WOYWW 145

Ok, no wondering where the week has gone and no procrastinating about how on earth can it be Wednesday already (let alone it being 14th March!!!!!!) another WOYWW is upon us so here goes!
Haven't actually yet got going today but everything is ready for when I've had my Weetabix and cup of coffee, harvested my crops and fed all my animals (only virtual cyber-ones you understand on my dear little farm over on Facebook!) and had a quick check of my emails just to make sure I don't need to be dealing with anything urgently.
Then I can turn my attention to my snippets.  What's that, I hear you say?  Snippets?  YES!!!  I have been persuaded by the lovelies that are Maggie C and Di to venture into the Pixie's Snippets playground and, risking public humiliation, plan on doing just that.  Of course, I am not actually through the gate yet and might just turn on my heels and run for home but, for now, the plan is pack my can of coke and my sherbet dip and go for a play.
So my very poor photo (I don't do photography ... took a photo of our Christmas tree once and the only thing in the shot were my slippers ... and they were on my feet at the time) shows my workdesk all set up and ready  to go once the aforementioned chores (farming is hard work!!!) are out of the way.

You get two photo's this time but now I see them here I think just the one would have done ... never mind, at least my slippers are not in the shot.  Please ignore hubby's gardening shoes that are under my table ... that is absolutely as far into the house that they are allowed!
There are a few clues on my desk as to what I will be attempting today ... the acrylic paints are back out and I am going to try painting more embossed acetate - out of shot is the large plastic poncho I plan on wearing whilst getting down and dirty because I sure got in a mess last time I tried this technique (yes, Neil, your fault! You are just about forgiven though because it was such fun and I am actually looking forward to having another go).
Well, must crack on and not ramble ... am heading over to the wonderful Julia's Stamping Ground to add myself to the list and then will be back later on to take a good old nosey around as many other WOYWWers as I can.


Enjoy your WOYWW and look forward to catching up with you soon.  xXx

Debbie 1 Daffys 0

Well, it couldn't be helped ... they just had to go!  
It is well known that at this time of year I develop a hatred for those large yellow blooms that feel the need to blossom forth and when I spotted the first three daring to mock me through the lounge window I just had to take action.
I am quite, quite sure I can hear them all winter long tittering and giggling below ground as they muster all their strength to push through the soil and make the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end as the first little green shoots appear ... the green shoots are fine and I never want to actually pick the stems for a vase but just to behead each and every one.  Snip! Snip! Snip!
When out in the countryside I have to close my eyes as we drive past millions of the bright yellow trumpets and in my minds eye I am snip, snip, snipping off all the heads!
So daffy's ... Go To The Matresses!  This is war ... you may ultimately win but first round is to me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A good day's crafting

This week's WOYWW saw results and my workspace didn't stay that tidy for long at all.  Managed to get 8 cards done so that is 8 more ticked off the list for this year so the chaos was worth it!
Am enjoying continuing my butterflies/cogs theme for this year and faith in my Vagabond is slowly being resorted after the problems I had with it ... I just make sure I unplug it after using it each time which is a bit of a pain but better than a housefire!
Ventured WAY out of my comfort-zone and made a couple of really brightly coloured cards for people whom I know love bright colours but now I am itching to get back to my much more preferred grunge.
Oh, got some FaBuLoUs little StEaMpUnK watches on ebay last night ... all dreadfully stressful as I was in a bidding war!!!!!  Go Debbie! Go Debbie!  I got them for very, very silly money indeed ... just pence but as they are coming from Hong Kong the p&p had to be taken into account.  Still three little watches for just over £12 (watches themselves cost less than 20p for ALL THREE!!!!) ... I do need to get hold of one more as I want them for the nephews birthday cards this year so will have to head back to ebay at some point.
So for now, these are the cards made yesterday ... now safely stored and ready to post.

WOYWW 144

Such a boring workdesk so far today ... having not yet really got going!  But it is WOYWW day so I figured any photo' is better than no photo' and I promise you it will not be as tidy as this in a couple of hours time!

Whilst having my major sort-out yesterday I found a box labelled "Cosmo Cricket Christmas" that I must have had for a couple of years or so now and had completely forgotten about.  In fact, I have had it so long my style has changed and I am unlikely to ever use it as was intended.  BUT a close inspection of the papers revealed they were not particularly Christmassy at all and will do very nicely in continuing my butterflies/cogs birthday card theme for this year.  I was sad to run out of my regular Cosmo Cricket stash of papers but am quite inspired again having come across these.

Be sure to head over to Julia's fabulous Stamping Ground and make the most of the opportunity to visit lots of other workdesks!!!

From chaos comes ....

... organised chaos!!!!  Well, here's hoping anyway!
Started Sunday morning "having a quick tidy up" of my craft cupboard and it has taken nearly three days! BUT I now have a wonderfully tidy craft cupboard ... stuff thrown out/passed on/sent to charity shop etc., Drawers and boxes re-organised and everything labelled ... just need to see if I can find anything now as nothing is where it was and I found stuff I had forgotten about and have now moved to a new place so probably have no hope of ever seeing it again as I have already forgotten what it was and quite where I put it.
Spurred on by seeing such a lovely tidy cupboard I carried on and did my sewing cupboard too!

(Don't be silly, of course you can't see my Xyron & my Vagabond in my sewing cupboard ;)  )

All in readiness to get it all out again and getting the last couple of cards for "March" done and then, hopefully, thinking ahead to "April" and getting really ahead of myself.
Except, I am really already behind myself because this year I am doing things differently!  I have always made all my cards for the whole year by now ... starting just after the New Year and working  in a frenzy until they are done but I found it was becoming more of an ordeal than a pleasure that way so am experimenting this year!  So far, so good and it is even leaving time to "play" around and try new things.
So, must crack on really ... getting ready for tomorrow's WOYWW - I managed to get round everyone's desks last week but can't say I will ever manage that again.  I left messages on all the blogs I could ...  a couple said I "wasn't authorised" to do so but I did visit and I did try!  I even battled with all those "word verification" thingies that drove me potty.  Yes, Mr. Blogger, I know I typed in the wrong words ... that's because they are too blurry and nonsensical to read!

He still doesn't get it

Hubby, that is.  Was absolutely tickled pink to get a couple of new followers this week ... was over the moon to be honest and quite flabbergasted and skipping around the house like a child on Christmas morning so was beaming like a Cheshire Cat when himself got home from work.
LOOK! I ordered, dragging him towards the laptop.  LOOK! and showed him my latest posting, followers, page views etc.,
"But what's the point of it all?" he asked, instantly deflating my bubble and bringing me back down to earth with a BuMp!
I tried to get across all our enthusiasm and love of crafting and the wonderful concept of Julia's  WOYWWing and how supportive and interested we are all of each other ... then I gave up trying.
For someone who has always felt S**T about herself and whom has never considered anything - ANYTHING - she has done to be remotely good enough, reading such wonderfully kind comments has been an incredible boost.  I can't tell you what a lift it gives me to read that I have "inspired" even one person to have-a-go at something or picked up on a little part of something I have done and found it pleasing.
I'm rambling today.  On a bit of a high finding a new follower to my blog this morning and that my page views continue to roll on and read such a lovely comment from someone and I made the mistake of ringing hubby at work to tell him.  "20 followers now and 1,573 page views" and I should have known better than to expect a positive reply.  Instead I got "how many do other people have?"  Back down to earth again with an even bigger BuMp as I had to admit to lots of bloggers having hundreds of followers and thousands of page views.
What is it they say about "pride coming before a fall" ... teach me to be bouyed by my little blog I guess.
Never mind, I know what he is like and love him anyway! I shall continue on with my dear LITTLE blog and shall most certainly dabble in this and that with my crafting ...
speaking of which, better go.  Nephew's girlfriend is putting together a scrapbook/album for him as a surprise but she has never crafted before and after raiding my collection of photo's and getting them printed out is now at a standstill.  
I gave her a beautiful album and she got herself some papers she liked and I said whatever I have in my craft cupboard she can use but she just text me in a panic saying she had just got her stuff out but just didn't know where to start.  After trying to advise her via text I said, "you'd better come round" ... not that I know much about scrapbooking having only ever done two ... and, of course, was never happy with either!
Still, what's better than a morning crafting, eh?

ALL NEIL'S FAULT !!!

Yes, Mr. Neelz Expressionz I mean YOU!!!!!
There you go - posting photo's (keep 'em coming PLEASE) of your FaBuLoUs work on your blog and then being very helpful indeed by answering my Email query and then posting step-by-step instructions on "how to emboss and paint acetate" with barely a mention that not only would my experimentally-embossed-acetate would not be the only thing covered in paint!

I was covered!  

My craft-mat was covered!

The laptop was covered!

The house-phone was covered!

My mobile was covered!

And there was even paint floating in my coffee!!!!!

And I wasn't at all pleased with the results either!!!!
BUT - at least I stepped out of my comfort zone and Had-A-Go!  
The result was this card:

Oh but what a disaster!  Once the mess was cleared up and I could see the crafting for the paint I went to bin the acetate.  Then Anna Griffin's words popped into my head ... "there are no mistakes in crafting - only layers" and I figured I must be able to salvage it somehow.  

I'd just not worked fast enough to remove the paint from the acetate before it started to dry and so had tried to "encourage" it off with a craft knife blade and then my pokey tool but, of course, this just scratched into the acetate ... duh!

Ha-ha! I thought, determined not to be beaten ... Stickles!  I dibbed and dabbed a layer of Diamond Dust Stickles all over the back and managed to disguise the scratches just fine.  BUT the stuff would not dry - at least not fast enough for me.  I decided, after several hours waiting for it to dry, to go to Plan B.  Stickles is glitter GLUE right?  So why not use it to stick the acetate to a backing card?

Because that won't work either.  Took another few hours and leaving it pressed under three heavy hard-backed books to find that out.  SOOoooooo - pealed non-sticking acetate from the tag and wiped off as much of the Stickles as I could.  Mmmmmm ... actually quite like the effect of that so further salvation from the bin.

I left the backing card (which I had distress-inked already) with the blobby bits of Stickles on as these would still "match-up" with the acetate once I put them together again ... clever thinking, huh?

Eventually the acetate dried.  Eventually the backing card dried and with the help of that "red" super-sticky-double-sided-tape-stuff I managed to get the acetate and the card stuck together ... and the tape doesn't show through!!!!!

Finally I had something I felt was acceptable(ish) and chucking it in the bin might not be necessary after all.  I decided to go ahead and finish it and then Make-A-Decision on whether it would be good enough to use.

Cut two little hearts and embossed them - even they went wrong though as I wanted them dotty but got the Texture Fades embossing folder the wrong way up so I had debossed dotties instead.  Happy mistake as it turned out ok.

Bit more dabbing of the Stickles and distress-ink dying ribbon to match and printing out a little message and I actually think I have got away with it this time!

It is a card for my friend whose baby daughter died at nine months old and each year I send a remembrance card.  Sarah would have been 25 now.  I am worried it is a little too pink and sparkly for such an occasion and have never actually put Sarah's name on the cards before ... always just put "thinking of you" or "remembering" or some other such sentiment so am quite nervous and unsure about sending it.  Will have to think on that one.

SO Neil ... see what trouble you caused me?  Can't wait to have another go mind you and see if I can get into more of a mess this time!!!!!

WOYWW 143

Further chaos this week as it is still too cold to work in my normal, preferred crafting space so stuff piled on the chair to leave me room at the dining room table to work.  

And what a mess it is!  Never mind ... managed to get the three cards I really needed to make done and dusted and, as you can see from the screen on the laptop, I was chatting on Facebook at the same time!  Talk about multi-tasking.


The blue tag with Tim Holtz's "Umbrella Man" on the left is just an experiment ... my sister-in-law saw a card I'd made and just happened to ask how I'd done a certain effect so, of course, I had to show her and that blue tag was just me quickly demonstrating various techniques ... it must have been tucked amongst stuff in my Tim Holtz box and migrated to the table at some point during my rummaging.


The three cards turned out pink and sparkly - not my cup of tea at all as I don't do pink but am not adverse to a little bit of sparkle.

This one is for the sister of my sister-in-law (the one mentioned above who got an impromptu demo!) - she was just diagnosed with breast cancer and I wanted to let her know I was thinking of her but didn't want to mention her illness nor say "get well soon" so came up with this.  I never really know what to do in situations like this ... never quite know what to say or even if I should send a card or not.  I think it is maybe ok to do so.

Next card is one for a friend whom hit a low spot last week and got herself into a tizz for needing to take a little time for herself.  She is always there for others and is just a joyous person to know - actually, I only know her as a cyberfriend but count her as one of my dearest friends.  

Anyway I have put together a little "pamper-kit" to post to her ... a bag of lovely smellies (bubble bath, shower gel, lotion etc.,) together with a little bottle of wine, a candle and the largest block of Cadbury's Dairy Milk you can get) - as the toiletries and candle are pink I thought the card just had to be pink too!  It is just to remind her it is ok to not be there 100% all of the time for others and you have to look after yourself too.

I wasn't at all happy with the back of this card.  I started to make it out of Ranger's "Stamping Card" ... just couldn't get on with it so ended up sticking it to one of my much preferred Tim Holtz (I wonder how many times I can get the words Tim Holtz into one blog posting?!?!?!) craft tags and tried to make the best of the side I had already started.  It's kinda, sorta ok for the back of the tag but I can't see me using the rest of the sheets in the packet.  Will need to experiment I guess.

And finally the last card ... such a story behind this one it has a posting all of its own!  

Now off to link myself to WOYWW over on Julia's Stamping Ground blog and hope to get round to visiting as many blogs as I can today and hubby is out tonight so might just spend the evening popping in too!

Happy WOYWW'ing everyone!!!!!

Taking a deep breath!

Ok ... the time has come.

This is it.

No more putting it off.

Acetate is embossed.

Paints dug out (long buried as I don't do paint!)

Nice new brush found.

Kitchen roll & baby wipes at the ready.

Neil's instructions and inspirational photo's in clear view.

So no more excuses ...

Watch this space for results (which I WILL post no matter what the outcome!!!!)

PHEW!

Well, it has taken help from both Maggie C and Polly Polkadot but I've done it I think!  Post below is me accepting and passing on my Liebster Award and I have now learnt how to do links!!!!  Er, at least I hope I have.  Quite a few "testing of the links" and "previewing my post" went on before it both worked and looked acceptable and the air got a little bit bLuE as I kept calling for hubby's help.  He does get very cross with me when I don't understand stuff and he has to tell me it over and over again.   Can't all have a brain like his ... he can't make cards so na-na-ne-na-nah!!!!!

Liebster Blog Award

At last I have got round to accepting the Liebster Blog from the oh, so kind   Polly Polkadot  who picked me as one of  her recipients! 


It has taken me a while to pick five ... was really hard to choose ONLY five ... blogs to pass it on to so here goes:

1. Silver Crafter - First on my list has to be Maggie C! Without her I simply would not have a blog as it would still be lost in cyberspace somewhere. A "real-life" friend whom I knew crafted but did not know blogged ... until one day she just happened to mention it and I have plagued her eversince for help.  THANK YOU Maggie!
2. Silver Wolf Cards - Shaz was my first "follower" and I almost fell off my chair when she left me that first comment.  I never thought for one moment anyone would want to follow my blog and the fact that she did just encouraged me to keep going.
3. Seaside Art - I just love Franka's work so much.  Very much to my taste and a blog I just love browsing.
4. Sunshine Girl - Almost made it to Nicki's "What housework" crops but never quite plucked up the courage to go along.  Someone else who produces work I admire.
5. Yorkshire Fox - Another TH fan and whose work I love.  Another blog I am happy just to browse.


Now you have to fulfill the conditions of the Liebster Award and pass it on and these are the rules:
1. Pick FIVE blogs you like - they should have less than 200 followers and be up and coming.
2. Link to the person who gave you the award, and to those you wish to pass it on to, and let everyone know so it can keep rolling.

Ran out of steam

Oh dear, didn't accomplish nearly as much as I had hoped yesterday as I ran out of steam ... I fully blame Mr. Holtz for keeping me up until the wee small hours ... late nights always catch up with me a day or so later so I am not too hopeful for today either!
Can confirm both USB cable, mobile phone and coffee survived but I got told off by hubby!  "You need to be more careful" I was told.  Er, yeah, like I did it on purpose!!!
So I really need to focus today and get the rest of the cards done for March.
Please don't think I've forgotten about my Liebster Blog Award ... Maggie C has sent me wonderful instructions on how to get it onto my blog and right now I am trying to choose who to send it onto ... being dreadfully nosey it is a very time consuming process as I enjoy looking at all the blogs I visit ... bear with me and I will get round to it!
Now, what was I saying about focusing ...????

WOYWW 142

Ha!!!! WOYWW ... am ready for you this week!  Last week I was ready for you on the Tuesday but then suddenly it was Thursday and somehow you snuck through without me noticing!
Am afraid my workdesk is only a work chair at the moment as I am in the process of deciding what I need to use today and dragging it in from my craft cupboard because I have to work in the dining room when it is so cold out in the conservatory.  We call the conservatory, The Hut, by the way but if I'd just said The Hut without reference to the conservatory then you wouldn't know what I was on about.  Not that I ever know what I am on about really.
Sooooo, the stuff piled on the chair is my Tim ***sigh*** Holtz  box and some papers and cardstock I have found by rummaging through my stash ... am quite determined to use what I have as some stuff has been hanging around for years and I'm getting a bit fed up of it to be honest.
On the table - most importantly - is my cup of coffee into which I have just dangled the end of the USB cable that I was trying to plug into my mobile 'phone in order to download my WOYWW photo's ... so it is your fault JULIA if it goes bang and fizzles a bit when I try!
In the background you can see my Vagabond and then my trusty old paper-trimmer ... am sticking to the butterfly (for ladies) or cogs (for men) "On the Edge" die cut borders all sewn on with string and I already have all the appropriate birthday-calendar-tab thingies printed out onto acetate so once I get going I should be able to get quite a few done today ... my aim is to do the whole of March and then anymore will be a bonus.
Right, must crack on ... it's WOYWW you know!!!!!

Overtired

Overtired this morning and I entirely blame Mr. Tim Holtz!!!!!  Just knew his "Compendium of Curiosities" would be the TSV on QVC and knew it would go like hot-cakes so just had to wait until its launch at midnight and then, of course, I couldn't tear myself away from watching the whole hour of the wonderful Mr. Holtz.
Didn't have the best of nights once I did finally get to bed and so am a bit in zombie-mode today.  
Whatever happened to WOYWW last week I'll never know ... I was all ready on Tuesday and crafted away on Wednesday but then it was Thursday before I realised I'd missed it completely ... quite hopeless really.
Well, this was just a quick update as there are a couple of shows on QVC I want to catch today ... goes without saying whose shows I will be particularly waiting for and shall dip in and out of some of the others.  
Just got to wait until end of March for my new Companion of Curiosities to come but its arrival will be eagerly anticipated!

Home again

Well, here I am home from my little winter-wonderland birthday holiday ... always wanted to see Glen Coe in the *s*n*o*w* so booked to come away for my birthday only to find folk here at home texting me all the time we were travelling north saying how much it was *s*n*o*w*i*n*g* here!!!!  
I did nod off as we crossed the border into  Scotland and woke to find myself in Narnia so I did get to see some *s*n*o*w* on my actual birthday but it was short-lived and we soon drove out of it.  Never mind, I said to myself, there is bound to be more in Glen Coe.

There wasn't.

Not a flake.  

Oh, plenty up on the hills and mountain tops but not a flake at ground level. A couple of really heavy frosts set the winter-wonderland mood and snuggled in the log cabin had me pretending I was in Switzerland (but without the flying) and little marshmallows in my hot chocolate had me doing the Apres Ski bit (but without the skiing) so all was good!
A long nine hour drive yesterday saw us home again and my first post-holiday blog brought news that the very dear and kind Polly Polkadot has given me a Liebster Award!  Got to admit I am grinning from ear to ear and just absolutely over the moon ... especially as it must, surely, put paid to hubby's raised eyebrows whenever I mention my little blog.  He still doesn't "get it" and still suspects all the pageviews are down to me re-visiting myself over and over again.
Now all I need to do is figure out how to put the award on my blog ... first attempt has failed miserably so poor Maggie C may well be getting an Email asking for advice.  You have been warned Maggie!
Will be crafting tomorrow ... news reached me of a new little baby girl arriving in the world so plan on making a card ... plus one for her new Grandma so shall be lost in a world of pink and white tomorrow.
Happy blogging everyone and many thanks once again to POLLY POLKADOT for that award ... am going back to check it's for real and I've not imagined it!