - I used White Fire and Pewter to highlight the crackles and then smudged it around the edges of the board to bring the design in.  I wanted to add a bit of a grungey look so I used Black Marble Dylusions spray to add a bit of extra detail to the background.

The butterflies are from the Wings Darkroom Door set, stamped onto Clearly For Art Blackout that had been covered with old book pages... and coloured with Distress Stains.  Once cut out and heated, I moulded them into shape so they look like they are fluttering.  The words are from a Darkroom Door Art de Fleur Word Strip, cut out, edged with black paint and then popped onto 3d foam to raise them up.  I toyed with the idea of adding "bodies" to the butterflies but I am liking the more natural look at the moment, I can always go in and add some pearls later on if I change my mind.

Isn't it a beeeeautiful day!!!  My heart has been telling me to get outside into the garden, relax and read a book... but my other heart has been telling me to make the most of the tidyness of the Room of Stash and get up to date with DT stuff... what to do huh?  So, I have done some "work" this morning and now I am going to get the old lounger out and take my book and catch a few rays.  I could really get used to this sunshine you know, it just makes me feel happy!   Anyways, enough wafflings... hope you all enjoying your Monday... Thanks for looking... TTFN!

Hels x

J'Adore... La Grunge Paste...

...okay, okay, so French sure ain't my strong point... actually, don't tell anyone will you but... when I took my French O Level, I got... ahem... *whispers* a U grade!!!!  I know!!!  C'est terribles.  Mainly because the French teacher was a bit of an old bat and being as I was a whole 15 years old and thought I knew it all... well, the rest, as they say, is l'histoire (enough of the Francais now right....)  Anyways... why I am speaking French is beyond me, I truly think I am losing the plot... but the thing is, whenever I see the Adore Adage Ticket, I always speak it in a French accent.  Ok, so the accent sounds a smidge like the Gendarme from 'Allo 'Allo but what else can you expect from a French flunkie? 

And the second part of the title... Grunge Paste... WOW! Have  you tried this yet?  Oh deary me, I see a brand new addiction forming right now.  Paper Artsy have worked their magic again and brought out this new texture paste that is, for want of a better word... LUSH.  It is creamy and chalky and dries perfectly and quickly.  I picked up a pot when I was at Ally Pally a few weekends ago and last night was the first chance I had to have a play.  I mixed a spatula of it with Blood Orange Fresco Paint and spread it onto my papier mache board thru a Crafters' Workshop Stencil.  And then gave it a wee zap with a heat tool... mmm, loooove the effect.

Next I got all excitable and remembered that Leandra said you could mix it with Puff Paint... so I did that and bopped some of that onto the papier mache base with a different CW stencil... and dried with a heat tool... wow, puffywuffy indeedily!   The base of the papier mache hanging jobby had been prepped with a mix of Nougat and Chocolate Pud Fresco Paint, I added smidges of torn book pages and then once the stencilling was dried, I added a slap of Rock Candy Cracklepaint so I had a lovely background.

Once all that was dried, I lightly misted the piece with Black Marble Dylusions and then got all excitable with some Treasure Golds, adding smidges of bling and metallic sparkle to patches of the board background.   Remember the rose I made in yesterdays tut?  Well, here it is, along with some cool metal embellies from Prima and Idea-ology.  The ickle butterfly is one of the new JoFY stamps... stamped onto Clearly for Art that had book page stuck to it, painted lightly and then I went back in with a fineliner to add the details of the butterfly back in again.  Heated to make the CFA mouldable and then a couple of antenna made from rusty wire.  Et voila!  Une artistique creationies.... *ahem...*

Right, I shall away... I have that "to-do" list to still tackle... and... nay and thrice, I have a poorly peeper!  My right eye is bugging me big styleee... I think I have somehow managed to irritate it under my contacts as it will not stop weeping and it is stinging worse than a 100 buzzybee's... so I am bespectacled and every so slightly crabby, I hate wearing specs, I always end up covering them with paint, ink not to mention... sitting on them... plus, I can't see right the way around and if I look down I have to drop my head down to see properly... not at all good!  Hopefully this irritation will be gone by later because we out for dinner tonight and being as I am as blind as a bat, I won't be able to put on make up properly, I will end up looking like Jackie Stallone.... *teehee* And on that delightful image, I shall bid you a goodly afternoon.... .*wanders off laughing to self*  TTFN

Hels x