WOYWW 310

Hi folks! better not hang around for long - I'm getting my bag ready for the crop on Saturday - why so early? We are going down tomorrow so we can see more of the area - last year we managed to get to Stonehenge and Avebury and we have few places in mind for this trip! 
Just in case you haven't worked it out, it is Whats On Your Workdesk Wednesday with a link to desks of the World courtesy of Julia! 
Mine has been cleared - some things have already gone into the bag!
What you see here is what I bought at Happy Stampers on Saturday... 

…also bought a Visible Images set - packed already!!The Crafty Individuals pile includes one of the new background stamps and the others from the bargain area for £1.50 each!The top one will be a perfect stamp to use in my journal for our upcoming trip to France
Best of all though - I got..

I haven't had time to play yet though!

A Quick Film Review
Yesterday we went to see 'Spooks'. We used to love the TV programme - this film was like it, only on a bigger screen, so if you liked 'Spooks' you will probably like this deals and deception film!

Thanks for looking, I'll be round later! Now, if I can only decide what else to pack!!
Chris

Sewing for Try It On Tuesday!

You did read that correctly - I found my sewing machine! Well okay, it wasn't really lost, just that it has been a handy surface for so long for storage, drying projects etc. and had become covered up for ages!! The theme this time at Try It On Tuesday is Sewing and Buttons and although I do have some sewing related stamps I decided to make a little nature book! I wanted to try stamping on some of the fabrics that I have collected over the years and compare them! I also had some old blouses that I had cut bits from so what you see on the cover is from the front of one of them!

I added some ribbon that I bought on our travels in Austria last year and a flower cut with the TH strip Tattered Florals die. I used some muslin and another bit of an old T shirt.

Now for the inside

Page 1 - Indigo-blu butterfly stamped onto a loose weave muslin, coloured with distress markers

Page 2 part of an old blouse - the flower made with blue felt, stamped linen and part of yet another blouse.

Page 3 - The little birds cut from some ribbon, a scrap of some fabric bought at a show, the little bird on a branch stamped onto a fairly loose weave linen type fabric and yet another blouse cut up along the bottom

Page 4 - part of the yoke of a white blouse - a flower using the same fabric as the one on page 3 and a piece of Hessian type fabric painted with Snowflake Fresco paint - I used a little bit of Stonewashed Adirondak ink to colour the edge of the petals.

Page 5 - Just so you don't think I only wear blue - part of an old pink flowered blouse - just added buttons and a bit of pink lace painted over with snowflake again

Page 6 - Linen stamped with a Stampendous flower in Potting Soil Archival then onto a smaller square with a distress marker in pink(?) and stuck on over the top. A little bit of vintage lace along the edge.

Page 7- some fabric,(TH I think) on top of linen

Page 8 - More shirt as the base for another loose weave fabric stamped with Potting Shed Archival and some lace along the bottom

Page 8 and 9 - some curtain fabric - a larger leaf cut out and sewn on to P8 and my little Inkylicious bird branch stamped using Lettuce Adirondack ink with the bird coloured in with Distress pen

Page 10 - an image transfer made by using multi medium onto a magazine photo.

Page 11 - the rose stamp was coloured with distress pens before stamping onto a fine linen. The lace came from a market I think. 

As I was sewing I left some little pockets to add some tags

I haven't put anything on the back of my little book but I did add some ribbon decorate the spine.

I hope you will join in the sewing bee at Try It On Tuesday which is open for all kinds of projects based on the Sewing and Buttons theme.

Why not pop over and see the fabulous inspiration from the design team?

Thanks for looking, Chris

When it's Spring…..

….I won't carry on, but I have song in my head and I don't want to pass it on as it's rather an old fashioned song!! 
I went to Happy Stampers on Saturday and really must say I think it was the best yet! Of course my judgement may be clouded by the lovely folk I went with and also met while there!
Of course I did have a little spend (sshhh! it may not have been that little!)If you visit my desk on Wednesday you may see what I bought!
One of the things though, was a little set of Inkadinkadoo 'Fanciful Flowers' - a real bargain at £5(and even better for everything on the stand being 4 for £10!)
I had a bit of a mop-up on the bottom of a page in my journal and I was determined to have a play with some of my new toys!!

I have had the JOFY stencil for ages but seeing stencils being used on the Paper Artsy stand set me off! I dabbed Fresco paints through them - different shades of turquoise - please don't ask me which - I was on a time limit as we were going out for a picnic yesterday (which was lovely by the way!)
Today I drew around the edge with a watercolour pencil and then my water brush. I stamped on the bigger flowers and coloured them with Distress markers, then added the next largest. I then dabbed some Fresco 'Hyde Park' around the flowers. Didn't like the gap that I'd left so added some more little flowers and used my white Signo pen to colour the petals!
I used part of a stamp from my Sara Nauman Eclectica set ESN09 and a little bit more doodling with my Pitt pen and the Signo pen to add to the watery look! The dots on the stencilled flower were made by using Snowflake Fresco paint with the end of the wooden handle of a paintbrush.
I must confess by being influenced by the samples on some great challenges

I would like to enter the following 
Stamps and Stencils - Three of a Kind 
Our Creative Corner - April Showers Bring May Flowers
Stamping Sensations - Flower Power

Moo-Mania 'Flowers'
Thanks for looking, Chris

A journal page

I have had this background for ages - some of you may have seen it on my desk on Wednesday, although it had been there for a few days! Shades of orange are not my favourites so why do I have this page and a couple more using these shades? The answer of course that the pages used mop-up colours from last Autumn.
So…it sat there….pushed to the side sometimes and finally I thought of sunsets!
I stamped the buildings at the bottom but what to put in the sky?

A few more random stamps and then the bird from Tim's Classic set 16 and the quote from the same set!
I'm not especially happy with this page but just have to accept that  it's what happens sometimes (but I may go back to it in the future!!!)

Thank you for your patience if you are still waiting for comments on your blogs - I do hope to visit a few more after tomorrow but ….. I'm out tomorrow at Happy Stampers….Yay!!!

I am linking to 
Brenda's Visual Journey at Bumblebees and Butterflies
Simon Monday challenge - Don't abandon the coral 

Thanks for looking, Chris 

WOYWW 309

If you look on Julia's blog The Stamping Ground you will see that she is hiding things! There's an anniversary coming up and you will find all the details about that and WOYWW here 
Nothing hiding here on my desk, although you may spot a few clues about what I've been doing.

The journal has only a few pages left and had some pages with backgrounds in. It sits here, pushed to one side while I do other things - hoping inspiration will come!!
Some things to put away pushed to the back…
The clues - Aahh! You have look for those!!

Film Review
Yay! I got to see 'Woman in Gold' last Thursday. A lovely reminder of our trip to Vienna last year. A fantastic film with quite a few of the places we saw on our trip! I went to see Klimt's 'The Kiss' on my own as hubby wanted to wander the gardens. I didn't photograph it but bought a post card, it didn't capture the beauty of the gold leaf though! The film is an interesting history lesson about Jewish persecution in the 2nd World war too! We may have to go back to Vienna - I think we missed a lot!!! 

I really do plan to make proper visits this week. Things took a different turn than expected last week! Today my GD is going to a friends house so we aren't needed and we are staying put this week -so that I can go with my friend Sarah to Port Sunlight to the Happy Stampers show on Saturday!! Hoping to meet up with some of you there!!!

Of course - I will be away the weekend after - it's THE WOYWW CROP!!! Oooooh! getting excited! No idea what to bring - I didn't get that much done last year he!he!

Thanks for looking, Chris

Still back in the 60's!(and T with Elizabeth and Bleubeard)

I enjoyed reminiscing so much for my Try It on Tuesday post last week that I couldn't get it out of my head! It could also be something to do with the fact that hubby has put some 60's tracks on the stick we play in the car - yes folks- we have been singing along! 
We had all the bright colours around us yet still we managed to keep the traditional teenage 'cool' look! Twiggy of course was who we wanted to copy, although, as someone mentioned last week, Jean Shrimpton was so beautiful!

I had printed off some images last week so this is a leftover and while looking for a stamp(for another project) found the circles in the Claudine Helmouth set and broke off to make this tag!

I added some Pitt pen to the circles to give them more of an op-art look! 
Couldn't resist the Happy Days stamp(a freebie) as Twiggy looks so 'cool'! She did smile a lot too though!!! The photo is mounted on a scrap that I have stamped a starry circle from the same CH set.
I must say Twiggy has had terrific career, modelling, acting, singing and TV presenter and still looks so good now!

The 60's/Retro challenge has another 6 days for you to get your entry in at Try It On Tuesday - hope to see you there!

This was me in the 60's - of course I have changed a bit since then!!(Note the flowers in my hair!)
I'm also joining in with T is for Tuesday
You may remember we went to the Wedgwood Museum last year and had a posh tea….well we also treated ourselves to new mugs..

Here they are on my worktop. Behind them my pan has mixed fruit in it - I forgot to get it out of the freezer last night so I am trying to heat them gently(no microwave!)The yogurt will be mixed with them and some Granola for our breakfast …and we will have our first cup of coffee of the day in our new mugs!

Thanks for looking, Chris

Darcy's Calendar Challenge 2015….

…..and the other one!
I am loving this challenge of Darcy's! Darcy gives a set of instructions to follow and you have a month in which to complete your page.

Here is a reminder of the rules for May. 

1.. Keep a part of the original picture and incorporate that into your design

2, Technique - Make marks,... scratching or stamping into texture paste/thick gesso/spackle/glue anything that will hold the shape

3. Add – an image that depicts your star sign/horoscope (drawing,painting,magazine image)

4. Blog your calendar page and link up from May 1st 2015

I went away before I could finish mine and not much point taking it with me as I wouldn't have been able to post it!

I added Gesso to my page and ran a cut up 'credit' card through it. When it was dry, smudged on a mixture of Dylusions inks - London Blue and Crushed Grape. Stamped - with Archival black - using parts of some background stamps. Coloured in closer to the butterflies with Distress markers - Picked Raspberry and Dusty Concorde and brought it closer with a water brush.
My star sign Sagittarius is represented by a bow and arrow and makes up the body of the largest butterfly.I had to resort to the internet for this!
Here is how it looked before

My other calendar is the one you will only see here as I can no longer link it!

and, although I have already started filling it in, I remembered to photograph it while we were away

I sprayed randomly with London Blues and Crushed Grape Dylusions - letting it drip in all directions. Used up some ink on an ink pad through a stencil, then stamped a background stamp around the edge. The flowers were stamped using an Artemio flower left on my desk. I added some white flowers with a pen! 

I will have to be ready for next month as we will be getting ready for our trip to France!

Thanks for looking - I hope you will come back to the 60's with me again tomorrow! Chris