WOYWW 679

With the extended weekend for the Jubilee this week has gone like greased lightening and it's Woyww again.  Very little crafting has been done.  I spent towards the end of the week doing my worksheets ready for Saturday's class.  That was so boring and I still worry that I have put. in every single step along the way.  Ah well - all will be revealed on Saturday.

I did take my journal away with me this last weekend but I forgot the glue so couldn't stick my characters in.  I had taken some pages with me to practise my pencil colouring - I took the wrong pencils - I took Inktense (watercolours) instead of my Prismacolor.  So basically I did nothing much.  This was my desk last night when we got home and I just tipped everything out.

The journal is open at another page, because I had my colouring papers in at that page - they can be seen on the right underneath my general pencil case and my Inktense pencils.  The roll of paper is something I intended to cut up to make a kind of diary but never did.

We visited Sizergh again at the weekend as Chas wanted to see how the planting had progressed.  I preferred the early spring photos when the plants were not quite so prolific but it was still a worthwhile visit.  It really is well thought out and the planting changes every two years.  I especially loved the steps at the back of the house with all the lovely little daisies growing out of the various cracks in the stonework.

I can just imagine some bridal party standing on these steps.  Those flowers are so delicate and pretty (Erigeron karvinskianus or something like that).

These Lupins were gi-normous

and the Peonies, spectacular

Love how they plant flowers and the veggies together in the veggie garden

Look at this giant patch of yellow - full of bees

Last Friday saw us going to the street party (in a cul de sac).  We were collected by my friend's daughter and taken home by her husband to be.  There was lots of food in the afternoon - sandwiches, sausage rolls, pizza - a barbecue with different sausages and burgers on offer etc and the most delicious cupcakes, trifle and my fruit cake.  Later, early evening, we had jacket potatoes with my chilli, chicken curry and rice and a stew. 

Games were organised and Chas and my friend Jayne came in last in the three legged race but she and her other half were second in the 'mummifying' (wrapping in toilet roll).  The good news on the quiz was that we came in second on the Jubilee one and we won the general knowledge one.

In the early evening, when all the games were over, William, my friend's son, came out for the young ones dressed in his dinosaur costume.  It was hilarious.  One little girl went quite close to him and as soon as he moved her face was a picture and she turned tail and ran.  How I wish I had caught that on video.  It didn't happen once, it happened several times - until her twin sister showed her there was nothing to be frightened of and then she joined in with the others punching him and trying to catch his tail.

It was a really good day out thanks to Jayne and her family.

 

Jeudi Journal - Scream

 "Lottie was your typical English teenager.  She lived at home, just her and her mum, and was studying for her final GCSE's at school.  Mum had been on at her to get a Saturday job as money was a bit scarce with just the two of them and the prospect of university fees looming ahead in two years time.

She had taken herself down to the local market after school one evening and asked at several stalls whether there was any chance of a Saturday job or not.  Sadly most of the stalls already had youngsters working for them on a Saturday ..... but there was the fish market.  

Sadly Lottie dragged her feet into the covered market stalls, it was cold in there, and a little smelly.  Still, she loved her mum so much and realised that she needed to help out at home with a bit of spare cash if she was to achieve her goal of becoming a doctor.

"Erm, are there any Saturday jobs?" she asked, smiling, of one of the men as he finished serving someone.

"You're just in luck" replied the Sam the owner of the stall, "my last lad has just left as he got a full time job.  It's yours if you want it. You look a bright kind of girl."

Sam explained the hours on a Saturday, what was expected of her and arranged for her to go into work the very next Saturday at 6 am.  He said he would show her how to gut the fish and do everything that was expected of her, but explained that she was only on trial for a month.

Lottie went home, not really knowing how she felt but determined to give it a go.  And give it a go she did ..... for the next twelve months.

Yes, there were teething problems, it was cold, and messy and she smelled terrible when she got home on a Saturday evening, too tired to go out with her friends and only fit for a long soak in the bath and to curl up with mum watching TV.  But she kept on telling herself it was money in the bank for her future, and it was kind of training for being a doctor, after all she was gutting fish!  And all the blood didn't bother her anymore.

She remembered how she had taken the head off fish when customers had asked for them to be left on, and left them on when customers had asked specifically for them to be removed.  The dreams she had had of living in a fish tank, or of having her hair turn green and a fish living in her hair had bothered her at times but she had weathered the storms telling herself it was only 'another day of outward smiles and inward screams' for her.  All would be well worth it when she could realise her dreams and become a member of the medical profession."

To begin with I drew inside the Lotza Squares stencil from A&C with an Inktense pencil, just as I had seen Abs do on TV.  Think I got a bit carried away though and drew far too many.  Then I went around each one with a waterbrush and spread the paint (watercolour pencils) across most of the page.  I chose a couple of figures to use and mulled over a story.  Then I remembered the theme was to change the next day!

Getting up yesterday I was eager to see what the new theme was and I found it was 'fish'.  How strange, I had found a stamp I had forgotten about a few days earlier and it was a figure with a fish on her head and an owl by her knee.  I coloured it in, thinking it would do for Art Journal Journey and the bird theme if I chopped the fish off and put a bird there instead.  So yesterday I had a figure all ready apart from a new head being required.  The figure was ready but the page was squares and circles would have been better.  Then I thought 'tanks' - I can have them as fish tanks, so I drew little fish in most of them.  And so, I now have my page ready a day early.  Wonder what Wendy chose for the quote for next week?

WOYWW 678

 Nice number!  Consecutives!

Well, It is WOYWW again.  Someone said last week how Wednesday seemed the only day in the week as it came around so quickly, I so agree.  This last week has seen me watching videos over and over to make sure I got my wording correct in my worksheets for the class next week.  I've done the cards, done a couple of samples of each (6 in total) plus an extra one (so 7 really) in case someone finishes early.  There always seems to be one!  Plus I have got some almost ready so that my demonstrations won't take as long.

So as a result my desk is nice and tidy, only my journal out waiting for me to find out what the theme is for the new month over at AJJ and then I can get my page done for tomorrow.  I've a couple of figures prepped just in case I can use them and make it a bit quicker getting the page done.

You can see some bits of card shaped like "W's" in cream, well, they are for the hinges on some birthday cards I made a while ago - remember the circle ones?  Forgot all about hinges until I had to send one the other day for a birthday (today) so thought I would do enough for the other cards - just need to pop them in the envelopes now so they can be stuck in when I do the person's name.  The sheet of white paper contains some instructions for making a card I watched Kay (Hougie board) doing the other day.  Oh - and the black thing is my hand splint - this arthritis is a pain!

So that is it.  Been invited to a (moveable) Jubilee Street Party, which is in a cul de sac.  I say movelable because it all depends on the weather, if it rains Friday it will be held on Saturday, same if it rains Saturday as well it will be held on Sunday.  After that I haven't a clue what is happening.   That's as far as the invite got.  Are you doing anything?

I must admit I have enjoyed seeing the post box toppers on Facebook and have been saving them to my own account so I can look back on them,  I've only seen one in real life and when I went back to take a photo it had disappeared.  I hope nobody had stolen it.

Anywhere, here is my boring desk - see you next week:

Jeudi Journal - Adult

"Momma Cat was at the end of her tether.  Tom, her husband, had been away on business these past three days and that meant she was left all on her own to look after the children.  All eight of them!  Granted the older three were not that much bother, well when Dad was around, but the young ones wanted entertaining the whole time. The Twins were not as bad as the Trips (triplets) but they were bad enough when there was nothing put in front of them to do - and their attention span was the size of a gnat's brain.

Moma Cat had been busy that day cooking and cleaning in time for Aunt Tabbies visit at the weekend.  Aunt Tabby was Grandma's younger sister and a bit of a tartar for everything being clean and tidy.   Even with eight youngsters running around there was no excuse in her eyes for a "sloppy house".

Tom (Poppa Cat) wasn't due home until late on Friday evening and so there was no time for him to give a helping hand, besides which he would be tired from all the travelling he had had to do.  Being in charge of the Health Department for the city meant he had to devise lots of different ways to clean up the streets so that there were no mice or rats for people to complain about.  He had had to do lots of walking about the city, pounding the streets at different parts of the day and sometimes, the night.  Momma Cat was very proud of her husband and his work and so she set store by having a lovely home for him and his children.  

Too bad the Trips decided that today was the day they would chase the family's love birds around the living room.  The two birds were fluttering about not knowing what to do, feathers floating here and there, usually the children left them in peace when they were out of their cage but today first one and then another of the Trips set off in fits of giggles after one or the other bird.

Having had enough Momma Cat lined the whole family up.  Standing, hands on hips she told them off one by one and promised them that that night they would all go to bed without their milk and there would be no treats when Aunt Tabby came.  The Trips looked a bit crestfallen but at least they stopped in their tracks and promised not to chase the love birds any more, and to be good - at least until Poppa came back from his business trip.  Momma Cat looked at them lovingly and said  "Felix, you are the eldest of all the kitties and therefore you are going to have to step into Poppa's shoes when he is not here.  I just have to have help with the family, especially when we are to have visitors."

Felix stood, head on one side and asked "Who made me an adult" but secretly he was quite pleased to have such a responsibility over his brothers and sisters, especially the two older sisters who liked to boss him about."

I am not sure who knows why there is a story accompanying a journal page or even how it all started.  A while ago Wendy and I decided we had to do something with all of our Dylusion stamps and so the Dylusion journal was started.  Then we began joining in with the theme at Art Journal Journey and it made sense to tell the reader (our audience had widened) a bit about the characters and to link in with the theme they had set for the month.  And so a story was born.

I do not have any idea in mind when I begin, it just starts when I look at the page and I begin writing.  Sometimes I go off at a tangent and have to use the erase key because that bit won't work and something else has to be said, but to be honest it is all done rather quickly.  The words just tumble out.  Perhaps I was a story teller in a previous life?  Or is it the 'teacher' in me who thinks on the hoof like they all have to do at times?  I leave it to you dear reader, you make your own mind up.  See you next week.

WOYWW 677

Wasn't the thirteenth Anniversary a lovely one?  Certainly thirteen is not a bad number for WOYWW'ers and what lovely ATC's I have to show for it.   Here are the ones I received:

Starting top left:- LLJ, Cindy, Diana, Ali - bottom left Annie, Jo, Tracy, Julia - thank you so much ladies - for lovely ATC's and for fun and friendship along the way - roll on 1st October.

And here are some of the lovely cards that accompanied them, envelopes and stamps - delightful!

I must confess my own ATC's were under the theme "communication" and not "connections". I read it wrongly and should have gone to Specsavers.  The trouble is I did!  And only 6 months ago!  However, they did loosely fit the theme, I think.  My ATC's not my specs!  Sorry everyone.

I still have not made any progress on the project I began with my friend last week, neither has she, in fact she has not taken hers out of the bag whereas I have done more die cutting.  I think we need another session together to make any real progress.  However, I have a card I made the other week and forgot to show you - it is Aall & Create as per usual with me these days.

I don't think I scanned the one made last week, however, I will have a look around and if I find it I will post it next week.

Just a note for anyone who is having problems with comments on blogs.  I read a comment on a blog (Sirkkis from Finland left the comment) saying if you have Chrome or Safari as your browser the solution is that you turn on cookies if you haven't already.  If you get a message that cookies are turned off, you need to turn them on to use your desktop account.  This is from Google and it solved her problem.  Worth a try?

Also last Wednesday, for some reason unknown to me, I went to my comment section and began clicking on the ticks and then as I scrolled down past the 'bins' I found a tick (one not published) so I published it and then a bit further down another.  Later I checked through quite a few and found two more hidden in the depths between the ones I had already published.  How on earth they got there I do not know - so if you are having problems it might be wise to check through your already published comments.

Wanted that to grab your attention just in case you have some missing comments or cannot comment.

Now to my desk.  

The coloured card on the left of my little Artisan Explorer is coloured for me to cut out letters so that they stand out on the cards.  The greenish paper to the right is some I coloured with Oxides for the project I am still doing with my friend.  I need to do more of that paper too.

This was my desk last week with my ATC's (communication not connection - although I may have got away with it if you think about it - we connect by phone?)

Well, that is it for this week - quite a long post so I had better sign off.  See you all next week - hope to see lots of ATC's on show today from the awesome event last week of thirteen years of WOYWW.  Thank You so much Julia.

Jeudi Journal - Decisions

Gosh, been so busy and got such a lot of pain in my right hand that I was all at the last minute with this page.  Faced with the quote from Wendy, the Dylusion figures I have, and wanting to join in with some birds on Art Journal Journey I decided that an Aal & Create stencil might take the fear of the white page away from me.  So 'Lotsa Diamondz' came into play with some 'Wilted Violet District Oxide' inks.

"It was the school holidays and the 'gang' had met up at Paula's house.  They were deciding what to do because they were 'bored'.  Sally suggested they went roller skating in the local park but Paula said that it was usually frowned upon as you could knock other people down if you went speeding along the pathways.  She thought they should go to the cinema, but, as the others pointed out, it cost money and as it was such a nice day they did not want to be sat inside a cinema.

"But it's only the first day, and already we are bored" sighed Paula.  "What can we do that is exciting?"

Her brother, Billy, and his sidekick, Sid, thought that a game of football on the local playing fields was more in order but the girls were not dressed for football and Sally said that they could all go to the local shopping centre and look at clothes.  The boys sniggered at this but as Sally said, it was no worse than their suggestion of football.

Then Billy had an idea.  Whilst the girls were not looking he sneaked over to the bird cage and let the two birds out.  Straight away they began flying all over causing the four of them to duck and dive as they headed for them.  Billy thought it was great fun but the girls hated every minute of it and Paula tried to get out of the room without the birds escaping throughout the house.

"You silly boy" she said, "Wait until mum gets home, she will go absolutely mad at you.  You know the birds are not allowed out unless dad is here.  You always have to do something stupid, especially when you are with Sid."

Billy just grinned, shrugged his shoulders and said "My decisions are not always right, but they are always interesting" and he and Sid hurst into fits of uncontrollable laughter."

So there you have my page for this week.  A couple of other images from Janet Klein's collection at A&C and a bit of pen and ink forming a border.  See you over at Art Journal Journey in a minute or two - maybe you will join in with Matilde's theme of "Birds".

WOYWW 676

 It's Wednesday again, but this week it's a special Wednesday, a great Wednesday it's What's on Your Workdesk Wednesday for the 676th time.  Is that a record for a blog hop?  Thirteen glorious years of friendship.

Today we are swapping ATC's, little works of art that we have made and will exchange with others who have made them as well.  Actually if someone does not want to make an atc they can make something else or not do anything.  I've run out of mine now.

So my desk, my real normal desk, was covered in my atc's but obviously I don't want anyone to see them until THE DAY so I threw my crafting shirt over them and that is my desk for the time being.

Can you read the message on the left - it was from Seth (Apter) - such a lovely guy.

Yesterday a friend of mine came over to craft with me.  It was a lovely day but we didn't finish what we started - too big a project so you will have to wait for that one.  My tiny craft room was crowded with the two of us because we moved a table in.  This is it this morning - empty of most anything.

On the left are the plates for my EBosser, then there is some black tape, my rubbish bin (emptied and folded down, it's one of those pop up ones) and finally some card with Distress Oxides on. So sorry it is  -b-o-r-i-n-g.

So that's it for this week.  I did a couple of cards but never scanned them as they were needing mailing rather quickly.  However, this is a twisted gatefold card I made for the club class next month - and a little shadow box with wings.

Happy Anniversary WOYWW.

and Thank You Julia x