WOYWW 459 - last's weeks new stuff

Welcome back.. time for another desk hop.  Julia leads the way here at the Stamping Ground 
Luckily the snow we had again last weekend has all gone.. I couldn't be bothered to suffer yet more rail replacement bus journey to Kew so gave it a miss reluctantly!

Last week you may recall, I was waiting for new "stuff" to arrive..
which it did.. on Thursday (although I had to go and collect it from the post office sorting office as it had to be signed for...

4 new sets of stamps... 3 wordy quotes by Alison Bomber for Paperartsy and a Tim Holtz set... now just need to use them!

I've started a journal page 'just for fun'  there's a numbers theme going on - started with a stencilled clear gel and then added colour, wiping it off the numbers.

I've added some more numbers, stamping in the same colour ink only I seem to have not photographed that stage yet..

it's stagnated there, waiting for further inspiration!


have gone back to photograph the next stage(s) for you!

I stencilled some dots in the numbers for some double stencilling action as well.



Next week, I will have  more new stuff (once I start I can't stop....) I have been watching a lot of you tube videos and joined another facebook group for Dina Wakley and am SOOO tempted by her mixed media journal which incorporates watercolour paper, kraft card, linen and burlap (hessian) pages... just looking for a good price now!    Because, as we all know, you can NEVER have too many journals to play in...!

 In the meantime, I may have ordered some more Dina stamps and a couple extra stencils...

Happy WOYWW deskers!

WOYWW 439

That was a quicker week than ever!  Here we are reporting for desk duty with Julia - and it's November!
I'm really starting to sound like my Mum - or my Grandmother!

I don' t have much to share today, my floor space has gone untouched ..

although I did manage to stamp out the skulls ... after spending some time looking for a long acrylic block I was convinced I had that would fit the stamp (it's nearly 12 inches long) - I'm still not 100% sure I don't have one... I tried it without a block (not bad but not perfect) and with two smaller ones - that worked ok, by inking the stamp and putting it onto the card, then laying the first block on top of the stamp and lining up a second one next to it, and pressing down.... the hardest bit was removing the block without wobbling the stamp (till I realised all I needed to do was lift the blocks together and the stamp would come with them - doh!!)

I had planned to use them in a journal page but so far haven't got any further...
Something tells me instead I really ought to be starting my Christmas cards very very soon!!

I'll leave you with a picture from Kew last Saturday in the sunshine - more here

I loved these little guys - part of a special Artful Autumn event (finished now, sadly) - tai chi practicing willow men - called the Treelings

Have a great week!

WOYWW 436 - more shoppng

Hi, deskers.  It's time for another desk fest.  Link as always at Julia's gaff. ..

Thanks for all your visits last week..
I haven't put ink to the new stamps yet... but as the title suggests, have done more shopping!  I did say last week I was in a 'shopping' phase... I can go ages and then - bam! 
I bought 2 pairs of new boots the other Sunday (see, it's not only crafty shopping I'm in the mood for!) one for walking at Kew as my previous pair were leaking, and one in the most lush burgundy suede (totally impractical but had to have them)
but you don't want to see them, you want to see my desk!

 3 lots of shopping to be precise!

a Tim stencil and die,  (Country View Crafts) some Stampotique wooden stamps (love that they still do wooden mounts)

and a couple of Carabelle studio stamps.  the one on the right, a French text plate, is totally unmounted and designed for printing on the gelli plate with.   (That's Crafty)

Not that I've opened the gelli plate yet!

the Stampotiques came beautifully wrapped - and yes, I saved the tape - well from one parcel, the other one it was stuck fast
(Artist Trading Post, Sue Tucker took over the store after Jamie and Kasia gave it up to concentrate on the Wanderlust online classes. Great service from Sue as always)

I like to do by enabling bit for you all! 




Saturday last week saw me once again visit Kew... taking another 400 plus photos and walking 10k... Julia, you'd be very welcome to join me there one weekend, we don't have to walk that far!

WOYWW 432

Morning!  You find me half way through my week off, so far I did Kew on Saturday (of course!)  London on Monday and Hampton Court yesterday

this was one of my favourites from Hampton Court with the sun creating a rainbow in the fountain spray.










today I am off to London again and will meet up with my friend Miriam at lunchtime at St Paul's

Not sure what else I'll fit in, Kew probably either Thursday or Friday as I am going to Crafting at Ally Pally on Saturday.
So obviously there has been zero crafting and certainly zero tidying!!

 I did do a little online shopping at the end of last week though!

A gorgeous stencil (Poppy Field) by Donna Downey and some new scribbly stamps by Dina Wakley

Not had chance to use them yet, maybe if it rains later in the week (it was meant to on Monday but it was dry till evening after I got home, but I was too tired by then!)

So I will catch your desks when I get home from London, till then, the link up will be here at Julia's Stamping-Ground for WOYWW

WOYWW 420 the hot one

Welcome deskers to a very hot WOYWW .  Julia is away on her holibobs but hopefully leaving a linky to our weekly desk gathering here

England is in the grips of a heatwave (I don't like heat but am determined not to moan too much....!)  but it is as much as I can do to drag myself to work and back (no air conditioning in my office, I am not in the posh new one!) so no crafting has been done again..

I have managed to shop though!

Paperartsy are releasing some new stamps by some of their designers this week and so far I've ordered 3 lots (the two that have arrived here and a third in progress!)

hopefully you can make out the images in the two sets at the top, which are by Sara Naumann and will be great for journalling but all kinds of other things too. The bottom two are by Tracy Scott and are fab!
The big star on the set on the right, made me think of comics and the "wham" "pow" explosion type speech bubbles that they use in comics - although it could be that I saw them at the time that Batman (Adam West) died... or is it just the heat doing weird things to me?!

The cable is from my fan which is attempting to keep me cool (but really is just wafting warm air about)

I went to Kew again last Saturday, and took a gazillion photos of poppies (amongst other things) - I know several of you saw the link on Facebook but if you missed it, they can be seen here 
Neet, in answer to your suggestion, yes I do intend to make them into calendars one year!

Not sure when I'll be able to visit, depends on the heat - Wednesday today  is meant to be unbearable again! (I am writing this in advance on Tuesday night) I may have to wait till later in the week when it cools down.

WOYWW 415

No sooner have I cleared gold powder off my trousers than we are back again.. no more disasters luckily!

Time for another desk share then... have been shopping again (and only some of the orders have arrived, to tease you all..)

a nice large picture for you to see easily... some fabulous new stencils by Stencil Girl (courtesy of Artist Trading Post) and my replacement Lindy's sprays... not mixed them up yet.
the stamps are a gift from a friend who was having a bit of a de-stash and these were the ones I opted for... and a pack of Yupo paper which (once she found it!) she's been offering to send for me to try for ages.

as you can see I've used one of the stamps already, on a pre-played with journal page...

Oxides again, for colour.
Hiding in the background, some tissue wrap (Tim Holtz) that I had used for a birthday card..

  Some mark making with white and black paint and stencilled flowers (a Donny Downey stencil) with black gesso.


Another one of the stamps from Miriam, always love a dream stamp !

this journal is now nearly full, just a couple of pages left - can't wait to start a new one!

 The gold trees are progressing... lots of texture paste round the edges - there was a layer there last week, but I have added to it, to highlight the white edges where the gold didn't spread.
added some birds flying round the trees

and some tone on tone yellowy-orange stamping in the background. you can't see it very well in this picture



We'll see how this comes on for next time!
Depending on whether the new stash has arrived  that may also make an appearance..



till then, happy desking - see you at Julia's 
sorry to keep you longer than I should... hope I don't get told off!

WOYWW 401

What a great week last week's WOYWW was, I think I visited every desk again - and only missed being able to comment on the Google + sites.   But already it's Wednesday again and we gather for some more desk sharing..  the link is here, at Julia's 

 I am working on a RAK - it's apparently RAK week next week, (Random act of Kindness) and a small group I am in (yes, the girls I go to workshops etc with) decided we'd do a small swap between us.  So I have a work in progress (the canvas sitting on my pots of gels and mediums)   Can't show you any more as the recipient may see it before she knows who it's coming from!  Plus of course, I haven't got far with it!



I am also playing in my journal again, I have been playing with a stamp from one of Lin Brown's new releases for Paperartsy

It's a gorgeous stamp of a wild grass of some kind.. and I have stamped it as you see, multiple times in different blues (and a brown for contrast)

Added some words from another stamp from the set that I cut up and glued to the page... not sure if the page is finished yet, maybe - maybe not!





Sunday is the stamp show at Stevenage, aptly called Stamperama.   It's a great little show, one of my favourites, not too far from home and lots of great exhibitors.  I'll be topping up my Paperartsy supplies!!   It also means I get to catch up with some friends again, as well as watch great demos.
You know what that means, lots of new stuff to share next week (and on Sunday, too if you're keen as mustard to see before next week's desk!)

WOYWW 382

Yo, deskers!  It'll be a quick trip today, there isn't much going on!
Head Desker Julia will be delighted at how short and sweet it will be today

I have realised as I am typing this up that you can't see what the stamps are!

they were designed by a lovely friend of mine Debs who won a competition to design some stamps and got given a few sets to give away, I was lucky enough to get a set, which arrived today (Tuesday) - I am hoping to have time to play soon, they are small doodly-flowers and will be great on journals and atcs etc.  I'll be sure to show you what I do.
So I am getting mega-excited about the weekend and my trip to Port Sunlight for Happy Stampers, with some good friends and hoping to meet up lots of deskers as well as Paperartsy 'PAtwits' too.  - see you there!
Not only that, I have next week off work too!  I'll leave you (not so short and sweet after all!) in Julia's care at Stamping Ground

WOYWW 378 -playtime in the journal

Wednesday again... it was a Bank Holiday in the UK on Monday which always throws me.. and it's the last day of the month - who said that this year could travel so fast?  Not that I am complaining this week as it's one day nearer the Paperartsy/Seth Apter workshop on Saturday - to say I am excited is a severe understatement..    But, you're here for desks, and Julia's desk hopping extravaganza

anyhow, the floor today shows signs of journal play, as the blog title suggests..

Using the new stamps that I had to hide from you in the Stamperama show haul last week - they're now 'official' - oh you probably want to see the stamp sets too...and maybe a close up of the journal?
hang on folks...

 Lin Brown's latest designs for Paperartsy. just love them!

close up of the journal page... got some really good crackle on this!











Now, in the top "desk" photo, you may be wondering why there are two meat bashers and a rolling pin....just to save questions, you understand...

Well, they're for stands for my next Powertex makes (when I get round to them) -will need to find something to glue them onto to make them more stable, and I can't start till I find some old tshirt material that I can use to soak in the Powertex...(need to raid the wardrobe)  but it's a start!

WOYWW 371 - here we are again

So, it's Wednesday again already... what happened to last week?
Jan is waiting for you here  for your desks, and if we're really lucky, Julia will join in again too

not a lot on my floor this week (that's a blatant lie, obviously most of my craft room is on the floor...)

a finished journal page, a background started ages ago and stagnating.. some little treasures received from a dear friend (non desker!) - some copies of some lovely photos of ladies; and an altered domino -  and some Timmy stamps that may or may not have appeared before.. some Paperartsy ones are on the way... will probably arrive today now!




Haven't been very crafty at all lately, apart from the journal page which you can't really see so I'll add a picture of it for you..


















there have been some fabulous sunsets the last few days, and whilst I put them on twitter and one on facebook I know not everyone is on those platforms so am sharing them here, even though this is my crafty blog!
-  they were just too good to hide away on the computer.
  this first one was on the 7th, fantastic

and this one on Monday, the 11th.  not as spectacular, and I missed most of it.  but I do like the dark clouds in this one!   (I couldn't quite get the street light out of the shot)


anyway, I've kept you long enough go, go, Jan is waiting!


Am delighted to hear from Jan today that Julia is taking us back on next week, so a BIG thank you to Jan for taking the reins and looking after us all in the last few weeks, you are a true and great friend indeed.