WOYWW 519

And in the blink of an eye, it's another Wednesday gathering for WOYWW  at Julia's Stamping-Ground

 On Sunday afternoon, whilst waiting for kick off on the last Premier League game of the season, in an attempt to steady the nerves, I went back and finished this journal page from a few weeks ago.  I could only take 5 minutes though!

Didn't help, as Liverpool still finished second (so close, so close...and it was always going to end up that way)  but what a season!  (trying to convince myself here!)

haven't done any more to this journal page, and the pile of now assembled but not quite sure if they're ready, 10th anniversary atcs are sat on top (so I don't lose them)

carefully hidden by a pile of spare bits so you STILL can't see them!!

I also made a birthday card for my cousin using die-cut flowers and distress oxide brayered card base.

stamping on the base for another layer of interest



there would be new stash but it hasn't arrived yet.. ordered a couple of dies (blaming Angela totally for the TH flowers she used on her Masterboard Monday post - so hopefully that means they'll be here to play a starring role in next week's anniversary edition - seems fitting somehow - Helen, with new goodies!

I just read Julia's reminder post about the WOYWW crop on 1 June (here )  I will be begging Margaret, who I am staying with, to not throw me out if I listen to Liverpool  in the Champions League final on the Saturday night, on the radio.  They are my first love, Liverpool, before crafting even entered my head... so it will have to be done!!

last week's Kew visit can be seen here... my floral loves (alliums) are in abundance now!  I'll risk sneaking one in to tempt you over.

Catch you at a desk near here very soon.

WOYWW 518

Welcome deskers it's Whizzday again already!   WOYWW if you prefer...
An extra day in the UK for May Day bank holiday means a nice short working week but also that it's time to share our desks again so soon!

 but what's this?!  a piece of paper...

ha ha, it is hiding some atcs in the making for the anniversary swap and the crop..
I thought I'd better get a move on with them.

but I am not showing you yet!

I also did a bit more to the journal page I shared last week, the white stencilled flowers are the bits I didn't like (well actually I liked the white flowers, it was the outlining I did in black pen that I didn't, on the right hand page...) I had stamped a second image of the face I used on the 70th birthday card from last week,  on another piece of tissue, and fixed it over the worst part of the outlining.    I did mean to do more to it but the atcs took over (they're not finished yet either!)

I spent several hours at Kew on Saturday (of course!) arriving for the 8am opening... so beautiful at that time of day - even if it was flipping cold! -  the light is wonderful for photos, and it is so peaceful (apart from the Heathrow flight path)   I took nearly 700 photographs this time round and condensed (slightly) them into the blog - you can see it here if you have time! 

Several of you have commented how nice it is to live close enough to go each week (nearly every week)  - it takes me around an hour depending on the trains or the buses so it's not too bad at all.  As I don't have a car, I have no idea how much quicker it would be by car, but there is limited parking there anyway, so the train takes the strain as the old ad used to say!

WOYWW 517

Morning peeps.. May, by heck!    Once again, desk sharing time again with Julia  and the 10th anniversary is rapidly approaching!  It's time to start thinking about atcs for the swap... (details on Julia's blog here- if you want to, no pressure!)

so, last week I was waiting for my Easter sale shopping...which duly arrived:

three sets of stamps produced by Chocolate Baroque for Andy Skinner and France Papillon, and a Tim Holtz die. (that was a real bargain)

 Not used them yet - not even logged the stamps in my index binder.

I've done a stencilled background on another journal page... colour is distress oxide sprays. and some toning archival inks.  everything else is stencils.

there is another layer on top not yet photographed which (yet again!) I don't like so will have to be tweaked!

 I've also done a couple of birthday cards and am hoping that the recipients won't read this blog (I think I am fairly safe there despite them both being crafters; they are not deskers so I think I am safe)


first up a 70th card - no numbers, that would be cruel!


I have used the masterboard sheet I didn't want to cut into!

and the second one, a slightly smaller card


I did find some words for one of last week's journal pages, but haven't photographed that yet either!

My train is booked for the crop so I am committed now and I am really looking forward to seeing old and new friends alike!


Till next week, happy desk hopping!   oh, nearly forgot... of course I went to Kew again last week  - more Chihuly and tulips here... and will be again this week, at silly o'clock for the members early opening starts again - to get there for 8am I have to get up at 5.... on a Saturday... worth it though!

WOYWW 516 - another journal page on the go

Hi deskers, time to play WOYWW again - week 516... nearly time for the crop - I am about to book a fiendishly expensive train ticket - you don't seem to be able to get advance saver fares to Colwyn Bay (- the wonderful Margaret has offered me a  bed for Friday and Saturday nights ) - really looking forward to it, especially as I missed the last one. 

But before then, I've been shopping again... only the stuff hasn't arrived yet!
Didn't get round to playing with Powertex again over the long Easter weekend ( a spot of gardening and a lovely trip to ...... Kew of course... Chihuly and tulips..stunning!) 

 I did another couple of journal pages though...

this one (bit more info in the post before this which some of you have already seen)


still needs a title or something but it's mostly finished

 and a second one..

I liked it lots at this stage,

some leftover background stuck on the page, then added some more colour (stopped liking it)  added some more colour - all distress oxide sprays) - (got better again.)

scribbled circles...  nearly stopped at that point..

tried out some of the new JoFY flowers from a couple of weeks back.. added some pen colouring

still like it, but it's a bit full. (almost stopped liking it)

Definitely not finished - how do I know Julia asks..

needs words - not sure what words, yet, and probably some white highlighting.  maybe re-emphasise the circles...  I will keep faffing!
hopefully next week the new goodies will be here (Country View Crafts had an Easter sale and I fell for it!)  Till then,  happy desking! 

A Journal Page...

Well here's a to-do!  I've blogged, and it's not Wednesday...

I had intended to do some Powertex play over Easter but (of course)  it hasn't happened...
I have played in my journal though.

I don't have any pictures of the first few steps as it wasn't in my head to blog the process.

I scribbled on the page with  a couple of blue and green Neocolour II crayons and smudged it with clear gesso.

I stencilled in black gesso (Donna Downey scribbly text)

I tore some music paper (came from a WOYWW crop from Jan - thanks Jan!) 

 I dribbled some distress oxide re-inkers from the top and bottom of the pages. 

boy do they take an age to dry!

Stencilled the Donna Downey poppies in blue paint (Paperartsy, China I think)

sponged roughly, a lime green flourescent paint in the centres (we're not going for realism here)
as they didn't stand out enough. 

 doodled...

 added some white heavy gesso stencilling with the same script stencil as I started with.


my heavy gesso has gone very thick so it gives lovely texture

 kept doodling

After several hours the drips were still wet to the touch, the colour was coming off, so I very carefully sealed them with clear gesso so I will be able to shut the book and it not all smudge.


Really like this page!

WOYWW 515

Here we are again, Wednesday and desk hop day for WOYWW .  One week closer to the tenth anniversary and the crop, to which I am still working out if  I can get to (multiple trains required)
But before then, new stash to share! 

I collected my goodies from the sorting office on the way to work last week

 the more I looked at last week's journal page, the more I agreed with you all that said it looked like a river or a sea, or a map.

so I added some Paperartsy stamps (by Scrapcosy, the lovely Raquel)

then I also had to try out some of the new leaves from the sets above,  and lots of different greens.

Added some modelling paste through a circles stencil..

it's not finished yet (story of my life!) but it's a good start





Just over 5 years ago, almost to the week, I was lucky enough to visit Paris for the Version Scrap craft show, and had a day sightseeing in Paris... we didn't get to go inside Notre Dame, just saw it from the outside... so my heart broke yesterday when I watched the fire destroying so much of it.   I am so glad they are pledging to restore it - going to take time and an awful lot of money, but so worth it

Lots of you saw my link to the Kew photos last week and the Chihuly display.. here if you didn't - going again this week, it was fabulous - if you can get there, do!!  (it's on till October)

WOYWW 514

Here we are again.   gathering for a Wednesday desk-fest - WOYWW with Julia 

There's not quite as much on my desk as I hoped today... That's Crafty finally got in some of the new Paperartsy stamps I was talking about having my eyes on last week...

there is a journal page in progress... some slate place mats (obviously not for use as place mats!)
and a .... "we couldn't deliver your parcel as a signature is required"  oh, how I love those cards from Royal Mail.... had I thought it through, I would have had them sent to work  but I was thinking about the letterbox and 'oh yes, they'll fit'  not 'oh I've spent a lot of money, they'll send them signed for post'..

so you will have to wait for next week for the  reveal! 

the place mats... well, a friend mentioned that Wilko (a bit like Woolworths used to be, sell a bit of this and a bit of that, although not quite as cheaply as it used to..)   sold slate place mats.  I needed a base for a new Powertex figure I want to .... er... eventually get round to making.   

On Sunday I went out to do a few bits of shopping, these were on the list but last time I checked they hadn't got them.  Didn't get anything else I wanted/needed, but at least I got them... and at 2 for £5, not a bad price. 

the journal page is in a bit of a "bleurgh, shouldn't have done that step" stage.

this stage, I quite liked it at!

then I added some circles, painted them with gesso which I didn't like so painted over the gesso... like it even less.   added some more Oxide sprays (that's what the colour is in this picture)   and left it...

You can see the circles in the top picture.   Something will happen to it and it will turn out ok, eventually! 


some of you saw the pics from last week's trip to Kew (here)  boy oh boy, is the Dale Chihuly event going to be a fantastic 6 months!   (his website, which I've linked shows more of his incredible work, if you don't know him)   and this is the link to Kew's website and the Dale Chihuly feature
I'll just leave you with one to tempt you over.. and will be back again this coming Saturday to see more - it opens officially then.  All I can say, is if you like glass-blowing and mind-blowing staggeringly beautiful sculptures. get to Kew before the middle of October!  you won't be sorry.

this was on a dull day, I can't wait to see it with the sun shining on it!  this is in the Temperate House and was specially commissioned for this event.  WOW!!  right?!   I will be taking lots more pics on Saturday.  Hope for sunshine!