WOYWW 438

Having returned from our holiday in Spain I can now confirm that we are both full of colds. I blame the air con in the hotel. So crafting has been put on hold for the present moment.  No desk to show you as such but ...

I can show you what was on my dining room table on Sunday morning.

Now can you guess how many teabags there are?  I am addicted to this tea from the local Supermercado in Nerja.  It began a few years ago when all I drank was fruit tea and I went to Nerja and forgot to take some with me.  I was, and still am, fussy about which ones I drink and they must not taste of tea at all.  A local restaurant owner gave me a couple of tea bags from Lidl and I liked them but the nearest Lidl was not accessible without a car so we tried the local supermercado and I found the ones above.  Now each time we go I buy lots to last me the year, or even longer.  And they do not lose their taste!

Incidentally, I have no intention of counting the teabags but would say that on average there are about 34 in each packet (I open them and stash as many as I can into each packet and then rubber band it) and then there are the two poly bags that have lots in them. I have also filled my teabag jar up - it's a lot of teabags anyway and they are mine - all mine!

OK, so it is WOYWW and Julia will be expecting something - here goes, the desk today

You know the link is here, so now you can go and visit Julia and her happy band of deskers, along with me.  Stay safe and well.

Not really wishing to revisit my story of the two females who duped us with the carnations, but hoping that should any of you be approached in a similar way, a friend was presented, by a man, with a rose "for a beautiful lady" and her companion also.  Luckily my friend was tired, rushing for the bus and so she just threw it to the floor as soon as he asked for money.  This was in Rome, so seems to be something being practised in various parts of Europe.  Be warned!

woyww 437

Woyww has come around real quickly and some of you have not had a comment from me for last week.  I apologise.  I am holidaying in Spain and have a funny relationship with the Internet in the hotel. One minute I am on, next not. Then it will, then it won't work. Oh dear! Has me in a tizzy. I do promise though, that I will comment on everyone's blog who has commented on mine when I get home, if not managing before.

Most of you will have read that we got robbed on Monday, via Facebook. Speaking to the rep yesterday morning (Tuesday) it would seem that it could have been two Romanians that are known to the Guardia Civil so hopefully they will get their due deserts some time. It is only money (125 euros), we were quite safe but with hindsight I would have dealt with the incident quite differently. Beware "pickpockets" do not always slit your pockets or your handbag strap!

Anyway you came on here to see my desk and not for my whinge. Tried doing this in Blogpress but couldn't get it to publish. Now trying with Blogger (fingers crossed) only trouble is the photo went at the top rather than here. Now I can't link Julia to my post but hopefully most of you know about WOYWW.

I'll leave it there although the original was much longer and chattier. Rain forecast for today so not sure what we will do. Have a lovely WOYWWeek xx

Not Jeudi Journal But Journalling with Seth

If you read my blog yesterday you will see that I went and did a couple of workshops with the delightful Seth Apter, from New York, at Art from the Heart over the weekend.

Day one saw us learning a simple bookbinding method and we began making a lovely book but as always mine is not finished.  I couldn't work on it on Saturday night when I got home as I had a friend staying with me, dinner to make and things to cut out for us both for the following day.

Sunday saw us learning techniques to do with photographs and choosing one that we had altered to be our focal point on a journal page.  I chose a doorway I love that was in Kyrenia a few years ago. It wasn't just a door but also windows and the crumbling plasterwork on the wall - a bit of a ruin really but so beautiful.

This is as far as I got with it - needs some stamping and pen work on it and I am cutting a strip across with some words on but not had time as yet.  Will get on with it in a week or so when things calm down here and I can devote some 'me' time to artwork.

Now I am itching to take some photos that I know will lend themselves to these techniques and do more of this kind of thing in my journal.  Thanks Seth - and the lovely bunch of women who attended the weekend, for a super two days of crafting.  Not forgetting Ben, of course for his organisation skills and lovely sweets, chocolate etc etc.  He did us proud!

WOYWW 436

So it is just over a week away since the Crop and sending best wishes for a good recovery to Shaz (Silverwolf) who missed it.  To Doug as well.

My desk doesn't have much on it as I have been having a massive clearing up (friend coming to stay overnight) but you can vaguely see some unfinished work from last weekend when I did a workshop with the lovely Seth Apter.  Hopefully will do some more work on this journal page, made on Sunday, and finish off the book I started with him on Saturday.

You can see my window wall, and my Australian flag, Monkee and Katy Koala, who has been renamed KoKo after something my little sis in Oz said to me about a friend of hers who has a Koala in her garden (Coco).  So Katy has been renamed now as I loved that name (Coco) but have changed the spelling.

This is my tidy desk to the side of the other one (L shape) showing my Journal page done with Seth (Apter), my new die (again Seth) and my notebook that has a dumffed cover that I omitted to show last week, from Annie.

Won't get time to work any more on the Journal page before Journalling day tomorrow but hopefully in a few days time I will.  Off now to see what Julia has in store for us and ready to rock and roll with the deskers.  CU!

Jeudi Journal - Spider(ish)

Well, this is the last page in this large journal first started with Dyan over at Art from the Heart (many moons ago).  It was only because Wendy and I started this little challenge amongst ourselves that it has got finished at all.  Actually I have a double spread left which I intend to finish before next week but won't post it as a Jeudi Journal.

This is my page for today (done in rather a hurry on an existing web page as you can no doubt tell)

By the way - the Fly flew off declining the offer of the Spider.

As Wendy said I am away for a few days with my bff so I have asked for two weeks off to get myself sorted.  It has been a rush of late with all the alterations at home and so I need a week to get myself straight in the various rooms.  Funny how a change of cupboards makes one have less room for storage!

It is 18 months ago that we had the new kitchen put in yet I still go to look at the clock that isn't there any more - despite having two on the cooker (one on the cooker and one on the microwave).  I so miss the little drawer we had to put all kinds of bits and bobs in too but I love my kitchen so much I shouldn't grumble.  Wish I felt the same about the bathroom - lots of space but certainly nowhere near the storage we used to have.  Maybe a de-clutter when I get back!

WOYWW 435

It's Tuesday night and I need to get my blog post done for this week, it is just three days on from the lovely, wonderful day we had in Llandudno  when we met at the crop.  We may only have been small in number but there was a big heart beating over the whole room all day long.  

I don't know where the next one will be held but I do urge you all to think about trying to attend.  I hope I will be able to, it was such a wonderful feeling and so very very lovely to actually meet up with some of the wonderful friends I have made on WOYWW.

True to what Jan said - I did nothing!  Well, that is not true.  Anne (Copper Beech Crafts) was so good with "crimpers and pliers" as she deftly put the crimps on the elastics on my Butterfly Book.  It looks so much better now than it did with gigantic reef knots in the middle of my books.  Thanks Anne - they are still holding so I think you did it!

As for me, well, I guess I did nothing but natter.  I was too excited to do anything and even missed out on doing some dumfing with Annie.  I so wanted to try that machine out too.  Maybe next time? Saying that I did make a card with Margaret.  She had shown one of her ribbon cards on her blog and said she would show me how to do them.  I was chuffed to bits to make one and now the mystery of doing them has been revealed to me I can make more.  Anne and I decided you could do some nice ones for Christmas - tree shapes, reds and greens, golds and silvers for ribbons - the ideas were flowing between us.

However, you came to see my desk.  Well here are three shots:

My lovely cushion made by Elizabeth (Silverscrapper) which I chose in the gift swap; in front, again by Elizabeth, a little tray with hen fabric in the middle; my atc's; and lovely painted pebble from LLJan; my ribbon card taught by Margaret (Glitter & Glue) and my Butterfly book showing the lovely crimping by Anne (Copperbeech Crafts) in my Butterfly Book.  Oops!  I haven't included my notebook with dumfing on it from Annie or my new badge from Julia - sorry girls!

A little further along you can see

The mess - my tote has just been unpacked

My bag that housed most of my stuff on Saturday - just unpacked.

and My New Stamps just arrived

Guess I had better call it a day now.  Thanks Julia for the wonder of WOYWW.

Jeudi Journal - Eat to Slim

Did you see my background yesterday on my WOYWW post?  I started off with a pre-painted page - think it was sprayed actually - and did not like it as it was just too green.  It definitely needed toning down and as I love Teal and colours related to it I did a bit of brayering. Teal Hue, Turquoise Hue and Cobalt were all added (DecoArt of course) and then a bit of white stencilling, see Kate, I am listening. A bit of black, some pen work and I was happy it was ready to put my figures on.

The words were on a piece of paper I had saved from somewhere and so I looked for a very slim figure and one slightly more rounded.  If she is walking towards the left hand side of the page, as her legs show, she cannot attribute her 'bump' to being pregnant, she must have a rather large derriere. Coloured the images with Promarkers and so here is my page.  I hope it makes someone smile.

Right, off to see what Wendy has done now.  Not much time between now and next week but maybe I can finish my Journal and have a couple of weeks off - I just need a break before starting on the new one.  Wonder if Wendy will let me?