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! 

WOYWW 513

As we always say, another week has flown by and it's time for another meeting of desks at Julia's The Stamping-Ground 
I don't have any new stuff to share this week, I'm still trying to find the stamps I want in stock! 

I have done a (very) little crafting though..

 several months ago I tried out a new stencil on a journal page - it's a mish mash of X's little hearts and that round criss-cross design. 
I added to it with some more colours


before stamping the big JoFY flower I used on my friend's birthday card last week...

 and then painted the painted the page black, leaving the pattern on the flowers


I think I photographed this page before I added some white pen doodling round the flowers and the sentiment...
More doodling will follow I expect!

 I took another look at the page you all liked last time and I said I hadn't.... in daylight, it did look much better!

and I really do like the texture in this circle!



so maybe all wasn't lost...








I decided to add some more stencilling, using the scripty stencil from the other week...  I turned it round different directions to add a bit more interest

I love that archival ink (Thistle) - it's such a rich plummy colour.

I received a delivery of a different (non-crafty!) sort at work on Friday - a huge bunch of flowers from a grateful client.


the lilies smell gorgeous, every time I come in the room it hits me again. 
I know some people can't tolerate the fragrance of lilies, but I love it!


It wouldn't have been Saturday if I hadn't gone to Kew last weekend. and what a fabulously warm sunny day it was!  Take a "quick" look at the pictures here  
Happy WOYWW !