WOYWW

There wasn't a great deal on my desk up till yesterday afternoon and even then it was what I'd left after preparing my video box and journal to take away with me. Then….wooh! wooh! we came back after shopping and there on the door mat was the prize I won from  a Tando Creative Challenge! So far all I've done with it is pop it onto of everything else on my desk. I've been very lucky lately having been picked out to win an Artistic Stamper Challenge and an Ali-Crafts challenge too! So…. the desk, here because Julia invites us to show our desks to fellow crafters all over the world, and yes, sometimes they can be a bit messy - all part of the fun!! See here for details of how to join in.

Oh dear! it is a bit of a mixture isn't it - feel free to snoop around - I think I'd better clear a bit of space to use don't you?

So - I'll be round to yours if I can. Thanks for visiting, Chris

ps if you want to see my journal and Italy pics, the first pages are here and there will be more soon.

Italy was…...

….amazing….but very tiring! We were on a 7 cities in 7 days tour and we expected a few early starts - we weren't prepared  to be setting the alarm for 5.00am some days!!! However, we had an excellent tour manager - a mine of information - an American living in Italy, with an Italian wife. He had studied Italian and Roman history at uni. He made our journeys interesting although he was not allowed to act as a guide when we were in the cities!(illegal apparently!) So where did we go? I'll try and tell you over the next few posts! 
We started off at Lake Garda, Riva del Garda actually - right at the top of the lake. This was our base for 3 nights! On the first day we had time to walk down to the town for lunch and a wander! A lovely old town and the second page in my journal

Here are some more pics of Riva

Our first view of the lake from the coach window

A lovely old building

Inside the beautiful church

One of the narrow streets with the mountain in the background.

As you can imagine, there wasn't a great deal of time to play so I am in the process of adding pics to my journal.
By the way, the first page was a simple pocket to store tickets etc on the journey.

Lovely papers from Crafty Individuals and lots of masking and stamping in similar colours

Tomorrow - Verona - our first city!

Thanks for looking, Chris

365/12 calendar journal (just a little late!)

I finished my September pages and should have posted, instead totally forgot, then realised I had no pages ready for October!
I'm in the middle of getting ready for my trip and it just totally escaped me. So, after a few distress inks rubbed over the page, sprinkled over with water drops I added a variety of layers using masks. I used kraft paper with just a touch of what was on my inking tool for the journal squares! The stamps are part of the TH halloween minis that I got on Monday from TK Maxx for……£7.99!! (I really would never have bought them at their usual price - any halloween was done with other products and a tiny atc TH skull stamp!)However, I have found that I do love them and will be definitely 'doing' halloween this year!!!

I finished it off with a group of buildings from a Lynne Perella Paper Artsy stamp set.
Here is my completed September page

I am still enjoying making these calendar journals as much as I did when I first started nearly three years ago, when I was first inspired by the fabulous Kate Crane. The link is still there on Kate's blog though sadly many use face book now instead:(

Thanks for looking, Chris

WOYWW 226 In a rush!

What's on my worktop? A bit of rushed activity that's what, so please excuse the rushed photo. Why the rush? - I'm off to Italy at the weekend and I'm trying to get a journal ready! So why am I at my computer showing you a photo? - because I just love being part of Julia's happy family of desk sharers(see here for details)
The desk

I'm using the last small moleskin in the pack along with some Crafty Individuals papers and pics, lots of inks, some stamps all of which are around my desk. At the back of the desk you will see my Kaisercraft letters(my fave at the moment)or rather you can see two sets propped up - one is minus the 'y' which went missing in action last week. Came back after lunch and - GONE!! - searched everywhere! Fortunately I was able to buy a new set at Happy Stampers at the weekend and if the missing in letter turns up I have at least a spare set (minus mr y) to take away to the caravan. 
The journal is open so that ink can dry - want a quick look?

A bit of masking, and monochrome stamping as well as the ghosting stamping with a torn CI page taped in. Still a way to go and I'll be back in two weeks to show you some more!

Off now to add some some more then to tackle the ironing - Rita's on holiday!!! 

See you later, Chris

Childhood page

Right from the beginning of September I wanted to make a childhood page for Dawn's Journal Journey's challenge and all through September I racked my brains about how to!!! Then, in a clear out I found some cards that I bought as a set from a shop closing down in Morecambe about two years ago. The images were so nice that I intended taking them home to scan and resize - that of course was while we were in the process of moving so they were put away and forgotten until last week. So, having not just scanned and re-sized, I changed them to black and white images too, courtesy of a brilliant programme called Print Shop(not quite as complicated as Photo Shop) was pleased with the results and knew straight away which image I wanted to use.
Here's what I came up with - onto a mop up page

I coloured part of the picture with watered down distress markers,then a few scraps torn or cut, a doily, torn washi tape, a lacy heart made from a Christmas tree die from a magazine(this months Simply Cards and Papercrafts) bought especially for that die - I have also found that as well as cutting off the trunk and the star to make the heart some of the cut out pieces fit together to make a butterfly. 
So hopefully not too late!

Yesterday had a fabulous day out at Happy Stampers in Port Sunlight - meeting old friends and putting faces to a some bloggy friends - great to meet you at last Ann and Kath. It really was great to have a good catch up with the old,(ok, less of the old)young Esther who I sat with in the sunshine and had lunch! Esther hasn't blogged for ages!(he hee! nothing like naming and shaming!xx) It was also good to see that Gez finally made it, although we didn't have long to chat(maybe next time)! A great day, inspiring demos, spent too much, tiring but nonetheless great!

Thanks for looking,
Chris

Pears tag

I love Autumn, not just for the cooler days and the lovely colours but because Williams pears are back in the shops. Considering my blog name you'd think any pear would do but actually, although I will eat other pears, I look forward to the lovely, tangy, juicy Williams variety being available.
So to celebrate eating my first Williams of the season(4 so far) I've made a tag!

With limited resources up here at the caravan I've smooshed, inked and stamped in greens and oranges, stamped the background then stuck on some scraps torn randomly. The TH pear was stamped onto a piece of watercolour paper leftover from something else.
The pear picture at the top was cut from a sheet of Graphic45 Domestic Goddess paper, the flower and leaf at the bottom was from some old paper that I used up in my Small Tattered Floral strip, inked with distress inks and added to a medallion from an old necklace. The cord is from a label that my son gave me(well trained eh!)All tied together with ribbon, bandage and twine rolled on distress markers scribbled onto my mat and spritzed.
I do love using bits up!

I would like to enter a few challenges too as there has been some great inspiration around!

Sarah Hurley Challenge 84 Autumn glow
Ali-craft monthly blog challenge 4 Autumn 
Tando Creative challenges - Let's leaf it 
Frilly and Funkie challenge blog - Eat, Drink and be merry
Vintage Stamping challenge-Anything from your garden

Thanks for looking, Chris

WOYWW

Wednesday and not long to the weekend and a visit to Happy Stampers but for now I'm here to show you whats on my desk?table this week. For the 'why' and 'how' I'll direct to our leader Julia who will guide you towards the workdesks of the world.
On mine - yes I'm at our caravan again following a brief trip back home - I've started on Christmas cards - at last - you can see the first one which I'm allowing to dry just to test how the stickles dry.

  Sorry about the glare from my mat, I'm using a TH Christmas tree and an almanac stamp I got from a NOZ visit while in France.
I can't show the Birthday cards that I've made under the stamps as I know that both recipients occasionally look at my blog - another day maybe.
Just a quick look at the view - misty and mysterious!

Can you see what's happened to the big conifer in next door's garden - it's been hacked along with my Buddleia. Our warden has obviously been out and about with his hedge trimmer!!
Fortunately Mr Robin still likes to sit atop it singing his heart out!

So, that's about it for today - we are off back home before the weekend - can't miss Happy Stampers - if you are going I'd love to meet up! I'll probably be lurking around the Paper Artsy stand!! 
Thanks for looking, Chris