Happy New Year -WOYDTW !

It's more of What's On Your Dining Table this Wednesday - today my friend Lynda from Scrap Club came to play ! It was a really foggy & gloomy day but we had a fun few hours getting really messy with paints & Glimmer Mists - painting & stamping boxes & tissue boxes in the conservatory where the light was actually quite good.

So what with lunch & naughty cream cakes & lots of chatter - we had a really enjoyable day !

So its been a good crafty year ... I've kept to my resolution to be more adventurous with my projects & just to get stuck in & not to dither about worrying it won't go "right" .. and it doesn't always go "right" but hey its not the end of the world .. learn & move on to something else ! Have fun & get let the creative urge have its way !

So hope everyone has a very Happy & Crafty New Year - get messy & have fun !

Feeling Christmas-y !

I don't really know what this feeling is - this "feeling Christmas-y" - we were debating it as we walked around London yesterday looking at foodie inspiration places before we went to the IGD Glitter Ball last night. I think it must be the creeping sensation of appreciating how lovely the buildings & shop windows are as dusk draws in & the Christmas lights twinkle & shine .. the getting dressed up for a night out - the frosty clear mornings, Christmas trees in the hotel & even at Paddington Station - and the firms prompting us to buy buy buy with their Christmas point of sale materials & all the goodies on the shelves of course.

So here's a montage of past couple of days & yes - whatever it is - I DO feel Christmas-y now !

Christmas Journal Underway !

So on my work desk this week I don't have much in the craft line but I do have the pages I am working on for my Christmas Journal.

Each day Shimelle sends us a prompt to give us inspiration for that day's page & this year we are also getting a photography prompt with new ideas & techniques for

our Christmas photos. I'm really enjoying it & how it makes me take time out to consider the little things about this month that might just slip past unmarked.

I find it takes me a few days to get a "feel" for how the journal will develop & gradually it takes on it's own character - I quite like the little note cards Shimelle has given us this year & so far have been using them to give the pages a rhythm & continuity. Not sure if this will work throughout the month or look a bit boring - but so far I like it !

Today I had a little 13 hour trek setting out at 5.30am to present to a customer & en route we stopped for coffee just as it got light. In the car-park were the trees in these pictures - I have never seen anything like these ice crystal which almost look like an exploding starburst ! Amazing what this winter is throwing our way already !

Have a happy Wednesday & a fun crafty week - hope if you are in the freezing UK or somewhere equally icy you stay safe & warm !

Snow & Ice - Christmas Anticipation !

So here we are with December about to start & we have already been frozen in our snowy little cul de sac since Friday ! No where near as bad as up North & in Scotland but snow & ice are not compatible with disabled living & make my DH's life a misery.

Still we have decided to crank up the heating & try not to let it get us down !

Christmas feels like it is a hovering breath away !

With a new year of Journal Your Christmas about to start, I am feeling all tingly with anticipation of what the next month may hold & looking forward to creating my journal !

My lovely Mum has sent my advent calender & I am really looking forward to opening the envelope to celebrate the 1st being here - yes I am in my late 40's & yes my Mum is still buying me & my sister Advent calenders & I for one am unrepentantly happy that we keep this as a family tradition !!

I have already made inroads into the Christmas shopping, the cards are all written (sorry they are just shop-bought ones - which puts me to shame when I see everyone else's lovely home made cards but it just isn't my thing !) - and ready to post this week.

On Saturday I really enjoyed my annual Christmas shopping trip with my friend Joanna to Narberth - a lovely village in Pembrokeshire with loads of individual shops full of crafts, jewelry & art - and a Spanish Deli where we have a Tapas lunch & a glass of Cava to kick off our Christmas spirit !

On my desk today you can see I have finished my Christmas shadow box - still not sure it isn't a bit dull but I have tried to use a bit of gold to liven it up ! Think maybe fundamentally the brown was a bad choice with the red frame - but you live & learn !! Comments on what you think I could have done to improve it gratefully received !! I can always recycle it into something else after Christmas !!

I have the metalwork I am working on from the new Ten Seconds Studios Christmas Kabuka mold & when I have finished it I hope to add the 4 tree panel to the front of my Journal.

I have a few new stamps that I tacked onto an order for some cute chicken stamps that'll be part of what my parents are buying me for Christmas - and a leaflet we picked up on Saturday of Scandinavian style decorations - I succumbed to some ribbon in the red & white with Christmas Reindeer & Tree motifs on it - so the leaflet is for inspiration as to what to make with that !

Well that's my desk & snippets of life for this week ! Looking forward to seeing your desks this week - have a great crafty week & stay warm if you are somewhere snowy like us !!

WOYWW - Christmas is coming - help !!

OMG ! This time next month it will be Christmas Eve ! And I have barely anything Christmas related done !

We are not entertaining at home this year - so thankfully at least I have that pressure off - but I have to get my act together on the present buying front !

On the work desk this week is a little Christmas shadow box in the making ... I had this idea way back at the Artsy Crafty weekend in October & I have been messing about with the pieces but have decided it's tipped the balance from being "colour co-ordinated & tasteful" into "all a bit dull & muted" !! So I need to have a re-think as to how I get a bit of - still tasteful ! - Christmas pizazz into it ! I think some metal work might be called for - or making some mosaic tiles from polymer clay ??

Anyway something to play around with ... and a week today Journal Your Christmas starts again - so I need to get my Album cover underway & I am determined to get all my date labels done up in advance - that prep paid off big style when I did Learn Something New in September - so if I really DID learn that particular new thing I'd be silly not to act on it !!

Oh - and place cards for the Christmas table are on my TO DO list too !

Anyway Happy Wednesday & looking forward to a snoop around your desks this week !

Finally Scrapping !

So at last I have had my 1st weekend at home since September - not that I'm complaining about all the fun things I have been doing - but it was nice just to have time to fuddle about !
I managed to catch up on some scrapping - I have had the idea to scrap a page about how exceptionally stunning the trees have been this Autumn sloshing around in my head for weeks - so here's my attempt - a photo I took looking out from the ramparts of Windsor Castle, grunge board leaves from Tim Holtz Tattered Leaves die, a tree I decorated at an Artsycrafty Weekend but didn't really like the end project (so have teased off all the elements to recycle them !), and some Glimmermisted card stock & a bit of journalling. Maybe does do those stunning trees justice but at least I've had a go at homage !

Next up is a double page spread of our trip round Windsor Castle - hard to capture the vastness of the place - but a fun reminder of our girlie weekend ! And I tried something a bit different with the journalling - a sort of script of the conversation between Michaela & I deciding to have our weekend away - inspired by the True Stories course I did to experiment with different journalling styles !

So now I have these Autumn snaps finally safely scrapped I feel I can move onto a few Christmas projects with a clear conscience !!!

Sisters Doing It For Themselves !!

Finally getting round to scrapping some photos from the past month !

Here's the first page of my sister Michaela & I on our "let's leave the menfolk at home" girlie Sisters weekend in Windsor last month.

I am trying to do something on each layout that's just a bit beyond just sticking the photos down album style - which is what time constraints seem to be having me do lately !

On this layout I have used my new Martha Stewart "Iron Gate" round the page punch to create the paper strips behind the photos - thought the design of the punch reminded me of all the fancy railings surrounding the Castle !

A happy page of a happy weekend spent touring the Castle, eating, drinking posh coffee (& cava !) and shopping !

WOYWT !! Better late than Never !

Just don't know where the days go - the year is rushing headlong towards its end & I'm still trying to fit life in to days which seems ever shorter !! I haven't had a full weekend at home with no prior commitments since September ! What I've been doing has been fun but I am SO looking forward to a lazy weekend coming up ! Only a haircut planned in ! So hopefully sometime to craft !

I forgot my camera yesterday - so missed the WOYWW - so mine's a Thursday entry this week !

On my desk is the beginnings of the layouts of my sister & I in Windsor last month. And on my chair is the project box packed to take to club. We had a lovely chatty evening & I got the circles Christmas layout done - leaving the photo spaces free for this year's Christmas photos ! And also had time to do quite a bit of the Windsor pages - just the journalling & titles to put in - so a good evening all round !

WOYWW - Yummy Stash & Achy Feet !

Hi Happy Wednesday !

Sunny, bright & a frosty OoC here in West Wales this morning !

Have been so busy shopping haven't actually got to do any crafting !

Had a fun trip to the NEC Hobbycraft Show with Lynda, Cheryl & Theresa from Scrapbook Club - the journeys went much faster with lots of chatter in the car - much more fun to have friends to share the day with !

I did have a shopping list & got quite a few bits that I wanted - and some things I didn't know I wanted but just had to have !

So some new Lavina stamps - Tracy's work is so lovely - I can stand & watch her for hours ! The lady at Imagination Crafts was demo-ing Silkies - I had had some as a gift when I re-subscribed to Craft Stamper but didn't really understand what they did - her demo was great & I succumbed to another set ! And a brayer - really need to get practicing with that !

Martha Stewart punches were everywhere - and some good prices ! I got a couple of the Round The Page ones - one will be from my parents for Christmas ! A few other stamps & paints .. and saw these brushes being used as an alternative to Cut & Dry foam & the lady at Inklicious was not getting those hard lines you (well I !!) get when you use foam - she made it look easy - but I need to see how I get on with them.

So a fun day, good company - happy shopper - achy feet by the end of the day - and oh my the aisles were rammed with people at some points !!!

As you can see, when I got home my DH made me a lovely G&T to sip whilst I admired my stash & recorded it all in my book ... and he cooked our supper that night .... who could ask for more !!

WOYWW - Well not actually on the desk !

Hi - Happy Wednesday ! Now the second Artsy Crafty weekend is all done & dusted (and enjoyed by the sounds of the enthusiasm on the Yahoo Group !) we are allowed to show what we created - so this week (having spent a girlie weekend in Windsor with my Sister last weekend & so having done no other crafting !! ) here are my projects from my lovely painty, inky weekend with Leandra & Lin & the gang !

The flower frame was about ripping & using corrugated cardboard - a first for Mrs Neat & Symmetrical here - but I love the effect & would use it again - also the edging of the card using metallic embossing powders - I don't think I use these enough (despite having some in my stash!) - so that's on my - "must do more of" list ! The Book of Wisdom (with the owl) we made the niche using a bit of cardboard engineering & scrapbook papers which we then altered - again I had used pre-made niche boxes but not made my own - should be achievable with a bit of planning out first !

And the shadow box was something I had tried with my Autumnal Owl a few months back but I enjoyed doing this one too - and have a plan sloshing quietly around my head for a Christmas version - so I have a blank box & will be on the look out for a suitable nice big & bold Christmas stamp at the NEC on Saturday !

Anyone going to wear a WOYWW badge to that ?

Have a great week & thanks for stopping by !

WOYWW - Back at the desk !

Hi there - a week on holiday & a business trip to Paris have meant no action on the work desk - but the weekend more than made up for it as it was the ArtsyCrafty weekend. What a fabulous two days - friendly, inspirational, creatively challenging - yummy new colours to try! Exhausting yet great fun! Worth the 10 hour round trip !

We can't show the things we made until after the 2nd class this coming weekend but the desk is piled high with the goodies that I was tempted to in the shop !! New stamps, a couple of Kabuka moulds from Ten Seconds Studio, some yummy new colours of gloop (AKA Viva Gold Paint - I love this stuff !) a new gold Mica Spray, new paints -I must be having my blue phase !!- and the pink papers from Tim Holtz I had been eying up for ages !!

Also lots of fun things to decorate & use all that stash on !

Oh and a shot to show my ArtyApron - suitably painty & inky after the weekend !!

Also this week is the new True Stories journalling course from Shimelle - having trouble time wise getting started but have the prompts printed for when I get a few minutes !!

Happy Wednesday !

WOYWW - Time Ladies Please !

Hi there -hope everyone is well this rainy Wednesday !

Not much action on the desk this week except for the project I was playing with on Sunday.

I spotted this clock in the sale in Homebase on Saturday & thought it was crying out to be altered ! (I've shown a before & after above).

So I gesso-ed the shiny surface & then worked in Distress inks & Glimmer mists. I used some of my Ten Seconds studio molds to create the metal work & inserted the centre panel and added the outer rim. It looked a bit unfinished so I added a couple of layers of Viva Crocco paint to get a crackled finish. I really pleased with how it's crackled (my best attempt yet !) but the gold is very brassy & garish - does anyone know if I can tone it down by gently adding something over the top of the Crocco paint ? Would a Distress Ink work ? Pumice Stone maybe ? Or an acrylic paint - would I have to water it down ? All suggestions gratefully received !

I did a couple of extra crackled pieces to use in scrapbooking or embellishments - so I could have a trial run on these !!

Have a great crafty & creative week everyone !

WOYWW - Birthday Blues ?

Hi there - well birthday over & done with for another year. Had a fit of the glooms about it this year - we normally go away but it didn't work out date wise with other commitments this time & so had a normal day at the office. Did get cards & texts from family etc - so need to stop being such a grump !

DH did his best to make it a nice day with pressies (lovely Joules sweatshirt in a yummy plum colour - all chosen by him !) and cooked my supper for me. Its so nice to be cherished !

On my desk this week is Day 28 of Learn Something New - I'm dead proud of myself for keeping up & just 2 days left ! I've resisted looking at 2009's book (which didn't get finished until March this year !) but it will be fun to compare the 2 years when the month is over ! Next stop Journal Your Christmas !! I've already bought the papers I'm going to use ! Sad or what !

And some photos of our friends wedding last Friday ready to be scrapped this weekend - I made them a mini book on Sunday & posted it to them - not sure if it's their kind of thing but I enjoyed doing it & hope they like it !

So a question for everyone - storing your stamps - I am trying to stick to buying unmounted and clear stamps as just haven't the room for wooden ones (but do get tempted sometimes !!) currently have them in folders by manufacturer - some of which are bulging & so a major sort out is looming.

I can't decide whether to stick by manufacturer or to move to subject matter - florals, houses (I seem to have a bit of a thing for quirky house stamps !!), swirls, birds & animals, cutsie, Christmas etc etc - what does everyone else do ? What seems to work best ? Do you keep a reference book with images from all your stamps in it for ease of finding just the "right" image when you want it ? I've got one but its a bit higgledy-piggledy as I've added bits to pages here there & everywhere ! All hints & tips gratefully received !!

One extra picture this week - my desk at work ! I had to take card & the faithful trimmer into work to make place cards for a product presentation today - so work desk relocated this morning !

WOYWW - Packed for Crafting !

Today I am showing my desk but also my bag - packed ready for a painty evening at my local Scrapbook Club where we are making canvasses with pictures - I've done canvasses with stamping before but not used any photos - so not sure how it's going to go but should be fun anyway !

On my desk are my Learn Something New pages - day 21 yesterday and I'm keeping up !! On the other photo balanced on my trusty printer is the box I put together of pages, dates pre-stamped & black & white papers with brightly coloured stick on letters - its made a massive difference to keeping up just to have a set box of stash to dip into & the colours/ stash all defined. As someone who (maybe!!) has so much stash it's hard to know where to start - this has been a brilliant discipline & I've really enjoyed the challenge of making the book from that pre-decided collection. I think I'd take this approach again if I get "terrifying blank page & ideas deserted me " syndrome !!

You can see my wooden case I altered with Graphic 45 Steampunk Debutante papers & the dress for I made traced from a chipboard shape & then the new Cuttlebug cogs folder with Vivagold smudged over to highlight it ! I did get a couple of extra dress form stamps (they just leapt into my basket at LB Crafts!) which I didn't use but I have papers left so I think I'll make another little project with them !

Well have a great Wednesday everyone ! See you next week when sadly I shall be another year older ! Birthday next Tuesday - trying to tactically ignore the date looming on the calendar !!

Duck Egg Blue Thing Going On !

I didn't quite realise it but I seem to have a real Duck Egg Blue thing going on at the moment !! A bit of a departure from my normal Pink palette !

I finished my altered box off with some Viva Gold & am quite pleased with it - not sure what I will do with it - but hey it's the journey not the destination !!

I also spent a happy painty & gluey Saturday afternoon whilst Rich was down watching the Swans at the Liberty Stadium. I had the Elvis Forever concert on iPlayer & had a good couple of hours altering the small wooden case I had bought at ArtsyCraft in May - I used the Steampunk Debutante Graphic45 papers I had bought at LB Crafts a couple of weeks ago.

I've never tried using papers on anything this big before - and for a first attempt I'm quite pleased with how it's turned out !

WOYWW - Scrap the Month !

Hi Welcome to Wednesday !

Activity on the desk this week ! I managed to scrap the lovely photo my DH took of my nephews & I when I went back home to Hastings the other weekend!

I suppose using all blues for a picture of my boys is a bit of a cliche but I think it works quite well! I have had these journalling stamps for quite a while & it's good to get a use for them !

I'm also up to day 13 in my Learn Something New Everyday book - it's not easy to keep up each day in the week - especially if I am away for work - but I had a blitz on Sunday to catch up !

Tucked off to the side are a couple of lovely new Invoke Art stamp sets that I chose as a gift from my sister for my birthday later in the month .. I'm trying to be a good girl and not use them until after my birthday !!

Feeling pleased with myself today as I managed to get a ticket for one of the ArtsyCrafty Tim Holtz classes next February - should be a fun day !

Hope you have a great Wednesday - looking forward to seeing your desks this week !

We are Family ...

Well not a crafty weekend but a good one for all that !

I went home for the weekend - my poor Dad is badly laid up after another motorbike accident - covered in bruises & not able to walk. It was awful to see him so bashed about.

On Saturday we left him tucked in his reclining chair with bad leg propped up & went for a walk in the park. Unbeknownst to us it was the "Day @ the Park event in Alexander Park & we were able to join in the fun. It's lovely to spend time with the family - doesn't happen often enough ! We had a really fun afternoon with stalls, live music, welly wanging & helterskelters & bouncy castles !

WOYWW - Live Life In Colour !

Hi there - my desk this week is the calm after a little frenzy of crafty action !

I have actually completed some projects !

I am reading my bargin copy of Visual Chronicles about art journalling and they suggest little projects to get you into things.

The first is to create a personal colour palette book - you map out "your colours", those of family & friends, of the colours you associate with different moods etc.

I thought it a bit odd at first but went with the idea, raided the colour swatches in the paint department of B&Q & made this little book - once I got into it I really enjoyed it - i did colour combos for DH, parents, sister (and me !) - then anger, melacholy, peacefulness & the 4 seasons.

I think going forward I could add to it with colour combinations that I come across which inspire me !

I also have another colour project - the little book I've made with all the colours of my Distress Inks as a quick reference for inky projects !

To the right hand side I have some "test pots" of chalky emulsion period paints - meant for decorating but great to make the background colours for things like this box (on the left) I'm in the midst of altering (another TK Max bargin!).

In the centre are my Silkies inks & stamp a free gift for renewing my Craft Stamper subscription - yet to play with these !

Some new stamps - also TK Max bargins - bought a new album & papers too but they are stowed away !

Oh and a mini canvass which is sitting drying - made to sit on my dressing table out in Spain !

Anyway hope everyone has a happy Wednesday - can't believe it is September already & another summer has slipped through my fingers !

WOYWW - New stash !

Hi there - hope everyone well & enjoying their Wednesday - severe weather warning out for Wales this afternoon - gales & lashing rain. In August. Great ! Just working up to a typical rain soaked British Bank Holiday Weekend I suppose !!

Anyway, I have new stash to play with so I can huddle at home & stoically ignore the weather outside !

On my desk this morning are my new yummy papers - bought at Paperarts in Stroud at the weekend. Nice little shop with mainly scrapping stuff - but I was completely ignored until I got to the till - I don't like to be "pounced on" by staff demanding to know what I want when I'm just in for a brouse in a shop, but a Hi, Good Morning or even just a smile of welcome would be nice! Or is that just me ?

Anyway - have some nice new papers & hope to use them in my Learn Something New Everyday class next month. I have the last 2 distress inks I wanted to have the whole set ! I've made little cards with a big smudge of colour on them & the name of the pad. I'm going to decorate a couple of chip-board covers to make it into a swatch book so I can refer to it as I'm crafting & get just the colour I have in my head !!

I have me new Visual Chronicles book about art journalling - bargin at £3.99 in TK Max (over £20 on Amazon so I felt smug at finding it !) - hoping to start some of the ideas in it this weekend too. DH is off to football for the day Saturday & I have a thousand plans for my free day - I need it to be about 72 hours in the one day !!

Anyway looking forward to seeing everyone's desk tonight when I get back from Scrap-Club - but visiting everyone might be plan 1001 for Saturday !! Have a happy crafty Wednesday !

Learn Something New - 2010 Class !

Can it really be a year since I did the last of Shimelle's Learn Something New Everyday daily scrapping & journalling class ?

I did really well for the first 18 days but then went on holiday & despite good intentions everything fell apart !

So I went back on 19th March this year and followed the last 12 prompts & finished the scrapbook - better (6 months!) late than never !!

Here's hoping I can keep up this year !

I'm going to prep my album this weekend & hopefully that will set me up for day 1 & the rest of the month !

Watch this space to see how I do !

WOYWW - Back to Scrap !

Hiya ! After a fun weekend taking part in Shimelle's Summer On Line crop I am still in a scrapping mood ! On my desk this week I have a layout in progress - a lovely, relaxing, hot Summer's day following our friends playing golf on the stunningly beautiful course near El Escorial north of Madrid.

The ladies at Scrap Girls fab digital scrapping website have a 23% off sale on - so I'm in the middle of downloading some of the digital stash I have just bought - great site & such helpful guys there - check it out if you don't know it - http://www.scrapgirls.com/. I don't use the stash for digital so much as haven't had time to learn a software system (retirement project maybe !!) - but I use it to print out & scrap with & for work projects too.

On the left is the finished box for my board book - with my grunge roses - don't let Sue at Jaberwocky (great blog - check it out too !) see them as she was lamenting if she sees another one it will be a century too soon !

Still I think they are quite cute for a first attempt !

Have a happy Wednesday & thanks so much for stopping by !

Scrapping with Circles Challenge

One last entry to Shimelle's Online Summer crop for tonight. Scrap a page featuring circles. Here are my circles featured to show off the photos I took when we went to Silla de Felipe II in July with our friends the Perez family near El Escorial north of Madrid. A hot, fun summer's day to remember - climbing up to the seat was really steep but Rich was determined that his disability wouldn't leave him feeling left out - so he made it to the top - great views with great friends !

Craft Desk in the Sun !

Take a photo of your craft desk - finally a sunny Sunday here in West Wales - so a temporary desk in the garden !

Finally a Scrapping Challenge completed !!

Of all the scrapping challenges this weekend - I know I won't have time to do many !

So I decided the "Show 10 Things You Love" would be a good way to scrap a lot of this weekend's challenge photos.

I thought that celebrating the little things I have enjoyed this weekend - no big events or anything earth shattering - but just a way to put down some fun things and maybe looking back on this in future years will give a snap shot of my life these 2 days !

Photo Challenges !

2. Here's "take a photo from the Knees down" - a self portrait of my feet ! Finally sunny & warm enough to wear my sandals !

3. Take a picture of a Sign - here's our favourite local restaurant - the (usually) makes us smile !

4. Take a photo thought a Window - here's Swansea Castle taken through Pizza Express window last night.

5. Take a picture in Close Up - here's Ivy on the bridge at Nantgaredig.

Take the Wide View ! Nature in all her Glory !

Some more challenge photos for Shimelle's Summer Online Crop !



1. Take a "Wide View" photo & take a photo of "Something from Nature" - here's the view over the River Twyi from Nantgaredig Bridge early this morning.

Summer Online Crop Weekend with Shimelle

Hi - decided to try my first ever online crop this weekend - this is half photo challenges and half scrapping challenges. As I was out all day yesterday the scrapping pretty much went by the wayside but I did try as many of the photo challenges as I could !

So here are my photos ! First the "Take a picture of a man-made object" challenge - I went to the Egypt Centre in Swansea & took these 2 pictures of objects made over 2,500 years ago - and yet they are so vital, engaging & timeless could have been made yesterday ! It was stunning to see the continuity of human art - these were their way of recording life in a world before photography was dreamed of !

Another Challenge was "A Lght at Night" this was taken at the Grand Theatre last night. And finally "Shoot the Sky" - I loved this brooding sky out over the stunning beaches we have heare on the South Wales Coast.