WOYWW 463

Wow, it's time for another WOYWW already!  where did that week go to....  WOYWW??  head here to Julia's The Stamping Ground to find out..

 so the stencils I ordered before Ally Pally - they're designed by France Papillon and made by Tando Creative. 

The JoFY stamps for Paperartsy go with the stencil I used when I did that impromptu demo at Ally Pally and sort of fell into an online basket a few days ago...





I put the stamps to good use on the journal page I'd been using the stencil on that you saw last week -

I was waiting for the stamps to finish it - although it needs some words of some sort,  I don't really think a page is finished without words - and whilst I won't actually journal them, I'll find something to go on it. 

 I've also been making up some birthday cards- can't show you in great detail as both friends read my blog and I don't want to give the game away....

I took this picture the other day standing up looking down at the craft mat.






My boss went to Vienna for Easter and brought us back a scrumptious Sachertorte to share at work... It came in a gorgeous plywood box..   

 She knows me well!! 

it's just too shallow for what I had thought to use it, but I shall enjoy decorating it (not promising to do it any time soon) so will eventually share it with you!  I do have some ideas of what I think I'll do to decorate it - time will tell! 

But what a fabulous box (and what a wonderful cake it was too!)
I think you'll agree.



Oh, and to answer Neet's comment last week, re the reinker techniques - it was Leandra at Paperartsy - and the good news is, she was talking about a video of them in the future! 

WOYWW 462

Welcome back, it's Wednesday again already! (or will be by the time you read this)... time for another desk sharing around the world...  Julia has the news here

Well. Ally Pally craft show has been and gone... all the info and pics here
It was a great day out, met up (but failed to get any pics with) Cindy, Shaz (and Doug) and Erika, and my non Wednesday desking friends too... Spent way more than I intended to but - hey, who needs food anyway?!
In case you don't have time to read the whole review post here are the "what did I buy" pics again for you.

oxide reinkers (saw some great ideas for using these) , tags, journalling pens, prima mechanicals, ink pads, stamping platform

 stamps, stencils, gems, packs of ephemera,

papers, packs of tissue, more stencils...
packs of flowers...



some of these goodies were bargain discounted goodies from Paperartsy but yes, it does look as if it cost a lot!! 





I spent Sunday not quite knowing where to start with any of this but did have a quick play with some of it, no real projects finished - just a bit of playtime

 middle left, this week's journal in progress for France Papillon challenge, centre, square journal and tags

closer look - the offcut of card is with one of the great techniques I saw with Oxide Reinkers - you put white paint on your craft mat, a couple of drips of reinker, spritz with water and smoosh your card through it. . mine isn't a very good example, but then I tried out some new stamps/inks on top.

the journal background is done in similar fashion, white gesso and reinkers dripped along the top, then spread out with old credit card,
the tag in middle has a new stencil and the Lavinia hares (I love these,  LLJ you would too I am guessing!)   and the tag on the right, is the one I did in my spur of the moment demonstration (read in the write up about that!) 
I'll leave you to get on round the desks, or Head Desker will be rebuking me! 

Ally Pally craft show - Paperartsy's last show...

Just got home from a fabulous day at Ally Pally, even though it was tinged with sadness as it is the last time Paperartsy will attend in their own name at a UK craft show.... needless to say, pounds were spent...

Met a great many friends though the WOYWW ladies weren't around when the camera was out!  I did meet and catch up with Cindy, Doug & Shaz and Erica...

 was there early so after a coffee and pastry whilst waiting for Lin, I took some photos in the main entrance

 then it was time to go through to the show..

 only one place to start!

 it was busy!

 bit later on, went for an early lunch , view up the hall from the seating area

 loved these clock kits but they'd all gone...

 got back to Paperartsy and found Hazel had come on a surprise last minute visit, we got Hugo (young Paperartsy!) to take a group shot - l-r Claire me, Lin, Hazel, Leandra and Jo.

Alison and Kirsten were there too but not around for the photo...

 time for some demos...

this is infusions over wet grunge paste...

 fab effect!

 and an earlier one on the same lines from Leandra

 Hazel chatting to Leandra, Claire and Jo examining the contents of Jo's basket just behind...

 Leandra went to take a Make and Take and said if you want to demo, do... so I had a play.

Gave Claire the camera (thanks Claire )

 did some grunge paste stencilling and then added Distress Oxides and infusions...

then Claire had a go, showing us a tag she and Jo had made in a make and take earlier...

 involving distress oxide reinkers in white paint... fab effect

 then Raquel finished her make and takes and came to demo... by now the crowds had thinned out a lot.


Lin, Alison and I joined the Paperartsy team for a quick drink in the bar before heading home..

the end of an era, thanks to Mark, Leandra and her assorted family./helpers over the years - and a huge spend up once again!!

 part one...

some of these were Paperartsy bargains, others not.. lol.  Yes, that is a Tim Holtz stamping platform at the bottom.... not from PA but a good price so had to be done...

 part two.... a few more stencils.... some staps.... some bits and bobs...

part three... more bargains, more stencils (you can't have too many!)


and my tag from my impromptu demo...


Great to see everyone today, thanks for your company!

WOYWW 461

Following the long Easter bank holiday weekend, my brain is confused as to what day it is... but it is time for another visit to WOYWW with Julia for some desk hopping. 

I confess that my desk (floor space) today is staged...

If you saw my post from Saturday and my visit to Kew, you will know that I treated myself to a new toy.. 
my long awaited macro lens for my camera

and the results can be seen here 
my square journal is sat on top of the jars of mediums and pastes, not that you can see the pages - but then, nothing has happened to them since!

I did finish last week's France Papillon FB page for the "secret garden" prompt... I can share that!

 behind the garden wall, a secret lies...

it's been a while since I did such fussy cutting












This Saturday is the Ally Pally craft show - I know a few of you are going, so I hope to see you all there.... you  may also have seen the Paperartsy blog post from Sunday announcing that the April show (and the Paris one a couple of weeks later) are their final ever (for now) shows... now I thought that when Leandra told us at Stevenage in February, they would still be doing Ally Pally and Paris, but it seems not... she hopes that other companies, already stockists for their stamp products, will step into the breach and promote and demo them in future... we'll see! 
I am gutted, as Paperartsy are the main reason I go to shows - apart from catching up with friends, which is always good - so I don't know if I'll bother in future.   

WOYWW 460

Wow, another Wednesday already!  Time to gather at Julia's again for WOYWW ..

 I am hiding my latest week's spread for ALAD/ASAW (France Papillon's A layer a day, a spread a week) FB challenge)  under some MORE new goodies!!

more stencils, and some more stamps...

oh ok, then. here's the spread up to day 3...
1. paint.   2. leaves stencilled.  3.  stamping



can't tell you what is coming next... it's a secret...

this week's prompt is "secret garden" 

I know what I want to do but my final layer that I am practising isn't going to plan so far...


so time to leave you to head on to the next desk... happy WOYWW!!

WOYWW 459 - last's weeks new stuff

Welcome back.. time for another desk hop.  Julia leads the way here at the Stamping Ground 
Luckily the snow we had again last weekend has all gone.. I couldn't be bothered to suffer yet more rail replacement bus journey to Kew so gave it a miss reluctantly!

Last week you may recall, I was waiting for new "stuff" to arrive..
which it did.. on Thursday (although I had to go and collect it from the post office sorting office as it had to be signed for...

4 new sets of stamps... 3 wordy quotes by Alison Bomber for Paperartsy and a Tim Holtz set... now just need to use them!

I've started a journal page 'just for fun'  there's a numbers theme going on - started with a stencilled clear gel and then added colour, wiping it off the numbers.

I've added some more numbers, stamping in the same colour ink only I seem to have not photographed that stage yet..

it's stagnated there, waiting for further inspiration!


have gone back to photograph the next stage(s) for you!

I stencilled some dots in the numbers for some double stencilling action as well.



Next week, I will have  more new stuff (once I start I can't stop....) I have been watching a lot of you tube videos and joined another facebook group for Dina Wakley and am SOOO tempted by her mixed media journal which incorporates watercolour paper, kraft card, linen and burlap (hessian) pages... just looking for a good price now!    Because, as we all know, you can NEVER have too many journals to play in...!

 In the meantime, I may have ordered some more Dina stamps and a couple extra stencils...

Happy WOYWW deskers!

WOYWW 458

Can't believe it's time for another WOYWW.... week 458... I was looking for something on my blog yesterday to inspire me for this week's France Papillon FB challenge (theme "back to basics") and I got distracted by trying to find the first time I joined in with WOYWW... turns out I've been doing this every week (don't think I've missed one from then - or not many anyhow) since 17 Feb 2010 - before the weeks even got numbered!!

Anyway, that's by the by.   my desk   floor workspace this week doesn't have a lot on it - I'm playing in my latest journal (the square one) with Seth Apter's Baked Textures embossing powders, just messing about with them on a page covered with tissue paper...

 the photo doesn't show the shimmer very well due to the angle I took it at.

they differ in consistency, some are quite chunky and some quite fine and melt really well.


Not done very much with them at all yet, just sprinkled them on some clear embossing ink to try out the colours.

still haven't put the new Fresco paints away in their boxes... and the scraps box behind the tubs of texture pastes behind the paints is in even more danger of overflowing.

Next week, all being well, there will be new stamps to show (order is "processing" lol - my not buying anything for a month or two lasted... about 10 days...)

My ticket for Ally Pally came this week too; which isn't far off now.  I'll be there on the Saturday. 
I'll be visiting your desk soon.. have the kettle on maybe?