I'm Back!!!

Wow... how time flies!!!

My last post was back on 11 July 2013... but as of today I am back blogging again.

I decided that after getting out of the habit of posting, I wanted to get back into the habit again.  So here goes, what will be the first of many more posts on 'Helen's World'.

The big thing that has changed is that I am now a "Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator", yes after drooling over the last couple of catalogues I decided that I just HAD to have more Stampin' Up! products.

Yesterday a very large & heavy box arrived from Stampin' Up! and I could not wait to open it, here is a little sneak peak...

Lots and lots of goodies are inside, but I have not had time to really play yet :(

So what do I plan to do next, well my brain is just buzzing with ideas and things I want to buy.

That leaves a very big problem...  In the past I have posted pictures of my workspace - it is not very big, in fact it is small and overflowing with stuff.

I have decided to be a bit ruthless and have a BIG clear out, especially of any thing that has not been used in the last 6-12 months (I do the same thing with my wardrobe every so often too).

I have decided that I will be putting most of the stuff I have not used on eBay to generate a bit of cash, many of the items will be starting at 99p (what a bargain!!).

If you want to see what I have up for sale pop over to eBay and do an advanced search for the seller 'helen-owl' alternatively click HERE (I hope this link will take you to the search results for me as a seller).

This will give 2 benefits more space and a bit more money to spend on more crafting goodies!!!

I am also thinking about organising a Stampin' Up! Make & Take event near Lincoln... I would love some feedback from you all about what you think:

A Saturday afternoon between 2pm &  4pm, no set times (you are free to drop in), Free to attend, but each Make & Take will cost £1.50 - maximum of 6 projects (including Cards, Boxes/Bags) all using Stampin' Up! materials & tools.  Depending on the venue (local village hall possibly) tea/coffee would also be available at a small cost.

So what do you think????

In the mean time I hope to get time to really unpack by box of goodies over the weekend and maybe even have some time to play.

Owls & Birds

This weekend was spent at Newark Air Museum for the event called Cockpitfest (a gathering of aircraft cockpits and other displays).

As usual it was a great weekend, and the weather improved for Sunday :) which was a very big bonus.

I had very quickly been working on creating a number of pads and post-it-note pads featuring the Stampin' Up punches 'Build a Bird' & 'Build a Owl'. The good news is that due to the size of the pads I was able to use a lot of scraps to create both the owls & birds, many of the pad covers were also created using part sheets of card from my bits box.

From Monday through to Thursday last week I was working like a mad thing.  However in the end it was worth it.

This is what they looked like sat on the table Saturday morning...

I just love all of the bright colours.  The Post-it-note pads sold better than the pads, but I was still pleased.  I now need to make some more before our next event :)

Happy Crafting.

Time for a spring clean

This weekend I have been home alone as DH is back in hospital again.  This time it is good news as they have operated and all of the Kidney stones are now gone.  He should be back home again in the next couple of days.

Well... while he was away I went to the Sincerely Yours Show at Lincoln on Sunday. I was really very good and managed to keep to my shopping list (well nearly!!) - However when I got home I decided that before I got out all of my new goodies, I really need to have a tidy and sort to make some room.

So after a while I ended up with a pile of craft staff (some of it brand new and never used) that had been sitting around for ages.  I decided to put most of these bits on eBay, after all it will mean that I have a bit more money to buy more crafty stuff :)

If you want to have a look what I found and give any of it a new home please feel free to have a look at my eBay shop (which can be found HERE).

Happy Crafting :)

My 'Goodies' have arrived...

Now I remember what I ordered :)

All I need now is some time to play!

Surprise...

Don't you just love surprises??

On the 3rd of April our local Scrapping Group had a Stampin' Up evening and I spent a bit of money (but I was really very good and did not spend too much!).

Today Naomi should be dropping off my bag of goodies :)  as for the Surprise...

Well I have forgotten what I ordered!!!!!

Easter Basket

I wanted to make an Easter Basket to carry some 'Golden Eggs' as a gift.  It was one of those times when you knew what you wanted to create... but at the same time you didn't (does that make sense???).

I tried a couple of basket designs, but they did not look right, in the end I settled on this design, made from a single piece of cardstock (I think it was 7.5 inch x 7.5 inch).  I was first shown this design by a Stampin' Up Demonstrator (and used her version as a template).

Each of the sides are decorated by Candi flowers, created using a Woodware punch and Card Candi.  I then drew a stem and added leaves cut from a Memory Box die.

I thought that I had taken a picture of each side (they were all different) only I now find that I have 2 photos of one side and I'm missing a side :(

And from the top... just to tease you with the chocolate :)

The good news with this basket was that I did not have to buy any cardstock - I just used bits from my stash... Great News :)

New Goodies...

My order arrived yesterday from Ginny (the Stampin' Up Demonstrator) after the Demo evening last Wednesday.

As it fitted with both of us, Ginny delivered the goodies to me at work :)  The down side of this was that I was sat trying to work at my desk, while thinking about what was sat in my car... maybe not a good combination LOL.

So... I decided to use 2 hours of Lieu time and head off home early!!!

I decided to lay all of my new goodies out on the desk & take a picture to share with you all, however I had one problem... I could not see enough space on my desk to put all of the Goodies!!!  This meant that I had to have a clear up (which was really needed!).

Here are all of my Goodies, including: 1 Paper Pack; 2 Stamp Sets; 1 Butterfly Punch; 1 Ink Pad; 1 pack of paper peircing guides (I can't remember the real name for them) Dimensionals & a glue rubber.

The one I am most looking foward to playing with is the 'Lovely As a Tree' stamp set, but in the end I did not get time to start using them this afternoon :(



I already have another shopping list on the go for bits that I want to get, but they will have to wait a few months. I know that the Stampin' Up stuff is not cheap, but the quality of anything I have brought from them is great!!!!

WOYWW - 21 November 2012

Once again it is Wednesday... where have the last 2 weeks gone????

So it is of to Stamping Ground for the weekly Whats On Your Workdesk Wednesday, this week will be a very quick post as I have been cleaning like mad.

So why have I taken a picture of a very empty conservatory??  Well later this evening I have booked a Stampin' Up Demonstration, here at my house.  So 7 friends will be visiting for a craft evening.

I already have my shopping list written out, but I am sure there might be a few last minute additions!!

Happy WOYWW.

WOYWW 24 October 2012

I can't believe it is Wednesday so soon, & that I missed last WOYWW last week... where is the time going to.

This week has been a bit mad and not enough hours in the day, but I have managed to do a bit of crafting, however you will just have to wait for some pictures as I don't want to show my nephew's card just yet.

So onto my workdesk, not that you can really see the desk this week!  On Sunday I visited the Simply Yours fair at Lincoln Showground, and although I did not get everything I had on my shopping list, I did find several bits that I just HAD to have (if you know what I mean)!

Of the bits on the desk here are my highlights...

A stamp & die set from Sizzix, I saw this over on the Hero Arts blog a while ago, but I loved the snowman & tree so much I just had to buy the set - after all I really do need to get cracking on making Christmas Cards!

I just HAD to buy both of these stamps - the Woodware Pirate set is mainly for my Nephew, he loves anything to do with Pirates (or Spiderman) and DH & I are planning a birthday treasure hunt using these images.

The Imagination Crafts stamp has the two super cute owls (complete with Christmas Hats) and they jumped into my hand and refused to go back on the shelf... I therefore HAD to bring them home with me!!!

I just hope I get time soon to have a play with my new goodies.  I also have plans to create another couple of photo tutorials, so keep an eye out for them in the near future.

BTW - I'm sorry if there are any daft spelling mistakes in this post... our keyboard died and we brought a new one, but I am sure the some of the keys are in the wrong places!!!  At least I know that the backspace key works ok LOL!

Happy Crafting.

My Latest Purchases...

Well following my spending spree at the NEC yesterday here is the picture showing all of my new goodies...

Yes I did buy a lot, but most were only a few pounds...  The most expensive single item was the Crop-a-Dile.  I also brought 2 more Labels' dies from Spellbinders; 4 more Tim Holtz Distress Inks; 3 more packs of Candi & the alphabet stamps that are also produced for the Candi; I also brought 2 Memory Box dies (Arboscello tree & Tender leaves).

While at the show I came across Imagination Crafts, and I was very impressed with the Demos that were being done as well as the quality of their stamps.  After spending some time watching a demo & asking questions which were all answered (without making me feel silly) I did spend some money and I brought 2 of their 'Decoupage Stamp Sets' (Butterfly & Fuchsia).

All in all it was a brilliant day and by the time I got home I was knackered - but it was well worth the time & effort to get to Birmingham.

Shopping, Shopping & More Shopping

Today has been spent walking around the Hobbycraft show at the NEC. Four of us went up in one car and spent the day shopping.

I have just got back home and DH asked what I had brought... so I did show him and laid out my goodies on the floor to take a picture.  However my computer does not want to connect to my camera :( so I will have to upload the picture later.

We had a great day and I was able to get most of the items on my shopping list - and a few bits that weren't anywhere near my shopping list LOL.  I was very good and did not go too silly and even have £10 left in my purse :)

Due to commitments this weekend & next week I won't be able to unpack my new goodies or have a play just yet.  I guess that when I do get chance to unpack my bags I will get a fresh surprise, as I am sure to have forgotten some of what I brought.

Home Alone With My ProMarkers

I know that it is unusual for me to post on a Sunday evening, but I'm home alone.  DH has driven down to London this afternoon/evening as he needs to be there for tomorrow morning, and will be back on either Tuesday or Wednesday.

So I have spent this afternoon/evening after he left organising my ProMarkers... when I started collecting them the 'Letraset Wallets' worked well, however now I have a greater collection it was very frustrating having to constantly open/close the wallets to find a colour pen I was looking for - not to mention the space element of having several wallets open at any one time!

I had to come up with a different way of storing them!  I did a bit of research on the Internet looking at the different types of storage other people use and found that there was many alternatives.  Many were cost or space prohibitive, I did like the idea of using some sort of storage box I just had to find the right one!!!!

Eventually I found a 'Really Useful Box' that I thought would work, however it was one with an opening end (designed for storing shoes in) - but I though I could get around this.  Once I got the box home it sat by the desk for a couple of weeks, as I was having problems in working out how to store the pens in the box.  I wanted a way of keeping them in colour order.

After DH had left for London today I started to have a play with different alternatives: I tried to make 'ledges' in the box to sit the pens on - this did not work; after looking on line I tried to use Toilet Roll Holders to keep the pens together - this did not work either; I attempted to create dividers - again I could not get this to work either.

I then had a brain wave... A5 poly pockets!!!!!!  I had found an answer that worked :-)

First I cut the height of the poly pockets down to 14cm and cut a piece of white card to 14.5cm x 13cm to fit inside the pocket (to give it a bit of 'back bone').  Using the computer I created a Colour Chart & matching insert labels, the insert label was stuck onto one of the inserts and placed in the pocket.  I could then put the named pens (9 in each pocket) into the pocket & as my collection grows I will fill up the space left in the pockets (only 1 pocket is completely full!).

Ok, I have waffled enough, so time for a few pictures of the finished thing:

This is my whole ProMarker Collection - I still need to add coloured dots to my newest pens

One of the pockets, containing 3 pens.

One of the Inserts, with the details of the pens in this insert

My new Colour Chart

Do I Really Need....

More ProMarkers????

This is a tough question - the difference between Want & Need?? 

The reason for the question is simple, I have seen on several Blogs & Forums about the new range of "Spring 2012" ProMarker colours.

Including:
•Budding Rose
•March Hare
•Daffodil Bloom
•Fresh Meadow
•April Shower
•Morning Mist

Apparently some stores are taking Pre-Orders, but does anyone know which ones???  or do I wait until I go to the show at the NEC in March???

Decisions, Decisions - The logical part of me is telling me to wait until the NEC, but the impatient part of me says I need them Now!

Which do I choose.... now or later...  that is the question, I just don't know!!!! 

What a Surprise!

I have just been looking at the various Blogs that I subscribe to and found to my surprise that I have won a Little Claire Designs stamp featured on their Showcase yesterday :-)

What a great start to a weekend.

Lili of the Valley & Tatty Button

My Lili of the Valley has arrived (cheer) the bad news is that I doubt that I will get chance to play during the weekend!

At the beginning of the week I also ordered a Tatty Button stamp which arrived on Wednesday, I did get chance (before going to Weight Watchers) to have a quick play last night.  Here is my first attempt, and I am quite pleased with my colouring using the ProMarkers.

All I need to do now is find the time to sit & play.

Latest Purchases - Samps

Over the weekend I was looking at one of my Card Magazines and found an article featuring the Lili of the Valley stamps. 

I have seen these stamps many times, but they looked so complex to colour & while my ProMarker collection is good, by colouring/blending skills are not!!!!

I have just been very naughty and had a look on the site and made my first order ... I now have to wait for them to arrive.

The stamps I have ordered are:

• Dreamy Days Sentiments
• Summer Daydream
• Big Present
• Messy Mesages

I have also just ordered a custom 'Handmade By:' rubber stamp featuring my name & email address from Stamps Direct.  I will then be able to stamp the info on each card I create and give to friends/family or charity. 

I had been putting the info on the 'Insert' but it would get in the way or look too busy, this will enable me to stamp the info where I want (either on the inside front/back of the card on the reverse of the insert) .  It was not cheap (£20), but it will be created using the size text & font of my choice, however, I know that it will get lots & lots of use!

I've no money left!

Today the 'Sincerely Yours' Craft event arrived in Lincoln... Now I've run out of money!!!

The good news is that I went with a shopping list, and I got everything on it... plus a few bits that weren't (opps :) ).

Here are my purchases on the desk awaiting to be sorted and put away... not included here is my best purchase of the day... 24 ProMarkers (and FREE Case) for £37, they have been sorted, colour dotted and put away :)  Many thanks to Designs by TabbyKat who offered the Pens for £1.54 each with the free Case.

Also included in my purchases was a Blending Tool & Pads; More Candi (including White); 2 more Little Claire Designs CDs; 2 more sets of Nestibilities Dies & the Marianne Designs 'Christmas Village'  and many more Bits & Bobs...

Once again there was a great selection of crafts features and it was a great morning out - I now have until May 2012 to save for the next craft event :)

My New Toy

I just wanted to say that my Toy arrived today - it was delivered to work and I had to take the package straight out to the car when it arrived. Other wise I could have got carried away - just not with work (LOL).

I am now home and could not wait to unpack it and have a play... What is my new Toy???? well here it is:

I now have a Hougie Board :)