WOYWW 430

That week flew, right?  Had an extra day at the weekend for the late Bank Holiday.... most of which was spent in the phone shop upgrading my mobile phone... to be fair they made it very easy and transferred all my photos and contacts over to the new one for me quick as a flash.

The weather was glorious down here in Sutton, so it was Kew on Saturday of course. (pics here)
but then in a flash, it was over and back to work.. Yesterday (or today, as I write) was a hard day as it's the anniversary of my sister's death, 20 years ago.. I was chatting to some friends, and I swear I miss her more the older I get.. it's all the things that have happened that she's missed out on..

but, enough gloom... there is a  new toy in da house!

yep, the gelli plate has landed thanks to a friend who got me one at a great price.  I am looking forward to getting painty and spreading prints all over the place... not sure I'll be able to rig up a line to peg them onto to dry.. but that was a good idea suggested by several of you.

I am sure you can't really be wondering why I am showing you the great mess that is my crafty space on the floor... but it's  Wednesday, so it's  WOYWW - check here for linking and details
Have a great week!

WOYWW 429 - a very small post show haul....

Hi deskers, welcome to another desk-fest.  Link your workspaces here and have fun!

So, as some of you saw (and were amazed!)  I didn't spend very much at all on Sunday at Stamperarma...but had a great time catching up with friends, which is more important.

as you can see, not very much at all.... the sd card for the camera is still there from last week, and there is also a couple of bits I picked up at The Works on Saturday, some silvery mesh, and some wooden fairies... cheap as chips, and an idea for them will come to me I am sure... (pics from Stamperama here if you want a look)

Elizabeth said I would need lots of space for my gelli prints (when I get my plate) - well we all know space doesn't exist here, so we'll see what happens with that!  I must admit that is the main reason I didn't get one when they first came out.

My nephew liked his birthday card I shared last week, (or possibly the contents of the little gift envelope I put inside!) so that's good.
I am hoping to get time to do a bit more to my fabric book this weekend, as we have a Bank Holiday here on Monday so have an extra day at the weekend.   However, the best laid plans and all that!

Think I got round all the desks (so wish I could comment on the google plus ones) and will try again this week.  Happy WOYWW!

Stamperama at Stevenage

Got home a little while ago from the Stamperama stamp show at Stevenage... Great to catch up with some friends, but the show wasn't as good  big as it's been in the past, and some companies were missing who should have been there....

Still good to see Paperartsy of course, where I started with a make and take using infusions and distress oxides..

 taken by Racquel (standing)  and using her stamps for Paperartsy  - great to catch up with Miriam and Wendy who were both there, we grabbed the first make and take session. (tag in stash photo later on)

 Lin and I stopped for an early cuppa and Lin had breakfast, couldn't believe how empty it was - this was about 10.30 ish, normally it's really busy first thing..

 back to Paperartsy for some quality demos and chat, Leandra experimenting trying to seal the Oxides to make them permanent... sort of worked!  I'll leave it to her to share her secret some time!

 Realised I hadn't taken many photos...so snapped a few quickly.... Lauren was also on the demo stand with Leandra, was great to catch up with Claire (red tshirt) Alison in her fab crochet top, and Miriam watching Leandra...

 backs of people deliberately not turning round...great to also catch up with Jo V (with the ponytail)

 and great to see Lucy too, even if only towards the end before I left

and a very small stash haul... although I have already got the Prima modelling paste, I was hoping to get the Golden one we'd used on the fabric workshop but Leandra had taken the Prima stuff instead and I didn't realise I had it already... some beads for the book and some lacy trims for the book...
No-one had a big gelli plate there so am about to go order one online!

WOYWW 428

Hi, fellow deskers..  that week went quick, I can't believe it's Wednesday again already!   Time for another WOYWW  with Julia

The wedding last Thursday was fantastic, we had a really good evening.  (if anyone loves a good wedding, even of total strangers, the pics from the evening are here ) which I wrote and published at 1.30 in the morning.. as you do!  but the bride and groom did see the post before they went to bed and loved the photos, so that was lovely to hear!
Here's a quick photo of the happy couple with his work colleagues!

l to r Kirsty, Monica, me, Lesley, Kelsie, Joshua, Phil, James, Jo (James' girlfriend) Kerryn (married to) Shaun. For some reason Phil's girlfriend isn't in the photo...

I don't have a desk/floor photo to show this week as it has nothing on it (except a new SD card for my camera which is really boring!)   so I'll share the 21st birthday card I made for my nephew's 21st birthday which is this week (he won't see this so it's safe to share)

the card base is by Craftwork Cards, and I used some of Elena's monster stamps for Paperartsy
I coloured the images with a mixture of distress oxides and Stabilo felt tip pens
The monster house was stamped onto distress oxide coloured book paper although I added so many layers of distress oxide the book text has disappeared now.

I will have new stuff to share next week though, as I am off to the Stamperama show at Stevenage on Sunday so will no doubt find something I "must" have (and will be getting a gelli plate after last week's workshop!)

Last week's workshop

Last week I mentioned that I was lucky enough to attend a workshop with Lin Brown after Lin, Emma Lesley and I had badgered her for ages to do a fabric workshop...  Totally out of my comfort zone (needles and sewing was involved)  but great fun!

We travelled on the Saturday and had dinner in the hotel which was opposite what is apparently one of the largest gay/bisexual/transgender clubs in the country... some of the guests at dinner were obviously heading there....

 Day one started with us preparing our fabric pages, we'd been asked to decide on a colour and theme in advance to save time.... like that worked!!

 essentials on the go early... chocolate, sweets and tea!
also my first go at the gelli plate - two firsts, fabric and gelli plates!

 despite having a table and chair (as opposed to my customary floor crafting) I still spent most of the time standing up... as did Lesley and Lin!

 my first gelli printed pages drying

 stencilling paste onto fabrics to use in our books

 starting to get the pages roughly laid out

day one ended with us adding some colour to our stencilled paste embellishments...

leaving them to dry..

 Day two... more prep work on the embellishments for the pages, deciding what to include on the page, (we'd brought some of our own lace/trims/bits and bobs we thought might be useful too)

 I did get some beading done.... may have made a passing reference to this on my WOYWW this week, HOW small are the eyes in beading needles... Lin B had to thread my needle for me, I couldn't see to do it even with my glasses on!
but there are teeny tiny beads along the lace trim at the bottom....



Didn't take many photos on day two, we were too hard at work...

 however, I had made myself at home spreading out around my chair...

 Lin and Emma hard at work...

yikes!! look at the mess we made...



We didn't get very far with our books, I have no pictures at all of what the others started (but love love love the colours Emma was working with)  and hopefully I will get some more of my book done soon....
watch this space!



Once again Lin thanks for letting us invade your house and for this fabulous workshop.

WOYWW 427 - WIP

Hi, deskers and happy WOYWW to you again. Wednesday yet again, don't they come round quick!
After a couple of days off work for the fabric workshop I mentioned briefly last week. it's back to it today!  First though, time for Julia's desk-fest  Link your craft space/desk/carpet/kitchen here..

Desk then, well, floor space, as you know I don't have a desk.

 Before I went away I received a package from Country View Crafts... a paper pack (Botanicals)  like the paper dolls - some clippings stickers and a pack of the quote chips.

Just because!













Following the wedding anniversary card last week, I have made another one with the same stencilled design for a lad at work who is getting married tomorrow and I colour co-ordinated it to the wedding colours (will see at the evening reception how well I did from his description..
Here's the card

 I used a Treasure Gold called Rose Quartz (I think, as one of my friends brought it on the weekend for me to borrow) to colour the stencilled gel  I did also, when I got home, add a bit of white fire which is a pale gold-y colour, over the pink, to try and get closer to the desired colour (shame you can't tip the card on the screen to see the shimmer!)

close up of the flowers, I used the same Treasure Gold on those too and put some wispy fibres and tiny dried flowers (Anna Marie Designs) and
wrapped the stems in what I used for electric blue ribbon (the colour theme being described to me as rose-gold and electric blue)







 WIP?  work in progress.. the fabric book from the workshop... LOTS of work still to do but here's a sneak peak of a bit of it

this will be the front cover... before we left, Lin did sew all my wadding in place between my pages, so now I will need to add all my extra layers and embellishments with glue (hurrah!)

I would like some day to get a machine for some mixed media work (not that I used one over the weekend to see how I got on) but have NO surface available to put it so for now, it's not going to happen!
The background pages (all thin cotton/calico type fabric) were gelli-plated, so at least I've tried THAT now!

and a largely done inside page... I did some beading on the lace trim at the bottom (not going to take that up, I couldn't even see - with my reading glasses on - to thread the needle!  boy those beading needles have small eyes!)

I will do a full post with pics from the weekend and some more of my WIP - and will show the pages as I get further with them - as and when!

But had better go now, as I've run on a bit.. happy desking!

I need a 21st birthday card now, for my nephew, I saw my brother on Tuesday and he mentioned it is Will's 21st next week... think some Paperartsy monsters may come out!

WOYWW 426 - August???

I know we say this every month.. but I don't know how it's August...
However, we can't stop the clock turning and the months passing... let' s do some desk hopping instead!  Julia and the gang are waiting for you here.. with a fabulous new WOYWW logo too.

Desk time... well, floor time, you know me by now.

 the journals are on my workmat, the little one shows a page I've been working on in fits and starts... I am itching to start one of the new ones I have put aside ready... I love the A5 size I normally use (the one here is smaller, A6) so I may have to break into one very soon...

 the pile for the workshop at the weekend is growing, has been reorganised and is waiting to be packed.  the pile of fabrics and trims are on a small (ish) box of bits and bobs...
we're doing a fabric book, which will involve sewing (HELP!!!) and I am really looking forward to it..
We were told to take some favourite bits we may want to incorporate...

and the silver wedding anniversary card got finished and posted (no idea if it was received as my brother and SIL are away in Bath according to their FB update!)

3d gel stencilled (Donna Downey stencil) then coloured lightly with silver Treasure Gold and added some flowers wrapped in silver rikrak and placed on a white feather (just because I found it when I was rummaging, for no significant reason!)

Anyhow, hopefully next week I'll have the results of my workshop to share... have a great WOYWW and happy birthday yesterday to Jan.  (hope the card wasn't too late!)