WOYWW 319

Spare Desk with work on it - other desk coming up - full of memorabilia at the moment.

This is my desk in the Utility Room.  I have some canvasses (5 of them) started days ago and at the moment only with crackle medium on, layered through a stencil.  Other things got rather in the way.

To the left is my Dangling Book and further along my small painty Dylusion Journal.  In front, just for you dear Readers, is the last page in my "new" Black and White Journal (which is basically three sheets of A3 card put together)  I say 'last page' rather tongue in cheek as none of the pages are in a state of completion.  I am trying out a couple of Zentangle patterns but the designs are not very evenly done - the rest is free hand or done through a stencil.  This was from a workshop I took on Saturday when I went with my friend Lorraine.  I really like the idea and am afraid my painty journal will be getting neglected whilst this is on, but I have plans for making a smaller one too!

Eliza & Yoda

A favourite card and her wonderful envelopes

Now the reason for my using this other desk is that I have been trying to think of what to say and so I was looking at some of the things Eliza sent me in the past, hoping for inspiration.  I now realise just how staged my normal desk must look but it was just me trying to find some of the things to help me with this post.  It came as a great shock to hear, on Friday, of Eliza's passing two days before (thanks Robyn for letting me know) as I always thought this lovely lady was larger than life and would certainly be around long after me.

I put an excerpt from an email that she once sent to me on the Flat Susan Blog telling me about her Christmases and how she held big parties which always made me think, no, know, she must be a fantastic mum, friend and boss.  I can only begin to imagine what her employees have gone through since her passing because I am sure they loved her as much as everyone else did.  We know that her family and her best friend DeDe are completely bereft and I think there have been quite a few tears shed by bloggers who got to know this incredible lady.  Our thoughts and prayers are with you all in Australia, we know how much you must be hurting.

I will miss her, we all will, but I hope that in time Myrene can carry on with part of her inheritance, "the Queenartoypia Blog", but in the meantime we will all have to manage without our friend and her little cat Yoda.

Thoughts and prayers are with her family, with her fur babies and with her Bestie, DeDe.  Eliza, if you are looking down on us your heart must be full with all the love that is being poured out through Blogland today.  RIP my friend, you are so missed.

A Card for Lorraine and a Pregnancy

Now which should I show you first - the card I sent to Lorraine or the new mummy to be?

This was a card I made for Lorraine who had just lost one of her old friends.  I say 'old' in that they had known one another for quite some time when in fact the friend was not old in age at all  Such a shame.  Thought butterflies were appropriate for this card and I know Lorraine likes them so hope she liked the card.

Now, I was working at Newark the other week and was dem'ing Finnabair/Prima products so decided that I would begin the weekend with making a canvas.  I thought I was using a photograph of Brian, the newest addition to the Holt family house but in fact it was Lucy, and I was told a little secret.  She is pregnant.  I was asked to keep this quiet but noticed the other day on Facebook that the information has been released so it is safe to post on here (I hope).

If you pop along to Oyster Stamps you will find that they have a huge range of products for you to make your own canvasses in the style of Finnabair - have fun!

WOYWW 318

Cannot believe I blogged three times last week after my post on WOYWW.  I must have been in a real crafting mood.  Mind you, I love my Dylusions 'Painty' Journal (decided that one little journal is going to be Dylusions paint and nothing else and Dylusion stamps/stencils and nothing else).  My new big journal and another small one will be more experimental and will have paint inks and various other things in it.

Here's another share (page)

Sorry, you really came here to see my desk.  My journal is tucked away to my left along with another craze that I am hoping to get into - Dangling?  Well that is my name for it and it is something my lovely friend Liz got me into along with Zentangling which I must pursue.  I got some new pens for the Dangles when I called in Ikea on Saturday on my way home from the Bargello class (see below).

This is my desk to the left after a Dangling session when I was looking for a brown gel pen - not got one so used a glittery one - well, I am impatient.

My gel pens including my new neon ones and I see Jo's recipe is in the front for a Quinoa salad.  The purple ended pencil case has my black and white journalling pens in and the yellow one at the back has my drawing pencils in.  But where are my felt tips?  

Starting at the back - my box for my Dylusion stamps and images already cut out, my new BIG journal and some pages we took out (from Dyan's class the other week), my baby wipes in the white box.  On top is my Dangle book, small journal and new small journal.  Think that is it.

 Desk I am working on

As soon as I sort out my pens (they go into two pencil cases but I can't remember how I divide them, need to get thinking) I will begin on this canvas.  My bag has lots of Finnabair products in ready to use and is my 'bag to go' when I am dem'ing at the shows.  The yellow thing is a cheap photo frame I got from Ikea (£!) which was white until I got it home and alcohol inked it and to the right of that are some images I stamped which are waiting to go on cards in readiness for birthdays etc.  Can anyone guess what style, or whose style, the canvas will be in?

Monkee and Katie Koala are still watching what I do and I am surprised that bath robe has not got sprayed before now.  Are they watching me or keeping their eyes on the Cola Bottles I wonder.

Had some happy post this week - an atc from Dolores - well worth sharing - and sharing the pretty card that came with it with news of her and Alan inside.

Isn't that pretty!

Rightio, I will leave it there and hop on over to Julia's blog to see what she has to say whilst sunning herself, and who else has linked up this morning.  Hope folks remember to put their number down, it makes it so much easier to comment on their blog when returning a visit.  See you there!

Bargello with Vicky

Victoria Stampers that is ... I, and one or two others, refer to the club as Vicky Stampers, probably an affectionate tone used whilst saying and shortening.

Well, these are some of my samples from Saturday

Two cards

An Asian feel and 3 simple squares

A bit more traditional Bargello

and a pretty present

Simple leftovers

Bargello boxes and a gift card

A kimono and a diamond (lost one piece)

As you can see I had lots of samples to show them, all left over from a workshop I once did before (glad I saved them).  This was my display

Here are some of the ladies in action

and Sheila made these two (amongst others)

Sheila is a fast learner and fast at crafting so she always makes us smile because she is often on number 4 of whatever we are doing whilst the rest of us are still on number one.

If any of you are in the Warrington area we meet first Saturday of each month (unless Bank Holiday) at 10 am at Padgate, we would love to have some of you join us.

Busy Busy Busy

Oh Gosh, hasn't it been hot again - we moan when it is cool, we moan when it is hot, but yesterday I had to get some birthday cards done so I found the heat a bit hampering.

Last weekend Tracey (Oyster Stamps) gave me some Crealies Modern Patchwork Dies to have a play with and Friday was the first time I had chance to give them a go.  Well, nothing on You Tube to show me what to do with them all so cut, cut, cut.  Made a hash of it with the first attempt and then realised I did not have to use all the shapes.

Checked some blogs and found that they did not use all of them. Tracey wanted me to use them differently to how others had used them - so here we are - two birthday cards for friends which will be delivered today in readiness for their birthdays later this month. Neither of them check my blog so I know I am ok to post.  I did do two others but as they had to be mailed out I forgot to take a photograph.

Black circle on white square card with clear stones

sorry it is a bit skewy, it is a white card with black stones

(just photographed on black)

As you can see I went for black and white for my first cards using these shapes.  Not sure what I will be doing next with them - watch this space.

The tutor we had lined up for today has had to cancel and so on Tuesday we found ourselves without anyone to teach the class. Luckily I had a Bargello class ready (ie samples and boards) so I asked if they wanted me to step in, which is a bit why I have been busy. Just hope I can remember how to do it 'cos that is where I am today.  I'll take some photos and post them tomorrow.

What are you doing today?

Addicted to Journalling

Ever since I did that class with Dyan and was introduced to her paints I have become an addict!!!  I am obsessed with doing pages so I can doodle with my white or black pen, and then colouring in those gorgeous images she has.

I just got my stamps back (loaned to a friend) so I have been busy finishing off some pages.  I say "finishing off" but in reality a lot of them will still have more work on them.  Dyan said she often has several pages in differing stages of completion.  I have not quite come to terms with words, either what to put that is witty or how to do really special writing.

Here are a couple, especially for a fellow WOYWW'er - Diane

 Need to add something in that gap but not sure if I want words or something else here.

Dia de Muertos?

Unrelated pages or a duo?

Well, that is it for now as I have to get ready for a workshop at Vicky Stampers.  Bargello anyone?

An Embarrassing 105 - WOYWW 317

I cannot believe it, we are in July already so that means it is almost the countdown to that C word and here in the north of England and at last the sun has come out - with a vengeance (hot or what?)

I am hanging my head in shame.  I have been counting the number of spray inks I have in my craft room.  This all started when Wendy saw them and tried to use one or two of the Mica ones last week (having now had them lying on their side they do work - thanks for the tip Dyan).  Also I wanted to spray a couple of canvasses in readiness for the show at Newark so they all came out.

As it was reasonably nice weather I took them outside and left them in the utility room afterwards just in case I wanted to do some more when I got back.  I have just brought them into my craft room as I am going to sort them out into different containers (ones that don't/won't squirt; ones that can stand up, ones that can't).  Want a peek?

Wish you could see the lovely glistening colours on this kitchen roll that I used for testing out the spray nozzles.  They really have lots of shimmer - saving it for die-cutting some flowers.

There is a total of 105!  Ouch!  And that is not counting the Luminarte Primary Elements powders I have for making my own up (16 colours at the moment) or the five Prima Color Blooms that I took with me in my bag for the weekend.

I am going to use some of them up on my various journals that hang around in various stages and I am going to spray some of the 12 x 12 papers that I just do not like - having put Gesso first on them I find you get some gorgeous colours.  They can then be used to make into books which I love doing and, now I have seen The Fuse (click for link to Oyster Stamps) in action, my head is full of ideas. Watch this space!  Just in case you haven't seen what The Fuse does you should click here.

Weekend saw me up in Newark working and I met up with Angela @Felix the Crafty Cat which was lovely so this time we had a photo taken.

It was so nice to have a hug with a fellow WOYWW'er.  Hi Angela!

Was going to show you some more journal pages but I have got rather a lot on here so I will leave them for another time.

Wonder what others are confessing to - or showing - pop along to Julia's blog and follow the links.