WOYWW?

Nothing really crafty going on here. I've got to sort through all my photos from the weekend and plan what Layouts I want to do. I'm also going to add some photos to my travel journal and rewrite up the journaling as I did all of it in pencil. I have a little pile of books (on the left) bought over the weekend and on the right is my journal. It's A5 CS with writing paper sheets cut to different sizes, cardstock pages with pockets for leaflets and tickets and room for plenty of photos.

enjoy your wednesday all :) don't forget to pop over to Julia's blog to leave a link and a comment.

Return from Glasto

I went to Glastonbury this weekend with some lovely people, we had an amazing time looking around all the fab little shops and learning about the local history. Because it was Glastonbury Festival the town was really quite quiet most of the hairy hippies (as one shopkeeper named them) where either sleeping or at the festival. We could only just hear the music and that was only when the wind blew in the right (or wrong) direction. The weather was amazing all weekend and I was a good girl applying loads of suncream and drinking loads of water. My only downside was that on Sunday my feet swelled up like balloons. Thankfully they have now returned to their normal size, ready for my morning walk to work. I took just under 300 photos but won't bore you with them all :) here are just a few of the highlights of my weekend.

Avebury Stones

Glastonbury Abby

Me in my lovely new fleece :) (not to be covered in black circles :) it has some fab designs stitched into the fleece that don't show up on the photo)

The Chalice Well.
the water is said to have healing properties

we all soaked our feet in the healing water although It was a little cold for me so I dunked in and out!. Taking a fag break on the road to Glasto

Saturday Crafting

Sarah came over again today and we spent a lovey few hours sharing a table and chatting while we created. I surprised myself today by quickly completing four layouts. I think because it's been a good few weeks since I really scrapped (apart from one LO last week for the WWC) I was full of inspiration and raring to go. I worked on these two layouts together as I wanted them to match as they will sit together in my album. I used Cosmo Cricket papers and a journal card from Elles Studio.

Then I got the gesso out and slapped a bit on this bright blue cardstock. I already had a really good idea how this layout was going to look so it took no time at all to complete. Choosing the papers and waiting for the gesso to dry was the most time consuming part. This is all October afternoon paper and I used one of my new Ek punches to make the circle trim. as I look at this layout now I think I might try something similar again but put the large alpha's on first before the gesso and then peal them off once it's dried.

I then had a bash at this weeks scrap with Us Challenge. It's already week 18!!!! Sam chose two elements this week; Girl Power and the Rule of Threes. I enjoyed making this layout and am still really please Sam and I decided to run this challenge, it's given me the boost each week to sit down and make something even when I really haven't felt like it. I have packed everything away now as Trav and I have plans to go see Robin Hood :) have a great weekend! TFL

A Slight Change

page word PERFECT

When i tried to close my journal this morning I found that the pages I had glued together to thicken them up are making the book "splay" open. I had only completed two pages and already i can't close it properly. I know it's not about being perfect but this just worried me to thick how the book will look in a week or a month of adding paint and glue and layers of paper. So i popped out at lunch time to the local (only) art shop and picked up a spiral bound artist pad (also some new black journal pens, some gesso and two new brushes). I cut out the first two pages and the cover pages and have pasted them into the new book this evening. I am much happier now and have almost completed my page for today, just waiting for the paint to dry fully so I can do a little journaling over it.

Yesterdays second word was LURE

Things are about to get messy!!!

So it's all Sam's fault! She is totally to blame and if I spend any money on this new project I shall blame her all over again :) But really I have been thinking about an Art Journal for a while after seeing so many on Blogland. I just didn't know how or where to start on one. They all look so beautiful and I'm not a Artist in any sense of the word!!!! Put a pen in my hand and ask me to write something I normally put the pen down and turn to the computer. I'm always so worried about spacing, spelling and how scruffy will my writing look? computers are so much safer all round.
But after seeing Sam work on her Journal yesterday at our crop and then again today. I knew I really had to give this a go. I dug about upstairs and found an old pink note book that I bought and never used. between us Sam and I decided it was worth trying to change the cover so it suited me more, out came the dabbers and now my notebook is a red journal. I'm not planning on creating a page everyday, just when I have the chance I will grab my dictionary, rip out a page at random and chose a word to journal about. My first word wasn't picked at random I knew I wanted to start with "perfect". The whole reason I want to make this journal is to help me feel happier about my scrapbook layouts, to get less stressed about the placement of photos and journaling. I need to feel free to get messy on my pages and not worry about them being perfect all the time. the ripped out pages aren't me making a false start they are the first attempts at gluing two pages together to thicken the journal pages up.

It's a bit scary getting Distressed

This weeks challenge was a hard one!!! I'm Feeling Distressed was the prompt, and it really did distress me :) thinking about doing something different i didn't have a clue what I wanted to do for this challenge until yesterday when I watched Sam slapping paint on a piece of pure white artist paper. I had a practice first on some rough paper before I launched into painting my only piece of White CS. Just to check i really wanted this look and that I could do it. I'm really pleased with the finished look and I know that this is something I will be doing again, Better order some more white CS ;)

MEMORIES LIKE THIS DEPRESS ME!

So the plan was to draw you into the layout. The title says one thing, the journaling reads another way. Which is correct??? I'm quite sure memories of puppies aren't depressing "right?" but the thought of never breeding another litter, for me, really is a sorrowful thought. I'm so please Trav understands this, and allowed me to fill our little house even more by keeping BooBoo.
I used Miniphotos from Moo.com, a corner of some Cosmo Cricket (Earth Love range), a MME journal tag and that's it really. nice and quick.

Craft Fair Makings

I have decided to join Sarah at a few craft fairs this summer, so over the past couple of weeks (evenings only) I have been card making to the extreme. I've really enjoyed the break from scrapbooking with the return to my first papercraft love. I just hope that I can sell something otherwise I won't need to make a birthday or thank you card for many many years ;)

Girls birthday CardsMini Love Cards
Boys Birthday CardsMedium Cards
Large Cards
Mini Note Sets (4 cards in a pack)Gift Card HoldersMy stash so far.
I'm off to crop with the Wight Craft Circle today and plan to fill another box hopefully some more adult type birthday cards.

Weekly desk Snoop

Happy Wednesday everyone. I had had thoughts that last week would be my last WOYWW? with working full time and crafting as and when I can. Trying to fit in a days blogging is just too much of a squeeze. But here i am again :) drawn to the post on Angie's blog this morning and before I knew it i was happily setting up my desk for so some card making this evening when I finish work. So here's my desk this morning. I know it will stay looking like this for about 10 hours before i get to do anything But once I'm settled down I will be able to whizz out a nice handful of cards using my new stamps and lovely pile of A4 SU cardstock. Carmen asked me a question ages ago about my computer (i forgot about it until this morning) under my desk you can see my computer tower. The purple flower and rhinestone design was specially added for us when Trav ordered it. There is some guy that jazzes up your computers for a living and Trav thought I'd like something pretty to grace my craft area. I didn't have the heart to tell him a shiny black tower would have been pretty enough for me (I could have stuck red spots on it).A closer view of my new stamps and my table totes. I started out with just one little bag. Now I don't know what I would do without them both. I also have a nice new coffee mug :) So here's hoping you all have a very productive Wednesday. I will try and get around as many blogs as I can, but it won't be until later on today. Don't forget to pop over to Julia's Stamping Ground and leave your link with a comment if you are joining in today.

Bella and my minibook.

I managed to get a reasonable photo of the six mutleys over the weekend. Not the best but at least they were all sitting down and behaving, Bella is turning out to be a cracking little pup although she is running me ragged. the toilet training leaves a lot to be desired but slowing we are getting there. slooooowly!!!

I am happy now that the minibook I started on Saturday is done. I felt I just needed to add a little more journaling, and now that is done here it is.

One last shot of Bella after a little dip in the sea on Sunday.

Saturday Crafting

Yesterday I invited Sarah over to craft for the day, she told me last week she had never spent a "whole" day crafting before. I was amazed at this fact as I often spend the whole day sat at my desk ignoring the housework that's piling up around me just so I can play. Anyway :) we had quite a productive day Sarah covered a beautiful chipboard book and make a start on the cover and all made a mini book for last weeks SWU challenge Tell me a Story. I also completed the same challenge with this layout. It's a scraplift of a LO seen here I saw it a few weeks back on October afternoons facebook page and loved it. I had just bought the same papers (thrift shop) and knew just what photos I wanted to use. So matching it up with last weeks challenge was an added bonus.

Then I worked on a Layout to sit opposite my Beltane LO remember the one i put bunting on? Well this one doesn't make it a Double Layout but they do work well together. This is part of the ceremony where you jump over the fire of Bel and make a wish for the coming year. Trav caught me mid Jump and although it's not the best photo from the day I really like it.

I made a minibook after this at the same time Sarah made hers. I'll post that later in the week once I'm sure I've added every thing I want to it.
After Tea the film was boring so I moved back over to my craft space and set about this weeks SWU challenge that Sam had posted. It's a double challenge this week "Old Wives Tales" and "Mix up those Alphas". I had to turn to google for help because just like Sam i was getting mixed up with Saying's and Old Wives Tales. I found a few sayings about how it is bad luck to brush a ladybird off your clothing if it lands on you, you can however give it a quick blow and say the old "Fly away home" rhyme. But one I hadn't heard before was about the deepness of the ladybirds colour. I like that they are thought to be lucky and had this fab photo of my arm and a little lady that my friend Shelby found for me.

You can find our weekly Challenge here, feel free to join in it's just a little fun to keep us thinking while we scrap.

I have just looked back at the three layouts I made yesterday and without planning or even realising it I have have used October Afternoon products on all of them. I promise I'm not working for them (I just wish I was).

One year on.........

Is it really true? Have we really been gathering for a year now on Wednesdays, to share our desks and snoop through each others crafting stash? I can hardly believe it that this idea of Julia's that I noticed one afternoon on UKS's blogathon has grown from a small group of UKS members, to a world wide gathering that has over 120 ( i think at my last visit) members. Isn't the internet an amazing tool!!! Many of us have met up IRL and I have quite a few more people I class as friends. A huge THANK YOU!!!! to Julia our amazing WOYWW? Leader.

So to the matter at hand! What is on my WorkDesk this Wednesday?

I can not tell a lie this photo was taken last night as I relaxed after work, housework and walking the dogs. I knew that I would just be showing a boring clean desk again if I took the photo this morning and since starting work full time the clear desk is beginning to get a little boring. I have agreed to go to a few craft fairs this summer with my friend Sarah and since last Wednesday I have been making cards to sell. I'm in the middle of making a set of mini note cards here.

A quick sneak peak of my WOYWWAC hereCards made so far for the craft fair. I loads more ideas and plan to keep making over the next few weeks so I can take a real variety of cards with me.

I was naughty this week and bought these lovely EK Success boarder punches from Sarah's Cards, ummmmmmmm and some other yummy stuff shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh......

and finally my completed WOYWWAC in full.

I was given this clipboard by the lovely Vikki from CTM at our last retreat. It has been stood by the side of my craft desk for a few months while I thought hard about how to decorate it. Nothing came to mind until Julia sprang the annual challenge on us. I thought I wanted to use it to display recent Layouts. But then any work to make it look pretty in itself would have been wasted as the LO would almost cover the entire board. So instead I made it into a "Jobs to do Board" Trav hung it this weekend for me and as you can see from the photo above of my desk it's already being made good use of.

So if you really still don't know about WOYWW? and you think you might like to. Or you know what we are all about and fancy joining in with us, Hop on over to the lovely Julia's Stamping Ground and join in. It's easy just leave a comment and a link to your blog. then go visiting to see what everyone has been up to on this lovely sunny Wednesday.

Ta Ra