About Me

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Hi, Welcome to my Blog. I'm an eclectic kind of crafter delving into many pots. I am just about managing to keep up my Scrapbooking Diary (usually about 6 months behind), plus any cards as required. I have a new found love of watercolour and Bible Journaling plus recently Junk Journaling too. Previously I've also dabbled in ATCs, Tags, Altered Books, Mixed Media, Art Journaling, Décopatch, Knitting, Crochet, and Embroidery amongst other things. I live in Surrey, UK with my husband, our son has left home now. For exercise I usually play Badminton and go Ballroom and Latin Dancing, but am plagued by a bad back. I like walking which I couple with Geocaching and sometimes Bouncing on my Rebounder (mini trampoline). I guess I am officially retired now. I am a born again Christian, currently worshiping at my local Vineyard Church.

Wednesday 30 January 2013

WOYWW #191 - A Bit Bare

Not much happening this week. Although I did get around to painting my nativity set.

The donkey is now grey instead of black and now with the special donkey cross on its back.

The angel and wise man now have solid backs (the former with a newly fashioned foot!). Both my husband and I thought Mary ought to be the traditional blue instead of green, so I painted her a new cloak. Oh and the shepherd's new knee is working just fine.

I did finish the scrap page from last week and did another one too.



The box of matches is for a SWAP. Just need to alter it and fill it with something for Easter.

Thanks for another chance to share my desk on WOYWW hosted by the lovely Julia. Do pop over there to see all the desks from across the world.

Wednesday 23 January 2013

WOYWW #190 - Idea-ology Glasses

Horrah - THAT time again
A WOYWWing we'll go...

So what delights do I have for you all today? A scrappage in progress, a "shades of grey" card, my alpha challenge and my half decorated dress form. Oh and the chain I just made for my glasses from a piece of Tim Holtz Idea-ology chain!

Scrap page is using some of the contents from my newly acquired stash that I received this week from "The Stamp Attic" having been nominated for some "Pay it Forward" goodies. It was a complete surprise and many thanks to Bernice for nominating me.




The "Shades of Grey" card is for my Aunt. I wouldn't actually read the book myself but couldn't resist making a card for her as she has! I even added some chain from my glasses chain which broke yesterday!

Knew my dress form pin cushion would get a make-over one day and sure enough I have been pinning fabric flowers and lace to her as and when I come across/receive some. She is coming along nicely and easily changeable too.






Then there are the glasses with the new chain. Now I'll have to get some more Timmy chains to ring in the changes.

Have to say it is really difficult taking photos without my glasses on these days! Had to have a few attempts as I kept missing bits off! Happy WOYWW.

Monday 21 January 2013

ABAC #11 - Snow


It just had to be done, a tribute to all our snow this past weekend. My ATC uses the Tim Holtz mini embossing folder snowflakes on metal, edged using metal tool, and "low-lighted" with black paint. The diecut snowflakes are coloured with Salty Ocean and topped with Brushed Pewter. I used sticky ribbon leftovers and tied some coloured string round the middle. Various gems, brads and eyelets were added to finish. Hopefully this should fit the bill at ABAC for their challenge to use anything which "Ties Up".




Sunday 20 January 2013

Alpha Challenge #02 - Christmas

This fortnight's letter on The Craft Barn's Alpha Challenge is "C". As I am attempting a theme of special days, it just HAD to be Christmas. My page features a Candle and the 2 other "C" words I chose to highlight are Carpenter and Chimney. I hope you can see the links there.

I made a frame of the dictionary pages this time (covered my words with post-it note sticky) and then Dylusioned in red ink with a touch of gold perfect pearls mist too. I stamped and embossed in gold and added Christmas foliage. I painted a touch of pearlescent cosmic shimmer on the foliage to look like snow. Well it is still snowing here, and has been since 8.30am this morning!

My page has got rather wrinkly and I forgot to make sure I didn't put anything where the Bind-it-all holes will go. But hey I'll cross that bridge when I get to it at Christmas 2013. As I am going to stick the finished 26 pages back to back I might actually stick them on some base card for strength and I can always extend this for the spine. Well it has got me thinking anyway. Loads of time for that thought to mature.

Wednesday 16 January 2013

WOYWW #189 - Chronology

Oh how I love it when it gets to this time of the week where we share our desks, weeks crafting and new stash. It is never too soon for me to celebrate what we lovingly call WOYWW so a huge thank you to Julia our host for this mega mid-weekly blog hop.

So what have I been up to then? Well I went to visit some internet friends on Saturday and received a huge load of SWAP stash and I was also taken to the Oyster Stamps shop where I was quite reserved. However today was a tad different as I raided my local Do-Crafts stockist for their new Chronology Range. In fact I love the range so much I had to prise myself out of the shop!

Love Timmy's tag this month too so have made a second one in a different colourway and using some of my newly acquired Chronology Range. The 9 cog dies are super. One has Paisley type cutouts which just looked like a mustache to me so I just HAD to add that to my tag - LOL.

Oh and I made a couple of ATCs for my friends to remember our meet-up on Saturday too.

Have a fun week all you WOYWWers.

Wednesday 9 January 2013

WOYWW #188 - Zutter

Hello all you seasoned WOYWWers and newbies of course. Join the merry crew and blog hop the desks of lovely crafters all over the world courtesy of Julia our host.

Thought I'd show you all my new Christmas toy, the Zutter Bind-it-all.
Not actually bound anything yet but have had a play with the hole making part... I intend to bind my Craft Barn Alpha Challenge pages when they are all done, the first one is on my desk entitled "Valentine" and can been seen close up here.

I am in the process of mending my Nativity figures which were delivered in a state of brokenness some years back. Filling in holes left from missing pieces and chips with my texture paste. Shepherd now has a kneecap and the angel has a newly fashioned foot! The Holy family and a lamb were virtually unscathed but the others were in pieces!

There's also my first Timmy Tag of the year which can be seen here. The little set of drawers on the left was another Christmas pressy. The card on the right my insect/bug SWAP on my UKPC group, really need to make mine now.... Oops. And my trusty Dr Who pencil, what more could a girl want?

Monday 7 January 2013

Alpha Challenge #01 - Valentine

The Craft Barn are starting a year long fortnightly challenge based on the alphabet. They are starting with the letter "V" and after skimming through my dictionary I came up with VALENTINE.

Nearly went with the traditional red but ended up with purple and gold instead.






I am doing my letters on pieces of 6" x 6" paper and will bind the set with my new Bind-it-all when I have completed the challenge. I intend to stick 2 pieces back to back and will probably bind it in alphabetical order too. We'll see.

Might try to find a special day in the year for each letter too, I'll see how that goes!

Wednesday 2 January 2013

TH #1 - January Tag

There is something innately satisfying in doing one of Timmy's Tags, especially when your mojo is flagging, as they give you direction and even if you don't have all the same stash and you just manage to make something similar, that is even more satisfying.

So yes I have piled in and made the January Tag. I just love cogs and clocks and it gave me an excuse to get my REAL clock pieces out again, very tiny and very fiddly but I love them. Set the clock face to just gone midnight which is the time I finished it!! Bopping away to Absolute Rock on my new DAB radio.

Hmmmm - life can be sweet!

WOYWW #187 - AJ Completed!

Happy New Year everyone. I got my spray booth out this year and MADE myself finish off my little Art Journal.

I use the sides of my spray booth to test my sprays on so they are getting rather colourful now.

Along with two mists all my Dylusions fit in a Mini Roll box which I reinforced with tape and sprayed with all the inks to decorate it.

Didn't have much of an idea of what to do for my last page in my journal so just went with the flow. Had to use my latest and last addition to my Dylusion ink set - yep the dreaded BLACK!


I also did the front and back inside covers. The latter was based on a cover seen in a friend's journal (you know who you are but I don't wish to spoil it for the otheres in the Round Robin). The front inside cover went a bit wrong so I had to stick a piece of waste sprayed paper over the mess!

Just need something to write on the back inside cover, I'll have to ponder that one.










Anyway, to pop along to other desks in this New Year blog hop called What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday (WOYWW), go to Julia's place. Have a GOOD one.

PS - I have just finished the January Timmy Tag too, have a look here -  Horrah!