WOYWW #145 - Finished and New...

Well another whishhh and whizzz, and someone turned my clock to Wednesday, AGAIN!!! Unless there are secretly more Wednesdays in a week than any other day ... mmmm... - well she finally lost it, guys!!! And we all know what THAT means, eh?? WHAT!!! YOU don't know??? Well whatever planet have you been on... blast off to the Stamping Ground and get enlightenment!!
I have finally finished the outside and inside paper work of my suitcase. Only remains the trimmings in the inside and the mini to go in with photos... I am really pleased with it for my first, but would try it again now I get the hang of it...

 All the outside closures are on and the handle...

 It's really twee, isn't it?? I will definitely try something like it again... I have ordered another project from the wonderment that is Laura Denison, and that is a curio cabinet - something really different and totally impractical!!!

 The inside is really jolly and it only remains to have it's strip fitted to hold ickle phials of sand and other bits, across the middle of the lid pocket. The mini will fit into the case, with embellies and photos, finally putting to bed the Egyptian holiday, which ended in such chaos so many moons ago!!!

And what is THIS you spy??? Well, I hear you shout, you said you wouldn't get another one, as they have proved so unreliable for you!!!! ... Yes, dear reader, I KNOW you are right, but I tried to use my cuttle bug the other day and I was USELESS - yes, folks, more useless than usual!!! So I am trying again from another supplier, with the forlorn hope that I shall be more lucky this time...

And finally, a new light. I treated myself to an Ottlite, as the desk lamp I inherited from my lovely Pete, finally gave up the ghost the other day... I have a daylight bulb in another lamp, but this one makes it so there are no shadows at all on my desk, yippee!!!

That was finally, because I can't show you what I am working on - if I did I would have to kill you!! tee hee... I have started planning and sorting my DT pieces for The Artist Stamper Team Blog, for next month. I do hope you lot will come and support me when I am finally "on show" !!! ??

Have a great week...

Love and light

Frankie

xx

PS - mum is having another reasonable week - we took her to watch the boys ride and she thoroughly enjoyed it...

PPS I have a DT call out over on my challenge blog DragonsDream Tag It On ... pop over and have a shuffty or even apply... ??

WOYWW #144 - A More Normal Week!!

Well, Wednesday rushes upon us once again... and March already!!! Special day that it is, it can be totally shared at the home of our spy mistress Julia at Stamping Ground. Pop and show your own desk and tell us what you are up to... it's such fun!!

 It's staying reasonably tidy then, and I can still see the wood for the trees but still not getting as much work/play done as I would like... anyway, mum is having a better period just now, and is much more settled. I am still fighting to get the best from the care plan - I have one really great carer, who comes twice a day, but the rest are mediocre at best... it's a pain when we pay so much!!

Talking of playing and getting into my lovely "craftyoom", I have more to do this month to be ready for a VERY SPECIAL EVENT next month... YEY!!! I have been asked to be a Guest of the Month on The Artistic Stamper Creative Team Blog!! How great I feel about THAT!!! So it will be scates on to do some good stuff

Woo, got the markers out and used the brush ends on the grunge paper suitcase handles... looking forward to getting the special paper needed to do the magic with them??!!

This week, Simon Says Stamp and Show - bottle it... so for my TIO Alice challenge, I decided to show her growing large because of drinking from the bottle marked "drink me"...I used some images from the MCS disc... it's a great fun CD...

The rabbit is running off with the Queen of Hearts playing card - I saved them from a crimble cracker!!! I knew they would come in handy one day...

The clock has grown wings - well how original, fancy her thinking of that!!! - I used butterfly wings and decoupaged the watch face to make it lift off the page...- well that's what the wings are for, eh??

The background was done with distress inks and stamped with clocks and cogs, diamond blocks and...

It is all topped off with a large Graphic45 brad, which holds a key - for Alice to open the door, of course, silly - and a bronze metal circle of cut out hearts...

There is a lot of dimension to my tag this time, and it is very busy - well the book is, isn't it??

So that's what is on my desk at close of play today... the suitcase is coming on, and the tag was fun and different to do. I don't have any Alice stamps, but would love to get into all that... fascinating. Off to bed shortly, as I am so tired, looking after Miranda and the boys, as well as mum... feeling a bit of a shadow this evening!!! - hey, who said that??? tee hee.

Have a great week and thanks for coming over and leaving your wonderful comments. Looking forward to seeing lots of you chez vous

Love and Light

Frankie

xx

Besides the entry to SSSS I would like to enter this piece in a couple of other challenges

The Altered Alice - best butter - colour yellow, well most of mine has dripped into the watch!!!

The Cheerful Stamp Pad - #37 Land of fantasy

WOYWW #143 - A Fall Before Any Pride!!

OMG!!! I just can't keep on my feet and the rest of my female family is just as bad!!! What now??? I hear you all cry... what on earth are you showing us your dirty leg for??!! Well, it's NOT dirt, it's one HUGE bruise!! And it's a longish story... anyway Miranda's op on Thursday did not go smoothly - well the op did but the aftermath was VERY traumatic for a while, with her on the critical list for a few hours!!!

Worrying about her and being a bit distracted, I tripped on my landing, after having a wash ready to go visit her, and hurt me a very lot!!! So that's what it looks like tonight!! PS Miranda finally came out of hospital on Sunday afternoon, and has to lay up for a fortnight, then we'll go from there!!

And after the fall?? Well some art and a desk - courtesy of the wondrous Julia at Stamping Ground headquarers... because that's really what you came for eh??!!

 So here it is in all it's making glory!! I have finally started on the vintage suitcase project from Laura Denison, of The Paper Trail. I have the chipboard all cut here - took AGES with my gammy hands, especially after I fell!! - for the base of the suitcase. Below and right, is a view of the lid all done. My distress ink browns-drawer is sporting some of my new markers!!!! YEY!!!

 The pattern goes together very well, and I am using the paper Laura used, which is 7 Gypsies Conservatory. The inset piece is sticky back canvas, coloured with distress in frayed burlap...

 This is the other end of my desk, with the pattern instuctions all ready to follow.

 I laid the chipboard on the paper then cut round, and made the aperture for the canvas insert. This is a new Martha Stewart craft knife which came from America, from Srapadabadoo.com with my chipbard and a few other goodies!!!

 The paper gets wrapped and stuck - duh!!! obviously!! - then ...

 The corners are made from squares of cardstock, folded, trimmed and cut to make them fit, as below

 Hiding on the top of the cupboard at the back is the beginnings of another make... see further down for a closer look!!

Along the lid aperture, I set a row of ball chain, dipped in alcohol inks to age and colourise it, and I shall do the rest of the outside bits tomorrow - when I have finished my grandson's card for his birthday on Saturday... he will be 8 and I can't believe it...

 He designed his invitations... the first picture here is what he drew and said he wanted... he did it A4 and so had room on the front for his details. This pic above shows my interpretation of it, done postcard size and so the deets are on the back... To say he was thrilled is an understatement!!!

He LOVED the black border with all the holes - an afterthought on my part, when his mommy said the holes in his one were "on purpose and part of the design" !!?? Good ole distress inks and smooshing made the multicoloured background simples, compared to his colouring in with crayons!!

And finally, the close ups promised earlier... the beginnings of his card. He wants the two moshi monsters, Zimmer (?) and Katsuma (?) - not sure of the spellings!!! he is the former and Matthew is the latter - and it suits them!!!! tee hee... I will blog the finished card after he gets it... Saturday will be hilarious - we are supposed to be Laser Questing and Bowling with his little mates with a mommy who can't walk very much and my demented mother!!! Whoopy doo, that WILL be fun... Anyway, let's hope this next week will be a little less eventful for me and very lovely for you... Thanks for coming and commenting an keeping me sane - well, relatively!!!
Love and light
Frankie
xx

Simon Says... and Just Because!!!

Hi... mum is very confused again and very unsteady so Dr, is coming this pm... Miranda is in for her bone graft - finally, yey!!! - so it's all happening this week. Boys due for a sleepover too tonight, so that will keep me on my mettle then, eh??? LOL!!!
Anyway, as I said before, it's an ill wind etc. and my mind is running on with ideas if I can just find  time for them... alongside all the washing, toileting, etc etc... tee hee... so I escape to my craftyoom and do stuff!! and I have made an entry for the Simon Says Stamp and Show challenge, which is London, Paris or New York, this week. I thought how nice to have a spring break in Paris, and decided to make this...

 I could not resist my usual collage style - pile them on and stack them high!! - so I chose a variety of stamps including Crafty Individuals, TH, Invoke Arts and Rubber Stamp Concepts (main image)... they are all layered and I used distress inks and archival, with clear embossing powder for some images...

 Here is the whole piece, roughly 6"x6" in a frame. That is some 7Gypsies tissue tape round the edges. It is all postage stamps. I imagined a really blue sky and pink blossoms, hoping for a light and airy, if rather vintage, feel...

 I needed an embellishment, as the piece is quite flat as it is. So I thought of a rosette. All three cities are in countries with red, white and blue as national colours, hence the paper chosen. I finished off with a gem in the centre and three coloured hat pins... aww, cute!!

 Lots of lovely gentle texture from the embossing. Wonder if SSSS will mind I featured ALL THREE cities!! ?? Still, the main bit is Paris, which is a wonderful city... went oodles of years ago, probably two zillion light years, when I was 12!!! LOVED it...

And finally, the bottom left corner has a sort of baroque curly thing - curtesy of Vinaj - as a finishing touch, and I set the piece on a sheet from the Tattered Time pad from DCWV - well when don't I use that pad these days??? tee hee...

So that's it... I am quite happy with it and shall pop and enter it now. Such a happy piece has brought out the sunshine - as they promised us today - so the light is filling my dear 'ole craftyoom as I write. Thanks for coming to take a peek and leaving a comment. They mean so much when I am feeling frustrated over mum's sad condition..
Love and Light
Frankie
xx

WOYWW #142 - Lots and Lots!!!

Oh my but this carer lark ain't  'arf  'ard!!! Mum was on the floor and very very sick on Sunday morning - not how I wanted to start the day... anyway, suffice to say she was at death's door all day and could not even move her own feet to walk... bit better yesterday and back to old self (boo) today...

But it's an ill wind and all that, so with a REALLY quiet day or two, yours truly has been busy... oh yesh!! So I am very pleased to see you here hot foot from (or to) the blog of Julia, who runs this whole showing-your-desk lark!! Your lovely comments keep me sane - well, relatively!! tee hee...

Without more ado, get a cuppa and take a longer ride, cos I have a lot of photos to show you and I hope you enjoy... I will endeavour not to chat TOO much!!!

 Firstly I wanna show you my TIO challenge entry for this coming fortnight... it's a book title chosen by Wanda, called "Bird Song", set in WW1... Here the background tag is made and I am starting on the birdie... you all know I LOVE working with this die!!

 The birdie is getting embossed here - oooo my fave thing in crafting, mostly!!

 He is about done now, and even has an ickle black beady eye!!! Awww... Chirpy chirpy...

 Here's the full monty, "money shot"... the whole desk, still reasonably tidy from last week, with only out what I am using... the biggest box in front, here, is of my embossing powders!! wot a lot I got???

WW1... I wanted a vintage feel for this one, so it is almost monchrome - can you have "almost monochrome"?? Is that like being almost pregnant??!! Anyway, it's all my brown drawer pf distress inks, plus a tiny bit of spun sugar to warm the tones, and then verdigis on the cage and green on my ickle birdie...

 I stamped into the hot powder with a ginkgo leaf stamp, for his feathers and gave him a real metal wing, coloured with rub 'n buff gold and bronze - used it round the tag and on the metal parts too...

 I love the way the doily turned out, and the curled metal on the 'dirty' . faded ribbon embellishment, is meant to remind us of barbed wire...

 The piece is full of texture and light and shade, mainly from the under-stamping of the other birdies and nests in various colours of  DIs... also, the cage is free to move and catch the light...

I am really happy with the way it turned out, and my dream is over with the rest of my teams' tags on TIO... why don't YOU join in this time?? BTW, the under stamps are from two sets by Stamp in the Hand...

And what other goodies can I show you?? Well, I have been VERY busy with my jewellery again, and here it all is below. I have recently splashed out and tried Jewellery Maker for their gems!!!! WOW!! If you are like me and mad for the stuff, then they have the most WONDERFUL gemstones. Reasonable prices for real v glass/plastic/resin!!! So eyes down to see what I got made...

 This first piece was made as a sort of commission for one of mum's regular carers... she comes twice a day and is a real help to me too... so I gave it to her instead of selling it!!! Lovely jasper, imperial jasper and amythist. She was delighted!!!

 This piece is for me, until I decide not!!! tee hee... I was inspied by those large grey lanterns so I used them again... this time on a beading wire instead of doing my own wire work...

 This piece is what inspired the carer to ask me to make for her... it is mainly Vintaj and some beads from my stash... now there IS a LOT of wire work in this one, but I really LOVED doing it... there are ickle diamonds of abalone shell in it and the matching earrings... lovely on the neckline...

 And lastly, this is a work in progress... I have used lots of Vintaj again, and had a go at rivetting - using that hammer and block, given to me by the very fragrant Freddie... those of you who visit often will remember me raving over a small, but HEAVY cylinder of steel... well the rivets went in great using it - look...

 They are holding in the butterfly and the flower centre... ooo it was REALLY satisfying and I won't tell you what I was thinkig as I hammered!!!!! - too naughty!!!

And lastly, here are the two sides... there are some green gems in this but they did not phot well...I have yet to add chain. I think I will use assymetric chain too, fat at one side and rather more dainty on the other... we'll see...

Well, thanks for sticking it out this far - if you did!! - I made it round a LOT more blogs last week, so I hope to see even MORE of your desks this time... oh, and BTW, Miranda has a date for that bone graft - it will be THIS Thursday, so I shall be caring for my two grandsons again, here, and her when she is out, especially she if can't weight-bear for a while - it's awful hard to carry food and cups of tea whilst hopping with a zimmer!!! - ooo I should'nt laugh but really I think I am getting a little hysterical at the thought of yet more caring to do!!! It will be the early morning school run that will be the killer!!!

Sorry - off now, honest!!
Love and Light
Frankie
xx
I want to enter this piece in a couple of other challenges:-
GingerSnap Creations - use only two colours
                                     - #139 use a faux technique