WICKED WEDNESDAY ATC # 34 - CHILDS PLAY

2 little girls happily swinging on their garden swing is my interpretation for this weeks theme over at Wicked Wednesday ATC challenge blog.
I used my much loved distress markers to colour the stamped image which is an unmounted rubber stamp from Crafters Companion called 'friendship'. I then cut it out, made a frame from card and stuck it to the frame using Cosmic Shimmer glue and pink cord. Easy peasy as they say.

HAPPY 3RD BIRTHDAY TO WOYWW - PARTY TIME AROUND THE WORLD

Many happy returns Julia. Thank you for 3 x 52 weeks of having a good old nosey around the craft places, stash, storage, projects, new buys, clutter etc. etc of hundreds of like-minded talented people around every inch of our world. I have loved every minute spent in others spaces, I've loved looking at their 'toys' and most of all, I've loved being able to admire the incredible art out there. So many ideas have come from these visits and so many really lovely comments received in return. So thank you for thinking up this wonderful adventure and long may it continue.
I'm usually known for having a tidy space. Can't work in clutter, but - oops!

No room to work. My 4 drawer unit, currently housed on the floor because I moved my printer to where it used to sit, is now on my work space together with my 101 apron, some paper stash, Spellbinder dies etc. That's because I had to gain access to the dryer which is housed behind the door that the 4 drawer unit was in front of. Still with me on this on??? I needed access to the dryer to get it's measurements ready for moving it back into the kitchen under the sink which at the moment has no tap, no water, no door, no plumbing - still with me?? Another job for today I guess.

Here is another view. The bit where the 4 drawer unit sits is where I craft, can't see much on the lower bit due to bad light and it's also where I sit to compute. When the dryer goes I can hide a bar stool so I can sit at the higher level. May bang my knees on the front of the washer but at least I will have light from the window. So, despite being in a mess this week, I shall be back to having a tidy room next week.
I'm joining in with the woyww ATC surprise, Had mine made for a couple of weeks now. Hope the person below me on the list likes it.
Happy anniversary everyone.

A GOOD FRIEND

Is my blog the best place to mention that I lost a very dear friend today. Don't see why not, after all, he made a lot of comments about my posts and the projects I made.

He will be sorely missed by many who knew him or simply came across him. His talent for holding your hand when you needed a step up was special. Whether that was because you thought a card you had spent hours on was rubbish or whether you just wanted to rant about something that had bugged you, he always had a comment or some advice.

So my friend DAVID MASON, you will be missed.

xx

ATCs/CARDS WITH ATTITUDE #14

Another 2 weeks have flown by which means it's time for another challenge over at ATCs/Cards with Attitude.
This time however, we have changed the rules slightly. The DT team will pick a top 3 out of all the entries. That makes things a little more exciting eh? Also, we have decided to split into 2 teams, namely A and B. Team As cards will be shown on the day the challenge is announced and team B will showcase theirs the following Friday. So come on crafters, let's see your cards.
This week our sponsors are Anita's Digital Designs and Saturated Canary. I got a bit confused - nothing new for me there!! and managed to ask for an image from both so I made an ATC called Mushy House from Anita's and a card called Sprocket the Steampunk Aviator from Saturated Canary:

Hope you can join in and remember, you can  either make an ATC or Card. Have fun.

BIRTHDAY PAGE

Today would have been Toby's 22nd birthday, goodness knows how many human years that would have been. I think that his K & Co Blue Awning scrapbook is quite bulky now, so I am concentrating on his DCWV oriental one for all the next 'special' date pages.
Here is today's:

Sunning himself on the decking by a potted acer. The Japanese symbol on the flowers says 'WOOD' so I thought that was quite appropriate. He would have loved to be there this week with all this lovely sunshine, and I wish he was.............

WICKED WEDNESDAY #33 - MEXICAN FOLK ART

The team at Wicked Wednesday ATC certainly make you think. I had no idea at first how to make a card for this week. I looked it up in Google and an idea was formed. What do you think?

The face is a clear stamp which was free with a past Craft Stamper magazine, I drew the hat (fancy that then eh, me actually drawing something), the arms/legs are charms that I have had for years after I saw Leonie use them in her book, the ribbons are what I cut off T-shirts I bought yesterday and the skull and cross charms are from some old jewellery I bought specifically for crafting.
The face and hat have been stuck together to conform to the correct 3.5" x 2.5" size and the charms are fastened with brads so they move.
Another fun challenge. x

WOYWW #155

I thought I would begin this week with the photo of my desk. A little bit going on because I have another scrap book page in progress for the 2nd of Toby's albums. It would have been his birthday this Friday so adding to his album is appropriate once more.
That mucky cloth you can see is an experimental piece of cotton cloth that I am using to wipe both my stamps and work surface with. It's supposed to be virtually lint free and so far is proving ok. I cut it from a long length and sewed the ends because they actually do leave fibres everywhere. At 10mtrs for £1.80 odd it's a good buy. The dominoes are still in the same place as is just about everything else you see.
Well, next week our wonderful Leader, Julia, can boast 3 years of this Wonderful Wednesday get together. Are you taking part? I am. See you next week folk. xx

COMPENDIUM OF CURIOSITIES VOL 2 - #6 - TISSUE WRAP COLLAGE PAGE 38

I've missed the last 2 weeks of Linda's challenges but decided to make an effort this week. #6 has all the details on page 38 of Tim's book so you will need to have a look at that before having a go yourself. Just to add a little more excitement to the challenge, there is a prize of a $25 voucher from sponsor The Funkie Junkie's Boutique, wow.
This challenge is more about the background and I decided to make a card:

The photo doesn't do this justice but shows it well enough. This is what I used:
tissue wrap
grungeboard
paint dabbers - juniper, terracotta.
glue and seal
Vagabond
on the edge die - scallops
stamps - good thoughts, fabulous flourishes
glossy accents
distress inks - peacock feathers, rusty hinge
ink blending tool and foam
Tonic scissors
clear stamp - visual artistry regal flourish
Archival ink - black, aquamarine

IT'S ARRIVED

My apron from Tim showing that I 'graduated' from his Creative Chemistry 101 class.

I enjoyed the 2 week classes so much that I treated myself to the pinny. No guilt feeling either because I had sold some bits on eBay not only to pay for the classes, but also to buy the apron. the dilemma now is - do I wear it or do I keep it nice and clean along with the one I got Tim to sign last year at his UK workshop...... Decisions, decisions.

WICKED WEDNESDAY # 32 - A LITTLE BIT COUNTRY/WESTERN

Thought of all sorts of things for this weeks challenge over at Wicked Wednesday ATC, but didn't have the right 'tools' for the job. In the end I bought a digi image from America which satisfied the 'country' bit. I hope it satisfies the challenge theme:

I printed the images onto good quality inkjet paper after re-sizing to fit my base card. The colouring was done with my beloved distress markers - just adore those pens. I used liquid applique for the tree and considering I've had this stuff for about 14years, am amazed it still works and puffs up as required. The cute horse is mounted on 3D foam.
A great big thank you to the Wicked Wednesday Team for picking me as one of their top 3 again last week. I'm really chuffed as you know by now.
Well, this was another fun theme for me this week. Just adore this challenge blog. x

WOYWW #154

I took the photo of my little work space yesterday afternoon - well, Julia does it sometimes so I don't think she will mind too much. I bet some of you fellow 'woywwers' have done the same - go on, own up. With the awful British weather of late, who can blame you for taking your photo in that quick flash of sunshine that may just have come your way. Considering we had torrential rain, cloud, a bit of sun and hail yesterday, I didn't dare leave it 'til today just incase it snowed!!!!! Anyway, here it is:

Ok, I know, those dominoes have been in the last 3 photos at least. I will get round to using them, honest. You can spy some distress markers ready for a DT project which is lingering to the left of shot. The tiny Prima flowers and cut piece of card, oh, and the peacock feathers DI are from the DT card I made yesterday. My 'much needed' reading glasses/crafting glasses are bottom right just below the backs from some double-sided tape and 3D foam squares.
Not much has changed because I am generally a tidy crafter, putting away stuff as I use it all ready for the next project. I dug into my box of greetings cards on Monday, to find some cards for up coming birthdays. Gave me a breather as my mojo is suffering just now and I have to keep giving it a good kick into action to do any crafting of late. One really good bit of news is that my Creative Chemistry 101 apron was in Los Angeles on Sunday so it shouldn't be too long before I can have my 'sticky' mits on it. Whoohoo!
Have a good day every one. See you later. xx

12 TAGS OF 2012 - MAY

We've had a little wait for this month's tag because Tim has been teaching at Ranger U, but he caught up with the May tag just the other day.
I started mine yesterday but didn't get it finished because I needed to lift my big sewing machine - my titchy craft one doesn't do zig zag - and my right wrist is sore with arthritis just now so I couldn't manage it yesterday. However, onwards and upwards as they say and I just got on with it today.

I got to use one of the brass type charms that my DH made for me before he sold all his engineering machines and tools. Cute eh? I so love making faux porcelain flowers and adding a bit of distressing with the new spring colours made them even more special.
I really like this month's tag. It was simple to make but is so effective.

WICKED WEDNESDAY ATCs #31 - TOTALLY TROPICAL

I missed this little ATC challenge blog in it's first week, didn't know about it, but once I found it, I've tried to join in each week. So when I saw that this week is no. 31 I couldn't believe it. I have lots of ATC swaps now except for those that I think are better than the others. They are going on cards.
So, Totally Tropical is the theme this time. Click HERE for a quick trip over to see all the details.

I swiped a few distress ink pads on my craft sheet, spritzed lightly with water and dragged my card through it. To soften it a bit I then used a blending tool to make the sand stand out more. The wonderful palm trees are from the amazing Lindsay Mason's Christmas stamps. See, not everything is just for Christmas.. The deck chair was 'pinched' from one of my hubbies retirement cards and that was 6 years ago so just goes to show, us crafters never throw anything away!! The enamelled charm is also from my stash which is ages old.
Just a bit of fun again. x

ATCs/CARDS WITH ATTITUDE #13 - BUTTERFLIES AND BLOOMS

This fortnight I chose an image from fresh Brewed Designs - Steamy Romance.

I ran an A6 sized piece of Lost and Found paper through my printer after I had re-sized the digi image to fit an ATC. I then cut the paper to it's final size before colouring over it all with a few different distress stains. The red and green colouring were done with studio acrylic paint and the white of the mug was achieved with picket fence distress stain. A covering of glossy accents on the hearts and a Prima leaf finished it all off.
Pop over to our blog HERE for some fabulous samples from our Design Team, some of which have only joined us this week. They have done so well. Remember, you can make a card if you don't like ATCs and if the theme of this fortnight's challenge doesn't appeal either, just make something with an anything goes theme.

WOYWW #153

It's been a very busy week so in actual fact, I haven't noticed the days skipping by. Can't blame our Julia this time for thinking up our weekly wonder which is What's on your Workdesk Wednesday which 'seems' to come around every day, no, this week was probably moving along at the correct pace.
Not a lot of different things on my space to see, just one great big album:

This scrapbook is the 2nd I have which contains Toby's photos. I like to make at least one page for each of his special dates and I thought I would try to sort out the next which will be for his birthday on the 25th of May. You may be able to spy the 3 re-inkers from the new spring collection of distress inks. I haven't used those yet but the ink pads are wonderful. Still not decided whether to go ahead and try and make a domino book, so those are still lying around. Decisions, decisions.
A few bits to do today which mainly involve that dreaded 'H' word that ends 'K' because tomorrow will hopefully, be a day out it being our wedding anniversary and my DH's birthday. Now that's come around quickly!!!!!

WICKED WEWDNESDAY ATC CHALLENGE #30 - SPRING FEVER

Over at the Wicked Wednesday ATC challenge blog Spring has Sprung, I mean, Spring is in the Air, Spring is springing about all over - actually it's, Spring Fever......Can you tell that Spring is my most favourite time of the year.
I love the spring flowers, the lengthening days, lambs, the glorious flush of green when the trees break bud, the smell of first cut grass, seeds sprouting into life, hazy sunshine and the scratches in the sky made by planes, and of course, the end of winter.
I so enjoyed making this ATC it was fun, hope it makes you smile too:

Even Spring is springing about!!!!!!!!
I coloured grungeboard letters with acrylic dabber and stuck them together with multi matt medium. I then mounted the whole thing onto 2 springs which act as a base only, then I stuck the little lambs and some tiny flowers in place.
Have a go at making a fun Spring ATC, you will get a smile too. x

WOYWW #152

Someone said it's May already, never. Then someone said it's Wednesday too!! Come on, it can't be, can it?
I don't know whether I'm coming or going with the days and months, I mean, May and it's still the middle of winter.......
Now last week I received some rather rude comments about some gorgeous frilly ribbon on my workspace, saying it looked like a set of teeth. Even the best amongst you (no names mentioned, Julia) made comment thinking I had taken my teeth out and left them for all the world to see. Let me put the record straight, my teeth don't come out, they are my own.........LOL
I had so many laughs from you lovely peeps, so thank you for that. Right, today's look see:

You will see a gorgeous ATC made from a Stampotique stamp, which I love to bits, plus some clear stamps, a large wooden-framed mirror, a paper mask, some very special Brixham shells - all wonderful pressies from 2 buddies that I met up with yesterday. We had coffee and cake, a good 'ol natter and a wander round a couple of craft stores and Dunelm Mill. What a lovely day it was. I must have tired myself out though with all the excitement because I have only just surfaced this morning hence the late posting.
A catch up day on other things is on the cards so I had better get cracking. Have a lovely day. x