WOYWW 807

 Well, hello desky peeps... it's Wednesday and all through the house..... not a thing to share for WOYWW.... 

nada!..  zilch!... nothing! ...  

normally on a Sunday I force something but I spent all day doing nothing - I had a great time at a 70th birthday party on Saturday night (my out-out night I mentioned last week). there was Malaysian food, (some) drink and dancing.... and no, I wasn't hung over 

which also means no more Christmas cards got made up and it's getting late ... as usual it'll be a last minute rush.  

there is however, Kew to share, even with a party to go to there was time for Kew...

Jan this is just for you... 

sadly not lit last weekend (not till the night anyway)  and we couldn't get into the centre for a real sense of scale....

no blue sky but at least it was dry...

the forecast for this coming weekend is anything but dry, but at least it's not snow (here anyway)

it won't stop me going, but it may get me wet!

Happy WOYWW  and I'm off to see some more busy desks!  

WOYWW 806

 Hello again deskers. hope you are well.  It's hurtled round to Wednesday again - see you at Sarah's for WOYWW 

I was watching another video on YouTube from Alison Bomber and allowed her to send me shopping for the paper dolls and phototmatic from Tim Holtz - they're a bit bigger than I thought they'd be 

I also replaced my water spritzer which stopped spritzing, and the tiny attacher which stopped attaching!!  

I also got the scorched timber brown ink pads which I didn't bother with when they first came out....

oh yes, and the moths...  

bit of a closer look. 

towards the end of Sunday lunchtime I decided I ought to be assembling Christmas cards 

so I cut up 2 of the sheets of masterboards and put together some cards.

well the basics, they need to have some sentiments on and the insides stamped. 

dug out some more card blanks for some more cards, but I won't get any done till Sunday,   I'm going out-out on Saturday night but won't miss Kew first!

last week at Kew was interesting to see some more of the Christmas lights trail (which opens today, and runs till early January) 

this was fascinating, loved the colour changes through blues to purples

salvia still going strong

and we had a closer look at the big pots in the gallery exhibition Expression in Blue - although these ones are beautifully colourful!

they are big!  

May be late round today, work is mad busy so there may not be much of a lunch break!  

Happy WOYWW  

WOYWW 805

 Welcome back deskers, another Wednesday has rolled (raced) around.  Sarah would love you to join in with WOYWW  

I have even less to show than last week I think...

I dug out some card blanks (just white so far) ready for when I cut my masterboards into Christmas card toppers...

it looks a very blurry photo - I think it's mostly the cellophane bags the card blanks are in....

underneath is my square journal 

which I did have another play with the Alison Bomber stamps

I painted the page first with the Paperartsy Mattints,

and added lots of layers of the grasses.

then I knocked it back with a thin layer of gesso.

I intend to add more top layers of stamping but haven't got round to it yet

(Tuesday night when I prepare my post is Bake Off night, currently also followed by Masterchef, gotta love cooking on tv!)  

I'll finish with Kew from the weekend and some gorgeous colours.

it was a very grey morning but there were the odd glimpse of brightness.

thanks for looking, put the kettle on I'll be there soon... happy WOYWW 

WOYWW 804

 Welcome to this week's WOYWW - the last one in October... really?!  Head to Sarah's the Craft Shed for the link up.  

Paperartsy had some more new releases last week and I couldn't resist these grasses and umbells from Alison Bomber.. they came within a day of ordering from the Stampers Grove, superb.

I was watching a You Tube video from Alison on Sunday morning and had a play along (vaguely) the lines she went down with the tag on the left... it didn't quite work out how I intended which is why it's not finished.

the other square tag was the previous new toys from Dina a couple of weeks ago, playing with one of the stencils. 

don't look too closely at the state of the silicone craft mat, it's a disgrace!

I managed to stay on my feet at Kew last week (and the bruises are fading)

and both Kim and I really enjoyed the first chance to look at the new gallery exhibition, Expressions in Blue.

the tree near the main entrance is also getting redder by the day.

Thanks for looking, hope you have had a creative week (unlike me)  

WOYWW 803

 Can someone please explain how the weeks go so fast? We find ourselves hurtling into Wednesday again for WOYWW hosted by Sarah.    

I had a bit of panic at the weekend at how little of my Christmas card prep I've done - but then I never usually do them this early... anyhow I decided I'd do batch making big style this year and cracked out some masterboards. 

I used a couple of my favourite stamps that I use loads at Christmas - wooden mounted Magenta stamps from loads of years ago, and I love them.

I filled 2 A4 sheets in shades of blue 3 in shades of purple and then with the other stamp, one in greens/grey (my million year old silver Encore ink pad has gone sticky and odd)  and one in reds. 

the inks are Versafine Clairs.  So when those little lot (with the 3 or 4 sheets I did a few weeks ago) should make quite a few cards.

Kew last week was... interesting.   Forecast was heavy rain, and it did, for a while.  I also managed to trip up a step at the Temperate House (the same step Kim tripped up whilst she was still on crutches)  

There was however, lots of beautiful tree colour.  you can see the photos here 

the bottom step was the one that caused the fall, and the idea was to post at the sign for the new exhibit Rare and Extinct inside....I said we could pretend we were the rare (or maybe extinct) the sign was referring to.

Kim told me to pose.  (this is after I picked myself up again)

I just misjudged where the step was as I turned round and fell back onto the step, on my bum..... big ouch!  

anyway,  I'm fine, the bruises will fade and as I say, the camera wasn't broken 

Hopefully your week was less dramatic and I'll be round to check your desks soon.  Happy WOYWW!

WOYWW 802

 Welcome back deskers, it's time for WOYWW again, now with the lovely Sarah at the helm.  

I carried on with the journal page using the Mattints... Jan wanted to know a bit more about them.   they are not paints, but water based transparent glazes with colour added.  You can use them like paints, you can use them to seal things, you can use them as adhesive. (not tried that bit yet but Paperartsy have) You can blend the colours together (there are 12 so far, and I think one more set of 4 to come) 

so this was the one layer of Mattint on the page that I showed last week 

and with a second (or third) coat 

and some stamping (had to use some of the Seth Apter mini stamps..

and some more stamping!  Sorry about the light on this final picture, it's dark as I took this after I realised I hadn't taken the last stage so far.  

that's where it's got to.  It will at some stage have a focal point on it 

I went shopping again too,  Dina had some more new releases.

I ordered them (from Art From the Heart) and thought - oh that'll go through the letterbox, send them to home not work...

err..  maybe not as it happens

I got home from work on  Monday just as the postman was driving off having not got a reply at the door... drat!

Luckily on Tuesday they tried again and left the box tucked behind one of the wheelie bins by the front door.

this is what was in it... I thought... tags, stencils,  they're flat, they'll put them in a jiffy bag and bingo, through the letterbox!

so I've not had time to play yet...

Kew on Saturday was overcast but not cold,  and Kim and I found some colour still...

gotta love some trees in autumn!

and some mushrooms!

I'd better leave it there,  wishing you all a happy WOYWW see you soon!

WOYWW 801

 What a great reminisce we had last week with WOYWW!  It was such fun to see how long we've all been playing along.  Some of you much longer than I remembered.  Please head over to Sarah's again to join in again today. 

The weekend flew by and there wasn't a lot of crafting time.. 

All I managed was some test stamping of the new stamps that I got last week..!  

I think the overlapping circles are my favourites 

but it could be the lovely blue I chose to play with. 

I had a sort of idea for 

this stamp just to the left here...

but not sure it will come off!  

this is the new Mattints (minus the red) but there's only

2 layers of each colour so they are very pale still.

the one called Ash (right at the top)  is very pale and doesn't show up in the photograph  - it will intensify if you increase the number of times you paint the colour on.

It felt so long to wait to leave for Kew on Saturday - being a morning person that's why I like the 8am starts so much

orchid in the Princess of Wales conservatory

the trees are - slowly- turning colour, they seem late this year (and that's to do with the wet summer apparently)  and the sun was out, so it was a lovely visit!

Till next week, happy WOYWW! 

WOYWW 800

Welcome to WOYWW - week 800.  what a milestone!   Sarah asked us to share the week we first joined in with this desk-filled fun... I had trouble searching back but found a post from February 2010 which I think is  when i first joined in  back in the early ish days at Julia's .  Not a lot has changed  - still working on the floor, still buying lots of stuff!  

I found an earlier week from 27 January 2010 when I commented but couldn't link due to not having gone digital so that was my first week almost joining in!   We are so lucky these days to have the linky tool, it makes it so much easier!  Thank you to Julia for starting this fun, and Sarah for taking it over. 

This week I have...... made a start on backgrounds for Christmas cards... yes, really!  

first off I went for a painted background and stamped images (Tim Holtz stamps, a rare outing these days) 

and then I went back to my more usual masterboard style.  

I think the snowflake shape was a Paperartsy stamp and the yellow swirly things are an Inkadinkadoo Christmas set 

it wouldn't be me on a WOYWW especially for a big week special, if there weren't new stuff to share... from last week's Paperartsy release week.

restrained I think!  the ledger patterned tissue was a must have and so were the new Mattints (not paints, matte tints,  glazes)  brings their numbers to 12 now I think.  

and some new Seth Apter mini stamps.

and finally... Kew.  

it was as you know the last 8am entry till next May - the only thing going for that is a bit of extra sleep and not waking at 5 to leave at 6... 

it was a glorious day, sunny, (cold to start but warmed up) and Kim and I had great fun... all the photos on the link above (lots!) here's a taster.

there was a touch of grass frost but amazing shadows... 

 

we couldn't resist having fun one last time with the sculptures.  Marc Quinn, you have been a blast at Kew this summer!

Till next week, happy WOYWW and happy crafting. 

WOYWW 799

 I don't know where the weeks go -  but here we are, another Wednesday, week 799 of WOYWW    New host Sarah has the link for you to join in. 

I hope you've all had a creative week... not so here!  

I added some more layers to a journal page I started weeks ago

stencilling and drips and collage tissue.  not necessarily in that order!  

Paperartsy are halfway through new release week so if I don't resist there may be new goodies next week... 

Last Saturday saw the penultimate early entry to Kew so Kim and I made the most of it  but it was a bit dull after the previous sunny week! 

these are some of my favourite little aster-type flowers.  such a delicate purple-blue colour.  

and the porcelain berries are starting to develop. 

Thanks for looking, and I'll be round to visit soon  Happy WOYWW.!  

WOYWW 798

 Morning happy deskers, we find ourselves at Wednesday again, so must be time for WOYWW again. 

I think I rashly promised your more crafting this week...

I made another journal page this is in a Seawhite journal - it's just over 7 inch square cartridge paper

the background was drops of the new Dina gloss colours in Malachite and Mustard and smooshed a bit with water before adding stencilling in similar coloured inks,

the image is a transparency. 

then I realised I needed a birthday card for Wednesday (I forgot to do it on Monday so it was a rush job on Tuesday evening)

which means the overhead light is awful  and I couldn't get the flash to fire on the phone. 
. 

It's for Monica, my boss.  

Kew on Saturday was a gloriously perfect autumn day, even if it started really cold (had to put gloves on!)  

the light was fantastic at 8,  this is why I love early starts so much... only 2 more to go though before it's back to getting in at 10 with the general public!!

Thanks for looking, I'll be round to visit very soon.