WOYWW - Hoppy Easter !

Finally back at my work-desk after a 12 day straight stint at work , major food show, wasted 24 hours trying to get to Germany with all flights cancelled and a stinking cold to follow !

Trying to ignore sniffing & snuffling into my tissues this past weekend, I set about making my Easter cards !

I used my new fun Chloe "Easter Critter" stamps and some papers that came free with a magazine a while ago - I really liked the happy Spring colours.


It was quite good to work with a limited colour palette and create within it - just adding some ribbons and washi tape and getting out a neglected border punch !
I got all the cards made on Saturday & posted by Sunday - and know they started arriving on Tuesday so safe to show them here !

I haven't played in my art journal in ages and being full of cold wasn't feeling especially inspired & creative but a few days ago I had seen a page on the Clips N Cuts blog and YouTube which I really liked - her page was celebrating her love of coffee but I am not really a true coffee girl .
So I journal-lifted her idea but it reflects my view  that are few occasions that can't be improved by a nice cup of tea (even if I have to have Decaff Tea as I am allergic to caffeine !)




So on my desk tonight you can see my Chloe stamps, some colouring I have done on a "Girlsfriends" stamp leant to me by a friend at Craftclub, my journal any my daily diary.

And some Alphabet stamps that came free with a magazine and the Flow book of all sorts of papers & paper-craft ideas - made to be ripped out & used in projects !

Well hope everyone has a brilliant Easter - my sister & her family arrive tomorrow for the Easter weekend - so don't expect to see much of my desk for the next few days !
Enjoy your Easter ! Ali xx

WOYWW - Spring Garden !

Well the garden has taken up all my time this past weekend - both outside & at my workdesk !

On Sunday Much Beloved headed to Manchester to go to footie and I had the day to myself - so I set to on the back garden - digging over the soil to try to make it less compacted, weeded - an ongoing battle with hairy bittercress !! - and then I had bought sacks of organic compost from the local council recycling tip which I used as a mulch.
After 3 hours of all this it was a treat to get out of the cold in my potting shed to sow some seeds - my new gloves have been a godsend in keeping my hands warm & dry these past couple of weeks ! And my new pink wellibobs have been doing the trick keeping my feet cosy too !
I have over-wintered some mitzuna, turnips and spinach quite successfully in the Veg-Trug - and on the lower right hand side you can see the lengths I have had to go to in my anti-feline campaign on my veggie bed !!

Back at my desk, I was grateful to get into the warm and work on my new garden junk journal - I made a page to capture what I have been up to and also to express how I feel about the work now being an act of faith that the garden will look something other than grey, brown and empty !











I have used rings to secure the junk journal for the moment so it doesn't matter if it gets plump with pages !

And I journaled a few pages ready to stick in pictures from this month's activities  ...

Lynda & her husband came over for supper and a film on Saturday - and we swapped the tags for our Art Tag swap - the challenge this month was stencils and recycling - so my tags were themed for March and featured flowers from tissue paper which was wrapped around some new shoes, the strip on the tag from a carrier bag & the string from clothes tags !







And I got to use some new Paperartsy stamps too !
I love the quote " to plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow !

 

Have a great crafty week ! 

Ali xx

WOYWW - Finally Some Crafting !

Well after weeks of crafty inactivity I finally got to get some inky, painty action !

With Mother's Day next weekend, I wasn't happy with what I had made as my first effort at a Mother's Day card ...

Although I liked the stamp I had used - especially as Mum loves birds - but I felt in the end it looked a bit small & subdued for what I wanted to express.

So this one became a gift voucher with an IOU a meal when we next get together !






So I decided to get out my new JOFY stamps and make something a bit bigger, brighter & a bit more fun.

I went a bit JOFY mad - with the card, the inside of the card and even the envelope !
I know Mum loves her garden too ...

Although Sunday started with teaming rain & thick fog here - by 2pm it was sunny & quite pleasant so I was able to get out in the garden for over 2 hours.

I was inspired by the garden to set about making a JOFY Junk Journal which I plan to use as a Garden Journal this summer.

I like to make notes about what I have planted, how it has grown, the weather conditions and so on ..

I decided to recycle the box that my mail order of JOFY stamps and paints had arrived in to make the covers ..








  This is where I have got to so far ...

And I have been using up the dregs of paint to start a base page for the journal as I go ...

I'll start making the inside pages next ...
I always end up with random plant labels, seed packets and other sundry items that I don't quite know what to do with but want to keep as a reference - so hopefully I will be able to collect everything together in this journal.

I have my Easter cards on my mind too ... and decided to buy some Chloe stamps I had seen on TV - the bunnies just appealed to me !!




 
 
Anyway - have a great week everyone ! Ali xx

WOYWW Happy 300 ! Working Not Crafting!

Oh no I here you say - yet another of her excuses! This year has been a complete wash out on the crafting front !

And then this week I had to come up to London on Sunday ready to attend a Food Technology and Innovation conference near St Pauls, so this is my 3rd night in a Premier Inn!

I did make a Mother's Day card  on Saturday but didn't take a photo of it to show you as of yet.


So no crafty contributions this week but I have really enjoyed walking through this area up Ludgate Hill & round St Pauls Cathedral - so much history intermingled with the ultra modern.
Early this morning I went into the cathedral to have a quiet few minutes remembering a family friend who we lost a short time ago. A very uplifting way to start my day.

 I enjoyed most of the conference - there are always some parts that suit everyone more then others - but some good ideas to build on.
Really hoping to get to some crafty stuff this weekend!
Have a great week Ali xx