Sunday Stamper - Week 370 - Oh You Pretty Thing

Goooodly Morning Stampers and a very happy sunny Sunday to you all!  Thanks for your entries into the last challenge... twas great to see your lovely creations!  This week the theme is  MAKE SOMETHING PRETTY!   To join in with the challenge is simples: make a little something; a card, canvas, ATC, a piece of altered art... the choice.. it be yours! Add in some stamping if you want to and then hop back here, leave me a comment with a link to the place you are showing your entry and I can come see you.   If you haven't got a blog, you can join in via Facebook (just tag me name) or by emailing a small res.pic to me or by leaving me a link to your Pinterest or any other photo hosting site.  The challenge will remain open until 21:00 Saturday 23rd January 2016.

A card for my entry this week!  Today I am teaching my first class of 2016 at Crafty Corner in South Shields and we are having a Distress Cardmaking bonanza... this is one of the cards I have created for the class.  Bearing that in mind, I won't go into too much detail on how I made it... but.... I can tell you about it! I used those gorgeous Darkroom Door stamps that I so love... the sentiments and flowers go together so perfectly... and the little scroll frame is also a Darkroom Door stamp.  The colours I used are Antique Linen and Seedless Preserves DI's... keeping it simple!

I am scheduling this post... hopefully I have remembered how to do it (it has been a long time, I have been neglecting my poor old blog I know!) so it is actually Saturday afternoon at the moment but by now it will be Sunday sometime.... uh! Confooosed... tis easily done with me tho!  Right, time to get a wiggle on... as ever, thanks for looking and... have a goodly day!  TTFN

Hels x

Whoopsie-Daisy!!

... ooopsies indeedily!  Firstly Happy New Year!!!  I know, a little late!!!  Ooops again, I completely forgot that last weekend should have been a new Sunday Stamper challenge... am getting forgetful in my old age.  What with the mirth and merriment of Christmas and New Year I clean forgot that two weeks had passed since the last challenge.  Where does the time whizz off to eh? Anyways, there will be a new challenge tomorrow... I have already scheduled it and everything *polishes halo*

Today I am showing a card I put together as a class sample for my Distress Cardmaking class tomorrow up at Crafty Corner in South Shields.  This is one of my fave Darkroom Door stamps... I love collage stamps and especially those that have lots of details on them along with a decent sized main image.  And what an image this one is!  Tis no secret that I love trains and whilst I am a diesel girl, I do love to see *and smell and hear* steam trains.  Did you see on the news yesterday that the Flying Scotsman is finally restored and back in steam?  It is lovely to see the old girl back running again... even if she should really be green and not black ;0))

So!  Did you have a cracking festive season? Father Christmas was very generous this year... I got some lovely pressies and of course, it would have been rude not to stuff my face with chocolate... so I did!  Just call me Spotty Sheridan now lol    I shall away now... thanks for looking and have a goodly day!  TTFN

Hels x

Those Crazy Birds!!!

...uh-oh!  It has happened!  Yes, I have succumbed to the lure of the Crazy Birds!   Last week I spent a couple of days at the NEC on the Craft Obsessions stand having a ball playing with all things Distress, Gelato's and Tim stamps and stencils.  Thank you to all who popped by to see me, it was lovely to put names to faces and to see your enthusiasm for all things inky and messy too.  Also a big thank you to Brenda and David for putting up with me too!   So.  These birds.  They have accessories!  So you can dress them up! All of a sudden I "got" them... I mean, come on, who wouldn't want to put bunny ears on a bird right?  Anyways, here are two of the samples I made during the show... First up is Mr Painter Bird and his mate who is looking rather jealous of Painter's rather splendid brush in his chops. This was dead easy to make... Spritz Distress Spray onto card, blow like billio *yes, I nearly hyperventilated* dry, spritz another colour, repeat with the blow like billio *stop for much needed oxygen hit* and then stamp, die cut and colour all the components.  The brush is just soooo cute isn't it?  Well, Brenda saw this sample and said... you could use the bristles to make a moustache!  Hey! What a grand idea!!! 

However, with this second card I got thoroughly carried away and instead of a moustache... he has... a flat top!!!  This little fella is all about the Gelato's.  The background is Gelato blending through a few stencils and he is painted in with them... check out his jazzy bow tie too... that's using the metallic Gelato's.

Right, that's me for today... I am about to set off to Preston for my class tomorrow at Inspirations... I am not looking forward to the M6..... hope it isn't toooooo busy!  Ha, who am I kidding!!!   Thanks for looking and have a great day!  TTFN

Hels x

Just Crazy 'Bout The Birds...

...I love this particular time of the year as it means it is the NEC Hobbycraft show and once again, I have the pleasure of demo-ing for the lovely Brenda and David from Craft Obsessions on their stand.  I have been shopping with Craft Obsessions since I first discovered, with huge thanks to my then new friend and now BFF Andrea, that there were such things as craft shops on yonder t'internet!!!  Fancy that!!!   This was in 2006 I hasten to add - I might be a bit of a div with all things teckernerolgicals but I certainly know how to add stuff to a basket ;O))    If you haven't visited Craft Obsessions before (where have you been!!!) HERE is the linky to the shop... just a little word of warning tho... there is a tonne of gorgeousness there and you will be tempted *don't say I didn't warn thee!*

Anyways, yesterday and tomorrow (7th November) I am demoing again for David and Brenda (stand E20) and have been playing with lots of lovely stuff... including all things Distress and... Gelato's.  Now I haven't used these before so I gave myself a good long sesh playing with them and coming up with different ways to use them and effects to achieve with them.  I admit when I first started playing I did think they were a bit, well, ummm odd... they look like a lipstick, feel like wax and yet will dilute with water!  Once I had got my bonce around that I was well away... and I loves them now!  I have even been mixing them with Distress, combining two completely different products together is fun!

Gelato's background and colouring for butterfly with Distress Ink edges

As well as the inky side of things, I have also been let loose with the Bird Crazy stamps, accessories and dies... oh ho ho!  I had said to Brenda that I wasn't going to use them... nope, not going to... didn't even really like them! Ummmm... I am the first to admit when I am wrong and yes, I was wrong!  THEY ARE SO CUTE!!!!  As are the little accessory stamps that have been designed to go with the birdys so you can... DRESS THEM UP!!!!   As soon as I saw the bunny ears and the specs I knew I was lost!  This card has been made with a mix of Distress and Gelato's and the left hand bird has been togged up to look a little bit like a 1970's tv detective *obviously I have seen said detective progs on UK Gold, faaar too young to remember them.... ahem*  And his compadre on the right is a bit of a divvy with his bunny ears and hanging around upside down... but he loves his little detective matie... we all have that one friend, right?  *mm, usually me*

So, if you are going to be at the NEC tomorrow (Saturday) please do pop by to the Craft Obsessions stand... it would be grand to see you there.   I shall away now... I have the Sunday Stamper post to schedule now... I am away off to South Shields really early on Sunday so I need to get organised (for once).    Have a goodly weekend peeps... thanks for looking... TTFN!

Hels x

Sunday Stamper - Week 352 - True Blue

Goooodly Morning Stampers and a very happy Easter Sunday to you all!  Thanks for your fabulous flying creations entered into last weeks challenge.  The new theme this week is... ANYTHING BLUE.  You can interpret the challenge how you like: be it blue papers, blue ink, blue paint... the choice, it be yours!   To join in with the challenge is simples: make a little something, it can be anything you fancy.  Add in the theme AND some stamping *this is THE important bit guys, please remember your rubberstamps!*  and then hop back here, leave me a comment with a link to the place you are showing your entry and I can come see you.   If you haven't got a blog, you can join in via Facebook (just tag me name) or by emailing a small res.pic to me or by leaving me a link to your Pinterest or any other photo hosting site.  The challenge will remain open until 21:00 Saturday 11th April 2015.  

A quicky make for my entry this week - namely a little card I put together using that delicious new Distress colour Mermaid Lagoon.  Oh la la!  I make no secret of loving hues of blue and when this one was revealed last month, I did have a little grin to myself... another blue... you can never have too many blues right?  And this one doesn't disappoint.  It fits in perfectly with Broken China and Salty Ocean... but goes delightfully with Cracked Pistachio - which is what I did for the background of this card using Distress Spray Stains.

I stamped out the cone flower three times... cut them out (nearly went goggle eyed cutting those diddy petals out but it is worth it!) and coloured the petals with Mermaid Lagoon and the cone with Wild Honey and Rusty Hinge... I loves colouring using a waterbrush and ink, it is so easy and as I am useless with a marker, I find this way the best for me.  The leaves are stamped, cut out and coloured with Forest Moss DI and a waterbrush too.  The sentiment was stamped, cut down into strips and popped onto the card with some 3d glue so the strips bend over the stalks of the flowers... and that's it... simples! 

So, what you got planned for your Easter?  Today we are going to be avidly watching the tellybox... it is the first round of the British Touring Car Championship, usually we try to go to the first one at Brands Hatch but I am still not 100% so we decided to stay home, watch on the telly box and have a nice roasty dinner instead.... I shall be shouting... as ever... GO PLATO!   Thanks for looking and have a great day!  TTFN

Hels x

Sunday Stamper - Week 323 - Mr Brightside

Goooodly Morning Stampers and a very happy *sunny* Sunday to you all!  Thank you all for your fabby entries to last weeks 3d challenge - I have still a few entries to visit and it was fab to see all the depthy projects you came up with.   The theme this week is all about getting colourful... and it is BRIGHT COLOURS. *pretty cool song too, LOVE The Killers!*  You can interpret the challenge how you like: add in a pop of bright colour, go for it and use shocking hot colours, the choice, it be yours!  To join in with the challenge is simples: make a little something, it can be anything you fancy.  Add in the theme AND some stamping *this is THE important bit guys, please remember your rubberstamps!*  and then hop back here, leave me a comment with a link to the place you are showing your entry and I can come see you.   If you haven't got a blog, you can join in via Facebook (just tag me name) or by emailing a small res.pic to me.  The challenge will remain open until 21:00 Saturday 6th September 2014.

My entry this week is a card I made as a little commission for my BFF Andrea's daughter's friends Nan - a 60th birthday using bright colours and a sewing theme.  Naturally, anything with a sewing theme I make has to have Tim's dressform on it, so I covered some Grungeboard with Claudine's sticky back canvas, die cut the dressform and then coloured it with Barn Door, Fired Brick and Vintage Photo DI's and then frayed the edges to reveal a bit of shabbiness of the canvas.

The background of the card was created using a few different techniques with Distress Inks.  Starting off with the Wrinkle Free Distress and Barn Door, Mustard Seed and Spiced Marmalade DI's, once I had the splashes and speckles of ink how I wanted them, I then inked over the top with the same inks and did a bit of Spritz & Flick to reveal more inky splats, this time bleached out ones.  I stamped the dress pattern in Watering Can Archival and used a waterbrush to add more colour to the outfit... and then used a waterbrush to remove colour from her face, painting water over the face, dabbing with a cloth and repeating until the DI had almost been removed.  I pricked holes around the edge of the card and used a fineliner to add stitches... I would have used a sewing machine but seeing as I am rubbish with a sewing machine, I can't sew straight to save me life, I decided to go for the faux look.  Embellies finished off the card and I used four of my little stash of Tim's Idea-ology Snaps - oh how I wish we could still get them!  I know you can buy them from haberdashers but the colours of his snaps are my fave!   

So!  What do you have planned for today?  I am still under the weather, whatever this gastric thingybug is has me a bit wishywashy so I have a lovely afternoon of Skype with Ellen planned... we haven't had an I Challenge Thee for literally several yonks so hopefully I will be covered in paint and ink come tea-time!   Thanks for looking, have a great day whatever you have planned.  TTFN!

Hels x