3 TAGS CHALLENGE LAST DAY

This month, Heather set us a tag challenge. The themes were:
1.  season of mellow fruitfullness
2.  vintage birds
3.  the daydreamer

The idea was to use the finished tags within a journal page so we were asked to leave some places, both front and back, for journaling.
This is what I came up with:

This is the first one. I prepared the base with stains and then used Terra through a stencil to make the raised flowers. Once dry, I added the vellum Flower Fairy. The leaf at the bottom is from a Marriane design which I anchored by the stem only so that journalling could be added underneath without spoiling the effect with writing showing. I simply covered the reverse with K&Co paper.

The colours go well together.
The second tag had me thinking about Heather's pesky parrot ATC that for some time has fascinated me. I came up with this - not anything as good as that ATC I might add.

I distressed the edges of the card and then stamped all around with some mini flower stamps. The parrots were from free downloads, the punched border was made with a Martha Stewart punch and the centre paper is from some of Tim's stash. Again I used a download and altered it a bit for the reverse.

The addition of some peel offs helped the appearance.
The last one was fun too.

I stamped the girl and carefully cut her out. I then prepared the base by making it from a nestabilities die, distressing it and stamping the girl onto it. The word is a Tim stamp, the flowers and leaves are Prima. I finally glued the cut out image over the stamped one by the log at the top only. This gave a hidden space ie. the reverse, on which to include writing. I had fun with the back on this one.

I used the stencil from the first tag but blended subtle colours through it. I added my details around the white bits to show the recipient where journaling could be included.
I had to make these tags within a couple of days of the challenge beginning because we went away for a couple of weeks and are really busy now we are back. But for all my rushing to join in, I had great fun.
Thank you once again to Heather for this challenge and roll on the next one.

WOYWW HOME AGAIN

Back from our little jaunt. This gorgeous weather makes me feel I'm abroad somewhere not in the UK. Aren't we lucky to have the chance of topping up our tan at this time of year? It also gives us chance to complete a few jobs which have been waiting rather a long time due to operations etc.
We went to the Lincoln motorhome show last year and it cost an arm and a leg because we bought a new canopy and sides for the motorhome. This year it cost the other arm and leg because we had to replace the solar panels and I felt generous and bought 'T' a 1950s fiesta red Fender Stratocaster which he was 'drooling' over in a music shop we found. Looks rather tearful don't you think.....

That's his Christmas and birthday presents sorted for the next 10years!!!!!
Well back to woyww. Just popped over to Julia's but she was out on the rounds (she could have been but I made that up). Without her wonderful idea none of us would be able to do this desk hopping lark and be nosey without getting caught. Love it.
Not got going yet - only got back Monday and am still doing the washing!!!! but I did take a bit of craft with me and managed to finish my bead project. Can't show you that 'til near Christmas, but it has turned out ok and looks good on the card I made. Just need to figure out how to attach it.
So this is my space today.

A pill box bought yesterday for 85p to hold little beads when I am working with many colours. A lovely Chinese man gave me this idea at the show. He and his wife had a stall selling beaded phone charms etc.. 2 tiny skulls we found, also yesterday, 10mtrs of seam binding (10p a mtr) bought from Scarborough and a T-pouch I made whilst away following the instructions Hels put on her blog a couple of weeks ago. You can also just spy the lid of a plastic box with some beads in which is what I used for my project. So nothing exciting. I'll pop round to yours then for something better.
Happy woyww.

A WEEK OF BIRTHDAYS

I'm still in Lincoln at the motorhome show but leave tomorrow for home. We have had a good time all round, plenty of nice weather with a bit of horrid stuff now and then, nothing to spoil our fun though.
There were a couple of family birthdays whilst we have been away so I had to make cards and buy presents well before we left.
I'll have a search through my pictures and see if I can upload photos of the cards, if not, I'll catch up next week with all things blog related.

This was our Natasha's 14th birthday card.

I can't find the other card so I may not have taken a photo.
Right, I'm off to watch the Singapore GP now.

WOYWW FROM YORK

I'm very late today in joining in the fun over at WOYWW run and organised by the ever lovely Julia.
Just click on her name to be whisked away around the world.
I've been whisked away this week and am in York at the moment. We have (that's DH and I) been all over since last Thursday when we set off. Scarborough, Harrogate, York city centre and today we walked the city wall. The weather has been kind and we have enjoyed the break. We move from here tomorrow to go to Lincoln and the showground for the outdoor motorhome show.
However, we have only spent one day in the motorhome, ie not venturing out, and I crafted whilst DH wrote some music, set up a radio for his RC models and generally did our own thing. Since then, which was last Saturday, I haven't done any crafting.
So I'm afraid I don't have a photo of my craft desk to show you. Instead - if it will load - I'll show you the amazing sunset from last night. Happy woyww everyone.

GOTTCHA

That's not bad, after days of trying I've finally managed to upload the photo of Sonia's ATCs.
Worth waiting for though eh?

SONIA'S ATCS

Before we left for York - where I am at this moment (on free wifi too!!) - I received 5 ATCs from my pal Sonia. She is having a real good go at distress inking and alcohol inks. I think she has done a lovely job with these cards and as usual, her talent for neatness is outstanding.
Well, I've tried and tried to upload the photo I took but it just won't have it. I'll have to wait 'til I get home to show you these works of art.
Just before we came away, I read Tim's blog about the 3 new distress inks and asked through Facebook who would be stocking them in the UK. I didn't get a reply but The Artistic Stamper later announced that they would be stocking a very limited number. When I went on to the shop web, I saw they were sold out already.
Good job I had already ordered mine from Simon Says Stamp in the US.
So 3 fab colours to add to the rest -
ripe persimmon
gathered twigs
seedless preserves.
Yummy.

WOYWW BEFORE A LITTLE HOLIDAY

My craft is packed -

Just need to add my Copics, scissors etc. Decided to take my mini sewing machine with me and have a play 'cos I just can't use the thing. It's so fast that it sews the card I want to sew plus everything else within 3' of it before I get chance to stop it!! So I thought I would have time to get the better of it during these next 12 days in York and Lincoln.
I did however, have a little crafty play yesterday so these photos of my desk are from then. You won't mind I'm sure -

Out came the box with some paper roses in -

I coloured 3 of them with a black Copic pen -

Found an ATC already-prepared piece of card and began to layer up. This was the end result -

My first Halloween ATC - The Bone Collector. I've had to put him out of sight though because he frightened me LOL.
Well, I am going to be really busy today. Hairdressers first then shopping and packing. I will try and pop round to yours, courtesy of Julia, but please forgive me if I don't see you this week. I will be on the dreaded dongle for a while although the first 8 days stop is supposed to have wifi. We will see what that's all about when we get there. Enjoy woyww. x

ATC CHALLENGES #10 - SOMETHING THAT REPRESENTS YOU

As per usual, the theme for ATC Challenges #10 is anything goes. However, if you feel you want a bit more of a challenge, you can also have a go at 'something that represents you'. I did the latter.

Titled 'A Burst of Summer', the colours are warm and happy which always makes me feel good. I love flowers, butterflies and sunshine, all of which are depicted on this ATC. The spin wheel background was a freebie from a dear friend - something else that makes me happy, friendship, and the beads embedded in glitter represent some of my love for my crafting hobby.

All in all - it's a little of me.

A SAD DAY

Saturday saw another craft shop 'hit the dust'. This time, FINISHING TOUCHES in Totnes, Devon closed it's doors. One of my most favourite towns of all time and one of the most lovely, friendly craft shops gone. I watched this shop grow over the last few years during the many holidays in the town and surrounding area. This is so sad.
My warmest wishes for the future to David Dommet and his staff. I hope things improve in the future to enable another craft shop to come your way.

JUST A BIT HECTIC AT THE MOMENT

Sorry I haven't been around for while. There certainly isn't time for any crafting. It's funny how things just happen and before you know it, the days have gone and you are left spinning. I seem to be like that just now. Last weekend was another free listing one on Ebay, so I decided to continue with my craft room sale. Those items finish this morning so I will have to get moving and sort all those out because some have sold. Then, DH and I decided to decorate our 'porch' area. Only needed gloss paint on the wood and some emulsion on the ceiling, but I decided to do this:
To turn this -

Into this -

I thought it would be easy - HA! it is a nightmare. I struggle to keep to the lines and with arthritic fingers and thumb, a 'knackered' right knee cap, a partly frozen left shoulder and creaking bones in my neck, getting down to do the painting would best be done by a contortionist!!! I must be mad - don't answer that.
Anyway, it's a bit of fun and I only have a couple of bits still to do.
Better get on then.

A WET AND WINDY WOYWW

I am right aren't I, it's Wednesday again. I'm sure I only said that yesterday. There is absolutely no way another week has gone by, I mean, I can't even remember Thursday or even Saturday or Monday, so surely not. It's getting beyond a joke now, this disappearing of days. Some one must know where they keep going 'cos I don't. Do you think our Julia knows? After all, she is the leader of this Wednesday phenomenon when we all bare our spaces for the world to see. I wonder whether this 'disappearing of days' is only happening in this wet and windy part of the world, or if it's going on all over the globe? Now there's a puzzle.
Joking apart fellow woywwers, I really don't know where the days have gone but do vaguely remember making 3 journal tags for Heather's swap, completing a bit more of the bead project and then making a complete mess of a journal page challenge. I cleared my space after that one!!! However, I did win the challenge last month and my prize arrived yesterday. Here it is:

A book about fairies following the challenge theme which was just that. I'll take it away with me next week in the hopes I get chance to do a bit of reading.
Other than that, my space is bare, so instead of boring you again with a photo of an empty desk, I took this one of the shelf above the window which used to house my 2 cat statues, but now holds my spray paints etc.

It's a tiny area and is crammed full. You can see my woyww anniversary pif, a photo of Toby, a couple of signed pieces by special crafters, a card I made at a Lindsay workshop, colour wash, perfect pearls, gesso, matt medium and Terra. The dark binder holds my Tim Holtz stamps and you can just see the strap of my camera bag.
So what's on your work desk this week? I'll just pop round and have a look. See you tomorrow - I mean next Wednesday!!!!!

JOURNAL JOURNEYS - INCLUSIONS/TAGS

I do like to have a go at most challenges that interest me, but I'm afraid this one got me. No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't come up with an interesting journal page. The subject was ok but, probably because I wanted to make the facing page to the last challenge, I just had a mental block.
Not only is my page rubbish but my camera didn't like it either. Anyway, here it is.

See, I told you. Even though it's awful, I'm still going to enter it because it will just show others in the same position, that giving up is ok........
These are the pages together.

Apologies to Dawn Perhaps my holiday next week is getting in the way..............

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY

My lovely Devon friend Sylvia and her special husband Reg, celebrated their 51st wedding anniversary yesterday.
Now that's some anniversary don't you agree?
Such a special lady and I met her through crafting. I just love this hobby.