WOYWW 257

If it wasn't for the plethora of sharp objects around me this morning then I think I would fall asleep on my desk!  Its been a busy week but today is a day for washing (boo!) and working on One Little Word (Yay!).  The gorgeous rainbow chevron paper is part of the Simple Stories Daily Grind collection that I'm using for this project which has been sadly neglected recently but I'm exciting about doing this month's painty prompts - stand well back, paint will be splashed about!  

On my desk this week there are also some new things - last year's Spring Summer Promarker pens (reduced to £10 for all 12 in Hobbycraft!!) and some things that came free with a magazine (the scrabble tiles, chalk speech bubbles, card pack).  Also these rather yummy bright pink bottle caps which I hope to make something out of very soon.

 One of the many reasons I am so behind with housework and am needing an art day is this....

A very long line of toy cars...  Over 2 kilometers actually we think.  The end result was smashing the World Record for the longest continuous line of toy cars which finished at 24,189 cars!  A team of staff and volunteers (including myself and Management and both children) laid them out all around the Beaulieu Motor Museum, twisting and turning around and about and doubling back, all around the inside and the outside and up and down the paths.

This was part of Bella's area - a line which had to be changed several times as the logistics of counting versus opening doors etc proved very tricky indeed...

 This was the area that I stewarded while the official count took place.  The line at the bottom of the picture went right across the walkway and the rules are that the line cannot be broken until the count has been completed.  Which took nearly two and a half hours.  While people in wheelchairs and mobility scooters were trying to get around!  But they did it!  All the cars will now be sold off to raise money for Naomi House Children's Hospice so I hope they get lots of lots of funds as a result.

My knees, feet, and hands are blistered from crawling and I have sunburned nose.  I'm just pleased it wasn't raining!  Oh and that car there... its a Gordon Bennett!  I couldn't help saying Gordon Bennett, what a lot of cars!  Well... it was a long day...

If you are a crafter of any sort and you'd like to share your work space or whatever you are working on this week with other kindred spirits then please do link up with Julia who is the host of this wonderful world wide snoop entitled What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday.

Bye for now

WOYWW 242

Brrr!  It's definitely staying in and crafting weather here at Crazy Towers.  It is also staying in and catching up on the cleaning that hasn't been done since I was first feeling poorly at Christmas!  I'm feeling much better now after all your kind wishes and a course of antibiotics and a steroid nasal spray - yuk!

I've been busy in my craft room this week - putting things away and getting other things out!  Top left is the rest of the decoupage from last week.  After the super speedy card I thought I may as well make a couple more with the rest of the kit.  Central is my current album with the beginnings of my One Little Word project.  I am loving using Simple Stories Daily Grind for this - isn't that rainbow chevron paper just amazing!  I've also still got my Christmas stuff on the go in my cake stand to the right and then a new project beginning to the left.  That collection is Echo Park's For the Record 2 and I've pulled that out for Shimelle's class that starts this week called Return to The Collection.

Some of the things I have put away this week include my Christmas and birthday presents.  The Promarkers are in their new aluminium case and next to that is a very solid glass photo frame with a pic of Miss Bella in a rugby shirt and tutu!  That pink box there came inside a vanity case at Christmas filled with Soap and Glory bath stuff.  I love the box and the vanity case and the bath stuff - everyone's a winner!

The last new addition there is a pink glass cake stand which was a birthday present from a very good friend.  I put it together but it needs a little adjustment and it being glass and me being accident prone, I thought it a job for Management :-)

I'm gradually finding my feet again so I hope to be able to visit a few more desks this time on our weekly nose around crafty areas.  Why not join in?  Its fun and easy - just link up with Julia over the Stamping Ground for What's on Your Workdesk Wednesday.

Bye for now
xx

WOYWW 241

Oh dear... this is the state of my desk after a rather eventful weekend.  I managed a few hours at the crop before I gave up with this stupid virus and came home.  I didn't even unpack the car, Management did that.  Other than the fabulous surprise party that I got dragged out to (and thoroughly enjoyed!) I've pretty much been laying flat because my sinuses are so painful that my head feels too heavy to lift for long.  I can't use a screen for long either - dagnamit!

So we have boxes of punches from the car, my Selphy printer (that Management is very cross with because they have no intentions of being compatible with Windows 8 and you can't buy a computer without that these days...), a gift bag from the lovely Paula from Artful Angels and my new aluminium case (see below) and then my Jo Malone box.  A wonderful friend bought me a Jo Malone candle and perfume for my birthday and the box smells fabulous.  It's very sturdy too so ideal for transporting embellishments to crops.

Please excuse the following photo - new lap top means new software and getting used to things again.  Its a bit different for me because I've never done decoupage before but it was an emergency.  I was so wrapped up in my own birthday that I forgot to get a card for the little girl that Louis was going to a party with!  I had fifteen minutes to find something so I grabbed a pile of stuff that was free with a magazine.

Ta da!  My new aluminium box for my Promarkers!  Management is on the case with a remedy for the floppy insides but I love it anyway!  I can carry them about too which is what I wanted.

Have you got transportable pen storage?  What do you use?  What else is on your desk this week?  Link up with WOYWW and see other creative spaces.  Hope to see you around!

Bye for now
xx

Six on the 6th

I won't tell you how many days it is until Christmas... I'm trying not to think about it!  The only thing that I know for sure is definitely done though - the cards!  Thanks to the Six on 6th series at S J Crafts, I have a nice little stock of home made cards ready and waiting... Okay so they are not actually written or in the post as yet but they'll get there!

I was using the marvellous Elf Magic collection by Bo Bunny which at first sight is a very bright and child friendly range.  However there are some more muted and sophisticated designs in it to which makes it a great all rounder.

Here are my six for this month.
 

                    

                     
 
                     

The three on the left are simply one of the papers layered onto white card to create a great base on the card blank.  A stripe of coordinating paper and festive trim are then topped with a stamped image coloured with Promarkers.

The right hand side uses pre-made toppers and punched shapes on a design where the background papers are in thirds / two thirds and trimmed with silver or gold.

With great papers like this you don't need much on top so they came together really quickly.  Also the range of designs means you can get quite a different look each time.

I made a few more while I was at it because quite frankly I got carried away!

 How are you getting on with your cards?  If you've made any inspired by this series then don't forget to link up over at S J Crafts because you could be in with a change of winning a heap of stash.

I'm off shopping with my Dad today (wish me luck) and then I'll be cracking on with Journalling My Christmas.  Please leave a comment if you are documenting your December in any way and I'll be back next week with how I'm getting on with mine.

Bye for now
xx

WOYWW 226

It's all go here at Crazy Towers despite everyone thinking that I would have a lot more time in the day by now.  

I've been working on some Christmas cards for 6 on the 6th over at S J Crafts so you can see lots of Christmassy bits strewn across my table.  I'm not usually one for glitter but I was making shaker cards  and using gold and silver trims that I have been collecting over the years.  Most of them have come from Christmas crackers!  Am I the only one who collects "rubbish" to use in crafting?

You can see my new set of Promarkers there too.  Out of that Autumn and Winter 2013 set, only 2 had a problem so if you would to swap any existing colours from the normal range for any of these limited edition ones then please drop me a line.

Now I have to clear my desk and sort out a huge pile of family filing.  Bleurgh!

If you've got anything more interesting than filing on your desk then why not link up with this worldwide blog hop over at Julia's.

Bye for now

xx

WOYWW 225

Welcome Wednesday wanderers!  I hope the weather is pleasant where you are.  

Things have been very busy here with Miss Bella starting in full time school and lots and lots of creative things going on.  

Back last week I mentioned that I had treated myself to some new Promarkers from a recommendation on this very blog hop.  They arrived the next morning but sadly a couple of the pens had been overfilled due to a new distribution centre being used.  This resulted in flooding and spilling and staining to my desk.  Thankfully both Joanna Sheen and ColART who supply them have been brilliant and I am expecting replacements and "other goodies" in the post any day.

This week I have been using my Promarkers to colour this little card for Management for our crystal wedding anniversary (15 years).

I also made this pretty bag charm for a friend for her 40th birthday.  She loves bumble bees so I added one for each of her 3 babies, a little friend to represent me, and lots of other things that are important to her or just look purdy.

We've also been busy this week hatching out this little fellow.  A caterpillar landed on Management's shirt when he was in the garden and so our intrepid little David Ballamy wannabe immediately put it inside his insect jar along with some leaves for him to eat.  When we saw that a pupae was forming, Louis put him in the butterfly tent.  Then it went black.  And we waited.  And waited.  Nothing was happening and I was about to admit defeat and get rid of it but the next morning this wonderful little Herald moth had hatched out.  Isn't he beautiful!?

So what have you been up to this week?  Got anything creative to share or just a pile of stuff that needs putting away?  Whatever you've been doing, sharing is caring, so don't forget to link up with the rest of the What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday? brigade at Julia's blog.

Bye for now
xx

WOYWW 224

My desk has been a hive of activity this week and it feels good!  I went to a crop on Saturday and worked on my Devon 2012 album notching up another few back to back pages.  On Monday I was all geared up to receive some Christmassy stash for 6 on 6th but it hasn't arrived (as of Tuesday night) so I seized the Christmas spirit anyway and started creating a Festive Planner.  I've made covers and dividers and I am just computing the inside pages so that I can make a start on organising this busy occasion.  With November set aside for NaNoWriMo and my OCD side telling me I have to be ready before December, this means I need to have all my Christmas presents bought and wrapped before the end of October!

I'm using the last few precious pages of My Mind's Eye "I Believe" from my Christmas Journal a couple of years ago.  My intention is that my planner can be refilled each year so I wanted to use really special papers on it that I will always love.  You can see some of the things I have been using to make it in the RUB at the top right.

I've set it aside for the moment while I work on a card for one of Louis's classmates.  I'm really enjoying playing with my Promarkers again and thanks to you lovely lot (and in particular Kate) I managed to purchase a few more (including the limited Edition Autumn and Winter collection) and they are on their way as we speak.  I hope the cheeky birthday chappy likes his cheeky monkey card.

Well that's all from me on this wet and windy "What's on Your Workdesk Wednesday".  Don't forget to share your workspace too - because sharing is caring.

Bye for now

xx

WOYWW 223

Get set for a shocking pictre of my desk.  Not because it is messy, oh no, it is not for a change, but because I am still desperately waiting a replacement for my poorly camera lens.  Still stuck on full zoom and making life very difficult  to take pictures of anything bigger than 6 inches.  I took these shots by balancing the camera on my head to give it some stability and stop some of the blur (not wholly successful as you can see...) because of the DARKNESS so early in the day already!

I had a major tidy up on Saturday and put away loads and loads of things that were scattered across the floor and every other conceivable surface.  I thought it would help my extremely fragile mental health but I ended up spending all of Sunday in bed almost catatonic.  Actually getting on with some crafting has helped me though and I am gradually pulling out of it again. I think I was just exhausted by the constant battle against depression to be honest and all the things I have to do just to keep my head above water with it.

Anyhoo, this was part of my therapy...

....Stamping and colouring some Christmassy images for the 6 on the 6th series at S J Crafts.

Might have to have a little outing to get some more Promarkers this week.  I feel the need for some seasonal colours.  What colours wouldn't you be without at Christmas?

Of course I am sharing my studio / craft space / workroom / whatever as part of What's on Your Workdesk Wednesday and you can join in easily too.  Might see you there :-)

Bye for now
xx

Surf's Up!

Coming home from holidays is always very mixed for me.  I love Wales so much and it refreshes me like nothing else but it is lovely to be back in our own beds and in particular for me, back to my creative space.  I can write when I'm in Wales but I can't seem to create any art other than playing with my Promarkers when the children are colouring!

We had a lovely time and managed some horse riding, dolphin surveys, seal spotting, lots of walks and time on the beach and lots and lots of eating.  I even went fully into the sea which is unheard of!  Louis got a new body board for his birthday and both of the children loved splashing about in the waves in their wet suits.  Maybe next year I will be slim enough for a wet suit myself?!

Bella was able to wear Louis's suit from last year.  She's changed so much since her first little wetsuit at a year old.

I loved her in this pink wet suit so much!  I went a bit mad with the photos that year... maybe...

The gorgeous papers are from a 6x6 My Mind's Eye pad called Lime Twist I think.  I'd been dying to use this mermaid button for ages and this seemed like the perfect time.

And speaking of which, I think this is the perfect time for a cup of tea and a catch up with all my blogging friends.  I have well over 200 posts to read so I maybe some time but I will be there.  See you soon.

Bye for now
xx

WOYWW 200!!!

200!  Can you believe it?!  Check out the Queen of the Desks, Julia, for more What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday posts and have a look at crafters desks from around the world.

Lots going on here this week but rather different from the norm.  It's Miss Bella's 4th birthday so there has been much wrapping being done and going out for the day etc.  My poor desk looks rather bereft but rest assured that it will busy again VERY soon as I have a 12 hour charity crop to prepare for on Saturday.  If you are a crafter and can get down to the Southampton area on Saturday then please do come along, any crafts welcome, all in aid of Cancer Research, raffles and other fun things going on too.

Sadly our Easter bonnet efforts from last week didn't win any prizes but I was so proud of my boy and how he went about his task.  He did most of it on his own and used things he had learned from seeing me or from watching art programmes on the TV and changed things that weren't working for him etc.  He was very pleased with his efforts and that's all that matters :-)

I conjured up a card for the birthday girl rather last minute but I'm quite pleased with it.  Its an old Sizzix die coloured with Promarkers and with some stickles added to her skirt.  Thoughts now turn to the cake for the party at the weekend.  I'm thinking a tower with Rapunzel and her long hair cascading down...  Pinterest here we come!

No Combat class for me today as the children are off school for Easter - how will I cope with no kicking and punching the demons away?  Maybe a tickling match with the children is in order!  But first a little peruse around some craft desks I think...

Bye for now

xx

WOYWW 197

Good morning, good yawning!  Plenty going on in this here house today for today's What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday.

My desk - I'm making an album for my sort of brother-in-law's 60th birthday on Saturday, just decided on it - no pressure then.  Don't worry that there's no cup of tea here, I wasn't working here last.

This is the pile of pages so far for this album.

This is the finished pebble picture from last week, just waiting to go up on the wall.  The hot glue worked a treat as long as I worked quickly enough that the glue didn't cool even slightly.

Another work-in-progress.  This is a canvas that I'm gradually building up the layers on and will eventually become a lost sock department.  I've got some little heart shaped pegs and any time there is a sock left over in the wash it will go on the board until the other turns up.  Just an excuse to make a cute project for my new utility room really ;-)

And here is where I've spent much of today, at the kitchen table with my girl doing our colouring.  We're really working on fine motor skills with both children at the moment in order to help their handwriting without them practising their letters ;-)  Please note, the full cup of tea - phew!

 Both children are desperate to get their hands on my promarkers but NOBODY touches my pens...  I can understand them wanting to use them though, they flow so well.  *sigh

Bye for now
xx

Happy Birthday to him and her

In the last couple of weeks, my head has been about 3 days behind real life I guess.  I've been caught on the hop twice this week with cards that I should have made and left till the last minute.  One of those cards was for a rather special birthday girl who you might have heard of, young Sarah at S J Crafts.  In celebration of her birthday week there have been / are various offers on at the shop and if you are quick you might just catch one.  Don't forget to have a look at the challenge which closes soon too.

I used the Papermania Linen capsule collection and went for feminine but simple and elegant.  

This next one was for my Step-Dad.  The monkey stamp was one of the many 99p ones that I've picked up from Hobbycraft recently.  I got this one for little boy cards and a simple outline of a princess castle for little girl cards.  I thought I would try it out on this rather hurried affair for my Dad - I stamped it, coloured it with Promarkers, then thought, now what?  I rifled through my scraps box and found this ancient piece of handmade paper from the days when I bought any pack of paper under £5.  The aqua circles matched the aqua in the monkey's hat and so it all turned out okay in the end.

I quite like him.  I think he'll be visiting again.

Bye for now
xx

WOYWW 173

What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday is a blog hop for anyone with a creative interest and is brought to you by the wonderful Julia.

My desk is incredibly creative this week, alas not in a paper-crafting way but so far I am thoroughly enjoying my course.  That kraft coloured box and all its contents (which actually you can't see very well but include a pen pot, letter rack, magazine file etc) are just ripe for altering but I'm not sure what I want to do with it just yet.  I managed to get the fountain pen working after a fashion and I am so pleased to be writing with it.  It is a year on Sunday that my Step-Mum died and I think she would be really pleased that someone else is using her beloved pen for its intended purpose and not just for scribbling a shopping list.

You can also a gorgeous notebook and a rose, both presents from Management to celebrate 14 years of marriage.  The rose was one of 40 tightly furled flowers and I rarely get a chance to use my bud vase so it is a pleasure to have it keeping me company on my desk while I ponder and scrawl.  I did make Management a card but it was not successful.  I was attempting a new technique, that of using Promarkers on a stamped design (easy peasy for so many of you but oh such a fail from me...)!

The only other thing of note on my desk is that fabulous nail polish.  Debs over at Paper Turtle inspired me to paint my toenails teal in this special post about Ovarian Cancer.  Please do check it out.  As it happens, my fingernails are teal but my toes are stuffed into thick socks and hidden away in my slippers - bbbrrrr, oh yes, Autumn is a'comin'!

Bye for now
xx