WOYWW 173

Morning!

Hope wherever you are you are warm and dry - if you don't live in the UK, all I'll say is Autumn/Winter season hit our wonderful home with vengeance and many people are experiencing flooding after torrential rain, high winds and dipping temperatures! Thankfully all is dry here, but a bit chilly. The heating had to be popped for a while just so we didn't freeze having baths/showers.  

On a personal note, you'll be pleased to hear I am finally, after many weeks, starting to feel a bit better. well at least in my head I do, though my body still doesn't work properly and mum is still having to learn how to push me around in my blue wheels (my wheelchair)!

Right the desk, taken yesterday tea time - 

Well you can see a pile of die cut sheets ready to be popped out and put together and some that I have already started. It's all part of the Beatrix Potter blockbuster Crafter's Companion have recently been selling. I had to have it - it was the little boxes that got me, along with the tree cards in the Winter's Tale kit! 

I will share pics of all my makes once they are dried so I hope you'll pop back to have a look.

But for now I suggest you put the kettle on then dap over to Julia's, Queen of all desk nosing bloggers,       and follow her lead to nose your way around the world!

Thanks for all your support recently, I know I have been so quiet which is not like me at all but I've had to put me first and that means stepping back from everything.  Hope you all understand.

Take care Zo xx

Not so Good

Hello!

Just a quick note from me to say I'm okay, well I'm not but I'm coping!  I realise I've been so quiet in blog land lately so thought I'd better just say I'm having a really bad spell with my conditions at present.  Mum had to push me round in my wheelchair today at Tesco's. Our maiden voyage together - mum hasn't had to do that before, my boy has but not mum. Needless to say we had a good laugh, mum definitely needed 'L' plates. But we coped and managed to get all our shopping. Then we went to the bank and again mum discovered just how hard it can be, forgetting she had to think about where to cross the road without risking tipping me out! 

So if I'm not commenting or posting it's because I'm just not up to it, but I do come on here and look. It cheers me up seeing all your fabulous creations.

So take care, and don't worry - I'm fine, just not working properly!

Zo xx

Ps Thought I'd share a pic from about 3 years ago. Me and my boy (when he didn't tower over me!) all dressed up for a wedding. 

Celebrating stories

Morning!

Time for another Crafty Boots challenge and this time the theme was set by the lovely Dionne and she chose -

Children's Stories & Nursery Rhymes

So we want to see your take on these precious pieces of literary history.  Pop over to Crafty Boots Challenge Blog to join in and get some inspiration from the super talented DT.

Ok my project is in the form of a Smash Book layout and is based on Alice in Wonderland.  Back in 2008 I was lucky enough to go to Disneyland Paris with my boy, we had great fun in the Maze which is themed around Alice, so I printed off some pictures and set about creating my pages.

These wonderful characters are digital stamps from Angie Delarie Products - Alice in Cardland range which I coloured using my Copics.  The pages have been embellished with washi tape, ribbon, card candi and bits and bobs I found in my stash.

I could have chosen so many stories, but this helped me to capture some memories and put those pictures onto a page instead of waiting on the computer! 

Take care & enjoy your day.

Zo xx

Ta Da - finished gift!

Yesterday's desk showed the start of this idea of mine, well not mine exactly cos it's been done before but my attempt at least, of a gift.

Many people were intrigued and wanted to see the finished item so here it is - 

A simple calendar for next year but I love those papers and reckon it would look fab hung up anywhere!

So what do you think?

Today is going to be a Family History day for me, I spent many years researching my FH and have gone right back to the 1600's in some cases but there are so many branches left unexplored. So I'm going to have another look, and with the 1911 census now available I can go back and see my grandparents/great-grandparents and get a permanent record. The joys of technology.

Take care Zo xx

WOYWW 171 - a gift in the making

Morning desk hoppers and of course everyone else who passes by.

I know most of you have come here via Julia at The Stamping Ground but if not and you wonder why I'm showing my desk, head over there to see! 

Today my desk sees the making of a gift - 

You can probably guess what it will become - I plan on making a few of these to give this Christmas! Yep I did make the writing of that word smaller as not to frighten anyone.

The papers are from Prima and are called 'Welcome to Paris', since my trip there last November I'm instantly drawn to anything Parisian.  The other day I saw a fab umbrella, clicked the link, thinking 'ooh I'd like to get that' only to discover it cost £55, yep Paris price tag too! Needless to say my purse isn't quite up to the Paris prices so had to decline purchasing said umbrella. Ah well. 

I'm using pages from a chipboard album as my base, perfect size and the shape matches my template you can see. Other than that it's the usual scissors, glue and pokey tool on display. Oh that green thing top right is my epiphany tool, perfect punch and epoxy sticker creator. I wasn't in to them to start but now I am, I love that little tool!

Right best get on, I have a Bristol Rovers article to complete.

Take care Zo xx

Albums & Quackers!

My head is bursting with ideas but just when I find Mr Mojo right here ready, my body isn't having any of it at the mo and is forcing me to sleep plenty, so I was really pleased with myself when I managed to make these - 

I saw Dawn Wheeler make them on the Sunday Scrappers show ages ago on Create & Craft and thought it was something I could do. It's easy, 1 sheet of 12 x 12 card stock folded corner to corner and half to half to get all the score lines, then cut to centre up middle line but not from a corner point. Fold backwards and forward on itself to get this triangle album. Decorate to your hearts content.  These are blank as I'm going to give them as presents I think, people can then print their own wallet size pictures to add.

Here's the pages - 

 

The embellishments are mainly flat so not to bulk the book up as these are perfect sizes to keep in your handbag.  Just add photos of this Christmas of your family or friends.  Perfect for those mums and grandmothers! 

I'm going to make some non-Christmas albums too, again perfect gifts and may print off photos to pre-fill them for family members, like that idea! 

I also started making cards for some family birthdays later this month, here's one I made for my boy to give - 

I used the Quackers Reddy decoupage I bought from Crafter's Companion, I also sprayed it with their pink iridescent glitter spray which has given it a fab extra dimension. I must admit I'm having to stop myself from spraying it on everything!

Glossy accents on the bubbles works a treat too, I created the background using a Darice embossing folder and added my new Marianne die and some flowers.  I sprayed the wooden butterflies with the pink spray which bubbled on drying but I liked the effect and thought it looked like they had flown through the bubbles! 

Lace, Candi and sentiments finished it all off. So what do you think - of the albums and the card? I appreciate all your comments and love reading them.

Take care Zo xx

Spellbinding card?

Good afternoon - yesterday many of you saw my desk at the beginning of this card - everything out, ready to go. So I wanted to share the finished card with you.

Inspired by Sue Wilson and her Spellbinders demo's I set to work attempting to have a go at her style, sort of! I used the neutral card Sue raves about and embossed the background with Sheena Douglas's Daisy folder. Then I used my limited Spellbinders collection to die cut the shapes for the card.  For the top one, I printed the sentiment first then cut it, then embossed it and finally I ran it back through to flatten the pattern a bit, why I don't know, it just seemed the thing to do!

Of course, you can't do a 'Sue' card without putting a bow on it, so I created a bow from the lace, which also had a daisy design on it, but it's hard to see on here. I added the hat pins and a small dragonfly charm.  Some gold card Candi finished off the small dies. 

Funnily enough, this card is for my friend, Sue, so the whole 'Sue Wilson' style seemed very apt, I shall tell my friend the inspiration behind her card afterwards.

Hope you like it. Take care Zo xx

WOYWW 170 - sunshine

Good morning!

My boy's first day back at school, YR 9, and it still doesn't get easier - the whole getting back to getting up earlier lark & then that 'mum' feeling deep in the pit of your stomach when they walk out the door and all you want to do is pull them back for a hug, yeah that! 

Anyway desk time - 

Sunshine, oh yes, lots of it to compliment the rather full & bit disorganised desk that is mine this morning.

I'm going to make my good friend a card today, and have decided to go down the whole Sue Wilson, Spellbinders route, hence the Cuttlebug, folder of dies, embossing folder and huge pack of neutral card that Sue seems to turn into.....well, gorgeous-ness!

So my friendly desk hoppers, I hope you have popped over to our great leader and all time desk show-er Julia's to link up, if not, get moving, that list is ever growing.

I was pleased last week that I managed to get round a few of you, not loads but many more than I have been lately so that was good. I will try to match that or even beat it this week, we shall see!

Take care Zo xx

The big 1 - Crafty Boots

Hello, I'm back this happy Monday to share with you my DT make for the latest Crafty Boots challenge.  It's a special one, because this week sees the challenge blog being one year old! 

Wow can hardly believe it's a year since I started on the Crafty Boots DT, I've 'met' some lovely ladies who I shall be meeting up with later this year out in the real world, not just on here.

Ok my project - 

I went for a tag because I wan't actually sure how my idea was going to work when I started.  I used a mask (zebra 6 x6 bought from Crafty Boots) which I sprayed Melted Chocolate Dylusions ink through (Dylusions also available from Crafty Boots) then I stamped out various images from my Vintage Artist stamp set (bought again from Crafty Boots) in a similar colour and cut them out and organised them on to the tag.  So 1 mask, 1 ink, 1 stamp set.........you get the idea! 

I think it turned okay in the end, what do you think?

Would love for you to pop over and join us in the special challenge.

Take care Zo xx