Something Sandy......

...Ah, what a shame I don't mean that I am writing this from my sunlounger on a sandy beach in the Bahama's...but..what it does mean is that today the Gingersnap Creations Blog see a brand new challenge! And...guess what? It is....Sandpaper. (am not going thru the whole is it Sandpaper, Sand Paper or Sand paper thing again like yesterday...that would be tooooo boring....)




I made a card for my entry...I used some fab DCWV cardstock, running it through the Cuttlebug with a Holly folder and the Swiss Dots folder...rubbed the embossed bits with sandpaper so the white core showed...and then blended Distress Inks over the whiteness using Antique Linen to make them toned down. The little tree which I made into a bauble is another of those gorgeous stamps by Hearts In Touch...I stamped with Peeled Paint, embossed with Shabby Shutters Distress Powders and then added loads of dollops of Picket Fence Distress Stickles. The bit of ribbon and then the punched flowers were added to make it look more like a bauble...please tell me you knew instantly that I had made a bauble (LOL)...I added some little DewDropz for the tree and stamped my favest sentiment in the whole widest world (another Hearts In Touch stamp) straight onto the cardstock...blended the edges with Antique Linen to pull it all together and voila, finished!




Thanks for looking...and if you feel like a challenge today, please hop on over to the Gingersnaps... they have some beuatiful samples on display as well as this one of mine ROFL And...I almost forgot to mention....Hearts In Touch are generously offering the Christmas stamp sheet as Blog Candy for one lucky entrant! Cool huh?


I am dashing off to the blog of the man who is driving me insane at the same time as making me say oooh and aaaah everyday at his fabulous tags...I need to see what today's looks like!

Hels x

Leaning On The Lamp Post?

...Is it all one word? Lamp post...or Lamppost...or Lamp Post...well, whatever it is...the main feature on Day 8 of the fantabulous Christmas tags by Tim is a ... lamp post. And it just so happens that I haven't got that set of stamps that we needed to use...so...I rummaged, rifled and then rummaged some more to find some music score paper or a stamp...nope...not a sausage....well, not a real sausage...I have some of those in the fridge...I was speaking metaphorically or whatever 'they' say, whomever 'they' are.....*blimey, it has been a long day and I am waffling....* Anyways....not a musical thing in sight...so...thankfully...Andrea lent me her music stamp which is an Oxford Impressions stamp...so I improvised and stamped it several times onto cream paper...cos I haven't got any vellum either!




So...to the lamp post...well, I have to say, I improvised this aswell...using the top of a Paper Artsy stamp and then bending the Grungeboard to put embossing ink onto it so I could emboss it black like Tim did....mmmm...let's just say that any self respecting dog wouldn't be inclined to cock his leg against this one...so... that is another set of stamps I need *ROFL* I had planned on using the Grungeboard one from the Seasonal set but I had already used it and it was too small anyway. Overall, I am pleased with the result tho'....and...did you notice...I got the proper flourish stamp now...so there is no stopping me now...hopefully tomorrow the stamps used will be in my collection LOL

I am off to bed now...I spent a FAB day at Andrea's and bless her, she lent me the Santa that looks like David Bellamy so I can remake the tag from the other day! Thanks for looking!

Hels x

Love-Tag-Tastic

...I really must come up with something more original for my titles LOL I have made another Christmas tag...using the colour Purple as the main element because the Allsorts Challenge this week is... purple!




I stamped some snowflakes in white acrylic paint onto the tag surface, dried them, blended Dusty Concord and Broken China over the top, wiped over the snowflakes to make them white again and then made a tree using a Tim stamp, Grungeboard and Distress Embossing Powders. The background has had some Rock Candy crackle and some Picket Fence Stickles popped on...and I also did the same to the Maya Road snowflakes....I added some ribbons and some Idea-ology and then roughed up the edges for a distressy look.

Thanks for looking..can't wait to see Tim's new tag today :O)

Hels x

Do You Believe???

...I do! I believe that Tim is a genius for starters...and I believe that if I am a good girl Santa will come down my chimney with a sackful for me **phnar-phnar** Continuing with the Tim's 12 Tags...here is Day 7...I am not happy with it tho! I used too much white scrolly stuff so the sentiment which is embossed in gold doesn't show up too good...which means...I will be making this one again LOL And...I used too much Stickles for Santa's garland...but couldn't resist giving him rosey cheeks again...he has been on the sherry again :O))



Thanks for looking...tis a really mucky day here today so I plan a bit of tag making later... but first, you know when you start a job and wish you never had? Well, I started to sort out my ribbon drawer...it is a surprise that I am not lasso'd to the desk with the mess that is in there...wish me luck !!

Hels x

PS...I have just been and visited Wendy Vecchi's blog...like I do everyday...and you will never guess what!!!!! I won the giveaway from this weekend...which is...$100 of Simon Says Stamp credit voucher!! To say I am chuffty tuffty is an understatement....I am sooo happy!!! So, thanks to Wendy...and to Simon Says Stamp for their generosity! :O))

Cat-Tag-Tastic

...Aw, I could not resist showing you this photo that I took last night of my AlfieCat...his usual Saturday night position is snuggled up with me on the sofa, watching Strictly...well, I got up to go and get a drink and came back to find him snuggled under my fleecey blanket...he is such a pampered puss!





I have been sorting out the mess in my Room of Stash today...but I did get chance to make the Tim Tag for day 6...I have to say, this is my favourite so far...mainly because I would never have thought of using a Dictionary page as backing paper...and using Grungeboard for the embellishments too...genius! The dictionary page actually has all the Christmas definitions on it...just don't tell Grim that I have nicked a page from the Chambers LOL...I am sure he would know what all the other things meant anyway...I mean, we all know what chromate means...don't we? ROFL




All the details on how to make the tag and all the ingredients are on Tim's Blog...I haven't got any of the fluffy stuff he used for snow on the tree, so I used Picket Fence Stickles...I can't wait for the next installment tomorrow...I am loving making these tags...and have made a few more of my own too, such is my enthusiasm! Ta for looking...have a great week peeps.

Hels x

Sunday Stamper - Week 82 - Angels (At The Hop)

Morning Stampers,

Thank you, first of all, to all who joined in with the challenge last week...and this week the new theme is ANGELS. To join in with the challenge, all you need to do is make a piece of art, include the theme and some stamping...and then post a comment here for me with a link to the place you are showing your art...the challenge is open until 23:00 next Saturday, 12th December.




Now, what is the "at the hop" in the title? Well, today sees the launch of a brand new Blog Hop with the Gingersnap Creations team. So....welcome to the first-ever Gingersnap Creations Blog Hop and you have reached Hop Stop #5!




If you’ve already been hopping then hopefully you have just come from Erika at Taylord Concepts. If you are starting here, welcome! It's a loop so you can start anywhere along the way! At each stop, you need to collect a word! There are 10 stops in all starting and ending with The Gingersnap Creations blog where you can get all the specific information and get a peak at the Christmas 2009 plate from Hearts in Touch. When you get all your words, there are 9 in all, unscramble them to form an art quote. Once you have your guess at the quote, email it and your name to gingersnapstamp@gmail.com by December 13, 2009. We will be picking one lucky winner at random from the correct entries to win the Hearts in Touch Christmas 2009 plate! My word is WORLD. Your next stop on the hop is Jean at Bluebird Paperie.

Good luck!!!




Back to the Sunday Stamper...my entry features a beautiful Angel stamp from the Hearts In Touch Christmas Plate which is up for grabs as the Hop Prize. I used Distress Inks to colour her...made her a little shabby looking about the edges and then used some Cosmo Cricket Be Good papers for the background. The sentiment is also on the Hearts In Touch plate too...and I think that this is my fave Christmas sentiment ever :O))

I hope you will have chance to play at the Sunday Stamper and also join in with the Hop too...have a great week everyone...and for the Tim Tag "Splinter Group", I will blog todays tag tomorrow...IYKWIM :O))

Hels x

Frag-Tag-Tastic...

...I know, I know, the title is dafter than ever...but...it means that I have completed Tag #5 from Tim's 12 Tags...and I loved making this one 'cos I got to play with Fragments which I usually forget to use! I used Scattered Straw and Aged Mahogany DI's and as I haven't got Pine Needles Distress Powders, I used a pine coloured normal embossing powder and mixed a bit of Shabby Shutters in with it...and it kind of worked LOL I don't like my rub on greeting but after spending so long making the tag, I didn't chance ruining it by stamping and then embossing with white. All the details on how to do are on Tim's blog.




Thanks for looking...I am up to date .. yippeeyah...until tomorrow that is...there is a new Sunday Stamper tomorrow but it will be a bit different so please check back and then you can see what it is I am babbling on about:O))

Hels x

Tag-tastic #4

...Another day...and another day late for the Tims 12 Tags...here is my one for yesterdays fab tag...I wanted to make this last night but I had had such a great day playing with Beeswax that I was a bit tired :O))




As ever, details on how to make the tags are on Tim's Blog....and luckily for me, this time I had all the stamps I needed. My little bells are Rusty Tin ones as is the little heart that I popped a hole through and attached to a Swivel Clasp...I shortened the chain on the clasp too, otherwise the heart would have been too dangly ... I filled up the Memory Capsule with some glass beads but they don't show up too well on the piccie...if you click on the pic it might be a bit clearer.

Thanks for looking...I am off to make todays tag and then get cracking on the Sunday Stamper for tomorrow! Oh and I am entering this tag as my Play Date Cafe challenge this week...the theme is Red, Green and White...I have all the colours on this tag LOL

Hels x

Fan-Tagstic Day!

...Eeeeeee....I am soooo excited today!!! I have a Beeswax class at LB Crafts this morning and I cannot wait! I have been hankering after making a wonderful Beeswax creation for so long...and whenever I try and make something it always...and I mean always...ends up looking like a big glooopy mess that only a mother could love LOL So, what has that got to do with todays title? Nothing actually... I just got swept up in Tim's 12 Tags excitement and decided last night that as I won't be able to make Tim's offering today until later, I would make a tag of my own...using Ranger stuff and all the things that Tim uses :O))




I started off with a plain buff tag and stamp some snowflakes and a flourishey design using Snowcap paint...dried it off with a heatgun and then blended Dusty Concord and Faded Jeans DI's over the top. The paint acts as a resist, so I wiped off the DI's from the images to make them white again....not satisfied with the background, I swooshed some more of the DI's onto a craft sheet and spritzed with Silver Glimmer Mists (Tim, I am guessing, would have used Perfect Pearls but I haven't got a silver one...improvisation see?) and then splodged the tag into the inkyness. Another zap with a heatgun and a quick wipe over left me with a really shimmery background. I used some Mini scrolls and stamped with the same DI's and then used Rock Candy Cracklepaint over them, making them bleed a little and soften up....BTW...did I tell you...I am on my THIRD pot of Rock Candy???? I love the stuff LOL




I made the reindeer from plain Grungeboard...using the gap in the Seasonal set (where I had already used him last year) as a stencil...and then popped some Snowcap onto him, edged with Faded Jeans, stamped some snowflakes in Archival black and then slapped loads of Rock Candy Stickles over the top...they don;t show up too good on the pics :O(( If you click on the photo, maybe it will show up better :O$ Taking note of what Tim did with his ribbon scarf on Tag 1, I made a little gingham check scarf for the reindeer using DS tape and some wire...I just love this look...ain't Tim clever eh? :O)) The beaded fringing and Dymo Tape greeting were added for a finishing touch. All the stamps I used for the tag are from the Tim Holtz collection...I need to own them all now LOL




I gotta dash...hoping the traffic won't be too bad and I make it on time (I am usually late for classes, you know the scenario, set off on time, get stuck on the motorway, can't find a parking space, take a wrong turning.....yikes!!) Have a great day peeps and I will be back later, hopefully, with todays Tim Tag!

Hels x

The 3rd Tags of Christmas...

...Two tags today!!! Tim is really going to town with his 12 Tags and today he has made two for us to look at/copy/drool over :O))




I am certain that the base tags I am using are a little bit smaller that the one the great man himself uses...but I still managed to get all the components on...even if...I haven't got the right Santa. Do you remember a couple of weeks ago I showed you a tag I made using a Santa that looked like David Bellamy? Well, this Santa is the one that Tim used today...and I thought I would be able to copy....nah...I was at Andrea's when I made the tag .. so she has the Santa Bellamy ... So I improvised and used the Santa from the Retro Christmas sheet....*how many times did I say Santa in that one paragraph!!!* The scroll I have used is from one of the earlier sheets...I hope to be getting the right one tomorrow from The Stamp Attic....Wendy has told Postie to be quick and get it to me pronto so I can play properly LOL Apparently, the scroll will feature in all the tags this Christmas so it is only right that I have the proper tools to play with :O))




All the details on how to make the tags are on T!ms Blog...and I especially loved making these today cos it used my fave alcohol ink technique of making plaid. I buy all my Alcohol Inks from The Artistic Stamper and the majority of my Idea-ology is from there too. Jennie is also making the 12 Tags...so pop on over to her blog to see her take on them...Day 1 is my fave of hers...she has such good taste in snowmen ROFL

Thanks for looking...are you playing along too? If you are, please let me know so I can come and visit you :O))

Hels x

On The 2nd Tag Of Christmas....

...The genius that is T!m only went and did some amaaaaazing stuff with his Foliage Idea-ology flowers...so...here is my version! I would never have thought that I could actually cut into the flowers and make them into a rose! Where does he get his ideas from...that is the question! All the details about this tag are on Tims blog...if you haven't seen his 12 Tags before then hop on over there...leave a comment too 'cos he is giving away stash!! What a guy!!!




I didn't have the right size frame to make the tag...I only have the mini one at the moment...but I thought I would give it a go anyways...and it really does need the bigger one LOL I might have done a bit of *winking* in yesterdays post...well, I am still at it *wink wink* cos...hopefully Mr Postie will be bringing me the proper size frame tomorrow...all the way from Wendy @ The Stamp Attic who has got T!ms stamps there ready for you to grab and then make the tags yourself!




Thanks for looking...I am off to see what the crafting genius has made for today...I will be inky and messy very soon hopefully :O))

Hels x