WOYWW 117 - Happy Wednesday Everyone!!

Hi there Peeps.  Here we are again - Wednesday.  And what does that mean I hear you ask - it's time for WOYWW with the lovely Julia Dunnit. 

So on today's desk you will see on the left some dividers for a little address book I am making and the white sheet with blue flowers on are to decorate some of the dividers, once I have cut them out and maybe inked them a little more.  I have stamped each divider with letters of the alphabet, having first used my white dabber on so that the letters show up.  The clock says 11.12 as it has done for a few days now.  Shows how much notice I take of the time!!  Even when the clock is correct I tend to ignore it!!  Note to self - sort some batteries out!

Holding the paper down is my lovely lickle Mr Michelmas.  He arrived at my home last Thursday all the way from Canada from the lovely Karen.  You may recall this POST back in June.  Well blow me Karen offered to make me one as I thought they were supercute and post it to me.  Only when she sent me an e-mail to tell me she would wait until the postal strike was over did I realise that she lived in Canada!!  How kind is Karen? And, how lucky am I? 

Well after a long journey and many many weeks in his little box, he arrived.  He actually resides in my kitchen on a little shelf so that he can see what goes on in the Madhouse.  He was very well packed and came with a gorgeous hand made card as well as a Cat stamp.  Thank you, Thank you, Thank you Karen. 

In fact, I want to thank all of you lovely people who have either followed me, or left messages on my little blog since I started it earlier this year.  Today's posting is my 100th!!  Woo Hoo!!  I must say that when I started my blog I could not have imagined the lovely people I would "speak" to on a regular basis, the inspirational projects I would see and the kindness I would be part of.  Thanks to all of you.  I have enjoyed every comment I have ever received and I am grateful for all the words of encouragement.  I especially want to thank Julia for hosting this wonderful world of WOYWW as it is mainly her (fault) and a few other blogs that made me want to jump into this blogging world.

Well, here is to the next century of postings! 

Crafty Hugs to you all!

Hettie


P.S.  Internet is still very flaky so have had to post this in work - again.  If I do not get round to visit you today I will do hopefully after the man from BT has been on Friday!!

Welcome Lloyd - Baby Boy card

My dear friends Emma and Gryff text (text or texted? I never know which is correct!!) a photograph of their new little boy Lloyd the other day so I have used today to make him a little card.

I know. I know. I made some Baby Boy cards the other week but I wanted something extra special for Lloyd!

I used DCWV paper, white cartridge paper, Stamps by Tim Holtz, Stamping Up and Inkadinkado, Faded Jeans DI, embossing powder, Pearl Perfect Pearls, Waterfall Schtickles, Making Memories embellishments. Bunting, Birds, ABC block were all cut on my Silhouette.

The stamping on the Bunting and the "ribbon" was done with my lovely Tiles stamp! Kim told me that she had used this stamp for many different occasions but as yet not a baby card. I have!!  LOL!!

Hope you are having a great (if cold) Bank Holiday Monday. I am quite relieved to have received word from Kim to say that despite Hurricane Irene she is ok and well, if without power! Phew!

TTFN.

Hettie

Mojo Monthly - Any Old Iron!

Good evening there Peeps

I do hope you are all having a wonderful Bank Holiday weekend. And if you are on the East Coast of America, I hope you are all ok and weathering the storm.  I have a few blog friends over there and wish them all well.

Well today I am showing you my Mojo Monthly which challenge is set on a monthly basis by the lovely Sasa.

This month the them is "Muse it and Use it", which we were to make a piece of art which would be used rather than stuck in a cupboard.  So here it is....

I have several of these irons of different shapes and sizes which I use a doorstops.  This particular one is used here in my Craft Room to hold the windows open while I am crafting (when it is warm that it).  I also use them to hold various items of a crafting nature to ensure things dry flat!!

Here is the back of it.....

Hope you like it and please drop into Sasa's blog as there is some absolutely beautiful and inspirational work to view there and why not join in the Mojo Monthly.

Enjoy the rest of your Bank Holiday.

TTFN

Hettie

Ingredients: Cardstock MME; DI Peeled paint, mustard seed, barn door, wild honey, aged mahogany; Ranger Claudine Helmuth matte, red tape, word token, swivel chain, perfect pearls mist, embossing powder; Stamps Tim Holtz, Catslife, Paperartsy, Ribbon, chain, beads, cotton reels. 

Rudolph Day, SSS and Houses

Hello there Peeps!

Hurrah!!  I have finally started to make my Christmas 2011 cards.  Woo Hoo!! 

My lovely Blogging Friend Sandra said on her Blog that today was Rudolph Day so I thought I had better join in especially as it is only 4 months to Christmas!!  Yikes!!

Here is my first card which is a 5x7 white card with layers of black and silver printed paper, silver card, plain black card, chipboard and an old book.

I firstly made Rudolph using some chipboard covered with an old book then cut using a Tim Holtz die.  I then inked around the edges and painted his eye with Ranger enamel.

I cut the row of houses out using mountboard with another Tim Holtz die and then embossed with black embossing powder for three layers then a schparkly powder for the top layer.

The background paper is so ancient I cannot remember what make it is and I stamped some Tim Holtz snowflakes on there using clear ink and embossed with schparkly embossing powders.

I cut a small piece of Papermania vellum and tore the edges and inked the edges with Black Soot. 

Next I stamped the "Dashing" stamp with clear ink onto watercolour paper and used silver embossing powder to emboss the image. 

I double layered the image and then adhered all the elements to the card, using extra strong tape and foam pads, having edged everything with either Black Soot DI or Vintage Photo DI.

I had planned to put ribbon down the side but in the end I decided that it went too far as I had put alot of detailed elements onto the card.

I am entering this card into the Simon Says Stamp Challenge - Travel as well as Hels' Sunday Stampers - House.

Hope you like it and please don't whinge because it is Christmas.  We have to start at some point and as I work full-time it is always better to start early!!

Please do not forget to leave me a comment as I lurve comments!

Hettie

WOYWW 116 - Happy Birthday Dad!

Hello there Peeps!

Hurrah Hurrah! It is Wednesday!!  That means two things for me. 

Firtly, it is my Daddy's 80th Birthday!!!

Secondly, it is WOYWW with the lovely Julia. 

Thirdly, it is "Hump Day".

Haa Haa!! 

Here is my desk.  Not too bad for me though there seems a fair bit going on and also, I can see, on the far desk. 

I was asked about my clock by the lovely Julia last week.  NO I do not time my sessions.  It is there in a vain attempt to make me aware of what the time is.  Too often I say words (not out loud though or I may be heard!!) along the line of "just until 10 o'clock" or "5 more minutes" or "I'll just go down for a wee/cuppa/take the washing out of the machine/feed the chickens/get the cake out of the oven" or any other such like statement and then 3 hours later I am still sat at my desk and the cake is burnt (or even worse!!)!!

As I mentioned it is my Daddy's Birthday today so here is a picture of the card I made him, complete with stamped envelope.  I used a Crafty Individual stamp (first time I have used it) and coloured it using Copics and also Antique Linen D.,  I also used Distress Stickles in Peeled Paint, Rock Candy and Burlap over the whole image, before using Faded Jeans around the edge.  The tag was made by firstly inking with Frayed Jeans DI and then flicking water on then using Adirondack Lettuce and Faded Jeans DI on my Penny Black stamp and then spritzed the stamp before stamping.  The background paper is MME.  The sentiment stamp again is Penny Black.  The 80th stamp is from Stamp Addicts. The studs are from American Crafts and I bought them soooo long ago and think this is the first time I have actually used them.  

I used my Penny Black stamp again on the envelope.

My Dad has already seen the card and approved, it as well as the lovely chocolate cake I made for him complete with candles and a Womble. (The Womble was on a cake of mine when they were in vogue.  If I didn't use this it would have been something Christmassey!!)

I also have something else to show you...

How coolio is that bunting!!  It arrived yesterday from the lovely Lunch Lady Jan!!  Isn't she such a sweetie!!  I LOVE IT!  Thank you Jan!!

Rightio.  Off to work now and I shall be back later to go around the world by desks!!  Don't believe me? then pop along to the WOYWW extravaganza!!

Bye for now.  See ya later.  Please don't forget to leave me a message so I know you have been!!

 

Simon's Birthday Layout

Hello there my Blogging Friends. 

Whether you are one of my lovely Followers or have come here by chance you are all welcome to sit and have a nosey at what I am up to today.

I thought I would show you a layout I have done recently of my lovely Hubby on his Birthday earlier this year.  We had gone out to our local Hostelry for a meal and it was the first time I had left the house since having my knee operated on.  In fact, the t-shirt Hubby is wearing I bought when I was wandering around on-line whilst recouperating and thought it was funny.  It says "Warning - Beekeeper with an attitude". 

The papers I have used are My Mind's Eye - So Sophie.  I absolutely love the whole range of these papers. 

I especially love this yellow background.

The Bees were stamped using my Jo Capper-Sandon stamp onto watercolour paper with Archival ink and then painted using DIs before stamping over again and embossing with clear embossing powder. The background has been stamped with Autumn Leaves and Hero Arts stamps.

Both the main title and the smaller ephemera pieces have been cut out using my Silhouette and the "Special" was made using an Autumn Leaves stam and punching it (as I cannot cut circles out to save my life!). A bit of distressing edges and doodling and hey presto a layout completed. 

This layout just goes to prove that you can use pink papers for a manly layout!!

I hope you like it and please don't forget to leave me a comment.  I do honestly appreciate them.  If you are new here, please do not hesitate to come back.

Bye for now!

Fergus meets Hels at The Stamp Attic

Good Evening Peeps

I hope this posting finds you well on a Monday evening and that you had a good weekend.

I can tell you Fergus and I did!!   

Saturday was brilliant with lots of craftiness in the kitchen.  I made these...

Then I bottled up these......... (hic!!)

Our wonderful Chookies laid these.... (or at least two of them did!!)



(And very nice they tasted too!)

But the highlight of the weekend was on Sunday. 

I had to get up at the crack of dawn (before Tony had started his singing in fact - if you can call it that!).  Then drive to Wantage to a lickle shop called The Stamp Attic with the lovely lady in residence Wendy!  Talk about a jaw dropper!  Would you believe I was speechless - well, not for long though!  I literally did not know where to start looking in the shop.  I have never seen so many stamps, papers and other goodies in one place before. 

Across the alleyway was the room where we were to undertake our lickle workshop and was where I found the lovely Hels setting up the room.  She was as lovely in the flesh as she is on Facebook and Blogging. 

The workshop started and we set about making our own versions of this.....(this is mine!)

As usual mine is a little different.  The piece on the right hand side in the middle is a little larger than possibly should have been but I did not have the heart to cut it down!  So I wiggled everything around until I was happy with it.  The square piece bottom left will have a dangly on it when I decide what it will be!

I have to say that Hels is a brilliant teacher.  You can tell that she has sat down and tried different ways of doing things and willingly gave us lots of hints and tips which you would not get from a book and certainly not from a teacher who had only learnt by copying out of a book!  I would definately recommend anyone to go to one of her classes and indeedly go to The Stamp Attic. 

Would you believe I actually came away from there not only with some fab goodies and a piece of work all but finished but I managed to not burn myself or get any utee on my new top I was wearing!!  I had even taken some Winnie-the-Pooh plasters with me!! Brilliant or what?!!

Just so I don't get any strange requests to show my booty here it is...

The sharp eyed amongst you may notice I have bought the large Jo Capper-Sandon Bee stamp to go with the smaller ones I already have.  And that cutie Chicken stamp at the bottom is uber-cute.  I have also taken the prices off most of the goodies!!!  I wonder why!!

Well, I had better find new homes for all this stash and get on with some craftiness tonight or I will have achieved nothing other than a chocolate cake for my Dad and the startings of Spiced Plum Jelly!

TTFN

Hettie

 

GM 20 - I'm Late but Celebrating!!

Good Evening there Crafters

I hope this Saturday night finds you all well. 

I thought I was going to be missing this week's Grungy Monday as (1) on Tuesday when I got home horror of horrors our internet had gone down! and (2) the project I was working on for this challenge is fated as things have been happening all week which has prevented me being able to work on it - drat people's birthdays!!

So tonight I had to think of another project for which to enter the challenge and pray that the internet will be kind to me and work so that I can post the final project!!

The subject matter was chosen for me as today (drum roll please...) two of our lovely little chooks laid eggs for us!!!  Hoorah Hoorah!!  Hence why the celebration.  So what could my chosen subject be I wonder.  Without further ado......

Unfortunately the photographs aren't very good as I have had to take them using electric light (even tho it is a daylight bulb) and had to place it on a cabinet so that the light could reach it which meant I had to stand on tippey toes!!

My chooks are Light Sussex so naturally they are black and white but if the light catches the black feathers they have a beautiful shimmer on them hence the perfect pearls.

Off to have a look at some of the other lovely peeps' work on the laptop downstairs before I have an early night!!  Off for a workshop with the lovely Hels Sheridan tomorrow so have to be up at 6am on a Sunday!!!!  (What???!! Guaranteed to be a whole heep of fun though!) 

Hope you all have a fab rest of the weekend folks!  Please feel free to leave me a message.  Don't forget if you wish to see the wonderful Tim Holtz call by his blog for news, ideas and inspiration!

Crafty Hugs

Hettie

Ingredients:-

Ranger - Tag die, DIs (Wild Honey, Vintage Photo, Peeled Paint, Walnut Stain, Pumice Stone), Archival ink (Black), Distress Stickles (Rock Candy, Peeled Paint, Wild Straw, Frayed Burlap - honest!), Enamel, Dabber (snowcap), embelly, Perfect pearls (kiwi, pearl); Stamps - Crafty Individuals, Hero Arts; Copic pens (E11,R46, E100, E47, G99, Y28, E43, Y17, BV23); Fibres, chicken (Kaisercraft), ribbon, cardstock, watercolour paper. 

WOYWW 115 - Wednesday Already?

OMG!  I cannot believe how quick this last week has flown!  This time last week I was looking forward to the NEC and now it is all over (don't look now but I haven't put my purchases away yet!!).

Today's post is going to have to be quick as I am having to do it from a different desk - my work desk!  Shhhh!  Don't tell anyone!

Our internet has gone down at home and despite being told it would be "4 hours" it had not come back on before I left and I am doubtful it will be on now either!  The last time it went off it was nine months before normal service resumed!! Yikes!!  They better get it fixed soon!  If I take a few days to get round to you lovely peeps then you know why!!

The desk is relatively clear as I had just put stuff away after finishing this card for my friend Jane.  I hope she likes it.

The third picture is of some super crafty bits I received from the lovely JoZart last week.  We did a little swap between ourselves.  As you can see from the card, I have already used some of the bakers twine. 

I am afraid I am going to have to fly.  Sorry it has been so brief today.  Did not want to not join in this week as it would be the first time since I started this mad WOYWW thing.  Click HERE if you are not sure why I am showing you pictures of my desk and you will be whizzed over to the desk of our lovely leader.  

Big Hugs

Hettie

Happy Birthday Dear M

Good Evening Crafters

How are you tonight?

Today is my dear Friend's Daughter's Birthday and she is having the holiday of a 9 year old's lifetime so I cannot give her a hug! :-(

I did manage to get her card and pressie to her so that she could open it today.  It was a ***** and some ******! You don't think I am going to tell you do you?  She  might not have had them yet as they are a few hours behind!!

Here is the card I made for her anyway!!  I did not post it before as I did not want her Mum to see it!!

It is er, very orange!  Bear in mind, will you, that I actually wanted to make a turquoise/aqua one!!  I could not make a pinkey /purpley card as Mummy had made one in those colours for her whilst she was up here having a Craft Day in my room.  So I sat in the garden a few Sundays ago keeping an eye on the Chooks whilst they were roaming free with my tin of stamp prints and my bag of Copics (not many but the collection is building nicely!).  I knew this stamped image was in there so I coloured it in with turquoise/aqua shades.  Then I spotted another one and so started it in oranges for a change.  A few different images later and then I came up to my room to make a card and for some reason, though I reached for the turquoise image the orange one came out and the papers fell into my hands so an orange one it was.

I am sure my little Buddy will like it!! I hope!!! Happy Birthday Little Munchkin!!!

Off for a wander in blogland before it is time for my bed!!

Thanks for looking and please leave me a comment! 

Nos Da!

Hettie

Ingredients:- Stamps - Whiff of Joy, Creative Images (I think!), Anitas; Die - Sizzix; Punches - Tonic, Papermania; Papers - Basic Grey, American Crafts, Diary, Bazzill; Pens - Copic; Embossing pen and powder; Ribbler; Distress Inks and Stickles - Ranger.

Scrappy Bag - Finished!!

Good Afternoon Crafters - or should I say Evening?  Or maybe Morning?  Whatever time it is in your timezone - Hello!

I thought that as I was up until "stupid o'clock" this morning finishing my little bag I would share it with you today. 

The bag is based on a "Quilted Bessie Bag" which I made a few years ago and which I use alot.  I bought it from HERE.  However, it has been miniaturised!!  Typical of me! 

I wanted a small bag to keep some of my dolly pegs of ribbon in so that I can hang the bag up and as I liked making my Bessie Bag so much I thought why not make it smaller.

The fabric I have used is a recycled denim dress which was a long standing old friend of mine until I realised that it was fading badly in all the wrong places.  How little did I know that in a few years' time that would be  the "in" look!!  The top part of the dress was cut off and then joined at the bottom, sleeves sewn up, and then stapled to a coat hanger and is in use as my peg bag.  Some of the buttons have been used on layouts, so this dress has been totally recycled!!

The cord/braid has been handmade by yours truly using my Japanese braid maker, which is what I was doing until 3am this morning!!!  I have used little wooden flower pots on the ends of the braid for decoration.

I hope you like my lickle bag.   Enjoy what is left of the weekend and have a Happy Crafty Week!! 

Don't forget to leave me a comment please.

Hettie

GM19 - I can see a Trend Coming...Can you guess what it is yet?

Good Evening Crafters

Wow! I cannot believe that we have had 19 weeks now of Grungy Monday Challenges.  If you do not know what Grungy Monday is click HERE and you will be whisked over to the Lovely Linda's desk where all will be revealed.

I have just realised that there is a theme going here.  I wonder if you can figure out what it is.....

Not hard really ey?

This week the Lovely Linda sent us HERE where we saw the Master of Grunge using recycled packaging on a tag.  I am a great fan of recycling so this week was right up my street!  I cut up the box which my tag die was in so that I would have a piece of plastic which would be long enough to cut a tag out of.  On the Kraft paper tag I then used one of the earlier Challenges for a woodgrain effect on the tag using my one and only (lonely) Snow Cap Dabber and Weathered Wood, Brushed Corduroy and Vintage Photo DIs over the paint and then distressed the edges with the distressing tool and inked the edges with Walnut Stain DI.

I ran the plastic tag through the BS with the woodgrain embossing folder and then used Espresso, Terracotta, Mountain Rose and Gold Alcohol Inks on the reverse side of the plastic to give a shimmery effect.  This was then attached to the c/s tag using brads.

I also then cut out flowers using the Tattered Florals in reds, green and two using the packaging.  I embossed the c/s flowers with various embossing powders and the plastic flowers I used Red Pepper, Cranberry and Bronze Alcohol Inks.  I layered all the layers using a floral embellishment and ribbon and attached to the tag.  I made a Deer using the same die as last week's but the other version and stamped with the Crafty Individuals stamp.  Then using last week's challenge with the vellum I then attached both the vellum and Deer to the tag, after which I gave my Deer an eye using Enamel.

Ribbon and fibres and hey presto my tag was ready for a spray of Perfect Pears in water. 

I hope you like and please do not forget to leave me a comment.  If you want more ideas and/or to keep up with Tim and his blog please click HERE.

As there are soooo many Tim Holtz techniques I can enter this tag into the Simon Says Stamp Challenge too- Yippee!!

And before I go, Hello to Jenniebellie!

TTFN

Hettie 

WOYWW again! WTHDTLWG?

Hi there Folks!

OMG - Where The Heck Did The Last Week Go? 

It is Wednesday so that means only one thing for most Crafters - WOYWW!!

Well here is my desk......

Not alot going on there as I have just finished my Grungy Monday Challenge.  I will be posting it tomorrow so you will have to check back then!

If you wish to see the layout I was working on last Wednesday then click HERE! 

I am so pleased with it and Thank You to all the lovely peeps who gave me some ideas on a Title.  The lovely Bella came up trumps and all the suggestions are now in my little book of Ideas for future layouts that I will be doing to finish my album - so Thanks Again!

I have been sorting through some sewing fabrics as I have a workshop coming up next month and tomorrow I am off to the NEC Quilt Show so I wanted to see what, if anything, I needed to buy for the workshop.  I am trying to thin down my stash of fabric as I have way too much and need to use a smaller cabinet as the current one is too big for the space I now have for it! (Hmmmn - don't hear that very often amongst Crafters ey!)   So whilst sorting stuff out I decided to pull out all the sewing jobs I have in mind and put them in a pile so that I could have a serious sewing session next week.  However, I decided NOT to photograph the pile or else Wispo and Twiglet would be telling me off!!  Sorry ladies but I am hanging my head in shame now!  Maybe I will show you when I have completed some of them.

Well, better go off to work and no excuses for being late as I have to pick my boss up this morning!!  Hope he likes Chris Evans first thing in the morning.

On the Chicken front - still no eggs though Tony is still trying to perfect his Cockadoodledooing!!  My neighbour asked me if he would like some Strepsils today as he sounds like he has a sore throat - bless!

See you later when I have finished my day job!!

TTFN

Hettie

Shimelle Laine at Two Peas Challenge - July 2011

Good Evening Crafters

Well if you saw my posting from last Wednesday on the WOYWW you will know that I was working on a layout of my Wedding as part of Shimelle Laine's 4x6 Love on Twopeasinabucket.com.  I finished it...

The idea of this layout was to include 7 photos (July = month 7) and one page of journalling.  As the whole album is devoted to my album I did not want to add any journalling so I added a message to my "new" Hubby using my lovely Silhouette!

I did an appeal for titles as it is getting harder having done a few wedding layouts already and the lovely Bella came up with this one.  The other titles which were suggested have been written into my little Ideas book and will come in handy for the rest of the album so thank you all who sent me suggestions and thanks Bella for this one. 

Again, I used my Silhouette to "write" the title, which I then filled in with Sharpies and after making a template using recycled packaging, I drew around the title and cut out.  (I will admit I did try putting it onto the die cutter but failed miserably - twice!!! Hence the template!)

You can see my Silhouette has been used for the little Love tab down the side of the picture.

All the papers are from American Craft as are the "words".  The butterflies are cut from a Martha Stewart punch.  The cardstock is Bazzill.  The stamp is Penny Black and I have used Black Soot and Broken China DIs.

Right, off to beddie byes now so good night and see you tomorrow when it is Wednesday!!  Nearly Thursday and NEC Quilt Show!!!  Please don't go without leaving me a comment.  It does make me smile and in the current climate we all need smiles!

TTFN!

Hettie

My night's prayer go out to the brave men and women who are working to end the chaos that is going on in the UK - Police, Fire and Ambulance Services. xx