Initially...

... I am being clever... ok, I am trying to be clever lol Guess what? A few weeks ago I joined the Snazzy's DT and received my DT package... and in the package was a papier mache H for me to alter. The other girls on the team had all altered an inital so it is my turn. And because I am so clever (ahem) I completely forgot to take a photo of the initial before I started altering it... oh and I forgot to take a photo during altering it. So, you will have to just see the photo's I remembered to take once I had finished it lol




I alluded to this piece on Saturday, showing sneaky peek of it... well... here it is in full! Remember that cool paper patching technique I found a few weeks ago (HERE's the post) Well, I used that technique... using my most treasured papers to do it... namely my Jenni Bowlin papers that I only use on something that isn't ever going to leave my sight. Once the papers were pieced and sealed with Multi Medium, I set about adding some texture to the surface. I mixed Terra with Cranberry Dabber paint and then added a smidge of Gesso to blend it in and pink it up a bit. This was then spread thru some stencils and once dried I used a Stabilo "All" pencil to add definition to the paper pieces and edges of the initial.


The embellishment is a Tattered Flowers rose made using the papers that were stuck onto card to make the papers sturdy enough to shape. I added some Tattered Leaves behind the flowers and a couple of pins.... and then popped a Word Band onto the cross bar of the H, adding jute to make it more rustic. I will be debuting my DT piece on the Snazzy DT Blog on July 2nd with my DT pieces for June... I am playing with Darkroom Door stamps and lurving them loooooads!


Right, I better get a move on, my Room of Stash is resembling a bit of a pit again.. I know, I keep saying I shall do better... and I am putting stuff away after each crafty session but... well, I can't help it if I need to get everything I own out just to see if I need to use it lol As ever... Thanks for looking... hope you have a goodly Monday! TTFN

Hels x

Inspired By...

...todays offering is totally inspired by the one and only Duchess of Distress, Wendy Vecchi. If you are new to all things Studio 490, allow me to point you in the direction of Wendy's blog so you can browse and be inspired yourselves. Did you know that Wendy has written 6 books already? I am a lucky lass and own them all and use them regularly to get inspiration and ideas. This piece today is a show sample from last weekend; made using the new Large Pages Art Parts, a Small Square Frame and a Scallop... along with some Grungepaper and Clearly For Art... oh and yes, a flower from the Not Just Flowers Art Parts set.


I won't go into great detail on how I made it because it is detailed in Wendy's Book #6 (available HERE) The papers I have used to cover the pages are my most treasured Jenni Bowlin papers, I LOVE LOVE LOVE these and every time I spot them in a shop, I whip them into my basket... they come in 12" and 4 x 4" - the ones I used are 12". I used Cosmic Shimmer Dries Clear glue (THE best IMO) to pop the papers onto the pages and then inked the Art Part frame and scallop with Frayed Burlap and Black Soot Stains respectively. The floral Art Part is coloured with Fired Brick Stain and overstamped using the smaller flower from Accents for Art. There's a Grungepaper flower, which is the same flower stamped in Archival and coloured with Fired Brick DI. I then added a Clearly For Art (clear flavour) flower to the layer and then a goooorgeous Embellish Your Art button to the centre.



Speaking of Embellish Your Art.... have you got yours yet? I spent a happy hour squealing and bouncing about this morning because I was chosing which ones to bring onto the next shows on June 2nd... all I will say is that they are LUSH! Can you imagine? Standing over all these boxes of Embellish Your Art goodies, I had to drag meself away I can tell you lol


Oooh and... Grim let me play with his power tool this morning! No, that isn't a euphemism, it really is a power tool... tis a whirry saw thingy that looks mighty vicious. I have to admit that I was very tentative and kept my hands, arms, feet, legs and hair out of the way, knowing how much damage I can inflict upon myself with a pokey tool, I know how dangerous I could be. I was a right wuss though and only cut one piece of wood and then handed it back to Grim, he is much more capable than me! And why were we cutting wood? Ohhhh, you will have to wait til the weekend to find that out... Right... I gotta go, there's some sunshine out there and a little spot that I need to occupy along with my scissors and a pile of Grungey flowers that need cutting out.. Thanks for looking... TTFN!

Hels x

Sunday Stamper - Week 203 - Little Red Corvette

Gooooodly Morning Stampers and a very happy Sunday to you all! Many thanks for the gorgeous summery entries to last weeks challenge... and hello to lots of first-timers entering the challenge... I know I say this all the time but it sure makes me smile big to see all your fab entries. The challenge this week is staying with the colour theme... and it is... RED. To join in is simples; make a little something - it can be anything you fancy. Add in some stamping and the theme, pop back here and leave a comment for me along with a link to the place you are showing your entry so I can hop over to visit you. As ever, if you haven't got a blog or other web hosting platform, you can enter via email or Facebook. The challenge will remain open until 21:00 Saturday 5th May 2012.



So. My entry. I had an absolute ball making this! Jo sent me a few stashly bits to play with this week ahead of my demo day (yesterday) and one of the pieces was this big frame from Kaisercraft. As soon as I saw it I knew that it was going to get some Studio 490 treatment... and I also cut into some of my precious Jenni Bowlin papers - I just love the combo of these colours with Studio 490. I started by coating the edges, recess and a smidge of the front of the frame with Black Soot Distress Stain, drying as I went and then reapplying so it achieved a nice deep tone. Once I had stuck the paper onto the frame I blended around the edges with Brushed Corduroy DI and then sanded them back slightly to reveal the white core giving it a bit of a shabby look. I then set about altering some Art Parts - covering the flowers with more of the papers and sanding the edges so they matched with the overall look of the piece.


I went to town with the Fired Brick DI and coloured three Grungepaper flowers (that flower again folks!) and made a rose (although I thinking this one looks a bit like an hibiscus bloom) The leafy Art Parts were coloured with Peeled Paint Stain, edged with Peeled Paint DI to add some shading and then overstamped with the big background stamp from the Accents for Art set (the one with that flower) using Olive Archival Ink. The fancy corners are more stamps from that set, stamped onto their co-ordinating Art Parts with Coffee Archival and then coloured with Brushed Corduroy DI.


I made a centrepiece to go into the recess... I even got out the little sewing machine and did a bit of stitching (mmm, still not mastered the big machine, I need lessons lol) and then coloured a cut down Scallop Border Art Part with Black Soot, sanded the edges, coloured over with Brushed Corduroy DI and then I glued it to the frame using... yep, you guessed it... Cosmic Shimmer Glue. I added some bits and bobs onto the shelf and then finally attached a little birdy using one of the new Screw Eyes (am loving these!) Ooh, I nearly forgot... I added some little butterflies that I stamped onto Clearly For Art - Blackout flavour using Gold Dabber... and then popped some Game Spinners onto them to make their bodies.


I had a FAB day yesterday at Jo's shop... many thanks for inviting me Jo and also thank you to your lovely Mum for looking after me and making sure I was topped up with coffee and cake. Oh, you should have tasted the cakes!!! I erm... sampled them all (not all at the same time of course!) they were scrummy. It was lovely to meet so many lovely crafters too... am waving hello to you all! Right, I must away, I have a date with my bed, book and hot water bottle... brrrr, tis chilly here tonight! Thanks for looking... have a fabby Sunday... I shall be installed on the sofa, watching the British Touring Cars, they are at Thruxton today... Go Plato!!! TTFN

Hels x

Blackout...

... have you tried it yet??? You know, that HEAVENLY new Clearly for Art... Blackout version... corrrr, I have a new fave crafty product. I got all creative last weekend making a book using some old book covers that Ellen brought with her... these have a library page stuck in the front which is dated 11/27/22 - which in English is 27th November 1922 - BTW, me and Ellen figured out why we write the date differently... cos over here we say 24th of February and in the USA they say February 24... see, simples explanation... still makes me boggle a bit when I try and understand the exact date but I am getting better at it!





Anyways... before I went waffling on about dates etc, I was extoling the virtues of Blackout... seriously, if you thought that the Clearly For Art clear was good... you are so going to love the Blackout. Now I have a bit of a thing about black and white - like the combo of these two colours... it can be black and cream too... I like those too... and I sometimes like to add in a splash of colour.. but never red.... don't like red that much... think it is a result of being so very aware of red signals when I was a train driver... anyways... the colour scheme for this book just kind of flowed without me thinking... so there is red... but it is a nice red, not a bright scary one LOL






The cover has an Art Part Pocket Watch - OMG, you have to get these... they are seriously coolio! I added on some little Art Part flowers and then got playing with the Blackout - which was stamped with Gold StaZon and then moulded whilst hot... and if you don't like the way it has moulded, reheat it, it goes back to flat and you can start again. If you nip onto You Tube I think there is a CHA video on there with Wendy explaining about Clearly For Art... very clever stuff :O))



The pages are made from mountboard which was then covered with Jenni Bowlin papers... both the 12" and the 4" ones were used... they are lush... I have been covetting them for over a year now and it was time for me to cut into them...




I won't put all the pics on today ... I did 5 pages front and back... plus some ickle files that open up too... so there are looooads of photo's... oooh, what I did mean to say was... the embellies - the chippie bits and some of the flowers etc are all from a huge box of stash that THE Wendy Vecchi was selling on her blog the other week and my stash mule (Ellen) dragged them halfway across the world for me... bless. The other bits are either Art Parts or Maya Road. oh and all the stamping is Studio 490 (except for one sentiment but that is for another day)



I thought I had better write this post tonight while I am still relatively calm... you see, I may have muttered something about this before but... do indulge me... tis... less than 10 hours now til I am doing the Artsy Crafts class with the Duke of Distress himself... nay and thrice, I should give him his full titles... the Sultan of Stamping... the Viscount of Vintage... anyways... I am going to go to bed now...



Actually I was going to bed about 45 mins ago and then got sidetracked faffing in the Room of Stash... and then I decided to blog cos I probably won't get chance in the morning... and now I have got my second wind and I know if I don't at least try to go to sleep now that I will be looking rather worse for wear in the morning... not only has Henry decided to reappear... I also have a gremlin that sneaks into my bedroom of a night, used a pot of extra strength mousse to muss my hair up and then uses a sink plunger to make my face puff up... poor old Grim, he has a lot to put up with already, but me, first thing on a morning... yikes.. poor bloke! Right, I am deffo going now... beauty sleep and all that... if you are going to the class... see you there... if not... have a good day! TTFN

Hels (and Henry Zit) x

Simon Says... Spotty...

...really he is saying Polka Dots because the theme for this weeks Simon Says Stamp & Show is Polka Dots... now I think it would have just been plain rude not to enter this weeks challenge using one of my all time favourite range of stamps - which heavily features the Polka Dot. Oh yes, I have been happily playing with those fabulous Studio 490 stamps from the... studio of Wendy Vecchi. Oh and BTW, check out the SSS&S Design Teams work too... most of them used the 490 polka's too!



Heavily into making hanging things at the moment made this piece more than easy to faff with :O)) The base is a Bind It All bracket shaped album cover which was covered with Jenni Bowlin papers, distressed and inked to within an inch of its life and then loaded with heaps of Grungepaper and Grungeboard flowers.



The layers under the sentiment were made cutting shapes from card using Nesties and the Slice... all were given the Distress treatment and stamped and generally changed from their original creamy colouredness (is that an actual word... I wonder LOL) Check out the ickle bottle... now, I do have a thing for putting mini bottles onto these hangy pieces... and this one was no different except I decided not only to add Cloudy Blue Alcohol Ink into it... but I also made a little label... Love Potion #9 I have added faux stitches around the edges of the base... this is getting to be a bit of an addiction but I do love the effect it gives...



So... yesterday I waffled on about the antics of AlfieCat on Sunday afternoon... well, when I was talking to Ellen on Skype, her cat, India, made an appearance and oh boy is she noisy!!! Seriously, I reckon her miaow would register... erm... a very lot... on one of those decibel meters that only a few short seconds ago I could remember the name of and now it has gone!! Anyways... AlfieCat was sitting on the chair next to the laptop and his ears pricked up when he heard India yowling. So, I said to Ellen that although he could hear her, he wouldn't be able to understand her American accent (go with me on this one... ) So, Ellen said... "if AlfieCat came from Yorkshire how would he say hello?".... so I said... *now, I know this is so not going to translate in written form but... please read with a northern accent and maybe it will work*... so I said.... "Miaoooowwwww looooove" Well, that was it, I thought I was going to expire laughing... and it probably wasn't even that funny... and then, even funnier... Ellen says..."so if he was from Derby he would say... "Miaow Duck" ROFL So now, when AlfieCat walks into a room, I say... "Miaooooowwwww looooove" at Grim... so it is like Alfie is speaking... anyway, I better dash... there is a weird looking van outside with funny wheels and men in white coats... I gotta hide... ROFL Thanks for looking...have a wonderful day!! TTFN

Hels x

Reasons To Stamp - Card Making Day :O))

...another Reason To Stamp day over on the Gingersnap Creations blog today...and what a fab excuse...it is World Card Making Day today. I got hooked on crafting nearly 7 years ago...making cards was what I did...all the time...and then I got lured away by the bright lights of the Altered world...here are a couple of cards that I made especially to celebrate today:




I made a Thank You card...and this is a thank you to everyone who has ever given me any inspiration to make stuff...so that is a whole lot of people whom I can't name cos it would take far too long...but you know who you are :O))



And this card is probably the most popular type of card that we make and send...a Birthday card :O)) So, if it is your birthday today....Happy Birthday and this one is for you!

Ingredients for todays cards:

Jenni Bowlin Papers
Distress Inks
Grungepaper
Studio 490 Stamps
Idea-ology bits
Maya Road shapes
Junk shop finds

Thanks for looking...don't forget...you have until midnight to join in with the Sunday Stamper and be in with a chance of winning a fab Mabel Lucie Attwell stamp.



Hels x

Sugar Bowl Sketch - Little Goth Girl

Hey Peeps

I have finally managed to find time to join in with the Sugar Bowl Sketch challenge - this is a lovely sketch set by Marlene this time.


Not the usual "cutesy" card for me but I just couldn't resist making this little Gorjuss girly meet the Grungeboard skull that I have been saving for that special occasion.




If you look closely, you can see that the girly has a little skull in her hair...how cool! The stamp is a Gorjuss Girl and was a birthday pressie from Andrea...thanks hun, told you I would use them eventually LOL




The papers....oh yummy heavenly aren't they? They are by Jenni Bowlin and I am so loving the colours, the styles, the combo's.....I added DCWV cardstock, a Martha Stewart punch.....still no Doily at Chez Hels :O( !!... and then added some Gingham ribbon and a little skull charm. I used some Crackle Accents on the edges of the skull, which was coloured with some Fired Brick Distress Inks and then buttons, coloured with Krylon to make them match.




Thanks for looking and also to Marlene for this fab sketch...am off to make some more now LOL

Hels x