Just for Fun - A Star

No, not me - the shape is a Star this week.  Von really chose some good shapes for her Challenge and this one just happened to fit in nicely with a card I was asked to do for a neighbour to give to her daughter when she has her baby (sooooon).

A couple of years ago I had made a Star Book for her son's new baby so Carol asked me to do another one and luckily they know it is a little girl so I could do it in pink without having to be at the last minute.  I was a bit stuck for rubber stamps to use but managed to complete the book and here it is:

This is looking from the top

Gives you the star

Opening Page

Love these Sweetpea Stamps

Here is one I have made for Christmas which is slightly different in than rather than stamp on each page I have used Nestabilities to cut out shapes from the inner pages and then stamped on Shrink Plastic and dangled the shapes in the apertures.  I do wish I had used some colour on them though.  Maybe next time ...

It is slightly different to the one above as this one is a "stitched" Star Book - you can see the extra little row of "flaps" as you peer in at the top.

Each aperture is cut out of the centre of the folded page and I used different shapes to create more interest.

I love this little Angel - she is so cute!

And this is one of my favourite stamps - a kind of modern Mother Christmas - or is it just a sexy young lady dressing up?

Well, there are some super examples on the Just for Fun Challenge to whet your appetites and get you creating and no doubt you will find lots of brilliant creations coming along as entries in the Challenge.  Don't know about you but I cannot wait to see what everyone comes up with.

WOYWW 97

Is it really the 97th edition of WOYWW?  Not that I have been in since the beginning or anywhere near there but Crikey Mikey - that's a long time to run so successfully.  Well done Ms Dunnit, you are a star!  Just in case you don't have a clue what I am twittering on about pop over to The Stamping Ground and see what it is all about.

Whoa!  Before you go here is my desk.  Doesn't look as if I have changed it since last week when I unveiled my needlefelting (dumphing to some of you out there) but if you look closely you will see it is full of threads this week.  Somehow I am supposed to do some fancy hand stitching but to be honest my hand stitching leaves a lot to be desired.  You ask Leandra!

Without giving too much away you can have a great big sneak peek at something which I enjoyed doing - it's resting up at the back of my workdesk.  Love it!

Think I need to treat myself to a new Giant cutting mat - this one is looking decidedly grubby.

Going to have to get a move on with this project as it has to be completed by weekend so no time to stay around - you just get over to Ms Dunnit's blog and see what goodies others have in store for you this week.

Have a good snoop!

Just For Fun - Shaping Up

"Shaping Up" is the theme Von chose for this month and this week we are looking at Circles.

I thought of using some circular beer mats to make a book but didn't have the time to decorate lots of pages, so then I thought of a wall hanging using CD's - no, did that not long ago (well one cd anyway).  Next thought was a round card but I had had one on only a week or so ago - dilemma.  Then the lightbulb went on and I used my new Grand Calibur to make a large circle from mountboard.

Out came my Vagabond and I cut some gears - now where was that cork?  Couldn't find it - not to worry (guess what, found it a few days too late).  I love Steampunk but rarely do it so set off stamping some of my Steampunk collection on the main circle.  Then I stuck some gears on and finally some letters.

Here it is:

I used Distress Inks to colour the background (Tea Dye and Vintage Photo), my letters were cut from a Spellbinders Die and my gears were cut out of Grungeboard.  I used either Crackle Paint or Distress Ink Powders on my gears and that is it.  My DT entry for this week at Just for Fun.

Hope you can join us at Just for Fun this week and have just that - "Fun" in creating something circular.  Wonder what shape it will be next week?

WOYWW 96

I cannot believe I have not been blogging.  Having problems with breathing so not spending as much time in craft room as usual. When I am in, this past week or so, I am making things for Elements 2 so here is my desk with my stuff on it.

As you can see my Tim Holtz tins with my Ranger stuff are now in the window - no worries about the sun getting to it as the porch behind does not allow the sun in my room.

So what is on my desk - Wipso and Twiglet will be amazed to see I am doing some needle felting (I say that because they are into wool and stuff).  I am amazed too and I loved doing it although I am not that good and only had hasty lesson from Paddy as to what to do just so I could make a start.  Am now trying a third piece which is going to be a bit more adventurous.

So there's my brush and needle thing (has five needles inside it) some fancy woolly stuff, some roving (have I spelled that right?), some curly wool and my tin with my clay in that you have already seen.

This is the floor immediately behind my chair which is in front of the section of my desk you have just seen.  The black bag is from Saturday and I must confess I have not emptied it yet (Victoria Stampers - if any of you live within travelling distance of Padgate and would like to join our club where we make all kinds of things (with tutors from our own realms and sometimes from outside) you would be more than welcome.  We meet on the first Saturday of the month at 10 am - let me know if you are interested and I can send you details).  We had a great time doing Art Dolls with Olive last weekend.

I digress - on the floor is my piece of material and there is a bit more needle felting on it but what is it going to be?  The mystery deepens.

The blue bag contains my Cricut, there's my Vagabond, four metal tins with books I have made inside them and some plugs and things I need for the computer and camera.

Well that is all I have time for as I am off for the day - hopefully the sun will be out for a change.  What can you do?  Why you can hop over to Ms Dunnit's blog and see what she has been up to and then join in with the fun on The Stamping Ground.  You must read her blogs, she is so funny, and then have a look at what others are up to. Get a cuppa first, you will get hooked.

Just for Fun - Anything Goes

Well, we have come to the end of Zoe's month of choices and now we have an "Anything Goes" week which pleased me no end as I have been wanting to have a go at a certain something for simply ages.

I first saw decorated spoons on the ever talented Sarah's blog and really wanted to do some but you know how it goes, this cropped up - and then that - and before I knew, I had forgotten about them.  Each time I thought of doing some, something else got in the way.  Last year when auntie died she had lots of old spoons in the drawer and as they were loose and not really suitable for the charity shop I brought them home.  At last I have got around to decorating them - well two of them.

Sarah had directed me to Kelli Perkins site and there I found a tutorial but realised I could not drill my spoons as they were stainless steel.  Bother!  Still, I wanted to do them so hit on the idea of using some strong magnets - and they worked.  Took more than one attempt at finding a decent glue to hold them (those magnets are so strong) but now they sit proudly on my freezer door.

Ok - waffled long enough - here they are:

I am rubbish at finding quotes

Love how the Alcohol Ink works on the spoons

I have had this butterfly stamp for simply years

Love these roses

All you need to do is colour your spoon all over with Alcohol Inks, let it dry and whilst it is doing so get stamping on thin paper.  Add your stamped images and then embellish with ribbons, beads, whatever takes your fancy.  It is so girly and so therapeutic I might just have to go and do some more.

Do you think this should go under the heading "altered art"?

Hope you join us at Just for Fun this week and I am so looking forward to seeing what you all come up with.  We should get lots of ideas from one another and this is where we can let our imagination run riot.  Check out what the other DT members have come up with - awesome stuff on there!

WOYWW 95

I cannot believe it is Wednesday again and I have done so little crafting.  Thanks to all of you who popped by last week and thanks to those who left me a comment - I love comments.  Not a clue what I have been doing with my time but I know it is not crafting.  Look at my workdesk!

To the left you can see the beads that I blogged last week - there is another set in the oven though.  Then there is a Bandana Technique which I did with Robin Beam years ago at CHA (taken out to show someone) and the beginning of a 50th Wedding Anniversary card for a friend (late!).

Here is the Bandana Technique Tag in closeup

In the front of my desk you can see some calendar pages.  This was a gift to me from my friend Cathy in America.  It's out because I am going to bind the pages together.  If you enlarge the page you will see my sorry excuse for a Tim Holtz ruler - most of the grid has come off - going to have to buy another one.

Anyway, TC as I affectionately call her, had this calendar made for me by her friend Susie Reneau.  This is the 32nd Calendar Susie has produced and she has had over 60 one-woman shows and many joint showings.  She has produced more than 250 post card designs, lots of wedding invitations .... a few book illustrations and record covers and over 800 silk-screen prints.  You can Google her and find out lots more about her life as an artist.

I thought I would share the first three months with you - must fill them in

Little pockets with tag in

These cards were in the envelope at the top of the page - it's all the little touches that make this so special.

I'll try to remember to upload a month at a time (before I write on it) so you can see what it looks like.

That's all for this week folks.  If you want to see more desks, some clutter, some tidiness and get some downright good tips why not pop over to Ms Dunnit's blog and follow the links there for a "reet good ole snoop".  See you next week - once more at the Stamping Ground.

A Walk and a Card

On Tuesday of this last week it was so beautiful that we decided to go for a walk around the Lake in a local park - well it is a short ride away.  What a lovely day it was - and what a lot we saw.  Sadly didn't take the camera but on Thursday we went for a walk just down the road from us.  Only lived here 12 years and never explored this walk before.

Again it was a beautiful day, like the end of May rather than March.  I really enjoyed the quiet stroll along the river bank, nice and flat so good for me to do.  Then I spied some bullrushes - BIG ONES.  Not sure what the "fluff" is all about, no doubt someone will tell me - is it what they shed, is it what they pick up from the wind, or does it mean they are going, going, gone!

These were a bit further along on the other side of the riverbank.

Not sure what these were - maybe celandines?

But these are pussy willow (I think)

Anyhow - today I finished off a card I have been making these past few days.  My lovely friend Dot sent me a card for my birthday (yes, I know, I have not uploaded them yet) and I wanted to copy the way it was so sent off for the template and here is mine (Dot's will be coming to a screen near you soon)

I don't do cute!