WOYWW 625

Guess who has been bot/got at again?  The "Bots" are here once more.  89 yesterday, 124 the day before, 186 Sunday morning and another 171 later that day.  I scrolled through and published all those comments that were genuine, then highlighted the Bots and deleted them as Spam.  Trouble was, the published ones went as well.  So now I am deleting one by one all the bad ones!  Scream!!

On a much better note, we went away for a couple of days but had to return when we heard the news about our town having to lock down.  Now we are back we are confused, the news says we CAN travel.  My head is in a whirl.  So now my desk is empty, tidy, and there is nothing to show you that I have made BUT, of course I have some lovely ATC's to show you that I received from last week's celebration:

Zsuzsa - Jo (Twiglet)

(top Jan, Caro, Annie, and below

Cindy, Lynne, Mary Anne)

and on it's own because it could not be scanned

Debbie (against a peach card)

(the photo does not do this justice)

... and Postcards which accompanied the ATC's

I sent 11 ATC's out to either a "Material Girl" or a "Crafter" - all were the same depending on the persons crafting but colouring and backgrounds were different on most of them.

and I still have one in an envelope waiting for the address from someone who asked to swap with me.

So, if you are reading this and not active in WOYWW but would like to join in and swap ATC's at some time why not pop over here to see what it is all about.

The Language of Flowers

 At Art Journal Journey the challenge has been set by Elle of Empire of the Cat- "Language" is the topic and when you start to think about it the word Language covers so many different things.  Today my journal page is illustrating the "Language of Flowers".  Not in the traditional way whereby different flowers have different meanings - eg we all know Red Roses are a sign of Love, and every young woman dreams one day of receiving red roses from a beau, but did you know that a yellow rose means infidelity, jealousy?  A daisy represents purity and innocence, whilst the sunflower represents pure thoughts, adoration and  dedicated love.  To find out more (lots more) visit here.

My page today was not chosen because of the flowers it contained, indeed I do not know the names of the flowers on the stamp I used, but it was chosen because I think ALL flowers have a language of their own in the fact that when you give someone flowers it always brings a smile to their face.  When you have some flowers and you put them in a container, it brings joy to everyone who sees them.  Therefore to my mind, when I see flowers they always make me smile and bring joy.  I would not be upset or angry if someone gave me yellow roses, they would still give me pleasure.

For my page I used a background made in the past using up paint from another page which had been brayered and which had some delicate stencilling on.  I then stamped one of Tracy Evans' flower stamps as my main image and added some other stamps to fill the page.  The images were coloured with Inktense Pencils and I drew a border around the whole page with a Posca Pen.  I wanted some words that were in a pleasing script and so I chose "There is Beauty all around us".  I am now going to enter this into Art Journal Journey for the current challenge.

Jeudi Journal - Listening

This week we have the quote from Dyan's rubber stamps which says "I know you were talking - that's why I stopped listening" - not very nice is it?  In fact if you look at my journal page you will see just how sad Patsy looks when her friend says this to her.  But I get ahead of myself and you need to know the story.

"Sarah and Patsy were two friends from primary school.  Even though Sarah had been two years above Patsy in school their friendship had started back then and stayed with them all through the years Sarah was at school.  Now at sixteen she had left and felt that she had rather outgrown Patsy whom she felt was 'still a little girl at heart'.

It was a Saturday when Patsy called around to see Sarah and to show her her new handbag.  She really did think it was lovely, all covered in hearts - and the first faux leather handbag she had ever owned that didn't look like plastic.  It had been her birthday and she had received lots of monetary gifts which she had put together and bought herself the new bag, a new hair band made of lovely big roses and the most adorable little bunny rabbit.  A toy one of course!

She had been experimenting with eye makeup and was particularly pleased how her time in front of the mirror had turned out.  She felt her eyes looked much larger than normal with this eyeshadow and mascara.  So she was all ready for a girly chat and a bit of advice from her older friend, Sarah.  Sarah knew everything about make-up, how to dress and things like that.

Unfortunately Sarah had other things on her mind, since she had left school and started at college she had made new friends, more her own age, and with interests that she felt would fit into her new lifestyle.  They had told her about this fabulous group of young musicians that were all the rage with most of the girls at college and she had streamed their latest hits and was busy listening to them.  So when Patsy started talking about her birthday and what she had bought Sarah could feel that she was no longer interested in the goings on of a fourteen year old.  It was when Patsy mentioned the little pink bunny she had bought that Sarah lost all interest.  

Patsy could see that Sarah was not really listening and she asked her if there was something the matter as she felt she was 'talking to thin air'.  "I was talking to you and telling you all about my birthday presents but you seemed to not be listening" said Patsy, "are you listening to something important?"  

Sarah decided to take the bull by the horns and simply replied "I know you were talking - that's why I stopped listening".  At which point Patsy felt a tear well up in her eye and she said, "sorry, won't bother you again" and went off home to experiment a bit more with her eye makeup and play with her new little bunny rabbit.  Perhaps some of the girls in her class would be interested when she told them about her things on Monday when she was back at school."

Sorry this has been a long story today, I hope you did not lose interest.  I  am entering this into Art Journal Journey where the theme is "Language" as decided upon by Elle.  I hope my story fits the bill for this as there is dialogue between the two girls plus Sarah's rude reply is there on the page for all to see.  Maybe this is an example of how language can be upsetting and hopefully Sarah will learn from this and think before she opens her mouth in the future.

WOYWW 624

Happy Anniversary!!  Congratulations Julia on your achievement - to still be running a blog hop after all these years (a daring dozen) is some achievement and I must add my thanks for all the friendships I have made, virtual and in real life as a result of joining this awesome venture.  

Now to some serious talk.  Some of you may be aware that my home town, Bolton, has hit the news in a not so nice way.  We have seen the highest number of cases per 100,000 for over a week now.  The powers that be have rushed extra vaccine into the town and an appeal has gone out for all over 16's to step forward to be vaccinated, soldiers have been deployed to the streets to knock on doors with test kits and we could be facing a lockdown.

I have been in isolation for 15 months now and just when I thought we could venture out and maybe visit a shop we have had that taken away from us.  It feels like someone has held out a sweet to me and then popped it in their mouth.  I am not asking for sympathy but instead asking my Pif to let me know if they no longer want to swap with me.  I'd hate someone to feel uncomfortable.  If you are willing to swap I will send my atc out to you from a postbox in Bury and I will write my name on the front and the back of the envelope so that you can leave it behind the door for 48 hours (which we do anyway) so that it is safe to handle.

At the moment I am down as sending an atc to: Jo, Annie, LLJ, Julia, Zsuzsa, Diana and Mary Anne but there could be others my old brain has not remembered so if I have missed you please shout.  

Now to the real reason for being here - my desk.  As well as being busy making atc's I had three birthday cards to get out in the post this week - two for Switzerland and one fairly local (well up north actually).  This is my desk and then my cards that have been sent out

It's only bits of paper - will be tidied in a tick

Apologies for the wonky scanned butterfly card above, it refused to stay straight on the glass scanner bed.  I won't show you my atc's that I made as my recipients won't have theirs yet so they can appear next week.

Happy Anniversary to all WOYWW'ers out there, stay safe and well.

Jeudi Journal - Running Away?

The quote from Dyan chosen this week is "Does running away from your problems count as exercise?"  I first thought of doing a page with green at the base and blue higher up to represent the outdoors and someone running up a hillside but then I realised it didn't fit with any of the figures from Dylusions.  Back to putting on my thinking cap.  In the end I went with a page I had already coloured in using Mermaid Lagoon and Peacock Feathers Distress Inks.  I had a fairly wide border (Dylusion stencil) around the four sides making a kind of frame but I decided to ignore that and let my figures overlap onto it if need be.

My story this week concerns Celine, a natural born worrier.  I am sure we can all equate to being a bit like that at times, especially given the last year with all the Covid news we have had, but Celine worries about anything and everything.  And she knows it!

"It was a Friday afternoon when Celine met up with her friend Jill, or 'Agility Jill' as friends liked to call her.  Jill was a natural at keeping fit and doing exercise, visiting the gym four times a week, running home from the gym each evening and watching what she ate.  She had a body which Celine and all their friends envied, but there was no malice at all with any of them.  And Jill was Celine's best friend.  I would go so far as to say Celine worshipped her and any envy was only because she so wished she could look like Jill. She would have done anything for Jill and vice versa.

Poor Celine had had a rough few days.  Things were not going well at work and she had gone shopping to cheer herself up only to find she had gone up another dress size.  it wasn't fair, she really did try to watch what she ate, in fact she had been dieting for the past few months and thought she was doing well.  That wasn't the total of her problems.  Her mother had been having a go at her about her not keeping her room neat and tidy, she didn't see what she meant as, ok, she did leave her clothes in a heap up in the corner, but it was only because they were due to go in the wash.  And the place was tidy!  Then a boy she liked at work had been seen talking to another girl and colleagues had said it was definite that he liked the girl and was more than likely going to be asking her out.  Life just wasn't fair at the moment!

So Celine had gone over to see Jill for a bit of advice.  Jill was looking lovely, she was getting ready for a night out but Celine had declined the offer the girls had made and said she had to stay in that night and wash her hair.  In fact she had her hair in rollers when she left home to see Jill.  Poor Celine just stood there and poured her heart out to her friend, wringing her hands as she went through all the things that were getting on top of her.  Jill made her laugh with some idle comment she threw out and Celine asked her "Does running away from your problems count as exercise?"  Jill had to smile at her friend, as she stood, hands on hips, thinking what a chump Celine was.  "No, certainly not, but let's do something about some of these problems - you start running with me, we'll take it slowly at first - just a gentle jog."  Celine thought she would give it a try, after all, she had nothing to lose but those extra pounds she had put on and maybe in a few weeks she could be back to her normal size 14 - and mother was right, she would put her clothes in the laundry basket as she took them off.  Plus she'd show that guy at work!  In fact, right now she would go home, take her rollers out of her hair, have a quick shower and get changed and then join the girls on their night out.  Life really was what you make of it!

Once again I am entering this into Art Journal Journey where the theme is 'Language' as I felt this shows us that the conversation between two friends helps so much.  A problem shared is a problem halved so they say.

WOYWW 623

It's Wednesday again, time for WOYWW and I don't know where the week has gone.  I've got carried away doing my journal, making pages in advance for a challenge.  Don't ask me why as I haven't a clue but I know that now I must make a concerted effort to get some birthday cards done and those elusive atc's!!!

I don't think there will be a postcard of my home town as at the moment we are second from the top of the table for the most new Covid cases in the whole of the country.  (Think I have that right - we made the northern new on tv last night). Anyway it means I will not be going into town to get a postcard so I will have to think of an alternative.

Anyway, this is my desk.  Yesterday's leftovers - me actually thinking about the birthday cards I need to make which are different to the ones I already have ready, because they are not suitable for the recipients.  I saw a "bay window card" and thought I would try one of those. I followed the instructions but was not happy as the window was not wide enough to get much on it and so I began using my mathematical knowledge (zilch) to work out how to make it better.  I think I have it now. The other one was a "stand alone card" but I haven't started that one as yet.  The papers on the right of the desk are to do with both cards.

On the left are some bits of papers and a book on "Lettering" which I knew I had in a drawer but what I didn't know was that I had some pens!!  One bag has Kelly Brush Lettering pens and the other some Jane Davenport ones.  See, I thought I had all my pens, colouring materials in one place - I have so much stuff that I don't (obviously) know just what I have.  Wonder how many of you out there are the same?

So that's my desk for today, yesterday's leftovers.  Later I hope it is going to have tomorrow's atc's or some birthday cards on it.  I know it won't be both but hopefully it will be one or the other and by weekend both should be ready.

Now it is time to go and have a nosey around the desks of the other WOYWW Deskers - will yours be one of them?  Pop along here to see.

Jeudi Journal - Things!

I am sure we have all had days when we just did not want to do anything.  I know I have.  Mainly the mundane, everyday housework type jobs, especially when the sun is shining and you want to spend some time out of doors.

Today we have the quote "I don't want to do things - things suck" from Dyan (Dylusions) and so I decided to use a pre-painted age which was a Deep Blue colour and lighten it up with some white to represent clouds in the sky.  I just used a crumpled up piece of paper towel and dabbed it in some white paint and then dabbed it all over the top of the page.

It still needed something else to break up the expanse of blue and so I chose to use a stencil of some leaves and used them up both sides and slightly across the top where the figure was going to sit, edging them in white to make them more noticeable.  A couple of butterflies, from my stash, in the sky and we were ready for the figure... and the story ...

"Janice was feeling particularly out of sorts.  It was the holidays, six glorious weeks of no school, no uniform and … nothing exciting on the horizon.  She had stayed in bed that morning until her mum shouted at 10 am for her to get up and "stir herself".  Arriving at the bottom of the stairs with her hair a tousled mess, curls awry, she looked the picture of happiness - not!  Mum took one look and tried to persuade Janice to go out and do something.  She came up with several suggestions roller skating, swimming, going to the gym but everything she said seemed to fall on deaf ears.  In the end she gave up, afterall she had things to do herself and there was young Billy to look after - she couldn't trust Janice with him for too long, and certainly not to take him outside to play.  In the end she just told her to get out of the house and from under her feet.

So Janice took herself out of the house and went for a walk wearing her new headphones and listening to some of her favourite music.  It was a nice morning, the sun was shining, birds were singing and so she walked past the village post office and around the corner and up the hill.  Finally as she sat there on top of the hill and looked out over the village below she found herself shouting out aloud to the butterflies "I don't want to do things - things just suck".

Suddenly there was a clap of thunder, the sky darkened and it began to rain heavily.  To her surprise a man came striding towards her, he was only about two foot three in height and he had the most peculiar bandy green legs - oh, no, sorry, those were his stockings.  On his head was a jaunty little cap with two gold bells jingling away and in his hand he carried the most enormous umbrella Janice had ever seen.  "Quick, girl", he shouted in a squeaky little voice, "get under this umbrella, it is big enough for the two of us'.  Janice ran to where he was standing, he was not frightening in any way, after all she was much bigger than he was and he had a lovely crooked smile which matched his crooked eyebrows and made him look rather comical.  She crouched underneath the umbrella with him and before she could say "Thanks" the handle had grown so that it was large enough for her to stand underneath as well as the little man.

He looked at her and gave her his comical smile and took out a piece of grass from behind his ear which he immediately started tickling her with.  "How on earth",Janice thought, "did he manage to tickle behind my ear when he was so very tiny and only comes up to my knees".  She didn't know what to do or say, afterall he was sheltering her from all the rain but what was he doing hovering in mid air and why on earth was he tickling her ear with a piece of grass.

All of a sudden she heard a loud laughing sound and there in front of her stood her friends Samira and Tanya, Samira clutching a piece of Timothy grass.  "You were talking to yourself" said Samira.  "You said something about my green tights and an umbrella.  Why on earth would I have an umbrella on such a sunny day?"  Janice shook her head, where had the little green man gone, why was the grass not wet, why was she not wet?  Then she realised, it had all been a dream and so she laughed, stood up and took herself off arm in arm with Samira and Tanya.  Things didn't suck any more, when you have friends there are lots of things you can do.

So I am entering this into Elle's challenge over on Art Journal Journey where she has asked us to use "Language" somewhere in our journal page.  I think Janice's story generated quite a bit of talking, ie language, within the story, so I am entering this for this week.