WOYWW!

Hello WOYWWers … a quick one from me today … I am on a mission to visit you all this week … so I have n’t got time to sit here and ramble on like I usually do!

Ruby has n’t undergone any transformation yet … it was a busy weekend at ArtsyCrafts … and since being home … well to be honest she has been rather neglected. I ensured her well-being while I was away by dressing her in my Ranger U apron … John had spoken of putting her back in a skip …  and I knew he would n’t dare touch my apron! See … I am not as daft as I look!

For those of you wondering how she came to be called Ruby … I have taken a close up piccie of the sticker on her neck … Ruby seemed appropriate!

Finally … on my desk this week is indeed my stash haul from the weekend … look … I have Lord Tim’s Tag Die … you know Tim … the man that can complete an aerial display in a Hercules while painting a replica of Van Gogh’s Sunflowers with just a pigment of pearl and a single stamped image.

If you are still wondering what the acronym WOYWW stands for … hop on over to Julia’s pad and she will reveal all.

Have a good day y’all

Laters!

Something Spookay!

Morning all!

After a very hectic ... tiring and fun weekend I have still managed to get up all bright eyed and bushy tailed to blog!

Actually ... that is a complete fib ... I am probably still asleep ... well at least I hope I am ... when this publishes ... because if I am not ... then the old scheduling malarkey will not have worked properly.

The challenge for this week over at Simon Says Stamp and Show has now been set and it is indeed "Something Spookay!" My DT sample is a canvas and I have covered it with all things Lord Tim of Holtz ... a smidgeon of The Wendy Vecchi and a good sprinkling of Ranger too! Once again the fabulous team over at Simon Says Stamp have donated a $25.00 shopping voucher ... so ... if you get chance ... do join us ... you never know ... you may be the name drawn by the random doodah wotsit.

Okay ... well I am off ... I cannot wait to get back in my own bed tonight ... there is definitely no place like home.

Have a great week.

Laters!

ArtsyCrafts … Day One!

Blimey … Day One flew by … mind you … don’t the fun things in life always fly past … it’s the visits to the dentist that pass by in slow motion! Unless of course you like the dentist … and who am I to judge … but that is just plain weird :0)

As this event is to be repeated next week in Warrington … and the wonderful Lin and Leandra do such a fabulous job of maintaining an element of surprise … I can’t show you any pictures of the totally stunning projects that all the ArtsyCrafters made today … you will just have to take my word for it …  everyone did a really fantastic job and we had lots of fun along the way! I did manage to take this teensy weensy sneaky peek for you … just to wet your appetite … there are lots of bloggers here … so I am sure you will see plenty after next weekend.

I got this great shot of the wonderful Lin and Leandra in action … hands on as always … and a few of the ArtsyCrafty peeps working away. We started at 8am this morning and everyone finished at gone 9pm … we even managed to fit in a very lovely three course dinner … with chocolate cake and a glass of vino no less! We attempted a bit of cobblery … I can tell by the red line that is n’t actually a word …  basically we did a hot glue gun jobby on a broken shoe from one of the party goers in the room next door … I saw her again later and sadly the glue did n’t hold and she was getting  tired of walking around on tippy toes … but she was very grateful that we at least tried. The worse thing was … I prized the heal away from the shoe a bit further so I could squeeze the nozzle in … and the whole thing virtually came away in my hand … luckily the wonderful Lin stepped in and saved the day!

The room is now all prepped and ready for the fun to start all over again in the morning! I am off to soak my aching feet in a nice hot bath … more twittery updates tomorrow and maybe a few more piccies too …

Have a lovely Sunday y’all

Laters!

Incognito!

Well guys … tomorrow is here and thanks to the wonders of technology I am indeed blogging from a hotel room in Newport Pagnell.

We have just finished set up and first thing tomorrow morning ArtsyCrafts will begin in earnest.

I have no sneak peeks to show you I am afraid …  but look at the yummy paints … and look how wonderfully they are displayed … I was manager of the paint department tonight don’t you know … the paint department is actually bigger than this … but I just took a picture of the best bit so you would get a rough idea.

The tables are all laid out with all the inks, paints, kits and yummy bits and pieces ready for the morning … the shop is set up … we had pizza for tea  … oh and cake … it was Jo’s 50th birthday so we had yummy chocolate cake!

For all of you that are struggling to sleep tonight because you are worried about Ruby … well worry you not … I have dressed her up … and trust me … John really does know better than to touch that apron … so she won’t be going anywhere :0)

I don’t think I have shown you my Ranger apron before … the Ranger Logo is hand stitched by harp playing cherubs … the metal badges are all made by the wonder Lin Brown … I have a couple of the now famous and much sought after PaperArtsy badges … THE Wendy Vecchi has signed one side and Lord Tim of Holtz has signed the other … you know Tim … the man that can turn sea water into Perfect Pearl mists while rescuing Andrex puppies from a burning inferno and certain death with just the safety cap off some Tonic Studio Scissors … and one swipe of a Distress Ink.

Righty-Ho then … I am off to bed … I have a very early start in the morning …

Laters!

Tomorrow ... Tomorrow ...

Oh Yes folks ... it is very nearly tomorrow ... Why so excited I hear you ask ... well ... Tomorrow ...I shall be setting off ... in the afternoon ... en route to Newport Pagnell ... for tomorrow is the day of set up for the ArtsyCrafts weekend event. I love every second of it and I cannot wait!

Best I tell you about the tag first though eh! I took Lord Tim of Holtz's fabulously clever advice and I slit carefully along the crease of my new Halloween Night Texture Fade ... You know Tim ... the man that could widen the A14 over night while  single handedly building an alternative and considerably cheaper tunnel than the now two quid to cross one at Dartford with just a texture fade and a spritz of Copper Perfect Pearls Mist. Talking of which ... Copper is definitely my favourite of all the colours ... and if I was better at photography ... well you would be able to see it on this tag. The reason for putting the slit in the texture fade is so that you can add texture right to the bottom of your tag ... told you it was fabulously clever advice!

The tag is coloured with Rusty Hinge ... Wild Honey and Walnut Stain. The stamps and ... erm ... well just about everything is Lord Tim of Holtz ... I totally love the new charm clips ... but if anyone has a neat trick for opening them ... well please share ... I struggled!

Okey Dokey ... I must away ... I still have wardrobe choices to make ... and I need to move Ruby to a place of safety ... she is still in the conservatory and John is talking of sticking her outside in the garage ... or worse still back in a skip!!!

Laters!

Ruby Ruby Ruby!

First things first ... apologies for last week's fiasco ... for those of you that missed it ... I did a stunt jump from chair to floor with my camera in hand ... then while laid sprawled on my back ... on the floor ... I took a second picture. Well ... all the action must have gone to my head ... because I then linked up to WOYWW ... way back to a post in September ... whoops ... so all that drama was for nothing ... I say nothing ... a big Thank you to those of you that eventually found the correct post. It was very much appreciated.

What am I blithering on about ... basically WOYWW ... and if that does n't ring any bells ... Hop along to here ... and Julia ... the glamorous keeper of the desks will tell all.

So ... Onto this week ... desk is very very messy ... in my defence I am working on some rather large projects and have had to lay them on my cutting table to fiddle around and place the finishing touches ... as you do ... and they are not for public viewing as yet.

I also wanted to introduce Ruby ... Is n't she magnificent? ... I found her in a skip in Olney ... a full sized Tailor's dummy ... she is indeed a 36DD and I have big plans for Ruby ... I am going to tattoo her with stamped images and dress her in Grungepaper ... then adorn her with Idea-ology ... I may even do a bit each Wednesday ... so you guys can get to know her as well as I do! John's not keen ... but I just know she will grow on him ... she is soooooooo easy going.

That is it from me ... Have a great Wednesday y'all

Laters!

A Family Tree!

You know when you see something ... and you immediately know exactly what you are going to do with it ... well that is how I felt about Lord Tim of Holtz's Branch Tree Die.

You know Tim ... the man that can single handedly save the rain forest in his lunch break while regenerating the Tiger population with just a scrap of Grungeboard and a squirt of alcohol ink.

Anyways ... back to my family tree ... I say my ... we are not actually a well photographed family so I have had to pinch the piccies from Lord Tim of Holtz's Lost and Found stack. I am planning on a Halloween version ... which to be fair ... is more likely to resemble some of my family ... But don't tell them I said that :0)

The frame is one of The Wendy Vecchi's Art Parts ... the Fence is one of Lord Tim's new dies and the stamps are all The Wendy Vecchi of course.

The challenge over at Simon Says Stamp and Show is Anything But Not a Card this week ... and there is another shopping spree to be won ... so what are you waiting for ... Go!

Actually ... don't go quite yet ... leave little ole me a comment first ... does n't have to be long ... relevant ... or even polite ... I just like to know you have been :0)

Have a good week y'all

Laters!

Action Shots!

I have been working hard all day … fingers to the bone … and all that type of stuff … in the workshop at LB Crafts taking my Starter for Six Class.

Well … When I do these workshops … to be honest … my ladies are not always all sweetness and light … on occasion they have been known to tease me!

Today … I wanted pictures for my blog … and instead of the usual sat at tables … happy faces malarkey … they insisted that The wonderful Lin Brown takes super action shots … with her sparkly new camera … and I should try the same thing … so … always up for a challenge … and after yesterday’s stunt photos … I have gone for the action shot. Sadly my camera cannot be described as sparkly … or indeed new … and in a card workshop … action does n’t spring immediately to mind … but here are my meagre attempts!

Note to self … Must try harder!

On the serious side … I had a fabulous time … with a great group of ladies … who never fail to brighten my day … Thank you all!

Changing the subject completely … I spent last night on a speed awareness course … oops and oh yes … I got an action shot taken of me doing 34 in a 30!

So … nowadays you get offered a course where they educate you about speed. I don’t think they were that impressed when they checked the driving license in front of me and pointed to my name … A little voice piped up and said “actually that is n’t me” The guy said “Two people with the same surname … that’s unusual … you are not related are you?”

“Erm … yes!” came the reply … “That’s my Mum!”. Oh yes … not only was I clocked … dear daughter was clocked too … in the same week … in the same town! That caused a few laughs in the group … I can tell you!

Apparently hazard lights are n’t just a parking aid … Who Knew????

Righty-Ho … enough from me … I am indeed still in Olney this evening where I shall be making Artsy Crafts samples with the wonderful Lin and the lovely Karen … oh and eating fish and chips too!

Have a good evening y’all

Laters!

A Tall Tale!

No ... Don't look away ... you have n't got the wrong link ... it is n't deja vue ... this is indeed last week's picture!

I just wanted to remind all you WOYWWers of my aerial shot and thank all you lovely desk hoppers for your concerns.

You see this week ... I was planning on telling a tall tale ... I took pictures and everything! Firstly ... I stood on the chair and waved the camera at the desk ... to get a blurry shot and lead you guys to fall about laughing ... with shock and a  bit of concern too ... obviously.

That was the point that I discovered it is nigh on impossible to blur a shot with a digital camera and this second picture was the best I could do ... as I jumped off the chair ... onto the floor ... in a very daring dare devilish type manner.

The third shot is indeed the result of said action. I lay on my back on the craft room floor and took the final shot ... the plan was ... this would be a post with pictures and no words.

Then it struck me ... if all of you got around the plethora of desks last week ... well you certainly would n't remember my aerial shot and little ole me in particular ... so the "no words" post ... just a heading of #$%^%& would have made no sense whatsoever.

Anyways ... I have clearly failed at entertaining you and will therefore resort to picking at your grey matter instead ... the reality is that I got slightly carried away with filling bottle tops with little pictures etc., and Glossy Accents ... so suggestions please ... What is a girl to do with some of the bottle tops in her bottle top mountain?

I shall do my best to visit all you WOYWWers again today ... and if you have no clue what I am talking about ... check Julia out here ...

Laters!

A Late One From Me!

I was n't going to blog tonight ... it was n't on the list ... you know that list ... then plans changed and I found myself with a bit of free time!

So I rustled up this tag ... made it as a little treat for meself ... not the tag you understand ... but the playing with Distress Inks; Dabbers; The Wendy Vecchi Stamps and a Lord Tim of Holtz Idea-ology token. You know Tim ... the man that can wing walk without an airplane or a safety harness while placing stars ready for the night sky with just a paperclip and a spot of Mustard Seed Re-inker!

I was going to enter it for the Simon Says Stamp and Show challenge ... this week's theme is metal ... then I realised I could n't anyways because I set the challenge :0) Actually ... that is all just a big fat lie ... I just wanted to shamelessly drum up some more entries for this week's challenge!

I am away ... think I may tidy my desk ready for tomorrow's show and tell ... but then again ... looking at it ... there really are n't enough hours between now and then ... so maybe I will just leave it!

Big day tomorrow ... I am off to see the Non Smoking Nurse ... Not sure when D-Day will be ... but please be ready for a lot of potentially grumpy posts :0)

Laters!

Emotionally Scarred!

Yep ... That's me ... emotionally scarred!

I have never quite got over Lord Tim of Holtz giving that well known crafting celebrity ... Ms. Bibby ... from QVC that necklace! It is etched on my mind ... in slow motion I might add! I still have nightmares about it!

What's a girl to do ... well the only thing available to her really ... make her own! So ... this week's challenge over at Simon Says Stamp and Show is metal ... and that is exactly what I have done! Please feel free to join in ... there is another shopping spree up for grabs!

My necklace is slightly different from the one featured in Lord Tim of Holtz's Compendium of Curiosities ... you know Tim ... the man that can top the medals tables at the Commonwealth games all on his own ... with just a jump ring and one of his baubles. I mean ... there is still time for him to reclaim it ... and a girl does n't want two the same ... now does she :0)

Once I had made this ... well ... I got a bit carried away filling bottle tops with pictures from the Lost and Found stack ... then I wanted to make another necklace ... so I had a dig through my bits and ... once again ... inspired by Lord Tim ... I created another necklace!

That is me for today ... I have a loooooong "to do" list and somewhere along the way ... my nails need filling ... Oh yes ... I am a gel nails convert ... if I manage to keep them nice for a whole day ... I may even blog them ... Have a good week people ...

Laters!

A Very Special Day!

You know when you say something ... and the minute the words spill from your mouth ... you know it is amongst one of the dumbest things you have ever said ... well ... that was me this morning!

I says "Do you realise it is the tenth of the tenth of the tenth today ... I wonder how often that happens ... it must be quite rare!" Oh yes ... I really said that ... out loud ... in the company of others too ... then my brain kicked in and told me what a numpty I was ... only once every 100 years then :0)

I apologise for the fact that I am all over the place today! Well done you if you are managing to keep up :0) I have an overwhelming desire to publicly wish Tia a very happy 12th Birthday ... she is one of heaven's angels now ... but she would have been 12 today! We all miss her sooooooo much and I hope all the other angels are spoiling her rotten! Happy Birthday sweetie X

Okay ... thank you for indulging me ... the other thing I need to do is tell you that I have spaces on my Thursday class this week ... Starter for Six ... so if you are at a loose end on Thursday and you wanna make a great start on your Christmas cards ... have some fun ... and eat chocolate ... ring the Lovely Karen tomorrow on 01234 714848.

That is me ... I am up to my elbows in paint ... literally ... but you will have to wait a while to see what that is all about ... Hope you are enjoying the sunshine whatever you are doing ... and remember to give someone in your family a random hug ... every second is precious!

Laters!

My Cockles are Warm!

Oh yes people ... someone well and truly went and made my day ... They did in fact warm the cockles of my heart!

They don't have a blog ... so I can't add a link ... but one of the comments from yesterday's post read ... and I quote "the card is great-love your narrations-I feel like we are sitting there having tea (coffee for me please). Thank you for sharing yourself with all us." Now when I set this blog up ... several years ago now ... July 2007 ... I think ... I called it a Crafting Journey and added the strap line ... with coffee breaks along the way! Linda ... that was who left the comment ... no ... it was n't me ... ratified that I have finally achieved what I set out to achieve ... and I am dead chuffed ... so Linda ... wherever you are ... THANK YOU!

Now ... today's card is take two of my entry to Theme Thursday ... if you popped by yesterday ... you will have acknowledged my self professed Numpty status when I made a card for the previous weeks challenge ... der!!!

So I have checked and double checked and the Theme this week is definitely red and black ... and my card definitely qualifies ... phew!

The background was made using Dylusion's Pomegranate spray ink ... Yummy ... and Lord Tim of Holtz's Bitty Grunge stamp set ... you know Tim ... the man that could visit 6 Primary school assemblies ... all on the same day and all at the same time with just a miniscule amount of Black Enamel Accents and the packaging from a set of foundations!

The characters are indeed Stampotique and rather than start that whole cute but not debate ... I need to tell you that one of them is supposed to look like a girl ... they don't do a little short girl so I thought a ribbon bandana and a bead necklace would do the trick! I know the beads look a bit like a beard in the picture ... but trust me ... in real life ... it ...erm ... really ... erm ... does n't!

C'mon you guys ... what craftiness are you planning on this weekend? Tell us ... you know how I like to know these things!

Laters!

140 Sleeps!

It must be 110 years since I last entered the Theme Thursday Challenge ... I say 110 years ... it is at least that ... it could actually be longer ... I know it has been a while!

Anyways ... the theme last week was Dark,Gothic and/or Halloween! Now as you know ... I have to have all things Lord Tim of Holtz ... you know Tim ... the man that makes the sunshine and chases the clouds away ... with just a yard of Hobgoblin Tissue Tape and a solitary Charm Clip! Anyway Having to have all things Lord Tim of Holtz means I have an abundance of Halloween paraphernalia laying around ... so be warned ... this year I am going to get as much use out of it as I possibly can! I am even considering the inclusion of a few bats and the Scaredy Cats on my Christmas cards! That should reduce the list somewhat :0)

This was a Ranger White tag which I have spritzed with Dylusions Aubergine Ink Spray ... Yummy ... then coloured with a bit of Dusty Concord through sequin waste ... then stamped with a few cobwebs and a bit of barbed wire!

After doing all that ... I went back to link up my tag and discovered ... this was indeed last week's challenge ... What a numpty ... do you reckon I could sneak it in for this week's red and Black challenge ... Mmmmm Probably not eh?

For those of you that were in my class on Monday and were horrified that I did n't know the number of sleeps until the Timmy Fest ... well ... rest assured I rushed home and worked it out ... it is indeed 140!

Finally ... Thank you all so much for your concern re me standing on the spinney chair to take my aerial shot yesterday ... I just wondered where you were today when I decided to tidy up ... bent over under a shelf ... oh yes ... stood up and *Bump* ... nearly cried ... pulled myself together ... then only went and did it again!!!

Laters!

Time for a Tidy!

Certainly is ... Time for a tidy! But you don't wanna hear about that!I hope you guys appreciate the arial shot ... standing on a spinny round wheeled chair with no free hands is not the safest place for a woman in her mid forties Don't ya know!

For those of you wondering ... erm ... Why I have risked life and limb in this manner? Trust me ... Tis best not to ask ... just click here and all will be revealed.

I got around every desk last week and left over 100 comments before the whole error wotsit zapped me and my busy weekend took over ... I am planning on doing the same again today  ... so I can't sit here gassing ...

Laters!

Monday? Again? Already?

I was about to say Blimey ... it's Monday again already and it does n't feel like five minutes since last Monday! Then I realised that I start lots of posts with the word Blimey ... so this one I have started with I ... clever huh?

Well guys ... it really has been a week since we launched a new theme on Simon Says Stamp and Show ... and now it is time for a new one. Do join us ... there is another $25.00 shopping spree up for grabs!

This week's theme is numbers and I was looking for any excuse to start playing with my THE Wendy Vecchi Art Parts ... They are flippin' fabulous ... really solid pieces and my first dabble was with a round frame. Even the waste is fab!

As you can see ... for my numbers ... I used a large number of Wendy's fabulous stamps ... some of Lord Tim of Holtz's Idea-ology ... including one of his new accoutrements ... you know Tim ... the man that can walk on water while balancing 26 small children on his shoulders with just a carnival letter and a solitary fragment charm. I cannot wait to start playing with his Baubles!

I am not actually here today ... I am in Olney teaching a card class ... unless of course you are reading this at 5am ... in which case ... What on earth are you doing up so early??? and I will still be fast asleep... hopefully!

I hope you all have a fabulous week!

Laters!

Saturday Night!

Okay … so I lied! I have n’t stopped singing … probably because I have had a fab day with a fab bunch of ladies … and … I got to spend the entire Saturday Night working on AC projects with the lovely Karen and the wonderful Lin!

So here are my lovely ladies … Ruth … Sue … Sue … Chris … Chris … Debbie … Anna … Adele and Lynne.

Look at some of the fabulous tags they created during today’s Alcohol Ink Masterclass.  We had a great time …

Then after a quick tidy up in the workshop … it was down to making AC stuff … great fun … but I am not allowed to tell you anything about that.

I can tell you that we had a Fish and Chip supper … actually … technically we did n’t all have a Fish and Chip supper either … but all of our suppers came from the Fish and Chip Shop!

I got to collect all my new Lord Tim of Holtz bits today too … you know Tim … the man that can create a 10 course Fish Dinner with just a few bread crumbs while recreating a life size model of Big Ben with just a bauble and a facet!

I cannot wait to play with them!

Okay … well that is me … I am now gonna sit quietly and behave myself while Lin watches X Factor!

Have a lovely rest of Saturday people!

Laters!

Kinda Cute ... But Not!

LOVE this little chap ... rather more than is healthy to be honest ... and he may well appear on just about everything I make from here on in! Actually he probably won't ... to be fair ... he is not everyone's cup of tea! Great for a boy card though! And we all know how tricky they are ... Don't we! I wonder why that is??? He is in fact sporting a hat stamp designed by THE Wendy Vecchi ... LOVE Wendy's stuff!

As you can see I went to town with the Ranger Black Enamel Accents ... I was n't too keen when I first purchased them ... but now I am sold! The background was made by spraying Vanilla Custard Dylusions ink spray ... LOVE that stuff  ... onto white card and then adding some Wild Honey Distress Ink over the top blended through sequin waste. The letters are from the Sizzix Carnival Die and the background stamps are all Lord Tim of Holtz ... you know Tim ... the man that can turn rain into wine while rescuing stranded golfers on the Ryder cup course with just a Word Stick and a pair of Tonic Studio Non Stick Scissors ... LOVE Lord Tim ... but then you knew that anyway :0)

Talking of cards ... I have one spot left on my BLine Designs card class on Monday ... if anyone wants it ... please ring the Lovely Karen at LB Crafts. LOVE Karen!

That's me for today ... I am all out of LOVE ... you see I am still singing ... and this probably ends my musical week ...

Laters!