On the subject of..

May. 
It makes everything burst into green, buds swell and produce blossom the like of which makes me swoon. The grass grows and smells sweet after cutting.  The morning birdsong drives me crackers because it starts so early and they stop welcoming the dawn when I have to get up. The weather becomes even more of a national obsession - will we have a good summer?  I don't know.  I'd quite like two consistently dry days so that I can start tidying up the garden.  That's driving me crackers too.  

So yesterday was beautiful. There was every opportunity to mow and clip and compost. But there wasn't really.  Yesterday was Crop. And National Scrapbook Day to boot, so it would have been doubly rude to blow off the date for the sake of some lawn maintenance, non?  Mais Oui.  So I didn't. 

You can see the not-filled-in date pennant.  I can't remember how old she was in this sweet pic. May Day was her 19th birthday see, so I'm still a bit behind. I have to scrap photos as I feel like it; chronological scrapping is mind numbingly boring for me.  I know it says something about me, but I'm not sure what.  

And slightly more up to date, we had a visitor last month after we'd had the conservatory door open for an evening.  Luckily, Mr D and Miss D were delighted by him and captured and re-homed him with care and much mirth at my ridiculous girly shrieking.  Honestly, the unpredictable 'boing' motion made me flee. Wow, never knew I could be shaken by a tiny toad!

I'm being quite doily and printed paper free, as you can and will see over the next few scrapbook related posts..I was sent some lovely stuff to play with by the good crafty people at Baker Ross and I'm really enjoying them.

An apparently inexhaustible supply of doilies, fab colours!

And a pad of summery printed papers, 24 x 35cm, so perfect for preventing the need to cut into another 12 x 12 when looking for a piece of background or matting.  Happy scrapper!

Now, today is the second consecutive dry day, so after this, I'm off to Lawn Mower land. Wish me luck.  it's a jungle out there, well at the uncut-from-last-time edges, anyway!

What's On Your Workdesk? Wednesday 256

256!  My word, to borrow a phrase from well, most of you...don't the weeks swing by fast!  260 is the fifth anniversary of this weekly jaunt..if you want to join in with the quiet and polite celebration that will involve an ATC swap, please read all about it HERE.

So for now, revel in the ATC making that was going on.  Indeed it continues...I get to it in very short bursts. 

Same old stamp for the backs..I never envisaged it getting this much use!

And then, I had a bit of clearing up time and decided that I could find time to start on some workshop cards.  And the clearing up, and indeed the unfinished ATC backs became just another layer on the desk. And this is how I left it late last night.  And how it will stay until this evening.  

I know that I am lucky to be able to just down tools and walk away.  I know.  and the idea of putting a door in the gap between here and the lounge room where my lovelies keep me company fills me alternately with horror and relief. The relief - at not having to excuse the sight to visitors.  And the horror of being cut off from the rest of the house. Almost, but apparently not quite, worth being tidy for!

Share with us your workspace then, that would be great.  No advertising.  Please put WOYWW in your post title and be reciprocal in your visiting.  If you can turn off word verification, you'll get more comments, for sure.  Link here:

T for Tuesday

Apart from the day to day mugs, sight of which you often see on my untidy work desk, I have ignored a couple of opportunities to photo nice 'drinking' situations this week - in preference to the drinking and chatting that was being undertaken.  Gruelling ain't it. But in the spirit, if not the reality, of T Tuesday here are two cards I've recently made that sum up the best enhancement for a social situation, if you ask me.  Anyone would think I was banging the teetotal drum, but I'm not.  I just love a daytime meet that involves coffee or tea and cake.  

Hero Arts stamps.  Frame from a nestabilities Labels set.  Lots of Pearl Ex.

Stamps by Woodware, Cuttlebug embossing folder

Which is what got me into the shape that I am, no doubt.  Even when we're on holiday we manage to observe this as a bit of a break from the hard work of erm, being on holiday. Mr D has finally learned to sit and watch the world go by for the at least the time it takes a hot drink to cool and be drunk.  If you're meeting someone, it's something to get on with if you're early, it's a bit of an ice breaker if you arrive together and it's a great break from the everyday.  A little treat. And there's cake. What's not to like. 
If you manage it, share it with us over at Elizabeth's. 

Alarming Self Publicity

Well, actually, probably just being a blogger puts me in the 'sef publicity' category, but today, there's a genuine reason instead of just the erm, 'normal' middle aged woman's attention seeking.
A handful of people have asked about my crafty work over the summer. Well, it's fortnightly at Kraft Crazy, home of Shopkeeper Gal in historic Amesbury, Wiltshire. The new workshop schedule was published on Wednesday.  It was a day I spent at a reunion, reminiscing, so it's a very timely way to jolt me into looking forward again!

This was an offering at the Card Marathon; it went down well enough to serve as workshop inspiration!

Starting from next Thursday, 1st May (already!) me and the Gal are conducting alternately weekly workshops.  Morning and evening on Thursdays.  I've themed my workshop offerings, makes me focus a little better.  I think. There will be dots and circles, grunge (in colour), birds, and doilies, to name a few.  

and the inspiration for another workshop....thanks to Baker Ross!

So if you're one of the handful, and planning to pass historic Stonehenge and maybe pop into Amesbury for a cuppa....perhaps come to a workshop first and then visit the stones!

The shop is at Unit 3, Stonehenge Walk, Amesbury SP4 7DB.  Bookings on 01980 625584

What's On Your Workdesk? Wednesday 255

Join in do.  You aren't too late.

 At the top of this page is a selection of links that will tell you about WOYWW.  

You find me, gentle desker, in the middle of making ATCs.  For the WOYWW fifth anniversary link give-away thingy. There's a page about that up there at the top too.

No standing on chairs or danger involved..just average arm's length, promise! Usual suspects of course, and featuring the empty mug - this time it was a packet soup thing with bits of pasta.  See, I'm getting to my desk in short sharp bursts, so lunch was deliberately desk-friendly.  Even if it was 4 o,clock! 

You can't see in the pic above, but this small pic shows the next step in my ATC stamping.  I'm winging it, obviously. And mostly because my original plan was scuppered when I did the last thing I should have done to them, first.  Naturally.  
Ah well. And you can see the theme; it's to echo all the words I produce that you read. Blah blah blah!



Some will be for trading at the WOYWW Crop which is the weekend prior to WOYWW 5, which is number 260. If you're planning to come to the Crop and have't told us yet, would you mind letting either me or Lunch Lady Jan know.  No pressure, yet!
Meanwhile, share what's on your work surface will you?  Particularly if you're working in the wrong order and making a horlicks of everything..I shall feel extremely very especially and particularly at home!

T Tuesday. B B(earth)day

As you know, I'm not much of a mixed media artist.  Hang on, I'm not a mixed media artist. I'm a paper crafter.  And, I'm pretty hot at domestic recycling. But when you combine the two, art and recycling - I'm a gonner.  The queen of recycling - ah, erm, I think we're calling it 'upcycling' for arty purposes these days - is Elizabeth at Altered Book Lover.  
And because today is Earth Day, there's a double celebration over at her place...T Tuesday and Earth Day.  Elizabeth has spent the last 22 days showing art that incorporates recycled stuff.  Man she's clever.  Appropriately, today culminates with a celebration Christmas Tree. Well, I thought it appropriate.
And my contribution - well it's for T Tuesday really, although if you consider that I've shown part of it as a sneak peek and it's a card from the now long ago Card Marathon, then it is sort of recycled, non?  Or, 'dredged up' again.  Ah well.  I still like it!

Text by Quietfire, Teacups by Stampington. WOW embossing powder. Naff photo by yours truly.

There's a new workshop schedule to be pondered over this week....I wonder how soon into starting on the samples will I ask myself 'why did you suggest this as a theme?'.  I suspect sooner rather than later.  I may have to whine about it later.  Brace yourselves.

Happy Earth Day.

A Marathon Wrap. (no Snickers, please)

The Card Marathon is finished, unpacked and put to bed.  I've received a handful of reviews to pick over, and I'm doing just that.  Meanwhile, it's all unpacked and put away. Good feeling. Now to decide on if and when for a Christmas version.

Here's one of the most popular cards from my kits.  It's easy to tell this sort of statistic when you unpack the kits...because there aren't many left to unpack!  The text stamp is Quietfire Designs; you may remember that I couldn't keep my ownership of such a beauty secret, so it may look familiar! The other stamp is Stampin Up! I am particularly fond of this card, it came together terribly easily and proves again to me that I often start with text when I'm making a card, which is probably not the most obvious way to do it.  I also have a thing for houses, birds and birdhouses.  I have quite a few of each in stamp and die form. Indeed, I hadn't noticed that myself before now.  Oh, I seem to be revealing myself!

And this was one of the least popular.  It's interesting isn't it...Iove the (Hero Arts) stamps, but have a lot of trouble with the proportion of the 'label' image, and it seems I may not have it right just yet. It doesn't sit well on a standard C6 English size card blank...sort of floats about being not quite big enough to 'anchor' itself, and then on a square card such as this...there's overkill on the white space.  Which I overkilled with filling. I think. I'm not remotely offended by its being slightly passed over; that is the point of the Marathon:- choice, and trying to get cards of every style out there for people to try.  

This card was the second most completed (Kaiser Craft and Stampers Anonymous stamps) and was the one that managed to fool the most people.  Soft pinks, a few beads and gems and not a lot of text - not many people knew it was one of mine.  (See, ScrapLady Ally makes 12 and I make 12). Probably just a bit outside my comfort zone in terms of colour to be honest, but I do like it.  And I think it will translate well into other colours. I see greens on cream card stock, maybe a leaf in the centre instead of the circle....every one is a springboard for something else huh.  I find myself in the middle of making a card and think 'oh! I could do such-and-such with this' and off I go again; definitely one of the pleasures of stamping....no arduous re-drawing to be done simply to alter a colour!

So there's the three that I thought had the most interesting results.  If not for any other reason, it's useful to blog about them so that I have something to remind me of my thoughts over various styles!  

Have a lovely Easter weekend.