WOYWW 782

 After the fun of the crop, life is getting back to normal... work, a bit more work and more work.. Good job I only had a 2 day week last week and then a Bank Holiday weekend to get used to being back!

Anyhow, it's time for another Wednesday meet up.. the end of another month!   Sarah will have the link 

with my extra day at the weekend, and some typical bank holiday weather, I had a bit of time to play in the small kraft journal... the page is black because I didn't like what i did to start with... 

I don't much like the second incarnation of this paghe either

but did have fun on the facing page with lots of splatters!  

I nearly left it just as splatters but had to faff!  

this is a page that I started on my and Cindy's play day after the crop before we came home..

I had intended to paint over this too but decided to push through and see if I could improve it.

I want to do something more to the letters but ran out of time.  

Saturday was of course, . Kew day.. 

it was the nicest day of the weekend, sunshine and warmth.  

we loved the gosling creche... 36, and of differing sizes so they can't have been all the same family. 

trying to get underneath the daisies in the rock garden 

sadly this weekend looks like it may be damp, but that means raindrops!  

Happy WOYWW and thanks for looking.  

I am hoping the links work, blogger was being funny!  

WOYWW 781 - the crop

 Hello, deskers.  Last weekend was the Crop in Stoke.  photo heavy post to follow...  We were all stunned last week to see that Julia is stopping co-ordinating  WOYWW but Sarah has stepped in to keep us running in order!  for now, here is the story of the crop (and the rest of mine and Cindy's time in Stoke - if you want to see our exploring of Stoke (and Trentham Gardens) head to my other blog - here    

I don't seem to have started taking photos very early..

 Eva, Pat (Sarah's SIL) and Cindy

Julia (sitting)  at the far end of the table is Angela (Felix the crafty cat)  Annie (Wipso) Caro and Mary Anne

I was playing with the Mattints

lunchtime - lots of cake was on the counter where Mary Anne is standing with Jo and Annie

far side under the window - Lynne's husband Brian, Sarah and Cindy, table on the right Julia and Caro

Sarah and Jo (Twiglet) behind the counter 

Annie getting ready to toast Julia 

Neet in her new stroller talking to Lynne and Brian

Jo making her speech of thanks to Julia

"unaccustomed as I am ...." 

then it was time to get crafting again!

Eva, Cindy and Pat

time for the customary group photo

cue Brian who was going to act as photographer

back row, Pat, Lynne, Caro, Sarah, Jo, Annie, Angela, Eva, me, Mary Anne,  front, Neet, Cindy, Julia 

trying not to let anyone escape before we'd all finished our shots

I had been working in a journal as well as the tissue painting with Mattints, and Sarah asked if I was going to get people to sign it again as I have a few times...

Julia,  mid signature, was the final desker to sign! 

if you have had a chance to see the "Stoke/Trentham Gardens " you will have seen that Cindy and I went back to Sarah's so got to see the Shed

and on Monday we decided not to go out and about but to stay and have a crafty play day... this is at the house we rented.

so 2 desks in one WOYWW... next week it will be back to the floor at home. 

oh hang on, I forgot one.

the atcs!  

for those of you not at the crop:

top row, mine, Angela, Cindy, Eva, and 

the print top right is from Pat,  gorgeous!  

middle row, Lynne, Annie, Julia, Neet (overlaid with Jo) Neet, and the tag is Sarah's

bottom row, Caro (plus badge) and 

Mary Anne, bottom row  right had done her usual stunningly intricate folded holder for her atc and badge! 

Thanks to everyone!  

I do have some left so am sending some out randomly!   Happy WOYWW  all.

WOYWW 780 - happy anniversary to us!

 What's On Your Workdesk? Wednesday - week 780 - is 15.  what an achievement.  I am sure when Julia started this all those years ago she never dreamt it would still be going all this time later.  A lot of water has flowed under the bridge since then and we have seen each other through good and bad times. Thank you Julia, for everything.  

Normally for celebrations you buy presents... even if for yourself... amazingly I haven't bought any new goodies for... oh at least 2 weeks!

so instead, here are the anniversary atcs most of which will come with me to the crop on Saturday for swapping.  

I played with a journal page background (the yellow neon paint)  by adding some stenciling, and tissue wrap. the flower is a Dina stamp, stamped on some of her blank tissue.  

then I ran out of oomph... so another part done page!  

I could give Mary Anne a run for her money with part done pages but she's been finishing hers off!  

Kew last Saturday was meant to be hot - it didn't start that way, but buddy Kim and I had fun again with the sculptures.

I'm really looking forward to seeing those of you going to the crop on Saturday - if I can decide what to bring with me I will hopefully get some crafting done! 

For those of you not going, I hope you have a great week.  

WOYWW 779

 Just a week to go to the WOYWW anniversary - and not much longer to the crop when several of us will get together to  craft   chat     eat..   (delete as appropriate)  I can't wait!

I finished the atcs... but decided to keep them "secret" at least for this week.  

based on the expected numbers Sarah mentioned last week I have 1 for everyone going to the crop, plus keep one for me, and one for my PIF (assuming they're not going to the crop) and one for Morti who signed up for a swap..

so as not to just show you the backs of some atcs, here is a journal page I played about with at the weekend.

Had a lovely morning at Kew on Saturday, the first member's early opening Saturday (they actually start on 1 May but I was at work) 

the new Marc Quinn exhibition is FANTASTIC and I took loads and loads of photos - link to blog here    I didn't know until I heard a feature about him on Radio 4 last week, that he is the sculptor who created the Alison Lapper statue for the 4th plinth at Trafalgar square some years ago. 

and a couple of teasers. 

it's going to be 6 months of reflections and fun! 

I'll be round to visit you soon till then, happy WOYWW. 

WOYWW 778

 Morning deskers, it's Wednesday - time for What's On Your Workdesk? Wednesday... Julia has all the details.  Week 778,,  nearly 15 years we've been meeting up.  so it's time to start thinking about atcs... belatedly, despite Mary Anne mentioning them for a couple of weeks!

but in the effort to keep some things secret  I have a card....

I painted a sheet of card with Mattints and stamped a leafy stamp (one of Dina's) over it

this formed the basis of the card above. 

desk shot... not done one for a while... that tiny patch of stripy rug is the bit of floor I sit on to craft....

the 2 sheets of A4 card on the "desk" might be secret prep for atcs... everything else is piles of "stuff " that lives around me - things at hand...

Last Saturday was Kew, (obviously) - dry, but cold; this week ahead is meant to be warm and wet.... great!  But at least we get the chance to go in at 8am   Hurrah!  

this is from a plant in the alpine house, it's been fascinating me for weeks!  

I love tulips even when they are going over

Happy WOYWW, catch you soon!