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 222

Well, it's just gone midnight and I was dropping off but suddenly realised it is WOYWW day!  Oh heck.  Just been away for the weekend, stayed with friends and have not even unpacked my stuff yet so here is my desk.

My Distress Inks (took them all but never used one!), baby wipes, piece of cardstock, pencil case and three projects done with Finnabair!!!  You will have to wait to see them in detail - maybe later in the day or tomorrow more likely.

This is a view of my desk one day last week when I had opened a package I had won from the lovely Gita.  Imagine my delight as all this fell out - certainly can be put to good use in my craft room. Thank you so much Gita.

Short and sweet - pop over and join in the fun with Julia and hopefully show your desk - but please, if you do, do display your number - much easier to comment.

See you later folks!

Well, it's certainly been raining men in my house over the past few weeks.  No, not had lots of 'real' men but I have been putting the Tim Holtz stamps to good use.  If you look back at my post here you will see the canvasses I did with these same stamps when on the Oyster Stamps Retreat.

Well it has been Chas's birthday and so I wanted to make him a different card to the ones I have done in previous years (I always try to make something different) so this time I sent off for a Sizzix Die.  Then realised I needed another one for the joiny up bit!  Doh!

"Double Doh" because when I tried to get one everyone was out of stock!  Panic!  And still are.

Write to Rita, her daughter used this die with a lovely card maybe she can advise and I can "wing it".  Oh heck, just realised Rita is on holiday.  Anne (Redanne) she has used this die as well.  So off went another email.  Almost immediately came a reply from (Red)Anne - she would cut me some out and send them.  Then another reply from Annie, Rita's daughter (bless Rita she had got in touch with her despite being away) saying she would send me some.  Check out their blogs, they do some fabulous work.

Anyway, now to my card, which had to be created in a bit of a rush I am afraid

the front when open

and

the back

and the die is still not in stock!

Hope you find time to join in with a "Male" card - we would love to see what you do over on Artful Times.

I used Memento London Fog to stamp the background images, Archival Black for the main images and guess what?  Distress Inks for the colour.

Coincidence:  Pure accident that today happens to be the birthday of my Dad.  Still miss him (and my mum).  Didn't realise when I chose this theme or put it at this challenge number.

WOYWW 221

Well, I did it.  I caught up with my comments but am afraid this week will be much the same - a late catch up as I am going to my friend Wendy's early Friday morning in preparation for a workshop which we are going to.  Am so excited!  It is the Finnabair workshop - and I will get to meet Alison as I espied her name on the last email.

We heard a noise outside on Sunday evening and this is what we saw when we looked outside

A flippin' big branch had broken off the Ash tree

Might not seem bad to any of you but as the tree has a Preservation order on it ...  Of course, if something is going to happen it has to be on a Bank Holiday weekend.  Got in touch with the Council yesterday and apparently we should have our trees examined by a surgeon every three years.  If you have trees in your garden read up about it and certainly do so if you are thinking of buying a property which has trees in its garden.  So yesterday was taken up sawing the thing up and disposing of it and now today I really must get some cleaning done, clothes sorted for weekend and supplies packed.  Might even bake for Wendy's lovely husband.  Oh, and I need to get in touch with some tree surgeons for them to come and give me estimates for work on all our trees.  Bang goes my week in the sun!

Well, this is my desk for all you lovely WOYWW followers

as you can see I must be in a black and white mood

Had to  make four birthday cards, one for my dear friend Paul for this weekend, which is why it is turned around, and three others for members of Vickie Stampers.  So, that is it folks, short and s...hort! Pop over to the stamping ground to see what Julia has to say this week and see how many folks are up there with pictures of latest makes and desks.

Final Pics - Oyster Retreat Part 4

Cannot believe it is a week ago that I was doing my canvasses with these lovely ladies.  Missing everyone, missing the fab food we had - and of course missing having it made and the washing up done.

Here is the last round up of my photographs:

Friendships made

Pretty Lilac

waiting to start eating

Additions 

Lilac Time

Sharing a joke

Is that a tree I espy?

Work on a Sunday?

Where should I put it?

and finally

I dreamed about it and dared to do it in black!

Thanks everyone who took part in whatever way.

Upcoming shows I will be at: Harrogate 4/5th October

                                               Leigh Show 12th/13th October

                                               Lincoln Show 3rd November ... anybody coming?

Part 3 Oyster Retreat

Have finally got my stamping room looking a bit more like normal now.  Surprising how I have managed to condense the equipment I brought back into a medium sized box.  Mind you I am quite good (read "very" good) at packing.  Am 'itching' to get another canvas made and also to make some more resin paper for some flowers plus a bit of jewellery of course.

Here are some pictures from last weekend (again apologies I did not get photographs of all of my groups)

Here's Hilary (new to crafting) with her lovely canvas

Pat - pretty in lilac

and in pink

sunny yellow

love the turquoise with the pale lemon

and Romayne with her dusky pink

Still got a few more but will save them for tomorrow - I'm on a promise - got the freezer to defrost and I did promise I would do it this last week.

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)