WOYWW 108 - the brief one...

Just a quickie from me tonight cos once more I'm tired, Mr B has gone to bed, I need a shower and I don't have a lot to say!! LOL  I'm scheduling this to post v. early tomorrow morning as my desk won't change again until tomorrow evening....

So, here you are.... here's my desk complete with the Hardanger, and a new goodie I've not yet got out of the packaging...

Close ups of the hardanger, as promised to Jodpea!

Tonight's glorious sunset - we were out celebrating Mr B Snr's birthday this evening and came home to this:

and of course, I'd made him a card.  Guess which team he supports....!!!  LOL

Ok - I'm off to hit the shower and bed - my desk will look exactly the same tomorrow!  Catch you on the blop!

PS - Thank you all for your kind words about my friend H - she says Hi and says thank you for your support even though she doesn't know you!  She's doing well, has just had her fourth op and is scheduled for another next week..... eek!

Another non-word....

I had another one of those word verification non-words tonight....

Balkies

In the Morti Dictionary, that has got to be when you take a dog for a walk and he doesn't want to go, just tries to sit as you take him for a drag.....

(picture courtesy of Google Images search!)

Tonight is a night to....

Listen to.... Jamiroquai et al on my "dance to it" iPod selection (go J.LO!)
Drink..... fresh hot coffee
Eat.... beef casserole with fresh tiger bread.
Like.... a new word - "Unhasten".  It was actually one of those random word verification non-words, but I like it!  I think it's makes a new way of saying chill out....  I'm just going to unhasten, slow down....
Hate... bigoted harpies.  Don't get me started.
Be grateful for..... top notch surgeons who are so skilled they save people's legs.  Go H!
Wish.... for better weather so I can go and do my best impersonation of a garden-tamer. 

WOYWW 107 - the one with yet more Hardanger....

Greetings all!

Just a quick one for me because it is late on Tuesday evening, and I'm tired.

Not much on my desk this week, just a Hardanger update.  We've been rather busy with house issues and then we found out one of Mr B's friends is in hospital with some rather serious leg issues.  Like, touch and go between one leg or two legs when she leaves.  The good news is that today they did some surgery which they wouldn't have done if the prognosis was bad, so that's made us much happier!  We  spent Monday evening at the hospital, and I popped in again on my way home tonight with stuff to keep her from being too bored.  Get well soon, H!

So, here's the desk.... if you're a newbie to this WOYWW lark go to Desk Dimensions where you can find enlightenment!

It's amazing the results you can achieve by using a flash, eh?

And here's the progress on the Hardanger...



Creeping along slowly, but getting there!  It's a bit scary snipping the fabric - I'm not so worried about cutting the wrong bit of cloth, as the green threads, but I seem to manage ok.

Well, last week I managed about 30 of you, and if this week cuts me a bit of slack, I hope to get round more.  Catch you on the blop...!!!

For anyone remotely interested.....

..... Happy Solstice!

Art Journal

I keep making myself these promises.  I'll ring my friends more often.  I'll keep more in touch with Mum and other family.  I'll do more art.  I'll do more scrapbooking.  So on, and so forth.  At some point or other, I'll remember these promises and actually do something about it.  Like pick up the phone.  Or fondle some 12 x 12 paper and put it back again thinking not enough time.

But finally, after nearly six months of procrastinating, and saying I will do it, I actually have.  I've finally started my art journal.  For some reason or other, on Thursday, I felt the need to rant and be creative.  Just to, I dunno, yack all over a page.  Nice imagery, huh?  Just express myself somewhat. 

I followed a prompt from the UKStampers forum, where they've been running this art journal week by week (this is prompt #1 and they're now on #24 - eek) and where everyone else involved has studiously and diligently been creating and posting their art every week.  Not me.  Week 24 and I finally make a start. It might just snowball....

Anyways, here it is:

The prompt was the title Goals, and you were supposed to write about three things you hoped to achieve this year oh the irony and include some handmade background paper and a photo.  Well, I did the title, and I made my background paper, used the same image of me as from this blog, but sod the middle bit.  This year?  How about generally instead?  LOL.

OK, paper was made by screwing up a sheet of ordinary cheap copy paper and then running DIs all over it.  The crinkles and creases picked the colour up beautifully.  I won't be dull by telling you which colours I used - you'd only need to use your own colours to suit your mood.  Stamps are a mixture - on the background there's some Cherry Arte, Third Coast, and The Stamp Mill.  The front note sheet has stamps by Smeared Ink (the type style, eg the Suck it up phrase).  I like it.  It's a bit of a tough-love kind of page, and I suppose really the journal is only for me but I'm sure I'll blog plenty.  I don't really want praise or criticism as it's an art journey, and a book full of techniques to try, and is also all about expressing myself.  If someone picks it up and hates it, well, at least the Journal came with a warning!

Now, today is Father's day, and this morning we woke up (at 8.20am) to find this outside our bedroom door. (please excuse the smalls, they are in fact the Small's smalls!)  

Bless. Why she didn't knock and bring the coffee in I don't know, but suffice it to say that we went and nuked it so we could drink it.

Even if it was so strong it took the enamel off our teeth.  We love you, Lil' Miss B! 



WOYWW 106.....I think...

As I type this it's Tuesday evening and I'm wondering where in the heck the week went.  Aside from into the past, that is.  I know what happened to Sunday - I think most of you that live in the UK had the same Sunday as me - cold, wet and miserable.  Go on, hands up, who succumbed and put the heating on?  I know we did, but then not only did we have a child in the house, but we had washing to dry.  Ho hum.

Well, we're here today for another round of WOYWW, and if you're a newbie at it, head over to Dunnit Dimensions to buy your ticket for the blog hop.... metaphorically speaking that is!.

My desk this week is less interesting than last week, if that is at all possible.  I have to confess that it's this tidy because it had an attack of the killer kid - Lil' Miss B needed to make a birthday card for her big half-sister, and of course a Fathers' Day card.  I have one yet to make, but desperately need some gloss paper to print onto first, and I keep forgetting to seek it out. 

I have done a little bit to my hardanger, but I've actually stitched twice as much as you see - having unpicked and restitched the whole of the bottom right hand corner.  God bless adding in one too many stitches, and not noticing for ages, eh...?  That'll teach me to try and watch a film at the same time!

Now, remember back at the start I mentioned last Sunday being wet?  Well, as I was housebound for the day, I managed to accomplish something that has been waiting about 7 years to happen.  Back along in '01, when I got married, my then 70 yr old mother made all the bridesmaids' dresses, and my wedding dress.  Oh, and the cake.  Ah yes, she also did some of the bridesmaids' flowers.  And head-dresses.....  Anyway, the point is that she made herself very busy for 7 months, and the dresses in question had a LOT of beadwork on them.  The wedding over and done with, she found herself at a loss for what to do.  In effect, she was bored (!), so she found herself something to keep her brain and fingers occupied, and took up cross-stitch.  She'd done a little bit here and there, the occasional card, but had left the big projects to my sister and I, up till that point.  Well, she found a book with five small patterns in, and leapt right in.  No small measures for her, no siree!  Mum took those five designs and made them into one big one, adding in-fill around them to tie them together. 

Upshot was the picture below.

I can't quite recall how long it took Mum to do it, about a year I think, and then she handed it over.  The house we were in at the time was an ex-showhome, and came complete with some awful botanical prints in very expensive frames and mounts, so Mum had deliberately made her work to fit one of them.  I've trawled around the country (and indeed continent) transporting said frame and the finished needlework from house to house ever since. 

So what was so great about Sunday?  I finally framed the piece.........  better late than never Ma!

Catch you all on the hop!

Chucklesome...

First up, it's always bothered me a bit about posting to my blog with the lack of a photo.  Sometimes I kinda figure that no picture can make for a dull post, so I'm now working on the theory that short and sweet will make up for it. 

Anyhoo.....

I was having a bit of a blurf this lunchtime and stuck my nose into Susan Raihala's blog, "Questioning my Intelligence".  Said blog is full of non-photo posts, and has some goodly words in it.  She has this fab link to something rather funny, and I thought I'd spread the word here.

So, head over to Lowering The Bar where we learn just how MI6 is helping to fight terrorism.  Laugh?  I nearly baked....

Deb Mitchell's Emerald Fairies and Blog Candy

I don't often wax lyrical on the subject of other people's blog candy, and designs I love, but I had to share this blog with you!

Deb Mitchell has some gorgeous images, so look here at her blog (as her cards for other challenges are gorgeous too) and here for her shop!

WOYWW 105 - The PIFs!

There - we're now into year three and isn't it fabulous?

I had high hopes last week.  I promised myself I was going to make it round to ALL the desks.  *hangs head in shame*  I suppose I can't really beat myself up over only making it round to 60 though - the great demon known as Summahcold brought me down in a Herculean tackle on Friday night, wiping me out for two whole days.  So much so, in fact, that whilst Mr B pottered around in the garden Saturday afternoon wearing nowt but his shorts and a smile, I was spread out on a picnic rug dozing in the sun, dressed in combats and a thick fleece.... oh, the joy of being warm for five minutes....

Well, we're really here for another round of WOYWW, and have I got a picture laden post for you!  Firstly, if you're new to this, WOYWW is the brainchild of Madame Julia Dunnit, Desk Diva Extraordinaire.  To find out more, head HERE to have all revealed.  Quite literally in fact - last week Julia stripped her desk right back to a blank canvas.... LOL.

OK, first up, my desk this week is a bit dull. I had a tidy up! Yup!  So I've given you two shots - one to prove there's some daylight (taken at 8.55pm Tuesday night) and then....

....one taken with the light on because the quality of the picture is so much better!

Aside from the usual, on my desk you can see a fab Joan Elliott cross-stitch magbook which Mr B bought me for my birthday. Joan's designs are just gorgeous but I don't know when I'll get time to stitch them! I just like admiring her work...

 

...and as I promised a progress report on the hardanger this week, here it is.  Sadly it also fell victim to the fallout from Summahcold so I didn't get as far with it as I would have liked.



Lurking there at the back of my desk, on my WOYWW easel, is my WOYWW 104 PIF from Shaz in Oz.  I couldn't believe it when it arrived today - 5 days only!  Two of those were weekend days too!  Astounding.  I've known first class in the UK take longer....   And what did I get?  A beautiful stamped card and a stamped tag.  The tag is gorgeous - I think Shaz has coated her work with holographic EP and though you can't see it in the photo, the whole thing shimmers beautifully.  I love scenic stamping (remember a certain CJ, anyone? LOL) and this design is great!  All in my fave colours too!  The bit that says WOYWW is on the back.... this one is getting pride of place in my collection.  The card that came too is equally lovely - with a great poem inside it, penned by Shaz herself...

WTG Shaz!  Fantastic - I LURVE it!

Ok, so what of my own PIF sent to Kay?  Well I finally heard today that it's arrived safe and sound - I kind of knew it had got somewhere because I sent it by Recorded Delivery, but it's always nice to have proper confirmation that it's arrived, its ok, and the recipient liked it.  Poor Kay has had pooter problems - internet linked - and that's why I'd not heard sooner!

So, what did I do?  Well, Julia said do something with WOYWW on it somewhere, so I just thought, hey, I'll actually do WOYWW.....!

  

 I have to confess that occasionally I have these ideas that sound good in my head, and then about a third of the way through I wonder what on earth possessed me.  This was one such occasion - however, the finished result just makes me want to make more.

So, how did I do it?  We've all seen the slightly bland papier mache letters in places like Hobbycraft and The Range (and I daresay Michaels has them too) - well, I wanted to do something with those, but couldn't get hold of an interesting shaped letter.  Enter Aunty Google who led me Here where I found a tutorial on making one's own papier mache letters.  I might make my own tutorial up - which will include things like DON'T pick too ornate a font when your letters are only three inches high, DON'T use texture paste if you want to sand them perfectly smooth..... I could go on.  Anyway, I did it, I enjoyed it, and Kay likes 'em.  Nuff said!

Oh, Ok, a bit more info then!

I thought I do them so they reflect me, and past things I've done....  so the first W is done in the style of my Bad Peg (can't find the link for the mo, but it's on here somewhere!).  I would have put pins in the top, but wasn't sure they'd hold well.

The butterfly is very me - a personal story there for another time, but suffice to say that they are hugely important to me.  I also saw the stamped tissue technique in Craft Stamper a couple of weeks ago and thought this was a good time to try it!

I quite like distress techniques, but did this in a very very simple way.   Plus, blue is my fave colour and lifts the rest of the letters....

Somewhere on my blog there is also a post about a piece I did for an art raffle.  I made something wooden look like it was stone, and here the texture paste helped me!  I thought I do this one to be reminiscent of the art raffle piece -  I love this particular letter.....



Lastly, something just a teensy bit steampunk.  I love taking chipboard and using UTEE to make something very metallic looking.  Not too sure how the gold leaf crept in on the top right of the letter, but I'll go with it!  Yep, they're real watch parts.... I liked the date ring, thought it was appropriate for what WOYWW is about....

And there you have it!

Catch you on the hop!

WOYWW 104 - the second Anniversary one!

Wooohooo!  We're here!  It's the great WOYWW 104 (second anniversary to everyone else) PIF day!

For those who are completely new to this, we have the privilege to be part of a NATIONAL treasure.  Yup.  It's getting that way anyway!  For all the info - go to Dunnit Dimensions where all will be revealed on a Wednesday.  Well, not quite all.  Mrs Dunnit does not strip.  Just lays bare her desk.  Or not as the case may be.

Anyway, I digress.

Not my usual standard of shot this week, it being a slightly wavery, out of focus aerial shot, but here you are.  This is what my desk looks like today (cos it's now Wednesday and I can post this without scheduling!  Yay!).

What you are looking at is the aftermath of the PIF marathon that was this evening. Being away at an event this weekend just gone, meant I didn't get my PIF finished and I've had to do it Tuesday night. But, t'is finished, and I've even made a start on another project. Speaking of which, no pic of the Hardanger this week, but next week should see a great inroad made on it....

So, who is following me on Mr Linky, and who gets my PIF then...... and indeed, WHAT is it????  Hehehehehe - all will be revealed when the lucky recipient (I love what I've done, and I'm going to have to do another set!  LOL) gets their PIF....  Can't wait to see what I get!!!

Edited at 1pm, on Weds, to add:  I'd just like to add at this point that when I typed this up at midnight last night, I had NO idea what Mrs D was up to - so it's quite a shock to realise that when I suggested up above here that she lays bare her desk, I wasn't intending to predict her photo this week!  LOL!