Artful Times Challenge - Anything Goes

Well, whilst I have been away the girls on Artful Times have been busy and now I am playing catch up with them  This week the challenge was "Anything Goes" which I always find a bit intimidating because I have a free reign and I prefer to be 'reigned in a bit'.  Pop on over to see what Chrissie and Von have done for their Anything Goes.

As Mr Mojo has gone walk-abouts since my return from America I have really been struggling to do anything except sit and watch TV or just vegitate.  However at the beginning of this week I had to pull my finger out and do something. 

A quick look on my untidy desk at the things I had brought back from America revealed a pile of envelopes I had made whilst there with the Envelope Board.  All different sizes and colours.  It just wanted putting together so I bought some gift wrapping paper to make my cover (12 x 12 was not big enough) and here is the result.  Front page picture (card) courtesy of the Ranger Make and Take stand.

On the back I made a gusseted pocket because the menu from the flight home would not fit in one of the envelopes.  I did have to trim it top, bottom and sides to make it fit in this pocket any way.

 

You may recognise the decoration as being from one of the new Tim Holtz dies as featured on my blog last Wednesday.  This die will be being offered shortly as candy so watch out for it.  Only for my supporters as I feel it is about time they got something from following me.

 

I put another gusseted pocket on the inside of the front to put the cocktail and wine card from the flight and also the instructions from Ranger when I made the card.

 

 

Well, so far no envelopes, hold on they are coming.   This is an envelope book I came across on You Tube by Gentleman Jim - I made a small one as per his instructions for Mary with the Envelope Maker for her sample box - this one is for me to put all my memorabilia from America in.  You know how you collect those till receipts and tickets etc and then don't know what to do with them or you scrap them if you are a scrapper - well this is now going to be my method of keeping these bits.

Here are the envelopes, this time all sizes muddled up

 

I can't wait to fill each envelope with some of the things I brought back with me, and hopefully one or two photos to remind us of this trip.

My friend, Debi, in America has given me a link to another envelope book which I am eager to make so watch this space, more envelopes coming up in a while.

WOYWW 247

Gosh only three more weeks and we will be at 250 - another milestone.

Who are WE?  Pop along to the stamping ground and find out all about it and how to join in.  In the meantime I am showing you a little bit of my desk.  Only a bit because there is nothing of any interest to show you as I have lost my mojo a bit.

There's a big sheet of wrapping paper on my desk waiting for me to use it to cover some card for a book cover.  Been there since Sunday!  Some fan folded card because I did a photo of something for someone, two of my favourite 'C' Cards received this year and a card I made at CHA with the Ranger folks.

Then there is a die from Ranger and some cut out bits from when I used it.  I am going to offer this die as candy soon so keep an eye out for a post going up about it.  It is my favourite one from the new ones TH brought out this time.

Rightio, off to bed now, scheduling this post as I am tending to sleep longer in a morning and not have as many "get ups" in the night.  Look forward to seeing some of you at Julia's tomorrow morning.

WOYWW 246

Gosh, that came around quickly this week!

Thanks for all your good wishes, sadly the cv did not work last Thursday but I have lost 24 lbs in fluid so am feeling much better.  In fact I am back to normal (if I ever was normal LOL) and fighting fit once again - watch out!

Not been much in the mood for crafting but had to get my finger out and make something for my friend Naomi's birthday as I am seeing her today.  This is the first time she will have had a commercial card from me in years (boo hoo) but I will make a belated one at some time.

Here's my desk on show for all you WOYWW'ers and Ms Julia the Queen of Desks of course

There is a canvas in process of being made, it is actually finished now but I haven't taken a photograph as yet.  This is to go in the drawer I showed in my last post, for Naomi, for her birthday.  Feels strange not buying her something although I did have to buy all the materials I used.  Hope she likes it.

Right, will leave it there for now as I am tired and need to go to bed early, hence the scheduled post.  See you all in the morning.

Night Night, God Bless (especially to those suffering from illness or the weather conditions)

A Box

This is a box I started way way back when I went on an Ali-Craft workshop in Chirk with my dear friend Lorraine.  I chose the colour and the femininity of it because it was in my mind to make it for my friend, Naomi, who has a birthday tomorrow.

Well, good intentions do not always come about for me and it is still not really just how I want it to be.  I intend doing a picture to go inside of her lovely little daughter and just have the weekend to get it all finished.

It fits in perfectly with the theme for Artful Times so here is my box:

Hope she likes it!

Pop along to the Artful Times Blog to see what the other two have done and then get your entry ready.

WOYWW 245

Back home in good old Blighty!  No more the sunshine, if only I could package some of the rain we have had and send it to my friend.  Mind you, the day we left it began raining just after she had dropped us off and when she got home it poured down for the rest of the day.  Maybe we did some good.

It has been terrible to see the devastation that some people have gone through, we did get a limited report whilst away but to see it on our own news makes you realise just how terribly some folks have suffered. I wonder if there is anything we could do - all I can think of is sending Thinking of You cards?

Well, for once we hit it lucky on the return journey.  On the way out we had had our seats changed from the back ones (which we always prefer) to some in the middle.  Imagine how I felt when I was informed at the boarding gate coming home that we had had our seats changed.  We had been upgraded.  We had those seats which convert into beds - that meant I could keep my badly swollen legs on a level with my body.  Could not have come at a better time.

We were greeted with champagne, then when the meal was about to be served, despite my "no alcohol" promise to myself I had a Kir Royale, followed by a small glass of Pouilly-Fume and an Otard VSOP Cognac to finish off with.  I guess you want to know what I had to eat - Heirloom tomatoes with buffalo mozzarella and olives (am not keen on smoked salmon) a fresh salad served with vinaigrette, Pan-roasted jumbo scallops with caramelised baby fennel, roasted pattypan squash, fondant potatoes and piquillo-baslsamic sauce.  For dessert we both chose the cheese and biscuits but the pumpkin cheese cake looked wonderful.

All served on beautiful china with linen napkins, silverware etc.

Well, you came here to see my desk, not have me showing off - so here it is - with loads of sweets I brought back and some fabric I could not resist.

Since my return, Friday, I have been in hospital for a day whilst they sorted my medication out, been to clinic today and had medication upped again all in preparation for my cardio version on Thursday.  I put two stone on with water retention (have now lost 6 lb of it but need to lose more by Thursday) and my INR's are too low meaning the blood is too thick which could delay the procedure as it is potentially dangerous.  Just hoping and praying I get it done as I can do very little at the moment and walk only about two yards without stopping to catch my breath.

Will do my best to visit as many desks as possible, in the meantime have a lovely week.  Stay safe and visit our glorious leader, Ms Julia to see who else joins in.

244 Before I get it Wrong Again it is WOYWW 244

Well, it is Tuesday late afternoon here and we have just returned from an overnighter in Ventura - beach place.  I love it and it is Mary's favourite place.  She took me down to the ocean and parked right on the edge of the beach, it was so nice.  I love the ocean.  I cannot get over the fact that there are squirrels on the beach - most of them ran up to me thinking I was going to feed them but you are not allowed to.  This little guy hung around though.

Wouldn't it be good to own one of these apartments right on the boardwalk

I told Mary we had put her name down on one of them that was for sale (none were for sale) and we had asked for the one next to it for her to knock through so she had room to stamp.

This is the view they have (black dots are surfers) - doesn't look as if it was sunny but it was, beautiful and warm.  That is one of the Chanel Islands in the background - not Jersey or Guernsey but the ones off Ventura.

Ah well, back to reality soon and cold cold England but still have two more nights in the sunshine.  Here is what I have been working on - another envelope book - this one for myself to put bits and pieces I have collected on our trip in.  Just need to finish it off now.

OK too early to link in to Julia as yet, so if we don't go out for dinner I might post near to the right time, if we do go out I won't.  See you there I guess.

WOYWW 242 Nope, I did not it is 243

I hope I got the number right.  Pop on over to the Stamping Ground to find out.

We had a stamping party at Mary's last Saturday and people played around with the Julie Nutting dolls, made a quick Christmas card (really!), experimented with the WeRMemory Keepers box boards and were asked to zentangle or decorate on a mug.

This is what Rachel produced on her mug - rather superb I think:

and here is a picture of one of the dolls made by Cindee who is brilliant with watercolours and showed us all how she builds a shadow around her image

I had a visit from two of my favourite little girls but unfortunately one would not stay still long enough for me to get a photograph so here is Shellbee who loves to lick your feet

Right, I will leave it there for today, relatively short for Julia, but here is the obligatory desk picture

This just shows that as how huge your desk is you always end up with a small space to work in.  This is my space on a table that has eight chairs down either side.  Get the picture?

Now going out so I guess I will post and hope someone will link me as it will be early morning in England when I get back.  Oh heck!  Here goes - posting on a Tuesday afternoon from California.