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

Mary Quant and Flower Power

Oh how Von's theme on JFF this week takes me back.  Back to the days when I was a young mum who wore mini-skirts that were almost micro and flowers in her hair.  How I loved the fashion and eventually had to have the Quant look and have my hair cut in a bob.  No photographs available - I looked like "The Spy Who Came In From the Cold" - not my finest haircut!  We will not go there though, suffice to say I loved the "Swinging Sixties" almost as much as being a "mum" to the most adorable little boy anyone could wish to have (except when you returned downstairs, having put him to bed, only to find him standing there a few minutes later, slippers in hand, dressing gown over his arm and a cute grin on his face as if to say "mummy, I'm here").  Yes, those were the days.

I suspect a lot of readers will not remember those days but will have heard of them.  Mary Quant may be familiar and may not be but she was a very influential Welsh fashion designer taking credit for introducing us to the Mini Skirt and Hot Pants, although two other designers also claim fame for the mini.  I wore the mini - boy oh boy did I wear the mini!

Pop over to JFF and see what Von and Zoe have done - we have all created something very different this week.

I did not know what to do for this theme but in the back of my mind knew I had a stamp with a fairly MQ hairstyle so here it is - very "less is more" this week.

Now where are those photos of me in my minis?

Welcome April, my latest follower.  Just joined in nice time as there will be some blog candy up for offer within the next few days. Thanks so much for following.

WOYWW and Happy New Year Everybody

Well, here it is, the first WOYWW of 2012 so my very best wishes to all of you for 2012.  As my friend Dot said, "I wish you health because without it wealth is nothing" so, if Dot does not mind I will pass that wish on to all of you out there.

Well I have done nothing, don't really know where the time has gone but it has gone and here we are again with another Wednesday, all raring to go having a snoop around on one another's blogs, courtesy of Julia our enabler,  to see what has been happening and what everyone is up to.  Think the decs are down and most are put away but it is a bit like Cinderella's Ugly Sisters trying to fit them back from whence they came.

On Saturday, at Vicky Stampers, Jayne is showing us how to make a book in a suitcase and I could not believe just how much mountboard I had to cut.  Took me a whole day to get everything ready.  What anyone out there who is a member of Vicky Stampers will not believe is that this tiny bag holds all my supplies ready for Saturday.

So that is what is on my desk at the moment.

Monday night, or early hours Tuesday morning, I had to get up and take a tablet.  Imagine my surprise when I saw, walking across the bottom of our drive and then across the front lawn, a fox.  It was dark and I could only see the outline but it was too big for anything else and it's tail/brush dragged along the floor.  It's quite a while since I saw one in our garden.

This shows the end of our drive which the fox crossed to walk across the grassed area

Obviously taken early one morning before the wind had taken hold of all of the leaves - just checked - 19th November.

The other day I was really pleased to see my Blackbird had returned.  I had not seen him for months and feared he had gone on to pastures new as this must be the fifth year we have had him call.  He is the most diligent worker you ever did see, he must keep his family well fed as he is always pecking away at the lawn, very early in the morning.  Managed to get this photograph of him through the window.

How do I know it is the same one?  Look at this photo and you can see his grey feather sticking from his wing like it always has since I met him.  He's the reason for the words on the right hand side of my blog - Alchemy.  Just wish he would come to me when I call.

Now I have bored you all silly with my non-stamping pictures I will go and make an overdue birthday card.  The person it is for is a very talented crafter and there is no way I can compete with the last card she sent to me.  Do you want to see it?

OK - here it is

This has to be one of my favourite cards of all time

Thanks Carol (visit her blog and see just how talented she is) - now to get down to making yours - oh heck, where do I begin?

Anything Goes - Especially At This Time of Year

Yes, it is a five week month here on JFF so once again we have an Anything Goes.  No theme this week - just go with the flow.

If you can tear yourself away from the "scintillating telly" (I think I joke), the tin of chocolates, the mince pies and that yummy Christmas Cake that is left you can make something of your choice and enter it into our challenge this week.  Go on, you know you want to.

One of my friends is "Alice" mad, well as mad as I am about Alice themed things so when I got a Christmas card from her but forgot to give her hers in return (it wouldn't fit in the envelope and I was having one of those dilemmas so forgot to give it to her before she left) I didn't know what to do.  Too late to post (almost) so i sat down and made her this calendar.

Now another friend from Vicky Stampers had sent me a calendar postcard which gave me the idea - not entirely my own, in fact not my idea at all.  Here is mine

A magnet on the back and away you go.  Can be posted in time for New Year to those you missed.

Before I go, I do hope you all had a lovely Christmas.  I have several friends who had loved ones poorly, others who had unhappy memories from past years some who spent Christmas alone (their choice) so to them I just want to say "I was thinking of You".

Now to wish you all a Peaceful New Year - love to you all out there in cyberland.

WOYWW - guess this is Year End

Well this will be the last WOYWW post for 2011 - by the time I post again it will be a brand new year.  May I take this opportunity to wish you all a Very Happy New Year and may 2012 be a good one for you all out there.

Nothing to show you on my desk, the only bit of crafting I have done was a hurried piece which is due to go out tomorrow as it was for a Challenge Blog.  You can almost see it peeking out under the big box lid on the left of the photo.  Haven't felt much like crafting to be honest.

You can see the desk bit is clear

but still a dirty mat (must get a new one)

Don't want to be down on here but a few of us have had a bit of a sad Christmas in that a friend of ours lost her daughter on Christmas Morn.  You might remember the wedding I posted pictures of way back on the 20th July well sadly the bride (hard to believe when you look at how radiant she was) gave up her fight for life on Christmas Day.  Since then I have heard of two other people passing and news of illness with a little tiny baby so this Christmas has been one of prayer.

I hope that amidst all the celebrations of the New Year we can all spare a prayer and a thought for everyone out there who has experienced sadness and sorrow in 2011 and I hope for a much happier post from me next week.  Take care.

It's Christmas Day 2011

Wishing you all a Happy Christmas.  

I thought I would show you a Christmas Card I made that was a little bit different to what I had been making.  It started life as a birthday card for someone and then I thought about it and made a couple of Christmas cards in a similar way.  It probably needs working on to get it to be the perfect card.

Basically it is a card with a circular aperture cut out, with acetate behind it that has been alcohol inked.
Displayed so the light shows through the acetate.

Cards with aperture cuts in and acetate with alcohol ink on them

Acetate stuck to back of card

Image stuck on to card front

I need to work on this some more and think outside the box a bit.  I am sure some of you out there can already do this.  I have left this so that when the recipient displays this card the light (hopefully) shows through the acetate.  I did think of adding pieces of thin cord in a "web" or stamping some background on the acetate but time did not allow for such experimentation.  Perhaps now that the Special Day has arrived there will be more time.

Perhaps some of you out there have had enough of the tinsel and turkey and you might give this a try adding your own special twist to it.  

Have Fun!  But before I go may I thank all of my followers for being there through thick and thin - watch out for a give away in the New Year.  And to everyone God Bless as where you are.

America via ???

Just thought I would share with you a Christmas card which has just arrived from our friend Mary in America.  It is in its own little heat sealed baggie, the address on the front is perfect - even has UK on the bottom of it, quite legible - but it has obviously been somewhere on a journey.

This is what is printed on the back of the envelope - I haven't opened it yet, just thought I would share my well travelled card and its various postmarks.

Bet it could tell a tale or two.

Wonder if this is Polish?  Chas seems to think so, so how did it get there?  Was it a rebel card?  Dare I open it or will a gremlin or two jump out and get me?

NO!  Nothing got me - here is the card that has been on its travels

But ... here's the little fella lurking behind the snowflake door