WOYWW 741

Another Wednesday and we all meet up again at Julia's to show our desks and generally natter.  Now, for weeks I have been going on about my class at the Club, well it turned into two consecutive classes.  We were let down at the last minute last month and luckily I was ready so stepped in with my decorated tins, Sarah Anderson, style.

Last Saturday was part two of my class (which would have been done in the afternoon last month) when we did something else in the style of Sarah.  I must add that I had approached Sarah for her to do the class originally but she couldn't and she did not mind my taking it and doing her 'thing'.  (Sarah and I go back way over 30 years when we both tutored at Paddy's Place in Whitefield, Manchester.)

I did show you two tins I had decorated in my post of the 12th July but here are some of the other samples (not stuck to tins so use your imagination please) plus a tiny tin I found in my stash and some toppers for it.  Which shall I use?

This one was extended for this last Saturday and had a little Journal Clip inside it which had a little book inside.  Now these Journal Pins (bottom right with a tag sticking out - little book at the top fits in the top of the Journal Clip) are to attach to your journal pages and there is further room for journaling on tags or in the little books that some have tucked in the top.

Here are some more samples - these are like Sarah made

And on researching the internet I found other people doing them - differently again:

This is one using Aall & Create Images - I just had to make this book to go in the top.

So there we are minus the 19 that I gave out to club members.  At last all is revealed and I hope I can stop making them now as I did get carried away.  If you want to know how to make them just drop me a line and we'll work something out.

Just ever so briefly - the birthday last week ended on the Thursday when we took ourselves off to Bowness in Windermere for another Afternoon Tea.

This was very busy with people enjoying the AT but I must admit I did prefer the one at the Lancaster House Hotel.  Sorry WBI.  This one had roasted red pepper soup served in little enamel mugs, fish and chips (my favourite), crispy chicken, pigs in blankets, mini beef sliders, smoked salmon and pickled cucumber, scones with ja and cream, chocolate brownies and lemon meringue pies.  It was served with an alcoholic drink - I had Prosecco and Chas had a bat of beers.  I presume because of the alcohol it was £10 per head more expensive and they did the 10% service charge automatic.  The cakes came home we could not fit them in our full tums.

Now to diet ...

ps I have had to drive down to reception to get internet access as I am at the caravan again - what we do for our blogs!

Done One More

Well, between watching the Regatta and other things I made another Pyramid box - this is for a friend of mine who was not at the class yesterday and who likes Steampunk.  Still like my green one with the leaf lid the best though - it must be the colours I like.  I did them with chalks ages ago but then just left the whole thing and decorated it on Saturday at the class.

 Inside (click to enlarge)

 Outside (click to enlarge)

I wanted to use my Vagabond but has it has not been used for simply ages I found that I had lost my lead in the big tidy up I have been having of late.  Frantic!  Frantic!  Frantic!  All hands to the deck and all that.  Anyway, at least I put some of the things down in my inventory that I had missed whilst looking and then when I had given up and whilst Chas was wading through a pile of electrical leads I spotted it - on the hostess trolley by the door.  That was a real Phew moment I can tell you.

Anyway, I managed to run some cogs through it for the said box and did some with the Spellbinders Sprightly Sprockets too.  A few stamped images and it was ready for assembly.  Here it is

Complete with some dangly bits made out of shrink plastic and hanging from jump rings on the edge of the top piece.

The inside when opened out

Thought I would flatten and show you the images that make up the outside of the pyramid - I had very few images that would fit but then I always prefer to use partial images anyway as I sometimes think the small ones look a bit lost.

Without looking back through my blog posts I cannot tell you the name of the stamp company they came from but as it is no longer in existence I guess it does not matter.  Shame, as they had a good selection, especially of Steampunk.

Entered into the following challenges
Blessings inc
2 Sisters
Catch the Bug Challenge
Secret Crafter

If anyone wants the template just email me (see right sidebar) and give me your addie and I will scan it in for you.  Self explanatory.

Victoria Stampers

Well, it was the monthly meeting of Vicky Stampers yesterday and I was leading the workshop.  Lynne, our Programme Officer had seen some pyramid boxes at my house the last time she was here and she asked if I would do a workshop on them.

Now these were done for Craft Stamper a few years ago and I'd taught them at a workshop since the publication had arrived at the shops, given most of my samples away (obviously the better ones) so was not that enthused about them.  Consequently I did not start preparing for my workshop that early and when I did I found that the "wings" needed a bit shaving off them to allow for the holes to be punched for the satay sticks so it meant a whole new set of drawings had to be done.

By late Friday evening I was ready and set off yesterday morning with two very old samples and one partly done which I intended to complete at the club.  Well, it went much better than anticipated and here are some photographs of my latest sample and of what the girls made:

This shows the outside of mine and the tiny starbook for inside

(not decorated yet) (pale green pages measure 3/4" across)

Could not resist showing you the second one Sheila made - her funky Jubilee Weekend Pyramid - isn't that fab!

Inside they open to reveal more pictures

Hope you enjoyed this trip to Vicky Stampers!

This and That

First of all Welcome Maria - you are just in time to enter for the blog candy - that was lucky.

Had a great time at Vicky Stampers on Saturday and whilst I cannot really show you what we made (because mine is way way not finished) I can show you some happy faces - or should that be faces showing great concentration.

Carol watching 'pictorally' with Lorraine and Chezzie looking very intent, sorry I missed you off Sheila.

Gill saw me out of the corner of her eye but Chezzie and Enid carried on regardless whilst Lynne chattered away.

Jo obviously telling a tale whilst Alicia watches.

Joyce, our oldest member, and Mandy really get to grips with it all.

This is Sheila's delightful suitcase but the corner is missing bottom left - oops, guess it was on the floor.

 and a back view

WOYWW plus more of Victoria New Town

I don't believe this - I typed all of this out and then deleted the whole thing.  Here we go - second time around.

My stamping room is in a bit of a mess.  Mainly due to the busy schedule I have just had - went on a Friendly Plastic weekend where I crafted in the King's Tower of Caernarfon Castle - see previous posts - with the ever so talented Liz Welch.  Read about the excitement we had too - if only the pilot had been Wills and he had waved!  I digress.

We had a couple of extra days and did not come home until very late Wednesday so my stuff just got "dumped" as I had to do my final prep and pack for my busy workshop on the Saturday.  I had searched everywhere we had been in Wales for a tiny sewing machine, table and lamp.  In the end I made my own table (see post 1st October) from a cotton reel, battery flickering light, some material (reason for the upside egg cup on the photo below) and beads.

When I got back from the workshop on Saturday I had to unpack again to get ready for a day of dem'ing at a show in Leigh on Sunday.  Remembered I had not done my DT piece which Zoe needed Sunday evening so Saturday night I set to and made that (see post tomorrow for pictures) on my knee in another room whilst resting my aching back and feet.

Anyway, here is my desk as I am about to start this blog entry:

Haven't a clue what half the stuff here is

The other side of my computer - complete with egg cup used for the table cloth and kitchen scissors.

Did I really cram all of this into one small bag?  Didn't use my Alcohol Inks or my glitter.

Oh yes, a couple of bead kits in there somewhere.

The floor behind me, too tired to take more piccies, is littered with stuff from Saturday and Sunday!  Mega clear up today.

Why am I showing you this, well it is mainly for all you WOYWW'ers who I hope will come round for a snoop - I'll be visiting you shortly but think the order of the morning is another hour in bed.

Just want to finish off Victoria Town (see previous posts for more exciting pictures) so here you are:

Mo's Birdy House 

(no blog so please click on picture for better view)

Donna's His and Hers

Lorraine's Alice House

Alison's Fun House

and finally

Paul's Shabby Chic

Do click on the links below the houses to see extra shots that I have not included - like Paul's fabby rooftop and Alison's sides of her house which I love.

Think I have uploaded all the houses in Victoria New Town but I know there are some builders still working on theirs so perhaps I will get some more pictures.  Think there are ten houses still going up before we get all twenty five of them (maybe 26 or maybe even more as some builders are doing two).

Perhaps we now need some little wooden trees and things planting - Enid are you listening?  Only kidding.

Just a few more of the little Houses made by the members of Victoria Stampers - thought I would just whet your appetite a bit more.  

Ann

Jo

Lorraine's "Alice" House

Carol's

Have still a couple more to show you but will wait until tomorrow now for those.  Don't want  you to get too excited in one day.  All of the ladies names above link you to their blog so you can go and get the goss from them and see more pictures.  See you tomorrow!

Saturday at Vicky Stampers

Well, it certainly was a packed house at Victoria Stampers on Saturday.  I did wonder how we would cope with the room not being very big but we managed quite well and I think we were all surprised that nobody had to work on the roof.

I got some super photos of the work of the talented bunch of members we have, plus Donna who came as a guest, and thought I would share one or two with you today.  I was so surprised to find that the majority actually finished - and some of them were too but they had all prepared well and been collecting ephemera over the past month.

This is a shot down one side of one of the long tables we had put up. Notice, we do brew up as we go along and Helen who was sat near me made me quite a few of my herbal teas (and sneaked me a choccie biscuit).

The other side of the room had a long table too and you can just see the spotty cloth of the one that went across the top.

This is my friend Lorraine

This was done by our oldest member, Joyce who is 82 years young.

Lynne's lovely lacey edged house

Mandy's - I love the banner

Pam's was so different being green

Jayne is giving hers as a gift to her MIL but she is then making another one for herself.

Will leave it there for now, you might spot one or two more as you cruise the blogs but I'll upload some more another day.  Was dem'ing at Leigh for Oyster Stamps (got loads of hugs when I went in from the "Oyster Family"- ooh lovely) so have to unpack from that (and see what goodies I got - not many, truly) and unpack from Saturday so I guess that will take care of my day.  Might have a snooze in the afternoon as I am tired after a day of teaching and a day of dem'ing - but where has the sunshine gone?

WOYWW 117

It's WOYWW time again - thank goodness others think the week goes by too quickly - thought it was just me.  I've no sooner tidied my desk up than it comes around again and I am once more, not tidy. Well what is on my workdesk this miserable wet (chucking it down) Wednesday?

Actually I am quite tidy, because I have been doing very little.  Life has just taken over these past few days but I was busy on Saturday. This is what is on my desk at the moment:

A pizza box full of paper butterflies!

These are what we made at Victoria Stampers on Saturday afternoon. Well, what others made - I spent my time working with my Grand Calibur cutting out loads and loads of butterflies for people to take home and colour up ready to bring next month.  I haven't counted how many we made but I do know that Mo, who was not with us on Saturday had her family making some for us on Bank Holiday Monday and they have made 115.

Now to get my finger out and make some more for my effort.  I was hoping to see Chloe and get her to make some with me but her mummy has had an abscess and had to go into hospital to have it operated on - and now she has chickenpox!  (Mummy, not Chloe - yet!)

Here are some of them I photographed to put on the group in the Album for September.  You can see folded ones, origami ones, some made with sycamore leaves for the wings, and the ones in the bottom right hand corner were made by our oldest member, Joyce, who I am sure won't mind me telling you that she is 82 years old.

There is one above that is made with skeleton leaves and top centre you might glimpse some that are made with Prima flowers - both the brainchild of Alison along with the sycamore leaf ones..

Now why are we making so many butterflies?  We are sending them off to Houston, Texas for the Holocaust Museum Butterfly Project.  In an effort to memorialise the 1.5 million Jewish children who died during the Holocaust, the Museum is collecting 1.5 million handmade butterflies for a special exhibit in 2012.

The Butterfly
The last, the very last,
So richly, brightly, dazzlingly yellow.  
Perhaps if the sun's tears would sing
against a white stone ...
Such, such a yellow
Is carried lightly way up high
It went away I'm sure because it wished
to kiss the world goodbye.
For seven weeks I've lived in here,
Penned up inside this ghetto.
But I have found what I love here.
The dandelions call to me
And the white chestnut branches in the court.
Only I never saw another butterfly.
That butterfly was the last one.
Butterflies don't live in here,
in the ghetto.
            Pavel Friedmann 6.4.1942


Pavel Friedmann was born on 7 January 1921 in Prague and deported to Terezin on 26 April 1942.  He died in Auschwitz on 29 September 1944.


I hope this inspires some of  you to make some butterflies and send them off to Houston.  All the details are on the link above and when I collect the remaining ones which members have made at home at our next meeting I will let you know how many we are sending - remember we will have Mo's family's 115 as well by then.