PLAY DAY

I played all day long yesterday and got very inky indeed. Had a jolly good laugh, saw some fabulous art, caught up on the goss' from the girls, learnt loads of new techniques, played with some wonderful stencils/masks, tried out various combinations of distress and all in all, had a ball.
I didn't finish my workshop project probably due to all of the above, but it is near completion and I'll show you when it is.
However, I took all my special crafty bits and bobs with me, made by my pal Sylvia, and boy oh boy did they make a difference, especially the cushion, plus they were admired by the girls who told me I was very lucky and that Sylvia is one clever lady. I took this to show them all in their glory at their first workshop -

The tote bag was amazing because it just expanded and held all I needed yesterday.
So, Hels took off back down the M6 after a successful demo day at Inspirations on Friday and then yesterday's workshop. We all just hope that she is invited back very soon indeed.

WE WINED AND DINED.......

Actually, we drank diet coke and coffee but we did dine and very tasty it was too. Above all, we nattered and nattered all the time we were together, except of course when we were chewing!!
So good to have a proper catch up made even more special by the most AMAZING canvas in the whole wide world - and it's all mine.
See what I mean -

Is this not THE most beautiful art ever? Who made it for me then, only the very talented HELS SHERIDAN.
I asked Hels some time ago if she would make me a canvas on the lines of some of the fabulous creations she has been producing this year. I was prepared to wait because I just knew that whatever she made for me would be spectacular. Not wrong there then.

Just look at the detail and the careful use of so many exciting embellishments. I am on cloud nine with this so THANK YOU lovely lady so very much.
I am off to see Hels at Inspirations as soon as the washer has done it's bit to get more of her inky talent. Tomorrow is a full day workshop which I am so looking forward to. Not much action on the big crafty project for me for a couple of days, but I did take a photo of it so far to show Hels and she - being a very polite lass - was in awe at it. I won't tempt you with a 'naughty' photo today because I want you to enjoy the 2 pictures above.

WICKED WEDNESDAY ATC #51 - BASED ON A STORY CHARACTER

I won a $10 voucher in week 49 from the Graphics Shoppe. There were so many images to pick from that it took me hours to choose. So thank you once more to WW for entering me into the random org.
This week has so many themes to pick from. I had a little freebie image from Whiff of Joy that has been sitting in my image file for ages and ages. Time to bring him out:

Watch out it's SPIDERMOUSE.
He's a cutie eh? I just used some Whispers pens to colour him before carefully 'fussy' cutting him out. There was a picture of Spiderman in next weeks What's On tv paper so I used that for my background on top of red card. The spider charm is covering some wording and Spidermouse is on 3D foam for added depth.
My big crafty project is coming along nicely and won't take much longer to complete. However, I am out on the town tonight with the one and only Hels Sheridan who is coming up north to Inspirations to demo tomorrow and then run a whole day's workshop on Saturday. Of course I am booked on that - first in the queue actually, so not much time for the project over the next few days. Want another little peek -----

Bye for now.

WHAT'S ON YOUR WORKDESK WEDNESDAY #173

It started to rain on Sunday evening and is just spitting this morning. Over 50 hours of torrential rain has caused havoc to many parts of the country including the NW. Fortunately, we are lucky where I live and the flooding has mainly affected roads, fields, etc. but not that far away in Preston, Chorley, Clitheroe, etc. the situation is much worse. My heart goes out to those who once more have lost their homes and possessions. I just hope things are put right for you very soon.
So, I crafted again yesterday on my mammoth project. Another week or so and I may have something to show you but until then, here is my desk:

This is the bit where I sit to compute and before you ask again, the MS punches are still in their boxes so I could hang them up as I don't have much shelf space. Besides, the ones without a box take up enough of that. You can see my distress stains, some re-inkers (not distress), my big shot, laptop, printer, sky box - on it's side to save room, a wonderful ATC from my friend Sonia which says 'keep on smiling'. I keep it at eye level. A few pens, pencils, dog clips, star confetti, my special coaster - made by Sylvia - glasses (their case is just out of shot bottom left) an external hard drive, a bluetooth USB thingy, a jar of foot cream!!!!! a lipstick and other bits and bobs.
Our Leader of the Wednesday snoop, Julia, has once more given us the opportunity to travel the world today, so if it's ok, I'll pop over if you have some sunshine.........

A REPEAT OF MONDAY

I know full well it's Tuesday, but the weather and light quality are just the same as yesterday. It started to rain late on Sunday and hasn't stopped since!! DH and I went into Preston yesterday and could hardly get home because the main A583 Preston to Blackpool road was flooded, the lane between Kirkham and Freckleton was flooded, the lane between Wrea Green and Warton was flooded and the bypass between Freckleton and Warton was flooded. We daren't move now 'til the rain stops. Our 2 ponds have never been so full. I reckon the fish will be taking off down the road before too long.
Anyway, the bins are coming today - yippee NOT! If they arrive before tea time (!!!!) I have to try and get to Lytham but I know for sure the road in front of the Land Registry will be flooded. Such fun!
So today's teaser:

These little things are even teasing me as they don't really fit the theme I am after. Thinking cap time again.
At least the special glue arrived yesterday and believe me, it is special 'cos it worked. I'll tell you more about it in a week or so. Right, I'm off again. Just hope the postie brings me some more goodies today so I can finish another couple of my little projects.

ANOTHER OF THOSE LOVELY DAYS.......

NOT!!!!!!
It's chucking it down - AGAIN - and I think I'm growing webbed feet!
My craft project is on a go slow as I am short of little things for it and have resorted to having to make some embellishments. Waiting for glue to dry is worse than watching a kettle boil. Which leads me to today's teaser:

The stars are out. Actually the light is so bad it feels like it's night.
So what to do today. Think DH and I may just go out and get drowned wet through, we have to stay in tomorrow as we are getting 2 more bins making 4 in total. I don't think so. There is nowhere to put the darn things so they can just take them back. Perhaps councils should have a go at the supermarkets and their packaging policies instead of putting the onus on us all the time. Phew! where did that come from? Must be the weather.

WICKED WEDNESDAY ATCs #50 - CIRCUS FUN

I have been very short of time this week so my entry is a bit (a lot actually) cheeky. Not wanting to miss out on a Wicked Wednesday challenge, I finally made this:

The images were a freebie I found some time ago and have been sitting in my image file just waiting for this week's challenge. I couldn't pick just one so used all 8 by making this little concertina fold, double-sided ATC.  I hope these cheery little clowns bring a smile.
I have been 'beavering' away at my Grande project and apart from waiting for some special glue to arrive, I am well on with it. Sticking awkward shapes of metal in equally awkward places on glass and plastic have proved too much for my Cosmic Shimmer, Multi Matt Medium and Glossy Accents, so let's see what this other glue will do - if it ever gets here.
Today's tease then:

Hmmh!

ATCs/CARDS WITH ATTITUDE #23

Anything goes is our theme this fortnight which means you can make an ATC or CARD of your choice.
We have 2 sponsors:
Smeared Ink - offering a $15 voucher to the winner
and
Sassy Studio Design - offering 4 digis to the winner.

I chose my images from Smeared Ink this time -
Killer Bo Peep

Shroom

Such fun images to work with.
Remember, you can enter your card into our sister blog - Fat Pages with Attitude.
I am looking forward to seeing your creations.

ON A ROLL AGAIN

......with my craft project.
I think I have at the very least another 3weeks worth of work to do on it. Sourcing and making the elements for it is proving quite a challenge but I keep getting there.
Want an other peek or are you fed up by now??

I've just thought, what if the end result is a disaster and I've led you all on for a week or so. OOps! Maybe I'll let you see a bit more........

Right, that's it. No more.

WHAT'S ON YOUR WORKDESK WEDNESDAY #172

Gosh Julia, I bet you can't believe how many of these wonderful Wednesday's there have been or indeed, just popular your idea of snooping around crafty places would become. Well done you I say and thank you for the opportunity to travel the world.
I generally like tidy, however, over the few days after last Wednesday, my little work space was in such a mess that even I was thinking someone else had been in here. Once I finished the part of the massive project I am 'playing' at making just now, I had a clear up - sort of - and this is how it looks right now:

A lone distressed bit of flower ribbon that just jumped off the shelf, some wooden beads that I have dyed with orange alcohol ink, some black vine leaf ribbon, a few favour embellishments that should have been put away, all the usual glues, scissors, inks etc, a disc that hubby copied the tutorial to that I was working on this week and not least of all, my lovely glasses case that now goes everywhere with me.
So show us yours so we can pop round for a little look see.

NOTHING TO DO

......on my crafty project today.
I am waiting for tomorrow when more turtorials will be available and I can 'get going' once more. It's looking good although having measured it's length, I may need to re-think where I will put it. Looks amazing in the dark - what?? It does, really.
Want another guess at what I'm doing? Ok, here is another little clue - or not.....

ARE YOU READY FOR ANOTHER TEASE?

I didn't do very much at all yesterday. Instead, I ended up in bed all afternoon feeling rather yak! Not like me to give in to illness but my right knee and right thumb were so painful with this darn arthritis and then I felt so weak and nauseous I couldn't stand it any more. Much better today so jobs to be done again.
Here is your little sneak to get the 'ol thinking juices going again:

Right, I'm off to take a necklace apart now.

TODAY'S TEASER

The ironing got done and so did the washing, trouble was, the washing caused more ironing so I still have a pile of it! Another day for that me thinks.
Here is another little tease on the marathon project I am making:

I've done all I can for this week so am going to catch up on my DT cards, a birthday card and some challenge ATCs.

IT RAINED A BIT YESTERDAY

So guess what? the washing didn't get done. Having said that, the ironing didn't either, both must be remedied today. I did however, get on with my craft project after another dash to the shop for some plasticine.
Want another teaser?

Hope that has you guessing a bit more.
Thanks to Hazel and Anne for yesterday's comments. I will pop something in the post for you both, just waiting for a parcel from Simon Says Stamp first.

WW ATC #49 - LOVE TO LEARN (NERDS/GEEKS)

I did my usual trick of checking out the future challenges over at Wicked Wednesday ATC challenges before I went on holiday in July, and managed to complete several of them in readiness. This week's challenge has now got nerds and geeks as a little extra. My card however, is just 'love to learn'. Hope it's ok:

I went to a Copic colouring get together last year where we took our own pens but could use the stamps which were there. This is made from 2 Magnolia stamps and a stamp block which allows you to line up one stamp against another image giving the illusion of one sitting, standing, leaning etc on the other.
I tried really hard to blend reds - which isn't easy - so Magnolia has a red dress on. I think it worked ok.

SO TODAY - DO I DO THE WASHING, IRONING or CRAFT????

There happens to be a bright shiny thing in a blue sky today although we have gale force winds commonly known as 'illiminations weather' in September around these parts. Always blows the tableaux down on the front at Bispham. I suppose if I peg it well, the washing will dry. Perhaps I should do that - but then I have these crafty things to make. Decisions, decisions again.
Do you want a peek then?

I'll send a little crafty something for the most laughable comment about this little lot.
Right, I'm off to pick one thing from that list of jobs........

SHOULD I IRON or SHOULD I CRAFT??????

I found something to wear this morning so I guess I'll craft.............

 So what am I up to then.............
Sneaky peeps 'til I have a finished item to show. 'Tis the season for being naughty me thinks.

WOYWW #171

Hello on another Wednesday. Our leader Julia, you know, the one famous for inventing the Grande Nosey, will have been up early this morning. Not me. I've just dragged myself up after a rather disturbed night of sleep - yet again - due to the lashing rain. What happened to the indian summer??
Anyway, rather than show you my desk in it's usual empty state, I am making no bones (pun there) about the fact that I have staged it to show you some of the stash I have accumulated in readiness for some Halloween fun courtesy of Laura Carson starting today. See my left side bar for details. So here it is - enjoy......

BAGS OF FUN

My pal Sylvia, is a genius with sewing thread and a needle. She made me the most gorgeous cushion plus other bits, for my craft room. Well, she and her also very clever hubby, Reg, decided to treat themselves to an embroidery machine. I have a beautiful card made from one of the designs off the machine. However, Sylvia has gone another step forward and made some little shoulder bags for family in Canada and the little girl next door. Have a look at these:

Aren't they super.

WW #48 - BLACK & WHITE & ONE OTHER COLOUR

I had such fun with last week's card, 'back to school'. Not only did I win a top 3 place from Wicked Wednesday, but I also won one from Just Some Lines too. How chuffed am I. Thank you to both challenge blogs.
This week's theme can be interpreted in so many ways. I decided to go along with something I saw in Craft Stamper magazine where different layers and Gesso formed the background.

I used a piece of mount board (for my US pals, mount board is used to frame pictures etc) and covered it with a thin layer of Gesso. Whilst drying, I managed to cut the orange oval from card. Not an easy task when the dies you have are all the wrong size!! I then arranged a torn piece of white doily, a torn piece of water colour paper - just the bit that was fastening it to the spine - and stuck them all down with glue and seal from Ranger. I stamped the flowers at the top right using black Archival and then stamped some tiny flowers and swirls onto 1 layer of tissue paper using black Stazon. I roughly cut these out and carefully stuck them to the card using more glue and seal. The tissue simply disappears leaving the stamped images. A quick squirt of Perfect Pearls copper and a black marker around the edge to form a frame - done. This technique is a great way of using up tiny left overs and can make some rather appealing results.
Right, I'm off to await the sun and then I have to paint some wood preserve on my greenhouse before the winter comes, although in the UK, we are still waiting for summer!!!

ATCs/CARDS WITH ATTITUDE #22 - BUTTONS/BOWS or ANYTHING GOES

Another 2 weeks have flown by which means we have a fresh challenge for you over at ATCs/Cards with Attitude.
Our sponsors this time are:
Delicious Doodles - there are 4 digis for the winner
and
Lej - who has 3 digis for the winner.
Pop over to our little blog and have a go. Remember, if you make a card you can enter it into our sister challenge blog too. All the deets are on the link above. Here is my ATC this fortnight.
La Rosa Muerta from Delicious Doodles -

I used Copics to colour her before adding some rock candy distress stickles to her hair.
Looking forward to your entries.

12 TAGS OF 2012 - SEPTEMBER

Oh Tim, you were a bit naughty this month. Has the typewriter mover and shaper die actually hit the UK yet??  Some of us like to make a replica tag to have a first class example of the techniques you use. I'm one of those folk. Ok, I accept that the real technique was the metal and the handy work on it which made it look like real metal 'stitched' together, so I forgive you.
I had some wonderful people, especially Anne, who offered both advice or a mocked up typewriter, thank you so much all of you, but I have decided that if I can't either obtain or afford a new crafty 'toy' then I MUST try something else from now on. With that said, I stamped an old jalopy and some words to replace the typewriter. Here, therefore, is my September version:

WOYWW #170

A bright and sunny morning to all woyww-ers around the world especially our lovely leader Julia who by now will be off doing other things after having posted a photo of her desk earlier.
I haven't done very much crafting of late because there are so many jobs to do around the house before the onset of winter. Oh! listen to me, as if we had a summer!!!!! Anyway, here is the usual bit of my desk:

Nothing new there except my DT book, my partly finished Tim 2012 September tag - I don't have the typewriter die so am pondering what to add instead - a tiny piece of crinkle ribbon on top of a bit of metal sheet, a pan scrub that I used on the tag as I don't have any nasty wire wool and a tiny perfume bottle.
The rest of my desk looks like this:

Empty apart from a part eaten bag of chocolate peanuts, some indigestion tablets, the piece of card I used to mark my green' should be brown' distress markers (now replaced by Ranger - thank you so much for such an amazingly quick service), an external hard drive and my wonderful glasses case and drinks mat.
So no crafty project in the making. Goodness knows when I shall be able to start something. We still have the shed fascia boards to replace, the greenhouse to re-coat (it's wooden) some cementing to do, a paving slab to lift and straighten as tree roots have raised it, plus ordinary life which keeps getting in the way. Hope we finish everything before our next set of booked dates which begin in 2/3 weeks. Righto, off to start again.

I HAVE 3 BABIES!!!!!

Look who is living in the pansy border:

Titchy, tiny baby toads. I think they are toads because they walk rather than jump and have quite dry, bumpy bodies. We have had toads in the garden for years due to having 2 ponds, and I suppose this wet summer has suited them well.
I shall keep an eye on them 'cos they are gorgeous.

BUSY, BUSY, BUSY

That's what my DH and I have been since we came home from our hols - busy.
The outside looked like a bomb had dropped after the awful wet weather of this year. Black, almost, paths, flowers that had been attacked by the rain, empty flower pots that I never got a chance to plant. So drastic action had to be taken.
DH started to re-paint the fence panels only to find that some of the wood between the panels and posts was rotten. Amazing how one simple job becomes umpteen major ones. Then it rained - again! Anyway, after having spent days of having to go out for one thing or another, we finally got to power wash the paths last Thursday. It took all day and we were so tired and aching after it. I had the unenviable job of sweeping away the water. Just look at my feet:

The dye came out of my shoes and added to the dirt from the paths. I had a right job showering that lot off.
Anyway, we started to sort out the plants, re-preserve the wooden garden furniture, paint some trellis, treat ourselves to another tree fern and a chiminea. Still more to do but here is the result so far:

It would be lovely if the winter stayed mild so that I don't have to put fleece round the tree ferns and some other plants round the other side, but that's asking rather a lot I think.
Right, today I'm going to have a go at Tim's september tag. Not sure what die cut to use though as I don't have the typwriter one. Still, somthing will come to mind.

WICKED WEDNESDAY ATC #47 - BACK TO SCHOOL

Oh crumbs! back to school. Have to admit to dreading that day after the long summer holidays especially when we actually 'got' a summer not like this year. No, I didn't enjoy my last couple of years at school. I loved the athletics and team sports - was quite good actually and was school captain at most sports - but the academic bit was horrible although I do admit to really liking geography. Still, I made a good living with a really good job so alls well that ends well as they say.
Back to this weeks WW challenge.
I searched the digi webs for a suitable image and found this from Soft Pencils Studio.

I re-sized the image to ATC size and used distress markers to shade it. Each little girl and boy plus their puss cat and mouse were coloured, cut out and stuck to the base card with 3D foam for a bit of depth. I then stuck a couple of buttons on for wheels after I had cut out the whole image.
So that's at least 3 children on their way back to school. My 2 grand daughters are still in Turkey on their holidays. I bet they will feel the same way I used to and not want to go back this year!!!
I think I may just enter this little card into a couple of challenges too:
doodle garden digis      and
just some lines
both of whom are running back to school as their theme.
Thanks for the nudge Jenn.