Happy New Year!

Well. as 2010 is nearly over, I just wanted to wish you all a very happy, healthy, peaceful new year.

I have had a chance to play with some new stash - my sister in law and brother came over the other day with my Christmas present that had got delayed in the post - toys!!!

 It's ok, Lynne - I won't tell them what you did with the box of gems. (But I am still finding them....) tee hee, bet you thought you'd got away with it!!

So I used the pine trees on a tag - coloured with a mixture of distress ink and some eco-green paint (green patina, which has a glorious shimmer to it)

I made a rosette with some of the lost and found paper stack in suitable colours, and a small pearl at the centre (something Lynne and I decided would look good the other day)

The stamp is part of a Christmas one that I got back out of the drawer, and I made a couple of tissue tape ruffles to accent it.








If you're going out tonight, have a fabulous time - don't drink too much - get home safely - have fun!  I will be staying home and watching the London fireworks on TV in bed.... sad that I am!

Stamp Man Blog Hop and Challenge -

The Stamp Man are hosting their second annual bloghop-challenge-award event. There is a blog hop (start here)  with some fab prizes - and 2 weeks to complete it - and the challenge - the award part - is to nominate your own favouite piece of work for the year 2010. 

I nominate a Maya Road chipboard/flower piece I made (in fact for another challenge at the time) which I posted here in May this year.  I have photographed it again today (as it's still hanging around close to hand....)

Click the link in my side bar to join the fun.

Nothing's on my desk - crafting withdrawal symptons alert!

Hi everyone, just got home from Mum's - but due to some advance planning with a neighbour and a key, the flat is nice and warm as she put the heating on yesterday for me..... nothing worse than coming home to a cold flat.....

Had a lovely time with Mum but it's nice to be home (computer access etc!) Here are some pictures I took on Boxing Day.

(except this which is from the train window on the way down - somewere around Dorking - still realy snowy!)

I went out on Boxing Day for a walk - it was COLD but no wind, so quite pleasant - these are the frosty leaves in Mum's garden. I love frost on leaves.

And this is me on the beach - I have never seen the stony Pagham beach with frost on before!!

Although the frost doesn't really show very well - it was thick frost!

And Pagham has a "Pram Race" - it's a pub crawl round the pubs of Pagham really - every year on Boxing Day when teams dress up in fancy dress. They are meant to drink a pint in each pub but quite often they carry them along the streets with them...
My camera's memory card ran out so I couldn't get many but there are a few more on my "photosbyh" blog.




Hope you all got lots of lovely crafty presents - I'll  be round to play with them later..... till next week, TTFN and Happy New Year to you all.

Happy Christmas everyone!

Just a quick post to wish you all a very Happy Christmas, wherever and however you spend it!  I will be travelling tomorrow morning so won't have much time then!  Still, the bags are packed now.

This is for you all - it's one I made last year, actually and I just found it tonight - I didn't realise I had any left (there were about 6) which I could have used this year.....  It's the Paperartsy fairy I used lots last year. I don't think I've blogged it before.

And look - I can be tidy when I want - I have put away all my Christmas stamps, and left my craft mat nice and empty for when I get back.  Sadly any crafty presents I may have been getting (from my brother and his wife) are still in the post so I won't have anything to open..... (do you feel sorry for me?!)    Ah well, something to look forward to!

But I have got a little (ok, large) pile of sweet treats to eat when I get home from Mum's..... can't wait to tuck in...  just don't look at the muddle behind them - didn't have time to tidy everywhere.....







So, until the middle of next week - I will be without a computer of any description and my phone isn't internet enabled, so I will have a lot of catching up to do - have a VERY Happy Christmas.  Thank you again for all your comments and visits during the year, it means a lot.

See you all soon.
xx

WOYWW - the Christmas edition!

Well, here we are - is everyone ready now? I have my presents wrapped and waiting delivery, the cards all went a week ago and hopefully aren't stuck in a snow drift somewhere! 

So it's the last WOYWW before Christmas - and I haven't tidied up the Christmas stamps yet - but they are clean Julia.....!!!

 Hopefully I will get time to put them away before I go to Mum's - which isn't till Friday morning. I was hoping to go Thursday afternoon (we finish at lunchtime) but I will have too much to do here, and if the weather/trains are stil dodgy I don't want to risk getting stuck halfway in the dark (even by train!)

This pile also needs tidying up - bits of leftovers and little bits of paper that probably won't be usable but just might!  And the crafters best friend - paper towel!

And this is the work, work desk on Tuesday morning (I took the camera in case I could see anything of the lunar eclipse but it was too cloudy). We are meant to be moving offices this week but it probably won't happen now till after the holiday - hence the large tower of boxes in the edge of the shot, waiting to be filled.
This was taken about 7.30, I am always first in (surprise, surprise, at that time!) and it's only a traffic thing that I go so early, I don't start till 9..... I only loaded the spreadsheet for show, I blog hop and read the paper till anyone else gets in....


I hope you all have a very happy Christmas and get to where you are meant to be for the holidays, (and home again!! and I will see you all next time - though I may not be home in time to be here next Wednesday.

Thanks for all your comments and support this year, it's been great fun getting to "know" you all on these blog hops each week - here's wishing everyone a healthy, happy and prosperous New Year.

Love and hugs, "H"! 

Scribbling distress

Time for another Compendium challenge today - seems like a long time since we did one - over at Linda's Studio L3 - we're up to challenge 25 and page 34.

Let me just say, don't forget step 5, it makes all the difference  - doh!!

This is the somewhat muddy mixture of several different  attempts, and I can't really remember what colours I used now - there's some wild honey inkpad and broken china reinker I do know - but not sure what else!
I decided as it was quite a bluey green effect, I'd better go foresty so used Tim's trees (stamped in black soot) and the little sentiment is his too, on an offcut from a rosette cut, and the other stamp is from a Wendy set. (archival ink)

I found it hard to photograph, sorry!   I did also spritz the ribbon with a shabby shutters/gold perfect pearl mix but it doesn't show up in the photo.


p.s. as suggested by Jennie I am entering this in the tag withdrawal challenge too.  Didn't think it counted as it's not really Christmassy..... but ok!

Tagging out to Rom Coms

Well, don't fancy sliding out anywhere even on foot today, and all the sport has been cancelled, so I've been watching rom coms on video (I haven't upgraded to dvd's yet, lol!) So far, I've watched Love Actually, (yes, I cried again) and now You've Got Mail. (probably - it's only just starting...)  I like this one because I've always dreamed of owning a bookshop! (Could probably stock one.... I buy books like I buy stash!)

I finally finished the tag I was experimenting with the adirondack inks off my craft mat - and my rosette die again - and rock candy distress stickles.  Am putting this in for the Sunday Stamper (music - the rosette is cut with Tim's paper stack featuring music) and Jennie's Tag Withdrawal  Christmas theme.

More snow here - go away!

Had to go out shopping this morning - also had to post some Christmas presents to some people I won't be seeing - hope they get there in time!! 

Anyhow, it started snowing as I was in the queue for the Post Office to open at 9 - and now it looks like this.....

 This is from the front door.

This is from the window at the top of the stairs. You can't really see how heavy it is - it's got worse since I took these and starting writing!

This is from my living room - through my Christmas cards  - I probably should have turned the light out!

This is a shot of the tree at the bottom of the downstairs flat's garden - I love this tree when it's snowing!

And this is my favourite bush - it's quite big now, lol about 6ft - outside my front door - it's an escallonia - has really pretty little pinky red flowers all summer - but not today!

 Finally, some crafting! A few days ago Wendy Vecchi blogged about making some tag envelope-y things for sending gfit money in. So as I send my nephews cheques so they can choose for themselves, I thought it was a great idea. 
See the expert version here!

But these are the ones I made

 All 3 ready to go (they've gone now, in the post!!)

I have just realised that as I have used a script background stamp on them, I can enter them as a very late entry to Sunday Stampers "script" challenge for this week!

Extremely Masked Card

I needed a last few Christmas cards and having just got hold of the seasonal mask set from Tim (not from him personally, but you know what I mean!) I decided to use one of his 12 Tags techniques (day 8) on a Christmas card.

I managed to cut round the silhouette of the mask without mishap - some of them on the set don't work, believe me I tried! and followed his technique to ink the card inside and outside the mask.  Clear embossed some snowflakes round the top of the card and a greeting at the bottom.



As this is a much better example of a Tim technique, I am entering it in the Simon Says challenge for this week! I know you can enter more than once but you only get your name put forward once for the draw for the prize.

Paper Rose - ettes!

I was playing with my new rosette die from Tim Holtz tonight, I had intended to use them on the tag from my WOYWW earlier, with the adirondack sprays, but as they were drying on my craft sheet (well, as the glue was drying) I had an idea......

I have had a spool kit for a while which I haven't used yet - indeed, I still haven't because I thought I could make my own.... cue rummaging around for something suitable. I came across a piece of corrogated cardboard which i sprayed with the purple twilight spray - oh, YUMMY colour! and......

 added some tissue tape at the top and bottom
They look like wheels really, but....

Added some lilac spotty ribbon

Wrapped some pretty fibre round it...

And tried very hard to take a decent picture of it!!    Just a bit of fun for a cold Wednesday evening!

I love how easy this rosette die was to use - so much easier than the one I hand folded for the Timmy tag last week!  (didn't have to measure each little crease for a start...) I can see I will be using this lots. And maybe I'll even finish the tag!

WOYWW - 15th December & I've lost count!

Well, the snow finally went last weekend and I managed to go to Kew Gardens for the first time since the end of October (photos up on my other blog, click the picture of the fountain in my side bar) Now they say we'll have more snow this weekend coming - great - just in time to disrupt people's last minute Christmas plans!

This week my craft mat show signs of distress - it may need replacing soon!  It took a bit of a hammering over the last couple of weeks when I was following Tim's 12 Tags of Christmas - and having loads of fun!

I have also been playing with some of the adirondack colour washes which I got recently (woops, how did that happen!) and these I sprayed - just a small amount - direct to the craft sheet and dragged the tag through them - one colour at a time - this is denim, purple twilight and sunset orange (although it looks brown here - I think there must have been something else on the mat, lol!)

 I have been pleating some tissue tape at the bottom as demonstrated by Tim on one of his 12 Tags recenlty. Just need to find something to finish this tag off with now!

Don't you just love these colours! I just kept adding them to my online shopping basket until my purse started crying!  I'll save the others for another time.

And then, the other day, I just found this in my shopping basket too..... the seasonal masks from Tim and his paper rosette die (with the necessary cutting plates underneath).... I hand folded one of these rosettes for one of the tags, and it was laborious, measuring where to fold, so I allowed myself a treat!  The glitter glue is rock candy distress stickles (they need to make that in BIGGER bottles!) and I love this stuff. I had to get another bottle as I'm running low after all those tags....

Last week, Angela (Toucan Scraps) asked what the red and white thing on my craft mat is (I've left it here again) - it's the paper distresser that Tim uses all the time - I love that too - it just gently roughs up the edges for a bit of texture. I use it a lot on tags and when adding stamped sentiments say, on scraps of cardstock to my work.

Head on over to Julia's to catch up on everyone else's fab spaces and see what they've been doing this week.

Simon Says - show us a Tim technique

This week the Simon Says challenge is to show a Tim technique - just in case we were all feel bereft at the ending of Tim's 12 Tags of Christmas!

I have used some new colour sprays (woops, how did that happen!) and the bird cage die.  The bird I covered with the page of an old book before cutting it, and the cage has been distress embossed.

The bird was originally coloured with distress inks, but I have also sprayed it with a mini mister with broken china reinker, and forever blue perfect pearl powder. This is such a gorgeous colour... I love it.

I have also been playing with the adirondack colour washes sprayed direct onto the craft mat and a tag swished through it - boy are thos colours vibrant - watch this space!!


Once again the sponsors of the Simon Says challenge are offering a great prize to the winner - am off to check out the other entries now.

While we're talking about Tim, Lin from LB Crafts has a stupendous giveaway for the end of the year - check out the picture in my side bar and have a go (only I want to win, so don't try too hard (only kidding....)

Tim's 12 Tags of Christmas - Day 12

The last day!! Tim's 12 Tags of Christmas has come to an end again! And he kept a great one for day 12. Although it involved movers and shakers dies, that I don't have -

 This is Tim's

And this is mine.   Didn't have any pine cones but found some wooden holly leaves in a box of stash - could have done with finding them the other day, lol! which I coloured green with pine needs distress ink direct from the pad, and with a blending tool round the sides - for the holly berries, I took some small pearls from that necklace I "donated to the cause" the other day which i coloured red - badly - tried using barn door reinker but it didn't really stick  so added some cranberry alcohol ink.

I traced round a maya road oval frame for the basic oval shape - my freehand one was too wonky - and added the extra bits myself. Freestyle-drew the letters

Cut out with a sharp knife, before added the distress ink and rock candy distress - I had a mostly dried up bottle so used the brush that came with it - which is now red, but I can use it again!!

The rest of the tag is as per Tim's. (apart from the corners - badly fashioned out of tin foil from the kitchen. Don't look too closely at them)

















These 12 Tags have been so much fun - I have managed to get each one done on the day - amazingly - and will miss them. BUT it does mean I can now get on with Christmas - need to write my cards - (think I still have a fair few to finish making!) - and in the post and then there are the presents to buy - although, I did go to Kew Gardens yesterday for the first time since the end of October (due to all the business with my eyes, glasses, the weather and my cold!) and bought some presents there - so feel quite good with myself today!
Will link this final tag at Artyjen's - thank you all for looking and saying such nice things about my tags. See you all for 12 Tags of 2011, rofl.

Tim's 12 Tags of Christmas - Day 11

So, here we are - just one more Tim tag to go - here is day 11 - snowflake die (don't have it) tree die (don't have it) custom making stamps with foam (don't have any) dictionary paper - you get the drift  ....... but - never let it be said I give up.

So, first off I used a book page and did the snowflake stamping - page was too old and yellow - started again on the other side of the tag - found a book (an old "Good Pub Guide - 1985...) with whiter pages and tore one out.

The snowflake stamp is from a clear set of Inkadinkado stamps, inking is as per Tim's tag.

Running low on ornate plates so found a chip frame that fitted the stamp - it's from an unopened pack by K and Co - painted it with silver dabber and sanded it for a distressed look. The flash is still bouncing off the silver paint though...

 The tree is from Wendy's Christmas set, stamped on grungeboard and inked with green distress inks, don't have any green distress powdeers so it's just embossed with green powder (from the back of the drawer of embossing powders, these tags are making me rummage so much!!) but the trunk is done with distress powder!  No sparkly stuff so painted some of the branches with white dabber and pressed fun flock into it. (had trouble finding that again too, didn't remember where I'd put it back from the other day when I used it before)

Could manage the philosophy tag, although I'd used the "believe" one yesterday! Linking it at Artyjen, as with the others. There are some fab Day 11's there, to go with the others.

Tim's 12 Tags of Christmas - Day 10

Another great tag today - but with dies/fades I don't have - so more substituting. Tim used his snowman die, I had to stamp mine, and the stamp is smaller than the die, so he looks a bit lost.

Anyhow - here he is! I stamped him on grungepaper (which then proceeded to bend a bit with the paint, perhaps that's why Tim used grungeboard.   dohh!!

Still, two coats of dabber later, and some cursing when the arms and hat wouldn't stick..... had to colour the nose with a gel pen because I couldn't be faffed to try and cut the nose out of grunge!

I don't have Tim's snowflake texture fade, so this is a cuttlebug one, but at least it's snowflakes - I don't think I've used it before, so am glad I bought it - way back when I got the CB!!

To stop the snowman seeming to float in mid air on the tag, I used some fluffy stuff for snow at the bottom. Attached the snowflake tag as per Tim's, and some embellies. Despite not having the snowman die, this is pretty much as Tim did - for a change.

Will link him at Artyjen's again.

Tim's 12 Tags of Christmas - Day 9

Another fantastic tag today from Tim but I didn't have either of the dies he used (shhh, don't tell but I've ordered the rosette die now, I gave in.....)

So I hand-folded this one and actually, it worked really well!

 I used the same colours for the tag as Tim, but used glimmer mists in walnut gold and honey amber, and a hero arts background stamp.
Instead of tinsel, I used angelina fibres behind the rosette, and some more of the pearls from my former necklace.  The ribbon is actually self coloured with wild honey distress and glimmer mist (honey amber, I think) but the flash makes it look whiter than it is.

I used some randomly chosen buttons from my stash and had to hand-draw (badly) the letters for "peace" but I did have the core-dinations paper. They look better in the picture here than in real life.... 

All in all, I really like the tag - I would have used chip letters but didn't have any small enough as it would then look much neater. I decided not to buy the alphabet die (so far.....) as well!





Artyjen is away for her birthday, but the link for the splinter group is still available here - check the other tags out.

Tim's 12 Tags of Christmas - Day 8

When I saw today's tag from Tim here - I knew I would have some serious improvising to do. It has taken me all evening, and suffice to say it is NOT my favourite!! (only because of the trouble I had.. the idea is good!)

I did have some of the blank mask sheets, to cut your own but that is easier said than done - what tough stuff it is to cut!!   It would have been better & easier if I had had something seasonal I could have die cut.

I chose Tim's snowman, and was wondering why it didn't cling to the tag till I read the instructions properly and - took the backing sheet off.... yes, I know.  (that is why my leaves I die cut don't cling either... must rectify that!)

So the tag - I followed Tim's instructions and inked the tag, but didn't really like the colour - so the snowman (pumice stone originally) is spritzed with irridescent gold glimmer mist, and the tag itself (tumbled glass and chipped sapphire) with a broken china reinker/forever blue perfect pearl mix. Overstamped with Tim's snowflakes, as the stamp is designed with snowflakes.  (May as well have just stamped it, I know, but I am entering into the spirit!!) 

Cut the town house die from grungeboard - boy, do the windows/doors get stuck into the die when you use grungeboard!! still, got all the bits out in the end....

Did quite like the sanded houses in the end, but forgot to make some smoke before I stuck them down - don't have any thick enough wire anyway,  so drew on some squiggles with a white pen (badly, I have always told you I can't draw!)   I used a piece of plastic packaging behind the houses for windows.  
Didn't use one of my clock face embellies as i don't like this enough to "waste" one on, so just left that off, and don't have any of the corners so ignored them too.

Off to link it with Artyjen here - there are bound to be some crackers - check them out. Roll on day 9 - may it be a good one!  Night night!

WOYWW - 8th December - a mess!

Hi, workdesk snoopers.  This is the state of my "desk" - patch on the floor - after I finished Tim's Tag 7..... today (well Tuesday night but it won't change any!)

No, you are quite right, it looks the same as always!

And this is my pile of tags so far.  At the end of the 12, I want to try and put them together somehow so I can remember what I did - not sure how yet - although I do have a cheapo frame I may try and fit them into.  I think they are resting on my Christmas wish list!!




Is everyone ready for Christmas?  I haven't bought a single present yet - although I don't have that many to get - but with all this faffing about with opticians and things, and then last weekend the awful weather (plus I had a bad cold and was off work at the end of last week) means I haven't done anything useful for the last 4 Saturdays.  And they are my only real opportunity to do present shopping!  I still haven't finished my cards either, let alone got them written.  Maybe this weekend....

I had the appointment at the hospital on Monday for the echo - which all seems normal, so that's good - and my GP has just phoned me with the results of the my blood tests from a couple of weeks ago - I am hugely anaemic so got to have a load of iron tablets. (I am writing this at 9.30 on Tuesday evening and she's literally just rung!)

Ok, I was going to keep this short and sweet, as everyone has lots to do and many many desks to navigate round, starting here at our beloved leader Julia's.  Happy Wednesday. I will call on as many of you as I can, and thank you in advance for stopping by here!