Having a Go at Making ATCs

Evening All,

I knew it was polling day when I woke up to rain. It never fails. However, on the bright side the forest fires have been damped down, gardeners don't have to get out the watering can today,  and I had a perfect excuse to mess around in the craft space.

L: Wish You Were Here; R: Sweet Tweet

I recently had a bash at making a couple of ATCs and aren't they the devil to photograph. Cards are so much easier I find. Anyway here they are - not much I know but it was fun using up bits and bobs and creating in miniature. Wish You Were Here was inspired by one created by a fellow docraft member, Debsg - many thanks for the inspiration.

Here's a list of the materials used:

Wish You Were Here:

White base card; Cosmic Shimmer Mists in Lava Red, Meadow Lush, Rich Gold; scraps of dp with script; Papermania red chalk pad; Tim Holtz distress ink, Pumice Stone; miniature postcards of Big Ben; Heart shaped punch; VersaMark; Perfect Pearls, Interference Green

Sweet Tweet:

White card for base; small floral patterned paper; VersaMark; embossing powder in peach; Stampin' Up's Dot, Dot, Dot stamp; Tim Holtz's Stamper's Anonymous stamp set; Sweet Tweet from Cosmo Cricket Nutmeg Elements border; silver stars from stash.

A quick post from me today. I hope you are all well and that you've had a good day.

Happy crafting,

WOYWW - Week 100

Morning All,

Well, here we are in the first week of May already - how time flies when you're enjoying yourself. I trust you are all well and getting back to normality after the extended Easter/Royal Wedding/Bank Holiday break! And for those of you who are not so well my wish for you is that this week sees an improvement.

We took advantage of the great weather and took a few trips out, picnicked a lot, let the housework go and generally had fun. Which is why there is not much going on at the desk this morning. There's an ATC in the making, a couple of completed ones in their new home - the wee purple box which once contained a bottle of perfume - and the box of miniature postcards.

The Kraft box to the left and just out of sight contains my Clarity stamps. Because these are already mounted they are difficult to store on a shelf so I was forever moving them about trying to find a home for them.This old box had been stored on top of a bookcase, forgotten and unloved, for eons. In it was writing paper! My, how times have changed - I can't remember the last time I used writing paper, can you? I wonder how many of you still write letters by hand? I believe it is a dying art and perhaps to be deplored. When I was younger, and because I lived abroad for much of the time, I used to write screeds to family and friends. And my late mother particularly loved receiving my letters too. Today, my preference is to type any missive I have to write on the PC or use a notecard to write a brief note. DH happily laid claim to the writing paper - he still writes letters to friends and family never having mastered the joys of email, etc. - and so the box is now dusted off and serving its new purpose.

The book, Scrapbooking Your Family History by Maureen Taylor,  I've had for some time but was prompted to look at it again recently when planning the layout of my mother's photograph - the post is here. I have another book with the same title but written by Laura Best - this one is slightly different in its approach so I think it's worth having them both. And, the truth is, I just love books, especially books on scrapbooking : )

For anyone who has just stumbled over this blog post and has no earthly idea what I'm prattling on about, what WOYWW is about, then please, with no further ado, hop over to the lovely Julia's blog, Stamping Ground, where you will find a plethora of links to a lot more crafty desks - go on, treat yourself - it's the best snoopathon ever!

Right, I'm off to have a much needed cup of tea but I'll be back later to see what my fellow WOYWWers are up to. Apologies once again to those of you I didn't manage to get to - I do my best every week but never quite manage to visit everyone, much as I would love to. So for those of you I didn't visit I hope you had a good week and hope to see you this week.

Happy crafting to you all.

The Bluebell Woods

Evening All,

Here we are at the end of another beautiful day here in Ayrshire - so far the long weekend has been fabulous. We went to one of our favourite haunts, Fullarton Woods, Troon, on Thursday to photograph the bluebells before they go over. We had our picnic in the shade of this beautiful horse chestnut tree and you can see there was not a cloud in the sky.

The park was at one time the grounds of Fullarton House so the planting is still stunning - mostly rhododendrons.

We did, at one time, have one of the allotments there but gave it up when I became too ill and my DH found it difficult to manage on his own. The bluebells are all around the edge of the allotments so we took a wander over to see how things were growing. I was delighted to see that one of the small apple trees we planted was covered in blossom and looking really pretty.

It was really lovely to be back - I always liked the peace and tranquility that characterised the place and the sound of birdsong was, as ever, a pleasure to hear.

I hope you enjoyed these photos and I'll leave you with one final shot of the wood with its carpet of bluebells.

As it has been so long - well, it feels like that but it is only two days - since I was in the craft room I'm going to potter with some inks and stamps and see what I can create : )

Happy crafting everyone,