355 - WOYWW That Is

Here we are again, and I am wondering if our glorious founder is going to be up to posting or has passed the mantle to her fab friend, LLJ.  Thinking of you both and praying for a 'soon result' for you, Julia.

Well, I really must keep on showing my desk so here it is, in all its glory full of Distress stuff in preparation for a workshop I am hoping to do at some time.

Why it takes me quite so long to do something I will never know.  The book in the foreground is full of sample tags showing different techniques you can do with Distress Inks.  On the left hand side of the book are some samples of colour mixes and to the right are some samples where I have 'bleached' out with water having used diecut negatives.  Spot the dirty babywipe!  And Margaret's lovely box is still there waiting for 'time' to do her challenge by using some of the things inside to create something.

You can see to the far right of the picture my sets of Mini Distress Inks - I think I have them all now but will need to get the reinkers for the newer colours before they run out with so much use.  I love those tins and it is so convenient to have the sponges tucked underneath the inks themselves and all stored in the mini tins.  So handy for carrying around with you.  Lastly you can see my full sized inks with their new labels - I don't have all colours in this size but no doubt I will acquire them before too long (despite swearing I would not be lured into buying the new colours LOL).  Think my "mucky" heat gun needs a new coat of alcohol inks don't you?

Below I thought I would give you a view of the wall to the right of my workspace (above).  As you can see most of this is taken up with ink storage in the carcasses of those Ikea drawers.  I rarely use any of these inks but am loathe to part with them in case I suddenly need them for a particular technique.  Guess I am too hooked on Distress Inks to use others.  Yet I love doing the Stazon technique and I love the chalks.  

On top are balanced some plastic boxes with some spools of ribbon and there are some on a cane fixed to a block on the right.  Again, ribbon is something I so rarely use yet I have loads of it - I must begin to use ribbon, brads and eyelets (which are over the other side of the room).  Despite this looking a bit of a mess I do know what goes where and it is always to hand when I need it - eg my foam buddies, my ds tapes, my various glues etc.  Maybe one week I will bare my ribbon stash to you - I have drawers full too.

... and finally the cupboard I NEED to sort out that is underneath. This needs sorting out as there is such a lot in here that I never ever use so it is just taking up room that could be utilised for other stuff that has not got a proper home.  Will I get around to it?  I doubt it!  I have tried before and I just put stuff back "in case it is needed". Mind you I got rid of loads of stuff the other week and now I could do with some of it for my workshop!!!  Typical!

Well, that is it for this week.  I did make a card for a friend who had suddenly lost her dear father in law but I was in such a hurry with it I never scanned it.  Have got another one which is a wip but until it is sent and received I won't be showing any of the stages in the making.

Well, here's hoping we get a fair few joining in with WOYWW this week - see you there.

WOYWW 354

Well, I don't know how to begin this post after Julia's revelations last week.  Just hope she gets an appointment sooner than expected so it can all be dealt with.  One thing she can be sure of and that is that there are a lot of hands joining around the world and sending prayers up for her.  Julia, you are loved by so many.

May I take this opportunity of thanking "imgirl", my latest follower for joining in.  I hope to improve the amount of work I do on my blog as soon as this flipping cold of mine disappears.  Come on, three weeks is a bit too long for me.

The desk may look staged but I assure you it is not.  I just propped the journal page from the other weekend (with Marta) up as I had been doing a bit of pencil work on it and was going to work on the LO below it but have not had any inclination with this flu type bug hanging around.  My tiny art is at the side of it - honest it is not staged.  The pile of white card is just from weekend when I dem'd the Distress Inks again.  I think I should have stayed at home.

Here is the tiny art with a mini mister at the side of it so you know the actual size, or at least that it is small.

Now here is a shot that you might think I have taken from another blogger.  No, this is MY box. Kindly given to me by Margaret (Glitter and Glue) who came to see me at the weekend with her lovely husband, John.  Look at all the goodies that were inside this magnificent box.  Now Margaret has challenged me to make something using the contents.  hope she means some of them and not all. Right Margaret - will do my best and thank you - your visit on Friday meant so much and it was lovely to see John looking so well.

As Bugs Bunny would say "That's All For Now Folks" (is that right?) so hop on over to the stamping ground and see what is happening across the globe.

WOYWW 353

My usual weekly visit via Julia's blog - Stamping Ground - join in please, I can assure you you will make some lovely friends.  Much more information when you get there.

Well, this weekend saw me up in Stockton on Tees with the Riverside Warriors enjoying a weekend of fun and frolics with the lovely Marta Lapkowska who is an absolute treasure.  Such a lovely young woman and so talented.  Well we did five projects starting Friday night and ending Sunday afternoon, You can see two of them here on my desk:

The book shows one of the three pages I did using Lindys Stamp Gang Sprays and to the right of it is a book cover which I did using similar products.  You can also see my Distress Inks which were left out from last week.  Still need to play with them for Friday in York.

Here's a closer look at the two

The other side of my desk looks like this and has my stash on which I bought whilst up at Stockton on Tees with Sue Tucker and her A Team.  

As you can see, these are a few of the new Finnabair products and some of the old ones that I managed to get for a reduced price.  Plus my crazy cats waiting to be coloured in with Distress Inks for weekend (York Racecourse, Friday and Saturday - any WOYWW'ers likely to be there - Glitter and Glue is coming up to see me providing John is ok to travel.  Would be lovely to see more of you.)

You will have to wait to see what else we did on the Marta weekend as I need to do one or two bits of tweaking (meaning I did not quite finish - because I had this laryngitis it slowed me down a bit).

Great News - I am now going on the weekend with Andy Skinner and Tracy Weinzapfel - sounds to be a real packed weekend and great fun and I think the cost is very reasonable - but again that is due to Sue who organises great mixed media weekends - but this time it is a Retreat and it is Coventry.  I have wanted to do an Andy Skinner weekend for so long .....  Doing the Happy Dance or what!!  I think there are still some places available if you fancy tripping the DecoArt trail with their Education Coordinator, Tracy Weinzapfel who is over from America.

WOYW 352

Here we are, another Wednesday, time for Julia's gang to show their desks. Click here for more details.

First of all, many thanks for the good wishes for my injured leg - it is doing fine now and will soon be fully back to normal (I hope).  Thanks!

This is what you have come for - my desk

If you are a stamper you will recognise that they are tags - distressed inked tags to be precise.  Week on Friday I will be selling Distress Inks (my favourites) at the craft show in York (Friday and Saturday) along with the other things in the Distress line.  If any of you are going please come over and say 'hello' to me on the Oyster Stamps stand.  It is at the racecourse in York and is open 10 - 4.30 each day.  York is a beautiful place to visit in itself, a walk by the river followed by a lovely meal at one of its many good restaurants is ideal.  Then there is the Outlet Park at MacArthur Glenn which is often a good place to park up and catch the bus into the city centre.

Next week I will probably have lots more tags to show you as I need to do some samples before I go. Remember how I had a wall with my tags on?  Well, it has moved.  In an attempt to make a bit more room for crafting available I moved the tags so that I could move the cupboards down.  If you sent me a tag at some time and it is still on my wall it shows how much I like it.

The bag on the left is one I got from Spellbinders at CHA and the box with the Parisian pictures on is full of my Dylusion stuff.  On top of it you can see a card I made for my dil's birthday - here is a better photograph

It's not crumpled and creased, that is the shadow from my Grand Nestabilities but it does look as if it is creased.  I saw this card done by Kay from Honey Doo Crafts and just had to buy the stamp.  I think I will be doing it again.

Well, I guess I must go now and check on Julia, seeing what others are doing today.  See you around!

WOYWW 351

Another week has gone by and we are here again with Julia and her brain-child, WOYWW, which has brought loads of friendships together across the world.  Follow this link to find all about it.

Well, I have not done much again this week on account of my blithering leg but here are three cards I just had to make

A card for the new mummy and daddy

and one for the new grandparents

This is for a friend of mine

Did have a play with some Yupo paper at weekend but not got results as nice as the ones that Zsuzsa got when she played.  I guess I need to do more - and maybe use some blending fluid to lighten them. Had to do something as consolation for missing Tracey Scott's class!

I'll leave you with this pretty picture taken through the window the other night

WOYWW 350

What is on my desk?  Good question.  Just one lonely card made for my friend Naomi's birthday.

I just have not got back into the mood for doing any crafting at all.  In fact I have to make another card PDQ but find sitting with my leg down makes it ache at the moment and it rather takes the mood off for creating.  I will get the other one done as it is already late and was for a special birthday, and a special young lady.  

And now below (because I made a pickle of the original post - thanks Annie for alerting me to it - here is a news cutting especially for Shaz (Silverwolf).

Whilst I was away in America I received a note to say that I had won Nikki's Pink collection.  Unsure where to send it she decided it would probably be best to send it to the UK and it was waiting for me on my arrival home.  Sorry I did not upload last week but here it is now:

Imagine the delight on my face when I opened this package and found all of this inside for me.  The little envelope on the left is full of all manner of dewdrops, beads etc.  A veritable Valentine Treat. Thank you so much Nikki.

Rightio, so now you have seen what is on my desk for this week, why not go to see what Julia has in store and follow some of the links for interest and ideas.

WOYWW 349

Phew!  What a week it has been.  Just one week ago I was up in the air on my way home after spending most of my holiday looking after my friend who had broken her arm.  It was upsetting leaving her like that but she was in the good and capable hands of friends and her youngest daughter.

Guess you came on here wanting to see my desk and my stash that I brought back from America. Right?

Well this WAS my desk so this is a bit of a cheat it is not much tidier now though (but could not resist showing you the stash) as things are left in piles as I have not been able to sort it all out due to an injury to my leg which now has to be dressed twice a week by the District Nurses - never thought I would end up with an ulcer!

Do you really want to wade through that lot?  Right, here goes ...

I went for books with a painting theme as I want to brush up on my skills in that area (not that I have any) but found that some were in dvd format.  Will see how I cope.  I like reference books to be paper!

Pastels (gift from Mary), some word dies and paints from a workshop at cha, embossing folders were purchased along with the Sizzix die but the little tub of stamps and gems came courtesy of Hero Arts.
.

Part of my big spend - Memento minis, two paper pads (did I really need them?), a Julie Nutting small doll, two stamps so I can use them to demonstrate the Misti, two Rubbernecker flowers and a set I just fell in love with.

Stencils I won from Set Apter, a Dina Wakely one I bought along with a Dyan Reaveley one with stamps a bit of Tando and some stamps from Seth and Andy Skinner.  Below is the huge pile of SUJ stamp sets Mary gave to me, she really did insist I took them so I hav

e now opened a database so i can keep track.

Now to turn you all green with envy.

Mary insisted she gave me a Cutterpillar Pro as a form of payment for my nursing skills.  I told her a little porky and said there were none in her shop.  Thinking I could get away without it, because I was looking after her out of friendship, not for reward, I was mistaken.  Despite a broken arm she went on the computer and ordered me one from her wholesaler.  It really is a fabulous cutter so now my others will be redundant as it is the only one anyone could want.  She now has two for sale.

and finally

This is my trolley (hostess one actually but it gets used mostly for dumping) with Pebeo sample, card made using Misti made with Lawn Fawn, chalkboard paper on a tray for notices, Andy Skinner book cover with eye on it (love this) Eileen Hull tag holder, paints from AS workshop and finally Seth Apter piece which you saw when I did it.  Also there is my cotton batting which Joani, a friend of Mary's, insisted I brought home with me to make some bowl holders (sent patterns home to various WOYWW members) and a baked potato bag.  And at long last that is it.

Hopefully I will get tidied up, do a mega sort out of my craft room and then get some crafting done. In the meantime I urge you all to visit Julia and see what others have to show you.  I can promise it will be a good old snoop you will get out of following the link.