Time to be!

Yesterday evening I had chance to catch up on some blogs that I have been seeing in miniature on my phone. One of these was Finnabair's latest post with links to a song that I hadn't heard before! Anna and some others whose work I admire have been using a song to inspire them under the heading "Music to make housework easier"! As I listened to it I could feel my own journal page coming into being! I went and gathered some bits and pieces and started to make a background

This was sort of the calm before the storm…today I woke early, couldn't get back to sleep, got up and carried on until hubby got up!

After a few chores were done I went back to it and decided that the cutting of a country scene wasn't what I wanted to use - printed off a photo that I had taken on the first day of being at our caravan when I was feeling pretty bad because of my poorly toe(the dreaded gout!)and felt a little restricted!

So this is how the page has ended up, inspired by both the song and the team's work so a huge Thank you to them!

It is in my large journal from Paperchase and I'm enjoying using this size! The quote seems to sum it up and it came from a little book that I was bought ages ago!

I am linking this to Journal Journeys

                 and Czekoczyna

                 

Thanks for looking, Chris

Journal page

I have other things I should be doing but I keep adding to my nearly full journal. I started this a few weeks ago - we have to go back home in the morning, we haven't done half the things we thought we would (gardening and painting mainly) but I have stuck to my plan to work on my grandchildren's yearbooks - of course I can't show you them yet so I'll just show you how I feel right now! I combined two stamps to make the time machine!  

Thanks for looking, Chris

WOYWW 203

I fear it's almost too late to join in, but since I took the photo earlier here goes! I do love this opportunity to pop in and see what others are up to(I know...I'm a nosy old thing) especially since Julia is kind enough to link everyone up via her blog at The Stamping Ground!
I've been on catch up - so it's a good job that I couldn't move far at the end of last week! We came up here on Thursday but my leg was so painful I ended up going to a doctor down in the town on Friday - who told me(how very dare he!)that it was gout!!..... 
Now you've stopped laughing I'll just say that after some tablets it's a lot better and we've actually been out and about the last couple of days!
So what is on my table(acting as a desk)? I've finally got round to trying to finish my grandchildren's year books! I'm a bad Gran as these are usually handed over at New Year!

I'm actually getting on quite well, but just when I thought I'd finished this page I found something in a pound shop today that I just couldn't resist adding!

There are already butterflies on this page but a few of these lovely little nail decorations look just right in the corner!
I think they will look ok on ATC's too!
Right I'd better get a shimmy on or I'll be a proper Cinderella!
Thanks for looking, hope to get round to see you later(or tomorrow), Chris

I love to....doodle!

I do - really! Especially since starting doodling in my new book - Art Doodle Love! This time The prompts were....
to draw the shapes around you!

I did take this rather literally and took parts of some of the things that are around me here at the caravan!This was started last time we were here and finished while nursing my poorly leg(more of that another time!!) 
The next prompt was a doodle a day for a week and each day I just doodled what came into my head, some prompted by where we had been, some just from a random thoughts(of which I have a lot!!!)

Now, a mystery!
We have had our caravan for a few years now and started feeding the birds - at first hanging a couple of feeders from the bird table(until the Jackdaws kept unhooking them so that that fell to the ground for them to pinch)then I have to admit it's got a bit more than just a couple, hung in the hedge! Last year we bought a niger seed feeder hoping to encourage finches, we already had several Chaffinches visiting but they didn't seem to want them, however the sparrows quite liked them when everything else ran out! Since the end of March we have had a pair of Goldfinches, 

lovely to watch and photographs don't do their colours justice!

So....Friday morning a Nuthatch came to the nut feeder - I love watching these birds when we go over to Leighton Moss RSPB reserve so you can imagine my excitement - too busy jumping up and down to take a photo!

Yesterday just after lunch the Goldfinches came along with a sparrow ...except it wasn't a Sparrow, hubby was looking through the binoculars then handed them to me - as I looked I realised it wasn't a sparrow but  a beautiful Redpoll(hubby hadn't noticed), who then disappeared only to return several times

I then turned my gaze to the sparrows and was just saying about not knowing what a Siskin or a Dunnock looked like and that I probably wouldn't recognise one if I saw one, when in flew...

 this little beauty - a Siskin with a mate!!

Now the mystery is - why have I never seen them before and why haven't they come back today(the Goldfinches have become 3 or 4 times a day visitors)? Had something happened at their usual feeding station, were they lost, did they follow the goldfinches or all of these or none of these?! I can only say I really enjoyed watching them come back and to a few times yesterday and hope it's not the last time we see them!

Thanks for looking, Chris

WOYWW 202…

…and a little bit more! I know I'm late but I shouldn't even be here at all - no! We were planning to go away today but yesterday walking back from the main building to our flat something clicked in my foot which has left me hobbling around in my slippers! It has happened once before and the pain is easing a little now but this is what my desk should have looked like today.

Instead there is still a little pile of things I intended to take away with me!

As you can see I've done a bit of rearranging to make a little more working space! 
I'm looking forward to visiting some desks courtesy of Julia at the Stamping Ground but it may not be today!
The other things I mentioned are a few cards - a wedding card and two little boy cards for my grandsons whose birthdays are just two days apart!

Taken before I'd finished them but I had the camera out!

The wedding card I made for the black and white themed wedding I went to - just a lot of flowers punched out using various punches mainly black and white with a touch of silver. We went to the evening "do" and it was one of the best I've ever been to - a sea of black and white, a hog roast with salad, a rock band (who were very good), beautiful table decorations(including lego to play with in a black organza bag) and a visit from - ta-da! - Darth Vader and a couple of storm troopers!

Just for those who wanted to know what I wore …eventually!

Hubby has just made me a cup of coffee so I had better go and put my feet up and drink it! 

Thanks for looking, Chris

Sarah's Secrets!

Yesterday I spent the morning with my lovely friend Sarah of Art Of Moodling fame to do some journaling together. Sarah has signed up for 21 Secrets so I chose a number and it turned out to be  the amazing Kate Crane whose workshop we attended together a while ago! 
Clever Sarah took photographs as we went along so if you would like to see more take a look at her blog - in fact, I heartily recommend it, as you will see that we have ended up with such totally different pages! Sarah's reflects more of the kind of fun that we had whereas mine (I think) reflects our views on having and teaching children.

As you can see I'm no artist but I could see two spaces that were waiting for figures in them. Should I cut out from a magazine? or maybe draw then cut out my own(if it didn't look right then back to plan a)? Ummed and aahed then decided to just go for it! I mixed some Paper Artsy fresco paint to make a face then drew in hair etc using various pens. 
The quote is one I heard on a teaching seminar somewhere along the way and has somehow stuck - the thought being, that every child is different and although they need inspiration, advice and guidance they should be encouraged to think for themselves! 
We had a great time getting inky and catching up so Thank you Sarah for a such a lovely fun morning!
Off to that wedding party this evening!
Thanks for looking, Chris     

Butterflies

While we were away in March I made this journal page - the sentiment(a Unity stamps one) just sums up how I was feeling- and still am! 

I have so many butterfly stamps so used a combination for this page! 

On another note entirely - I have started to tidy my craft table and I'm finding all sorts of treasures - mainly bits and pieces that I've picked up and then not found anywhere to put them so they've gone into a bowl - I'm thinking that rather than put them away I may use them, so expect some random stuff here some time soon!!
Thanks for looking, Chris

WOYWW 201

I do hope I'm not too late to join in - I've just got back from the Trafford centre where I continued my search for an outfit for the 'black, white but feel free to add some colour' wedding! I've come to the conclusion that I'm just not a posh outfit kinda girl! There was quite a choice but none of them the sort of thing I'd get some wear out of afterwards - so I'm sticking with the long top I bought the other day(which I think is  a short dress) and I've got a bright scarf to wear with it - the wedding is my friend's daughters and it is only for the evening do so Ive stopped worrying about it! 
So, as I said, late, but not so late to join in with Julia's tour around the work desks of the World I hope!
Here's mine - a close up so you can't see the chaos around!

I couldn't sleep last night so got up again and played for half an hour - this is how I'd left it so photographed earlier today!
At the back of my desk is my new storage container that I picked up at TKMaxx while looking for clothes - I strayed a bit!!!
The journal page was partially stamped a while ago, I stamped the little girl onto a piece of baby wipe mop up after seeing Zue's blog the other day! There's also a tag started last night - just playing around with stuff!
I'll try to visit some desks today but can't promise many!
Thanks for looking, Chrisx

Calendar journal - very, very late!

Well, OK! I've been away and I did make this while still at the caravan, started to fill it in then had a 'Doh!' moment when I realised I hadn't posted it or entered in the challenge at lovely Kate's blog - The Kathryn Wheel! So here, just for the record is  a started April and a finished March!!

Just a bit of distress ink and water smooshed around, a stencil made from a card that I bought on a visit to Acorn bank last week, it's a beautiful laser cut card that I coated in Glue and Seal before dabbing ink through it. The journal squares are freebie papers from a magazine from ages ago with a bit of stamping.

There's been a lot going on since we got back on Saturday evening, yesterday my youngest son had bought tickets for us and my granddaughter(we were looking after her while middle son took my grandson to a football match - his first visit to Anfield- pity it was a 0-0) result!)for the Cake and Bake show in Manchester! A little disappointing - for my son - no Paul Hollywood - he'd been and gone on Friday, but for me a great treat to see Peter Sidwell making Foccacia and savoury Eccles cakes! I do like PH but PS is imho a good all rounder!
Today I've been hunting for an outfit for a "Black and White but feel free to add a touch of colour" wedding - I've come back with a black top - not very inspiring, so may have to go to the Trafford Centre this week!
Thanks for looking, can hear the sounds of dishing up, must go!!
Chris

Doodle bug!

A few weeks ago I remembered seeing something similar to this on Pinterest (I don't seem to be able to find it again and can't credit the owner)but while I was away I started it and then continued when I came home - I'm not sure that it was really anything like this but I was enjoying doodling and I was quite pleased with the result!

Then hubby ordered this for me(ok…I did hint just a little!)

For once, even though itching to get started, I read what Dawn had to say about the book before making any marks at all!

The first thing I did was this...

Scribble! - I took this literally and had a great time, some little scribble birds, eyes peeping out of a scribble hedge and some thoughts on what I was doing!

My next page was a flowery affair

I'm finding it all very relaxing and I can just pick it up anytime! 

Back home for a while now so hope to catch up with a few blogs(well actually, can see them on my phone but have problems trying to comment so apologies if you think I have been ignoring you!)

Thanks for looking, Chrisx

This is me!

I've been having some fun with my grandchildren over Easter but have still to transfer photos to the laptop. I still have some journal pages to show you though! 
This page is as simple as - looking through a magazine I found a picture of a 'normal' sized model - normal for me that is - and I could see a page in my head straight away. 
I had started a page background but it just wouldn't do, so I painted over part of it with white acrylic paint then used Seedless Raspberry distress stain over the top and let it run into the page! I coloured the poor girl with black acrylic paint(wish I'd photo copied her first)and then wrote on her with an inkessential white pen! Before sticking her down I wrote the same words so that they would sit underneath her too!

The quote is one from Lindsay Mason's Doo Lally Pip collection 'I've had enough'
I added a row of curvy dress forms at the bottom but I'm afraid they don't show up well on the photo
I'll be back with more about Easter soon - and also some doodling I've ben having fun with!
Thanks for looking, Chris
ps I would love to wear heels like that!!