12 Months in View - Journal Update

Hi Folks, here's an update on my journal as May comes to a close and supposedly Spring with it as we head into June with the hope of a Summer filled with warmth.

First my May calendar pages to show you all I have been faithfully filling them in daily. The scissors show when I gave my boys a hair cut!

Secondly, I updated my tags from strings to ribbons as they fitted much better with the page after I have stuck all the pockets in.

Then to my Summer title page. I used the masking tape technique for the background of this one and just kept adding to it and am really pleased with how it ended up.

Finally my June calendar. Yes - I carved yet another stamp.

I thought a leaf would go with all the wonderful leaves emerging right now.

It got a bit big and doesn't leave me much room for my flower of the month!!

Oops. But I'll make do I'm sure.

WOYWW #208 - 4th Anniversary Blog Hop

Horrah for the WOYWW 4th Anniversary. I have made some ATCs and have 5 extras if you are interested, Butterflies or Ballerinas are the theme of the day for me. I popped them here if you wish to have a look.

This week I have been working on my 12 Months in View Journal to finish up Spring as would you know Summer is supposed to start next week! I have started on Summer and made another stamp for my June calendar page - a leaf this time.

I have done my next page for the Alpha Challenge at the Craft Barn and have done Floral Dance for the "F" with a twist as Father's Day wasn't within the remit!

Oh and last but certainly not least I have made the draw for the yellow spoon from last week. I had 28 comments and put them all in the draw and out popped 505whimsygirl/Kay, Looks like the yellow spoon will be winging its way over the pond, please send me your snail mail address Kay, my e-mail is on my profile.

12 Months In View - End of Spring

Gosh it will be the turn of June and Summer next week on 12 months in view so I thought I best sort out my Spring round-up pages.


I have planned in one double spread for my garden photos. I had to add 2 photos for March as we got snow on 10th after taking my usual photo in the first week.

The last page is for my 3 pockets and tags for each season and flower.

Alpha Challenge #11 - Floral Dance

Well The Craft Barn have foiled me again with their twist on the letter. I was unable to do Mother's Day for "M" now unable to do Father's Day for "F" as the twist sets the letter as "Fe to Fr"!

Onward and upward, I found a Cornish May Custom called the Floral Dance or Furry Dance (couldn't use the latter due to twist!)


I distinctly remember Terry Wogan on Top of the Pops with this too, and now I know what he was singing about.

Lily of the valley buttonholes are worn for this event, upwards for the men and downwards for the ladies, which explains my page.

12 Months in View - Pentecost

Yes I know it is a leaf die but I thought it sort of lent itself to being like fire too so I used it for my 12 Months In View Pentecost page. It has 5 layers which is quite appopriate as well.

I used masks/stencils for the background with various distress inks. The face is a stencil too. There is a "tongue of fire" above the face to symbolise the coming of the Holy Spirit at the first Pentecost which was 50 days after the Passover. I did my doodle, liquid pearls and stickles thing again too.

Décopatch Owl

I just HAD to do it. Last night I decopatched an owl. My husband had bought me this glass/mirror owl for Christmas last year, more for it being an owl rather than one he really liked. I was pondering what I could décopatch next and fortunately HE suggested it - horrah as I had never really liked its gordiness.

The only brown paper I could get was a pebble beach one, so I tore out the differing shades of brown carefully for the different parts of the owl. He came out quite well methinks.

12 Months In View - Blue May Page

Thought it about time I did a page in my journal for May other than my calendar pages. I have combined quite a few prompts and things to come up with this page.

First I used one of the "giveaway" pages as a backing paper. Then I stencilled on top with a stencil acquired from Helen at craft club. Also at the same craft club I got the flower fairy sheets and low and behold I managed to pick up 2 with plants I have bought this month too.

I have planted 4 Periwinkles in the garden this month, 2 in the front and 2 in the back.

I had a Hyacinth in a hanging basket too (yes I know the fairy picture is of Grape Hyacinths but never mind).

The poem prompt got me thinking and the Flowers Fairy website had the perfect one for this page.

So with a bit of doodling and liquid pearls and stickles, I was done.

WOYWW #207 - Spoons!

Hi there all you avid WOYWWers and welcome to the penultimate edition before the 4th anniversary. Pop over to Julia's desk to see what I am on about.

Well here's my little desk all tidy again as I do the tidying after I have finished things. I've just stuck the scrappages although some journaling is still required.

This week I have been décopatch MAD doing a spoon, then the cat and then the little chest of drawers. The bottom drawer holds 2 ATCs nicely side by side so in there you'll just about make out my set of 7 ATCs ready for next week. I then did another spoon and have a third waiting in the wings.

Also this week I did the technique challenge on 12 months in view with alcohol inks on acetate and a blowy thingy. The page is in my CD mini-book as fortunately I had made a couple of acetate pages.

The fantastic card is my SWAP from Elizabeth on the UKPC Group. She's made a great job of the sketch which was set this month.

And finally if you have made it this far and like my décopatch spoons the yellow one is up for grabs. Just leave a comment saying you'd like to go in the draw for it. I'll pick a name out before next week's mega blog hop. Happy WOYWW.

Décopatch - Chest of Drawers

Yes even more décopatching! Got to work on my little chest of drawers yesterday. Not brave enough to use my different papers for a patchwork effect so just did the base in a green crackle and the drawer fronts in the patterned paper I'd used yesterday for my cat.

The décopatch site showed the chest up the other way but I thought the drawers ought to sit on a solid surface and not in a space, so turned it the other way. This made the bottom drawer too close to the surface so I glued some ceramic beads on the bottom to lift the base as the bottom drawer was catching on my craft mat.

Also, my bottom drawer was a bit wonky, so I sprayed it with water and sat my Cuttlebug on it as it dried, which seemed to do the trick. It is just the right size to store 2 ATCs side by side. Jolly useful as I needed to make a set for the WOYWW 4th Anniversary and I even used up all the left over pieces of the papers for one of the backgrounds.

Here are my drawers and cat together - aww.

Décopatch - Pensive Cat

Once you start, you just can't stop! 

Décopatched my Pensive Cat today, started with the eyes using the circle pattern and worked out from there. Still only using one paper but as it was a patchwork one it was like using multiple papers.

I added gems for the eyes, a few paper flowers on the neckline and tail and finished off with some crystal stickles.


He's even cuter now! Hmmm, I wonder what will be next?

Décopatched Spoon!

There we have it! I have lost the plot completely and have décopatched a wooden spoon! 

Thought perhaps I could give up cooking completely and just décopatch the spoons!

I guess it is a bit like the paintbrush decorating thing (yes I have some of those waiting in the wings too).

Just realised why I like décopatch so much as it is painting WITHOUT paint. I have never been much of a paint person, always seem to mess it up so this is the perfect answer.

Give me sticking and glueing anyday.

12 Months in View - Technique Challenge

This month's technique challenge over on 12 Months in View is blowing alcohol inks on acetate.

I have only done this on glossy card before (Timmy Tag), and as I wasn't getting such a great effect with blowing through a straw then, I even splashed out buying a proper blowythingy which you can use in any orientation!



I just  happened to have included two acetate pages in my CD mini-book so have had a go on one of those. Definitely didn't know when to stop and enjoyed the process immensely.

WOYWW #206 - Décopatch and more...

Oh to my desk this week for WOYWW - lots of little projects too see.

I took prompt delivery of my new décopatch items and papers from DécopatchMe. The Pensive Cat and a little Chest of Drawers. Can't wait to get going on them.



Also I drilled a hole in a wooden spoon which I'm going to décopatch too. Woman at work in workshop, mind your fingers!

So - yes, I have gone décopatch MAD since Craft club last week where I first did my initials "BJ" and since then a little box.










At another craft club we did rosettes and I made 6 cards and an ATC from them. Earlier in the week I made a CD cover mini-book. Lastly my Craft Barn Alpha Challenge piece. Try finding a special day beginning with "K" - not easy!













So pop along to Julia's place to join the WOYWW fun this week, and visit desks all over the world.

Alpha Challenge #10 - Kissing Friday

Well very nearly flummoxed by the Craft Barn's letter of the fortnight being "K" and my own challenge of finding a "special day" to illustrate!

Fortunate for me there is a great school site to help out at such moments and there is was - Kissing Friday.

Apparently the first Friday after Ash Wednesday where English schoolboys were entitled to kiss the girls without fear of punishment or rejection. Sadly this custom waned in the 40's.

Craft Groups & Rosettes

Been to craft group today where we did rosettes and pinwheels, although I haven't done the latter - yet!

Saw a great example of a man's card and with Father's Day and my husband's birthday on the horizon I thought I'd concentrate on those.





One lady found a little piece of orange spotty ribbon and tasked me to use it "somehow" - hence the ATC.







I did allow myself a purply pink moment afterwards though.

 Also it was questioned why I went to "craft club" if I had already done most things, well here are my ponderings:-

I have crafted "home alone" for many years and find it good to get out of the house and meet other people and see how they do things, learn new techniques or how to update trusted ones. Also to use and try out tools otherwise I hadn't, today was the turn of the Hougie Board. Another great thing is to work with lots of different stamps and papers and card.

Yes - craft groups are fun.

Décopatch - Box

At Craft Club we got 3 sheets of decopatch paper. I used one and a bit for my decopatch letters and the third I saved for this little box which I bought AGES ago and it has been sitting all forlorn on my shelf ever since.





I tried to be careful not to overlap too much as I wasn't sure I'd manage to cover it all. As it worked out I covered it all EXCEPT for the inside base, which I lined with black felt and also cut some felt tattered florals.

I edged the lid with some lace and then got to work with the hot glue gun (getting a lot of use at the moment). I sort of made up the design as I went along and it ended up quite a bit different to my draft!











I added 2 spare black felt flowers to the inside of the lid with some more of the white flowers I got at craft club too. At last my little box transformed. Now what to keep in it.

Just thought this might fit the May CountryView Challenge of, "How does your Garden Grow?"

Certainly very floral with my favourite butterfly or pili-pala as I like to call them now as I have learnt the Welsh word!