WOYWW 95 Not Exactly a Workdesk!!

Happy Wednesday Crafters!

What has happened to that lovely weather we had on the weekend?  Well at least the garden will be able to have a water!

Here is my Workdesk today!  Not the usual two supports and a shelf between them, and not a piece of paper in sight but I am working! 

I am a little bit of a poorly bunny at the moment and when I am not well I like nothing more than to cwtch up under a quilt and watch old movies.  Well this is what I am doing today, but the quilt is having it's binding sewn on as I am under it! 

I made this quilt some time ago but whilst I was handquilting it we were burgled and the quilt was thrown on the floor and walked upon leaving muddy footprints and glass all over it.  After taking the hand quilting apart and washing it try as I might I could not quilt it without bawling my eyes out thinking about the day I came home to find the house gone through. 

Well last September I was standing my spare room where it was kept and decided it was time I took the bull by the horns and do something about it.  I thought I had three options (1) burn it, (2) get on with it (3) get someone else to quilt it for me.

Well (1) was not an option - all that cost and time, (2) already tried that, so I only had option 3 left.  So I contacted someone who I knew did that School House Quilting and arranged a date for me to take it at the beginning of December.  I picked it up at the end of January and boy did I cry, but it was becuase I was so pleased with it.  So here I am now binding it.  It sure is cozy under here. I will show you the whole quilt when it is finished.

Well, off to look at some other desks now and if you do not know what I am on about just click HERE and you will be slip stitched over to Julia Dunnit's desk and links to a whole lot of other bloggers who join in with the official desk nosey!!

Thanks for visiting and don't forget to leave me a comment.

Hettie

Bad Blogger - Bad Blogger!!

Hello there Peeps. 

I know, I know.  I have been such a bad blogger this week and whether you believe it or not, it has not all been of my making!!!

On Thursday of last week I took the Wedding Invites (thank you all sooo much for the kind compliments - they helped) to the Bride and Groom's home, in a (if I say so myself) lovely large (recycled) brown paper bag which I had decorated with pretty papers, fluffy ribbon and - Yes - you guessed it, some purple flutterbys. 

They were absolutely chuffed to little mintballs as my family used to say with the Invites.  They even brought a tear to the Bride's eye.  The Bride, Sharon said that now they had come it all seemed "so real" and that it was all about to start now. 

I was soooooo relieved.  It is a huge responsibility making those, not having done so much as a Birthday Invitation before like that.  Sharon had even bought me a lovely bunch of flowers to say Thanks too.  They were well appreciated.

By the time I got back from there and poured a glass, Play Time was all but over so I just went for a wander round some more desks which I hadn't done Wednesday night.

Friday.  We went to see a nice Surgeon man who is going to fix my knee.  As we arrived at Reception the fire alarms went off and we were plunged in darkness.  Ho Hum!  We were let back in, still no lights but the Surgeon did not really need lights to manipulate (and hurt lots) my knee.  Ouch!!  Me and 'Im then had a very enjoyable day pottering around nice places.  Friday night - well - whilst browsing on a certain website (only a peek honest), can you guess what happened?........... Yep - we lost our internet!!!!!  Two hours of phone calls to Mumbai we were told (a)we did not have a problem as there were none in the area (how can they tell from there?) (b) yes there was a problem and we would be back up on Tuesday.  How was I gonna order goodies?  (Have mobile - will shop!!!)

Then Saturday.  A day of stitching, drinking tea and natter with my Quilting Buddies - great!  However, I started the day with a bit of a giffy tum.  Never mind.  Then my Mum telephoned me to tell me she had won the Flair Magazine Competition and would I take her to the NEC to see it hung up.  Was I going to say "No"?  Of course not.  I could not turn her down!  Do you think I am crazy?  Shopping for crafty stuff!

To the Quilting Group I went.  A little later thought I was starting to feel "odd"!  Do you know what I mean?  Can't quite put your finger on it but you know things aren't right?   I left the group a little earlier than usual and drove straight home without making my usual stops (Mum, Mandy, TK Maxx, What! - not necessarily in that order) and had to sit on the drive for Hubby to let me in.  When he pulled up I was sat in the car with heaters on full, shivvering and looking pretty pale.  Up the stairs he marched me and within a short while I was being very ill..... and ill....... and ill.... It would appear that my giffy tum was the start of Gastroenteritus!!!!  My poor body was being turned inside out!  Yuk!

Sunday more of the same.

Monday not much better - feeling very groggy. 

Today.  Still feeling very groggy, with giddiness, stomach cramps and nausea.  Hubby called the Doctor out (which I did not want) who declared that I was dehydrated, the cramps were most likely what little food I had eaten going through my very sore tummy and that I may have a water infection.  Can it get any worse?  She did give me some tabs to stop the nausea and so far they are working and I have now managed a whole cup of green tea without wanting to be ick!  Success. 

And as you may guess we have at last had our internet back albeit very slow.  Though don't tell BT as they have told us we wont get it back until at least Saturday now!!!

Well, as you have been so kind to read my drivel I cannot leave you without someat nice to look at now can I?  Here are some little books which I have been making in between invitations, Bridal visits, lost internet, hospital visits and bathroom visits (nah not the last one.  I have not been in my Craft Room for the last two days!  even this is being typed in my bed!!).

Here are the reverse covers....

 I was going to put a "Mum" on the fronts but I am not sure now.  One of these is for me but not sure which one yet, the other two are for Mum and MIL.  Eeny meeny miny mo.....  I decorated the panels with Ranger gloss paper and alcohol inks, and stamped using a Hero Arts Dandelion Stamp and Archival ink.

You will need to buy this book from HERE to get the instructions.  It is the Sue Roddis book called Handmade Decorative Books which I love, though this is the first one I have made out of it.

Nite Nite.  Thanks for letting me ramble on.

Hettie



WOYWW # 94

Hello there fellow Crafters!  Thanks for joining me today. 

Hurrah! It is Wednesday! aka Hump Day aka WOYWW day!  Happy Whatever day you want to know today as to you all! 

If you don't know what on earth I am talking about then hop over to Ms Julia's Blog and you will see what WOYWW means.  For those of you who know what I am talking about, here is my desk today. 

What is that? I hear you ask!  Yes, it is empty!!  If you cast your eyes over to the desk opposite you will see that it is full of Invitations.  Last night I finished the Invitations an evening quicker than I was expecting.  This is how things were at the start of yesterday evening.

And.....

My Darling Hubby kindly cooked the Dinner so that I could get on with them.  I was anticipating that I would get as far as attaching the Flutterbies on. 

However, they dried quicker than I anticipated (I had a break whilst eating my Dinner part way through adhering them) and so was able to put the finishing touches of the Diamantes on! 

I have arranged to meet the Bride on Thursday evening in order that I can take the Invitations to her and meet her (all this has been arranged by my friend who is her Niece and samples going back and forth!).  I now want to decorate a suitable bag to put them in and tie them with suitable bows tomorrow before I take them to her.

Here is what they look like finished. 

The photos are not brilliant as I have taken the photos under electric light late at night.  Apologies for that.

I have had a few comments regarding the Butterfly I have used.  It is a Martha Stewart punch.  Now a very used Martha Stewart punch!! (Poor thing - I will have to let it rest now!)  After punching them added some embossing ink and then I sprinkled with holographic embossing powder to make them schparkley!  Some of the butterflies became mottled when the gun was a little warm, but it looks really effective!   

Well , off to look at some other blogs.  No point in not having a nosey with all those desks waiting!

Happy Crafting to you all and thanks for looking at mine.  Please feel free to leave a comment.  They do give me a smile when I read them.

Hugs

Hettie

Sewing Art - Sunday Stamper Challenge

Good Evening Peeps

I decided last night what I wanted to make for the Sunday Stamper Challenge on Hels Sheridan's blog so had to set to it pretty pronto as the deadline is 9pm tonight! Yikes!!  So this is my little piece! 

I had thought of putting one of the cards which I gave you a peep at on Wednesday but a few sleepless nights later I came up with this idea.  I promise I will give you a close up of those cards tomorrow now.  Hope you like my little Sewing Art piece instead!  The theme this week is BROWN!

The base is an 8 x 8  canvas which I bought from The Works some time ago which I gesso'd to give it a bit of texture, then inked it before spraying with my colour washes.  I then added a torn piece of Kaisercraft and out of the bits I cut off I made the roses. 

The dies is are both Tim Holtz's both of which I bought from Country View Crafts and the stamps are a mixture of PaperArtsy and Tim Holtz bought at The Event a few weeks ago.  I painted the bird cage with copper alcohol ink before running it through the Big Shot with an embossing folder, sanding it and adding Walnut Ink DI.

The charms are from a bracelet which I bought from Claire's Accessories recently.  The bracelet was reduced to £2 and I just knew when I saw it that I wanted to team it with the stamps and die to make a little piece to go on the wall near my sewing end of my room.

The buttons are all old ones from my button pots.  Some very kind people in work have given me some lovely buttons to add to my collection and some of them I imagine came off some FAB old coats.  Keep 'em coming as you never know when I might need them!

The roses were recently featured on Hels' blog and I used the free stamp which came on a recent copy of Craft Stamper. 

When I finished it I then sprayed it with Tim Holtz' gold Perfect Pearls. 

Thanks for looking.  Enjoy the rest of the weekend and please do not forget to leave me a comment.

Hettie

WOYWW 93

Wow Peeps!  Where did that week go then? 

I cannot believe how quickly this last week has gone.  It is now officially past the "Hump" and now it is downhill to the weekend!

So as it be Wednesday it is time for WOYWW.  If you don't know what on earth I am on about just click HERE and you will be whisked to the desk of Julia - the Queen of WOYWW where lots of other fellow crafters have put our desks on view for other nosey crafters.

Here is my desk this week.....

As you can see I am still working on the Wedding Invitations having been "naughty" and have wandered off to play with my projects which you may see on previous postings. 

I have now cut out all the card pieces, including corner rounding small pieces of card (1 3/4 x 2 3/4) on all four corners, and embossing all the white pieces of card, 70 butterflies cut (with the help of my Darling Hubby) and all text boxes cut and printed. 

My aim tonight is to ink the edges of the text boxes for the evening invites (already done the day invites), and then adhere 5 foam pads to the reverse of them all.  Then I can play with my new toy which arrived today. 

Big smile when I opened my post box tonight to find my Bigz L Die for cutting my own tags!  I only have one proper sized tag which I have been using as a guide for cutting out my own.  NOW I can make as many as I want to and they will all be exactly the same size!!!  Yippee. 

I also thought I would show you some cards I made last night and used some of my new Colour Washes on!  Bought them - gotta justify spending the money!!  That way Hubby cannot nag me about spending my pennies.  (Haa Haa!!!)  

This weekend I have three birthdays for which I need cards so when this happens I try to make a few spares for the ones I may forget! 

I will put more details on tomorrow's post as one of them I have made with Hels' Sunday Stampers Challenge in mind - Brown is this week's theme.

Well, that's all folks.  Off to look at some other WOYWW desks.

Please feel free to leave me a message!  I always look forward to reading them.

TTFN

Hettie

Come on Spring...

Evening Ladies (and Gents of course!)

Does anyone know where the sun has gone today?  It was a lovely (if cold) day yesterday and yet today all we have is dull grey weather!  We have even lost the mountain opposite ours a few times too!!

Well, in the hope that the Spring weather (and temperatures) will show itself pretty soon I thought I would show you a "Springey" card I made one day last week.  I meant to put it on here for you to see on Friday but we know what happened to Friday (grrrrr!). 

It was made following on from my "play" with alcohol inks from last Wednesday.  I thought I would use nice sunny colours (sunshine yellow, red pepper and silver).  Then I stamped it with Archival ink (black 'cos that is the only colour I have - at the moment!) with my lovely new Paperartsy stamp which I bought just a short time ago......Ahhhhh!

I then mounted it onto silver card, wrapped some waxed cotton around the bottom before mounting it onto black card and finally mounting the whole thing onto a card.  I did have a go at printing the flower on a piece, which I was not happy with, so instead of wasting it I used the rest of the card to print more individual flowers so I could cut them out.  There are more waiting in the wings to "pop up" somewhere else!  

Ooops!  Forgot to mention that I used black enamel in the centres of the flowers to make them a little blackier and shinier!!

Thanks for looking and do please leave me a comment.  Off to make some Tea seeing as it is Tuesday!  I came across a blog last week which did Tea on Tuesday.  Just as soon as I find it I will take a piccie and join in with the fun!  Of course I will let you know too!   

Hettie

Cherish - Wedding layout

Good Evening Friends

Sorry I haven't blogged for a few days but I have had a very topsy turvy end of last week and weekend!

You remember I told you on Wednesday that I had been to Hospital that very afternoon for my pre-op assessments?  Well!  On Thursday I received a letter informing me I had an appointment for the Aneasthetist (excuse spelling!) a week AFTER my operation was scheduled.  So on Friday I telephoned the Hospital twice to find that they had cancelled my operation (no thought to tell me) and that it was possibly not going to happen until May!!!!  Another two months to add to the 14 months I have already waited.  Laugh!!!  Not!! Not a Happy Bunny at all!!!

Well, Saturday was much better as my Buddy Mandy and I went to Chepstow to the Artstamps show.  It was a little smaller than the last two years due to the Malvern Craft Fair being on the same weekend.  Never mind.  Retail Therapy I was going to have!  I spent a small fortune!  I bought a few stamps (I know you will all be shocked - not!) but my real bargain was the Colour Washes from Adirondack.  Snazzys is selling all theirs at a knockdown price of £3 per bottle.  I had 6 bottles in my stash at home and up until now every time I saw them for sale I would buy another one to build up my stash.  However, they are now being discontinued so I knew I NEEDED (of course needed!) to finish the set.  At £3 a bottle I bought all the colours I was missing i.e. 6 of them!!!  Heavy bag to begin with but hey ho!  Bargains have got to be had.  They all look so cool in their tin.  I will show you my tin later in the week when I can get better pictures taken in daylight. 

On Sunday we went to see my Mum and Dad with a large china Goose under my arm.  I saw it at the Garden Centre on the way down and could not resist buying it for my Mum as an early Mother's Day present!  It will cause some amusement and last much longer than flowers!

I am still working on my friend's Wedding Invites so nothing much to show on those yet, but tonight I decided to clear the deck so that I could actually have some "me" time.  It is Monday after all, which is customarily MY night for fun!!!

The pictures are not very good as they have been taken in my craft room under electric light but I wanted to share the layout with you.

I am putting this on Two Peas website click HERE where they are running four workshops a month which are free!  Yes FREE!! Each designer is taking a different aspect of scrapbooking and producing a workshop every month.  This layout is one that Shimelle Laine has given the sketch and video whereby you are to put two 4x6 photographs on.  I have decided to use these to make a Wedding Album for me and Hubby!  It is about time seeing as we got married in 1989!!  (Before you ask, Yes I was a child bride!!)  The problem has been finding papers as I wanted blues and most of the Wedding papers are either purples or pinks.  Not me and my colour was blue.

Well, going to reintroduce myself to my Hubby as he has not seen much of me tonight!  What is new?!!!

Thanks for looking.  I hope you like and please leave me a comment, I do appreciate every one of them.

Hettie

WOYWW # 7

Hello there Fellow Crafters

Well, I'll go to the foot of our stairs!  How quick has this week gone?  And when is the Spring ever going to come?  You may recall that on a previous posting I asked if I should take the snowflakes down out of my craftroom windows yet and today - yes today - we are having little flurries of mini snowflakes here in Wales!  Only very small but I could not believe my eyes at first but Hubby confirmed it! 

Well, I had planned that this week would be a sewing week as it has been a while since I last had one and I want to get my quilt off the hanging sheet and completed.   (Feel free to click HERE to see what I am on about.)  However, a friend of mine at work asked me last week if I would like to make some Wedding Invitations for her Aunt who is getting married soon.  I made up some examples based on a card that the Aunt already had (no putting too much of "me" into it then!) and on Monday one of the samples I made passed and a deal was struck. 

 The Wedding is in June, so the Invites will be needed for about mid to end of April.  As I am going into hospital to have my knee operated on (hurrah - at last!) in two weeks' time which will make standing a bit of a problem, I really need to get my skates on (chance woudl be a fine thing!).  So instead I will be making a start on doing all the cutting today so that when I am recouperating I will (hopefully) be able to just sit and put them together.   I like to be more of a "now" person than a "last minute" person when I can.  Rushing the job won't win me any favours (or further commissions!). 

You may notice that I have a new addition to my desk - a clockA Very Large Clock!   (You can just see the back of it behind the card)  Hubby kept berating me about the fact that I say that I will be down at about 9 o'clock only to wander down eventually at about 10 o'clock (or later!).  I have a clock in my room (a handmade one nonetheless - no, not the movement silly!), but I have to look over my shoulder to see the time (and I need binoculars to read it but don't tell anyone!).  There is also a clock on the computer, but again, I always have my back to it, so when I was in a certain low-cost shop (B&M) I spied a nice looking clock with a large face which I thought I could live with being on my desk.  So here it is.  Not bad for £2.99!  Big enough for me to see without my glasses on!! LOL!!! 

Well, off to make some Dinner for me and my lovely Hubby.  I am a little earlier tonight as I have been at the Hospital today having my pre-oppy whatsits! Shhhh!  Hopefully I can get to look at more of your desks tonight too.  I understand from the Great One that it was a record attendance last week.  If you are not sure what on earth I am on about with WOYWW click HERE and you will be magically transported, without moving off your chair, to the blog of Julia Dunnitt who organises this official nosey at other peoples' desks from around the world!

TTFN!  (That is Tigger speak for Ta Ta For Now!)

Hettie.

Craft Fund Box

Good Evening Fellow Crafters

How are we all on this cold evening?  Is it me or is it getting colder?  When is Spring really coming?  I think this Winter just can't move over and let Spring have a go!  At least my Craftey Room is nice and toasty!!

I have spent the last couple of days making something for me!  When I was at The Event at Paperartsy I bought myself (and my Buddy) wooden money boxes thinking we could stash our crafting pennies in them.

Well, as you probably know me by now, I cannot have any left without having a little "Hettie touch" and I set to work to make it mine!

Using white acrylic paint I sprayed it with a little Wild Plum Adirondeck Colour (Color if you are American!) Wash and mixed it with a "fish finger" of cut n dry as we did at the Paperartsy workshop, and then painted the box with my fish finger.

After leaving it to dry overnight, I then added a second coat but this time a little deeper until I was happy with the colour.

After leaving it another night I set about decorating it with stamps.  Firstly, using Archival ink in black I stamped the box with my little birdies in rushes stamp, then secondly, using Purple Stayzon I stamped some flowers over the top and then finally, stamped the flying birds from my TH Minis set.  Once I was happy with what I had done I covered the box with homemade modgepodge and left it to dry.  I edged the box with some Dusty Concorde DI, added a little ric rac around the bottom of the box and added American Crafts Thickers letters to the top.  Hey Presto - one Craft Fund box!

My lovely Hubby put some money in the slot for me so that it did not remain empty and realised that it will only fit pennies through the slot.  Darn it!  I now have to dig my little Dremmel out and make the hole a little wider - gotta be able to get £2 coins in at least!!  LOL!!

Off to play with my new die which came today - TH Sewing Room (big smiles now!)   How could I a Sewer resist?  Now where is my grungepaper?

Thanks for visiting and hope to see you again tommorrow with the WOYWW!!  Please feel free to leave me a comment!

Hettie

Sunday Stampers on a Saturday!!! Parisien Postcard

Happy Crafting Afternoon to all you lovely Crafters.

Yes.  I know I am blogging on a Saturday which is not "normal" for me but due to a series of events I am actually  home and now in my Crafting Room on a Saturday afternoon.  It is a bit of a strange deal for me to be home on a Saturday as I am usually having to get up and rush off somewhere - either Cropping or Quilting and today should have been one of those days but unfortunately the Crop I usually go to was cancelled, then Plan B was scuppered when my Buddy found she could not come up due to logistics, so I found myself having an easy morning with no alarm clocks, huge cuppas with bacon butties with Hubby before going into town for a little wander.  Very strange but very nice!

Well, today's posting I had planned to do last night, but decided instead to spend the evening clearing my room a little of stuff which I no longer need e.g. old magazines, so that I could post my little Sunday Stampers offering today.  In case you do not know what I am on about with Sunday Stampers click HERE and you will be whisked over to Hels' blog where she issues a Sunday Stampers Challenge.  But not before you have had a peek at my little piece please!

This I have call "Parisien Postcard". 

The theme this week is Paris and as I bought some new stamps and dies at Paperartsy (I know you are sooo shocked!!)  last week which tied in with this week's theme I just had to join in (still cannot believe that was a week ago as I am still floating on Cloud 8 1/2 at the moment!) . 

The flower die and stamp in the bottom right corner are from Paperartsy as well as the tape measure in the middle and the cogs on the borrom left.  The birds were from my new set from Tim Holtz bought from QVC recently.  The Tissue Tape was one of the ones Tim Holtz allowed us to take off the table at The Event last week. 

Ingredients: -

Canvas board - The Works; DI - Antique Linen, Aged Mahogony (my new fav!), Peeled Paint, Vintage Photo, Walnut Stain, Rusty Hinge, Wild Honey and Fired Brick;  Tim Holtz - cogs, tissue tape; Sticker - Cavallini; ribbon; lace; Stamps - Paperartsy, Tim Holtz, Cavallini; wire; wool.

Hope you like it and please feel free to leave me a comment.  I do love to read them. 

Happy Crafting Weekend!

Hettie