WOYWW 412

Wow, Wednesday again already!  Time to assemble at Julia's once again for our weekly desk share...

Still can't show you my remaining Oxides - but I have had the email saying they're on the way.. which will mean I have the full set.   It also means they will probably turn up today at work..

 I mentioned in my post on Saturday (below this one) that I'd bought some bits - just a few - at the Stitching and Hobbycrafts show at Excel (which I wrongly named Stitching and Papercrafts in my blog post)
here they are.  a metre of calico, some lengths of rikrak and some flowers.  nothing exciting at all!

On Sunday I was playing with the Oxides I do already have and getting some backgrounds started for (hopefully) some birthday cards..
you may recognise the Carabelle stamps from last week on the A4 sheet of card sitting on my journal.

Still to decide if these will make the grade for the cards I need for early May.. if I remember, I will share the results! I have been really bad at remembering to photograph finished cards lately before getting them in the post!

I did find it hard to blend the Oxides on my journal - I think it would have helped if I'd prepped the page with gesso or white paint. I definitely need more play time with these - but I do love the soft colours and the way you can layer colour on top of colour without it muddying.   The images stamped on the journal page are some of Elenazinski for Paperartsy

Hope to catch up with your desks soon.

Stitching Sewing and Papercraft show, Excel

I had a free ticket to this show, didn't decide to go until the last minute.... wasn't really worth it, in truth, but I did see some amazing embroidery

 it was nice to see the Cardigan for Cardigan though, knitted by people from (you guessed it) Cardigan...

 it's touring the shows... I've seen it on (I think) Jozart's blog..

 fabulous quilting on a Sea theme

and the Embroidery Guild (hope you can read this) had some stunning work on show.

 just stunning... enlarge them, do!

 this one in particular was amazing...










so was this

 it was fairly crowded.. (people getting in my way, lol!)

 these fabric dolls were fabulous..
should have noted the lady's name!

she was painting the faces on the stand, but didn't see any kits for sale (not that I'd have bought one)


nothing else very interesting...

did I come away empty handed?  well. no.
I bought a metre of calico (for powertexing or some other mixed media purpose) and some lengths of rikrak.. I haven't photographed them!

 outside the show but still inside the Excel I met some aliens!!

and a load of people signing in for tomorrow's London Marathon!  (I'll be watching from my normal viewpoint of the sofa!)


Having only stayed an hour, and seen everything, I decided to head for - surprise surprise - Kew!
see here for the pics! 

WOYWW 411

so after a lovely long weekend for Easter, it is back to work and the normal daily ... I'd say grind - I do enjoy my job, but 4 days is just long enough to start to get used to being home!  I had a couple of days out (the Tall Ships festival and Kew) and a couple of days doing not much...

 the Carabelle Studio stamps I mentioned last week arrived in speedy time (unlike my last Distress Oxides which are still being processed by Oyster who say they got a bit behind with orders... yes didn't they just!)


I have already used the windows stamp on a card but forgot to take a photograph of it before rushing it in the post..

The London skyline is to go with my Paris one that I already have... and the tulips - well I just liked them! (saw them in a you-tube video or blog post somewhere...)




but they've been put away (kind of)

and I had a bit of a play in my nearly full journal

but don't worry, I've got lots of new ones ready lined up to start when this is full!

Hopefully next week I really will have had my final Oxides - certainly the ones I have had and used, I love.  Happy desk hopping... time to get on here!  the link as always is here at Julia's Stamping Ground 

It's all about the birds..

So I've been playing in my soft cover journal and thought I had some pictures from the starting point... only it seems not!

Straight to the chase then..

this is the only one I have of the background... it was blue leftover paint and stencilled texture paste through the "art is" stencil and some scraps of tissue wrap...... (this was going to be another entry for the blue and ochre Paperartsy challenge)








then...



I added some torn scraps of book pages

 I dripped some white Amsterdam ink down the pages and then across the pages to create some random shapes...

I doodled round the white drip marks with a black micron pen

it struck me (because I never plan these things)
that some of the Elenazinski birds would fit perfectly..

 it would have been best if I had applied a light layer of gesso before stamping the birds but I didn't think of that until too late...

 but it helped for the leaves and petals!

I just stamped parts of the flowers that would fit in my holes


I used big Pitt pens and Stabilo felt pens to colour the images

 I did some white pen mark making and highlighting

and that was that!

WOYWW 410 - the post Ally Pally one...

Hi, lovely deskers.  It's Wednesday again, and time to bare all (desks, desks!) once more..
Julia is as ever, our wonderful host here

Now, Ally Pally on Saturday -   a fabulous day out - glorious sunshine - friends - shopping - what more could a girl want?

You may have seen the full post of the day in the previous post (here if not)
I did meet some deskers  - Dolores, Erika and Cindy - but failed to get any pictures with/of them!
I know you'll want to see the stash even if you don't have time to read the whole day's story.

I think you'll agree that is quite a small haul for me! ***(excuse to follow)






you probably can't make out in the first photo, the small stencil that was probably made for me - or indeed, several of us deskers...
here's a close up!

I don't have a clue when I'll use it, but I had to buy it!

*** Since I got home, I have ordered some more stamps from That's Crafty - some stamps by Carabelle Studios - I saw a gorgeous one on a stand on Saturday but research on the spot (where would we be without mobile technology!) proved I could save several ££ by getting it online... so there will be new stuff next week again too!

For now, I will leave you and let you get back to the link... thanks for stopping by..
I would like to say too, that I am sorry I can never leave a comment on the Google Plus ladies as I simply won't join Google Plus but I do always love your desks!

Crafting at Ally Pally - today

So I just got home from a fabulous day at Ally Pally made all the better for good company; and yes, a bit (!) of shopping..

 I was there early (around 9) and walked around the outside a little to admire the view - sunny but misty over London but the park was looking gorgeous

 parts of the outside... so thrilled the unused run down areas are being refurbished to bring the whole building back to it's former glory.

 Inside, I grabbed a coffee (foul longlife milk, they were using fresh last time!) and a yummy raspberry and white chocolate muffin whilst I was waiting for Lin

the Palm Court inside is lovely





Snapped the Paperartsy stand whilst waiting in line to book a make and take

 Lauren demoing with the new (to Paperartsy) Amsterdam acrylic inks and paints

 Lucy demoing with the rather lush paper that feels like fabric...

 then Leandra's turn...

 later on, when the crowds thinned out, there was time for more of a chat - Lin, Lesley and her friends Elaine and Judith and Leandra

 coaxed a smile out of them!

 and then Lin took one with me in, with my still very red hair!






Stash pics?  oh, go on then.

 some of the fab 12x12 fabricy paper (it is paper, just feels like fabric), some stencils and some papers (top left) - bargain price for 10 sheets of printed advert type paper..

 stamps, the Paperartsy apron, some fat quarters, stamps, some lace and fibres..

 bit of a close up for you!

managed to snag the rest of the Oxides that aren't already in processing from Oyster.  Not as good a price, but 4 for £20 so reasonable... can't remember where from now!

You should be able to click on the photos and get an even better look!

and the Oxides make and take Lin and I did with Leandra, a super quick try them out M&T which was great fun.


As always, it was great to spend the day with Lin, chat to Lesley and her friends, Kirsten, Lucy, Jo and WOYWW friends Erika, Dolores and Cindy - and some more ladies I know by sight but not really name!

Shopping is always fun when it's crafty shopping!

WOYWW 409 - Oxides are in da house!

well some of them anyway... finally!

a package was put on my desk at work on Monday with a comment "what have you been buying now?!"

it's worse than having to hide stuff from a hubby!


anyhow when I got home I unpacked them and staged the desk for you - together with some chipboard letters from The Works I picked up at the weekend, and some fabric washi tape..just because!

Another journal WIP - possibly another entry for the Paperartsy blue and ochre challenge if I get my act together in time

 (full details of this, the previous entry in the post beneath this one)

so whilst Monday's dinner was cooking I had a play with my new inks and a large tag...
just a basic let's see what it does play to start with... but so much so that I leapt onto the website to order some more

I wasn't going to get anything else from Oyster because of their slow service with these inks but the price was too good to miss.. loads cheaper than anywhere else (shows what a markup everyone is making) but they only had another 4 of the colours left in stock.


Saturday sees the bi-annual Ally Pally show (now called Crafting at Ally Pally) - can't wait to top up my stash supplies..............

Happy Desk Hopping Wednesday - see you at Julia's