Merry Christmas by Hels

Goodly Morning Stampfans! Today I am here showing you a quick Christmas card I have made using one of my favourite Artistic Stamper stamps... this old Santa looks like a jolly old chap and I love how detailed the stamp is. He is from Christmas Plate #3.


I wanted to make a statement with the stamp as the focal image of the card so... here's how I did it;
I stamped Santa in Jet Black Archival ink onto cream cardstock and gave it a quick zap with a heat tool to set the ink. I used Vintage Photo Distress Ink and a Blending Tool to make a vintagey edge to the card and then used Fired Brick and Peeled Paint Distress Ink, along with my water brush, to paint in the colours over the image. I then popped a teensy dollop of SnowCap Dabber onto my craft sheet and watered it down and then painted in his beard and hair... because the paint is thinner, you can still see your stamped image but the white really makes his beard and hair pop.



I used a thin paintbrush to pick up some Gold Dabber and painted around the circle and gave this a zap with the heat tool to dry it. Next, I used a thin paint brush to pick up some Rock Candy Cracklepaint and I painted carefully right over the top of the Gold circle. Once this had dried, I used Distress Embossing Ink and coated the whole piece of card with it. I used Clear UTEE over the top of this, heated it up and it gives a nice enamelled look. I waited until it had cooled and repeated the process, in the end the card had three coats of UTEE... the pics don't really pick up the crackles too well but they do look really pretty... like cracked ice.



Well, that's about it from me. I would just like to take this opportunity to say a big thank you to Jennie for the past four years being on her Creative Team and co-ordinating it. I will be stepping down from the team on December 31st and I am going to miss Jennie and the girls on the team - they are all such a fantastic bunch of artists and it has been an honour to craft alongside them all these years. Thank you to all you lovely folks for all your wonderful comments you have left me here since this blog started... I am sure that Jennie and the team will have some treats for you to see in the coming months... I will shut up now before I need the Kleenex... THANK YOU all for looking... Bye bye ... Hels x

It's November Giveaway Time...

Goodly Morning Stamp Fans!!! Tis that time of the month again when I do a taggy giveaway. This month I have made a Christmas style tag, combining the challenge theme for this month, which is backgrounds and also our "focus on" which is Distress Stains.



I have been playing about with different mediums recently and come up with a fabby use for Rock Candy Cracklepaint... all the deets on what I did will be on my own blog today... so I won't repeat myself here :O) So, once I had achieved the background look I liked, I used Weathered Wood Distress Stain to colour the background of the tag and then edged it with Faded Jeans DI. I used Cobalt Archival Ink to stamp some snowflakes in the background... which are from the Tim Holtz Christmas collection sets.



The snow man is cut from the Winter Wonder Alterations using mountboard, which I then overstamped with a sentiment (also Tim Holtz 2011 collection) in Jet Black Archival and then added an extra hat and nose to him that I had coloured with Pumice Stone Distress Ink. The little Ticket is cut from the Movers & Shapers Labels Set and stamped with Jet Black and Vermillion Archival Ink. Finally, I added some Idea-ology Trim and a Memo Pin to hold the ticket and added splodges of Picket Fence and Rock Candy Stickles to add some bling.




To win this tag all you need to do is leave me a comment here... and... if you pop over to my blog, leave a comment there too, you will be entered twice... simples! The winner will be chosen at random and announced on December 3rd 2011 so you will have the tag in time for Christmas. That's all from me... don't forget to nip across HERE to see the fabby special offer ... 20% off Distress Stains this month. Thanks for looking... TTFN!

Hels x

It's September Giveaway Time...

Goodly Morning Stampers! Here I am again with my monthly giveaway, which this month is... a Christmas tag! I have been getting sparkley and festive with some of those brand new Tim Holtz Collection Christmas stamps that have just arrived at Artistic Headquarters. To be in with a chance of winning the tag, all you need to do is leave me a comment here... and answer this very simple question... do you... make your own Christmas cards... and if you do... when do you start making them? Me? I am the worlds laziest crafter and for the past three years I have been doing the "panic-it's-December-1st-and-I-haven't-made-a-single-card-yet" thing... so this year I am ahead of the game... I have my inky mitts on the new Tim Holtz stamps...and... even better.. if it could get better... the new Christmas IDEA-OLOGY!!!


So... here's how I made the tag... and below will be a list of ingredients with links to the places on the website that they are... so you can hop over and grab some goodies :O))

First of all the tag was made using the Tag Alterations die... cutting plain white cardstock and some of the gorgeous Seasonal Paper Stash... sticking them together and then using a very washy coat of Traditional Tan to dull the pattern down a bit. Next I smooshed Distress Stains onto my craft sheet, spritzed with water, dipped the tag into the inks and then dried with a heat tool.




I made sure the tag was totally dry... then used embossing ink to stamp the greeting... gold embossing powder to emboss and then used the same for stamping and embossing the heavenly crackle background... The Rosettes were cut from more of the Seasonal Stash... and then dabbed with embossing ink... lightly embossed with more gold powder and then the crowning glory... the brand new Christmas Muse Token. I made a little postcard from more of the papers and then coated this with Rock Candy Stickles... a line of bling finished the tag as well as some Seam Binding that I dyed with more Distress Stains. As promised... here are the ingredients:

Tim Holtz Collection: Christmas Memories CMS118 (sentiment), Joyful Song CMS 119 (Crackle background)
Seasonal Paper Stash
Idea-ology - Christmas Muse Tokens, Memo Pin, Mini Safety Pin, Jump Ring
Tim Holtz Alterations: Rosette, Mini Rosettes, Tag DiesDistress Stains: Stormy Sky, Fired Brick
Embossing Ink
Rock Candy Stickles
Ranger Jet Black Archival Ink
Seam Binding



So... there you have it :O)) The winner of the tag will be chosen at random and announced on October 3rd 2011.... please leave me a comment and tell me about your Xmas card making habits... I would love to hear all about it! Thanks for looking...TTFN

Hels x