Be Amazed Everyday!

Yes do! Or try to be. Not a bad adage to live by eh? Well, have you tried those new Chit Chat Stickers yet? I have... and I lurve them. They just make it so much easier to make your own little sentiments and phrases. I sometimes will print out a few words that I like... but that means printing a whole sheet of A4 paper for three little words... whereas these good little sticker fella's have their very own sticky back to them too! I like to add them to some card so I can 3d them.


Anyways... this here tag is one of those "snatch and grab" jobs... you know, where I just close my eyes and dive right into the Distress Inks and make myself use the colours I have picked. Ordinarily I would not use Wild Honey with Shaded Lilac but hey... it works! All the deets on how I maded the tag are on The Stamp Attic blog... please do hop on over cos I have even added linky bits to the goodies in the shop... enabling you see... that's what I am doing :O))


I must dash today - I have a very special project on the boil... tis our 10th anniversary on Thursday - poor old Grim, he has made noises about getting less for murder, I am sure he doesn't mean it though lol Well, I am mid way through making him a little something so I shall away to finish it so it is actually ready for this year... oh and I have a card to make too! Yikes... time for me to dash.... Thanks for looking... TTFN!

Hels x

Typical!!!!

...oh yes, disappointment big stylee... remember I said we were going to see a Genesis tribute band the other night... which, were, I hasten to add...amazing! (a link to their website HERE) Well, on the way back we were going to pick up some of those delish wedges that I had taken time to describe to you and all that.... well, guess what! The chuffing shop has closed down!!! Tsk! I admit to having a cob-on for a few hours after that discovery... I mean, how rude!




Anyways... enough waffle about wedges that are no longer available (see, it still smarts a bit when I say it...) today is my day for the Bubbly Funk DT so I got messy with some Distress Stains... namely Broken China, Chipped Sapphire and Picket Fence... ooh, I love these colours together.. in fact, mix Picket Fence with any colour and it looks amazing... HERE are the deets about how I made the tag :O))



So, I have a choice of activities today... I can either use my nice and clean and tidy desk and make some cards and stuff - which I am very behind with - although the resolution is still hanging on in there, by the skin of its teef... or... I can go and sit outside in the unprecendented sunshine that is falling on the finally finished patio and read my book... I am upto Eclipse now in the Twilight series that I am re-reading for the 387th time! Maybe... I will do both, ink on the patio... mm, now there's an idea! Right, offski... TTFN!

Hels x

The Birds & The Bees-wax...

...oh ho, I made myself laugh at that title, never a goodly sign really. Anyways... todays entry of my waffling ramblings is focussing on a tag I have made for my DT over at The Stamp Attic. Now, not a lot of you may know this but... I do love a nice play with a tag... and if it features Aged Mahogany, all the better! And... a little used Distress Ink in my collection is Tea Dye. I am not sure why because it is a splendid colour... however, I do admit to being rather ignorant with colours that aren't "my faves" which is out of order, they should all be treated the same...


So... to put this right, I decided to stop with the Vintage Photo lark and start with other browns... and Tea Dye was the first one I picked up. I used a Wrinkle Free Distress technique to get the colour onto the tag... so, it was Tea Dye and Aged Mahogany smooshed directly onto my craft sheet and then spritzed with water... and then the tag was dipped through it, drying as I went to get the lovely splotchy background. I did the same to some flowers I had cut using the Paper Artsy large Grunge Flower die... and then I got handy with the scissors and snipped some of the edges of the petals away so they were all wavy and grungy looking.


The flower was then assembled to make a rose... but before I stuck the layers together, I dunked each one into a molten vat of Beeswax (ok, I exaggerate... I used the Melt Pot lol) I assembled as I would using the Faux Porcelain technique (available to see HERE) and then just lightly heated the flower, so the wax melted a bit and glued all the layers together. I then went over the edges of the petals with Jet Black Archival... and Plum Archival, just to set the edges off. The flower trim is a Maya Road one.. ohlala I love this, coloured with Aged Mahog and Tea Dye Stains... and I added a frame, cut from mountboard using the Tag Alterations die... covered in UTEE and stamped into and then filled with Rock Candy Crackle once the sentiment had dried in there.


Cor blimey and thrice indeedily, that is a whole lot of waffling there! Anyways... I am reliably informed that The Stamp Attic has the new Studio 490 stamps in stock... oh and the new Tim Holtz ones too... you see, I am enabling... I am good like that lol Right, time for me to get moving again, the old sciatica is bugging me again today and I am not particularly impressed because I have Mojo coming out of my ears and need to harness it before it naffs orf again... Thanks for looking... TTFN!

Hels x

Sunday Stamper - Week 168 - Our House

Goodly Morning Stampers and a very happy Sunday to you all. Many thanks for the fabby entries last week and it was grand to see so many new participants too! The theme this week is... HOUSES/HOME. To join in with the challenge is simples.. make a little piece of art - it can be anything you fancy, add in some stamping and the theme... pop back here and leave me a comment with a link to the place you are showing your entry and I can hop on over to see you. The challenge will remain open until 21:00 Saturday 27th August 2011.




This week I have to admit that I have been a little busy - and whilst all plans to make my entry were there, waiting to be made, I had to shelve them... basically, I was going to make something on Friday night and then I got involved in a game of Words With Friends on Facebook.. well, all time went out of the window... but the sad thing is that the game was with Grim... who was sitting not 10 metres away from me in his study rofl



So... this week I am showing the beeswax "house" that I taught at yesterday's class. The wooden frame was painted with Eco Paints and then I stamped some Paper Artsy images onto cosmetic tissues. The centre piece is a piece of card that has been painted, stamped and beeswaxed and then a little mini canvas added for the sentiment. Ten Seconds Studios metal makes the floral embellishment on the frame and I added a little beeswaxed paper rose to the top. I am going to try and make something else on Monday for another entry... if I am not too pooped after my weekend of yakking and getting crafty lol



I would just like to say thank you to Caz, Sylvia, Barb, Jan, Thelma and Alison for a fab day yesterday... much hilarity and lots of cake/sweets/chocolate/coffee/tea (and yes, I actually remembered who drank what and made them properly this time lol) And thank you to Colin and Wendy for their excellent hospitality... Colin makes a mean Shepherd's Pie and Wendy made a divine apple cumble with real custard..... nomnomnomnomnom.... Right, I am in needs of some beauty sleeps... got my UTEE class today... I needs to be fresh as a daisy! Thanks for looking.... TTFN

Hels x

Cracking Colorwash...

... I had a lovely time getting inky and painty with Colorwash Sprays and Paper Artsy Fresco Finish paints. If you haven't tried the paints, here is what I think *not that I am an expert but I have used a lot of paints in my time soooo... * they are lush! I could waffle on for ages about the different properties, the chalky smooth finish, the fab crackle that dries completely flat so stamping over the top is easy... but I shalln't bore you lol. So, I painted my tag with Little Black Dress, dried it, a very thin layer of Crackle Glaze went over the top, applied with a spatula jobby... and once this was dry (you can heat dry it) I used Snowflake... the crackles look amazing!




The Colorwash Sprays are a firm favourite - even though they are really messy, I can't help it.. I love the bright colours that instantly appear... so, I used a combo of Red Pepper and Cranberry, spritzing water over the top of them and drying with a heatgun. While the tag was still wet, I used a papertowel to remove a bit of the top coat of paint... leaving patches of black showing through.




I made a flower and ruffled it up with some leaves... using Hot Picks for the stamping. The seam binding ribbon was dyed with the same Colorwashes, as was the sentiment card. The ickle moth has a blister pearl body and I popped three of them at the bottom of the tag too... I can't remember where these came from because I have had them in my stash for 783 years... they matched so well with the colours though... oh and the ickle dragonfly is a Steampunk Charm from The Stamp Attic.



So... I had a teensy bit of a mishap with the old Red Pepper... well, my hands were a bit wet, a mixture of water and sprays... and the little nozzle jobby that you press down to release the sprays flipped around under my wet finger and delivered a rather large splat of Red Pepper, right over my face and neck... I looked like I had the measles! And yes... the Craft Scrubbie works on faces... gently does it though lol




Knowing how... errrr... mishap prone I am, you would think that a fizog full of Red Pepper would be enough self colourization for one week. Well, why stop at the face... why not get matching hair too! So... yesterday afternoon I was busy making samples for classes and had the old Alcohol Inks out. Recently my right hand has been playing up and bit and I keep dropping things... and a bottle of Watermelon Alcohol Ink dropped right out of my hand and headed towards the floor - knowing darn well that it was going to bypass the plastic mat I have under my chair and head straight for the carpet.. why does that happen! Anyways... it landed under my desk, so I went to pick it up, went to straighten up, banged my head on the desk, said bottle of Watermelon was lid-less, it got a bit... squeezed and being as I was using my elbow resting on my chair to lever myself back up off the floor I had no room to dodge said Watermelon...





So, I now have an altered fringe... it is brighter than a badgers bum and I can tell you quite sincerely folks that Blending Solution doesn't work... it just spreads it out even more. So, I tried Surgical Spirit, that got the ink off my forehead and eyebrow but not the hair... so... I am now sporting a rather fetching bright pink streak. **it actually looks worse now than before, I shouldn't have tried to get it out lol** Well, thank goodness it wasn't green!! Ah well... it will fade... eventually... hopefully!!! Thanks for looking... TTFN

Hels x

A Messy Morning...

... ooooh, indeedily!!! Tis Friday which means my day for the Bubbly Funk DT and this morning I have been getting thoroughly inky and messy with Colorwash Sprays and Paper Artsy Hot Pick stamps. You can see more deets HERE. You should see the state of my inky paws... thank goodness for the Craft Scrubbie lol




So... a super fast, lightning quick post this is... I have a notion in my old noddle and need to get it started before I forget... so... I shall say... see ya later and... thanks for looking....

Hels x

Fine & Fresco 490...

...cor blimey, did I ever say that I lurve all things Wendy Vecchi? And that I love that new PaperArtsy Fresco Finish paint? Am sure I did at some point... well, what better way to spend an evening that playing with two of my favest things.



I used PaperArtsy flower dies to cut some Metal on Card into flower shapes and then coloured these with Fresco Paint... using Cut & Dry to apply it... it goes on a treat to any surface... and I am sure it is magic because if you paint card, it doesn't make it buckle and if you paint metal, it sticks! Clever stuff indeedily.



So... the flowers were ready to be stamped... usually I would use the Hot Pick flowers but I fancied something a little different so I used some of thoese fab backgrounds from the 490 range... stamping in Coffee Archival and then drying with a heatgun. The base of the tag has been crackled and then overstamped with a 490 script, stamping with Distress Stains... Dusty Concord in the this case... but the Stains go marvellously over the paint... just give it a whizz with a heat gun and it is set... see, magic and clever!



Oh and while I am on the Fresco 490 roll... I shall show you a snippet of a little DT piece I made for the Stamp Attic... all the deets are HERE... I made a bottle! Well, actually, I didn't make the bottle, Mr Diet Coke did that but... I did the jazzing up of it. Anyways... I shall love you and leave you.. I have an appointment with the Room of Trash today... yes, I still haven't tidied and yes, I am going to do it... really, I am... I know I keep saying it but I shall... my halo has slipped ever so slightly and it is choking me a bit lol Thanks for looking... TTFN!

Hels x

Oh Mousey, Oh Mousey...

...well, you know that we have a mouse in the loft because I waffled on alarmingly about him yesterday... actually, I just read my post and realised that I do sound quite mad... maybe I should read my posts before publishing them lol Anyways... I had the best comment ever left for me yesterday... HERE is the post and comments if you haven't read it already and are wondering what on earth I am on about again... and... this is the poem that Wendy made up... isn't it just THE best!!! And very clever indeedily too...

Ode to the Mouse!

Little mousey in my loft
Just what is it you're after?
As you scrtich and scratch about
run up and down the rafter
Hunting in amongst the boxes
chewing holes in the insulation
are you hoping you might find
a bit of inspiration
Did you steal some stash from Hels
some Tim inks and a spray
were you watching her at work
in the room of stash all the day
Did you want to have a go
Make a card or two
for all your little mousey mates
their kids and mummies too
Well while its very flattering
Its keeping Hels awake
she really needs her beauty sleep
she has lots of samples to make
So please have some thought for others
trying to sleep in their bed
and take your friends and stamps and ink
and move out to the shed!!

Isn't that the best comment ever?? And... isn't Wendy clever!!! Anyways... a little mousey update; Grim went and got a couple of traps... they trap the mousey inside and then you just get rid of mousey without having to handle it... they are set with peanut butter as bait... and, I haven't heard any mousey clunkings since last night so I am hopeful that said trap has done its job.


These pics here are of a tag I made before I went away and had completely forgotten to blog... I used those lush new Fresco Finish paints, painted, crackled, painted, stamped and then added some stamped "Metal on Card" ... the new coolio stuff from PaperArtsy... painted with Fresco paints and then stamped and cut out and a bit of refining with a TSS tool. The colours used are London Night for the base and then Vintage Lace over the top. The birdycage is Old Gold and the flower is the same as the tag... with Toad Hall leaves. The flower is inspired by the gorgeous flowers from Lin Brown... if you click her name you will be whizzed off to her blog where there are several fab tut's on how to make them :O)



I had a bit of a scare this morning... last night I had been playing with Claudine Hellmuth Studio paints (and no, not a drop of Trad Tan in sight!) and stamps... and had been using Dash of Red. Well, my hands were covered in paint... and Dash of Red was all under my thumb nail... so I spent a few mins scrubbing away with the Craft Scrubbie (if you haven't got one, get one, they are THE best, they get rid of painty & inky paws with little effort) Anyways... off I went to bed... obviously not looking in the mirror on the way... because I woke up this morning, went to put my contacts in and nearly passed out when I saw a big red gash right across my cheek! Gingerly I dabbed at it... and it wasn't blood... no, it was Dash of Red paint... all crusty and flakey... mmmm, attractive! Oh and the Sky Blue under my chin could only serve as an addition to the attractive look I was sporting. Thank heavens no one had come to the door before I spotted this... goodness knows what they would have thought! Right... back to the Room of Stash and the very messy desk to crack on with more projects... I am in the middle of playing with some Kraft Resist... I am just lurving this paper! Thanks for looking... TTFN!

Hels x

You Know I Said...

... mmm, famous last words huh! So, you know I have said that I hate packing... I am not fussy what kind of packing I hate... like at the supermarket, yak, hate that... or when we moved house... yakkier, hated that... and packing a suitcase... even yakky yakkier... I really don't like doing that!! So... being Mrs Smug lasted all of an afternoon... because... nay and thrice... I had finished my packing at lunchtime... ok, admittedly, I had packed twice as I wasn't happy with the first load... but yes, I was rather smug... I was planning a nice relaxing evening, chilling out and an early night.




Humph... what actually happened was this: I had a smaller case in a big one... having been advised by loads of peeps who have already done Ranger U that I would have a goody box to bring home... so, smaller case is loaded with clobber.. and larger case is around it. I decided to do the old online check-in doodah at about 7pm. And at 7.15pm I was stomping about the house in a right old huff... because my case was over the baggage allowance by... TWO kg's... and... the online check not only wanted to know everything about me from my name to my inside leg measurement... but they also needed to know the weight of the case. I was fully prepared to pay a few quid extra as I knew I was slightly over my allowance... what I wasn't expecting was a notice across the screen telling me that the excess baggage fee was... TWO HUNDRED DOLLARS!!! I nearly passed out!! That is £125!!!!




Anyways... Grim dragged said case back to the bedroom and I unpacked... took out a few bits... like a pair of shoes and a vest... reweighed it... still the same... so, I ditched the smaller case and repacked it all into the bigger case... and weighed it... and it was still 1kg over... and... yep, still $200 fee! So, poor old Grim then went up into the loft and brought down the other big case we have which is a bit lighter... and I repacked... AGAIN! Another weigh in and it is 3kg under the allowance... phew! Still a pair of shoes less... just hope it doesn't rain over there because I only have my Birki's and a pair of muley things now.





Anyways... this here tag is made using those lush new Fresco Finish Paints from Paper Artsy... the crackle is fab isn't it! And the flower is made from the new Metal on Card... painted with the FF's and then stamped with PA images... and I finally made one of those lovely style flowers that Lin invented... she has loads of tut's on her blog that are worth checking out :O)) Anyways... it is late, I have tried bed already... no avail.. I am just too excited!!! Mind you, we have to leave just before 5am and I really had better get some sleep otherwise I will have gigantic bags under my eyes... and I don't want them charging me excess baggage them!! Thanks for looking... next time I waffle at you I will be in America!!! TTFN

Hels x

PS... thank you everyone who has left me lovely comments and sent messages wishing me well on my awfully big adventure... it has been fab to be able to share it with you x

Oh and... PPS... I just noticed the time... tis... TODAY that I am going to ... RANGER U!!!

Hot Picking...

... I know, I know... I do try really hard to come up with interesting titles for my posts but ... this one... scraping the proverbial barrell indeedily... only because I have used Hot Picks to make my tag... I have a bit of a passion for those Paper Artsy Hot Picks.. I need them all... actually, I only need one more set and then I ... erm... do! Anyways... I was playing the other day at Ally Pally and found a coolio way to combine my beloved Traditional Tan paint with Distress Stains... mix them together with Cut & Dry foam and apply... like I said... coolio!




So, this tag, had Stained Trad Tan swiped all over it... a mix of Vintage Photo (at this rate I will be needing another bottle) and Trad Tan, swiped, dried, then a mix of Wild Honey (yep, at this rate I will be needing another bottle of this too!) and Vintage Photo (ok, so...erm... I do need another bottle rofl) onto the craft sheet, the tag dipped into the inkyness... spritzed with a bit of water... dried, dipped, dried... you get the picture... The ickle birdy cage was stamped onto scrap card that had had the same treatment as the tag... then cut out... a little dangly Idea-ology thingybobs which I cannot for the life of me remember what they are called and I have chucked the packaging away... you know, a thingywotsit, dangly thing... (don't worry, I am due my meds shortly rofl)




So, that is the tag... I do love those new Stains... and I do think that I will be much happier when Ranger bring out all 36 colours in Stains... oh, I mentioned Ranger... whoopsy-daisy... I wasn't going to today you know, no I was just going to do my usual waffle about the most deeeeevine meal that Grim and I had last night at a wonderful little hostelry called The Bedford Arms in Souldrop... if you live near me.. or ish to me, you have to go there... their food is wonderful, never have Grim and I ever had a bad meal there... and believe me, we are the worlds worst at ordering what is seemingly appetising on the menu but in reality, it sucks (and invariably I have to send my steak back because it is either still moo-ing or has been cremated)




Anyways... I slipped up and mentioned Ranger... and honestly, I didn't mean to... really, I didn't... ok, well, perhaps I may have just wanted to let it slip a teensy bit... did I tell you that I will actually be there this time two weeks?? OMG!!! **Calm down Hels, deeeeeep breaths** Anyways... I also had another play in the week with more Hot Picks and made a card for the Bubbly Funk DT.. which is HERE if you fancy a peek... that there photo above is a snip of the card. Right... I better get a wiggle on... I have decided to do a "trial packing session" to see if I can cram all my clobber into a small case which I can then put into a humungous case... so I have loads of space to bring home Cheesy Chester Cheeto's and... a... ahem... small bit of stash that naturally, would be rude not to buy!! Thanks for looking... TTFN!

Hels x

In The Shadows...

...oooh, I love altering Shadow Boxes and usually I get covered in ink in the process... this little box however, kept my fingers ink free... and instead, covered in paint. A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to be able to pick up a few bottles of Paper Artsy's new Fresco Finish Paints... you know, on THE day... when I was in the class with... THE Duke of Distress.




Anyways... I had a little play with these paints a couple of weeks ago and have only just around to blogging what I did with them... the box is 6" square... the frame was painted with Honey Dew and then over the top on the outer framey bits I popped London Night which is THE most beautiful colour... the photo's really don't do it justice... it is like a smokey mauve in some lights and more purpley in other lights. Such is the finish of the Fresco Paints it leaves the surface feeling ever so slightly textured and a bit chalky, totally lush and it really does look like it needs to be touched.



The embellishments on the box are made from Gold Nugget TSS metal, stamped with Paper Artsy Hot Picks stamps, cut out, refined and scootched with TSS tools and then aged with Pitch Black Dabber - which, IMO, is THE best black paint ... in the World (hey, I used my Jeremy Clarkson voice again to say that lol) The title - that says Sanctuary, is actually just part of a bigger stamp, I cut it out and gave it some TSS treatment and then popped a couple of brassy coloured brads through it. Oh and the little pearls on the chain around the birdcage are partly Idea-ology Baubles and partly a ickle pearl I got from Sky Blue Pink... HERE is the linky to the website but I have to say... enter at your peril, you will come out a few pounds lighter (or Dollars) but it is worth a visit cos they have the cutest little trinkets... Anyways... I think that is it... oh yes... the base inside was covered with Thorndon Hall papers which I painted overand then distressed with a sanding block.




So... what you got planned for today??? It has been glorious here all week... to the point that I sat in the garden reading my book on Thursday afternoon and I went a bit pink and my freckles came out of hibernation.... today though, it is chilly and overcast. Actually, I know this is shocking but... yesterday... I didn't wear a vest!!! Nope, not a single vest all day long!!! I know they say that you should "Cast ne'er a clout til May be out..." whatever that means... I think it has something to do with wearing long johns and thermal knickers rofl.... anyways... I am going to get inky and messy today and make the Sunday Stamper for tomorrow... if you like a nice challenge, do pop back! Right, offski to get another coffeeee... thanks for looking... TTFN

Hels x

Hot Pickin...

...oooh, I looooove those Hot Picks by Paper Artsy... and I loooove those Thorndon Hall papers by... Paper Artsy... so... using them together... mmmm, delishyness indeedily. I have just waffled on alarmingly over on The Stamp Attic blog... all the deets on how I made my ickle mini arch book are HERE...




Anyways... I have had these little chippy arches for a hundred years and they have been ignored, neglected and basically I forgot that I had them... they were buried at the bottom of a drawer that never sees the light of day... until I decided I neeeeeded to have a rummage in it... I was pleasantly surprised to find some Maya Road chipboard that I thought I had used already (in other words, I forgot I had that too!)




So... after careful consideration I have decided that I am going to rummage more often... and I am also going to start using up stuff... did you know that about three hundred years ago I moved house and into the new Room of Stash - well it was actually... nearly a year ago... and I really should be hanging my head in shame... when I unpacked I did it really quickly because I was desparate to get crafting again after my enforced break (all be it a few days because I was cunning and had the emergency stash supply *that was like 50% of my stash ROFL*) Anyways... when I unpacked said boxes (of which, if you recall, there were...erm... over... 40!) well, I just rammed stuff into drawers, bunged stuff in cupboards and...even worse... crammed stuff under my bed!!!




Don't tell Grim that last bit... he thinks that it is important stuff being stored under there...not just stuff I couldn't be bothered to find a home for LOL Well, I have decided that enough is enough and this lazy old moobag here who has been meaning to get properly sorted is going to do just that... after I have made myself another coffee and had a play with something that should be arriving in the Room of Stash next week (finger's X'd and doing jigs to the Lord of the Sizzix that a certain machine will be ready for me to collect....) so... a new leaf is going to be turned and all that... I will sort stuff out... I will, really, in a bit... Ah well, tis time for bed said Zebedee... thanks for looking... have a goodly day! TTFN

Hels x

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

I Tag... Thee!

...ahaaaaa, I lurve the miracles of the t'internet and the wonderful thing that is Skype... it just makes this big ol' world a little bit smaller... and makes the connection between the Room of Stash and The Studio soooo easy! What am I waffling on about??? Well, I may have mentioned this a couple of times... Sunday is a Skype day so I can get to chat face to face with Ellen... and after the inaugural "I Challenge Thee" **if you click on the words it will whizz you off to the original post!** last week, yesterday saw the first crafting together session... all the way across 3,700 miles! How fab is that!!! So, I set up Lionel (laptop) on desk 2 and waited patiently for the... erm... laptop to start ringing!I have to say... everytime I use Skype I am just a smidge freaked out by the fact that a real human can see into the house of a another real human who is like 3,700 miles away and not only that... there is little, if any, time delay from hearing what they are saying and seeing them saying it!!!



Anyways... the next challenge for us was to have a "live" crafting session... recreating Ellen's visit here last year... and the ingredients this week were: To make a tag; use only Scattered Straw, Broken China (El's choice) and Old Paper and Chipped Sapphire (my choice) with a "wild card" Vintage Photo - which spookily, we both picked without saying anything before!!! The technique was resist stamping and the stamps to use were Paper Artsy HotPicks and only backgrounds from Studio 490 (can you imagine if we had allowed flowers too... we would have still been there, cutting out Grungepaper ROFL) Oh and... we had to add a Ten Seconds Studio's metal flower onto the tag too! Very exciting indeedily... I cannot take any credit for my flower... because... the technique of making it bendy and 3d is all from Lin Brown (click her name to see her amazing Tutorials) and the centre... well, I couldn't figure out how to get the circle in there neatly... so Ellen says "What about a bottle cap?" So, I did this and... yep, fits perfectly... thing is, I filled it up with Glossy Accents at about 6.30pm last night and it is still not dried... hence the milky look!



So... the first "crafting together I challenge thee session" is over... and I have to say... it very nearly didn't start!!! What a nightmare I was having yesterday afternoon. Let me tell you all about it... AlfieCat went out to play at about 12.45pm and normally, I will go and call his name and whistle and he comes bounding in. Well, it had started to rain so I thought I would get him in... this was about 1.50pm. Nothing... no jingle from the collar... which is usually the giveaway that he is on his way in. So, I left it five mins and went back out to call him again. Still nothing. By now, I was getting a bit concerned... so, I went down the garden... called him, waited... nothing. So, I went back in, grabbed his box of treats and put my shoes on and off I went, walking (as best one can walk with raging sciatica LOL) round the back into the Spinney... which, I assure you, is not nice to try and walk on at the moment - it was like trying to walk on a big squishy mattress while dodging low flying branches! Anyways, nearly an hour later and I am nearly in tears... I cannot find AlfieCat and I am really starting to panic. So, I come back home and go upstairs to email Ellen to say Skype is off. I just get to the top of the stairs and I hear a bell!!! I looked into our bedroom and yes, there he is lounging like Lord Muck on our bed!!! How on Earth he had got in is beyond me... the only thing I can think is he snuck in the door while I was down the garden and headed straight off to bed! Phew, I cannot tell you just how relieved I was... knackered, covered in mud and ever so slightly damp... but relieved!!! I have told him that he has to tell me when he is coming in too now... he will have to learn to talk... ah which is a whole other story for another day LOL Anyways, I have taken up enough of your time... do hop on over to Ellen's Blog - her tag is gorgeous!!! And so different!!! Thanks for looking... have a FAB day! TTFN

Hels x

Challenge Hels...

...Nay and thrice!!! I know that January is usually one of those months that everyone feels a bit cheesed off and so on but... I don't think that this is any excuse for my Mojo to naff orf on its holidays, leaving me floundering and sitting here with a head full of idea's and no way of actually using them!!! I seem to recall it did this last January... maybe there is a pattern developing... and that Mojo is having a lovely holiday in the sunshine... sipping the only drink that any self respecting Mojo would drink... namely Moj-ito's (grrroan!!!) Anyways, as it customary when Mojo goes AWOL, I do a "Challenge Hels" card - grabbing a few ink pads and a few stamps and some kind of embellies... So, today I have a challenge Hels card that I made using stashly goodies from The Stamp Attic.. oh and all the deets on how I made the card are HERE on the Stamp Attic blog :O))




I am in a bit of a grump today... mainly because I have got to go to the Opticians this afternoon... I have run out of contact lenses (poor planning on my part on that one) and I have had to resort to wearing my specatics, which I totally hate. Actually, the specs are nice, I just look like a dork in them ... and I keep bashing them too because I forget they are on my face... and if I am not busy trying to injure myself with them, I am forever taking them off and swinging them around by the arm (not sure why I do this... it is a bad habit and one that serves no purpose cos when I am swinging said specs around by their arm, I am rendered blind as a bat!!!) Anyways, I have to see the Optician before I can have any new lenses - they need to check that my eyes are still "normal" and that I haven't got blinder (great command of the English language there ROFL) in the last year. Ohhh, and another thing I hate about specs... is... when I am looking down onto my desk - if I am stamping or inking, I have to slide said specs down my nose a bit otherwise I can see underneath them. I end up with them perced on the very tip of my nose (tis a good job indeedily that I have...erm... rather large flarey nostrils to keep them in place) and I push them back up my nose and end up with a streak of whatever ink I am using at the time... imagine how attractive I look with a streak of Rusty Hinge up my schnozzle. Anyways... I had better go and get myself ready for my appointment... thanks for looking and have a goodly day! TTFN

Hels x

A Rosey Wish...

...so, yesterday... the Sunday Stamper with no stamping... not very good behaviour from yours truly, so I thought I would try and rectify it by finally finishing this metal hanging piece that I have been working on for weeks... I started this off when Grim was last on nights by doing the base with Ten Seconds Studios moulds... and finally added all the bits and bobs last night. So, I figured... I could use Brrrr Blue and Barn Red metals to turn it into my other Sunday Stamper entry...




That worked ok til I realised that I only had a teensy bit of Barn Red... so ended up using Spiced Rum too... which is ok cos that is kind of red... more of a erm... spicy red than a red red... yep, those meds are kicking in and making me waffle alarmingly! Poor AlfieCat has gotten bored with my mumblings and has left his bed in the Room of Stash in favour of sitting by the front door - he is waiting for his Daddy to come home from work. Which reminds me... Grim has nights again this week... boooohoooo, me no likey it when he is on nights... cos I am not the most...erm... delicate of creatures and have a reeeeally bad habit of thumping about when I should be tippy-toeing about...ssshhhhhhh LOL




I am not going to tell you how I made this piece... cos... it is almost the same as the Rosy Heart Art workshop at The Stamp Attic... the one in October has sold out ... but the on on 23rd Sept has a couple of places left... so, if you would like to come and play and use TSS metals, moulds and tools, with a few bits of Grungepaper and Board, some Idea-ology and some cool techniques... well, if you click here I have instructed Mr Blogger to stop faffing with his Service Error 503's and get you over to there tout sweet LOL Oooh, and that Brrrr Blue... it should be called BR Blue cos it is just like the old British Rail colour that they used to paint the trains with... just a snippet of totally useless (and a bit nerdy) information for you!




I have to say... THANK YOU for your lovely comments and messages and... the hugs left for me on Facebook...blimey, I have gone and done something bad to the old war wound in my back... not sure exactly what but the pain has had me feeling really sorry for myself this weekend... I can't think that I have done anything out of the ordinary... except for climbing that mountain the other day... ahahahahaaa, that was a joke LOL Mountain climbing? Me? Even if I was fit there is no way I would trust myself with a rope and a crampon... I am far too accident prone! Did you know, if you use Superglue to stick Grungepaper it leaves a yukky layer of Grungepaper on ones finger... which is almost impossible to remove other than nibbling it off... which then makes the finger sore... just saying... not that I would ever do anything that dumb *mmm, see Hels' nose grow very long!*



Right, I am off to lay down in a darkened room again and send messages to the Cosmos asking for pain relief LOL... well, I am trying it all at the moment... yep, thanks for the TENS machine suggestions... we have one of those... doesn't work... I have a Back Magic jobby - that doesn't work either... all worth a try though! Anyways... THANK YOU all again... you are all so lovely and supportive... and the SS theme still stands as Red/Blue or Red & Blue and you don't have to use stamping this week :O)) Thanks for looking... have a goodly day! TTFN

Hels x

Hanging In The Garden...

...Cor, have you seen those new Paper Artsy Hot Picks??? They are divine and I have used a couple of them to make a little hanging which was cut using a Tim Holtz Movers & Shapers Alteration and my very very very last piece of mountboard... needing to get some more soon...



Once I had cut the shape, I coloured it using Wild Honey, Rusty Hinge, Crushed Olive and Forest Moss DI's... blending them all together to get a really natural look... sploshing water from my hand to make a blodgy look and then using the Rusty Hinge and Forest Moss to stamp the little birdy sprigs along the bottom and then used Olive Green StaZon to add darker ones and a long stem flower. I stamped the flower again onto white card and cut out some of the petals and coloured with a waterbrush and more DI's, popping them onto 3D foam to add depth.



The moths were stamped in the same StaZon and coloured with the same DI's and then I popped a couple of eyelets into the top and added some garden string for the hanging. All the stashy bits are available from The Stamp Attic :O)) That's all for now... can you hear that noise??? It's my bed calling me LOL Tis just after 2am and I am a big bog-eyed now so sleep is the only answer... thanks for looking... time for bed said Zebedee!! TTFN

Hels x