CHA - Need to Get to Bed

It has gone 10 pm an d I was having an early night but got side tracked washing my brushes out from my last class and downloading  photos.  Got a class starts at 8 AM tomorrow so need to get some sleep.

Been a busy day.  Started off meeting up with my lovely Oyster Family.  Tracey, Graham and this time Sam and Amy and no twins.  Went for a coffee at lunch time with them and it was so nice and made me realise just how I miss them when we have gone a couple of months or so.  Will see them again tomorrow and then probably they will be leaving as they usually do a couple of days or so.

Had a word with Chameleon pens and told them I thought it bad that a UK product was not available for a whole year (especially as I had sung their praises to you all last year) and now it is only available through a TV channel.  Good news is, the guy said they will be available through other channels (not tv ones) from June onwards - and the refills will be available in March.

Did an Oil Pastel Smudge class with Carol Foldvary-Anderson today and I loved it.  The ends of my fingers are sore from smudging but I loved the technique and want to perfect it when I get home.  Did a Faber Castell Class tonight and came back with a GIANT CANVAS which I think Mary might have to have - too large to take home.

Saw Anna (Finnabair) and Di (Reavley) today on the Ranger stand - got a photo of Di but not of Anna (will see about it tomorrow).

Anyway, did not get as much sight seeing as I thought I would done today but here are some photos:

You all want to see Sir Tim?  Look at the new slim him

Got him and Wendy together

Di

and some Ranger Work on Display

Oil Pastel Smudge class this morning

horses on leather

This was Carol showing us how to do it through the mirror balanced above

And now - My Canvas (and dirty hands)

Faber Castell tonight

Night Night - more tomorrow!

Anaheim and First Project

Well today saw us heading for Anaheim where we are to see what CHA has to offer to the crafting world this coming year.  I didn't have a class today until 6.00 pm and as the show does not open (the floor) until tomorrow there was not a great deal to do.

So we went to Downtown Disney:

these were all taken as we left the Conference Centre

and this was a Banyan tree on the Way To Downtown Disney

The Creole Restaurant in Downtown Disney

Me with The Beast in Lego

Minnie Wa Wa

Ice Cream Face

And now the Project

An Album made with Tammy Tuttrow

We used a preprinted canvas album and added some images using rub ons and then various pieces such as a tape measure, a film strip, words, feathers and lovely ribbon.  There are some charms hanging by the ribbon but I will have to show you them some other time.  

Need to go to sleep now as I have to be "up and at 'em" in the morning - floor to be walked tomorrow!

WOYWW 292

Don't give up on me, I am still hoping to comment for last week on all those who commented on my post.  Thanks everyone!

Well, the workshops went ok at the weekend, think we had 12 on the Saturday and 14 on the Sunday. What a nice lot of new friends and how lovely to see old friends again, it was a great if tiring, weekend for me.  Think I had my best sleep ever on Sunday evening as I woke with my eyes all puffed up the next day.

This is Andrea who spotted me with my camera and gave me a lovely smile.  Cindy is the other person sitting at the table and that is Nancy who is stood behind.

This is Mary who won at Texas Hold 'Em the other week, she's a mean player but a real softie underneath.  The guy is my friend's BIL who had come to do the trash can and that is Mary who I am staying with in the blue, partly obliterated by Karen.  The huge cake was made by Stephanie to celebrate Bonnie's birthday and arrived with candles and a huge stick with Happy Birthday on it.

Carole (with an 'e' as in Carole Lombard) is an old friend and I will most likely be wandering around CHA with her as my companion - we usually walk around together a lot.

This is Carrie, Mary's youngest

Rose

Stephanie

Sandy

Nancy helping Lily with a die cut

Mimi, Andrea and Cindee with her back to us

Stephanie, Cathy and Bonnie in Blue

Karen and Mary with their backs to us

Most of the ladies did their own design of card rather than the ones I had done as samples (what does that say about my samples?) but didn't they do well with the flowers?  These are all ladies who had never done a flower or anything like this before.

The Sunflower one above was like the sample

I think they did rather well!

So you see, when I am over here I have lots of desks, despite this next one being a shot of the workshop area which I have been using as a dumping area.  The book on the right is what a friend gave me for Christmas and which I intend to fill with watercolour paintings.  

I actually got three lovely books, brought this smallest one to America because of weight issues and now I am hoping to use it.  Chas also bought me my birthday present this morning - well, it hasn't arrived yet but when it does I will put it in the case and save it until the appropriate date.  That might get used in one of the books after March has been.

Sorry Julia for wittering on but I just had to include all the ladies I could (some had left before I got my camera out) - I will now send everyone over to see your desk and then they can visit all the others.

CHA for me on Friday - the show opens Saturday - hope I can get some pictures whilst I am there but expect a bonanza next Wednesday!

WOYWW 291 Happy New Year Everyone

Oh, I cannot believe I have been in America for a full week.  The time is going to go so quickly and before I know it I will be heading back home to the snow - no more sunshine!

We have done so much and yet I have been doing lots of crafting.  Went to a Christmas Eve meal (fabulous), had our own (huge) Christmas Day Brunch, been to a "Texas Hold 'Em" evening (is that how you spell it?) and it is almost the New Year.  Been to Walmarts too but not been to a craft store as yet.  No worries, there are some on the horizon.  And CHA is not far away - be sure to look in then.

This coming weekend I have two workshops where I am showing them how to mold flowers, or is it 'mould flowers'.  This is my desk at the present - just a portion of a huge desk that I have taken over.

 



Here are some of the flowers I have been working on over the past few days

 

 



 

 Now I just have to come up with a couple of cards for them to make so they can choose which flowers to use to adorn their creations and someone has requested a "rose" so I have to perfect one of those.  (Funny thing is that when I did cake icing and learned how to make flowers from pastillage I detested making roses, I felt mine looked like cabbages..  I feel the same about the paper ones - but I will persevere and try.)

Want to see what others have planned for 2015?  Head on over to Head Honcho Julia and see what is going on in various parts of the world.  But before you do may I take this opportunity to wish you all a VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR and may your year be filled with lots of friendship, love and happiness.

WOYWW 290 and A Merry Christmas to You All

Well, I am all inside out and upside down - and only just, as I was dropping asleep, realised that it is Wednesday morning and WOYWW will be publishing any time.  Visit here to see what I am talking about if you don't know.

Well, not got a desk to show you as I am so pooped I cannot get out of bed to take a photograph but I can show you a photograph I took earlier today.

and one from tonight

Some of you may know, and some of you may realise that I am not at home.  This Christmas we are spending it in quite a different way - we are in California, sunny California - quite different from home and the first time we have had a warm Christmas.

Only arrived yesterday, and it is still Tuesday here so I am totally muddled and still suffering a bit of jet-lag although the main jet lag will be when I get back home. 

Tomorrow will be spent getting ready for the visitors, as our friend Mary, has Open House on Christmas Day and we can expect anywhere between 50 and 75 people.  Phew!  So I must get to sleep and then I can be of some use to her as we try to get some things done in readiness.  Tomorrow night, or I guess I mean tonight, we are out at her Sisters for Christmas Eve with party games.

Expect more pictures as the days go on but for now I am craving sleep.  We were up, unpacking at 4 am and have been out for a meal with her nephew and family tonight.

Have a Wonderful Christmas every one of you and see you here for New Year's Eve if not before.

Merry Christmas came early

Just before we left for Manchester we had a visitor to our garden and I was thrilled to bits as we have only seen him once before and that was months ago.  May not seem a big deal to a lot of you but I was ecstatic.

Hope he does not start on the blue tit box as they are nesting, or getting ready.  He was sniffing around it later before he took off.

The first time I saw him, a few months ago, he was closer to the house (this time on a tree on the perimeter of the front garden) and I had not a clue what he was.  Rang a friend of mine who is keen on birds and she told me it was a woodpecker.  I was blown away - but he only stayed a short while so no photos.  Imagine my delight today when he stayed, knocking hell out of that branch by the look of it. Lots of piccies!

Must look up and read about Woodpeckers.

WOYWW 289

Well, it is almost Christmas so I hope you have all got your cards in the postboxes and things are coming together for you.  I said last week that I thought I would have some cards left over - ha ha ha - needed another 38 so it was back in the craft room.  Some got photographed and some didn't as I was rushed so here is a selection for you of the ones I did manage to snap.

the two with the flowers are extensions on one I did earlier - I think I did about five of these - still not in the mood for making really elaborate ones so I guess one of these is for my GP.

I have done quite a few cards with a black background card - the poinsettia ones above are also black cardstock.

I've actually taken two off from the photo of these as I realised the one by the side of the vodka drinker might be a tad too rude for some to take in this morning.  Anyway, this concludes my card making for this year except there were some die cut ones that I just didn't get photographed. Definitely CAS ones.

Guess what someone said to me yesterday?  "I bet it's not that much cheaper to make your own than buy them" - makes me wonder if it is worth all the hours it takes to make the cards, buy the products and the envelopes when you can pick them up for a song in the January sales.  Don't think I will be making as many next time!

Right, off to see what everyone else has to say via Julia, Desk Queen - next week will be Christmas Eve so I wonder just how many will still be posting.  Will I?  Will have to wait and see.

Merry Christmas!

ps thank you to Julia, Jan, Shaz in Oz and Darnell for their lovely Christmas cards.  Muchly appreciated and loved!