Grungy...

...is the coolest challenge on the blog (see what I did there... blog instead of block hahahaha) Devised, co-ordinated and hosted by the delectable Lovely Linda Ledbetter. This week the Grungy Monday theme is based on Day 10 of the 12 Tags 2007... deets for this are HERE on Tim Holtz's blog and deets of the challenge are HERE. So... I was incredibly lucky to be able to actually learn this technique from the one and only Duke of Distress when I was at Ranger... it was one of those techniques that I had seen and tried but never really "got it". Having done one there and now this one, I think I have a new fave!! My stamp for the technique is my favest script stamp (actually from a Christmas set) and the colours of paint are Juniper and Pool.



The flower is Tissue Tape made into a concertina around a circle of card... and then a smaller one... painted with the same paints applied with a babywipe so it went on thinner... and then a little Accoutrement popped into the middle. The banner at the bottom is also Tissue Tape... folded onto card, cut out and coloured the same way as the flower. The ickle butterflies are die cut using a Movers & Shapers and overstamped with Pool paint and the co-ordinating butterfly stamp. I added smidges of gold embossing powder to the bits and bobs just to jazz it up a bit.. oh and the frame is die cut from the Tag Alterations and then coated in embossing ink and gold embossed - three times... black paint to shabby it up and a little word added to the middle. Ta dah! Done!





Well, I have been in the wars again... in fact, I am still suffering... I shalln't go into too great a detail because that would put you off your tea but... I shall tell you about the shiner that I have. Well, it looks like I have been punched in the eye, in actual fact it is an allergy. Well, according to the chemist it is... Grim popped up there to get me some Chloremphenicywotsit and the lady said she wouldn't sell him it as it wasn't his eye that was the problem... so he came home with Golden Eye and the info that as it wasn't gunking yakky stuff and was only weeping tears then it was more likely to be an allergy. To what, I have no idea as I haven't done anything particular... however, I am inclined to believe it as I have been...erm... trotting... see, I told you it could put you off your tea.



Anyways... I spent over 16 hours on my death bed, sleeping for most of them... and then have spent most of today doing beggar all apart from groaning every so often and grumbling that I have to wear my specs - contacts are out of the question at the moment and I hate my specs. Actually, I don't hate the specs themselves... they are quite pretty... I hate wearing them though... mainly cos I am a fairy elephant and clobber them and knock them... hopefully the old poorly peeper will be better tomorrow so I can wear my lenses again! Right, best go and see about catching up with blogs and stuff... have missed all my FB'ing and Tweetings!!! Thanks for looking.... TTFN!

One Eyed Hels x

Simon Says... Grungy...

...cor blimey, I don't know, I turn my back and the next thing I know I have gone through a weekend and a day and I am already on Tuesday! So... here I am with my entry to the Simon Says Stamp & Show challenge this week which is one I just couldn't resist... the theme is to show a tag! Cool!! And... over on the wonderfully talented Linda Ledbetter's blog there is a new theme for the Grungy Monday challenge. If you haven't seen either of the challenges before, do take a trip over to both to see all the amazing artwork on them. Of course, the Grungy Monday challenge pays hommage to the one and only Duke of Distress, none other than Tim Holtz... the theme for Grungy Monday is Distress Inks... if you click HERE you will be whizzed away to the Duke's blog and if you click HERE you will be whipped away to the Distress Ink heaven that is Ranger Ink.




So... a tag... mwhahahahaaaa... I do love a nice tag... to the point that my tag basket is now too full and they are falling out... hang on a mo... I shall count them... FIFTY THREE!!! Oh and this one too... so that will be 54!!!! Chuffing chuff... what should I do with them... actually I have been asked that quite recently and the honest answer is... I er... dunno! The basket of tags doesn't include the Compendium challenge tags - 35 of those... or the tags I made at Ranger... eeek... I need a bigger basket... or a bigger Room of Stash lol



So... lots of lushy Distress Inks found their way onto this tag. Tis a while since I was colourful so I have chosen my old fave combo - Mustard Seed, Spiced Marmalade, Fired Brick and Walnut Stain with a smidge of Vintage Photo thrown in for goodly measures. And the Steampunk stamp set... and some Alterations Cogs and some Idea-ology... oh and the sentiment is on the Hanging Sign Alteration... I just chopped it down and bunged an Idea-ology Bulb into the already punched hole. The bottom has a banner of Ruler Ribbon, threaded with ickle Resistors (www.skybluepink.com for those... nope, I didn't "borrow" these from Grim's tool box lol) Oh and... I REALLY need that Japanese Screw punch jobby that Tim has just brought out... but as I haven't got one (yet ahem) I used a pokey tool, bashed the top of it with a hammer and made a hole in the Nib... still need the punch though ;o))



Anyways... I am in a right old huff today. I got up stoopid early to get ready for the Pain Clinic appt that I have been waiting for for over a year... I got the appt date through nearly four months ago after being referred last May (2010)! So, today was the day that I should attend the clinic. Up early, ready on time, drove to the hospital, parked Ferdy, went into the clinic 15 mins early, sat there filling in forms for 10 mins, sat there waiting... then got told that the Consultant had been on call last night so he had cancelled the clinic for today! HUMPH! Argh... and double argh!!! I wouldn't have minded so much if I had been called before I left home... or if they arranged for Ferdy to park for nothing... but no, I had to fork out a whole £2.50 for the pleasure too! So, now I am back to the waiting game... am seriously hoping it won't be so long to wait this time. Right... enough of me waffling and moaning on... time for me to get inky again - I am working on a little something that hopefully will be ready for tomorrow - if you want a right laugh, do pop back lol. Thanks for looking... TTFN!


Hels x

Grungy Monday On A...

...Tuesday! I know! On a Tuesday instead of a Saturday... I am feeling rather chuffed that I have managed to join in earlier than normal with the fabulousness that is the Grungy Monday Challenge - devised and hosted by my lovely Ranger Sister, Lovely Linda Ledbetter. All the deets for the challenge are HERE... and please, do go and take a few mins to read what Linda has said on her post this week... kinda important for everyone. So, Grungy Monday's challenge this week is to use Tim's September Challenge from 2008.




Now, this is one of my favest techniques in the whole widest world... one I use all the time when I am making cards... but usually I use Distress Inks... although why, I really do not know because the first inky ink pads I ever bought were the Adirondack Dye Pads. Anyways, it was good to get back to this technique... so good that I got all carried away and made a tag as usual... and a card too!




The tag had to see some Distress Ink, so I edged with Old Paper and then got cracking with the Adirondack pads. They are very versatile you know... check out the seam binding ribbon... that is dyed with the pads too... I just squished them in a line onto the craft sheet and spritzed with water and then dipped the seam binding into it... cute!



I edged the tag with Pesto Adirondack ink too... just to tie all the colours in together... I used Cut & Dry to do this and just blended it a bit. The little pearls are attached to a Charm Clip (remembered the name of them!) and the butterflies have their antenae stamped in black in straight onto the card, I used Post It notes to mask off the body and then inked over... just the antenae get inky then.




So... I made the tag and still wanted to play, so I made a card too. The stamp is one of the very first Tim stamps I ever got... it is so old it is a woodie! I love it because it is really versatile and comes in handy for bold prints and also fadey background fillers. I inked the seam binding like before and then made a little mat for the sentiment.. just using the inkpads like a Wrinkle Free Distress to make them blend nicely.



You should see my desk... I have all the Adirondack inks I own all over it... so that means that I am still being a slut and am not tidying up after each project... which is starting to get very annoying because I am having to shove everything onto the floor or other desk before I can start a new project... and I know I have said that I am going to tidy up... well, today I am. I have made an exekertive decision... tidy away all the stash and stuff before starting anything else. I will take a pic before though.. and print it out and put it above my desk to remind me that slutish behaviour is not conducive to letting the Mojo flow lol I am off... to get... tidy!! Thanks for loooking... TTFN

Hels x