Just for Fun - and it Certainly Was this Week.

What a lot of lovely entries we had this past week with our Anything Goes Challenge.  I thought we may be much lower on numbers with the twist of not being able to make a card but no, those crafters can always find something to make.  Thanks for all the super entries which had me hastily playing catch up with my comments.

Have had a busy time this past couple of weeks which all started with my trip to Caernarfon Castle for Liz's Friendly Plastic weekend.  You'll have to scroll down a bit to find that blog entry if you want to see it.  Closely followed by my coming home from Wales, having to do a quick final prep for my workshop (26 people were booked on it) for the Saturday (previous posts - worth looking at) and then working at Leigh for Oyster Stamps on the Sunday doing my usual demonstrating Spellbinders machines and dies.

It was Saturday evening when I got home, tired but happy as the crafters had done such a wonderful job, that I realised I had not done my DT piece for this week over on Just for Fun.  Now we do have to have them in for Zoe to upload by Sunday evening and as she is so busy with her moving house I did not want to let her down with a late picture.  But what could I do?  What was the topic?  A new month - what had Von chosen?  A quick visit and I found it was - oh nightmare of nightmares - "Recycled" and it was "Books or Magazines" this week.  I must add it was only a nightmare because I had not even given this a thought up to now so was entirely clueless.

Then I remembered that Annette had posted a tutorial for me to make a paper doll from a newspaper or magazine.  Newspaper went out the window, the only one we had had gone to Vicky Stampers that day for painting over, besides which you got so dirty from handling them.  Magazine - oh heck, the ones I had were intended for my dil and I dare not upset her.  Then the TV magazine was there, waiting to go in the recycle bag - perfect!

So here it is - thank you so much Annette - you saved my bacon, gave me a lot of pleasure (plus gluey fingers, mat, tray, etc) and enabled me to have an untroubled night of sleep.

Trying to show you the pages better by lying it down

This used up a full TV magazine which has something like 90 pages in it and each page was cut in half.  Memo to self:  Need to buy more magazines - these are fun!

WOYWW plus more of Victoria New Town

I don't believe this - I typed all of this out and then deleted the whole thing.  Here we go - second time around.

My stamping room is in a bit of a mess.  Mainly due to the busy schedule I have just had - went on a Friendly Plastic weekend where I crafted in the King's Tower of Caernarfon Castle - see previous posts - with the ever so talented Liz Welch.  Read about the excitement we had too - if only the pilot had been Wills and he had waved!  I digress.

We had a couple of extra days and did not come home until very late Wednesday so my stuff just got "dumped" as I had to do my final prep and pack for my busy workshop on the Saturday.  I had searched everywhere we had been in Wales for a tiny sewing machine, table and lamp.  In the end I made my own table (see post 1st October) from a cotton reel, battery flickering light, some material (reason for the upside egg cup on the photo below) and beads.

When I got back from the workshop on Saturday I had to unpack again to get ready for a day of dem'ing at a show in Leigh on Sunday.  Remembered I had not done my DT piece which Zoe needed Sunday evening so Saturday night I set to and made that (see post tomorrow for pictures) on my knee in another room whilst resting my aching back and feet.

Anyway, here is my desk as I am about to start this blog entry:

Haven't a clue what half the stuff here is

The other side of my computer - complete with egg cup used for the table cloth and kitchen scissors.

Did I really cram all of this into one small bag?  Didn't use my Alcohol Inks or my glitter.

Oh yes, a couple of bead kits in there somewhere.

The floor behind me, too tired to take more piccies, is littered with stuff from Saturday and Sunday!  Mega clear up today.

Why am I showing you this, well it is mainly for all you WOYWW'ers who I hope will come round for a snoop - I'll be visiting you shortly but think the order of the morning is another hour in bed.

Just want to finish off Victoria Town (see previous posts for more exciting pictures) so here you are:

Mo's Birdy House 

(no blog so please click on picture for better view)

Donna's His and Hers

Lorraine's Alice House

Alison's Fun House

and finally

Paul's Shabby Chic

Do click on the links below the houses to see extra shots that I have not included - like Paul's fabby rooftop and Alison's sides of her house which I love.

Think I have uploaded all the houses in Victoria New Town but I know there are some builders still working on theirs so perhaps I will get some more pictures.  Think there are ten houses still going up before we get all twenty five of them (maybe 26 or maybe even more as some builders are doing two).

Perhaps we now need some little wooden trees and things planting - Enid are you listening?  Only kidding.

Just a few more of the little Houses made by the members of Victoria Stampers - thought I would just whet your appetite a bit more.  

Ann

Jo

Lorraine's "Alice" House

Carol's

Have still a couple more to show you but will wait until tomorrow now for those.  Don't want  you to get too excited in one day.  All of the ladies names above link you to their blog so you can go and get the goss from them and see more pictures.  See you tomorrow!

Saturday at Vicky Stampers

Well, it certainly was a packed house at Victoria Stampers on Saturday.  I did wonder how we would cope with the room not being very big but we managed quite well and I think we were all surprised that nobody had to work on the roof.

I got some super photos of the work of the talented bunch of members we have, plus Donna who came as a guest, and thought I would share one or two with you today.  I was so surprised to find that the majority actually finished - and some of them were too but they had all prepared well and been collecting ephemera over the past month.

This is a shot down one side of one of the long tables we had put up. Notice, we do brew up as we go along and Helen who was sat near me made me quite a few of my herbal teas (and sneaked me a choccie biscuit).

The other side of the room had a long table too and you can just see the spotty cloth of the one that went across the top.

This is my friend Lorraine

This was done by our oldest member, Joyce who is 82 years young.

Lynne's lovely lacey edged house

Mandy's - I love the banner

Pam's was so different being green

Jayne is giving hers as a gift to her MIL but she is then making another one for herself.

Will leave it there for now, you might spot one or two more as you cruise the blogs but I'll upload some more another day.  Was dem'ing at Leigh for Oyster Stamps (got loads of hugs when I went in from the "Oyster Family"- ooh lovely) so have to unpack from that (and see what goodies I got - not many, truly) and unpack from Saturday so I guess that will take care of my day.  Might have a snooze in the afternoon as I am tired after a day of teaching and a day of dem'ing - but where has the sunshine gone?

My Pink Card

This is the card which I did for the Pink Swap.  I used to do pictures (many many moons ago) all in shades of one colour so I was trying to recreate that type of thing but could not remember what media I used.  Here I used my Caran D'Ache watercolour crayons but could not get as many shades of pink as I first envisaged.

I love this stamp and thought it would be fun to make a card in it as it had four women in it and they are enjoying themselves - must be a big big bath!  I put a little charm on at the top right but it seems to have gone upside down for the scan.  I used my Grand Calibur and Grand Nesties to make the shaped card and the layers - the blue is the background I used to show that the card was, indeed, a shaped one.

Hope Pat liked it!

My Little House

It is silly o'clock and I am just about packed up and ready to go to Vicky Stampers where I have a HUGE workshop.  Twenty Six people were signed up but two have cancelled due to ill health - but even that is a big one and in the size of the room.  Eek!

This is what they are making - some from scratch - and some who collected their little houses last month have been busy prepping them.  Anyhow mine is a sewing theme and I think the majority are going along with that but I do know some of the peeps have got other themes in mind.

Anyway, here are pictures of mine:

This is the little house all completed but the last little compartment needs something else in - it was fine in the beginning and then when I got around to sticking in I obviously got overly zealous with some of the compartments - this was left quite bare.

Lace or no lace?  That was the question, I stuck it on with red liner tape so that I can peel it off if I decide I don't want it - thought of it as "shelf liner" which you see in some houses.  I remember my mum doing that on the shelves when I was a child. Inside there is a notice which says "Granny's Attic", a lavender bag (thanks Jo), some collar studs from Chas' dad, some film reel and a clip holding it together, a tiny rose and a belt and buckle made from Grungepaper and a needle and cotton.

I made a little chest from a piece of card, used my Distress inks on it and added some bits of fabric and lace.  The press studs behind were a real find at Paddy's just before she closed the shop.

This is a dress form that Paul (love you) bought me from The Sue Ryder shop - it has been tucked away for months and now I know why.  Stood next to it is an old Air Force button that belonged to Chas' dad.  The table is made from a cotton reel with one of those battery night light things on forming the top.  I then put some acetate around the "flame" to resemble a table lamp.  Probably needs working on.  At the back is a piece of embossed metal and on it sits another piece with a mirror tile to resemble a - mirror!

These are two of the three compartments at the bottom,  A needle threader aged with some paint a tiny reel covered in cotton with some teeny weeny press studs on top and a coat hanger (Timmy of course).  Two tiny reels, two tiny safety pins and a button resembling a sewing machine finish it all off.  Oh and a scaled down photo of a press stud card.

Next door there is a miniature packet of Bondaweb, a pin cushion with an embossed metal tape around it and a collection of press studs and hooks and eyes.

Thought better of it and decided to show you the quite empty end compartment - had to use one of those dolls!

Hope you have enjoyed seeing my Little House - now off to get 24 people making theirs.  Fingers crossed I have enough packs of stuff for them and hopefully some photos - time permitting!

The idea for this was taken from a workshop at Paddy's Stamping Place by Kay Halliwell-Sutton.  I did not attend but fell in love with the pieces when they were on display.  Credit where Credit is Due!

Anything Goes on Just for Fun but ...

... not a card.  "Oh heck", thought I, I was running out of ideas as I was busy packing for my weekend away and have a workshop coming up and then another weekend away for which I have to make 40 polymer clay inchies - oh heck indeed!  Not much time to think.

However, as I was getting things ready for my FP weekend I needed something to put my jewellery tools in and this tin, which had previously held my Klimt watch, was just the ticket.  So, out with the alcohol inks, a few dabs here and there and the tin was covered.

But ... I could still see the name of the manufacturer through the tin as it was embossed and there was no way it would hide with a bit of alcohol ink - straight in with the copper and gold, a Spellbinders die and my Grand Calibur and voila - it covered the words up.

So here it is

My slim jim tin just holds all the tools I need for a weekend of jewellery making.  The lid is a good tight fit too.

 

Here's a close up of the butterfly

Well, I am late posting this, didn't have time for a scheduled post which I normally do and this morning had to go for a check up at the docs, then had a visit from my favourite little girl so now it is almost lunchtime and Zoe and Von will wonder what I am up to.  I am now off for a visit to Just For Fun to see what is being said about this latest challenge.  Hope to see some of you entering this week so I can pop in and say hello.