Oh Joy!

Just a quick show and tell here!
While sorting my scraps out I decided to put a quick tag together, for no other reason than I found this little photo of our garden at the caravan - I've no idea what I was going to do with it and thought it would look ok with the bits and pieces I had laying around. 

The tag had already been sprayed with Dylusions sprays and I just added a bit more distress ink.

I'm off to my Craft group in Sale now(plenty of room if you want to come and join us some time - and they do fabulous coffee and cake)
Have a lovely day yourself, Chris

WOYWW191

Not a lot going on here today, but I have plans! If you would like to know why I am showing a picture of my desk then take a look at the Stamping Ground hosted by Julia and all will be explained!
So, last week hubby and I took a trip into Manchester and I had two Paperchase vouchers to spend! My youngest son bought me one for Mothers day last year but I had instructions not to use it until we moved - well, some of you know how long that took! I then mislaid it in the move only to find it just before my birthday in December when he gave me another one - so being me I thought I'd get to their sale before it finished!I've still got some to spend because the little Moleskines I wanted were out of stock!

So in the middle is a new journal - a different size for me as most of mine are small or A5 and not only that there are little pockets to put stamps or paper in -Yay!!. I've been adding to this on and off during the week - just to test the paper you understand! It seems to take inks and paint well and I've yet to stamp on it.The two little journals have been there as mop-ups.
As we've been home for a while I've had a chance to re-organise some things

 My smaller stamp sets - put where I can reach them -(LABELS ON LOL!!!!)- so I don't have to open each one.
With another of my PC purchases I have re-organised my little scrap collection that lives on my desk

 So now I have three 
cases-1 blues,greens,
      2 reds, yellows,
      3 browns,whites,
      and blacks

As you can see, I don't use many reds or yellows. 

So the start of a new organised me - for now He! He!

I am hoping to see lots of desks today, as apart from an afternoon tea that's taking place here we aren't going anywhere, though I might go for a riverside walk before it rains!

Hope you have fun day, Chris

    

Winter in my journal

The weather forecast says milder weather on the way but it felt jolly cold when we went for a walk earlier!
I did this page in my journal a few weeks ago but realised I hadn't posted it, so here it is - a very simple page.

The page started out as a mop up page so you can probably see some reversed letters from a stencil, some paint that came through the page from the other side, some bits of stamping to take the ink off. Of course there had to be some mop up paper towel LOL! I drew the bare tree and the grass and the evergreens were again scrap paper from the sides of my mat just doodled over! My attempts at lettering(I really do try)and some little black stars that my friend Lindsay gave me the other week just finish it!

Now, if you really want a feast for your eyes take a look at the Words and Pictures blog today! Alison has done a review of some of her work and it is amazing! So, don't hang around here, get yourself over there now!

Thanks for looking and for the lovely comments I've had lately, Chrisx 

Being me!

I am still under the influence - so to speak - of Magda and Kasia(whose work by the way, you really should take a look at - give yourselves plenty of time as there's so much to see!!)

But, when I saw the challenge at Simon says stamp and show I just had to think - what am I known for? (craft wise that is - as anyone who knows me would say I talk and laugh a lot!!)Well, couldn't pin anything down except that as a hoarder I always have plenty of scraps to use! So, went off to craft group yesterday in Sale and asked the girls there what they thought and guess what -  they said it's the way I can use anything in new ways! Well, I suppose that's true - they used to laugh when I would save mop up kitchen roll or baby wipes but they would go into my scraps and would turn up a few weeks later for a project!
So here is my entry, it's in my journal

I just sort of went with the flow, grabbing things from my scraps, stamping over them, splodging, inking, stamping, tearing, punching and generally have a great time!

 I added some stickles after finding these words...

...in a book my hubby was going to send to the charity shop with legends about King Arthur and it's my most used book for finding just the words I need!
I hope this gives you and idea about what I really love doing and  What I'm Known For which is this weeks Simon Says Stamp and Show challenge!
Thanks for looking, Chrisx

WOYWW190

What a grey day! But nevertheless the photo has been taken and it's here for all to see! Our host Julia has some rather surprising things on her desk today - as well as some lovely things too and she's showing them off to WOYWWers of the world! So here's mine today... 

Not a lot to see, my journal is perched on the end of my Bigshot waiting for glue to dry, lots of scraps, punches, some stamps waiting for me to use later and a mat that looks as though it needs a clean! 

Oh! and my completed Paris journal - I need to find a home for it  and I need to put my Paris stamps away now. My journal is the post before this one if you would like to see it.

So, off for a look around now, I do so love having a peep and wish I had time for more. Still having problems leaving comments on my phone so have to wait for computer time!!

Thanks for looking, Chris

My Paris Journal

It's finished at last! This is the little journal I took with me to Paris and Thank Goodness I did as hubby being ill left me at a bit of a loss as what to do! I took it thinking I would have some time in the evenings and before breakfast but I had best part of a day to play! I did go out on my own - even went on the Metro on my own but didn't stay out long!
I've taken photos in order so what you will see is what I see when I turn the pages!

The backgrounds were made before we went and I added doodling and found stuff while we were there, more stamping and photographs were added on our return. 

So that's it - until the next time!

Thanks for looking, Chris     

Under the influence!

I've been looking at the work of some very talented girls (Magda Polakow and Kasia Krzyminska)and find their work so different and inspiring! This is my take!

 Not my usual colours, but I started this background ages ago using a Dylusions mask and spray. I then saw my friend Pat's blog where she too has been influenced by these girls and which had me in my craft room yesterday - playing! The image - Crafty Individuals(CI148) was in one of my scrap folders and had been stamped onto mop-up paper. I used a Wendy Vecchi gothic text stamped onto some tissue paper to tone down the brightness of the spray and mixed gold and white acrylic paint through a mask to give some texture, some more scraps and bit of scraped paint and doodling and I thought - finished!

Ah! but then found some words in the Sunday supplement and added them, so then it didn't look quite right, so used a film strip punch onto the bottom of a kraft tag, stamped 'calm' and layered it with lace at the bottom - now it's done!

Hope you are all keeping warm in this extended cold spell! Thanks for looking, Chris

I'l be making more of these...

...little sandwich bag flowers.I bought some brown paper sandwich bags from our local Lakeland shop, having read about how storing food in plastic bags altered the flavour of food - and since they are better for the environment anyway thought I'd give them a try - or will I? Looking for something different to stamp onto with paint I tried a bag to make a little bird atc. I could see that the paper would make nice little flowers so made a layered flower(with the tattered floral small flower die) using the paper which I had stamped with a script stamp.
Got a kraft tag out then went to the cinema to see Les Miserables(a fantastic, must see film - in fact may be a must see again film lol!)
Anyway, came back, chilled, watched tv and then got it into my head that the tag needed lace(Cosette's Wedding dress was gorgeous!)too late to start last night, but up early this morning and using Kaisercraft lace and music stamps and a little bit of Frantage shabby white embossing enamel, a Crafty Individuals quote(I think)stamped onto leftover waxed kitchen paper and lace and ribbons from my box I have come up with this

I must confess I didn't stop to think it through and maybe that shows? I just had a need to go with the flow... or follow my muse so I thought I'd enter it for the challenge here at Frilly and Funkie. Then got totally distracted with a bit of blog hopping and although I had originally thought I might enter it for Hels' "Dream" challenge this week I'd also like it entered into the "Lace Love" challenge here at Simon says stamp and show.

Here's the little flower in case you didn't get to see it yesterday

Soo! maybe, just maybe, Mr Mojo is heading back to my craft room - just to test I think I'll head back in there after lunch!
Thanks for looking, Chrisx

WOYWW189

What a glorious day to show a desk - frosty and sunny, my favourite sort of day! Who shall I show my desk to? Well, anyone who joins in the fantastic Julia's whizz around the world! See here for more desks and how to join in!
So...what is on my desk - not a lot - today

My flower that I made with the sandwich bag paper-waiting with a craft tag,text stamp(for the life of me I don't remember where from - it was one of my first buys when I started crafting), The Paris stamps still there, not got around to doing anymore to my journal, to the right of my mat on top is my Diary, newly covered and waiting for more doodles and stamping and underneath that...well, if you want a tale about those books you can look here and here!
Oh! and this was my desk at 9.30 yesterday morning, 

I only took the photo to show my cleaner - don't panic, I've not come into money, in our new flat as a part of the maintenance fee we get one and a half hours cleaning a week - although Rita, bless her does my ironing usually!I just wanted to show her how well I'd done! However it will go someway to explaining my tale if you have time to look!
Just to finish, here is that little flower

Now, we're off to the cinema, I know, just like buses, don't see one for ages than two come along together. We're going to see Hugh Jackman...err, I mean Les Miserables!
I'll pop along later to see who I can, Thanks to those who visited mine last week, Chris

I can manage without you Mr Mojo!

Well, for now at least! 
I started this atc while just playing last week! So...got round to finishing it - the next day! 

I used waxed kitchen paper that was torn from the end when I lined a tin, rubbed over with ink, stamped Crafty Individuals leaves and my lovely wooden bird stamp using acrylic black paint and sat him on some mop-up paper

So, why is it making it's appearance so late? Well, disaster struck!... or at least, I thought it had! I was clearing my craft room of all the stuff that had been dumped in there over the Christmas holidays. While doing that I thought, Hmmm - time for a sort out of stuff I don't use, won't use! So two big boxes and a canvas bag were put in place and gradually filled up (paper, rubbish and recycle to charity)Hubby was on hand to remove the piles at the end of the day, so off some things went to the tip, charity shop and our communal paper recycle bin.
Friday evening I went to fill in the journal squares in my 365/13 calendar journal - horror!!!! nowhere to be seen! turned things inside out, upside down and back to front - I had moved a lot of things to new homes with new storage boxes - it must be in one of those - then worse still - last years was no where to be seen - tears dear reader, huge sobby ones - a whole year - gone!!! Sleepless night - it must have gone to the tip - or - maybe been picked up with old magazines and put into communal bin, so on with the rubber gloves and dive into bin, found our papers but alas no journal! So goodbye beloved journal, that's it, not doing any more calendar journals!!
But hang on! There is a happy ending! 'What?' you say 'surely not?' but having been out for most of the weekend I continued to sort out my "don't use, won't use", all of yesterday and this morning, just I'm coming to the end(well, of the easy stuff anyway) I pick up some paper that I was unsure about and Whey hey!! Whoop!, whoop! and a Hurrah! for that ... my two lovely, precious calendar journals - on my bloomin'  desk all the time, I had put quite a lot on there to sort through as a sitting job and they were my last thing to look at! Hubby was out this morning and I found them about ten minutes before he came home!He wondered why I was so pleased to see him!!!

Thanks for sitting through this rant, but I am soooo relieved!
and Thanks for looking and commenting too, Chris

Oh! and I'd like to enter this little birdy for
Anything but a Card challenge - Things with wings
and 
Happy Daze - recycle challenge

WOYWW

I've been tidying, not that you'd know from the state of my desk! It's been a bit of a dumping area so all around the little part I've dared to show there are piles of stuff still to go away. 
So what does a girl do when there's still loads to do - p-l-a-y!!
Mind you, that's about all it was, my mojo has definitely left the building and it was just case of messing around!
My desk is on show here of course, because along with other crafty folk around the world we get a chance to share a look at our workspaces, courtesy of Julia Dunnit of Stamping Ground. 
So here it is

To the back my Paris Stamps, still out because I still intend adding to my little journal that I started in Paris. Some loose atcs that I found mixed in with something else, and started me playing. On the mat my little wooden birdy stamp that I used to make one of the atcs you see, I will show this later but the photos I took earlier were all blurry and we are going out to see the Hobbit soon and no time to take more! The brown paper you see with shapes cut out are part of a Lakeland sandwich bag that I bought at the weekend- I think they are going to make lovely flowers - when I get around to it! Underneath that is my diary book that I started to make waaaaay back in October - it now has a cover(almost anyway!)most of the pages are made, and some even have planned events added!
So that's about it - I will visit later -if my eyes focus - we are going to see the film in 3D and it always take me some time to get back to reality!
Oh! and if anyone finds my mojo please, please direct him back here! Chris

365/2013calendarjournal

I just forgot to post this! Well, actually I was a bit late starting and I did take a photo on Saturday but it was in my camera!
So, here's the story - a few years ago the talented Kate Crane started this here journal challenge, well, me having a reputation for being late only joined in in 2011 but I must say it's a great way to record the year's good times(and bad!)and I really enjoy taking part! 
I was in a wintry mood when I started this so carried on with what I had up at the caravan - which meant no snowflakes - so back to something a lot of us used to do many moons ago - folding and cutting snowflakes! I wonder how many started crafting this way!

 I did have my Dylusions mask with me so used shaded lilac distress ink to make the journal squares. The background was made by mixing white acrylic paint with scribbled neo colours on a plastic lid and then scraping on with a 'credit' card I finished it off with sakura pens.
Oh! and here is my finished December page - almost ran out of space to write some days LOL!

I'll have to start February's page soon! Meanwhile I'm making an attempt(really!) to tidy up my craft room - I found my table today - hurray!!
Thanks for visiting, I'm looking forward to making a few visits myself, Chris

Time to take down the decorations!

...well, as my background - I took down the decorations in the flat yesterday, not wanting to tempt fate by leaving them up beyond Twelfth Night!I hope you like the background which a piece of needle felting I did last year. 
At the moment life isn't slowing down that much - partying again last night - another family party to celebrate a birthday, lots of games at this one and lots of laughter!
I'm longing to get back into my craft room, but for now there is just a pile of Christmas leftovers - not food I might add, just the entrails of some pre-Christmas crafting.
I have been doing some journaling - mainly on my knee in front of the tv while we do some catching up on recorded Christmas tv!

This was started following a walk at Holker Hall before Christmas - I think you may get the picture(we turned back!!)

This background was re-hashed a couple of times before I was happy with it and I drew the face and added the clock and the title (a Sandy Denny classic!)this year!!!
Wishing everyone a Happy New Year
Thanks for looking, Chrisx

WOYWW 187

Well, not actually my desk but the dining table at the caravan - what? Away again? Yep! We've been having a great New Year with my son and two of my lovely grandchildren. I hope that your New Year is starting as well as mine and I wish you all a very Happy New Year! Now two have gone home and my grandson is staying on with us for a couple more days.
So this is what's going on, of course without Julia and her nosy curious followers there wouldn't be an occasion like this to travel the world's work desks! Want to see more? Follow the links from here.

 I'm trying to get my calendar journal ready(hopefully to post later today - it now being the 2nd of the month!)Ive also been making a few journal pages, although mainly balanced on my lap.
Yesterday this very same table was used to make Thank You cards with my grand daughter - whoops - no photos!
Today though the main thing that's showing isn't mine, the green page at the bottom of the post is my grandson's.
Here it is in full

Very clever don't you think, he's very modest but this came from what he said was a sort of mistake so he started to doodle around it! He's got quite a few of his friends impressed and starting their own as well as his little sister! He's now started one in a different colour - not bad for a ten year old eh!

Finally a photo of my view from our new caravan, its the same view as I've shown you before but now I can sit and look at it as the kitchen sink is over the other side now!
Have a great day whatever you're doing - we're out for a while(and lunch I hope) but will be back later for a snoop around,LOL!
Thanks for looking, Chris