WOYWW 127?

Before we go anywhere - Amanda - ScrapnBee - I tried three times to comment on your blog last week - kept saying my email addie was invalid - so sorry.

Thanks to all of you who put numbers behind your comments last week, it made life so much easier to find you.  Still got a bit of a cold in my head and throat.  In fact it was the AGM on Saturday at Vicky Stampers and I ended up losing my voice Saturday evening.    (Bet some folks are saying "pity it wasn't Friday night she lost it"). Busy day with the AGM in the morning and my Make & Take workshop in the afternoon.  Thanks Annette, all but one made the mannekin you showed me how to do.

I had given spindles out to a couple of the members and both Ann and Alison brought in what they had done with them.  Have just checked their blogs and Ann has put her interpretation of the challenge (just to alter it - never expected anything like this - wonderful) on her blog.  Click here to see what she did.  I hope Alison hurries and posts hers.

Early evening saw my son, Andy and his partner, Sam, arrive for the Annual Firework Evening.  Sam has gone on a diet so we did not have the usual Ribekuchen which she usually loves but she brought a couple of chillis and that helped clear my nose.

Anyway to the task in hand, as you can see, my desk is still under the deluge of stuff I brought back - waiting to be put away but I haven't felt like it.  Would have loved to have gone and crafted but just too hot and bothered to do it.

This is the area I craft in (normally)

Just to the left you can see some "C" stamps - yes, I had to make a quick card for Just for Fun on Sunday - before I emptied my bag on the table.  The book has just gone on now, it is one Carmel has loaned me to see if there are any constructions inside it I would like to try for future workshops.  Isn't that sweet of her - but then she is a sweetie.

Here is the pizza box that contains 317 butterflies - our contribution to the Holocaust Appeal (see my side button).  I took them with me just in case there were any last minute ones to be added.  Victoria Stampers contribution!

This is my lethal cutting knife.  Actually it is brilliant and folds up.  I use it all the time for cutting cardstock.  There's a little book there that I threw in as a last minute "maybe" just in case we ran out of things to do - no chance!

Well, that is it for now.  I have still no voice so all is peaceful here at this end and tomorrow we are off for a test drive although I might not go if I don't feel up to it.  Can't get excited about cars these days.  Prefer a good book and my craft room when it is tidy enough to craft.

Favourites?

When I was a little girl (yes, I can remember so far back at times) I used to ask my mum "what is your favourite colour?" and could never understand when she said she didn't have one.  At that time of my life everyone had to have a favourite everything.  So I think I had slipped back years (no comments please) when I decided to ask you all to use your "Favourite" stamp for this week's challenge.

Then I realised it was not so easy to choose your favourite stamp - but I did find it easy to choose a favourite one.  This is mine.  It is a stamp I have wanted for ages and finally have bought.  I love this era and was delighted when I found this stamp had my name on it - well, almost.  Long story but "Nita" was what all my college friends shortened my name to but then it got further shortened to "Neet" in the card making world because of someone joining a Yahoo group a month after me with the same name, Nita.  Therefore I answer to Anita, Neet and Nita depending on who is talking to me. So now you all know the story - too long to go into all the other names I have because I also have a middle name which my family know me by.  Complicated or what!!

I used my Grand Calibur to cut out the main shape of the card and then just went down a notch with my layers.  A few flowers and a bit of feather and it was all complete.  So here it is, my entry for this week's challenge over on JFF.  Hope you can find a favourite to join in with - see you over there!

WOYWW 126

Can I just mention again how if you include your number on Julia's blog it makes it so much easier to leave a comment.

Just to let you know the little teaser was won by Chubby Frog - we were in Paphos, Cyprus.  Thanks for all the tries.

Well this is my workdesk at the moment.  Today a friend came up and I was showing her the Vagabond which she had not seen before. Think she wants one.  Here it is on its little trolley

I cut her some of the dies out that I had and sent her home with them plus the waste bits so that she can use them as a stencil.  In case you are wondering why she had not seen the Vagabond before it is because basically she is a Parchment Crafter and does some absolutely beautiful work.  In fact it was Margaret who first introduced me to Parchment and then later to Rubber Stamping.

This is my Pink Swap that I sent off to Pat.  Four delightful women in the biggest bathtub I have ever seen.  Obviously enjoying themselves - makes me think of a week I am having away next year with some girl friends - but I don't think we will be getting in a tub together. Unless there is a jacuzzi there!

I did try to paint it all in shades of pink but found it hard to do so. Notice the breast cancer ribbon charm at the top right - sorry it has gone upside down on the scan.

Now to go and find some other desks, cards, books, pieces of art and sewing.  Where?  Why to Julia's blog - The Stamping Ground of course - see you there in a mo.

Happy Halloween

I am so behind with everything and need to do some "C" cards desperately so I am afraid I have not been able to do anything for Halloween which is a shame as I love seeing what others have done.

On Friday I saw "my little sweetheart", with her mummy, a long term special friend of mine.  We just went down to Asda in the afternoon and as we were walking around we heard that there was a "party" going on in the restaurant.  Well, the little one did!  We were going to have a cuppa anyway but didn't realise just how long we were going to spend there.

The party involved some "face painting" and the girl who did it was really good.  We put "little 'uns" name down and after a wait of an hour this is what came out

Here she is in my kitchen with her black cat (thankfully not a real one), her spiders webs, bats and the little spider down her cheek.

The girl made a good job didn't she?

I say I have not done anything but that is not strictly true as I did make an ATC to go with Pat's "Pink" card so here it is as this is the appropriate day to show it

I just used my two favourite Distress Inks to cover the cardstock and then stamped this little image on the front.  Not much to it - but wait, it is double.  When you open it up this is what you see

My one and only Stampotique image which my friend Lorraine got for me just after Harrogate show.  I drew the witches hat and punched the three cats out of black paper.  Then I did the shaky writing with a black pen and that was it.  I did try to keep the face free from ink.

Happy Halloween everyone - spooky hugs to you all.

Just a Short One

But with a Pretty Card.

We don't normally have swaps at our stamping club but I thought that as October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month it would be nice for us to do one with the theme of "Pink".  Quite a few people joined in and I posted the list on the 17th so that 15 of us could get our cards out before the end of the month.

The person above me on the list was Carmel so she had to send to me and this is the delightful card I received from her:

The parameter of the swap was it had to be 'predominantly pink' and I think you will agree with me that Carmel certainly did justice to this swap.  Loved the background she created and the image is gorgeous isn't it.

Always late, I have just sent mine so won't show you what I did although at the side of Carmel's mine looks pretty yuk!  Once Pat has received it I will put it up along with my Halloween ATC I put in with it - the only one I have done - shame!

Congratulations - We Have a Winner

Congratulations to  .....

drum roll .....

Liz (Chubby Frog) who correctly guessed we were in Paphos in Cyprus!"  Spencer was outside the Castle on the harbour and, as he has gone back to his usual seat in the bedroom, I for one am glad I did not have to do more reveals.  The little so and so left that bit for me to do.  Liz - can you get in touch via email (my email button is at the right hand side on my blog) and let me have your address so I can send you some goodies.

So here are one or two more photos from the holiday - hope I am not boring you.

This was to be my next reveal after a full one of the Castle

Paphos Lighthouse

The bridge leading into the Castle - view it with your head tilted to your right shoulder - that would make a lovely shape for a polymer clay pendant.  I like getting inspiration from photos like this one.

This is the little church set in the village where we were staying which is in a courtyard surrounded by villas (apartments really).

The same courtyard as the church with the little golf cart they use to take you to your villa/apartment (and there's Tommy taking new guests through - and yes, he's English)

View of the Villas (now you know why I think of them as that rather than apartments) taken from the beach.  The green ones on the right are where we were (upper middle one in fact).  We used to sit on a sunbed under an umbrella just below our apartment - so much nicer on the grass than on the sand.

Whilst we were there we watched a wedding from our balcony:

This is Big Mamma and Willy from 'Big Mammas' where we enjoyed an impromptu cabaret and some good food (you need a big appetite to eat here).

I 'll leave it there with the recommendations of Kefalos Beach Tourist Village as accommodation and Big Mammas and the Metaxus as two of the good places to eat.  But then, anywhere is good in Paphos as I just love the place.

WOYWW 125 (a bit late - but read on there's a tiny prize for someone)

Hi there, it is Spencer here as Neet is busy getting her washing done and dried - this weather is not what we have been used to this past week.  Here I am sunning myself the other day:

I love this Sylvester and Tweety Pie towel!  Now some of you may know that most times when the family go on holiday they take me along with them.  This time they took an iPad with the promise of letting me blog for WOYWW, which I did - twice!  First time I must have touched something because next time I looked all had disappeared, second time it looked fine until I came to publish it. Shock horror - it was all in html code or something with just a pile of pictures and my first paragraph at the end in normal type so that you could read it.  After all that reading I had done as well so that I could post on holiday. I decided not to publish.  Neet wouldn't let me type it out again on Thursday as she had something already up there so it is more of a What's On My Workdesk Friday than anything else. Anyway, here is what I would have put on Wednesday:

Neet at her desk

a bit tidier than usual

Now I want to play a little game with you all.  Some of Neet's friends at home know where we have been so I am asking them to keep shush about it and not tell anyone who is not in the know.  I'll upload some photographs from the holiday and the first person to guess the resort we were in (not just the country) will get a little prize.  If it hasn't been guessed I'll keep adding something until we have a winner.  Does that sound ok to you?

Where was I on Monday?

I'll just leave it at that for you today but I will show you some photographs of the holiday that don't give it away at all - but they are nice photos.

Sunset on our first night

and on our second an artist painted the sky for us and we thought it rather spectacular:

This is where we walked to get to the beach, just down the side of our apartment which was like a tiny villa in a village.

Can you see the gourds hanging?

OK I will leave it there and link my blog attempt - wonder if anyone will visit at this late date?  Just had a peek and we will be in the hundred and thirties plus - big change from the number one spot Neet got the other week.

Ta ta for now - love from Spencer x