Birds In The Barn...

... I had a wonderful weekend at Birds In The Barn in Essex. I love that shop - tis chockful of gorgeousness and owner Janet is a brilliant hostess. Over the two days I did two completely different classes. Both were fully booked - so hooge thank you's to all the lovely ladies who came along and got messy with me, especially as it was the hottest weekend we had this year!



Saturdays class was all about getting painty. You all know how totes inspired I am by the wonder that is Finnabair (click her name to see her art) Well, the class subject was a 9 x 12" canvas, lots of textures and layers applied and then painted over. And then came the decorations. This is my favest part... cos you all will have sussed by now that I do lurve metal embellies and of course, flowers.



Mixing the two together makes me very happy... add in the use of Dylusions sprays (yep, addicted to that Black Marble) and some Perfect Pearls Mist (Turquoise) to jazz up the Prima Flowers and I am positively ecstatic! I did a smidge of spritzing onto the canvas too just to tie the background to the embellies. Check out the ickle knife, fork & spoon... Janet has loads of these little goodies in the store - I just love how the fork was manipulated... I had, indeedily, a Uri Gellar moment lol


Anyways, these here pics are of my canvas. Strips of punched and die cut watercolour paper, strips of canvas, smidges of lace, tonnes of flowers and flashes of bling. Thank you to Janet for having me teach at her store again, we are getting our heads together to have another weekend before Xmas - as soon as we have the dates, I will pop them into the sidebar :O))


Right, I shall away... I have decided to take a day off today. I have a special date with a gorgeous hunky bloke (Grim) - he is taking me to the cinema to see The Sweeney (can't wait) and then maybes a little meal in Nando's (loooove Nando's, I am a "medium" girl... what about you? Hotter? Or milder? Grim always has a "hottest" he is a nutter lol) As ever, thanks for looking.... TTFN!

Hels x

Simon Says.... No Rules!

...Tis a very long time since I had the chance to play along with one of my fave challenges - the Simon Says Stamp & Show challenge, all the deets are HERE for this weeks theme, along with all the totes-amazeballs arty stuff from the DT. So, no rules eh? Well, it just so happens that I took a few crafty minutes this morning to sit and play with a new arrival in the Room of Stash - the most gorgeous Holly Hocks stamp by Donna Downey for Unity Stamp Co. I have been lusting after this stamp for yonks and I spied it on that special auction site that always has goodies to be snaffled.



The stamp is a big 'un but... not too big, it fits perfectly onto my Size 8 tag and because the Hollyhock flowers are graduated they are smaller at the top, meaning it will fit on loads of stuff (I already have a little list of things to do with it :O)) I started off by using Mushroom Dabber thru a Crafters Workshop Chicken Wire stencil, just a couple of patches of it. Then once it was dried, I grabbed some Distress Stains: Barn Door, Scattered Straw and Dried Marigold, spritzing the tag completely with water and then pouncing the Stains onto the tag, where they meet the water, they bleed out. Once the tag was covered, I stood it up, let the Stains drip and then dried it.



Next came some more colouring - using a large floral stencil (think it is a CW one) and Forever Red Perfect Pearls Mist, spritzing right over the stencil and then drying off the spritzy bits. Once that was all neat and dried, I inked up the Holly Hocks stamp with Vermillion Archival ink and stamped to the left of the tag. A quick zap with a heat tool to set the Vermillion was the last thing for the background. To frame the whole tag, I lightly blended Black Soot DI around the edges, I think this just closes the design in.



I grabbed a bag of Prima flowers and rummaged to get a nice layered flower to pop onto the tag - using several different colours to make the layers. I then added some paper leaves, some wire twists and a couple of decorative pins to the flower and popped it onto a "banner" I made using Idea-ology Film Strip. Next came the word - an Adage Ticket, coloured with Fired Brick DI to make it match the rest of the design. I used an Ornate Frame for the ticket and then set about adding a few more bits and bobs for decoration. The ribbon at the top is recycled Sari Silk that my lovely friend Barbara gave me for my birthday ( LOVE THIS STUFF!!!) and added a Wire Pin, some pearls and a little File Tab to finish.



I have been in the wars again! I know! I can't go anywhere without sustaining some kind of injury. This time it was on Saturday when we spent a lovely day with Rich, Mary and Jerry the Springer (check out the pic below, isn't he just adorable!) Well, I managed to get right thru the day without hurting myself. And then the dusk came and with it the monster of all Mozzi's... which bit my ankle and made me feel as rough as a bear who's eaten a vindaloo! Goodness knows what it is in my blood that makes them like me so much... I have tried everything - I mean everything, to stop getting bitten... and nowt seems to work! The bite itself is a blister, size of a pea and as hard as a pea too. The swelling, right across my foot, up my leg and as itchy as... well, a very itchy thing! I hankered for a bit of sympathy yesterday so spent the day dragging my leg behind me *well, I have always been one for exaggerations lol* . It worked though... Grim cooked us a lovely BBQ (I keep away from BBQ's: too hot, too dangerous lol)


Right, I shall away... I have a Room of Stash that resembles a pit of dispair... I have been a very lazy slatternly lass this past few weeks and I have now run out of desk space, floor space, shelf space and chair space. Something drastic needs to be done... and soon! If I am not back in a few days you best send out a search party lol Thanks for looking... have a goodly day! TTFN

Hels x

Sunday Stamper - Week 219 - I Wish I Was A Punk Rocker

Gooooodly Morning Stampers and a very happy sunshiny Sunday to you all. Many thanks for the gorgeous entries for last weeks challenge. This week is a very special challenge because it is sponsored! The lovely folks at Crafty-Emblies are kindly sponsoring this weeks challenge. There is a £10 voucher to spend in their shop as the prize up for one randomly selected entrant. The theme for the challenge this week is.... STEAMPUNK. To join in and be in with a chance to win the prize is simples: make a little something, it can be anything you fancy. Add in the theme and some stamping and pop back here to leave me a comment. If you don't have a blog/photo-web-hosty-thingy, you can also enter by email and on Facebook. If you leave a comment here you will be entered - if you leave a comment AND enter the challenge, you will be in with a second chance of winning. The winner will be announced on next Sunday's post. The challenge will remain open until 21:00 Saturday 25th August 2012. Entries after this time won't be entered into the prize draw.



My entry this week has lots of the gorgeous Crafty-Emblies bits and bobs. Let me first tell you about them if you haven't seen them before: they are GORGEOUS! They are little embellies made from precision cut wood, the detailing on them is amazing and you will LOVE them all! I especially love the honeycomb piece - I used this as a mask and also as an embellishment - it is about 5" square in size, I just snipped into it to make it sized to fit my project.




The cogs are fab and whilst they are uber sturdy, I managed to snip through these too so one is cut in half. Colouring them is easy - I used Rusty Hinge DS and then a smidge of Espresso Colorwash Spray with a bit of gold embossing powder to add some shine. The leaves were coloured with Peeled Paint and Forest Moss DS too... fab or what!!!


The base of the piece is a 7" square canvas board, painted using Eco Paints - Birch, Lake and Clam Shell and a smidge of Traditional Tan paint for goodly measures. The sentiment is an Artistic Stamper image and the flowers are Prima. I added some Idea-ology and a few brass charms to the piece for a finishing touch.


To recap: the competition is open until 21:00 Saturday 25th August 2012. I will use Random.org to pick a winner. Leave a comment you will be entered: leave a comment AND enter the challenge you will be entered twice. Entries after the closing time won't be eligable for the prize draw. And the prize is £10 to spend in the Crafty-Emblies shop! That's all from me today... Thanks for looking, have a good week! TTFN

Hels x

Melted Chocolate & Cappuchino...

...mmm, nomnom-nommety-nom! Sounds like an edible treat doesn't it? Actually, it's the name of the two colours I plucked from the Drawer of Sprays last night when I fancied myself a little play in the Room of Stash. The Melted Chocolate is a gorgeous lush Dylusions Spray and the Cappuchino is a Perfect Pearl Mist. Together? LOVE the effect!




So, I had a little faff with some of those gorgeous Prima papers that I am lurving at the moment. I layered some onto a tag and did some distressing of the edges and edged them with Gathered Twigs DI so they looked nice a scruffy. I used the Melted Chocolate to spray lightly up the tag so the concentration of colour is bottom right hand corner. This was all part of the plan because I had made a big old flower using Prima's and paper roses along with a metal embellie or two and I knew I was going to be spritzing these... so the colour kind of gave some balance to the design. I added some snips of organza and lace, an Adage Ticket, some Idea-ology, a few dangly pearls and a brass dragonfly for the finishing touches.


Today is a very special day indeedily! Oh yesh, it is 13 years today since I uttered the words "'Scuse me, are you Graham?" I was starting my training to be a Train Driver and had been assigned to an experienced Driver, namely, one Graham Sheridan, to shadow him and his shifts for the next 10 weeks. Well, you should have seen the look he gave me when I asked him if he was, indeed, the Driver I needed to find. *this is after asking about 27 other blokes if they were Graham... imagine how nerve wracking that was!* Anyways, the look he gave me *dog look*... and then "yes, who are you?" Poor bloke had been told he had been assigned a trainee - they had just neglected to tell him a) my name and b) that I was starting that day. Thankfully he soon got over the initial "yikes, it is a woman, and a mad one at that" and he really was the best trainer and mentor I could have wished for. And who would have thought that all those years ago we would eventually end up married! Poor bloke got more than he expected that day... hahahaaaaa




Hopefully it will be a nice sunny day today - we are meeting up with some friends (hello Richard and Mary) for a day out, a *whispers so the weather doesn't hear* BBQ and they have the most adorable Springer called Jerry who is going to have little paws run off playing with me! So, I shall away for my beauty sleep (snort... I know, who am I kidding right?) Hope you all have a splendid Saturday. Don't forget to hop back here tomorrow because I have a very special Sunday Stamper challenge... oh yesh, the Sunday Stamper is being sponsored tomorrow and there will be a prize! More about that tomorrow though... I am still sitting here waffling when I should be brushing my teeth and getting into bed! Thanks for looking... TTFN!

Hels x

12 Tags of 2012... Already It Is...

... March! Blinking blimey, you turn your back for a few minutes and someone fastforward's us right into March! But that can be a goodly thing because it means that there's a new 12 Tags of 2012 from the one and only Duke of Distress. CLICK HERE to whizz off on the back of a giant mosiac butterfly to see all the deets.



Just like Feb's tag, I didn't have many of the products needed to copy it, which for me is a bit of a bummer because I like to copy any of the 12 Tags properly so I can use them for future reference... so... I improvised! I haven't got the Woodgrain stamp (can't see that I will ever own it either so... ) improv #1, the background stamp: I have had the Worn Wallpaper stamp on woodmount for several decades and (ahem) have hardly ever used it... I know for certain I haven't used it for at least three years (baaaad stamper) so, out that came. Improv #2 I haven't got any Kraft tags and seeing as Kraft card over here is soooo expensive, I maded my own by colouring a manila tag with Antique Linen and Frayed Burlap DI's.... well, it is an approximation of the colour... so, the background was stamped in Walnut Stain as per instructions.


Now, I do have the Butterfly M&S's but not the Cement Powder... so I hummed and I hawwed and thought... "aha" I have got Milled Lavendar Distress Powder, which when heated goes a nice grey colour... so Improv # 3 I used that instead... the ickle snips have been double coated with Glossy Accents just to make them pop more... check out the ickle words too... we have an Eisenhower butterfly here you know :O)) The rest of the tag is finished as the instructions... except I got a bit heavy handed with the Perfect Pearls Mists... but that doesn't matter... tis artistic license lol



My poor little AlfieCat is in the wars... last night he developed a limp in his back leg, it was quite bad last night but seems less pronounced today but we are keeping an eye on it... I think he may have got something in his paw or clonked it... if he is still limping a bit later we will take him to the *whispers* V E T... He is still leaping about onto windowsills and up onto his bed... and he is eating...he's my little furbaby so I can't help but fret. Just when things are already bad enough, something else comes along to add to it... cor blimey, life has a way of boogering us up doesn't it? Anyways... enough of my woes... I have a need to get inky this afternoon and sitting here waffling ain't making these little pinkies go inky (did ya like the rhyme there? ROFL) Thanks for looking... as ever... have a lovely day... TTFN!

Hels x

The Key To Love... *and the taggy winner*

...do you ever get that "made-those-once-need-to-make-them-again-right-now" urges? You know those little roses I made yesterday from the Mini Tattered Florals die? Well, I am officially addicted... as I also seem to be turning several shades of pastel! What is going on huh? I hardly ever do the whole palepink/babyblue but this week for some reason I have it in my head to use the Vintage Shabby papers from the Duke of Distress *who... is in THE SAME country as us!! Huzzah (oh, just thought, if you are not in the UK then he isn't in the same country... but you know what I mean right?)*


Well, I have this ickle 4" shadow box in my stash for several eons and decided it was high time that it got some lurve in the form of Paper Artsy Fresco Finish paints... the base colour is Sky Blue, then some of that super crackle medium... and then Snow*** White (oh I can't remember the name of the white one... and it is put away and neat and I am lazy so... erm.... it is the Snow something or other white ... whatever it be named, it is lush) Where was I? Ah, yes... crackled box... white with blue... looked like "blah" in my face and not at all the shades I wanted... so.. I went in with the Weathered Wood Distress Stain, dabbing it on and drying as I went... and then smidges of Pumice Stone Stain to make it a bit shabbier.... and then... Blue Smoke PP Mists (nearly out of that one *sob* I use it all the time)



Next came the roses... cut from the "grey" shades of papers in the Vintage Shabby stack...hey, did you know... the die fits into the little 2" snip designs on the papers... cool huh! I made three roses, blending Stormy Sky over the edges and then sanding them. The sentiment is another Tim stamp... and the 2" snip fits perfectly into the centre of the box! I added some Idea-ology to embellish and some Hitch Fasteners for feet (am gutted... these have been discontinued from the Idea-ology range... booohooo)




And here I am waffling on... and I nearly forgot to tell you... I have a winner to announce for last weeks taggy giveaway!! I had 60 lovely comments and Mr Random.wotsit picked #57 as the winner... which belonged to the comment left by DEE. Please email me your addy and I will pop the tag into the post for you :O))

here's the giveaway tag

I had better get a move on... tis 11am and I am still sitting here in my nighty, I know... slatternly behaviour indeedily... I fancy a nice nostril deep bath to go and sink into... I live a decadent life don't I? lol Thanks for looking... don't forget... new Sunday Stamper theme tomorrow! Have a lovely day!

TTFN Hels x

A New Month... A New Challenge...

...Cor blimey and thrice alive already! Who did it... go on, own up... it wasn't you was it... fast forwarded November and made it December already!! I say it every month but... time seems to be going a whole lot faster than it used to and I know you are going to say it is an "age" thing... but it can't be because I am only 24 *see Hels' nose grown very long* Anyways... enough waffling about time and all that... because... being as it is the first of the month, it means it is time to announce a fresh new challenge over on The Artistic Stamper Creative Team blog. This month we are focussing on all thing Christmas... a doddle of a challenge at this time of year yah? All the deets on how to join in are HERE and, as ever, there's a prize up for grabs for one lucky entrant.




So... another ickle snippet of info... during December for every order placed at The Artistic Stamper you will receive a little pressie... which is THESE fab stamps. I have used them on my entry for this months challenge... and here's how I made it: The frame is one of those really expensive (ahem) ones that come in a three pack from the Swedish Furniture Shop. Painted with Pitch Black Dabber and then sanded back in patches to show the wood again... which was then blended over with Gathered Twigs DI. (I know, I shouldn't have favourites but I can't help it... Gathered Twigs is my all time FAVE brown from the Distress Range... poor old Vintage Photo has been cast aside and can be heard, sobbing quietly to itself)



The insert for the frame is manila cardstock... I stamped the icicles using Snow Cap Dabber, rubbed Weathered Wood Stain all over the card, sploshed some water onto it and held the card up while I dried it so the water went into rivulets (cool word!) Then, I used Faded Jeans Stains to add some ink to the snowflake background, spritzed Forever Blue Perfect Pearls Mists onto my craft sheet, dipped the stamp into this and then stamped onto the card... ooolalala... I love the splashy look of the snowflakes. Then... I used Biscoti Perfect Pearls Mists, spritzed right along the top of the card and held it up again... more rivulets which I dried with the heat tool... and here's the pic before I added decoration to it.




I used lots of Alterations dies to make the embellies... starting with the Vintage Noel... which I cut from manila card, I pounced a Silver Dabber over the word and then used Silver UTEE to emboss it. I used a Jet Black StaZon and a bit of Cut & Dry foam to apply a smidge of black around the edges, just to age it and make it more of a pewter colour. The Tattered Pine Cones had lots of Picket Fence Stickles slapped onto them and the leaves had Rock Candy Stickles spread onto them. Finally, I added the little leaping reindeer, he is an Idea-ology charm, he was coloured with Caramel Alcohol Ink and popped into a Memo Pin... now, it could just be me but... I think that with his little loop on his back, he looks like a carousel pony... mmmm, just me then? lol




SO!!! Tis December 1st... and... that means... 12 Tag of Christmas time again. If you haven't heard about this amazing event, HERE are all the deets on Tim Holtz's blog... I wonder what amazingness he will dream up this year? Whatever it is, I am sure that everyone will be whipped up into a frenzy! Right, time for me to go and camp outside Tim's blog and wait for that first tag to make its debut... I heard a few whispers that it could be either 7am or 8am UK time... ohlalalaaaa, I better get a few zeds in before then then... (then then??? What an amazing command of the English language I have.....) Thanks for looking... have a great day! TTFN

Hels x

Saturday Show & Hels... Ghost Stamping!

...derder der der derder der... dededeedee dee. Sorry, I have Ghost Busters in my head now... I shall be singing that alllll day long no doubt!
Anyways... ignoring that daftness and moving on, like you do... to today's post which is another Saturday Show & Hels when I get all inky and show you a technique using Ranger products. I discovered this technique the other day when I was getting all my gear together for my Distress Stains Masterclass and was playing with Picket Fence Stains. Well, there I was, supposedly "working" when I had one of those lightbulb moments and thought... "I wonder what would happen if...." And... I tried it... and it worked! Basically, I have used Picket Fence Distress Stains to stamp with... and I have to say... tis loverly... and being as I don't know a name for this technique, I decided to call it Ghost Stamping as it gives a really ethereal effect... kind of chalky and ghostly like. So... I have put together a quicky step by step tut... and here it is!


INGREDIENTS:
Distress Stains - Picket Fence and a dark colour/s
Stamps
Non Stick Craft Sheet
Paper Towel
Heat Tool
*optional - Perfect Pearls Mists Biscotti*



STEP 1
Prepare your Picket Fence Stain by giving it a really good shake. There is a little ball bearing in the bottle and this will help aggitate the Stain. Coat the stamps you have chosen with the Picket Fence, making sure you get an even coverage - don't press too hard as you don't want to flood it, this won't give a good impression...



STEP 2
Coat a tag with your chosen dark Distress Stain - I used Stormy Sky and Chipped Sapphire.



STEP 3
Lightly dab away any excess Stain with a paper towel.





STEP 4
Immediately stamp your images, making sure the tag isn't too wet or too dry for this is important... too dry = stamped images soak right in and too wet = they flood everywhere (trust me, I tried it lol)



STEP 5
Use a heat tool to dry the tag off... if you haven't got one, you can pop it onto a radiator to dry out... the quicker the better tho :O))




STEP 6 *optional*
I love the look of the snowflakes and wondered what would happen if I added some bling... so I tried it... and spritzed the whole tag with Biscotti Perfect Pearls Mists... I had the heat tool going at the same time so the Mists were dried as quickly as possible so the images didn't smudge too much.



The over all effect makes the snowflakes look as if they are "floating" under the layer of the PP Mists... which I lurve... but I have done a tag without them and it looks equally as fab! The photo doesn't really do the shimmer justice, but you can kind of get an idea of what I mean :O))



It has occured to me that you may be sitting there thinking "that's a whole lot of faff when I can use a Snowcap Dabber to do white stamping" Well, I thought about that bit too but... with a Snowcap Dabber, even if you stamp first and add Stain over the top, you will still get the finish of paint and it will retain more of its whiteness. With the Picket Fence, it soaks up a bit of the Stain colour it is stamped onto - hence stamping whilst the tag is still damp - without it losing its opacity or chalkiness... Please do let me know what you think though? :O)) Oh and... just a little quicky... the ladies who are joining me for the class today will be doing this technique - but it is as a little bonus at the end of the book, they are going to be learning 15 different techniques already... so I thought I would share this one with you all.

So, there you have it. I have continued on with the tag and completed it... but I won't show you just yet... you will have to pop back tomorrow as it is going to be my entry for the brand new Sunday Stamper theme... I shalln't give away the theme but... I bet you will be able to guess ;o)) Oh and... I will also be giving the tag away too... Ok then... I hope you like that technique... please do let me know and if you try it, I would love to see your creations! Thanks for looking... TTFN

Hels x

Challenged...

... aha, tis the first of the month, a pinch and a punch and all that... but it also means that it is time for a brand new Challenge over on The Artistic Stamper Creative Team blog. To see all the deets etc, please click HERE.


My entry is a tag... which I have coloured using Wild Honey, Rusty Hinge and Aged Mahog Distress Inks... and then added lots of background stamping... oh and lashings of Perfect Pearls Mists... Anyways... lots of backgrounds and such like on the tag, along with some Grungepaper and Idea-ology and stuff.


Cor blimey, I don't know where the time is whizzing away to... tis November already... which means that if I am to be good and stick to my *clears throat* New Year Resolutions, I should start making Christmas cards this week, have them finished by next week and in the post by the week after... well, all I will say is...





Mwhahahaaaaaa..... I have stuck to my ALL Resolutions ALL year... and... erm... it is high time to break one... ahem... yes, just one, all the others in intact... they are... really... **rushes off to tidy Room of Stash up**




Anyways, enough of my wafflings... that was another New Years Resolution too... to stop waffling so much on my blog... mmm, that one lasted all of five mins then lol Right... time for bed... thanks for looking... TTFN!

Hels x

Sunday Stamper - Week 173 - Simply Irresistable

Goodly Morning Stampers and a very happy Sunday to one and all. Many thanks for the gorgeous starry entries for last weeks challenge. This week I was hum-hawing about the theme so I just set about making something with the hope I could pop the theme in around it... and then I heard this song on Absolute 80's Radio... and it fitted perfectly. So, the theme this week is to... use a RESIST TECHNIQUE. It can be any kind of resist - the one I have used is paint - more about that later :O)) To join in with the challenge all you need to do is make a little something - it can be anything you like - include the theme and some stamping... pop back here and leave me a comment with a link to the place you are showing your entry... or, if you haven't got a blog and would like to join in, please do email me the pics or link me to your web photo album - which ever is easiest. The theme will remain open until 21:00 Saturday 1st October 2011.




So... my entry! Well, yesterday I took delivery of... the brand new Seasonal Distress Inks. There's a long and mind-numbingly boring story about me doing my normal "I don't need them" thing... and meaning it because they don't have re-inkers and I need re-inkers... and then me seeing the colours slotting perfectly into the Distress range and realising how dumb I would be if I missed out... but I won't bore you with that rofl.



I should tell you about the "how I made it" shouldn't I? But first... please indulge me do whilst I wax lyrical about Seedless Preserves... cor blimey and thricely... it is the most gorgeous colour and whilst I only really wanted Gathered Twigs, I am a fickle creature and my new fave has to be this heavenly purple.




Anyways... on with my entry... I painted the frame (a cheapy one from Ikea) with Traditional Tan paint... then sanded it back in places so the wood showed through. I then used a blending tool to apply Seedless Preserves, drying with a heat gun, applying a smidge of Gathered Twigs around the edges and then lightly spritzing with water. The centrepiece is white card that I stamped with more Traditional Tan paint and a Tim Holtz script stamp to make the resist. I then smooshed the new DI's onto my craft sheet, spritzed them with water and dipped the card into the inkiness... dried with a heat gun and then I wiped over the top with a damp paper towel to remove the ink from the painty script and reveal the resist. I love the technique, it has to be one of my faves.




The dress form is cut with Mountboard and coloured with... erm... DI's and the script was stamped with Plum Archival which is a perfect compliment for the Seedless Preserves. I made a big blousy flower embellishment using Studio 490 stamps and Grungepaper... colouring again with the same DI's and cut the Iron Gate OTE die from Grungeboard. The little butterflies are Salvage Stickers which were popped onto cardstock, coloured using a Cut & Dry Nib and then spritzed with Biscotti Perfect Pearls Mists.




So... have you got your set of the new DI's yet? And... if you have... do you like them and which is your favourite? Like I said earlier, I was a bit concerned about the re-inker thing but the pads seem to be extra juicy... so I am thinking that they will last a few yonks anyways... and hopefully by then, those lovely peeps at Ranger will have added them to the Distress range forever. Right... time for my bed... have a grand Sunday. I have some eBay stuff to do and some more stamps to list too... busy, busy, busy! Well, I am fund raising for my Cheesy Chester Cheeto fund for when I go to America... in... less than three weeks!! Thanks for looking... TTFN

Hels x

PS... nearly forgot to remind you... just a few more hours to enter into the Blog Candy Giveaway I am having for my Octocentarian followers... thank you ALL who have entered so far... wowzers! All the deets are HERE... winner announced tomorrow :O))

In Stitches... Giveaway Time Again!

...yes, indeedily, it is Monday... so that means another day closer to my 4th Bloggy Birthday! Four years! That has whizzed past sooo quickly! Anyways, as detailed in yesterdays post... I am doing a "giveaway-a-day" up to and including Wednesday, which is the actual day I started blogging. Todays giveaway is a tag... but not just an ordinary tag... oh no, this one is special because...



It has my very first attempt at using a sewing machine since 1984 when I was unceremoniously booted out of Needlework class because I kept breaking the machines... or being a disruption by constantly interupting the teacher (she was nice normally but for some reason, when she saw me, she got all cross and her face went puce lol) So, I ended up being the only girl in the Woodwork/Metalwork class... and in fact, I enjoyed that a whole lot more... not being the only girl... no, the woodwork and metalwork classes were ace, and... I still have a little wooden tray that I made all those years ago! Anyways... enough waffling... I have been using faux stitching... or stamped stitching for way too long now and on Saturday, my lovely Grim came home with a diddy sewing machine for me... *I am a lucky girl... he is a star... *





So, I spent nearly an hour last night figuring how to thread the machine and how to actually use it. I kept trying and the thread kept popping out... so I adjusted a little knobby thing on the side and that seemed to work... according to the diagram it is "tension"... mmmm, there was a lot of that in the Room of Stash I can tell you lol But, I persevered... and... managed not only to sew around the edge of a tag but also... I stitched some old music score on there too!! Yipyah and thrice, I am a seamstress... well, ok, not really but it sounds good :O))



You will see on the tag that there is a little bit of shimmer... this is Capucchino Perfect Pearls Mist... oooh, I love this colour and it goes perfectly with the colour palette of Old Paper, Tea Dye and Vintage Photo. I heated up the Ornate Frame and spritzed the PP's onto that... they just kind of sizzle where they land and dry instantly... I love that look! The butterfly is an Alterations die... cut from Grungeboard for the top layer and old music score for the underneathy bits... and then coloured with Vintage Photo and spritzed with PP Mists again. The flower is made from the Tattered Florals die and Kraft Glassine... more PP's on this too! I went a bit bling-tastic really didn't I?




Anyways... this tag is up for grabs today... all you have to do to be in the draw is to leave me a comment on this post... click to follow me if you don't already... and then I will enter your name into the draw which will be randomly chosen and announcement next Monday, September 12th. Don't forget there are two other giveaways going on here already... CLICK HERE for the Watermark Resist Giveaway and CLICK HERE for the Sunday Stamper giveaway... Right, enough of the natterings from me for today... it is time for me to go and play with Sebastian (the sewing machine... well, I wasn't going to give it a name but then I left it standing next to Victor Vagabond and Colin Crop-a-dile overnight and now it is demanding one...) *please don't worry about my sanity folks... that is long gone rofl* Ok, I am offski... thanks for looking... TTFN!

Hels x

Who's That Girl???

... I said it would be worth popping back today didn't I? I am still laughing my socks off still at this photo of me. It was taken in one of those naff photobooth jobs that always make you look a bit deranged and always always take so long to eject the developed pics that in your impatience you end up scratching or smudging the image.



I can even remember where this was taken... in the photobooth in the main Post Office in City Square in Leeds... for a school bus pass. I had totally forgotten about this photo until my Dad arrived on Saturday morning with said pic... he had found it and thought I might like it... well, Grim whipped off up to his room and did some computer wizardry and came back down about 47 seconds later with the original photo and this one, resized and touched up *there is a joke in there but I am soooo not going there lol* Here's the original...



So... I decided to alter a photo frame I picked up in AC Moore while I was in Baltimore... Ellen was enabling me so much over there you know, first Michael's, then Queen's Ink and then AC Moore... like I needed any persuasion lol. I picked out my fave colour from the photo to co-ordinate it in with the frame... so it is brown from my eyes... meaning I got to play with Crowded Attic and Vintage Photo Stains and Heirloom Gold Perfect Pearls Mists. I cut the paper to fit, splodged some Trad Tan paint onto it and then made lots of splattery dots of Vintage Photo... I wanted them to look at bit like freckles seeing as my old fizzog is covered in them in this picture (they are a bit more bleached out nowadays... caught up in the wrinkles lol)




But first... a very near calamity struck in the Room of Stash... I am still shaking from the experience. I had finished a pot of Traditional Tan paint last week and went to get a new pot... and... couldn't find it! I knew it was in the drawer... it had to be, I would so never not have a second pot waiting for me... but I rummaged and rummaged and huffed and puffed and started to panic... and then I remembered! When I was doing my tidying jaunt the other week I put the paints in colour order in the drawer... ok, ok, lesson learnt... serves me right for being a dork lol



So... a little trip down Memory Lane... actually, is there a real Memory Lane somewhere?? Does anyone know??? Maybe I should whizz off and consult Mr Google Earth. Wouldn't that be funny if you lived on Memory Lane... you would be forever taking trips down it lol Oh and I really am wondering why on earth I was sporting a Cliff Richard hairstyle... a mullet no less!! Well, it was 1985 so I guess I can be forgiven lol UhOh... making myself laugh.. not a good sign so that must be the signal for me to say... thanks for looking... TTFN!

Hels x