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!

WOYWW 514

Another week, another Wednesday another WOYWW (how many "W's" is that?)  More to the point what is it - WOYWW is where we meet up each week to show our desks.  Why not join us?

My back must be feeling better as I have WIP on my desk.  Whey Hey, Zippity Doo Daa!

Won't go into how many days it has taken me to get to this stage but not always because of my bad back.  I just wish I had that lovely Antipodean Lady who used to do the most wonderful things with lace right here besides me.  Her name escapes me, as does her blog, but I have missed her, and so much of late when I wanted to do something with lace and things.

I finally found the box that had my lace in, went through it and sorted out some of the white and some of the cream lace into two piles and then cut bits off each.  Now I need to go through my box of trimmings and my metal bits too - all can be incorporated into the tea-bag cards/things I am making.

I want to make a book out of them as well as cards but haven't figured how to hold the pages together - got several ideas in my head but need to try them all out and just hope the sewing one does not come out on top or I need to take a couple of machines to the workshop and that could pose a problem.  Anyway, my desk today shows the two piles of lace pieces and the bits I have cut off from some of them.  In front to the left of the teabags you can see the book page I am working on (close up below).  

  

Here is the beginning of a tea-bag covered in lace with a picture in it.  No fear of my class seeing it as none of them ever go on my blog.

  

I did think of putting another layer of lace on the tea-bag but my head is saying "it could be fabric or card underneath if it is lace layered on lace - this is supposed to be a tea-bag - so let the tea-bag show through".  What do you think?

WOYWW 492

Here we are again - another Wednesday and, for me, another empty desk.  Feeling much better but still no crafting done as such and certainly no "C" Cards yet.  Beginning to doubt there ever will be this year.  We now have had the lounge ceiling re-plastered, painted and are awaiting the carpet being cleaned before furniture can be moved back and the house returned to some kind of normality.  As it stands we are in a "pickle" and cannot find anything.  The hardest thing is that I have put a birthday present away for my bff and have not a clue where.  We have looked and looked but nothing turns up.  Help!  I need to give it to her on Saturday!

Anyway, as I can only show you an empty desk again I decided to take some photos of my wall art in the craft room.  Have to have something interesting to show you:

This is just as you come in through the doorway - the cat is a calendar and not my artwork - if only....

This is above the window which is where my space is for my usual working - just below the window.

This is kind of behind the doorway ... and below is my actual desk today.  Now someone may recognise what is on show.  I have been sticking two pages together in this little notebook to make the pages a bit stronger to take pen and ink drawing.  The writing is what accompanied the book and I intend to reduce it to the size of the book and paste it inside the front cover as a constant reminder of where the book came from.  

As Bugs Bunny used to say "That's All Folks" and so it is over to Julia and her desk to see what she and other WOYWWers have been up to.  Wonder how much "C" Card production has been in swing up and down the world?

Jeudi Journal

This is the start of a new kind of topic for Wendy and myself.  We are taking a quote from Dyan in her Dylusional range and working to that with the picture.  No theme, no colours etc

Sounded good in essence where I could spend my time on the backgrounds which I hadn't been able to previously with the journal challenge as it was.  Then it came to it.  Wendy likes to work her picture to the words so she will probably find it easy but I am floundering.

Not being up to doing any brayer work I chose to use an already completed background page and just chose a couple of figures (again already coloured in and cut out) to place on the page.  So here it is:

WOYWW 370

Phew!!  What a weekend.  Went on a Retreat run by the incredible Sue Tucker and her amazing band of helpers at The Holiday Inn in Coventry.  Who was the star attraction?  Well, there were two actually - Andy Skinner, who is probably the most well known here in the UK and Tracy Weinzpfel Stratton - both big names in Deco Art World and both uber talented in their own rights

Saturday saw me in Tracy's class where we learned to layer paint on top of paint and used Rice Paper which was incredible stuff and gave a lovely texture to our work.  Of course I ended up working in my favourite blues and greens as per usual - and here it is

Sunday morning saw me taking a class with Andy.  Now it was a million to one chance, but it happened - I had done the project with Andy at CHA so he gave me some extra bits and pieces (wow, wonderful - and a couple of skulls - you reading this Shaz?) and I followed his colouring and techniques but made mine different to the one everyone else did.  Here is my sketchbook cover:

Think I prefer the one Andy did with the class, similar to below (and which I already had) but I thoroughly enjoyed myself and was over the moon with my "extras".

Have really been suffering with my neck, Saturday night I couldn't eat anything for the pain so took myself off to bed and a hot water bottle.  Yesterday I took the bull by the horns and went to see the osteopath (mega bucks!!!) I went to a few years ago so it is fingers crossed now that it will help.

Well, you came on here to see my craft room - not really got one as such as it has been taken over by the kitchen which is empty and waiting to be gutted.  Start date next Monday!  Will give you my best shot now and then send you off to look at some others with Jan who is hosting whilst Julia recovers from major surgery.  Hard to believe that it is a year since our dear Eliza in Oz left us and is not now posting.  Hope you are up there organising them all and stamping (rubber of course) a storm.

Normal working area (still can work here at the moment)

Craft Room meets Kitchen

Still got stuff to move and the study is utter chaos - maybe a photo next week?

WOYWW 354

Well, I don't know how to begin this post after Julia's revelations last week.  Just hope she gets an appointment sooner than expected so it can all be dealt with.  One thing she can be sure of and that is that there are a lot of hands joining around the world and sending prayers up for her.  Julia, you are loved by so many.

May I take this opportunity of thanking "imgirl", my latest follower for joining in.  I hope to improve the amount of work I do on my blog as soon as this flipping cold of mine disappears.  Come on, three weeks is a bit too long for me.

The desk may look staged but I assure you it is not.  I just propped the journal page from the other weekend (with Marta) up as I had been doing a bit of pencil work on it and was going to work on the LO below it but have not had any inclination with this flu type bug hanging around.  My tiny art is at the side of it - honest it is not staged.  The pile of white card is just from weekend when I dem'd the Distress Inks again.  I think I should have stayed at home.

Here is the tiny art with a mini mister at the side of it so you know the actual size, or at least that it is small.

Now here is a shot that you might think I have taken from another blogger.  No, this is MY box. Kindly given to me by Margaret (Glitter and Glue) who came to see me at the weekend with her lovely husband, John.  Look at all the goodies that were inside this magnificent box.  Now Margaret has challenged me to make something using the contents.  hope she means some of them and not all. Right Margaret - will do my best and thank you - your visit on Friday meant so much and it was lovely to see John looking so well.

As Bugs Bunny would say "That's All For Now Folks" (is that right?) so hop on over to the stamping ground and see what is happening across the globe.

WOYWW 335 and Yes, it is a Corset

My desk has work in progress on it and I don't feel ready to show you quite yet, maybe another week when I have done some more work on it.  A workshop with the fab Tracy Scott on Sunday saw me attempting to draw and paint a whimsical face.  Perhaps next week folks ... but in the meantime my other desk reveals ... a corset!!!

In 2008 when I was doing workshops for Paddy she gathered a few of her tutors together and with her niece's friends down south we were given a corset each.  (Paddy's mother used to work for Spirella so this was to be a project dear to her heart).  We each had to choose a theme so I remember having "Deconstructed', "Christmas", "Peacock Lady", sorry cannot remember the others - but mine was "Viva La Diva" based on Las Vegas showgirls.

Penny's Playing cards (painted on canvas)

and Sarah's collage work

I have no idea what happened but despite me working on every single corset mine was worked on by only a few.  I was gutted when it was finally returned.  I am not sure what everyone did as they did not write in the book I made to accompany the corset - apart from Penny and Sarah.  Penny (down south) did the playing cards which are fab, I think Gloria added the swirly sparkly fabric and some sequins, again I think Sylvia did the red bottom flounces but I know Sarah did all the beautiful sequin collage work that you can see as she wrote in the book too.  

I dyed the corset to begin with, sewed dice on the suspenders and across the top of the whole thing, made the clay heads and put the feathers behind (Sarah added the turquoise ones as someone else was supposed to add large feathers later) and turned some poker chips into buttons before it set off.  It has been with Jo for quite a while (we both forgot about it) but I am not sure if she added anything and as she is away I cannot ask her.  I so wish everyone had worked on mine or even if just the northern girls had it would have been so much better.

Guess I had better do some work on it myself.  That is unless I can get a couple of friends to add something.  I does have some bare patches and was supposed to have huge feathers at the top but the person never came up with the goods despite having the corset for a long time.

Well, it will have to go on hold for a short while as I will be busy in the coming weeks and I do want to finish my painting so I can show it to you all.  In the meantime here are a couple of whimsical faces I did draw (quickly I might add) to check I had proportions right - maybe I will get around to painting them another week.  Be honest as to what you think of them.

Have to be at the Docs for 7.50 this morning (she does work hard bless her, best doctor in the world) so must dash out now and then come back to see what Julia has to say and who else has joined in the Great International Blog Off.  Click here to get there quick or for a peek at what I am on about if you are new to this.

ps I lost my witch hat - if I find it by next week will wear it for a photo with the wig.

WOYWW 271

I am not here again - but this time, hopefully, I can link up myself.

This is my desk as I left it on Monday when I went to stay with a friend and have a bit of crafting time and 'nattering' together.

I had been given some of those plastic pieces you can see on the left and had not done anything with them so I decided to use them to decorate a photo frame.  I need a new frame for the latest one of Chloe's school photographs.  (My friend's little girl who I love to bits and vice versa)

Here's the frame

I just painted the frame with Sailboat Blue and then went over it to give it a distressed look with Lake Mist and a dry brush.  I am not sure whether to stick these down or not.  Guess I could stamp something on top of each acrylic piece - I remember using these with Tim Holtz a few years ago at CHA on my Palooza.  So I just put them on Designer Paper like I did back then.   I have even tried putting some jigsaw pieces on top.

I cannot decide what to do - any ideas?

Well, that is it for this week.  I am hoping to show you some of the things I will do whilst away but don't bank on it - we both have the "gift of the gab" and we have a lot of catching up to do with one another.

Hopefully there will be lots of WOYWW'ers tuning in today to Julia's blog.  If any who pass by here don't know - the lovely Lynn had her little dog savaged a few days ago.  I am sure you will join with me in letting Lynn know that she and her family are in our prayers and in our hearts.

Artful Times Goes all Spooky

I had so many plans for my Halloween display this year but time was not on my side and so I only managed to make this sweetie box for the children to dip into when they come a calling.

I am sure most of you will recognise TH's "The Chemist" as my offering for the end of the month.  I don't have Halloween stamps, had not time to search for "Poe" downloads and so frantic thinking had to take place.  I think he does look like a mad scientist who would be making spells, especially with his green face and red eyes.

I stamped the various images with Archival Black Ink and then put some clear embossing powder on, before a leisurely sit down whilst painting with H2o's and then fussy cutting.  The box was painted with Acrylic Paint and the inside lined with some spooky purple paper.  The books are stuck on with a double foam pad and the toad is stuck on top of that, again with a sticky pad.  Images were stuck on the back and the bottle was slit so it could sit on the side.

When we went to Prague one Christmas time I just had to buy one of those witches.  Her cackle is tremendous and her eyes flash red and on and off as she kicks her feet up in the air. I haven't used her when children have called in the past but think I might if they are not tiny ones this year.  So I have made a kind of Halloween display

and now realise I have left the pumpkin out of the shot.  Ah well!  The witch is on the left, the box (fully lined) takes centre stage and then there is a black bottle which I intended to decorate that has a ram's skull on top of it.  It might get something done to it before Halloween - you never know.

Looking forward to seeing what you come up with - but ...

Dare you knock on my door?

Scrap Art - Artful Times Challenge

When I was preparing this a couple of months ago - working in advance for the challenges - I should have taken notice of the date and seen it was for Friday the 13th!!!

First of all I wanted to do something with a couple of my cat food boxes (again) and decided to make a holder for my finished cards so I always had a birthday card, get well card etc ready.  No vision, you understand, of what the finished product would be like or what I would use on it for colour/decoration etc.  It started life just painted with old Acrylic dried up dabbers that had been mixed and mixed with water to get to some consistency that could be painted and then stencilled.  Didn't like!

Tissue paper from shoe box?  Didn't look right.  Torn up dictionary/street map pages.  A bit of Distress Ink - ugh!    Like the inside (why did I not leave the outside as was?).  Inka Gold - Orange? Green?  Hematite?  More Orange which looks a bit like Gold?  Ah well, can cover most of it up with ...

Die cuts.

Steampunk bit centre top is handle

Steampunky die cuts.  Bits of card, book pages, bits of mountboard (good job I hoard scraps) - here it is - my box for storing my cards in. Not really what I would have envisaged but it is grungy and it sort of is me.  I'm happy.  Now I need some more cards to store in it!

My advice on this challenge?   Wait until tomorrow to start and then it will be the 14th - join in the fun at Artful Times with us.

More Finn (and Annie's Smile)

Continuing the workshop I attended in Swindon last weekend (is it really a week since I set off for the wonderful event?) and which is in the previous post, here are some more photos - this time of my journal.  This is definitely something I will be making again and I have already sent off for a smaller one to do.  Remember, I had shown you in yesterday's post how the two covers met in the middle and almost spelled out my name - well here is the whole cover:

Front

Both back and front together

Because I had not thought to take any photographs to include in my pages (or on my LO and canvas shown to you yesterday) I had to use some Vintage ones that the shop had printed off for us. That suited me fine as I like vintage and I am not as young or photogenic as Anna is either.  (Plus I did like the Anna photo on my canvas and it serves as a nice memory of her workshop.)

I have not finished the third set of pages yet but thought it about time I showed you the two I had done - and finished off at home I must add.  Here they are:

I had to add the photo and the circles to this one

This just needed some flowers so I used canvas ones

I really am itching to get some more pages done for this journal which is going to be an experimental one in various versions and adaptations of Anna Dabrowska style.

Before I leave this workshop post I have to share with you some photos of an incredible sunset we witnessed on the way home. Unfortunately we could not stop, all we could do was look in admiration at the painting in the sky.  We managed to stop in a lay-by just before we lost the picture which could only be described as "awesome" so I am sorry you don't get the "wonder" we had earlier but it still is pretty impressive.  I am entering these sunsets into Annies "Smile week" because it makes me smile to see Nature as an artist that so many people can enjoy.

Finn Weekend

As mentioned yesterday I spent the weekend in Wiltshire on workshop with Finnabair (Anna Dabrowska) and as promised (finally Karen) here are the things I made:

a 12" x 12" Layout

All of those wonderful metal pieces and the flowers were provided and there are several layers of Finn's fabulous papers stuck down together to make it a substantial piece of art.  You really need to check out what she has and what you can buy - some really great stuff.

Then we did a canvas.  This is my favourite piece.  I just love the colour achieved with mainly the use of Gesso.  Sadly it does look so much better in real life.  (ok Sam, it's a bit floral - I got carried away trying to give it depth)

and finally

We were given two Journal covers which are foamy on the inside and the outside is canvas with a resist design on it.  Not sure if we all had the same but on our table we had letters.  Am going to make you wait a little longer for the pictures but you can see a small section where the back and front covers join - this almost spelled out my name - see

OK, will upload my Journal and a couple of pages for the inside another day.  Hope you enjoyed today!

WOYWW 220 and Putting Things Right

Last week I had to forgo commenting but I have left all the comments made in my 'inbox' and I will spend a day commenting on all the ones I have missed.  So sorry about that but I was up to my armpits and eyeballs in prep for the Oyster Retreat (see labels down side and more to come) and then only got back Monday evening and was so tired (hard bed at the second hotel = little sleep) that I just went to my own bed.  Yesterday was my Chloe day, my adorable little five year old who is so full of fun and love (friend's daughter) so this is my first opportunity to put things right.  Sorry about that.

Anyway, this is my desk - still as it is from dumping all the stuff from Tracey.  Did a bit of a 'pan' along one side of my room.  Not a bit of space so Chloe and I had to die cut on the dining room table yesterday.

As I teased you long enough with sneak peeks here are my samples from the weekend

Canvas gessoed, then Pan Pastels to colour and put through punchinella/negatives from dies cuts, Distress Inks on cardstock for die cuts, images stamped (with block underneath for stability). (Stamps by Tim Holtz, dies - Spellbinders and Memory Box, Flowers - Heartfelt Creations (all available from Oyster Stamps).  Bottom Right is an Ice Resin Flower.  Everyone made a small piece of resin paper.

Then ice resin - everyone made a tiny heart which was supposed to go on the canvas, some will, some will be worn.  Heart had scrapbook paper inside then a Bindi before the resin was poured in.  The pendant (ear ring really) was left clear, done on packing tape, with a piece of grass inside.

Steampunk heart - three layers (or might have been four) of ice resin poured in at stages over various watch part additions.

Scrap book paper in first, then guitar charm added and more ice resin, then treble clef and more ice resin until it domed.  Hopefully looks as if the treble clef is floating/suspended.  (what seems to be a mark along the left side must be the light catching - the whole pendant is crystal clear)

Hope that gives you an insight into what we did in my class.  There were four classes on at one time with 10 people in each.  In my first class they learnt a bit about ice resin and did the heart and then they learned how to use Distress Inks in a three colour way to die cut what they wanted on their canvas.  This was a one and a half hour class so a lot was achieved.

Next day they came back for a further one and a half hour class, gessoed the canvas, put on the base colour (PP's give such good and quick coverage), did some stencilling, stamped images and assembled. I would say 99% went home with a finished canvas so it was achievable and I am so proud of them and how well they all worked.  A pendant and a canvas in three hours!

Have uploaded some pictures from the Retreat with the ladies but will be uploading many more over the next couple of days so watch out for them.  In the meantime go along to Ms Julia's blog and see what the other WOYWW'ers are up to and where they have been.

Have a good week!

(More pictures of the ladies at the Retreat tomorrow)