WOYWW 343 - Happy New Year

So, we're meeting at Julia's for the last WOYWW  this year - I really don't know where the weeks - let alone the whole of 2015 - go...  I hope you all have had a lovely Christmas celebrating however you do, and like me, eaten far too much...

Let's take you back to my workspace on Christmas morning...

 a little pile of gifts waiting to be opened...











I was spending Christmas here at home again this year, not at my brother's; so it was destined to be very quiet - but on the plus side, I got to retain control of the remote for the tv!
The new (replacement) computer is behaving very well and I was amazed how speedily the photos transferred from the camera!
Whilst lunch (roast beef, my favourite) was cooking, I opened the presents...

a box of Prima goodies and some Sheena Douglas stencils from my brother and sister-in-law (she's a crafter too, so knows the kind of thing I like) some L'Occitane toiletries, (and some money) from the boss; some more toiletries, and a guide to Windows 10 from the girls at work.. which is very useful!

Most of these have now been gathered up and moved elsewhere, and I hope to have some crafty playtime before I go back to work next week but at the moment I have a stinking cold so am not doing much right now apart from blowing my nose and sneezing!




I did go to Kew on Monday, (photos here) as my cold hadn't fully arrived at that time and spent a couple of hours in the mild winter sunshine... counting myself lucky not to be affected by the awful flooding in the northern part of the country (and more to come by all accounts).  My friend Emma lives in York but luckily her home is safe, although a friend of hers has been flooded out. Emma has had to get a lift to dry ground to get to work, by mountain rescue boat once or twice though when the roads were closed....

Here's wishing you all a very healthy and happy New Year, may 2016 bring you much peace and well being.  See you at a desk near here very soon!

WOYWW 342

well, ready or not, the big day is just around the corner... Christmas isn't far off either.  Till then it's time for another WOYWW at Julia's Stamping Ground.. show and tell time!
So my craft space on the floor looks like this today..

 Christmas is waiting to be delivered...!

 the office "do" last week was wonderful, we went to dinner at 45, the restaurant attached to Fortnum and Mason's at, appropriately, 45 Jermyn Street in London.

Had to "borrow" a dessert menu... I had the chocolate bomb... it was dramatic and delicious  (one of those where they pour a sauce over the chocolate shell, at the table and the chocolate melts)... tasted yummy too!

If I could work out how to copy photos from my twitter timeline to here, I could add a photo but .... if you check @stampingbyh on twitter you may be able to scroll back far enough in my profile to find the photos!

the back (or front?) of the dessert menu







So, that's me sort of ready for Christmas.. the replacement computer is meant to be being despatched tonight or tomorrow - which could be a problem as we may not be at work for the whole of Thursday.. hey ho!!


I'll leave you with a glimpse of the Christmas card I'm giving my brother and sister-in-law (hoping they won't have time to read this before the day!)

I have since, coloured the stars with a gold gel pen, but forgot to photograph it again... 

Wishing you all a very Happy Christmas, and see you (and your desks) soon! 

WOYWW 341

Just over a week to go... hands up who's ready?    ...resounding silence then...although I am further ahead than I was last week - cards are in the post and I have bought most of the presents - wrapping can happen this weekend!
In the meantime, let's gather at Julia's for some crafty workspaces..here at Stamping-Ground
Not very much happening on my workmat on the floor either... a bit of progress on the square canvas from the Paperartsy Christmas party:

I've intensified the colours on the canvas, and added the grungepaste stencilled dots (you probably can't see very well, though you should be able to click the picture to enlarge it -  I'll do a proper post when I can)
Computer update.... ha ha ha!  It was a faulty model, and all I got was a white screen.. it's gone back for replacement which I await hopefully soon...
It's the office Christmas party on Thursday, so a new dress has been purchased!  We're going to a restaurant somewhere in London (no idea which or where!)  I'll report back next week, although there'll be no photos as I'm not taking the camera, it's too big for parties...
Have a great week and good luck with the rest of your preparations!  See you soon.

WOYWW 340..it's beginning to look a lot like...

.. except, not round here it's not.. Christmas that is.  Not at all prepared, apart from the cards that are still not written.  No presents bought, no decorations up (well there isn't room for much, certainly not a tree, but I will put out some bits .. soon!
Welcome to another Wednesday hop round the desks of the globe, thanks to Julia's Stamping Ground.

Not a huge amount to share yet, the new computer is still were it was last week, in the space where my craft mat should be, on the floor... was struck by a sudden but shortlived tummy bug on Thursday last week (hence the lack of visits to most of you) -although it was over quickly I was left drained by it.
This meant that it hasn't been possible for the friend from work who was going to come and help me set it up (I can't do techy stuff!) to come and do it yet... maybe sometime this week!

I did do a bit of crafty shopping - the accessory pack for Tim's Crazy Bird stamps.. wasn't going to but saw them on a reasonable Black Friday offer.. they arrived the day I was poorly, I found them on the doormat when I went back to work on Friday.

I will NOT be buying the dies to go with these, can you imagine lining up such fiddly little images? I'd rather curse with a pair of scissors..











I spent Sunday at a Paperartsy Christmas Party/Workshop in Brentwood, Essex and we all (about 37 of us) had an amazing time.. (I was just about eating again by then but would have enjoyed it even more if I could have had pudding!!)   the full post about it is here

If I'd been organised I'd have written some of the cards and taken them with me, but ......


 these are the two projects we made during the day. Two fabulous canvasses, very different styles, but I love them!


They both need a bit of "faffing" to finish, but they're gorgeous.  I'll try and get some pics in daylight so you can see them better sometime!

I will try and visit more of you this week, and hope you are all keeping well!

What a time we had at the PA Party.

Leandra threw together a somewhat last minute crafty day at a hotel near Brentwood for some of the Paperartsy Aficionados  and today was the day.

Lucky it was today as the middle of last week saw me - bleurgh!  some 24 hour tummy bug. Enough said, you get the idea. But today I felt a lot more human, which was good as it was a 6.30 start...

The hotel looked fabulous decked out for Christmas and we made our way into the conference room to find the tables set out ready for us.

 Tracy led us in two projects, both canvasses, one in the morning and one afternoon. Most of these photos are from the morning when it was a bit less intense!
Lots of action shots not many close ups..

 this was my table for the morning (we were mixed up after lunch) Chris is hiding behind Lin!

 afternoon session, a square 12 x 12 canvas, much more out of my comfort zone but no less fun for that!

 and some shopping.. there was a bit more, some of Emma's new stamps - I forgot some of which had been on the blog on Saturday so whipped them out of the photo!

 the morning canvas.  A bit more "faffing" on both to be fair, but its 99% done!

 and the afternoon one..needs a bit more blending (I'm blaming the light in the afternoon, the morning was fabulous, loads of natural light flooding in through a huge skylight, but it got harder to see well in the afternoon.. that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it...

 but it's turned out ok, and apart from a few bits of final texture dots in some of the gaps, it's done

bit of a closer look at the morning canvas.

A huge thanks goes to Tracy for her teaching the classes, and of course Leandra and Mark and all at Paperartsy for organising today, we ALL had such a fabulous time, thank you SO much.  To everyone who came, friends old and new, it was wonderful to see you all.

It's all new around here.. WOYWW339

... well it may be .  I splurged and bought a new computer (yes, I know, Black Friday has a lot to answer for...) and I am writing this early in case I can't get it up and running ha ha!!
So, it's Wednesday, it's bloody December, and it's WOYWW again!!

 it's an all in one pc, so no tower.. which confuses me.. it's on the floor, where my craft mat normally goes, and regular visitors will recognise space cleared to the right of my work space, because of course I have to get behind the tv to where all the cables need to be plugged in...

If it works, I'll come back and edit this to prove it!

I did get some non Christmas crafting done at the weekend, for a FB group I'm in, for a tag/atc swap which has since been delayed
but mine are done, so there!!
Theme, in case you can't tell (!!) is trees/woodland.

ok. let's leave it at this and see if I come back.. if you don't see me at Julia's, please someone link me, lol!!

I'm here (on the old one still - the files are still backing up ready for swap over!)