WOYWW

First of all, Welcome to my new followers.  I will be having a give away shortly so stay with me, plus I hope to be blogging a bit more now that certain things are behind me.

Secondly, a HUGE HUGE Thank You to all of you who last week sent good wishes and/or included me in your prayers.  It is over and done with and apparently the procedure was successful and I now have a burn on my left rib cage where the paddle left its imprint.  Nothing bad, just a mark which is already fading but which itched like crazy the first few days.  Can't say my breathing has improved that much as yet although most people who speak to me on the phone say they notice a difference - still get breathless when I bend down or do any walking but maybe that will disappear shortly.

Right, now to my desk.  I had a card I made this morning but I gave it to my friend, who is off to America on Thursday, when she called - uh oh - I forgot to scan it.  So nothing to show you apart from my mess which is not much of one actually.

This is my desk area showing my absolutely shot at green self healing mat - I really must buy a new one.

The stamp and the photo image are for a card I am about to make and I think I will use some of my new papers which you can just see towards the top of the picture.  The little Japanese girl is actually material rather than paper and she is going to feature on an Asian card I want to make for someone.

This is my 12 x 12 box of Asian papers which I got out in readiness for the Japanese girl card.

I need to make a special "thank you" card too so I guess over the next couple of days I will be busy.  Did find a card on my desk which I made a while ago but why I have it out I will never know - must have been intended for someone, somewhere.

Unless it was for last week's JFF Challenge

Rightio, off for a snoop around now to see what delights people have got on their desks.  First  stop is The Stamping Ground, Julie is usually humorous in her write up and I need a smile at this unearthly hour of the morning.   Toodle Pip!

It's Growing in Colour

Last week, on Just for Fun, we had white, black, silver and now we can add one other colour.  I have chosen RED this week using one of my friend, Paul's, punched out roses.  Hopefully I am going to learn how to make these when we have our Open Morning at Vicky Stampers.  So, what did I do?

First of all I used a wooden tag and covered it with Fresco White then used some Polyfilla on the side to create some texture. Next a jigsaw piece was painted white, with the word "dream" sta.mped on in black and I added silver stitching around the edges.  Paul's red rose and a red ribbon almost completed the challenge which finally had a cameo embossed piece of paper added to it.

Can't wait to see what all the talented people out there do with this addition of colour.  This has been a superb month with some gorgeous entries each week showcasing the talent out there.  Thanks to everyone who has entered something over the past month, I have so enjoyed viewing your entries and your blogs.

Pop over to Just for Fun and see what everyone has been doing, tarry a while and think about joining in - it is just for fun!

WOYWW

Is anyone else having problems with photos taking forever to download?

I had to abandon loading photographs up yesterday as they would just not appear and when they did the button to upload them to the blog did not light up.  Anyway, here goes with this posting which I am doing the night before and scheduling - otherwise I will be sat at my computer for hours and 'miss the boat' as they say.

Well, last week whilst on holiday in Derbyshire, the day of the Tramway Museum, I got a phone call.  The hospital had had a cancellation so tomorrow (Thursday) I will be going in for my cardioversion.  Just hoping that it works and I can throw off my shackles and return once more to walking around without all the breathing problems I have at the moment.  Can I ask for a little prayer tonight for it to be successful please.  I'm a little scared if I am honest.

On to WOYWW now.  I have not been very productive, have three images watercoloured but not made into cards yet - these are for upcoming birthdays of friends and you might sneak a peek at them.

To the left is my matchbox.  Remember last week I showed you the tiny one I had sent to someone?  Well this is the one I received from AJ.  Here you can see all the goodies I got inside (major drool)

Here goes:  lace she painted herself, charms because they all relate to the sea and she lives on the UK's most remote inhabited island - Fair Isle and wait for it fibre and yarn she hand spins herself.  In fact, when I contacted her through a bit of detective work (there had been no addie in her box) this is what she told me "The wrapped fibre is fleece from my own Shetland sheep, blended with combed silk fibers then ran through my combing hackle, it's amazing stuff felted ! Very visually dimensional just through the play on light the sheen from the silk gives you."  I wish you could all see the sheen on it.  I have to think long and carefully how I am going to use this - Twiglet and Wispo are you listening?

As you can see, the matchbox itself is covered in Wizard of Oz paper and has The Scarecrow on top with yet more charms attached and there is a notebook as well.  Thanks AJ, I love my matchbox of your life.

Well, for those of you who read my holiday story yesterday here are some photos from Chatsworth.

The Hall itself

My favourite of all the bedrooms - just loved the colour of these drapes.

Had to show you this one, the big bed has another one attached at the bottom - is this for when she throws him out for snoring?

Ever wondered where they keep it in posh houses?  A thing 'a purpose!

I cannot begin to tell you how organised Chatsworth is for disabled people.  Because I was in a wheelchair it was like a military operation but without the militariness (is that a word?).  As they put me in the lift between floors they radioed to the floor I was going to and someone met me at the top to set me off on my way.  It was a pleasure to visit so a BIG THANK YOU to all the staff at Chatsworth and I encourage anyone who is disabled to visit there, you will be made to feel special.

Anyway, there is to be an exhibition in the grounds in September - of sculptures - here are some of them:

This lion looked as if it was made from tyres

This was my favourite, despite the fact that I couldn't get near to it (no access for a wheelchair at the moment) but it had literally just gone up.  Chas, bless him, went and took a photo for me - it is HUGE - and very Asian.  There was something being assembled further on, we could see a crane, and Chas found out that it is a sculpture by Damien Hurst.  Think I am going to have to go back to see all of these.

The last one I have for you is called Chloe, as some of you know my friend has a little girl (apple of my eye) whose name is Chloe so this ends my Chatsworth journey for today ... hope you enjoyed it.

A Few Days in Derbyshire

As you probably read we decided to have a few days away last week and chose a hotel in Derbyshire to celebrate (late) Chas' birthday.  On the way down we called at Dunham Massey and to my delight we saw lots and lots of Fallow Deer (think they are "Fallow" ones)

We were lucky to see a heron flying over the lake - he landed in this tree and I actually got a few shots of him.

Unfortunately people in wheelchairs can only go on the ground floor of the house and watch a virtual tour so we decided not to bother, then it came on raining so we headed back to the car.  Saying that we had spent a fair amount of time outside so heading on to the hotel was fine.

Next day we went to Crich Tramway Museum.  This was Chas' choice and I was kind of "not bothered" until I read about it and then I was as enthusiastic as he was.

This is the conductor stood at the back of one of the trams as it makes its way up the main street and on to show passengers stunning views of the Derwent Valley.

This is the Sweet Shop  ...

... the Tardis Police Box which originally stood on the North Circular Road in London and was operated by the Metropolitan Police, and finally ...

... The Red Lion Pub which was rescued from Stoke on Trent and rebuilt brick by brick at the Tramway Museum where we had a glass of cider whilst sat outside in the sunshine.

It really was a great day out and you should look it up on the internet and if ever in the vicinity call in and spend a day wandering and seeing all the trams they have rescued and rebuilt in the Grand Hall. It only costs you one old penny to ride the tram so that is something else you can do - but there is more.  Lots more.

Finally on our third day in Derbyshire we called at Chatsworth on our way home.  What an experience!  Especially for someone in a wheelchair.  They are so lovely with you, nothing is too much trouble and it is all organised so very very well.  I didn't want to go home!

Will post some pictures from Chatsworth another day as I am having problems dowloading them - is this Blogger?

Hope you have enjoyed the ones I have uploaded.

Another Black, White and Silver Card

I meant to upload this card on Thursday but somehow, with being away, it got forgotten.  This is a card someone sent to me a long time ago but one which I have kept because I loved how she had done it.  Sorry but I no longer remember who sent it to me but I am fairly sure it was someone from Ready Steady Stamp (a Yahoo Group).  I really must try this out, don't have the stamp but bet it is a Magenta one - probably not available now!

Each little section is cut out and then there is some silicon glue underneath one side to give it an undulating look - this might explain better

Whilst on this I thought I would show you the fold on my sample for JFF as the photograph did not portray it as it is.  This is one in the making with the square missing at the moment.

So you just fold the front of your white card up as in the picture above,  put a sheet of black card (A6) behind and stick down.  Then place your square image on top.  (See Thursday's post).

Birthday Card

I did say I would upload Chas' Birthday Card the other week and am finally getting around to it.  For some reason it would not scan at all well and so I ended up taking a photograph of it.

It started off like a card I had seen on the internet but I could not understand the instructions at all - you had four 'fanned' pieces of card (stay with me on this one - mountain and valley folds?).  You had to put glue in the valleys of one of the pieces and attach the other one to it.  Now how do you do that?  No cutting is involved so how does one piece fit to the other?

Anyway, 'dipsy doo' here had it firmly in her mind that she wanted to do this particular card for 'himself'.  So she set about making four card fronts - each one to be another layer attached with mounting foam.  This is the result:

The stamps are Elusive Images and Crafty Individuals and the colouring was with watercolour crayons - at least the painting was nice and restful.

What I realised after I had painstakingly cut each of these out, leaving the frame intact, was that I could have just stamped the images, yes I would still have had to cut them out, and then mounted them one over the other with different thicknesses of foam tape.

Then you wonder why I am blonde!!

Black, White & Silver

Over on Just for Fun Sam's additional colour this week is Silver.  So now we are challenging you all to make something in Black White and Silver.

I've always loved the folds of this card done in Black and White so with the addition of a silver square here is my entry for this week.

WOYWW

Nothing to show you on my desk because I am not there.  Had a night away from home in a hotel so done a scheduled post and hoping some kind soul will link me.  If you go over to see what Ms Dunnit has been up to you will find lots of desks where people have lots to show you so head over to the Stamping Ground but maybe linger here a while and tell me what you think of my handbag.

Recently I joined in a swap on Neil's blog where you had a matchbox (either size/choice yours) which you decorated and filled with "things" to show the recipient a bit about you.  Well, maybe it is the dizzy blonde in me that did it but I chose to decorate and fill the small matchbox.  I can upload it now as I think the recipient (who has not a clue who I am) has no link to my blog and should have received it.

One thing I like is handbags.  I collect them like other women collect shoes.  So turning my matchbox into a handbag seemed the sensible thing to do (a clue to me).  I like working with metal so the front piece was copper and I love art nouveau, hence the design.  The remainder of the handbag was coloured using my favourite -  Distress Inks!

The back had labels on a) because I like to Travel, b) because I like Vintage (Past) and c) because I value Friendships.

Inside were further clues about me

A cat printed on a piece of material (I like cats - like dogs too), a mini domino book (used to be well known for my domino stamping), a dumfing (just got into this) kite bookmark, a polymer clay (love clay) bead, a Shrink Plastic jigsaw piece, some Friendly Plastic (love these medias), cogs (love Steampunk), a clockface charm (love "Time" as a theme), a glass bottle with a message inside (lots of bits written on hand decorated paper about me), hearts to signify my health problem at the moment and a smiley face because Von said I had to include one.  Phew!  

A bit of a struggle to get everything in as it was just about chock-a-block.  Wonder what other peeps have done?

Thank You

This card is a "Thank you" for a guy named Phil who I have never met, and am never likely to meet, but who has kindly loaned me his wheelchair to help me get about whilst my breathing is so bad.  I need to pick up my new specs but the shop is a fair walk (for me) from the nearest car park and as for getting my hair cut - that would have been a complete "no no".

So big thanks to Jo and Dave for asking their friend Phil if I could borrow it.  Hopefully after the cardioversion in 6 weeks time I will be back to normal and able to get about without all the problems I am experiencing at the moment.

The card was one done at Vicky Stampers with Caz the other week - lost mine (really how can you lose a card?) so have had to make another one which bears no resemblance to the previous one.  This view is the front cover

Apparently Phil likes Action Movies and that is all Jo could tell me - I know this is not strictly "action" but it is film themed.  It opens out and there are tags with slide mounts inside them - for the purpose of showing you I have taken scans at various stages.  This is the inside before the tags are attached.

When we did it with Caz we stamped in bleach, went over with Chalk Inks and then used Lumieres over stencils and sequin waste to create pattern on the cover.  I used Brilliance Ink and stamps for this one! All the pictures and words are ones I once downloaded when I did an album for Chas for his birthday.

Here are the tags and the slide mounts that sit inside them.  The slide mounts were coloured with Lumieres and sequin waste/stencils whilst the tags were coloured using Distress Inks.

Each slide mount is double sided so there is another actor on each one.  

This is the inside of the completed card showing the tags attached.

I hope it is ok for Phil and he likes old movies as well as his "Action" ones.

White Plus ?

Some stunning work last week from both entrants and the other DT members.  Bet this week brings up some stunners too as it is Black and White on Just for Fun.  I have used inchies for my piece (think I am getting hooked on to those little blighters) but I also want to show you a card I received in the past - sadly not signed but it is just my cup of tea (know it was done by a member of Ready Steady Stamp).

This was mine

Now, not really wanting to be overshadowed but I do like this one, am sure you will too:

Here's a closeup of two of the tags

I love how she stamped on the check paper which is not too bold as to make you lose the image - I think this really does make Black and White look outstanding.

Thanks for looking - now off you go to make yours and I will be there like a shot with a comment for your blog.  Toodle Pip!

ps It was a shame to see some entries had to be disqualified last week but please read fully what the Challenge entails each week and then mistakes won't happen.

No Change for WOYWW

Nothing to show you on my desk, the pollen count has not been good for me and my breathing has really been suffering so nothing getting done.  Thought I would show you some beautiful work I have received over the past week though:

First of all, one of Jo's beautiful star cards - I really must get around to making one of these and Jo being Jo has given me some of the lovely little lace flowers to use on the edge.  What a treasure she is.

This is a tag from Marie - she had to queue for three hours in the Post Office to send it to me so that really is a labour of love.

And last but certainly not least Natasa May sent me this gorgeous postcard with Alice and the Cheshrie Cat depicted on it.  I will treasure this as it is an original from a young lady who I think will go far.

Was going to show you the birthday card I made for Chas but it came up terrible in the scan so no time to redo it as this show must get on the road.  Maybe another time.

Now it is time for you all to head on over to Julia's blog to see what she has been up to and visit the desks of others.  Well worth it to go to The Stamping Ground each Wednesday.

Again apologies if you have had to go to two links for me.  I am so angry - with me!

JFF - New Month - New Challenge

Well, here we are with a new month and a new theme for the challenges over on Just for Fun.  This time it is "Colour" and today it is "White on White". When I see what the other DT members have done I wonder why I didn't do something similar - there is some gorgeous work there. Instead I chose to do some Parchment Craft - something I have not done for ages.

Sorry the photograph is not very good but I found it difficult to get a clear picture.  It is the card I made for my friend's daughter's wedding but here it is not attached to its inner as I used black card to try to show it off better for the photo.

Not done this for such a long time and now I know why, it took me quite a while to produce.  Do like the craft and some of my other friends make the most beautiful things but I am afraid I have got a bit more "instant" of late than Parchment Craft allows.

Well, thanks for all the wonderful entries we had over the month, I loved those themes using materials and this last week was no exception.  Great work, great folks out there - you all deserve a big gentle pat on the back (and thanks for joining us with our challenges).  Anyone reading this who has not seen the entries over the past month pop over to JFF grab a cuppa and prepare to drool.

WOYWW

A thousand apologies if you arrive here (the wrong link) - I am so so sorry and can only put it down to a late night watching the rioting going on in my city of Manchester until the small hours and an early get up to do my WOYWW.  Once before I thought I had made #1 and Mr Linky did not work - now he did and I botched up.  Redirect yourself if you would be so kind and again I am so sorry.  Correct link.

You know that little blue circle that goes round and round whilst your program is uploading, well I sat watching mine today (loading this up) and it was so slow and my head felt like it was going round with it - guess the computer feels like I do.  Mind you is it any surprise at this time of morning?  Only silly folks and WOYWW searchers are up and on the 'puter.  If you want to know what I am talking about click on the link above and visit The Stamping Ground  to see what Ms Dunnit has in store for us and who else is joining the merry go round this morning.

Well, I realise now I have not blogged since Thursday and all week I have had good intentions to do something and then blog it but all week it has slipped by - 'time' that is.  Not been a particularly good week with the breathing but I put that down to the humidity we have been experiencing - it bucketed down today so hope that clears the air a bit.  Good job it didn't yesterday as I went out with my lovely friend Naomi and her darling daughter, Chloe.  Would love to show Chloe off, as I think she is so beautiful, but I do question whether it is dangerous to put kiddies photos on a blog - what do others think?

Anyway, yesterday morning I began sorting my charms out.  This is the pickle I got into.  I got a phone call halfway through, then the builder called about the shower he is fixing and I am afraid it is still like this.

Charms all bagged up in categories (oh how organised am I?) balancing on tin lid at top of picture.

To left of where I am sitting - lots of things want putting away including loads of stamps.

Bags and boxes on floor - the silver tin to the right is the one the charms will go in, some in but lots to cram in yet.

To the right of where I am sitting - dare not show you the inside of that cupboard.

Got rid of a drawered container (pain 'cos you could not put anything on top) and now I have a little display area and this week (read month or maybe even year) it is Steampunk.  Recognise past projects and don't you adore that camera?

The only thing I have done is my atc for Saturday but can't upload it until then - have to make Chas a card for his birthday, one for Lotta (did one but don't like it) and make some beads for Lotta to give to Jayne who is making something rather special for her.  Crikey better get on with them or can I go back to bed for an hour first?

Just to amuse you all here is a photo of Jo and myself on a day out a few weeks ago - forgot all about it but you can have a laugh now.

Is she mad or what?