Side Tracked!

I set out with the best of intentions today! I was going to clean every inch of my craft room!

I started under my desk ... that went well ... I found a box to alter that I had completely forgotten I had and three fab Papier Mache suitcases that I can vaguely remember needing on a visit to the NEC about four years ago!

Then it was going to be on top of my desk ... I had a quick blog hop to congratulate myself for doing under the desk and that is when I got sidetracked.

Remember those fab little B Line dress stamps? ... Remember the tag bits from yesterday? ... well I decided to make stuff with them rather than just putting them away! Of course while I was on the blog hop I happened by Lord Tim of Holtz's blog ... as you do ... you know Tim ... the man that will carry on working until he is 150 if he chooses while rescuing the entire underwater population with just a jump ring and an ornate frame.

Anyways ... while oohing and arrging over his post I see the Ranger Make and Takes from CHA. Well funnily enough there just happened to be a swivel clasp handy ... some shrink plastic all prepared for my class tomorrow ... and the rest as they say is ... well ... that really! Seeings as I am not at CHA ... I have made my own make and take ... not quite the same as actually being there ... but good fun anyway!

Only shame is that the top of my desk now looks worse than when I started! Hey Ho!

Laters!

Perspective!

Good Morning WOYWWers! and Good Morning World! This is a picture of my desk that conforms to safety standards as outlined here on The Stamping Ground blog where our illustrious leader Julia Dunnit resides!

I look pretty tidy don't I? Bits and pieces laid out as you would expect to find them! Can you tell what it is yet? If you can ... please leave a comment because right of this moment ... I have n't a clue!

Anyways ... back to the post title!

If I step back ... maybe four or five paces ... well  ... that is a whole other story!

I don't look so tidy now ... I have had to move the larger of my blending tool carousels onto my desk as a temporary measure because the cutting station is full of unwanted pieces of cut card and despite it's luxurious sturdiness ... well ... to be honest ... it is beginning to bow under the pressure!

I have taken an arty shot of my Kaiser and Eco paints though ... just so as you know there is an element of organisation in my otherwise chaotic world! And please don't all shout "That aint an arty shot!" It is for me ... David Bailey I am not ... so in focus with caps ... makes it arty from my perspective :0)

I must away ... I am still busy constructing ... but I can't show you that yet ...

Have a good day ...

Laters!

Nicely Browned!

Don't panic! I have n't been anywhere near the kitchen again! No! Friday was hopefully my only cooking exploit this decade and now I am back to much more enjoyable past times ... like ...erm ... making a mess really!

During my class yesterday I found a few minutes to play ... I say few ... there was more than a few but not quite as many as several so I chose not to exaggerate on this occasion ... and you all know how I like to exaggerate ... so this should make for a nice surprise.

Basically I took my demo canvas and my demo rose and I made this ... it is on a much smaller scale than the 8" X 8" the ladies used in the class (5" X 5" I think!) but I quite like it's smallness! I find myself rather surprised that smallness is actually a word at this point!

The rose is painted with Kaiser Mocha acrylic ... the metal is TSS Hot Chocolate and the canvas is painted with Kaiser Raw Umber. I then used some Gold Metallic Alcohol inks on the metal square and generously spritzed anything and everything in sight with Crafty Notions Antique Gold and Tattered Angels Walnut Gold!!! Great fun!

I added Lord Tim of Holtz's fab corners on my return home ... it needed something and I just love those corners ... you know Tim ... the man that can build an Olympic stadium in his coffee break while qualifying for the 100 metres with just a reel of tissue tape and a smoosh of Ranger Jet Black Archival ink! Ya see ... now I am surprised that smoosh is n't a word and neither is spritzed ... but smallness is!!!

Well that is me for today ... I am constructing something else as we speak ...

Laters!

Grunge and Glimmer!

Just look at my lovely ladies ... beavering away at their projects in the workshop today ... even I got time to play too! So from back to front ... meet Viv and Sue ... Liz and Mel ... Halina and Alex ... Kiri and Chris! They all took part in my Grunge and Glimmer workshop at LB Crafts and what a wonderful array of colours we had too. I can't believe this was last but one class of the second season this year ... and I am now planning my third lot!!! Oh yes ... the wonderful Lin has n't tired of me yet ... so I get to go back again :0) Hopefully the next session of classes will be ready towards the end of Augustish ... well that's the plan ... 

Here is a closer look at Halina ... and her multi skilled daughter Alex ... she can do a back flip among other amazing things and their finished projects. I bought some of that yummy Purple straight after the class ... Lush!

The lovely browns were made by Kiri ... the first time she had been to a class like this and she did a truly fabulous job ... that rose is her first and it is awesome! And then we get to the noisy table ... I say table ... I mean noisy Mel :0) She knows I am only joking :0) That is Liz and Mel proudly sharing their work and just behind them we have Sue and Viv ... they took theirs home to stick the bits on ... save worrying about how to store them on a long journey ... but I am sure they will share when they are finished ... and then I can share too. Last but by no means least is Chris ... Chris went for blues and rearranged the elements ... just lovely! Thanks for a great day girls!

I finally got rid of my patient tonight ... he has gone back to work ... still poorly but he can't be told ... still it has meant that I got a whole tub of Ben and Jerry's all to myself and the remote control ... what more could a girl want! So I have shared my entire day ... What did your Monday look like from there???

Laters!

Sunday Snippets!

Nothing new in the way of creativity here today ... but I have got a few questions from you guys ... so I thought I would try and be a bit more organised than usual ... and actually answer them!

First few questions were about Wednesday's tag:

"Is it me or is it really a hooooooge tag?"

It is not you ... the tag is the size of a postcard and has beautiful postcard detail on the back too! Approximate size is 6" by 4"

"Love the tag size ... it's great for books - Where did you get them from?"

I got them from here ... they are not currently on the web site ... but if you ring and ask the Wonderful Lin or the Lovely Karen ... they will sort you out!

The next questions are from yesterday's post:

"How do you achieve such intense colours with your Grunge paper?

Basically ... I always stamp ... then cut out and then colour! I always stamp on the soft side ... not the textured side. I cut out my embellishments and then I colour them! I prefer to use Ranger Distress Inks and a blending tool ... but if you are a Cut'n'Dry kind of a gal ... or boy :0) then that works just as well. Make sure you get lots of colour on your foam/tool and then rub like crazy ... working colour into all the fibres. If you want it darker still ... add another coat ... the vibrancy really is down to hard work and a nice inky pad! Always do both sides and all your edges too!

"What die did you use for those leaves?"

That aint a die ... it is a Studio 490 Wendy Vecchi stamp and comes on plate LCS015; Dimensional Rose Art! Everyone should have that leaf stamp ... it is the best ever!

Well ... there you go ... let me know if these were useful ... pretty please ... obviously if I get no comments at all ... well I will have to think of a more interesting way to answer the questions :0)

If you want to know more about me ... you know ... if you don't know enough already ... or even too much ... well I have done an interview for a fab new site here.

I need to away ... still nurse maiding here ...

Laters!

Domestic Goddess?!?

It's true! I think I may be turning into a Domestic Goddess!

It all started last night ... John was out and got held up ... my students and I needed dinner ... so horror of horrors I had to enter that room ... Oh yes everyone ... that room ... The Kitchen!!!

You may need to sit down at this point and maybe get yourself a cup of sweet tea ... I understand that is very good for shock! It was no culinary delight ... but I managed a perfectly adequate Fish, Chips and Beans! Now to some of you Delia Smith types this may all sound ... a tad ... well ...erm ... simple ... but for me ... she who had never tackled the new Deep Fat Fryer before ... it was quite an ordeal. Of course when I say new ... it is actually several years old ... but it was new to me! Actually ... Luckily the Fish had oven baking times on the packet ... and if I am honest ... I followed the frying time for the chips too :0)

Well ... on top of all that ... see those charms on this here beer mat ... well ... I sewed them on!!! Oh yes ... Is 45 classed as mid-life??? ... perhaps I am having a crisis!!! A mid-life domestic kind of one!

Anyways ... it has been a while since I altered a Beer Mat ... and even longer since I entered a challenge ... so here you are! Over at the Lots To Do Challenge this week the theme is shapes and I thought I would join in with a shield shaped beer mat!

I covered the mat with Lord Tim of Holtz's tissue tape ... LOVE that stuff ... you know Tim ... the man that can eject himself from a jet aircraft while playing Amazing Grace on the Harmonica and crafting a grunge rose with just an inch long piece of tissue tape and a pokey tool.

If you guys like a challenge ... don't forget to check out the totally new Simon Says Stamp and Show Challenge ... the DT is being chosen as we speak and the challenges are due to begin on Monday the 2nd of August!

I must away ... not only am I cooking and sewing ... today I am being nurse maid too ... NO! ... it's not Food Poisoning ... but that's a whole other story!

Laters!

Wanted - Desk Tidier!

Mmmm ... not great is it? I remember back in the day when WOYWW first started! I was too shy and embarrassed to blog my desk for all to see ... so I used to link up over at Julia's place ... but hide my desk in my blog archives ... so only the really desperately ... erm ... nosy would see it! Just look how things have changed!!! It is nearly midnight on Tuesday ... I have a packed day ahead of me ... and in order not to miss out ... I have been up since 5.45am and still ... with eyelids drooping ... I am typing out this post with no shame whatsoever!!!

Yes! ... there are stamps everywhere ... Yes! the phone is chucked on the desk where I threw it ... Yes! at some point in the near future it will ring ... I will answer it ... it will bleep loudly and cut the someone off ... basically because once again ... I did n't walk the 10 or so paces to the other end of the room to stick it on the charger! Yes ... the calendar is on my desk ... but No ... it's not on the right date ... Yes the highly coveted WOYWW easel is on my desk ... and No ... once again there is no handmade card in it! Mind you ... it does hold my Lord Tim of Holtz hand crafted tag very nicely indeed ...  you know Tim ... the man that can win the Tour De France on a unicycle with just a smidgeon of Sepia accents and a solitary crystal of Black UTEE!

If you wanted a closer look at my tag ... or even if you did n't ... well you got one anyway and finally ...

If you are a good desk tidier ... please come round ... erm ... daily ... pretty please with cherries on top! Oh and Finally Finally ...

Well Done for reading this far and if you are passing by Julia's place ... please link me up ... you could join in too while you are there ...

Laters!

***Exciting News***

Remember this wonderful picture of the lovely Heidi sitting opposite me at Ranger U!

Well Heidi is the mastermind behind Simon Says Stamp! 

The emails have been bouncing back and forth ever since I got home and she has asked me to run a new and uber exciting Vintage styled Challenge Blog going live in August! Simon Says Stamp and Show. The new challenge is devoted to All Things Vintage! The Style is inspired by the likes of Lord Tim of Holtz; THE Wendy Vecchi, 7 Gypsies and Graphic 45 - among many other Vintage enthusiasts ... and basically ALL of my favourite things!!!
I obviously can't do this alone so we are putting out a Design Team Call from now until this Friday, and we really really really wanna hear from like minded souls! Please go check out all the lovely details!

I am soooo excited about the new challenge! The prizes are FANTASTIC! There are loads of variety packs of Tim Holtz, 7 Gypsies, Jenni Bowlin, Ranger, Wendy Vecchi goodies...and SO MUCH MORE to win! 
There will be weekly challenges that will hopefully inspire you and get your creative juices flowing ...

Laters!

Every Day is a Delight!

I had another good day in Olney yesterday ... it was the second of my Finding Delight Tag book workshops.

Another great group of ladies ... some familiar faces and a few new ones too ... and so much diversity and talent ... I loved every second ... as usual.

I also got a few minutes to play ... even better huh??? So here are my demo tags ...

Basically the book is made up of two pieces of A6 chipboard filled with postcard tags that are decorated with Distress inks ... Glimmer mists ... stamps ... Grunge paper ... Maya Road frames ... and anything else you can lay your hands on really then bound with the Bind-it-all!

The sun is shining here and I am busy trying to straighten out my Craft room before starting on my "to do" list ... a "to do" list that is getting way out of control! Anybody else got a "to do" list that is the length of the M25??? I am just deciding whether to start at the top ... or just get a pin and work my way through it ... randomly :0)

Have a great Sunday afternoon everyone!

Laters!

Glimmer and Chip!

What a fab day! Just look at my lovely ladies and tell me that I don't have the best job in the world!

Today we did a Glimmer and Chip class ... sadly I don't have time to upload all the pictures of their wonderful projects right now ... and it would n't be right not to do them all in one go ... so here is my sample and I will upload the others another day! 

I just have to tell you the funniest quote from today ... hilarious it was ... I did promise not to reveal who said it ... but are you ready???

"I made the hole and then I forgot what is was for!"

Seriously ... that baby is going in my memoirs ... if anyone ever asks me to write them!

I am sooooo reassured that it is n't just me that has moments like that ... actually ... don't tell anyone .... but sometimes I have whole days like that :0)

Well, I am afraid that is all I have time for ... Lord Tim of Holtz is on Facebook begging me to be his friend as I type ... that is n't actually true ... but hey ... a girl can dream ... right???

Laters!

Playing Tag!

In a bid to get better organised ... I got my diary out earlier and input everything and anything that I need to do between now and the end of this year ... well the stuff I know about already I mean!

Anyways ... it struck me ... Can you believe that it is nearly a month ago when Anneliese and I set off to Ranger U! A Whole month!

And that means it is nearly a month since I actually sat down and made a tag ... you know ... just played for playing sake!

So here we have it ... lots of Distress inks and lots of Lord Tim of Holtz's Grungepaper and lots of The Wendy Vecchi's stamps! You know Tim ... the man that can make rainbows in the night sky with just a smidgeon of black enamel accents and a bull dog clip.

Now ... here is where the playing came in ... look at this delicious rose ... OK ... it's my first attempt and it aint perfect ... but there is a new type of Grunge Rose in town ... I have made it with metal and canvas too ... but that is for another post. Anyways ... it is really simple and I learned it by following this fabulous tutorial by my fellow Zister Lynne ... go see ... it is her first video and it is fabulous!

I also need to ask you guys if I am the only person in the entire universe that is n't Lord Tim of Holtz's Facebook friend??? Everybody else seems to be :0( And when I ask if he will be my fweind ... it says ... he has too many requests :0( Don't laugh ... it aint funny!

Oh ... and if you still wanna know me secret ... well keep checking here ...

Laters!

A Rare Wake-up Call!

We all got an unusual wake-up call here in Cambridge today. An air display!

When I say Air Display ... I actually mean one airplane ... an American Hercules ... with an American test pilot practicing his stunts for Fairford Air show at the weekend ... quite spectacular it was over a bowl of Bran Flakes! For all you Hercules boffins out there ... firstly you have come to the wrong blog and secondly I am not sure if it was a 'J' or a 'K' ... John did say but I got bored at "it's a ..." and switched off ... while still nodding and appearing interested!

This is my desk ... and this is what's on it and if you are wondering why I am showing you ... well I am joining in with the published WOYWW challenge run by the charismatic and very lovely Julia.

Okey Dokey ... I am off to fix a rather annoying and probably ultra obvious solution problem ...

Have a good day!

Laters!

Did Ya Miss Me???

Huh??? Did Ya???

Have you been wondering where I have been off gallivanting too??? No??? Well I am going to tell you anyways!

I say I am going to tell you ... I can't actually remember as far back as Thursday or Friday ... but Saturday was a fun trip to Olney ... a fabulous class with the wonderful Lin Brown ... yup just sat there ... on my best behaviour ... of course ... and I played ... I had the bestest time and was soooo relaxed by the end of it ... 

Saturday evening the Wonderful Lin ... the lovely Karen and I went out to dinner. D.E.L.I.C.I.O.U.S! We had a fab time and played Russian Roulette with Desserts ... well not quite ... but almost :0)

Then after a play date with the adorable Meg ... that is the wonderful Lin's doggy ... and a very short night's sleep ... we were off to Newark ... not the Ranger U Newark ... but the Crafty Notions Newark for a retailer day ... more playing ... cool huh?

Thought I had better show my face at home on Sunday evening ... then on Monday ... back up to Olney ... at least I think it's up ... and this time I did my Hearts and Flowers workshop ... with a truly lovely group of ladies ... Ann; Elizabeth; Julie; Mel; Sara; Carol; Val and Belinda ... so a big bloggy wave to them!

Today I have been emailing back and forth working on a secret ... I am soooooo excited .... not sure I can keep it in much longer and if you are wondering what I am on about ... well you can find some seriously large clues here ... 

Play nicely everyone!

Laters!

P.S I missed you X

A Quick Look at my Desk!

It is Wednesday ... yes already ... so that means it is time for WOYWW!

Now there are a gazillion entries each week ... there is kind of a new rule ... we are encouraged by The Great One aka Julia to keep it brief :0)

I am a rule girl ... I likes rules ... well some rules anyways ... so ... this is my desk ... bit scruffy with lots missing!!! I did a class yesterday and loads of stuff is yet to be put away! I had a great time though ... blimey did we have a giggle ... Thank you ladies!!!

I have already broken my nekked easel rule ... you know ... always keep a card in there so I have one to hand for emergencies ... Doh! No card!!!

I have broken my calendar rule ... always have the correct date showing ... Doh! It is still on the 1st of July!!!

I have broken my Marie Osmond hand stitched tote rule ... put everything back once you have finished with it ... Doh! The tote is still in the boot of my car!!!

And this post is a bit longer than ... erm ... brief ... Doh! Sorry Julia!!!

I said I liked rules ... I did n't say I was very good at them!!! So c'mon spill ... what rules do you break???

I am off to visit y'all now so ...

Laters!!!

Cool! Well it Was!

I was quite happy when I woke up this morning ... there was a chill in the air and I actually needed sleeves! I thought my calls for Winter had been answered. Then without warning ... I started to melt ... the temperature went up and Lo and Behold ... the Sun put in an appearance ... Doh! Still ... apparently ... it is n't all about me :0) ... and I see lots of you are enjoying the warmer climate ... so from this moment on ... I shall try and embrace this heat wave and stop ... erm ... whining! And there's another question ... at what point does it become a heat wave??? Is it after a certain amount of days ... or does it have to reach a certain temperature for a certain length of time??? And ... what is the difference between a normal Summer ... if there is such a thing in the UK ... and a heat wave???

All in all I have had a nice crafty day ... I made this little chipboard piece for the Bubbly Scrumptious blog ... all the details are here. I have kitted up for my class at LB Crafts tomorrow ... which I always enjoy ... and I have thought about another project.

Does anyone else do that??? Spend ages thinking about creating and not actually creating??? Or is it just me??? Thing is after I have finished thinking about creating and actually started creating ... quite often the project changes completely ... so why do I waste so much time with the ... erm ... thinking in the first place??? I know this and yet I still do it!

No accounting for some people now is there?

Have a lovely evening everyone ...

Laters!

Special Delivery!

While I was at Ranger U the Zutter Zisters held a Bouncing Baby Blog Hop in celebration of the newest arrival to the Zisterhood ... DT Zister Sophie Sim gave birth to Sage on 31st May ... to celebrate we all made a Baby project for the Zutter gallery in July and then posted them to Sophie and her family.

After spending time in Lin Brown's workshop ... I was inspired by her work with the Zutter 13X13" Corrugated card and decided to make a word book with mine ... I do hope they like it!

The card and roses were painted with Kaiser colour paint ... in Pretty Pink and Soft Beige and then I embossed with Gold Detail embossing powder using the delicious Paper Artsy flourish ... that I just have to add to everything at the moment!

We have grey clouds hovering over us at the moment ... I am very excited ... the temperature is dropping slowly and I am hoping this is the start of a long winter :0) You know me ... I like to think Big ... not just a few days of rain for me ... oh no! ... an entire winter :0)

I have added some gems to the pins which means that this also qualifies for this week's Sunday Stamper Challenge which is Rhinestone Cowboy!

I hope you have all had a relaxing weekend and Happy 4th of July to all our friends from across the pond!

Laters!

Packing Your Bags!

Please someone ... make it rain ... or snow ... or just turn frosty overnight! This weather is no longer funny ... I need me some wintry weather! A controversial thing to say ... I know ... but ... Is anyone actually enjoying this spell of Summer that we are having???

I know what you are thinking ... I bet she'd moan if she was cold ... but I would n't ... truly I would n't ... never again ... ever ever!

OK ... so that is today's whining over and done with ... just thought I would pop in and show you what I made for the Kreative Kaboodles blog today ... actually it was yesterday ... now ... here ... but erm ... today ... erm ... there :0) ... a quick and easy keepsake in another one of those very cute Zutter suitcases ... and if you missed the last one ... well it looked like this!

I am off in search of a cool breeze ... I may be some time!

I Wish it Could Be ...

... Christmas every day!

Actually it can be!

Look at my lovely ladies from the Christmas Screen Class last Wednesday in their Cracker hats. We had a great time in Olney ... even in the heat ... without any snow! And I even got a Christmas present from the lovely Jenny.

We had technical trouble with the Christmas music ... erm ... technically ... I forgot it :0) Having said that ... all was not lost ... we used CD's to draw around for the shape of the screen and luckily enough one of them had a rather bizarre Christmas selection on it ... better than nothing though and it all added to the Christmas spirit! And if you are wondering what else I have been up to ... well ... drum roll please ...

I have been planning a trip to Paris!!!

The lovely Celine ... you know Celine ... one of my Ranger U table buddies ... well she has invited me to go and teach at a Scrap retreat just outside Paris in November! The Paper & Co Show.

So Bon and ooh la la ... I shall be brushing up on my French ... actually ... I don't need to ... luckily they provide an interpreter ... or things could have been ... well ... erm ... interesting ... all I can remember from my French O Level days is in fact ... la regler est sur la table and l'oiseau est dans la jardin ... oh and I can place Marie-Claude pretty much anywhere around the house ... but something tells me that is not going to be a whole lot of use!

That is it from me for now ... I am just off to make stuff ... Have a fab Friday everyone ...

Laters!