WOYWW #141 - OMG I am getting Organised!!!

Help!!! I hardly recognise my "craftyoom"... It is getting sorted, ready for being sorted, and it is nearly half way!!! I can't believe it... What do YOU think?? If you want to sneak a peek at other desks, more worthy than this, just pop on over to our dear Mistress of the Desks, Julia, to snoop at many from all around the world... Meanwhile here is mine...

Can you recognise it then?? Even I have to look twice!! The drawers now on the desk hold punches, below and acrylic blocks at the top. My wireless comes with me every day from my bedroom, so I can listen to 5Live... The drawers to the right, next to my printer, now house my -

distress ink pads and blending tools. Each pad has it's own block, named, and set in an empty Ferrero Rocher box, as you can see in the bottom drawer. I have reds, oranges and pinks on top. Next come the browns, then the blues and greens. At the bottom are the purples and black, plus the archival and embossing pads. It works well, as I can easily lift out which drawer(s) I need... good eh??

So what am I making on my newly emptied and tidied desk - which is really much bigger than I remembered!!?? Well, I have been doing a card for the fragrant Freddie, for Valentine's... I cut strips of Kanban cream and black, and laid them diagonally across the cardstock.

 A closer view of the strips and papers. Yummyness!!

Here is the finished panel, with the addition of ribbons.

 I got carried away and forgot to take piccies of the next stages!! Mounted the panel on black and then a red crease card 8"x8"...

This is the central section. The hearts are triple embossed in red/black and red/gold, and decorated with corner peeloffs... The curled back pieces are parchment, cut and twirled, then stuck down so they look as if they are peeled back to reveal the hearts...

So here is the full view, set against yet another page of that WONDROUS Tattered Time pad from DCWV... I love that set of papers and can't wait to start my Laura Denison project, to make a mini album... I have the kit all set to go...

This final view shows the depth of the rolling on the parchment... I used this technique once before when I made a card for myself to express myself about my Taiji and getting my black jacket... Oh that seems so many eons ago. It's actually just gone 4 years on February 7th!!!

However, my Taiji is still inside me - it's what makes me strong... that made me able to take in my mother and all those attendent problems... better week again so far - we even took her to see the horses on Sunday, and she fed the pony treats from her wheelchair in the stable!! Great stuff...

So that's it guys... I got round a few more of you again last week, and I am aiming for many more this time, so thanks for dropping by and leaving your lovely comments, I really appreciate and need every one!!
Love and Light
Frankie
xx

I am entering this in a couple of challenges:-
Artistic Stamper - Monthy challenge - hearts
Simon Says Stamp and Show - anything goes
My Mojo Monthly by Sarah - share hearts

TIO #109 - The Time Traveler's Wife

Well, I have managed another ickle go in my "craftyoom" and made a tag for TIO... it's right up my street this title, and I really enjoyed just getting all inky again after such a long time...

So, how did it go?? I had the idea of seeing the wife and that she was always watching over him - her heart and love would be an anchor for his travels through time...

 The large, TH clock is part of a machine that is rather odd and broken, which takes him off at the drop of a millisecond... the backing paper for my piece is an all time favourite (oopps!!! sorry for such an awful pun!!!) being Tattered Time by DCWV... I think it adds a great dimension. Acually, we don't ever see a machine, but this is my poetic licence!!! Well it's MY tag...

This is a full frontal!!! The whole tag has a brooding feel. I used weathered wood and the crimble iced thingie distress inks. A touch of patina acrylic for the TH clock and a dab of black soot over all. I also used worn lipstick and festive berries for the row of vertical hearts and a bronze rub 'n buff on all edges...

As usual, I have layered many stamps, including TH, Kanban, Hero Arts and Judikins, all stamped in weathered wood etc and stone grey stazon.

I hope the piece makes you think of the smudgy, misty, foggy, ill-defined nature of the poor man's time travelling, and how disconcerting and diorienting it was for him and his wife?? I think she looks on with a loving gaze, willing him back to her time after time...

And finally... what about that beatiful ickle heart. Well, I have several of those, courtesy of the wonderful Dyan Reaveley, when I bought my Pan Pastels recently. All the packages came in tissue and wrapped up with a ickle red heart, and here you see one of them. They are really beautiful, and make the packages feel even more special. Thanks Dy...

I hope you like it and that you will come and join us this fortnight  - YES we are giving you (and ourselves!!!) a little longer to get your tag done... so get inky and have a go. Thanks for looking and please leave a comment, cos I love reading what you think.
Love and light
Frankie
xx

WOYWW #140 - Something Else Theraputic!!

Happy WOYWW Week Everybody... Pop here if you want to have a sneaky peeky at the desks of the world - well a goodly few of  'em anyways!!! Hope you have had a good one?? Mine has been a lot less painful since I went to see my former Taiji teacher and "back specialist" par excellence. She did her magic and we had a nice chat... Thanks Peta...

Mum has been positively angelic today (Tuesday) and it would be fab if she was like that all the time... - it did mean I got some "me"time to make something!! HURRAH. - unfortunately she has had a run of horrid and difficult days, and I never did get to make my TIO tag!!! Boo hoo...

 So here is my desk... NOT untidy but productive!!! At last... I sorted last week, then designed in my head... then today, I fitted the bits together to make a piece for Miranda, to cheer her up. She has had no heating for a little more than a week!!! YES - in THIS bad weather... the man was there today to fix it, so I took the necklace and earring set down as a surprise!!

 There are new tools too... pink ones- QUITE unlike me, but then they are working whereas my previous ones were not so good anymore!! Spot anything else new??? See later for the answer...

 Here's the finished pieces. The photo is not good of the earrings, as the daylight got into the camera a bit... they are actually plum coloured like the necklace ones... it fits short on the neckline, with the pendant just below the little neck indentation (suprasternal notch!!!! oh  la la .. get me!!!)

 So here it is close up... I embossed a Vintaj round blank in a folder then rubbed to polish and burnish. Then I added some ickle stones to a Vintaj flower piece and strung the two together. It's very dimensional...

 These are some of the beads and Vintaj findings, Loving this ickle butterfly from a QVC set.

 The other side has a dragonfly - SO CUTE!! What do you think of my display area?? Cool and stuff, eh?? tee hee!!! and now for that newbie thingie on my desk from earler ----- taadaa!!!!!

It's my new block and hammer for doing rivets and such!!! I bought the hammer but didn't have anything to hit it on, so the fragrant Freddie treated me to this WONDROUS steel block!! It is SOOOO heavy, guys... NOT one to drop on toes, or anything else for that matter!!

Ok, I am away now to do my links, then off to bed. I have a TIME tag to finish for TIO tomorrow, in the morning, so hope mum lets me get on again... bye all and have a great week
Love and Light
Frankie
xx

WOYWW #139 - Don't Faint, It's a Bit Tidier!!!

Hi All.... I hope you are all well. I have missed you and hope I can get back to visiting you properly again... where? well right HERE chez Julia of course...

And do I have anything on offer?? Well YES for a change. I have been having a tidy and a sort around in readiness for a proper spring clean... YEA and verily thus... it IS THAT BAD that I have to tidy up before I can tidy!!!! Ha ha ha ... So on the newly EMPTY desk I decided to get out my beads and findings ready to put into my crimble pressies - the TH boxes!!! I have some new Vintaj on order too, so I shall be having a good go at that before long... I DO HOPE!!!!

And why have I been SO absent??? Well I have had a shockingly awful week and bit with mum... she really is beyond the pale at times... still that's mine to sort out!!! Surfice it to say I don't get much time to myself, and none in my "craftyoom" until today. Freddie fitted a bolt on mum's door for when I need to be sure she is safe and not roaming around the house, tripping on my chinese rugs and cat toys, not to mention any one of my 6 cats!!!!!! So I used it today, to get time to sort and sift!!! Yumminess it was too...

 The thingy with footies on is my Jay's design for his birthday invitations... so I hope to get those finished tomorrow, so he can send them out on Friday... His background is beautifully multi-coloured, so I am doing a smooch with his colours in distress inks then cutting his footballs out and pasting...

And I even made a start with sorting and labelling my newest boxes of card. This unit is directly behind me when I am at my desk. I have started at the top and am working my way down... After the week I have had, tidying is strangely theraputic!!!! Oh my, those of you who know me or visit often will KNOW I am needing help!!! Tee hee... oh well, here's hoping Miranda will hear about her bone graft soon, so she can start and finish her next six weeks in plaster before the year gets too much older!!!

I will definitely be coming round to see you, so pop the kettle on!!!
Love and light to you all
Frankie
xx

WOYWW - Honey, I'm Home!!!

Happy New Year to you all...especially those visiting from Stamping Ground, courtesy of the wonderfully chatty Mrs Dunnit...  I have only just got back from my trip, and hope you all had a super break. We went to Gran Canaria to visit the fragrant Freddie's family. His two sisters have lived there for 40+ years!!! I finally met his older sister this time and here is a pic of the view from her balcony!!!

 Not a bad little vista eh??? She owns appartments just below so we might take all my family over in the summer. My poor daughter could do with it as her one break in that ancle has not healed AT ALL!! So a bone graft is needed soon, and then more plaster for 6 weeks!!! A serious break indeed!!! But that would not include my mum... not feasible and we need the rest away from it all!!!!

 These two pics are from New Year's Eve. Freddie's nephew-in-law always throws him a fabulous party, and we are ready to go on these photos... we stayed until 6.30am and I was dancing and everything!!!! There is a video of that which I might share at a later time!!! The climate is so kind to my poor old joints...

 Aww... bless... if you look closely you can see me in the reflection in his glasses!!! Fun...

 We went to St. Augustin, in the south, to this fab hotel, where you can hire a lounger, brolly and towel for the whole day... it was AMAZINGLY hot all day and I was in my natural element... I was unaware of THIS shot being taken though!!!! tee hee...

Wooo... I should have been more careful about the dumplings boiling over eh??!! But at least I knew this shot was being taken!!!

He didn't though!!! Got my own back but was kinder with the angle eh???!! The lady at his side is the younger one of his sisters.

On our final day we went to the Guanches caves in the north of the island, with a couple of Freddie's rellies... they don't speak much English and we had great fun understanding eachother!!! But the day was wonderful - hot and dry (32deg) and so interesting, with paella and sangria to boot!!! I think you can see here how brown we were getting!!?? What a wonderful holiday...

This last pic is after all the eating and such... we were very happy, if you take my meaning...!!! What a shock when we came home to 2deg!! And then we had to get mum back.... she is settled but very difficult - as always, even before she developed her dementia!!! Oh well, I will cope.

Anyway, I look forward to visiting you all again now I am home, and hoping blogger lets us all make the lovely comment we all crave and love

Love and SunLight

Frankie

xx

WOYWW - Something to See, Hurrah!!!

Hi everybody... Last post for me before crimble and last showing of my disreputable desk!!! Curtesy of the madame de desques, Julia de Dunnit, Le Stamping Ground de blogue... opps, got a tad oo la la then, eh!!?? So eyes down for a look see at what I am doing, and a winning SSSS tag made into a card - it really did look like a Victorian invention for something or other!!! tee hee...

 So here we are... still as untidy and dishevelled as ever but full of goody goodness - beads galore for making pressies - some for my lovely daughter and some for Freddie's sisters and niece in Gran Canaria!!!! YAY and thrice... I have a place (if blo-dy expensive) for mum to go whilst the fragrant Freddie and I get away for relative visiting and some sunshine in just a few days after crimble!!! Ah, dear readers, I REALLY need that sun and a rest from all the havoc since we got back from Egypt in September...

 There are some beautiful colours ready to use, and some super silver fillers too. I have earrings and necklaces, as well as bracelets to make, so I should have a whale of a time with them!! It's the sort of thing I can do sitting watching tv, or in mum's room.

 I have even found a watch in the same genre for the wonderful daughter... might get myself one too, after crimble... The green beads are for her, as she already has a bracelet in greens. she was very disappointed on Thursday, that she still can't drive, as one break is mending nicely, but the bone that pierced the skin is not showing any sign of healing yet, and her ligaments are still shot to pieces!! She did weep a little in frustration and shear fed-up-ness at being stuck indoors and loosing her independence!!! Poor love...

 The blues are very pretty too - I have my eye on them!!! Ok.. on to that card, made from the TIO and SSSS tag a couple of weeks ago... I too some of the elements apart and then made an easel card...

 I LOVE this stamp... what a fabulous face...

 The flying clock always makes me smile... The chap this is for has just been 67, so my idea was time flying...

 The "buttons here are the waste from the cogs. I love the texture...

And here is the whole thing, with that huge cog - it's so spectacular. I wish they did more this size and texture. So much to see and so mysterious... I realy like the finished thing - interesting to use the same elements but make them look so different...

So there you have my little offering for now. I hope you all have a fabulous Christmas and a Happy New Year. I also hope that 2012 brings us ALL much better luck, health and prosperity. I know a lot of you have had a torrid time like us, so here's hoping all is more tranquil nest year...
Love and Light
Frankie
xx
PS... HURRAH it's now the shortest day!!!!!!! so we can all begin to look forward to the summer!!! Merry Yule everyone!!!!!
xx

WOYWW #132 - Metal Wonderfulness (cheating again!!!)

Hi all, and welcome to the phenomenon that is WOYWW, brought to us bloggers all over the world by the wondrous Mrs. Dunnit - sounds magical, rather like Father Christmas eh???

 I have given up on declaring time is rapidly running away with me, or that I am not ready for the festive season, or that I have absolutely NO IDEA where we will put 1 tree this year, let alone the usual 2!!! My mother's new chest of drawers is where one usually goes, and our much reduced and diminished eating arrangements leave much to be desired, being a smallish table in my (cold) conservatory!!!! So no room in there then either - rather like at the inn!!! Well, where's the crafty stuff I hear you cry, so here is a ickle bit of past history and nostalgia, otherwise known as Lin's last class at the Olney shop!!!! And here is the lovely lady herself...

 The very last class was destined to be the metal stuff I have been trying to do with her for ages but operations and holidays have always got in the way...

 So here IS my desk, just not at home!!! sorry... we have puffed out some images then filled, and left them to dry.

 This is what we were aiming for... lots of different techniques and ideas - 11 in total, apparently... this is Lin's piece, of course!!!

 I will share a couple of ideas with you... this is a die cut shape, in thin card, covered with the metal, then embossed -

 and scribbled to get this fabulous texture. The colour comes from painting over with marvellous Fresco paints from Paperartsy...

 This is Lin's piece, in situ on her canvas... distressed with some black paint and distress inks... Thanks for this great idea, Lin...

 And another FABULOUSLY simple technique is to crumple up humble tinfoil, then alcohol ink it!!! Brilliant, and so easy... it's just mounted on to some card to keep it rigid!!! Thanks for this one too, Lin...

 And her amazing flowers... how great are they... I have decided to curl over the bottom petals, and roll the top ones, instead of the way round I have it here... look back at Lin's piece to see how much better it sits like that!!!

 This beauty was done through the Big Shot - I MUST tell you at this point that my 3rd - yes no. three VAGABOND IS DEAD DEFUNCT and is NO MORE! What a pain that is, eh!! Must be a bad batch or it is just NOT fit for purpose... I wonder if Sir Tim knows that so many are rubbish???!!! So I am in the market for a new machine - any suggestions??

Anyhow, here are a few more pieces we did. They look so much better when they have been grunged eh?? So now I have to finish and put it all together... twill be easier said than done, as I am getting NO me-time to speak of just now... mum is quite a handful, and time just slips away seeing to her needs. I MUST be better at looking after me in the new year... the fragrant Freddie and I are still hoping to slip away for a couple of weeks to Gran Canaria to see his family for their crimble... that's if the care home comes up trumps!!! Cross everything you can, dear reader!!! I REALLY need the break...

Have a fabulous week and don't work too hard on those preparations... it will all come good in the end... Thanks for stopping by, and commenting, you KNOW I LOVE to hear from you all...
Love and Light
Frankie
xx
PS ... WOOO I was top three AGAIN at Simon Says Stamp and Show... I am THRILLED, probably even more than the first time, cos there are so many wonderful entries each week!!! Thanks everyone for your support!!