WOYWW 850

 Happy Wednesday, deskers - time to report for action with Sarah at Sarah's CraftShed for another WOYWW .  My week off flew by as they tend to, and I managed a further Kew visit after last week's desk share.  

I also gave myself back ache with some crafting - too long on the floor!  

a journal page started in the Kraft journal - not finished 

I used the cut out coaster shape stencil on a different journal page and added some stamped raven images  

this one's finished! 

a third journal page - this one's actually finished too 

and a birthday card for my boss Monica using some of the previously stored stamped and coloured flowers

I'm running out of pink poppies now so will have to stamp some more! 

I'll link Kew from Saturday but the post before the linked one was also from last week 

there'd been some rain but it made some fabulous  reflections on the lake crossing 

and then later the sun really came out 

there's a new exhibition opening for Saturday called Material World which will be interesting to see - watch this space ! 

WOYWW 830

 Morning deskers, we find ourselves at Sarah's CraftShed again for WOYWW  - another week has flow by.

I had a great few days off work, that went too fast of course,

I added some text to the journal page from last week

I made another birthday card with Alison Bomber's stamps (and stencil in the background)

and another journal page on Sunday, which was finished off (if you can enlarge to see the text)  once Liverpool sealed the Premier League... 

and started another page with lots of scribbles!

I also got in a further 2 trips to Kew - the regular Saturday one and on Thursday (combined with the Tower) 

I cannot believe that it is May tomorrow - but at least that means Kew's member 8 am opening starts (even if it does mean waking around 5 on Saturdays, but so worth it)

giant peony

Poppy planting at the Tower 

thanks for looking - see you soon!   

WOYWW 824

 Who can believe it's time for WOYWW again already?  Work is crazy-busy and the days fly by... and it's Wednesday again! 

Sarah is head- desker and you can join in with us here  

Well, you all know me so well.. I caved in at the weekend and ordered some of the new Paperartsy bits...I was watching the football and Liverpool losing the cup final so needed cheering up...   sadly the mail hasn't arrived yet so you'll have to wait to see what I bought for next week!

I did make a birthday card though for Kirsty at work, it's her birthday at the end of the month (go me, really early!)

I'd watched an Alison Bomber you-tube video on Sunday morning which inspired me - she did a tag, but I knew I could adapt it to a card.

took a piece of patterned paper and added some stamping and a Tim Holtz paper doll and a piece of cheesecloth.

I am determined to use up stuff so this was a good start!

Had intended to do some more work to the "birdy" journal page but that didn't happen. 

my Kew buddy Kim and I had sunshine at Kew last weekend, though it was cold...

the sunny week had been kind to the magnolias

and so was some of the blossom.

Looking forward to seeing what's changed by this weekend (except it might be wet...)

that's it for me, happy WOYWW and see you soon. 

WOYWW 817

 Hi, deskers.  It's another non-productive week here, but I'm linking at Sarah's again for WOYWW.. hardly anything for me, again!

I have made a birthday card for a friend, using some of Alison Bomber's grasses stamps for Paperartsy, 

I didn't photograph the card in very good light, but the background is sprayed with bundled sage distress oxide spray, and stamped with the avocado and nocturne versafine clair inks. 

maybe next week there'll be more.....

Kew last Saturday was great - sunshine AND blue skies... which made a lovely change

inside the palm house, on the viewing platform...

there was action at the lake - some of it chasing after food

and some a bit more frisky!  

Next Saturday sees the start of the 2025 Orchid Festival, so watch out for lots and lots of orchids!!

Can't believe (even though we say this every month!) that it's the end of January already...

Happy WOYWW.  I hope you've all had a good week .

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. 

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!  

WOYWW 764

Happy Wednesday deskers,  I hope none of you suffered damage from Storm Isha (or Jocelyn who is hard on Isha's heels...)  that means it's time for WOYWW again 

I had a bit of a play in the small kraft journal again at the weekend 

I added to the blue page.. 

and added some more to some "waste" paint on the adjoining page 

there's a small tag started to add to this page but it didn't get photographed!

I made a birthday card for a friend (she won't see this so it's ok to share it) 

the background is a sheet of paper that I overstamped  and the butterfly is stamped on tissue 

Neet, you wanted to know about the Sacred bamboo plant that I shared last week ... luckily, Angela (Crafting with Jack) checked it out and left a comment which I've copied here  - thanks, Angela.  

" I had a look for you: This Flower Essence is for opening and aligning the main chakras to receive light energy. It helps us be a heavenly bamboo, a wonderful, flexible pillar of light. - Helps us stay grounded in our divine identity especially during spiritual growth spurts.

It’s not at a bamboo and the berries are poisonous to people." 

it is a member of the berberis family and it's true name is nandina domestica (that's my contribution! )

 I had a much happier day at Kew on Saturday, no more January blues - you can see all the pics here   it wasn't as cold as I anticipated (or perhaps it was all the layers)

the pond was frozen - it had been a very cold week!

It will have thawed out by now.  

Thanks for looking, happy WOYWW 

There will be new goodies next week, Paperartsy are on a new release week (ordered from both of the first 2 days, one more to come...)  They are also celebrating 20 years of business... and I am probably responsible, given how much of their stock I own!  

 

WOYWW 746

Welcome back for another WOYWW.  Desk sharing day... 

I had a play in my white Dina Wakley journal with the neon paints 

I stamped one of Dina's faces onto a blank transparency (using stuff again!!)  

added some  collage tissue pieces to the page.  

I made a birthday card for my boss

and ordered and received the new neon glosses (they have stopped calling them sprays, and are changing over to droppers rather than sprays due to the clogging problems)

you can at the moment still get spray attachments separately but gradually the droppers will replace them on all the glosses sold. 

The rest of my week off passed in a flash.

I went to London and took the planned tour of Buckingham Palace and really enjoyed the Coronation displays.  The robes were magnificent and the embroidery on the Queen's gown was superb.

unfortunately although not surprisingly you can't take photographs inside.  

this is the back garden where they hold the Garden parties. 

Saturday was another lovely visit to Kew 

the cygnets are growing so fast and losing their grey baby feathers -  the neck looks so soft,  but I wouldn't want to stroke it, I bet they've already got a nasty nip if they fancied!

I'll be heading back again on Saturday although it looks as if my Kew buddy Kim will be missing for a while - she's managed to break her ankle and is in plaster. 

We have a work team meeting which runs over lunchtime so I'll be late visiting those of you I can't do before work.

Happy WOYWW and see you soon 

WOYWW 733

 Hello deskers,  Wednesday has rolled round again, and it's time for WOYWW with Julia and the gang. 

Some of you have seen my post from my first day out of my week's holiday from work (here if not) which started by going to Hampton Court to find it shut!!  and after that Tuesday was a quiet day...watching the Ashes (cricket) once the rain stopped.  Shame about the result, but it was exciting! 

I have managed a bit of journal play - just trying out new stamps/stencils rather than finished pages. 

first, in the Dina blue journal, on a denim page, stencilled with Paperartsy paints in lemon meringue and toffee apple; the Sunshine stencil by Dina 

think its the first time I've used those colours... 

then in my A5 journal, the background is distress oxide in villanous purple and uncharted mariner,  just lightly applied and blended with gesso. 

cut out the Paperartsy numbers I stamped last week and glued them to the page. 

then I used this stencil, and applied 3 colours, just turning the stencil to get a plaid effect.

Oxide inks in lumberjack plaid, villainous purple and mustard seed

and then cut out the Paperartsy mini stamps by Lynne Perella.

I had 4 left but decided 3 was a better number.

used 2 of the others to add to a card that I started months ago, and never added a focal point,  for my cousin who's birthday is Sunday, day before me (she's a year older though)  

last Saturday (seems a long time ago now) was of course Kew,  pics here 

I'll be going out on Wednesday, not quite sure where yet, probably give Hampton Court a go again (ha ha; at least I know they'll be open.) so I may be late visiting.   In the meantime, happy WOYWW  

WOYWW 718

 We find ourselves at Wednesday again, time to join Julia for WOYWW once more.

I managed to finish the neon journal page I shared last week

I also assembled a birthday card with one of the stencilled backgrounds from several weeks ago

this will be for my mate Kim at Kew who's birthday is later in March.

Of course I did go to Kew last Saturday, photos are here.   

I didn't post much whilst walking round though.  I was too busy chatting...

to Kyla!!    

she messaged me on Friday to say she and Lee were hoping to make Kew on Saturday and could we meet up....

they did make it, and we did meet up!  

Kim took this one  (which I didn't know about till she sent it to me when I got home) 

and Kyla's hubby Lee took this one

as we knew we'd not be forgiven if we didn't take photos!  

it was great to catch up - and thanks to Lee too for spending part of his birthday with a total stranger!

I didn't include these in the Kew post at the time to save the surprise for today (will go and edit it now)

Happy WOYWW!  see you soon