WOYWW 209

Hi Everyone,

I hope you have all had a wonderful celebratory week. Sadly, I didn't manage to visit everyone during the week but I did do rather better than usual and thoroughly enjoyed visiting as many as I could. Apologies to all those I didn't pay a visit to. Anyone who is wondering what I'm blethering on about, it was the 4th year of What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday, brought to us by the amazing Julia Dunnit over on the Stamping Ground - and if you don't already, do consider joining in ... it's an awful lot of fun and, well, kind of addictive.

No papercrafting on my desk this week. Instead I've been crazy quilting as a way of getting back into the way of using a sewing machine again. As you can see the little bin that Lunch Lady Jan very kindly gave me is proving very useful for collecting bits of thread and fabric. At the back of the desk is a collection of sewing boxes - the little tin one contains bobbins, the wooden one has thread, pins, thimbles, etc., and actually so does the green one you can just see at the back ... I can't remember how long I have had that sewing box but it has got to be more than 30 years! Also in view are these beautiful ATCs received this week.

One from Annie (aka Wipso), A Stitch In Time, beautifully trimmed and embroidered, and the other from Janet of Fairy Thoughts ... it's sewing themed with lots of  fab stamping, inking and embellished with sewing notions. Lovely work ladies :)

Here's the finished crazy quilted patch complete with machine embroidery along the seams. I've forgotten a lot of what I knew about sewing patchwork and I'm working without all the fancy equipment I did have at one time like, for instance, a rotary cutter, just a pair of scissors and my sewing machine.  This square is going to be the centre of a cushion cover and it needs panels attached around the edges and a backing added yet before I can call it done. The patterns on the scraps are mainly Christmas themed so someone dear to me is going to receive it for their present this year.

I will, of course, endeavour to visit as many of you as I can over the next few days - I've given up the attempt to do it all in one day now that we are so many - however, I enjoy snooping round your desks so much that I'd have withdrawal symptoms if I didn't  :) And I thank those of you who take the time out of your busy lives to visit me and leave a comment - you're efforts are much appreciated.

Have a very good WOYWW and an enjoyable week. Take care too.

Happy crafting,

Country Diary Wild Roses

Afternoon Everyone

It's a lovely day here so I hope it is just as lovely where you are and that you are having a good day too.

I've been practicing with Memento markers and colouring in these wild roses ... the image, and the greeting, are from a set of Country Diary stamps free from Cardmaking & Papercraft magazine. Using a grey ink pad, I stamped the image on to a scrap of smooth white cardstock, then coloured it in with the markers. I find that these markers do not blend in the same way as ProMarkers, however the effect is still pretty good.

All the materials, with the exception of the card blank, are leftovers and snippets from previous projects. The background paper is from one of K&Company's Speciality paper pads designed by Brenda Walton. I believe this is the first bow I've made from lace - if it isn't it's one of the very few! - and I'm very pleased with how pretty it looks.

Materials used:

• white A6 card blank (landscape)
• scraps of grey textured card, pink and white smooth card, K&Company's Flora & Fauna patterned paper
• stamps from The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady which came free with Issue 91 of Cardmaking & Papercraft
• Memento London Fog ink pad and Memento Markers - Angel Pink, Rose Bud, Pear Tart, Bamboo Leaves, Dandelion, Cantaloupe
• Stampin' Up label punch
• Embellishments - pink cotton lace and pears from stash

I plan to submit this card to the following challenges:

Craft Dee Bowz - June - celebrate summer and include a handmade bow

Created With Love #44 - anything goes

Pixie's Crafty Snippets Playground - Week 75  - where, as ever, the only requirement is that some snippets have been used in the card - in this card that's almost everything! 

I've cleared the desk for this afternoon - i.e. all cardmaking and scrapping stuff has been removed -  for a  sewing session. Starting with taking up the legs of the EM's jeans ... yes, he has spotted the potential of the new sewing machine already :) 

But first, I'm going to nip into the garden and take some photos of the aquilegias - they are simply stunning at the moment, especially my favourite, the blue alpine one. 

I hope the rest of the day goes well for you all and many thanks for looking.

Happy crafting,

CHNC Challenge - Use Your Favourite Embellishments

Happy Sunday Afternoon,

Hazel, over at Craftyhazelnut's Christmas Challenge #127, has asked almost the impossible this week. She has challenged us to use our favourite embellishments ... help! I have so many favourites!

I thought long and hard and finally opted for my favourite die-cut poinsettia flower and a very fine white glitter I found at my local craft shop, it's just perfect for winter scenes. Sadly, it's hard to see in the photos but you can just about see the occasional glint in this enlargement.

This super digi stamp, Nell's Cottage, can be downloaded for free on Beccy's Place blogspot. The cottage looks like the perfect country retreat, don't you think :) It's been coloured with ProMarkers - I tried to give it a well weathered look with several shades of brown and I thought the doors just had to be a cheery red.

Once again, I've reduced the digi to miniature and printed it out on white printer paper to create the insert.

Materials used:

• white Papermania textured cardstock, trimmed to create an A6 size card 
• stamps - Nell's Cottage from Beccy's Place printed out in black, greeting from Hot Of The Press's Magical Christmas set 
• ProMarkers in browns, greens, greys, reds and yellows - too many to list. However, if you would like a list of the colours drop me a line and I'll be happy to provide one 
• ink pad - Archival Jet Black 
• snippets of red and green cardstock for the poinsettia and leaves
• dies - Spellbinders Layered Poinsettia (the two smallest dies) and Marianne Creatables Chinese Rose for the two leaves 
• insert - white printer paper cut to A5 and printed with Nell's cottage reduced in size 
• embellishments - glue pen and fine white glitter; a topaz coloured rhinestone

Apart from submitting to CHNC #127 as already mentioned, I'm also going to submit this card to Hazel's challenge extra:

CHNC Challenge Extra for June - where the challenge is always anything goes as long as it's Christmas

and, of course,

Pixie's Crafty Snippets Playground #75 - where all that Di asks is that we use up some of our snippets on our projects ... here it's the poinsettia and leaves that are made from snippets.

I am happy to report that I'm feeling heaps better and Mr Mojo is back - yes! :) I'm off now to watch Barbara Gray's afternoon slot on C&C - she's going to be using alcohol inks, something I keep forgetting I have in my stash. It was the gelli plate this morning - another item I have yet to really put through it's paces. So many lovely crafting techniques to try and so little time :)

Have a lovely afternoon, what's left of it, and take care everyone.

Happy crafting,