Merry Christmas!

Just to wish all my friends in blog-land a very Happy Christmas! I have really appreciated all your comments and support and I haven't got around to sending cards to everyone I should have so this one is for you!

Still using up those peel - offs as you can see! lol!!
Here are some Christmas decorations I made - some were for presents but I made a lot and some hang in my hall window, sorry, too dark for a piccy of the window!

Hope you all have a lovely day tomorrow, Chrisx

What did we get for Christmas?

Oh! we've been so good that we thought we'd be naughty - it's taken a lot of organising but this week we moved into our new caravan! Now I know a lot of you will think we are completely and utterly mad - who else would inflict two moves on themselves in one year - but we've de-cluttered(well quite a lot) and now we can settle!

 We won't be losing our lovely views....

which even in rain and floods is fascinating....

 or the gorgeous sunsets...

because all we've done is upgraded our caravan - it was quite old as we bought it secondhand and then we found that VAT goes up next year so why give the tax man the money? As it happens the site is now open all year too so we look forward to going up more often! 
Sooo! Happy Christmas! Thanks for looking Chrisx 

WOYWW 185

Phew! What a week! Busy but lovely! Here we are with WOYWW 185! If you want to know what this is look here!
Quite a few bits and pieces on my desk today

Some more Christmas cards, some for last minute posting and some for hand delivery! Labels at the back there I see - still trying to organise my storage(forced on me by mislaying something that is still in a box  - somewhere!)ink and block left so I don't forget to take it with me - we're off again for a few days - tell you where when I get back!!!! The most important thing you can see on my desk is  card from my grand-daughter.Here is the inside

Do you think she could get a job writing sentiments for a  card company? Just in case you can't read it -"You have a lovely dressing gown"(she means the fluffy pink one that she bought me a couple of years ago)
Finally, as I didn't get back last week here are pictures of the Willow Pool where I had my Birthday lunch.

Now that's Christmas decorating

Thanks for looking, I'm making no promises about visiting today, but I will be around soon, Chrisx

12.12.12 WOYWW 138

It's the 12th of December 2012 and as I type this its 12.12pm a.n.d it's my birthday! So what do do you do on your birthday?- you make a card for someone else while listening to Joe Brown's Ukelele album - a present from hubby!
Of course before that you take a photo of your work desk for the fabulous event that is WOYWW hosted by Julia and then you wait while hubby uses the computer, by which time you think "Oh well! I might as well take another piccie" So the photo here for you to come and peek at (Oh! and by the way, this is your chance - if you don't already- to join the fun at the Stamping Ground blog - you can travel the world you know!) was taken about 15 minutes ago!

As you can see I had several attempts at stamping this image onto a selection of prepared backgrounds(which is what you would have seen earlier) and you can now see what a messy crafter I am - just push it aside if it doesn't work! The phone is there too as I've not taken it back yet - must remember as I know I won't find it when it rings again - I confess to having to ring my mobile the other day from the home phone as I couldn't find it!!
So my next part to this card is to make a Hels flower and dip it in my melt pot - yep! got to watch Hels this morning and she's got me going to my poor neglected melt pot!
Thanks for looking in here, I will come and visit you after hubby has taken me out to lunch - we are going to my very favourite place The Willow Pool in Lymm near Altrincham - they only open in the day time but the Christmas decorations are spectacular and the food is always yummy! I'll take my camera and pop back later if I can! Chrisx

More Paris journal

Just a few more finished pages from my little Paris journal - I'm adding photos bit by bit, slightly rushed at the moment - I'll tell you why soon!

No one would guess I like blue!!
The top two pages have pictures of our view from our 6th floor window.The bottom one obviously is Sacre Coeur,it was a beautiful day and although we have visited it several times before there has always been scaffolding up inside(still was a little bit) but it really is an incredible place
Thanks for looking, I really do appreciate your comments so thank you again for that, Chrisx

366/12 nov/dec

Oooh! I know, I'm very, very late but I have an excuse - I was in Paris until Tuesday night and I hadn't even thought about my calendar journal(you know - the one that the fabulous Kate Crane hosts on her blog - here)So here is my December page - no apologies for my choice this month....

....the lights in Paris are simply amazing and every time I make an entry I will see the pictures that remind me of our lovely break - I just used a selection of gold and black inks, paint etc to make the background with a fantastic Dylusions mask and a stamp I've had for ages!
My finished November pages are not as I intended but I never found the time to add anything else!

Right I'm dashing off again - some more exciting things happening - but you'll have to wait till next month for that!!!

Thanks for looking, I hope to visit some of you to see what you did with November! Chrisx

WOYWW 183

Back from Paris with some piccies to share-though not many today because today's the day that Julia opens the doors of the crafty workrooms of the world so we can have a peek at what's going on! I've cheated a bit here as I have photos of my crafty workspace in Paris - so glad I took a little journal kit!

Everything fitted into an old video case(apart from the scissors, I didn't take much, some lettering stamped onto old pages, some glue,a small selection of pens,some scraps,an ink pad(dark blue), a small sponge and some tissue tape - with the intention of using whatever I could find in Paris!The pages were prepared before I went.
The reason I was so pleased I'd taken it was because Hubby got himself a migraine, so bad that he was totally out of action for the whole of Monday! I was a little bit adventurous and took myself off on the Metro to visit familiar places around a hotel that we have stayed in several times, but felt a little guilty about leaving him all day so went back in the afternoon and sat and played while he was sleeping!

Exhausted!

There are a few things on my desk at home,

these goodies were bought on Saturday, on the way down from Sacre Couer! We found this amazing area with loads of fabric and haberdashery shops - well it would have been rude not to buy something wouldn't it?!

Finally - a couple of pages that I made while away

I'll be back with more when I have printed of some of the pics we took as I have left spaces for them on some pages.
Thanks for looking and "Au revoir",  Chris

How strange!

Tried to write something with that last pic but missed an instruction somewhere!
Try again!
Some amazing exhibitions here -one of which was dolls by different designers.

Paris

My angels!

My angels have now flown and have reached their new owners so I can show you  them now.

This is Amelie who is now living with Jo of Jozart, see her lovely blog here....

...and this is Avril who flew all the way to Canada to live with Famfa (who by the way also has lovely blog)  
Both of these angels were inspired by the work of Annette Emms who had an article in Stitches Magazine and who also has a blog here - it's well worth a look at some of her older posts too!

They are a combination of needle felting and sewing(with just a little touch of glue). I loved making them so much that two more are in the pipeline.

You may have noticed that they have French names - just a litle pre-occupied with France at the moment - He! He!
Thanks for looking, Chrisx

WOYWW182

Here we go again, off on our travels around the crafty desks of the World, thanks to Julia who leads us on this journey via her blog at Stamping Ground.
Not much to show here - I'm still working on my little journal to take to Paris(I may just have mentioned that before-he! he!)this time using Dylusions paints and a mask - I'm making a little pocket at the back.Otherwise things are slightly err, messy! 

I've only got two days now to prepare this little book but with two parties to go to, a haircut a-n-d packing I'd better get a move on! I will try to visit, but may be via my phone and it doesn't always let me comment.
Thanks for coming over, please come back next week to see if I find any crafty goodies in Paris! Chris

Just because...

I love this face stamp from Inkylicious, and I love making tags and this stamp is going to get a lot of use! Here I've smooched the tag in a distress mixture of Weathered Wood and Worn Lipstick then sprayed with Perfect pearls. The stamp has a lovely swirl on one side which I used separately at the top then the face part of the stamp at the bottom using grey ink. The peace stamp is part of a Lost Coast Designs stamp. I then used some mop up kitchen roll to make torn leaves around the edge(phaffing about as hubby puts it)

 Some ribbons and layered flowers from my little collection that I have up here just finished it off.
Earlier in the week Hels Sunday Stamper challenge was about faces, I hope I'm not too late with this but we went off to the Dickensian Festival in Ulverston today and stayed longer than we intended - an event well worth attending!
Thanks for looking, Chrisx 

Angels are watching me..

Yesterday after a trip to town(Manchester, that is) I came home to find this gorgeous being waiting for me

As you can see her name is Audrey and she was sent by the heavenly Jo of Jozart! I say that because as well as Audrey she included some lovely bits and pieces that I will definitely be using!
I'm sure that many others in this swap are gasping in awe as Jo's angels arrive, she is simply beautiful and she's not going to be just for Christmas!
Then, this morning Fayette arrived and she too is beautiful- just look....

 I can't believe my luck, must be angels at work here because I just love Annie's bears and here she is - mine, all mine, my very own - well, of course she again will go on my tree but she will not be going into a box only to be seen next year!
Thank you both so much! Hope everyone enjoys their angels as much as I do!
Both of these lovely ladies have gorgeous things on their blogs so do take a look! 
Thanks for looking here!Chrisx

WOYWW 181

A whole week has passed and its time for a whizz around the World having a nosy at what other crafters have been up to - all this courtesy of Julia at Stamping Ground who rushes around in advance to open the doors(really!!) - Thanks Julia!
I thought I'd show a different angle this week...

Here you can see evidence of my angel making for a swap organised by Jo Of Jozart fame, don't know why they are still there as I finished them yesterday and thought I'd put everything away (mind you I was working on the dining table - so all that did go away! You can also see, being weighted down by my scissors, a little journal I'm preparing to take with me to Paris(did I mention that I'm going to Paris soon? Getting excited already!)There are some buttons that hubby found in a box and left on my desk,one of my grand-daughter's hair ties and a bit of fabric from my handbag that I carried around for a while to match up some braid for a stool I'm going to re-cover. The pencil case is there for popping my little scraps in(and for using up!)My paper, favourite stamps and inks on shelves within reach(hubby found this ink container and it's perfect!)

So, do want to see what's above the paper?

Another shelf that has more paper and scrap boxes(I know! I have a scrap problem - I really do find it hard to throw anything away)Little boxes contain distress markers and blending tools. Next shelf up my wip journals, crafty individuals little books then balanced on top of that an old cd holder with inks, pro markers, Dylusion paints, Distress stains. At the side you can see my tall book shelf that has craft books and mags, cookery books and scrapbooks. 

Now a confession- those beautifully ironed shirts on the back of the door? - they weren't ironed by me - as part of the maintenance for our flat we have a cleaner(official name Housekeeping Assistant) for an hour and a half each week - and she(Rita)ironed them. Rita loves ironing so I'm only too happy to please her!

I'll show my journal pages when they've flattened a bit but you might just have a smile at this

 The other week I went off to see a craft demo in Cardcraft in Lancaster and hubby went off to have wander around the town. He told me he had a found a shop I would love but as it was time for my son and his children to arrive there was no time to visit!

Off we went back to the caravan to meet them! Some time later I went to the bedroom to see this propped up on the bed - I laughed so much the whole family came to see what I was I laughing at - isn't it just perfect for a pear shaped gal? It now supports my back when I'm at my desk! (Hubby did take me back to the shop the next week-and it is fabulous!

Right enough of this waffling - I'm sure I've taken up far too much of your time- after all there's lots more to see!

Have a happy WOYWW! Thanks for dropping by, Chrisx

Secrets!

I've been working on a couple of secret projects for the last few days - a birthday card for next week and two little angels for a swap so I definitely can't show you those!
This is a journal page that I did some time ago using some mop up pages

          Flowers or insects - still not sure!!
We've been at home for a week, trying to catch up on chores(or rather not trying ROFL)but we have had a few little trips out too!
Yesterday was the best - Ordsall Hall in Salford had a wool day, so met up with my son and grandchildren - but Doh!!forgot to take piccies - so engrossed were we with activities - Em came away with a felting kit, a pom-pom making kit and she learned how to finger knit. There were lots of lovely folk there all willing to help and some lovely goodies on sale too-Em chose some pretty buttons - just need to do something with them now-and I couldn't resist some beautiful hand dyed wool and some more felting wool!
I reaaallly didn't mean to!!! We are off to Paris at the end of the month and should be saving my cash but..........
Right, need to add finishing touches before bed time and prepare a few more pages in a little journal that I'm going to take with me.
Thanks for looking, Chrisx

WOYWW 180

I've been busy, just not on my desk! What I have got in my space is ...stash!! We (hubby and I) went to the NEC last Friday! I must say he walked around with a bit of a startled expression until we reached the foodie area when I was able to escape back to the craft area! It was great to meet up with old friends...and spend some money on goodies!
So on this 180th chance to go touring the desks of the world - all organised by Julia - I'm showing what I spent my cash on! 

Some stamps(just a few LOL!)A TH set with a pear on it, a couple of Lavinia stamps(love that stag), a couple of Inkylicious stamps, two mini Paper Artsy stamps and yet more alpha stamps! I also fell for a splodge mat and some Christmassy dies. Yes my feet did ache after walking around but I think I would go again (without hubby probably!)
I think you may also be able to see some of the cards I made while we were away at our caravan at the weekend(hmmm, we did go slightly wrong here as we decided to drive straight up the M6 to Junction 35 after the NEC - traffic jams most of the way!)
I made them using stamps from this - that only cost me £3 at the show instead of the usual £7.99

  I didn't want to get everything out at the caravan so I used some old paper bags and some old music sheets,distress inks and some papers from a magazine.

 I've also finished a few more scrap paper cards using Lindsay's Tinchies ...definitely need to crack on with more Christmas cards now!
Thanks for looking, an afternoon of unpacking and washing ahead but I will try and visit some desks too!
Chrisx

Blue-ish

I've been quite busy this week but when I saw that Hels Sunday Stamper challenge this week is "Blue" I was very happy! I started this tag the other week but then left it not knowing where I was going with it! Dug it out from the bottom of the pile and added some Stampendous Aged Aqua and Aged Ivory Frantage embossing powder around the Inkylicious stamp,stamped the Lost Coast Designs word stamp and then heat dried it so that some of the embossing powder came through to the top.

As you can see there is a greeny hue to this as it was done with a mixture of green and blue distress stains originally,so I hope it's blue enough! Two little Prima flowers which are attached using a stormy sky coloured brad are covering a very green part!!
Off on our travels tomorrow, NEC then off for a few days at our caravan-where I can play with any goodies that might happen to end up in my bag tomorrow LOL!
Thanks for looking, Chris

WOYWW 179 Another fine mess...

One thing I'm finding since joining in with this amazing chance to visit work desks around the world (courtesy of Julia at Stamping Ground who hosts 'What's on your work desk Wednesday'))is that it's not just me that leaves one project to work on another alongside! I know that that this weeks desk looks really messy because I have two things that are taking my time at the moment! This is how I left it last night with stickles drying and although I took this photo first thing this morning I've only just got back to blog it!

In my quest to use up as many of my old papers as I can I have started to make some rosette baubles as well as actually making a start on my Christmas cards.
Here you see some papers that came free with a magazine and part of a  Papermania pad that has been hanging around for ages. I'm using Lindsay Mason's Christmas 'Tinchies' that I just fell in love with when I first saw them, so far I've only used the tree and the reindeer but I've got a snowman and a fairy waiting for their chance!
If anyone wants to know about 'that dream' page that I started last week you can find it here.
I'm going to the NEC on Friday, everyone tells me how big the show is so I'm going to check it out - would love to know if you'll be there!
Off to see what some of you have been up to, hope you can come and visit me, thanks for looking, Chris

That Dream!

Sooo... the dream page and what was behind it!Some of you saw the beginnings of this on my WOYWW desk.
Most nights I speak to to my eldest grandson - Emily doesn't always want to speak, usually tired, but Josh likes a chat and often gives the impression that school isn't so great....however on Tuesday night he was full of the fact that he had helped to cut up a real pig's heart,and had obviously enjoyed it(mmm, I know - he's only ten!)
Recently I have been reading quite a few gardening articles about which berried plants to buy to encourage birds.
So off I go to bed and have the most vivid dream about crows eating hearts(real ones - not nice at all)! When I woke up I just had to get it out of my head so a journal page was in order. I already had some pages with black on them so started using one of them

So here it is, the crow is one from a set called a 'Murder of Crows' by Lost Coast Designs, the little figure is also from LCD.The background is a combination of black acrylic paint through a mask and ink through a Dylusions mask. The background stamps are a combination of Little Clare and Lavinia stamps.
I think the crows appeared in my dream because in our garden at the caravan we get jackdaws and every so often they come and scare off the little birds by trying to get at the nut feeder!
So, with that off my chest I again thank Julia for pointing me in the direction of a challenge at 'Anything but a card'!
I do hope I don't scare anyone!
Thanks for looking, Chrisx 

Autumn tag

I may have just mentioned that I love Autumn colours! I've had my inks out on my desk and while mopping up have made a few tags!
This one came from watching the leaves outside my window slowly fall off the tree.They reminded me of butterflies so I used a combination of stamps to make this one!

The butterfly stamps are from a tinned set I bought ages ago from a Waterstones sale.I stamped them onto a piece of kitchen roll that hubby had left two fruit teabags on(guess who has instructions to do this every time now lol!), I painted Glue and Seal over them to give them a shine! The leaves are Crafty Individual stamps used with distress markers so that I could pick out the leaves I wanted.The dictionary page scrap was dragged through a mixture of Twinkling H2o's on my mat.
I then saw a beautiful tag on Julia's blog that she was entering into a challenge, followed the link to take me to Artful Times and saw that my tag would fit into their theme - 'Orange, Brown and White' so "Thank you Julia!"
Off for a bit of a family gathering now so I'd better get a move on! 
Thanks for looking, Chris

Autumn page - second time around!

I am joining Bluebeard and Elizabeth for my Second look on the 2nd.
I started my blog two years earlier but a lot of photos still don't seem to be there even though I have tried to restore them! Luckily this one was!!
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SATURDAY, 3 NOVEMBER 2012

Autumn journal page SS229

Hels' Sunday Stamper challenge this week was Autumn/Fall, I haven't joined in with one of these for ages but I leapt to it straight away, unfortunately it's taken me until today to complete it and with a deadline to closing only hours away thought I'd better get on with it!!
Like many, I do love Autumn colours(as my camera would prove lol!)so I found this easy to get on with!

This part of the lyrics from 'Windmills Of My Mind' goes through my head often in Autumn so although Hels had thought of the Neil Young classic 'Harvest Moon' I'm afraid this is how I see this challenge(soreee!!)

I'm sure Stampotique's Mothfab would be one to colour her hair with the changing seasons, so with the help of some Crafty Individual and My Minds Eye leafy stamps I ended up with this!
Words were computer generated!

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We are grabbing a chance to get away to our caravan tomorrow for a couple of days!

Thanks for looking, Chris

Autumn journal page SS229

Hels' Sunday Stamper challenge this week was Autumn/Fall, I haven't joined in with one of these for ages but I leapt to it straight away, unfortunately it's taken me until today to complete it and with a deadline to closing only hours away thought I'd better get on with it!!
Like many, I do love Autumn colours(as my camera would prove lol!)so I found this easy to get on with!

This part of the lyrics from 'Windmills Of My Mind' goes through my head often in Autumn so although Hels had thought of the Neil Young classic 'Harvest Moon' I'm afraid this is how I see this challenge(soreee!!)
I'm sure Stampotique's Mothfab would be one to colour her hair with the changing seasons, so with the help of some Crafty Individual and My Minds Eye leafy stamps I ended up with this!
Words were computer generated!
Thanks for looking, Chrisx

November 366/12

November!! Hasn't it just come round too soon-I'm sure it can't be time yet! If it hadn't been for the fact that I filled in every square in October I wouldn't have believed it! Thanks to Kate for hosting this 'show and tell' of our 366/12 journals I have a great record of the year so far!
October turned out to be quite busy - some good things, some b-a-d!

 Here's hoping for a colourful November! My pages are certainly bright so get your shades on! 

I do hate the shorter, darker days so hopefully filling in my days worth will at least brighten my day for a few minutes LOL!
Bit of a lazy page.....smudged distress ink, Dylusion sprays - some through my favourite mask,more distress ink through same stencil and some Cosmic Shimmers mist that no longer sprays but makes lovely blobs and a spotty stamp dotted around over the journal blocks.
Hope to come and visit if I can.
Thanks for looking, Chris  

WOYWW 178

Is it just me or are the weeks(as well as the days) getting shorter? Today is the day when courtesy of Julia at Stamping Ground we get to travel around the world dropping in to a few crafty desks on the way!
I'm afraid my is a bit of a Halloween horror today, except there's nothing really Halloweeny about it just a horror!!
I got something in my head this morning,(following a telephone conversation with my grandson last night and a vivid dream(more of that in another post)and started this before breakfast - my space looked really tidy(it did - honest) when I started, with evidence of yesterdays play with my new toy - a Bigshot- that I bought using a 20% voucher - can you see the rosette?

I stopped for breakfast then carried on till hubby made me go out to do some chores, lunch out and here I am again, late!
I hope to do a little more visiting this week and do hope you'll come to mine - I'll tidy up(a bit!), I have to really as my friend Sarah is coming round for a play day on Friday so I have to make room for two Aaaaagh!!
Thanks for looking, Chris

I don't but my grand-daughter does...

Halloween that is! It's been a while since I posted but a lot has been going on! Such as ...meeting up with Ann and Pat in Leeds!(great to meet up and spend money on crafty things as well),going to see the extremely talented Lindsay Mason demonstrate at Cardcraft in Lancaster(you should have seen what she was making-incredible baubles, which I hope she does a tutorial for on her blog-hint!hint!), spending time with family at our caravan(and out and about), going to appointments(my sugar level is up :( and needs monitoring)and trying to unpack more of those bloomin' boxes! 
So...some of the goodies I bought in Leeds went to the caravan to be used by my grandchildren - only thing is Scrabble and technology won as far as my grandson is concerned!
What did we make? Well, a few weeks ago I bought a set of Artistic Stamper jars and decided they would make super spooky halloween bunting!

Emily is becoming quite a stamping expert,she didn't think we had enough jars so just set out to stamp some more,when I told her there wouldn't be enough room on the paper she surprised me by saying she had already measured up and that she could get four more!

You may be able to see that we used an assortment of stickers, stamps and spooky colours, she was able to pick out parts of stamps(found a small TH atc stamp with a small skull on it,and she loves Lindsay's 'Henpecked and stitched up by the cat' from her 'Off The Wall' range)) by using distress markers.

We managed to make our bunting go the whole length of the caravan living room

and then scoop it up ready to take home...

...and balance a pound coin at the same time!!

Of course I didn't keep her slaving all the time - we went off to South Lakes Zoo and she got to feed some penguins

We also went on a visit to Farfield Mill near Sedburgh where she caught the weaving bug(the photos are on my phone - when I get them on to the computer I will show you pics)

Ok, enough of showing off my little treasure! I'll leave you with this picture of a wonderful sunset we had while up North!

Thanks for looking, Chrisx