WOYWW 249 - picture heavy

Just a quickie as I almost forgot to do a post before I went to bed (it's just gone midnight) as I will probably be up late in the morning now.

Here is a giveaway

and here is a quick showing of what it looks like when used

I am giving this away at Easter to one lucky follower from my 336 followers (not the Bloglovin ones as I haven't a clue how to include them).  If you are a Bloglovin follower and want to be included you can still join in by putting yourself in the old list (I think) now.  Failing that email me please.  Any new followers on the old list will also be included.  Just mention in your comment that you would like to be included in the draw.

Have been away for my birthday and so my desk is bare but here are some little figures I got whilst in Whitby ready for my Configuration Box which I have been wanting to make for simply ages.   Trouble is I have lost my 'skull with rams horns' which I could swear was sat on my other configuration box and now is NOT!

Am really looking forward to starting it but not sure when that will be so watch out for news of it.  In the meantime here are some photos from the Guest House where we stayed in Whitby.

This guy stood outside my bedroom door the whole weekend.  He tried to tempt me with sweeties everytime I went past but I stayed away - there was a coffin next to him and I did not fancy going in there.

 This bat took rather a fancy to me - it was on my bed!

Loved the Gothic mirror in the bedroom

and how about this bedside lamp?

Breakfast by candlelight in the cellar

and no trip to Whitby would be complete without a picture of

The Abbey

or the Whalebone (given by the Municipality of Anchorage Alaska)

That's it for now folks.  Will upload some more pictures and give a bit more blurb about our weekend away - including photos of "Heartbeat" country another day.  In the meantime pop over to see what our lovely Julia has to say and look out for lots of other desks and chit chat.

I'll be working on the Oyster Stamps stand at Harrogate this coming weekend.  If you are going please pop along and say "hello" to me - I would love to meet you.  I'll try to remember to wear my badge.  (See you then Joan)

WOYWW 248

Well, two days ago I decided I was going to seriously tidy my craft room.  This was after I could not find my Sharpies to take to Vicky Stampers with me to show them how to colour dominoes.  Still cannot find them and all I have sorted out are two boxes of Christmas Stamps.  So much for a "grand tidy up"!

Thought I would show you some of the dominoes I took with me to the Club:

At the back you can see an Alice bracelet I once made from dominoes and next to it is an Asian themed bracelet.  Do you remember the domino craze?  If so do you remember how suddenly those bamboo placemats became the latest thing.  We pulled them apart and stamped on them just like we had done with dominoes.  Just below that bracelet is the matching pendant I made.  To the right of that is a wine charm made with a travel domino and to the left is a large square one but I cannot remember where it came from.

Can you see another Alice themed trio?  That was a moment of madness when I used to demonstrate stamping on these game pieces.  Three dominoes joined together to make a hanging pendant with a large stamped image.  Oh how I used to love doing my doms!

But that is not my desk.  Nope!  This is my desk awaiting the magic of the clearing/cleaning fairy.  She keeps promising to come to see us but never arrives.  Wonder if she will make it before the week is out.  No chance this morning as I am having my hair cut - at last. 

Just bags dumped from Saturday, at least one has been emptied but I can't say everything has been put away, in fact it looks as if there is very little back in its hidey hole.

Ah well, maybe some other lovely crafters have been busy crafting or tidying up.  Want to see?  Pop along to Julia's place and see them all listed there.  Go on, you know you want to - grab a chair, have a cuppa and just enjoy.  Oh, and if you join in please please please put your number when you visit others, makes life so much easier to return the comment.

Artful Times Challenge - Anything Goes

Well, whilst I have been away the girls on Artful Times have been busy and now I am playing catch up with them  This week the challenge was "Anything Goes" which I always find a bit intimidating because I have a free reign and I prefer to be 'reigned in a bit'.  Pop on over to see what Chrissie and Von have done for their Anything Goes.

As Mr Mojo has gone walk-abouts since my return from America I have really been struggling to do anything except sit and watch TV or just vegitate.  However at the beginning of this week I had to pull my finger out and do something. 

A quick look on my untidy desk at the things I had brought back from America revealed a pile of envelopes I had made whilst there with the Envelope Board.  All different sizes and colours.  It just wanted putting together so I bought some gift wrapping paper to make my cover (12 x 12 was not big enough) and here is the result.  Front page picture (card) courtesy of the Ranger Make and Take stand.

On the back I made a gusseted pocket because the menu from the flight home would not fit in one of the envelopes.  I did have to trim it top, bottom and sides to make it fit in this pocket any way.

 

You may recognise the decoration as being from one of the new Tim Holtz dies as featured on my blog last Wednesday.  This die will be being offered shortly as candy so watch out for it.  Only for my supporters as I feel it is about time they got something from following me.

 

I put another gusseted pocket on the inside of the front to put the cocktail and wine card from the flight and also the instructions from Ranger when I made the card.

 

 

Well, so far no envelopes, hold on they are coming.   This is an envelope book I came across on You Tube by Gentleman Jim - I made a small one as per his instructions for Mary with the Envelope Maker for her sample box - this one is for me to put all my memorabilia from America in.  You know how you collect those till receipts and tickets etc and then don't know what to do with them or you scrap them if you are a scrapper - well this is now going to be my method of keeping these bits.

Here are the envelopes, this time all sizes muddled up

 

I can't wait to fill each envelope with some of the things I brought back with me, and hopefully one or two photos to remind us of this trip.

My friend, Debi, in America has given me a link to another envelope book which I am eager to make so watch this space, more envelopes coming up in a while.

WOYWW 247

Gosh only three more weeks and we will be at 250 - another milestone.

Who are WE?  Pop along to the stamping ground and find out all about it and how to join in.  In the meantime I am showing you a little bit of my desk.  Only a bit because there is nothing of any interest to show you as I have lost my mojo a bit.

There's a big sheet of wrapping paper on my desk waiting for me to use it to cover some card for a book cover.  Been there since Sunday!  Some fan folded card because I did a photo of something for someone, two of my favourite 'C' Cards received this year and a card I made at CHA with the Ranger folks.

Then there is a die from Ranger and some cut out bits from when I used it.  I am going to offer this die as candy soon so keep an eye out for a post going up about it.  It is my favourite one from the new ones TH brought out this time.

Rightio, off to bed now, scheduling this post as I am tending to sleep longer in a morning and not have as many "get ups" in the night.  Look forward to seeing some of you at Julia's tomorrow morning.

WOYWW 246

Gosh, that came around quickly this week!

Thanks for all your good wishes, sadly the cv did not work last Thursday but I have lost 24 lbs in fluid so am feeling much better.  In fact I am back to normal (if I ever was normal LOL) and fighting fit once again - watch out!

Not been much in the mood for crafting but had to get my finger out and make something for my friend Naomi's birthday as I am seeing her today.  This is the first time she will have had a commercial card from me in years (boo hoo) but I will make a belated one at some time.

Here's my desk on show for all you WOYWW'ers and Ms Julia the Queen of Desks of course

There is a canvas in process of being made, it is actually finished now but I haven't taken a photograph as yet.  This is to go in the drawer I showed in my last post, for Naomi, for her birthday.  Feels strange not buying her something although I did have to buy all the materials I used.  Hope she likes it.

Right, will leave it there for now as I am tired and need to go to bed early, hence the scheduled post.  See you all in the morning.

Night Night, God Bless (especially to those suffering from illness or the weather conditions)

A Box

This is a box I started way way back when I went on an Ali-Craft workshop in Chirk with my dear friend Lorraine.  I chose the colour and the femininity of it because it was in my mind to make it for my friend, Naomi, who has a birthday tomorrow.

Well, good intentions do not always come about for me and it is still not really just how I want it to be.  I intend doing a picture to go inside of her lovely little daughter and just have the weekend to get it all finished.

It fits in perfectly with the theme for Artful Times so here is my box:

Hope she likes it!

Pop along to the Artful Times Blog to see what the other two have done and then get your entry ready.

WOYWW 245

Back home in good old Blighty!  No more the sunshine, if only I could package some of the rain we have had and send it to my friend.  Mind you, the day we left it began raining just after she had dropped us off and when she got home it poured down for the rest of the day.  Maybe we did some good.

It has been terrible to see the devastation that some people have gone through, we did get a limited report whilst away but to see it on our own news makes you realise just how terribly some folks have suffered. I wonder if there is anything we could do - all I can think of is sending Thinking of You cards?

Well, for once we hit it lucky on the return journey.  On the way out we had had our seats changed from the back ones (which we always prefer) to some in the middle.  Imagine how I felt when I was informed at the boarding gate coming home that we had had our seats changed.  We had been upgraded.  We had those seats which convert into beds - that meant I could keep my badly swollen legs on a level with my body.  Could not have come at a better time.

We were greeted with champagne, then when the meal was about to be served, despite my "no alcohol" promise to myself I had a Kir Royale, followed by a small glass of Pouilly-Fume and an Otard VSOP Cognac to finish off with.  I guess you want to know what I had to eat - Heirloom tomatoes with buffalo mozzarella and olives (am not keen on smoked salmon) a fresh salad served with vinaigrette, Pan-roasted jumbo scallops with caramelised baby fennel, roasted pattypan squash, fondant potatoes and piquillo-baslsamic sauce.  For dessert we both chose the cheese and biscuits but the pumpkin cheese cake looked wonderful.

All served on beautiful china with linen napkins, silverware etc.

Well, you came here to see my desk, not have me showing off - so here it is - with loads of sweets I brought back and some fabric I could not resist.

Since my return, Friday, I have been in hospital for a day whilst they sorted my medication out, been to clinic today and had medication upped again all in preparation for my cardio version on Thursday.  I put two stone on with water retention (have now lost 6 lb of it but need to lose more by Thursday) and my INR's are too low meaning the blood is too thick which could delay the procedure as it is potentially dangerous.  Just hoping and praying I get it done as I can do very little at the moment and walk only about two yards without stopping to catch my breath.

Will do my best to visit as many desks as possible, in the meantime have a lovely week.  Stay safe and visit our glorious leader, Ms Julia to see who else joins in.