WOYWW 599

 you know what they say,  blink! and it's Wednesday... time for WOYWW week 599  nearly time for our 600th celebration.

Don't know what WOYWW is?  where have you been!  Julia will tell you all about it here  

So, desk sharing day.  A bit of a cobble together today...

Sunday I set to and made another batch of Christmas cards - quick and simple,  several of each to make them quicker still... and got 20 done in total so there is a reasonably satisfying pile...

(there were a few left over from last year, which helps!)

After all that industry it was time for play!

I added some more layers to the loose journal page I'd been playing with last week

which I managed to forget to photograph before I cut it to fit the journal!

the white circles are a Stencil Girl stencil I've had ages but never used before.

I added it to the journal with strong double sided tape and added some stamped images (Dina Wakley) stamped on tissue so they'd glue well to the pages

Obviously (or it wouldn't be me) it's not finished - needs some words of wisdom still

and finally - some enabling!  

I liked the look of the new Distress ink colour so bought it in Oxide and Distress spray and yay!  crackle paint (would have got crackle paste too/instead of  but it was sold out)

and I couldn't resist a couple more of the Dina Wakley paints.

So, that's me this week... can't wait to see what you've all been up to, will come visit soon.

WOYWW 598

 I can't believe we're here again for another week's WOYWW  - week 598 .  Nearly time for the week 600 virtual crop.  (note to self... download Zoom and check you can use it...)  

Had a bit of a weird weekend, had something on my mind and Saturday I couldn't settle to anything - would have loved a walk at Kew!  But Sunday I pulled myself together and -   shock!  started some Christmas cards!!

Of course it's only the fronts done, no insides stamped (and some of them may need inserts this year (I never ever do inserts) as the base layers are a bit dark for writing on)

however, it's a start

I also dug out some embossing powder, which I haven't used for years, to find it not working - although it turned out it was largely the cardstock I was using that was to blame

I did find my Paperartsy smoothy card worked fine though

Needless to say I soon got bored and had to swap to journalling... I'd watched a lot of You Tube on Saturday and had a play on a loose piece of mixed media paper (from Cass Art, I love this paper it takes all sorts of wet media.  

the actual page is a little darker in reality and will probably need a little bit of gesso or something to lighten it back up a tad.  I've used my  Dina Wakley paints, which I  haven't had long and love already and want more colours, although of course I have hundreds of different paints.... but hey ho!

Anyhow, this is just a start and I will probably add some more stencilling and some of Dina's figure stamps.  Watch this space!  

Happy Wednesday and I'll come visiting later.  

Hope you are all staying safe and surviving whatever level of lockdown or restrictions you're subject to.  

WOYWW 597

 Morning deskers, we find ourselves at Wednesday once again  and time for another WOYWW  - check the details  here 

I still haven't ordered the crackle paste so there is no enabling this week and precious little else either...

A journal page with some of the new Dina Wakley stamps but nothing to write home about.

No Kew last week (as you probably knew from the lack of facebook posts!)  I decided that as we are meant to be staying at home and not taking unessential travel (even the relatively short journey to Kew)  I would play by the rules.  So let's hope it really is only for 4 weeks till the beginning of December and I can visit again.  (although of course the first Saturday in December is our zoom crop - still have to download the app and test it!)  

So, there we are,  short and sweet !  Happy WOYWW  and I'll come visit your desks soon 

WOYWW 596

 Welcome to November... Desk day....  WOYWW  head for the Stamping-Ground and Julia will dish the dirt explain all.

No enabling today as I still haven't ordered my crackle paste I forgot to buy last week..

I did have a chance to have a bit of a play with a couple of the stencils though

I added some more of the flourish stencil to the journal page

and some stamping in the background

I took my ideas from a You-Tube video from Niamh Baly who uses a lot of Dina Wakley products and I love her work.

then I stencilled the "pretty as a peacock" girl on a sheet of Dina Wakley collage tissue (the one with the white words - this is from an old pack)

I used wilted violet and peacock feathers (obviously!) distress oxides

I absolutely LOVE they way this stencil comes out (Imay have to buy the bigger size too)

I very carefully stuck it to the journal page so as not to smudge the inks

quite fortuitously the tissue shows the word "perfect" in the middle of the girl's neck... not that it is a perfect page, but not bad for random placement of the stencil!  

I have some finishing off to do, but am really pleased with this page so far.

I'll be late visiting this week as I have a Dr's appointment at lunchtime so have to get back to Sutton from work and then back to work after the appointment so won't have time to do any visits then.  

Nearly forgot -  last week's Kew pics -   where I met an old friend.. 

and got quite wet!

Kew will be staying open during the new lockdown, but as we are only meant to be using transport for essential travel, not sure I will be able to keep going (though it is essential to my mental wellbeing to visit Kew so...)  

WOYWW 595

Time to assemble and report for desk duty once more.. Julia is waiting at the Stamping-Ground for us.. 

I had a little play with the crackling campfire ink pad over  some strips of collage tissue

over the tissue, I added a layer of gesso and then added some texture paste through the stencil of the faces. (stencil and tissue by Dina Wakley)

I did add some crackle paste before the faces but it's not crackled hence adding the faces.  I tried another pot of crackle paste... that had dried up....

I used the crackling campfire and picked raspberry distress oxides, spritzed with water and blotted.   Neet is right, she commented last week to say what a strong colour that orange is!  It's ok blotted off though. 

at that point I stopped,  will add more to it at some stage

Just before I went to bed on Sunday I put in an order with Stampers Grove for some more stencils (ok, so I have an addiction!)  having watched a lot of you tube videos on Sunday when I kept seeing stencils I liked... some of which I found available and some I haven't yet tracked down..

Anyhow, 10pm order submitted,  came home from work Tuesday to find...

the service from the Stampers Grove is really excellent!

and we all know, given how fast the weeks go, it will soon be the weekend and i may have time to play!

I was meant to be buying a new pot of crackle paste!!

No doubt that order will go in soon...

which just leaves me to leave you the link for Kew last Saturday - cloudy but wow the colours, I do urge you to check them out! 

Looking forward to your desks - no doubt you've all been busy making Christmas cards!  

WOYWW 594

 Another week, another desk share day... Wednesday is time for WOYWW  

I forgot to show you last week, the coaster that came from Jo's talented daughter Maxine, Tilly Tea Dance..based on one of her gorgeous sunflower designs and a pretty card with  note too.

I can't bring myself to use it yet !

There is enabling to be done, too.. 

the new Paperartsy stencils and (finally succumbed) to the new Distress oxide colours..

and another one by CraftersWorkshop, thrown in for good measure.  

I opened the leafy stencil you couldn't see last week, it;s actually a mask and stencil so you get positive and negative images

I had a quick play, (photo looks out of focus, not sure how. unless it's my eyes!)

was just trying it out, it's not meant to be anything fancy.

I think I'll use ink rather than paint next time.  

all the fronds on the leaves are quite delicate too, I can see it may tear easily if you apply paint or ink too roughly

Saturday was a Kew day of course - no sun, but no rain either (yay)  

the colours are getting better and better!

hopefully, London won't be put into more severe restrictions too soon so I can enjoy them as long as possible! 

thanks for visiting - I may be late getting back to you as work is insanely busy and I haven't been getting much of a lunch break this week 

WOYWW 593

 And here we are again.  Wednesday.  Which means the best day of the week (apart from Saturdays at Kew, sorry Julia) WOYWW  with Julia and the gang. 

I'm in enabling mode again today as my latest splurge goodies arrived...

2 more stencils and some stamps, plus a couple of stabilo all pencils (finally! been wanting these for ages)

the stencil you can't really see is a stencil and mask set - a leafy shape

I tried to take a close up 

but not sure you can see it still... you'll have to wait till I use it!

I added some more to the page from last week

in the hopes that adding to it would hide (in my eyes) the bit at the top I didn't like 

I used the faces stencil and the quote from one of the stamp sets as they seemed to go together

I also used a white posca paint pen to outline one of the sets of leaves stencilled 

I stamped one of the other images on the second page I'd started last week..  No I don't know where this page is going yet! 

I have yet another order placed too (in a bit of a spendy mood at present, can you tell!!)  hopefully that will be here for next week's desk share!

I'll leave you with the weekly link to Kew... no rain this week luckily - or very little.  Pics here   and a teaser or two

one of my favourite autumn views from Kew

and  some of several funghi patches I found on Saturday

I'm hoping for an equally enjoyable visit this Saturday coming

Making the most of it in case London joins other areas in the country under tighter COVID restrictions... if you find yourself unable to go out and mix with friends and family I feel for you.