Just For Fun

This week's theme on Just for Fun is 'Anything but a card'.  Well I didn't think they wanted to see a photo of me doing my cleaning (well it is Friday you know) so I ditched the duster and dug out this frame I made a while ago.

It's bits of Friendly Plastic layered over a chipboard frame so lots of colour and 'inclusions' which is a posh way of saying I pushed a few more left-over bits and bobs into the hot plastic.

It has been sitting in my 'to do' pile for a while so this morning I stamped the background and butterfly.  Not sure it works - just a tad too much (i.e. a lot) colour but hey ho, the sun is shining and I'm in a good mood.

Just back from a great walk with Sorrel with lots of interesting smells (for Sorrel) as the walk is through woods and we see lots of squirrels.  Well I say 'we' but she misses most of them and only picks up the scent when she is almost sitting on top of them then decides there is nothing more interesting in the world than a squirrel chase.

Off to the vets this afternoon as she has a sore eye so that's another £30+ she cost me - think I'll get a budgie next time.

Whats on Your Workdesk Wednesday - 112

Just as I was getting ready for autumn, with woolies at the ready, the weather turns topsy-turvy and we are back in high summer and I've had to dig out the cotton trousers and T-shirts.  Not that I'm complaining as we didn't get much of a summer here so have to be grateful for anything we can get now.

It may be summer outside but my craft space this week has a decided autumnal theme as I get my stuff ready for the Vicky Stampers workshop on Saturday.  Neet is doing this month's project which is a wooden house and I've been looking forward to this for a couple of months - couldn't attend last month's meeting so am chaffing at the bit now and eager to get going on what looks like a great project.

I think a lot of the girls will be doing a sewing based theme but as I did this for my configuration box a couple of months ago I wanted to do something different and seasonal so it's going to be a woody/autumn/nature theme.

Sorrel has been helping me find leaves and autumn fruits as we walk the local woods and I have been foraging in my garden for other bits and pieces.  I got the sprays out yesterday to add a bit more colour - I like brown but don't want it to totally overwhelm the mini house so have added a bit of patina and gold to the poppy seed heads.

Rooting about in my (many) craft drawers I found a bag of Fimo jewellery bits that I made a couple of years ago when helping my niece get a project together for her degree so hope to incorporate these as well.

The last picture shows the piece of scrap card that was on my desk when I was working with the paints and sprays and I think it is quite beautiful.

This is one piece of scrap that wont be going in the bin.

Hope you have enjoyed a look at my desk this morning.  If you are not one of Julia's world-wide team of craft WOYWWers then have a look at her wonderful blog - Stamping-ground and it may just tempt you to join in.

Whats on Your Workspace Wednesday - 120

Well it's Wednesday again, the day when half the crafting world have a good nosey around what the other half are up to, thanks to Julia at Stamping Ground.  Bit of an expensive week this week but not on stamps, or inks, well apart from the seasonal distress inks I have on order.  It was vets on Monday to have Sorrel weighed and get her worming tablet, dentists yesterday for my check-up and hairdressers this afternoon for my highlights - guess which one I wasn't looking forward to?  Correct!  Why do dentists always ask you questions when they have both hands in your mouth?

Don't know if it was the worming tablet but my doggy wasn't at all well Monday afternoon, very lethargic so we spoiled her even more than normally, bringing her food on a little plate and lots of cuddles - how mad are we.  She was off all day but back to her normal hyper-self yesterday.

So, apart from spending yet more money on ink pads what have I been up to?  Made a few cards, couple of bookmarks, one of which you have already seen, and started to think about a Stampboard swap I am signed up for.  So far I have only got as far as getting out my Stampboard pieces and looking at them but inspiration will hit me - I hope.

Here's my desk this week.

New Tesco extra opened yesterday and was packed (or so I hear).  I left the madding crowds to it - and their free bag, toast loaf and bag of crisps - and went this afternoon.  Couldn't believe they had a mini craft shelf with this great canvas covered sketchbook.  Have been saying for ages that I want to try an art journal - or my version of one so, reader, I bought it.

The stamps came all the way from China on a parcel for Mr B - he makes plastic model cars (an even more expensive, hobby than mine but takes up a 20th of the room)

The frame, from Ikea, has been sitting in a corner for 12 months or more so I thought I would get it out and dust it down.  Did think about tarting it up and entering the Crafty Individuals challenge for September as a hanging thing but I may not have time.  In which case it will go back in the corner for another few weeks, on the other hand you may just see it on here next week, fully refurbished, we will see.

How could I resist?

Sorry for the cringy pun title but I have a very childish sense of humour, and some very mucky fingers.  Have spent the afternoon with my inkpads as Mr B goes to his Mum's Saturdays to do her shopping so I take advantage of a couple of hours playtime and Sorrel has to amuse herself, sitting in the window and barking at people who have the temerity to walk past her garden.

Haven't done any resist work for a while, don't know why because I do like the effects it gives, so I got out my trusty Versamark, Distress inks, coated cardstock and a 'few' stamps and set to work.

The background stamp is from a Lawrence Llewellyn-Bowen 'Venaissance' set, bought in the cheap shop in Llandudno last week for £3.50.  I love it so much I bought it twice.

To explain - I bought the set last year, mainly because of this peacock-feather stamp but promptly lost it.  That's the trouble with clear stamps, you can't see them when you put them on white paper - must have got thrown away - bu**er.  When I went back in the shop last week they had the same set (with feather) and at that price I couldn't resist (no pun intended this time).  I can always pass the other 12 stamps in the set on to someone else so a bargain really.

Background on this one used waxed paper ironed on the card to form the resist then a combination on Pine Needles/Broken China.  The waxed paper reminds me of Christmas because it originated in a box of delicious Amaretti biscuits and as I ate (all of) them I flattened out the wrappers thinking how useful they would be in my craft drawer, so double pleasure in that one.

Another Versamark resist with a combination of colours from a Big and Juicy pad.  I don't like to brayer over as the colour is always too intense for my taste so I use make-up sponges.  Over-stamped with the same colours plus a little Brilliance Gold which doesn't show up in the photo.  The text stamp was from a set I bought when Cath Wilson had Katy's Corner - I really miss that shop and Cath's stamp sets.

Last is this bookmark using the Stampers Anonymous Papillon set.  The panel is stamped with the big text background, inked with a combination of Honey, Marigold, Corduroy  then over-stamped in Walnut before mounting on a cream background panel, well it started off cream.

I have signed up on the KCUK Yahoo Group for a bookmark swap so was practising with this one (if anyone's looking - this is not my piece for the swap, have lots of other ideas for that one).

I love my Distress Inks and have ordered the new limited edition set just released.  Thought twice about it as it's obviously a marketing ploy, 'limited' means hurry-up and buy me NOW! but I'm a sucker and just had to have that purple one so flashed the plastic (if it's a card it's not really money is it) and I've been a good girl today and put all my stamps away (clean) ready for another day.

Whats on Your Workspace Wednesday - 119

Missed last weeks' tour round the workspaces of the world as I was on holiday but I had to take part this week as my desk is a total mess - and it's a lot tidier than it was earlier at that.

 On my way home from Wales I bought some silk and Setasilk dyes as I saw a demo and thought 'I could do that' only my first efforts are not half as good as the demonstrator's were - and my kitchen doesn't half pong of warm vinegar.  You soak the silk in a mix of water and vinegar (don't ask me why) before adding the dyes, squidging the silk and microwaving it for 4 mins.  You can see some of my efforts above, quite like the blue/purple one and the green/blue but that orange/red combo is hurting my eyes and my reactalite lenses have darkened to cut out the glare.

I also called in the cheap craft shop in Llandudno and bought two wood mounted stamps from the bargain bin - £1.50 each so a good buy and the block designs will be good for resist backgrounds.

Last but not least on my desk is my second attempt at a one-layer card made yesterday for a challenge on the KCUK Yahoo Group.  The edges of the card were masked and inks sponged/stippled to create the border.  The first one was OK - until I picked it up from the table and realised the card opened from the left - Dohhh - not the first time I've done that.

... and finally.  I was doing a bit of browsing earlier to check the timings for dyeing the silk and stumbled across a site about printing on fabric.  Now I've used some odd things as stamps in the past but this takes the biscuit - and it's a little bit fishy.

OK thats me finished for now, off to have a cuppa and a browse round Julia's fantastic blog and find out what the other WOYWWers are up to this week.

Vintage - Just For Fun

Thought I would use some of the yards (and yards, and yards) of lace I bought at the weekend - 60p for a sale bag - so have entered this card for the Just For Fun challenge which this week is 'Vintage'.
I already had the Adirondack inks out, which make a change from my usual Distress Inks, so went for Butterscotch and Hazel to give a grungy, could even say dirty, look. The flower stamp is my bargain buy of the week - £1.50. Figures and label are mounted on foam and the buttons, originally cream, are coloured with alcohol inks.

Love the lace but not sure about the overall look of the card, looks like it has been sitting on a shelf in a very smoky pub for a few months, not that I frequent such places, now.

More photos and a tale of coincidences (or a coincidence of tails)

Sharing a couple more holiday photos, more owls especially for JoZart but first I have to tell you a 'small world' story.
In Conwy on Sunday I left Mr B with Sorrel whilst I wandered round the food fair (how unusual is that?).  When I went back he was talking to a women who had stopped him to ask what sort of dog Sorrel was.
She had seen us three times that day and because Sorrel was very much like her own dog she had to ask.  Conversation went something like this: -
What sort of dog is she?
Yorkie Bichon cross.
Oh so is mine, how old?
9months
Oh, so is mine, we got her from Sandbach
So did we.
Turns out they are from the same litter, unfortunately her dog (Derek) had been left at home for the day so we had to make do with looking at photos on her mobile.
So we had to go to Wales on the week when the food fair was on, decide to go to Conwy that day and she had to travel in from further up the valley notice the similarities in dogs and come over to speak to us - strange coincidences.

A few more photos then.

First a tawny owl

and a teeny-weeney owl.  Not actually called that but I think it should be - and I can't remember it's real name, only that it is from Asia.

This was our home for the week, so snug.

Have to show you the inside - it was a converted cowshed and they used the machinery you can see to grind the cattle food - how steampunk is that?

 Conwy from across the river.

and just to prove I have done something crafty this week heres a piece of the silk I coloured with the Setasilk.  I'm still experimenting with the microwave time as I think I overcooked it a bit so will try on a lower temperature.  Have also had a go at stamping it with Archival as I'm not  sure what inks to use - seems to work OK.

Can see me having lots of fun with this.

Back home

Back from our week's break in North Wales to the usual pile of ironing - well sod that for a game of soldiers, it won't run away, unfortunately.

Had a brilliant, if a bit windy, week in a beautiful cottage with fantastic views down the Conwy river valley.

 The cottage had an open fire, much easier to light than the wood burners we usually get, and we had a pile of logs and a sack of coal, what more could you ask. 

One of the highlights of the week had to be Sunday when we drove the mile into Conwy for a country fair, no craft stuff unfortunately but there was a stand by the North Wales Owl rescue and this beauty.

Isn't she gorgeous?

Sorrel loved the beach at Penmaenmawr just couldn't make her mind up where to dig first.  It was only when I was downloading the photos yesterday that I noticed the shape she had made in the roughened sand.  Looks like an emu to me - what a talented doggy.

Called at Abakhan craft/fabric outlet on the way home for some lace and fabric flower trim and they had demonstrations in the craft building.  Sarah Lawrence of Crafty Notions was there as was a lady doing silk painting.  She showed me how to colour silk in the microwave (not seen this done before) and had some stunning cards so guess what I bought - watch this space.

Just for Fun - Words

Made a card this morning which is a rare feat at present but the idea was to make up a small stock and as I already had some background papers prepared from a few weeks ago it didn't take the usual 2 hours a card (I am a very, very slow worker).  Background is a mix of mica and plain ink sprays and the gold really zings.  I used the text stamp from Stampers Anonymous Papillon in Brilliance and the word stamp is also Stampers Anonymous, butterfly is a Martha Stewart clear stamp stampad on a scrap and lifted with sticky pads.

It fits in with the 'Words' theme for this weeks Just For Fun challenge and as I haven't taken part for the last two weeks I thought it was time I got my act together and had a go.

My next bit of crafting for today is to try and mow the lawn in an interesting pattern then to pick Sorrel up from the groomers IN MY CAR yippee! 

Saw Consultant this morning -  gave the go-ahead for driving and a long list of daily exercises - could have kissed him but made do with a big thank-you.