Wednesday 27 March 2013

WOYWW 199

Morning lovely Crafters and dear WOYWW friends. I hope I find you well today and if not then I wish you a speedy recovery. It's still bitterly cold here in Yorkshire but thankfully the snow is beginning to thaw although we are having some gentle flakes falling again this morning. Some of the snow drifts that have been on the news are spectacular. I've never seen anything like them before and the poor people that have been cut off from civilisation for days.

My photo is of my desk yesterday. It hasn't changed much since except for being moved slightly so that we could eat tea!!


I had my Wisdom tooth out yesterday morning and was told to do nothing more strenuous than sit in a chair so that's what I did. I had started a canvas at the weekend so worked a bit more on that.
I'm afraid the usual suspect of a nice cuppa is missing as I wasn't allowed a hot drink. Boo Hoo. Better make up for it today!! I have my basket of Pebeo paints out and the yellow sunshine you may be able to spot is my magic rubber thingy for opening jar lids. These paints haven't been used for awhile and some of the lids have stuck.

I had to share this with you. As I was typing up this post I could hear a funny noise and turned to see this.


Why do cats like water from any place other than their bowls? Before you all shout in alarm, I'd just changed it for clean water. You might be able to spot the canvas propped up against the light. I'm just debating whether it needs another leaf adding!!

Thanks for all the Spam advice last week, what a lovely lot you are. I did as you suggested and, touch wood, have been spam free since.

Well short and sweet from me this week so I'll see you at a desk near you later in the day.

If you wondered why I'm showing off my desk then pop over to see the WOYWW Headmistress, Julia. HERE.

Thanks for stopping by and Happy Crafting.

Sunday 24 March 2013

A Fairy Keeping Out Of The Snow

Afternoon folks. I hope you are keeping warm and safe. We have had a weekend not stirring very far due to the cars being buried under more snow than I've seen for many years and the roads not having been cleared. It's been lovely to have had a good excuse to stay indoors although DD has been outside building snowmen and generally having a great time.

When we were at the GNPE last weekend in Harrogate we discovered that Lavinia stamps now has a new challenge blog and this month their theme is Anything Goes. DD made a lovely card for Mother's Day for her Grandmas. I helped her with the first one and she did the second one all by herself so we are entering that this month.



The fairy has been embossed with black embossing powder and then various Distress and Adirondack  inks were blended with a shaving brush. The foliage was overstamped and some stickles added for a bit of sparkle.

Before I go I thought I'd continue the snow theme this week with that poor Daffodil that I've shared several times. It is still peeping out from the pile of snow.


You can see how much we've had from the amount piled up on the window ledge.


Thanks for stopping by and keep warm.

Friday 22 March 2013

A Spring Card But No Spring Weather

Morning folks. I hope you are keeping warm today as we suffer yet more Wintery weather. Here in Yorkshire we have woken to about an inch of the white stuff but the forecasters are saying it won't stop until some time tomorrow and then start again on Sunday. Can someone tell the Weather Gods that Spring actually started some time ago please!!

I am not braving the biting winds to go outside so excuse the spattered windows but my poor daffs have their white hats on again.


Last night, before the snow came, it was our fortnightly Craft Club at a local farm and this is the card I demoed and the ladies really enjoyed making it. The Cuttlebug has now been renamed The Mangle amid much giggling!! It was a lovely night and Sue, our hostess, had a roaring open fire going so it was lovely and cosy.


I have given myself another Snow Day so am going to have a full day of playing, something I haven't done for so long. Just can't decide whether to scrapbook or play with paints and a canvas. Oh to have so many choices.

I hope whatever you are doing today you are keeping safe.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great weekend.

Wednesday 20 March 2013

WOYWW 198

Morning lovely crafters and dear WOYWW friends. Another week has rolled by and still we seem to be no nearer Spring here in the UK, it is snowing again this morning!! I shall enjoy popping over to look at some sunny desks in other parts of the world later to get my weekly dose of sunshine. If you want to join in with this great big desk hop, then pop over to see our lovely Desk Headmistress, Julia, HERE.

I am back on the dining table today, purely so that I can spread out a bit as I'm playing with my new Spellbinders.


They are taking a bit of getting used to as I've only used the really basic shapes before but I'm getting there slowly. You might just be able to see a card emerging through the piles of stuff on my mat.


One thing I love is using the wax paper. You get two wonderful cuts for the price of one and I'm sure there must be something you can do with the wax paper shape. I have tried adding alcohol inks and love the result so just need to find a way to use it now. I think it could find it's way onto a scrapbook LO very soon. You might just see a pile of photos at the back that I've sorted to start scrapping later on hopefully.


We had some lovely sunshine yesterday morning and as you have to make the most of every bit I dashed out to the greenhouse to pot up these plug plants that I have been entrusted with by my Mum. She is waiting to go in for a knee replacement in a few weeks and can't get into the garden so I am babysitting them for her. They are new perennial foxgloves. I have brought them back into the conservatory though as the temperatures still seem too low in the greenhouse and I'd hate them to shrivel!

Before I go I seem to have been bombarded with spam comments recently and wondered if anyone else is finding the same. Blogger used to filter them but it doesn't seem to nowadays. Just wondering!!!!

Well, that's me today so I'll see you at a desk near you very soon.

Thanks for stopping by and enjoy your Wednesday.

Monday 18 March 2013

More Snow and a Touch of Easter

Morning folks. We have woken up to yet more snow again here in West Yorkshire. I'm getting a bit fed up with this endless Winter now, when will Spring finally arrive? I ventured into the garden yesterday with the vain hope of doing something but I was so cold after half an hour I retired back in to a pile of ironing instead!!

This is the view from my kitchen window today. Even the cat is fed up at not being able to go out. She hates wet feet.


The poor little daffs have white hats on.


Even if the weather has other ideas I have heard a rumour that Easter is not far away so I've been busy making some cards. I got these Forever Friend Easter stamps last year in a sale and I love the fact that there are some Easter Eggs on their own so you don't have to have the bears if you don't want. I love those cute chicks though.



I've kept them quite simple and coloured them with promarkers.

As the weather is so miserable I have given myself the day off to play with the new goodies I treated myself too at the GNPE in Harrogate on Saturday. I had some Christmas and Birthday money to spend and couldn't resist the new CHA spellbinder dies. They are gorgeous. I'll be back later in the week to share what I make with them.

Thanks for stopping by and have a lovely Monday if you can.

Keep warm and Happy Crafting.

Wednesday 13 March 2013

WOYWW 197

Morning lovely crafters and dear WOYWW friends. Here we are again at the middle of another week and just when you thought Spring was round the corner we are plunged back into Winter. Boy has it been cold but we have escaped the worse of the snow here in Yorkshire with just a sprinkle every now and again and beautiful sunshine most of the time so I'm not complaining. It's been gorgeous in my craft room with the sun shining through the window.

This is my desk as of yesterday afternoon. It hasn't changed since and yes that jar now contains turquoise water this week. It's still there, I'm terrible at changing my painting water.


.Mr Mojo has decided to take a bit of a holiday and I've been feeling a bit stalled creativity wise just lately so I thought I'd get out some old favourite stamps and have a play. I made a card and was happy with how it turned out so decided to make a few more so those are the backgrounds drying in the sunshine. I used Cosmic Shimmer watercolours  as I love the soft colours I have in those.

Here is the finished card.


and I'll make up the others this afternoon. They give me a good supply for birthdays later on in the year.

Short and sweet this week, just as Julia likes it. If you want to share your desk with lots of creative and very friendly folk, then pop over to see our Desk Headmistress, HERE.

Thanks for stopping by and enjoy your Wednesday whatever you are up too.

Happy Crafting.

 

Thursday 7 March 2013

Another Peek at Sheena's New Stamps

Morning folks. I hope you are well today. Better than the weather anyway. It's grey, damp and cold here and they are saying it's going to be colder than the Winter next week. What happened to Spring???

I wanted to share with you another sample I made with Sheena's new stamps.


This one is another of the beautiful Abbey but this time using the wrought iron work on one of the other sets.


I also used the crackle background again. This one is going to be a firm favourite.

Don't forgot Sheena will be on Create and Craft on March 8th launching these new stamps. The rest of the team have created some gorgeous samples with the other sets which include some fabulous feathers and a huge tree.

Thanks for stopping by and enjoy your Thursday. I am still waiting for the hole to be filled in by the Gas Board so that I can get my car out for my class tonight. It's not funny anymore. Wish me luck, I might have to stage an escape!!!

Wednesday 6 March 2013

WOYWW 196

Morning lovely crafters and dear WOYWW friends. Another week has flown by and what a week it was. I'm delighted to report that we are all warm and toasty again in The Craft Garden. A sparkly new boiler is sitting in the corner making the house lovely and warm and we are certainly not going to take it for granted. A week without certainly makes a big difference. I've never got dressed or undressed so quickly in my life before and the weather wasn't even that cold thank goodness.

So, my desk this week.


After I'd taken the photo is struck me that I am working off my mat which is just covered in the clutter I'm making. Not sure what that is all about.

I'm in the middle of planning a project for a class on Thursday night. It's just a short one so I didn't want anything too complicated so came up with this little heart hanging.


So, short and sweet from me today, Julia doesn't like us to ramble on so for once I am obeying our leader. If you want to join in the workdesk fun then pop over to see her, HERE.

Before I finally go I thought I'd leave you with a smile. Not only did we have no central heating last week, on Friday the Gas Board arrived and dug holes up the entire road meaning no one could get in or out of their drives. It caused a great spectator sport when they all came home from work  to discover what had happened. Luckily, we were at home so could take action. They are replacing the pipes so on Saturday we had no gas at all!!!!! This is the view from my workdesk this morning.


Thanks for stopping by and I'll be round to see what you are up too later in the day when I get home from work.

Happy Crafting.

Tuesday 5 March 2013

A Sheena Sneaky Peek

Afternoon folks. I hope you are enjoying the sunshine today. We had thick fog this morning but it's cleared into a lovely afternoon and all the spring bulbs are opening up. Don't you just love the way crocuses open into such big flowers when they have sunshine on their faces.

I've dragged myself indoors though as it's time for a look at some new stamps from Sheena Douglass which are being launched on C&C on March 8th. There are 6 sets in all and they are something a bit different.

I've been playing with this gorgeous ruined Abbey stamp. It reminded me so much of Fountains Abbey, which is somewhere we spend a lot of time.


I treated it quite simply and just stamped it with distress inks and brushed out some of the ink.

The background is another of the sets. This one is going to be so useful. It's full of background effects like crackle, script and splodges.


I love making my own papers so anything that adds interest is always a firm favourite.

Before I go I was delighted when my very talented fellow teamie, Fiona at Fiona's Adventures in Craft-Land
gave me the Liebster Award which is designed to promote bloggers with with less than 200 followers.


All my followers are very important to me. I always say it's the quality not the quantity and I have some very dear friends amongst you. I did notice that two of my newest followers are also new bloggers though so I'm going to pass this award onto them.

Lauren at My life in an English Cottage

Alison at Oh I hope this one is better      

and also my good friend Hettie at Hettiecraft

If you get a chance, pop over and see what they are up too.

Thanks, as always, for stopping by and Happy Crafting.