WOYWW #177 - Look Away Now.....

Look away now if you are squeamish!!! But then you will miss my new zip fastener knee!!! yes, everyone, I am back after my operation... well, been out a long time in only 66 hrs after it, actually - I  beat my own record time this time. 4th joint in fastest time...

 So now I have a full set - two hips and two knees, full metal jacket... opps I mean joints!!!! tee hee. Above I was in the pre-op ward waiting to go to theatre. You see my lovely arrows. The consultant made the dainty ones and the registrar made the fatter ones!! What a jolly sight with my compression stocking on eh??

 And here is my "zip" two weeks later!!! Horrendous number of clips and so close together... but will make a good scar I hope.

 Here are the 38 offending beasties. YES I did say 38... ouch when they came out!! I was good for me, and did not actually cry once, but Miranda said I had not been a good enough ickle soldier to have a lollipop!!!! Awwww.....

And see the nice clean line here?? when all the stuff is healed that's about all that will be seen. Not bad. However, there's a long way to go. I am doing fine and the physio is so pleased with my progress, but I am tired this time. 4 ops in 5 and a half years take their toll... Still I was awake-ish and heard stuff, but no hallucinations this time, thank goodness. Played my meditation music and gave myself over to the process - THANKS PETA!!! So I am healing well and taking time.

So, sorry no crafting just yet and needing to rest but deffo in the land of the living again... Thanks for visiting, care of the wonderful Julia. I hope to get to lots of you this week
Love and light
Frankie
xx

Record Breaker!!

Hi honeys. I am home!!! The op is all done and I am back home now to rest, recuperate and generally get fit and well. I came home on Thursday morning, barely 66 hours since my op was done. !!

My scar is long and straight and has HUNDREDS and THOUSANDS of staples in it - well it seems that way, any way!!! I have some bruising but not like last time, yet!! so I am hoping for a speedy recovery.

Thanks to all those of you who sent well wishes, and I hope to be back doing stuff soon
Love and light
Frankie
xx

Wave me Goodbye!!!

...And wish me luck... !!! I am just about to go to the hospital for my knee operation today. It will be my 4th total replacement in just over 5 years!! You would think I would be a dab hand but, of course, I am very scared!!! Still, can't do with the pain I have just now, so it will be ok afterwards when stuff heals.

Meanwhile, here is me being a bronzed goddess, up top the Acropolis a bit more than a week ago!!!  This was a triumph to get up there, in my condition!! and a big hill to climb in other, more spiritual ways...

Anyway... I have my iPad with me so I HOPE I feel like looking if you feel like leaving me a message!!!
Love and light
Frankie
xx

WOYWW #171 - Cards and Tiny Tin!!

Hi Wyggers... s'me again, with a flying leap to catch up to the week, dashing by!! Leaping for what, you may ask... well, my dear readers, leaping on to the magic carpet that is the Stamping Ground, run by our intrepid leader, Julia, so we can all blog peacefully together - well that's the theory if it!! snooping more to the point!! ha ha...

 So here is my "money shot" this week, in the middle of designing and making a couple of cards and altering a wee ickle tin. I have not had chance for much crafting... it is simply work in progress this week, actually - yes, but you should see the REST of the room!! OMG!!!

 Firstly, a ickle tobacco tin that Pete left in his cupboards... Well, they are MINE now and I can use whatever I want... As you can see from the numbers on the cutting mat on my screen, it is actually only  a very small tin but has been transformed ... eh, voici...

Some patterned paper, distressed and smeared with the dreaded Rub n' Buff!!! and it looks so different, eh?? The charm is a delightful one, made of brass, but slightly altered and enhanced... I want it to take a bit of my makeup in and it will do the job nicely, going to Turkey!! - huh!! show off!!! Anyone would think it's your birthday too...pah!!

Then, I have been making a couple of cards... one is a commission from my great friend, Peta, and the other is a congrats card for and her new hubby!! Good stuff - well THAT news shook you didn't it dear??!! This one is for said hubby, whose birthday is a week after mine, and I DO hope he likes it. The bloke looks a lot like him I think!!!

 This shot is from the back of the card, behind the raised cogs and main image. Most of the pieces I used are from the Kanban steampunk range, which is REALLY fab to use. Wendie's great influences here no doubt, but she seems to have gone from the scene again... shame!! - oh do get on!!

The beauty of these easel style cards is that they are so dimensional but they fold nice and flat!!!

Lots of the cogs move and especially this large one, which swizzles round when given a helping hand!!! - brrr... you need to get your nails done before that holiday, mrs. woman!!! 

And this is a HUGE card I made for their wedding congrats, only a week late, the card that is, not the wedding!!! - well THAT could be said to be years late, but it would be rude, so shut up Gaywood!!! I have used the same bloke - oh yes, very subtle!!!  I had great fun using my TH distressing tool all around the edge to give this piece it's aged look. The base patterned paper is from the Timeless collection by DCWV ... I LOVE LOVE this set of papers...

And true to form, I have decorated the back too. It really came out well. Peta does look at my blog, so I hope I deliver these before she sees... still, in real life, the colours are much more vivid and the cogs are nice and shiny!! and anyway, she likes seeing what I do...

So, next 2 weeks, I will be off and away to beautiful Turkey for rest and rest and rest and play!!! I may be able to read and comment but won't be able to show my desk - obviously NOT, drip!!! but I shall be thinking of you all and wishing you were here/there, well you know what I mean... so goodbye, party people!! Have a great couple of weeks (one on the beach and one cruising up the Aegean Sea to Istanbul... always wanted to go to Byzantium/Constaninople... yippee!!)
Love and light
Frankie
xx

Give Away Winner

Hi All
As promised on Wednesday last, I am here now to announce the winner of the birdie spare tag I made for Laura Denison's swap. I really enjoyed making so many alike, but unalike - is that a word??? - and I am so pleased that so many people felt moved enough to comment and enter the draw. So, who is the "lucky winner" of the random draw??

I put 33 into the generator and number   26  came out... so counting through I think that should be Silvie/Barnie!! She is a member of my DDDT, but it was NOT a fix, honest!!!! So email me, Silvie, with your address and I will send it off to you as soon as possible.

Love and light
Frankie
xx

WOYWW #170 - Make Time to Make Art

That is very difficult just now... time seems to slide by out of the corner of my eye, when I am not looking!!! -OMG she is off already!!! this is a record... must be all that sporty stuff on TV!!! gold medal this week!!!! -  Anyway, as I was saying, time is leaping past and my birthday will be here in a couple of weeks!!!(21st) Then the year gallops, rapidly downhill - would be great if she had ever got UP-hill this year!!! - The week has flown and it's time for another swoop around the world aboard the magic carpet called Stamping Ground. So, here is the desk shot - not very edifying, but in progress of a sort.

Time to make anything seems at a premium, then, and the jolly old crafty'oom stays silent, dusty and empty for days on end... - you are meant to get out your violins and handkies at this point, dear reader!! - not because there is no muse but because other things call me away, and family needs my attention... - oh yes, and there is something she has not told you yet, my dears.... - we have been on a couple of outings including to Scope at Stafford, a fabulous horse show, to see others jump and show for a change. That was a great day for all of us, except mum, who had to be organised at home. - Come on, woman, tell them, you know you want to - So here is my lovely news in pics

So WHAT is so remarkable some of you may ask?? Well, it's BOTH my little lads riding at once, which can only mean one thing - OMG, she is at it again... DO GET ON Gaywood!!! - that we now have 2 ponies. And this one is called Beau, just like our very first one!!! But he is 16 and knows what's what. He was a snip to a good home and we love him already. Jay has him so he can do his cantering now, and Matt has Rosie, but they can each ride the other.... I must be MAD!!! but I do get such pleasure from it all and I can't help but give back that pleasure to my family.

And any art, you are waiting to hear - oh, she noticed dear readers, at last - well, a couple more pages on my album and the TIO tag for this week "In a Heart Beat" recipe, a beating heart, a tattered timepiece and a bit of grunge

 The heart is from an Elusive Images set, coloured with distress inks on my new Splodge mat

 Here is the title of my piece and the watch I made. The strap is fun, made from tyvek, coloured with distress inks, then distressed!! I loved doing the additions of the eyelets, below...

 Lots and lots of textured loveliness!!The black tag was put through the Vaga-007-bond - OMG!!! - in a texture folder, then inked with clear ink, and covered with verdigis and garnet ep... liking the look

And here is the whole thing. I liked it's simplicity. I sometimes get so involved and fancy, and throw the kitchen sink at it, but I KISSed it this time!!! Hope you like it.

So, thanks for the visit and comments... I have not done the draw for the tag last week, yet, so have a look and see if you would like to try for it - just leave a comment there too, to be in with a chance to win it... draw at the weekend.
Love and light
Frankie
xx

WOYWW #169 - All About the 5 S's??

Hi Wyggers... hope you are all ok?? Welcome to the desks of the world and the magic carpet ride we can all take as a weekly dose!! A spoonful of Stamping Ground makes the medicine go round -oh dear,folks, she has started to go off the rails VERY early in the process this week!! I was just lying here in bed, blogging,-  as you do... and the fragrant Freddie happened to notice me sorting out my desk picture for this week - well at least she did one this time!!! He was shocked. yes SHOCKED!!! but I can't think why...mmmmm

Now what's wrong with that folks??? - well if you don't know there is no hope for you!!! Then he said  "you would not get away with that desk at my work!!!" So why not, I wanted to know... "we are working on a new system of 5 S's ..." more of which in a minute... But I agree actually, it is a mess but nothing new there then!!! Working on a new album, as I said last week

It's cover is unusual as it opens both ways... will show you more another time. This paper is Bo Bunny and I have used Destinations by Tim Holtz and some Check In from Kaisercraft. The slot is for fitting a D ring when I get one... well she ordered all sorts but forgot the D rings, silly moo!!

So what about these 5 S's then ? well they are from a Chinese management senario, and that totally makes sense to me when I read them!!! They are
 Sort
Set in order
Shine
Standardise
Sustain
and are supposed to be "the building blocks of all improvement activity"

I get most but "standardise" that one sits badly with me, cos I don't want us all to do and be the same... however, I would like my desk and crafty'oom to be sorted and set in order AND sustained!!!tee hee!! So I have established that I can't do many of them, but I did have a go at standardise some time ago. Laura Denison was having a tag swap and I entered Sent off 8 + one for her, and got 8 back...

Here they are. Some of them are really cute, eh?? All are interesting, but NOT standardised!! However, we
were set the task to send off something similar to each person, so here are a few of the steps in the making of mine...

First, find a way to make the locks, so I got out the melt pot and made some suitable enamel... I mixed my own, and made a mold of the Tim Holtz key hole

They were then poured, into my mold... is this standardisation??? Or perhaps the cages all die cut, underneath??? - no, drip, this is mass production!!! but they do look rather good... Hey, that's not the same key hole as before?? What happened? - Well, the first mold went wonky so I used a different key hole...

For my crackle background, I painted with white glue in a random fashion - gosh, I wish you had washed the brush out properly afterwards, Gaywood!!!

Then straight on with a coat of acrylic paint...

Crackling in moments!! - yes, but not in a uniform, standardised way!!

And obviously a repeatable process - yes but STILL not standardisation!!!

A touch of metalic paint and Viva Inca gold or rub 'n buff... adds

a super shabby, old and worn look on each and every one...

Watch the birdie!!! Lots of steps to these ickle fellows - thanks goodness she spared us all that at least!!!but they ARE really cute eh??

 At last, all ten tags, standardised???? NO. Similar but creatively different and Vivre la difference!! I used similar but not the same trinkets, and such. If some appear crooked, they are not,they are just swinging free and moved for the photo...

So here is one ickle chappie, with all his glory, cheeping away... and talking of giving away - no you weren't!!! - Oh yes I am!!! I am thinking that if you leave a comment, I will do a random draw, and send the lucky - or unfortunate!! - winner, the one I still have here... so comment away and you might get my ickle birdie in the post - anywhere in the world??? - yes, of course...

Thanks for reading and commenting again this week... it has been a bit easier here, since my usual carer got back from Eid celebrations, but will take some time for mum to settle again... then we are are all away, so goodness only knows what will happen - well I know... she will be all at sea again and confused!!! But I NEED my holiday so there!! Here's hoping you are all well, anyway
Love and Light
Frankie
xx
PS. I don't think I was cut out for an office or a factory anyway, so who cares if my desk/crafty'oom is messy beyond belief???
xx

WOYWW #168 - About How I Feel!!! (Updated)

Hello Wyggers everywhere... Oh I missed you all last week, as I did not manage to blog at all, and never found time to do much... the morning/evening carer has been off for 2 weeks - well almost, but not yet - for Eid... and all hell has been let loose chez moi!!! OMG... some carers seem not to have any sense and are not worth the name!!! (I should have said that there have been replacements ... a DIFFERENT one every time!!! Late, rude, no English, incompetent, you name it, we've had it!! Very wearing...)

Suffice it to say that things have not gone smoothly here for a while and I feel let down... I let the office have it with both barrels this morning after the ministrations of one particularly rubbish visit!!! Would not be so bad if they actually came on time, or thereabouts!!! - enough, already, don't bore the pants off your readers mrs. woman...

So I have been working on the cruise album a little and have started another for the coming holiday - nothing like being prepared!! and is she prepared?? NO!! not a single thought about clothes or anything, but she is doing an album!!! mad - to Turkey over my birthday time, as usual... Anyhoo, here is what I have made - hurrah, we thought you would NEVER get to business!!!

 So this is the thought behind my title... it's a TIO DT piece for today, Wednesday, for the recipe "It's Art for Art's Sake" using a homemade background, interesting character(s) and a quirky twist. And the character looks JUST like I feel!!! - poor soul...

 I used a TH stamp for the background, along with a quirky stamp from a set which includes the eye, hand, and body of my character... naughty girl is showing herself here, in this bottom corner!!

 This head is a Lynne Parrella creation... lovin her stamps, they are SO outlandish but so neat!!! Watch the birdie land on her head from the tag hole... swoop!!

 So me, juggling and failing... hands -we notice that there are 2 left ones!!! - not succeeding in keeping control... head trying the recede into a shell - oh shut up Gaywood, you are getting silly now!!!

Anyway, I really enjoyed creating it, silly and fun, and odd as it is, mostly with all TH new colours... and it does sort of sum up how I feel just now... oh well, this too shall pass. If you are STILL in the dark about WOYWW, pop over and look-see at Stamping Ground with the lovely Julia and the rest of the world at your feet... well, at the end of you fingertips, at least!!!
Love and Light
Frankie
xx
PS - opps, she went and forgot the desk shot completely!!! typical... laters, maybe!! silly moo...

WOYWW #166 - Stamp Addicts DT Samples +

Hi Wiggers... yet another 2012 Wednesday has flown into my window and on to my desk... don't know where it came from, but it came along like a bullet!!! Never saw it till it arrived then opps!!! get a pic of your desk to share - and why you ask, if  you have been travelling to Mars with Curiousity!!! Well cos Julia says so, here...

Hope you have had a good week... mine has been ok and fairly uneventful, which is FABULOUS for me, eh??? not much going on is a TOTAL blessing!!!! tee hee. Hands are getting so much better and holidays to Turkey only a few weeks away, so I am feeling more optimistic... knee op when I get back, but that's then and THIS is now!!!

I have been making a couple of samples for Stamp Addicts next show on Create and Craft, later this week... they sent me two beautiful stamps and this is what I made... First three are made from a lovely snowy village scene + some extras from last year...

 Made this like a window in a Tudor house looking out... there is acetate for the glass, I also used the floral stamp.

 This one is all silver and snowy cold and I used the SA "twas the night" stamp and flakes as a background.

 Tried for vintage and different from Christmas colours... very distressed!!!

 This Christmas bouquet is very pretty, and I decoupaged it here with some stamps from last year as contrast.

 This is the make a mess technique. Stamp on acetate then emboss and turn over... put glue and inks and alcohol inks and glitter etc in a swirly, messy gloop, then scrumple tissue and leave to dry. This is a great way to get inky and dirty... be sure to have a scrubby ready !!!

This last one is trying to be vintage and shabby and non- crimble colours... I think I like it the best... I did the emboss with clear ep and knock some off and heat, then put inks to show up the embossing - for the backgrounds of everything... hope that makes sense!!!

And the other thing I have done is my TIO tag, which is very dark this week, the theme having been chosen by my dear friend, BlackDragon. Walking with her in her grief... It's called "Nightmare" and the recipe is a murder of crows, a blue moon and a chill wind.... oooo she knows how to pick em!!!!

 "Caw" croaked the crow... "Nevermore" quoth the raven...

 OOO it;s a cold, blue moon in my nightmare... and the chill wind has stilled the tree...

 "A murder of crows" is such an evocative phrase... love it!!! Anyone know what a gathering of ravens is called then??

 I think it's "an unkindness" but you may know differently.... Anyway, enough of all this - where is the DESK!!!! opps!!! I almost forgot!!! here you go -

 Alongside those cards etc, I am still working on my cruise album... putting in the embellies now, and planning the photos and journalling... it's a great one just to turn the pages... some of you asked how it's made... it's a hybrid of Kathy Orta's "hidden hinge" technique and Laura Denison's pages... they are both fab to follow and watch on UStream... The former is Paper Phenomenon and the latter is Following the Paper Trail...

Well off to post this now then to bed... perchance to ??? dream or have a nightmare!!! Why not join us at DragonsDream TIO this fortnight for this GREAT recipe, the team has done some AMAZING work, again!!!
Love and light
Frankie
xx