WOYWW - Trip to the North !

Well the trusty old workdesk is rather a mess this week ! Works in progress, gifts from friends & new goodies !

On the left is the clock I am in the midst of altering and also a wooden sleigh. The clock is waiting for a crackle paint layer .. and having gesso-ed the sleigh & painted the runners brown, I realised that I had no idea what a sleigh actually looks like ! So a trip to Google Images has yielded up a few ideas for me to carry on decorating this next weekend !

This past weekend, we headed North to my husband's home city of Manchester with our friends Lynda & Robert - so the menfolk could go to OldTrafford for the football. We were able to meet up with our other friends, Mary & Chris, for a lovely evening meal.  Here you can see a photo of us all together - and also the lovely Autumn ATC that Lynda made for me. We have set ourselves a challenge to complete an ATC (well one for each of us !) alternately based on the letters of the alphabet - so I have a "B" inspired ATC to create this month !

I want to show you the lovely card my friend Mary made for me. She is a relative newcomer to the world of crafting, but you can see she has a natural flair for it - and such beautiful precise matting up !! And she has become a true thrifty crafter - as she told me she hadn't written on the lovely black envelope - so I can use it again ! A woman after our own heart, or what !

When in Manchester we went to see the Pre-Raphaelite exhibition at the Manchester City Gallery - I have this visit on my "to do" list for the past 5 years !! They have some of the Brotherhood's most famous paintings & I was delighted to finally get there !   We had a mooch around the inevitable shop - and they had some beautiful wood cut style cards. This style is becoming very popular and I fell in love with this stunning image of rabbits in the wood !

I did manage to squeeze in a quick card making session on Sunday afternoon - this is for my nephew's birthday next week - he is into his football - so I hope he likes it !

 And just one last photo (promise !) Whilst we were in Manchester we found the Paperchase Store - it was simply ENORMOUS ! It was spread over 3 floors - we were like pigs at the trough & in our element !! We went round ooo-ing & ahh-ing and obviously stroking all the lovely paper goods - well who wouldn't !!  We did succumb to  a few goodies - this Woodland Creatures paper, sticky notes & embellishments was irresistible !  

So wishing you all a fun crafty week ! Ali xx

WOYWW - Gelli Babies This Weekend !

Well the weather at the weekend was a rollercoaster of grey clouds, fleeting sunshine, deluge downpours & hailstones !
The menfolk headed off to footie on Saturday afternoon & Lynda came over for a play date !

We decided to dive in to playing with a Gelli Plate !

So we hauled the acrylic paints, brayer, stencils, paper & card down to the conservatory and had a happy few hours experimenting & getting covered in paint !

I am not much of one for experimenting on my own - it was so much more fun playing together !
We learnt a huge amount just messing around, bouncing ideas off each other and saying "what if we do this or that" !

By the end of the afternoon we each had a great stack of printed sheets to use in our journals and on projects !

Here's our creations !

This week my desk is its usual messy self !

I have a new page in my junk journal.

When I was passing through Heathrow earlier this month I wandered into the perfume section of the Duty Free Shop to have a little squirt of something fragrant, I spotted these cute fabric labels promoting the new fragrance from Guerlain - La Petite Robe Noire.

I just knew I had to grab one & create a page .. so I found this Prima doll stamp & tried some paper piecing ...










I have a page under construction - using one of my Gelli prints.

Its about how, as an adult, we tame our inner monsters to meet what is deemed socially acceptable ..

I very rarely lose my temper or even raise my voice but sometimes when I see a child have a tantrum, I secretly wonder if - when sorely provoked - it would be lovely to let the inner monster out - just once in a while !!

And also perched on the edge of the desk are a couple of Zentangle magazines - one about dangles & one a great magazine I picked up in Germany with some excellent designs as inspiration - planning to have a Zentangle play when I get a minute !

Anyway have a lovely crafty week & looking forward to seeing what you have been up to ! Ali xx

WOYWW - We've Turned Into Junkies !!

Well I was missing in action last Wednesday,as I was working on our company's exhibition stand in Anuga - the largest Food Trade Exhibition in the world - held in Cologne in Germany.

It was a completely exhausting week - I could barely put one foot in front of the other by this time last week - let alone blog !!
And I hurt in places I didn't know I had places after a week on my feet - I am strictly a desk jockey normally !

I found it amazing to be working with my colleagues from all over Europe - walking out onto the stand to hear them holding meetings in French, German, Dutch, Czech, Russian, Polish, Spanish, Italian - the list went on - was a huge buzz !

Before I set off on the Saturday morning I was determined to make sure my birthday thank you cards were in the post - so I had a concerted effort to put a few little cards together !

My DH was star & got them off in the post for me as I headed to the airport !







This Saturday after a couple of nights sleep back in my own bed I was feeling vaguely more human !
Which was great as my friend Lynda & I headed off to Wantage to the Stamp Attic for Kate Crane's Junk Journal workshop.

We were clutching a bag of junk - cardboard, old cereal boxes, envelopes, clothing tags and so on which we had been advised to collect over the previous month !

It was worth the 260 mile round trip ! Wendy - who runs the Stamp Attic check out her website here (http://www.thestampattic.co.uk/index.html) - was a smashing hostess, the workshop was fun & creative - and Kate was great in sharing her techniques & tips - and we were teasing her about being very strict about us keeping the busy workshop room neat & tidy ! !

So we had a fab day covered in gesso & paint !

And brought home our Junk Journals ready to play in !
Here's us with Kate (she's in the middle !) proudly clutching our journals !








The best part of all was having a friend to go with who enjoyed the day as much as me ! Thanks Lynda !

Have a great crafty week !
Ali x

WOYWW Summer Over - Milestone Passed !

Well hello fellow WOYWWers !
I have been AWOL for the past 2 weeks on holiday - so no crafting to post about !
We had a lovely time out in Spain - glorious sunshine each day !
We reluctantly had to close down our little Spanish house ready to sell it which was very sad - lots of blubbing from me I'm afraid! But all our packing up, trips to the local Cancer Support charity shop, giving of things to our friends & arrangements to ship some belongings home to Wales went well & we have our fingers crossed that the sale will complete safely in a couple of week time.

My birthday celebrations went well - I managed to eek them out for a full fortnight & I enjoyed myself all round !
We held a fun lunch out with my Mum's side of the family before our holiday - with my Auntie celebrating her 80th along with me on my 50th !

When we got back from Spain Mum & I had a great day at Haguelands Farm in New Romney, Kent - meeting my sponsored Alpacas in the morning & then trekking with an Alpaca in the afternoon - they are such adorable creatures - as you know I have a huge soft spot for them !

We had a lovely pizza out with my parents and sister & her family on the Friday night - I do miss spending time like this with them living so far away !

On my birthday I had fun opening my cards & presents and we had a lovely meal out at Webbes of Rock A Nore - great fish restaurant !











I had some great cards - all displayed on my windowsill here now we are back home !

And some beautiful handmade cards - this lovely Steampunk inspired card from my friend Lynda










This lovely delicate & intricate card from my friend Jan in Spain

.. and my Auntie had this lovely card made for me too

My desk is chaos this week - too much dumped on it post holiday !!

So I even had to move a few things to my desk chair to show them to you this week !










Here are the lovely goodies that my sister, friend Lynda & DH bought (and made) me !

And the project I took to make on holiday - this is Seaside Girl - a Tilda kit I bought at Hobbycrafts - I made a few swaps & changes to the clothes designs - and I haven't had time to finish her face but I am happy how she came out.
Being a Seaside Girl myself she just called out to me !








And if this looks like a pile of junk - that's exactly what it is !
Lynda & I are going on a Junk Journal course with Kate Crane later this month & we have to collect junk !
Never a big issue for a hoarder like me !!










And I just wanted to share the gorgeous flowers that my lovely husband, parents & sister gave me for my birthday - with a Sapphire & Opal theme for my birthstones !

Anyway - its great to be back & looking forward to seeing what you have all been up to !!
Have a great week ! Ali x

WOYWW - There was cake & candles & singing !

Late post tonight !
I normally post on a Tuesday night but yesterday we had colleagues from all over Europe on site at work for their annual sales meeting & we were out for dinner last night ...

Tonight was our first scrapclub of the Autumn term & it was lovely to see the girls again !

We had a great time catching up on our various summer activities !
And they were lovely and brought me a birthday cake - complete with candles & singing !
A bit early but I am stretching my birthday out over a month so this was a lovely surprise !

In amongst all our gossiping I even got a quick layout done !

















On my desk tonight I have the envelope I decorated for my Auntie's card ..

 And the sign I have been working decorating ...

I saw this field of sunflowers - right by our council recycling tip ! 

This maybe normal in some of the more warm & sunny parts of the world - but believe me this is not normal for West Wales !! I thought they were such an uplifting gorgeous sight & wanted to share them with you !

Take care & enjoy your week ! Ali x

Last Of The Scavenger Hunt Photos for Summer 2013 !

Well - Summer is slipping away fast !
Darker mornings & evenings, cool nights & even saw the leaves on a chestnut tree outside the building where we go swimming each Sunday turning umber & russet today !
So I thought I should get on with posting my last four photos to complete the scavenger hunt ... see the button in my side bar for details.

So here goes with

No 4 - an aeroplane - this was the plane that took us on my flight to Belfast last month ..

No 11 - an animal in a sanctuary etc - this is the adorable baby alpaca Mariposa & Epi, her Mum.

My lovely husband bought me the opportunity to name the baby as a present for our 20th Wedding Anniversary back in May - donating to a local cancer charity in the process.

Then we just had to wait for a female "cria" (that's the name for a baby Alpaca !) to be born !
I called her Mariposa - Alpacas are from Peru which is now Spanish speaking so I thought she should have a Spanish name in honour of her ancestors !! Mariposa means "butterfly".

No 21 - Me with my trusty Cuttlebug happily die cutting at my craft desk !
All those folder behind house my rather substantial stash of rubber stamps !

And my permitted substitute photo - I couldn't find No 16 a windmill - and I didn't really feel that the wind turbines we have down here were quite right !

So I substituted a Sundial instead - this one is right on the sea wall in the Mumbles ....

So that's me all done with the 21 photos ! Hope you have joined in the fun too !
Winter challenge next anyone !!

WOYWW - WIP's !

Hi everyone - missed you all last week as I was in Paris.
Now that sounds lovely doesn't it ?

Well don't be fooled - as I was actually on an industrial estate 20 miles north of Paris getting cold, tired & smelly conducting machinery trials for 3 days - and missed my bank holiday Monday off too.

So not exactly the romantic idyll you might expect from Paris !

Anyway it was great to be back home late Thursday night !

We had a lovely day on Saturday with our friends Lynda & Robert - a great walk around Cardiff Bay to the barrage - then a South American tapas lunch at Las Iguanas - yummy !

We really enjoyed ourselves & commented how great it was to share the final sunny days of summer with friends !









Sunday I just needed to rest up after the busy week - so as well as the weekly shopping trip - I was pleased to have a happy day pottering at my craft desk - hence you can see plenty of WIP's !

So here you can see my "works in progress" this week ...

I started Shimelle's Learn Something New Everyday course for 2013 on Sunday.

I have done this course a couple of times in previous years - even finished it some years !

I have gone with 6" x 6" pages - just cut to size or selected some from pads that size - as I will be away for the 2nd half of the month, I wanted something small & portable !

I bought these sassy cats at the Newbury Show - they were supposed to be decoupaged but I thought they looked cute just like this anyway - plus a few lime gems to add a bit of bling !

Shimelle sends you a prompt each day & then the idea is you create an entry for each day.
Some people blog, some do tags, mini books - even 12" x 12" layouts !

You may be asking what on earth is that green thing lurking to the left hand side ?

Well it's a silicon spoon rest from Tesco ! I had this brain wave it would be ideal for resting messy paint brushes on ! then rinse under the tap or even whisk through the dish washer (rinsed first of course !) - so I'll let you know if it works out !!


I have been working on this box - it once contained my DH's Samsung tablet - it was destined for the recycling bin but when I felt how sturdy it was I couldn't bear not to to alter it !

So 2 coats of gesso finally blocked out the pack photos & writing - and then a coat of baby blue acrylic !

I had bought some texture paste as I had seen people doing great things with it on various blogs - so here is my first attempt to do texture paste through stencils !

I have got this far - but am a bit of a loss now !!
How do I add more colour to the white paste areas now without messing up the back ground ???
Please - anyone who knows where to go from here - point me in the right direction !!

My bargain sign is getting various layers of paint - still looks at the messy stage !!

But I am hoping it will start to come together !!

And the only fully finished project on the desk this week is the card I have made for my Auntie's birthday !!

And that's all from me - great to be back with you all this week - looking forward to seeing what you have all been upto !

Have a great week !
Ali x