Back from hols

Back from family holiday in Somerset yesterday evening after a long, long journey.  It should have only been about 5 hours or so (with 2 or 3 stops) but turned into a 9 hour journey.  Still, home now, washing done and dried and I even got time to make a, belated, birthday card.
Had a beautiful sunny week enjoying the company of StepD and family and that's despite my little accident (badly sprained ankle) and a 2 hour wait at the Walk-in centre on Monday evening.  What is it with me and holidays, don't think I've ever had a straightforward one, what with being side-swiped on the motorway by a Bulgarian lorry (new car as well), exploding fruit juices, projectile vomiting Grandson, lost pipe (DH not me) broken toilets - the list goes on, and on ha ha. 
Could be worse - could have all been on the same holiday.

Anyway the hidden treasure chest went down a storm. couldn't hide it on the beach because I couldn't get down the steps with my ankle strapped (had to sit in a chair at the side of the car like a little old lady) so we hid it in the cottage garden and I did a treasure map.  We had a big inglenook fireplace so hid the map in a ledge in the chimney and got Thomas to find it - fire was unlit you'll be relieved to know.  It was from Blackbeard, he had buried his treasure in the garden and said whoever was clever enough to find it could keep it.

We all joined in but let Thomas find it and he was so excited, thought it was 100% real and he was rich - a trillionaire no less.  Then said that as he had not found it on his own he would share it with his brother.  He was so convinced that as it was Blackbeard's treasure he would be living in a castle and buying presents for everyone we had to develop stage 2 of the story to bring him gently down to earth.  Mum and Dad took it to the antiques shop in Dunster and it was only valued at £3 - pheew!

Here he is having just found the chest - the look on his face was priceless.

Worth all the time spent on pulling this treat together just to see his face.

Finished chest

Finished it last night and now in the middle of packing for our hols, what do you take on an English holiday in July?  A bit of everything - jumpers, raincoats, shorts Tshirts and a brolly. 

Here's a picture of the jewel encrusted lid, painted with Stewart Gill acrylics crackle glazed and dirtied up with black ink.

and the side view showing the metal findings I distressed with Promarkers and acrylic paint'

Sorrel went to the groomers yesterday and came back looking beautiful, a spotlessly clean honey-coloured dog.  Left her in the garden playing with her ball and when I went back out there she was, digging in the rain-sodden earth.  Muzzle black and paws coated in black mud.  I was so cross - but then I had to spoil it all and laugh at her.  Don't think I would have laughed as much if she had got in the house with it all over her and wiped her chops on my carpet.

Better go and finish packing now and see if I can get the suitcase closed without sitting on it.

WOYWW 111

Whats on my workdesk?  Well quite a bit at the moment asI have been working hard making this little treasure chest to take away with us on Friday.  Going to bury it in the sand while the youngest Gson isn't looking and then let him 'discover' it.
Have had lots of fun searching through boxes and drawers for bits to put in it and found some old sixpences (remember those) some French Francs in a corner of a drawer that I know would come in handy sometime and some toy dollars that Neet gave me a while ago.  Lots of bits of gold findings, distressed of course, and a broken pearl earing that fell into the chest from Blackbeard's ear when he wasn't looking.
Will have to get it finished this afternoon as I'm off to take Sorrel to the groomers now - she is getting bored as I type and has pulled her bed into the middle of the living room, now hiding underneath it.
Will check out the other WOYWW when I get back, sure to see some fab stuff on there.

Here's the workspace with a variety of shells, grungeboard skull and cross bones, money and the half finished chest - complete with pearl in mussel shell.

and here's a closer look at the inside of the chest - almost finished now.

Three more sleeps...

...and then we are off on our hols.  DH, me, the dog, StepD, partner, two boys and the baby - should be fun, lets just hope we are not sitting on the beach under the brollys.
Sorrel goes to the groomers tomorrow to make her beautiful again as she has been covered in mud the last few days, at least she has when we could persuade her to go out in the rain - Princess.

Have been working on the little treasure chest we are going to bury in the sand and let Thomas 'find' it.  Somehow I don't think he will appreciate the work that has gone into it but have enjoyed doing it - will give you a peek tomorrow on WOYWW.

In the meantime have a look out of my window, not strictly true as it is was our holiday cottage window last year and the one we are going back to on Friday - now you see why I'm exited.

forgot to say - cottage is on the edge of Exmoor, about 3 miles out of Dunster.





I know the gardens need it but why can't it rain at night?

I don't mind a bit of rain but honestly!  Managed to get out with Sorrel for her morning walk/mad run about and not get drenched but it has rained ever since.  So much so that it has broken a branch on my minature plum tree, never mind, stewed plums for tea - and such a gorgeous colour.
Am going to get the gesso out and paint a couple of little wooden chests delivered yesterday from Calico Crafts.  Couldn't resist ordering after I saw some beautiful examples on Zuzu's blog so doing a bit of prep work before I figure out what I'm going to do with mine.  We are off on our hols next weekend, with StepD and family so may turn one into a pirates chest and bury it in the sand for Thomas to find.

In the meantime I thought I would share a mini book I made for a recent Fun swap on Katys Corner Yahoo Group.  The lovely Dot sent us a small piece of leather and 2 brown paypackets to set our imaginations going.  Unfortunately mine wasn't playing ball and I couldn't think what to do with the envelopes so concentrated on the leather.  Passed through a Cuttlebug folder and inked then cut it to make a book cover.  Accordian pages inside have simply been stamped with mini stamps from Clarity which I have had for years.

I love these little fun swaps as you never know what you are going to get - but always turns out that you get something to treasure.

This is the book closed.  Just realised you will have no idea of scale, Doh, should have put a ruler at the side when I took the photo.  Book was around 2 inch high.

and this is one side of the stamped accordian page.

For those of you kind enough to ask about Sorrel - she is doing fine, back to her mad, jumpy, bubbly self and looking forward to her holiday.

Just for Fun

Well here goes with my first challenge piece.  It's for the Just For Fun challenge which this week is to use corrugated card.
Spent half an hour yesterday hunting for packaging - DH thinks I mad -and then peeling it apart before getting out the red and gold dabbers and trying to create an asian style fabric-effect background.
Had no idea where I was going with it but it ended up a hanging/tag/thingy which I quite like.  Added some closionne (?) beads and a bit of black lace - weren't they a 70's pop group?
Anyway - here it is.

WOYWW 110

If it had been WOYWTuesday then you would have seen a bare table.  Had visits for Sunday lunch so had to clear all my stuff from the dining room table as I am one of those very, very deprived people who do not have a craft room.  On second thoughts, I do have a craft room - who needs a dining room?

Decided to have a very messy day, even more than normal, and make some backgrounds and all I can say is thank goodness for rubber gloves.  Have had these Starburst Stains for ages, so much so that a couple had dried out - so I added some more water to get the last dregs out of the pots.  I go off mica every so often but the effect really is impressive - pity the sheen does not show up on the photos.  My favourite is the paler one which is a lovely jade and copper but the photo doesn't do it justice - it's calling for me to get out my asian stamps.

I got time yesterday to sort out some of my stamps - is it only me who tumbles them all back any old how at the end of the day?  Sat down and sorted them all out into their rightful places in these 'Really Useful' boxes.  If anything was named correctly then it must be these - I need more, lots more, I only have eight and am overflowing into the drawers at the side.  Drawers are really the bottom part of my Grandma's Edwardian pine dressing-table.  Had to take off the top part and mirror to make room for my dolls house so they are up in the loft now.  Have had the dressing table since my Gran died, I was 14 at the time and we painted it white.  Now it's a lovely golden colour - well worth the hours and hours I spent stripping it back.

Having a craft day tomorrow with a friend but that will be much more sedate - Pro-markers.  Have always loved 'colouring in', so in for a relaxing time - and cleaner fingers.

Off not to have a look at Julia's blog and all the other WOYWW'ers

Another T-shirt

Blue one this time and that sort of turquoisy blue that is my favourite.  Stewart Gill paints again and the main image is 'Dress up' by Paperbag Studios. Couldn't resist the word stamp - Paper Artsy, just right for a little sweetheart like Kitty.

I did do a pink one as well but made a right pig's ear of that one so no way am I putting up a photo of that one.

Here's the blue one...

Kitty's T-shirt

Thank you everyone who took time out to post comments yesterday, I was thrilled to read them, very encouraging.

Finished the T-shirt for my little Granddaughter today.  I started it at the weekend but made a mistake stamping the letters of her name, tried to fix it with a paintbrush and, of course, made it worse.  Why can't I learn to leave well alone.
Anyway I retrieved it in part, although the 'K' is a bit smudged, by adding a couple of flowers over the worst bit.  So unless she is extremely fussy, which at 8 months I doubt, then it will be OK.

Didn't do the 'block' printing on this as I did for the apron, just stamped straight on the fabric with a little balloon stamp I have had for years.  Have started the next one now - blue - but will use the blocks on that one.

We will be seeing then in a couple of weeks when we go on our family holiday - can't wait.

WOYWW Weds 109

Being a bit (?) of a nosey-parker I can't resist a peek at other crafter's desks and craft rooms so I regularly pop over to the Whats on You Workspace Wednesday blog.  If nothing else it confirms I'm not the only untidy crafter around ha ha and it is truly inspirational.
So now I have my own blog I'm jumping straight in and showing you my desk (well it's really my dining room table - must get it cleared for Sunday when the M-in-Law comes for lunch.).

After a great workshop by the inspirational Lynne at Victoria Stampers a couple of weeks ago I finally got round to finishing my apron and have moved on to decorating a couple of T-shirts for my beautiful Granddaughter., Kitty Ann.

Her's a few piccies: -

My desk showing the latest T-shirt at the planning stage, stamps, general mess and a mixture of Adirondac, Stewart Gill and Lumieres (my favourites).  Have finished one T-shirt but made a bit of a boo-boo on it so will have to see if I can recover it.  Will let you see it when it's finished.

This is the apron - still not quite finished but well on the way now.

SorrelUpdate
Looking foward to Friday when we go back to the vets to have the stitches out (fingers/toes/legs and eyes crossed that verything is OK).  She livened up no end over the weekend and it has been hard work keeping her relatively quiet as instructed by the vet - very difficult for the original 100mph doggie.  Have been relying on lots of 'gentle' games indoor - most of which involve finding hidden food and training sessions.  She is having a nap at my feet now - well she was but junped up while I was typing that and now wants to play, it's a hard life.