Finnabair Goes to Harrogate

Been a busy few days getting things ready for the Harrogate show. Must admit I had forgotten it was Friday and Saturday when it is usually Sat/Sunday so we had booked in at our usual hostelry (via a hotel booking website) and found problems changing the dates.  At the time of writing we have not a clue what is happening and might have to stay an extra night.  Doh!

Anyway, since returning from our little weekend for my birthday up north I have had a hectic two days producing samples.  Here is one of my Finnabair tags and two cards, which I did at the club in readiness for the show, when we had a workshop with my bestie, Paul.

First the tag:

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Using the 'Don't Forget to Fly' and a circle from 'Trust the Magic' with a tiny butterfly popped proud on her head - all coloured with Twinkling H2o's.

Using the figure image from 'Now is the Right Time' and a diecut frame on a background shaded with Fired Brick and Dried Marigold Distress Inks.

Again the colour comes from a mix of Distress Inks and the images are from the 'Don't Forget to Fly' set.

I will leave it there but upload more another day.  Don't want to overload with pictures do we.

Hugs and hoping to see you there (I'll be on the Oyster Stamps stand remember, so do say hello).

WOYWW 301

Phew!  This really is last minute today.  So busy.  Got to get some samples done for Harrogate for FRIDAY.  Dopey me thought the show was Saturday and Sunday as usual, forgot it had changed to Friday and Saturday so have lost a day.

Went to Vicky Stampers on Saturday and made some cards under the guidance of Paul who chose to do CAS and what a great time we had. The objective was to make 8 cards and each one different.  I completed three but did some backgrounds for some more which I finished off at home later that evening.  Didn't do the different backgrounds though so have some still to do.

This is my desk, staged so that I could upload them to the group

My desk this morning does not look like this but I cannot show it to you as it is full of work for Friday for the show and it wouldn't be fair on Tracey and Graham if I was to put it on display today.  More to be done so onwards and upwards - must get crafting.

The reddish card on the left and the one with the blue/green circles on the right are both for the show though as they feature the new Finnabair stamps which I will be using in my demo along with all the other stuff that is Finn.

If you came here from the Stamping Ground you know what to do next, if not you need to click here and you can see loads of loveliness that is WOYWW.  See you around, and if you go to the show pop by and say "Hi".

WOYWW 300

Well, here we are with the three hundredth edition of What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday!  Did Julia know that she would have a band of faithful followers joining her from around the world and showing their desks for three hundred weeks?  That is nearly six years!  Wonder how many of her faithful followers have been with her all that time.

I joined in on the 29th July, 2010 - it wasn't a Wednesday and it was 13.15 so I wasn't in any rush, obviously, to try to get the number 1 spot.  A bit like now when I seem to sleep until around 8 am each Wednesday morning.  I try not to miss a week and don't think I ever have but I hold my hand up if someone can tell me I have missed the odd one.

Well, you came to see my desk - bit of an untidy mess as I have just dumped all my stuff from weekend on it.  Been busy sorting out my hardware from Finnabair workshops in the past on the dining room table so what with shopping (food) and that I have not had time to move anything and honestly, it is not staged.  Just propped things up to make sure they were completely dry.

On the deck are two of my journal pages and the covers of my t-bag journal are stood up at the back.  Lorraine and I did not get our third page done as we got the news that there was snow all the way from Wolverton to Manchester.  Those of you who know the M62 will know that it can be pretty bad around the Summit which is the highest motorway section in England and pretty open and bleak.

The journal and its pages were the Sunday workshop, the Saturday morning one is hanging on my wall behind me (sorry) but I will show it to you another time along with closeups of my pages and cover when I put it all together.  Here's a photo of the group Saturday morning

It was lovely to do a workshop with Ania again and this was a 'first' for Lorraine and myself with a Sue Tucker workshop.  Should really say they are terrible so that none of you reading will want to go on one, thereby leaving a space for me (and Lorraine), but in all honesty I could not be so nasty.  I have yet to see anyone put as much into organising a workshop as Sue does.

The details were above and beyond - craft matted boards to work on, cloths to dry your hands on, small buckets of water, everything you could want - and that is not to mention the drinks (hot and cold) and the massively massive basket of choccie biscuits you could just help yourself to.

A massive big 'Thank You' to Sue and her helpers (hubby and Debbie who had her birthday on Sunday).  Here is the lady herself presenting Debbie with a cake to the tune of 'Happy Birthday' from the room:

I'll leave you now so you can dash off to see what others have to say and show you this anniversary morn.  Pop back soon if you want to see what I did - I will be uploading this weekend.

Happy 300th Everyone!!

Guess Where I Am

If I show you a card I made - before I set off I hasten to add - it might give you a clue as to where I am at this precise moment (yes, this is a scheduled post):

Yeah!  It's a Finnabair stamp (from Oyster Stamps at the Leigh weekend) and I am with the lady herself!!  I am on another Finnabair weekend but this time in Stockton on Tees.

Went up with Lorraine on Friday and home again after a class this morning and one all day on Sunday.  Can't wait to get there and see what we are going to make.

The card above?  Well, it is a birthday card for my dil - no worries they never go on my blog - do they know I have one?  Neither of them like handmade cards, well mine, but I thought I would try this new stamp out.  Just did some Distress Inks for the background and then painted some circles with H2o's, and there is a tiny gem in the bottom right hand corner.

Oh, it's Sam's birthday Tuesday.

Will have to see what I do with the other stamps - watch this space - I have three sets ... at the moment ...

Artful Times New Challenge - Birds

Well, we managed to have a few more entries last time and we are hoping for more for this one as Wendy has chosen "Birds".  I think everyone likes birds and I was delighted not long ago to see a woodpecker visiting us again.  He was having a good old go at the branch - wonder if it is the same one we saw once before?  Today it looks as if the Coal Tits are back, we really need to get another nesting box up and I am hoping they still get fed each morning as I am away with a friend of mine this weekend. More on that another day.

Here is my little card

I made this for this challenge but with the idea of sending it off to someone to let them know I was thinking of her.  Lost it!  Honestly, that's the second or third thing I have totally misplaced recently. Found it when it was too late and I had had to make another card - under the cover of the scanner. Why did I not think to look there!

I cannot remember who makes this stamp, looks like an Inkadinkadoo to me.  I stamped and embossed it in black and then coloured in with a tiny paintbrush and my H2o's.  I chose those because of the great colours they come in and also because of the sparkle they give.

Luckily I found some paper which co-ordinated very well with the colour on the flower and I just left it plain with just the mount as I am sure the person it was intended for would prefer a CAS card to a fussy one.

Why not pop along to Artful Times and see what our Guest Designer came up with this time.  It is the second time for Chris and I would like to thank her for joining us and hope she enjoyed making the cards as much as we enjoyed seeing them.

WOYWW 299

Today I am showing you my alternative desk because the other one does not really have anything on it.

This one has some of the things I brought home with me from Leigh Show at weekend.  The heartshaped pieces and the circles (that have squares underneath them) are waiting for me to Gesso them and then I am making some sets up ready as samples for the show at Harrogate in March.  Can you just see something at the side of the bowl - well that is a coaster set and hopefully in a week or two I will have something made up to show you.  It's a great bargain at only £5 and you get six coasters and a little box type thing to stand them in.  Great for kids to decorate for Mothers or Grandmothers for birthday presents, or Mother's Day which is just around the corner.

Underneath the heart is my spray booth and above it is a lovely design from Poppy Stencils which I managed to acquire as I wandered around the show.  The little pot with the green circle on is a teabag with strong tea in it ready for my dripping down a canvas that I am hoping to do.  In the bowl?

Gesso, Glue N' Seal and the most fantastic sprays.  They are by Prima, have Mica in them and I just fell in love with them.  OK so I have lots of Mica sprays - yes, but these do not seem to clog up.  I shook one when I first got it from the shelf to activate it but then at the end of two days all I needed to do was rock it from left to right and back again and it sprayed brilliantly.  At only £4.50 I can see me buying lots.  Maybe I will work for nothing at Harrogate and just spend my wages on sprays!

These are on my real table in my craft room.  Two sets of stamps by Ryn and two of Finnabair's stencils.  I forgot to take a photo of her stamps that I got - you can wait until next week though and maybe then I will have some samples for you.  Two more stencils too - but I cannot find them - BUT I DID FIND MY BLACK BOX LAST WEEK (put away in the correct drawer - but I forgot I had designated this drawer for more Hearfelt Creations stuff).

All of these goodies are courtesy of Oyster Stamps who I was working for, well, it is supposed to be work but it was like 'playtime heaven' for me with all the new Finnbair stuff to use.  What a wonderful boss Tracey is to let me loose with this lot.  Remember to call back next week to see what I have done with an image or two from Finnabair.

In the meantime go along to the stamping ground and see what Julia has to offer and then mosey on down to some other desks - a great time will be had I can assure you.

WOYWW 298

Well, my desk is completely bare.  Looks tidy but it isn't, there is stuff all over the place and I have lost my Sunflowers and my mats to do my flowers on.  Not a clue where to look but they are in a smallish black box somewhere.  Anyway - here are the cards I was making last week

and todays desk?

Went for a stroll around the lake at a local park on Sunday to see the local bird life.  Not as many geese and swans as usual but the seagulls - they took over. They would soar and swoop and then all come back and sit on these posts, starting with the one furthest on the left and working up to the right of the photo.

This handsome swan would not turn for a photograph but stood on the small lake edge having a a preening session.

and I wore my flat cap in true Northern style

What a lovely day, and early February.

Now to hop over to Julia's blog and see what she has been up to - loved the magpie picture she showed yesterday.  See you there!