Clarity Challenge - February

Ok so have struggled with the theme for the Clarity Challenge this month.  Got to admit that "Floral" doesn't really rock my boat but in an effort to push myself I have, at least, Had-a-Go and entered into the spirit of things.

The stamps are  "Madeleine" , "Leafy Swirl" and "Flower Stem" and then I just grabbed my Distress Ink pads in all the shades of red and pink that I have and stamped loads of heads in both first and second generation.

Just couldn't translate the image in my head into paper and card but after five attempts I decided to call it a day and go with this one ... sorta, kinda, maybe a little bit Flower Power 60's inspired and the song "San Francisco" kept coming into my head!

So ... 

If you are going to San Franciso

Be sure to wear some flowers in your hair

I do! I do! I do believe in fairies!

Me and my dear friend share a love of fairies so I decided to Put The Grunge Down and Walk Away and make something more fitting to your typical image of our delicate little fairy friends as a gift when I go to lunch with her today.  (but I do feel quite, quite sure that I will grunge those fairies at some point too!)

Yes ...

I DO!

I DO!

I DO!

A little Sunday blogging!

Should be preparing Sunday lunch for when daddy comes but am struggling today for some reason.  Not felt like this in over two and a half years but just really slumped today ... most odd.  Tomorrow all will be just fine I am sure.

But not today.

Can't stop crying and feeling angry and frustrated and hurt and upset ... anything else?  Oh yes, stressed. No reason for any of it other than that's how it is today.

So ... quick slap across the face with a wet trout (metaphorical of course, I don't exactly have a wet trout hanging around) and as these two canvasses were handed out as gifts yesterday I can now blog them.

Both pretty much the same and given in thanks to my dear friend Margaret Craner (Silvercrafter) and  Fi Scott ... both of whom were just so supportive and encouraging when I shared my first ever two canvasses.  I was ready to bin both pieces but they both said they would happily take them but I figured I'd hang on to them (buried in a cupboard!) so I can see if I ever get any better at them!

The colours look very wishy-washy (isn't that a character from Aladdin?) here whereas they were very much darker and deeper than this and at least three or four different gilding waxes had been applied and they don't show up at all ... I really am a rubbish photographer!

Can share some more stuff very soon as various pieces are handed over and some fairies should be heading this way at some point tomorrow ... just need to entice them over first, of course.

Busy Busy Busy like a little buzzy bee!

Yeah like the title says but not complaining ... not for one minute!  

Mojo has gone walkabout so many times in the past that now it is here and in full flow I aim to make the most of it!  

Can't blog the whole finished projects just yet but thought I'd get a few little peeks down in blogland ... oh, there is one card I can share as it is hubby's Valentine's Card as he won't see it here!

Just plan on getting some black gilding wax onto the black hearts  but am "having a think" ... sometimes grunge is happy being just that - grunge and doesn't need whistles and bells like gilding wax.

 Can't even say what these next three are as they are under wraps for now ... will tell all once they are out there in the big wide world ... it is with some trepidation and HUGE doubt I will be letting two of them go as the one piece is such a reflection of "me" that I feel I am kinda, sorta baring my soul by letting it go.  All three of these are versions of the wooden hearts I find I like to work on and I have recently been nudged in this direction by the lovely Sally-Ann Hanes ... she most certainly has boosted my confidence recently and I just hope I don't let her down with the one project.

Can't say more for now but all will be revealed!

Oh yes!!! I have discovered Grunge Paste!!!!!

Ok, when I say "discovered" I mean finally plucked up the courage to open the pot I have had for a while now.

First tentative steps were made a couple of weeks ago on the canvasses I blogged already but since then there has been no stopping me and I am loving the stuff ... at the moment if I can get grunge paste onto anything then I will!

All three projects above have it smeared and splodged and stencilled on and with a bit of luck I will have two more canvasses done by tonight ... hopefully!

Better crack on then ... this little bee needs to get buzzing!

WOYWW #297

My efforts to blog more regularly are failing miserably ... firstly these WOYWWednesdays roll around far too quickly ... how can it be a week already?!?!?!  Oh, hang on, it has been a fortnight for me because I missed last week ... birthday celebrations and all that!

So here I am another year older (EEK!!!!!) and certainly none the wiser but here sharing the UTTER CHAOS that is my workdesk this morning.  All left from last night as I had to stop mid-flow and knew I would be needing it all again this morning so just shut the door and left it.  What can I say?  It's a mess ... but you know when all the ideas are just flowing and you can't work fast enough to get them all out of your head and down onto card or canvas or wooden hearts ... got to say I do like my wooden hearts.

So, in order to keep this brief and keep our esteemed WOYWW leader, the gorgeous, lovely lady that is Julia over at The Stamping Ground happy I am sharing only my workdesk here this morning but am posting sneaky peeps of what I have been up to in a separate post ... can't share the whole photo's as it is stuff still under wraps until handed to the recipients.

First photo' is here in front of me ... I know, I know ... what a mess!

Second photo' is stuff piled on the chair beside me ... and daddy will need to sit on it later when he calls for his coffee and ginger nut!

And final photo' is the chair the other side of me ... words fail me really!

So apologies for the absolute jumble of my workdesk/chairs today ... I just remember all the long, bleak periods when my mojo has gone walkabout and then look at all this surrounding me and I know which way I'd rather have it!  Now then, where was I when I finished last night ... oh yes, inside of hubby's birthday card!

Happy WOYWW'ing fellow crafters!

WOYWW #295

Not my workdesk as such this week as I am waiting on a parcel to arrive with more crafty goodies  before I get going again ... waiting on some new canvasses  as I have a couple of ideas rolling around in the vast emptiness of my head but am really quite excited at seeing how IF they come together.

I was putting off working on canvas despite really wanting to Have-a-Go so cajoled and pushed and encouraged by my very dear friend MaggieC (Silvercrafter) I took that deep breath and did just that ... Had-a-Go!

Can't say I am dreadfully pleased with the results, but they have grown on me A LITTLE these past few days and they may not now be heading for the bin.  They didn't turn out anything like I planned or hoped ... they are loosely based on a design by Barbara Gray at Clarity Stamps and having gone back to see her piece over and over again I now realise where I went wrong.

This was the first one I did : 

Then using the same three colours I decided to Have-Another-Go and what a difference!

The colours are not showing up so well on here but the first canvas was very green and the second one purple! Yet the same three colours of paint were used for both ... love the randomness of it I have to say!

I think had I not got a specific goal in mind I  might feel happier about these but because they are so far removed from what I set out to do then I have struggled to find them acceptable.  Shall hang on to them for a bit longer before deciding what to do with them ... I have had two very kind offers of new homes for them to save them from the bin but am waiting to see if they grown on me some more or if I should keep them as an example of my first failures work.

Apologies to the gorgeous lady whom is Julia over at The Stamping Ground and whom gives us the chance to blog hop on our wonderful Wednesdays - gone on a bit this week Julia and I know you like it short and sweet - will Do Better next week!

Happy WOYWW'ing everyone!

Clarity Challenge

Ok, ok ... have succumbed to pressure to enter my canvas into the Clarity "Things with Wings" Challenge.

Always said I'd never enter a challenge of any kind but need to branch out a little and with Margaret Craner in my corner giving me the kick up the bottom that I need I thought I'd take my courage into my hands and just go for it.

This is only my third canvas and a style so totally removed from what I normally do I hardly recognise it as something I have crafted.  

But it seemed to fit the theme of the challenge so here goes!

I stamped straight onto the canvas so the tree is not as black as I wanted but it is very glossy as I did heat emboss it with fine detail clear powder. 

As I struggle with acrylic paint I used Distress Inks - loads of them!  Didn't keep track of the colours used as I just had them all out in front of me and grabbed them willy-nilly and just kept going until I felt "enough was enough" and finally decided to stop.  I still think the blue should be more blue and this or that should be slightly different but hey-ho, this is it finished!

Oh yes, and I did use the Clarity stencil brushes rather than my normal blending tools ... another learning curve as swishing and swooshing with anything resembling a paint brush is so out of my comfort zone I considered the cooking sherry mid swish but managed to wing it with a couple of deep breaths and the odd placing of head between the knees.

So here it is ... my entry into the Clarity Challenge and now I am going to lie down in a darkened room to recover.

WOYWW #294

Oh for goodness sake just where do the days go to????  Missed WOYWW'ing last week and have no time to hop around the blogs courtesy of the delightful Julia at The Stamping Ground this week either!!!!!

Was up to my elbows in grunge paste and canvas boards and acrylic paint and having disaster after disaster but enjoying trying to get to grips with it but have had to clear it all away as I have my auntie coming for lunch and can hardly expect her to eat her sandwich surrounded by my detritus ... not that she would mind one little bit and would love to see what I am doing.

So apologies for not WOYWW'ing again this week ... I will try and visit a few blogs later.

Will share a sneaky peek of my first ever grunge paste canvas board inspired by a piece by Barbara Gray but am saving sharing the whole of the disaster for later in the week as I am taking part in the #Artchain on Facebook and might pick it as one of the five pieces of my work that I share across the next five days.

So happy WOYWW'ing everyone!

WOYWW 292

Welcome to our weekly Wednesday blog-hop ... might actually have time to hop myself this week and catch up on visiting all the wonderful crafty desks around the world.  All thanks to our gracious host, Julia over at The Stamping Ground

Have had a very productive workdesk this past week and this morning will be putting the finishing touches to a batch of cards for the men on my list and then I need to get some anniversary cards made.

Got a new embossing folder with some little hearts on that I might use for the anniversary cards ... got it propped up against the laptop hoping inspiration might come calling.

Also a new pot of Mod Podge ... absolutely no idea what to do with it but saw Barbara Gray use it in a demo and fully plan on giving it a go myself ... sometime ... maybe!

Bakers Twine is ready to wrap and staple around the cards ... again my much preferred tag shape that I know a lot of the recipients of my cards don't like but it is what I enjoy doing and is my favoured style so I am sticking with it! So sorry to my BFF whom last year said I had forgotten to send her a card on her birthday which confused me as her name was ticked off the list ... when I said I was confused and was sure i had sent a card she replied "not a proper card, only one of those tag things" ... well, one of those tag things she will be getting again this year!

Thank goodness the mojo seems to have returned and I have more ideas and things I want to try than time to do it but with the first half of the years cards pretty much sorted I might just have time to play and practise and experiment!!!!!

Happy WOYWW'ing everyone!

WOYWW 291 : HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Ok it's my least favourite night of the year ... well, ok, one of my least favourite because now I think of it there are quite a few in contention!  It has been an amazing year though so am counting my blessings rather than thinking of bad, sad stuff and I wish each and everyone of you a happy and healthy 2015.

Now then, this New Year's Eve sees us crafters able to blog-hop around the world all thanks to the lovely Julia over at The Stamping Ground ... I try never to blog if I don't have time to hop but am determined to make this a weekly visit throughout the new year as I missed so many last year ... not a new year's resolution you understand but, well, ok, guess it kinda is!

Just a few photo's to share as I have yet to pluck up the courage to head out to Antarctica the conservatory to get stuff in to start the cards for next year (so no workdesk for at least another half an hour ... first birthday is on 3rd Jan so that will head off with apologies for being late! Great start, eh!?!?!?!?

I seemed to have forgotten to take photo's of much of the Christmas crafting but managed a couple:

I like to make stuff for Christmas that can be put away once the festive period is over and then brought out again the following year ... all stems from childhood memories of two large embossed flat cardboard Father Christmas decorations that mommy had herself as a child and which came out year after year until they just fell apart.  On stuff I make under my "tatteredrocks" disguise I put "tomorrows memories and keepsakes being made today" and it all kinda stems from those Father Christmas shapes.

I made six of these wooden hearts this year ... each with a different message to personalise them a little bit ... they are about 8" across (maybe!) and I do enjoy making them.

Then I made a few of these decorations ... fell in love with them after seeing them in a Stampin' Up! catalogue and just had to get the dies and stamps to make them ... quite time consuming as each one has 40 "petals" ... not everyone seemed to like them but hey, I did!  

This was my friends Christmas present - she loves owls so as soon as I saw this cross-stitch chart I knew I had to sew it for her.

And these were also Christmas presents ... all started when I made myself a bobble blanket and youngest nephew saw it and said "I think I might like a bobble blanket" ... so now I am on a mission to make one for all the family (already got ALL the wool to do so!!!!) ... his is the grey and black one and the pink one was for his fiancee and the green one was for another friend.

They are full sized blankets ... 3,780 bobbles on each blanket (well, apart from the green one as I was struggling to get it finished in time so it is one ball smaller than the others!) and I just love making them. Good job really because there are around 35,000 bobbles to go before each of my family have their blankets!

Totally forgot to take photo's of this years Christmas cards but still chance I can get one before the holiday is over ... just need to remember to do so!

Well can avoid the cold of Antarctica the conservatory no longer so am off to grab my distress inks and butterfly die and Rock Candy Crackle Paint and see if I can come up with some birthday cards!

Happy New Year to everyone in craftland and look forward to WOYWW'ing with you throughout 2015!!!!!

WOYWW 290

Well, here it is, Merry Christmas, everybody's having fun!  Or something like that!!!!

Having fun?  What isn't crafted now will be finished just as soon as I can and apologies have already been sent to the late recipients of the little cross-stitched tree decorations I traditionally send out.  They will still be sent out ... just late!  And yeah, am beating myself up about it but only need to watch the news or think about family and friends who are sick right now to fully realise a few late Christmas gifts isn't the end of the world.

Will pop back later and edit this adding photo's but for now the cable thingy I need to hook up my mobile is buried somewhere under all the wrapped parcels so it should reveal itself as we sort them out for delivery sending to Father Christmas.

Just had to blog, albeit briefly, this Christmas Eve morning to wish all my wonderful crafty friends and all you WOYWW'ers out there a truly peaceful and magical and special Christmas.

WOYWW is where we can visit fellow crafters all over the world and all thanks to the beautiful lady whom is Julia over at The Stamping Ground and she can explain it all so much better than me!  

WOYWW 284

Well, I've just fallen off my chair in shock at making it to blogland AT LAST!!!!!  Can't believe it has been so long and really do need to get into the habit of posting at least on a weekly basis when us WOYWW'ers meet up for a peek around each others desks.  

My intention when starting my blog was mainly to have somewhere to record the crafty things I get up to and then realised it was MY blog so didn't HAVE to be just about crafting so maybe I really also need to try and fill in the gaps between my weekly WOYWW posts ... time will tell I guess.

SO much to catch up on but will keep this brief or the FAB - U - LOUS Julia over at the Stamping Ground, and our host each Wednesday will throw rotten tomatoes at me and slap me across the cheeks with a wet trout ... cruelty to trout I say!

My desk is still piled fairly neat and tidy from last night when I crafted my little fingers off trying to catch up on my Christmas crafting - am way, way behind and will have to admit defeat at some point but am not going down without a fight!

Second photo' is stuff piled on the chair beside me as I always run out of room when crafting at the dining room table ... I like to think the restricted space keeps me tidy and focused but, in reality, it stresses me out and makes me cross.

Am currently calm and collected but have yet to pick up where I left off last night so there is time yet for the meltdown.  Will only be a mini-meltdown because I don't have time for a better one.

Must crack on - simply got to get these cards done today so I can then move on to next project on the list.

Happy WOYWW'ing everyone and if you want to check out what is going on this soggy, damp & grey Wednesday morning, then you can do so at The Stamping Ground

WOYWW 271

Short and sweet this week because I either need another pair of hands or more hours in the day please.  This will please the wonderfully, fabulous Julia of The Stamping Ground fame no end as she does encourage short and sweet WOYWW posts.  Fellow bloggers can pop along to visit fellow crafters desks HERE - it is very addictive though so you have been warned!

Just a few specific bits and bobs out today making a couple of cards.

No time now but will take photo's of finished cards and come back here and edit this post later!

Went on Saturday to a workshop run by Sally-Ann Haynes (Sazzle) and learnt the tarmac technique!

Can't wait to try it again.

More on this later too ... or I will do a separate blog post just for this!

Happy WOYWW'ing xXx

WOYWW 270

Okay so another fabulous WOYWW (for the uninitiated that stands forWhat's on your Workdesk Wednesday) and is the brilliant concept of the equally fab-u-lous Julia Dunnit over at The Stamping Ground - a chance for us bloggers to hop all around the world popping in to see what fellow crafters have on their desks.  The Stamping Ground and a far better description WOYWW'ing than I have given can be found HERE

Now there SHOULD be LOADS on my workdesk but, well, you know that problem when you have SO much crafting to do you can't seem to settle to any?  My thoughts are flitting and floating from one project to the next and I am not actually working on any of them!  What's that saying ... "Procrastination is the thief of time" ... will slap myself around the cheeks with a wet trout later and just get to it! Honest I will!

So all I can share is a sneek peek of some stuff I have made for a forthcoming fundraising afternoon tea in memory of my nephew Nick ... I get the jitters big time when making stuff for events like this and am not sure if any of this will be of any use, if any of it is saleable, if anyone would want such "handmade" items, if they fit the brief (there was no brief but there is one in my head) etc., etc.,  There are 6 (I think!) of the Maya Angelou designs on the left of the photo (as inspired by Barbara Gray at Clarity Stamps) and there are three of the wooden hearts I make.  And then four tags ... can't decide whether to stick the tags to the front of a "traditional" opening card or leave them as my much preferred tags.  Not many people to whom I send tags seem to understand the concept!  

Oh the pressure!

Now what was it I was going to do?  Oh yes, CRAFT!!!!!

Happy WOYWW'ing everyone!

The best laid plans...

So what is it they say about the best laid plans of mice and men?  My plan sure has backfired on me and I think after 35 years and two weeks of very happy marriage divorce now looms.

Got it into my head I wanted to crochet a new blanket.  Now those that know me for real know I love blankets and am to be seen snuggled under one most of the time ... even on the hottest day I will have a blanket but be sitting full on on front of the fan ... ludicrous I know but there you have it.

I have crocheted more blankets than I can count in my time but nothing for years and years and years and didn't want to do the tried and trusted "traditional" granny square crocheted blanket so spent a few hours practising some new stitches (see last blog post) ... my favourite by far was the really quite complicated and wool eating crocodile stitch which, realistically, would have taken me years to make into a blanket sized project.  Then I came across the bobble stitch and knew I had found the stitch for me!  Also known as the raspberry stitch ... either sits well with me but feel "bobble blanket" slips more easily off the tongue than "raspberry blanket".

Then began the search for the wool I wanted.  Searched for ages and ages and finally found what I was looking for ... price seemed great too so ordered 12 balls.  I knew I'd need more but had no idea quite what size I was going to aim for with my blanket and so had no idea how far a ball of wool would go.  It arrived very promptly but Oh! the disappointment when I opened it!  Not what I was expecting AT ALL and I was sure they had sent me the wrong colours.  My sister was here at the time and she just loved it and said one word ... "Scotland" ... sealed the deal for me as I adore Scotland and our annual holidays there.  A quick check on the website showed they had sent the right shade and it was just the way it had been wound into balls that had it looking so very different to my expectations.

Not really having the time to start straightaway I, of course, had to and began stitching away ... soon used up one ball and blanket was only about 2" wide ... quick calculation by hubby and we figured I'd need around 30 balls so back to the website to order more.

Oh the shock when it was double the price I had paid for the original 12 balls.  I emailed them asking why the price increase in just two days and it seems I ordered during a sale period that ended the evening I placed my order and the wool had then reverted to its full price.  I hadn't even noticed the sale price but had no choice but to order another 18 balls ... hence the imminent divorce as my blanket is now going to cost the best part of a second mortgage.  Well, not quite, but working out far more than I really should be paying - got to say I am loving the stitch and the wool is just what I was hoping for and I am loving every sneaked moment I give to my blanket.  Few rows before bed ... few more when you can't sleep and then a few more early in the morning  before hubby gets up.  Veggies cooking for Sunday lunch so a few more done - think I'd do a couple of rows whilst on the loo if I could.

So, progress is slow but there is no rush to complete it ... will be impossible to work on if the heat of this summer continues (and they are predicting the hottest August in 300 years) as I will be buried under an ever growing blanket but, as with my cross stitch or even crafting to a certain degree - the joy is in working something and not necessarily seeing it finished and given away, hanging on the wall or folded (bobble side up of course!)  

The colours just don't show up here very well but they are a wonderful mixture of thistles and heather and peat and moss and are really quite lovely.

It's nearly 5 feet long ... er, got a way to go then to make it blanket size! (am aiming for a rectangle not a square so will have to see how I get on)!

At least I will have it to keep me warm when Phil kicks me out for spending way too much on wool - so if anyone is willing to take me in when I am homeless I can bring my own blanket!!!!!